#also a song that fits this vibe more would be new year’s day by taylor swift

[wastingawayinmyroom]

@rosekillermicrofic - prompt: falling - word count: 235 - warnings: mcd

The first time Evan asks him to dance, it's on a balcony, outside the crowded club, and Barty is powerless to say no.

"Just like that," Evan whispers in his ear, as they move their bodies together. There is no music outside; they don't need it.

The invent their own beat, their own melody. They create something new. Just like they created the bond between them.

Barty feels himself falling deeper and deeper into the blue of Evan's eyes, the subtle roughness of his voice, and he's powerless to say no to that, too. He doesn’t want to, anyway.

He feels himself smile. He doesn't know if Evan can see, since the sun went down ages ago, but he knows Evan can feel it, and he feels Evan smile back too.

...

The last time they dance, it’s in the kitchen, the warm glow of evening sunlight filling the space.

”You can’t do this forever,” Evan whispers, lips brushing against the shell of Barty’s ear.

Barty doesn’t want to acknowledge that. “I can. I will.”

Evan shakes his head, the movement slight and subtle. “I’m already gone, Barty. You need to let go.”

His voice is soft yet confident, and Barty finds himself wanting to bottle the sound. “Then what?”

Evan smiles. The light dances across his forehead, and he leans in. “You live, love. For me, hm?”

And when Evan Rosier, the beloved fragment of his mind, disappears, Barty realizes he is powerless to say no to this too.

[likeadevils]

if you had to guess purely on vibes, what order do you think the ttpd and anthology songs were written?

i know you said just based on vibes but i wanted all of my opinions to be researched and defensible so this has taken me hours to write. most of these are still opinions though!!

2022/Early 2023: i'm guessing she was mostly working with aaron on new stuff this year, while her and jack were building instrumental tracks and stems, so they could streamline writing while she was on tour if she wanted to. i'm also guessing she did 1989 tv early in 2022 and speak now tv that winter, but that's mostly based on vibes.

UNKNOWN: Clara Bow, Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus (i could see this being recorded later in spring 2023, but it just sounds so 2022 to me), I Hate It Here, I Look in People's Windows (could easily be a post mh breakup song, but this is my list), Cassandra Dec 2022: Instrumentals for Fresh Out The Slammer, Florida!!!, and Guilty As Sin are recorded in New Orleans (FOTS and Florida were confirmed to have their vocals recorded in New York) Apr 12, 2023: Taylor is photographed at Electric Lady, then Aaron shows up to all three of her eras dates in Tampa (Apr 14-16). The songs credited to both Jack and Aaron are But Daddy I Love Him. (implausible given how she and Matty were not publically dating at the time, this would be three days after her and joe announced their breakup) and thanK you aIMee (more plausible imo but still unlikely). If I had to guess I would say Taylor was recording Who's Afraid, but idk she could've not recorded anything and just have been in the studio to be in the studio, yknow

MAY: matty month. i'm guessing she was mostly working with jack, but theres nothing stopping her from working with aaron (until he leaves for tour on may 18 and is gone the rest of the month). i'm also guessing she was planning on recording a taylor's version this month, because fresh out the slammer, guilty as sin, and the alchemy all have christopher rowe credits, who is taylor's main tv collaborator.

UNKNOWN: But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out The Slammer (i could also see this being what i call a "wrap up song", which is a song written late in the process about emotions felt earlier in the process, in order to fill listeners in about some crucial detail(s) she hadn't covered in a song. think like, style being the last song written for 1989, or fortnight almost definitely being written in october), Guilty as Sin? (this might've been written earlier, but i doubt it was recorded before late april), Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?, The Alchemy (i'm a "it was originally about matty healy but it fit so well for travis that she decided to retroactively transform it into a travis song" truther, but that can obviously be totally wrong) May 7, 2023: The Albatross (mostly based on taylor and aaron both being in nashville and her officially getting together with matty, but i could see this also being a wrap up song) May 24, 2023: Florida!!! May 31, 2023: The Tortured Poets Department (two photos of her from this day are labeled as "the tortured poets department" and "ttpd" are on her and jacks insta)

JUNE: reports that taylor and matty broke up hit early june. jack leaves for europe in july and gets married in august, so i'm guessing he wasn't super available again until september (she also isnt photographed at electric lady between Jun 28-Sep 5). so i'm guessing the more intense jack stuff was written in june (aaron was def still around though)

UNKNOWN: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, imgonnagetyouback (just based on when GUTS was released, i'm guessing this wasn't written after september 8) Jun 22, 2023: The Black Dog Jun 29, 2023: Down Bad

JULY: seems like aaron time! jack is seemingly in europe, aaron wasn't touring, and he showed up to two eras dates this month

UNKNOWN: So Long London, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, How Did It End? (this might've been written in april, but personally i would need a couple months to be able to process and express this), The Prophecy, Peter

AUGUST: a weird month! aaron is touring (though he is in nashville on the 15th), and Jack gets married on the 19th so i imagine he was busy. taylor was photgraphed in a studio in LA on the 2nd that, as far as i can tell, was not credited on TTPD (i don't have the anthology credits though).

SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER: wrap up time! i'm guessing theres probably a ton more down here, but i erred on the side of songs being written in the moment-- but i don't think she was writing multiple songs a week while on tour from may-july

UNKNOWN: I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) (i guess it could technically have been written earlier but it feels too playful to me to have been written pre-september. also the christopher rowe credit makes me think she was recording another tv late in the year), loml (it feels like a june/july song to me but it has a christopher rowe credit and that throws me off) So High School (for obvious reasons) Early Oct, 2023: Fortnight Nov 13, 2023: Us (taylor also played bdilh for gracie that night, so we know it was written by november)

WHO KNOWS: i could see all of these being written in 2022 or 2023

UNKNOWN: thanK you aIMee, The Bolter, Robin, The Manuscript

[mikailys]

you said jason and candy's relationship was written while listening to "i can see you", do you have options on the others love interests?

