#sing movie 2016 Jude

[whileiamdying]

Tony Bennett, Jazzy Crooner of the American Songbook, Is Dead at 96

From his initial success at the Paramount in Times Square through his generation-spanning duets, his career was remarkable for both its longevity and its consistency.

By Bruce Weber

July 21, 2023

Tony Bennett, a singer whose melodic clarity, jazz-influenced phrasing, audience-embracing persona and warm, deceptively simple interpretations of musical standards helped spread the American songbook around the world and won him generations of fans, died on Friday at his home of many decades in Manhattan. He was 96.

His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, announced his death.

Mr. Bennett learned he had Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, his wife, Susan Benedetto, told AARP The Magazine in February 2021. But he continued to perform and record despite his illness; his last public performance was in August 2021, when he appeared with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in a show titled “One Last Time.”

Mr. Bennett’s career of more than 70 years was remarkable not only for its longevity, but also for its consistency. In hundreds of concerts and club dates and more than 150 recordings, he devoted himself to preserving the classic American popular song, as written by Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Duke Ellington, Rodgers and Hammerstein and others.

From his initial success as a jazzy crooner who wowed audiences at the Paramount in Times Square in the early 1950s, through his late-in-life duets with younger singers gleaned from a range of genres and generations — most notably Lady Gaga, with whom he recorded albums in 2014 and 2021 and toured in 2015 — he was an active promoter of both songwriting and entertaining as timeless, noble pursuits.

Mr. Bennett stubbornly resisted record producers who urged gimmick songs on him, or, in the 1960s and early ’70s, who were sure that rock ’n’ roll had relegated the music he preferred to a dusty bin perused only by a dwindling population of the elderly and nostalgic.

Instead, he followed in the musical path of the greatest American pop singers of the 20th century — Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra — and carried the torch for them into the 21st. He reached the height of stardom in 1962 with a celebrated concert at Carnegie Hall and the release of his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” And though he saw his popularity wane with the onset of rock and his career went through a trough in the 1970s, when professional difficulties were exacerbated by a failing marriage and drug problems, he was, in the end, more than vindicated in his musical judgment.

“I wanted to sing the great songs, songs that I felt really mattered to people,” he said in “The Good Life” (1998), an autobiography written with Will Friedwald.

It’s hard to overstate Mr. Bennett’s lasting appeal. He was still singing “San Francisco” — which led many people to think he was a native of that city, though he was actually a through-and-through New Yorker — more than half a century later. He sang on Ed Sullivan’s show and David Letterman’s. He sang with Rosemary Clooney when she was in her 20s, and Celine Dion when she was in her 20s.

He made his film debut in 1966, in a critically reviled Hollywood story, “The Oscar,” playing a man betrayed by an old friend. And though he did not pursue an acting career, decades later he was playing himself in movies like the Robert De Niro-Billy Crystal gangster comedy “Analyze This” and the Jim Carrey vehicle “Bruce Almighty.” He was 64 when he appeared as a cartoon version of himself on “The Simpsons.” He was 82 when he appeared on the HBO series “Entourage,” performing one of his trademark songs, “The Good Life.”

A lifelong liberal Democrat, Mr. Bennett participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march in 1965, and, along with Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr. and others, performed at the Stars for Freedom rally on the City of St. Jude campus on the outskirts of Montgomery on March 24, the night before the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the address that came to be known as the “How Long? Not Long” speech. At the conclusion of the march, Viola Liuzzo, a volunteer from Michigan, drove Mr. Bennett to the airport; she was murdered later that day by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Mr. Bennett also performed for Nelson Mandela, then the president of South Africa, during his state visit to England in 1996. He sang at the White House for John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, and at Buckingham Palace at Queen Elizabeth II’s 50th anniversary jubilee.

An ‘Elusive’ Voice

He won his first two Grammy Awards, for “San Francisco,” in 1963, and his last, for the album “Love for Sale,” with Lady Gaga, last year. Altogether there were 20 of them, including, in 2001, a lifetime achievement award. By some estimates, he sold more than 60 million records.

The talent that spawned this success and popularity was not so easy to define. Neither a fluid singer nor an especially powerful one, he did not have the mellifluous timbre of Crosby or the rakish swing of Sinatra. If Armstrong’s tone was distinctively gravelly, Mr. Bennett’s wasn’t quite; “sandy” was more like it. Almost no one denied that his voice was appealing, but critics strove mightily to describe it, and then to justify its appeal.

“The voice that is the basic tool of Mr. Bennett’s trade is small, thin and somewhat hoarse,” John S. Wilson wrote in The New York Times in 1962. “But he uses it shrewdly and with a skillful lack of pretension.”

In a 1974 profile, Whitney Balliett, the longtime jazz critic for The New Yorker, called Mr. Bennett “an elusive singer.”

“He can be a belter who reaches rocking fortissimos,” Mr. Balliett wrote. “He drives a ballad as intensely and intimately as Sinatra. He can be a lilting, glancing jazz singer. He can be a low-key, searching supper-club performer.” But, he added, “Bennett’s voice binds all his vocal selves together.”

Most simply, perhaps, the composer and critic Alec Wilder said about Mr. Bennett’s voice, “There is a quality about it that lets you in.”

Indeed, what many listeners (including the critics) discovered about Mr. Bennett, and what they responded to, was something intangible: the care with which he treated both the song and the audience.

He had a storyteller’s grace with a lyric, a jazzman’s sureness with a melody, and in his finest performances he delivered them with a party giver’s welcome, a palpable and infectious affability. In his presentation, the songs he loved and sang — “Just in Time,” “The Best Is Yet to Come,” “Rags to Riches” and “I Wanna Be Around,” to name a handful of his emblematic hits — became engaging, life-embracing parables.

Frank Sinatra, whom Mr. Bennett counted as a mentor and friend, once put it another way.

“For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business,” he told Life magazine in 1965. “He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.”

Mr. Bennett passed through life with as unscathed a public image as it is possible for a celebrity to have. Finding even mild criticism of him in reviews and interviews is no mean feat, and even his outspoken liberalism generally failed to attract vitriol from the right. (An exception was his call, after the drug-related deaths of Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston, for the legalization of drugs, a view loudly denounced by William J. Bennett, the former drug czar, among others.)

With the possible exception of his former wives, everyone, it seemed, loved Tony Bennett. Skeptical journalists would occasionally try to pierce what they perceived as his perfect veneer, but they generally discovered that there wasn’t much to pierce.

“Bennett is outrageous,” Simon Hattenstone, a reporter for The Guardian, wrote in 2002. “He mythologizes himself, name-drops every time he opens his mouth, directs you to his altruism, is self-congratulatory to the point of indecency. He should be intolerable, but he’s one of the sweetest, most humble men I’ve ever met.”

Son of Queens

Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born on Aug. 3, 1926, in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, and grew up in that borough in working-class Astoria. His father, Giovanni, had emigrated from Calabria, in southern Italy, at age 11. His mother, Anna (Suraci) Benedetto, was born in New York in 1899, having made the sea journey from Italy in the womb. Their marriage was arranged. Giovanni and Anna were cousins; their mothers were sisters.

In New York, where Giovanni Benedetto became John, he was a grocer, but beleaguered by poor health and often unable to work. Anna was a factory seamstress and took in additional sewing to support the family. Anthony was their third child, their second son, and the first of any Benedetto to be born in a hospital. Giovanni, who sang Italian folk songs to his children — “My father inspired my love for music,” Mr. Bennett wrote in his autobiography — died when Anthony was 10.

Anthony sang from an early age, and drew and painted, too. He would become a creditable painter as an adult, mostly landscapes and still lifes in watercolors and oils and portraits of musicians he admired, signing his paintings “Benedetto.” His first music teacher arranged for him to sing alongside Mayor Fiorello La Guardia at the opening of the Triborough Bridge (now the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) in 1936.

For a time he attended the High School for Industrial Arts (now called the High School of Art and Design) in Manhattan, but he never graduated. He dropped out and found work as a copy boy for The Associated Press, in a laundry and as an elevator operator.

“I couldn’t figure out how to get the elevator to stop at the right place,” he recalled. “People ended up having to crawl out between floors.”

At night he performed at amateur shows and worked as a singing waiter. He had just begun to get paying work as a singer, using the stage name Joe Bari, when he was drafted.

He arrived in Europe toward the end of World War II, serving in Germany in the infantry. He spent time on the front lines, an experience he described as “a front-row seat in hell,” and was among the troops who arrived to liberate the prisoners at the Landsberg concentration camp, a subcamp of Dachau.

After Germany surrendered, Mr. Bennett was part of the occupying forces, assigned to special services, where he ended up as a singer with Army bands and for a time was featured in a ragtag version of the musical “On the Town” — directed by Arthur Penn, who would go on to direct “Bonnie and Clyde” and other notable movies — in the opera house in Wiesbaden.

He returned to New York in August 1946 and set about beginning a career as a musician. On the G.I. Bill, he took classes at the American Theater Wing, which he later said helped teach him how to tell a story in song. He sang in nightclubs in Manhattan and Queens.

A series of breaks followed. He appeared on the radio show “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts,” the “American Idol” of its day. (The competition was won by Rosemary Clooney.) There are different versions of the biggest break in Mr. Bennett’s early career, but as he told it in “The Good Life,” he had been singing occasionally at a club in Greenwich Village where the owner had offered Pearl Bailey a gig as the headliner; she agreed, but only on the condition that Joe Bari stayed on the bill.

When Bob Hope came down to take in Ms. Bailey’s act, he liked Joe Bari so much that he asked him to open for him at the Paramount Theater. Hope had a condition, however: He didn’t like the name Joe Bari, and insisted it be changed. Dismissing the name Anthony Benedetto as too long to fit on a marquee, Hope christened the young singer Tony Bennett.

The Hits Roll In

The producer Mitch Miller signed Mr. Bennett to Columbia Records in 1950; “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” was his first single. Miller was known for his hit-making prowess, a gift that often involved matching talented singers with novelty songs or having them cover hits by others, for which he was criticized by more serious music fans and sometimes by the singers themselves.

He and Mr. Bennett had a contentious relationship. Mr. Bennett resisted his attempts at gimmickry; Miller, who believed that the producer and not the singer was in charge of a recording, applied his authority. Still, together they achieved grand success.

By mid-1951, Mr. Bennett had his first No. 1 hit, “Because of You.” That same year, his version of the Hank Williams ballad “Cold, Cold Heart” also hit No. 1; three years after Williams died in 1953, Mr. Bennett performed it in his honor at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Other trademark songs followed: “Rags to Riches” in 1953; “Stranger in Paradise,” from the Broadway show “Kismet,” also in 1953; Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s “Just in Time,” from the show “Bells Are Ringing,” in 1956. That same year, Mr. Bennett was host of his own television variety show, a summer replacement for a similar show that starred another popular Italian American crooner, Perry Como. In 1958, he recorded two albums with the Count Basie band, introducing him to the jazz audience.

In the 1950s, Mr. Bennett toured for the first time, played Las Vegas for the first time and got married for the first time, to Patricia Beech, a fan who had seen him perform in Cleveland. The marriage would flounder in the 1960s, overwhelmed by Mr. Bennett’s perpetual touring, but their two sons would end up playing roles in Mr. Bennett’s career: the older one, D’Andrea, known as Danny, became his father’s manager, and Daegal, known as Dae, became a music producer and recording engineer.

In July 1961, Mr. Bennett was performing in Hot Springs, Ark., and about to head to the West Coast when Ralph Sharon, his longtime pianist, played him a song written by George Cory and Douglass Cross that had been moldering in a drawer for two years. Mr. Sharon and Mr. Bennett decided that it would be perfect for their next date, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and it was.

They recorded the song — of course it was “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” — six months later, in January 1962. It won Mr. Bennett his first two Grammys, for best male solo performance and record of the year, and worldwide fame. In “The Good Life,” he wrote that he was often asked if he ever tired of singing it.

“I answer, ‘Do you ever get tired of making love?’” he wrote.

Just five months later, Mr. Bennett performed at Carnegie Hall with Mr. Sharon and a small orchestra. He got sensational reviews — though The Times’s was measured — and the recording of the concert is now considered a classic.

But as the 1960s proceeded and rock ’n’ roll became dominant, Mr. Bennett’s popularity began to slip. In 1969, he succumbed to the pressure of the new president of Columbia Records, Clive Davis, to record his versions of contemporary songs, and the result, “Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!” — including the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and “Something” — was a musical calamity, a record that Mr. Bennett would later tell an interviewer made him vomit.

His relationship with Columbia soured further and finally ended, and by the middle of the 1970s Mr. Bennett had formed his own company, Improv Records, on which he recorded the first of two of his most critically admired albums, duets with the jazz pianist Bill Evans. (The second one was released on Evans’s label, Fantasy.) Together the two opened the Newport Jazz Festival, which had moved to New York, at Carnegie Hall in 1976.

Improv went out of business in 1977, and without a recording contract Mr. Bennett relied more and more on Las Vegas, then in decline, for regular work. His mother died that year, and the profligate life he had been living in Beverly Hills caught up with him; the Internal Revenue Service was threatening to take his house. His second marriage, a tumultuous one to the actress Sandra Grant, collapsed — she would later say that she would have been better off if she had married her previous boyfriend, Joe DiMaggio — and he had begun using marijuana and cocaine heavily.

One day in 1979, high and in a panic, he took a bath to calm down and nearly died in the tub. In later years he would play down the seriousness of the event, but he wrote about it in “The Good Life,” describing what he called a near-death experience: “A golden light enveloped me in a warm glow. It was quite peaceful; in fact, I had the sense that I was about to embark on a very compelling journey. But suddenly I was jolted out of the vision. The tub was overflowing and Sandra was standing above me. She’d heard the water running for too long, and when she came in I wasn’t breathing. She pounded on my chest and literally brought me back to life.”

Mr. Bennett turned to his older son for help. Danny Bennett took over the management of his career, aiming to have the American musical standards that were his strength, and his handling of them, perceived as hip by a new generation.

Somewhat surprisingly, the strategy took hold. An article in Spin magazine, which was founded in 1985, declared Mr. Bennett and James Brown as the two foremost influences on rock ’n’ roll, and the magazine followed up with a long, admiring profile.

A Career Revival

Encouraged by executive changes at Columbia Records, Mr. Bennett returned to the Columbia fold in 1985. The next year he released the album “The Art of Excellence.” WBCN in Boston became the first rock station to give it regular airplay. Released in the emerging CD format, it spurred the sales of Mr. Bennett’s back catalog as music fans began replacing their vinyl records with CDs.

In 1993, Mr. Bennett was a presenter, along with two members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, at MTV’s Video Music Awards. The next year he gave an hourlong performance for MTV’s “Unplugged” series, which included duets with K.D. Lang (with whom he would later tour) and Elvis Costello. The recording of the show won the Grammy for album of the year.

The revival of Mr. Bennett’s career was complete. Not only had he returned to the kind of popularity he had enjoyed 40 years earlier, but he had also been accepted by an entirely new audience.

He recorded albums that honored musicians he admired — Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday — and he collaborated on standards with singers half, or less than half, his age. On the 2006 album “Duets: An American Classic,” he sang “If I Ruled the World” with Ms. Dion, “Smile” with Barbra Streisand and “For Once in My Life” with Stevie Wonder, and revisited his first Columbia single, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” with Sting. Five years later, on “Duets II,” his collaborators included Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Willie Nelson and Ms. Winehouse.

As the century changed, he was once again touring, giving up to 200 performances a year, and recording prolifically.

In 2007 Mr. Bennett married a third time, to his longtime companion, Susan Crow, a teacher four decades his junior whom he had met in the late 1980s. Together they started a foundation, Exploring the Arts, that supports arts education in schools, and financed the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a public high school in Queens.

Mr. Bennett had lived in the same Manhattan apartment, where he died, for most of his adult life, except for a few years in Los Angeles and London, Ms. Weiner, his publicist, said. He is survived by his wife; his sons, Danny and Dae; his daughters, Johanna and Antonia Bennett; and 9 grandchildren.

If there was a magical quality to Mr. Bennett’s life, as suggested by David Evanier in a glowing 2011 biography, “All the Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennett,” it is encapsulated by a story Mr. Bennett told to Whitney Balliett in 1974.

“I like the funny things in life that could only happen to me now,” he said. “Once, when I was singing Kurt Weill’s ‘Lost in the Stars’ in the Hollywood Bowl with Basie’s band and Buddy Rich on drums, a shooting star went falling through the sky right over my head and everyone was talking about it, and the next morning the phone rang and it was Ray Charles, who I’d never met, calling from New York. He said, ‘Hey, Tony, how’d you do that, man?’ and hung up.”

#Anthony Dominick Benedetto #Tony Bennett #New York Times #Obituary

[exoplanetupdates-blog]

2016 : EXO at Award Shows

JANUARY 2016

160114 - Seoul Music Awards - EXO

Red Carpet

EXO - Call Me Baby + Love Me Right

Chanyeol - MFBTY Angel

EXO - Daesang Award [1] / [1]

EXO - Hallyu Special Award + Bonsang + Daesang + Encore

160121 - Golden Disk Awards - EXO

Red Carpet

EXO Full Cut - Opening + My Answer + Global Popularity Award + Disc Bonsang (EXODUS) + Sing For You + Love Me Right + Disc Daesang (EXODUS) + Encore

160127 : iF Design Awards - EXO

EXO - Best Packaging Design - Miracles in December

FEBURARY 2016

160217 - Gaon Charts K-pop Awards - EXO, Sehun

Red Carpet

EXO Full Cut - Audience Cut + Weibo Star Award (Sehun) + Baekhyun as Presenter + Popularity Award + Album of the Year – 1st Q (EXODUS) + Album of the Year – 2nd Q (Love Me Right) + EXODUS + Call Me Baby + Love Me Right + Album of the Year – 4th Q (Sing For You)

Sehun - Weibo Star Award

EXO - All Award Speeches

160225 - Max Movie Awards - D.O.

Red Carpet

D.O. - Rising Star Award

160227 - Japan Gold Disc Awards - EXO

EXO - New Artist of the Year (Asian) + Best 3 New Artists

MARCH 2016

160324 - China Writer's Rich List Awards - LAY

Celebrity Author Award (4th Prize) - Standing Firm at 24

APRIL 2016

160409 - Top Chinese Music Awards - EXO, LAY

Red Carpet

EXO Full Cut - Call Me Baby + Ment + Love Me Right + Most Popular Overseas Group + Best Overseas Group

Lay - Best OST of the Year (Alone) + Best Newcomer Award

160413 - LetV Annual Gala Awards - LAY

Backstage Interview

Lay - Most Popular All Rounded Idol of the Year Award

MAY 2016

160519 - V Chart Awards - EXO, LAY

EXO - Album of the Year (South Korea) - EXODUS

Lay - Best Film Song of the Year - Alone

JUNE 2016

160603 - Baeksang Arts Awards - D.O.

Red Carpet

D.O. - Most Popular Actor (Film) - Pure Love

160627 : China Britain Film Festival - LAY

Lay - Best Supporting Actor - Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Again

OCTOBER 2016

161008 - ENAwards - LAY

Influential Artist List

161021 - Asia Book Awards - LAY

Terrific Author of the Year - Standing Firm at 24

NOVEMBER 2016

161116 - Asia Artist Awards - EXO, Baekhyun

Red Carpet

EXO - Lotto + Monster

EXO All Speeches Cut - Asia Star Award + Baidu Star Award + Popularity Award (EXO) + Popularity Award (Baekhyun) + Daesang

161119 - Melon Music Awards - EXO, Baekhyun

Red Carpet / [1]

VCR

EXO Performance Cut - EXO Medley + Do It Together (SeKaiLay) + Monster [2]

EXO All Speeches Cut - Top 10 Artists + Kakao Hot Star Award + Best Male Dance (Monster) + Netizen Popularity Award + Artist of the Year

Baekhyun & Suzy - Best R&B/Soul - Dream

Audience Cut

DECEMBER 2016

161202 - Mnet Asia Music Awards - EXO, Baekhyun

Countdown D-1

Red Carpet [subbed]

Microwave EXO [1] [2]

EXO Full Cut

EXO Performance Cut - Transformer + Dance Break (SeKai) + Monster + Baekhyun Dance Solo

Baekhyun & Suzy - Dream

EXO - Album of the Year (EX'ACT) + Best Male Group + Best Asian Style

Baekhyun & Suzy - Best Collaboration - Dream

EXO Reaction to Dream

EXO Reaction to TWICE's Performance

EXO - Thank You Stage / [1]

Backstage [1] [2]

161231 - SBS Drama Awards - Baekhyun

Baekhyun - For You (EXO-CBX)

Baekhyun & SNSD's Seohyun & Han Areum - Hey Jude (Cover)

New Star Award - Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Philippine K-pop Awards - EXO

EXO - Album of the Year - EX'ACT

Click!StarWars TheFactNews Year-End Awards - Suho

Popular K-Pop Star Award

#EXO #a:2016 #2016 #award shows #PERFORMANCE #XIUMIN #LAY #SUHO #BAEKHYUN #CHEN #CHANYEOL #DO #KAI #SEHUN

[twilightprince101]

man this

this really wasn't the first time huh

#bugsnax #bugsnax oc #skatey skitterlock #sing 2016 #Jude therna #my oc #my ocs #grumpus oc #sing movie #sing 2021 #to anyone who knows who this is #you may be eligible for a señor's discount #twi talks

[twilightprince102-blog]

I commissioned @purplesce for a drawing of Jude! Now you can see what they look like outside of my terrible drawing skills! Thanks again dude, this looks great!!!

