#one of the best vault tracks imo

[shiestyswift]

timeless and foolish one… she’s insane

[themidnightarcher]

WHERE 📢 ARE 📢 MY 📢 FELLOW 📢 MESSAGE📢 IN 📢 A 📢 BOTTLE 📢 STANS ⁉️

[tibby]

i think it's partly bc of rerecording her albums and having fans love the vault tracks that she now feels she cant leave anything on the cutting room floor just in case

i definitely think that's part of it, but - and i say this as someone who likes a majority of the vault tracks - i think it was a good thing that they were initially left on the cutting room floor. including them originally would have detracted from what the albums were trying to say.

speak now and 1989 are the best examples of this. the point of speak now was two things: taylor wanting to prove she could do it on her own, and each song referencing a specific person or scenario. with the exception of when emma falls in love (the weakest of the lot imo) and castles crumbling (which has a feature), the SNTV vault tracks are more...vague in who/what they're about. and sure, if they'd been released on the original album with the secret messages we might have more context, but that isn't something we can say for certain. speak now is the only album that's about multiple people and we can pinpoint who or what each song is referencing (except maybe sparks fly which was included for the fans, and haunted but that could be because i've never cared enough to investigate if it's about john or joe).

as for 1989, i think the vault tracks are definitely stronger than some of the songs that made the cut (as much as i love WTNY and HYGTG, they're not her best work), but i don't think they would have fit into the story she was trying to tell. whether taylor successfully made an album that is about independence and not love is up for debate, but she claims that was her intention. IION and say don't go aren't great fits for that story, especially since it was one she was trying to tell within the secret messages.

i think red's biggest problem is that it was already too long of an album (which is also part of speak now's problem). i think the red vault tracks fit the theme of all the varying degrees of love, but red TV clocks out at over two hours. it's possible that forever winter in particular was too raw a song to release at the time (has she played it live yet? i haven't kept up with eras tour that much).

and while i love the fearless vault tracks, i do wonder if including them would have earned it less acclaim. they're good songs, but fearless is by far her most polished album imo. even the deluxe tracks, which i also adore, kinda take away from how well rounded the standard album is. it's very possible it's only capped at 13 tracks because cds back then could only hold so much, but i also think that it was a better decision for the marketing of the album itself.

but now, with ttpd and the eight million versions of midnights, it's harder to find the good shit because it's surrounded by so much filler. and yeah, part of it is that some of the songs on those albums are just...not good (bejeweled my deepest enemy), but i think a culling would have greatly benefitted them. ESPECIALLY with ttpd. taylor's always been songwriter who releases stuff that could be diary entries, but at least before it was like...you at least edited this. now it just seems like we're getting every single journal entry as is. and it's tiring. 31 songs is too much. hell, 16 songs for lover was too much.

ultimately i think it comes down to the fact that she no longer gets any push back from the people she works with, and fans are both willing to accept quantity over quality and (for many swifties, but not all) there's just a refusal to criticise her work at all. and i think taylor's desire to constantly release new content (which i think is a combination of a constant need for relevancy combined with the fact she's always writing) combined with being surrounded by yes men and adoring fans is impacting her work negatively. which has been the case since lover if not earlier, but i think midnights/ttpd are her most glaring examples of it.

anyway lmao sorry this got long. sorry for never being on here and then finally showing up to have opinions about taylor swift. do you guys still think i'm hot.

[spartanguard]

sons of love and death, 5/13 {CSSNS 23}

Summary: After the Final Battle, Killian Jones had finally settled into his happily ever after with his wife and family. Until a new foe arrived in Storybrooke: the infamous Dorian Gray, who looks rather familiar—one might say identical—to the pirate, and he’s on a mission: to claim the powers of the Dark One for himself. There’s only one problem: the Dark One no longer exists. What follows is a journey of vengeance, revelations, magic, and finally facing down the darkness within himself that Killian thought he’d finally put to rest. [roughly canon divergent from 5B, though set post-canon]

A/N: Little later in the day than my usual posting for this @cssns​ story, but hope no one minds too much! (This one is worth a bit of wait, IMO ;) ) (As always, thanks to the best beta, @optomisticgirl​​​​!)

rated M | 4.5k words | AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Regina probably could have installed a more modern security system in her vault; she’d had plenty of time to do it. But honestly, anyone who didn’t know what they were getting into would likely be hurt far worse by whatever they found—those Agrabah vipers were still down there, after all—and it would be useless against anyone who did know what they were after.

However, she did have a sixth sense for when her shit was being messed with, and transported herself inside the vault once she was done helping Gold get his shop straightened out. A hooded figure was poking around her potion supplies, though a far more contemporary hood than had often been down here—that of a sweatshirt instead of a cloak. Must be one of the Lost Boys, getting into trouble.

She silently strode up behind them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” And then she yanked the hood down and turned the boy around.

Only she wasn’t looking up into the face of a pubescent youth. It was—not Hook, no; there was an edge of desperation around this guy that the pirate hadn’t had in years. “Ah, so it’s the twin,” she realized.

“I have my own name, your Majesty,” he snarled back. “And I know what I’m after, so I’ll kindly ask you to leave me to it.”

He turned back around and studied the shelf, glancing between that and a book open in his hand. She didn’t recognize the tome at first, and tried reading it over his shoulder, mainly out of curiosity before she reprimanded him.

But then she read the page, and wasn’t quite sure how to react, other than to let him know, “It won’t work.”

“You say that now,” he tossed back, looking over his shoulder at her. “Bet people said that about the Dark Curse, too, and yet—here we are.”

She rolled her eyes. “I have no reason to lie to you. You can’t resurrect the powers of the Dark One.” The book in his hand was one of her oldest and hardest-won—but also contained some of the darkest magical theories ever published.

“This seems to suggest otherwise.” So both the sass and the stubbornness were genetic, as well as the one-track mind. “And you were so kind as to leave it out for me. ‘Guide to resurrection,’” he read. “How perfect.”

Well. She had been reading it. Ever since Henry left on his realm-hopping adventure, she’d been feeling rather lonely, and helping her sister raise little Robyn had just made it all the more clear how much she missed her own Robin. It had been a moment of desperation after last Valentine’s Day that she’d dug it out.

But she pretty quickly deduced that it wouldn’t work—not with the way he died. And even if he’d died a more normal way, it would be cruel to drag a soul at rest back to the chaotic world of the living. 

Bringing back magic, though? She could easily tell him why this wouldn’t work, but professional curiosity demanded she get in his mind. “Just how do you plan on resurrecting magic without a tether?” Especially magic that had relied on one for so long, Gold’s interrupted experiment with the Sorcerer’s hat notwithstanding. 

“By creating a new one,” he answered simply, and flipped to another page in the ancient book, bearing an illustration of an ornate dagger. “Looks simple enough; just needs something touched by all past users of the magic to forge a new weapon. And what luck—I have a couple options at my disposal.”

