#lucy marie

[lucy-marie-de-la-pointe]

My cousin did a rough sketch of Lucy in her Mardi Gras kokoshnik

[polarsirens]

rage

[cloudmancy]

burn the incense of our innocence and in a sense we thrive

[unlikablefemaleprotagonist]

realizing now that the ratgrinders probably DIDN'T kill lucy frostblade at all. likely, they were all killed by the same entity (jace or some other proxy of the rage goddess) at the same time and lucy was just the only one with the integrity to stay dead, instead of becoming a puppet. that's why ruben was so sad when he said she "stuck to her guns." because he wishes he had been able to be that brave instead of living with a constant anger inside him that overshadows every other part of his life! their grief is, on some level, probably genuine

but now they've passed the moral event horizon and killed buddy almost as a sort of "initiation" ritual. a messed-up version of hazing. "you can't be one of us until you die and come back wrong too"

[ratgrinders]

Ok here's an updated timeline of the Rat Grinders based on the new info we got this episode:

Freshman Year

On the first day of classes Kipperlily and the others meet and form their adventuring party. Kipperlily comes up with the name the High Five Heroes.

Kipperlily excels academically, but the High Five Heroes only go on easier adventures, presumably to ensure they will succeed rather than fail at something challenging.

Ruben is primarily an acoustic/soft rock musician.

Kipperlily begins to have childish rage and resentment towards Riz and the other Bad Kids, which start out petty but gradually grow in intensity over the next couple years.

Sophomore Year

An increase in hostility, one of the first meetings Kipperlily has this year is being jealous that Riz's dad was killed by Kalvaxus, that if a person has suffered immense magical hardship it is an unfair advantage in adventuring.

Kipperlily tries to find evidence of conspiracy with her parents and is enraged that they are boring.

A week after spring break the High Five Heroes go on their first quest to the mountains of chaos, chaperoned by Jace Stardiamond.

After this, the High Five Heroes seem to undergo a shift where their rage is amplified. Kipperlily's counselor files become much more venomous towards the Bad Kids, Ruben shifts to emo music, etc.

At some point after this Ivy and Oisin propose changing the name to the Rat Grinders. Kipperlily opposes this and Lucy is on her side, but Ruben votes against her because it makes her upset and Mary Ann also votes against her but doesn't explain her reasoning.

A piece of paperwork is submitted for Lucy to change her god, but another piece of paperwork is filed afterwards rescinding that application, presumably by Lucy herself changing her mind.

Towards the end of the year, after grades are finalized but before classes are over thus avoiding the pass/fail penalty, Lucy dies in the far haven woods near Aguefort. Presumably, she could have been resurrected in service of this unnamed rage god, but chose not to. She "stuck to her guns".

Kipperlily's rage towards the Bad Kids has transitioned from childish to venomous, she "hates them".

Junior Year

At some point between the end of Sophomore year and the beginning of Junior year, the Rat Grinders specifically request Buddy Dawn join their party as a cleric.

At 8:01 am, the first day of classes, Kipperlily goes to Ashgrove to dig up the rogue teacher's grave, thus forcing her to reveal herself and granting Kipperlily a pass for all her rogue classes for the year. Presumably she was aware of the rogue teacher's grave beforehand (information only available in Arthur Aguefort's office) but waited until the start of Junior year so she could pass all her classes for the year.

Kipperlily announces her bid to run for student council president, with a platform based on equity, equanimity, and fairness.

Kipperlily asks Jawbone about the creation of Yes! and the events of prompocalypse

Her counselor notes become extremely enraged, with her straight up wanting to kill Kristin and being angry that she can't get to her thanks to Fig's protection.

Oisin, Ivy, and Buddy are seen at Fabian's house party during the first week of classes. Kipperlily is not seen but is possibly there invisible. The Bad Kids are asked to do drugs but decline. That same night, mephits steal part of a cloud rider engine kept in Seacaster Manor.

At the school assembly the following day Principal Grix reveals he was notified of students doing drugs off campus, meaning its possible the Rat Grinders tipped him off in an attempt to get the Bad Kids in trouble.