#purplesce #my ocs #ocs #my oc #Jude the jaguar #Jude therna #oc Jude #oc Jude therna #sing movie #sing #sing 2016 #sing movie 2016 #sing oc #sing movie oc #sing 2016 oc #sing movie 2016 oc #sing Jude #sing movie Jude #sing 2016 Jude #sing movie 2016 Jude #sing Jude therna #sing movie Jude therna #sing 2016 Jude therna #commission #not my art

[cartoonloverstuff]

Sing Week: Day 5

It’s OC day!

(Quick apologies for not posting anything swap day but I literally had nothing…)

Anyways, I don’t have an OC for Sing that I’m all that attached to. So I’m just gonna borrow @twilightprince101 ’s OC here for a bit. (I got permission first! 😁) All credit for coming up with Jude Therna goes to twilightprinces101 and this OC is in the ongoing series “Some Moral Support,” which can be found on their blog.

Here’s my attempts at drawing them! I also threw Meena in a few since they are often together in the story and Jude is a close friend to Meena.

P.s. The last doodle was me trying to figure out if I could draw Meena kissing anyone. I figured it’d be hard with her trunk and all. Turns out, it even harder than I could have imaged!

#sing week 2017 #sing movie #sing 2016 #Jude therna #i had alot of fun drawing these! #but dear lord drawing Meena kissing anyone is tough #im not talented enought for it! #my art

[queerprayers]

Hello! Do you have any christian songs and artists to recommend?

Beloved! Yes I do! Thanks for asking! Here's a lot of music I love from lots of genres.

some of my Spotify playlists:

current season playlist: advent (I'm working on organizing my Christmas playlists and will share them soon. I don't listen to Christmas music before the 24th, though.)

my in-love-with-Jesus playlist: Yeshua my beloved

my super disorganized song dump: queer Christian vibes

my leftist mix: can I interest you in some Christian Socialism

a trauma/confusion-inspired mix: weird relationship with Christianity

Contemporary Artist Recommendations

Semler—the ultimate queer Christian music icon. They've topped Christian charts multiple times, and make music about being gay, loving their wife, and finding God.

Sufjan Stevens—a classic. the ultimate "is he singing about God or his boyfriend?". has entirely too many weird Christmas songs.

LGBT choruses (compilation)—there's a lovely tradition of queer choruses—most famously The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Not usually specifically Christian, but do hymns/Christian choral music.

Peter, Paul & Mary—a group I grew up with that inspired my love of folk and of justice.

Judee Sill—fun bisexual mystic folk-rock from the 70s

Trey Pearson—Christian pop artist who came out in 2016.

The Many—justice/love focused group with indie pop and gospel influences. (x)

All Sons & Daughters—more worship folk, purposefully unpolished.

Page CXVI—want to make hymns "accessible and known again." named after a page from The Magician's Nephew. (x)

Julien Baker—for my indie sad girls.

Vicky Beeching—a classic worship artist who came out in 2014

The Liturgists—part of the art collective of the same name. They also have a podcast.

Liturgical Folk—exactly what it sounds like. Absolutely lovely.

Poor Bishop Hooper—currently working on folk settings of all the Psalms. I also love their Advent/Christmas album.

Albums/Song Shoutouts

Seranade is a pop compilation by various queer artists, collected by the organization Beloved Arise.

The Mountain Goats is one of my favorite bands, and they've made a lot of work inspired/informed by Christianity. Check out their album The Life of the World to Come and their song "Cry for Judas."

The Oh Hellos' album Dear Wormwood has some great rennaissance-fair-vibes Christian bops. They did "Soldier, Poet, King," for the Tiktok-users out there.

"Maybe There's a Loving God" by Sarah Groves has gotten me through a lot of doubt-filled moments.

"Jesus! (A Communist Disco)" is exactly what it sounds like.

"She Keeps Me Warm" by Mary Lambert—which will be familiar to anyone who's heard that one gay Macklemore song—is absolutely beautiful. I don't cry on Sundays anymore. She and her wife are both Christian <3

I heard "VBS" by Lucy Dacus live, and it healed something in me. For the Vacation Bible School survivors.

Musicals/Soundtracks

I wasn't really a theater kid, but only because I was never good enough to audition... Here are some musicals and soundtracks that give me religious feelings.

Spring Awakening is a coming-of-age rock musical about teenagers discovering sex in a strict religious environment. (Warning for suicide, abortion, and sexual content.)

The Prince of Egypt is my favorite religious movie, and the soundtrack could wake me from a coma.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (soundtrack) (Broadway cast) is a great Disney movie, and has been made into a Broadway show. It's about a corrupt church and deals with sex/race/disability issues. Not perfect, but amazing for what it is, which is a kid's movie. I especially recommend the song "God Help the Outcasts." (Warning for normalized use of the word g*psy and for vague discussion of sexual violence.)

Bare is kind of a camp Catholic school musical? That's the best way I can describe it. Never went mainstream, and insanely long. Full of bops nonetheless. (Warning for drug use/overdose.)

Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway cast) (TV cast)—the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of Jesus' last week, told from the perspective of Judas. I've never enjoyed the movie, but the NBC event slapped. Widely criticized, heavily secular, and my Holy Saturday tradition. (Warnings (obviously) for suicide & torture/execution.)

Fiddler on the Roof is Jewish, not Christian, but is famous for a reason. The prayer songs feel so familiar even though I haven't really been around Jewish music—they just feel like home.

The Prom is centered around a lesbian couple trying to go to prom together. Recently made into a very cute Netflix movie. Deals with with Christian homophobia, especially "Love Thy Neighbor."

Liturgical/Classical/Choral/Hymns:

I grew up with the hymns in the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, and one of these days I'm gonna make a playlist of my favorites. (Here's the best one I've found.)

I also grew up around classical musicians, and there are a million pieces I could recommend, but here are my staples.

Lutheran Daily Prayer (Evening/Morning)—the daily liturgy that I'm familiar with. Simple and beautiful.

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles are an order of nuns who never fail to make me weep.

The National Lutheran Choir does so many beautiful hymns.

Choir of King's College, Cambridge—absolutely unparalleled Christmas albums.

Music of the Passion of Jesus Christ / The London Fox Players

high church hymns (playlist)

Bach's Passions

Rachmaninoff's Vespers

Vivaldi's Gloria

Pergolesi's Stabat Mater

de Monte's Mass Si Ambulavero & Motets

Mozart's Requiem (I think this is my favorite choral piece of all time)

Alright, that's what I got for you today! Happy listening! Everyone reading: drop your recommendations in the replies! No judgement, just vibes.

<3 Johanna

#asks #idk if i have any relevant tags? #hymns #music

[jayankles]

Your Turn

Pairing: No pairing; general Dean fic

Word Count: 2016

Summary: Dean and his wife are woken up by their baby, his wife encourages him that it’s his turn to take care of her.

Written for: @spngenrebingo​ / @goodthingshappenbingo​ / @spndeanbingo​ / @spnaubingo​

Squares Filled: playing pretend / pillow forts / Bobby Singer / single parent au

Also for @sdavid09​ ’s bingo challenge. The square filled is below to avoid spoilers.

A crying baby is what woke them. She snuck her hand around Dean’s waist and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. “It’s your turn, baby.”

“I know. I got her. Go back to sleep.” He rubbed her hand before bringing it up for a kiss. “Alright, baby girl, daddy’s coming.”

Dean sat up, the palms of his hand digging into his eyeballs, rubbing the sleep from them. He got up, his feet stepping into his comfortable slippers. Grabbing his robe, he tied the belt loosely around his waist, he was ready for action to get his daughter to sleep.

“Come on, Lilah.” Dean leaned over with a small smile on his face, even though Delilah was sobbing her heart out, it didn’t matter. All he saw was a healthy happy baby that just wanted cuddles from her daddy. “You wanna cuddle with Daddy? Before you wake Scarlett because the two of you in the morning is a nightmare. You don’t know how outnumbered I am with you girls.”

Lilah continued to cry but as soon as Dean picked her up from the crib she calmed a little, her cries settling a little after she nestled into his chest. She loved her father so much but Dean loved Delilah a little more, she had him completely wrapped around her tiny little fingers. All she had to do was smile and he was gone.He was all hers. Any of his girls could have him at the blink of an eye, a snap of their fingers, or something as simple as a smile.

When she started to fuss again, Dean started with a hum, he couldn’t figure out which song to sing, about three of them roaming around in his mind. After a few minutes of humming ‘Hey Jude,’ he finally decided on ‘Baby Mine’ from the Disney movie Dumbo. It was the only song that worked with Scarlett when she was younger and it was his wife’s favourite song to sing her too; as he sung the words Dean rocked too and fro. Delilah’s little hands balled into Dean’s shirt but he soon noticed that they had loosened and her breathing had evened out.

After he was sure that Delilah had conked out for a few more hours, he laid her back in her crib, draping the light blanket back over her, softly rubbing her stomach. “Goodnight, Lilah. See you in a few hours, Sweetheart.”

Walking down the hallway, Dean checked on Scarlett. She was adorable, of course, snuggling her stuffed octopus. She was rocking the bedhead vibe as always, something that he would have to fix in the morning. He wouldn’t tell her but he loved brushing Scarlett’s hair and secretly watching the hair tutorials to see which style he could help Scarlett pull off for school.

“Goodnight, Princess.” He whispered, closing the door behind him and heading back to bed. He would need all the sleep he could get.

Sneaking under the covers, he whispered once more. “I love you, mama, goodnight.”

*

“Yay! Grandpa Bobby is here!” Dean said, his eyes finding Scarlett’s before her face lit up like a Christmas tree. It had been a while since the girls had seen their Grandpa. Their favourite one at that.... Or their only Grandpa, but it was nice to be loved.

“Grandpa!” Scarlett dropped her toys and quickly made her way over into Bobby’s arms. “Can we goto the park today? Get some secret ice cream?”

She was a terrible whisperer, he would have to teach her a few tricks of the trade so her father wouldn;t be able to hear her the next time she spoke of any innocent secret. 

“You know I can hear you, right? And if you go for secret ice cream without me , there will be no My Little Pony.” Dean got up from his extra small seat, taking Delilah with him. “I don’t say this enough but thank you for being retired, Bobby Singer.”

“Are you just using me for a free babysitting service, boy?” There was a stern look on his face as usual but it melted away as soon as Scarlett spoke.

“I can pay you with hugs and kisses.”

“Did you put her up to that?”

“Absolutely not. I would never put your own granddaughter against you.” Dean smiled, a devious one like this was a plan that he had concocted but in all honesty, he had nothing to do with it. “I will see you later.”

He waits for Scarlett to jump down before giving Delilah over to Bobby. He plans a soft kiss to the baby’s head. He moves on to his first born, crouching down to the floor and adjusting the toggle on her hoodie that she wears so often. 

“I’ll make you a deal. You be good for Grandpa, he can get you some ice cream as long as you get me some and stick it in the freezer. If you do that, we’ll have a movie night at the weekend.”

“I wanna do that, yes. Lots of sweets and chocolate and popcorn.” She almost dies at the fact that she’s going to have a movie night. Dean has something else planned first and it was something that he had hoped that they would love even more than just a movie.

*

As much as Dean hates it, he has to go, has to leave them and go to work. He had already taken a long break but he knew he had to go back. It was time. Dean couldn’t bear to part with his girls, not even for a minute but he had to. 

His coworkers welcome him back with open arms. It had been a rough few months but he was hanging in there. His best friend, Benny, held him so tight that he was afraid he would lose him; Benny may have also broken a few of Dean’s ribs but he loved it more than he would care to admit.

“Good to see you, brother.” Benny gave him one more squeeze before releasing him.

Dean just nodded, his words caught, he couldn’t say anything with his heart in his throat. He gave Benny a slap on the back before he took a step back and coughed, masking his pain.

By the time lunch rolled around, Dean was a lot more tired than he thought he would be, the long nights that he had with the girl had really taken its toll on him. Maybe he shouldn’t have rushed back to his job.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his lunch box and his small bottle of pills. Dean had got accustomed to taking the meds ever since Lilah was born, it was one of the many things that he remembered to do each and every day. Dean knocked down the two daily pills, swallowing them with a drink of water.

Dean had taken a bite of the second slice of his sandwich before he put it back down in the box, his fingers running through his slightly longer hair. Inhaling, he tried to keep calm and keep himself from crying, he had done well so far, and had only thought about the situation twice today. But it still didn’t stop the pain that he was feeling, he just wanted to get back to his family back home. The pills would kick in and bring him back down to the dark reality that he was living.

Benny came in not too long after Dean did, neither man said anything, not for a long time and it was beginning to get awkward. The pair hadn’t seen each other since just before Lilah was born a few months ago, there had been texts and calls, keeping up with each other seeing how Dean was holding up and asking whether or not he needed any help around the house. Dean kindly refused Benny’s help, thanking him for his offer and telling him that he was welcome to come over to the house and see Lilah and Scarlett whenever he wanted, when he returned to work. He just needed that time with the kids before he shared them with anyone else. Benny completely understood, any other time, he would have chewed his ass about spending all his time with his babies but Benny knew that he needed to spend this time with them.

“Sorry, I dipped.” Dean muttered, popping an orange slice into his mouth, Scarlett had helped him make his lunch before he put her to bed last night. The thought alone made him smile a little bit. “I shouldn’t have done that to you, you deserved better.”

Benny gave a lopsided smile, “it’s all good, I know your struggles.”

“It’s still no excuse, man.” “Listen, if you’re still beating yourself up about it... how ‘bout you and your girls come over to my place and we’ll have a barbecue. Andrea can take a load off and help with the kids and you can cook your famous burgers that you know we love and I’ll do my steaks. We got you, brother.” 

Dean was left speechless, he truly couldn’t believe the kindness of his best friend, even though Dean felt as if he had treated Benny like shit, Benny still had his back.

*

Turning the key in the door, Dean stepped into his house, and the house that he had made a home. The house was somewhat quiet and he wasn’t sure whether to take that as a good sign or a bad sign. He threw his bag and coat into the closet, strolling through the house and going in search of his girls. Dean then got to the living room, his heart soaring as he watched Bobby and Scarlett interact. The two of them sing to Delilah, trying to stop her from crying, so far it was working and they got little smiles out of her.

“How are my favourite people in the whole wide world?” 

“Daddy!” “Dada!” Scarlett and Delilah screamed when they saw Dean leaning on the door frame with a soft smile on his face. 

“Now, how about a pillow fort and a movie, yeah?”

Dean quickly got changed into his nightwear, whilst Bobby helped Scarlett into hers. Dean had taken the time to start creating the best pillow fort that he had in awhile. It was difficult at first, Lilah crying when she didn’t get enough of Dean’s attention but he finally strapped her into his chest in one of the carrier contraptions that he so hated to put together, his wife was always better at that stuff, especially the car seat straps.

The couches cushions were first to join the comforter on the floor. Broomsticks and chairs and furniture were moved around so Dean could create a canopy over the television. It would be the perfect, comfortable, little getaway for them. Dean was ready for Scarlett to put in the finishing touches and pick the movie. He couldn’t wait to spend the night with his babies watching Scarlett’s favourite Disney movie for the thousandth time since it came out. It was a surprise when Bobby decided to stay and bring in all the snacks; the popcorn, the gummy bears and the juice boxes even for Dean and himself.

Not even halfway through the movie the four of them had conked out for the night, they all had a busy day and they needed their sleep so that they could do it all over again the next day.

Dean’s wife smiled as she stepped into the living room, watching as her husband and their two baby girls slept. She tucked them all in, even the man she considered a father figure, she wished she could do more but there was only so much that a ghost could do, but she would return to Dean in the morning like she always did. She would do so until Dean got over her but in the end she would be waiting for them. It was always going to be Dean’s turn to be at Delilah’s beck and call.

This fills the ‘character death’ square for Shanna’s bingo.

Forevers: @super100012​ @lupine-princess​ @plaid-lover-bay25​ @atc74​ @growningupgeek​ @sophiebobzz​ @docharleythegeekqueen​ @poukothenerd​ @grace-for-sale​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​ @jesspfly​ @supernaturallymarvellous​ @sammysgirl1997​ @roxyspearing​ @mogaruke​ @be-amaziing​ @deanandsamsbitch​ @frankiea1998​ @hennessy0274-blog​ @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​ @iwantthedean​ @capsheadquaters​ @emoryhemsworth​ @notmoose45​ @essie1876​ @cassieraider​ @brewsthespirit-blog​ @its-my-perky-nipples​ @riversong-sam​ @jotink78​ @captainradicalpassion​ @jadalecki-jackles​ @spnbaby-67​ @holyfuckloueh​ @gh0stgurl​ @alyssa6marie​ @esoltis280​ @bumber-car-s @alexwinchester23​ @x-waywardaf-x​ @thisismysecrethappyplace​ @randomparanoid​ @kellianz​

Dean: @kenmen02​ @ain-t-bovvered​ @deans-baby-momma​  @ericaprice2008​ @shamelesslydean​ @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​ @wingedcatninja​ @mayasmedberg​ @kurosaki224-new-blog @valerieshubin @milo-winchester-4ever​ @sandlee44​ @ruprecht0420​ @akshi8278​ @smoothdogsgirl​ @dslocum89​ @plaidstiel-wormstache​ @ria132love​ @welldonebeca​ @iamabeautifulperson18​ @starry-chaos @deans-treasure @larajadeschmidt13​ @nyxveracity​ @dean-winchesters-bacon​ @adoptdontshoppets​

#tale teller's 2020 bingo challenge #spngenrebingo #goodthingshappenbingo #spndeanbingo #spnaubingo #dean fic #dean winchester fic #dean one shot #dean oneshot #dean imagine #dean winchester one shot #jayankles #jayankles writes #bailey writes

[thekillerssluts]

Arcade Fire's Will Butler, Richard Reed Parry drop very different solo albums

Like many of us during this time, the Arcade Fire crew is spread out, hunkered down and functioning within a vastly reduced spectrum of existence. There is vague talk of a new album, but that’s a ways off.

But alone time can be productive time. Two of the Montreal band’s members are releasing solo albums over the course of the next week, and they couldn’t sound more different. Will Butler — brother of frontman Win — is back with Generations, another album of anxiously rollicking and vaguely political rock ‘n’ roll; while Richard Reed Parry launches his first movie soundtrack as a solo artist, for Canadian filmmaker Sean Durkin’s The Nest, starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon.

Arcade Fire's Will Butler, Richard Reed Parry drop very different solo albums

Reached by phone at his Brooklyn home, Butler expressed a mix of despair and determination regarding the current state of the world, and of his country of birth.

“Me and my wife, Jenny, are both American,” he said, explaining their decision to move back to the U.S. in 2015. “We figured it was time for us to deal with our own issues. America is messed up. Quebec is messed up in its own way, but we can’t even vote there. Let’s go live in a place that’s messed up in a way we’re responsible for.”

