#idk maybe i'll make a taylors version one too..

[whenemmafalls]

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Poster for Each Era Part 10: The Midnights Era (2022-present)

[topazpearl]

in celebration of sbg returning in a little over 2 weeks (!!!!!) have my HUGE master doc of all my possible theories, ideas, wants/needs, etc.

(spoilers abound of course)

Edit: For an updated, post-S2 release version, [here]

[Hamilton chorus voice] NUMBER ONE: The giant freakin phantompede and how to escape it

-Logan shoots it in the eyes, probably won't kill it tho, just make it mad and blind, which doesn't help

-they pull a Tremors and use the jeep as bait to make it jump off the cliff to its death, and they all jump out at the last second. a big gamble, assuming its stupid enough to do this. (tho making it blind first as mentioned could work) Sucks that they lose the jeep but they can get another car

-Or (this goes into my Phantom Ashlyn theory which I'll talk later) ashlyn can talk to it and tells it to go away and it….does! idk lol it's stupid but maybe ash has enough girl boss energy to convince it. or it's so shocked by a human talking to it it's like "dang ok" 

-last idea: they're near the school so they lure it there and into the sports area, assuming they have a baseball field, and kill it with all the big lights there (the poetic justice of it all... get 'em tyler)

NUMBER TWO: Schrödinger's Tyler

-I'm hoping that once phantompede is taken care of they'll go back to find him. Taylor will force them probably. Cue angst. 

-my top theory rn is that if you die in the phantom dimension (PD) you enter a coma in the real dimension (RD) b/c I think it'd be very lame and low stakes for a horror thriller for ty to just wake up fine but in pain. 

–unless there's some really NASTY RD consequences like, he starts getting narcolepsy, starts hearing Phantom noises too, constantly sick, slowly wasting away with each day, maybe relives his death every night like some horrid nightmare??? etc 

-then of course there's the popular idea that if u die in the PD your body becomes a phantom. who knows how long that takes. could be fun and angsty if it happens rlly fast like while the kids are there and see his body turn into a phantom and they freak the frick out. yeah 

and if the phantoms have no retained memories, Tay is just calling to him but it's for naught 

-anyway if ty's in a coma that'll be fun to explain to the parents 

-If a phantom is killed, their connected person in the RD who was in a coma dies fr

NUMBER THREE: Ashlyn and the Phantoms (cool new band name) 

-we know the kids are getting influenced by the PD, making phantom noises (further supports phantoms were people theory) but with Ashlyn's "really strong" connection to the PD, she's in special danger. If one can turn into a phantom without dying, it's gonna be her. Ryan the spy said that "the girl" – assumingly ashlyn– should be "especially" at risk of danger. This could be bc she was the one who interacted with the rift, or bc she already has a higher level of phantom influence on her. 

-when ashlyn told the phantom to let go, and her friends to calm down, both times she spoke with a black speech bubble WITH PHANTOM NOISE LINES NEAR IT.

this is different than characters who have also spoken with black bubbles. obviously these have been with threats/malice, but the boys' didn't have the red lines.

These times ashlyn has spoken, the phantom acknowledged her voice, and her friends' spell-like violence trance was broken. Therefore, Theory: ashlyn not only can hear phantoms, but she can speak their language sort of

-depending how the Tyler situation goes down, I think Ashlyn will have lots of guilt and anger towards herself, and if she can't reign it in, I could see her going into a violence trance like her friends did. maybe even worse (a semi phantom transformation??) Cue a fun angsty 'talking her down' moment with the others at best, or full on fighting Phantom!ashlyn at worst

-when ashlyn was born, a phantom like touched her in a blessing/cursing sense which is part of the reason why she can hear phantoms and her strong PD connection 

possibly even possession???? seems a bit farther fetched tho 

-tldr; i want ashlyn to enter her monster girl era 

-The evil gang seems confused why the kids have lasted so long. maybe Ashlyn's PD connection goes both ways. she provides a strong anchor to the RD. Maybe the PD is USUALLY all desolate with the pillars that we saw in the finale (maybe it's even an afterlife of sorts?), but Ashlyn makes a huge radius (~30 miles! (assuming kids were driving at least 60mph for 30 minutes)) of the PD around where she wakes up mirror the real world, creating a safer space for her and the kids. meanwhile a normal person that gets sucked into the PD gets thrown into a desolate hell world different from the RD (also maybe stuck there permanently), causing them to die much quicker. 

-Ashlyn's influence extends to jamming the recording devices like some kind of weird phantom static.

-Broke: Ashlyn's parents wanted her to learn self defense and have a knife bc they're in the military. Woke: they want her to be able to protect herself after the phantom scare when she was a baby

NUMBER FOUR: Origami gang and Co INC. 

-My Current idea on what the evil gang is doing: The gangs symbol is an origami crane (orizuru). the crane in East Asia has longevity as one of its symbolisms, with some myths saying it flies souls up to paradise. there's the popular myth that if you fold 1000 cranes you get a wish.

Heres where the evil twist comes in. The gang boss believes that if he traps 1000 people in the PD as like, a sacrifice, then he'll get a wish and he'll ask for eternal life or whatever. this gang is a cult and he's tricked everyone saying that they'll also get a long life but really it's probably only gonna be him 🤫 So they go around to different haunted places in America and pick ppl they sense can open these shadow rifts and get sucked in. the phantoms may be ppl they trapped in the past and they've turned into phantoms

-Ryan, the guy who's spying on the kids, maybe is ALSO "Mr. thomas"? he just puts on a wig and is a good actor lol. this is the reason why he asks about "Mr. Thomas's" fate. What goes against this is that Ryan seems to know all about the PD mechanisms, which doesn't fit Mr. Thomas being confused abt ashlyns hair. Unless he wasn't expecting it

– or "Mr thomas" could just be Ryan's friend or brother or smn. A low ranked guy in the gang that got stuck with roping Ashlyn into Savannah, but doesn't know the truth/details about the PD. 

-the gang mentions that "both sides" are trying to track them. either the government and a supernatural hunting group, or even some force in the PD like some Alpha Phantom like the devil who's like "Where's my dead people quota hello?" or better yet "you're messing with MY domain and I'm gonna Get You". 

-This is based solely on the Boss' appearance and smiling countenance: what if the gang Boss is Aiden's uncle, his dad's brother. his weird, estranged brother who's also evil probably. I'm really hung on this idea don't mind me. Maybe it's b/c we don't know his name yet, b/c he's secretly related and it'll be a big reveal

-you have to be able to make a paper origami crane from memory to be an official gang member /hj 

(S2 spoilers) NUMBER FIVE: Aiden's dyed hair and why it's A Big Deal

none of these have any solid evidence I'm just wildin 

-He hates his natural hair color/thinks it's ugly

-doing it to hide his real identity (IF the Clark family being involved with the Origami gang is real it would probably fall under this, BUT I have strong reason to believe Aiden is not involved with the gang tho. (See my ~EXCEL SHEET~ for my reasoning)

–falls under my random "gang boss is aidens uncle" theory. his uncle is the weird black sheep of the family, that Aiden has a spitting resemblance to, so he dyes his hair to make him look less like him

further developing my silly Boss Uncle idea but I'm imagining that Daniel (Adiens dad) married into the family bc he looks sm different than his wife or Ben's parents. But when he married Jessica (Aidens mom) at the start they used his surname, had Aiden, etc. Then Daniel's weird (evil) brother starts committing Crimes tm, possibly even convicted, jail time, all over the news (maybe he got out early cuz of parole, good behavior idk). Aidens family suffers for it by proxy; Aiden is bullied, his parents are stigmatized at work. it actually gets so bad that they decide to switch to Jessica's maiden name Clark. Currently wondering if Ben's dad, William, and Jessica are the siblings here. anyway they do that and with their constant moving and traveling, it's easy to embrace the new identity. But Aiden was still pretty affected by it being a kid and all so that's why he dyes his hair, and plays it off as doing it for funsies

-based on claims (if someone has proof of this beyond his skin tone HMU) I've seen that he's part Asian, so maybe has suffered really nasty racism in the past but when he's blond he's white passing, so he does it so he's not bullied anymore

-blondes have more fun to help with this "constantly happy" persona he has

– semi related, he's heavily masking depression and loneliness, and the bright yellow hair makes him happier.

-he dyes his hair for attention bc he didn't get enough of it as a child with his parents traveling and working 

Actually-!

NUMBER FIVE ½: Aiden's backstory

after seeing the Easter egg, wondering if his mom divorced or died idk cause the lady in the picture doesn't look like his mom, her hair is darker?? now ofc she could just be dying her hair too idk!!!

Absolutely Wildin' here but maybe aidens parents died when he was a kid so he was adopted but surprise! his dad is still alive and is a criminal and running a shadow cult. or maybe the boss is still his uncle. or maybe the boss is his parent(s) killer!!! 