Ruben performs presumably some kind of ritual at the Frosty Fair Folk festival, with the other Rat Grinders conspicuously absent. Simultaneously, Yolanda Badgood falls dead in the same place where Lucy Frostblade died, after Yolanda had been made aware of Lucy's change in god and was investigating it. Yolanda also refuses to be resurrected in service of the rage god.

The Rat Grinders are seen at the assembly addressing Yolanda's death and how all clerics would be moved to pass/fail. Most look bored, Mary Ann isn't paying attention, and Buddy is unconcerned.

Kipperlily and Oisin get caught trying to sabotage the Bad Kids' Last Stand exam, and Kipperlily kills Buddy. Ten minutes after the Bad Kids plane shift away, Buddy is revived by an unknown figure and he pledges his allegiance to the rage god.

Now the Rat Grinders are scheduled for another trip to the Mountains of Chaos and are on complete lockdown, hiding all of them from Adaine's divination magic.

[linnytheseagull]

A gothic literature hyperfixation has possessed me so I made this

(This took way longer to make than it reasonably should have)

[idonthaveanyurlideas]

the first time the rat grinders realise they're in too deep / all they have is each other / they've trusted the wrong teachers / the first night without her

[melonsharks]

this is gonna let us finally keep up with the bad kids!

[bthemistake]

- "I don't recognize you" -

[Image description:

The characters from the adventuring party Rat Grinders from the web show Dimension 20 Fantasy High: Junior Year, excluding Buddy Dawn.

Lucy Frostblade stands, sullen and blue, staring outwards to the viewer while the ghosts of her old party stand behind her, eyeless and red. Lucy has her hair in braids tied back into a messy updo and a knitted sweater-dress that reaches halfway down her thighs, paired with knee-high socks and heavy boots. She has vitiligo and elfish ears, turned down rather than pointed upwards.

Kipperlilly Copperkettle, Ruben Hopclap, Mary Ann Skuttle, Ivy Embra, and Oisin Hakinvar hang behind her. Kipperlilly has a dagger in hand and is poised to stike, expression concerned. Ruben has his guitar, pick in hand and pulling down on the strings. Mary Ann looks unbothered and off to the side. Ivy has her body turned in the opposite direction and looks over her shoulder with a smirk, bow ready in hand, and Oisin smiles.

In a turn of the tables, they're all dead and Lucy is the lone survivor of the Rat Grinders party. She struggles to recognize her friends, so warped by their anger and rage, and can't even ask them why because they're gone. There's no High Five Heroes, no Rat Grinders, there is only Lucy and she must find her answers by herself.

The first image is in colour, the second is just the line art, and the third is the on-paper sketch that was traced to digital.

End of image description.]

[bugsludge]

Maybe the rage deal in the last episode wasn’t JUST “You live but have extreme amounts of rage.” What if they were offered their wildest dreams and the rage was a clause in like microfont bc to them the gifts of achieving their goals and living seems like a great deal especially for children. The rage pushes them to achieve a goal, the rat grinders are KIDS they arnt gonna have crazy outrageous dreams and ambition at 17 years old, I knew nothing when I was that age.

You have a crush on a girl for a couple years and want to catch her attention? Bam. Get more confidence, become buff, get noticed first the first time ever. Oisin was completely unrecognizable before but now after all this?

You hate another rogue so much you want to be better than him? Bam! Kipperlily finds the rogue teacher first AND signs up for the election assuming riz would be the one to do it bc why would Kristen Applebees want to be president? Which could be an event bigger fuel to KLCK’s fire.

You want to be a famous musician and you’re jealous of a bard in school who never goes to class but has what you don’t? Bam! Ruben copies her look and produce music when she’s on hiatus as well as getting signed by her label

Mary Anne’s is small and girly she was probably bullied and wanted to make it stop, so shes now indifferent, and strong enough to stand up for herself, she sees Gorgug on the first day of school get decked in the face jsut to grow into this strong guy and sees him as inspiration

Lucy was content with life, she loved her friends, loved her god and knew the rage wasn’t what she wanted to have to live with. The resurrection is supposed to help them feel fulfilled but she’d just be more unsatisfied with life if she took the offer. Lucy was happy with what she had, and had no further aspirations, she loved her god and 'stuck to her guns'

Buddy dawn a follower of helio, watches the chosen one of his church abandon everything, he’s sad and confused as to why she did what she did. He dies and is offered the chance to become the chosen one for an unnamed god, he’s scared, helio is missing, and if Kristin took an offer from a new god and was okay why wouldn’t he be?