He put his time and energy where his mouth is, earning a one-year degree in public policy from Harvard, in 2016-17, hoping to develop a more informed critical stance that would allow him to make better use of his privileged position in one of the world’s biggest indie-rock bands.

“(This degree) has helped me communicate,” Butler said. “Just in my social group, it has helped me understand what is happening in the world and be smarter about (my role in it). At times, that social group includes 10,000 people in a room — oh right, what does that mean?

“God willing, I’ll just play music my whole life. But it lets me see where I might act, or how I might lobby the government intelligently, in a way that matters.”

On the U.S. tour for Arcade Fire’s 2017 album Everything Now, Butler organized a series of late-night, post-show town halls, bringing together local politicians, thinkers and activists from cities where the band performed.

The followup to his 2015 solo debut Policy, Generations finds him updating that album’s bratty punk ‘tude with a sense of direction and a spit shine.

Footloose and fancy-free musically, Butler has a way of channelling spontaneity that can be harder to pinpoint amid the grandeur of Arcade Fire’s lofty creations. But beneath the new album’s fun and frolic is a sense of dread that is very much in step with the present moment.

“I’m tired of waiting for a better day,” he sings on the gently bouncing Close My Eyes. “But I’m scared and I’m lazy, and nothing’s going to change.”

Then comes the chorus: “I close my eyes, close my eyes, close my eyes / And it’s almost all right.”

“It’s an album of two minds,” he explained. “The lyrics are pretty doom. Like, ‘I don’t know what I can do, I don’t want to do anything, I’m terrified.’ But I think the music is an effective counterpoint to that. The music is moving forward; it’s in your body. Regardless of what your brain is saying, the music is saying, ‘We’ve just gotta do this s–t.'”

Parry has taken a more subdued approach to his off-Arcade Fire solo output, including the classically inspired Music for Heart and Breath, and the folky existentialism of his soft-singing, tree-hugging diptych Quiet River of Dust Vols. 1 and 2.

Those releases are portals to introspective emotional journeys. Parry’s intuition may be part of what inspired Durkin to seek his services for The Nest. The ’80s-set psychological thriller recounts a couple’s descent into turmoil when their family uproots from the U.S. to the U.K. It premièred at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is in theatres Sept. 18.

“I immediately knew, watching the movie, that I really wanted to do the soundtrack,” said Parry, reached last week at his home in the Plateau. “It’s about a family that is living way beyond their means. The dad is projecting this rich lifestyle, so they buy this massive old manor in the English countryside. But it’s this spooky house that’s too big, and they move in and the rooms are empty, because they can’t furnish them yet. It has this big, cavernous, cold vibe, but it’s very beautiful.

Parry assembled an international quartet of collaborators for the project: Montreal pianist Parker Shper, New York saxophonist Stuart Bogie, Berlin-based violinist Ayumi Paul and Parry himself on double bass.

With a wonderfully light touch borrowed from classical and jazz realms, they navigate nuanced territory, exploring desolate realms that fluctuate between solitude and solace, with underlying hints of something sinister.

There is one other song in the film: Duke Ellington’s Fleurette Africaine, with Charles Mingus and Max Roach. For Parry, the chance to share the screen with these jazz greats at their peak was an honour, privilege and inspiration.

“It’s a stunning piece of music,” he said. “It just has an emotional depth and complexity and soft-spokenness that is very hard to capture in music. … The composition is so clear and so contained. No one is painting way outside the lines.

“That’s what I was going for with the movie. I wanted to find a little dark corner of the house, and have each piece of music be one painting in a dark corner of the house.”

#Arcade Fire #Richard Reed Parry #will butler #interview

[grind-pantera]

what are your favorite musicals?

Hi, thank you so much for the ask! This could go on and on because goodness, I’ve got so many and my favorites really change depending on my mood. 

Some of my favorites though are:

Falsettos 2016 Revival - Honestly, it’s great. Such a powerhouse of a cast, amazing and funny songs, a very deep and sensitive story that will leave you in love with each of the characters and probably in a puddle of tears.

The Cher Show - I’m really into Jukebox Musicals, okay fight me. This is a telling of Cher’s rise to fame in the form of three Cher’s representing different parts of her life ( Babe, Lady and Star) from Sonny and Cher, to her Oscar Win,and to her older days as an independent woman and it tells the story in ba-dam!!!! CHER SONGS! Need I say more? If not, look up Stephanie J. Block who plays Star. She’s AMAZING AND I LOVE HER.

Jersey Boys - Alas, another Jukebox. This one is Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Each act is told by a different member of the band, depicting the rise of the band in the 60′s and the struggles of travelling and family. VERY GOOD. Will touch the heart strings. The movie is a good rendition of the musical if you ever want to see it. 

The Prince of Egypt - Okay, okay, this one was just released like a week ago and I’ve been listening to it non-stop. Stephen Shawartz added new songs to the originals from the movie, like ‘Footprints on the Sand’ telling of Moses want to leave the world changed and different and comparing himself to his brother, the soon to be pharaoh, Ramses. OR OR OR ‘For the Rest of My Life’, a requiem Moses sings after the plagues have hit Egypt and speaks of the guilt he feels as a man, performing these tasks in the name of God. I’m not religious at all, but DAMn. This goes hard. 

Across the Universe - Not actually a musical, but is a musical movie. A jukebox musical using Beatles songs. All the characters are named after Beatles songs. ( Like, Jude, Lucy, Sadie!!!! ) Please, just WATCH IT and come talk to me. Ya girl has a crush on Jude and Max.

The Book of Mormon - Satire, poking fun at Mormon’s. Created by the guys who made South Park. Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad. Need I say more? If you don’t find satire about religion offensive and want a good laugh, this is a good musical. 

Legally Blonde - Yeah, you know the movie? GIRL POWER. 

Something Rotten - Let’s make fun of Shakespeare !!!!! In a series of BOPS!!!! 

#personal #Anonymous

[whoslaurapalmer]

alright guess who’s rolling in a smooth fifteen and a half years late with some 2004 movie takes because I just rewatched it

i mean we’ve all seen the 2004 movie none of the following words are going to be new or anything but it gave me something to do 

-for the record, the last time I watched this was…..2016 or earlier???? I would put it on in the background sometimes because it was the only snicket media content available -but as referenced in my backstory post, I did indeed see it in 2004. -i BEGGED my parents to take me to see it. they did not. -we were out to a late lunch/early dinner right after it came out, and I kept grabbing my mom’s watch and telling her how far away we were from the next showing and since the restaurant was so close to the movie theater that we could definitely make it in time. -we still did not go. -but, as per the post, one of my best friends had a birthday party where we all went to the movies to see it. -probably because our librarian had read us the bad beginning, but my class was SUPER into the series. there was one kid who wrote all his creative writing assignments in lemony’s style. -i wonder if he’s still into the series……..

-you know all this time later I still don’t know how I feel about the littlest elf. how do people feel about the littlest elf?? like props for pulling an unauto reference but……...littlest elf -but I did just notice one of the elves is holding a SHOTGUN

-okay the feel to this though. like…..god the aesthetic is so good in this movie -the gears and the clocktower and the fog and that beach and just…….fuck -oh no my mind is spinning. like I know this isn’t the reason but those trees poking out of the water is just giving me massive ‘clusterous forest after it presumably flooded’ vibes -i think the movie, for all it fails re: most of the emotions, really gives a sense of emptiness and loneliness though, the city and the landscape feel small and contained -i like jude law’s voice and I like what they did with lemony in this movie but I love and will always love patrick warburton. -the spyglass doesn’t work here either because it never got the chance to pan out because there was only one movie and it’s still too early and forcing it right away because there’s no timeeeeeee

-i like jim carrey a lot better when he’s not being, jim carrey -you know what I mean???? -like he’s so good in eternal sunshine, I love eternal sunshine -like I like nph a lot as olaf but I also feel…..it’s very nph. like I don’t look at carrey’s olaf and think ‘that’s 100% olaf’ but I don’t look at nph’s olaf and think ‘that’s 100% olaf’ EITHER there’s something still very much of the actor about both their interpretations as if they both leaned too much into the absurdity that was in olaf (carrey acting for the troupe and like 80% of his mannerisms in the movie, nph in slippery slope and the musical numbers) but not hard enough into what made olaf olaf -idk -i think they both had really good menacing!olaf moments though – nph in hostile hospital, carrey threatening violet at the end, those are ones that still really stand out to me, and that’s really important to olaf’s character, he was a villain and he wasn’t always that smart but he was capable of such cruelty just as much as absurdity -but not enough for me to look at either and say ‘that hit everything I wanted someone to hit in olaf’ -and it’s not even a matter of them downplaying the cruelty to hit you with it later for mood whiplash or anything, there wasn’t enough of all the parts of olaf to give that whiplash 

-i have nothing to say about the troupe I just don’t even want to go there

-i’m getting ahead of myself here in the movie but like, we all know that klaus takes a lot of violet’s moments in this movie, especially her biggest one in the marvelous marriage climax, and thinking about that makes me mad about all the netflix moments in s3 where klaus did more than violet too, and now I’m like, really incredulous that that happened in netflix too

-the lil fort scene has always stuck in my mind ever since I was a kid

-weird props to the movie for having their names on the custody document as ‘sunny, klaus, and violet’

-‘last chance superette’ okay well that’s something

-the car and the train has also been something that stuck with me a lot -like…….i actually really like this scene a lot and I’m trying to, explain why -it’s a really scary scene!! there’s a lot of tension and I appreciate that a lot!! it’s not canon but it’s remarkably well done and I think it honestly fits really well, it’s something olaf would do, and the fact that poe is upset because sunny was driving and not that olaf wanted to kill them, that’s, at least there’s that -(i really like the books pulling out when klaus remembers something too) -like I really don’t know why but I like it framed like this. I LIKE the movie framed like this. that they get taken away from olaf so quickly by something so absurd that isn’t why they should be taken away but wind up in his hands again at the end and then they get away again and typing it out makes it sound so….repetitive and stupid and like it doesn’t make sense but idk. idk!!!! there is something about it I like -like repetitive for the movie, because it’s, contained as itself as one movie, but, maybe a little close to the books -hmmmmm -still can’t word this right -i guess just, in terms of the movie!canon, it was styled well, for how the movie was structured -(of course it falls apart when klaus has to do violet’s stuff at the end of the movie that just fucks it all up. but right here. I did like it.)

-the movie’s “there’s always something” vs netflix’s “i’m gonna fix this”……….both are good

-monty brought the strongest vfd vibes in this movie didn’t he re: spyglass, lost his wife in a fire, violet remembering the song monty sings -i’ve said this before and this is completely unrelated but I don’t think going to peru was intended as a vfd recruiting thing -oh no wait this is very related, here??? in the movie???? “we’ll be among people who understand us” who value clever children or whatever, oh yeah movie!monty was gonna do it -(i need to think more about monty re: vfd and his experiences because, there’s a lot of possibilities here, honestly, and I think because we don’t see monty in atwq and he’s so early in the series proper that I don’t consider him in vfd and what that meant for him as much as I should)

-both versions of like the physical reptile room inspire such adventure and excitement……….i love that….those big windows and all the reptiles…….

-the sanctuary theme would be better in a different movie because like, the series isn’t about ‘sanctuary’ per se -it’s about something close to that but not ‘sanctuary’ for sure, like that’s such a weak, barely skimming the surface reading of the themes

-you know???? netflix!gustav was good. -like I don’t want to just compare the movie to the netflix show the whole time you know because they ARE separate entities although based on the same source and just have completely different takes and for both some of those takes were good and some of them were bad, but I never did like that image of gustav -i did like the dart in netflix though. a one good moment…. -(it’s also hard to compare them because 1-3 is all we got with the movie and 1-4 were some of the only books solidly done by netflix)

-klaus saying “everything happens for a reason” that’s never been a favorite saying of mine

-“it is a curious thing, the death of a loved one” is a line that’s pained me so much the older I’ve gotten and I care about it a lot because it’s so true, and I think it works better as narration than josephine saying it (I thought it was out of character for her to say it in netflix actually) BUT I ALSO get so pissed that the movie leaves out “as your mind tries to adjust to the way things are now” or however the rest of the quote goes

-reptile room in netflix after monty dies though is real top-notch and I love it a lot, this one is just, it’s decent but it’s rushed -i could say that about the whole movie, it’s decent but it’s rushed -the thing about the movie though is that like. it hits the major overall notes of the plot of each book just in a very quick and short and therefore low-key manner and because it’s a movie and an hour 48 minutes and they have to rush so netflix, spacing it out in two episodes, had more time and could do it better -and yet. at the same time. -we all know that one of my top complaints about the netflix show is that they too rushed a lot of scenes that I think should have been slower, that were slower in the books -and it’s not like I think the movie did a better job. because the movie fails in a lot of ways, and doesn’t go anywhere into the trauma or any of the real sadness -and even though it fails like that and cuts so much short. there are moments where I think it works better -and I’m trying to tell myself this isn’t just because I’m still living the ‘incredibly outraged at netflix even now, especially lately’ life and I’m not just picking one over the other because I don’t want to -and I’m trying to think of a moment more than just the letter at the end that the movie gave time to the kids to feel something and I can’t (and I can’t count the letter because it’s, the letter) but -i do think the movie let things stretch for even a second longer -it could be the aesthetic because I love the aesthetic of the movie a lot -i don’t know I think….both of them have strengths, netflix had more time but the movie hit a closer aesthetic, at least to me -and netflix didn’t USE that time, is what I’m getting at, and somehow the movie had just a tinier bit more time even though it was shorter, but that probably is just because, the aesthetic, I am a sucker for it -i think this part has something to do with my feelings about netflix’s vfd subplot, that’s probably, where this is coming from, and sometimes I think the clothing and the scenery in the netflix show especially in s1 was very colorful which is fine really that’s such a petty thing to dislike

-“doesn’t it strike you as odd that none of our relatives are related to us?” is still top notch

-although josephine has the pictures I still think monty does have the stronger vfd vibes. -i love the way that window curtain opens!! fucking terrifying!!!!! -i think of jane lynch turning around and saying “is this a bad time?” even now that’s still hilarious

-okay this is it. -this is really truly the one thing the movie did better than the netflix show, and a lot of people feel the same way about this -hurricane herman. -(it was so…….kidsy and kind of charming in the show. and even in the books it wasn’t charming. it was a lot shorter, but not charming.) -like this is legitimately terrifying and how all josephine’s fears come true is one of the most PERFECT things -don’t TEMPT me by saying “[ike] was investigating fires” because I don’t have the time to have ike thoughts right now because that almost lines up with a wip I have, so fuck you -(when I fell asleep to this movie the other day I thought to myself ‘gee hope I don’t wake up during the hurricane scene’ I did in fact wake up then and had to turn the volume down.)

-i think when it was 2004 and I was watching this in the theater I did not watch the leeches, ten year old!me wasn’t having it -there’s a lot of fear in this movie, I’ll say that though, it doesn’t hit the sadness but it hits some of the fear

-here we go, back to bad beginning content -“and what about what I want?” he got the creepiness really good though ugggggg

-okay as many things as I think are not okay but decent in this movie, f u c k  y o u for giving klaus the grappling hook and rescuing sunny!! fuck you for having him burn the paper and not letting violet do the left-handed thing!!! why even change that????? why e v e n there’s no reason to change it -how dare olaf say “rapscallion” in this that’s one of my favorite words -god the soundtrack was so good though………... -“right hand please” yeah I will slap you -klaus is the only one who gets these sad flashbacks god movie I was giving you, some, benefit, of the doubt, watching this as an adult, until this part, when I just, nah man -“these children tried to tell you but you didn’t listen” this is NOT the speech for OLAF to give -movie you were doing okay but you just REALLY fell apart here. none of this is okay -even the ‘these happy things happened! no they did not because the world doesn’t work that way’ falls flat against how lemony would say that in the books, seeing it ruins it -it actually reminds me of the ‘look at all these side characters having happy endings’ in s3 though

-i did always like this scene too though. where they go back to the mansion at the end -i liked the staircase, too. -i will say, there is something….very emotional, about finding something from a loved one, after they’re gone, that you didn’t know they did for you, or that they did at all, and to find it so suddenly. I think the spirit behind the letter in general, not the content and not the weird optimistic ending it leads to, but just the spirit of the letter, is close to violet and klaus and sunny reminiscing on their parents in the books

-the movie was before the beatrice letters but, lemony hanging out in a clocktower with these pigeons and bea’s letter having been delivered by pigeons…….

-ultimately, yes. it was decent, but rushed. -it wasn’t as ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE as I remember saying it was a few years ago, if I think about it as a self-contained sort of thing, there were some things I liked or appreciated, the costumes and the scenery and the soundtrack fit my mental image of the books -although you know what???? you know something i did not consider until the movie was over??? that could just be, I DID see the movie when I was first reading the books as a kid and it may have just stuck with me as The Image I Had And Sometimes Still Do For Parts Of The Books, huh   -but in terms of how it translated the books, like if I think about 1-3 and what they contain, on more than just a surface level of going through plot beats, yeah, it failed hard, and missed the mark a lot -the last like half hour made me a lot more pissed than ever, though, ugggg -i’d put it on in the background again, though.

#lulu talks about the sad lemon man

[kimnamjooonz]

London Calling - Chapter 4

Hey Bucky

Introducing in this chapter: 

This man:

And this one:

Songs used in this chapter: 

Hey Jude - The Beatles

London, December 2016

Another day in the office. The only good thing of that day was that it was Friday. However, Celine wasn’t in her best mood. Work was monotonous, to say the least and she was frustrated with her investigation: she seemed to be going nowhere. It was a week before Christmas holidays which was a relief. Even though Celine had never celebrated Christmas, and this year was not going to be an exception, she was looking forward for the free days even if they involved Matilde decorating the house in a manner that Celine found distasteful. Everything Christmassy was awful to her. She was mumbling one of those pop songs that Matilde listened to and Celine didn’t know the name while finally leaving the office. She just wanted to sleep through all the weekend. ‘’Hey, hey hey’’ she heard Matilde’s voice calling her. She had the biggest smile on her face. ‘’I have the best news to tell you. I’ll tell you on the way’’ she pulled Celine by her sleeve. ‘’The way to were?’’ Celine asked, not understanding a thing of what Matilde wanted to tell her. ‘’Let me tell you the story first’’ she followed Matilde wherever she wanted to go. ‘’Do you remember my aunt Francisca?’’ ‘’How can I forget her. She lives right next our door’’ Matilde’s aunt had quite an interesting love life that the girls couldn’t fail to see. She and her Georgie were quite the couple. ‘’Well, she made up her mind. She’s leaving to Chicago next week with his super rich boyfriend. Georgie, of course. Hell, he’s like twenty years younger than her’’ even though the gossip was fun, Celine didn’t know where the story involved her. ‘’And…?’’ ‘’Well…’’ Matilde’s smile grew bigger. ‘’She asked me if you’re still interested in acquiring a house in London because she’s selling hers. If she contacts a real estate agency the process will take a lot of time but if she sells it to you, you’ll have a house by next week.’’ Celine stopped to think. That was too good to be true. ‘’You’ll get a house for a quarter of the normal price. My aunt just wants to sell it quickly. In common circumstances, a nice house in Chelsea is unaffordable.’’ Celine knew all about that. She had been looking for affordable places to live that weren’t the size of a shoe box and she had not been lucky. Until now, that she was about to get a pretty house in Chelsea for less than half the price. She wanted to send flowers to Georgie and Francisca. ‘’Tell me we’re on the way to meet her right now’’ Celine was literally jumping with excitement. ‘’Of course, miss’’

Two hours later they were at the Pig Ear, Matilde’s favourite pub, celebrating. Celine was so happy that she was in the mood for a pint of beer even if she knew she’d have to deal with the drunkness afterwards. Damn the alcohol intolerance. There was a band playing covers of The Beatles and Celine was singing in a low voice while she finished with the beer. Matilde was already drinking her fourth pint. ‘’You’ll miss my Chris Evans picture’’ ‘’Yeah, I feel the heartbreak already’’ Celine said with sarcasm. As much as she loved Matilde, she was happy to get her own place, at last. She wanted to have a cat, something she couldn’t do with Matilde who was allergic. And not having to look at that Evans guy picture every day was a bonus. When Celine realised that she was singing louder than before knew that it was time to go. She didn’t want to end up singing on the tables, like one embarrassing time in Cambridge. ‘’I thought you were never going to finish’’ she had drank five pints and was really tipsy. On the way back was doing a weird sort of dance while singing a very out of tune version of Hey Jude. ‘’Hey Jude… don’t make it bad… take a sad song and make it better REMEMBER to let her into your heart… then you can start to make it better’’ Some verses later both of them were shouting the lyrics. ‘’… REMEMBER TO LET HER UNDER YOUR SKIN THEN YOU CAN START TO MAKE IT BETTER, BETTER, BETTER, AGGHH NANANANANANA HEY JUDE’’ They were attracting glances from the people on the street but for once Celine didn’t care. She was too happy. Stumbling, both of them got into the house. ‘’I think I’m drunk’’ said Matilde crashed on the couch and turned on the TV ‘’Celine, look, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is on’’. Celine glanced at the screen where there was a guy with blue eyes and long hair who was apparently being under some sort of torture. Celine was seeing double so she didn’t look at the screen for so long. ‘’That’s Bucky Barnes played by the brilliant Sebastian Stan. Very handsome as you can see. I’d sell my soul just for a taste of him’’ Celine laughed. Not even drunk she would think things like that about a fictional character. ‘’I leave you in his company. I’m going to bed before I can’t climb the stairs’’ She laughed again when she saw Matilde hugging the air, probably imagining it was that Becky guy. Or Bucky or whatever his godforsaken name was. Laughing, she crashed in her bad and fell asleep.

