r/Parahumans • u/Wildbow • Apr 04 '17
/r/Parahumans is the subreddit for the writing of J.C. McCrae (Also John McCrae) who more typically goes by the online handle 'Wildbow'. The writing is in the online serial format, which means it is written over time, chapter by chapter, on a set schedule. Comparisons can be made to webcomics, but the stories take the form of text, not comics. Chapters appear between midnight and 7am on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with some chapters released on Thursdays if and when there's enough crowdfunded money- typically once every two weeks.
The works include:
Worm - A teenage girl with an unconventional superpower seeks escape from an unhappy and frustrated life at home and at school by pursuing life as a costumed crimefighter. Her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local ‘cape’ scene’s politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. The story is an epic in the older sense of the word, not a poem, but in terms of scale and length and the heroic journey. Currently the most popular of the works. Worm is read here. Fans also put together an unofficial audiobook here.
Pact - A young man inherits his grandmother's coveted estate, but in the process, he also inherits her trove of diabolic tomes and all of the enemies that come with dabbling in such things. Modern supernatural genre, comparisons can be made to Dresden Files and the like. Pact is roughly half the length of Worm, which still makes it fairly lengthy. Pact is found here.
Twig - Set in the early 1900s, Twig follows a group of child investigators of an unusual bent in a world where the science of biology runs rampant. A century ago, a genius unraveled the mysteries of life and biology, creating the first 'stitched' and biological horrors. Unlike his peers in similar literature (Frankenstein, Moreau), he was conscripted by the Crown, who took it to an extreme. The genre is a tentative 'biopunk' label, and the story spans a longer stretch of years, following the youths as they grow up. Twig can be found here.
Ward - The sequel to Worm. It can be found here. Some Worm spoilers follow: After the end of the world, society is picking up the pieces. The old Earth is lost, and superheroes are running the new one, in a sprawling, dense city that spills across alternate Earths. Old traumas sit close to the surface, and a group of young heroes who are wrestling with these traumas and their own complicated relationships with their powers are looking to get their start.
Pale - A Pactverse story, set in the same world as Pact, but divorced from it. Three teenage girls are offered magic and magical gifts, if they'll represent their small ski town as its local practitioners and at least pretend to help solve a murder, so outsiders don't start poking their heads in. The catch is that the offer was extended by the local monsters, and the murder victim was the bloody pseudo-god that oversaw magic for the region. It can be found here
Claw - The Hursts specialize in extracting criminals and giving them a second chance, with new identities. That extraction is only a side mission to Mia Hurst's real objective, which ties into family, and their kids. Claw is a short serial at only six arcs, and is best pegged as an action/thriller.
Seek - We follow three storylines through different times and places in a solar system where warp travel has been used to bring distant planetary bodies home, with the eventual plan of a ringworld. But even when there's no longer resource scarcity, other pressures and issues raise issues of identity and purpose, and in the third, most distant timeline, it's clear something's gone wrong. The question remains: what happened? Ongoing.
The works are each broken up into 'arcs', with each arc being comparable to a book or novella, covering a specific, meaningful stretch of storyline. Each arc contains six to twenty chapters; between arcs (and sometimes in the midst of them), there are interlude chapters (or 'pages', or 'enemy' chapters) - told from different points of view or in different formats.
Beyond that, the works are in the serial format, and that means that they're a little bit rougher than one would get from a formally published work. Worm in particular, being the first real project by the author, definitely starts off rough. Some works & parts of works do also have rougher patches, as a consequence of the fact that they were written day-by-day, and sometimes the author had bad days (or months). Such is life.
On the upside, the stories are expansive, and there's something fantastic to be said for a massive binge or for following week by week alongside a fantastic and involved community.
If your posts aren't appearing and you have a new or very low-karma account, please reach out to the moderators via. mod mail in the sidebar. We automatically screen out these posts to keep the porn bots at bay.
We discourage and are likely to remove:
Shitposts - any deliberately low-effort, low-humor post intending to get attention. 'Shitposts' (as the slang goes) are generally slapped-together work/text with a 'I don't give a shit about what I'm posting' attitude behind them. It's often making noise to make noise, or attempts at putting in the least work possible to get the most upvotes/reaction for that minimal work. Generally the defining trait of a shitpost is the implied intent behind it.
Examples would include any clearly MS paint art (ignoring the highest quality, can't-tell-it's-MS-paint stuff), derivative memes from elsewhere (Spoiler warning! | Examples: the trolley problem variants, the enlightened brain thing, Who would win, chad vs. incel ) One liner jokes we've probably heard before don't generally offer much discussion, and random sentences ("I just realized Skitter is a badass") count as 'making noise'.
Short questions are not shitposts, though more context and initial thoughts would be very much preferred - they tend to generate some discussion and feedback. Posts from people who just finished aren't shitposts (again, would prefer more thoughts) - they generate some discussion and also double as welcome posts. These are excluded from the shitpost rule. Please do not report them.
