#and this is why i will never take swifties seriously when they wanna talk about feminism and misogyny

[shitswiftiessay]

tw: r*pe and victim-blaming language

A bunch of swifties in an “Anti-Olivia” group chat saying that they hope Olivia gets “R-worded” and saying she’s “dressing to get R-worded.”

[lonestvrr]

hi everyone ! i'm veronica ( she / they , 23 , pst ) & a revolution veteran , if you will. i wanna start off with a little fun fact or disclaimer ? , that like oliver & his fc cody , i'm also native american ( but mixed , too ! ) , so i'm taking my own experiences with that & all of the complexities that come with being half white / white passing to this group & with oliver . also , another fun fact about me is that i play six different instruments ! maybe not super well , but i still do & i would love to learn more . ♡

。・ * ☆  ꒰ cody christian.   twenty five.   cis man.   he / him. ꒱        hold your f*** horses !   oliver newell   has just been spotted walking into revolution headquarters. they are best known for being the   singer, mandolin, fiddle & guitar   in   blue ridge rebels   and have been signed with the label for   three years.   they share a lot of interesting things about life in the music industry on their social media, so make sure you don’t forget to follow them at @  olivernewell.  fans know them for being   outspoken  but i swear they’ve got a   loyal   side as well. maybe that explains why they’re always associated with   the rumble of an old truck’s even older engine starting up, the thrill of a friday night football game and being a shoulder to cry on .   stan twitter even voted them most likely to   go to a fan’s prom as their date.   we’ll see how they live up to that reputation.

you know the boys taylor sings about on her debut album and fearless? that's oliver . not literally , but he's the boy girls think of when they hear those songs . for better or for worse .

☆ oliver james newell , known country boy & man of many talents , was born in maine around 25 years ago . he's a proud member of indigenous tribes of the area , though many people don't know that about him at first glance . although he never shies away from this part of him or talking about it .

☆ when he was thirteen , his family moved to tennessee . at fourteen , to georgia . they moved again when he was sixteen , but this time to austin , texas . it was in austin, at some point, in time where oliver first started to take music more seriously.

☆ growing up , he'd played folk music with his family in maine . he'd learned how to sing and play guitar at an early age , probably around 9 . in georgia , he'd had a small group with some school friends -- but they weren't very good . in tennessee , however , is where he'd first picked up the fiddle in another small band .

☆ although it wasn't until texas that oliver actually started to get good at any of these. during his time there, he'd also expanded past music. oliver was on the football team, having played briefly the year before in georgia, although this time, as the quarterback.

☆ college football scouts were always coming to games and his coaches would insist they were only for him . scholarships and college opportunities poured his way in his senior year , but that wasn't his passion . his little country folk band that played on weekends in his garage or at small local venues with crowds of tens of people just trying to enjoy their meal or their beer was his real passion . besides , school was never really the easiest for him , music was . he figured he'd be unhappy at tradtional college and especially having to play football all four years .

☆ so , he followed his gut and ignored the scholarships . he attended community college for two years and received certification and an associates degree in music. his band began to gain traction during this time , and somehow scored a record deal at revolution records .

。・ * ☆ tldr !

☆ moved around a lot ☆ proud indigenous american but also proud country boy ☆ used to play football , but his passion is music ☆ probably a massive swiftie , tbh .

。・ * ☆ quick stats !

traits : outspoken , opinionated , reserved , loyal , humble , creative , determined , talented , self assured , distant , reticent , gregarious , understanding , patient , reckless , shy , quick learner but a little airhead-ed at times . will let you vent to him at anytime and anyplace . will hold the door open for fifty people at a time , if you'll let him . will drive you around and offer to carpool . hopeless romantic & a gentleman . age + sign : twenty five + tbd height + build : 5'10 , tbd orientation + gender : bisexual , cis man ( he / him ) . likes : tbd . dislikes : tbd .

。・ * ☆ wanted connections !

☆ fellow band members !! pls whether they've both been there the entire time with oliver or if they're more recent additions is up to you !! <33 ☆ family / childhood friends oliver moved around a lot , so potentially this could work for something there ? ☆ a staff bestie pls ☆ touring band members ? he can't play everything by himself on stage , probably . but he'd probably try . ☆ anything & everything ... gimme gimme gimme <33

。・ * ☆ spotify & mock blog !

[barbiegirldream]

Also everyone go follow these blogs I love them (not parasocial) No order or anything this is just how I’m remembering people. I wanna try and do this some more. And since I’m following most of them for the same reasons vouches might get similar but i truly do recommend all these blogs and love seeing them on the dash: 

@youremykitten my absolute beloved follow her she’s based when it comes to discourse and always on point. My favorite gnfer 🥰😍

@cryptodream Literally so funny and based (and super normal I promise) no honestly if you wanna see some based takes and lots of Dream love this is the blog

@redrosedream one of the smartest people i’ve ever talked to someone i’m glad to call a friend. a delight to have on the dash. a dream simp who entertains thirsting hours. and made the clearing up misinfo on dream doc to give and example as to why Red is so amazing

@cgnf We’re practically mind melded at this point the way our humor is so aligned. If you’ve ever found me funny you’ll find them hilarious. And they makes exceedingly high quality gifs. Excellent writer as well

@prettyboynotfound One of my favorite people to see on my dash very lovely and super kind (ignore tags if she reblogs from me) and is just generally a person you wanna follow if you like George

@dreamquackity The most based person I know. A redditor (/pos) Amazing to talk to very kind. MCC stats galore if you love that. Based as hell. As well as hilarious text posts and chill vibes. And if you see their writing do take the time to send compliments it’s worth it. Not to mention if you can catch a stream it’s always a great time. As the url suggests a great Dream and Quackity blog but also posts about the Feral Boys/DSMP as a whole

@olliemanatreed Smiletwt Dreamhot industries is going through a Manatreed phase right now but follow him. Amazing and cute art, good jokes, and when they post discourse they’re very well spoken. Massive Dream simp 

@angeloncewas speaking of well spoken follow Angel she’s got amazing takes on everything and is very fair and level headed. Also very funny and a delight to see on the dash

@19891999 A Dream Swiftie the best combination. Our resident industry plant. Takes me out with poetry references. 

