#but hes capital Britney Spears TOXIC

[mchiti]

The American black and white thinking is so crazy and the worst part is that it seems like it’s infecting every online space. Like even for minor things like football opinions or music/film reviews you see it. It’s even worse when it’s serious things like what’s happening with Liam. I’m 100% convinced that if Britney Spears were going through her breakdown today, young “progressive” Americans would try to find some problematic thing she said or did to justify bullying her. They like to pretend that they’re better than previous generations but they’re not, they just their cruelty under a progressive veneer.

right? ... just to give you an idea one of my fave korean artists had a minor incident months ago, he fell off an electric scooter by himself (was proceeding pretty slow on the cycle lane and all). he had drank something tho (not much but right enough to exceed) and so had his license revoked and a whole mess followed. now you would expect south korean media to be quite harsh on it because artists there are supposed to be perfect 24/7 (it's ugly but it is what it is) but if you go on certain dominantly american sites (redd*t, ohnoth*ydidnt, any other gossipy-starbiz dedicated forum like that) is full of american lashing their cruelty because "well doesn't matter it was an e-scooter, still ugly, still fucked up, still messed from him, so fuck him, there's no excuse for..." and fuck him fuck him fuck him etc.

like bruh at some point we need to address this toxicity for real and when I say it is embedded in their culture it's because it truly is. USA literally created a bipartisan system, they only have two political parties competing, they divided the whole world into the good side (them + the west) and the bad (ussr + allies) and they keep doing it now (christians vs muslims, west vs east, capitalism vs communism, conservatism vs progress...). it's a very pragmatic culture after all, always has been. you either do good or you do bad, you're either socially acceptable or you're fucked. one single mistake, one single word said wrong and you're fucked for life. this punitive thinking dressed as being progressive and woke... when in fact it sounds pretty fascist to me. extremely fascist.

of course not all americans are like that but in general I don't think usa (and in a minor stance the brits tbh) ever got rid of their inner catholic puritanism tbh. Human beings are complicated and complex and nuanced and deep and sometimes contradictory. they can be beautiful, they can also be terrible, but they are still humans. Cancelling someone over one single word out of place or one single mistake...of course in the case of LP he did way more than that. Of course he had to pay. but what part of me showing some sadness for a young life ended like that means siding with the "oppressor" ? all these big words pronounced and not an once of empathy towards anything or anyone. what world is this really? might work in the individualist capitalist bubble they live in but I'm not into that.

[tododeku-or-bust]

"So i can fuck anybody i want?"

This why Lestat not getting chose 🤣

[lserver362reviews]

First: I am a huge gross Elvis apologist. Second: I had seen the trailer for this movie and said, "I'm not going to see that. It wasn't a Revival Tent that got Elvis into spirituality + music" and then Priscilla Presley took to social media and said that she had seen a screening of the film and that Austin Butler got the spirit of Elvis. Third: I watched 'Strictly Ballroom' and said, "Baz knows how to make a movie." Fourth: My sister is home for the first time in 2 years and she wanted us to see it together. Fifth: I try to make everyone I love see The King (2017) because it explains the cultural influence that this poor boy from Tupelo, MS had and how his life is a metaphor for the United States with the influence of capitalism and greed led by Mr. Colonel Tom Parker. I got to see that in a small local theater with the director and performance from one of my local musical heroes, Kat Wright, who makes an appearance for a performance in the back of one of Elvis' Rolls-Royce's. Six: I adore the '68 Comeback Special and I first saw it in the movie theater in 2018 and my world was rocked with how quietly political it is. Seven, and I'll start talking about this film now: Austin Butler killed it, as everyone has said in the reviews I've read, his appearance on Jimmy Fallon, and as Priscilla had shared. The mannerisms, the life, the dialogue, were all so solid. His performance goes beyond impersonation and it is a gift. There are points where it's hard to know how old he is because of Butler's youth but I can get past that. Now, I'm a fan of montage and maximalism (and I as stated in point one, huge Elvis fan) so that being said, this movie was basically made for me. The care that was put into the sequence of the Comeback Special made me cry. Baz really gets it (Thank you, Baz). The assassination of Bobby Kennedy during the filming of the special and therefore the inclusion of 'If I Can Dream' always makes me emotional. For everyone who wants to say that Elvis wasn't political in his own way needs to watch this sequence. Sure, he still stuck with what wouldn't alienate anyone and therefore sold out a bit, and held back real comment or stance, but I see what he did do as real action instead of just talk. I think overall, Baz really gets that Elvis is the culmination of a lot of things that are deeply American. I think it is a fumble to have Elvis be an anointed figure though. It rubbed me the wrong way in the trailer, as in point two, and in the film that the spirit and the music of Black Christians that influenced who Elvis was was depicted in the way it was. It's an unnecessary exaggeration in mine eyes. He didn't find his spiritual voice in a Revivalist Tent, that's just not it. What was not exaggerated enough was the change in Elvis' image over time. Bloated Elvis is hard to see but it illustrates the physical turmoil his lifestyle put him through. To do the performances that he did at the speed and schedule that he did drove him to medication and ultimately his death. This movie did a good job with working addiction in, while still being respectful to the family. I did also love the handling of his "shit ass movies" -Ethan Hawke, in The King (2017). Go watch them for yourselves, this movie didn't need to devote time to them! I loved the work in of Britney Spear's 'Toxic' and 'Viva Las Vegas'. Perfect way to sum up that decade of those movies. I think it's really apt that the last performance of 'Unchained Melody' is how most Elvis media ends. It was just so powerful while also being so desperate. It really showed a man at the end of his rope and life capacity. Showbiz can do that to you. I will say, that the Vegas years are not my area of expertise, I do tend to shield my eyes from the bloated king, so I'm curious about the attempted firing of the Colonel. I love that this movie worked in so many direct quotes and stage comments from Elvis, so I'll have to see if that really was something that happened on stage. I think it's a weird choice to have the Colonel be the narrator and how we access the story of Elvis. I guess it makes some kind of sense but I think most people will find it pretty disagreeable, sorry Tom Hanks. Overall, a really fun time and I love Elvis. I do recommend watching The '68 Comeback Special, The Searcher (2018), and The King (2017), and if you really want a laugh or to see how Ethan Hawke is correct, some of his "shit-ass movies".

[milich96]

😔✊ it’s sort of organized except for the last couple songs

- this is soft And angsty they’ll work it out in the end and find happiness together. the heavier angrier songs can be considered a cutoff point for their relationship but in my mind those are Emotional Moments to be regretted later

- featuring traditional earth ballad “toxic” by classical singer britney spears

- shirt stealer redd burning all of the clothes he snatched from tom and then being really upset bc those were the last things he had that smelled like him and he ruined it without thinking

- “i don’t really like your boyfriend” is from sable’s pov. she n tom are lonely bi solidarity and also probably friends with benefits

- be gay do crime feel bad love nook

-‐-----------------------

THE TITLE SENDS ME IT IS EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED AND DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED AT THE SAME TIME!