Or Maybe The Boss is aidens dad. Aidens biological mom died and the Boss went crazy and probably committed crimes and went to jail, and then Daniel (aidens uncle, Boss' brother) and Jessica took custody of him. and then the Boss escaped jail and started his cult, maybe to bring back his wife

kinda off topic but I'm wondering if Aiden's red eyes are fake too. colored contacts. like neither of his parents have it, no one does. does he just have Protagonist syndrome or is it related to one of the ideas above?

I'm just throwing darts. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

NUMBER SIX: Character arcs and futures

-either no other of the kids will "die", just Aiden and Ashlyn will "survive", or everyone except Ashlyn will "die"

-but i hope if they can sever their connection with the PD, anyone who dies in the PD and gets in a coma will wake up

-So they're gonna get kidnapped. that's definitely gonna be a thing. either mid S2 or S2 ending. up in the air whether the kidnapping is successful or not. 

actually I'm placing my bets now S2 finale will be them getting kidnapped and it just cuts off there for another awful cliffhanger.

since it seems Mr thomas will be involved, maybe he'll ask the kids to stay after school to talk abt their failing grades or smn, and then maybe they're hit with knockout gas??

OR the gang has been spying on them so they pick a time when the kids are all separated and jump them. 

maybe this is when aiden knowing where ashlyns dance studio is is actually plot relevant!!??(please) like he (and Ben probably cuz they're always together) are able to escape their attackers and Aiden goes to help ashlyn cuz he wants to make sure she's OK. and she's either fine cuz she's a girl boss and can kick butt, or he saves her oo la la 

–lol imagine kidnapping is successful, gang tells kids why they were kidnapped, if Evil Boss Uncle theory is true this helps facilitate this but Ashlyn "goes off" on Aiden yelling and "attacking" him and stuff saying he's part of the gang etc but it's all a ruse to have the gang think she'll cause another energy spike and Aiden gets this and plays along, so assuming the kids are locked up, the gang opens their cell to stop ashlyn, and that's when they escape

–also assuming the gang would be smart enough to get rid of the kids phones when they're snagged. 

-also SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen Reds ig stories but since they just had midterms it's probably October (bc the story started at the beginning of the school year (August) and there was a month skip (September) where they were learning self defense) Which Means that it could be Aidens bday which is why ashlyn is at his house and they're having a pizza party or whatever yippee! (i want this) And maybe Mr and Mrs Clark talk about seeing phantoms (the panel of them looking stressed the heck out lol) bc I'm assuming all the guardians have been seeing them I'm assuming!!!! And maybe Ashlyn overhears, and the kids Finally can tell the parents what's going on but I doubt it. b/c that'd be too easy y'know?

-regardless, the either failed or successful kidnapping will probably set the parents over the edge, Especially if Ty is in a medically unexplainable coma, and Mike Banner will be like "tell me what's going on Right Now" and the parents believe them and they help the kids get to Savannah yippee!! a cool Big family squad force they all hop on a working school bus or smn and drive there. (I wish i knew how many seasons there's gonna be so I could predict pacing but since it's a thriller I'm assuming pretty fast, so maybe 3 seasons? cuz while we got a fast plot we seemingly have a slow ashlyn & aiden relationship so 🤷‍♀️)

Sorry back to character arcs:

Ashlyn: Learn to trust and connect with people, make friends, lean on others. Could be nice if she accepts and admits the kids are her friends by the end of S2, leaving the next season for Aiden/Ashlyn dev specifically. More development about her connection with the PD, which could put friendship to the test. 

Taylor: will either shut down with grief like her mom, or maybe snap and have an Edgy arc (seems… unlikely to me tho she seems too emotionally intelligent for that). NEVERMIND with all the stuff im seeing, it seems likely!!!) Willing to bet money the twins are unhealthily codependent on each other. Maybe she'll start latching onto Ben instead (whether anything romantic develops on top of it is debatable, but I can see it. theyve already got a cute little closeness going on). Would not be surprised if, after losing her dad (which im predicting was a suicide) and Ty, she can't stand the thought of losing someone else, and will save someone in danger at her own expense, leading to her death. Sure I'll predict she'll die 2nd if there are more deaths.

Tyler: he frikkin ded so… (would've been nice to see him become even more caring but yknow)

Logan: Seems to be overcoming his fragility well if the arcade scene is any indication. Still has self-worth issues to overcome due to his parents' abandonment. Maybe we'll learn more about that in S2. That could be a rumor and the real reason he lives with his grandparents is that his parents died but idk why that'd be hidden unless their death was suspicious (phantom related???). He'll die 3rd; survives longer than expected but is the halfway point. 

Ben: Still needs to find a new passion for life, i suspect playing musical instruments like the guitar will be the answer (thank you tyler). Tho maybe learning to love his altered voice could happen? (tons of dudes have a rough/husky singing voice that ppl love) But this is probably unlikely. 

– Taylor and Logan's deaths will hit him really hard, maybe feels like his strength is worthless if he failed to keep the others safe, and starts spiraling real bad. Possible phantom transformation or attempted suicide. 4th to die. 

Aiden: (get medicated) Learning self-control, improving interpersonal relationships, accepting serious/negative emotions, along with God knows what else will be revealed. 

– Kinda wondering if he grew up in a "toxic positivity" mentality home, where his parents are like "we're so privileged we shouldn't complain" 

– IF he does die, he'll be the last one, leaving Ashlyn alone (when it hurts the most!!! muhahhaha!!! 😭), and it won't happen in S2.

NUMBER SEVEN: Miscellaneous predictions, wants, musings & hypotheticals

-hey uh what about the photo Logan took of the phantom back at the sorrel-weed house?? surely he still has it? can he show the parents?? will they be able to see it?

-Logan saw the whole Aidlyn hug from the roof from his snipper position, change my mind.

-Another death will happen in S2, possibly even two deaths.

-Mr thomas switches sides and helps the kids, gives them info

-Ryan (the spy) switches sides and helps the kids

-the tour lady Jasmine and the Boss are a hot evil couple 

also kinda want them to have a Rourke & Helga dynamic where he throws her under the bus at the last moment and she's Bissed 

-I want the boss to die by his own evil plan. i doubt a redemption arc will happen but I'd be down for it if done well.

-*grabs your shoulders until they bleed* listen. Aiden saved ashlyn, now I need her to save him. I need this. 

-Taylor and Ashlyn girl time please!!!

-Logan and Aiden becoming closer would also give me joy. big Freckle and Rocky energy. 

-Consider: Ashlyn says that she thinks Aiden looks better with dark hair, not meaning it as a compliment but as an objective statement, but he decides to grow out his dark hair again (will take a bit). 

-this doesn't have to happen but I think it'd be really funny if Aiden somehow gets the IDEA that Logan has a crush on Ashlyn when Logan doesn't, causing a stupid silly short jealousy arc.

-actually I really need a "can skydive from 10,000 ft but can't confess to the girl he likes" Aiden Clark

which like would make sense bc at this point he knows she thinks he's annoying, pushy, etc., so that's just asking for a rejection 

-I've got a bad feeling smn will happen to Ashlyn's parents, specifically her dad

-you know what's better than Ashlyn having to be a girlboss and face the villains alone? Aiden and Ashlyn going together and Aiden being used as collateral by the villains :) What if he dies permanently irl, while the rest of the kids, if they died in the PD, reawaken, leaving him the only one permanently gone in the end? :) 

-bruh what if everyone died like fr fr. yes I'm imagining Ashlyn looking at all her friends' graves. 

-the Origami gang fails to kidnap the kids b/c all that self-defense paid off, and they accidentally create a huge "energy spike", making phantoms appear everywhere in town.

-if the kids DO get kidnapped successfully, I want Ashlyn to be an awesome girlboss and use her knife shoes to help them escape.

-if my puppy fic became Canon that'd be swaggie actually.

-let Ashlyn have a dog 2023

-pov you're in Georgia in the fall and a hurricane hits, knocking out solar power for a few days. what then? :)

-when all this garbage is over and they hopefully all live in the end, I want them to have a fun stargazing party lead by Logan cause they can finally enjoy the night (And maybe aidlyn have their first Kiss?? 🙈)

-If there ISNT a "group goes to see Ashlyn in a ballet performance" scene then I'm WRITING IT MYSELF 

-the kids are like, juniors right? Prom. 

-Aiden works hard to get his permit and his parents buy him a car but it's a crappy one cause they know he'll wreck it but hey it's Savannah or Bust.

-At the end of all things, Aiden and Ashlyn will become a couple, or at least have reciprocal romantic feelings. This is not just my shipper heart talking. I feel it in my brain, in my soul. (b/c Red rlly seems to ship it so 😏)

-maybe aidens parents work for a religious missionary aid group like Samaritans purse

-a kid going into an angry protective phantom mode to protect another(s) 😳 (aidlyn on the brain but it could be anyone)

-if I had a nickel for every time I've imagined Aiden dying in Ashlyn's arms, I'd have many nickels 

-what if having a good singing voice ran in Ben's family? haha jkjk…unless??? but they don't sing like ever cuz they don't want Ben to feel bad 

-man what if a kid died by a phantom pushing them down a set of stairs.. 