@gogogy absolutely stunning art. like some of her George art has literally taken my breath away 

@sapnapalts An amazing writer like will blow your socks off good. Could not recommend more. 

@fxllingout if you love Punz and the Dream Team couldn’t recommend following her anymore. very sweet and lovely to talk to 

@stevebucky as i’m sure the url and pfp can tell you well versed in tumblr and makes very witty text posts about Dream and co. Very kind and based as well 

@jorgenotfound Jorge is also one of the most normal bloggers around. amazing and hilarious edits about George and just in general. 

@strandedcrow not so secretly Dream in disguise. But he’s got great art and only is a little bit cursed sometimes 

@more-like-reyna Best place to find simping for the Feral Boys. Unhinged with me at all hours of the day and you love to see it

@bastardbvby big Foolish simp also has amazing clips from many many streams. highly recommend if you wanna keep up with how awesome Foolish is and interact with a super sweet person 

@salted-caramel-tea biggest Sapnap simp. Spreads positivity and kindness in this fandom like no one else. Massive respect for Salty

@dwtbf never fails to make me laugh on the dash amazingly cursed posts you don’t wanna miss them 

@dreampatches Another Sapnap simp who has plenty of love for the whole Dream Team.

@dreamonline a fellow redditor. makes very good video compilations that make me laugh just thinking about them. Keeps up with the Dream Team and co just so worth a follow do it

@sephtictank One of my first friends on here. More on the SBI side but a big Dream fan as well and very much a Lovejoy stan. Super sweet and funny. 

@electracraft One of my favorite c!George blogs lol no seriously if you love c!George or cc!George this is the blog for you. 

@dreamonotfound A Dream team main who posts light hearted DNF jokes that never fail to make me laugh. She’s very sweet and funny and also i accidentally blocked her while thinking we were mutuals but we worked it out 💖

@shotgungnf OP is a Dream Stan no seriously super based takes I always love to see what her thoughts on discourse are. Not to mention she is very witty and funny. Also counted how many times George said Dream during that one stream so deserves a follow for that alone. 

@420blazeitnotfound a huge George and Wilbur simp absolutely one of the kindest people i’ve met on here. I always smile when I see she’s online

@dteamblrsurvivingnovember a staple mandatory Bex is the backbone of this community we love Bex send some love 

These are not all of the blogs I would recommend. I have many more mutuals to love post about these are just the people I’m seeing on the dash right now and I hate to leave people out but I worry I always will so here we go. If someone doesn’t want to be on the list let me know 

[pricemarshfield]

for candia

Written for Day 1 of @acocweek​: Fluff + Theobald. Read on AO3 here.

Theobald, as always, is the first awake.

Things are different than they used to be, of course. He wakes up with a marauder curled into his side murmuring violent nothings in her sleep and a licorice snake biting his hand affectionately, rather than alone. The guards are made up of a mix of Tartguard and North-Gumbian Knights and Saccharina's collection of nobodies that Theo has yet to corral into training. Saccharina lets him sit at her side during every meeting--encourages it, actually, wonders aloud about round tables and councils and more democratic processes of enacting law in front of visiting dignitaries who stare at her staff with wonderment and fear.

There's also still a tangible air of mourning around the place, too. One of the Tartguard started wailing when he saw Princess for the first time, and they'll be repairing the damage to the castle for years.

But what a job to supervise all of this!

"Limey," Theo says with a nod to his new second-in-command, who salutes. "What news do we have for the day?"

"Nothing much, sir," says Limey. "Her Majesty the Queen Saccharina continues to insist we don't need to salute her, but we've maintained proper etiquette anyway."

"Fantastic," Theo says. "Continue on."

"There is one thing," Limey says, and his tone is more confused than nervous, so he doesn't reach for the battle pop. "All of the left shoes in the barracks disappeared overnight."

"...what?"

"All of the left shoes in the barracks disappeared overnight, sir," Limey says. "No one saw anything, and while that's not an especially expensive thing to replace, it is worrying that someone was able to slip past our defenses."

Ordinarily, Theo would be incredibly worried about someone who could sneak into the barracks and out without being spotted, especially carrying what must have been dozens of shoes. But he hears a familiar snort from somewhere above him. When he looks up, no one's there, but that's to be expected. She's good.

"I'll retrieve those shoes posthaste, Limey," Theobald says. "Tell the men not to worry."

"They're not, mostly," Limey says, but Theo's already wandered off, holding his arm out so Princess can keep an eye out, too. She doesn't seem to be especially invested, snoozing on his arm and hissing when he tries to lower it.

"Ruby," Theo calls. "I know you're nearby. Come on."

No response, no sound of footsteps, no flickering shadows. This'll take the big guns.

---

"Ruby did what?" Saccharina says, lounging on her throne, and bursts into a fit of giggles.

"My Queen," Theo says, a familiar headache already forming behind his eyes. "This is serious."

"Sure, yeah," Saccharina says. "All the left shoes in the barracks? Even Jon Bon's? Oh, that's gross. Wait, is everyone just hopping around? Also, just call me Saccharina."

"My Queen Saccharina," he says, and she frowns at him, fiddling with a small magical trinket she'd found somewhere in the castle. "The morale of the men is important. We were able to take the castle without heavy losses, but not without losses entirely."