[penultimateapogee]

hey dude for the music challenge u should do ALL OF EM

heh heh heh... such was my plan ALL ALONG. i will now use this ask as the place to do it (here’s the post btw)

1. A song that reminds you of your childhood: anything from Fiddler On The Roof (the original Broadway cast recording)... my dad loves Fiddler On The Roof and he used to play it all the time

2. A song to sleep to: heh, anything at 2am. but really New York And Back by Leanne & Naara

3. A song that your best friend loves: oh god, really? cmon i cant just know that...! ummmm mazie and i had a really in depth running conversation about her favorite music about two years ago but im forgetting it all. im PRETTY SURE Venus Ambassador by Bryan Scary & the Shredding Tears was the inspiration for her OC Stuart who we both love and occasionally develop

4. A song that hypes you the fuck up: HEH ANYTHING....! oh my god this is a haaaaard one because of how many options i have!!! but also: Awaken by Riot Games feat. Valerie Broussard, because WHEN THE DEVIL IS KNOCKINGGGGGGGGG... SO ALL YOU RESTLESS

5. A song you like to daydream to: i can only say “heh anything” so many times!! literally i daydream to basically every single song; its foundational to how i consume music. i’ll bring out the real heavy hitter now and say Follow You Down by Zedd feat. Bright Lights. ive got some REAL good daydreams for that one

6. A song that’s on at least 3 of your playlists: *breath in* no just kidding, i do my best to make sure my playlists arent too similar. the day you stop me from putting I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers on every character playlist is the day i die tho

7. A song that you love from a genre you don’t usually like: this should be easy; lemme just flip through my catalog of “songs i bought independent of their albums because i was building an 8tracks playlist in iTunes”... actually no, Planetary (GO!) by My Chemical Romance! i dont usually like whatever subgenre of rock MCR is all that much but this one GOES (fittingly shjfdis)

8. A song that you liked when you where 10 that still slaps: Der Kommissar by Falco. no fucking hesitation. i can thank my fluent-in-german mom for this one

9. A song that makes you want to go on an adventure: Zero by Imagine Dragons! ive daydreamed some poppin’ space adventures to that one

10. A song you’d want to dance with your partner to ( or future partner ): so, so much... NOT Jenny by Studio Killers because i just wanna make out to that one; maybe I Go Crazy by Paul Davis

11. A song to stomp around and pout to: difficult, because when i pout, i pout like grimbark jade, in that i go “actually im better than everyone and you can all smd.” then again, having made that clear, Roman Holiday by Nikki Minaj (shoutout: @floralmarsupial for killing me with that lyricstuck)

12. A song to listen to whilst you lie in a meadow: Folding Chair by Regina Spektor. TOO EASY

13. A song that reflects your views on love: uhhhhh. huh. polyam moments? no songs about polyamory moments? being polyamorous fundamentally affects my views on love in a way im not sure ive ever heard a song capture moments? Hot Air Balloon by Owl City because i’ll be out of my mind, and you’ll be out of ideas pretty soon, so let’s spend the afternoon in a cold hot air balloon

14. A song to sing to the sun: i feel like its probably not the intended spirit of this question, but Coming Over (feat. James Hersey) by Dillon Francis & Kygo. im usually more of a nighttime girl but honestly? call me xoxo

15. A song you like that sounds like its on the soundtrack to an indie coming of age film: ohhhh my gooooddddd literally any fucking Bastille song. any of them. thats like their whole angle and i LIVE for it. im picking Snakes because snakes are biting at my heels, the worries that refuse to let us go; ive been kicking them away and hoping not to let them take control

16. A song that you like that romanticises being a teenager: i would love to say Teen Idle by MARINA for the irony but i cant bring myself to. (ill still link it tho.) real answer is Centuries by Fall Out Boy, because whether or not it actually romanticises being a teen i just feel it yknow

17. A song that makes you want to grab your friends jump up and down dancing and screaming the lyrics: why did they write a question to which the only answer is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen? i dont get it. just kidding another acceptable answer is Toxic by Britney Spears (my white is showing im sure)

18. A song that you like that the lyrics are just so beautiful they’re practically poetry: well actually i have such good taste that every song i listen to is poetry. (trying to remember the lyrics i cried to out of nowhere yesterday. oh right it was The Draw by Bastille but most of it doesnt fit the question as much) ANY Hozier song. im linking his fucking artist page because im NOT KIDDING. ANY HOZIER SONG. i toyed with picking a specific song as an “also, it’s this one haha” but no, im dead serious. i cant pick just one

19. A song that you can imagine listening to in an abandoned church ( if it isn’t hozier im judging you, but whatever ): ironic! to pick a specific Hozier song this time (because op is right, he’s the only choice), Talk

20. A song from the soundtrack of a film that you like so much after the film finished you immediately looked for it: hm, i feel like i have done this before, but i cant recall when... well i didnt go “oh fuck bop [blacks out]” but Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. remember Thor: Ragnarok? that was a good movie

21. A song for when the sun has gone down and you are feeling absolutely buck-wild with exhilaration!: Lost In Japan (Remix) by Shawn Mendes & Zedd, because no song hits my city-hotel aesthetic quite like this one does

22. A song that makes you feel like you’re strolling through Ancient Greece living your best life: ancient Greece...! that throws a fun twist in it; Don’t Leave Me (Ne me quitte pas) by Regina Spektor

23. A song that when you listen to it you’re transported to a liminal space, time is pointless and you must sit and wallow in the void that remains: Shots (Broiler Remix) by Imagine Dragons feat. Broiler. i glanced at this question early on and have been sitting on it the whole time. just LISTEN to it

23. A song to listen to on a long drive when you have the really strong urge to keep driving until you find somewhere to start a new life (preferably a europian city whose language you don’t speak): Evelyn by Kim Tillman & Silent Films. it just called to me here

im a little sad that i couldnt put every song ive ever listened to in here so heres some more good ones that i didnt choose: Citrine by Hayley Kiyoko (this is actually a whole EP), Lone Digger by Caravan Palace, Safe And Sound by Capital Cities, Absentee by Jack Campbell, River Flows In You by Yiruma, Instant Crush by Daft Punk, Link by Jim Yosef, Poke Bowl by Radiant Children, Optimistic by cehryl, Quiet by Lights, Superposition by Young the Giant, Far Too Young To Die by Panic! at the Disco, The Good, the Bad and the Dirty also by P!atD, Whatever It Takes by Hollywood Undead, LUNARIA (instrumental) by Chouchou. i know thats easily enough to make your eyes glaze over but mutuals especially it would mean a lot to me if you listened to at least a few of the songs i linked in this post because music means a lot to me and sharing it with other people is one of my favorite things :]

[ts1989fanatic]

Taylor Swift And The End Of An Era

Love her or hate her, Taylor Swift embodied the contradictions of the decade in pop music

“I’m so sick of running as fast as I can,” Taylor Swift sings in the chorus of “The Man,” a song from her latest album, Lover. She chose the up-tempo tune to open her “Artist of the Decade” medley at the AMAs last month, and it’s a return to familiar Swiftian themes; she claps back at unspecified, sexist critics who fail to acknowledge her “good ideas and power moves.”

Whatever one might think of Swift’s underdog complex, it’s not surprising that the end of the 2010s finds her exhausted. Her transformation from tween country sensation to tabloid-friendly pop star to polarizing Twitter talking point and, finally, to celebrity supernova, required — at the very least — plenty of stamina.

