#ahhh thank you again!!

[pearlypairings]

Hi babe happy birthday!! For the cute birthday scenarios, how about hellcheer and one baking a surprise cake for the other?

eddie x chrissy || fun, fluff, goofy mistakes || 959 words

A/N: you've been so patient rosey, to be last but not least :) hope you enjoy the fluffy cake disaster that only a ADHD/distracted Eddie could make enjoyable <3 thank you for this one! ending on a high note:)

previous prompt

A scoop of powdery white mystery rested lazily atop the magazine cut-out on the counter. Eddie couldn’t remember if he’d scooped the flour or the baking powder and smelling it gave him no further clue. He slipped the recipe out from underneath to reexamine the ingredient list. “Son,” Uncle Wayne mused, approaching from the trailer’s quaint living space to haunt over the haphazard piles of ingredients and bowls and spoons. “Wouldn’t everyone be happier if you just bought the damn thing? Leave baking to the professionals. I can’t remember a Munson ever baking a cake, not even Great Grandma Gin.”

“Exactly, Chrissy won’t expect it.” Eddie picked up the scoop and poured it confidently (still wondering how bad the mess-up would be if he switched ingredients on accident) into the big mixing bowl amidst other dry ingredients. “You know how she is, always one step ahead. I never get to really surprise her. It’s about time that I give her a real shock.” Wayne shook his head, peering into the metal bowl with skepticism before taking stock of the cracked egg shells and milk carton close by. “Your girl is more likely to get the shock of food poisoning, but don’t mind me. I’ve just got her health more on my mind than your grand ideas.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll be sure not to save you a slice after your shift.” Eddie waved him away, his eyes glued to the numbers on the recipe instructions. With a shrug, he tossed the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and took their trusty, chipped wooden spoon off the sidelines. Sure, the recipe called for a mixer, but a little elbow grease and their lucky spoon had to wind up with the same outcome. His uncle stayed away from the kitchen while Eddie finished up. He’d had to borrow a cake pan from little Red and her mom down the way and promised to return it the way he found it—washed with maybe a few extra burnt bits stuck on the bottom. The Munson’s oven was more of a holding bay than an operational cooking appliance, so he cleared out the old frying pans and boxes of cereal too big for the cabinets before he clicked it on and set it to the proper temperature of 375 degrees…or was it supposed to be 325? Whatever, it’s hot enough at least. At any rate, the batter was to the brim of the pan when he slid it onto the rack like a brain surgeon who’d pivoted his career to expert baker. He saluted the oven, fully trusting it would honor its commitment to cooking the hell out of Chrissy’s cake. When enough time had passed (vibes were essential to this part, he thought a timer was a bit much), the dingy dishtowels were his gauntlets—primed and prepared to face the flaming hot metal inside.

Upon first glance, there may have been some spillage over the sides when it rose; he forgot about the whole “cake rising” part. And shit, sure, the edges looked darker (a rich toasty black-brown) than he expected, but the frosting would solve all of that, he assured himself as he placed the pan on the stovetop to cool. That much he remembered from little Red’s mother’s parting advice. By the time he’d finished swirling the last swatch of frosting, Chrissy would be here any minute. Wayne had already left for his shift at the plant and for that miracle, he was glad. Eddie would have never heard the end of his digs while they waited for her arrival, if he had seen the cake. Hell, his uncle probably would have gone out and bought a replacement cake for her. His disaster of a birthday cake had more potholes than the Forest Hills trailer park and more cracks than old Harry’s truck windshield. The only thing holding it up was his overabundance of frosting gluing pieces together and poorly filling the divots, lumps, and bumps across the top. A whole army of swirly, wax candles didn’t help his case much, but those were the finishing touches he needed for the surprise to feel complete. There were a couple of taps on the trailer door, and her familiar voice greeted him affectionately beyond the screen. Chrissy let herself in, wearing the prettiest white blouse he’d ever seen, probably a well-deserved birthday splurge from the mall. He called her over to the kitchen, stepping out to showcase his Frankenstein creation. “What are you doing in the—” Chrissy’s eyes froze on the deflated, over-iced cake. Her soft features exploded in glorious shock, and with a squeal, she rushed the last few steps and jumped into his arms. “That’s mine, right? You made that for me?” “I did, pretty girl.” He kissed her, hoping he still tasted like vanilla from all the frosting he’d been sampling. “Surprised?” “I can’t wait to try it!” She nodded, nuzzling into his neck and squeezing her arms tighter around him.  “Let’s light the candles first.” Eddie touched her feet back down onto the floor, looking between her pretty smile and the funky cake. He pulled open the drawer to get his lighter, shuffling a few items around to find the shiny black box while his back was turned. “You might wanna wish for a better tasting cake, just as a warning.” And before he had time to react, Chrissy had scooped a healthy finger-full of icing and slathered it down Eddie’s nose with a devious cackle. She retreated without hesitation, ducking behind Uncle Wayne’s favorite chair and hiding from the fistful of cake he carried behind his back. Her laugh was uncontrollable. Eddie had the biggest grin on his face. Sometimes cakes were really sweet. Sometimes cakes were made for throwing. Sometimes surprises went sideways in the best way. He wanted to record that laugh forever.

