#20.a

[st-just]

Also, important new setting fact: Being nonbinary makes you better at necromancy.

[lilliankillthisman]

Reading the latest Pale chapter and wow Wildbow has done it again. Creating antagonists so humanised that they just suck is a gift and I mean that sincerely. Nomi being like "I average I'm crummy I'm shitty oh and btw I'm going to use my dead Mom to manipulate the people who should be my friends" in her own internal monologue sets her up so perfectly I love it. She sucks, she's like the exact opposite of Lucy (and I'm sure that's deliberate), and... she's very, very plausible and definitely a character I'm sympathetic to.

[st-just]

Also - so pacing wise introducing this many new antagonists this late all with their own distinct aesthetics and gimmicks is very, well, shounen filler arc (though the aesthetics and gimmicks are all super cool! I love to see the actual necromancy!), but Nomi et al are actually a really great contrast/foil to the girls, in terms of also being random teenagers with issues given access to a bottomless well of horrifying magic power and instruction from a variety of spooky monsters.

Like you feel for the teachers (except Seth who is clearly still a massive creep, and Lenard who holy fuck why that's so much worse than just being a normal Scourge) having to drag their kids over coals to get them to pay attention to the cool magic lessons.

I'm really kind of hoping for an anticlimax where they come in with overwhelming force and just get utterly countered and no sold because the Keneteers fundamentally know what they're doing.

[st-just]

God Yiyun is clearly trying so hard here and is clearly extremely aware she's made a deal with the devil and trying to make the best of it.

Hoping the girls pull a Nicolette with her significantly more than any of the actual St. Victors kids tbh.

[wildvetch]

Chevalier pulled off his gauntlet, and clasped Defiant’s wrist, while Defiant clasped his.  Defiant could feel and his sensors could hear the signal thrum through Chevalier’s body. Chevalier’s voice was low, quiet, and heard by everyone present, “Here we go, old friend.  To think this isn’t even the hard part.”

gonna go take a long walk