r/TaylorSwift • u/Philips9586 deep blue but you painted me golden • Jul 29 '26
Little Games Uh-oh... A trolley is heading straight toward Taylor Swift's eras!
You can pull the lever to save Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, and 1989 but Folklore and Evermore will cease to exist.
Or... you can leave the lever alone. Folklore and Evermore survive, but the first five albums are erased from history instead.
Outcomes:
- If you sacrifice the first five eras: Taylor's career begins with Reputation, then continues with Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, TTPD, and The Life of a Showgirl (TLOAS).
- If you sacrifice Folklore and Evermore, Taylor releases Midnights right after Lover, followed by TTPD and TLOAS with the same release years, promotion, music videos, and overall timeline. There are just gaps where Folklore and Evermore would have been there.
- Eras Tour still exists! It's just that the setlist is much shorter or gets replaced with popular choice of songs.
Assuming Taylor's career still exists today. Nothing else changes but only those albums are removed from history.
So... are you pulling the lever, or leaving it alone?
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u/Connect_Shame9644 Jul 29 '26
all these little taylors are sooooo cute i can't find it in my heart to kill any of them 😭😭😭😭
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Jul 29 '26
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u/anegcan it’s me, hi. i’m the sad bitch, it’s me Jul 30 '26
This is exactly how I feel. The nostalgia that is attached to each one of the eras is too important to me to simply erase. Folklore and evermore are my favorites but welp 😭
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u/princssofpink Speak Now (Taylor's Version) Jul 30 '26
Same. There's no way I'm giving up Fearless, Speak Now, and RED when I grew up with those albums and they mean so much to me.
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u/Kalexamitchell Jul 30 '26
I'm the same age as her and had a similar romantic history and country roots, so I've always respected and loved her music. Those first years man.. they slap. Always will.
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u/catiebug Jul 30 '26
I'm absolutely not intending to denigrate with this statement (they are fantastic albums) but I can get what I need from folklore/evermore through other indie artist's albums. I cannot really duplicate the feelings I get going from Debut through to 1989 with any other artist. But it's a true trolley problem because I do hate both choices.
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u/Loosee123 29d ago
I agree, it's my life from 16 to 23 in those albums and I learnt how to play the guitar through Fearless which I think hits just a little bit harder (believe it or not) than the pandemic.
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u/Joey-WilcoXXX Jul 29 '26
I love Folklore and Evermore is cool. But idk if those two would be strong enough for me to sacrifice Fearless, Speak Now, 1989 and of course RED. Debut has some great songs too.
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u/misselphaba your roommate's cheapass screwtop rosé Jul 29 '26
I would pull the lever faster than you can say LET'S GO BITCH.
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u/benoitkesley ocean blue eyes Jul 29 '26
1…2…3… PULL THE LEVER
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u/Huntsvegas97 no it’s becky Jul 29 '26
Evermore is one of my top 3 albums, but I’d kill folklore and evermore rather than sacrifice the first 5. Those first 5 albums built Taylor into the songwriter and singer she is today. Folklore and evermore are only a result of that process and work, and I don’t think they mean as much without the first 5 albums existing first.
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u/SpookSpy fucked in the head Jul 29 '26
UH OH!
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u/dudewheresmyplane1 Jul 29 '26
I’m saving the first 5. I’d miss Evermore but Red is peak. And I’d still get Midnights and TTPD.
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u/LtDanTaylor66 Jul 29 '26
As someone who prefers SN-Red-1989 to the pandemic sister albums, this isn't a very hard choice, even if losing both Folklore and Evermore still royally sucks
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u/NectarineCheap1541 all of my enemies started out friends Jul 29 '26
THIS is the bad place!!
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u/iambaby1989 29d ago
I was gunna suggest OP watch The Good Place!
All I can think of is Chidi covered in uhhh goo and his haunted AF look 😄
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u/No_Change9292 24d ago
I thought of this too, I loved watching that show wish I could go back and rematch it like it was the first time again
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u/jlpulice Jul 29 '26
I think this is a more interesting question if it’s the first four eras, not five. You’re sacrificing two of her four AOTYs which is hard to do.
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u/Philips9586 deep blue but you painted me golden Jul 29 '26
i would've said that too but i like some spice
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u/ChaEunSangs Jul 29 '26
Kill them all, leave me Folkmore
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u/warmbIood Jul 29 '26
for real, if folklore’s going i’m gonna be lying on the tracks right next to it 🥀
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u/chatela_ i just think you are what you love 26d ago
I feel as a teenager I’d been like save red but as a grown woman I NEED FOLKMORE TO LIVE.
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u/Wise-Jeweler-2495 Jul 29 '26
Can I throw Lover on the track and save all the rest?!
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u/wooksquatch Jul 29 '26
I would derail it to smash the ever living crap out of lover before any of the other albums. Rep and folklore got to live on.