[feltedbowtiebunny]

got my shawl from @kohanakonohana!! its absolutely beautiful I couldn't be more happy with it!! I love the color gradient from white to blue and it feels and looks so so so nice to wear.

also came with care instructions I am Immensely grateful for(don't want to ruin something thats had this much work put into it!) and the j-san postcards!! theyre incredibly cute thank you for them :3.

[dustykneed]

happy very, very late de day to those who celebrate<33 (jan 20th)

inspired by @between-stars-and-enterprise's breathtaking work! (i wanted to draw bones knitting a scarf in response to the gorgeous utterly adorable pieces you made for me but obviously this one got away from me a little. whoops)

[skitskatdacat63]

Hello guys!!!!! Aforementioned project is finally finished 🫠 It was meant to be just a simple weekend project, and ended up being 30+ hours over the period of like four days. I don't think I'm an actual normal human anymore. This is the project that caused everyone in my life to question my mental and physical wellbeing and health. But I'm super excited to share this all of you!!!! Please enjoy!!!! Even if you don't like vettonso, I hope this is still interesting????

If you make any, please reblog this or tag me in it! I'm excited to see what other people, other than just me suffering alone in my bedroom, make out of this!!! <3

[willsilvertongue]

MARISA COULTER THROUGH THE SEASONS

a content creator secret santa gift for @iressails​ 💝

[good-beanswrites]

A drabble for an anon asking about the prisoners watching their music videos! This is focused on specifically Mikoto’s initial shock at seeing MeMe for the first time, but just know that Double comes with a whole new set of shocks as he truly listens to John for the first time ;-;

Mikoto was no criminal. 

He didn’t know how to break into locked rooms, or hack into complex prison security systems. He figured there was no way in hell he’d be able to see these so-called incriminating videos that the Warden was recording, and had resolved himself to an eternity of wondering what they could be. He was shocked when he didn’t need to do a single thing to gain access to them – Es simply adjusted the computer monitor and told him he could hit play when (and if) he wished. Then they left the room.

“A-are you sure?” he called, but they were already gone.

Mikoto blinked at the screen. It showed a stretched version of his apartment couch, near his bathroom wall, broken to reveal sky above. He thought he could spot his tarot cards at the bottom of the frame. Had Milgram broken into his home to film this? 

He scoffed, and hit play.

Distorted guitar started up. He flinched as his own face appeared for a moment – looking directly into the camera and making a wild expression he would never have made if someone was recording. His body tensed up more as he heard his own voice start to sing lyrics he’d never spoken before in his life. He wasn’t even a good singer, and here he was sounding like a professional. 

There were plenty of ways to accomplish all of this, of course. Software could mimic one’s voice, making him say anything these crazy reality hosts wanted. A team could easily add some digital effects to a stunt double and match his appearance perfectly. Knowing that didn’t make the experience any less unsettling.

He watched himself commit a nasty murder. He watched himself return home bloodied. But it was all ridiculous. How could Milgram even claim that this was him? He’d never raised a hand to anyone in his life. Were the other prisoners’ videos as outlandish as this one?

But then, a switch. 

The song shifted to a new melody. He appeared to wake up from his couch, and suddenly Mikoto got the sense that this was him.

He was struck with how familiar this new segment sounded. It simultaneously felt like a favorite song he must have played on loop not too long ago, and one that he’d never heard before. As it played, each new note and lyric felt right on the tip of his tongue. 

It ended as quickly as it began. The song returned to the heavy-metal-murder aesthetic it had started with, and once again he felt like he was watching a cheap copy of himself onscreen. He watched another murder, a shower scene (had the warden seen all that? How embarrassing…) and then he turned to his bathroom mirror.

At the same time as his musical counterpart, Mikoto leapt backwards in horror. 

His eyes remained glued to the screen. His hand flew up to grab the lower half of his face. It was fake, he told himself. AI and CGI and all that. It was fake. It had to be. 

Something deep inside of him said “no. That’s real. That’s me.”