"Hm." The Queen stands up, shakes her head when he automatically moves to kneel. "She is the Imperial Princess now, and I don't think pranks are gonna hurt morale. Tell whoever's in charge of it that I authorize new shoes to be bought. I've got this whole treasury now, anyway, what else would I do with it?"

Theo takes a deep breath. "I think--" Saccharina waits, raising a brow at Theo's pause. He doesn't normally get this far. "I think that Ruby should probably apologize. And return the shoes."

Saccharina's mischievous smile looks a lot like her sister's. "Sure. And you can tell her that if you can find her."

There's a sudden laugh from behind him, and when Theo swings his head around, he sees only the back of the throne room.

He sighs. In for a long day, apparently.

---

The Imperial Princess Ruby of House Rocks doesn't have tutors here. She's on vacation, officially and in practice. Well-deserved after the war, of course, even if Theo doesn't understand the appeal of a week or month or two without structure. He'd have thought, after everything, that pranks were beneath her, that perhaps she'd even take an active role in governance!

Instead, Ruby seems to have decided Saccharina's challenge for Theo to find her cannot go unmet.

He hasn't seen her all day, even though the Bulb is high in the sky, but the impact of her actions is everywhere. Frosting along the floors that he slipped on, causing a Tartguard pile-up. Little bursts of sparks set to trigger when he opens doors and windows that startle him enough that Princess bites him. The worst offender is when he turns down a hallway only to see piles and piles of shoes, because when he gets back, they're all gone. The other Knights of North-Gumbia, to their credit, are completely understanding.

"The princesses were always fond of japes, weren't they, sir?" Limey asks. Princess hisses and curls around his neck in what he thinks is an affectionate gesture.

"They were," Theo says. Once, he'd woken up, sat up, and stretched only to get a tray of whipped cream directly to the face. Jet and Ruby hadn't been half as good at stealthing away as Ruby is now, but it'd taken him long enough to wipe it off his face that he'd only seen Jet glance back and snort with laughter.

Nothing had happened. Caramelinda had been visiting House Meringue for a family wedding and Amethar had found it hysterical. They had apologized in their own way, after--no escape attempts for an entire fortnight.

He shakes himself of his nostalgia with the help of Princess biting his ear, and as he gently untangles her from his helmet, he says, "Right. Well, keep the search up. She can't hide from us forever."

---

Two days, six hours, and roughly thirty minutes after he makes that statement, he's not so sure. No one's admitted to seeing Ruby, though Saccharina's eyes had sparkled with mirth and kept glancing up to a corner behind him as if daring him to break court etiquette and check. He's checked the secret passages he knows, he's enlisted the help of the marauders (Swifty had only threatened to stab him once during the conversation, so he thinks they're genuinely looking), he's used every spell he knows and considered looking up new ones.

New pranks pop up around the castle, of course. A few meeps let loose in the hallways, frightening a visiting dignitary. Flooding one of the kitchens with cola. Cushions that make it sound like you're farting on every chair except the throne.

"Ruby seems to be sparing you from her onslaught," Theo says to the Queen, watching as Annabelle Cheddar stares at herself in one of the room's mirrors, hair turned a bright Candian purple.

"Yeah," Saccharina says with a wide smile. "She is! It's really cool! I've never had anyone comfortable enough around me who cared me enough to do pranks without me being the target!"

Theo, not knowing how to respond to that, is incredibly thankful for the sixth prank of the day: an explosion of scraps of paper that covers every inch of the room. The paper seems to be mostly made up of old letters from the other nations. They're important, and them being destroyed is terrible, and they will have words about it later, but he can't bring himself to mind too much right now.

Because with all the paper everywhere, he sees the little breeze she makes in her escape, and the direction she runs in after.

---

If he chases after her now, he'll lose her, and who knows if he'll ever get another lucky break like that again. So he waits. Endures waking up covered in Fructeran vino, deals with diplomats' outrage at not being greeted by the Imperial Princess herself, keeps checking secret passages in entirely different parts of the castle just to throw her off the trail. He doesn't say anything to anyone about it, because he's not especially good at deception.

The final prank: a veritable army of chocolate frogs released while Saccharina holds court. It explains why she's been holding back laughter the entire time, but that's a problem for later. For now, he sprints across the room, vaulting over one of the Tartguard, and heads in the direction he'd seen her run before.

There's a few secret passageways this way, but he's checked those. When he reaches a dead end, he looks around, thinks--casts knock on the wall. Sure enough, it pushes open, and on the other side is Ruby Rocks, mouth open in shock.

"Ruby!" Theo calls.

"Damn it," she says. "How'd you even--it doesn't matter."

"You have many things to apologize for, your Imperial Highness," Theo says, walking over to try and pick her up and carry her back to the throne room. She could escape, probably, but it's at least a start.

"That's not true!" Ruby says. "I've been helping a ton of people."

"What, people who needed specifically left shoes? Annabelle secretly asked you to dye her hair purple?" Ruby snorts. "See! Come on, Princess."

"No, seriously," Ruby says. "Look, I did this because it's funny, but it's bringing the mood up around here! Morale!"

Theo blinks at her. "What? Stealing people's things? Ruining their day?"

"Pranks," Ruby says with a nod. "Look. Pay attention to the way people are acting and talking about all of it. I'll be back here in a few hours if you still wanna try and get me grounded."

"Your sister's not going to ground you," Theo says, and Ruby grins up at him.

It's definitely a trick. He's fallen for similar tricks before. He shouldn't this time.

"If you're not back here," Theo says, and Ruby laughs, half-tackles him in a hug, runs past him, and jumps out a window. He doesn't hear a thud or yelp of pain, so he assumes it's probably fine.