There’s no question that straight white femininity still occupies a privileged place in the cultural landscape, which helped pave the way for Swift’s rise and decade-long pop dominance — even as she became a zeitgeisty symbol of that privilege and a target for those seeking to contest it. Yet as many of her similarly situated peers have faltered, she has endured as one of the last pop behemoths of her kind.

Time and again Swift strategically read and rode the decade’s cultural waves, deciding not just which trends and genres to jump on but, perhaps more importantly, what to pass on. As pop music became feud-centric reality television, there was Taylor; as stan culture transformed the way listeners interacted with performers (and each other), there was Taylor; as artists’ rights in the streaming era entered the conversation, there was Taylor; as politics infiltrated music, there was (sort of, eventually) Taylor.

There are definitely plenty of other contenders for Artist of the Decade (a title both the AMAs and Billboard recently bestowed on Swift) — artists who have hugely impacted pop music over the past 10 years and managed to ride out the seismic, industry-wide shifts they’ve contained, from Beyoncé to Lady Gaga to Kanye West. But you don’t have to think Swift was the “best” or even most significant artist of the decade to acknowledge that her cultural domination, and her ability to pivot and reinvent herself, captured many of the defining tensions of pop music over the last decade.

It’s hard to remember (in internet years) that before 2010, Swift was just a teen pop star and not yet a cultural lightning rod. She was already taken seriously as a musician and had plenty of cultural capital coming into the decade; in 2009, having already won Artist of the Year at the AMAs, she was about to accept a Video Music Award for Female Video of the Year when Kanye infamously interrupted her speech. In early 2010, she won Album of the Year for Fearless at the Grammy Awards, beating out Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

Her early stardom revolved mostly around the fact that she was a precocious young country artist who wrote her own songs, without the risqué edge or sexy-but-wholesome cognitive dissonance of someone like an early Britney Spears to worry white parents and inspire pearl-clutching tabloid magazine covers. And it wasn’t really until Speak Now — when Swift was already a mainstream star but still categorized as country — that she began teasing the media and her fans about the ways her autobiographical lyrics mapped onto her real life, especially regarding the men she was dating.

People are still wondering whether Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” is about Uncle Joey, so it was startling for a young woman songwriter and musical celebrity of her commercial reach to use her songs to consistently craft such intimate stories about such equally public men, including Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, and John Mayer. And there was something uniquely bold about the way Swift started using her confessional songwriting and melodic sensibility to “get the last word” on her relationships, as People magazine framed it in her first cover story.

People hardly batted an eye in 2018 when Ariana Grande’s first No. 1 hit, “Thank U, Next,” literally name-checked her list of ex-boyfriends, and that’s in no small part because of Swift. Because even as reality TV stars like the Kardashians and Real Housewives were figuring out how to create multiplatform storytelling through social media, Swift was already pioneering the strategy in the big pop machine. Yes, she opportunistically used this to shame exes, create fodder for talk shows, and garner magazine covers; and even then, it raised some hackles about the way she was using her power. But it was undeniably compelling theater, and even nonfans were watching.

That multiplatform mixture of music and drama wouldn’t have succeeded without the undeniably catchy earworms Swift’s diary entries were wrapped in, or without the devoted fanbase of Swifties that she cultivated online. This all helped her break chart records with her most explicitly pop albums, including 2012’s Red and 2014’s ’80s-inspired 1989. The latter garnered the biggest first-week sales for a pop album since Britney Spears in 2002, helping Swift keep the tradition of the monocultural pop star alive.

But as Swift’s music saturated airwaves, and her willingness to tease behind-the-scenes details of her life in her songs moved beyond ex-boyfriends like Harry Styles (“Style”) into swatting at other pop stars like Katy Perry (“Bad Blood”) the public began to sour on Swift’s strategic use of her personal life in her music. (To Swift’s credit as a performer, no other pop star could sing the lyrics “Band-Aids don’t fix bullet holes” about a dispute over a backup dancer with a straight face.)

Juxtaposed with Swift’s self-celebrating “girl squad” feminism, her opportunism — and seeming hypocrisy — started to rankle. By 2015, even racist sympathizer and critic Camille Paglia came out of the woodwork to anoint Swift a “Nazi barbie,” calling out her tendency to treat friends as props. And all these contradictions of Swift’s persona would come to a head when Swift’s seemingly buried feud with Kanye came roaring back the following year.

It makes sense that her clash with Kanye and Kim Kardashian West became the first time she experienced a real backlash. Unlike the drama around her dating life or with Perry, it was the first time Swift was up against equally savvy adversaries — celebrities who, like her, were professionals at merging their public and private lives.

The fight was a meta moment by design, inspired by West’s song “Famous,” where he raps: “I made that bitch famous.” In retrospect, it seems clear that West, as much a publicity-seeking pop diva as Swift, was trying to get the last word after going on an apology tour about the interruption heard round the world. Swift claimed to be annoyed over what she saw as the song’s credit-taking message, and she tried to make it part of her own narrative. “I want to say to all the young women out there,” she intoned in her speech accepting a Grammy for Album of the Year in February 2016, “there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.”

In another era, Swift’s storyline might have won the day. Her publicist denied that she had approved the line in the song, despite Kanye’s claim that he had checked with her before releasing it. But celebrity narratives, to some degree, were no longer being decided just by white-dominated mainstream media. Black publications were the first to tease out the racial undertones of Swift’s lie in the ensuing “he said, she said,” specifically as a white woman playing on the ingrained sympathy and benefit of the doubt that white women are given in US culture.

Still, it wasn’t until Kim’s Snapchat leak that July — where Swift could be heard approving the song — that the Swift-as-victim narrative became a framework for understanding her entire career. Contemporary white pop stars like Grande and Miley Cyrus had faced musical appropriation backlashes, but this time it was Swift’s entire persona — not just her music — that were under scrutiny.

Swift’s memeable response to the leak — “I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative” — was followed by her own disappearance from the media landscape. By the time the 2016 election happened — amid the chatter about white women’s complicity in electing Trump — Swift’s refusal to take a political stand solidly cast her as a cultural villain, and her symbolism as an icon of toxic white womanhood was sealed.

If the clamor of social media (especially Twitter) was central to the Swift backlash, it was also central to her eventual resurgence. Over the past decade, social media (especially Instagram) has tipped the scales in celebrity coverage and helped celebrities tell their stories on their own terms, almost without intermediaries. Swift knew how to use that to her advantage and decided to play the long game.

By refusing interviews for 18 months, wiping her social media clean, and focusing on cultivating her Tumblr fanbase, Swift removed herself from the cultural conversation for a beat. This kind of brand management helped her keep an ear to the ground while in a self-imposed exile. But it’s as if the culture couldn’t stop conjuring her; rumors about her absence spread, including that she had traveled around inside a suitcase.

In August 2017, she wiped her social media clean and reappeared with a snake video — reclaiming the serpent emojis — in what was ultimately the announcement for her Reputation album, and which remains one of the most iconic social media rollouts ever. “Look What You Made Me Do,” the lead single, was endlessly memed — Swift couldn’t come to the phone, a perfect metaphor for her cultural disappearance and, perhaps, a kind of ghostly remake of the Kanye call. The album succeeded because it seemed as though Swift was finally open to owning her melodrama and messiness. She subsequently broke records with the tour and album sales.