-Rlly hope that Aiden's parents don't get scared seeing phantoms in their house and hearing other families having phantoms in THEIR houses and thinking the whole town is haunted, and they consider moving which they don't wanna do bc Aiden finally has friends but what else can they do!? angst. 

-John 15:13 for Ashlyn with the others except it's not permanent (I'm not saying ash is a Jesus figure tho WHWKEJEJDJ)

-I rlly wanna see ashlyn laugh like REALLY LAUGHING

~~

That's it for the moment (●'◡'●) thanks for coming

will any of these be canon? who knows! it's the fun of it all

[fandomshatepeopleofcolor]

I love that you have this place for us Poc! ❤️ Just discovered your blog

it bothers the hell out of me that some people read fiction and sometimes can also assume that an author is using something from real life ALL the time. this is referring to the white/eurowhite readers when it comes to acotar. the eurowhite readers (which there are alot of ofc) white wash all of the bat boys and lucien vanserra DESPITE knowing that for one, lucien is part black from his father. the second which is my main point with the eurowhite readers in acotar is that because SJM uses the name of a race called “Illyrians” in her books to refer to a race of poc and because “the map looks just like the UK/Europe!” they all ASSUME that because illyria (where balkans are, no longer referred to as illyrians) looks like the Prythians map and because it’s the same name that it means they’re eurowhite characters. There’s been no confirmation of them being europeans but they ASSUME they are when telling other poc readers that “they aren’t Poc” DESPITE SJM referring to them as “golden brown skin” “brown skin” “Light brown skin” multiple times the ENTIRE series. Most arts they’re in they’re brown too! Aside from the ones that whitewash them. Maybe she stole the name (which is like her taking the name of a race and denying they’re that race) BUT STILL she never confirmed they’re european in her fantasy version of illyrians they just assume and use this argument whenever someone says they’re poc. racist asses unable to accept the fact that they’re canonly referred to as BROWN. not WHITE. not PALE. GOLDEN BROWN. does that sound like white to you?

Im a a poc who doesn’t mind SJM not being clear about race, it’s somewhat refreshing not to have it be so “black white asian” like it is IRL, and I don’t mind her using the same name, but she makes illyrians her OWN and made them brownskinned even if people in europes “Illyria” were “Olive skinned” and not brown. It’s obvious she tweaked it and made them darker so either way they aren’t white like these readers want them to be. And if there are White casted for these roles in her possible Acotar Tv show? It’s only going to piss all her Poc readers off so I hope her team is careful and Hulu when they do casting. Bc I know they would all get canceled for whitewashing, whole show burned to flames via twitter for it, regardless of her using an IRL country’s name.

Also don’t believe those that thinks she’s racist again as a black reader they woman’s best friend is black, she’s a obama supporter, Anti republicans and trump, Young and super modern and she’s not a dumbass. People call her racist for her blurred lines of race and for supposedly “Posted about Breonna taylor for Attention and more money from Poc readers” When …where tf is the proof that was her reasoning? Maybe she just wanted justice for her. As a poc I hate seeing poc acotar readers act like she’s racist like use your brain and not bias to make it seem like something it’s not. Idk your stances on her but this is just mines.

Ok so here's the thing... I'm trying to read more diverse books. Like my white bestie from college wanted me to read acotar and the rest of the series but i honestly just watched a youtuber do a rundown of the first 3 books. and it was fine? so I will say this about sarah j maas: like her books do seem v white to me. BUT I also can't really say anything definitive about her works because I'm experiencing them through a white youtubers lens. so if she didn't pick up on diversity in the books I didn't think of it as diverse. you're welcome to have your opinion though but in general.... don't stan white authors.

Like I'll give you an example.

a favorite author of mine that wrote american gods, good omens and coraline is on this v site so that's why I won't name him but like even he's done some problematic stuff. like ok the biggest example is the marvel comic 1602 where he had a chance to race bend steve rogers but instead had a white steve rogers that was raised by native americans.

like just please don't waste your time stanning white authors. next thing you know they turn into jkrowling.

mod ali

[folkinsomnia]

thoughts on 1989 TV?

I've not yet actually listened to the whole thing because of life hectic-ness, namely foot surgery that has made fun things like Consuming Music I Love suck a lot. So I'm listening all the way through today while I do some scanning for work! This is gonna be a sort of "live react" stream of consciousness thing that I'll ideally edit before bombarding you with my Thoughts :-)

In general, everything sounds so much crisper and I am LIVING

I've always been kinda meh towards style aside from the last chorus, but there's something sooo much better about style tv!! Haven't listened to the OG 1989 in ages, so I'd need to compare to really explain it (and it might be obvious, but I'm not the greatest at remembering the little details from pre-reputation albums bc rep was my first as a a Fan™️)

Her matured and vastly improved vocals are to die for and have been throughout the ~taylor's version~ journey. MWAH!

OOTW is already a gorgeous song, but tv is, again, just so...!!!!!

AYHTDWS is already one of my favorites, so the rerecording has me EMOTIONAL it's so beautiful. Hold me I listened twice (which I consider a sin on full listen-throughs of albums, though I AM a horrid sinner, so)

I still hate shake it off, but this one's much better. Milder hate, more like distaste now, sort of like a mushy thing on the bottom of my shoe instead of the bottom of my sock

IWYW makes me sprint thru the streets at 5 AM even with my recently removed stitches owie

WHAT IS THE SECRET SAUCE HERE?? Do the drums sound better? Idk!

I know bad blood is considered cringey but listen. It's also so fun and the cringe makes us free. Maybe the harmonies on the chorus have more parts?? Gdi i need to do one to one comparisons with all of these. Already salivating over the Kendrick Lamar version at the end of the album I'm excited for him

It's official that 1989 tv has made me really like songs I've been ambivalent or mildly positive towards (like style and wildest dreams now), so that's like actually huge imo

Everything is so pretty! (I'm half asleep now help I'm at WORK)

I Know Places is one of those TS songs I rarely listen to and then I listen and am like "why the fuck aren't I listening to this one daily" and IKP tv has me feeling that More Intensely

Clean is yet another fave and clean tv makes my very soul tremor. Don't look at me for a week

Wonderland continues to be a fucking transcendental experience that electrocutes my spinal column <3 the bridge is even MORE earth-shattering than it was in the original. please see my original thoughts from 4.5 years ago

these feelings re: Wonderland still stand and always will

The first chord of YAIL kind of sounds like the first chord of Give Great Thanks by Dorian Electra lmao

Still not crazy about YAIL but the lyrics and the ****** lore...phew!

New Romantics tv is suuuch a good example of how gorgeous tayla's lower register has gotten. It's so much richer and I guess more well supported?

I've heard that Slut! is actually emotional af...not ready

"I might as well be a joke in love" HOO BOY I SEE NOW WHAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT

"Got lovesick all over my bed" is SO !!!!!!

Okay yeah Slut! is so fucking good

Say Don't Go has me reeling. I can see why it didn't make the final cut (she is just a little too unlike her brethren to the point that, imo, she wouldn't fit well into the original album as well as the songs that made it do), but it's soooo ggoooooOOOD!!! It gives me almost like...cousin of 1989 and Lover and Midnights vibes?

Now That We Don't Talk...!!!! These vault songs fucking rule, dude.

The end of NTWDT 🤝 Mastermind??

The I broke my own heart 'cause you were too polite to do it ⏩️ I broke his heart 'cause he was nice pipeline and how it rejects the continuation of a cycle of passivity while simultaneously continuing the emotional burden carried by women in their relationships!! And also a cycle of cruelty! These are half-baked thoughts but they ARE thoughts I'm having!! An english degree was wasted on me because my textual analysis skills are still so juvenile,,

Is It Over Now Boo From Fleabag Moment

I WAS RIGHT THE KENDRICK LAMAR BAD BLOOD VERSION IS SO FUCKING AJGKDHAGXGBX AHHHHHH (dats me yellin)

[youareinlove]

i have thoughts about speak now (taylor's version)

this is not even all of them lmao but i can't think rn so here

mine: my perfect sweet angel beautiful perfect baby. nothing can ever compete sorry. i will fight for mine i will kill for mine i will die for mine and the re-recording did not disappoint

sparks fly: remember when i thought "lead me up the staircase" was the horniest thing 19 year old taylor wrote

back to december: the little twinkling instrumentals 🥹 i love the tiny little instrumental changes that come with the re-recordings. sometimes they miss but sometimes they hit and this HIT

speak now: "you wish it was me, dont you (HAHA)" was what sold me on this album re-recording ngl. it was just the moment i knew that this would be a good one

dear john: my jaw physically dropped when i heard her vocals. she just brought the energy with this one and it is very hurtful. but also i'm very proud of her

mean: and a LIAR 😏 and pathetic 👏 and alone in life 😤 and mean 😡 and mean 😡 and mean 😡 and mean😡 and-

the story of us: this was the first song on this album that i thought was BETTER than the original. like the others were just as good, but the story of us ate and left no crumbs

never grow up: we could unpack all of that OR- or, we could choose not to. and i think ik what im going to do :D (it was better than the original)

enchanted: i hope that wherever adam young is, the sun shines and it's a beautiful day

better than revenge: ok so the lyric change is what i know everyone's on about but like its a really good lyric. i'll miss the original but come on "he was a moth to the flame she was holding the matches" that's so funny. better than revenge already paints the guy as like, a trophy that gets passed around. now he's literally a hapless bug this is so unserious in the best way

haunted: once again better than the og. she just really delivered with the vocals and the emotional performance, and i almost feel like this moves haunted up in my ranking (almost)

last kiss: i hear the shaky breath idk what you guys are on about. maybe i'm the one who's wrong and i just hear it from force of habit but its really good anyway??? like it's probably her most emotionally delivered song in the original, so i was nervous about this one. but i really like it and i actually had to check while listening to it for the first time to make sure i wasn't streaming the stolen version.

