James Wang
@cardvark.bsky.social
Afterlife Ascendant, a Cyberpunk Novel, coming by end of Q2 2025.
Father, husband, sci-fi writer. Follow for posts about writing, general scifi and fantasy geekery, and young-kid parenting stuff.
Ally for all colors and flags. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Father, husband, sci-fi writer. Follow for posts about writing, general scifi and fantasy geekery, and young-kid parenting stuff.
Ally for all colors and flags. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Come for the Matrix-like fight scenes and Atomic Blonde spycraft, stay for the journey of a woman who was beaten into the dirt but refuses to stay down.
June 13, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Come for the Matrix-like fight scenes and Atomic Blonde spycraft, stay for the journey of a woman who was beaten into the dirt but refuses to stay down.
But Bong Joon Ho pulled back from earnestness while also pulling back from outlandishness. And in doing created something lukewarm and a little disappointing.
Again, I enjoyed Mickey 17. It's a lot of fun.
But it's no Parasite.
8/8
Again, I enjoyed Mickey 17. It's a lot of fun.
But it's no Parasite.
8/8
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
But Bong Joon Ho pulled back from earnestness while also pulling back from outlandishness. And in doing created something lukewarm and a little disappointing.
Again, I enjoyed Mickey 17. It's a lot of fun.
But it's no Parasite.
8/8
Again, I enjoyed Mickey 17. It's a lot of fun.
But it's no Parasite.
8/8
... but worth trotting out again in this day and age.
The comparisons to two of the largest figures in the US government today are obvious and transparent. Possibly too transparent.
But there was an opportunity to make a point, to reiterate something fundamental in a new, and compelling way.
7/
The comparisons to two of the largest figures in the US government today are obvious and transparent. Possibly too transparent.
But there was an opportunity to make a point, to reiterate something fundamental in a new, and compelling way.
7/
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
... but worth trotting out again in this day and age.
The comparisons to two of the largest figures in the US government today are obvious and transparent. Possibly too transparent.
But there was an opportunity to make a point, to reiterate something fundamental in a new, and compelling way.
7/
The comparisons to two of the largest figures in the US government today are obvious and transparent. Possibly too transparent.
But there was an opportunity to make a point, to reiterate something fundamental in a new, and compelling way.
7/
Herein lies the other failing. Satire can try to influence its audience
Mickey 17 has a message. It has something to say about power, greed, unregulated corporate overreach, and the cult-like devotion people can have to larger-than-life sociopathic characters.
It's a well-trodden message...
6/
Mickey 17 has a message. It has something to say about power, greed, unregulated corporate overreach, and the cult-like devotion people can have to larger-than-life sociopathic characters.
It's a well-trodden message...
6/
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Herein lies the other failing. Satire can try to influence its audience
Mickey 17 has a message. It has something to say about power, greed, unregulated corporate overreach, and the cult-like devotion people can have to larger-than-life sociopathic characters.
It's a well-trodden message...
6/
Mickey 17 has a message. It has something to say about power, greed, unregulated corporate overreach, and the cult-like devotion people can have to larger-than-life sociopathic characters.
It's a well-trodden message...
6/
...series of scifi action movie events.
Conversely, the absurdity and the outlandishness of the villain/antagonist (a hilarious Mark Ruffalo), make the *message* of the satire somewhat diminished.
When you lean too far into absurdity and satire, you lose the ability to *influence*
5/
Conversely, the absurdity and the outlandishness of the villain/antagonist (a hilarious Mark Ruffalo), make the *message* of the satire somewhat diminished.
When you lean too far into absurdity and satire, you lose the ability to *influence*
5/
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
...series of scifi action movie events.
Conversely, the absurdity and the outlandishness of the villain/antagonist (a hilarious Mark Ruffalo), make the *message* of the satire somewhat diminished.
When you lean too far into absurdity and satire, you lose the ability to *influence*
5/
Conversely, the absurdity and the outlandishness of the villain/antagonist (a hilarious Mark Ruffalo), make the *message* of the satire somewhat diminished.
When you lean too far into absurdity and satire, you lose the ability to *influence*
5/
Fantastic and absurd and disgusting. And then it kinda evens out. Act 3 is a lot of action and kinda wild things happening, but while the situation remains implausible and grows more implausible in some regards, it also restrain itself in order to coherently express a pretty straightforward...
4/
4/
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Fantastic and absurd and disgusting. And then it kinda evens out. Act 3 is a lot of action and kinda wild things happening, but while the situation remains implausible and grows more implausible in some regards, it also restrain itself in order to coherently express a pretty straightforward...
4/
4/
Mickey 17 doesn't quite do that. It ramps up pretty good, hits a solid 7, but then just kinda... stays there. The wackiness doesn't push that hard. The absurdity of Micky's situation, how his bodies are formed from human waste, how the scientists test all kinds of horrible things on him, it's
3/
3/
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Mickey 17 doesn't quite do that. It ramps up pretty good, hits a solid 7, but then just kinda... stays there. The wackiness doesn't push that hard. The absurdity of Micky's situation, how his bodies are formed from human waste, how the scientists test all kinds of horrible things on him, it's
3/
3/
Satire is a tricky thing to get right, imo. I think part of it depends on what you're trying to achieve.
If the goal is just to amuse and titillate or even just to offend, then you're best served just going full-tilt, balls-to-the-wall zaniness. Let it build and build, and just keep on going.
2/
If the goal is just to amuse and titillate or even just to offend, then you're best served just going full-tilt, balls-to-the-wall zaniness. Let it build and build, and just keep on going.
2/
April 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Satire is a tricky thing to get right, imo. I think part of it depends on what you're trying to achieve.
If the goal is just to amuse and titillate or even just to offend, then you're best served just going full-tilt, balls-to-the-wall zaniness. Let it build and build, and just keep on going.
2/
If the goal is just to amuse and titillate or even just to offend, then you're best served just going full-tilt, balls-to-the-wall zaniness. Let it build and build, and just keep on going.
2/
And to write a great, believable character, you need to know all three layers. Their actual, deep truth. The lies they tell themselves. The truth and lies they tell other people. And you need to know the actions they take, and how they reflect the truth and lies within them.
This creates a person.
This creates a person.
March 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
And to write a great, believable character, you need to know all three layers. Their actual, deep truth. The lies they tell themselves. The truth and lies they tell other people. And you need to know the actions they take, and how they reflect the truth and lies within them.
This creates a person.
This creates a person.