#that trust we'll understand mixed with the acknowledgement that we know things whether or not that's her preference

[septembersghost]

I admit that when I send asks about content regarding TS & HS, it is not to push a “ship” agenda. In fact, I didn’t know they dated in ‘12 until Aug of last year. I’d seen news of her with JG, CH & JA before that time. Looking back, I enjoyed & was more familiar with her music but didn’t do the SM part. Lol, I wasn’t as familiar with 1D, but I did have a copy of their last CD. I hadn’t know they went solo until last year also. SM just gave details that changed my view of the narrative & music.

oh i understand! i'm never discussing it in a "ship" way either (and as personal preference don't think we should talk about real people in that sense, but that's different than discussing aspects of the dynamics that affected their respective art. my support of taylor and joe, and wishing for her/glad for her to be happy and healthier, is informed by what we know to be true through these six years and what she's plainly expressed in her music).

i was aware of the relationship in 2012 by virtue of being a taylor fan, but like i've said, i hardly knew anything specific about h at the time except very basic pop culture osmosis. i knew about the band by proxy too, including the later big events (z leaving, the hiatus, that they'd gone out solo), but nothing about them or their music. getting into that in a joyful way when h released lights up just made me interested as to some of what happened, and curious about context, especially when i read the interview where he mentioned the unspoken dialogue, and then i fell down that rabbit hole of information. 😄 it quite honestly made me appreciate 1989 more gaining some further understanding of where she was writing from at the time, which was really nice since that was the one album of hers i hadn't connected with as much (i love it now). SM just gave details that changed my view of the narrative & music. definitely - and that's only natural! we learn more information/details and with that knowledge we gain empathy and a clearer perspective and can adjust our thoughts accordingly. part of why something like midnights (or red tv) giving us further insight or re-contextualization is effective, because we can expand that feeling and have more of a grasp on the art. and tbh looking at artists' experiences and inspirations is a very natural part of engaging with art, so i don't think that doing that is a problem. also, regarding taylor, she knows we're aware of that journey and the stories, both voluntarily shared by her, and covered by the media, so she incorporates that into her writing rather than denying it or avoiding it, and i think she trusts us to be willing to hear that and understand it.