long live: this song still makes me so emotional and its just like. we did point to the pictures. and we do tell them her name. and she's still here and shining! fate did not force us into a goodbye! ughhhhhhhh (also its heartbreaking with the added context of castles crumbling but that's for another day)

ours: i always loved ours so i hope you guys give it the love it deserves this time sry

superman: i also really liked superman and like haunted, this was a song she just EMOTED on like crazy. ate and left no crumbs AGAIN and it was a great finishing point for the non-vault songs

thoughts on vault tracks are in a seperate post bc i have too many

[reidsaurora]

Make. Me. Write!!!

i was tagged by: @writer-in-theory

Rules and Regulations:

Make a 24hr poll listing the titles of every WIP you want to work on (It’s fine if you only have one, still make a poll for the vote count)

Tag anyone you think might also enjoy this game (No pressure of course)

Whichever WIP title gets the most votes write 1 sentence for every vote. If it gets more votes than your comfortable with, feel free to swap to words.

If somehow that completes the fic or reaches the end of the chapter, move to the WIP with the second highest votes and continue where you left off on your sentence/word count. Repeat until you reach your goal.

(Optional) Share what you wrote in a new Tumblr post with a link to your original poll or attached it to a reblog

idk why but i feel the need to give a lil backstory or explanation of some sort for each one so you know what you're getting into 🫡

backstories and np tags under the cut 🫶🏻🧡

Cowboy!Steve Harrington wip

this one's self explanatory, you can go read the first three fics in this series over on my nsfw blog, @hornyhornyhimbos 🖤✨️

JBU (Reidaway)

so, i teased this series a little bit when SYGB ended but i never really fully committed to writing it because i have a set beginning but i have no clue what to do for the ending 😬

i'm not gonna spoil it because y'all know me, i'm a writer and i have to tease everything but let's just say it involves forced proximity, sorta work rivals to maybe lovers, and black cat!elle greenaway x golden retriever!spencer reid <3

Eat Your Young (Spencer Reid)

i can't explain this much other than that i was extremely h word when i came up with the plot for this and i was playing "Eat Your Young" by Hozier on repeat when it happened

I'm Too Pretty For This (Warren Rojas)

this was a request i got like two months ago when i first announced i was gonna be writing for DJATS characters and i got like two paragraphs in and i hated it so i never finished it 😂

basically something happens between the band members of the group that are opening for DJATS on the Aurora tour and it somehow makes their lead singer realize she might have a thing for Warren 😏

AFTR (Steve Harrington)

this will be my first serious Steve series. i know that the Loriverse exists and the Cowboyverse exists but this one is actually a serious series that i wanted to write for the summer and i just never did

a brief summary without giving too much away is that Stancy happens but doesn't last and somehow Reader/FMC (haven't decided which yet) ends up spending the summer as Steve's rebound of sorts?

LMLAF rewrite (Hotchniss)

so, a few of you may remember this series i posted back in February of 2022. i was extremely depressed and lonely so i did what any normal human would... i wrote a story about Hotchniss being friends with benefits.

however, that story was posted on this account, where I do not post smut. well, other than that one chapter of SYGB but we don't need to go there rn akshksjsjsj

anyway, basically this would be the spicier rewritten version of that where i don't leave readers in the dark about what went on between Hotchniss after Haley died ;)

All Your Being, pt 2 (Spencer Reid)

another fic i wrote where i tried desperately to keep things closed door until now when i decided i don't care about that anymore 😂

in case you guys don't remember this fic, i'll link it here but basically Spencer and midsized!reader have been together for six months but have yet to do the nasty because she's afraid of what he'll think about her body. this part two would basically just be him saying f!ck it and showing her that every body is a beautiful body 🫶🏻

Tolerate It (Spencer Reid)

just go listen to "tolerate it" by Taylor Swift. it would be easier for you to do that than for me to tell you about the dark sh!t that ensued in this fic... i was at my lowest low when i wrote this and you'll see that if i ever post it 🥲

well now that that's over with, how bout some no pressure tags!! 🥳🎉

@reidsbookclub @dungeons-are-too-cold @nomajdetective @bejeweledmunson @rupsmorge @reidselle @lukeclvez @lcvingprentjss @serenity-lattes @writingquillsandpainpills

[notebookmusical]

Hi! I'm glad you're feeling better. I know I didn't reply..its been kinda tough lately and I would appreciate some support or good vibes lol. Thanks for putting under the cut as I feel kinda weird when my messages are so long. I hope no one reads them haha. I totally get that about your reading goals cuz I'm also trying to read more books I own this year. I think I told you that before but mostly it will be one I wanna read with one I already own per month...at least. Hopefully I reach my goal of 24..cuz it's 2024 lol but maybe more as well. It's not looking good for January so far for me but hopefully that will change. Haha idk why it stuck out to me but I really don't care about the ratings..I just like reading your tags/commentary. I guess I just generally wanna know if a book is good or not. I was also thinking of getting on goodreads/story graph soon so I can track my reading too but I'll have to see. Everything i never told you always interested me I think so tell me if it's worth checking out. Your goal overall makes sense..you shouldn't pressure yourself to read more than you want or something you're not enjoying. I will update you whenever I get back to it.

Well I wanted to see it this weekend if I can or maybe until Tuesday. If not, then I won't have time really. So I will let you know. Usually I see all musicals in theaters and that's the only movies I go to theaters for but it's just a blah time right now and they were all close together. What did your friend think? I'm sure Broadway is better so not expecting much. Things have been pretty mixed overall and I saw you listened to the soundtrack anyway and hated it lol. Those are all good musicals, but I haven't listened to Shucked yet. I've heard independently owned and watched the Tony performance though. I'm not sure I would like it as much as other musicals honestly based on the music.

What are your favorite songs from This is Why? After Laughter is good but has a few skips for me compared to This is Why, but it could be that This is Why is only ten songs. Haha that's funny that your friends guessed that but ya it definitely is a more poppy sound if you like that style. It's also really good and can't choose favorites. I actually saw your post first cuz it was before I checked anything! I always think it's so interesting when other bands cover or reimagine a tribute album. This happened with Switchfoot last year when Top covered a song and I heard the original for the first time then the cover album. So I will probably do the same for this! I'm familiar with Burning down the house of course so I'm excited to see Hayley slay vocals and her take on it. I remember watching the pro shot of American Utopia but barely remember it. Anyway Tegan and Sara also did that with the anniversary of their album The Con and Hayley sang my fav song by them called Nineteen, another age song lol. I love her cover and also the original. I'm not sure if you are familiar with them or not..but they are twin sisters and I've loved them for years. They are also friends with Taylor and sang as a guest on the Red tour. You probably have..they had some popular songs around that time. They also have a memoir and show based on it I've been meaning to read/watch. Apparently they weren't as close as teens..lol. But I totally recommend their music if you haven't..the Con and they had an album in 2022 I enjoyed. So that was a little off topic..sorry, but Paramore also did this with their own album This is Why a few months ago! They asked artists to remix or sing their version of one of their songs. The only one I really enjoy is Remi Wolfs cover of You First honestly but I think it's a cool thing to do. She changed the vibes a bit but I still like the original more. They also had an extra song on there that was basically a vault song from After Laughter called Sanity so I think you would like it and give it a listen. I definitely connect You First and Karma as a pair, which shocked me when I first heard it since it mentioned karma, but one is more happy and one is more angry.