He hadn't even thought to check outside, had he? Hopefully, she'll keep her word and he won't have to. Not much else to do now that she's already escaped.

---

When he walks back to the throne room, Saccharina's holding a chocolate frog with a look of fascination and disgust, Primsy's already got one in a box that she's attempting to feed sugar-grass, and Liam is visibly holding himself back from target practice, hands twitching towards his crossbow.

"I must say," he overhears one of the Tartguard say as he takes his place by Saccharina's left side. (Gooey's at the right, still. Had very, very easily won that argument.) "While these pranks are quite improper, you can't deny they're incredibly humorous!"

"Good sir!" says another Tartguard, and one of the marauders behind him rolls her eyes, but has a smile on her face too. "I have to say, I agree. It was nice to have a bit of liveliness around here!"

One of the Fructeran diplomats is upset, but soothed easily after his partner reminds him that he can tell this story before the Imperial Court, always so focused on adventures. The Dairy Islanders seem more excited to avoid courtly talk than anything. One Meatlander is holding a chocolate frog with a look that can only be described as adoring, even as it shits in his hand.

All-in-all, the atmosphere of the room is rather...jovial. Not at all like the quiet mournfulness of the first week of their reign. There's still the holes in some of the walls from their siege, and there's still the palpable loss of the chancellor and the princess, but people seem happy. People are laughing.

When he goes back to the secret passageway--opened apparently by twisting a statue of Sapphria so that she's facing the window--Ruby's there, shifting on her feet.

"You do have to return the shoes," Theo says, and Ruby's shoulders slump. "But--"

"Yes!" Ruby says. "I knew you'd get it. Well, I hoped you'd get it. Gooey's mellowed you out."

"I--that's--we're not talking about Gooey," Theo blusters. "The shoes need to go back."

Ruby snorts. "I did that so we'd get new shoes. Dad told me all about trench foot."

"What?" Theo says. "That's not even a little bit of an appropriate topic for conversation. Especially at court. If you'd just go to your lessons--"

"I don't even have lessons here," Ruby says, and he's so distracted by responding to that with an emphatic 'you should' that he doesn't notice the tray of whipped cream until it's already in his face.

"Bye, Theo!" Ruby calls, already dashing away from him.

He sighs. "Bye, Ruby."

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

Ive never really understood the hype surrounding Taylor Swift - I mean, I like some of her songs, but im not big on modern pop music so generally she just doesn’t really click for me. But I find it interesting that theres quite a few of Beatles/Swift blogs - like, they should have very little in common given that they’re from completely different eras and all, but somehow people seem to find a lot of semblance between the two. << and thats not me shitting on any of these blogs btw! Hope I don’t come off as rude or condescending there <3

Anyway, I was just wondering what got you into Taylor Swift? (I think ive read your post on how you got into the Beatles)

Hi, anon! Don't worry, I don't think you're rude or condescending! I agree they don't have too much in common and I don't really like their music for the same reasons.* I do have a playlist of Paul songs that have similar vibes to Taylor songs but it's mostly lyric-based. (Also the Beatles For Sale songs actually have quite the Taylor-tinge because Paul and John were not immune to Country Music)

I saw @stewy say once that a possible reason there are a good handful of us Swiftie-Beatle People on here is the appeal of a vast discography, which I agree with. If you have an artist/group with 200ish songs, it's just really fun to really dive into their work and explore all the facets. I also think: we're talking about the most popular band of all time and one of the highest-selling artists of the 21st century. They have a lot of fans so there's bound to be overlap, regardless of musical differences.

Moving on to your question: Getting into Taylor was an extremely personal experience for me and so my explanation is probably going to be kind of long so I'll put it under a read more.

It was spring-summer 2014, I was 15. I had heard the more popular songs of hers starting with Love Story and enjoyed pretty much all of them (I always found her hopelessly romantic point of view fascinating) but before I got a Spotify account in 2013 it was difficult in general for me to really get into an artists' entire discography so most of her songs had flown under my radar.

At the time, I was in this very weird sort of codependent online friendship with this girl who was basically my first real best friend and my first more or less crush. She was very depressed and I was very much in an I Could Fix Her™ mood, except that I obviously couldn't fix her and it made me feel like I wasn't enough and she had begun pulling more and more away from me and not replying to my messages and it was simply driving me insane. I consider it the saddest period in my life.

at some point during this period, I started trying to connect with other people (all online, I didn't know how to talk seriously to anyone IRL) and explaining the issues I'd been having, and one of the people who brought me joy and whom I actually felt not drained talking to was a huge swiftie. And IDK the fact that she loved Taylor and the fact that talking to her made my life better (and also the fact that I liked all the Taylor songs I knew at that point) just made me decide to give her a listen. And I think that whole "large discography discovery" phenomenon really helped me at the time (funny, because her discography has doubled since then). It gave me something new to focus on; there were just so many songs to discover, all telling such rich stories. I also have always loved bridges, they are almost always my favourite part of a song. And Taylor, god-bless her, loves them too and always puts her ALL in them. Like pretty much every bridge of hers brings the song to the next level, and even a lot of her songs I don't adore tend to have great bridges (Stay Stay Stay and Paper Rings come to mind). I think one of her most underrated qualities is how good she is at song structure and really building up an entire musical journey with a song. She also almost always adds cool ad-libs in her second and third choruses to keep the songs interesting and dynamic (or at least since she's gone pop). Anyways, back to the story: Then Taylor announced 1989 as her next album and released Shake It Off, and it was just like this great happy thing for me to look forward to, when I had very little keeping me going. The era was promoting a lot of happiness which in hindsight was slightly fabricated and it was just a really great thing for me to latch onto.

