Even For A Phoenix @outofthewoodsagain - Tumblr Blog

roamertv

comparativetarot

The Emperor. Art by Maddalena Carrai, from The Eras Tarot.

"tolerate it"

#OH #okay this deck misses for me a lot but this one HITS #right in the solarplexus lol

soniruza

Appreciation post with every single Taylor Room I've done so far! 💛💜❤️🩵🩷🩶🤎💙🤍

The Taylor Swift Room and the Reputation Room won't be done until we have their Taylor's Version re-release (it would only be fair!).

#cute!!!!

withmatchingscars

I found myself listening to ruin the friendship wondering how fast the guy is driving when she says "you drive 85", which I assume is in mph and my brain therefore doesn't comprehend

that guy is speeding holy shit that's way too fast. dangerously fast in fact.

so then I looked up tennessee law to see what is the maximum speed allowed on highways there and it's 70 mph (112.5 km/h), so he's way over. so I am sharing with my fellow non-americans so we can appreciate that the fact that he's way over the speed limit is probably part of the narrative that's being set up from the very first verse.

#idk man the amount of danger (and the likelihood of the speed limit being enforced) depends on where you are #like for example large swaths of Montana literally have no speed limits #bc there's nothing there for miles and no one else on the road and you can see clear over to the next fucking state #so driving 90 isn't a problem #in a residential area it would be unsafe but also impossible to even reach that speed so it's kinda moot #i assumed she was just saying it was a backwater town tbh #no one else around and not much going on besides time to hang out as teenagers and fall in love #or that 85 was the name of the highway (which also gives rural)#so i thought it was setting the scene that way #the speed demon angle is interesting tho!#also going 10 miles over the speed limit on the highway is standard #so like 85 in a 70 zone is really only 5 mph over the limit rather than 15 #cuz the first ten over the posted speed limit are an unspoken expectation (at least where i grew up?)#America is 50 countries in a trench coat tho so who tf knows #anyway as i type this i feel like ppl are gonna be like. America ru okay.#and the answer is no we're not and also why do we live like this lmao

stolenxkissess

You've got no reason to be afraid

stuckinthistaydream

speaking my truth: eldest daughter doesn’t work for me NOT because of the internet lingo, but because i don’t think she connects the themes well. she’s aiming to connect the idea that society values apathy and a lack of vulnerability with her own experience of holding back in love for the fear of being hurt and being let down by saying she won’t let her partner down.

however, i personally think that it just needs a bit more explanation in terms of how she got from the mindset of “i’m holding myself back” to “i won’t let you down.” her pop songwriting works best when she’s actually able to convey the explanation with less words (“all my white diamonds and lovers are forever // in the papers on the screens and in their minds”) but eldest daughter is one of those cases where she simply should’ve used more words, because the story she’s telling requires it.

#agree and if i may humbly add:#for me the main reason it feels disjointed #is that the phrase "eldest daughter” is fundamentally the wrong framing for what she's trying to say #correct me if i'm wrong but in my experience (and other media ive consumed / in broader cultural conversation)#“eldest daughter” is used to talk specifically about parentification and the invisible emotional labor demanded by dysfunctional families #(and also sometimes generational trauma - especially the kind that passes from mothers to daughters)#ive always heard it used to specifically talk about dynamics and roles *within* a dysfunctional family #NOT broader external / societal pressures #and not (necessarily) perfectionism or vulnerability or sincerity (or lack thereof)#ofc it would make sense that a parentified child might struggle with those things as an adult (it's me hi)#and perfectionism might be a way for some eldest daughters to cope #but it's not like. a core part of the phenomenon in the way that being handed adult responsibilities as a child is #you know? but im not a sociologist so i'd be genuinely curious about your thoughts on this if you want to share!#for a recent counter-example see Hayley Williams' “Kill Me” which contains the lyrics #“Eldest daughter comes to stop the cycle / A job you never asked for is paying in dust”#and #“Carrying my mother's mother's torment / I think I'm where the bloodline ends”#(deeply relatable tbh)#but yeah that example is WAY more the tone & connotations i expect from such a weighty term #and that's not at all what Taylor is going for. so i think her song would have benefitted from a different framing #so that the (wholly distinct) story she's trying to tell could more freely shine in its own right #bc i really do appreciate the story Taylor's trying to tell in this song! it's sweet and nostalgic and feels very real #and that bridge is GORGEOUS #i just think it needs a new title / central metaphor #tbh it seems like a missed opportunity to invoke the Showgirl of it all #bc she really is talking about external / societal pressures and expectations here #and about how internalizing them from a young age has shaped and hindered her ability to love freely and openly #and her battle with being vulnerable and true to herself vs the need to appear a certain way #and babey that's show business!!! let's talk about that!#it really is the HEART of a showgirl. so i think she missed an opportunity to frame it like that

wildfloweronwheels-deactivated2

It’s not until I get to the end of the album that it hits me. This is the first time ever I haven’t heard Taylor Swift wonder if she’s enough. Not on a single song. She’s not dreaming of running away, hatching escape plans or making herself small. Twisting herself into knots, worried about being seen not as something shiny and new but as a woman, when the lights go down. She isn’t worried about news cycles or legacy or ageing out. She knows who she is – the motherfucking showgirl. And there’ll never be another like her. Besides, she’s not going anywhere.

An extract from my review of The Life of A Showgirl that I'm really fucking proud of and hope you all read and share with every Taylor fan in your life x

shinybugpoem

the fate of ophelia is literally "i love you it's saving my life"

ooh i love the off-the-shoulder sequin dress she wore on Fallon! love the drape and sparkles

#also this interview is cute #“Travis is my favorite person no offense to you all”#she is so funny #Taylor Swift

kingofmyborrowedheart

It’s so fascinating to me that swaths of people intentionally view Taylor’s work in bad faith and ask themselves “okay what is the worst thing that she could possibly mean by this” and use that to trash her. It’s not a valid nor constructive criticism if you’re deliberately seeking out the worst case scenario and then not offering up a way it could’ve been better. I’ve never seen another artist talked about in that manner.

#i think some people forget that she's a person too #ppl put her on a pedestal and expect her to be a saint instead of a person #and then judge her against the weight of their own expectations #and that is...kinda rough

midnightssea

love how almost every longtime swiftie heard father figure and immediately thought “scott borschetta when I catch your traitor ass” meanwhile some people heard it and thought she was unironically talking about wanting to destroy younger pop stars (???)

midnightssea

This is what I mean when I say (half joking) that I’m a taylor swift subject matter expert. There are some things you won’t be able to understand or articulate about her work if you haven’t studied all the material…and that’s not an insult it’s just a fact

#yeah the last verse is clearly her stepping into her own power and flipping the roles/dynamics from the rest of the song #i didn't immediately realize it was about Scott #but i was at least able to get that part from first listen -#it's obviously about flipping the roles and taking her power back #so how would that be about a younger pop star???????#it's almost like she's good at creating cohesive narratives and has been for years #anyway love father figure it's my fave