Still, her political silence was affecting her image and music. By 2018, insipid corporate wokeness had become the order of the day, and Swift Inc. again pivoted musically and culturally. Swift came out for the Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms, framing her support in terms of LGBTQ rights and racial justice. And this year, the second single from her latest album, Lover — “You Need to Calm Down” — was a perfect encapsulation of her politics of messiness, conflating anti-gay prejudice with Twitter drama. (And somehow turning the video into a celebration of pop queens supporting each other). This fall, she has made sure to include über-stan–turned–pop star (and video coproducer) Todrick Hall at her awards show moments, attempting to expand the range of racial and sexual identities included in what used to be her mostly straight white “girl squad” feminism.

For all of Swift’s success at updating her persona, she’s never quite regained her massive radio dominance — but no pop star can depend on the success of singles for over a decade. In fact, Swift is one of the most interesting figures of the decade because her stardom is caught between the old-school era of album buying and our current streaming moment.

And, inevitably, Swift has turned her own industry issues around streaming and artistic ownership into a wider commentary on artists’ rights — which happens to work as a canny form of further brand management. She framed herself as an ethical businesswoman when she called out Apple for not paying artists, and she battled with Spotify over streaming royalties but without really pushing for wider systemic industry change.

Earlier this year, Swift started a new artist-versus-industry fight about her music masters being bought out from under her by nemesis Scooter Braun. It’s a complicated story, one that Swift has framed as being about “toxic male privilege,” and the fact that Braun mocked her during the Kanye era — once again blurring, in her trademark mode, the personal with the public and the systemic with the individual.

Instead of being seen as opportunistic, Swift seems to have succeeded in framing her campaign as a fight for unsigned and less powerful artists’ rights, which has resonated at a moment where content creators are all pitted against the 1% of the tech and corporate worlds. This time, even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — a squad member any star would envy — backed her up.

Swift’s response to being anointed Artist of the Decade by the AMAs and Billboard provides interesting insight into how she sees herself now and where she thinks the next decade is going. She chose Carole King, one of the preeminent symbols of pop music authenticity, to present her AMA, squarely placing herself in a genealogy of great women singer-songwriters. She also enlisted shiny next-gen pop stars Camila Cabello and Halsey to join her during her performance of old hits.

In her Billboard speech, Swift name-checked newer stars like Lizzo, Becky G, and Billie Eilish as the future of the industry. Tellingly, they are women who, so far, have not played into the tabloidy pop dramas that dominated the 2010s. If this decade has shown us anything, it’s that blurring public and private through music can reap big rewards, but it also opens up stars — especially the women of pop — to more intense scrutiny and a higher degree of personal accountability.

In a Billboard interview looking back on the decade, Swift spoke about her relationship to fame and learning to hold things back. “I didn’t quite know what exactly to ... share and what to protect. I think a lot of people go through that, especially in the last decade,” she said. “There was this phase where social media felt fun and casual and quirky and safe. And then it got to the point where everyone has to evaluate their relationship with social media. So I decided that the best thing I have to offer people is my music.”

Like Lana Del Rey denying she ever had a persona, or Lady Gaga stripping down with Joanne, there seems to come a point when white pop divas need to declare themselves authentic and all about the music — as if their ongoing narratives aren’t part of the show. But the way Swift used her image and the never-ending soap opera that swirled around her to make space for her music in an increasingly saturated attention economy was itself a kind of art. ●

[mbtiwebcomic]

Running an empire that is based on controlling its population with an iron fist is not easy. There are revolutions, terroristic organisations, and the worst of all - a spreading virus. An influence that corrupts the people, coming closer and closer to plunging the Empire into chaos. An idea.

With the growing influence of the civil rights movement, not acknowledging a group of minor data breaches in the Empire's database that are possibly connected might be seen as excusable. After all, it's not like a little hacking can bring down a fine-tuned dictatorship with a thousand year plan for the future, right?

The Empire's population is painstakingly regulated and micromanaged in order to achieve maximum productivity and obedience. Each person is offered a variety of professions they can pursue, each one of them based on the individual's MBTI type. Rationals are pushed towards technology, Guardians towards management and organisation, Idealists towards arts and people (of course, anything created is checked for any controversial ideas before letting it out into the world), and Artisans - towards physical and/or risky professions. At a first glance, this might seem reasonable, because of societal norms, enforced in the Empire's first year, which not so gently nudge people into the "recommended" fields for each one of them. This way, kids grow up thinking they have options. Most of them don't even consider choosing something else - and why would they? The great Emperor has taken the burden of choice from them and is offering a small selection of professions which can best use their talents to help society prosper. There is no doubt that this works. Even the most nonconforming of people have sucked it up. But still, there are some exceptions.

Like a brilliant ENFP that adores the thrill that hacking offers her. Or a rough INTJ that dreams of epic battles. Devastating clashes of armies. The thrill of a fight. An unlikely duo, formed at an unlikely place.

The fateful encounter happens in a pretty bad time for the Empire. Artisan rebels are ravaging the least populated areas and it's crucial that they do not put the cities under siege. Therefore, all of the Empire's efforts are directed at solving this problem, effectively allowing a skilled, but clumsy ENFP hacker to sneak in not-so-important official buildings in order to steal data, which she later sells to rebels, and an inexperienced INTJ warrior to steal a military grade laser gun so she could find a way to achieve her goals. Goals, which, at the moment, were limited to survival.

The ENFP has accepted her greatest challenge yet - infiltrating an important command center in the third biggest city in the Empire. The information she is about to steal can be key to a successful siege of the city by the hands of the rebels.

Disabling a part of the security system, ENFP successfully gets into the building using the ventilation shafts, but just as she arrives at the third floor, she accidentally activates a well-hidden alarm and the whole place goes into lockdown. The hacker attempts to get back into the shafts but finds toxic gas coming out of them. Desperate to find an exit, she starts running through the building, only to be spotted by a guard who screams with rage. Time stops. Paralyzed with fear, the ENFP can only watch as he aims at her. His finger tickles the trigger.

"This is the end of the line."

Suddenly, a blue flash flies out of nowhere, striking the guard in the head, colouring the wall behind him red.

ENFP gasps, forcing herself to take a step back when a girl with a short red hair holding a dangerous-looking laser gun steps out from behind a corner. The stranger takes a quick look at the corpse and then at the hacker, and the Idealist wonders if the same fate awaits her. An awkward silence follows, during which the INTJ is shamelessly staring at her, probably to figure out if she's an enemy, and more importantly - if she is a threat. After a few seconds, she nods at the ENFP to follow her. The buzzing sounds of the alarm do not fail to remind the duo that the building they are currently in is populated by hundreds of trained guards that are actively looking for them. On top of that, deadly gas is flooding into the building as they search. They need to get out NOW.

The INTJ attempts to blow up the wall using the blaster but doesn't even manage to scratch it. Their time is running out.

However, as the gas is slowly creeping into the room, ENFP spots a small screen on the wall - the ones used to distribute messages to employees. If she got lucky, she could have a shot at infiltrating the system through it.

"Cover me. I'm going to get us out of here."