Thank you for the ask anon!

Honestly I spent more time focusing on Jason's but I sure do also have some ideas for the other LIs.

Note: it's Taylor Swift centered because I find her music the perfect medium for storytelling and also cause she's the only artist i've been listening non-stop in the last year so yeah you don't have very much choice.

Also the songs are chosen purely based on the vibes they're giving me off, they might not be 100% accurate lore-wise.

Thomas: I'm Only Me When I'm With You. Whenever I'm listening to this song I immediately think about him and I imagine it as if he's telling Candy how he feels comfortable in her company and how she's the only one who understands him.

« When I'm with anybody else It's so hard to be myself And only you can tell »

On a similar theme, another song I think would fit their relationship is State of Grace.

« You come around and the armor falls Pierce the room like a cannonball Now all we know is don't let go »

Devon: oh our dear boss is a Lover boy. I can't unsee it also I feel London Boy would suit him but idk that's only based on my personal headcanons.

« And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years? »

But also has a certain reputation to be a New Year's Day boy.

« I can tell that it's gonna be a long road I'll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe Or if you strike out and you’re crawlin' home »

Amanda: with her it is a bit more difficult since we don't know yet her background but I would say gold rush it's a good fit. I feel like she resembles the gold rush: everybody wants her, everyone would die to feel her touch but Candy imposes herself to do not fall for her cause she's well aware of their abysmal social difference - at least that's what their coworkers say.

« And the coastal town We wandered 'round had never Seen a love as pure as it And then it fades into the gray of my day old tea »

Another one is When Emma Falls In Love, slightly different theme from the previous one but it's a very cutesy and girl-in-love track.

« She won't lose herself in love the way that I did 'Cause she'll call you out, she'll put you in your place When Emma falls in love, I'm learning »

Roy: blame it the fact he's literally Taylor Lautner and Booboo Stewart's lovechild, it's only natural I associate him with the whole album Fearless and its title track.

« I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now But you're just so cool Run your hands through your hair Absent mindedly makin' me want you »

I have other songs in my head for him like Jump Then Fall or Hey Stephen but to tell the truth the whole album gives me happy-go-lucky young love vibes, which is perfectly in tune with his personality.

[celestie0]

i NEED to know your favorite ts album!! (i’m a 1989 girlie myself 🙈) also are there any particular songs of taylor’s (or any artists) that you would say give off kickoff or ihm vibes? hopefully that makes sense i wasn’t sure how to word the question 😓

hiiii darling omg i love this question thanks so much for asking xD forgive me if my answer is long hahaha

my favoriteee ts album is red <3 tbh it'll probs always be my fave ts album because of how nostalgic it is to meee. 1989 is my 2nd fave tho!! i used to put folklore/evermore above it but idk maybe cuz it's summer rn, i've been so into pop and been BLASTING 1989 it's just pop perfection truly.

yesss i do have a kickoff playlist that has some songs i think fit the vibe for the couple, and there's a few ts songs in there:

i don't have a playlist yet for ihm but i'll definitely make one once i'm a bit further into the story!!

but yes imma answer for specifically which taylor swift songs remind me of both the series!! there might be some overlapping songs too

kickoff: hits different, snow on the beach, come back be here, nothing new, message in a bottle, gold rush, this is me trying, invisible string, i think he knows, daylight, all of the girls, miss americana & thbp, delicate, gorgeous, king of my heart, new romantics, style, how you get the girl, i feel so high school, slut

ihm: midnight rain, state of grace (acoustic ver sobs), champagne problems, tis the damn season, tolerate it, marjorie, right where you left me, it's time to go, the 1, exile, this is me trying, lover, paper rings, cornelia street live from paris (i think this one reminds me of ihm couple the most), daylight, new year's day, welcome to new york, wildest dreams, begin again, never grow up, mad woman, peace, this love, dress

overall i think kickoff is kinda more lover/1989 coded while ihm is kinda more evermore/folklore coded!!

hope this answersss <33

[lowkeyrobin]

EVIL DEAD RISE ; what kind of music you listen to with them

includes ; danny, bridget, kassie (platonic), ellie & beth

warnings ; language, my kinda bad music taste tbh

masterlist

DANNY

either stuff like sneaker pimps, gorillaz, and lil peep or quannnic, the cure, nirvana, paramore

he plays whatever makes you happy, especially if it's something he also likes

probably listens to music to sleep as well

like, hozier, phoebe bridgers, probably movie scores that are calm and kinda relaxing as well

sometimes you guys sit in silence with the music and relish each others company or you're having a dance party in front of hundreds cheering his dj skills on

religiously wears headphones, doesn't matter if they're wireless or not

he's very anti-earbuds bc they don't fit his ears properly LMAOOO

honestly same....

but he's scared it'll make him get hearing loss sooner bc they don't let the sound out a bit so he sticks w his muffs

keeps him warm in the winter 🤷‍♂️/🤷‍♀️

BRIDGET

mazzy star, florence + the machine, hozier, blue foundation, seal, james marriott

I feel like she's into calmer kinda music, but not like basic calm music if that makes sense??

I don't think she's an arctic monkeys/tv girl indie/pop/idk fan iykwim

she likes just being in your presence when she listens to music cause she wants to have those songs remind her of you somehow

like if you're on the bus, in the car, she's the type to usually have her earbuds in, probably does the spotify party thing with you LMAO

that way you don't have to share earbuds or anything

danny constantly teases you guys bc your music taste differs but you're totally swooning for her so you always listen to her music lol

KASSIE

taylor swift idk

what do little kids listen to these days??? 💀💀💀

cmon she's like 10 at max gimme a break

she honestly just picks whatever she likes on your playlists if she needs something to entertain her in the car and whatnot