“You really think you can just walk up to Hook or Rumple in the street and, what, pick their pockets? And while her magic is still fairly unrefined, Ms. Swan-Jones would blast you into tomorrow if you tried to even touch her or her pirate.”

“You don’t seem to be her biggest fan,” Dorian noticed quickly. 

“We have a…complicated history,” Regina replied, as succinctly as she could manage. “But we’ve at least come to an understanding.” Then she laughed. “Actually, she’s the reason I’m not on your list of former Dark Ones.”

“Gotta love those hero types,” he said, though it came out more as a complaint. “Perhaps you can help me, then? Maybe we could share.” He stepped into her space and bit his bottom lip, raising his eyebrow in question. 

It hadn’t worked when Hook tried it, years ago, and it wasn’t working now. “I’m good. Maiming isn’t so much my thing; call me when you need a heart.”

He glanced back at the book and flipped between pages—a little too quickly for the ancient book, in her opinion. “Huh; neither of these spells seem to require one. That’s odd; most like this do.” She was surprised; he knew his stuff—and he noticed her shock. “Oh, I’m not the only one here who had to crush the heart of the thing they loved most.”

She had to look away at that. “For someone who’s done their research, you still don’t seem to understand that you’re on a fool’s errand.”

“If there’s anything left of the Darkness in this realm, then I can bring it together and restore it to what it once was. We both know that magic never fully dies.”

“No, it doesn’t,” she had to concede. “But this isn’t a normal situation; this had divine intervention. Hades didn’t just die—he was destroyed.” She swallowed down her rising emotions at the memory of that night. “He was killed with the Olympian Crystal; completely obliterated—both him and any magic he held.”

“Then why can I still feel it?” Dorian practically whined. “You all keep telling me it’s gone, but no one can explain that one detail to me.”

“Maybe no one wants to,” she snapped back. 

Dorian glared and the light even seemed to flicker as his rage threatened to boil over. But her stare back was just as fiery, she knew. 

But then his look softened, and weirdly, he even smiled a bit. “If no one wants to, then that must mean it’s sensitive information. Perhaps the kind that could be life-threatening.”

She scoffed. “Only if you know how to harvest a soul.”

That cocky eyebrow arched again, and she immediately regretted her rash statement. “I’m sure I can find a way. See you ‘round, sweetheart.” Then he and his dimpled smirk disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke edged with a lick of flames. 

Dammit. She was pretty sure his quest was a dead end, but she’d inadvertently put a target on the backs of her friends. 

Quickly, she took a mental stock of what he’d taken: the book, as well as a few rare and potent herbs. Not enough to cast any sort of spell, but enough to get him started—or at least get him high. 

She ran out of the vault and up the stairs, magically sliding the stone cover over the entry. Then she locked the door to the mausoleum and put a blood lock on it to make sure Dorian couldn’t get back in; unlike when she was trying to keep Zelena out of her spaces, she was positive she wasn’t related to the Jones men. 

And then Regina headed back into town, using the walk there to figure out how to tell Emma that her husband’s evil twin probably wanted to kill them. 

The whole situation had “mess” written all over it, but at least it was some excitement; she certainly could use some of that. 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Though Killian was beginning to feel at ease for the first time in over a day, he still had a lot of questions regarding his twin and the powers they apparently shared. They hadn’t flared at all since his chat with Emma, and the tea seemed to be calming him even more. Though most assuring was the fact that Dorian was no longer in town, and that his life might continue in peace. 

But still—his academic nature demanded he learn more. Were the legends he’d just been told about Cailleach Mountain real or fiction?

Good thing he was working at the library today, and therefore spending time with the one person who’d be sure to get him the answers he needed.

“Morning, love,” he called out when he entered the library—but was surprised to hear baby Gideon squealing in reply rather than his mother.

Behind the counter, Belle was struggling to get the boy to go down in his—what was it called? Play pen? But he was having none of it; instead, he was reaching for his favorite uncle. 

“Oh, Belle,” he said, rushing over to grab the little lad. “I wish you’d told me you were bringing him today; I’d have grabbed you some tea.”

Gideon almost immediately wrapped himself around Killian’s neck and nestled into him. He was always a bit in awe of the steady trust this tiny person put in him, and he dared not take it for granted. 

“I did tell you,” Belle answered, setting her diaper bag on the circulation desk. “Texted you as soon as I left Ashley’s; Alexandra was running a fever so she had to cancel today.”

“Damn; my apologies for missing that. I’ve had…a long day already.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved off, and headed to the back room (most likely to make some tea). “It was obvious you’ve had a lot on your mind, and after yesterday, I don’t blame you.”

He swayed in his spot with Gideon, slightly taken aback by Belle’s assessment of his mental state; she knew him well, but wasn’t aware it was that well. “How could you tell?”

“I mean, anyone could guess,” she called out over the sound of the microwave. “But you had that look on your face.”

“What look?”

She poked her head out of the room. “The one that says we’re doing some research today,” she answered with a teasing smile. 

Well, she wasn’t wrong. 

Gideon still refused to be put down, even though he’d settled against Killian and was content to play with his necklace charms. But the quiet at least let Killian give Belle the run-down on what he’d been told so far; he was getting fairly good at summarizing everything by now.

“Cailleach…I know I’ve heard of it, but the name is ringing a bell for another reason. I think it translates to something. Maybe it’ll come to me once we get started.”

They spent the rest of the morning in the reference sections, save for attending to the few patrons that trickled in. Gideon did eventually let them set him down in his playpen (once they moved it to the reference area), which meant they could dig into research even harder. 

The books they were consulting were among the oldest in the collection—ones that had somehow come over with the second curse. Killian had found several mentions of the inherent magic in the area around Cailleach, but nothing more specific. 

There was a growing stack on the table next to him of books he’d already looked at, and the ones he’d yet to read were dwindling. He sometimes wished it was as easy to search through these as it was to find information on the computer box, but it was worth it to be surrounded by the smell of old parchment; it reminded him of the library at the naval academy.

On her side of the table, Belle had a few translation dictionaries on one side of her as well as a similar set of stacks, all being carefully handled. She was still the expert when it came to these books, so he fully expected her to find the answer before he did. And he was right.

“Oh, I think that's it!” she exclaimed, looking up from her book and reaching for one of the dictionaries. She muttered to herself in a different tongue, but one he seemed to recognize, as she flipped through the pages of the other book, all while keeping the first one open with a carefully placed elbow. 

“What’ve you got?”

“I knew the legend sounded familiar, but couldn’t place the name to it. It is a different language: it’s Gaelic—or whatever it’s called in our land; the same one your name comes from, actually.” She found the page she wanted and skimmed it with her finger. “Yeah; it means ‘witch’—and what you were describing sounds like the story of Witch Mountain.”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s one that sort of spilled into this realm; I think we actually might have the book in the YA section, though, like most things, this realm probably got it wrong.” She went back to the first book. “It’s right here: ‘Though it happens rarely,’” she read, “‘All twins born in the area around Witch Mountain are inherently blessed with gods-given magic, in balance of each other.’”