She has worn a few more green outfits since I last replied to you which makes me happy. The snake boots seemed like a hint even if I don't always like reading into her clothing so much but we mostly knew it was next anyway. I definitely know how you feel with Taylor and I have felt a little bit of the same but I'm hoping my mood will change when tour starts again or rep comes out. I still think there will be a documentary for all of that hopefully and it could be similar to the long pond one or just cover several different things, including the tour, rerecordings and this era of her career. I think After Laughter does kinda share the same sound of the 1975 too but that's also cuz they all had albums around the same time in 2014 so it could be the popular sound from that time but it's a cool comparison since I like them all. I'm glad you enjoy my comparisons..I'm wondering if they only make sense to me so I hope it makes sense to you too if you start listening. Another thing is their early albums focus on faith and religion as a theme but it's not necessary to interpret it that way if it bothers you. I also wanted to ask if you've heard any songs by them or are familiar with them at all cuz they were also popular in 2015 lol. I hope you're having a good weekend too and I'll try to reply soon!

hi friend!! please don't feel bad about not replying, or taking care of yourself!! 🤍 i'm sending you all the love and support and good vibes, and am always here if you want to chat or need anything!! giving you a big virtual hug if you like hugs and putting the rest of this under the cut!!

yay for reading books from your physical tbr! i've been trying to do the same — the bulk of my physical tbr is mostly gifted reads that i just ... never got around to, but there's still a fair amount of books /i/ bought and haven't read, so i'm trying to do a few of those every month! you're always welcome to ask me about my thoughts on books, even if i don't post a rating on here!! you should definitely join me over on goodreads/storygraph! i am a lot more active on goodreads than i am storygraph, though! i really, really loved everything i never told you — it's the first book that's made me cry this year and i really think it's going to be a book i'll be thinking about forever. i already want to reread + annotate it (despite how long annotation projects take me). here are the content warnings: death, death by drowning, emotional abuse, sexism, sexual assault (briefly mentioned), hitting & punching, and racism, infidelity.

most of my friends who have seen the mean girls musical movie were like 😵‍💫 ... well ... it wasn't as bad as i expected ... but i did readjust my expectations after listening to the soundtrack. i think the consensus is that the girl who plays cady is simply miscast / the weakest link, like she's just vocally not ... as good ... and i really am just ... not to be a Snob ... but why did they cast her if she can't sing!!!! my entire tiktok FYP right now is criticizing her stupid with love :( i don't have anything against the actress, i just don't think she was right for the role / that they could've gotten someone who can act + sing. i also don't love the new song, but maybe it'll work better in the movie? curious to know your thoughts when you see it (no rush!).

i really liked liar, big man, little dignity, and the news, although i've had this is why stuck in my head today so maybe i have to add that song to my favorites list too! i really am a pop girlie at heart, so i think that's why after laughter is my favorite! i know of teagan and sara, but haven't done a deep dive! i did see the remix and i thought that was cool! if you could pick one of taylor's albums to be ~ remixed ~ and sung by other artists, which album would you pick? and do you have any artists in particular you'd want on it?

she's been wearing a lot of green lately! i wonder if reputation really will be announced in february (going back to the karma MV hint). and yes! i think after laughter and the 1975's stuff both have this like, upbeat music but talks about more serious/heavier topics? which is why i also connected the two! i think a few of my friends listened to twenty one pilots back in the day / sometimes i see them on airbuds, but i don't think i know a single song! but maybe something will jump out at me once i actually listen!!

hope you're taking some time for yourself and doing okay 🤍 sending love!

[mynameisntlame]

I think I agree with a few actually

perfectly good heart - is one I think I'll love when it's in her mature voice on # debut taylor's version # but on the original it might be my least favorite

# fearless:

# I might agree about bye bye baby # but on the original fearless I think my least favorite would be change # I like it # but there's just something about it # the rest of the album is so good # it just doesn't hit as hard # like

# hey stephen taylor's version # goes so ridiculously hard

# for speak now:

# speak now taylor's version # is so hard to pick a least favorite # but if I had to I might pick never grow up # or timeless

never grow up - I like it as an adult but idk my inner child finds it kinda sad, like as a child I think I liked it but it hit different cause I wanted to grow up

timeless - I have to say, although I love the song (did she do a mashup with timeless??), I just think I would like it better if it wasn’t quite as long

# red:

# I’m sorry you’re so wrong about girl at home

# I think my least favorite might be # the very first night (Taylor’s version) # on the original I think it might have been # the last time # cause I like it but I just don’t like it as much as the other songs

# 1989:

# again I think I actually agree # bad blood # as in the original is usually a skip for me # HOWEVER # I love the version with Kendrick # and all the vault tracks slap so

# reputation:

# this one is so hard

# I definitely disagree tho # this is why we can’t have nice things # goes so hard

# but maybe gorgeous # or …ready for it? # but I still bop to them both

# I also can’t wait for the vault tracks on rep tv because I know they have to be fire

# also chat is karma real ??

# lover:

# ok I’m sorry but

# soon you’ll get better # I can’t listen to it

# it’s beautiful # but I cannot # it’s too sad

# folklore:

epiphany - it's a beautiful song and when I do listen to it it's really good but it's just usually a skip for me # like I don't actively skip it # but I do avoid it # like I always shift it down my shuffle queue

# evermore:

# truly a no skip album for me

# like I actually can’t pick a least favorite

# that said maybe I’d say my least played is Marjorie # simply for no other reason than I also miss my grandmother # so it’s kinda sad ok

# midnights:

# I’m sorry WHAT # no way is vilgilante shit a least favorite # I love it so much and I can see the choreography every time I listen to it

# I think it’d be snow on the beach

# cause again I like it # it’s just not usually my vibe # and I just like the other songs more

# the tortured poets department:

# I’d say most likely between robin and thanK you aIMee # I love but daddy I love him # robin just makes me anxious to listen to for some reason idk why it just feels like it’s about a kid dying or something and it makes me feel weird lol # and then I just kinda avoid/skip thanK you IMee sometimes

[strangerstoryteller]

One of my friend dreamed about you. You were not physically in her dream but just like the thought of you was there, in her dream. Maybe I talked about you more than I should have which is why all they dream about me is somehow related to you... I wish maybe even for those dreams we could have stayed longer...

I planned so many things... I wanted to do pottery with you but at the end I became alone still I enjoyed it with my cousin. I wanted to meet you in your country but I happened to cross your city without even getting a glimpse of you. And maybe that's why they call it fate. When you expect the least from it , it gives you more than you could expect. But we when you can't help but expect more and more it also can not help but to disappoint you...

A city is so huge for those who wants to hide also at the same time it's too small for those who wants to meet... Idk what we both wanted or so but maybe maybe our fate was not in our side... I don't expect anything from you but still I get hurt at the thought of anything related to you...

I did it so wrong that I can't help but regret about it .Taylor Swift once said," In your life, you will inevitably misspeak, trust the wrong people, under-react, overreact, hurt the people who didn’t deserve it, overthink, not think at all, self sabotage, create a reality where only your experience exists, ruin perfectly good moments for yourself and others, deny any wrongdoing, not take the steps to make it right, feel very guilty, let the guilt eat at you, hit rock bottom, finally address the pain you caused, try to do better next time, rinse, repeat. And I’m not gonna lie, these mistakes will cause you to lose things."

And maybe like she said, rinse and repeat and be better than your past self,, I'm trying to be a better version of me... For the time being I thought I never broke your trust. I still do think like that but I can't deny the pain I have caused you.. I can't change the past. I do know that you didn't deserve it. And I do know how stupid I was to normalize things which I shouldn't have nevertheless from this point on , from this one mistake imma do better in the next... I thought I was getting better but I got a mislead in my section...

I regret but I know it was right thing to do. I went back but it was right thing to do for you to make me feel unattached to you... I do get it all... And I'll leave the rest on our fate...

I knew my destiny but I wanted to change it with you but choosing a different path but it seems like the path itself was wrong at the first place... I couldn't change my fate... But maybe I did yours... I'm sorry for the mistakes... And I'll never bother you again...

Fate it is... Then let it be ... I do love you and I'll love you. Maybe I was naive and totally an idiot and whatever but let's hope for the best... I'll ruin the books I started writing about you... I'll ruin the pieces I made ... I'll try... Or else imma reread those and feel more attached to you...

You see life and love it's a loophole if you think like your losing feelings rereading old conversations reliving old you makes you fall back to the loophole of love... I wanted to win you over... But that would mean losing my self respect.. which I already did... Probably too many times which went unnoticed by you... You thought it was two times when you felt like having a heart break what if I say that for me it was five and could be more cause I counted days to talk with you .. I wanted to live as far as I could from you but you see I fell deeper into the ocean of you... I wish I could leave things as it was since the day you screamed who's laugh is that... Since the day I got wonderstrucked by you... And so much more... I stayed silent cz I knew once I let it be I can never cage it once again. My feelings... And just like as usual once I let it free I could not capture it back cause it learnt to escape for good ... My mood swings favorite things everything... Once I started talking my heart's out it got free... I told you everything yet I forgot to tell you that not all of my thoughts were right... Without even realizing it it turned out that I lied... I broke your trust... I couldn't fix things... I couldn't clear these things..

According to Taylor Swift this is the time to move on.. and rinse and repeat and be a better version...

Idk if I could move on from you or not but I'll make sure to be a better version of myself to not repeat the mistakes.... I learned from it by losing you ... I lost myself only to love myself more ..... And thank you. I was truly honestly enchanted to meet you..... ♡

[theholidayslingerlikebadperfume]

the fact that joe worked with taylor on folklore and evermore and the idea that he possibly helped taylor accept her queerness makes me very emotional

Yeah, I forgot that while I was writing my post but you're totally right. He did help her on 3 albums now, it's very sweet and emotional.

Like, she looks so happy even im the pap photos with Joe. Like, I think it was definitely a planned pap walk to leave an easter egg for the interview that aired a little later on. Like, the fact that he helped her stage an easter egg publically, that makes me so fucking emotional.