I mean I'm like that too sometimes I just can't stare out the window in silence I need my music lmao

she probably just has default pop radio music taste, she's too young for a phone anyways lmao

gets any actual music taste from her siblings and you though

ELLIE

probably listens to the pretty reckless and halestorm here and there, prefers more pop music though

probably like muni long, normani, hozier, taylor swift, only the plastic hearts album by miley cyrus, etc

mostly a female artist listener

I just get that vibe from her

her and Beth for sure went to a lot of female lead rock bands before her kids + Jay in general

like evanescence, halestorm, pretty reckless, in this moment, flyleaf

she'd still enjoy listening to rock though, just gotta be in a pumped up mood, like doing chores or working out yk

would enjoy dorothy, lacuna coil, etc

she strikes me as a person who plays music in the house/car but never wirh headphones or anything bc she likes to get shit done and when she's sitting down, she's just trying to relax and music gets her kinda pumped up lmao

loves when u show her new songs tho, she loves adding them to her mixes or whatever

she strikes me as a pandora mom

BETH

she for sure listens to spiritbox, megan thee stallion (she's a nicki anti I know it, me too), halestorm, pretty reckless, new years day, in this moment, september mourning, eminem, rihanna

a lot of like 2000s-2010s legends lol

I feel like she listens to Megan a lot to pump herself up bc real tbh

cobra ft spiritbox is her all time fav song

holy shit she rants about this song to members of her team for a week straight

gets like 300 plays on it by the time spotify wrapped comes out

she strikes me as a yt music user HELP

she loves introducing you to new rock bands, especially ones w female leads

[helenofjupiter]

assigning taylor swift songs to bridgerton couples (part 2)

with explanations that no one asked for (proceed with caution)

part 1 for a, b, c and d

eloise & phillip - i hadn’t even read the book and i knew paris was their song. i feel it captures their essence. “no, i didn't see the news 'cause we were somewhere else” while benophie are just as deep in the countryside, i think philoise truly don’t care about anything that goes on in the ton. “i want to brainwash you into loving me forever” i’m not sure why this line in particular stands out to me in context of their relationship. maybe because going into it they both had their agenda. also phillip constantly thinking he has to find a way to make eloise stay forever. “confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters” i think this one is self explanatory. secondly electric touch, i was hesitant about this one cause i’m just not a fan of this song sonically but the lyrics were too on point. “just breathe, just relax, it'll be okay // just the first time ever hanging out with you” - eloise sitting in her carriage on the way to meet a man who basically proposed to her without meeting once. from phillip’s “i've gotten used to no one callin' my phone” when eloise shows up and the servant’s “hey, we got a caller” and phillip going “wtf no one comes here, you sure about that”. also “i've grown accustomed to sleeping' alone” yeah eight years will do that. “i was thinking, just one time maybe the stars align, just one time and maybe I call you mine” 

francesca & michael - so i have a story regarding this one. as i got to the second half of the book and the spice started flooding in, i felt like the need for some equally sexy music in the background and i remembered (honestly don’t know how i ever forgot) the altarpiece of taylor’s music  false god. truly all the stars aligned, while i read the words “she felt cherished. worshipped. loved” miss taylor swift sang “we'd still worship this love”. other than that it does fall into the vibes category. tho if one day we are blessed enough to actually get their season i am expecting every social media feed to be drowning in edits of  franchel to this song. but also alternatively to don’t blame me. again, sexy. well the spice in this book was just on another level and i also couldn’t figure out if taylor has a song about being in love with your cousins spouse for six years. i think this is more from michael’s perspective. i mean “i've been breaking' hearts a long time” he even broke mine by being fictional. “if you walk away i'd beg you on my knees to stay” michael stirling would absolutely do this and frankly i can’t stop picturing it. if we do get to them in the show some glorious day, this is my official plea to include this song in the soundtrack. 

gregory & lucy - speak now is the somewhat lazy choice but have you read the prologue timed to this song. “i hear the preacher say, "speak now or forever hold your peace"” the church went silent “there's the silence, there's my last chance. i stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me” the priest stopped his drone, and every spine in every pew twisted until every face was turned to the back. to him. “horrified looks from everyone in the room but i'm only looking at you” she said nothing, but he saw her. // she looked so beautiful. i rest my case. it was really hard to pick a song for them because there’s so many twists and turns in the book so my honourable mentions are haunted (when gregory convinced everything is solved and then lucy goes and marries another man) and daylight. finally i settled with ivy. “my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, taking mine but it's been promised to another” i mean lucy has been promised to another man from the start of the book. it just fits them, okay (can you tell i’ve been writing this for four hours at this point).

hyacinth & gareth - dear god, hyacinth is my favourite character in the whole books series. i adore her but for the love of god i could not figure out what songs to choose for hyareth. it was truly a headache and if anyone has any suggestions, please do not hesitate to tell me. because they are such a chaotic and energetic duo, i wanted something that would fit them musically but ended up picking cowboy like me and peace. both are truly in the vibes category, i don’t have much of an explanation. in cowboy like me “and the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up” felt kinda reminiscent of the whole polt line with gareth and his father who wasn’t really his father. peace has a little more substance to it. in my head this is more from hyacinth, she is wild and you will never get bored with her but she can also be a lot and tiring. “you know that i'd swing with you for the fences, sit with you in the trenches. give you my wild, give you a child” this is who hyacinth is, she is a ride or die, and i truly believe she would sit in the trenches with gareth.

[shit-talk-turner]

We talk a lot about Louise being a cosplayer, and for good reason, but I feel like we could apply this label to Alex as well. If we think about it, every era of his has always been about trying to emulate or being heavily inspired by someone else//

Alex does cosplay to a degree but I think it's more rooted in creativity and 'artistry' whereas Louise cosplays in real life as a human. I'll explain.

Alex has discussed in interviews before about creating 'personas' and being aware that he is doing so, he has mentioned he does this as it gives him something to hide behind so he doesn't feel exposed. It's well documented that Alex is a more shy, introverted personality so it makes sense he'd feel more comfortable in the work he does if he's got a 'character' to hide behind which fits in with the vibe of the each new era/album release. In saying this, I don't think Alex becomes a completely different person each time it's just certain aspects of his personality may be more exaggerated (which you also highlighted). I think his personas are more of an aesthetic thing than they are him actually changing 'who he is'. Many artists do this not just with musicians but you see it with actors also. This might be an unpopular opinion but I think as time goes on he is becoming more himself, at least aesthetically.

