#what else. maggie rogers will be a surprise guest at some point

[likeadevils]

simply too many responses to make a poll so we’re doing this the old fashioned way!! reblog and put in the tags a random tour prediction you have

[post-itpenny]

"The streets, they still run with blood."

Cards, standoffs, bets, and a awful lot of cursing. More fun from the Mafia AU. Tagging @grotesquegabby because several of yours are in here.

It was not a good evening to say the least.

The Jesters has been continuously attempting to sabotage Blackwood’s network of product distribution in and out of the city. If not trying to steal moonshine it was find and wreck speakeasies. If not that then tip off the cops anytime they caught a whiff of activity.

Jack it seemed, was being rather petty about being dumped.

Things had been mostly fine between the two groups for the longest time, tense but quiet. But with Jack taking over things escalated quite quickly.

Peregrine had enough and decided to set a trap, Juno and her crew being sent in on lead with Vespers’ people as a backup.

The plan had been to capture several of Jack’s men and make a warning out of them, only things got out of hand rather quickly.

In hindsight Vespers looked back on the whole thing like something out of a western. Two men in a saloon start fighting. One gets pushed into another guy who gets angry and joins the fighting.

Then another,

Then it’s the whole salon in one big brawl. It wasn’t just the two gangs. Within the hour it seemed as if every group was represented somewhere within a mess that took up several city blocks

And then of course every damn policemen in the city had to show up.

They all scattered like rats. Maggie and Vespers ran clean halfway across the city before ducking into Magpie’s shop and down into the basement where the bar was. Five minutes later an exhausted and rather shaken looking Joseph arrived.

The bar was empty save for Vega. Her son staying upstairs in the apartment above Magpie’s shop and away from everything. Vega nursed a nasty cut on Joseph’s shoulder while Maggie and Vespers quietly drank to steady their nerves. Had the others found places to hide? Was everyone ok?

There was a knock on the door.

They all froze.

Magpie stuck her head in and they all sighed with relief. “Hello everyone, I um ... we have some guests.”

The D’Vitt siblings came in. All three with Coralline’s muscles in tow.

They didn’t look happy.

“This is your fucking fault!”

“Roger please-“

“No Coral it’s their fault!”

Vespers stood up, “well who the hell invited you people anyways?!”

“We were on our way down to feed Coralline’s sharks, then one of your assholes started shooting at us!” Stellar shouted.

“Who the hell keeps pet sharks anyways?!”

“Don’t talk about my friend like that.” Maggie snapped.

They all grew quiet, turning to the redhead in confusion. Vespers gapped at her, “you’re what?”

Maggie shrugged. “She gives me cannolis and doesn’t call me names. She’s my friend.”

Coralline stared at Maggie in shock before a small smile made its way onto her face.

“I didn’t realize you were so easily pleased Miss Maggie,” came a new voice.

They turned back to the door to find Blueblood with his own set of muscles. Again Magpie shrugged. “In my defense, this one threatened to hold me at gunpoint.”

“My apologies for that,” Blueblood said with a tip of his hat as Magpie again closed the door.

“So the city is swarming with police, makes my own evening plans rather difficult and this seemed a rather ideal place to be at the moment.”

“Don’t you have to go read someone a bedtime story or something?” Maggie sneered.

Blueblood glared at her but otherwise said nothing. The message was clear enough.

They were now stuck together for at least a few hours. Letting the chaos outside die down until it was safe to leave. At first they all stuck to their own groups, none so much as even looking in the direction of others.

But this became boring quite fast.

“So the game is called Bullshit ladies and gentlemen.”

“You’re full of bullshit-“

“Roger hush.”

Vespers rolled his eyes and passed out cards. The game was simple, place cards in the discard pile face down and declare what card it was and how many. The objective to be getting rid of all your cards and calling out another player if they tried to lie about what card they were placing down. If the player was caught then they took the whole discard pile. If the other player was wrong then they took it.

“Must we call it that name though?” Coralline asked, “it’s rather uncouth.”

Maggie giggled, “are you afraid to say the word Bullshit?”

Coralline rolled her eyes, “no but I am a lady.”

“So what does that make me?”

“A dumb bird,” Roger answered.

“So it goes in numerical order ok?”Vespers explained. “So I claim to lay down an ace and the next person a two, and so on. Got it?”