At the same time I was coming to realize that I was gonna have to pull away completely from my friend and all those break-up songs just… Hit, y'know? Like, some people seem to think Taylor's a one-trick pony because she likes to write break-up songs but to me, break-ups are just like this moment where you as a human can potentially feel every single emotion, and Taylor's songs have covered every facet of the concept. Here are some songs I remember from that period, that all meant a lot to me at the time because they explained my own pain to me so well:

Haunted, for the absolute terror you feel in the first moments you realize someone is probably gonna leave you. Come on, come on / Don't leave me like this / I thought I had you figured out / Something's gone terribly wrong / You're all I wanted.

I Almost Do, for the inner turmoil you feel when you know you have to stay away from someone for your own good but you really, really have to resist just running back to that person. We've made quite a mess, Babe / It's probably better off this way / And I confess, Babe / In my dreams you're touching my face / And asking me if I wanna try again / With you / And I almost do.

Last Kiss, for that absolute sadness that comes simply with remembering everything that was good and not comprehending how it could've possibly ended. I still remember / The look on your face / Lit through the darkness / At 1:58 / Words that you whispered / For just us to know / You told me you loved me / So why did you go / Away?

Forever and Always, for that feeling of desperately wanting to hold on to what you still have but at the same time realizing it probably isn't going to last and having no idea how to fix it, plus feeling like the other person doesn't even care. So here's to everything / Coming down to nothing / Here's to silence / That cuts me to the core / Where is this going? / Thought I knew for a minute / But I don't anymore.

Dear John, my all-time favourite song, for that moment you find clarity and realize that you deserved better and that you were headed in an extremely dark direction because of this other person. [DISCLAIMER: my friend did NOT abuse me nor did we have some inappropriate age difference. But the way she would ignore me and her general moodiness really affected my own mental health and self-worth problems] You paint me a blue sky / And go back and turn it to rain / And I lived in your chess games / But you changed the rules every day / Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone / Tonight / Well I stopped picking up / And this song is to let you know why.

(She's covered more aspects of break-ups in other songs [cheating, divorce, feeling awkward around your ex amongst others], these are just the ones I remember being really important to me when I was first getting into her)

She really helped me feel a lot less alone during one of my loneliest periods and I really can't thank her enough for that. Soon after this, I started crushing on a girl in my class and Taylor's love songs started to take on a new meaning for me as well.

What's crazy to me is, when she went on hiatus for a few years, a part of me thought maybe I'd grown out of her and no longer had much in common with her, but when reputation came out I was pulled right back into my love for her as a person and musician and then when Lover came out I found that she was still explaining feelings to me better than I ever could (specifically with the songs The Archer and Cornelia Street). And now with folklore and evermore she's simply absolutely perfected her story-telling and I find myself deeply moved even by the songs I don't directly relate to. I feel like she has this amazing ability to find the absolute truth in the specific. I've never had a summer romance with someone who already had a girlfriend and mostly wanted to go back to her, and yet the bridge of august feels so real to me, y'know?

Back when we were still changin' for the better Wanting was enough For me, it was enough To live for the hope of it all Cancel plans just in case you'd call And say, "Meet me behind the mall" So much for summer love and saying "us" 'Cause you weren't mine to lose

It's hard to explain but looking at this, like it's so much more than the story it's telling. It's talking about how when you're young you really need so little to feel satisfied; how sometimes the idea of someone maybe spending time with you is better than actually doing things with other people; and how if someone using you without much thought can make you feel like you're not even entitled to grieve what you lost. Sorry. I'll stop. Don't want to go insane.

So, all of this is very personal and unique to me, but I think really the main thing that draws me to her is how vulnerable and honest she is about emotions, how eloquently she can explain the pain of being alive to me. Some people think she isn't the strongest singer, but I think, much like John actually, one of her greatest assets is how good she is at projecting emotion. The song happiness is a song I think has some lyrically weak moments but her vocal performance on it is so raw and devastating that every single line works even when, looking at it on paper, it feels like it shouldn't.

Hope this rambling made sense to you, lmao?? I love talking about Taylor though so thanks for the ask! Also very open to giving song recs if you do want to check her out more but I won't unless solicited to lmao *Sort of off-topic but I do think there's a relation between my fascination with the Beatles' history and my love for a great break-up song. I like pain I guess :)

[lesbian-kitten25]

Okay friends so I wrote my first fanfiction. Was outside of my comfort zone to do one like this, but then I actually liked my work haha.

Catradora Fanfiction (***Mature Content***)

“It will be a grand Adventure!” yelled Seahawk as he struck his foot on top of the table.

Mermista slapped her palm to her forehead and yanked Seahawk back to his seat. “Why are you so embarrassing?”

The princesses, Bo, Seahawk, and Catra all sat around the Princess Alliance Table discussing strategies on returning magic to the universe. It was mid day and queen Glimmer was already exhausted from trying to round up the alliance for one last quest.

“Ha! I’ve got a great plan, and well, ha. Yes, I drew pictures.” Scorpia pulled out a giant notebook from under the table covered in stick figure doodles.

Catra was sprawled across Adora’s lap and purred as Adora played with her ears. Melog curled at Adora's feet taking a much needed nap.

Spinerella snuggled close in Netossa’s arms resting her head on Netossa's shoulder.

“Well, I’ve been working on tremendous upgrades to Darla! You guys wanna see?” Entrapta’s eyes sparkled as she talked about her tech.

“Whatever we do, I hope I get to punch some bad guys!” Frosta threw her ice covered fists into the air.

“Maybe if we all take a moment for some deep, calming breaths-“ Perfuma began to say.

Swiftwind barged into the room, wings spread wide. “Did someone say Swiftwind? Because, my plan has a song!”

“Oh! Chantey time!” Seahawk sprung out of his seat.

“YEAH! Count me in!” said Bo, and he leapt from he chair to joined in.