One of the things I find attractive about Alex is his personal style you could see since the first TLSP record he has an old fashioned charm and flair. I think he's always been growing into his current look, taking inspiration and growing in confidence along the way. I would disagree that Alex and Louise are the same on this front because Alex actually has some originality to him and uses his 'cosplaying' as a tool for his artistry.

Alex is a prolific and successful artist, Louise not so much. If you got a qualification as a Surgeon and worked within that field for 6 months to a year then changed your qualification and became an Engineer and have worked in that field for 10 years on going, would you still call yourself a Surgeon?! Louise has one album release in the span of her whole career, I think she calls herself a Musician still? Correct me if I'm wrong at any point but as far I know she hasn't achieved popularity as a musician nor have any of her songs, nor her album. A curious mind would wonder how she makes a living from this especially over the last 6 years or so as she seems to live a luxurious lifestyle, it's obvious from what we know that it's her boyfriend that affords her luxury and not her 'career'. It still remains to be seen if 'Lou the Musician' will have a resurgence. The point I'm getting towards is that there is no 'need' for Louise to be cosplaying the way Alex does, she's not an active, working artist (as far as we know anyway) and she doesn't seem to be an influencer either.

Also the way Alex 'cosplays' and the way Louise does is very different. Alex takes inspiration from others and creates something new with it, Louise COPIES from others and presents an imitation of it. Just go look at all the photo references of her copying Alexa's style and poses on Instagram of Alex's ex girlfriends including Taylor. The realest we might've ever seen Louise is more in the present day with the at times 'head scratching' outfits. I'd argue Louise lacks originality hence the recycling of others ideas as opposed to coming up with her own and as the anon mentioned her desire for validation and her insecurity is plain to see. I think Alex may have a more established sense of self than Lou but I could be very wrong!

Good points, thanks all the anons who have been submitting these thoughtful asks!

[popbloganddropit]

7 days until THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT makes its debut and I wanted to make a little predictions post. I’m so excited to hear the devastation Miss Swift seems to have in store for us and I can’t wait to hear what it sounds like. There’s often a song on the previous album that is an early edition of the subsequent album’s sound. I have 4 guesses that may be a peek at what’s in store next Friday. Since it seems like it may be relevant, these songs are also thematically on trend, however we should always remain alert to Taylor loving a bait and switch.

1) Dear Reader/You’re Losing Me: I think these songs might be a thematic trend for what’s in store. A look at her own faults and things she may have kept hidden to put on a brave face. A breakdown of why a break up happened. However, I suspect that she will have sonically moved on from these two. I do not think she would put out Midnights 2.0.

2) The Great War: an advancement of Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights’ sounds while still being on theme.

3) Hits Different: I’m not 100% sure what to call this genre. Sort of a late 90’s/early 00’s adult contemporary-alt-pop-singer-songwriter Alanis/Natalie Imbruglia/Michelle Branch/vanessa Carleton vibes. Maggie Rogers has really started exploring this space and Olivia Rodrigo’s dipped her toes in a bit as well (anyone else an immediate Girl I’ve Always Been stan?). However, is there enough variety in sounds here for 20 new Swift songs to explore? Maybe not, but a biased me hopes she might dabble a bit more as it’s a really great genre for her to fire off a bunch of killer lines with a bit of sass or sense of humor. There’s also the artifacts/evidence lines in Hits Different and those words have made their way into some of the small amount of information we’ve gotten prior to the albums release.

4) The Alcott: while not from Midnights, this is still in the right time period so it fits in my opinion! Midnights maybe started off with a few songs written with Aaron Dessner before a pivot to full Antonoff based on an interview Aaron gave where he talked about when they worked on Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve. Maybe there were some more things she kept in the drafts for later. A heavier emphasis on the piano (perfect for acoustic surprise songs!), heavy and melancholy vibes, and vague lyrics that might still be protecting some identities seems like an easy pivot for her.

5) Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve: a surprise 5th option I thought of writing number 4! Raw, angry, a bit more rock-influenced, many people were expecting this direction based on the aesthetic of the Midnights photoshoot. Taylor’s in tune with her audience and is certainly aware this is a sound nobody would be sad to see from her. It fits with the emotional space she might have been in, and is another genre pivot she could dominate. She is strategic though, and an Album of the Year nom is pretty unlikely back to back with her record-setting win in a very stacked year. Knowing how successful these full pivots have been for her, she might hold off until a more advantageous time. Although I think post-pandemic cancelled Lover-fest (with possibly Cruel Summer as a single attached?) and the adoration for some of the vault songs has made her not want to hesitate to put out good music. You never know what’s around the corner and it’s easier to stay on top than claw your way back up.

Which vibes are your favorite and what are you hoping for from TTPD? Cowboy Carter review is imminent and I hope to fire off Maggie Rogers’ before next Friday too!

[losingitwasblue]

Sunrise 

A concept for a new Taylor Swift album. 

“After the dark, mellow THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, Swift returns to her roots with Sunrise, a country-tinged, soft pop album that feels like a breath of fresh air after the darkness of her previous record. Sunrise follows life after Tortured Poets, including The Eras Tour and her relationship with American football star Travis Kelce. Sunrise is soft and sweet, and Swift has never sounded better. It may not be Swift’s best or deepest record, but that is not the point. The point is Swift has moved on and is happy and loving life, and isn’t that what she deserves?” - Rolling Stone

Sunrise is the 12th studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It features elements of love, light, happiness, and a soft pop, country-tinged sound. 

Tracklist:

turning the page

Similar production to the 1. It’s just a gentle turning of the page. She’s finally moved on, and though that love was there, she couldn’t change the way it ended, and she’s finally accepted that.