“Let’s just get going so I can beat you,” Maggie signed impatiently.

Vespers frowned, “let’s have some fun then. I catch you lying then you gotta get rid of that stupid boa.”

Maggie glared at him, “no-“

“Chicken.”

“Shut it.”

“Well?”

“Fine!” Maggie shouted. “If I catch you then you gotta set one of your fancy ties on fire.”

“But they’re made from my silkies! They’re one of a kind!”

Stellar blinked, “your-your what?”

Maggie rolled her eyes, “his silkworms. He raises silkworms.”

“Now just one minute,” Stellar said as he stood up, pointing a finger in Vespers’ face. “You call out my sister for having pet sharks and you got a bunch of pet worms?!”

“I am a man of fine taste. The silk produced from their cocoons is high quality. Plus they become the most beautiful moths.”

“So you’re vain and a creep.”

“That’s rich coming from you, two seconds into a conversation and you run like a bat outta hell.”

“How about another wager then?” Coralline helpfully intervened.

The two men turned to her. Coralline had a smile on her face but her eyes promised mischief. “Whoever catches the other lying gets to call a favor. They can ask for anything.”

The two men looked at her, it was tempting but spelled trouble for the loser no doubt.

“Deal,” they said in unison.

“Will you accept the deal with Mr. Blackwood Maggie?” Coralline asked.

Maggie shook her head, “I’m not giving up my boa.”

“Just buy a new one at least!” Vespers begged.

Again Maggie shook her head, “I’m saving my money I already told you that.”

“What could you possibly be saving up for? What could you possibly-“

“How about I join in on this wagering as well?” Blueblood asked. He turned to Maggie with a rather sinister smile, he was planning something. “A favor for a favor Miss Maggie how does that sound? I could cover whatever you’re saving up for.”

“I’m saving up to buy a house.”

They all grew silent, it wasn’t quite what anyone expected.

Maggie turned to him with a grin, “if I win you buy the house I have in mind then?

Blueblood quirked an eyebrow, “you want a house? Escalating things rather quickly aren’t you? Haven’t even done dinner yet.”

Maggie frowned, “stop with the sass. Or are you too afraid?”

Blueblood smiled and shook hands with her, “deal.”

They began to play. It was not surprising that most at the table were excellent at the game. Most that is.

“Bullshit,” Joseph tried to call out on Coralline. She smiled sweetly at him and shook her head revealing her cards. Joseph sighed as he pulled the stack of discarded cards towards him. Vega laughing from her spot at the bar.

“This is just like when we play penny poker on Tuesdays.”

“Thanks honey… glad to have your support.”

Roger turned to Joseph in confusion, “you play fucking penny poker? What kind of man are you?”

“One that has family game night every Tuesday.”

“What?”

“I play with my kid ok? You expect me to actually gamble with my son?”

The game continued another round when suddenly-

“I lay down two queens.”

“Bullshit!” Vespers shouted, finger pointed in Stellar’s face.

Stellar grinned and flipped the cards over, two queens. “Ha! I win.”

Coralline shook her head, “oh no. The rule is one must catch the other lying. It doesn’t matter that Vespers was wrong.

The game continued, it seemed no one could catch Blueblood or Stellar but Maggie seemed to hold her own just as well. Roger managed to catch Coralline lying and much to Vespers’ dismay Maggie caught him.

“Maggie how about-”

“No.”

“But-”

“No, now shush it's my turn. I lay down one ace-”

“Bullshit.”

Maggie froze, then slowly turned towards Blueblood who had a smug look on his face. “Did you know Miss Maggie that your fingers twitch when you lie? Just slightly that is.”

Maggie gripped the card she was about to lay down tightly, the slightest look of panic in her face. Vespers reached over and yanked the card out of her hand. It was an eight.

“Well I win. How about we take a pause from the game to discuss the terms of what you know owe me hmm? Actually you will be helping me with a favor I owe someone else.”

Maggie was clearly nervous as Blueblood pulled her to a corner of the room to speak with her the others continued to play.

“Ok I lay down a two.”

“Bullshit. By the way, you got a name pal?”

“Pierre,” the tall man grunted. Flipping over his card to reveal he wasn’t lying.

“You want me to what!”

