#and yes people did chuckle when he told us to analyse a Taylor Swift song

[the-light-of-stars]

ok but now I need to know your thoughts on the taylor swift lyrics. what songs did you analyze and what were your thoughts on them????

Alright so first of all for context:

this was a lecture about the literary era of romanticism, so for most of that lecture we had been talking about the literary and philosophical concepts and ideas present in that era.

And then the professor went "ok so I am not a swiftie - I haven't even listened to her newest album yet - but I believe Swift's music greatly encapsulates a - simplified , pop-cultural - continuation of the ideas of romanticism in the modern day....so let's analyse some of her song lyrics-"

So he had us quickly look at a few song lyrics from different songs of hers, but the ones he stayed on longest - and the ones he had us do proper academic analysis of - were these from "My tears ricochet" from her Folklore album:

I have to note that these aren't my personal thoughts, I'm just recounting what happened in the lecture, and I'm putting this under a cut so that it isn't super long :

So multiple students (it was a very tightly filled classroom, had to be at least 100-150 students there) had participated in analysing these lyrics and I gotta be honest I don't remember most of the exact details of their analysis because I had a lot of classes today and had been awake since 6am but I'll try to summarize as best I can.

Essentially the main point was the comparison of these lyrics with philosophical concepts by Schelling and especially a comparison in context of this aphorism by german romanticist poet Novalis:

"Wir suchen überall das Unbedingte und finden immer nur Dinge"

["Everywhere we look for the Absolute yet we can only ever find things." (in the original german it is a wordplay)]

So one angle of analysis was that these two verses of Swift's lyrics follow this philosophical concept as posited by Hardenberg/Novalis - such as "home" here, as the only defined location, representing the Absolute , the object of Longing as it is conceptualised in romanticism, this that is desired innately but cannot be reached in ways humanly possible, as humans can only ever find "Things": abstractions, objects and concepts limited in their scope and at most a reflection of the Absolute, something that can at best be asymptotically approximated but not be directly perceived or grasped physically or intellectually. Thus here the idea that the lyrical "I" can go "anywhere" and , following that, observe anything, and yet will always be unable to reach the defined and Absolute of "home."

Home then, as defined by other students in the lecture, would be the innate idea of some sort of absolute security in the self, a place of comfort and belonging and a place of certainty. Home, thus, as not just a location but as a concept: a kind of pre-conscious knowledge of being ('Being' here possibly in the hegelian sense), an experience of pure existence. Suppose an analysis also referencing Spinoza's concept of the Substance, the natura naturans, which singular modi are necessarily extensions of and ultimately 'return' to ( 'return' here used simplifying, as modi constituate extensions or aspects of the indivisible infinite Substance under the attributes of Thought and Extension, which thus cannot really be divided and, following, cannot 'return' to it since they were never truly separated.)

Of course, romanticism and general philosophy of the era being concerned with theological questions as well, one student pointed out another angle to view Swift's lyrics under in regards to romanticist theoreticism, that being the theological one: "Home" as the Absolute and the Absolute as God or a christian-mysticist interpretation of it either way, "Anywhere" as the world of human perception and "Home" as the world of god that life springs from, in relation to an article the professor had mentioned about a Times (iirc) journalist visiting a Taylor Swift concert and calling it a "religious experience" to sing specifically the quoted line with and within a crowd of tens of thousands of people.

In regards to this last point the professor also specified that "religious experience" here is not necessarily limited to the scope of (protestant) christianity but rather is to be seen as some sort of pre- or post-religious understanding of a form of ontological transcendence that escapes the boundaries of rational describability.

Following that we also analysed the album title and its cover art:

The romanticist connection in the title being fairly obvious as "Folklore" as a literary category is something romanticist authors in their nature-mysticism and attempt at distinction from Enlightenment era concepts of pure reason loved to discuss, recreate and include in their works.

Furthermore then the connection of the cover art , which students compared to works of famous romanticist painter Caspar David Friedrich (here the painting "Easter Morning"):

The composition of a lone human figure among the trees during a foggy morning or evening is a very popular motif in (german) romanticism as the fog represents the Unknown and - as mentioned above - the always out of reach and never truly perceptible (by human means) Absolute as well as the everlasting Longing towards it. The trees and forests as well a popular romanticist theme as part of its nature-mysticism and above mentioned contrast to the Enlightenment rationalism as practiced in the cities and structured human society.

Apparently on either this or the Evermore album (I don't know on which as I don't listen to Swift's songs and can't remember which song exactly the professor quoted there) there is a lyric saying "we are the new romanticists" as well.

All this to say that after probably twenty minutes of analysing Taylor Swift lyrics in an academic framework of literary theory and ontological philosophy- as well as repeated promises by the professor that he "is not a swiftie" - the prof stated that "Taylor Swift probably didn't put nearly as much thought into this as we did just now but she is an international phenomenon and does - wether intentional or not - make use of concepts and ideas used in romanticist writing and philosophy so analysing her lyrics seemed apt."

