#speak now is actually my favourite (other than evermore) and always has been for this exact reason

[ohsc]

fave song on each album?

i’m taking this as each taylor swift album but AAAH I LOVE THIS QUESTION i could yap about music forever ESPECIALLY taylor swift

for debut it’s probably a perfectly good heart!! mary’s song is SUCH a close second for the storytelling and just how perfect it is but i’ve always adored apgh i LOVE songs that have such a pretty outro, i love the way it sounds and her vocals and ugh debut is so underrated. i honestly think i’m more excited for taylor swift tv over reputation tv, i can’t wait to hear the difference in her vocals over the two albums!!

for fearless it’s bye bye baby!! i have NEVER seen anybody rank it as their top song or even their top fearless song it’s SO underrated i am so so so insanely in love with the instrumental, the lyrics are BEAUTIFUL her vocals are on point it’s SO perfect but i’m more than happy to keep it as a little gem for myself 🫶 i NEED her to play it before the end of the eras tour or i’ll need some kind of reparations

for speak now it’s TIMELESS!!!! i remember sitting and listening to speak now tv for the first time and as soon as “in the 1500s off in a foreign land” started i knew it would be a favourite. it was actually my #1 taylor song for a long while until i really started to get into evermore. it’s perfect storytelling it’s so sweet and romantic and i’m in love with the sound of the song i physically can’t skip this one

for red it’s probably all too well 10 minutes but that’s a boring basic answer so my other favourite is everything has changed!! i’ve only been like a “swiftie” since red tv dropped but when i was younger there were certain taylor swift songs i���d play on repeat and watch the music video over and over and one of them was everything has changed!! the music video in itself is one of my favourites ever it’s so sweet, i’m also a HUGE fan of ed sheeran X is one of my favourite albums of all time. this song was so important to me as a little girl and will always be one of my favourites

1989 is so hard because it’s a perfect album imo it was my first CD i ever owned and my favourite re-record so far and so many are my favourite songs of all time (you are in love, clean, is it over now?) but going a bit basic for my absolute favourite but i have to pick style!! it is THE pop song it’s my favourite pop song ever i cant think of a song with a better instrumental, it was also one of the taylor swift songs i was obsessed with as a little girl and every time it comes on i turn up the volume all the way and listen so intently. i love blank space and shake it off but style might be THE taylor swift song with her fuck ass bob paired with

for reputation for so long my favourite song was so it goes but honestly now i think it’s dancing with our hands tied!!! it might be my favourite instrumental on the album and the song feels like the heart of what reputation is trying to encapsulate as an album if that makes sense, finding love in such a messy time and trying to cling to that. the lyricism is so gorgeous and i’m so so so in love with every aspect of it

for lover honestly another basic answer again (lover is probably my least favourite which i hate saying because i ADORE it) but cruel summer!! it feels like the style of lover if that makes sense, it’s another iconic pop song. the instrumental is one of my absolute favourites ever and it’s so FUN too. though i never got the opportunity to go to the eras tour it will always make me think of it!!

for folklore it’s such a hard pick because i resonate with so many tracks from this album but probably seven!! the song itself is so pretty, the way it builds into something really beautiful and elegant. i’ve always resonated really tightly with the meaning behind this song and i think it really encapsulates the feeling of being a little girl so well. thinking that the awful things that happen to your friends are genuine ghosts or monsters, planning on running away and playing pretend to cheer your friend up, that glow of childlike innocence. sometimes i can’t listen to it because it makes me cry but it’s one of the most beautiful songs i’ve ever heard

for evermore it’s COWBOY LIKE ME!!!! my favourite taylor swift song ever from my favourite album EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG IS JUST SO SO SO PERFECT. the duet and the soothing instrumental and the way it progresses and the storytelling in the lyrics. i often see debates over whether cowboy like me is a love song or a tragedy and honestly i really do think it’s a tragedy. “forever is the sweetest con” is probably the most tragic love lyric i’ve ever heard in my life whilst the song is still so incredibly romantic. it’s also so destiel coded and if i can’t find a fic based on this song i really think i’ll have to write it myself