He was both surprised at that, but also not, based on what Regina had told him. But it confirmed that whatever these powers were, they were definitely his—and had always been. That was going to take some getting used to.

Although, he was left curious about the phrasing of what Belle had read. “In balance?”

“Probably from an elemental standpoint; this is a book on natural sources of magic. Did you notice his powers manifesting a certain way?”

“No; his magic has been blocked both times I talked to him. But we’ve both seen evidence of his ability to melt through metal.”

“So it’s either the ability to manipulate metal, or heat-based magic. Which means yours would probably be connected to either wood or water.”

He immediately thought of his inherent connection with the Jolly Roger, which suggested either one, and he told her as much.

“Oh, let’s test it! Try to do something in my tea.” Her mug had long since cooled, despite being half full, so she pushed it toward him.

“You think I have any idea how to control it?” he tossed back.

“Well, not with that attitude.” (Truly, she was the sister he’d never had.)

“Perhaps not, but if he’s not around anymore, then it’s a non-issue. Hopefully, I won’t need to use it.”

Belle pouted a bit, but then turned her attention back to the book and read ahead. “It also says here that twins’ powers will develop as they grow together; the fact that it makes a point to say ‘together’ suggests that’s why yours haven’t manifested until now.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way, then.”

He was content with that answer, though she did insist on comparing that story to the novelization and temporarily took that one out of circulation. He put the books away while she sought about giving Gideon his afternoon snack, and realized he was finally feeling at peace about this whole situation.

And, with any luck, that would be the end of it.

But, Storybrooke being Storybrooke, he should have known it wouldn’t be.

“Hook? You here?” Regina’s voice called out even before the doorbell could finish ringing. 

“Aye, back here,” he replied, as loud as he dared to shout within the confines of the library. 

“We’ve got a problem,” she stated, sounding annoyed, as the clacking of her heels on the tile floor grew closer. “Your twin is out for blood.”

“What?” He’d still been putting books on the shelf, but whirled around and nearly dropped them; he caught them at the last second, though, lest he face Belle’s wrath. “I thought Emma sent him out of town; are you sure?” (And then he carefully placed the books on the table, just to be safe.)

“Well, he must have found a way back in, because I caught him in my vault not 10 minutes ago.”

“Wasn’t he wearing the cuff?” Belle had just laid Gideon down for his nap and joined the conversation. “He shouldn’t have been able to get past the barrier without his magic.”

“Then he got it off somehow, because he definitely had his powers. Nearly set the vault on fire.”

Belle gave Killian a knowing look, but he ignored it. “What was he doing?”

“What he’s been doing—trying to become the Dark One. But now that he knows the powers are gone, he’s going about it a different way—and a bit more gruesome.”

“How so?” Belle asked. 

“He wants to recreate the dagger and manifest the powers from that last bit of Darkness left in you, Emma, and Rumpelstiltskin.”

Killian was confused. “The part you said was attached to our souls?” 

“The very same.”

“How the hell can he do that?”

“By detaching your soul from your body. And there’s only one way to do that.”

“Oh, bloody hell,” he cursed; Regina didn’t need to explain it—he knew she meant murder. His stomach turned at the idea of not just him, but Emma being a target for his brother’s deranged plot. 

On the table, Belle’s half-empty mug cracked, water flying everywhere. He glanced down, and his palm was glowing again; shit. (At least it had somehow avoided the books.)

“That answers that question,” Belle muttered. “But—his name is Dorian Gray, right? Like the book?”

“Yeah,” Killian confirmed. 

She gave a cautious smirk. “I think we might actually have something we can use against him.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Above the library but behind the clock tower was a little-used, mostly empty storage area. At least, it had been empty, until recently. Now it was filled with boxes, sheet-draped furniture, and large frames—some covered, some not. 

“This is all stuff that came over from the Land of Untold Stories,” Belle explained as she led Killian and Regina through the maze that had taken over the room. “Anything of value, at least; they obviously didn’t want it exposed to the elements, but I made sure to intervene before it ended up in my husband’s shop, never to be seen again.” She loved her husband, but she did have to admit he had a tricky relationship with the concept of ownership, and the black hole that was the back of his shop. Inventory always took forever. 

In her down time, she’d been trying to catalog all of this stuff for their new residents, and either get it back to who it belonged to or perhaps start a museum with some of it. (Assuming she could get Rumple to donate some items, too—but she was pretty sure she could convince him.)

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Regina asked from behind her, clearly perturbed by the amount of dust up here; Belle hadn’t had a chance to clean it up before everything moved in, but it was at least dry and fairly climate-controlled. 

“We’re not looking; I know exactly where it is.” Killian was bringing up the rear, Gideon in his arms once more. She swore that was her son’s favorite spot to sleep. Their friendship was probably odd and unexpected on paper, but despite their vastly different lives and rocky history, there wasn’t anyone she trusted more. 

Which was why she’d be damned if his maniac evil twin did anything to hurt him; he’d been through enough for more than one lifetime. 

In the far corner of the storage room was a gathering of smaller paintings, filed together in an old armoire and covered with a sheet. “It’s over here,” she called back. 

She wasted no time in yanking the sheet off, but it made them all cough from the ensuing dust. “Sorry,” she choked. 

“‘S alright, love,” Killian replied, but his voice was raspy. 

She didn’t waste any more time in digging through the stash of ancient portraits. “It stood out to me because—well, obviously everyone’s heard of it; I just had no idea it was real,” she explained. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised,” she conceded as she found the frame she was looking for. 

She carefully pulled it out and looked it over as she turned to face the others. “Gosh; and now that I know, I should have seen it—even if it’s not pretty.”

“Seen what?” Killian asked, but his tone was more concerned than curious. 

Her answer was to simply flip the painting around. “The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the flesh, so to speak.”

The novel had gotten the details of the painting correct: the man on the canvas could only be described as ugly and twisted, a nearly skeletal, aged face with grayed, wild hair and a hunched frame. 

But one thing that stood out were the piercing blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, and slightly pointed ears—the same ones she was looking at on her best friend. 

“Bloody hell,” he murmured. 

“Gods, I think that looks even worse than the guy Emma met in the Wish Realm,” Regina added. 

“So, in the book, Dorian died when he tried to murder the portrait,” Belle went on. “Obviously, that didn’t actually happen, but I’m wondering if it’s not far from the truth—although I don’t know exactly what kind of spell this is.”

“It’s a curse,” Killian replied. “He told me.” He swallowed, clearly uncomfortable with the details of the painting. “He crushed the heart of the woman he loved to cast it.”

Oh—that was indeed morbid, and Belle shifted to a more careful hold on the frame. “Well, bare minimum, it probably gives us leverage over him; or…it gives us a way to potentially stop him.”

She didn’t miss the way Killian was studying the floor and clenching his jaw at that; it wasn’t an idea she was thrilled with, either. “Last resort,” she added. 