[cherryrogers]

Paper Rings.

Loki x Fem!Reader

Contains: Fluff.

Synopsis: Loki and you take a nice walk down memory lane, reminiscing on your very first encounters with each other.

Inspired by the song, ‘Paper Rings’ by Taylor Swift.

__________________________________________

“Do you remember the night that we first met, (Y/N)?”

“The night where you threatened to kill me after I caught you sneaking out of your room when you were under strict instructions not to leave it until morning? Yes, Loki, I do remember that night. Clear as day, ironically.”

You climbed on top of the bedsheets and sprawled your body of Loki’s. He let out a a laugh as you tried to cuddle into him as close as you possibly could. His arms instantly enveloped around you as you finally found the perfect cuddling position, and you sighed comfortably.

“I honestly thought you were going to call security on me. Your expression was priceless.”

“Hey,” You slapped his chest gently. “I only knew you as Thor’s cunning, mischievous younger brother. Plus, you threatened to kill me! Of course I was crapping myself.”

Loki ran his fingers up and down your arm. “I’ll admit, maybe the threat was quite unnecessary. I assure you, if I knew you would come to be the love of my life, then I would not have threatened you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

It was amazing think back on how your relationship with Loki started. You had worked for Tony Stark for a long time, and eventually you became an assistant to the majority of the Avengers. You’d heard stories of Loki, and from what you’d heard, you were not too keen on meeting the guy. He sounded evil, and selfish, and someone you straight up didn’t want to be involved with.

After the terrifying events in New York, Loki was contained in the newly constructed Avengers tower. Over time, he was slowly allowed more privileges, like leaving his room without security and being allowed in different parts of the building. However, with each bit of freedom he was granted, the more you prayed not to run into him. You kept to yourself as much as possible, avoiding Loki at all costs. What if he tried to hurt you? Or use his mystic powers on you? Although you’d never actually seen him in the flesh, the idea of him that had been put into your head sent shivers down your spine.

So, when you finished up work late one night and found the god quietly shutting his room door behind him as he snuck out, you were petrified. Maybe you could just pretend you didn’t see him? However, he was heading in the direction of the elevator, which is exactly where you needed to be.

“H-hey, what are you doing?” Your voice wavered as you called to Loki down the hall. Walking forward slowly, you watched as he stopped in his tracks. Immediately, you regretted your decision.

Loki turned around so you could see his face clearly. His skin was a lot paler than you’d imagined, and he was tall. Not as tall as Thor, but he had a good few inches on you. If he was going to come at you, you had zero chance of surviving, so that was promising as he started to walk towards you.

“Nothing that concerns you,” He cocked his head to the side, looking you up and down. His stare made you swallow nervously. “(Y/N), is it?”

“How d’you know my name?” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“I can read, dear.” Loki gestured to the lanyard around your neck, which did have your name written on it in large, bold letters. Of course. Your cheeks flushed as you realised you were making a complete fool of yourself in front of the literal God of Mischief. You really should’ve just pretended you hadn’t seen him.

“I’ve been told that you’re not allowed out of your room at night.”

“Have you now?” He stepped towards you again.

Subconsciously, you took a step back. “Yes, so you should probably go back.”

“And what if I refuse?” Another step towards you.

“I- I...”

All of a sudden, your back was against the wall, and Loki was no more than a few centimetres away from you. His deep eyes started straight into yours as he spoke. “Now, (Y/N), if you tell anyone about your lovely encounter with me tonight, I will kill you. Do you understand?”

You didn’t tell anyone about your first encounter with Loki out of sheer fear, but it made you wonder what he would’ve actually done if you had spoken up about it.

“Loki, would you have actually killed me if I snitched on you?”

“No, I wouldn’t have.” He replied simply.

“Really?”

“Truly. You reminded me of... a small animal - like a bunny. You were much too adorable to harm.”

For a moment, you lifted your head up and looked straight up at him surprisedly. “A bunny? Seriously?”

Loki’s chest shook with laughter. “Take it as a compliment, love. If you weren’t so endearing, I may have considered it.”

Even Loki couldn’t believe it sometimes, the difference in who he was when he lived with the Avengers to who he was living with you. He thought he’d be stuck in the Avengers tower forever, surrounded by people who just didn’t understand him. And after he scared you half to death, he was shocked that you even gave him another chance.

“Again, thanks.” You responded. “At least you were a little nicer the second time we met.”