2. sunrise, sunset

Talks about how for every ending there is always a new beginning. Uses imagery of the sunrise over Pennsylvania. A similar production to Treacherous that builds slowly and softly. 

3. holdin’ on

I feel like this would have a similar production to cardigan. A soft piano ballad with a little guitar in the middle. Talks about how holding on to things that hurt you just causes more pain. May have references to You’re Losing Me. 

4. free now 

Just the Gracie Abrams song. I feel like it’s a perfect representation of moving on and letting go, and finally feeling free from the thing that hurt you, but letting that person know you will always love them. 

5. rose golden glow

Similar production to All Too Well. Country, with a bit of rock influence. It's not particularly sad, but it talks about the glow of happiness and how it changes you. Makes references to So High School. 

6. Andrea

A love letter to her mom and dad. How they helped her grow and move through the hard things. Similar production to The Best Day. 

7. what are the chances?

Talks about the chance meeting of her and Travis, and how the world can sometimes just pull you together. Similar production to How Did It End? but not sad. 

8. homeward bound

Talks about the project of rerecording her masters (this comes out after all the rerecordings are released.) and how she finally feels like herself again. Similar production to her older country songs, like Our Song and A Place In This World.

9. kiss it better (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)

Has a similar vibe to Slim Pickins’. Talks about healing pain through random people. A bit sad, but it ends on a hopeful note.

10. sweet tea in the summer

A nod to seven. Talks about how everything feels right when you’re at home. Similar production to invisible string. 

11. Don’t Take The Money (ft. Bleachers)

A reworked version of the Bleachers song. I feel like it fits Taylor’s brand and also nods to The Prophecy. Reworked to have a more country-tinged production.  

12. packing it up

Another Gracie Abrams song. It’s sweet, it’s short, and it gets its message across perfectly. It’s just a sweet little love song. 

13. wild horses

The album closer a la New Year’s Day. Talks about how watching wild horses is better when you’re with someone who loves it and appreciates it as much as you do. A nod to Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. A sweet piano ballad, with nods to Travis and a cute guitar. 

Aesthetics: sunlight, yellow, orange, and pink, bows, lemonade, clouds, hearts, horses.

Fashion: Long, golden hair with soft curls, very reminiscent of Debut and Fearless. Bohemian, with soft, earthy tones and pops of blue, green and pink. Long, flowing silhouettes, crop tops with soft jeans, sandals, and boots. Gold jewelry with green pops. Soft makeup, with a pink lip and flippy cat eye. Soft blush, eyeshadow in gold, blue, and pink. 

[irish-urn]

You said you wanted to get asked a question about Dasey, so here I am to answer the call! They're all about my fave work of yours, "Take Off Your Shoes"

I'm not as well read as you - what is the importance of the book The Cardturner that Derek is reading and how does that fit into the flow of the work? He's caught reading it far too much in the fic for it to be a mere throwaway.

The L.M. Montgomery quote to end the fic was so perfectly sourced and placed. It's almost like that quote inspired the whole of the fic. All of the quotes that started each new scene was spectacular - did you have them all planned out before writing or did they come to you while outlining/writing?

How far back did Derek plan his innocent date/not-dating/are-they-dates seduction of Casey, and what prompted him to do so, in your mind?

Yay!! My call is answered!! Y'all are being so nice to me this evening!!

hahahahahahahahahahaah. Okay, first of all, I HIGHLY recommend this book. it's about ghosts and bridge. I'm not kidding. I honestly chose that book for him because I think Derek would LOVE Holes, both the book and the film (which is one of the few films that are as good as the book). I think Derek would relate a lot to Stanley and Zero from Holes -- two good, well-meaning kids that get overlooked and abused by the system. That being said, The Cardturner is about a kid who starts playing bridge for his grand... uncle? I think? Ugh, I need to re-read this, BUT basically his great(uncle?) used to play Bridge with this woman, and they were rivals and teammates and... now that I think about it, I think their relationship was kind of Daseyish... It's about two very competitive people who wanna play with each other and beat everyone else so badly that they make their descendants play for them after they're dead. And if that's not Dasey, I don't know what is.

I decided to bring in the quotes once I realized this story was going to be a BEAST and needed to space it out somehow. I needed to give Dasey and the readers a chance to breathe. So I googled quotes about August, and kept getting Taylor Swift's song and got very very annoyed by that. I love that song, but it was the TOTALLY wrong vibe. I spent a long time tracking down the right quotes. It took as much effort as writing most of the fic, no lie. Once I found the L.M. Montgomery quote -- and Derek and Casey are so Gilbert and Anne coded it isn't FUNNY -- I knew I had found my ending. And the ending of the fic came with it.

OH. Okay. So, once upon a time I was actually going to write the prequel to this fic, but it's not going to happen, but BASICALLY, Derek alludes to it a little in the smutty sequel, but BASICALLY, Derek sees that both he and Casey are single for the first time in years, that she hasn't really been dating, and sees how exhausted she is when they're at Genora's for Canada Day. He takes a few weeks to figure out a plan, and then he executes it. There's... a LOT more to it than that though. There's an ex that he used to date in Queen's (that I'm reusing for the marriage-pact fic, so stay tuned) that finally gets her happy ending with the guys she's been pining for, there's Faith (that I'm also reusing for the marriage-pact fic) that really teaches Derek that he doesn't want to settle, and there's Tony (...who's also getting reused...) who almost took Casey away. There were a lot of elements that led Derek to deciding to try this for real with Casey.

THE THING IS (same answer, sorry), that Derek was planning on slowly wooing Casey. But then she lost power in her apartment, and Derek's protectiveness kicked into high gear and he gave her that fantastic day and told her to stay at his place, and Casey, our poor girl who really just wants to be loved, just fell head over heels. She really just needed to reason to fall, and he made her feel safe enough to do so. And so... By accident, his plan worked wayyyyy better than it was supposed to!

I'm always so pleased and surprised when people say this is their favourite. It was so much fun to write, and taught me so much about Dasey. thank you??? for your questions???