Somewhere in New York, at the same exact time.

‘’Sebastian, darling, you auditioned for this role, which is very big and now you don’t want to take it’’. Sebastian was in a reunion with his agent who was trying to convince him to take a role he had auditioned for a couple of months ago. It was the lead role for an important production. ‘’I told you before’’ he complained ‘’I don’t want to go abroad for eight months, it’s crazy’’ this was only one of the reasons for his reluctance. ‘’It’s just six months. Take this chance. It’ll boost your career’’. ‘’I don’t know anyone there. And I don’t want to live in a hotel for eight months. Think about that, Emily, it’s crazy’’. ‘’Six months, Sebastian. And you don’t have to live in a hotel. I know that some of your Marvel buddies live there so you can stay with them’’. Sebastian was horrified with imagining living six months with someone like Tom Holland. He wouldn’t last a week. ‘’But I don’t know anything about the background history of the movie’’ he was desperately trying to find some reasons. ‘’There are books about it, I know you like to read. If not, the Wikipedia is always there’’. Sebastian was frustrated. Emily always had a solution to everything. It was literally impossible to win an argument against her. ‘’What if I need to see my therapist or my personal trainer?’’ Emily was doing her best to remain patient. Sebastian could be difficult sometimes. ‘’There are therapists, personal trainers, restaurants, parks, fire fighters, doctors, politicians… everything you want, Sebastian’’. He was running out of reasons and to be honest, he didn’t know why he was saying no. It was a big chance and he had left home for long periods of time before. It wasn’t as if he had someone to tie him to New York, apart from his mother. He didn’t even have a girlfriend as his last one had left him many months ago. No, the real reason was that he was insecure about the role being too big for him. ‘’Sebastian’’ Emily was looking at him with a serious but kind expression ‘’You know I want the best for you. And this role is. Take this chance, you won’t regret it’’. She was right, he had to admit it. And he had been chosen for this role for a reason. If he did it well, he’d career would take a boost. If he did it bad, well, he still had a nine movie contract with Marvel so he won’t be unemployed. ‘’Suppose that I’m doing this, when do I leave?’’ ‘’Next year. From March to September’’. Being serious, the idea wasn’t so bad. He’ll meet new people, at least. Who knew what would happen. ‘’Okay I’ll do it’’ Emily smiled, relieved, and gave him the contract. Without thinking it twice, he stamped his signature on the contract.

Chelsea, London.

Celine suddenly woke up after a weird dream. There was a wolf in it. Damn alcohol, she always had weird dreams whenever she drank. Once she had dreamed that she was a mermaid. She didn’t even like mermaids in the first place. ‘’I need tea’’ she mumbled to the empty room. Downstairs, Matilde had fallen asleep on the couch hugging a pillow. Celine tried not to laugh. The Captain America film was still playing. Celine could tell that because she recognised the long haired guy from before. It was either a really long film or it had a sequel. In silence she drank a cup of herbal tea while watching the TV. There were a lot of people with weird costumes fighting each other in an airport. Celine had no idea what was this about. She had got lost with the scene even though she had no idea what was going on. When her eyelids started to drop she started her way back to bed again ‘’I knew that deep inside you liked these films’’ Matilde spoke from behind her back. ‘’Yes, I was mesmerised by Becky’’ Celine said with sarcasm. ‘’It’s Bucky’’ she tried to stand up for the couch but ended up on the floor. Celine helped her to stand up not before laughing at loud. Not saying a single word Matilde fell asleep on the couch. Taking all the time in world she went back to her room. She couldn’t fall asleep again because she had the strange feeling that something was going to change by some reason she was unaware of. She related these thoughts with the alcohol consumption or maybe with the fact that she was going to get a permanent place to live. And a good one. Tomorrow is going to be a good day, she thought. There was nothing to worry about.

Manhattan, New York.

When Anthony arrived to his friend Sebastian’s place he found him next to the big window in his living room, in a phone conversation with someone and listening to Celine Dion at full volume. Anthony had no idea what was on Sebastian’s mind. Maybe this was a weird technique to get into character for his next role. Or he was being his usual melodramatic self. It was a challenge not to laugh, he looked ready to be in an Adele music video. ‘’…I’ll miss you to but I’m not leaving yet, I leave the second week of March of next year’’ he was saying. Anthony wondered where he was leaving. ‘’Mom, I’m sorry but I can’t go to spend Christmas with you, I’ll be in Atlanta… no, mom, I promise I’ll see you before I leave… bye… love you’’ He hung up and finally focused on Anthony. ‘’What on earth is happening to you?’’ Anthony asked him. ‘’What’s wrong?’’ Sebastian looked around, trying to find something out of normality. ‘’You look like you’ve made the worst mistake of your life and you’re listening to Celine Dion like a dramatic fool!’’ ‘’What’s wrong?’’ he asked again. ‘’I like Celine. But you’re right, I think I’ve made a mistake’’. He looked quite thoughtful. Anthony just wanted to hear the whole story. After a while he started talking. ‘’Look, I got the lead role for a huge movie that I think it’s too big for me. Apart from that I have to go abroad for like eight months and if that wasn’t enough I have to do a lot of research that I’m seriously planning to leave for the last minute’’. Anthony waited until Sebastian finished his rant to ask all the questions he had in his mind. ‘’When you say ‘abroad’ where are you exactly going? You sound as if they’re sending you to Siberia’’. ‘’Just London’’ Anthony couldn’t believe it. All of this drama because he was going to London. Not the Sahara desert or the North Pole or the Amazonia. Just London. ‘’What’s wrong with London? You’ll have to pull a perfect accent?’’ Sebastian just nodded. ‘’Good luck with that’’ he tried again not to laugh. ‘’You can talk and talk to Hiddleston. Sooner or later you’ll end up talking like him’’. Sebastian shot him a death glare. ‘’Don’t get mad, man, you were casted for a reason now go there and do your job. They’ll pay you pretty well so stop complaining. Who knows what’s expecting you in London’’. Sebastian had to admit that Anthony was right. Not that he was doing this for the money, he just loved acting but he was just scared, like any normal person. ‘’Why don’t we go out?’’ Anthony proposed. ‘’To a pub or somewhere else. Maybe you can meet someone’’. ‘’Not in the mood, sorry’’ Sebastian was still looking at the roof with an unreadable expression. Anthony’s patience was running out. He wanted to shake Sebastian by the shoulders and shout at him to pull himself together, that he was good enough for the role. ‘’You’re never in the mood. Haven’t you been alone too long?’’ ‘’Just some months and I’m perfectly fine with it’’ he was being totally honest. ‘’And in three months I’m leaving to Britain and I don’t want to leave anyone behind, I feel guilty enough of leaving my mom already’’ ‘’Do me a favour, Sebastian’’ Anthony was looking at him with a serious expression ‘’When you’re in London don’t isolate yourself. Go and talk to someone. A nice girl in coffee shop, someone that’s sitting beside you on the tube, an old woman in a park, I mean, anyone, whoever you want to. Who knows who you’ll end up meeting’’ ‘’The love of my freaking life’’ Sebastian said with all the sarcasm he could muster. Anthony just couldn’t stand him anymore.

P.S I relate to Celine. The girl got a house. In THIS economy. 

And I spent all day laughing at Rami Malek falling at the Oscars. I know I shouldn’t have but it was just too good.

And finally Sebastian made his entrance in this story. 

#sebastian stan fanfiction #Sebastian Stan #sebastian stan x ofc #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian #seb #sebby #anthony mackie #falcon #sam wilson #Bucky Barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky #marvel #marvel cast #mcu #MCU fanfiction #mcu cast #mcu fandom

[twilightprince101]

Singanronpa Ch. 1: What is True Friendship? (Class Trial)

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WOOO! Finally I was able to get this done! I hope y’all are ready for some thrills, chills and kills! I know I sure am, because this chapter took MUCH longer than I thought it would! However, let me just give a warning to everyone right now. Once this is up and posted, I won’t be posting Singanronpa stuff for a while. I wanted to get the entire first chapter out so people could just have a taste of it because I still have a lot of other writing projects to get done, not to mention I’m going to be going into a dual enrollment program for schools soon. So until I finish my main story and get back onto Some Moral Support, I won’t be posting anything for this. With that said, I hope this chapter can entertain you for until that time comes. Enjoy everybody!

ATTENTION!!! Danganronpa is home to lots of graphic content, particularly violence, death and graphic depictions of that death. If you are sensitive to any of these things and several other mature themes, DANGANRONPA IS NOT FOR YOU!!! You have been warned.

All of the animals present in the moment stand at their respective podiums, looking between each other with wary looks on their faces. A heavy feeling of tension lingers in the air as Monokuma restates what is spoken before every class trial.

Monokuma: Now then, let’s begin with a simple explanation of the class trial. During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and then vote for “whodunnit.” If you vote correctly, then only the blackened will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong person… I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will gain the right to leave the theater and escape to the outside world!

Riley, calling the robobear out, says that the trial won’t take too long so he won’t have time to enjoy it, since Meena already confessed to the murder. Mike mumbles to himself, saying that the fact is debatable, to which the actor lets the statement slide for the time being.

To begin the trial officially, Meena apologizes to everyone present, saying that what she has done was unforgivable and she is aware of that fact. Rosita tries to comfort to soprano, but she pushes her away and continues to talk, saying that she isn’t asking for forgiveness, but instead confirmation that Johnny will be safe.

But before anyone can confirm this fact, the hamster stops the elephant from continuing and orders her to stop lying to everyone. Since they found her clothes hidden away in the bathroom, she says “it’s obvious that you’re trying to cover for that edgy punk rock wannabe.”

This immediately sparks an argument between everyone, similar to the intensity back in the lobby with everyone present adding to the noise. The rocker continues to state that she doesn’t know how her things got in the bathroom in the first place, since she didn’t even leave her room since around 9:30 PM. When Ember asks the porcupine for proof of her claim and none is presented, the rapper tells everyone that “In class trials, evidence is everything!”

Buster sides with Ember this time, saying that he did see her peeking out of her room at around 10 PM. Ash once again tells Buster to stop pinning the blame on her, demanding that he stops lying, but a few animals from all sides ask for the details. The rocker begins to panic slightly from the amount of people siding against her.

Matt asks Buster if he thinks that Ash did it, but he still states that he is unsure. He may have seen Ash poke her head out of her room, but that isn’t exactly definitive proof that she was the killer. Gunter even says that, in a way, Ash was telling the truth since she didn’t exactly LEAVE her room. David bounces off of that, saying that paranoia is natural in these circumstances, he should know.

Gunter: Um... are you okay?

David: Define “okay.”

Ember, still persisting in her case, says that Ash is still the prime suspect because of her clothes being found in the bathroom. It doesn’t help that Ash doesn’t have any evidence proving that she stayed in her room the entire time. But the porcupine doubles down, saying that Buster doesn’t have any proof that he saw her too, so nobody can say anything.

Mike is about to say that double negatives like that don’t work, since once again, two pieces of evidence point to her being the culprit. However Nancy tells everyone that Ash does have a point. Buster may have seen Ash looking out into the hall, but the clothes and quills could have been put there by someone else, like the true culprit.

Jude asks once again that Nancy uses her talent to find the culprit, but once again she heavily denies this offer, with her volume increasing slightly while she says this. Riley once again states that, since Meena was the only one able to use the murder weapon, she is the only one that could’ve done the deed.

When Matt puts up the claim that Johnny could have used the bed leg as well, Riley points out again that Meena would have ZERO gain for helping him, and to that extent Ash, cover up the crime. Mike chuckles a bit and says “Who knows? They do say nowadays that young love is a force to be reckoned with.” Riley squeezes the sides of his podium and yells at him to shut up in response to this, saying that those arguments are useless in Danganronpa, once again prompting an argument.

Buster tries to wave the two down and offers everyone the simpler alternative of going through the facts one at a time to get everything straight. Both scoff at him for this and use their suspicion of him as a crutch to ignore the claim. Rosita, however, speaks up and says that it might be for the best. “With the tension being so high,” she says reasonably, “nobody will get anywhere with just arguing back and forth.”

Meena squeezes her shoulders, asking if they really have to do so. Her voice has a pained tint to it, as if just speaking hurts her internally. Ember tells Meena that, if she really is the culprit, then going through everything will help confirm it to everyone. With members from all three sides agreeing with each other, Meena sighs and agrees to go over everything.

To begin, everyone starts with the basics to get everything out of the way. Going over the crime scene, mostly everyone agrees that Meena’s room is the place of interest. Eddie, however, states the possibility of Steph being killed somewhere else, then being brought to Meena’s room.

Ash then retaliates and scolds the servant, telling him to use his eyes. Eddie flinches and apologizes, but then Nancy begins to understand what the rocker meant, since the room was so messy. Buster rebounds off of this, calling attention to the pools of blood around the room. David offers the possibility of some way to transfer the blood, such as a plastic mat, but Ember states that the splatters seemed too natural for it to be staged. Not to mention that nobody could find anything like this in the theater.

They use the splatters as a segway to the murder weapon. Playing the devil’s advocate just to be safe, Gunter asks if there was anything else that could have been used as a weapon instead of the bed leg. Julee suggests Ash’s quills, as if they were bundled up together to whack somebody with, to which the porcupine lets out a long groan of frustration at how everyone is continuously trying to pin the crime on her.

After a heated argument between the hamster and porcupine, Ash pinches off one of her quills and looks directly to Julee, then snaps the quill in half with ease. The voice actor tries to play the victim card and get others to protect her, but Jude lets out an “oh!” and tells the hamster that Ash actually gave a valid explanation.

With the help of Buster, the street performer explains that Ash’s quills, while they are sharp, must be fragile for her to snap in half like that. So if she did try to use the quills as a bat or something, then it would have snapped and cause more of a headache than anything.

Julee: O-oh. Oh yeah, I got that too, of course that’s what she meant; her quills being breakable, not wanting to break me like a twig, of course!

Ash: You know, I did hear that hamsters are naturally fragile animals too.

Julee: SHUT IT!!!

While on the subject of the Monokuma file, Mike states that something has been bugging him about it; specifically the censored time of death. Eddie did explain that it would make things less interesting if it was known from the get go, but that would mean that the time itself is damning evidence for the culprit. So all they gotta do is figure out the time and they should be good to go!

Meena, still in her pained voice, speaks up and says that she does not want the trail to go on for any longer either way, and tells everyone that she believes she had killed Stephanie around 11:00 PM.

Mike believes that, with that said and done, they could figure out the crime easily. But when Riley asks if he was keeping track of the time at all last night, the crooner’s look of excitement fades.

Riley: Nobody really knew that there would be a murder last night, so who would bother to keep track of the time?

With a gigantic grin on their face, Jude slowly raises their paw.

The jaguar then goes on to explain their night watch; what they did, how long they did it for and how they had to go to the bathroom at the end, along with David joining them. Ash complains to the bear that they seriously need to get some healthier food, to which Monokuma says they might get some if they survive.

While Riley becomes flustered about being proved wrong, Nancy decides to talk for him and ask if David or Jude had seen anything while going to the bathroom, as both of their excursions were close to Meena’s estimated murder time. While Jude admits that they didn’t see anything, David does say that he thinks he heard the sound of a door closing while walking down to the bathroom.

Rosita guesses that it might have something to do with the crime, like Johnny going into Meena’s room, but Buster says that it very well could’ve been someone like himself, paranoid that somebody might try to come into their room. Deciding that they can answer the question later, they begin to listen to Jude’s nightwatch report.

Jude first tells everyone about Buster sprinting to his office when Jude stepped out into the hallway. The showman is visibly embarrassed when the jaguar brings this up, but lets them continue how they saw Buster run to his office.

The showman is sent questioning glances by Eddie, Ash and Ember, but can only say that he stayed in the office until the murder. He is questioned by the servant, asking why exactly he did so. His tone sounds hopeful in a way, like he is silently praying that Buster didn’t do it, considering how he was one of the only people willing to trust him.

Worried that suspicion will fall to him as the culprit, he hesitantly explains that his office is, in itself, like his bedroom. One of the drawers is a bed he made for himself, and since he’s been working there his entire life, he almost feels exposed when he goes out for anything else, as if he’s standing in the middle of a crowd with just his undies.

Ember: Well, there’s an image that will never be able to leave my mind.

Buster, cautiously, also brings up how he saw Ash when he was about to make a run for the office, just in case. Ash once again retaliates, accusing him of trying to pin the blame on her.

Ash: What’s your agenda Buster?!

Buster: Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I’m barely even able to organize my office, how could I organize some sort of plot?

However, the jaguar does state that, when they just opened their door, they think they heard the sound of a door closing. The other members of the Ash Killed side jump at this opportunity, saying that it could’ve been the rocker herself. The rocker begins to fiddle with the pins on her shirt, stuttering out once again that she was in her room the entire night. With how often Ash has heard this explanation, a part of him becomes slightly unsure.

With no other evidence pointing to Ash actually leaving her room and committing the murder, Jude continues their report, explaining how they saw Meena leave her room to try and deliver a note. The elephant explains that, with all of the tension, she couldn’t sleep and needed somebody to talk to.

Gunter: Well, that lines up with the letter we found.

Rosita assumes that Meena slipped the note underneath Johnny’s door, considering what she had said in her confession. But as the soprano is about to confirm this, Jude cuts in and says that she slipped the note underneath Stephanie’s door.

After a bit of initial freakout and members from all sides trying to calm people down (Rosita, Riley, Nancy, Buster, Jude), Matt calls for everyone’s attention with a BANG on his stand, declaring “THAT’S IT!!!”

Buster and Matt begin to butt heads, with Buster trying to say that it was just a misunderstanding, but Matt going much farther with the given information.

Matt: Julee was right after all, Meena was hiding something! We all thought that it was either Meena or Ash killing Stephanie, plain and simple. But with the given information, an entirely new idea comes to the table; Meena MANIPULATING others to defend her and framing Ash!

Buster: But this is only one piece of evidence, and it very well could be a mistake. How on earth could this one thing be a detail that closes the case?!

Matt: Listen, here’s what went down! First, Meena invited Stephanie over to her room, then killed her so she could escape. Then right after that, she invited Johnny and knocked him out to make it look like an accident. Then finally, she stole Ash’s clothes and quills from downstairs and planted them in the toilet herself. That way we could TRY to defend her and prove her innocence, and shift the blame over to Ash since we found her clothes! It all makes sense, the evidence fits!!!

Buster stops Matt before he can continue, spotting a glaring contradiction in his theory; the invitation letter that they found. Despite them finding the letter in Stephanie’s room, it didn’t say who it was from or to. Meena even admits that she and Stephanie barely ever talked, and David says that he barely saw her talk to anyone, so the odds of her trusting the elephant are slim to none, especially considering the motive letters.

Riley, Ember and Rosita all scold Matt for his conspiracy theory, to which he apologizes profusely, saying that he really thought that he was onto something for a moment. He even bows over and puts his paws together above his head.

