hello tumblr user ratgrinders... appreciate the work you do even in these trying times (post onscreen homicide). i think the fact that kipperlilly is like, annoying and reminds people of girls they didnt like in high school ppl miss out on a lot of interesting stuff going on w her!

like, the "power hungry teen girl who is just evil and tbk kill her" thing has already been done in fhfy with penelope, & its much more interesting to think about how & why the ratgrinders are doing all this suspicious stuff tbk are noticing-- like the fact that they have been very cagey about showing their combat abilities, the weird stuff going on with various deities, and even kipperlilly's stolen therapy files (lol) are very intriguing!! and imo writing that off as assuming they'll be straightforward, incompetent villians (popular assumption due to their lack of friendship, even though it's famously the weakest magic) is far less interesting. like... they got into this situation for a reason and got involved w all this stuff somehow, & i don't think all of this would happen if they were a normal adv party, even a shitty one. how did they get here! why!! thx

thank you so much, its getting hard out here but nothing can stop the rat grinders stan grind!!!!! (<- is coping. im coping)

yeah but fr, kipperlily is FASCINATING to me. i truly believe that she thinks everything she does is justified in service of her larger goal, whatever that may be. yeah, stone cold murder really isn't the fairest thing you can do to your academic rivals, but writing all of that off as "oh she's just always been a jealous hypocrite who never believed in what she was spouting" i think is an inaccurate interpretation of her own motivations. she clearly believes in something.

cuz the thing is, we're still not really sure was kipperlily wants? ("egg on my face for wanting something"). sure, she's trying to run for student body president, but what exact rules is she hoping to implement, and how does that relate to trying to resurrect a rage god? plus, grix attacked ruben because he/his ritual were a direct threat to the existence of the school, which seems counter productive if you're trying to become president of it.

and what cause would kipperlily specifically have to be tied up with a rage god anyway? there's nothing that clearly on the surface ties a little type A halfling rogue to a fiendish god of rage and conquest, hell some of the other members in her party seem like on the surface they would have a closer tie to it (like both of their now dead clerics, mary ann who literally harnesses rage, ruben who is full of teen angst). kipperlily's apparently been filled with rage since freshman year, but why? (is she like riz, who spent his whole life infected with an aspect of the nightmare king and literally grew up with this seed of doubt inside him? did something similar happen to kipperlily?)

ankarna is the goddess of justice and the conviction to act when they see something unfair. no matter what, i think kipperlily truly believes that she's witnessed something unfair. and it feels significant to mention that this last murder is an escalation on the rat grinders' part. the other people who have ended up dead around them (lucy, yolanda, the original hosts of frosty faire) all seemed to have died indirectly as a result of the rage crystals and the uncontrollable rage it inspires. this is the first time we're seen stone cold premeditated murder, done with simply a blade and betrayal.

honestly, this transition seems to mirror what ankarna herself went through, starting off as the goddess of conviction and justice but slowly transitioning to one of conquest and war. brennan said something about ankarna, "yeah its nice to have someone like that on your side who will stand up for you, but you better hope that person is always right". i think what we're seeing now is someone with that same conviction, but with a misguided cause.

kipperlily's crossed a line now and i wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't end up redeemed by the end of the season, but i'm still interested in how she and her party were motivated to do this in the first place, because like you said i don't think a normal adventuring party would've ended up here. it takes a lot to transition to multiple murders!

the difference between zosopp and sanuso (romantic OR platonic) is that Usopp is Zoro's specialest little guy and Zoro is someone Usopp hangs out with and looks up to and hides behind when things get scary, but Sanji and Usopp are best friends. They horse around, they beat each other up, they confide their worst fears trying to one up each other. Usopp hides behind Sanji sometimes, sure, but idk, Sanji's weaknesses are more obvious (bugs, fighting women, etc) so there are times when Usopp has to stand in front of Sanji too, yknow?