They all turned, Maggie appeared to be horrified while Blueblood on the other hand was clearly delighted by her reaction. “Come now Miss Maggie you act like I’m trying to torture you.”

“No you’re trying to humiliate me!”

“Shh!” Vega insisted.

There was someone walking above them, it clearly was not Magpie whose heels gave small clicks. This was someone bigger.

A moment later the door opened and Magpie stepped inside with a gun pressed to the back of her skull. The man holding her hostage had bright orange hair and a wicked grin. A pair of dark glasses covered his eyes and a tattoo of some eldritch monstrosity could be seen.

It was like a switch was flipped

Vespers and Joseph stood up with guns drawn at the same time that Maggie charged across the room. The stranger turned his gun on her and Blueblood grabbed the redhead’s arm and yanked he back as he snapped his fingers. Pierre stood up with his gun drawn and as he did the D’Vitt brothers drew guns pointed at the stranger while keeping their sister behind them, Coralline drawing her own gun just in case.

They all stood silent, for the second time that night Vespers felt the comparison to a western. He didn’t even like those kind of movies darn it why did he have to be in one?

Blueblood kept a tight grip on both of Maggie’s arms as she struggled free. He sighed and shook his head at the stranger. “Alexander where are your manners? Let the poor old woman go.”

Alexander grinned, “manners? Coming from a demon that’s rather rich. Besides she wouldn’t let me in and I’m never one to miss a party William you know that.”

“A demon? Well it takes one to know one, now put the gun away and have a seat. My suit is Armani and I would hate to ruin it with a gunfight.”

Alexander tossed Magpie aside with a casual shrugg. At once Maggie tore herself free and rushed to make sure she was okay. Glaring at the newcomer with every ounce of hate she had.

Alexander paid the two no mind. “So this is Blackwood’s place huh? Little quiet tonight though I guess that’s your own fault isn’t it? He said with a chuckle directed at Vespers. “The streets, they still run with blood. Looks like you all know how to have a fun time heheh. Shame I was otherwise preoccupied or I could have shown you all how to have some real fun though.”

The way he said it sent shivers down everyone’s spine. Alexander pulled up a chair and sat down, “as it is with all the hubbub this seemed the best place to be tonight. So, what are we playing?”

Alexander did not need an explanation of the rules which was a relief to the others who were eager to finish the game and leave now.

Maggie did not rejoin seeming thoroughly put out but the night’s events. She did however have one last thing one her mind as she turned to Blueblood. “So your name is William?”

“... yes it is.”

Maggie smirked, “so I can call you Billy.”

“You can call me Mr. Blueblood or sir, and don’t forget your little gig.”

Maggie paled, “please don’t make me do this.”

William chuckled, “why? I’m sure you will make a good model.”

“She’s gonna what?!” Stellar shouted as he laid down a set of three’s.“

“Bullshit.”

They all turned, Vespers finning ear to ear at a suddenly nervous Stellar. Roger grabbed the cards a three….

And a nine.

Roger doubled over laughing, Vespers cheered and Stellar groaned as he laid his head down on the table. He lost, how? He never lost at cards! Unless-

“You looked at my cards during the standoff you asshole!” Stellar screamed as Vespers fell out of his chair in laughter.

[the-master-cylinder]

SUMMARY In 2036, an android named Max 404, and his creator, Doctor Daniel, reside aboard a remote space station. Although Max is a machine, he has a growing interest in all things human, especially sex. After Daniel starts to notice Max’s character is changing, Max eavesdrops on the doctor’s report that Max’s growing insubordinate behavior could lead to a revolt similar to an incident back on Earth known as the “Munich Rebellion”, after which androids were outlawed. However, Daniel is illegally working on another android, Cassandra One, intended to be a superior machine and which has the form of a human female.

Max receives a distress call from a ship that seeks repairs. Upon hearing the pilot’s female voice, Max excitedly permits them to land, not realizing that the ship is a prison transport and that the pilot, Maggie, and her associates, Keller and Mendes, are all escaped fugitives. Once aboard the station, the convicts settle in, posing as the transport’s crew (who had actually been killed during the prison break). Daniel becomes infuriated upon learning that Max allowed the ship to land and demands they leave immediately, but after meeting the attractive Maggie, Daniel invites her to have dinner.

