#that would be so hard for someone with KLCK's other issues

[velvetvexations]

Trans KLCK getting accidentally misgendered by one of the Bad Kids in Freshman Year because they just honestly didn't realize she was a girl and said "he" in casual reference to someone they didn't know.

Trans KLCK holding on to that as she continues to pile up on reasons to hate them.

Trans KLCK interpreting making fun of her name as transphobia, which Porter and Jace encourage.

I'm divided on if I want/am expecting Oisin and Ivy to be completely evil or not. It seems like there are now good odds they're The Actually Bad Rat Grinders, in which case maybe Oisin knows KLCK was taking things the wrong way and just didn't say anything because he didn't care/rage is the name of the game, and Ivy very much seems like the kinna person who doesn't necessarily hate trans people but is like, "what's all the fuss about?" and gets mildly annoyed when corrected about pronouns.

But if not, and Oisin and Ivy are just as much victims of Porter and Jace as the others, I can see a world where the rest of the Rat Grinders were fully behind KLCK's mistaken belief the Bad Kids are Like That.

Either way it'd be hilarious since Kristen is, I think, Ally's one and only non-trans PC so far. AU where Kristen transitions to Kris and averts the Rat Grinder grudge.

Anyway, this is not me trying to make KLCK/the Rat Grinders more sympathetic than they are in canon, I still think they have plenty going on for them to have been frustrated with and have had that frustration manipulated by trusted adults in their lives, grooming them into dealing with that frustration in the worst possible way for their own benefit. I just like this idea.

[velvetvexations]

can I be honest I feel like people in the fandoms (and to an extent the IH) treatment of KLCK compared to Fabian is a clear case of misogyny

our rich privileged soft boy vs their rich privileged annoying bitch

our boy who makes race insensitive remarks sometimes but it's not his fault vs their bitch whose mental issues make her make bad remarks in private

our self centered but adorable cute boy vs their self centered narcissistic bitch

idk if I'm onto anything honestly I'm very tired and have my brain on npd mode and if I posted anything about KLCK's mental issues on the subreddit I'd be ridiculed so I need to scream at someone who gets it. hope you've been doing okay! fbdnfnds

Brennan really honeypotted all the NPD members of the D20 fandom with her, huh?

But I think you're half-right. The immediate and insane reaction to KLCK having an annoying tone of voice and going hogwild on her to the extent that the fandom did, especially the infinite repetition of calling her bitch and cunt, definitely smacks of misogyny. There are other factors, though, chiefly the parasocial relationship making the fandom not only reflect but greatly amplify the opinions of the Intrepid Heroes. Like, if Brennan said he didn't like mustard this fandom would riot in the streets until mustard was removed from store shelves. With Siobhan and Ally going as hard as they did on despising KLCK, the urge to partake in the activity with your fake internet celebrity best friends did what it does.

The fact that Kipperlilly's parents were in the housing market in particular did not do her any favors. Like, the fans call Brennan a decolonial philosopher. Like I've said a few times before because it's the perfect metaphor, the fandom loves to LARP the Cultural Revolution - and that's barely even a metaphor as opposed to just literally what they're actually doing. The political aspect combines with the parasocial one, too, because now you're saving the world with your fake internet celebrity best friends. The moment, I mean the exact moment I started getting into KLCK, because up until then I was right there with everyone else going wHaT aRe YoU FoUr DiFfErEnT DoGs, was when I noticed fans on Reddit calling her a nepo baby. I started a thread about it trying to just, like, educate these children on what that term actually means and the replies drove me completely out of my mind.

So it's like, Fabian mainly gets a pass because he's a PC, because the fandom is wrapped around the cock of every PC and stubbornly refuses to accept them as anything less than perfect baby angels. Like I said, though, you are for sure correct in identifying that misogynistic element of how fans pounced on KLCK and identified her as a bitchy cunt bitch whore because her energy is very slightly grating. Or really, not even grating, honestly? Like she's clearly supposed to come off as obnoxious, but she's nothing but polite and mildly cheerful all the way up until "I want you to go fuck yourself", and even THAT was in response to the Bad Kids picking a fight.