The INTJ looks at her skeptically but gets in position. One or two guards wander over to their location, but thanks to the element of surprise, she manages to take them out and take the gas masks they are wearing. Good, the slow and painful death has been avoided. Now, the small army between these walls. After what seems like an eternity, the ENFP finally disconnects from the screen and flashes a smile.

"Follow me."

She leads the INTJ down the stairs, all the way to the first floor, and heads for the exit. The warrior is on her toes for an unexpected attack, but one does not happen. The metal barriers that replace the door during a lockdown are gone, and the two women leave freely. 

As they open the door, the INTJ puts on a mask, but the ENFP doesn't bother. After all, why would she keep the cameras working after hijacking the guards' communications so she could order them to gather at one place, posing as an officer, and then trap them in there?

She would be dead by now if she didn't learn to take every precaution.

One would expect that an ENTJ-run empire would be pretty protected by hackers. The truth is - it is. There are more security protocols on each database than there are cities in Europe. However, the head programmers had made a small miscalculation when creating them. They had assumed that only Rationals would be driven to set out on this path, due to their government-enforced background in programming, and, therefore, directed their efforts at places they thought a Rational would look. They had not envisioned a scenario in which anyone other than an NT would even think of attempting to break through their defenses.

And the ENFP is pretty much anything but a Rational.

Not long after that, the two start working together - infiltrating important buildings in order to steal important data, which later gets sold to the ones who pay most. Later, though, as they get settled into their new reality, they start to be a little more picky about the people they sell the tyrannical Empire's secrets to - they don't want civilians getting hurt, after all, and helping genuine terrorists that only want a reign of chaos to consume the land, is not very compatible with that desire.

The duo becomes known as "Toxic", because of the fact that every time they manage to successfully complete their mission, the ENFP plants a self-replicating virus on the building's systems, which plays "Toxic" by Britney Spears on repeat.

Thanks to ENFP's hacking skills and INTJ's meticulousness in eliminating every witness who has seen them without disguises, nobody even knows anything behind the people of "Toxic".

I like to believe that the INTJ meets her end at a mission at the capital of the Empire that involves stealing top-secret war plans from the Emperor's castle itself. The castle is in a lockdown and they don't have a lot of time. INTJ is aware of the importance of the mission and knows that, if successful, it can bring the Empire to its knees. She just needs to buy ENFP time to break into the database. She runs off as ENFP is sitting in front of a holographic screen, struggling to find a way to get through the firewalls, and heads for the most dangerous place in the whole palace - the Emperor's quarters.

She manages to surprise the guards, and a pretty epic fight follows, during which the INTJ manages to kill 13 people singlehandedly, and gravely injure the Emperor (he gets better, though) before getting shot in the head.

ENFP knows the moment it happens. She has implanted a sensor in INTJ's arm that's constantly reporting her partner's biomedical conditions and location to her. Swallowing back tears, she gets off the ground, having just extracted the crucial information. The hacker looks at the small pink hard drive in her hand. INTJ dedicated her life to freeing the people from the Empire.

She was going to finish the deed.

There is some radio silence for a few months. "Toxic" has not taken responsibility for any recent hits. The Emperor, having fully recovered by the shot that INTJ managed to hit him with, has assumed that she was the only one behind the hits.

There are a few solo missions after INTJ's death, and each one of them has a very specific goal - acquiring the data needed by the Artisan rebels the ENFP has teamed up with after the palace's missions. They are planning a big hit - one that would destroy the Empire once and for all. And she is hell-bent on making it happen.

February 24, 3369. 420 days after a certain lady with hair, red as blood, died in the heat of battle. This is the day a young blonde woman with colorful streaks in her hair enters the Empire's capital - Ordo. 45 % of the population lives there, right under the nose of the glorious Emperor. A smile escapes the girl. Today's the day.

6.30 pm. The Emperor looks at the city beneath him through the bulletproof windows of his office. Recently, things have been pretty rough. The growing power of the Artisan rebellion, the hits by "Toxic", and that damned hippie spreading foolish ideas like "All people deserve to be able to think for themselves!" and "Chocolate is good for the soul!". Idiot. The ENTJ starts getting lost in thought. This whole thing has proven to be much harder than he thought. Turns out humans aren't nearly as predictable as he thought. If he got a second chance, would he do things differently? Who knew.

He stays frozen in thought for a few minutes when suddenly a very familiar noise shakes him out of his trance and sends shivers down his spine. Drops of cold sweat appear on his forehead as a soft voice starts singing from the columns through the city.

"Baby, can't you see I'm calling"

The Emperor takes a step back in panic. Toxic? No way. He saw her death with his own eyes. Unless..

"A guy like you should wear a warning It's dangerous I'm falling"

She wasn't alone.

Suddenly, a series of bright pink explosions consume half the city, and a thunderous boom knocks the ENTJ off his feet. After a split second, the lights in the room are killed and the Emperor stumbles to the window. Thousands of savages start flowing into the city and the Empire's forces are nowhere to be found. Panicking, the ENTJ reaches for his desk, searching for a hidden button that will open a door to his underground shelter. His ship might be going down. But he would never.

Amidst the chaos, a girl stands. She has dirty blonde hair with about every color mixed in it. She observes the destruction calmly, with serene peacefulness. They had succeeded. The mission was completed. Future generations would no longer be constrained by the wishes of a narcissist that ignored people's wishes in his endless quest for power and efficiency.

But at what cost? So many deaths. So much chaos. Would someone take advantage of the opportunity and set out on the path of the former Emperor? Would they be better than him? Would the world finally know peace? She doesn't know the answers. And even if she did, she would probably be left with even more questions. The most important thing right now for her is that INTJ's death was not in vain. The rest? She will figure it out.

[wtfwhy]

Soo ummm, I got a anon submission from some Sterek fan or whatever and I was trying to reply to it cause I thought it was really funny, but something happened and it's literally gone I'm so upset 😭 genuinely devastated rn, hopefully I'll figure it out and find it again

Their main argument was that just because Scott was my fav doesn't mean people have to worship the ground he walks on or something, but Stiles is actually my favorite character, it's just that I don't hate Scott. You can like both of them guys, they can coexist in our hearts.

And yeah you don't have to like Scott or anything but a lot of people hate him for such truly illogical reason that it ticked me off lol

And they accused me of probably shipping Scott and Derek??? Girl where? That's equally as disgusting. All pedo ships are NOT OK, it's a pretty simple concept to understand, I do not, and will not, ship any adult/child relationships ever

(Edit from a few weeks later: I just realized that I probably should've been more clear what I meant by morally dubious ships. Now idk if this is the actual definition of the term, but I was talking like toxic ships that aren't pedophilic. For example pre-redemption Theo x Stiles or something, Stiles hates him and Theo is creepy so Stiles would not have a good time with him, BUT their dynamic in season 5 makes it interesting. Or here's a complete crack ship that I actually find fucking hilarious: Peter x Kate. This ship is one of the funniest things I've ever thought of, you can't convince me their children wouldn't be the antichrist. Not only would their relationship be toxic, with a capital Britney Spears, but they would actively make the world a worse place just by being together. They would make climate change worse.

