gradually, increasingly, bit by bit

apparently, it seems, it looks like / somehow, just (barely)

(onomatopoeia) sobbing

(onomatopoeia) drizzling / (onomatopoeia) bleary / (onomatopoeia) dispirited

from ... to ... / or

cutting or breaking easily, or pleasantly soft to chew

hand over fist, with great energy

calm, quiet (personality)

(onomatopoeia) sticky

to a pulp, black and blue, completely (beaten and defeated)