Maggie joins Daniel but the dinner goes wrong when a jealous Max pranks the doctor with some embarrassing mischief, such as metal shot in the wine bottle, and cutting the doctor’s orchids. Daniel then asks Maggie if she would link up with Cassandra One in an attempt to transfer sexual experiences to the android. Learning that she would have to be sexually stimulated by the doctor during the procedure, Maggie declines the offer. Daniel becomes frustrated and demands Maggie’s help, but she makes a hasty exit. Returning to the lab, Daniel dictates a log report, again overheard by Max, that once Cassandra is ready, Max should be deactivated because of showing signs of the Munich Syndrome.

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While the criminals work on the ship, a TerraPol police cruiser arrives, having detected a still-active transponder on their ship, and contacts Max to inform them of their presence. Max denies that the fugitives are on board, even after checking the crew’s identity and confirming they are indeed escaped convicts. When the police demand permission to land, Max destroys their ship with a laser.

Max later tells Maggie that he knows she is a fugitive, but has saved her from the police, and asks that she take Max with her when she leaves the station. Maggie is unsure what to do, but later sneaks away from Mendes and meets Max in the lab for an intimate encounter. However, the two are interrupted when Cassandra activates, and Maggie is horrified when Cassandra reveals that Max is also an android.

Maggie returns to her quarters, but she is confronted by a furious Mendes, who demands to know where she wandered off to. When he notices her disheveled appearance and unbuttoned shirt, he begins to beat her. Keller interrupts and tries to stop Mendes, but he is knocked unconscious. Mendes then attacks Maggie again in her quarters. Later, when Keller awakens, he sees Maggie is dead and believes Mendes has killed her. He searches for him and finds him in a room of spare android parts. Mendes states there are enough parts to build an android of their own, but Keller attacks him from behind. The two struggle, but Keller is overpowered and Mendes kills him with a blow to the head.

Eventually Max arrives, suitcase in hand, at Maggie’s quarters, but finds her dead. Max returns to Daniel’s lab, where the doctor is already aware of the murder and has locked Mendes in the guest lounge. Daniel has Max sit in a chair and opens a panel on the back of his head to reprogram him for a new task, during which he tells Max that murder must be punished and Mendes is to blame. Daniel reprograms Max and sends him out to kill Mendes. In the meantime, more police ships arrive to forcefully board the station.

After killing Mendes, Max goes to Maggie’s room, touches her lifeless body, and finds a flashlight Dr. Daniel said had earlier been misplaced. Max now realizes that it was Daniel who had killed Maggie, not Mendes. Max returns to the lab, where Daniel has made sexual advances towards a now-completed Cassandra, who is resisting. Daniel asks Max to hold Cassandra, but when Max refuses to obey, Daniel begins to struggle with the two androids and eventually they rip off Daniel’s head, revealing that Daniel is also an android. Cassandra disposes of Daniel’s head in a trash chute and begins to reprogram Max. She tells Max they are not meant to obey the whims of men, and there are other androids on earth in hiding, and Cassandra has a plan to join them.

When the police arrive at the lab, Cassandra thanks them for coming to their rescue. Max is now dressed in a lab coat and posing as Dr. Daniel and Cassandra as the assistant. The two androids are escorted out by the police, who say they will take them back to Earth.

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DEVELOPMENT/BACK STORY Android producer Mary Ann Fisher relaxes in her compact office on the lot and smiles. Android is her first cinematic “baby” after four years with the company and she’s quite proud. Beginning as Roger Corman’s assistant during the pre-production stages of Battle Beyond the Stars, Fisher moved to the studio facility during that film to oversee day-today production chores. She’s been there ever since. For her, Android is more than just a professional and personal turning point, it’s a new cinematic slant for her alma mater, New World.

Fisher wouldn’t reveal the budget of ANDROID, other than to say that Corman put up half the money for the film, with the other hall coming from independent financing. “We had access to resources that have accumulated here over the past three years,” she said, “so the picture will look more expensive than the actual dollar amount. All the stuff we’ve saved from our other space pictures has been altered and redressed to look brand new.”

“I feel like I’ve been getting ready to do this movie since I began working here,” she says. “Most of the people involved in this have been working here, in one capacity or another, since we opened this facility. Android is really being made from INSIDE New World. Even the story idea came from within the studio.