Sorry got off track!! Basically what I meant was ships that are interesting (because of dynamics, situations, personality, etc.) but not good for one or both of the people in the relationship (or more if it's poly). Again if you need another example, if anyone here watches Hunter x Hunter, don't judge me but I low-key ship Kurapika and Chrollo because I think the idea of Chrollo flirting with Kurapika while Kurapika is actively trying to murder him is hilarious. But obviously they would be terrible for each other if actually together.

I think pedophilic and incestuous relationship do actually count in this category of morally dubious, but I find those gross and upsetting so no, I do NOT ship any)

And the last thing I remember (my memory sucks ass) is something about how I should've been talking about more important stuff, like how the producers have been treating the actress for Kira, but like, that's not what the post was about. You can care about more than one problem at a time. Plus everyone is rightly talking about that, but almost nobody is talking about how gross Sterek is because the fandom is overrun with Sterek shippers

I'm going to try to figure out where in the void that anon disappeared to, so at the very least I can screenshot them (if I accidentally deleted I'ma be so mad), but yeah here's some more points

Edit: HOLY SHIT I FOUND IT

It was in my drafts????? Um ok

Entitlement to what?? ✋😭

Have to rant about Teen Wolf for a bit (anti-sterek, complaining about anti-scott mccall, pro-stiles)

Why are people upset that Sterek was never canon?? Like it's already confusing that so many people ship it like it's a normal ship. Like guys, STILES IS A CHILD, DEREK IS AN ADULT. Yeah, Stiles is an adult at the end of the show, but they met when he was like 15/16, Christ at that age I couldn't even image dating someone 17 or 18, much less 25!! (His age is a little unclear but it's around that) (and yes I know about his age recon, it's irrelevant because he was originally 19ish and that's still an adult/child relationship) That's a whole decade age gap. If they had met when stiles was already 18+, sure, still kinda weird but fine. But that's not what happened.

To put it in perspective, I bet a lot of you think the Kate and Young Derek kiss scene was gross and weird (at least hopefully you do) Google says she was about 29 when that happened and Derek was turned 15. That's a 14 year difference. Now you might be complaining, 'the sterek age gap is smaller than that!' well it's about 9ish years and that's STILL GROSS

And on young Derek, he was around Stiles' age (1-2 year difference) and it's such a drastic age difference from normal Derek, right? So if young Derek is considered a child who shouldn't be kissed by an adult, why is it ok when it's Stiles? And it also just shows how large of an age gap they have when Derek is around Stiles' age and he's literally a baby if that makes any sense.

They reconned Derek's age because if he was 19 and she was like 27-28 then he would've been 13 when they got together and she would've been 22ish. Huge pedo issue there obviously. And guess what, thats the same age gap as Sterek.

And some of you might say, 'well other shows have canon adult/child relationships!' that's true, but either it's criticized in the narrative or Pretty Little Liers (I really like that show but WTF was up with all the pedo ships???? Especially AriaxEzra) and just because a lot of things do it doesn't make the thing ok, for example, shipping Sterek.

They don't even really have any romantic chemistry, like their dynamic was funny but most of it was Derek literally hating on Stiles. Like if you're going to ship a morally dubious ship, 1) at least have it be an interesting ship? They're so boring together 🙄 and 2) own up to it!!! Most of y'all act like Derek wouldn't get thrown in jail if he was into stiles like that

Personally I like to think after some nice character development, Derek comes to see both Stiles and Scott as little brothers, but unfortunately I've become so tainted by the onslaught of inescapable sterek content that even then with a very cute, platonic relationship seems wrong, which is stupid but my brain has now blacklisted any fan content with either of them in it now...

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON SCOTT HATE, genuinely what is WRONG with you people?? He's the purest, sweetest character in the entire show! And sure, Stiles is more interesting as a character, but Scott is a really good protagonist. Good comparison I thought of is how in ALAB everyone is obsessed with Zuko even tho Aang is the main character. The only difference is that for some reason a big percentage of the fandom decided to shit on Scott for no reason.

Main 'reasons' I've seen:

Scott is a bad friend

- When???? Where? The only time I could kinda see that is in season 1, but think about it like this, he's 16 (A CHILD) and not only is in love for the first time, but has to deal with all the werewolf/alpha stuff that went down in that season. He's busy, he's going through it. And yeah Stiles was very involved and was doing his best to help, but Scott can't be in a million places at once. Guys, normal kids are worse friends than Scott ever was and are still good people, cause it happens sometimes. Are you constantly think about your bestie when you have a million other things going on? Probably not! And it wasn't even that bad because Scott did keep stiles in the loop 90% of the time!!! Y'all actually like Scott was Gon in the chimera ant arc 🙄

His argument with Stiles in season 5

- Was Stiles having a rough time? Yeah, absolutely. Was he in the right? Yeah. But was Scott also really going through it?? Definitely, boy was struggling. Not only does this kid have the weight of the world on his shoulders all the goddamn time, but there was the whole mess they were dealing with, Hayden was dying, he and Liam were arguing, he was having such bad anxiety his asthma was coming back... Man was not in a good headspace.

Coupled that with the very specific way that Theo lied to him (let's be honest, it really does sound like something Stiles would do for his dad), and the miscommunication of Stiles not denying that something did happen, Scott believing that it was more murder than self defense makes a lot of sense to me. And when they do finally talk it out, it's really wholesome and Scott is not only really understanding, but apologetic.

Also, again, real relationships have misunderstandings and lack of good communication all the goddamn time. This doesn't make someone a bad person or a bad friend. FICTIONAL CHARACTERS CAN HAVE FLAWS AND MAKE MISTAKES WITHOUT BEING BAD PEOPLE!!!

Really sorry this is so long and probably has mistakes in it but I was mad and it's late lol

[erhiem]

Hey Millennials: This Year Was Started no statement made Reboot makes you feel old? Maybe it feels like only yesterday that you were hooked up with Nickelodeon Drake and Josho; Today, Drake Bell Making headlines for allegations of endangering children. Or maybe it’s hard to believe Jamie Lynn Spears– known as high schooler Zoey Brooks – is the mother of two children.

Which is to say, we can’t believe how much time has passed since we first met these child stars. And it’s equally unbelievable that after all these years, they continue to make headlines (some for better reasons than others.) Take a trip down memory lane and find out where all your favorite exes are. Nickelodeon Stars are now.

Victoria Justice

(s_bukley/Shutterstock.com, Ron Adar, Shutterstock.com)

what are they most famous for

Victoria Justice made her TV debut in a 2003 episode Gilmore Girls, but children’s channels are where he got fame. after three seasons Zoey 101 and appearances on shows like Zack & Cody’s Suite Life And no statement made, Justice earned top billing in sitcoms victorious. For four seasons, she won over millions of teens with her role as aspiring singer Tori Vega. The series earned two consecutive Kids’ Choice Awards (2012 and 2013) for Favorite TV Show.

what are they doing now

Now 28, Justice is an all-around entertainer who divides her time between singing and acting. One of her major projects included starring alongside Laverne Cox in 2016 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again. She also self-released two singles this year: “Stay” and “To F-Kin’ Nice.”