for midnights it’s high infidelity!! midnights is so full of gems and honestly i only have two or three skips but there’s something about high infidelity that scratches my brain just right. it might be because honestly it sounds like an evermore track, but the way she sings the lyrics and the way it sounds is just PERFECT. i honestly think i like midnights more than reputation which i know is a super hot take

for the tortured poet’s department it’s THE BOLTER!!! my second favourite song ever EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG IS SO SO PERFECT!! the way the instrumental builds and the strings come in and it makes you just want to sway and float, the lyrics and the way she sings them and the story it builds and UGH im so insanely in love with the song the bolter is MY song. when ttpd was first announced i pre-ordered the manuscript cd (i have a cd collection hehe) before the other editions were announced but when the bolter was released it’s the only time i’ve let myself buy two of the same album to get the bolter edition (and i gave the other edition to my mum)

you didn’t ask me to do this but since i’ve yapped SO much (i’m sorry) i’ll rank them !!

cowboy like me

the bolter

timeless

seven

style

everything has changed

bye bye baby

a perfectly good heart

dancing with our hands tied

cruel summer

[escapismqueen]

What's your favorite Taylor Swift album?

I don’t think you understand how much this question has just BROKEN my brain because how am I supposed to answer that ?!!! 🤣this is like harder to answer than ‘what is quantum physics?’ 💀

I’ll give it a try though lmfao.

At the moment, I’ve been listening to a lot of reputation and lover. 6 months ago it was folklore and midnights on repeat. But I also listen to fearless TV a lot. Ugh this is so hard 🤣 1989 is forever a bop of an album and I feel so good when it comes on. Omfg why is this literally the hardest question I’ve ever had to answer 🤣I don’t listen to debut as much as the others but ‘our song’ is played constantly because I love it sm. And I really love ‘a place in this world’ notice how I’m dodging answering the question ? 🤣

Speak now TV has obviously been on a lot since it was released and I’ve been playing Dear John TV a lot recently. The ‘now I’m shining like fireworks over your sad empty town’ will just always HIT. and it has enchanted and better than revenge and timeless and back to December and mean and omfg this is so hard 🤣 and evermore stabs me in the heart always and I thank her for it every time. And I listen to RED TV a lot too and literally love it so much, like how do I decide this ?! 🤣

You. Have. Broken. Me. Whoever you are, I love you but you have broken me 🤣

Right, at the minute, I’ll probably say my top 3 (in no particular order) are lover, reputation and fearless TV if we’re going by what I’ve listened to the most recently. Or actually, maybe speak now more so than fearless.

I’m having a breakdown here 🤣

Overall, I do not know which album is my favourite and I will not apologise 🤣but Thankyou for asking because even though it broke my brain, made me smile so much 💛

[winterrhayle]

Ive been watching you and Bea go back and forth making each other rank Taylor albums and Im going to miss it SO MUCH Could you two rank the taylor swift tour videos please? I love looking at you guys' takes on things (even if yours are just complimenting every song and Bea is the one who knows how to actually criticise things 💀) love you guys <3 - an anonymous observer😉💗

TYSM :((((( SOBBING LY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @deprivedmusicaljunkie look we've been percieved ! anon ur slight diss at me for not being able to criticise things is KILLING ME HAHAHHAHAHA (ur right though)

okayy heres my tour ranking (note that there isnt an official tour video for red OR eras so this probs affects my ranking,,, more for red than eras bc i see eras content every single day online anyway)

speak now world tour - okay i may be biased because this is my favourite album,, but even if it wasnt this would be her best tour (in my opinion),, i feel like in her old concerts she was so theatrical, and parts of it kinda looked like a full broadway production,, also the iconic elements like the lyrics on the arm, also shout out to the live album recording of this bc i listen to it soooo much and its amazing and perfect and show stopping etc etc im literally gonna list a bunch of iconic moments right here: THE HAUNTED BELL, the fireworks during dear john, the koi fish guitar with the light up tree, the gold fringe dress (DROP EVERYTHING NOW) the ballgown, just the wholle thing is the best thing i have ever seen