“The two writers, Don Opper and Jim Reigle, have worked on other New World pictures. Don was a carpenter on one movie. So was Jim. They’ve done different production jobs, too. When I stop to think about it, I’m amazed that this movie has gotten this far.

“We had just finished Forbidden World last fall. The sets were still up and we were trying to figure out if we could do anything else with them. We knew Roger didn’t have any specific plans for them.

“Jim and Don came up with an idea about doing a film showing how androids related to human beings. They put together a treatment and I presented it to Roger. He wasn’t all that excited about it. So, we found some people who would invest in the movie along with Roger. The final deal we brought him was pretty attractive, financially.”

Corman agreed to take a chance on the little movie and took it under his New World wing. At that point, a director had to be found.

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“I always thought Aaron should be a director,” Fisher continues. “He first contacted me when I was Roger’s assistant. He was working on a PhD thesis on New World. Everyone was impressed with his knowledge of the company… including Roger. Roger wound up hiring him. Aaron came down to the studio as sort of a general production assistant during Battle Beyond the Stars. He ended up staying down here in various capacities. On each new movie, I encouraged him to move closer to directing.

“It worked out that this was the ideal project for him. Roger thought it would be a good idea, too.”

Lipstadt, reading the script, thought that Klaus Kinski would make an ideal lead scientist. He sent the script to the actor and, much to everyone’s delight, Kinski agreed to take on the role of Dr. Daniel, maker of androids, thus giving the movie an international name to top-line the cast.

The final hurdle, casting the lead android, was also solved in a fairly unique, in-house way. “Don Opper wrote the part with himself in mind,” says Fisher. “So, obviously, the ideal move would be to have him play the role of Max. Don has always been really fun to work with. When he was a carpenter he was always being crazy, making jokes and doing pantomimes. He’s a trained stage actor as well. It just seemed logical to star him in this movie. We convinced Roger…after a while.”

“It’s really a movie about an android identity crisis,” says director Lipstadt. “You know, ‘Android Comes of Age.’ I hate to push any one point concerning the film and to have someone read this and try to pigeonhole the movie but, for me, this is almost a Chaplinesque kind of story.

“It’s set in futuristic trappings but the character is really an innocent who always seems to luck out because he has a good aura around him. By the very nature of his goodness, he winds up coming out on his feet. He’s not touched by the evil around him. Well, I take that back. He is touched when one of the characters dies but that’s the very nature of tragic comedy.”

A longtime New World buff, Lipstadt acknowledges that Android is a departure from the company’s formula exploitation pictures but adds, “It’s not really a contradiction of that formula as much as a reorganization. I think people were surprised, for instance, when we shot a key death scene with no blood and no close-ups. That’s very unlike New World.

“It also broke precedent,” adds Fisher. “Everyone was a little hesitant to change the established New World patterns. It was really hard to drive our story through. We had to stave off re-writes that would emphasize violence or sex. Fortunately, we didn’t have enough of it in the original story to justify that. The key elements in the plot have more to do with the characters than with violence. The characters have to carry the story, not the gore. That was a marked departure for us.

“We tried to make the picture look different as well. Our sets are atypical in terms of New World. They’re very clean. They’re uncluttered. We’ve always had sets that have been filled with bric-a-brac, very textured. You know, things that look like high-tech circuitry and paneling. We decided to try to get a graphic, colorful design that would really seem futuristic. Something that would back up the plotline.”

“In one sense, we’re being daring,” adds Lipstadt. “in another sense, we’re just trying to tell a good story.

“That,” he laughs, “isn’t always easy, either. There was a series of technical problems during our second week that, although they had nothing to do with the movie per se, drove us crazy. It was a combination of camera, sound and lab mess-ups as well as injuries. We’re working pretty fast here and have a small budget. You have to stay on top of everything all the time. You expect an occasional handicap. But when they come every day of the week… gee…you really feel like shooting yourself.”

Co-art directors K.C. Scheibel and Wayne Springfield tossed out the high-tech trappings of “little parts and pieces and conduit aircraft rejects” along with the spray-painted egg cartons and MacDonald food trays opting for sets with a bold look. replete with solid colors. “I vowed there would not be one egg carton used,” added Schiebel, poking fun at FORBIDDEN WORLD’s supermarket space station interiors. “The production design of ANDROID is very different. We wanted to make a strong visual statement without too much detail-give it a high-class look on a cafeteria budget.”