Like, how do I say this, all the crewmates are equal- Usopp and Zoro are equals- but with Sanji it feels like more... comradery? Zoro's a rock in a terrible storm- even rocks tend to get weathered and chipped and worn down, but they overall stay strong and steady. He has trouble being vulnerable and there are times when the burden he's placed on himself to keep the crew safe is crushing his chest. Usopp would help with that and be very understanding, but the point I'm trying to get with that is that those moments are few and far between. So I feel like Usopp, especially after Water 7, would take Zoro's lead on something like that, and keep most of his worries to himself or only talk about them sparingly unless they're really bad and/or he can't hide them.

Sanji is like a tree in a storm; he can be strong, yes, but it feels like he bends and sways with the storm, and has more obvious breaking points. He can relate more to Usopp's struggles rather than resorting to blunt honesty that might border on callous like Zoro. And while, with Zosopp, I tend to think of scenarios with Zoro being blunt like that as a good thing- because sometimes when you're spiraling, it's nice to have someone say exactly what's great about you and shoot down all your worries with straight facts that you can't argue with- I can also see this as being a bad thing. Anxiety can really twist up your brain sometimes, you know? And despite the words, the tone could still mess someone up if they're already feeling like a burden on others in some way.

With Sanuso it's a lot more understanding and thoughtful words. It's distractions and comfort food and patience- the kind reserved for Usopp- until Usopp talks about whatever's troubling him. Compared to Zosopp, it doesn't take as long for Usopp to open up, since he's done the same thing to Sanji at times and it's more familiar to him to talk and commiserate with Sanji about his worries and doubts and such. However, there are times stuff like this has absolutely no effect and Sanji will end up at a loss, no idea what to do or how to help over the course of several days with Usopp being quiet and keeping his distance, and he'll end up working himself up about it which will only serve to make Usopp feel worse and. yeah. bit of a vicious cycle with them.

So it's like. Usopp can be weak with both of them, but since I see Sanji as the type of guy who'd be more open with his worries (at least compared to Zoro), there's less of a need to 'perform' and be his best self around him. He's comfortable around Zoro, yes, but he is constantly wanting to show that he won't be a problem to him. On the other hand, while he's more open with Sanji, and Sanji with him, they tend to relate a bit too much with each other and they both have issues with causing trouble for others and being 'deserving of love' so failed attempts at consoling one hurts the other and creates an unpleasant cycle of misery and avoidance before some other crewmate (Zoro) tells them to quit being stupid and just fucking talk to each other.

Yes these have all already been posted, but 2023 Vettonso comp post for me because I'm going to have an emotional breakdown

pls i need to provide updates

Trans & Non-binary puppies by @autisticgayplushie !

This is depressing but I have a HC that Fuuta’s mother had died shortly after she and his father divorced, and his dad never told him nor his sister about it.

HEY. HEYYYYY. 😭 I GUESS I’LL JUST CRY THEN

From a thematic standpoint this makes me crazy because one of Fuuta’s big themes is invasion of privacy (stalking/doxxing someone and now being afraid of prying eyes) – so such a major gap in information is extra painful. It would be so easy for him to look her up and find out what happened! He could have the whole story in a few minutes, with a few clicks! But he doesn’t, and his father knew he wouldn’t. Whatever happened between her and the Kajiyama family was bad enough that Fuuta refuses to look into her at all. It’s clear he’s emotionally avoidant, and it’d make sense that he avoids any thoughts of her after she’s gone. This makes his interrogation question even more heartbreaking, since he’s finally facing his emotions head-on, no matter how painful they may be. He’s finally growing and changing and ready to admit to his failures/needs, and it’s waaaay too late. 