[liiilyevans]

what taylor swift songs do you think have hinny vibes?

Thank you for this question anon! I was so excited when I saw it pop into my askbox.

I Know Places

I think this one is so post war Hinny. Like after the war and Harry saving the wizarding world (again), he becomes even more famous than he already is and Ginny becomes a famous Quidditch. (I would argue she surpasses Harry's fame.) So, people are always prying into their business and trying to figure out what's going on in their private lives, and I think they get very good and very creative at hiding themselves in plain sight.

Red (Taylor's Version)

This is Ginny in the middle of the war. Because if you thought that Ginny didn't think about Harry while he was gone, you are wrong. I also think it describes Harry's thoughts perfectly. Plus the angst of this song fits so well with Hinny.

Lover

Peak Hinny post war and pre kids. I imagine them slow dancing to this song after a New Year's party. (Don't ask me why; that's just what pops into my head.) I think it's the first time that Harry seriously considers proposing to her. He buys a ring the next day and keeps it hidden for six months.

Everything Has Changed (Taylor's Version)

Very much HPB Harry realizing his feelings for Ginny. It's delicate and sweet, which I don't think is always depicted or thought about. I really think that Harry lets down his walls completely for Ginny, and they share a lot during that short time they're together.

The Great War

I put this one on here purely for the aesthetics. 'knuckles bruised like violets' gets me every time, and I'm thinking about Hinny. Like I feel like this song was written especially for them. And Ginny is in the back of Harry's mind constantly throughout DH (if I'm wrong, don't correct me. I haven't read the books in forever.) and I just think this fits so well. I also like the metaphor of constantly reaching for her hand.

[rooolt]

📚📚📚!! I’d love to hear your fic ideas (if you’re still doing it obv)

ummm okay so I have this disease where I was a theatre kid in middle school and thus most of my music taste is still musicals and I sort it all by character playlists SO I end up think about a lot of musical aus with dndads characters because I’m sick in the head. None of these are really that thought out enough, more free association between characters so yeah. I present to you: a multitude of dndads teens musical aus

in the spirit of nerdy prudes cast album coming out in like a week, link and scary are so Steph and Peter coded it’s nuts. If you don’t know what nerdy prudes must die is, Peter Spankoffski is a nerd who has been ostracized for years due to an unfortunate incident and unflattering nickname and Stephanie Lauter is the cool girl who gets him to help her cheat on a test and then asks him to study with her. When he gets beat up, she sticks up for him and yeah, they’re so gothcleats it’s crazy, there’s even one song later in the musical that’s SOOOOO. Normal and Taylor would take the place of Ruth and Richie who are Peter’s nerdy friends (Richie is literally just Taylor and Normal in one character, he is an anime kid who is also the mascot) idk who would be grace and max, or where hermie would fit in but yeah!

then, rise of the pink ladies au, I mean there’s four of them and one of them has a theatre kid love interest come on. Link is the starry eyed new kid who gets humiliated on the first day and decides to start running for school president, scary is the prickly girl who is being manipulated by a teacher (Willy), Taylor is the big dreamer who’s kind of a wacko, and Normal is the one who doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere and has an emotionally detached theatre kid love interest who he messes everything up with, and it’s the 50s! I’m most likely to actually write this one or something in this universe

last one, a while ago I had a gay teen beach movie au idea where scary and normal get transported into the movie and meet hermie and Erica who they get big crushes on, but oakworthy has been taking nothing but Ls recently and I’m honestly not super passionate about scerica so this one may not ever happen (also I thought of it right before stand and delivery, which kinda killed the vibe)

I hope you enjoyed these silly ramblings, I’m going to bed

[notebookmusical]

Hi Cossette! I've been spending the last few days gathering some 2024 media releases that I hope to check out this year and I'm looking forward to (to name a few!):

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

and ooh! I'm also very intrigued about Allison Saft's upcoming adult debut!! I hope it will be good 🙏

I also prefer standalones! While there are times where I'd love to revisit my favourite worlduilding + characters, I tend to find the storytelling & character development more properly fleshed out within a standalone (comparing to books within a long series).

That's totally valid! It certainly took me some time to get into Alix E Harrow's writing - not that's it's poorly written (it's very artfully written), but it's pretty dense and the story pacing is on the slow side. Also as much as I enjoy taking notes / annotating beautifully written prose, I feel you effort required to analyse the writing 😅

Speaking of The Starless Sea, the aesthetic / vibes of the book reminds me of Taylor Swift's Midnights - very atmospheric and with a strong focus on storytelling. I've been meaning to make something showcasing parallels between songs from Midnights & sections of The Starless Sea since late 2022 (this was pushed back for various reasons), so I was very happy to post the edit today :D

If you could assign your favourite books as music albums (based on thematic / aesthetic similarities), how would you pair them up?

P.S. Yes!! I love the album & vinyl artwork for Kali Uchis' new album and I hope you have the chance to listen to Orquideas later this year! (and I hope you all the best with the 365 albums challenge 💖)

hi jennifer!!! i have an arc of a tempest of tea, but i don't know if i'll get around to it before publication date 😭 i'm really intrigued by the premise, but struggled a bit with the fantasy in we hunt the flame (i struggle a lot with fantasy/have to be in a very specific mood for it)! i haven't read any of katherine arden's stuff, but have seen a lot of it on the internet over the years; maybe i'll check it out!

i feel like a common question i see on bookstagram is "what's your favorite series" and i always struggle to answer this because i am just not a series girlie! i think the few favorite series that i love (that aren't duologies) are probably either the raven cycle, or series of romance books that are set in the same universe but follow different characters so they essentially operate as standalones! i wish i was a series girlie, but i just ... am not one. i actually just put alix harrow's ten thousand doors of january on hold on libby — it might work better for me as an audiobook! sometimes i do better with fantasy via audiobook than physically reading it, for some reason.

i saw your starless sea/midnights gifset and am obsessed. i know i've told you this before but i loveeeee your gifsets so much, especially the ones where you find parallels between things!

oh this is so hard! i feel like it's easier to assign specific songs for me, rather than entire albums to books, but here goes:

beach read: honorable mention to emails i can't send by sabrina carpenter (title track) for january's relationship with her father, but unsure of what album would fit january/gus best!

normal people: i think either sam fender's seventeen going under, or noah kahan's stick season? i think both albums have a similar theme of being homesick and also home sick, which i feel like plays a big role in the plot of normal people!

honey girl: i feel like paint my bedroom black by holly humberstone? like the themes of growing up / moving away / being lonely / figuring out your life?

the starless sea: maybeeeee evermore but this does not feel like a good fit to me still!

les miserables: ... going to cheat here and say the les mis cast recording

i'm still stuck on portrait of a thief, and book lovers though! what about you? what book/album pairings do you have in mind?