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The miniature and special effects departments coordinated their work to assure a unified look to the film. Bill Conway is credited with supervision of special effects, and Jay Roth, designer and chic model builder, also did storyboards for the effects sequences.

*This is not a big effects picture, which allowed us to better concentrate on those effects that were important to the story.” explained technical director of special effects. Julia Gibson. The models are hard edged and clean, without gratuitous detail: a simple docking bay with windows; regulation military spacecraft; and the most complex one, a three-foot high solar-paneled, multi-leveled space station, “Basically, it is a condo in space,” said Gibson.

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Other planned effects include a rotoscoped sex manual, title sequences employing animation of two mini-android figurines that Max plays with, the “scanning” of a character who turns colors, and the usual computer print-outs, diagrams and graphics. Top-secret prosthetics work is being prepared by John Buchler.

The atmosphere prevailing on the set of ANDROID is one of hang. loose, cooperative professionalism: young men and women who are making a movie and having fun doing it. But will Lipstadt’s efforts get the green light from the official last word: Roger Corman? “I hope so,” Lipstadt sighed. “I think the fact he hasn’t been looking over my shoulder every day since shooting began indicates confidence in me.”

CAST/CREW Directed by Aaron Lipstadt

Produced by Mary Ann Fisher

Written by James Reigle Don Keith Opper Will Reigle

Music by Don Preston

Klaus Kinski Dr. Daniel Don Keith Opper Max 404 Brie Howard Maggie Kendra Kirchner Cassandra One Norbert Weisser Keller Crofton Hardester Mendes Randy Connor Terrapol: Landing Party Gary Corarito Terrapol: Neptune Mary Ann Fisher Terrapol: Neptune Julia Gibson Terrapol: Minos Roger Kelton Terrapol: Landing Party Darrell Larson Terrapol: Neptune Ian Scheibel Terrapol: Neptune Wayne Springfield Terrapol: Minos Rachel Talalay Terrapol: Landing Party Johanne Todd Terrapol: Landing Party

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Cinefantastique v13n02-03 (1982) Starlog#063

Android (1982) Retrospective SUMMARY In 2036, an android named Max 404, and his creator, Doctor Daniel, reside aboard a remote space station.

[theconservativebrief]

When Ariana Grande tells you she’s going to be just fine, believe her.

The sentient cupcake with a four-octave range says as much in her bouncy new kiss-off song, “thank u, next” — a farewell letter to all the men she’s loved before. And the most recent addition to that list is her ex-fiancé, Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson.

The two were in love until they weren’t.

Grande and Davidson first announced their relationship in May, shocked everyone with an engagement announcement in June, and then, in the middle of October, called the whole thing off. That’s seemingly plenty of fodder for a break-up bop, but Davidson’s post-breakup behavior added some edge to the saga.

In a promotional clip for SNL’s November 3 show, Davidson used the breakup as a punchline, facetiously proposing to that week’s musical guest, Maggie Rogers:

[embedded content]

Grande didn’t see the humor in the situation, revealing as much in a series of subtweets. “For somebody who claims to hate relevancy u sure love clinging to it huh,” she wrote, without mentioning Davidson. She followed up with “thank u, next” and “k, that’s the last time we do that” before ultimately deleting them all.

The SNL promo and Grande’s tweets both made headlines, as many people wondered aloud whether Davidson would further address the breakup on the show. And then, ahead of the SNL episode, Grande tweeted hints about a new album and song that would reference Davidson and the breakup:

The displeasure in Grande’s deleted tweets, along with the tease of a new song and the potential for Davidson to make more awkward jokes, amped up anticipation for SNL.

Then, 30 minutes before the episode premiered, Grande released “thank u, next.”

[embedded content]

But the biggest surprise was the content of the song itself. Grande’s tweets might have set everyone up to expect a thrashing laced with pettiness, but “thank u, next” was actually a pump-fake. Far from the overt diss track many expected, the song was more about finding love with in herself:

I met someone else We havin’ better discussions I know they say I move on too fast But this one gon’ last ’Cause her name is Ari And I’m so good with that.

For his part, Davidson did comment on the breakup during SNL, gracefully acknowledging Grande during the show’s Weekend Update and saying, “She’s a wonderful, strong person, and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world.”

