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Pale Web Serial - Blog Posts
that one witch hunter in Pale
i might be doing really terrible on the emotional regulation front but in my defense ive had a gaping hole in my chest since i was 12
This is just Sharon and witch hunters that’s all this is just an otherverse skeptic
ghost hunting team that keep a nonbeliever named steve around as an emergency supernatural suppressant
So, it seems like the fandom consensus on Pale is that you shouldn't bother reading it, because it is "too long". I'm going to push back against this. Yes, it is "too long". Yes it does loose focus near the end, and become a bit thematically muddled. Yes, it has it's share of Wildbow's patented Boring Action Schlock, particularly near the end (but not any more, proportionally, than Worm or Pact or any of the other ones that the fandom has decided are the "good" ones). But it is still 100% worth reading. The highs are just that high.
“Man,” I say to myself, discarding another wip, “I wish I could draw body horror more gooder. If only there was a piece of media to be insane about with visceral imagery that forms a greater commentary on body image and perceptions/experiences of disability in our modern society!”
“Oh yeah?” A voice says from behind me.
I turn around.
It’s Wildbow, the body horror author.
I want a bigger pale fandom (I want my friends to read pale and the fandom to stop mainly using reddit)
minecraft parkour civilization could easily be a path from late-pale and well. need i say any more?
I do genuinely love Verona actually. She thinks she’s way smarter than she is and is unfailingly arrogant about it. She loves doing the practitioner doublespeak lying-while-telling-the-truth thing so much that it actively is a detriment to her life and yet she continues. Out of the trio she’s the one who just genuinely loves learning for the sake of learning and magic for the sake of magic more, which makes her fascinating to read because she’s so interested in everything thats going on (except when she isn’t. Either 110% interest or 0%). She never compromises on what she wants out of life no matter what. Her neuros have diverged significantly and she truly could not give two shits. She only feels negative emotions once a week and it physically cripples her. I have so many thoughts and yet can articulate none. Maybe one day. Anyway absolutely the favourite of the three and honestly she’s the one who makes the most sense to me. I can fully see where she’s coming from and where she’s going. Absolute rejection of humanity girlboss
I feel so stupid rereading the Blue Heron arcs because I'm constantly like "omg blorbo beenis from later in this story" and I get excited every time
Had a dream that absurdist memes about Pale became super popular. The text was always out of context stuff starting with "when the", like "When the candle milf exits the ritual through the coin" "When the goblin loses a fight with a cigarette" "When the horror is a sexyman" And it was always overlaid on this image.
A kid I went to middle school with showed me a video that was just a bunch of these. I went "wait a second, I know that possum." I explained what Pale was and he said "oh cool, I'll check it out." And then I woke up. Apparently that was the most unrealistic part of the dream, successfully convincing someone to read Pale.
Life got in the way so I was unable to finish the Pale AMV I was working on, back when I was finished with Arc 7. But here’s what I got done before that! Obviously contains spoilers. I hope you enjoy. I’m happy with how some of it turned out.
I love the way Fernanda Whitt just autisticly gaslight, gatekeep, girlbosses her way through her chapter.
And also: She deserves so much better. Like. She tells Laila that she is her best friend and Laila is like „Uhh, yea. We are friends. I knew that.“ And then she fucking dies. What the fuck.
Notes I’ve taken on arc four of Pale:
I think this was my favourite arc so far and that last chapter was my favourite chapter so far. Now that the characters and their relationships are all well established, I feel like, it can really focus on the emotions of the characters and play with their relationships. Which I absolutely love and which I think is the authors biggest strength.
So about the arc: It is cut into two pieces, with the first four chapters being set (mostly) in Kennet and focusing on the party. This part was absolutely great and I really like the dynamics the trio has with their classmates, Melissa and Jeremy in particular. (Same is also true about their new „classmates“ at the BHI.) The second half, set in the BHI, was really exciting in terms of worldbuilding and magic and almost tricked me into thinking school is useful or fun. What I liked most about this part was seeing the different attitudes of the Practitioners towards Others, others and morals in general.
I was about to say that Avery is my new favourite because of her character development with the forest ribbon trail, snowdrop and her relationship with her family, but the last chapter where the girls create echos of themselves really cemented Verona as the best. I really appreciate having a good person protagonist who has problems feeling emotions like other people.
Also I am not quite sure whether Verona wanting to become an Other is allegorical for dysphoria, suicidal thoughts or not an allegory at all. Either way she continues to be the most relatable character and I love her.
👆🏻This is Zed
Zed seems like he’d be part of the shadow wizard money gang and loves casting spells.
Zed seems like he’d be part of the shadow wizard money gang and loves casting spells.
Thoughts on Pale arc one:
People seemed to like my posts about Pale, so here are my thoughts after finishing the first arc:
Oh my god, I did not know that this was a horror story. I thought this was urban fantasy + murder mystery and a lighter break from the author’s usual stuff. 1.z was one of the most tense things I’ve ever read. The devouring song was so wonderfully creepy and the ritual really felt unwinnable. Despite that I still expected Gabe to survive tho and the moment he threw up I was so shocked and had to stop reading for a bit.
That out of the way; I fucking love this story and I would be surprised, if this isn’t my favourite book, when I finish reading it. The characters, the dialogue, the worldbuilding, the magic and the pacing are all fucking amazing.
From the protagonists Verona is my favorite so far; she is so great: She is a weird loner who hates work and people (so relatable). Is she aromantic or just a depressed teenager with attachment issues? I don’t know and neither does she seemingly (very relatable). She doesn’t feel totally human and wants to leave all of her humanity behind (so very relatable (look I said it three times; it’s a curse now)).
Im binging arc two now.
Some things that are great about Pale, if you're unsure about reading it:
A murder mystery in which none of the suspects can lie, and yet half-truths and sneakiness make this absolutely riveting to investigate
A social justice story about working your damndest to make a better world and a serious examination of what it really takes to change the system
Three teenage protagonists who are all incredible people in rich and diverse ways - seriously, I want to be each of them when I grow up
Teens do extremely cool magic stunts
Characters who you come to appreciate on a deeper level than arguably any other work
Number one source for opossum appreciation and memes
A magic system so good it doesn't even feel fair to call it a magic system; this is just what magic is to me now
Arguably the best introduction to that system and universe because it makes it playful and fun (and doesn't spoil anything from other stories in that universe)
So many different kinds of magic!
Robust enough to accommodate any fantasy/horror/urban fantasy plotline
So many well-classified types of guy. Like, you've been through a million groundhog day style loops? That's a type of guy
Feels like a courtroom drama half the time
Maybe the best take on the "is it bad for kids to be protagonists?" question ever
The coolest trans guy in the world
Gay shipping wars (takes a while to get there, but so worth it)
Will probably make you cry
There are podcasts! Pale Reflections, which comments on Pale, and Pale In Comparison, which compares Pale to Pact, the other big work set in this universe. Both are very good and will 100% enhance your understanding of the story's themes
Judicial extrajudicial judicial murder (Is it good? Bad? Discuss)
In a sense that is totally unfair to both parties but nonetheless feels inescapably true, the antagonist is Taylor from Worm