Regina shuddered, no doubt having some of her own bad memories stirred. But then she jumped again and looked up. “I think there’s a leak in here,” she said. 

“Odd, there shouldn’t be,” Belle replied. “The dwarves redid the roof last summer.”

And yet—as she looked up, a drop of water hit her square on the nose. Another few fell around them, and one landed on Killian’s shoulder, but he barely noticed. 

“Snap out of it, pirate,” Regina commanded, and Killian jumped. “That’s you, with the waterworks.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly, but sounded somewhat bewildered. Belle did notice a blue glow coming from his clenched fist, though. 

“Looks like magic lessons just got added to the calendar,” Regina commented dryly, while brushing the wet spot on the shoulder of her jacket. 

Screaming then came from outside, and the general hum of commotion. The group ran to the nearest window, boarded-up as it was, and peered out into the street. 

Cruella’s long-abandoned De Ville had finally met its end, and was now engulfed in flames. Near it, a figure was disappearing into a cloud of fiery smoke. 

“I suppose they did,” Killian sighed. 

Belle didn’t like to see the conflict written on his face—gods knew he spent enough time brooding—but she had to admit: she was curious to see how this went.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Dorian certainly didn’t regret coming back into town, but he was rather frustrated at the lack of negative reception. He’d fully anticipated coming to blows with the Evil Queen—honestly, half the reason he’d gone to her vault was in hopes of running into her. (Perhaps doing more, if she’d been interested, but she had the stink of heartbreak around her.)

(Actually, Rumpelstiltskin’s lass was the one who’d really caught his eye, but for very different reasons—nostalgic ones. The resemblance to Sybil was more than passing, though Sybil’s hair was in ringlets, and her irises more violet. But the potential of both he and his twin having taken both of Rumple’s wives was a tempting one…if she’d go for it.)

So he assumed it would cause an uproar when he set fire to that auto, and perhaps draw the heroes he sought out of the woodwork, particularly the sheriff. But after a brief stir, the onlookers merely went about their business, and the elderly woman from the diner anticlimactically put it out with a fire extinguisher while he watched from an alley.

For someone who was fond of having a dramatic flair, it was disappointing. Doubly so when he realized just how big this town was and how he really could have used that car to get around; it just screamed supervillain. (Not that he knew how to operate such a vehicle…but that was everyone else’s problem.)

Instead, there wasn’t much he could do but putter about, trying to figure out the best way to enact his plan. He’d gotten the information he needed from Regina’s vault, but had to assume he’d not easily be able to get in again. Perhaps the town had a blacksmith shop? It’d be a lot easier to forge a dagger and later imbue it with the Darkness than create one from scratch. Obviously, he could melt metal on his own, but shaping it was a whole other skill.

Alas, the town center came up empty, and the only directory he could find was a phone book dated from 1983 that fell apart nearly as soon as he touched it. Bollocks. 

Maybe it was time he invested in one of those smart telephone things; he’d long since broken the burner flip phone he got on one of his previous trips to this realm.

As evening approached, another issue arose: where he was supposed to sleep. He’d been with Tisbe the first night and the hospitality of the sheriff department the next. While he was no stranger to camping, he’d rather not if he didn’t have to. He was at least able to salvage enough of the old phone book to determine there was exactly one inn in town, conveniently attached to the diner he’d tried to eat at yesterday.

Perhaps the second time would be the charm? The fact that he was far more sober now would surely help. That said, he still tried to blend in when he entered and calmly took a seat at the counter.

“What’ll it be tonight, hon?” the elderly proprietress asked him quickly. He started to enquire about a room, but was promptly cut off. “Oh, it’s you. Out.”

He blinked. “Beg your pardon?”

“You heard me, sonny. Out. This is a private establishment and I can choose who I serve, and I ain’t servin’ you.”

“On what grounds?” He could feel the flames of indignation rising within.

“We don’t need you causing any more trouble around here,” she told him sternly. “Hook’s been through enough without you stirring the pot. So out with ya.”

He could burn this place to the ground in a minute, but that would only play into the accusations she was already leveling at him.

“Fine. I’m on my way,” he said, as calmly as he could, and hopped off the stool and slid out.

Perhaps the reception at the drinking hole would be less discerning. He ignored the glares he received on the way there and merely wondered how slow he’d have to nurse his drinks until he found a suitable partner to head home with. 

The bartender didn’t appear to judge him when he sloughed down at the counter, but everyone else seemed to keep their distance, even as the hours wore on and the crowd grew larger and seedier. 

This was frustrating; he wasn’t used to being ignored, especially not with a face like his. He could typically get any man or woman he wanted, yet every time he made eye contact with someone from across the bar, they quickly avoided his gaze. 

What the hell?

He finally took his drink and started to make his way to the small dance floor, hoping for some kind of connection. But the crowd seemed to part around him. Bloody fuck. 

Even Tisbe from the other night appeared to be dodging him. He sidled up to her while she was at the jukebox, greeting her with a tried and true, “Hello, beautiful; fancy seeing you here again.”

She looked over at him, rolled her eyes, and scoffed. “No thanks.”

“That’s not what you were saying the other night,” he murmured, trying to seductively get in her space, but she backed away.

“Yeah, because I thought you were actually Hook,” she tossed back. “And I wanted to piss off the sheriff after she screwed my family over.”

He drew back in disbelief. “Did the fact that I have two hands not escape your notice?” he asked, holding both of them upright in emphasis. 

She just shrugged and walked away. 

Fine then. He knew when he wasn’t wanted. He headed for the door, summoning a bottle of top-shelf whiskey to his hands as he exited, and headed back out into the night. 

Briefly, he considered breaking into a car and crashing in the back seat, but apparently the town was on high alert when it came to him. And if he was going to go through with his plan, he should probably stay out of sight long enough to get it done. (Not something he was used to, but he could give it a shot—this was important enough.)

He eventually found a bench near the docks that looked comfortable enough, and cast a protection spell around it that would keep him hidden from all passers-by. Then he dug out the herbs he’d pilfered from the Evil Queen’s hideout, rolled them together in a paper he’d had in his pocket, lit the end of the roll, and took a long drag; the effects hit him quickly and a hazy bliss settled over him. 

When the joint was spent, he drank the whiskey until he passed out. 