[womanexile]

Lol, I was watching the ‘17 HS carpool karaoke segment and the bit about how he gets away with fashion (kinda like Daylight mv ref bit) & his knowledge/dialogue depth of romcoms (Notebook, Titanic, Notting Hill) was funny (female influence growing up perhaps). I guess he digs that type of “Cinema”. Even Nicholas Sparks wants to book him. The duet of Endless Love “Two heart beating as one” reminded me of his Two Ghosts song. (Shania Twain also did duet with Lionel Ritchie for EL- LOML also has that 80s love ballad vibe). Hopeless romantic? He even added “I will always love you” in Keep driving. TS did karaoke with the WH version.

TS also uses a lot of romcom tropes. Examples love triangle, best friends to lovers, forbidden love, historical romance, older, bad boy, doomed, unrequited, etc. Both are known readers & TV/film buffs- theatrical too. His music is a little more abstract while hers is built more like a book or script at times- but visually, lyrically & musically they hook people in- especially the videos. Their curiosity about details of others is noted- shakes hands, personal introductions, gifts. I think in his audition he mentioned possibly wanting to study sociology, business & law. Her scholar interests were English, history, finance & marketing- but she did learn a bit of Latin in HS too. Another thing, sometimes I feel like they’ve referenced Dirty Dancing (Time of my Life, She’s like the wind). Lol, even Ed Sheeran’s mv had that dance ref. Shivers? It’s just a pop culture thing to draw from the past and spin it to recreate a new story- just something done in music & media- TV, books & film. Sidenote, I was watching TS’s CMT skits & vlogs. Lol, Thelma & Louise (w/ Shania) & “Dreams” segments -Star Trek (JJ Abrams film), NFL, Thug story (w/ T-Pain). I kinda think the TS’s CMT & HS LLN bits and their music video performances worked better than the SNL ones & films. Both are funny- but I guess critics would say both may not always deliver. I wonder how they would have done with Screwball romcom films? Superhero films kinda fill that space now.

Lol, sometimes the Haylor narrative fits the Friends-to-Lover trope. Like When Harry MET Sally (it even has a New Year’s day bit). Especially the catalogue. Cornelia Street, You are in Love, Cruel Summer, New Year’s Day, Glitch, Maroon, Keep Driving, Little Freak, Meet me in the Hallway, Two Ghosts, Long Story Short, Illicit Affairs, Cowboy like me, Kiwi, Night Changes, You & I and so on… so many pieces- and that doesn’t even mention covers, collaborators or influences (playlist). Just the other day I mentioned to someone that Jackson Wang’s recent stuff made me think of them.

Even in a way Begin Again fits ”But you start to talk about the movies/That your family watches every single Christmas”. Both have mentioned Love Actually- includes Joni Mitchell song. Also one of Niall’s team auditioned with it. He’s another mutual link between them. Lol, both of them are so embedded in pop culture lately- media brings up TS music or news and even HS gets brought up (by Prince Harry, the president, etc.). Their story is Stranger (or Sweeter) than Fiction. Soap opera w/ plot twist & cliffhangers.

Yea you can tell they both have the same influences. I love that Harry loves rom coms. Not many guys will enjoy watching a rom com with you. I was reading Beach Read last week and I thought Harry and Taylor could play these characters in a movie. I would love to see them in something like Daisy Jones & the Six. And yea they are the music industry right now.

[covertnarcissismblog]

Review #1

Taylor Swift - Folklore

This so-called review is the my first ever written review about literally anything, and I’m very sure it will definitely be so far away from an acclaimed critic’s review, but since I would like to express my opinions better and more understandable both in English and in my native language, I guess it can be said as a very fresh start, I shall say.

The reason that this is the first album I review is that it is the first ever CD I have bought for my collection! (which doesn’t exist just yet)

So, what can I mention of this album from my head only?

It is Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, which was released on July 24th, 2020, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and the finest work of hers until this day. But why am I saying this, so bluntly, without proving any points based on my own notes and  vision? Well, it is just my own gut feeling that speaks from me now, but if I had to actually support this gut feeling with valid objections, then I’m really sure I would say the same.

This album reached the general public really unexpectedly, and so had the fans.

Swift announced her new studio album without any early signs and just posted the cover of the album with the news that folklore is coming next day, midnight EST, with a new music video for the song called cardigan.

Before I’ll go into the detailed analysis, I would like to talk about the album itself, after hearing it in a whole.

(Disclaimer: the review was written after 3 years of the release and many thorough listens of the whole album, so the opinion was not formed by a first impression)

Folklore as a whole is a very cohesive record, to say the least. Every song stands its place in itself but harmonises so much with the other tracks as well. Swift always knew how to create an aesthetic, a vibe, a harmonical piece within an album. Since her sophomore album, it is quite noticeable, but sometimes stood off from this route (let’s say reputation or Red - these two are very diverse records from her). With the more acoustic production, she left behind the electronical way, which mostly defined her previous 3 records, and that made her really good. She broke through the pop girl image, which she carefully built throughout her career, and really showcased the writing, composing skills she previously had as well.