After taking a deep breath, Meena stops squeezing her stand and tells Matt that it’s okay, as it is only natural when everyone is so confused. She had assumed that she slipped the note under Johnny’s door, since he came to her room a little later. David offers the possibility of Johnny trying to go to Meena’s room in the first place, considering how close the two have gotten in such small time. The elephant agrees with this statement, but gives a quick glance over to the gorilla himself.

Julee says that, considering how close Johnny and Stephanie’s rooms are to each other, it’s only natural that she made that mistake. However, Buster pipes up in a small voice, admitting that he hasn’t exactly been paying attention to the room layout.

Mike criticizes the koala, saying something like that is one of the basic things to remember in the killing games. Ember agrees with this, even going as far to say that it was his own theater and he didn’t bother to remember these things. The koala begins to shrink down in embarrassment, silently wishing that he never said anything.

Eddie sympathies with the koala, however, and offers to draw up a diagram of sorts for him, if he had a pen and paper. Monokuma, butting in like it’s his business, says that he has it covered and yells to the wind “PEN AND PAPER!!!”

Suddenly, a canon-like sound fills the room, and the lights over head cast a shadow over everyone. Looking up, everyone spots a notepad and a pencil flying overhead. After a bit of clamoring, Matt steps up onto his podium and, with the help of Rosita boosting him up, manages to catch the supplies in mid-air. However with his trajectory, he crashes back down onto the floor with a groan.

Matt: T-take that dad, those stuntman classes WERE worth it!

The hedgehog hobbles over and passes the supplies over to the servant, and after a quick thanks, Eddie gets to work on his small diagram. He does have to flip to the other side of the paper though, as his drawing skills aren’t exactly perfect and he is working with a pen. When all is said and done, he rips out the paper and hands it to the showman so he can get a look.

                                               DORM ROOM LAYOUT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------               Julee | Johnny | Stephanie | Buster | Mike | Eddie | David | Matt     [STAIRS]                                                                                 [GIRL’S       [OFFICE]                                                                                RESTROOM]                Ash | Gunter | Riley | Meena | Rosita | Ember | Jude | Nancy               ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buster thanks Eddie initially as he is handed the diagram. After a quick glance at the paper the koala is about to put it in his pocket, but then something clicks for him and he goes back to take a more thorough look. Rosita asks if something is wrong and Ember complains about wanting to continue.

The showman gives a quick apology for wasting everyone’s time, but asks Eddie quickly if the layout is correct. Because when he saw Ash looking out into the hallway, she was to the immediate right of him.

All of the animals’ eyes widen, and Ember swipes the diagram from his hands to inspect it herself, pointing a claw at each individual room placement. She thinks to herself for a moment while handing the paper back to Buster, saying that the diagram is 100% accurate.

Ash talks about how his statement makes no sense, considering how far apart their rooms are for each other, and Mike says that he feels like something is going on, but he can’t put his finger on it. The koala thinks long and hard about this new info, staring at the paper while blocking out everyone’s white noise so he can think.

Buster: ‘Both Eddie and Ember said that the diagram is accurate, and yet I saw Ash at the room right next to me, despite her being at the end of the hall. I don’t think I was mistaken, even Jude admitted that they heard a door close and I left mine wide open. Not to mention that I had to run past her to get to the office. Maybe Ash went over to Stephanie’s room then? But David said that she barely talked to anyone. So does this mean that Ash was telling the truth? But if she was, then who’-

Buster freezes as the rest of the world becomes unmuted to him.

Nancy and Eddie are checking to see if Buster is okay

Mike, Ash and Riley are trying to talk down Matt as he begins to openly voice another theory of his.

Meena, Rosita and Gunter are trying to calm everyone down so they can get on with the trail. Meena is looking more anxious than usual.

Ember, Jude and David are all lost in thought, trying to process the information.

As the servant and negotiator try to see if Buster is having a mental breakdown, Buster mumbles something inaudible to the two. As Eddie is about to ask him to repeat what he said, the koala slams his hands on the stand and yells “THAT’S IT!!!”

Everyone is cut off by Buster’s triumphant yell, and a few of the smaller animals almost fall off of their respective podiums in surprise. Meena’s ears almost slap her face, Julee hides behind the steps to her stand and Monokuma complains about him wrecking his ears from the scream.

Before anyone can ask what Buster is so worked up about, he points to Gunter and asks “Do you remember what makeup tools were used up in Stephanie’s room?!” After putting his hands up in defense from shock, the dancer closes his eyes for a moment and says that the darker shaded contour were completely used up.

The showman shifts to Nancy and speaks with urgency “Nancy, the stains on the towel we found, what were they?!” After thinking for a moment, her eyes go wide and she says in a dawned upon tone “Brown. They were brown!”

Everyone else looks between each other and tries to ask Buster what’s going on. Riley and Mike are hoping that he isn’t going to state a conspiracy theory like Matt was.

Matt: They’re not CONSPIRACY theories!

But after thinking for a few more moments, the expression on Buster’s face was teeming with confidence and determination.

Buster: This entire time I was under the assumption that it was Ash I saw when I peeked out my door. She didn’t talk, but was the spitting image of the rocker herself. But when Gunter, Matt, Mike and I were looking through Stephanie-the Ultimate Makeup Artist’s-room, we found makeup supplies that were entirely used up. Not only that, but the room’s mess was made to hide the different things that we found. So that’s it; it wasn’t Ash I saw! It was Stephanie in disguise!!!

Julee stops Buster before he can continue with his explanation, saying that he sounds even crazier than Matt was when he “stole her idea.” Buster makes an effort to explain his claim, but once again she cuts him off, saying “What’s the use listening to a madman if all he’s saying is nonsense?!”

In an effort to continue with his explanation, Buster butts heads with Julee before she can discredit him any more.

Julee: Just stop and listen to yourself before you continue on with your stupid conspiracy theory! It’s clear as day that Ash is the real culprit here. Are you honestly trying to defend anyone that becomes suspected of being the culprit? Both who just so happen to be young girls? Well congrats, I hope you love running in a circle all day, CREEP!

Buster: P-pushing that creep comment aside; I looked over the evidence and came to my conclusion. If you take a moment to simply listen instead of critique me, then maybe you’ll understand!

Julee: Fine then, let’s hear your stupid theory then! You’re saying that Stephanie disguised herself as Ash, right? Then why does she look like STEPHANIE now?! Did she undress while she was in Meena’s room? Did she think dressing up as an antisocial prick would help her gain the trust of one of the most antisocial animals in this KILLING GAME? 

Buster: Right now I’m not focused on WHY she did it. What I’m worried about right now is if Stephanie actually DID do it!

Julee: But again, what would be the point?! Fine then! Let’s actually use our brains for a moment; rare for you I know! So you found makeup supplies in the Makeup Artist’s room; So what?! So you found a wet towel in a bathroom; SO WHAT?! If you’re actually basing your theory only by the fact that a makeup artist has makeup, then I’m surprised YOU weren’t the first to go!

Finally putting his foot down against the voice actor, Buster tells Julee that, when he saw Stephanie disguised as Ash, she was picking at the fur on her upper arms. Everyone was a witness to this habit back when everyone was scrambling to get out after the motive letters; Stephanie was scratching her upper arms.

When Julee says that it also could’ve been Ash picking at her arms, Nancy explains that she has already witnessed everyone’s nervous habits, as it’s a part of her talent. Matt taps his fingers on different surfaces to create a beat, Julee tries to use voice exercises to calm herself, and Ash picks at the pins on her shirt. The rocker reflexively goes for said pins, but realizes her slip up and stops.

David also recalls the Monokuma File, restating that Stephanie had several other injuries across his body, including rashes on her arms. Not only that, but Ash also rolls up her sleeves and reveals that her arms, in fact, are devoid of any rashes.

Eddie also adds on that the theory makes sense, since the quills he had thrown away earlier had vanished from the trash can. After a bit of silence, Riley, Mike, Ash, Ember, Jude, Nancy and Julee ask collectively why he didn’t mention this before. While looking away and trying to loosen up the collar, he says he thought that it was some sort of “Killing game magic” or whatever, since he doesn’t really know much about what’s going on in the theater.

Monokuma: Nah, in the killing games we have less “movie magic” and more “murder magic!”

Mike: BOOO!! YOU STINK!!!!

So now with several pieces of evidence pointing to Buster’s theory being correct, Buster declares that Ash now has a valid alibi!

Ash takes a long sigh of relief and yells “IT’S ABOUT TIME!!!” After a harsh scolding to everyone on the “Ash Killed” side, the four begrudgingly accept the fact that they were wrong and apologize.

Rosita grieves for a moment, thinking about how the fox was willing to frame Ash for her attempted crime. Ember says that, it was most likely the usual story in the killing games; the motive letters.

Buster recalls the fact that Stephanie and her mother were very close to the point of being inseparable, despite the makeup artist’s own insecurities. Matt laments that, in a way, she was the most confident in herself during her final moments. Using her talent on herself to try and save her mother.

Matt: It’s a cruel sense of irony in a way.

Meena: Um… don’t you mean a “cruel twist of fate?”

Matt: ...so anyways-

With the mystery of Ash’s involvement seemingly solved, Meena asks everyone if they can continue on with the trial and go on to voting time. The murder weapon, place and circumstances were all solved, so she sees no need to continue any more. Jude, Ember and Rosita agree while others are silent. Whether they are thinking about the case or Stephanie, it is impossible to tell.

However, Mike speaks up as the four try to continue on to voting time, holding everyone back from continuing. He noticed that, as she was saying that, she was squeezing her stand a little tightly. The elephant reflexively lets go of her podium after being called out, but then asks what he means when he said that. 

After looking the soprano up and down, he tells Nancy that he’s played quite a few games of poker and he also has a clue of other people’s habits. Before anyone can ask what he’s doing, the crooner directs his attention to Julee, saying that she actually did have a good point when she was debating with Buster.

Riley asks if he suddenly believes that Ash is the killer after it was proven, but he gets a little peeved and tells the stage actor to “shut his trap.” After a bit of recollection, he restates a claim said in the voice actor’s argument.

Mike: “If Stephanie disguised herself as Ash, then why does she look like STEPHANIE now?”

Everyone goes silent as a brick of tension falls upon the class trial room. It was so thick that it couldn’t even be cut by a knife; it would just break it. When everyone turns to Meena, she squeezes her stand and says that she doesn’t know why she looks like that. However with the possibility of Stephanie disguising herself being proven, the spotlight is centered on her.

Ember: But wait, if you’re saying that she wasn’t disguised as Ash, then why did you just let us argue about if she was or not?

Meena: I thought that it would just lead everyone to seeing that she didn’t!

Nancy: But the evidence clearly shows that she did; are you saying that she only disguised herself when she went out to the hall?

Meena: Maybe? I don’t know, maybe she disguised herself when she went to grab the quills. She just showed up to the door as herself!

Eddie looks to Buster, who is currently pinching his forehead while trying to think. When asking if he has thought of something, the koala nods and says “I already have an idea. But I’m just trying to think about how to present it to everyone.”

In his head, the showman looks over all of the pieces of evidence that they found. Testimonies, the crime scene, the bathroom and Stephanie’s room as well. He knows what he’s going to say, but he knows that as soon as he speaks, half of the animals will be on him because of how outlandish it seems. So he’s trying to think of a way to immediately prove that he is right.

Eddie puts a hoof on Buster’s shoulder, stating that he already knows what he’s thinking about, and will help him try to explain. They both give each other a comforting nod, then direct their attention to everyone. Speaking clearly, Buster grabs Meena’s attention from everyone else.

Buster: Meena. I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to look me in the eyes when you answer, alright? And as for everyone else, hear me out on this until the end.

Meena: …….

Buster: Meena… did you tamper with the crime scene?

Rosita: That’s quite enough Buster!!!

Cutting the elephant off before she can give her answer, Rosita slaps her hoofs on her stand. Buster and Eddie expected this outcome, but it coming from Rosita was a little worrying, considering that they’ve never seen her angry before. Speaking calmly to Meena, she says that she’ll stop the two from discrediting her any more.

The duo butts heads with the mother, and despite it being two against one, they still can’t help but tremble in the presence of the mother’s wrath.

Rosita: You two should be ashamed of yourselves! Meena has already confessed to her crime, and you want to make her seem like a villain as well?! Shame on you!!! The entire incident was just that; an incident! Besides, even if you two are confident in what you’re saying, then that circumstance would just be improbable!

Eddie: But Mrs. Rosita, I know what it sounds like, but we’re not trying to make Meena seem like a villain! What we’re doing is trying to figure out what is going on!

Rosita: How can you say that when your very first thought is to try to discredit the victim in this situation?! There very well could have been some third party or another logical explanation, and yet the first thing you attempt to do is blame the victim? How DARE you?! Can’t you see that she is already in pain?!

Buster: Rosita, you need to listen to us! We know our claim sounds crazy, but we do have evidence to back it up!

Rosita: But what evidence could there be?! Everyone did their own search of the crime scene, but could only find evidence pointing to the same conclusion; that Meena killed Stephanie out of self defense. You and the other four went to search Stephanie’s room as well, are you saying that she was the one that caused the mess?! We have seen all of the evidence there is in this case, so your point is absolutely ludicrous! So for the last time, all of this was just Meena’s mistake! My motherly intuition is never wrong!

Before they can face the full force of the mother’s wrath, the two present the evidence that they found in Meena’s bathroom; the wet towel. Ash says that he and Nancy had mentioned it earlier, but they didn’t fully understand what they had meant. The negotiator then explains that, when she found it in the bathroom, it was filled with brown and red stains all on one side, seemingly hidden away from view.

Adding onto the explanation, Eddie explains that they also found several large puddles around Meena’s sink, and when they looked into the drain, they found bits of fur that were brown-ish, but had an orange tint. Rosita is looking back and forth between the three and Meena, who is doing the same.

Putting the final piece of the puzzle into place, Buster forces everyone to recall Eddie examining the body; he had said that her fur was slightly damp, as if she had just been dried off. So with all of these pieces of evidence together, the sheep and koala reveal to everyone that Meena had taken off Stephanie’s disguise herself!

Meena winces and looks between everyone else for their reactions. Ash, Matt and Ember all agree that it does make sense, along with the evidence already presented. If the theory were to be true, then Ash’s clothes being in Meena’s toilet would finally have a reason towards it; she would be trying to hide it like everything else!

Buster also adds on that, when he was about to leave to investigate Stephanie’s room, he saw a strange bloodstain around the top of Meena’s door. He wasn’t sure what it was at first, but he bets that if they tried to match Meena’s hoof with the bloodstain, it would be a perfect fit. David understands what he’s trying to say, and says that it was put onto the door when she closed the door as he exited his room to go to the bathroom. If somebody saw Meena’s door open, then they would’ve immediately come to check.

A few participants still on Meena’s side (Rosita, Riley, Julee, Jude, Ember, Mike, Gunter) look to Meena for an answer to why these things were there. The rapper says that, since she was an eyewitness to the crime, she could easily discredit their arguments if they’re wrong. The elephant looks between everyone visibly anxious, before squeezing her eyes shut and screaming out “ALRIGHT, I DID IT!!!”

Silence washes over the class trial room as attention is directed to her. After taking a few deep, shaky breaths, Meena tries to explain her actions by saying that she did in fact tamper with the crime scene, but only so that Ash could avoid suspicion. She did find out that it was actually Stephanie under the disguise, but she knew that it would cause a lot of confusion. So she closed the door and washed all of the makeup off and used her key to snatch some clothes from her room, despite it already being messy.

Gunter and Ash state that the plan basically backfired in the end and Riley even tells her that she should’ve came clean from the beginning, and Meena states that she knew this, but thought that she could just get the class trial over with. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer through the pain of suspecting others, and she was guilty about the lie herself.

The rest of the participants look between each other with uneasy looks on their faces.

Jude, Mike and Nancy begin to question themselves with how hard they were persisting to figure out the truth.

David, Riley and Ash think that they should all probably try to stop and get on with voting time.

Even Buster begins to question his actions, adjusting his collar to allow a bit to loosen the grip he feels around his neck.

But before everyone can collectively begin voting time through majority vote, Eddie speaks up and calls attention to himself, snapping everyone out of their guilt party. He says that, before everyone votes, there is something that has still been bothering him.

This, however, sparks a bit of debate between the two sides. The ones that have stayed silent think that they should try to look over everything once more just to be sure, while those who want to get on with voting time say that they should just end the trial right then and there, since there doesn’t seem to be any more mysteries left to solve.

Eddie, however, points out that there are still two things that nobody has covered yet; the specifics of the murder weapon, and Johnny. Matt says that they did already talk about how the pipe was the murder weapon, but Eddie explains that they only talked about how the bed leg was the murder weapon, not how the bed leg was found.

Seeing her chance to help explain, Ember explains the specifics of the murder weapon: how the pipe had two significant indents on each side, how one half was spotless, and how said spotless half was chilly like a metal water bottle sitting in a cold fridge.

Turning to the soprano, the servant tries to ask about why exactly it was like that and, being upfront, Meena explains that when she first hit Johnny accidentally, she dropped the bed leg in shock. So when Stephanie came charging at her, she accidentally picked it up from the bloody side. She saw the pipe issue as just as confusing as the disguise, so she washed off one side to make it seem like she was holding it the entire time.

Once again the other participants scold the soprano for taking such unnecessary measures, but the elephant tries to say that she wasn’t thinking straight; she DID just kill somebody after all. While the animals are scolding her, Eddie tries to talk with Buster to figure out what was going on. Ever since the pipe was mentioned again he had been deep in thought.

However, Buster cannot hear him. He has muted out everything else so he can concentrate once more. He had completely disregarded the pipe before due to his guilt, but now he was fully absorbed into his mind.

Buster: ‘I don’t understand. This entire time, it seems like Meena has taken completely pointless steps in order to prove herself as the culprit. Was there a reason for doing so? Maybe I’m missing some sort of evidence that I’m forgetting about. Or maybe I’m thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe instead of trying to fit the evidence to fit why she CHOSE to take those seemingly pointless steps and think about why she HAD TO make those seemingly pointless steps. But if I were to think this way, then which piece of evidence did we not even remotely address? I think the one thing I forgot to mention was’-

As the final thought clicks into place, he suddenly becomes aware of Eddie’s existence. The servant himself, upon witnessing Buster snap back to reality, finds an expression that he had never seen on the koala before, even after finding the body; pure dread.

Buster: Eddie… do you remember what I saw when I looked at Johnny’s hands?

After thinking for a moment and closing his eyes, Eddie took a quick guess and said that  “They… they were clean, right?” To which the koala mouths back, “spotless.” After exchanging a desperate look with the servant, the thought finally clicks into his mind.

It was at this point Buster realized that the entire class trial room had gone silent, and they were all staring right at the duo, expecting some sort of response for breaking the silence. Gunter and Matt try to ask for an answer as to what’s going on in his head. Taking a large gulp to prepare himself for the oncoming storm, Buster looks directly at Meena and asks as bare bones as he can.

Buster: Meena. Johnny killed Stephanie, didn’t he?

The entire class trial room goes absolutely insane right after letting out a deafening, collective “WHAT?!?!”

Riley, Rosita, Jude, Julee and Ash begin questioning Buster’s sanity

David, Ember, Eddie and Matt look back and forth between Meena and Buster

Mike, Nancy and Gunter look between each other, trying to think about how Buster came to that conclusion by frantically looking over the evidence.

Despite all of the clamor and Ultimates practically screaming in his face, Buster doesn’t stop looking away from the elephant. Meena, meanwhile, had her eyes widen to the size of bowling balls (elephant sized) and had caused a crack to appear on her stand.

Jude and Julee ask Buster what’s going on, and since he didn’t get a response, he began to explain his thought process to the rest of the participants.

Buster: “Meena had taken so many seemingly unnecessary steps that, when you step back and look at the scale of it all, it doesn’t appear to be a spur of the moment decision. After trying to figure out why she chose to do these things, I thought about why she had no choice but to make these decisions, and then it all clicked. From the start she had been trying to rush the trial and pin herself as the culprit, saying that she did these things to show that she was guilty. But if we were to try and think through the lens of Meena trying to actually PROTECT somebody, so much more makes sense!”

Finally breaking out of her trance, the timid elephant screeches for everyone to stop with a deafening “NO!!!”