Something else deep inside of him echoed the sentiment.

The video was less than four minutes of music, but by the end he was panting and tugging at his hair as if he’d endured hours of prison torture. He burst out of the room. He sucked in breath after breath. The melodies still played in his mind, lines repeating in his memory as he tried to put as much distance between himself and that little television screen.

He found the others in the common room. They gave him a knowing look, but somehow he knew his experience had been very different from their own. Es approached him.

They studied his expression for a moment. Thankfully, they didn’t ask anything stupid, like “how did it go?” or “what did you think?” 

Instead, they just told him, “if you ever want to watch it again, just let me know, I can get it set up for you.”

He would want to see it again. Of course, it would be better, then. He would take a moment to calm down. He’d watch it later and everything would be okay. He’d have a clearer mind. He’d pick out all the little camera tricks they used to make it. He’d be sure it was a fake, and laugh about how ridiculous he was being now. 

Of course. Of course. 

He nodded to Es, unable to produce any words. Es left him.

The rules in this prison never made any sense, but in this case, he was grateful. He wouldn’t need to figure out any snooping or hacking to get access to the video again. After all, he was no criminal.

… he wasn’t, was he?

[candy-bun-bun]

Yes we chose the probably basic B option to draw but like-

The designs slay (they're all good) and you can't keep our gay ahh away

Heels are a silly struggle of ours so bear with us here 🥲

Anyslays DDVAU creds to @kitsuneisi and @xmaruu11

[doll-elvis]

Hey I was wondering what did Arlene Cogan say about the sleepovers with Elvis, that they were fairly innocent right?

I was actually gonna make a post about this but this is a perfect opportunity to talk about it so thank you so much for asking 💗!!

so I’m about 3/4s through her book (“Elvis: this one’s for you by Arlene Cogan”) and the only explicit thing that has happened so far was the panty check that I posted the excerpt of earlier this week

Absolutely nothing physical has been described besides a few kisses/general affection like hugging and cuddling (also the girls never actually slept over, they were always driven home)

I am really getting the vibe that their relationship with Elvis was more brotherly/sisterly, in fact Elvis even told them he always wished he had a little sister. He was extremely protective of them and didn’t want them paying any attention to other guys (he wanted them all to himself and basically kept them like nuns 🤧)

They even got into a few petty arguments like brothers and sisters do but I really think Elvis enjoyed having these girls around him because it gave him an opportunity to be completely unguarded and just have innocent/childish fun, like swimming, going to the roller rink, playing with firecrackers and other mischievous things

Anita Wood was dating him at this time and tbh I think whenever he needed a break from her, he would go hang out with these girls to get away and that’s why he wanted them around so often👀

here’s a little song that Frances, Heidi and Arlene sung/wrote for Elvis right before he left for army training💀:

“Oh, we’re the girls of Graceland, And we don’t give a damn, We’re out to have a helluva time, And get into a jam, The hell with Pat Boyd, Anita Wood, too, If you don’t like our little song, To hell, to hell with you”

“Elvis rolled over laughing and clapping his hands. He loved it. The laughing calmed down a little and I noticed there were tears in his eyes. “God knows how much I am going to miss y’all,” he said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I love you”

Though they were always with Elvis as a group I think they all had their own special relationship with him and it was all very sweet and innocent

also since this book is so hard to find and is so disgustingly expensive, I’m gonna be working on scanning the book and posting it as a pdf so everyone can read it !! (don’t worry it will be for free, I’m not charging people like that one girl did for the Kathy book smh👀)

sorry but I love these quotes 😩

“Honey, what you’ve got to realize is that I’m a human being just like everybody else. I want you to treat me like you would anyone else”

“Love me”, he said, “but don’t worship me. I’m not a God”

I think that is what Elvis wanted out of every woman he was with 😭 like how he told Larry Geller he could never know if a woman loved him for who he was or if they only loved Elvis, the performer/star

[ni-kol-koru]

Drew something as a little gift for @transmasckagami ❤️✨️ This is a way of me saying 'Thank you' for all the nice things you said about my art, I hope you will like it ❤️

[fairweathermyth]

this is fun to meee lol

[peonycats]

Ngl something I like abt your designs is that they still keep that anime-y design choice? as in they still are really historically based but still have a lot of anime inspired choices in the hair and stylization.

While I understand wanting to have 100% historically accurate stuff and that it's not inherently a bad thing... I feel like some people might as well make them completely disconnected from HWS at that point if realism is what they're going for. But your designs are still somewhat connected to the series in that way and I appreciate it.