She has not forgotten her roots either. In 2020, he hosted a virtual edition of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

Drake Bell

(Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com, David Livingston / Getty Images)

what are they most famous for

Drake Bell was 13 when he first appeared on Nickelodeon amanda show; Five years later, he and co-star Josh Peck earned their own spin-off. Drake and Josho. NS odd Couple-esque sitcom ran for four seasons between 2004 and 2007 and spawned three full-length TV movies. Bell also found success as a musician, writing and performing the series’ theme song, “I Found a Way”. His role helped him win several Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actor and Favorite TV Show.

what are they doing now

Bell had a successful career following Nick, voicing Spider-Man in various TV series: Avengers Assemblehandjob Hulk and SMASH . agent of, And ultimate Spider Man. They have also released a total of five studio albums, including one in the U.S. Board 200.

But recent legal troubles have put his career and reputation at risk. In early July, Bell pleaded guilty to charges of attempt to endanger a child in relation to an incident involving a 15-year-old girl. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service.

Jennette mccurdy

(Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com, Janet McCurdy / YouTube)

what are they most famous for

Janet McCurdy is best known for playing Sam Puckett no statement made. After running for five years, she starred in two seasons of the spin-off Sam and Cato. He also showed promise as a musician, landing on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the 2012 single “Generation Love”.

what are they doing now

But McCurdy didn’t capitalize on his teenage fame the way his fellow Nickelodeon peers did. He eventually quit acting and also recently declined the opportunity to appear in no statement made reboot.

Earlier this year she said, “I’m annoyed with my career in many ways.” “I feel so unfulfilled by the roles I played and realized it was the sweetest, most embarrassing.”

McCurdy revealed that his acting years had hidden personal traumas, including a history of eating disorders and a toxic relationship with his mother. Today, she has changed her life and focuses on work behind the camera. She has written and directed three short films since 2018 and currently hosts the podcast empty inside.

Keke Palmer

(Jaguar PS/Shutterstock.com, Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

what are they most famous for

Keke Palmer was a promising star with an impressive resume (akila and beehandjob Tyler Perry House of Payne) long ago Nickelodeon scooped her up to play the lead True Jackson, VP. Palmer’s role on the sitcom made her the fourth highest-paid child star of 2010; She also linked her success to a fashion line she runs at Walmart.

what are they doing now

True Jackson, VP lasted three seasons and ended in 2011, but Palmer continued to work on other projects for Nickelodeon, including voiceover work. Winx Club and a starring role in the film rags. However, she didn’t trust the teen demographic forever. In 2019, he co-hosted the daytime news program GMA3 (Or Strahan, Sara, and Keke) with Sarah Haines and Michael Strahan. She also had a role in Lorraine Scarafia hustler.

Palmer, who has one studio album and four EPs, has also continued to pursue music. (The Twitter controversy doesn’t seem to have affected his career.) In 2020, he hosted the MTV Video Music Awards, where he performed the single “Snack”.

Jamie Lynn Spears

(s_bukley/Shutterstock.com, ViacomCBS)

what are they most famous for

Jamie Lynn Spears was not one to live in the shadow of her older sister, Britney. From 2002–2004, he starred in episodes of the sketch comedy show all that. The following year, she created her own show, Zoey 101. The series ran for three years and was one of Nickelodeon’s highest-rated shows of the 2000s. In 2006, Spears won the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Actress.

what are they doing now

Spears became pregnant during the final season of Zoey 101 And is currently the mother of two children, Maddie Brian Aldridge and Ivy Joan Watson. She dropped out of the limelight for a few years to focus on motherhood, but in 2019 she was cast in the Netflix series sweet magnolias. The following year, he confirmed that a Zoey 101 Reboot in progress after cast reunion all that.

All eyes are currently on Spears as her older sister is fighting for her independence. Perhaps she will provide more details in her memoir, which is set to be released in January 2022.

Amanda Bynes

(Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com, Instagram)

what are they most famous for

Amanda Bynes was Nickelodeon’s golden child in the 1990s. His natural comedic talent in sketch shows all that Make your own popular variety led series amanda show. From there, he spent four years starring in the WB comedy what I like About You While working on his budding film career. with positive reviews for she’s the Man And spray, fans and critics see a promising future for Bynes.

what are they doing now

In 2010, Bynes announced his retirement from acting after filming his final film, easy a. After a string of disturbing and controversial behavior, in 2013 her parents for stereotyping. She turned a new leaf as a student at the Los Angeles Fashion School, graduating in 2019. Bynes continues to struggle to restart a stalled career, but worried fans on social media are in favor of a comeback.

Miranda Cosgrove

(Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com, Paramount+)

what are they most famous for

Miranda Cosgrove Showed Promise Ever Since She Played Sassy Little Schoolgirl Summer Hathaway school of Rock. But it was his lead role on Nickelodeon no statement made Which made him a household name. In addition to starring in six seasons of the teen sitcom, she also starred in other shows for several channels (Drake and Joshohandjob Zoey 101handjob all that) and had a starring voice role in despicable Me film series.

what are they doing now

Cosgrove releases studio album Sparks fly in 2010, but it seems she prefers acting over music. Most recently, he received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his CBS series Mission Invincible with Miranda Cosgrove. And earlier this year, he starred in the reboot of iCarly on Paramount Plus. Cosgrove also served as an executive producer on the series—a reminder that she’s come a long way from being a beloved child star.

josh peck

(Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com, Matt Winkelmayer/Getty Images)

what are they most famous for

Like Drake Bell, Josh Peck Got His Start amanda show Before transitioning to my own sitcom Drake and Josho. Since then, his varied career has included indie films, voice roles for the Ice Age animated film series, and primetime network series. His role on the short-lived Fox comedy grandfathered He even received a 2016 People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Actor in a New TV Series.

what are they doing now

In 2017, Peck made an unusual transition from acting to vlogging. He started out as a regular member of David Dobrik’s vlog squad and then set up his own YouTube channel.

But he has not stopped acting completely. In July, he returned to the screen as the star of turner and hooch on Disney+. He is also currently filming 13: musical, co-starring Peter Hermann (Small, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Rhea Perlman.

Devon Workheiser

(s_bukley / Shutterstock.com, @devonwerkheiser / TikTok)

what are they most famous for

Devon Verkheiser came to the senses of children after playing Ned Bigby in the popular Nickelodeon sitcom neds declassified school survival guide. The series ran for three seasons between 2004 and 2006, after which the young actor started working in musicals. Between one-time spots on various TV shows (2 Broke Girlshandjob Greekhandjob criminal mind), they released their 2016 studio album Proposal and three EPs.

what are they doing now

In 2019, Werkheiser appeared in the film crown vic, starring Bridget Moynahan and David Krumholtz. The following year, he starred in 10 episodes of the Twitch original series. Synthetic. He keeps his fans busy these days on TikTok, where he has 1 million followers.

Source

The post What These Former Nickelodeon Stars Are Up To Now In 2021 appeared first on Spicy Celebrity News.

[aion-rsa]

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage Review: Behind the Scenes of a Musical Disaster

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That ain’t teenage spirit you’re smelling. HBO’s Music Box documentary Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage reeks of righteous condemnation, judicial indiscretion, and conspiratorial obfuscation. But it’s okay. This is a disaster film masquerading as a documentary, and the found footage makes it all pay off. Director Garrett Price personally opens the film in the voiceover, explaining how the 1999 celebration itself was written to be a comedy, but “played out much more like a horror film.”