He's so supportive of her career in every way, I love that he is realistic about love too. Unfortunately, when you get in a relationship you're still left with the knowledge that you once thought all your exes were the love of your life and the trauma that comes along with that is often given space in a healthy relationship to be processed without judgment or anxiety that it's going to end you if you're honest about your emotions in that moment.

It's so beautiful, sweet nothing is a song about your partner not wanting anything from you, just your presence. That's the unspoken moral of the poem, they're both in the kitchen cooking dinner probably and just existing together at the same time, on the same page, in perfect harmony in a universe that is unknowing, unfeeling and deadly in 99% of it and they don't need to do anything but just be together to be happy.

It's so beautiful, she is so happy and in love with him and I am so happy for them and I hope everyone finds that same moment some day, even platonically it doesn't have to be romantic. Every one should experience that feeling of this person doesn't need anything but my presence so I'm going to be the best version of myself for them. It's really giving if you shine, I'll shine for you ✨️ 💛

I was going to end it there but even just like she used to dream about being famous and finding prince charming (maybe prince charming was John meyer... superstar, superman fit- the change from star to man is really depressing actually) and then she got to wonderland and realized it's fucking nothing like it seemed in the movies.

Like, she used to sing about music being her kingdom (long live) and then in reputation, she really changed its meaning completely to be romantic love and that double meaning is only further highlighted in hoax. The lyrics themselves are very telling, because canonically look what you made me do comes before king of my heart.

In speak now, in particular, there is a certain unreleased song with lyrics going around that if true, would strengthen my lyrical analysis of this change because this song would be the bridge between her kingdom changing from fame into love and fame changing from kingdom to the woods. Taylor is a very visual person, so in my mind- a movie about her life looks like a girl who sees herself as a princess stranded in normal people land but her prince charming-meyer- is going to save her from boredom (which i think she means loneliness with this metaphor) and take her to her kingdom, fame for her music and her songwriting in particular.

But once she met prince charming, she realized he was the devil in the disguise and now she's stuck in the woods, with no way out. It's why folkmore takes place/is centered around leaving the woods.

Her kingdom is now very simple. It's her house with her lover and idk it's just all so beautiful.

[hamartian-cathexis]

I posted 6,664 times in 2022

That's 2,180 more posts than 2021!

12 posts created (0%)

6,652 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sgchan

@eunnui

@clockwork-shinobi

@elytrians

@clotpolesonly

I tagged 3,515 of my posts in 2022

Only 47% of my posts had no tags

#fanart - 315 posts

#art - 311 posts

#cat - 261 posts

#taylor swift - 231 posts

#teen wolf - 195 posts

#tiktok - 191 posts

#hannibal - 163 posts

#aesthetic - 155 posts

#gif set - 148 posts

#animals - 111 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#usually when i catch a glimpse of smth that i dont want spoilers of im actually very very very good at scrolling past without looking

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

do people really vet the ops of all the posts they reblog? i see all these posts that are like “whenever i see an xyz post it turns out that it’s from some bad abc blog” and it’s like...sure, yikes, but how did you know that? you...checked? you went through op’s blog? for a reblog? what? bro all i ever do is scroll through my dash and press the silly little buttons, are you telling me there are people out there who investigate the politics of the op behind every post they interact with? really?

3 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

#4

do that blorbo thingy for tmr

I assume u mean this? Lol I rbed that on my sideblog tea FJSKDHSJDHDH but it's okay I'll still do it lmao

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): GALLY.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): idk if I have one of these for tmr? Or any fandom really. My wow they're so cute! reaction is WOW I WANT TO MAKE THEM CRY which I don't think is the point of this category LMAO. Or idk, now that I think about it, I guess maybe frypan?

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): ...still Gally????? Or maybe Brenda 🤔

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): Zart. I have so many weird random hcs for him. Know nothing about him canonically. My character now.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): I feel like poor little meow meows are usually men but I actually quite like ava. So I guess her? Janson also makes sense but I don't see him as a fav character so much as a useful plot device I might wield here or there to inflict harm or angst upon other favs *shrugs* tho I don't hate him either.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): either Thomas or Minho. Or, y'know what, fuck it, gally too. I like tormenting characters okay. This could be anyone.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): minho. I think he'd have fun there.

7 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

#3

what IF

that poem was about minho

(this poem)

It totally could be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the question is, who is the speaker tho? 🤔

10 notes - Posted July 9, 2022

#2

Okay but "i didn't have it in myself to go with grace / and you're the hero flying around saving face" and "it must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero"

18 notes - Posted October 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

everyone else: *listening to august by taylor swift because it's august*

me: not me. im built different

me: *listens to august by taylor swift but it's the long pond studio sessions version*

20 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[swiftiephobe]

ok general thoughts: i really really like it!!!!! i've given it three full listens so far and i've enjoyed it more each time. i don't think it's much of a progression nor does it really bring anything super new to her discography but it does feel like a very refined/polished form of the pop sounds she's already explored. i'm not going to officially place it into my album ranking yet because i really need to wait and see how it settles. very very tentatively, it could maybe dethrone 1989 and take third spot (and best pop album spot) but that's a very very very early judgement. i also had lover in my top 3 a week after release so maybe you can understand my caution here asfhdhcjdjf

i do feel there was a bit of a bait-and-switch between the concept/visuals and the music which i think explains some of the initial negative reactions from some? especially since there was no single released there was a LOT of hype over what the album would sound like and the visuals being so 70s inspired but like... it's a straightforward pop album. i really really like it as i said but i can definitely understand why people are disappointed. i feel like if you're gonna leave that much mystery there has to be more of a pay off at the end than releasing songs that have the same dna as stuff you've released before. i also feel like more could've been done with the "midnights" concept in general, like it's there on some of the songs but the theme of "telling the story of 13 sleepless nights" doesn't really come through as strongly as i thought it would.

lyrics: it's a pop album so i wasn't expecting as much folklore/evermore "quill pen" lyricism. there's definitely a LOT more "glitter gel pen" lyrics but y'know she hasn't really been releasing those much in the past couple of years so i'll allow it!! i think overall the lyrics are good, they're a mixture of eloquent, detailed, vulnerable with a bit of cheek at the right moments too. that's not to say there aren't some clunkers on here but overall i think there aren't any songs that are diabolically bad lyrically which is great, and even some of the weaker songs lyrically make up for it in other ways

production: this has jack antonoff's style ALL over it and well i'm a slut for synths so i was always gonna like the production. if anything though it's a bit samey? don't get me wrong i prefer that to the total whiplash mess that was the lover tracklist, i definitely think midnights was a very pleasant listen all the way through and i can see it being an album i return to as a whole which is a win for me. however i do feel some of the songs are just kinda redundant and blend into each other. i'm sure the more i listen the more i will notice the little details that set them apart

anyway here's the track-by-track (under a cut because this post got LONG)

lavender haze: this is sooooo gorgeous, veeeeery sensual, this is probably one of the highlights for me. idk how i feel about it as an opening track; i feel like the "meet me at midnight" intro was definitely added on after she decided to make it the opener rather than it being an organic part of the song. but taking the song out of that context it's absolutely stunning

maroon: ahhh it IS like a grown-up version of red with the colour references. another one that's up the top for me, it's just so rich in imagery

anti-hero: mm there are things i like and things i don't. i really like when taylor properly self-reflects in her music and i do think it must be a really tricky thing to do knowing millions of people will be listening. however this kinda feels like it almost gets there but doesn't quite for me? like idk certain lyrics kinda feel like she's just mocking what people say about her which kinda takes away from what the song is meant to be. i'm kinda like "girlie you're soooo close" at certain points, there's just a certain level of sincerity lacking for me. absolutely love the lyric "i'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror" though. the bridge is great too. and despite some gripes about the lyrics the song is a certified bop

snow on the beach: she HAS to be trolling omg. i actually don't mind her backup vocal features but why hype up the lana feature just for lana to barely be present at all. i actually don't love the song either which is a shame because i love both taylor and lana as musicians :/ idk it's just kinda meh for me. also this song did not need to be explicit LMAO like there are a few of taylor's songs with swearing i feel is shoehorned in but i think this is particularly egregious

you're on your own kid: i think she's singing about her childhood/start of her career here???? at least at the start, the song as a whole is basically an autobiography. i honestly wasn't expecting that but i kinda love it, it feels really different from what she's sung about before and feels so vulnerable and honest (what anti-hero wishes it could be!), for sure a worthy track 5 which makes me happy because the title had me a bit dubious

midnight rain: some interesting production choices here... i can't really work out who she's singing about and i'm curious. i'm probably just oblivious

question...?: the eccentric title was not necessary ashfhsjfjskf this is not as experimental as i thought it might be. again i want to know who/what she's singing about??!?! both this and midnight rain just kinda come and go for me, like they're solid mid-tier in this album, good but not standouts