WAH THANK YOU SO MUCH THATS SO SWEET OF YOU!!!

i’m glad you noticed because that’s actually an intentional choice from my part! No hate on the 100% historically realistic and down to earth depictions, but personally I like adding a little of bit of goofy anime stylization to my own OCs both for flair and to give it my personal touch!

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

I’m sorry I just gotta say after your most recent post, I find that your head canons and personal stories for ocs and whatnot are top notch. Especially due to your wording. Love your stuff man your creativity always makes me smile /gen (I really do get a smile when you post, my friends always ask me why giggle and flap my hands when I visit tumblr!)

[P:S] your way of writing reminds me of Clown’s social media posts. If I were to find a couple words to describe it I’d go with “Whimsy”, and “daffy”!

AUGH!!!!

[spectacular-supernova]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRESIDENT OF TONARI CLUB!

I, uh, m-made something f-for you.

Know that I'm totally embarrassing my ass over here, so... Don't laugh loud enough that I can hear you from over here!

Aaaaaand now, per Lyndis tradition, I'm gonna overexplain shits and turn a simple Ask into a whole ass Ramble!

-----------------------------(why is there no "Read More" partition in an Ask? I'm so embarrassed right now goddamn it)-------------------------

If you're short-sighted, try removing your glasses or contact lenses and look at this picture. I just did and it's suddenly even prettier!

I actually planned to draw your Sonicsona at first. And then I realized I deadass couldn't even draw Base Sonic. Then I thought I should draw a mole. I realized I also couldn't draw a mole. I thought I should just go for the easiest shit and draw ToFu. I realized I could not draw either one of them, too.

Because I cannot draw, I cheat! I mean I turn things into shapes (chiefly triangles, though not all of them) and then color them and hope that something shows up. This is me using this scientific /+ philosophical concept called Emergence.

No, I didn't just say THAT to sound like I have a technique of any kind, trust. It's so totally a technique—my very productive ass told me.

I remember you saying your favorite color is something like pink, blue, and stuff? It was from that tag game from last year. Hence, I decided I should create a context so I could draw an obscene amount of pink and blue.

If I'm being honest, it took me less than a millisecond to come up with the exact context—Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom is abundantly blue.

And since I always wanted to sneak ToFu in, I thought I would make a purplish-pink dusk. And then I will sneak those stargazing two in.

Come on. Everyone knows those ToFu panels. Even someone like me, who had not seen that part of the manga yet, knows.

Bless Tonari for being so relaxing to color.

HOWEVER! Fushi's limited-ass color presented a big problem for my cheat-drawing. How many combinations of "white" can you even make before you zoom out and see... nothing?! So I basically sabotaged them. That's what you get for being difficult, you mopey, neck-crick-possessing, fragile-enough-to-be-blown-by-the-wind cutie doofus.

I made up the color of their pants. I didn't even refer to their Nameless Boy drip when I decided on the color. I assed that part.

Yes. I admit I put a shit ton of effort into coloring Zelda. This version of Zelda is my kin, you know. Anyway, I like the way her, uh, shirt turned out.

I also like how the Master Sword turned out, but there was so much blue I ended up requiring outlines to distinguish it from Link's shirt and the sky. Told ya I have no technique or skill. I cheat through and through

I was too lazy to draw those sky islands. Besides, the ToTK side is already saturated with details.

What the fuck issa "proportion?" Everyone's head is an orange. The difference, Nova, is whether it's a Mandarin Orange or an Orange.

I don't know if I overdid Dinraal's draconic mane. It looks like she's wearing a wig. At least she is different from how she initially looked—a red tapeworm outfitted with chicken legs.

I admit I put more effort than any Past Me would have into Dinraal because a certain mutual is very, ah, particular about dragons.

Drawing two of your favorite ships for their show of devotion was a completely deliberative choice on my end. Did you also realize that both Link and Fushi had a short, small, low ponytail and that both Zelda and Tonari had similar hair? I believe it's due to me hitting my drawing skill limitation.

There is actually an Easter Egg of some sort in this picture. It's not the ugly doodle thing, no. That thing is me. I'm not an Easter Egg; I'm a ghost.

I'm not telling you what that Easter Egg is. I'm fine with it never being discovered; it'd be like those secret levels in old video games.

But if you DID discover it, come tell me what you think it is!

---------------

I hope you like it enough! Instead of it giving you a migraine, that is. Surely my """art"""... doesn't require a trigger warning... right?

Have a good one, mai bruzha!