Meena: Do you even realize what you’re implying Buster?! Are you actually saying that Johnny was the killer this whole time, and I’ve been lying to you all?! That’s absolutely INSANE!!! Why would I even want to do that; it would get me killed too!!! How many times do I have to say it?! I killed Stephanie!

Those that are on Meena’s side recoil a bit from Meena’s reaction, surprised that the elephant could speak with such intensity. Although admitting that he does sound crazy, Ash asks for the showman’s reasoning behind his claim, and he does give it despite Meena continuing to protest.

Buster goes through his list of suspicions, starting with Johnny’s paws. When he and Eddie were investigating, the koala had a look at the greaser’s paws because he thought he suspected something strange, and in the end he found it, or rather, the lack of it. Despite lying in a pool of blood and going into the fight with Stephanie, the gorilla’s paws are completely clean.

Eddie does admit that he saw that little fact, but is clueless to its relevance to the case. Using this as a crutch to continue, he brings everyone’s attention back to the bed leg. Ember is confused, thinking that the mystery behind it was cleared up. However, there are a few things that Buster wishes to account for.

The first fact being that Meena didn’t mention the side switch in her original testimony. The soprano calls Buster out on this though, saying that she didn’t think the detail was important at the time since, once again, she wanted to get the class trial over with. Riley agrees with this statement, saying that Buster trying to use such a small detail against them is pointless in the end. Even a few of the other participants (Julee, Matt, Rosita) agree that it seems pointless.

Matt: You did kinda say yourself that using small details wouldn’t help.

While the showman does agree that him using that detail would be trivial, he poses a theory to everyone: Meena washed the pipe on one side to erase suspicion from Johnny. Mike asks how that makes any sense, thinking that Buster truly is launching into a conspiracy theory.

Ignoring the comment and continuing onwards, the showman explains that, if Johnny did in fact kill Stephanie, then using the pipe would give a proper explanation to why no blood were on his palms, while also giving a reason for Meena washing the pipe.

Interjecting once again, Meena asks why she would even want to wash the pipe, “If Johnny was theoretically the killer.” The elephant says she sees no point to washing it off, as nobody even has access to fingerprint powder in the theater.

Ember: Which really needs to be fixed some time soon!

But Buster says that they wouldn’t need fingerprint powder, because if Johnny did use the bed leg, then they could identify that fact by aligning the bloodstains on the paws and pipe. But since that would be too much of a tell, Meena could have used the sink to get rid of any evidence pointing to Johnny!

Riley stops Buster before he can go any farther, saying that he sounds absolutely insane. Although admitting that he does have a point from a logistical standpoint, the theory doesn’t make a lick of sense applying it to a real life standpoint.

Pulling out the pamphlet for the killing game, Riley points out the exact location of a certain rule so everyone can read it. “In the case of the blackened gaining an accomplice to their crimes, only the killer, the one that has ended the victim’s life, will be permitted to graduate and escape to the outside world.”

He then goes on to read another rule, also stating the location. “If the blackened is exposed during the trial, then they alone will receive punishment. If not, then all of the spotless-AKA everyone else-will receive punishment and the blackened will be permitted to return to the outside world.”

Starting to feel the pressure, Riley ALSO points out that if all of the participants die, then their loved ones would die as well! So if Meena really was covering for Johnny, then dozens of innocent people would die! Suddenly for both sides of the argument, the tension rises swiftly. Even though they already knew that fact, Buster wasn’t considering that he’s essentially accusing somebody of being a mass murder.

Acting as if they’re a sort of tag team, Meena goes off of Riley’s claims and also adds on evidence relating to the crime, since Buster was focusing on those points. Meena states that, for the entirety of the crime, Johnny had been knocked out by accident, so there’s no way he could have even tried to commit the murder.

With all of the pressure from the raccoon and elephant duo, Buster and Eddie can feel the pressure that is centered around them. A few more of the other Ultimates (Gunter, Nancy, Matt, Mike), though wary because of Meena’s sudden outburst, begin to question their stances as well. After taking a deep breath, Meena has appeared to calm down and once again wishes for everyone to move along to voting time, still squeezing her stand tight.

With now a majority of the Ultimates against him, Buster and Eddie frantically go through all of the evidence they can find. He is certain that Meena is not the culprit, and while he doesn’t want to pin somebody else and send them to their deaths, if they don’t find the truth then everyone will die. But after going through all of the evidence that was found, they could not find anything showing signs of another killer.

So instead, Buster once again goes over anything that he might have overlooked. He first thinks about all of the evidence found at the crime scene, but cannot recall anything that has already been brought up. Doing the same for the bathroom yields the same results, so he tries to remember testimonies, looking for any small contradiction.

That’s when he finds what he’s looking for.

Standing his ground, the koala says that they cannot end the trial just yet. Riley groans in frustration, angrily spitting a “What now?!” out at him. Meena visibly tenses up as if she’s waiting for some sort of flu shot while everyone not on Meena’s side gives a wary look to the koala.

Buster tells everyone that there actually is one thing linking the crime to somebody else. Despite nobody saying anything, Buster can sense the situation; if he doesn’t convince everyone right away, then it would all be over. They would discredit him without a second thought. Eddie asks Buster if he’s sure that he has something, but even the koala admits that it might be a long shot.

Riley demands to hear an answer right away so they don’t have to waste any more time. Even though they “saw everything they could at the crime scene,” as the raccoon says. However Buster does not back down, saying that the last piece of evidence was not seen, but rather heard by everyone in the theater.

Meena: Stop. Just, stop.

Interrupting the explanation before anyone can process his words, Meena is squeezing her stand once again with her head down. With a shaky voice, Meena asks if Buster has some sort of vendetta against her. Not even waiting for an answer, Meena looks back up at the koala, with tears staining her determined stare.

Riley, after looking between the koala and elephant, tries to ask Meena if she’s okay and tries to calm her down, only getting ignorance in response. Meena then asks if Buster wants everyone here to die, since “it does seem like that’s what he’s aiming for.”

Those on Meena’s side back away from her, almost terrified seeing the timid teen suddenly gain a fiery look in her eyes. Buster tells Meena that he just wants to find the truth, but that’s when she snaps and creates yet another crack in her stand.

Meena: This entire trial, all you’ve been saying is that you’re trying to find the truth. But is that honestly your goal? Because this entire time, it only seems like you WANT everyone else to suffer! So how can you say that you care about everyone else when all you’ve been doing is making things worse?! I understand that what I did is wrong, and I get that I deserve to be punished for it! But all you’re doing is dragging everyone else into this! I already admitted it, I killed Stephanie! I’m sorry for tampering with the crime scene, I just wanted this trial to be over with! So please, let’s just get on with it! I’m guilty, I deserve to be punished!! Do you still not believe me?! How many times do I have to say it?! I killed her, I killed her! I killed her! I KILLED STEPHANIE!!! DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO DIE?! DO YOU WANT ME TO SUFFER?! THERE WAS NOBODY ELSE THAT COULD’VE DONE IT! ASH WAS IN HER ROOM THE ENTIRE TIME! JUDE SAW NOBODY ELSE! JOHNNY WAS KNOCKED OUT THE ENTIRE TIME!!! I just want this all to end! So for the last time, I! KILLED! STEPHANIE!

With the rest of the Ultimates practically hiding behind their stands from hearing Meena argue as if she’s pleading for her life, Buster still stands his ground. He listened to the entirety of Meena’s rant until she was done, making sure that it wouldn’t lead to any more chaos. Despite his legs wobbling underneath him-which he tries to smack to make them stop-he doesn’t back down and begins his counterattack.

Buster: Meena, I don’t know what you’re going through, but you need to understand that covering for Johnny won’t do anything! You’re saying that, since the beginning, Johnny had been unconscious because you accidentally hit him while defending yourself. But I know for a fact that, at the time, Johnny was wide awake, and the Body Discovery Announcement proves that!!!

Visibly flinching, Meena’s eyes go wide as her determined expression fades into the timid one from before. Those still on Meena’s side look to her for answers to why she suddenly froze instead of fighting back, but nothing comes out of the soprano’s wide, gaping mouth.

Julee and Eddie ask about the body discovery announcement, and do admit that they forgot about its existence in the spur of the chaos of the class trial. So after pulling out the pamphlet and directing everyone to its location, Buster reads the rule of interest: “The body discovery announcement will play when three or more animals discover a body, prompting limited time for an investigation to take place before a class trial.”

Already sensing where the koala is going, Riley says that maybe Meena could’ve counted in the announcement prerequisite. Before this can be used as a valid debate topic, however, Monokuma states that he forgot to list it in the pamphlets and announces that the blackened themselves do not count to the witness tally when the body discovery announcement is played.

Monokuma: Believe me, there were FAR too many class trials that ended in failure because of that one single rule. Like, I know that that’s pretty much what we’re hoping for, but after the twentieth time, it just gets annoying. Not to mention that it’s absolutely terrible for views!

Matt and Rosita ask what the context is for the debate between Buster and Riley, but before he can explain he asks Rosita about Johnny’s head injury, since she did say she went to medical school before. Specifically if Johnny could have been conscious at all before blacking out. After trying to recall the specifics about the injury, Rosita confirms that due to the location of the injury, Johnny could not have been conscious immediately after the blow was struck.

Meena is beginning to go back into her anxious state when everyone first found her, although it almost seems to be more genuine this time. A majority of the participants are now listening to Buster while a small handful are trying to comfort the elephant.

To end off his frontal assault, Buster asks Jude about their nightwatch; specifically when they found the crime scene and when the announcement played. Starting to catch on, the jaguar restates that after both themself and David saw the crime scene, the Body Discovery Announcement played.

Buster: Now I fully understand. After the murder had been committed, the only ones in Meena’s room were the soprano herself and Johnny. This entire time, Meena had been saying that Johnny had been knocked out, but that just doesn’t add up. Meena herself couldn’t have triggered the announcement, and it wouldn’t make sense for her to knock Johnny out afterwards either. So if only Jude and David triggered the alarm, then both Meena AND Johnny had to be fully awake at the time of the crime!!!

The entire class trial room goes insane as everyone is scrambling to try and figure out what is going on.

Meena is hyperventilating while Rosita, Riley and David try to ask her about what’s going on.

Ash, Jude, Eddie, Ember, Julee and Matt all are freaking out at how everything was twisted.

Gunter, Nancy and Mike all need to sit down for a moment to think.

But amidst the chaos, a weak and strained groan is released throughout the room, making a few animals go silent. After looking between each other for a moment to try and figure out who did the groan, a familiar voice speaks among the silent room.

“Thank ‘ya, Mister Moon… You saved me the trouble of explainin’ everything.”

Putting a bloodied, crusty paw on his stand, the previously comatose teenager manages to heave himself up to a standing position. It takes a few moments for him to do so, as the injury on his head makes the process all the more painful. The entire time, the other participants are staring in slack jawed awe, while Meena has her hooves over her mouth while tears trickle down her cheeks. Then finally, standing hunched over his stand with an elbow supporting him, Johnny gently waves his hand to everyone else, keeping one eye closed to prevent the blood leaking from his head to fall in.

Johnny: Sorry… that I’m late everyone.

With how loud and chaotic the class trial room had been earlier, the silence felt almost more unnatural. Trying to keep up his cheerful facade, Johnny congratulates everyone for figuring out what had happened without him, admitting that he’s impressed. Though he supposes that it wasn’t easy, considering that Meena was trying to protect him. He gives a sad chuckle before groaning again and holding his head.

Eddie and Rosita offer to try to help the gorilla with his injury. The servant had stuffed some medical supplies into his pockets in case of Johnny waking up, and Rosita says that she can fix him up. But Johnny denies the help, saying that “the supplies would... just go to waste.”

A moment of realization washes over everyone as they realize the meaning behind the greaser’s words. Trying to force down his trembling hands, Riley asks Johnny if it really was true: everything that Buster had said. Ashamed to look anyone in the eye, the teen looks down at his hands and nods his head without a word.

Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Meena breaks down crying, apologizing to Johnny over and over again while wailing out loud. Rosita and David try to cheer her up, but she continues either way, saying that what had happened was her fault; that if she had just defended herself, then none of this would even be happening.

Johnny, trying to reach over and put a paw on her back, says that none of it was her fault. “If you had done it… then you would’ve been the killer. No way in ‘ell I was gonna let a friend… go through with that.”

Upon hearing the word “friend,” Meena simply begins to wail louder, blocking out everything else in the room. Julee is shocked, because everyone thought that Johnny had said that in an attempt to console Meena for killing Stephanie. Johnny shakes his head once again.

After a few more moments of silence, Johnny turns to Buster and asks if he can try to recap everything that happened during the night, since he’s sure that a few animals probably still don’t believe the words coming out his mouth. The koala is about to reject the offer, but after looking around and seeing some of the participants’ blank faces (Riley, Mike, Rosita), he decides that it might be for the best and begins the recap.

“Yesterday morning, all of us were called down to the main showing area of the theater. Due to nobody willing to make a move to escape for the first few days, Monokuma decided to give us a bit of an incentive, or rather, a motive. In individual letters, it was revealed that all of our loved ones were captured, and the only way to ensure their safety was to escape the theater with their respective participant’s life. Most of us were able to resist this temptation, but there was unfortunately one that was unable to do so: the victim, Stephanie Hornbaker. So after our brief meeting and going our separate ways for the day, she began to hatch a plan to kill the easiest victim in her eyes: Meena Jones, the Ultimate Soprano.

However, Stephanie was aware that rushing in blindly would be foolish, since she would be spotted easily. So after stealing Ash’s lost quills, she began work on disguising herself as the guitarist herself in an attempt to frame her for the murder. It may have seemed impossible for others, but since she was the Ultimate Makeup Artist, the task wouldn’t even take a sweat. So using the quills, makeup supplies and a bit of her makeup magic, she had the perfect disguise.

Later that night at around 9:30 PM, we all went to our rooms to meet along with the curfew. But a little while later at around 10:00 PM, Stephanie attempted to make her move while fully disguised. However despite being practically an exact replica of the porcupine, there was one thing that differentiated her from the original: her nervous habit of picking at her upper arms. Since, at the time, I was trying to head to my office, I managed to spot this while the fake Ash was peeking out the door. I was lucky; if I hadn’t seen this, then we probably never would have figured out what happened.

Then at around 10:00 PM, Jude came out of their dorm to begin a nightwatch, also witnessing me do my… less than graceful escape to my office. So hiding near the stairs, they stayed for as long as they could. In this nightwatch, they witnessed Meena trying to deliver a note to her friend to meet up with her, but due to the street performer interrogating her, she accidentally slipped the note underneath Stephanie’s door before running back to her room. If Stephanie didn’t know who her target was, she certainly decided it then.

At 10:49 PM, all of our… less than average meals took a toll on the jaguar, and they rushed to the men’s bathroom downstairs. Then, whether he had been planning to beforehand or went out then by coincidence, somebody took this opportunity to visit their friend. This person, though not realizing it, would be the future killer in this case.

After meeting up, the killer and Meena talked to each other for a while, comforting each other about their motive letters. Then a little before 11:00 PM, there was a knock at the door, and right outside was Ash Spinosa, or rather, Stephanie Hornbaker in disguise. Most likely due to his kind nature, the killer opened the door to let her in. That was when the tragedy began.

It is unclear whether Stephanie anticipated another participant in Meena’s room, but despite the circumstances, Stephanie began her attack and stabbed her soon to be murderer in the leg using one of Ash’s quills. With the door open and her goal in sight, Stephanie sprinted towards Meena in an attempt to kill her. But fighting back, Meena’s friend tried to protect her, resulting in a scuffle. Then, becoming desperate, the killer tore off one of Meena’s bed legs and, using it like a bat, brought it down on Stephanie’s skull, ending her life.

Once the deed had been done, I’d assume that the two remained there for a moment in shock. After all, one had just been a witness to the other’s murder. But then, something happened that none of us expected. Meena picked back up the bed leg and brought it down on her friend’s head, knocking him unconscious. She did not intend to kill him, though; it was quite the opposite. Meena had attacked the killer in an attempt to save him. After all, it was revealed in her invitation letter that he was the only one that Meena had grown close to during their time in the theater.

With not that much time and so much to do, Meena got to work on doing the unthinkable: framing herself for the murder. She closed the door to her room first, causing the strange bloodstain to appear on the door. At this time, another unfortunate animal made a mad dash to the bathroom: David Flowerson. When he walked by the soprano’s room, he witnessed the door closing, but thought nothing of it as he left to get downstairs. After this, she tampered with the crime scene to shift all of the blame to herself. She took off Stephanie’s disguise, got replacement clothes from her room, flushed Ash’s clothes down the toilet, and washed the bed leg of any trace of another animal using it. Little did she know that this attempt to frame herself would cause everyone to believe that Ash was the true culprit all along.

Once everything was set into place, Meena opened her door a crack and let out a scream, alerting Jude and David downstairs that something had happened. Rushing from their stalls, the two hurried upstairs in a futile attempt to stop a murder from occuring. When the two got to Meena’s room and discovered the crime scene, the Body Discovery Announcement played, setting the soprano’s trap into motion. Though in a way, the one thing that set everything into motion was Meena’s greatest downfall. If it weren’t for David joining Jude in the stall, then none of us could have came to the truth in this class trial.

So then… Do you confess? It it true that you are the real culprit, Johnny Serafinowicz, the Ultimate Greaser?”

When the entire recap is finished, the room is quiet once again, save for a few sniffles from Meena. Johnny is looking down, contemplating something silently while everyone stares at him, waiting for a response. Then, looking up with a pitiful smile, he chuckles once again and thanks him. “You certainly explained it… better than I eva’ could’ve.”

Meena begins sobbing once again while everyone else is just staring in disbelief. Riley is looking at nothing in particular as he puts both paws to his head in an attempt to process what was just said. “Why?” he says, “why did this have to happen?”

Johnny, admitting that he’d love to explain why, requests for it to be saved for after voting time. He wants the pain of the class trial to be over for everyone. So by his request, the robobear starts up the clock and has everyone vote via a small panel that pops up on everyone’s stand. There are sixteen buttons, each one having the icon of each Ultimate being covered by the respective animal’s face in pixelated form.

Once the final vote has been cast, a screen descends from above Monokuma’s throne, lighting up as the lights in the room go dim. On the screen it shows sixteen rows, each having the pixelated faces from before. Fourteen red tally marks fill up Johnny’s row, while a singular tally mark falls on Meena’s row.

After an unnecessary drum roll sound effect, the phrase “A WINNER IS YOU!!!” appears flashing on screen with a golden tint surrounding it, confirming once and for all that Johnny was indeed the culprit of the case. Multicolored confetti falls from the ceiling as MonoCult members appear in the audience seating with the cameras, cheering and whooping as if they were watching a football game after the underdog scores the final point. Then with one gavel pound on his throne arm, everything goes back to normal and the animals are free to leave their podiums.

Once everyone is allowed to get up, Meena runs over to Johnny and hugs him tight, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over while crying into his arm. Gunter comments that, despite Johnny doing the deed, it seems like Meena actually does believe that she caused Stephanie’s death.

Johnny, while trying to comfort Meena, makes an attempt to explain what had happened to everyone else. He applauds him for getting most of the details right, but there was one part that he couldn’t have known. When he had killed Stephanie, he was planning on going to everyone to confess.

Johnny: I knew that the trials were painful. Sometimes… my pa’ would make me watch the channel so he could… get some ideas for his own jobs. That’s why I… wanted to tell all of ya’. But, that’s when...

Trying to find some way to understand, Eddie walks over to the two in order to ask why. But as soon as he places a hoof on Meena’s back, she spins around and slaps it away, revealing her enraged, tear soaked expression. Johnny is left back at his stand, only able to watch as the soprano lashes out at everyone.

Meena: HOW COULD YOU?! All of you, ALL OF YOU ARE MONSTERS!!! Johnny was my only friend and now you’re taking him away from me!!! Do you know what it��s like?! Growing up your entire life only to be neglected or manipulated purely because you’re an Ultimate?! Every person I met, PURELY because of my Ultimate status, could never treat me like a REAL PERSON! They all just tried to USE me or HATED me because of my talent! I WAS JUST A THING FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! My family all tried to put up an act, but I could see; they were all OBLIGATED to say I was good because I was their daughter! For my entire life, NOBODY genuinely cared for me except for Johnny, AND NOW YOU’RE ALL TAKING HIM AWAY!!! YOU’RE ALL KILLERS!!! MONSTERS!!! MURDERERS!!!