“Ooohh!” The boys began to sing.

“Stop it!” Glimmer shouted. She pointed at Bo, Swifty and Seahawk. “Bo, I love you but this is not the time for songs!” Turning to Spinny and Netossa she said, “you two aren’t even paying attention.” She turned to Scorpia. “That’s just a picture of everyone holding hands surrounded by flowers!”

“Never underestimate the power of love and friendship!” Said Scorpia as she took Perfuma’s hands gently in her pinchers.

Glimmer sighed and eyed Catra who was staring longingly into Adora’s eyes.

“Catra! Stop distracting Adora! We will probably need She-Ra’s powers in our plan.”

“Wow. Chill Sparkles. Give us some time to relax.” Catra crossed her arms and flicked her tail.

“Guys!” Glimmer slammed her fists down. “Why is it that Entrapta and Mermista are the only ones taking this seriously?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t listening to anything you guys said…” Mermista crossed her arms.

“Okay, okay, okay!” Adora set Catra onto her own seat , kissed her forehead, and stood. As much as she wanted to spend her time snuggling Catra after the events that had unraveled only a month ago, she knew she should contribute since this originally was her idea.

Light shimmered down on her giving her a radiant golden glow. The room went silent for a moment as Adora opened her mouth. Everyone leaned in ready to hear She-Ra’s amazing plan to restore magic to the other worlds. “Yeah, I got nothing”

The princesses began mumbling amongst themselves, while Seahawk, Swiftwind and Bo danced around singing.

Adora looked next to her and noticed Catra was gone. “Did you see where she went?” Adora asked Melog.

Melog cocked their head to the side.

“Huh?” Adora reached down and grabbed a folded paper from Catra’s seat. “Come Find Me” was written on the not with a doodle of Catra’s face.

Adora slipped out of the room and made her way down the hall. She wondered what silly game her girlfriend was scheming now.

“Hey Adora.”

Adora turned to see Catra leaning against the wall. One hand was pressed against her hip while she tapped her claws along the wall with the other.

Adora moved in closer. “Catra, What are-“

Catra pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Adora Let out a tiny gasp as she was taken by surprise. Catra purred as Adora grabbed her waist.

They paused when they heard mumbling coming from around a corner. Two guards strolled by.

“Hey,” said Adora awkwardly holding up finger pistol hands and making a clicking sound.

The guards returned the hello with questioning looks but continued around the hall.

Catra and Adora exchanged guilty glances then they broke into a rumble of giggles.

Adora raised her brow and smirked. She morphed into She-Ra. Catra tried not to drool at her muscles as Adora scooped her into her arms, one arm around her back and the other under her knees.

Catra caressed Adora’s face and softly traced her tongue up the side of Adora’s neck. Adora’s eyes widened as it felt like a thousand butterflies crashing around her stomach.

Adora practically kicked down the door to her bedroom, then slammed it shut again. She pulled Catra’s legs around her waist and morphed back into herself. She sat Catra on the bed.

Catra sunk into the plush mattress. "Ah! Why is it so squishy?" She poked at the bed.

"Careful!" Gasped Adora. "Tear it and it explodes! I may have made that mistake before. It’s soft, but you'll get used to it."

Adora leaned her body close as she was locked onto Catra’s lips, testing to see how far Catra was ready to go.

Catra lightly bit Adora’s bottom lip and brushed her hand along Adora’s thigh.

The heat of the room grazed their bodies. Adora unclasped the belt around her waist and yanked off her bright red jacket. She ran her hands down Catra’s sides then slipped her hands beneath her shirt line. She paused for a moment and when she was sure Catra was ready, she pulled her shirt off and pressed her palms against Catra’s breasts.

Adora trailed kisses down Catra’s jaw, neck and shoulder. Catra made a “Ppprrummpp” sound before tearing a claw down the front of Adora’s shirt and ripping it off onto the floor.

“Catra!” said Adora.

Catra swished her tail and leaned back with a sensual look. “What? You’re a magical Princess, just get a new shirt.”

Adora snorted and hopped onto the bed pulling Catra on top of her. She stroked her fingers down Catra’s sides and along her thighs before pulling Catra’s pants down her legs then onto the floor. Catra’s stomach filled with knots. She gave a small growl as she straddled Adora and brushed her lips and tongue down Adora’s chest and stomach. She ignored the urge to rip Adora’s pants and instead softly pulled them off, careful about using her claws.

Adora gently pushed Catra to her back and pushed her thigh between Catra’s legs while entangled in her kiss. Catra sucked in a deep breath.

Adora slid her hands up Catra’s thigh and against her clit. Catra let out a small gasp and delicately grazed her claws down Adora’s back before whispering “Adora.”

Adora nibbled at Catra’s neck while she stroked tenderly between Catra’s legs. With her free hand she rubbed her palm across Catra’s chest and sides.

Catra purred and growled and moaned. She pulled Adora’s hair loose from its tie and ran her fingers through her silky blonde hair. She let out a final moan and dug her claws into Adora's back. Her body trembled before fading to a serene state. She slowly tossed her tail about and purred while gazing at Adora’s smirking face.

When Catra realized she had clawed Adora harder than she meant to her eyes went big and a look of horror cascaded down her face. “Adora! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

"Pfft. Catra, it’s fine. It’s not like you haven’t scratched me before," joked Adora.

Catra’s eyes fell and her ears dropped back as her heart filled with guilt.

“Besides,” Adora cupped Catra’s cheek in her hand and pulled her gaze back. “You can make it up to me.” Adora gave a sly smile and winked before flipping Catra back on top of her.

Catra grinned and trailed her tongue across Adora’s body. She delicately bit at Adora’s breast and stomach then down to her inner thighs. She pushed Adora’s knees up and wrapped her arms under Adora’s thighs, grasping onto Adora’s hips. She brushed her tongue up and down Adora’s clitoris. Catra perked her ears every time Adora moaned Catra's name.