Music festivals have come to represent generations. The original Woodstock: an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music concert in the summer of 1969 brought half a million people together with the artists who spoke for and to them in a communal love bond. The organizers lost money, the capacity was underestimated, but the audience came together to share what they had to make the weekend legendary. In December that year, the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont was marred by the pool cues and knives of the security team, the Hells Angels. It was deemed the end of the ‘60s.

Woodstock ‘94 happened at the height of the Grunge Revolution, when Kurt Cobain wore a dress but didn’t shave his stubble, and Riot Grrrls blasted personal dissent with the passion of the punk elite and no one cared if they shaved their legs. The organizers lost money, but the fans and the bands were one unit who achieved the common goal of joy. Woodstock ‘99 happened five years later and enjoyed the accessibility of the mainstream’s greatest unifier: MTV. The organizers made money and 200,000 people attended, but the audience got such a raw deal, even the musicians who played got scared. It is remembered as “the day the ’90s died.”

Opening on the 22nd anniversary of the festival, the documentary deems Woodstock ’99 a disaster. They even call in a guy from FEMA, who says it was worse than Hurricane Katrina and the great flood. Told chronologically, Price, who previously directed Love, Antosha, the 2019 tribute to Anton Yelchin, begins with the excitement of a three-day festival.  Held on a former military installation in Rome, New York, the Griffiss Air Base was set up to keep the grounds free of ticketless celebrants.

The security team is exposed as a bunch of amateurs specially trained on which boxes to check in a multiple-choice test, and how to find someone’s personal stash of bottled water in a backpack. “There’s a festival grounds in Germany that was literally built by Hitler,” The Offspring’s guitarist Noodles says in an interview. “It’s a great venue, a lot of fun. The air base was less hospitable than the venue built by Nazis.”

There were nonstop performances held a mile apart from each other on the grounds. One highlighted its mosh pits, the other the dance floor. The biggest electronic artist in the Rave Tent proves his genre’s atmosphere opens doorways to perception. “There is a sixth sense that you develop when you spend your life going to venues,” Moby says in an interview. “We got off the bus and I was like, ‘Something is not right.'”

The film is very generous with behind-the-scenes footage. We are treated to aerial shots of cramped campsites, long ATM lines, leaky Port-O-Potties oozing something that only looked like mud, and $4 water bottles, which sold as much as beer in temperatures over 100 degrees. We are told in advance three people died, 44 were arrested. There were 10 reported sexual assaults.

The lineup for the concert was a mix of hard rock bands, pop stars, and hip-hop acts like The Roots, and ICP. Rapper DMX’s epithetic call and response performance gets special notice. “The Black performer is essentially licensing the people in the crowd to say this word with him,” New York Times’ Wesley Morris says in an interview. “If you got each one of these guys after the show, and pulled them aside and said, ‘is it OK to say the N-word under any circumstances?’ They would, to a person, say, ‘I mean, the right answer is no, right?’”

For returning music aficionados with remnants of the first gathering still in their memories, organizers booked jam bands and a few older acts like Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, and The Who’s John Entwistle. “The ’99 Woodstock seemed like it was trying to relive a nostalgic moment, along with commercialism and capitalism, but not having a real soulful purpose for the show,” singer-songwriter Jewel says in an interview.

As the documentary points out, a lot of the younger attendees had no idea what Wyclef Jean was referencing in his solo guitar performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” They ask one kid, who can’t remember who did it first even though he’s standing directly under a huge stencil of Jimi Hendrix’s name. When Bush’s Gavin Rossdale begins Country Joe & the Fish’s ���Gimme an F,” the chanters only seek Amy.  

Music is supposed to have charms which soothe the savage breast. Many people think the final word of the phrase is “beast,” and the documentary further blurs the line. The early ‘90s music artists were anti-misogynist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic and radically informed. Happening at the end of the Clinton era, when MTV pitted boy bands and pop girls against nü-metal rockers, a fur-coated Kid Rock could call Monica Lewinsky a ho and pass it off as a political statement.

Toxic masculinity’s dirty sister framed Britney Spears as a “Girls Gone Wild” extra, and magazines like Maxim and FHM encouraged the idea young men could shout “show your tits” to Rosie Perez without getting bitch-slapped, the documentary posits. Only three women were invited to perform at the weekend-long, two-stage festival: Jewel, Alanis Morrissette, and Sheryl Crow. “I’m baffled how it went from the progressive, enlightened values of Kurt Cobain and Michael Stipe to misogyny and homophobia and the rape-frat boy culture that was at Woodstock ‘99,” Moby ponders in the film.

Of course, none of wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t all pre-staged. This is where Price dips into the era’s obsession with paranoia. It was the end of the millennium, the Columbine shootings had happened, and the Y2K bug was coming. It was finally time to party like it’s 1999. “Really, the biggest problem was that MTV set the tone,” organizer John Scher says in an interview.

But he downplays it, like he might have been warned by Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files. “There’s no question that a few incidents took place. But if you go back in the records of the police and state police and stuff, we’re not talking about 100. Or even 50. We’re talking about 10. I am critical of the hundreds of women that were walking around with no clothes on, and expecting not to be touched. They shouldn’t have been touched, and I condemn it. But you know, I think that women that were running around naked, you know, are at least partially to blame for that.”

Partial blame is all the rage in Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage. The documentary points out how history paints the original Woodstock like it really was a return to the garden, with peace and love and former flower children having babies to Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice.” But music journalist Steven Hyden reminds us about a group of disgruntled shoppers called “’The Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers,” who didn’t like food prices and burned dozens of stands down.

After Woodstock ’99 grounds started smoking when the candles handed out for a vigil for Columbine victims became torches to burn the place down, the documentary says Rome Mayor Joseph Griffo asked Anthony Kiedis to douse the crowd’s misplaced enthusiasm. The Red Hot Chili Peppers launched into a scorching rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.” History blames bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Rage Against the Machine for the destruction. But really, the artistic decision of that song to those circumstances is a no-brainer. “Smoke on the Water” would have been too easy. “Disco Inferno” would have been too obvious.

The documentary talks with the event’s organizers, as well as performers like Korn’s Jonathan Davis, The Offspring, Scott Stapp of Creed, The Roots’ Black Thought. Wesley Morris and Spin‘s Maureen Callahan put things into perspective. The only person the documentary doesn’t talk with is Fred Durst, the frontman for Limp Bizkit, who became the poster boy for the event’s bad behavior. Oh, they talk about him, though. They talk about him like he’s not there, and because he’s not there they must think he won’t see it. At the height of Limp Bizkit’s set, the singer encouraged the crowd to “Break Stuff.” But let’s be fair, it is the name of their song, and Durst is the guy who told the crowd to pick someone up if they fall, not to grope them.

This is what happens when the counterculture makes money. Everyone wants a piece. Woodstock 99: Love, Peace, and Rage is an even-handed dispenser of blame, and has slices for all. The first in a series of music-based documentaries from Bill Simmons’ Ringer Films, this immersive journey bodes well for upcoming tunes.

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Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is available to stream on HBO Max now.

The post Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage Review: Behind the Scenes of a Musical Disaster appeared first on Den of Geek.

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