The next encounter you had with Loki was rather different to your first. You were sat at the desk in your office, your chin resting on your palm tiredly. It was almost the end of your shift, and in the middle of boring business work and replying to over a hundred emails, you found yourself suddenly planning your dream vacation - Paris. Looking at flights, the hotels you could stay in, everything you could do and see around the city on your computer. You lost yourself in the idea of actually being able to take a trip there. Everything work related had completely exited from your mind.

That was until...

“This doesn’t look like work, (Y/N).” A familiar voice said from behind you, causing you to gasp and turn around, your hand placed on top of your chest. The green and gold attire instantly gave him away, and you sighed frustratedly.

“What are you doing in here?”

Loki ignored your question and analysed your computer screen, resting his hands on the back of your chair. “Planning a holiday, are we? I’m not sure Stark would be too happy about that.”

He was right, you weren’t actually ever meant to go on vacation as long as you were Mr Stark’s assistant - when it came to managing business and meetings, he would be lost without you.

Despite that, Loki should not have been in your office.

“You need to leave, now.” You gestured towards to the door, but Loki didn’t move. He stayed stood behind your chair, making you sigh heavily again.

“I came here to talk to you.” He stated, walking from behind you to the front of your desk, sitting on the chair opposite you. You didn’t react to him, and instead just stared, waiting for him to carry on and say what he had to. With a roll of his eyes, he continued. “I thought you should know that... I appreciate that you didn’t tell anyone about me sneaking out. I would’ve been locked away again for a long time if you had have said something, so... thank you.”

Your eyes widened. Loki was thanking you? The only reason you didn’t tell on him was because you were scared for your life. It certainly wasn’t to benefit him.

“Well, you did threaten my life, are you surprised I kept it to myself?”

Loki leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his thighs. “That’s why you didn’t tell anyone? What a shame, I thought you may have had a soft spot for me, dear.”

That time, you let out a loud laugh. A soft spot? Who did this guy think he was? “I’m afraid not, Loki.”

His name sounded nice coming from your mouth, and it was something Loki wanted to hear more. He wasn’t sure why, but he sure liked to get what he wanted.

“So, Paris?” Loki leaned back in his seat again, clasping his hands together.

“You’re not gonna leave, are you?”

After he shook his head and smirked at you, you exhaled in defeat. Well, it’s not like he came to your office to threaten you again. It seemed like he was genuinely trying to be kind to you. Maybe it was a bit odd, but why question it? So, you spent the rest of your shift rambling away to Loki in your office about your dream trip to Paris, and he listened. He just listened. And that’s how it all started. And that’s what lead to to this moment - reminiscing about the early days with Loki, with your head on his chest. Who would’ve guessed this was your future? To think you used to be terrified of the guy...

“I don’t know how you got me to forgive you so easily.” You chuckled, drawing circles on Loki’s stomach with your finger.

“That would be my irresistible charm, darling.”

You rolled your eyes in amusement. “Okay, well I must’ve also been pretty charming, you clearly liked spending all of your time in my office.”

“I guess I did enjoy your company...”

“You guess? You loved it, I know you did.”

“I loved you.”

A giggle escaped your lips. “You loved irritating me, that’s for sure.”

“That’s only because I loved seeing you smile, and laugh, and just genuinely happy in my presence.” Loki let out a breath of content. “I remember one time in your office, you were rambling on about something random...”

Wow, it’s great to know he listened to you.

“And out of nowhere, I just thought ‘I’m going to marry her one day’. It was during the sort of odd stage of our relationship, where we didn’t know what we were. However, I could just feel it. You were the love of my life.”

At that point, your heart was melting. “And do you still think that? That we’re gonna get married?”

“Of course,” Loki replied certainly. “My darling, I’d marry you with paper rings. Obviously, you deserve the finest, most beautiful ring in this realm, but if it meant we’d be together for eternity, paper would be more than sufficient.”

In one swift motion, you went from laying next to Loki to straddling him, your face hovering just above his. You dipped down to capture his lips with yours softly, savouring the feeling of your mouth on his. “Paper or twenty four carat, I’d marry you with any ring you gave me.” You said, pulling away and sitting up on his lap, allowing him to rest himself against the headboard of the bed.

“Are you suggesting you’d like a ring some time soon, (Y/N)?” Loki teased as you ran a hand through his thick, dark locks.

“I’m not suggesting anything, you’re the one who started talking about rings...” You shrugged innocently. “Are you suggesting something, Loki?”

“Not at all.” He said, leaning in to kiss you again.

“But-”

“But nothing,” Loki interrupted. “I love you.”

Those evil three words. They made you forget every question you were about to ask Loki, and instead you pulled him towards you and kissed him passionately.

Little did you know, it wasn’t nothing. Loki had a plan, and the conversation you just shared was the very last part of it. All that was left to do, was wait. In a month’s time, the plan would be set into motion, and everything would gradually fall into place.

Loki was going to propose to you, and the memory of it would be one impossible to forget.