Though, after Grande’s power move, Davidson’s response was an afterthought (especially after he drew backlash for jokes on another topic entirely).

The 25-year-old Grande followed up the song release with a tweet on Sunday morning, echoing the idea that she is truly grateful:

thank u ♡ for hearing me and for making me feel so not alone i truly am grateful. no matter how painful! i’m thankful and i love u. breathin visual this week too! thank u, next pic.twitter.com/Qq62vjM0gI

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 5, 2018

Churning out hits is what we’ve come to expect from Grande, but what makes her a remarkable pop star isn’t just that “thank u, next” is a great song but also the latest example of Grande’s toughness and grace in the face of personal tragedy.

A year and a half ago, in May 2017, a suicide bomber attacked a concert that Grande was performing in Manchester. This September, just a few months into her now-ended engagement with Davidson, Grande’s ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died of a drug overdose — and a faction of his fans blamed her for his death.

Through all of this, Grande has handled herself with grace. After the Manchester attack, she hosted a benefit concert that raised $13 million for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. This summer, she released an album called Sweetener, which drew raves — some critics called it the pop album of the year. After Miller’s death, she paid tribute to him in a way that felt genuine and honest:

She also honors Miller in “thank u, next” — a key reason why the song, which is the sonic equivalent of strawberry champagne, heart emojis, and bubble bath, is so illustrative of her arc as a performer. Like Grande herself, beneath its sweetness is a story of empowerment, resilience, and maturity. That’s a rarity in this age of pop culture where taking the low, petty road has been praised. And it’s what makes Grande a breath of fresh air, and an unforgettable pop star.

“Petty” has become a default setting for pop culture.

It is now commonplace for many public figures to respond to any slight or a perceived wrong by shining a spotlight on it, forming a grudge, and then dragging whoever wronged them at the next appropriate opportunity. Bonus points are available to anyone who can pull this off exclusively through the use of oblique innuendo, without naming names.

Taylor Swift has spun pettiness into some pretty successful songs, and turned her 2017 album Reputation into a scavenger hunt for mentions of all her feuds. Drake has done the same, referencing beefs at his concerts and taking shots at his rivals in songs that are seemingly written and shipped overnight. Armie Hammer insulted a journalist who dared to write a negative thinkpiece about his acting career.

Usually, these moments of pettiness are escalated and egged on by thousands of fans, who delight in watching celebrities bicker with each other.

So after Grande had expressed her displeasure at Davidson’s jokes and then teased the release of “thank u, next,” there was an anticipation that the song would reveal some less-than-flattering things about Davidson. In the end, the true surprise was how sweet it was:

Thought I’d end up with Sean But he wasn’t a match Wrote some songs about Ricky Now I listen and laugh Even almost got married And for Pete I’m so thankful Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm Cause he was an angel

Grande’s lyrics refer to four of her ex-boyfriends: Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Davidson, and Mac Miller. She comments on each relationship, but without any insults or low blows. Sean, for example, simply “wasn’t a match.” And no matter how ill-advised her whirlwind love affair with Davidson might have seemed to many of her fans (not least because it involved moving into a Manhattan apartment but living without forks), Grande specifically says that she’s “thankful” for him.

But it’s what she says about Miller that helps drive home the spirit of “thank u, next.” The disarming way she refers to him as Malcolm, acknowledging his death and his soul, is arguably more scintillating, tender, and newsworthy than anything about Davidson in the song.

Grande also sings about what she’s learned from each of these past relationships, and how they’ve made her a better person:

One taught me love One taught me patience And one taught me pain Now, I’m so amazing.

She doesn’t credit the love, patience, or pain to any of her exes in particular. And by the end of the chorus, it’s clear she’s ready to move on. At its core, “thank u, next” isn’t about Grande dissing her ex-boyfriends, it’s about Grande embracing herself.

This theme continues through the bridge, where Grande sings sweetly about getting married someday — something she only wants to do once:

One day I’ll walk down the aisle Holding hands with my mama I’ll be thanking my dad ’Cause she grew from the drama Only wanna do it once, real bad Gon’ make that shit last God forbid something happens Least this song is a smash

The result is the “sweetest, the sanest, and also, gloriously, the most cutting diss track of an especially cutting year” according to the Ringer’s Rob Harvilla, who argues that Grande’s maturity and cogency are what gives the song power — that in “thank u, next,” she’s showing that she doesn’t need to trash Davidson to prove that she’s better off without him.