eras tour - this tour actually is killing me with all of the nostalgia watching her sing through and acknowledge all of her old albums and past selves (except debut, rip😔). and i especially love all of the details from past concerts she has (like the fearless spins, the sparkly & koi guitars, the over head hand heart) and also the new visuals for existing tours (like the old taylors in glass cages for rep) AND the visuals for the albums that hadnt been toured before (lover, folklore, evermore, midnights) i just think that she really did her albums justice (again, apart from debut☠️) and its insane that the show is so long 3+ hours

reputation stadium tour - karyn the snake is the coolest thing ive ever seen. also the ready for it intro with the hooded bodysuit outfit is ICONIC,,, i love the choreo on this tour, like the part of i did something bad where taylor gets lifted up like a cheerleader (AHHHHHH) and i love the quiet long live / new years day moment on the piano,, its so nice

the red tour - like i said before, there isnt a tour movie for this one so i dont know as much about it, but i loveeee how fun it is, i love the ringleader outift and circus theme for the closing song, we are never ever getting back toghether (my favourite part of the show) and i love the unnecessary hairflips during all too well😭

the 1989 world tour - this tour feels like her biggest one (even though it isnt), its like the most pop artist thing ever, its less theatre-production like than any of her other tours and it feels less personal? that being said its obviously very iconic, im forever obsessed with the wildest dreams/enchanted mashup, and that one out of the woods bodysuit that she only wore once for some reason, + the FOREVER iconic rock version of wanegbt BUT THE WAY THE TOUR MOVIE IS EDITED IS SOOOO ANNOYING LIKE IT SWITCHES TO A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE EVERY 2 SECONDS😭 anyway i really do appreciate this tour bc taylor really did give it everything she had, and looking at the miss americana documentary, u can tell it was really hard to have put on that show with what she was going through

fearless tour - this is ranked last but i actually really like this one, its cute. her vocals werent as good as they are currently but idc because this show was so funny,, it had the iconicccc throwing of the red chairs in forever & always and shoudlve said no in the rain!!!!!!!!

[anakin-pilled]

HI KENDRA BB

i need to hear each one of your favourite song from each ts album, i NEED IT BESTIE!!

ANDRA BB YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME 😭🧍‍♀️ IM TOO INDECISIVE!!!!!! but okay pls be prepared this is gonna be all over the place. you literally did not ask me to write all this but i was excited to answer your question 🥹 ILY TYSM FOR ASKING ME 💖😭 now…tell me your favorites!!!

1.) Debut: Our Song — It’s really catchy and it was one of the first Taylor songs I learned. I’m very fond of it 🥹

2.) Fearless: Forever & Always — I just remember playing this song a lot as a little girl. It’s a cute little love song!! I’m not really a Fearless girly, but this is an OG fav for me. The Way I Loved You / White Horse are other strong contenders for me!!

3.) Speak Now: This one is really hard to choose because Speak Now was the album that really got me into Taylor. I even went to this tour with my mom 😭 Ours, Back to December, Better than Revenge, and Last Kiss — these were my top songs when I was 9 and they still are!!!

4.) Red: Stay Stay Stay / The Lucky One — I’m not the biggest Red girly either but these are some of my favorites off the original release. BONUS: I absolutely love Nothing New and All Too Well (10 Minute Ver.) from Taylor’s Version. I guess these are my Red favorites actually?

5.) 1989: Clean — hands down, my number #1 fav off 1989!!! The lyrics are just too good. Also, I associate this song with @/forever--darling’s Neteyam fic so I like even more because of that 💀 I’m so sad this wasn’t my surprise song. But 2014 Kendra would have told you Style (a close contender).

6.) Reputation: Dress / So It Goes — These songs are so sensual and a total shift from Taylor’s precious music. They make me feel sexy and they get me hype!!!!