As Adora came closer to climaxing, Catra switched to her fingers to move faster, being careful to hold her claws higher to avoid scratching Adora.

Adora clasped her fingers around sheets and bit at a pillow as she let out a muffled scream.

Catra climbed back up and laid on Adora’s chest. She smiled down at Adora with a prideful look and said “Hey Adora.”

Adora let out a giggle. “Hey Catra.”

Catra turned and curled her back against Adora's stomach. Adora pressed her body close to Catra and hung one arm over her waste while she stroked her furry ears with the other. Adora faded to a calming sleep to the sound of Catra's steady purr.

[awhiskeyriver]

PSST AMELIA (i have hit the level of comfort where i feel i can scream at you, oop) TELL ME UR BETTY THOUGHTS.... also me too, i really wanna write stories based of Taylor's songs all the time. there's a whole subset of tumblr ask game called like, taylor universes, where we personify songs and on God it's my favorite (i wish i had more swifties in my ranks or i'd host one)

LOL, you can always scream at me! Oh man, that sounds seriously so fun! I would love to personify one of her (or all of her, lol) songs and turn them into stories. She has such a vivid way of writing music it begs to be seen in story form, lol.

Okay so....you may regret asking me for my Folklore thoughts, LOL. This is long and it might make absolutely no sense to anyone other than me but I hope that’s not the case!

Obviously **I know this isn’t true and wasn’t Taylor’s point at all** I’m just a writer and things spin out of control in my head and...yeah...basically this is how I’ve managed to link (almost) all of the songs in Folklore together into one story line of James/Betty/August.

The story begins with in the song Betty, towards the end of Junior year, at the prom.

//I know where it all went wrong, your favorite song was playing from the far side of the gym. I was nowhere to be found, I hate the crowds, you know that. Plus, I saw you dance with him.//

I think James has anxiety of some sort [more to come on that later] and in my mind, Betty is more charismatic, maybe even casually popular not in the core group of popular girls but very well-liked and known around the school. Editor of the school paper, ran for student president, etc. Meanwhile James is more low-key, out of the limelight, and the idea of being in such a large crowd dancing gave him anxiety which is why he said no. Seeing her dancing with someone else (even innocently), made him feel worse about himself and his insecurities as well as a little mad at her for not standing with him, but choosing to go dance with friends [‘him’] instead. 

So, he left the dance early [walking home on broken cobblestones] when August sees him [when she pulled up like a figment of my worst intention. She said, James get in let’s drive. Those days turned into nights. Slept next to her but I dreamt of you all summer long.]

Personally, I think James only officially cheated on Betty once. The night of the dance with August. August is a more overtly popular; more obvious beauty that is noticed by many boys, maybe a cheerleader, etc. Many people think this popularity instantly equates with happiness, but she’s not happy, actually suffers from self esteem issues and the pressure to conform [Mirrorball: I can change everything about me to fit in]. But James doesn’t ‘oogle’ her or treat her the way typical guys she dates or fucks do, so she’s attracted to him. They kind of bring out this excitement in each other that Betty and the other guys in August’s life don’t. [Mirrorball: I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight. I’ll get you out on the floor- August can pull James out of his shell in ways that Betty can’t]. This is maybe a more “obvious” song link to make, but also how in Mirrorball it’s talked about “spinning in my highest heels love, shining just for you.” And in Cardigan, when Betty is describing August “high heels on cobblestones.” 

ANYWAYS. James feels mad guilty about what happened between August and him, swears her to secrecy, but the weight of the secret weighs on him. At the end of the year, he tells Betty he thinks they should take a break over the summer, so they do. August and James continue to talk, first through platforms like Instagram, commenting on a photo or story, then it turns into constant talking, to texting, to hanging out and inevitably having more sex. For James, it’s a vice of sorts. He feels guilty, he wants to forget that feeling meanwhile August is starting to develop Feelings™. [entire song of August, obviously, but lines like “you were never mine.// your back beneath the sun, wishing I could write my name on it. ] To her, James is also developing feelings for her and wants to be with her. [I remember thinking I had you. Wanting was enough, for me it was enough.] But as the summer starts to end, things become more squirrely between the two of them, and the feeling of being James’ side piece starts to sink in more, and the more she begins to lose him, the more desperate she is to hold onto him. [August: cancel plans just in case you call and say meet me behind the mall. Illicit Affairs: Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him so you leave no trace behind, like you don’t even exist.// A drug that only worked the first few hundred times.// what started in beautiful rooms ends in meeting in parking lots.]

It comes to a head at the end of (the month of) August, as summer is ending and the new school year is approaching when James tells August he wants to get back together with Betty and what happened between them meant nothing to him. [Betty: Slept next to her but I dreamt of you all summer long.] August is rightfully hurt, embarrassed and angry [Illicit Affairs: Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby look at this godforsaken mess that you made me. You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else. Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby look at this idiotic fool that you made me. You taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else.// And you know damn well, for you I would ruin myself a million little times. Peace: All these people think love’s for show, but I would die for you in secret. Mirrorball: When I break it’s in a million pieces.]

So, senior year begins. Betty and James gets back together. August goes back to the way she was previous to her summer with James, but truly she is broken. Can’t even look at him. The guilt and stress of August is still eating at James, but he’s trying to forge ahead with Betty and the two of them grow stronger and closer throughout the first part of the school year. August’s friend, Inez, obviously notices her downfall, but August continues to allude to “the guy she met over the summer” without saying names. One drunken night, she slips and says James, and Inez being the gossip she is is like w h a t. [Peace: Your integrity makes me seem small.// I talk with shit with my friends, it’s like I’m wasting your honor.// And 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.// Give you my sunshine, give you my best. But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me.] August forgets about the conversation [she was drunk], but Inez doesn’t and can’t help herself but go to Betty and tell the rumor she heard about James fucking August. Betty, being a newspaper editor, doesn’t believe her without gathering up facts. But as she’s piecing things together, Inez’s story begins to make sense. She confronts James about it, who reluctantly admits to everything.