On the other hand, you mentioned a version where she dies while he's in Milgram, neither of them aware of what's happening to the other. I am so emotional about the prisoners’ families on the outside ;---;

Even if they aren’t great support systems, it breaks my heart thinking of them worrying themselves sick over their loved one’s sudden disappearance. I don’t think Yuno’s family knew about her nighttime activities, but either way their young daughter is gone and there’s so many horrible possibilities it could have been. If the Kusunoki parents heard that Muu’s friend was stabbed and their teen daughter was missing, what awful conclusions must they come to about her getting killed/kidnapped? Shidou’s relatives and coworkers hear about the accident, and then never hear back from him. They know what kind of mindset he was in, and know what that means. Similarly, when Mahiru’s family hears her boyfriend’s body was recovered after a suicide, and no one has heard from their daughter, there’s really one likely outcome. Mikoto promises to come home, but he never shows. His sister cries reading reports of bloody murders at the train station where he makes his daily commute. Kotoko’s family (and maybe Lucky herself) know that she got involved with a powerful family accused of kidnapping. So when she’s gone without a trace, they must be wracked with grief that they finally got their revenge. 

All that to say, Fuuta’s family is equally heartbroken when their son, just having turned twenty a few days ago, doesn’t make it home to celebrate. His mother gets her first call from the family in years, and instead of good news, they tell her that her little boy is gone. I don’t know how you pictured her dying, but if she was in a bad state now, this could definitely be the thing that pushes her over the edge. Now, when Fuuta returns to his life, he’ll discover another death that happened “because” of him. Even if his father and sister don’t blame him for disappearing, I can’t imagine him shrugging off that guilt so easily…

In conclusion. OUCH.

I actually have no idea who made muppet versions of DC characters but I literally love it so much and I've already drawn concept art for Hal and Barry but I wanted to do a digital version (I also had time but at the same time I have been lacking rn in my current WIPs / sob to my Star Sapphire Barry and my Ballad Of Music Meister fic teaser poster.)

POV....I...WHEN....WHEN...I....turns into a muppet

this is what I get for listening to Man or Muppet and Do You Like Me?....bert and ernie my heart goes out to you both

heyyy....slides this song over to you so you can listen to it and look at my halbarry muppet art.....

I'm on a 100 Gecs appreciation run and i need people to look at some of these lyrics bc they are SO GOOD

"I wanna feel like beautiful starlight / I wanna cry like rain is coming down / I wanna feel like anything again" - starlight

"I was trying to find a way to kill time / I didn't even get to tell you goodbye / I was trying to find a way to kill time / Now you're gone and I can't / Ever say goodbye" - hand crushed by a mallet

"Giving my heart for you to take / We could go and drive / And leave this place" - XXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx

Like!!!! I know some ppl don't like how their music sounds but the actual songs are so good!!!!!

HI HELLOW I JUST GOT HOME FROM FROM SCHOOL AND MARIUMA UODATED OWNCJWAJHCHCHCHG

the power opera holds

dw kalego, same

squishy cheek iruma, squish hes so cute

shiida's a whole mood i love her, she goes zoom

AYO

PURSONS DISAPPEARING

opera as a teacher oh my god, assistant teacher but YES

imbahshshchfjvj opera-sensei!!!!

if opera's a combat teacher be it magical or physical its going to be brutal if they dont hold back

the Sullivan Household is in babylus, student body and staff be aware!

The Santiago's farm.

Owned by Maxwell, under the care of the owner and son, Marcus. (RIP)

-Photo taken 11 years ago.

the fucked part about soushin is. big thing yes. i love it when people interpret midgame them as a fucked codependency thing BUT all the same i cant. its. a weird thing about reflections and past belonging and hiyori sou being a hazard for a variety of reasons but i cant see a codependency in there which means i cant Write it bc of my own "write the closest to canon u can at any time always and then its just gonna end up normal fic sort-of-not-really-canon-compliancy". Thing. somebody write soushin midcanon codependency for me ill kiss you sweetly (slash silly)

2009 Japanese Grand Prix - Sebastian Vettel

HI TUMBLR late footnote posting before i go to bed (i took a nap today........ ate up most of my time)

not a lot to talk about with footnotes today since i was Busy and my brain wasnt working pfndkmlfd i blame seven hours of modded oneblock