---Lyn

A RAMBLE FROM YOU LYN IS THE BEST POSSIBLE BRITHDAY PRESENT I COULD HAVE EVER RECEIVED!!!! COUPLED WITH ART BY YOU????? AND OF MY FAVORITE FELLAS????? What did I deserve to be so blessed ;A; 💕💕💕

I’ll spare us all a little extra scrolling on my part by adding that read more you were fretting about, I have my own ramble upcoming!

I KNOW YOURE ON YOURSELF ABOUT NOT BEING ARTISTIC OR WHATEVER BUT THIS IS ART!!! AND DAMN GOOD ART TOO!!!!!!! This is!!!!!!!!!!! I want this made into stained glass I want to make this the permanent window to me bed roOM LYN THIS IS AMAZING THIS IS ALMOST CERTAINLY GOING DOWN AS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ART STYLES!!!! There’s no such thing as cheating in art, it’s all art!!! “Cheating” is a style, no technique is a style!!! I should know I have none either, hehe -w-‘ your art may be some type of cubism? Hehe idk I’m not an art student :3 Either way this is absolutely gorgeous I’m in LOVE!!!

It’s so creative and well done and I LOVE your eye for detail, the lighting is inspired!!!! Like the way the sun hits the space behind Zelda is so pretty, AND ZELDA IS SO PRETTY!!!!!! EVERYRHING IS SO PRETTY, I CANT FOCUS ON ONE THING BECAUSE I KEEP JUMPING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN ALL THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT IT (every thing, every last detail!!! Is that a little you in the middle? Is that the Easter egg???? I could just pick you up and pat your little head!!! 😭 I know you don’t love hugs but that’s how I’ll be standing if you’re ever ready for one!!!)

I should slow down maybe and pick a few things to focus on BUT I JUST CANT I LOVE IT ALL!!!! The two scenes just blend so well into one another that my eyes are just naturally being drawn back and forth between both of the scenery! Dinraal, who turned out AMAZIING BY THE WAY, ABSOLUTELY NOT OVERDONE, if anything I’m so glad you had fun working on her!!! She’s so gorgeous!!!! I bet your friend is so so proud of how well she looks!!! Oh but anyway, Dinraal naturally leads my eyes over to the sun/moon (and the 24, hehe, thank you!!! /)//(\ Your memory is astounding!!), which have their own beautiful rays of light leading down onto the adorable couples 😭 I love love LOVE the moonlight leading down onto Tonari and Fushi, and the fact that she’s pointing at it too like she can almost reach it? Beautiful! Gorgeous!!! And it just leads my eyes down to them too, there’s just such a natural circular flow here, no wonder I keep getting caught in a loop of admiration! 😁

The blues and the pinks, and the stars on the ToFu side!!! I just noticed them and they’re everything to me!!!! Hahaha I’m so glad Tonari was relaxing to color hehe, same for me, something about her is just so lovely and calming when she’s relaxed 🥰 As for Fushi’s colors, I didn’t notice! Even after you pointed it out it looks good to me! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ this is from someone who never references colors though, I’m so loosey goosey about everything -w- BUT YOUR SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM WAS GREAT, THEIR SHAPE IS VERY VISIBLE AND EASY TO MAKE OUT hehe :3 I love their crossed little legs 🥰

Zelda being your kin is so good to know hehe, I’ve always been drawn to all versions of Link myself! I think we’ve been perfectly set up to “play dolls” with these characters in the future, so to speak! Aaaahh they can’t have been easy to draw, there’s a reason I almost never dabble in drawing those two and their intricate outfits, but you make it look effortless!!! Zelda’s shirt turned out amazing, and I’m stuck looking at her little triangle braids!!!! I don’t know why I’m so fixated on that it’s just adorable!!! 😭💕 What a lovely technique, man, I’m so enchanted! AND THE MASTER SWORD, I know you called it cheating BUT I LOVE THE LINE WORK, it makes the sword stand out, almost like you lined that specific part with some sort of melted gold??? Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!

This is gorgeous and beautiful in every which way and thank you!!!! For everything!!! For this beautiful drawing and for giving me a chance to ramble and giving me something gorgeous to look at for the rest of my day, and for indulging in both of my silly little ships /)//(\ I’m so glad I don’t need glasses because I love every inch of your art, thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!! Gosh it’s so so so lovely 😭💕 you’re so lovely!!!!

I don’t know how to say goodbye so I guess I’ll just say good night for now! Thank you for thinking of me… I’ll have a wonderful day, so long as you promise me you’ll have a wonderful night along side me 🥰

Goodnight, Mai Bruzha!