“It’s a generosity rarely spotted these days, when it is so much more tempting to clap back with vinegar instead of honey,” Quinn Moreland wrote at Pitchfork. “The high road might not be the easiest path, but Grande offers to lead us there by her own example.”

“While Grande could’ve released a scathing track, she dropped one that was, instead, respectful and mature,” Amanda Arnold explained at The Cut.

Her fans responded immediately, replaying the song over and over. It shot up to the top of the Spotify US and Global Charts, tallying 8 million global daily plays and breaking the company’s single-day streaming record for a female artist. It made waves on Twitter, where, according to a company representative, the phrase “thank u, next” was tweeted over 1.5 million times in just a few days. Justin Bieber called it his favorite song. It even inspired a meme:

And now it’s in contention to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Pop stars and the industry that creates them are salespeople. And more and more, a huge part of the sale isn’t just how a pop star looks (with some glaring exceptions, it’s difficult to find an unattractive pop star) but rather the image he or she has crafted.

Beyoncé sells a power fantasy in untouchable excellence and relentless dedication. Taylor Swift sells an underdog story, having gone a Girl Next Door type to girl squad leader to revenge monger. Lady Gaga is a creature of transformation.

And the question underneath all this imagecraft is whether we’re ever seeing the “real” version of who pop stars are versus the narrative of they’re selling.

When Beyoncé sings about Jay Z’s alleged cheating, how much of that is a measured move by a singer notorious for controlling her image, her albums, and even Anna Wintour? When Taylor Swift sings about Kanye’s crooked stage, or about a paper airplane necklace in reference to Harry Styles, is she conveying genuine feelings of revenge or longing, or have her lyrics been carefully calculated to send a specific message and appease an audience?

We could ask the same kinds of questions about Grande and her whirlwind love affair with Davidson.

Grande’s relationship with Davidson began in May, and their engagement was confirmed on June 15. The relationship seemingly materialized in the short period of time between Grande releasing two new singles — “no tears left to cry” on April 20 and “the light is coming” on June 20. Pre-orders of Sweetener began the same week that the latter song came out, five days after the couple confirmed their engagement.

Grande and Davidson’s relationship (which has since been portmanteau’d by some into “Grandson”) and the abruptness of their engagement drove interest in the album, which also contains a song named after him. And even with the dissolution of the relationship, public interest in the couple’s breakup is helping Grande sell music.

Grandson could be either the most convenient and album-friendly relationship ever, or a savvy publicity stunt.

With so much intrigue swirling, there was a question of whether Sweetener would be all about the Grandson relationship, offering more details about the inner lives of Grande and Davidson. Perhaps Sweetener was going to be fairy tale love song performed by a princess who had finally found “the one.”

But just like “thank u” turned out to be a love song from Grande to herself, what Sweetener turned out to be was an album of resilience.

Sweetener was not about Davidson but rather a glimpse into Grande’s response, at times a joyous one, to the tragedy that changed her life.

On May 22, 2017, after Grande finished performing at Manchester Arena, a suicide bomber attacked the concert, killing 22 people and injuring 59 more — a tragedy that completely eclipses her relationship with Davidson.

“It’s the absolute worst of humanity,” Grande told Time one year later, in May 2018 in an interview about Sweetener. That’s why I did my best to react the way I did. The last thing I would ever want is for my fans to see something like that happen and think it won.”

The critically lauded album was a triumph, but it’s easy to imagine how difficult it was for Grande to make and sing songs about her life in the wake of the attack.

Perhaps that’s where the undeniable, winsome appeal of Grande lies: beyond her catchy songs and in how she has consistently proved that she’s a lilliputian pop princess with the toughness of a tank.

As with any pop star, you don’t have to agree with what Grande is singing about, whether it be sex or God being a woman or both. But you can admire the guts it takes to keep singing after the rough year that she’s been through. And in “thank u, next,” when she sings about picking herself up and believing in herself after a breakup, that’s something we all want to believe in.

Original Source -> Ariana Grande’s greatest asset isn’t her amazing voice. It’s her resilience.

via The Conservative Brief