While the others are looking away in guilt or still in shock, Ember, Ash and Mike fight back, saying that if she had tried to make friends with everyone else in the beginning instead of waiting for others to come to her, then she would actually HAVE more friends. But the elephant continues to snap at them, while Johnny tries to reach out to her.

Buster tries to come in and sympathise with the teen, saying that he has been through something similar. A lot of people that he had met before were hard for him to trust, since he had lived practically his entire life shut in so nobody could treat him with respect. But Meena rejects his sympathy, saying that he shouldn’t speak as if he had known her all his life. Instead of trying to defend himself, Buster slinks back in fear, leaving Meena be.

After yelling at Buster some more, Meena suddenly drops to her knees and begins to wail again, repeating over and over that it was her fault. None of the other spotless make an attempt to comfort and support her after outburst. Some out of guilt, some out of fear, others anger.

Johnny tries to stand up to walk over to her, but collapses upon taking a single step. He groans and lifts himself up to his knees while Meena tries to help him up, apologizing even more with each passing second but after listening her for almost a full minute, the gorilla yells at her to stop.

Johnny: Meena, please… you need to understand. You, you didn’t kill me, you… you saved me! I was like you, growin’ up. Had no friends of my own. My fatha’ kept me close due ta’ our “family business,” and when I came of age, I was just anotha’ member. I did so many horrible things, and even after I ratted ‘em out, I still felt like I was nothin’ more than a criminal. But you-you gave me a chance to prove myself. When I protected ya’, I didn’t feel like a criminal; some, lackey to Big Daddy. I felt like me, like I was doin’ it because I wanted ta’! After all these years, I finally felt like I was worth a damn! I know it seems cruel, but you really did help me. So please don’t apologize, you gave me more freedom than any stolen buck ever could’ve done!

Unable to process the gravity of his words, Meena continues to cry into his shoulder while Johnny holds her close. Everyone else simply looks on, not moving an inch. They simply didn’t know what to do.

But then, interrupting the touching moment between the two, Monokuma slams his gavel again and calls attention to himself. Despite saying that he does like the drama that comes afterwards, it can get really annoying when it becomes dragged out, so he’s just gonna cut it off before that happens.

Everyone’s faces suddenly become grim; they know what’s going to happen next. Holding Johnny even closer than before, Meena pleads to the bear for more time to talk with the killer, but he just shoots it down in an instant.

Speaking to the cameras in the audience along with some straggling MonoCult members, Monokuma declares that he has “a VERY special punishment for Johnny what’s his name, the Ultimate Greaser!” The animals in the audience are pounding on their seats and banging their feet like they’re about to watch a football player do the first kickoff of the championship.

Knowing that his time is running out, Johnny gives Meena one final strong hug and pulls back. Meena is hyperventilating once again, but Johnny wears a somber smile as he tells her to not hold a grudge against everyone, as they were trying to survive.

As a large red button slowly rises from the floor in front of him, Monokuma tries to play the hype man role and takes out his gavel, swinging it like a baton twirler would right before pointing it to the sky.

Monokuma: Let’s give it EVERYTHING we got! You all know the words, so even those back home say it along with me!

MonoCult: IIIIIIIIIIIIT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!!!!!

As Monokuma slams his gavel on the button, an alarm sounds as MonoCult members from the metal doors come flying out, running past the other participants and directly to Meena and Johnny. Meena is begging them to not take Johnny, but they don’t listen, grabbing onto her as if she was a giant doll.

Right before the two are pulled apart, Johnny plants a gentle kiss on Meena’s cheek and, choking back tears, looks the elephant in the eyes and speaks to her one last time.

Johnny: I’ll, n-never forget y-you, Meena.

As the two are separated and Johnny is pulled to the center of the class trial stands, Meena makes one last attempt to pull away. But the animals holding her back are too strong. The gorilla looks at her one last time before letting the tears flow and closing his eyes. So, with no other options, Meena does the only thing she can do.

Meena: DON’T GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

WARNING!!! If you have never played/watched a Danganronpa game, then you should know that the next upcoming part is the execution, and it get VERY intense! If you are sensitive to blood, gore and all around brutality, it is HIGHLY recommended that you skip this. I’m going to make the entire execution bolded, so if you want to enjoy the story but have a sensitive stomach, skip to the point where the bullet points begin once again. I’ll have a summary segment for you to read so you can get a gist of what happened. For those who ARE interested in this, however, I hope you enjoy~

As the other participants look on in horror, Johnny kneels down in the center of the circle of stands, while the alarm sounding similar to the one made for hockey goals blairs into everyone’s ears. Popping out from behind one of the stands, a larger animal comes out holding a ball and chain, with Monokuma’s face painted over it, attached to a leg brace. Skipping over as if it were a child about to draw on the pavement, the animal latches the brace onto Johnny’s leg, then leaps out of the way. Meena is still wailing and reaching out to the gorilla, but the alarms make her screams inaudible. Johnny doesn’t look back.

Suddenly, the floor underneath him opens up like a trap door and, after getting a playful wave goodbye by the MonoCult members, Johnny is pulled down into the hole by the large iron ball, whizzing past the countless, colorful floors of the theater as he descends further and further down the hole. The other animals, meanwhile, are ushered into the elevator with minimal force as it drops down like an amusement park ride down to the bottom floor.

As everyone exits the wild ride, they find themselves in a big city alleyway, with trash cans and fire escapes alike. The main road is blocked off by a large chain link fence, and on the other side of the road sits a truck with an open sunroof resting near a bank. The large buildings stretch to the ceiling itself, and despite it all being several stories underground, the town looks unnaturally real, even though there are no other animals walking up and down the street. A painted skyline reveals that it is meant to be a cloudy afternoon, with grey fluorescent lights illuminating the underground expanse.

Then, from the ceiling, the gorilla falls down into the sunroof of the truck, placing him square into the driver’s seat and the iron ball preventing him from going anywhere else. He inspects the car with what little time he has, and after gripping the steering wheel, the realization dawns upon him. Meena clangs against the fence, shaking it to try and break it in order to get to the other side. But due to the sturdiness of it all, nothing can be done.

Before Johnny can get his bearings, another alarm rings out. But it sounds less like one used for celebration and more like one used to alert others of danger. Then, bursting out of the bank’s front door comes look alikes of Johnny’s gang, “Prey Gone Wild” In essence, they seem exactly the same. The only difference being that the masks that they wear are replaced from the bunny masks to Monokuma masks, with an eerie smile to boot.

The look alikes hop in and, without saying a word, point forwards aggressively. Not long after, police cars make chase, with the police officers also wearing the Monokuma masks. In Johnny’s eyes is both a look of sadness, but acceptance. Getting the signal, Johnny slams his foot on the gas, speeding the car down the street, leaving a lost newspaper to be caught along the wind and blow up against the chain-link fence, revealing the headline to Meena. “COPS AND ROBBERS.” 

The police squad and preyed predators go in circles, both figuratively and literally, as they continuously go around the same few blocks multiple times. The mimic gang pulls out some guns and opens fire on the cops, but Johnny assumes that they’re firing blanks, as nothing changes about their situation; that is, until, some smoke begins to leak out of the front of the truck. The greaser can hear the engine spit and sputter, and despite trying all of the tricks he knows, nothing works. Then popping out of the hood comes a small MonoCult member, holding a sort of crowbar and wrench in hand before leaping out of the way.

Unable to control the car, Johnny fiddles with the controls in an attempt to find anything that might save the situation. The rest of Prey Gone Wild leaps out of the car as Johnny slams into a wall of the bank, utterly destroying the truck itself and letting loose a bunch more smoke. When it all finally clears up, Johnny is revealed to be lying down nearby in a heap of rubble, unable to move.

Not being able to take any more, Meena begins to climb the chain-link fence, despite everyone else trying to pull her back down. While she does this, shadows fall upon Johnny’s body. When he looks up, he finds both the mimic gang and the police, standing over him with weapons in hand. Having an idea of what comes next, Johnny closes his eyes and prepares for the worst as a police officer lifts up their nightstick for the first strike.

But it doesn’t come. Despite hearing the noises of weapons whizzing through the air, no pain comes to the gorilla. When he opens his eyes a crack to see what’s going on, they suddenly go wide like saucers as pecks of blood drip down onto his jacket. Directly above him and taking the brunt of the impact, was Meena herself. Her face was clenched in pain as she winces with each blow, letting another teardrop fall. Tasers, clubs, knifes, guns, nightsticks; anything goes. Meena was being mauled, all the while hovering directly over Johnny with her arms out wide in an attempt to protect him.

With one final gunshot to the chest, Meena lets out a bloodcurdling cry of agony as blood splatters all over Johnny’s face. With trembling arms, Meena takes one last look at Johnny with a pained, somewhat forced smile on her face as she flops over to the side. With what little strength he has left, Johnny picks himself up and holds Meena in his arms. Her body is unmoving in his hands. He tries to shake her awake; there is no response. She was gone.

Hunched over her body, Johnny could do nothing but stare blankly while cradling her in his arms. His breath steadily accelerates to the speed Meena has when hyperventilating while steady streams of salty tears wash away the fresh blood on himself. Meanwhile, the shadows of the two sides of the law loom over him. He is unable to even look at them and acknowledge their presence. As the shadows lift their weapons above their head, only one thing occupies the gorilla’s mind: despair.

All the rest of the participants can see from this point forwards is criminals and police collectively swinging their weapons at the remains of the Ultimate Greaser. Liquid crimson leaks from the rubble and flows down into the sewer grate below as all of the animals simply watch in absolute horror as, right in front of them, yet another life is taken from their small group. The grey fluorescent lights flicker off, leaving only the golden light of a streetlamp to show the goal they all worked for come to fruition.

SUMMARY: Johnny was pulled into a reenactment of one of his gang’s crimes. There were troubles with the car, causing it to crash, and both the mimic police and gang were ready to beat Johnny to death. But Meena, unable to stand by and watch, jumps in between them and takes the brunt of the entire attack to the point of falling unconscious from pain. Filled with despair, Johnny was next, and after what felt like ages, his life was taken.

Upon the ending of the execution, a heavy sense of dread fills the air. Similarly to when everyone had found the crime scene, nobody dared to speak, feeling like if they did, the MonoCult members would target them next. But just like last time, one scream was all it took to shatter the silence.

Riley: GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

Buster, Matt, Mike, Jude, Julee and Ash are less than successful at holding back their lunch.

Eddie and Gunter just stare forward blankly

Rosita, Riley, Nancy, David and Ember simply scream and/or cry.

Buster, beginning to feel lightheaded, clings onto the chain-link fence for leverage. But since that only makes him face the now motionless bodies of Meena and Johnny, that only made things worse for him and he choked back some chips.

But as he is about to turn away, the koala spots something moving at the corner of his eye. As much as it pained him, he faced the horrific scene once more and focused his attention to find the source of the movement. He could see it clearly; Johnny was dead, there was no doubt about it.

But looking at what he had assumed was Meena’s corpse, he could spot the slightest hint of movement: breathing.

It takes a moment for him to realize what he was looking at. But when he finally sees what’s going on, he yells to everyone as fast as possible. “MEENA IS ALIVE!!!”

The other participants rushed to the fence, peering through the holes between to look at Meena, coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. Trying desperately to find some way over to the other side, Buster tries to climb the fence just like Meena had. But sadly, no progress could be made for the climb. He had very little, if not any, upper body strength due to being shut in for his entire life.

He turns to the others for help, wanting some way past the fence to make sure that Meena stays alive. But as much as he pleads, everyone else looks away from the scene. Not even a single participant is willing to look over to him.

However, there is at least one person willing to help and, using his hooves, takes Buster by his shoulders and lifts him up. After panicking for a moment, he realizes that it’s actually Eddie. He has the same frantic look on his face, and just as willing to help Meena.

After lowering him back and crouching down, Eddie heaves Buster up as high as he can up to the alleyway fire escape, leaving him dangling from the railing. After kicking himself up and a struggle of upper body strength, he manages to get himself up.

Buster sprints up the fire escape until he’s just high enough to get over the fence, then maneuvers himself to the other side and climbs down, rushing over to Meena’s side. Despite a stabbing feeling in his gut upon taking just the slightest glance at Johnny’s mangled body, he continues onwards to make sure that she’s okay.

Despite taking a brutal beating to protect Johnny, the elephant was still breathing. Her sweater was soaked crimson and a hint of red was escaping her mouth, but the slight up and down movement of breathing and a slight tremble proved that she was still hanging on. But with how rough the wounds were, Buster doubted that he had much time.

Turning around to ask Eddie for the medical supplies, he is stopped when Eddie yells up into the darkness for Monokuma’s attention. A small screen appears within the alleyway, revealing the bear’s face up close to the camera, letting out an eerie “yeeeeees?~”

Eddie, still trembling, demands that he sends MonoCult members to help Meena. With a playful tone and dangling upside down from his throne, the bear asks why he should. Before Eddie can explain why and reach into his pocket, Monokuma revises his question and asks why Eddie wants him to save Meena.

Monokuma: Look at yourselves! It’s clear as day that you all feel betrayed! Meena had manipulated you all for her own selfish desires; she was willing to leave you all in the dust for some boy toy! So tell me, why should I help her?

The duo looks to the rest of the participants, who are taking interest in literally anything else while they plead with Monokuma to save the killing game’s third victim. They can understand why they would feel betrayed, but all of them waiting around to just let Meena die was sickening to them.

Still trembling at the idea of what might happen to him, Eddie pulls out the pamphlet given to him, fumbling with it for a bit, and presents the page to the screen, saying with as much confidence as he can muster “Yo-your own rules!”

The robobear raises a nonexistent eyebrow.

Eddie: I-it says in your own rules that, that if the blackened is exposed in the t-trial, then only they will be killed! If you l-let Meena die here, then you’d be breaking your own rules. I don’t think the au-the audi-the viewers would want that!

Grumbling and showing some teeth, the bear presses a button on the other arm of his throne and, just like last time, his collar begins to beep and flash red.

Buster and Eddie both gasp and the other participants back away in fear. Despite shaking as if he was standing on a paint mixer, the servant looks at the screen and stands his ground. The look on his face makes it seem like he’d bolt at any moment, but he refused to move.

With an aggravated groan, Monokuma presses the button again, making the beeping stop. Eddie’s legs give out from under him and he collapses to the ground, breathing heavily from the adrenaline. Buster gives a large sigh of relief for his friend.

After yelling something off screen and clapping his paws, an ambulance suddenly appears down the road in the basement and stops right in front of the two bodies. Buster has to leap out of the way from becoming roadkill, but seeing help actually come does make himself feel slightly better.

Coming bursting out of the back of the ambulance, two larger MonoCult members come out with a single stretcher and heaves Meena onboard, with little regard for her safety. The duo winces at this, but stand back and let them do their thing.

After picking her up and throwing her in the ambulance, they drive off into a passageway that had not been there before, closing right behind them. They didn’t even give a glance to Johnny’s corpse.

Monokuma turns back to his servant and, in the tone of an annoyed mother giving a whining child what he wanted, asks if he’s satisfied yet. When he asks hesitantly about why they didn’t take Johnny with them, he receives a “You gotta be kidding me” look from the bear.

Monokuma: What do you expect me to do?! I can’t bring Johnny back from the dead! And besides, he got what he deserved! He broke the rules and received punishment; all is now right in the world! But just know this, EDDIE!

Monokuma leans in closer to the camera, making the servant scoot back to the wall.

Monokuma: I may have been willing to comply this time, but don’t you think that I’ll be so helpful next time. I only did this because we can’t afford any more budget cuts; we’re low enough on funds right now as is! So if you decide to cross me again, then I’ll be having SHEEP STEW for dinner! And as for the rest of you…

He turns his attention to the other participants, cowering in fear of the bear’s presence.

Monokuma: Congratulations on completing your very first class trial. It was certainly entertaining with how you were all scrambling around for the truth, so I’m sure that this will bring in more profits for the game! But let this be a lesson for anyone who violates the natural order of this game. If you are as sloppy as Stephanie had been today, then none of you will ever see the light of day again! I hope you all now learned now that in this world, MY world, only the powerful may survive! Puhu, puhuhu, pahahahah! AAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!

As the bear’s malevolent laugh echoed through the basement of the theater, everyone realized that, in the end, they did learn something: there was no longer any hope for them in the world of the living. Buster now knew that, in this place he used to call home, the happy memories were no longer welcome.

The only thing left for them all was an overwhelming feeling of despair.

CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS TRUE FRIENDSHIP-END TO BE CONTINUED 14 left

OC Credits

Ember Gibson and Matt Pine belong to @elceetheporcupine Stephanie Hornbaker belongs to @mediasploshion Jude Therna belongs to @twilightprince101 (hey that’s me!) Jackson Riley belongs to ISmellOfStardustAndErasers (deactivated) David Flowerson and Julee Hartford belong to @superlevelup-reviews

Writing and editing

@twilightprince101 and ISmellOfStardustAndErasers (deactivated)

#danganronpa #singanronpa #spike chunsoft #team danganronpa #elceetheporcupine #mediasploshion #twilightprince101 #ismellofstardustanderasers #superlevelup-reviews #ember gibson #matt pine #stephanie hornbaker #jude therna #jackson riley #david flowerson #julee hartford #sing #sing movie #sing movie 2016 #sing 2016 #sing buster #sing buster moon #buster moon #sing eddie #sing eddie noodleman #eddie noodleman #sing rosita #sing johnny #sing meena #sing ash

[twilightprince102-blog]

Literally the best thing about having OCs is finding that one song that fits PERFECTLY for their personality/situation.

#((I recently found out that the song #Worda Fail #from #Dear Evan Hansen #fits perfectly for #Jude therna #AND the shit that they'll go through in the future)) #OCs #MY ocs #oc Jude therna #oc jude #jude the jaguar #sing #sing movie #sing movie 2016 #sing 2016 #sing jude #sing movie jude #sing movie 2016 jude #sing 2016 jude #sing jude therna #sing movie jude therna #sing movie 2016 jude therna #sing 2016 jude therna

[starringemiliaclarke]

Press: Emilia Clarke, on the Hollywood throne

The original article is in French and I just used Google to translate it so it might not be 100% correct.

    THE PARISIAN WEEKEND. As she is currently shooting the latest episodes of the Game of Thrones series , the actress is on the new Star Wars saga . Meeting with a feminist who knows how to assert herself.

  On the third floor of the chic New York Edition, in the heart of Manhattan. Pink complexion, luscious lips and eyebrows provided, a small silhouette of 1.57 meters advances towards us. British actress Emilia Clarke , 31, breaks the screen in Solo: A Star Wars Story . This tenth film stamped Star Wars , in theaters on May 23, focuses on the youth of Han Solo, cult character of the intergalactic saga.

  His name may not tell you much. The actress is best known for playing, since 2011, Daenerys Targaryen (aka “Khaleesi” or “Mother of the Dragon”), one of the main roles of the medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones .

  For those who have never looked at it, booster shot. Daenerys, fallen heiress, reduced to slavery by a band of savages, will gradually free himself from his chains by taking the lead of an army of oppressed. The episodes follow one another and the young woman, a fine military strategist, asserts herself as a leader of men and dragons (yes, yes). His goal: to run for the famous Iron Throne.

  “To embody this character, it really gave me confidence,” she says. Surrounded by her “court” – makeup artist, hairdresser, stylist and press officer ready to respond to any of her desires – Emilia Clarke, stern look, seems to have been impregnated with the imperial charisma of her double on the screen.

  This natural brunette even sports, for a few months, immaculate blonde hair , like his character! But the Game of Thrones adventure will stop soon. The last episodes of the series are currently being watched and will be broadcast from April 2019.

  “I will soon have to find out who I am without Daenerys. It’s very exciting ! She enthuses. Her dreams ? One day play a female James Bond and share the poster with Leonardo DiCaprio.

  Emilia Clarke has ambition. It goes back to childhood. The young woman grew up in the countryside of Berkshire County, between Oxford and London. His father is a sound engineer for musicals. His mother climbed the ladder of a consulting firm. “He gave me his artistic fiber, he taught me to sing and play several instruments. She gave me her character as a lioness, “she says proudly.