Besides all this, and without getting into her career analysis, let’s go back to the record itself.

The main focus of the album is as simple as the title: storytelling, in a detailed, descriptive way she had not done before for a whole record long. (of course, there are exceptions - yes it’s All Too Well and also Dear John)

She tells not only biographical, but mainly fictive stories for 67 minutes. We can find many perspectives in a song, and some of them are actually connected (which is a very very smart way to get people engaged in your record, if they even care that much)

The vocals on the record are very clean and simple, and the acoustic instrumentation even helps to it. The whole album fits into a kind of melancholia and sadness feeling, and from the first seconds of the first song, it does not leave until the lakes end (yes, I’m counting that into my review as well)

the 1 starts with a statement that “she’s doing good” but the song’s theme builds around a relationship that did not end as she would have wanted to. That song is a solid opener, as it is not that much of an acoustic style she plays with for the whole length of folklore, but the sense of the new style can be noticed there.

The cardigan-august-betty trinity is the three that are definitely connected. These are telling the same story but from different perspectives. The story is about a love triangle, and each character tells their own side of the events.

The third and the fourth tracks are the complete opposite (for me!!)

While I’m not not liking, but the least enjoying the great american dynasty, I’m always moved by exile, which is one of Swift’s best craft until this point.

The story and the lyrics in itself do not bring me in for tlgad, as much as exile does. Maybe this opposition gives the third track a weaker chance to get success by me.

There is a very solid track run from 5-9 (from my tears ricochet to this is me trying), and I am simply cannot skip any of them. The hauntiness, the emotional overload, the instruments - especially for august!! - are all peaking here in each of these.

This streak breaks with illicit affair and invisible string, but not entirely. These are a bit laid-back songs, with still touching narratives. It all comes back with mad woman and betty (and even in peace, in its own special way). epiphany is an odd one out, as it is a very deep and personal story. However, the length of it is a bit of a lack; don’t matter, how beautifully composed it is and how deep the lyricism is, I do not feel the same attachment and interest through the whole song as I did with the previous ones.

hoax and the lakes are the perfect closers for the standard and the deluxe versions, respectively. Both are underrated in most ears, but they achieve the matching feeling that the album gave since the beginning, and did not get flat in this case.

I might seem like a biased bitch according to this, but if considering her music, I can seem critical. But to my taste, my personal preference in lyrical style and production, and most importantly, album-wise, this is a near perfect record.

It surely will not be one of the best album ever in most people’s top lists, but as of now, Swift had not done a better album in my eyes. And I really like all of her records.

It is equally honest, creative, beautiful, ethereal, but also melancholic, hopeful, and clean.

This album is really a great starter if you are into indie genres or folk-acoustic genres, and also if you are skeptical about her and her popularity. Because this might just break the top of the iceberg enough to get a little interested about Swift.

The highlights for me: exile, seven, august, hoax

My least favourite: the last great american dynasty, epiphany

 

9.7/10.0

[bellaxgiornata]

I just wanna say I love the fftd series!! It is the only thing I'm constantly checking for on A03 and while I hate the angst I can't get enough of it. It was well set up, if feels realistic, and you even foreshadowed it in the notes, but I still got shocked by it.

Anyway, I was wondering if there we're any songs you correlate to any of the stories? Like, The big angst / reader being angry and saying they are fine to matt knowing he knows the lie for some reason reminds me of The Other side of the Door by Taylor Swift. Matt's reasonings for leaving remind me of Dancing With Our Hands Tied and peace by Taylor Swift as well. I'm hoping the end of the angst is like The Great War/this Love, like they survived and were better for it. And like their relationship as a whole reminds me of I'm Only Me When I'm With You and New Year's Day.

Other random lines that make me think of the series; " and baby I can't... How this city screams your name" " come back to me like you could if you'd just say you're sorry" "can this be a real thing, can it?" And " you told me you loved me, so why did you go away. "

If you do have any songs that make you think of the stories would you be willing to make a playlist of them or just saying them? I always love seeing the songs author's think of when they write.

Anyway, brb waiting for you to update so I'm gonna re read the whole series.

I'm so happy to hear you've been enjoying the series!! Though I'm sorry the angst is killing you, but we are about out of it now at least!! But yes, I definitely warned and foreshadowed a lot leading up to it 😅

I honestly hadn't listened to too much music writing this particular series until the Big Angst arc. I shared a post a few days ago with some songs from the playlist I listened to while I was writing but I can briefly list a few more that, for me personally, are what I relate to this whole up and down with Reader and Matt. I have noticed a lot of you seem to pair Taylor Swift songs with this arc which is interesting! I'll be honest...I don't know a lot of Taylor Swift music (shocked gasps all around) so I would have to look those up. Though the song "Exile" with her and Bon Iver fit the mood for this arc!

The song "1216" by Echos ten thousand percent reminds me of "The Downward Spiral" where Reader is all up in her memories and feelings. I feel like "Deadend" by BANKS fits the vibe for Reader after she tells Matt to leave her in "The Nightmare" and she realizes she needs to be the one to completely end the relationship because she can't take the hot and cold with him any longer. I also feel like "It Can't Be That Hard" by Good Boy Daisy fits the vibe for a lot of Reader's frustration and anger at Matt for the hot and cold and the attempt at friendship, too.

As for Matt's vibes throughout the arc I would say "Alps" by Novo Amor is a big one. Reminds me of him sacrificing himself and accepting his own pain to do what he thinks is best for Reader. I would also say the song "Keep Me" also by Novo Amor reminds me of his inner struggle trying to apologize and talk to her. Personally I also feel like "You and I" by SYML and Charlotte Lawrence reminds me of Matt's love of and for Reader.

Other songs I listened to for the vibe and not necessarily the lyrics on my Big Angst playlist would be: "Places" by Portair; "Cinnamon" by Jome; "Godless" by BANKS.

I could probably go on but yeah, there's a few 😅

Hopefully that satiated your curiosity a bit! And I hope the new update was a bit more comforting!! ❤️