The last thing he was aware of was the twinkle of the stars and the gentle lap of the waves against the pier; at least he had picked a relaxing place to crash. 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

thanks for reading! tagging some peeps (let me know if you do/don’t want a tag!) @kat2609 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy​ @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @shireness-says @ohmightydevviepuu​ @wistfulcynic​ @pirateherokillian​ @colinoeyebrows​ @wingedlioness​ @word-bug​ @thisonesatellite​ @killianmesmalls​ @thejollyroger-writer​ @ineffablecolors​ @ive-always-been-a-pirate​ @nfbagelperson​ @stubblesandwich​ @phiralovesloki​ @athenascarlet​ @kmomof4​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @snowbellewells​ @idristardis​ @scientificapricot​ @searchingwardrobes​ @donteattheappleshook​ @jrob64​ @the-darkdragonfly​ @stahlop​ @klynn-stormz​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @bluewildcatfanatic​

[jewishbarbies]

There is something really rewarding about seeing how badly Speak Now TV is doing in contrast to the other rereleases. Considering it’s regarded as one of her best albums I was expecting it to be like Red TV or Midnights and fill up the top ten charts. Whether Swifties want to admit it or not Taylor’s recent bad press and incidents have affected her. Not a massive amount but enough that people are talking about how her music didn’t oversaturate the airwaves as expected.

definitely. and imo these rerecords are worse quality than the last 2 albums and that's saying something because they weren't good either. it feels like she rushed it. the production is crap and she sounds emotionless in emotional moments and it throws off the whole song. ironically she sounds 'normal' in the vault tracks, because she's not cosplaying herself and trying to copy her old voice, she's just singing.

[snoopysfriendwoodstock]

midnights truthers rise. her absolute worst album. so mediocre, nothing but a collection of vault tracks (derogatory). may she move on from jack antanoff forever, i'm begging on my knees. what made folklore/evermore so 100/100 (except from closure, iykyk) was aaron. he pushed her and it showed. jack keeps her stuck in 2014. who knows how quickly her next album will come out, i hope she does something so different, i'm tired of jack's influence and her mediocre pop lyrics. i still cannot believe she really wrote 'cat eye sharp enough to kill a man' at her age and in the year 2023. i remain shocked.

something else i've been thinking: the fast turnover. maybe that's the problem? such quick production, album after album after album...and it's reflected in the quality of the work? what do u think? maybe she needs to take a few years off and i'm so serious, i would wait even 3+ years for a GREAT album and not just another ok one.

i also don’t love jacks influence but i wonder if it’s less of his production that does damage and more of him being a yes man? totally speculative. it’s weird bc there are songs i LOVE his production on and songs i HATE. i LOVE norman fucking rockwell and melodrama. HATE midnights & lover for the most part. maybe it’s the fact that he and taylor sort of built her pop sound together but jack has come into other artists songs where they already have a clear identity? idk! i think abt this all the time. aaron absolutely pushes her to make better art and i wonder if it’s bc he’s very much of the scene of people she wants to impress/the people who are usually most critical of her work but he’s clearly so supportive? his work on the speak now tv tracks is IMMACULATE!

honestly idk about the turnover. i feel like she’s always written this prolifically and is now more in charge of her own work and doesn’t have to be stuck in an album cycle the way she used to be. i also think the turnover is from covid since she wasn’t releasing albums and anticipating a tour or anything. i like getting new music so frequently, but i can see the argument. i imagine after the eras tour we’ll return to the two year album cycle like what happened with rep/lover but maybe she feels happier releasing things as she writes them? i think part of the problem is that she wants it to be the 1989 era again imo. now that she’s blown that success out of the water, i wonder if she’ll stop chasing that success? but midnights sold soooo much so i fear we’re stuck w it. i think Taylor is at her best when she has something to prove. speak now is incredible and she wanted to prove she really wrote her songs, fearless is amazing and it was her making herself known as an artist, 1989 is a pretty perfect pop album and it was her trying to prove herself as a popstar, folklore is incredible and it was her trying out a new sound + doing no promo for an album… idk! i think she needs to try a new sound again, really want to achieve something besides chart status and sales

[petruchio]

i was on a plane but since i know everyone on here was obviously intensely and deeply curious about my thoughts on speak now tv i live blogged in my notes app and now i’ll simply paste my takes here:

Overall tv ranking to me is fearless = sn > red

Fearless improved on several tracks and gave us bye bye baby official (best vault track by a mile) but i still can’t listen to the new YBWM. Red tv massacred every pop track AND lost the raw emotion, so for me not a single song on red tv comes close to the originals. SN doesn’t make any of the songs actively worse (so overall it’s better than red), it’s just missing some of the rawness of the original and the vault tracks are all boring.

Best tracks (ones I would replay on purpose): speak now the song, the story of us (imo both of the songs that she seems to struggle with vocally on the og recordings so the melodies sound cleaner on the tvs)

There’s a really weird clip in the vocals in the original mine at 2:52 (I’ll/never leave you alone) that finally got fixed which scratches my brain. But the rhythm of the chorus sounds off in the re recording, like the emphasis is more on the off beat or something. She says like reMEMber instead of REmemeber. Not a big deal just noticeable to me. Mine is such a good song though like it’s crazy.

Speak now the song is legitimately superior to the original — it was always pitched a little high for her voice and she does the “hold” in the bridge like in the live recording and which I have always loved. (Aka she actually pronounced the H and the word sounds fuller) Always thought she sounded pitchy on the original recording anyway but the tour version is so good, so this is a good middle ground for me.

She sounds bored in some tracks. Like Dear John doesn’t have the same energy. (She’s probably embarrassed to sing “i loved you so” because in retrospect it’s like… yikes. But the og will always win for the intensity)

None of the vault tracks are knockouts and it’s pretty obvious why they were cut, bc like, they’re worse. Fearless tv still wins for best vault track (bye bye baby) and red for overall quality of the vault, this vault was such a let down tbh. Holding onto hope that the debut vault will give us good country taylor back, bc this vault just … didn’t do it for me. Sorry

I miss nathan chapmans backing vocals, no shade to the guy she has doing the tv backing vocals but he was very present on speak now and his absence is notable imo

Production seems more subdued. Like i miss the LOUD guitars on the original dear John. Vocals are more forward in the mix in almost all the songs which sounds cleaner but just not as messy/raw (backing vocals on mean are quieter in the end for example)

“Pathetic” does not hit the same on the new mean.

Idc about the better than revenge lyric change, and especially because it’s about a real person (vs misery business which is just like, a song) (I always say btr was her attempt at her own version of misery business, the problem is that it’s about a real person that was very easy to pin it to) but i wonder if it kind of Streisand effect-s the original song. But overall I think changing it is a net positive, esp bc the original line was so insanely out of pocket for the situation.

That said the vintage dresses line doesn’t sound as sassy. Also “cause you’re so much better” is one of the funniest lines she ever wrote and in tv she just doesn’t sound as mad, which makes sense, but the original will always be funnier because of the anger she uses in her bitchy interpolation of a Jonas brothers song — nothing will ever be so iconic.

Better than revenge -> innocent on the track list is completely insane 13 years on. Like there’s so much venom aimed at a relatively random girl and such a sweet song for … Kanye west. Like huh. Innocent remains a great song though if you can divorce it from the muse.

Why did we have to do haunted like that… turn the echo down HAHA Might be the first time I’ve ever heard the “terribly wrong” line instead of “totally wrong” which I heard wrong since the first time I listened to the song.

We also got the tour vocals on the last “i just know” in haunted call that a WIN.