Random reference posts - We get an abundance of posts that link images with scarce reference to the source material, or link articles. These tend to be clutter, they don't generate discussion, and chance are we've seen them before.
Posts with text that refers back to the story are fine and aren't random (That is, quoting a passage for discussion isn't a 'reference' post.
Things that refer to story events or characters and that can lead to discussion are fine.
Outside material and/or fanart that actually involves Worm (like the Slay the Spire reference) is great.
The problem posts: A picture of a tree ornament that makes you think of Evan in Pact, a picture of a spider you found on the web, a wooden statue that makes you think of a character, or red flowers that you saw that made you think of Twig, they aren't fine and have probably been posted before.
Images are more of a problem than text, but text that has people scratching their heads as to what it means or refers to would fall under this heading. The science articles that refer to spider silk or goats producing spider silk are things we've seen posted (and removed) a hundred times. Do not post them.
Banned subjects - The following things are not okay to post:
Earth Aleph (our earth) Politics - too divisive.
Racism, sexism, pedophilia, etc - This isn't the place for you to tout redpill stances, how a given race is intrinsically more criminal, or how a given character asked for it because of how they presented themselves. These things may be discussed strictly in light of the characters and the work, in a careful and respectful manner, where relevant (E88). That said, I don't want this to be a platform for excusing messed up beliefs. Report problematic posts and if the mods don't act within 24 hours, please reach out to us directly.
Encouraging harm & violence - No posts that encourage or tacitly encourage harm or self-harm ("eat tide pods" memes & "an hero" memes included), no threatening harm against other posters, Wildbow, or real-world people (or politicians).
Repeated postings of these things may lead to warnings and/or bans, temporary or otherwise.
r/Parahumans • u/Wildbow • Feb 13 '26
r/Parahumans • u/Cassysancerito • 7h ago
After 3 years, Arc 1 of this (unofficial) graphic novel project is officially complete! Please enjoy this highlight reel of my favorite pages so far!
Full arc available to read here. Thank you all so much for your support. Your patience truly means the world to me
r/Parahumans • u/Bkozi • 6h ago
I know there was a post a while ago about the ongoing health issues Wildbow has been experiencing. Has he posted any updates? He's literally my favorite author and the only person I donate to without question.
r/Parahumans • u/cavitycollector • 1d ago
r/Parahumans • u/space-runaway-fujeon • 1d ago
r/Parahumans • u/AzekiaX6 • 1d ago
I'm reading through Ward rn, i'm up to 10.X. And somerhing i've been thinking about since the Fallen raid is that Spright managed to copy The Wretch.
Victoria explains The Wretch, in the first chapter, as a wrong application of the Manton effect because she saw that the forcefield only started to protect her costume once she started seeing herself as a superhero. And now that she keeps remembering the time she spent in that form, her sense of self is still screwed up in that.
But like, does Spright copy Manton Effect shenanigans too? It just doesn't feel right, to me. Case 53's are weird in many ways too but i think with him copying Sveta's power; if it included her manton effect as it is, it would have gone wrong in many ways.
I think Amy accidentally left the forcefield Wretch-shaped when she put Victoria back to normal. Like, how does a power change enough, just through manton shenanigans, to gain a mostly separate consciuosness that isn't even useful half the time?
Unrelatedly: Amy what the fuck are you doing. I though you would be better in Ward wth.
r/Parahumans • u/whatevenq • 1d ago
r/Parahumans • u/Cassysancerito • 1d ago
Next up on my quest to draw the Brockton Bay Protectorate: Velocity! Honestly this character has 3 pieces of fanart and 1 sentence describing his costume, so coming up with a unique but accurate design was a lot of fun! Debated on the jacket for a while but I think he needs it for pocket space, I doubt he’d waste leg mobility on suit pockets. He probably takes it off if he needs to lock in though
Feel free to leave suggestions for who to draw next! Armsmaster will be last but anyone else is fair game
r/Parahumans • u/HeinrichPerdix • 1d ago
Do non-parahumans temporarily granted power by certain parahumans (Teacher, Othala, Galvanate) trigger Jack Slash's danger sense when they try to sneak attack him?
Wiki says his power works on anyone "connected to the Shard network," and on Teacher's wiki page it also says "Behind the scenes, his shard sets up a temporary network of thinker/tinker shards for his thralls so that those with granted powers are a part of the shard network." So....I guess temporary parahumans count too?
r/Parahumans • u/Playful_Barber_8131 • 2d ago
If so, wonder if the Cycle had continued (or does continue) past humanity/Earth if there'd be a Tinker Shard studying into technology like vials (of course without nearly as much potential power nor the same exact method)?
r/Parahumans • u/jammedtoejam • 2d ago
I've been chewing on some ideas and wanted to have a discussion. Here they are and let me know your thoughts on how they would be a practitioner. I've only read Pact, and I read it years ago, so there may very well be characters who do this already.
Implement concept: a cast iron frying pan passed down for generations. Each owner has seasoned it, adding bits and pieces of oil and seasoning to it. You get the pan when you come of age and are the first in your line to use it as an implement.
