Ruben Hopclap - Tumblr Posts
Lucy Frostblade found Ankarna’s name. She learned of Ruvina’s sister and wanted to help her. Kristen just brought Cassandra back. She heard about the return of Cassandra. If Kristen Applebees, renowned mess of a cleric, could do it, why couldn’t she?
One night, Kipperlily finds Lucy bringing the rats back, with the rest of the Hi-5 heroes. And she confronts her cleric about what she’s doing, reminding Lucy they aren’t the Bad Kids. They don’t risk each others lives and put each other in danger. They stay *safe* by being cautious. The two argue.
Ruben and Oisin admire Lucy’s conviction. Mary-Ann tries to get them to stop. Ivy defends Kipperlily’s desire to keep the group safe. It’s not fair. KLCK brought her friends into it. It’s not fair. She forged a withdrawal of the God Change on Lucy’s behalf. Lucy strikes Kipperlily, hard enough to draw blood. Unknown to her, emboldened by Ankarna, Lucy draws on the Rage she feels to her party. She unintentionally drags her friends into the bloodlust. What happens is she desperately fights against her party. It never should have went this far.
At the end, Kipperlily and the others stand over Lucy’s body. Realizing what they’ve done, the bloodlust fading as Ankarna has protected her infernal form. And Ankarna uses this to make an offer. “I will give her back, when you bring me back.”
They all argue but Kipperlily convinces them all to go home and sleep on it. She’s careful. She hides the body, using all her rogue skills to cover up the crime. No one would believe them. And she remembers something she learned in Rogue Class. Devil’s Nectar. It’s her fault after all. Why force the rest of the party to bear this burden?
So when they next meet, with the help of Devil’s Nectar, she lies through her teeth. “We didn’t do anything. It’s unfair.” And she does it everytime they talk. The sickly sweet nectar, it almost burns at this point, to take. Its viscous drip down her throat is almost suffocating.
“The school should do more, we should try to change things. It’s not fair that Lucy is dead.” Kipperlily thinks, unaware that she has begun to believe her own lies. As she looks on, during the first day of Junior Year, she sees the Bad Kids. Fresh off their adventure with the Night Yorb. They must have it so easy. Kipperlily clenches her fist, and sets out to do what she promised, choosing to spare her friends from the burden of bringing a dead god back to life.
its so funny to me the dynamics between the supposed narrative foils of the rat grinders/bad kids, cuz you got:
kipperlily has been beefing with riz since FRESHMAN YEAR apparently??? (girl what could he even have DONE to you lmao) meanwhile riz didn't even knew she existed until this year and besides some suspicion has just been aiding kristin's presidential campaign, not even running himself.
fig is leading ruben down a winding rabbit hole of psychological torture as she manipulates him as a little goth girl he is in love with. theyve interacted as themselves maybe like once.
mary ann absolutely clocks gorgug on their first meeting, proceeding to inspire an anger in gorgug rivaled only by telemaine and his parents' sex robots, meanwhile mary ann continues to just not give a shit
ivy and fabian having the most toxic flirtatious relationship known to man (fabian has a type)
kristen recognizing in buddy "oh hey, this is what she could've been", having the most passive aggressive back and forth on the nature of religion, then getting expelled by his grandfather
meanwhile oisin and adaine seem to be the only ones who actually seem to like eachother lol
Congratulations to all the Stardiamond is evil theorists. I hope you dine well, after 3 long years of waiting.
Ruben's probably dead by now, isn't he?
thinking about freshman year high 5 heroes. how did you come together. how did you decide on your name. what changed. what happened. what have you done
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"
You gotta hand it to Fig. All of the Bad Kids were given foils this season and they got to decide how much they wanted to engage with that part of the plot. Gorgug only interacted with Mary Ann in passing despite them both being on the Owlbears. Fabian noped out of chatting up Ivy once she crossed a line with Mazey. Riz was so busy that he truly had no time to engage with Kipperlilly even though she's obsessed with him. Kristen interacted a bit with Buddy but spent way more time verbally sparring with Kipperlilly. And Adaine was somewhat interested in Oisin but never overtly acted on it.
But Fig?
She's in Ruben's WALLS. She's in his DREAMS. She's faking her alter emo's death. She's got the Fantasy FBI after her. She's SO SO tiny. No one is doing it like Fig's doing it.
you hate when i GET MAD!!!!
[ID: Art of Ruben Hopclap from Fantasy High, playing electric guitar. He is posed dynamically as he strums a chord and coloured in shades of blue, as white bolts of magic lance out of his guitar. The background is a bright red.]
Hey... remember how Henry went to Jace because he was worried about Ruben?
Remember how Jace blew up at him, told him to mind his own business, and leave it up to experienced educators?
Now his nephew is dead because of experienced educators.
i like to think that Henry Hopclap is the Jawbone of The Rat Grinders …
His home is a safe space, not only to Ruben, but to the other Rat Grinders too. Ruben spends most nights at Henry’s and sometimes Henry will wake up in the morning with all the Rat Grinders scattered across his house sleeping. He gets a little shock for a second because he didn’t expect them to come over, but quickly calms down and goes about his morning.
Mary Ann burrowed under a pile of blankets and plushies on the floor in a corner somewhere.
Ruben in his own bed in the room that Henry offered to Ruben when he noticed Ruben coming over more than usual, Buddy curled up next to Ruben facing the opposite way.
Kipperlilly hidden under a blanket on the sofa sleeping as quiet as a mouse. She’s not trying to be stealthy, she’s just small and sleepy.
Ivy and Oisin on a beanbag in Ruben’s room that is somehow big enough to fit the both of them comfortably. They’re both leaning against each other and not even fully lying down in the beanbag.
Henry clocks where each of them are before writing a quick note on a loose piece of paper:
‘Running errands. food and drinks are in usual places, just don’t burn the house down. call if you need. love you guys. - Henry’
Henry sticks it to the fridge with a magnet before leaving for the day. He knows each of their personal struggles in their lives and all he wants is to let these kids know that one person in this fucked up complicated world is always there for them no matter what.
thinking about reunions that do happen and reunions that dont
Disgraced by your own followers, betrayed by your loves
"oh, this? it's from my adventuring party! it's an inside joke, you wouldn't get it."
(close ups under cut!)
and a version without all the lighting and filters!
is to be in love with blue, then, to be in love with disturbance? or is the love itself the disturbance?
This post just made me think about something...
Guys.
the reason Copperlilt Capitalism wants "equality for all students" isn't a genuine want to help everyone out...she and her party have been going behind the school and killing rats and hobgoblins for 3 years...in that same time, the bad kids have saved the world 3 times. The Rat Grinders and The Bad Kids may be on the same level, but The Rat Grinders get no recognition, praise, reward for what they do. Of course they don't, they shouldn't. However...The Bad Kids do. They earn a lot of praise and recognition for saving the world. They should, they deserve it. But Kittycunt Kibblebitch wants what they have without any of the hard work.
kipperlilly’s campaign: equality for all students
kristen’s campaign: better conditions for steelworkers
please understand that I fully cried at Lucy and Ruben being brought back
MY BABIES...
we're so back
Jr year baby!
Where the FREAK are my FREAKING PUKA SHELLS???? WHAT THE FREAK?????