Last kiss suffers like dear John, just missing the emotion of the original.

Final chorus of long live just doesn’t build the same, but overall the recording is good. But the drums just don’t sound as strong so it doesn’t feel as exciting.

I guess i should’ve expected the vault to be mediocre bc speak now always did have the worst bonus tracks (superman still ranks as one of my least favorite songs… it just never needed to be released in any official capacity)

Overall I feel more positively toward the album itself than I do to red tv, im just disappointed the vault isn’t better. Im not one of those people who is obsessed with let’s go battle (it’s kind of juvenile lyrically but the melody is good) but like why leave that one unreleased if these were the other options lol. Anyway I like foolish one but the rest of the vault is either clunky or boring i said what i said!!

Fearless tv you will always be famous! Speak now tv you win for the best photo shoot and for not having anything as offensively bad as WANEGBT TV.

[likeadevils]

which album do you think did the best job of tracklisting all on its own? imo it's reputation and maybe fearless. i think the "worst" (i don't really think any of the tracklists are badly done although some may disagree) would probably be lover though

i very much agree with all of this— reputation is the one that i just don’t want to touch, definitely not while obeying the track five rule. that might change when she releases the vault, but that mirroring aspect to the tracklist is just too perfect.

also folklore is just kinda quietly perfect? like it has such a hard tightrope to walk, being made of mostly slower songs and having no central narrative to tie it together. like it’s a rare tracklist built solely off one vibe flowing nicely into the next that i really like.

debut also did something insane just by sorting down the hundreds of songs she’d written into 11/14 songs, like that’s an insane feat, gotta shout it out just for that. like you can disagree on what made the album and what didn’t but god what a task to take on

[stilesssolo]

Thoughts on Speak Now TV? I am unwell and am seriously considering flying to Europe for a tour date she just opened.

Ps hi and I hope you’re doing well ☺️

Sorry for the delay in answering lol, I saw this last night but wanted to listen to the whole thing before forming opinions (I did only vault tracks and like 3-4 songs I was very nervous/ very excited for last night because I didn’t want to stay up till 2 am 😂) So tl; dr: this is where I’m at rn:

😂😂😂 all jokes aside, I really like it! Not a huuuuge fan of some of the orchestration changes but it could have been a lot worse 😂 My main issue is my same issue for all the rerecords— while her voice is more mature now, and I do love hearing the songs with her stronger vocals, it’s always just missing a lot of the raw emotion the originals have which makes sense because it’s been so long but still bugs me. But I also listen to the stolen versions over the Taylor’s versions so after this weekend I will probably rarely listen to the TVs anyways so I don’t let it stress me out too much 😂

My biggest problem is the way she is literally trying to BRAINWASH us into thinking Speak Now is not as it was originally punished. I thought the removal of If This Was A Movie was dumb but the Better Than Revenge lyric change REALLY has me heated. Like, girlie. This is not Picture to Burn where you changed it after the first wave of CDs and 99% of your casual audience doesn’t even KNOW there’s a homophobic version. We’ve been singing Better Than Revenge for 13 years. Changing the lyric completely defeats the purpose of faithfully recapturing the originals with the rerecordings imo? Like just say it’s a silly song and you don’t feel this way anymore and regret the lyric if you want but don’t flat out change it and just pretend it never existed? Personally I don’t even think the og lyric is that bad compared to how scathing the rest of the song is!! The damage was already done!! 😂 But again, Idc I’m just gonna listen to the stolen version anyways so I suppose I should not care that much but it’s just very annoying how she’s trying to alter history!! I was there when you sang it on tour Taylor I WONT FORGET

My favorite thing about the rerecords is always the vault songs and I really like these!! I think they’re miles better than the Fearless ones but probably not quite as good as the Red ones? I need a few more listens to truly form my opinions but I Can See You and Foolish One are standouts to me. And as Amy said earlier Castles Crumbling is VERY Dany coded so I’m a big fan of that one too 🙌

All in all I am lovingggg getting to relisten to this album again as it’s one of my favorites and even with my lil nitpicky things I love this project, I love how much joy it clearly brings Taylor, and I do love getting to hear her current takes on these songs. I feel the European date desire— I really wanted to try for UK tickets but my roommate shut me down lol. However, if she adds a Canadian leg… you best bet I’m hopping that border to see it again 😂 Taylor remains queen and I’m always excited to get to hear new stuff from her!!!

[rjtaylorsversion]

1989 TV Impressions in Album Order (after a few listens)

welcome to New York - first listen sonically it sounded wildly different to me, and the intro still does, but I like it! It feels so crisp and clean, but still so fun. Perfect intro to 1989 as always.

blank space - similar consensus it sounded so different on first listen, and I’ll be honest I don’t love the new click sound, but the little giggle when she says nightmare is adorable. It’s a classic!

style - somehow this is the one that sonically feels the MOST different to me. The base line is heavier throughout than in the original, and the iconic electric guitar intro takes a bit more of a backseat. In the chorus her voice is more elevated above the music and sounds so crisp, I love that! Overall everything production wise sounds better IMO. To me it sounds just like it does when she sings it in the Eras Tour!

out of the woods - hearing the iconic intro “oh oh ohs” SO CRISP was mind blowing, it’s even better than the original, I will take no shit over this. OOTW TV is better than the OG. The bridge still goes just as hard, and the background vocals are heavenly.

all you had to do was stay - those super high “stay”s still slay for sure. This one sounds to me very much like its OG counterpart, the harmonies do seem better blended throughout though than in the OG and I love that you can hear all the layers of her voice!

shake it off - perfect as always! Even though this song was so overplayed once upon a time, Taylor’s Version is making me love it again!

I wish you would - another intro like style where the guitar intro seems to have been toned down slightly, which doesn’t sound bad, I just wish it was more forward! Other than that, very similar to OG, but still sonically clearer and better! The little synth in the pre-chorus towards the end is amazing.

bad blood - YESSSS. Still sounds so angsty, the “heys” are SO GOOD. I’ve still always loved the version with Kendrick the best, and I’m so glad they didn’t make us wait too long for that!

wildest dreams - this one has already been out for a while, and it’s always sounded good and very much like the OG!

how you get the girl - I’ve always freaking loved this one, and it doesn’t not disappoint. I love the poppy baseline just as much as I did when it first came out, the chorus still slaps 100%. And I love the little electronic synthy swoop additions we get on the second round of the end of the chorus, and her squeaky “yeah-ah-ah”

this love - this one has also been out for a while, but her vocals are stunning and I love when the drums kick in on the second verse!