7.) Lover: Cruel Summer / DBATC / The Archer — these are my favorite Lover songs in that exact order!! Cruel Summer means so much to me 😭 It got me through 2022. Also, DBATC and The Archer I came to love because of your Cardigan series 🥹 I’m actually planning on getting an Archer tattoo soon because it’s just so me (I already told you this but I wanted to share it with the class ) 😭🧍‍♀️It’s literally the only song I can actually relate to on Lover!!!

8.) Folklore: The 1 and August — Tbh, my favorite Folklore songs change frequently. I’ve really been in a Seven mood recently, but a few weeks ago I was in a The Lakes/Peace mood. This is the one album that has absolutely no skips for me! And, it’s the first album I listened to when I first started listening to Taylor again (I stopped following her music after 1989). But, August and The 1 are the songs I first listened to off Folklore so they automatically are my favorite. I am grateful for these songs because they literally changed my life!! Taylor has gotten me through so much in the past two years so idk where I would be without these two songs.

9.) Evermore: Coney Island / Champagne Problems — for similar reasons above, these are some of the first songs I heard off Evermore and became absolutely obsessed with. My favs on this album are also rotational (I’m currently in my Dorothea era—I can’t even listen to Happiness right now because of you💀)

10.) Midnights: Anti-Hero / Dear Reader — I am enamored by these two. Anti-Hero reminds me a lot of myself (and not in a good way LMFAO) and then Dear Reader just clicked in my brain. I specifically love the bridge. Midnights released at a very emotional time in my life so I think I just gravitated towards the already depressing songs. BONUS: Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve would be my third favorite, but the other two are more personal so more special to me.

[aftgholidayzine]

Our Fic Contest Winner!

We’re excited to announce that @lost-in-gayness / KuroganeNoFeari on AO3 won our fic contest and has won a free print copy of the 2018 AFTG Winter Fanzine! If you’d like your own print copy make sure to visit this link.

The winning fic is below! If you’d like to read it on AO3, here’s the link.

Title: Snow Angels 

Pairing: JereJean

It all had started with Kevin, or maybe it was with Jeremy, but Kevin definitely had something to do with it. Even if Jean had never meant to spill the beans, Jeremy was far from being stupid, and he knew for sure that Kevin’s broken hand hadn’t been an accident. That meant Kevin had truly never been skiing, which meant that Jeremy had made it a point of honor to invite him and whoever wanted to join for a special winter week in Canada.

Obviously, at first the Exy addict had refused to let go of his racket and gears: Kevin “needed to practise” and “couldn’t afford a day off”, but after a few smiles and a promise to try and create a winter version of their favourite sport, Jeremy had managed to talk Kevin into going with him.

That’s how Jean had ended up in Canada, bundled up in five layers of thick woollen clothes, his toes numb and his eyes tearing up as the wind kept blowing snow straight into his face. Ahead of him, Jeremy’s deep steps traced a conspicuous trail that felt like a one-way ticket to freedom.

“Why does everything have to be so col–” Jean started after a long silence only broken by the discrete sound of falling snowflakes and snow crunching under footsteps. He never finished his sentence, though, nearly biting his tongue as a snowball the size of his fist struck his jaw.

Jeremy’s laugh filled the air. “C’mon, Jean, stop being so gloomy!”

Standing a few steps farther, he was throwing and catching another snowball in his bare hands, unaffected by the icy touch. His pale eyes landed on his teammates’ and a grin spread on his lips. And once again, Jean couldn’t stay mad at that face - nobody could.

“It’s Christmas break, let’s have some fun! Don’t you enjoy the snow?”

“It’s co–”

“That’s the point!” Jeremy cut him off again, throwing another snowball in the man’s general direction.

It was Jean’s first Christmas out of Castle Evermore and the team captain had firmly resolved to make it the best one, but first, he had to get Jean out of his shell -or in this case, out of his Raven’s feathers. He had already planned it all: from the cosy chalets in the mountains to the presents stacked under the christmas tree in front of the fireplace. Kevin would join them in two days, along with Renee Walker, and together they would spend a week skiing and -drinking and- playing in the snow. Jeremy had already decided to teach snowboarding to the others. But first things first, Jeremy’s main mission was to get that grumpy look off his friend’s face.