  The desire to become an actress comes to him very small. At home, she watches over romantic comedies with Audrey Hepburn. She follows her brother to St Edward’s School, a private school in Oxford. A “different” pupil, Emilia does not find her place among her comrades “who all dream of becoming lawyers”. She then postulates at several schools of drama. What refusals!

  The young woman leaves a few months traveling in Asia, then retries her chance. She is finally admitted to Drama Center London, one of the most prestigious British theater schools, from which Colin Firth and Michael Fassbender, among others, have come out.

  “This training is very demanding. It prepares you to face an industry that does not forgive mistakes, “she says. Nicknamed the “Trauma Center”, this establishment has the reputation of pushing its students in their entrenchments. It is mostly played roles of old lady or prostitute. Obstinate, Emilia Clarke graduated in 2009.

  His first year out of school is difficult. She gets a role in Triassic Attack (2010), a TV movie series Z broadcast on the channel Syfy, but has to chain the jobs of waitress or employee in a call center to pay his rent … It speaks then an audition for “a series with dragons”. The producers are looking for a blonde and slender actress. She is dark and not very tall.

  Without really believing, she does some research on Google to learn about Game of Thrones , the literary work of a certain George RR Martin . The creators of the series are finally seduced by her spontaneity, her humor – Emilia Clarke embarked on a “chicken dance” during her audition – and her strength of character.

  The first season of Game of Thrones airs in 2011. It earns the actress the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a drama series. Then Emilia Clarke gets noticed in two discrete British films: Spike Island (2012), Mat Whitecross, a comedy drama never released in France, and Dom Hemingway (2013), Richard Shepard, a crazy thriller where she plays alongside of Jude Law.

  Nudity on the screen, a sensitive subject

  Game of Thrones , whose popularity is growing year by year, is at the center of the debate. Praised for her female characters who lead men by the nose, the series is also labeled “machismo”, especially for its tendency to strip her heroines, Daenerys – and therefore Emilia Clarke – in the lead.

  However, when asked the young actress, elected “Sexiest Woman of the Year” by Esquire magazine in 2015, his opinion on the issue is the radio silence. His press officer even orders us to change the subject. We touched a chord.

  She who expressed herself willingly a few years ago decided to say nothing more. No doubt she keeps in mind that in 2013, when she walked the Broadway boards in the room Breakfast at Tiffany’s , the critics had much more talked about the time when she entered naked in his bath that his performance .. .

  Anxious not to be stowed in a box, she even declined to star in the series Fifty Shades of Gray (2015) because of her too many sex scenes. And has reduced his naked appearances in Game of Thrones as the seasons, when it was not replaced by a lining.

  Better paid than a man

  Emilia Clarke prefers to mention her commitments. Anti-Trump assumed, the English spoke against the Brexit and posted on his Instagram account a message of support to the British Labor Party. A convinced feminist, she confirmed that she chose to choose independent women’s roles. In Terminator: Genisys (2015), she plays, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Connor, rebel icon of the saga. And in the romantic movie Avant toi (2016), she plays a fanciful and determined young woman.

  “Feminism is leading the life I want without being defined by my gender. I think that if we say “no” to films that do not give enough space to women, they (producers, Ed) will stop doing, “she says.

  Emilia Clarke, with a character to say the least, is formidable in business. For her role in Terminator: Genisys , she would have been better paid than Schwarzy … and would have received more than 10 million dollars for his participation in the season 7 of Game of Thrones ! Without confirming these rumors, she concedes with a laugh: “I am a good negotiator! ”

  Next project for her, creating her own production box. “As soon as I finish Game of Thrones , I put myself in it,” promises the one who is already writing a screenplay. After the dragoons, Emilia Clarke intends to tame Hollywood.

    Gallery Link:

PHOTOSHOOTS & OUTTAKES > 2018 Le Parisien

  Press: Emilia Clarke, on the Hollywood throne was originally published on Enchanting Emilia Clarke

#emilia clarke #game of thrones #game of thrones cast #GOT cast #daenerys targaryen #me before you #terminator

[crowdvscritic]

crowd vs. critic // BEST OF THE DECADE (2010s)

Well, people, I tried. I really tried to whittle down the decade to 100 movies or fewer just like a good little Best of Decade list does, but here we are. That is, here we are at 144.

Maybe it’s because movies have meant so much to me this decade. When I graduated from high school in 2010, I loved John Hughes and Audrey Hepburn, but since then, film has cemented itself as my favorite art form. A few highlights in this journey:

Taking film classes at Taylor University, including a trip to the Sundance Film Festival in 2013

Writing for ZekeFilm starting in 2016

Writing about every new movie I watched in 2016

Watching classic movies while podcasting about Gilmore Girls pop culture references

Discovering my love for Turner Classic Movies, including taking their online summer course “Mad About Musicals”

Watching every movie nominated for Best Picture in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019

Beginning a slow (very slow) but sure trek through every Best Picture winner in history

And, oh yeah— starting this little blog!

I left Snow White and The Huntsman wishing someone would review it considering how fun it was even though it wasn’t a great art. Then I thought, what if that person was me? I hope my writing and critical analysis has grown since then, but I still ask the same questions about every movie I’ve watched since then: What is the popcorn potential? What is the artistic taste?

This decade I also spent July Friday nights watching outdoor movies on Art Hill, hosted annual Oscars watch parties with dear friends, attended my first midnight premiere (The Hunger Games), paid extra for the reclining seats to celebrate my first job (Interstellar), and found a laugh break with my whole family during a stressful summer (Ant-Man and the Wasp).

So here’s a small tribute to the time I spent watching, discussing, and reading and writing about movies I watched these 10 years: 72 Crowd picks and 72 Critic picks. They’re the 144 films that moved me, made me laugh, or made the biggest impact on me, and they’re the ones I recommend most from the 2010s.

Crowd-Pleasers of the 2010s

1. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – An acting tour de force you’ll still be thinking about days later. (#JohnGoodmanForBestSupportingActor) Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

2. The Age of Adaline (2015) - The color palette and costumes are dreamy, and the romance taking a back seat to Adaline’s personal growth is refreshing. On my Best of 2015.

3. Austenland (2013) – “This movie is for two kinds of people: people who love Jane Austen and people who think Jane Austen fans are funny.” – A paraphrased director Jerusha Hess. On my Sundance 2013 lineup. On my Best of 2013.

4. Ant-Man (2015) – All hail, Paul Rudd and his ability to make us care about ants. Read Crowd vs. Critic review. On my Best of 2015.

5. Avengers: Endgame (2019) - An impossibly satisfying conclusion that seemed impossible when Iron Man came out in 2008. A peak in the superhero subgenre as well as ensemble films, action flicks, sci-fi adventures, and time travel comedies. On my Best of 2019.

6. Baby Driver (2017) – If you forced me to pick my favorite on this entire list, here you go. A modern musical that lights up every spark in my brain. On my Best of 2017.

7. Beauty and the Beast (2017) – My favorite of the Disney live action remakes. On my Best of 2017.

8. Before We Go (2014) – I’m a sucker for Boy-Meets-Girl-and-They-Talk-All-Night stories, and this one’s an aesthetic dream. Excellent pick if your flight is cancelled and you’re stuck in an airport for nine hours.

9. The Big Sick (2017) – You’ll fall in love with the treasure Kumail Nanjiani. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2017.

10. Black Panther (2018) – WAKANDA FOREVER. On my Best of 2018.

11. Central Intelligence (2016) – No complaints from me when the Rock and Kevin Hart team up. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

12. Colossal (2016) – The best quasi-superhero movie no one talked about this decade. On my Best of 2017.

13. Crazy Rich Asians (2018) – Three cheers for Awkwafina! On my Best of 2018.

14. Creed (2015)

15. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – Controversial Movie Corner: My favorite of The Dark Knight trilogy.

16. Finding Dory (2016) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

17. Frozen II (2019) – Controversial Movie Corner: Better than the original.

18. Fury (2014)

19. Game Night (2018) - Come for the sharp jokes, stay for the clever heist plotting and a hilarious ensemble. On my Best of 2018.

20. Ghostbusters (2016) – I had the option to rewatch this or the 1984 version for Halloween this year, and I chose to laugh through this one. FYI, the extra 15 minutes in the extended version make a difference. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

21. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – Another modern musical. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews.

22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews.

23. Home Again (2017) – Made of pure charm. Read ZekeFilm review.

24. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) The best of the best dystopian YA adaptation series this decade. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2013.

25. I Feel Pretty (2018)

26. Inception (2010)

27. The Intern (2015) – Insanely rewatchable. On my Best of 2015.

28. Interstellar (2014)

29. Juliet, Naked (2018) – On my Best of 2018.

30. Jurassic World (2015) – Doesn’t hold up to scrutiny on second watch, but a big spectacle on a big screen. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2015.

31. The Kings of Summer (2013) – My favorite from Sundance 2013. On my Best of 2013.

32. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) – A course-correction of tired spy movie clichés. On my Best of 2015.

33. Knives Out (2019) – On my Best of 2019.

34. Kong: Skull Island (2017) – Very rewatchable. Very relistenable soundtrack.

35. Late Night (2019)

36. The Lego Movie (2014) – I didn’t choose this movie, but I laughed so hard I forgave my friends for dragging me to it.

37. Letters to Juliet (2010) – Very corny. Very rewatchable for its Italian countryside setting.

38. Logan Lucky (2017) – Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Daniel Craig at their funniest. On my Best of 2017.

39. The Magnificent Seven (2016) – Sometimes you just want to see a bunch of movie stars tearing it up. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

40. Mary Poppins Returns (2018) – One of the most successful movies on this list because it knows exactly what it wants to be and then is that. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2018.

41. The Maze Runner (2014) – Let’s just forget those sequels ever happened.

42. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) – Fallout got the most attention, but I prefer the squad in this sequel. Bonus points for Jeremy Renner. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2015.

43. Moana (2016) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

44. Monte Carlo (2011) – Wanderlust satisfied because it takes inspiration from Golden Hollywood fairy tales like Roman Holiday.

45. Morning Glory (2010)

46. The Muppets (2011) – Maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh.

47. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) – Even bigger, fatter, and Greeker than the original. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

48. Ocean’s Eight (2018) – The real heist? Eight funny ladies taking turns stealing every scene. On my Best of 2018.

49. Passengers (2016) - A near-perfect popcorn flick. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2016.

50. Paper Towns (2015) – Love me some Nat Wolff with an indie pop soundtrack.

51. Prometheus (2012) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews.

52. A Quiet Place (2018) – Where the best of commercial and critical filmmaking come together. On my Best of 2018.

53. Ready or Not (2019)

54. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) – Another entry in the Wanderlust Canon.

55. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) – Imperfect, but sticks the landing.

56. Shazam! (2019) – Read ZekeFilm review.

57. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) – Charismatic movie stars + flashy cinematography = A great time at the theatre (even when the projector fails in the middle of your screening and you have to start over).

58. The Spectacular Now (2013)

59. Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

60. Spy (2015) – I still can’t believe how much I laughed at this.

61. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – The best Star War since 1980. On my Best of 2017.

62. Super 8 (2011)

63. Tangled (2010) – Controversial Movie Corner: Better than both Frozens.

64. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

65. Toy Story 3 (2010)

66. Warm Bodies (2013) – Who knew a zom rom com would become one of my go-to comfort foods? Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2013.

67. Wonder Woman (2017) – Anyone else almost cry in that No Man’s Land scene? On my Best of 2017.

68. World War Z (2013) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2013.

69. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) – Why I’d pick the X-Men over the Avengers most days. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews.

70. Yesterday (2019) – You know a movie captures its audience when most stay through the credits to sing “Hey Jude.” On my Best of 2019.

71. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) – Hello, my name is Taylor, and I declare Woody Harrelson a national treasure. Read ZekeFilm review.

72. Zootopia (2016) – Creatively and socially sharp. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

Critic Picks of the 2010s

1. 12 Years a Slave (2013) – There’s no beauty or redemption in this chapter of America’s story, but the beauty of this is it restores humanity to millions denied it in their lifetimes. Read ZekeFilm review.

2. 20 Feet From Stardom (2013) – On my Sundance 2013 lineup. On my Best of 2013.

3. 1917 (2019) – Who needs suplots? Or more than one camera? On my Best of 2019.

4. Ad Astra (2019) – Prayerful poetry + one of Brad Pitt’s best performances. On my Best of 2019.

5. American Sniper (2014)

6. Argo (2012) – CIA work: It’s just like makin’ a movie! Read ZekeFilm review.

7. Arrival (2016) - The best Hollywood has to offer. I left wishing I felt this way after every film. Read Crowd vs. Critic review. On my Best of 2016.

8. The Artist (2011)

9. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) – On my Best of 2019.

10. Begin Again (2013) – Adam Levine singing in Begin Again > Adam Levine singing in Maroon 5. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews.

11. The Beguiled (2017) – Sofia Coppola = Queen. On my Best of 2017.

12. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

13. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – Don’t @ me—I like this better than the original. On my Best of 2017.

14. BlacKkKlansman (2018) – Just when you think this undercover investigation can’t get riskier, Spike Lee finds another way to send your blood pressure rising. On my Best of 2018.

15. The Bling Ring (2013) – Sofia Coppola = Still Queen.

16. Boyhood (2014)

17. Brooklyn (2015) – I think that Saorsie Ronan is goin’ places. On my Best of 2015.

18. Circles (2013) – Love me some symbolism. On my Sundance 2013 lineup. On my Best of 2013.

19. Dunkirk (2017) – The freshest take on World War II since Schindler’s List. On my Best of 2017.

20. Fences (2016) – Denzel Washington and Viola Davis bring issues of race, class, gender, marriage, and intelligence to life in a story as relevant today as in the 1950s. Read Crowd vs. Critic review. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2016.

21. First Man (2018) – On my Best of 2018.

22. Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) – More proof Hugh Grant is just the best. Read Crowd vs. Critic review. On my Best of 2016.

23. First Reformed (2017) – I‘ve never heard a character pray in words so close to mine. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2018.

24. The Florida Project (2017) - For what this lacked in narrative momentum, it made up for in empathy. On my Best of 2017.

25. Get Out (2017) – I’m not one for horror, and I’m not one to watch the same film twice in one week, but this broke both of those rules. On my Best of 2017.

26. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

27. Gravity (2013) – Maybe my favorite Sandra Bullock performance. On my Best of 2013.

28. Green Book (2018) – Read ZekeFilm review.

29. Hacksaw Ridge (2016) – Read Crowd vs. Critic review.

30. The Help (2011) – Prescient of the decade ahead for its soon-to-be-superstar cast and a story reminding white people they should probably just shut up and listen instead of thinking they have all the answers.

31. Hell or High Water (2016) – A modern Cain and Abel story. Read Crowd vs. Critic review. On my Best of 2016.

32. Hidden Figures (2016) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

33. I, Tonya (2017)

34. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) – Controversial Movie Corner: My preferred Barry Jenkins of the decade. On my Best of 2018.

35. Inside Out (2015) – “There’s inductive reasoning, there’s déjà vu, there’s language processing, there’s déjà vu, there’s critical thinking, there’s déjà vu…” On my Best of 2015.

36. Jackie (2016) – Changed my perspective on Natalie Portman. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2016.

37. Jojo Rabbit (2019) – Shows not just how ugly hate is but how winsome it can appear. On my Best of 2019.

38. Joy (2015) – An important film at a hard time in my life. On my Best of 2015.

39. The King’s Speech (2010)

40. La La Land (2016) – Already one of the Great Musicals. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

41. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) – Like a novel on screen. On my Best of 2019.

42. Les Misérables (2012)

43. Lincoln (2012)

44. The Light Between Oceans (2016) – Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2016.

45. Lion (2016) – Read Crowd vs. Critic review. On my Best of 2016.

46. Little Women (2019) – I don’t sob in every film, but one of the most realistic onscreen depictions of sisterhood will make me do it.  On my Best of 2019.

47. Love & Friendship (2016) - Captures Jane Austen’s sardonic tone and her eye for silliness in social etiquette. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews. On my Best of 2016.

48. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Bananas, but the best kind of bananas. On my Best of 2015.

49. Marriage Story (2019) – A divorce story I want every engaged couple to watch. An Adam Driver/Scarlett Johansson acting show I want every film lover to watch. On my Best of 2019.

50. The Martian (2015) – Of all the fantastic space stories this decade, this is the most feel-good. On my Best of 2015 list.

51. Midnight in Paris (2011) – Another entry into the Wanderlust Canon.

52. Midnight Traveler (2019) – A documentary that feels more like flipping through a family photo album than reading a newspaper. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2019.

53. Molly’s Game (2017) – Sorkin Part 1!

54. Moneyball (2011) – Sorkin Part 2!

55. mother! (2017) - Exactly zero people on Earth can explain what this story means, but I think we can all agree we don’t deserve Jennifer Lawrence. On my Best of 2017.

56. Mudbound (2017) – A Greek tragedy set in the Deep South. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2017.

57. Parasite (2019) – A Southern Gothic set in South Korea. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2019.

58. Philomena (2013)

59. The Post (2017) – Hanks. Spielberg. Streep. Need I say more? On my Best of 2017.

60. The Report (2019) - Solely included here for the performance from Adam Driver, who elevated this so much he became one of my favorite working actors by the credits. Read ZekeFilm review. On my Best of 2019.

61. Selma (2014)

62. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) – I’m ready for more J. Law and B. Coop team ups in the 2020s. Read Crowd vs. Critic reviews.

63. Sing Street (2016) – Listen to “The Riddle of the Model” and you can thank me later. Read Crowd vs. Critic review. On my Best of 2016.

64. The Social Network (2010) – Sorkin Part 3!

65. Spotlight (2015)

66. A Star Is Born (2018) – Sometimes a film is everything you hope it will be. On my Best of 2018.

67. The Theory of Everything (2014)

68. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) – A needed dialogue with unexpected opportunities for redemption. On my Best of 2017.

69. Three Identical Strangers (2018) - Sucks you in with its stranger-than-fiction premise but keeps you because of its better-than-fiction characters. On my Best of 2018.

70. The Tree of Life (2011)

71. The Two Popes (2019) – On my Best of 2019.

72. Wind River (2017) – The story lead the way instead of its politics, which makes both more compelling. More of Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in everything, please. On my Best of 2017.

Photo credits: All photos from IMDb.com.

#10 Cloverfield Lane #Ant-Man #Avengers: Endgame #Baby Driver #Beauty and the Beast #Before We Go #The Big Sick #Black Panther #Central Intelligence #Crazy Rich Asians #Creed #The Dark Knight Rises #Finding Dory #Frozen II #Game Night #Ghostbusters #Guardians of the Galaxy #Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 #Home Again #The Hunger Games: Catching Fire #I Feel Pretty #Inception #Interstellar #The Intern #Juliet Naked #Jurassic World #12 Years a Slave #Mary Poppins Return #Paper Towns #Ocean's Eight

[maximovs]

congrats jude !! ✨ 💫 celine

thank you ♡♡♡

DETAILED BLOGRATES ✨

url: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | who did you kill??domain: don’t have one | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | nICEdid i get the reference? no sorry 3 | maybe | yes! | i’ll pay you for it

icon: selfie | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | where did you get this beauty?do i know where it is from? no sorry 3 | maybe | yes! | selfie

theme: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | sTUNNINGmobile theme: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | GORGEOUScolor scheme: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | PERFECT AESTHETICupdates tab: don’t have one | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | can i steal it?

posts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | good excellent content here!are they in my fandoms? unfortunately no | some | majority | all of them (hello soulmate)

overall: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | my blog @ yours: when i grew up i wanna be like you *-* following: no sorry but ily | why wasn’t i before? | yes of course! | now and forever

NAME AESTHETIC 💫

celine: the sound of water falling, the white light of the moon, ethereal beauty, blueberries, the sound of whales singing, pearls, tiaras, a cordial smile, great halls, classical music, delicate hands, gold, lime pies

EXTRA (+ recs):

tv show: The OA (2016 - )music: O - Coldplayyour movie for 2017: The Shape of Water

celebrate with me!!

#i just want to tell you that your blog is fave <3 #i'm in love ♡♡ #katiebells #jude celebrates