I know places - oh my god the distortion on the intro “I—I—I”s is EVERYTHING. It sounds so freaking good. And the “WE RUUUUN” in the second chorus gives me literal chills. 10000/10 Taylor’s Version really gave us this one 100%. SHE ATE THIS ONE UP.

clean - the vocals are clear and sparkling, and the song is emotionally devastating us as it always did before. The layering of the harmonies and different voices is absolutely heavenly especially in the pre-chorus and chorus

wonderland - I have no words for how good this is. The same as I’ve said before on the other songs, the production is so clear and crisp and her voice sounds so mature and insanely good.

you are in love - one of my favorites from the OG deluxe version, I remember listening to this at night in my car as an 18 year old dreaming of a love like that, and being completely swept up in the lyricism and gentle melody of the song. TV brings back all those feelings and then some, especially now being married to the love of my life. This song is so freaking special to me. 🤍 the “ahhhhh ahh ahhhhh”s at the end of this song are angelic, especially with headphones!

new romantics - a certified BANGER as it has always been. Literally no notes, her voice is CRISP and the song is amazing.

vault tracks

slut! - I absolutely love the lyrics of this song, although I definitely expected a different vibe like everyone else I think. I love the color visualizations laid throughout and the laid back sound of the song in general. I like this song a lot, but it’s not my favorite of the vault songs’

say don’t go - the lyrical twin to all you had to was stay in my opinion, the flipped perspective. Love the use of the heavy baseline in the verses and pre-chorus while the chorus itself is more elevated. We also get the vocal echoes on “say….don’t….go” during the chorus and echoes on the bridge which sonically is very cohesive with 1989 as a whole!

now that we don’t talk - the hook is SO GOOD. I love the chorus, and I just in general love the feel of finally starting to feel yourself again after getting out of a relationship and realizing all the things that weren’t good about it. All in all, great addition to the album!

suburban legends - this song fits the sound of 1989 extremely well, but also somehow feels like it could be from Midnights? But I love the vocals especially on the chorus! I love the sparkly synth in this song too!

is it over now? - this is it, this is THE vault track. So far it looks like this is the fan favorite and I certainly don’t divert from that opinion. The LYRICS ARE GIVING and I am overall just obsessed with this. It sounds amazing and fits in the album perfectly, I can’t believe we didn’t get this on the OG album. “Let’s fast forward to 300 take out coffees later” has me in a chokehold as well as the “oH lord.” 18 years old of me would have had this on repeat in 2014, and 27 year old me is no different!

bonus

bad blood ft Kendrick Lamar - YES YES YES. it’s everything I wanted, I always loved this remix and it still gives everything. on repeat, nonstop.

If you made it through all of that, thanks for reading and share your thoughts/emotions/anything about 1989 TV below!

[tolerateit]

run is wayy too underrated and one of the best red vault tracks imo

idk if it's the best vault track (miab my beloved) but it is a 100% underrated, true!

[the-tortured-poets-dpt]

my honest 1989 tv first impressions

welcome to new york – first listen was strange, sounded kinda “wrong” but the second time was better. still think the og slaps more bc she sounds more excited, also the intro is so different??

blank space – not really sure about it too, the way she sings “weekend” sounds a bit off, i hope it grows on me

style – i was very nervous about this song and now i’m too sad about it to comment

out of the woods – first listen was okay, second listen convinced me, still hits the way it should!! sounds so crisp

all you had to do was stay – i love EVERYTHING except the way she tone in which she sings that certain “all you had to do was stay” after the “well it could’ve been easy”, she sings it the way the last “ayhtdws” in the chorus is sung and it kind of takes some tension away?? i hope it’s understandable (i don’t think so lol it’s hard to explain)

shake it off – SLAPS 10/10 i love it, you hear differences (ofc) but it’s still as energetic as the original and it actually makes me want to listen to the song again after being tired of it for quite a few years

i wish you would – nothing to criticize here, still slaps, very similar to the og but much clearer aka rest in peace “stand back wasted” lmao

bad blood – the “if you’re coming my way, just don’t” sounds SO much more fed up lol i love it, very well done

wildest dreams – (already known)

how you get the girl – another GREAT rerecord, actually one of the best on this one i think!!

this love – (same here)

i know places – i was SO afraid of this but omg it still has the same power and still gives me goosebumps i’m hooked

clean – also well done, nothing to criticize, will def grow on me

wonderland – ANOTHER FAV it’s so good

you are in love – the echoes in the chorus are a bit too low key imo but overall still good, guess i have to listen to it a few more times though

new romantics – also not sure, didn’t quite hit the way i hoped it would at the first listen but i’ll give it time

i’m excited to read what others have to say about this awesome new rerecord and i hope i don’t sound too harsh, i know how difficult it must be to try to recreate the instrumentals and vocals from 10 years ago and overall it’s VERY similar which is absolutely respectable and amazing. also i’ll definitely get used to those differences i pointed out (except for style probably which is the only track that hurt me)

and now finally ON TO THE VAULT TRACKS

[thepalmofyourfreezinghand]

1989 TV!!!!!! 🩵

Yeeeeeessssss!!!! I’m so excited!!! I was 99% sure she was gonna announce it, and I really wanted to wake up to see the announcement, and it sucks that I couldn’t.

But I love everything about it! I love that she re-did the Polaroids and I adore the cover (it’s probably her best one? I’m not sure it can dethrone evermore’s but it might!). I’m also a bit “scared” that she so explicitly hyped up the vault tracks, but of course I 100% trust her and I’m sure they’ll be amazing.

Honestly 1989 might be the re-recording I’m most excited about because I’ve always had a very hot and cold relationship with the original album, and after 2019/2020 I’ve found it difficult to appreciate it because of what she told us about what was going on during that era (and even back in 2014/2015 it was clear she was struggling).

But still, when I think about a “perfect” album, that’s the album I think about. It’s not my favorite of hers but there’s a feeling of “completeness” about it that not even folklore was able to achieve, imo. So I’m very excited!

What about you?

[florencewellch]

Share them bestie

Okay!

Journey to Fearless >> 1989 Tour movie

Vigilante Shit is... bad...

The re-recordings overall are an improvement, but there are a few exceptions (WANEGBT, IKYWT, Holy Ground and Girl at Home)

Reputation didn't deserve album of the year. It's not as bad as some of the critics who disliked it claim it is, but it's also not as amazing as the fandom thinks it is imo. It has some great songs (Getaway Car, Dress, Call It What You Want, Gorgeous, King of My Heart, Delicate), but also a lot of meh songs (So It Goes, Don't Blame Me, LWYMMD) and some of her worst songs (This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things and Endgame). It's a 7/10 album for me.

LWYMMD gets too much hate (I know, I just listed it as a meh song, but I don't think it's a bad song, it's just one that I don't really revist that often. And plus it gave us the best music video from the Reputation era)

Karma the lost album theory is not real.

Shake It Off should have been the single from the 1989 era that got a tour video, not New Romantics, because that song has a lot of imagery while Shake It Off doesn't. But it served its purpose as a lead single, which was to create a lot of hype around 1989, but still.

Some people need to stop acting like Folklore and Evermore are the only times Taylor has had great songwriting on her albums. Red, Speak Now, Love Story, The Best Day, Fifteen, White Horse, Clean, Dancing with Our Hands Tied, Clean, Soon You'll Get Better, Cornelia Street, YOYOK and WCS are right there.