Without letting him have a break and ignoring the loud protestations, he grabbed Jean’s wrist and gently dragged him to the ground beside him. Then, Jeremy started to shape bricks in the snow and to place them in a circle, softly humming holiday themed songs.

“It’ll be faster if you help me,” he added without looking back. Jean could hear the grin in his voice and he could picture the exact face Jeremy was making just listening at the tone of his voice. “Trust me, it’ll be warmer inside! I’ve built igloos all my life!”

Jean hesitated, but he eventually gave up to the other’s contagious enthusiasm. After all, snow wasn’t going to pierce through his gloves, right? -spoiler alert: it was, and the former Raven absolutely hated it.

It took them two and half hours to build a proper igloo, and almost twice that time to enhance it so that Jean could stand up in it. After almost five hours of hard work, arguments and complaints when Jeremy had had to sit on Jean’s shoulders to put in the last bricks, the two of them managed to build an igloo the size of a small shack.

They were starting to warm up and Jeremy was busy making them a snowbuddy inside of the igloo when Jean spoke again.

“You know… it’s the first time I’ve seen real snow,” he started, and Jeremy raised his head to meet his gaze. Jean seemed lost in the past, both there and yet out of reach. Jeremy didn’t dare move nor breathe, too afraid to break the spell. “It never snowed when I was in Marseille, and back with the Ravens, we didn’t really have time to stop and watch it… We didn’t have time at all, actually,” he added with a joyless laugh.

Jean kept his eyes on the sliver of horizon he could spot through the entrance for a few minutes, until Jeremy started throwing small snowballs at him again. He was starting to think of it as a good strategy to keep Jean out of his dark thoughts.

“You’re a Trojan, now. Leave the gloomy bird in the past,” Jeremy told him, dead serious although he flashed the brightest smile Jean had ever seen. “This is a part of you you can’t erase”, Jeremy continued, leaning towards Jean to poke the number 3 tattooed on his cheekbone, “but you need to move on if you want to be happy. I’m not asking you to forget it, but to accept it, and to accept that it is over. You are one of us, and I’m not gonna let you down.”

Whether it was the coldness of Jeremy’s fingertip against his skin or his motivational speech that sent shivers down Jean’s spine, he couldn’t tell, but it definitely hadn’t left him indifferent. Deep down, he knew that Jeremy was right, and this only thought lifted a weight from his chest. He was allowed to be okay. He knew that recovering would take time, and that he would probably never heal completely from what he had experienced in the Nest, but a starting point was always a good thing to begin with.

After what felt like an eternity, Jean nodded and glanced at his captain and friend.

“I’m kinda getting sick of your habit of throwing snow at me,” he declared with a smirk that made something shine into Jeremy’s eyes. “Let’s go outside, I’m gonna get revenge. Someone needs to knock some sense into your head.”

“Oh, you think you can beat me at my own game, Moreau?”

A flame Jeremy had never seen flickered in Jean’s eyes when he replied, mischievous. “Anytime.”

The sun was already beginning to set, but they couldn’t care less, and the excitement of the moment was too strong for them to postpone their battle. Jeremy’s shots were more accurate, but Jean’s were more powerful, and he eventually managed to make the other beg for mercy.

“Pourparlers!” Jeremy croaked, half laughing, but it was enough to make Jean stop still.

“What? What did you say?”

“Pourparlers!” the captain repeated with a huge grin, proud of the effect the ace he had just pulled out had on his friend.

“You can speak French?” Jean asked, aghast. He was starting to see the other in a brand new way. He had always known that Jeremy was resourceful, but not to this extent.

“I know a few chosen words,” the other answered enigmatically, holding his hand out for Jean to help him up.

Unfortunately, it was already too late when Jean understood that he had been tricked, and he hit the ground face first, swallowing snow in the process. He heard Jeremy’s laugh over his coughing and extended his arm to push him into the snow as well, which doubled the other’s laugh even more.