vigilante shit: ok this is one i was anticipating to not like as much based on the title and yeah. this is down the bottom for me, it's a bit corny. i think the story in the song is fiction/fantasy (definitely feels like taylor cosplaying as... something) but if it's real i want to know the tea

bejeweled: i do really like how vigilante shit flows into this song, they almost feel like they're a pair that go together. i also like it better than vigilante shit even though i keep hearing her say "hoe" in the chorus which is a bit of a scream (ik she's not i just keep hearing it!). add this to the list of "who the hell is she singing about" songs

labyrinth: the epiphany vibes!!!!!!!!! we won!!!!!!!! i love how this is a bit different from the other songs sonically, it's more of a slow burn. i think this is going to be a grower for a lot of people and one of those underground favourites that doesn't really get discussed much but has devoted fans nonetheless

karma: nahhhhh idc this is so fun. this song is gonna get dragged but i am going to be a karma apologist! karma IS a cat and it's purring in my lap. the girls who get it get it and the girls who don't don't

sweet nothing: this is a bit cutesy but y'know good for them!!! i like the instrumentation it's very sweet, this is the most stripped-back song i think so it'll probably just be more of a grower

mastermind: this was probably the song i was most curious about because it's a closing track and closing tracks always slap and "mastermind" was an intriguing title so i was like hmmm how is it gonna wrap up the album??! and i like it! i really love the production and how it builds and i think it does round out the album really well. the general themes explored and directions the album goes in are nicely brought together here which is exactly what i want from a closing track!

[tuffluuhv]

Stucky x reader fanfic idea from a non-fanfic author based on All Too Well 10 Minute version by Taylor Swift.

This is a forewarning. This is just my brain going, Brooklyn? Age? Soldiers? Stucky x reader angst. I'm also not a fanfic writer, so this isn't a fanfic just a slightly detailed idea I have.

AND I WAS NEVER GOOD AT TELLING JOKES BUT THE PUNCH LINE GOES "I'LL GET OLDER BUT YOUR LOVERS STAY MY AGE" FROM WHEN YOUR BROOKLYN BROKE MY SKIN AND BONES, I'M A SOLDIER WHO'S RETURNING HALF HER WEIGHT - All Too Well 10 minute version

These lines.

(I have no idea how the timeline would work)

Can you imagine, being Steve/Bucky's(or both, I like a good Stucky x reader)partner during the war, then somehow through fanfic magic are also in the modern era as a singer/songwriter. Exccceeppttt, they think you're dead or old. Now you obviously know they're alive, they're the avengers for crying out loud, but because you haven't heard from them, you assume they forgot about/dont care about you anymore. That's not true, they did look for you but maybe you didn't show up in any databases or something like that.

Anyway, You have a day job but some nights you preform at a little indie bar. You sometimes perform your own music, sometimes covers, sometimes you do modern covers of 30-50's music (idk I think the last one is pretty cool in theory)

Sam goes to the little Indie bar sometimes to chill out, the prices are good and he think the musicians are good (namely you) So one night he takes Steve and Bucky out cause he thinks they've been too stressed and just need to relax. To coax them into going out he mentions how there is a singer (you) who does covers of old music and is really good. They give in and go to the bar.

You're preforming that night and are kinda nervous because you plan on preforming All Too Well (+that verse. So the non 10 min version + those lines I mentioned earlier. And the song is obviously by Miss Taylor Swift but in fanfic we can pretend it's by you) and its a very personal song for you.

So the boys (Sam, Steve, Bucky) are sitting at the bar with a clear view of the makeshift stage. (I like to imagine this bars chill, and has low music playing when musicians aren't on and fairy lights. Idk, very vibey very chill. The stage is like, a slightly raised wooden platform that's not that big but can fit the necessary equipmen)

The announcer, introducer, MC person who introduces musicians says "Welcome to the stage, y/n!" The bar regulars and your friends clap and cheer. Steve and Bucky are frozen looking at eachother like "dude, no way, there's more than one y/n in the world, it can't be them" and Sam's like "that's them! The one who does the cool 40's covers!"

You make your way onto the stage and wave shyly to the crowd as you set up your guitar and fox up the microphone (yes you can play the guitar in this bestie, deal with it). Steve and Bucky are looking at you like "no way, this is just an uncanny coincidence".

You're all setup and say "this is an original song called All Too Well"

It's all going smoothly until the 4th line you sing- "And I, left my scarf there at your sisters house" and Steve and Bucky and kinda freaking out because you left your scarf with Rebecca once on accident and never got it back. (We're gonna pretend that Bucky and Rebecca had contact after their parents died cause I can't remember if they did but it's fanfic soooo). They're both like "same name, looks similar (it's been a few year dude, you're gonna look a little different then when they knew you), talking about experiences they know about, wtfff"

They chill out with the understanding that "they're not the only people in the world with these experiences, this is just uncanny", until those particular lines.

AND I WAS NEVER GOOD AT TELLING JOKES BUT THE PUNCH LINE GOES "I'LL GET OLDER BUT YOUR LOVERS STAY MY AGE" FROM WHEN YOUR BROOKLYN BROKE MY SKIN AND BONES, I'M A SOLDIER WHO'S RETURNING HALF HER WEIGHT

Like come one. An age joke? Brooklyn? Soldiers? Steve and Bucky are like "we need to talk to them".

Idk what to do from here. Maybe you notice them in the crowd? And avoid them?

I imagone it ANGSTY with you feeling like they didn't care enough too find you when they could and all other angsty feelings.

Maybe a happy ending though. Just maybe.

Anyway yeah that's my idea. Sorry I said "like" a lot, it's just how I talk. If you like this idea and wanna write something based on the idea then let me know because I'd love to read your interpretation of it!

[nightlovers-stuff]

orchid 🫶

orchid ⇢ what’s a song you consider to be perfect?

Thanks your ask sweetie ♡

I'm a very eclectic and open-minded person when it comes to music; there are many songs that I consider being perfect, but I'll say these for now. These things are always changing and for me Lol

I genuinely think that this is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever listened to.

The lyrics are so beautiful and sad at the same time, and I also love how the instrumental changes throughout the song.

The instrumental is very melancholy and emotional, and it really captures the sadness and beauty of the lyrics.

I really love Lana's music and Lust for Life is my favorite album by her.

Love is a beautiful song that really makes me happy. It's a comforting listening to this song, and I think it's so pretty how she describes young love in general. It's such a nostalgic feeling that I can't help but smile and get happy.

This one is all about the vibe and the double meaning HASHUAJAJ I love songs with double meaning because it adds a level of complexity to the song, and it makes the lyrics more interesting.

But I really like Ghost in general; I could add more of their songs to this list, but I'll stay with this one for now.

I'm a big fan of Queen, but I chose this song mainly because it brings me childhood memories. My dad used to play "I Want to Break Free" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" on the radio every Sunday before going to my grandma's house. And I used to dance to this song a lot.

I love the rich and vibrant medieval vibes that this song has. Whenever I'm feeling down and blue, I play this song and it instantly makes me happy and comforted. It's such a special song to me, and it always lifts my spirits when I hear it.

I absolutely adore Marina's work, and her lyrics often bring some critical acclaim.

This particular song talks about how the female has always been seen as inferior by the patriarchy, and how even decades and centuries passed by, sexism is still an issue in our society.

Marina is an icon regarding writing lyrics honestly and without holding back.

This song makes me create millions of scenarios in my head, and I love it so much. The whole Lumineers discography is amazing, but this song is so comforting and idk why! Maybe it's because it's a folk song, and folk songs have this magic that makes you feel so comforted and cared for.

Taylor is a genius for me, honestly. The bridges that she writes for her songs are amazing, but All too well (10 minute version) is one of the most perfect songs I've ever heard. It seems like there are 5 different songs in one, but every minute has a great highlight. The lyrics are beautiful; the instrumentation is perfect, and the flow is seamless. It's an all-around masterpiece.

This is also a Brazilian song, I love how this song says a little about our country and exalts our culture

This Brazilian song has a deep, personal meaning for me. My mom told me that this song was playing when I was born, and that it was our song from then on. It's been our song, and our favorite to play, ever since.

She is also a great fan of Cazuza, who was an amazing artist who had political songs that criticized the system that we live in, as well as being an LGBT icon in a decade where the prejudice against LGBT people was big.

[kuiinncedes]

every little bump in the road

for @gleeadvent day 5: exhale

happy new yearrr lmao i'm still here doin this in the new year hehe 🤪 idk i guess i'll be trying to write for all of them just for the sake of writing ya know so yeah lol

1123 words; title from "breathe (taylor's version)" by taylor swift

set during 4x06 glease - maybe warning (not sure) for a small mention of marley's situation in 4x06 (after trying the skirt on and it being revealed that kitty fucked with it bc she's a fucking evil little -- anyway) also swearing lol

what else do i usually put heres lmao uh written for glee advent day 5 which means it's actually december 5 :] idk about you (but im feeling 2022) except i'm actually not i think it's actually just uh december 32 (not that i Want 2021 to continue but like it just does not feel like it at all 😂 Anywayyy sorry i'll shut up now fghjlkd)

read under the cut or on ao3 💓

Tina… probably needs a break. Needs to go to sleep before 2 am, mainly. She could tell her friends had the same thought from Blaine and Sam’s hesitance to leave after rehearsal, when she insisted that she was fine staying by herself, just had a few costumes to finish up, but ultimately Blaine and Sam had talked about running lines together and she suspected Blaine just wanted the comfort of his own home. So they left without too much fight and Tina’s at school alone again, like she has been almost every day for the past month, mostly voluntarily -- but with Mike being back and horrible wardrobe updates and finally thinking she’d gotten a chance to get out of the supporting side role for a moment but even Finn not believing in her potential and kind of accidentally taking on all of the costuming for Grease by herself, she’s a little… tired.