The rat grinders were scared kids who needed a miracle, and one was offered CHILDREN WILL SCREAM FOR HELP UNTIL THEY ARE ARE OFFERED SANCTION, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO THE SAVIOR IS

[sapphicmuppet]

”average adventuring party kills two clerics a year” factoid actualy just statistical error. Average adventuring party kills 0 clerics per year. Spiders Ratgrinders, who hangout in the far haven woods & kills a whopping two clerics a year, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

[aphoticfirefly]

In this world it's just us, you know it's not the same as it was..

[lessmouse]

part of my segment for the rat grinders animatic zine :''')

[tardismyrp]

Has anyone else noticed that the CopperKettle real estate has all of the Bad Kid’s houses presented on there!?!? Is Kipperfuck going to threaten to take their homes!?

[thisisnotthenerd]

how does it feel to be the rat grinders in that final fight

building up to a ritual you've spent the last year on, angry and tired and expending effort on this one thing so that you might finally get the recognition, the accolades you think you deserve. being special for once, in the face of a party of legend. of oracles and saints, angels and devils, great wizards and bards, inheritors of family legacy and tragedy alike who all seem to skate.

having to work hard in the shadows because you took the easy path and yet have to catch up with these people who so easily belittle you. seeing them rake in the benefits of popularity, running on a platform of flimsy ideas instead of true policy and yet still they have the school dancing to their tune. it's for the ritual, but the ache of it stings as they call you out again and again, laughing in your face for wanting something.

so much work, so much research, traveling and hiding for months as the bad kids are lauded and pass the year with a bullshit exam that you fail to rig against them, catching you in a moment of chance even as they survive what would kill you easily.

seeing them (her) haunt your dreams and die on your front lawn, forever chasing after someone who never existed in the first place. they imitate what they've seen of you. she disappears and yet is there to strike you down because the girl you think you could love hates you with all of her being.

being used by your teachers against your rivals and yet somehow they are nicer, closer to them than to you. more angry about their success, more invested in their progress.

summoning your full force, putting your family in danger, finally getting one over on them (her) only for them to be struck from the sky and thrown in your face as an insult.

seeing them going to work simply to decimate you and strike you down, with less power than you but more tenacity, more stamina, more true experience earned in the wide world. not knowing what to do as they do so with ease, dancing through the lava and flames with nary a thought but your destruction.

seeing them survive and bounce back from the attacks that struck down lucy. they didn't need rage to get here. they didn't need a nameless goddess, or midnights in the forest with monsters, spreading crystals in the dirt for a pieces of a plan years in the making.

18 seconds in and three of you are dead. there's no rage crystal that can save you this time. there's only blood and fire on the floorboards and the bad kids coming in for the glory again. they don't care that you're kids in their class.

with every moment it becomes clear that you are no longer people to them, just obstacles, failed investments, minor villains in their heroic journey.

was it worth it?

[ratgrinders]

God something kills me about imagining the High Five Heroes as they were described at 14 years old, being led out into the forest by Porter, an adult they supposedly trusted. Fledgling adventurers jumping at the chance for special treatment by a teacher, to get a leg up on the competition.

Kipperlilly with her pigtails. Ruben with his braces, sandals and puka shell. Tiny Oisin, not having hit his growth spurt yet, with Mary Ann even tinier. Lucy Frostblade, described as a "kind soul".

All them walking to this clearing every day to watch their instructor slaughter monsters and ask them to give the killing blow. In Ruben's dream, he was terrified walking to this clearing!

All of these kids who had their shitty, petty grievances manipulated by the adults in power over them to serve a cause of rage and conquest with no concern for their wellbeing. A cause they were asked to die for.