When he finally managed to get on his knees, Jean’s mind blacked out and his breath was briefly taken away by the view that was offered to him. Jeremy was laying in the snow, his eyes shut, a peaceful smile resting on his lips. His tan skin looked like it was radiating against the pure white snow, and his hair was dotted with snowflakes.

Slowly, Jeremy started moving his arms and legs back and forth in the snow until it traced a smooth drawing, his eyelids still closed and his smile wider and wider - he knew that Jean was watching him.

“I bet I can make a better snow angel than you!” Jeremy challenged him, finally opening his eyes and locking them with Jean’s. His gaze was fond and sparkling and it made something flicker in Jean’s chest.

With the wings spread around him, the soft light of the winter night shining down on his skin and the grin on his face, Jean had absolutely no doubt that he was right.

[ifmywishescametrue]

I know I’m late but can I ask for 5 for Just For Now, dust off your highest hopes, and you can call me babe for the weekend, and also 23 from the writing asks? You’re one of my favourite Stevetony fic writers ❤️❤️❤️

thank you so much! you're never too late for an ask game ☺️

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

i... can't think of a single possible question lol. let's just go with some behind the scenes fun facts? my favorite things about them? idk here's a mix of both and i'm sorry they ended up so long winded haha

Just For Now – this one is easily the most on the fly, no plans fic i've ever written. it was written pretty quickly in 2020, when i had just graduated college but was still unemployed because of things with the pandemic, so i had a lot of time to basically write a chapter a day. i posted as i went and almost never had a plan for where the next chapter was coming from before the current one was finished. there was only one later chapter i knew would exist from the beginning, which was them getting together at the sam and nat's wedding. everything else, even character background details, came at the exact moment they were written with pretty much zero forethought. all in all i'm pretty proud of how well it turned out without any real planning, but also i would never do that again lol

dust off your highest hopes – my absolute favorite moment in this one is the scene with them discussing the hyacinth tattoo steve almost got and the one tony has. i had the dialogue written fairly early on for tony asking steve to tell him something about himself that tony doesn't know yet, and i knew i wanted steve to tell him about a tattoo he almost got, but didn't. the only problem i had was that i had no clue at all what it would be, or why he wouldn't do it in the end.

sometimes i view scenes in terms of vibes and colors rather than plot, if that makes sense? so, this scene needed to feel like it was midnight blue with soft, hazy stars. that lead me to thinking that steve's almost tattoo should come from mythology, so i ended up googling something like 'gay love stories in greek mythology' just to see if one would fit. the very first one i read was the story of Apollo and Hyacinthus, and it just felt so right for steve to be sort of enthralled by that story, but also have a longing to experience something like it for himself first before getting a tattoo to represent it. personally, i've always been so intrigued by flower language, so i googled what hyacinths represent and that also felt very right for tony, given all the backstory i'd already established for him.

just generally, i love moments in writing where it feels like i've somehow stumbled upon the exact right thing to fit in the moment. there was no plan initially for tony to have any tattoos, let alone one that fit with steve's almost tattoo, but i love that it worked out that way. this particular moment felt almost fated to exist.

you can call me babe for the weekend – speaking of viewing scenes in terms of colors, this entire fic is maroon to me. i can't explain why, but that's what my mind sees.

now an actual fun fact! i think i've said this somewhere before, but i started writing this fic the same night evermore was released and started picturing it after my very first listen to tis the damn season. everything about that song screamed steve and tony to me. the longing, the idea of leaving someone you love to pursue a dream that you also love, the self-sacrificial nature of it. that was all just so tony. he would want to leave his small town, he wouldn't ask steve to come with him when he knew steve wouldn't be happy there, but he'd also never be able to move on and let him go in his own heart.

i've always just generally loved the concept of two people being so meant for each other that there's literally no one else they could fit quite right with. they always find their way back to each other, because they have to. tis the damn season came out and was basically like here's the blueprint, go write it. so i did

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

soulmate au! i love reading them, but i haven't had a solid enough idea to write it myself just yet. i do, however, know the exact song lyric i'd use to title it lol