None of her pop albums are underrated. Some get more criticism than others (Lover), but like her pop albums are still very popular and have a lot of people who love them and discuss their songs.

Her country ones (especially Debut and Fearless) are very underrated and are slept on.

Lover is my least favorite album. It has some of her best pop songs (Cruel Summer, Cornelia Street, I Think He Knows), but it also has some of her worst songs (Me!, YNTCD, I Forgot That You Existed) and the tracklist is messy and it's the one TS album that I'd say that the tracklist needs some adjusting for sure.

I really don't get why some people say she couldn't possibly have written the 10 minute version of All Too Well back in 2011, just because of the "fuck the patriarchy " line. She was just quoting what was written on the keychain, not just randomly saying it for the sake of saying it.

If This Was a Movie deserves more attention

The Fearless vault tracks are overall good (except Don't You and Bye Bye Baby)

As much as I'd like to believe Speak Now TV will be out in March, I doubt it now, because we're only 1 month away and no announcement yet.

I'd be perfectly fine with Shake It Off, Bad Blood, Me!, YNTCD getting cut from the tour setlist for other songs (aka Holy Ground, Enchanted, State of Grace, Wonderland, You're in Love)

Everything Has Changed and Run are good. Yes, Ed's music has declined quality wise from his earlier work, but these collabs are still good.

Mary's Song and Today Was a Fairytale are cute and I don't get why people hate on them.

Starlight deserves more attention too. Yeah, it's a bit weird that it made onto Red, but it's still a good song

I like August, but I don't think it's the best song of the love triangle songs on Folklore.

[hoochy-coo]

OK honest album review after full day of lying to myself and Swiftie moots on Twitter

First of all, it's mature but repetitive. Like the sound on a lot of them are too similar for my taste. Again, maybe it's a personal opinion thing but I'm not a big fan of the excessive synth pop(strangely enough though, Style is one of my favorite songs from her)

Secondly, it's underwhelming that's all. Anyone else released it, it would be a solid A- like you said, but from Taylor "never has a bad album" swift, this one seems like one hat would be overhyped among the GP and critics because of the matured tone(which is I think exactly what she wanted so good for her) but overall it's just forgettable compared to the rest and again, doesn't have the Swift X factor.

You might say she set the standards too high for herself on Folklore and Evermore with the lyrics and on 1989 and Red with the production and this one just feels half baked with neither of her best qualities shining through on it.

It's also filled with hits and misses, has it's valleys and peaks you might say. Unpopular opinion but she hit the mark with the single choice this time because Anti hero is the perfect blend of the most catchy and well written song in the album and the sexy baby reference is actually going to be well received by the GP, methinks.

But some of them are, Im sorry to say this, but actual snooze-fests and what's ironic about that is the fact that the Folkmore albums were actually the indie ones but their songs were FAR more exciting than some ones on here, maybe because her penmanship was so spectacular on those.

Also wasted opportunities...like I get it, Taylor is THE consistent pop girly of the decade and we can't forget that and give her shit for not keeping the Folkmore indie vibes on this album...but but BUT, here's the thing, these songs are not even catchy enough to make up for the medicore-for-her-level lyrics like we had till Lover...Even ME! is more redeemable than some songs on here but this is an unexpected album from her so people will give her props for the experimentation and not acknowledge the rest.

Like Question, Maroon and Mastermind are great lyrically and I think they'd be far more popular if the melody was better. Anti hero is the only memorable one followed by You're on your own, kid.

The things is, even TS's #1 hater can't deny that she has potential for a perfect skipless album, I think where she fumbled here was trying to seem edgy and have a sharper sound to the things where it DOESN'T fit and sounds awkward and unsatisfying, but like she said herself on one song, she's just to soft for all of it...it doesn't suit Taylor Swift simply.

She should stop trying extra hard to appeal to gp or radio and stick with her storytelling format of songwriting, it's her at her best. Ofc if she's trying new stuff that's good for her but she should be careful not to lose her charm by overcompensating to certain bits of her audience which I'm afraid she might.

Good aspects are definitely the lyrics on particular songs and should've could've would've (or in whatever order it was, I forgot sorry) and basically the reminiscing songs are my personal favorites. Karma is too immature but it's fun, and some others are a bit too incoherent which doesn't let her main ability, which is immaculate songwriting shine through imo. Even 1989, her most mainstream pop album was thematically better and something just made it work, maybe the drastically different topics on the songs but held together perfectly in a way that it makes sense.

Overall, the rerecordings are on the way and I'm sure she'll provide great content soon.

This is a fair review and I agree with most of your points, except ME! Cause I hate that song with a passion

I’m really curious about the vault tracks for Rep

[taylorswiftstylequestions]

<big rant incoming— I didn’t intend to go on so much. This song definitely isn’t worth it lol> I also really hated Stay With Me lol. I realize it’s not meant to be a lyrical masterpiece but the lyrics are so aggressively nothing, to the point that they don’t feel like a human wrote them— it seems like something an AI came up with when asked to generate party music. Sonically it just feels like a more washed out version of other CH songs, and the collabs are so unnecessary. I love Halsey, but I don’t get what she’s doing on this song. She’s not singing, she’s just talking in a weird voice and it feels so out of place and disconnected from the rest of it. I can barely tell the difference between Pharrell and JT’s voices, and I don’t understand why they both needed to be there. Just one or the other would have been fine. Sorry if this seems unnecessarily vitriolic, but this song hits on one of my deepest pop music pet peeves, something I call collab bait— when they just cram as many big names on to a song for no other reason than to bait fans into listening to it. There’s no passion or camaraderie between the collaborators or sense of cohesion or suitability with their talents and the song and each other, it’s just to make the song seem more important than it is and it feels so unauthentic and soulless. Collab bait songs thankfully haven’t been as much of a thing lately— I remember they were everywhere in 2018 and it drove me insane— but they still annoy me so much.

"it seems like something an AI came up with when asked to generate party music" I LOL'D!

That said, I want to thank you for actually coming up with a term for MY biggest pop pet peeve - "collab bait" is perfect. I absolutely felt this way in 2018(!!) when it felt like every person that Taylor breathed around was suddenly collab-worthy (and I guess we could argue has escalated due to the feature-concept of the Vault tracks?) ((though I think for the most part the Vault track collaborators have been chosen very thoughtfully imo)).

I have absolutely nothing against collabs - but I want a collab fuelled by shared interests or respect or complementary talents. A collaboration that brings something to the table that is greater than the sum of its parts. Not purely for the sake of mashing together the biggest names of the game at the moment to capitalize on something. One of my favourite unsuspecting collabs was actually Lady Gaga and Florence on "Hey Girl" - a song that could only be sung by two women and was such a great coming together of two very different voices to sing on such a relevant topic.

It's like when people desperately wanted a Taylor x Katy Perry collab. All sincerity and best wishes to Katy but like ..... really? You want that? Are you sure?