#then bebe went solo and got more famous sooner off of the success of black cards.

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

i was ranting about it to bubby earlier so it might become a full post but like by all means black cards should've done well.

pete wentz, from (sh)it-boy to has-been, as the consummate professional taking on bebe rexha, overwhelmingly talented cinderella-story ingenue.... it really does sell itself!

it's an underdog story with a pre-established public figure in the form of pete wentz reasserting himself after being knocked down several pegs. he's trying to win us back and get us on board with his more mature new look. he rocks a bit of a parental vibe with his literal child and mentoring of label signees, further cementing his new image as an older, more experienced, behind-the-scenes man.

then we have bebe as the newcomer. humble background, second generation immigrant.... cinderella-style, she was supposedly 'discovered' by accident by pete and sam hollander, a record producer. they should've released 'breakfast with tiffany' as a single and played up bebe's holly golightly-ness in the accompanying video. otherworldly beauty and otherworldly talent with the intuition/smarts to know her way around an interview/public persona.... just enough of a girl-next-door underdog while still being a sure-fire star! she's obviously the perfect face/voice of the band.

(bebe has since then proven her star-power even further with her chart-success! she could've been a certified Pop Diva all the way back in black cards had they done this right.)

nate and spencer would've been the pillars of support holding the band together behind the enigmatic, polarizing duo of almost mentor/student (i don't mean it in a demeaning way to bebe. being a student isn't a bad thing. i mean like old priest/young priest style) of pete and bebe. they're the line-art to pete and bebe's raging colors. they're the anchors in the storm!

i understand that pete didn't enjoy being a public figure anymore, but he really could've played black cards better to stand back and cash the checks. he could've been the puppeteer behind it all! i understand him not wanting to risk the backlash and the hate he was already getting for fall out boy's hiatus, and obviously if black cards had done well, there would've been a lower chance of fall out boy reforming, but, on paper, black cards was a perfect storm for success.

this is speculative and for funsies.... feel free to add on if you wish. i might expand on this more seriously eventually