She’s been a little tired. Of a lot more than making costumes.

But she sets her stuff down on the piano backstage, makes her way to the costume racks, pulls Marley’s yellow skirt out and the new measurements taken today after the failed fitting, and tackles that first, because she does love doing this, and she loves the show and wants to do her part to make it the best it can be, even as the start of tech week grinds her already-rough sleep schedule to smithereens and her teachers this year don’t seem to like leniency very much. (They also claim to be fed up with glee club nonsense, but this really isn’t glee club-related, even if the entire main cast is from the glee club, and most of the rest of the cast, and the pit is mainly comprised of the glee club band, and it’s being directed by current and former glee club members….)

No one else in the glee club was interested or capable enough to volunteer for wardrobe, but Tina then also insisted she could do it herself, so a part of her being the only one is stubbornness. At this point, she kind of wants Finn to call Kurt back to help her with it since he could do that with Santana. It could be like nationals her sophomore year again, where they were in charge of making the girls' dresses and she still somewhat stayed under Kurt's tutelage at that point, but he helped her and assured her in her skill enough that she was able to take over more in his senior year. And she had someone to talk to about fashion who had ambitions and passions in it that she didn't know in anyone else.

But Tina knows that won’t happen, for completely unrelated reasons. She’s not sure she should be wanting that at all, as she remembers Blaine’s crushed expression after his audition, the smile that didn’t reach his eyes when she asked if he was okay, didn't reach his eyes when he got Teen Angel, hasn’t reached his eyes in weeks, since returning from an impromptu trip to New York.

The waistband of Marley’s skirt has been taken in a few inches, folded over itself and sewn in place, the overlap a small but significant length. Tina kicks herself for not noticing earlier today, when Marley got so distressed about having gained weight, and also not noticing until now that her new measurements are the same if not a bit smaller, so it couldn’t have been that.

Fuck -- her brain isn’t working; she makes sure that stays true by dropping her forehead to the table, and after a short forceful exhale she sits back up and grabs scissors, carefully snipping through the stitches that are actually done really well and tight and by whom? and pulling the waistband taut again, measuring it fully just in case, and hanging it back up.

Before she can worry more about who might have done it, though, the sound of people coming very loudly up the stairs to the stage echoes in the empty auditorium, startling her for a moment and then Blaine and Sam poke their heads out from behind the curtain and she smiles. Blaine waves, Sam holds up a plastic bag. “We brought food.”

“I thought you guys were running lines?” Even though neither of them have huge parts, and she knows they already have the songs down. “You wanted to come annoy me instead? I'm touched.”

Blaine smiles slightly as they walk towards her. It’s still not the smile she misses from him (she really misses) but she thinks it might be getting there. Tina gives him small smile back and a side hug as he corrects, “Wanted to come help you instead. And we can run lines here with you!”

She pretends not to notice the slight red around his eyes, the bit of rasp in his voice and the way he sniffs and clears his throat quietly; she just cranes her head up to kiss his cheek and goes to hug Sam, too.

“You need help with anything, T?” Sam asks, opening the bag to set Chipotle items on a table that Tina just cleared of some fabric scraps. “Besides food, of course. Since you basically live here now.”

Tina laughs and pushes Sam gently, and runs through the list in her head while opening her bowl that she sees immediately doesn't really contain her usual order, even though this is not the first time she’s tried entrusting it to Sam and Blaine to get, but she’s grateful anyway. For the food, and for their presence and energy pushing her tiredness aside, making her almost forget it was there in the first place.

She has to start finish her own costume for “You’re The One That I Want,” which is probably the biggest thing, but she also has to alter Santana’s and Kitty’s costumes a bit, and she has a few “Beauty School Dropout” headpieces left to make.

… that’s it? Tina looks around… pretty much. She’s a little surprised by her own sticking to schedule; the first dress rehearsal is in a few days still and she’ll definitely be done by then. She’s confident enough that she decides not to spend her limited time and energy teaching her friends how to correctly glue the tin cans together, or any sewing, and just says, “I don’t have much left. You guys can run lines or whatever, or run the songs while I do other stuff -- it’ll help me too.”

“Cool,” Sam agrees around a mouth stuffed with burrito. He bangs a fist on the table. “‘Beauty School Dropout’?” he asks, facing Blaine who does a half-smile again as he opens his bowl and responds, “Maybe after we eat, dude.”

--

(end notes bc i like this part of posting on ao3 lmao so i'll just put it here here's some more randomness 🤪)

this was maybe gonna stay just tina?? but guess what there's two fuckers (affectionate) who decided to show up (started writing these three as sunset curve in katp and now i can't escape the blamtina brainrot) (3/5 of my glee advent fics are blamtina let's see what it ends up being at the end lol)

idk shit about glee bc i haven't watched it in a long time lol jk but i also dk shit about grease bc i've never seen it all hgjdfk i know is like what was on glee and like what i could learn from jojo siwa's dwts grease dance XD so if there's any inaccuracies or whatever idk that's why lol

also i have never done shit with like clothes and stuff lmao so idk how that works either i based things on my experience in two high school musicals in the pit not at an arts-hating school and having no idea how the costuming works so it's probably a little different lol, and i also based things on my experience fucking up my sleep schedule this semester :P

[submarinerwrites]

25, 4, 23, 19, 15, 1, 13, 21?

thanks so much for the ask, anon! for the end of the year fanfic ask game:

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

micdropbam has been writing this absolutely fantastic omegaverse tim/everyone series! it's called Building Blocks, and i love it - tim's characterization, his interactions with jason and dick, and of course how bruce has been written as this controlling asshole who still only wants the best for his family. the series is ongoing, and it's focused on tim's experience of trauma in a really fascinating way. highly recommend.

4. total number of words you wrote this year

apparently, i published 65,371 on ao3 (!!!), but combined with everything i didn't publish, original fiction, and coursework/thesis stuff, the total is probably closer to 105,000ish, maybe a little more? idk doing math stresses me tf out.

23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

lol so for november 5th this year, i had a batman/supernatural fusion i wanted to do. there would've been blood and incest and body horror and catholic jason todd, but alas. i was too busy to make it happen :') who knows. maybe i'll revisit it next year.

19. any new fics to start next year

definitely!! i have a jaytim exchange fic for christmas, and then after that, the first one up is probably going to be the next part of towards the sea, specifically the jaydick interlude, and whatever i end up doing for brudick week (probably day three?). those last two will be published in mid- to late-january.

15. something you learned this year

that i write better when someone else helps me to revise! in my old fandom, i had a beta reader who read literally everything i wrote, and just completely eviscerated it (and me) when it was bad. but, since i'm fairly new to writing batman fic, i don't have a beta reader yet, and i've really struggled with that. i'm actually very good at revising my academic writing, but i literally hate revising fiction, so that's been. an adventure. (as a side note, if anyone reading this wants to beta-read for me? pls just shoot me a message i'm begging). so, i guess i've learned that i prefer writing in a collaborative environment?

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

probably "by slight ligaments"? idk, i have a hard time rereading things i've published because i constantly want to rewrite them and tighten them up and just revise in general, but "by slight ligaments" is definitely the one i can reread most easily - which makes sense, because it's the one i actually worked on for the longest period of time lol. (by the same turn, my least favorite is "with weak hands," probably because i spent the least amount of time on that one).

13. favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

i wrote "Instant Fires" entirely to "Go To Town" by Doja Cat on repeat, which, you know. i think it shows lmao. i also listened to a lot of this band Marietta (link to bandcamp) that's sadly broken up, especially their album Summer Death and the acoustic version of their song "God Bless Eric Taylor". the album is kind of emo revival tinged with math rock, which i realize is a very pretentious way of describing it, but. you know. also, the album Safe And Also No Fear (youtube), by Slaughter Beach, Dog, which is kind of indie rock, but has roots in the same scene as Marietta. also, Megan Thee Stallion, obviously.

21. most memorable comment/review

i can't pick just one!! everyone has been so sweet since i've started writing batman stuff, and i've loved interacting with other readers and writers on here and ao3. that said, on "an accumulation of anguish," the wonderful @lovecinnatwist said that i was amazing and an inspiration which literally made me smile for a whole week! also, on "Instant Fires," someone said that "this is the type of fic that makes me love this ship," which, you know, that's the dream!! but, just in general, everyone's comments have been so lovely, and i love getting them so so much <3