- Nova

[tonberry-yoda]

Omg, hello Berry💕! I was taking a break from Tumblr because of some issues but I'm coming back little by little :) For his 1.5K event (By the way, congratulations for that and also for your anniversary here on Tumblr💘), can we have the number 13 for the character Johnny Joestar?? (I feel like this fits him so well 😭💕) And yes, maybe I'm a little obsessed with him lol. Thank you so much, I love u💕💕💕

You're My Everything - Johnny Joestar

notes - AHHHH OMFG ITS SO GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU <333 I hope you're doing all right and I'm just over the moon to see you in my inbox! Thanks so much for the congrats, it means the world from you since you've been here for so long! And I am so happy to write for Johnny because gurl I'm obsessed with him too LMFAOOOO. I love you too and hope you enjoy!! <333 word count - 276 ~~BUY ME A KO-FI (COMMISIONS ARE OPEN)~~

You had never felt so exhausted in your entire life. That race was a literal whole chunk of your life taken out of you and it didn't help that you had to fight the president on top of it.

But it wasn't just you that was tired, it was Johnny too. He took most of the brunt of it. You didn't know him for too long, but you went through pretty much the entire race with him, so it felt like you knew each other for years.

When you lost Gyro, it was tough. It was really quiet for a while, but it was nice that you got to bury his body back home. You could tell Johnny just wanted to curl up into a little ball, but you were with him the whole way.

And strangely enough, he was starting to get the hand of walking again. He still had his wheelchair just in case, but when he really wanted to try, he would either have you or a cane by his side.

You were very proud of him.

He went from a sad boy to a strong young man and he was beginning to smile, even after Gyro died.

"Gyro would smack me if he saw me all pouty like this." he told you with a giggle. "So I'm really trying."

"Well, you're doing amazing." You pressed a kiss to his cheek and held his hand.

"It's hard."

"I know it is." You cupped his face and wiped a tear that was beginning to form. "I'm just glad we have each other."

He sniffled and kissed the back of your hand. "You're my everything."

~~~~~

jjba masterlist (2) (3) | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated <3

~~~~~

[hersweetrevenge]

Hi there! <3 I re-watched Halloween Ends yesterday because I was upset and I needed Corey to save me, lmfao, and I wanted to ask you something that I've been wondering about. So, I have no way of getting the novelisation of the movie anytime soon, and you're kinda my only frame of reference for it; so I hope you don't mind me asking you this. When Corey is on his revenge killing spree, he kills those bullies at the mechanic shop. And Ronald is there. And then Ronald comes out to help the kids because of Terry. And only because of that. So, that makes me wonder... Did Corey plan on killing Ronald after he was done with the kids? Is that something that was elaborated on in the novel? Because I keep wondering about that, since Corey pretty much killed everyone that ever wronged him during that night, and Ronald was right there; but Corey didn't kill him (or didn't get the chance to, at least). Terry shot him by accident. But Corey killed his mom, of course. So, it'd make sense if he had at least planned on going after Ronald as well; even though he never actively wronged Corey (only passively, if we look at the way he just sat and watched while Joan abused Corey right in front of him, for example). But more so for completion's sake, y'know? They were on generally good terms, after all. I mean, in your latest post about the novel, you quoted that Ronald is "the loveliest thing" in Corey's life, according to Rohan. So, that makes me wonder all the more. OH, and... I fought with myself to include this point, but anyway- Corey takes the mask off when Ronald comes to help the kids, so that Ronald can see his face and know it's him. And it clearly disarms Ronald immediately and is the reason why Terry accidentally shot him instead of Corey, because he shielded him instinctively. Thus, I keep wondering if Corey meant for that to happen or if he took the mask off in order to assure Ronald that he wasn't actually in danger... It's such a seemingly insignificant thing that I'm thinking about far too much, but it's been bothering me that I don't know, and I was curious if the novel said anything about that at all, or if they just brushed over it there, as well. If they did, I'll just make up my own mind, of course, hdsfdjkfsk Anyway, I'm very sorry for rambling on about this, gosh! I love your blog(s) and everything you have to say about Corey and Rohan, you're awesome!!! Thank you for your detailed posts all the time, they keep me going! Take care! <3

ahhh hi !! thank you so much for sending this ask !! i love talking about this sort of thing more than anything lol and i’m sorry this took a little longer than i expected to reply, i was double checking like every ronald scene in the novel and cross-referencing that with behind-the-scenes details from making of, and re-watching the movie (i didn’t have to do that last one but like you, i needed emotional support from corey too 💗)

WARNING for discussions about (canon-typical) violence, murder, child abuse, abusive households, mentions of suicide and self-harm, and spoilers for the novelisation.

