#Emily was in Ruben’s dreams and it wasn’t enough

[frogsandmagic]

One of the things about the ‘should the bad kids have saved the ratgrinders’ debate is that they have had moments of trying to figure out if the ratgrinders were actually bad or if they were salvageable. They just. Didn’t role well enough. Or the info they were given wasn’t enough to try and spare their lives while they were actively trying to kill them. But their characters have no concept of the fact that they didn’t role well. Kristen Applebees doesn’t know she roled that bad on her check on buddy dawn during the battle. Ally does. Emily TRIED to see if Ruben felt guilty enough for her to spare him, but in the end, it didn’t matter (which I understand that feeling narratively unsatisfying, while also understanding that she was clearly not on his side and had obviously manipulated him into thinking she died). But like. The bad kids have done things to try and convince Mary Anne, it hasn’t worked. They’ve tried with buddy, didn’t work. Tried with Ruben, didn’t work. Even tried a bit with Oisin and it didn’t work.

I get being upset with the finale, and you don’t have to like it. But I think it makes since that the bad kids would see them as a lost cause. They know that people could, and have, fought against the rage, and the ratgrinders didn’t. They know that they are trying to kill them and no insight checks that they’ve done have suggested that they are salvageable. If they take the risk to spare them now with no info suggesting that the ratgrinders could be spared, porter becomes a god. So like. What else can they do at this point but fight?