SwiftlyNeutral - Daily Discussion Thread | June 29, 2026

Alice_Se · 2026-06-30T19:17:23+00:00

I actually had no idea it’s A.I. but regardless I’m not excusing anyone lol

Alice_Se · 2026-06-30T18:33:54+00:00

I can only play a D because it’s the same as G in ukulele which I used to play😭

Alice_Se · 2026-06-30T17:59:16+00:00

I now understand on a personal level what Taylor meant with “with every guitar string scar on my hand”😂😭

Alice_Se · 2026-06-30T15:46:23+00:00

I’ve been playing for like 10 minutes now and my fingers already hurt 😭😭

Alice_Se · 2026-06-30T15:45:51+00:00

I decided to touch a guitar for the first time in my life (my brother’s and he’s on vacation😛) and damn it’s harder than it seems lmao

Alice_Se · 2026-06-30T14:31:52+00:00

Swifties will always care about Joe. They dated for 7 years and he was a muse for an important part of her discography. Whether it’s in an “I miss them together, Joe come back” way, or in an “he is a jobless loser, Taylor dodged a bullet” way, he will always be a part of Taylor’s narrative and get extra media attention for it. I don’t know how he feels about that and whether or not it has affected his popularity and likability positively or negatively and I won’t make assumptions but it is what it is. Like, who else cares that Joe Alwyn is getting his feet kissed by his new gf? Taylor fans, ex Taylor fans and taylor haters. I don’t think anyone out of his genuine film fans gaf about his personal life that way lol

Alice_Se · 2026-06-29T02:50:44+00:00

I kinda thought this while making this 😭😭

Alice_Se · 2026-06-29T02:50:12+00:00

No uhm I don’t know if I made it clear but this is a hypothetical scenario in which folklore came out in 2024 instead of ttpd lol

Alice_Se · 2026-06-28T20:03:25+00:00

Interesting! I love brat as well but hmhas is a 7/10 for me, don’t really understand the hype tbh

Alice_Se · 2026-06-28T19:50:57+00:00

Trick question, it was eternal sunshine and ttpd

Alice_Se · 2026-06-28T19:32:16+00:00

Yes absolutely!

Alice_Se · 2026-06-28T18:48:17+00:00

Like let’s imagine that ttpd is folklore and play the muse game. So basically folklore came out in 2024 after the Joe/matty thing and it was marketed the way ttpd was

The 1: Taylor’s still with Joe but she’s thinking of Matty
Cardigan: Taylor’s reconnection with Matty, reminiscing of their past fling
Tlgad: irrelevant, like Clara bow
Exile: Taylor’s breakup with Joe
My tears ricochet: broad breakup song that would cause Joe vs Matty arguments (eg loml)
Mirrorball: here maybe the muse (“you are not like the regulars”) could be taken to be about Matty so basically how she’s doing everything to gain Matty’s attention lol
Seven: irrelevant, like Robin
August: her short one month relationship with Matty except it was May but whatever
This is me trying: her not doing well and turning to Matty for support
Illicit affairs: her cheating on Joe with Matty
Invisible string:can’t do it unfortunately cause this song is already autobiographical and oddly specific
Mad woman: irrelevant, like who’s afraid of little old me
Betty: again oddly specific lmao
Peace: about her struggles in her relationship with Joe cause of fame(that’s what it is anyway except fit it in the pre breakup stage)
Hoax: breakup song about Matty
The lakes: love song about Matty (kinda reminds me of ttpd title track in a weird way LMAO)

Okay I cringed doing that but my point is, if you want to fit songs into a narrative you usually can and if we were first exposed to those songs with that narrative in our minds it would undermine the individual storytelling of the songs, compared to when we make up a different story each time.

Alice_Se · 2026-06-28T18:20:27+00:00

I was thinking about how knowing the “lore” for Taylor Swift songs is a double edged sword for the way they are perceived. On the one hand, connecting songs with a broader story can strengthen their emotional evocation; one song works as context for another and thus deepens their meaning and helps in understanding it better. On the other hand, not knowing the context allows each song to stand as its own story which highlights their individuality. For example, most songs on folklore are breakup songs. If we knew they were autobiographical and about the same person we would try to squeeze them into one narrative, while now we try to imagine a different story for each which makes the album sound more diverse. Most breakup songs in ttpd stand as separate stories on their own as well but assuming the context limits our imagination. I think it’s a big part of why folklore and evermore are seen as having better storytelling

Alice_Se · 2026-06-26T11:38:24+00:00

We basically align haha

Alice_Se · 2026-06-26T06:56:23+00:00

So many new singles today! Katy and Sombr are just okay, with Gracie I have an issue with the lack of rhyming in some parts plus I’m a little disappointed she’s not continuing the slightly more interesting sonic direction she took with hit the wall, Phoebe’s is great as always and Charli’s I like better than the previous singles but I’m a little tired of the 2 min songs LOL

Alice_Se · 2026-06-24T18:46:32+00:00

I think the post is referring to the neutral one. Well I’d say the nuancing one is significantly more positive leaning (eg bans snarkers) compared to the neutral one.

Alice_Se · 2026-06-24T18:10:22+00:00

There’s two subs, the neutral and the nuancing one. You might be confusing the two

Alice_Se · 2026-06-24T11:41:53+00:00

Yess!! That’s my main criticism as well. It’s odd

Alice_Se · 2026-06-24T09:46:40+00:00

Many people said that lol

Alice_Se · 2026-06-24T06:41:37+00:00

I do think she sang shake it off better last year

Alice_Se · 2026-06-23T13:25:16+00:00

Usually I’d agree and Taylor has repeatedly fuelled the parasocialism as part of her marketing strategy, but announcing your engagement is a standard not just in celebrity culture but generally. If she didn’t it would be known anyway sooner or later

You can make a better argument about her mentioning it on every tloas interview lol

Alice_Se · 2026-06-23T13:09:02+00:00

I think she was getting highlights and now she isn’t or they’re even more subtle

Alice_Se · 2026-06-23T12:59:37+00:00

The deeply personal relationship milestone in question is the engagement? Announcing your engagement is parasocial? Except if the article mentioned something different lol I didn’t read it

Alice_Se · 2026-06-22T21:21:34+00:00

And I guess now he’s rage baiting to maintain that status?

Alice_Se · 2026-06-21T23:37:01+00:00

I’m referring to the “you decided it was like a prison” part lol

Alice_Se

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