TL;DR – the novelisation does not elaborate on corey's intentions in any huge amount of detail, but it does provide some insight into a few different possibilities for ronald and corey’s relationship and what that would mean for corey's intentions.

general relationship

the novelisation actually gives some really specific details about the cunningham-prevo backstory, but also leaves a lot of aspects vague too.

joan married ronald when corey was 15, and she made it clear to ronald that he would "remain firmly on the sidelines when it came to corey's upbringing" which ronald "gladly" agreed to. so from the very beginning, ronald accepts he isn't going to be an active parent to corey, which maybe means he didn't believe he would do a good job anyway, or maybe he agreed it wasn't his place to parent corey in the same way joan does.

also, corey was already a teenager, he didn't need parenting in the same way a younger child would, which is partly why i think joan waited until corey was older to get remarried, because although being a single parent is difficult, she wouldn't want someone else in the picture as a father-figure for corey.

i don't personally see corey and ronald having a super close relationship, but there are multiple instances that show they are at least comfortable and familiar with each other (in line with what rohan said).

corey had a job before working for ronald, so we know ronald didn't have to give him a job. i hc that corey really wanted to do something stimulating instead of call centre work, and ronald agreed despite joan's grievances over it.

ronald doesn't seem too angry at him for being late, even though it is a regular occurrence (third time in a month).would he be so lenient on anyone who wasn't his stepson?

the gifting of the motorbike is a huge moment of course. that's a big gesture which, in the novelisation, also comes with some stilted bonding when ronald reminiscences that he used to "get laid [...], if you can believe it".

they have their united front moment over dinner when joan is trying to work a reaction out of them and neither gives her what she wants.

a smaller but still significant gesture is that corey uses dumbbells and a pull-up bar in his room to workout, which ronald bought him for christmas. very much feels like an attempt to help corey rebuild his self-confidence.

honestly though, rohan's comment about ronald being the "loveliest" thing in corey's life is probably right, especially as corey's life has been incredibly insular. as the town pariah with an abusive mom, his stepdad being cool about him being late for work is probably one of the best parts of his day.

but then on the other hand, there are moments which do not characterise their relationship very well, including multiple instances of ronald "ignoring" joan's abusive behaviour and not intervening.

to reiterate a previous point: ronald very willingly obliges joan's wishes of not "interfering" with corey's upbringing. her unfounded criticism and distrust of doctors, the school system and anyone other than her taking care of corey should have been a huge red flag (if, of course, any of that behaviour could have been inferred prior to their marriage).

ronald's passivity at being side-lined by his wife, allowing her to continue an unhealthy and unbounded relationship with corey.

when joan is berating corey for "sneaking around" and seeing allyson (the slap/kiss scene), she questions ronald as to whether he knew about the motorcycle, to which ronald stays completely out of it and doesn't answer her, despite her being furious with corey.

however it is a really difficult family dynamic to navigate, with so much nuance. i'm reluctant to say if ronald is a "good" or "bad" stepdad, or whether their father-son relationship is "good" or "bad", simply because their circumstances are so trying and complex. yes, joan has abused corey for a long time, but that abuse also extends to ronald in many ways too, resulting in him allowing (or enabling) joan's abusive behaviour in a flawed attempt to maintain the (toxic) status quo of the household.

did corey intend to kill ronald?

like i mentioned, there isn't any elaboration about corey's intentions in the novel, either through narration or extra dialogue. the scene happens almost exactly as it does in the film, with a few alterations and added background details. it's the surrounding details and plot differences that change my opinion.

i think movie!corey would have killed ronald if he had to. he knew ronald would be at home or at the yard, both of which were places he intended to go (to kill momma and the bullies). i'm not sure he had the same desire to kill ronald as he does the others, especially if he sees ronald in a good light, but to tie up loose ends he might do what is "necessary". i do find it very interesting that he lets ronald see his face though, and i can't decide if that is as a reassurance (he wouldn't kill ronald and ronald should know that) or because it just didn't matter (he's going to kill ronald so even if he sees corey's face, he won't be a liability to worry about).

however, i don't think novel!corey intended to kill ronald. in the novel, despite all of the extensive set-up of joan being abusive and corey's repressed desires to hurt her (and arguably ronald), there's no suggestion that corey planned to go back home as part of his spree and kill joan. if he wasn't going to kill joan after everything she did, i really don't think he'd have plans to kill ronald.

that's not to say there aren't implication in the novel that corey would hurt ronald too. there's a scene after the slap/kiss where corey can hear joan and ronald arguing about him, and once they've gone to bed corey gets a knife and stands outside their room, but ultimately doesn't go in. it isn't specified whether he wants to hurts just joan, or ronald as well.

michael's mask

ahh so when i was re-reading the scrapyard massacre in the novel to try and answer whether corey letting ronald see that it is him was a way of corey saying "you don't have to be scared of me" or even "you should be scared of me", i've come to a different conclusion about the mask.