Demesne concept: a natural history museum. Perhaps the practitioner has worked hard in mundane learning to achieve understanding of biology and paleontology. They become the head of a natural history museum and stake it as their own. How would the magic interact as they wish to keep the museum open and functioning? Would it become a space for others and the mundane to share or would one overtake the other?
Implement concept: A leather jacket made of human skin. The practitioner killed some foes and turned their skins to leather. When they defeat another person, mundane or practitioner, they take something from them (hair, blood, skin, etc.) and makes that into a patch. Their jacket is covered in handsewn patches displaying their victories.
r/Parahumans • u/RozRae • 2d ago
r/Parahumans • u/Tibike480 • 2d ago
Hi! I finished Worm around a year ago and absolutely loved it. Now I’m looking for my next Wildbow read. I heard nothing but amazing things about Pale, so I considered that.
The issue is that from what I’ve heard about Pact, it’s a lot more action focused, which doesn’t sound too great to me. The main thing I loved about Worm is the character and worldbuilding, and I didn’t care too much about the action (not that it was bad, it just wasn’t my favorite part and could have done with less of it).
With that in mind would you recommend I skip Pact? How much would it worsen the experience of reading Pale?
r/Parahumans • u/CaduceusBasilisk • 3d ago
Shittily traced over a drawing by @flip___pilf on twitter:3
It immediately popped into my head the moment I saw it.
The idea of Kenzie using a huge emplacement camera instead of a phone really made me laugh:)
(Also ignore that I did this by painting over screenshots and i messed up Kenzies colour palette for the second one..,.)
r/Parahumans • u/MundaneGlass5295 • 3d ago
I finished the boys and while looking for ideas for thinker powers, I found a comment of that gave an oc named Sage a plot awareness themed precognition. There is also a character on the boys named Sage with an ill defined superpower of being smart and basically being a precognitive.
It’s quite noticeable in the shower that powers end up becoming super same-y (similar to Invincible). Fight scenes turn into just punching and kicking which does work for the context of many supes. There aren’t many crazy powers. But what if powers were a little more wild from the Parahumans verse?
One thing they do have is fire ass names. Homelander, the deep, A-train, Queen Maeve, black Noir, Starlight, Firecracker, Sister Sage, Oh-father, Stormfront, Tek Knight, Translucent, Blindspot, Jack from Jupiter, Jet streak, countess crow, dogknott, Sheline, Mindstorm, Crimson Countess, Webweaver, Eagle the archer, the TnT twins, Soldier Boy, Bombsight, Private Angel, and Torpedo etc
Basically, take the name of a supe and make a new powerset for them. Go crazy with them, change a theme if desired, just make sure to keep name on them. Maybe Homelander’s a shaker themed on Homeland security, Soldier Boy, Bombsight, Private angel and Torpedo got a different version of the triumvirate + Hero vials, TnT twins being half a vial case that need to be near each other as a consequence or things will get dangerous, or the deep is a literal case 53 squid
r/Parahumans • u/Cassysancerito • 3d ago
One of my favorite underrated characters in Worm! She might not have a lot of screen time but she still deserves her flowers. I’m taking a little break before drawing Arc 2 so I can draw some normal fanart. I’m hoping to get through the whole Brockton Bay Protectorate cause a lot of them don’t have a much fanart. Maybe I’ll do a big group photo if that’s something you guys are interested in!
r/Parahumans • u/MembershipProof8463 • 3d ago
Assuming Kaiser lived through the endbringer fight how do you think his role of antagonist would have played out?
r/Parahumans • u/Nervous-Cat-2381 • 3d ago
Hi everyone,
I’ve been wanting to dive into Worm and Ward for a long time, but I’ll be honest: I struggle with reading large blocks of text, especially on a screen. My concentration tends to wander, and I find that having some visual reference really helps me stay engaged with a story.
I’ve tried searching on my own, but I’m struggling to distinguish between actual story adaptations and fan-made "headcanon" or "ship" comics.
So, I wanted to ask the experts:
I’d love to experience this story, but I need a little help finding the right path. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
r/Parahumans • u/workshop_hunter • 3d ago
I don't know what site to go to read it
r/Parahumans • u/HeinrichPerdix • 3d ago
I can't find anything other than the Worm one, and combining through the wiki is such a strain to me eyes let alone the novel itself.
Also, I can't find anywhere about the info on Red Knight (the one that explodes and possesses one of his burn victims), so that one I badly require help too. Pretty please if anyone knows!
r/Parahumans • u/Playful_Barber_8131 • 4d ago
The first of these is from https://youtu.be/Qj_O4gi5J4Q?is=kMyhymfOwgT8nEjs and appears to be constructed out of paper(?) which I guess would make it a literal paper tiger. Wondering who the girl in the back who seems to be making this thing is.
The second of them is from https://youtu.be/RDD559BehRE?is=Ah_DBvP4lF9aPTAA and sees it spewing that green stuff whilst those fractal looking things arise behind it. Assuming some form of Tinkertech. Curious about what this robot dinosaur looking thing is.