Betty, of course is devastated and heartbroken. The boy she trusted the most, her first love, wasn’t at all who she thought he was. [Cardigan: you drew stars around my scars, but now I’m bleeding.] And the fact that he didn’t just come clean and tell her after the first time, but continued to cover it up (and keep seeing August) is unforgivable. [Cardigan: tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy--Betty is ready to grow up, think about college, think about life, meanwhile James is clinging to the excuse that he is ‘only seventeen’ [(Betty) Would you trust me if I told you it was just a summer thing?], refusing to grow up and own his mistakes. 

Betty breaks things off with James. James hates August thinking she did it on purpose. Betty hates them both. August kind of does too.

[August- Mad Woman: Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy and when you say I get angry, I get more angry.]

[Betty- Cardigan: A friend to all is a friend to none, chase two girls lose the one.//When you are young they assume you know nothing.] 

After months of being broken up, James is still not over Betty and tries one last time to win her back at her graduation party before she leaves for college. [Betty, I’m here on your doorstep and I planned it out for weeks now but it’s finally sinking in. Betty right now is the last time I can dream about what happens when I see your face again. The only thing I want to do is make it up to you. So I showed up at your party]. The end of the song, where he’s talking about kissing in her car again, etc is him building their makeup up in his mind, psyching himself up for confronting her because he thinks it will all pay off.

Betty is shocked to see him, as is everyone else at the party, they’d become something of a spectacle, she brings him outside in the garden to talk in privacy without everyone interjecting or staring. Jame’s apology comes in ‘This is me trying’ where he’s trying to explain his actions more logically than placing blame on everyone and everything else, from Betty. [I don’t quite know what to say, but I’m here in your doorway. // They told me all of my cages were mental (the fact that he has anxiety, etc) so I got wasted like all my potential//pouring my heart out to a stranger, but I didn’t pour the whiskey (his and August’s first encounter/cheating incident after Prom). But “this is him trying, at least he’s trying...it’s hard to be at a party when [he] feels like an open wound” and quite honestly, “it’s hard [for him] to be anything these days when all [he] wants is [Betty]. It’s a great apology, he wears his heart on his sleeve, but Betty doesn’t want to fix things between him, she wants to move on. It was too difficult for her to get over him once, she can’t open herself up to trusting him again. [Cardigan: I knew you’d linger like a tattooed kiss, I knew you’d haunt all of my what ifs.// I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired, and you’d be standing in my front porch light.] 

Betty leaves for college.

A few years away in college has caused some healing for Betty and some insight into life outside of her small town and high school boyfriend [The One: If you never bleed you’re never going to grow, but it’s alright now]. But when she’s talking with her mom and something comes up about James, thoughts and feeling she hasn’t felt in years come racing back. She can’t help but wonder how things might’ve turned out if things didn’t end how they did because as much as she hates to admit it, she’ll always love James in some way. [We were something, don’t you think so?// if my wishes came true, it would’ve been you.// it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one.// I persist and resist the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different (if he hadn’t slept with August) would everything be different today?.// You know the greatest films of all time were never made.] [My Tears Ricochet: And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want just not home. And you can aim for my heart, go for blood, but you would still miss me in your bones.] 

***Now, things get a little more dicey here not as tight, lol but bear with me***

Betty comes home after graduation from college and runs into James. They’re cordial and nice and when James asks if they can get dinner and catch up, Betty agrees. They have a good evening, reconnect a little, but when they go riding and drive to some familiar places from their childhood, past hard conversations re-arise. It brings a lot of unwelcomed emotions back up in Betty, and she realizes it’s harder than she thought it would be to forgive James. [The One: the greatest films of all time were never made. Exile: I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.] Meanwhile, James just wants to forgive and forget the past, after all, they were kids, only seventeen. His hurt comes from the fact that after he tried to patch things up after graduation, not only did Betty dismiss him and leave, but she never reached out or spoke to him again. [Exile: It took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it. Holding all this love out here in the hall.] He came to the front porch/door to try and fix things with her, and she “left out the side door.” 

Betty [My Tears Ricochet: Even on my worst day, did I deserve babe, all the hell you gave me? Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you, til my dying day. // And I still talk to you (while I’m screaming at the sky) and when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)// Hoax: My twisted knife, my sleepless night, my winless fight this has frozen my ground.] 

Hoax is where things come to a head with Betty and James. [Stood on the cliffside screaming, “Give me a reason. Your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in. // You knew it still hurts underneath my scars, from when they pulled me apart. But what you did was just dark.]

Mad Woman continues as August finds out that Betty and James get back together, and cannot get over it. She never got over James either. Only her sadness turns to anger. [Now I breathe flames each time I talk. // They say “move on” but you know I won’t.// It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.] 

Invisible String comes when Betty and James are in a stable, happy place in their relationship again. Possibly engaged for marriage. [Time, mystical time, cutting me open then healing me fine.// Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire. Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons. One single thread of gold tied me to you.// Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven.]

And, I like to think that August did eventually move on and found someone who appreciates her and truly loves her, isn’t just using her for revenge, or because she’s hot, or because they’re trying to forget their own problems. But someone who actually values her for herself. (Invisible String: Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart. Now I send their babies presents.)

AGAIN, this is obviously just my own theory/fun. Not meant to be taken seriously. Hope you enjoyed!