“Who did this to you?” [Ronald] asked. “Him,” Margo said, pointing across the street. Ronald turned to find Corey twenty feet away on the other side of the fence, pulling Michael’s mask over his head. "Corey?" he muttered in disbelief.

the way the novel reads, i think that when corey puts the mask on in front of ronald, it's the first time he puts the mask on at all. if that is the case, it adds a whole other level to the transition between corey's kills as himself (or as the scarecrow) and his kills "as michael".

earlier, billy's sees "corey's shape wearing his prevo jumpsuit". it's fair enough that billy would assume it's corey without seeing his face, because they know that corey is there, but there's no mention of the mask either.

then, the way it describes ronald seeing corey put on the mask doesn't really indicate that corey was making sure ronald saw it was him. he's already "pulling on the mask" by the time ronald looks over at him; he wasn't waiting for ronald to look he was already doing it.

alternatively, the movie shows corey very deliberately stood there, waiting for ronald to see him and recognise him before he puts the mask on. i'm leaning towards it not being a gesture of reassurance but more of a last show of humanity to someone corey cares about -- "it's me, and i appreciate that you always treated me well, but this is the monster they've made me into".

in both versions, ronald jumps up to stop terry shooting corey. whether he was intending to shield corey or was just getting up to try and talk terry down, i think it says a lot about ronald as a character. he has been very passive this whole time, especially in scenes that take place at home, but in this moment he takes an authorative position to try and diffuse the situation. there's a scared kid with a gun, and his own stepson who he's starting to think might have done something awful, but this doesn't have to continue -- they can talk about it and calm down and whatever it is that has happened can be worked out.

[good-beanswrites]

In one of your answers about lcsys a few days ago you mentioned that you weren't sure how closely Jackalope monitored their calls (re: trying to do investigations over the phone) and it occurred to me because you mentioned kazui calling hinako that she appears in both half and cat so he could contact her in person and they could talk a bit and even pass each other papers if they were sneaky enough. I don't know if anyone else would be willing to do that (the resources available to people like shidous wife and mahirus ex boyfriend would be limited anyway) but it could be another route if you wanted to make call monitoring strict

Anon I love that thank youuu >:0 There really is so much potential with this! 

They might not have committed careful, premeditated murders, but they sure are getting a knack for sneaky crime now. Speaking in code over phone lines, passing notes in between filming scenes, sneaking away to a private area to talk (though never knowing how much of the facility is monitored). Some of their loved ones may not have the skills/connections needed, but the prisoners sit together after getting their scripts to plan out who they’ll be able to make contact with and when.

Haruka’s sister makes a super fast appearance in AKAA, when she comes on set to film her scene someone slips a note in her pocket telling her to call a woman named Hinako with the police department and deliver a message. Hinako and the other connections listed investigate Es and Milgram, then send their findings in a message to the Kirisaki household. When Shidou visits them on his Triage trip, she passes him the information. He leaves her with any additional questions and findings to send to Mahiru’s ex before he leaves, sneaking the message into the facility. When arriving to film I Love You, her ex brings another note inside the facility disguised within his script he’s been told to look over. Mahiru has to stall some of the scenes to make filming last long enough for the others to interpret the information and form their next plan of action. Once they give her the ‘go,’ she’s able to put on a perfect performance and send the man home with a letter to Hinako. Hinako shows up to produce Cat with even more findings. This time, they send her home either with plans to investigate further on her own, or repeat the process with someone appearing in Deep Cover. They’ll have to hold out throughout the third trial, but hope what they’ve discovered/kick started will be enough when they leave. 

And, jailbreak attempt or not, I just realized they would likely end up getting close on their own! Hinako and Mahiru’s ex especially because of their similarities, but everyone would feel connected by this strange experiment. Even with limited investigation skills, they could search up the other prisoners and reach out to their families. There are conflicted feelings of sympathy and shame from the stable families, but it would make sense they’d get to talking with each other. Fuuta is horrified when the experiment ends and he leaves to find his sister is best friends with Mikoto’s. Muu’s parents are insistent about avoiding direct contact to protect their reputation, but they offer money and help to Haruka and Amane in their moving of homes. Shidou’s wife has set up playdates between her kids and Yura. (When we find out more, Kotoko and Es’ families are in the mix too :’))