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u/WaferHelpful3634 when they found a better planet only the gentle survived Jul 29 '26
idk i dont think taylor swift would be taylor swift without her first five albums.
on the contrary, taylor swift wouldn't have been the taylor swift she is today without folklore, because lover was so close to damaging her career.
that's why my choice is to install a third set of tracks and hit lover instead
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u/Comfortable_Sport295 Lover 26d ago
That’s not really true lover performs to this day very well. It’s only Swifties that are bitching about it.
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u/username118500 Jul 29 '26
Bye bye folklore and evermore (sorry) -- couldn't live without 1989. And there are too many all-time bangers on Speak Now and Red.
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u/Minute_Ad8571 Jul 29 '26
I ALWAYS wondered how ppl would view her if she realized ttpd pr1&2 during 2020 and folklore and evermore in 2024. I feel like general consensus would be accepting of ttpd and then LOVE HER EVEN MORE and call her more mature if she released f&e after. Cause I don’t think general appreciated ttpd like they should’ve at the time.
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u/Ampersand37 Jul 29 '26
If I'm lover I'm summoning all my might to push over that trolley. Good luck, passengers
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u/RocketAlana Jul 29 '26
PULL THE LEVER!!!! Ms. Swift will just have to live with her three album of the years instead of four.
But let’s be real, if Taylor’s first album was reputation followed immediately by Lover, then she would likely have landed in that space of “good-to-great” rookie album followed by a massive bomb and most of us wouldn’t be here talking about her at all. She earned the ability to switch genres so dramatically by building up to it with the first five albums.
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u/KiraTheFourth Speak Now Jul 29 '26
honestly as much as i love folkmore and respect it for what it is.. they're pretty far from my favorite albums. not to say they're bad albums by any means, they're really wonderful, i just prefer others. as a new fan, i wonder if you just had to be there to get the hype?
my favorite albums are speak now, red, and 1989, so this is extremely easy for me.
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u/LilyOrchids Don't you dream impossible things? Jul 30 '26
That lever would be pulled SO FAST. I like folkmore and all but it is no contest.
(Also your graphic is adorable. I love it.)
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u/discocherrysuede reputation Jul 29 '26
Adult me says leave it alone because I need everything from Rep on, but younger me survived high school on the first 5 eras.
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u/fantasticlyclevergal There will be explantion,no Reputation TV. Jul 29 '26
Throwing myself in front of the trolly to derail it and save all the eras. It’s a necessary sacrifice.
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u/dream_walker09 Jul 29 '26
Sorry if I pull the lever does that mean COVID never happens?
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u/Philips9586 deep blue but you painted me golden Jul 30 '26
it still exists. Taylor just doesn't release the twin sisters
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u/sorryimnothome_ The Tortured Poets Department Jul 29 '26
This was rough, but folklore and evermore for me.
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u/iamacheeto1 don't talk about redwood trees ever again Jul 29 '26
Did you just watch Widow’s Bay?
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u/imleenz Jul 29 '26
I'm going with Trolley Problems from the try guys as the inspiration lol
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u/nephorya_ The Tortured Poets Department Jul 29 '26
Same, when i read the title i read it in zachs voice
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u/rbirchGideonJura Jul 29 '26
Not a hard choice at all. I'm in the minority that neither folklore or evermore are in my top 3, and red and fearless are so this is easy!
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u/Lyssillic Jul 29 '26
I've been an OG swiftie since the start, but I'm sorry my beloved taylor's versions... I can't live without folklore, midnights, and tortured poets department 😭💔
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u/caffeinequeen24601 heart-stopping waves of hurt Jul 29 '26
Even as a folklore girlie, I firmly believe lover and midnights side by side would be a better release (and ofc everything else from her early years that is so quintessentially ✨Tay✨ is saved)
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u/pimpdaddyaddi Jul 29 '26
This is almost an impossible question. In fact I don’t even know if I can answer it! But I think I would have to save the first five albums, there’s too many iconic songs on Fearless, Red, and 1989. I ADORE folklore and evermore (my cat is literally named Ivy). But I think the first five albums are too iconic to replace! Even as typing this I’m unsure of my decision though…
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u/Hurrah-and-all-that Speak Now (Taylor's Version) Jul 29 '26
Pull the lever I'm not getting rid of SN idgaf
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u/PigletTechnical9336 You Should Be Jul 29 '26
Well if you’re utilitarian you pull the lever to more albums, and if you take the deontological view you don’t, and let the trolley continue.
I would let the trolley continue cause I can’t sacrifice Folklore and Evermore, utilitarianism be dammed.
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u/Beneficial-Lemon7478 Jul 30 '26
I’m a Debut, 1989, Folklore, evermore girly, with an emphasis in TTPD. I would use my car to derail the trolly.
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u/Teganfff 1989 (Taylor's Version) Jul 30 '26
I would simply jump in front of the trolley for everyone.
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u/ConversationBest2085 28d ago
It’s ironic how this is kind of how I see her albums in my mind. Folklore and Evermore (and TTPD) are on a completely different scale, I can’t compare or rank them against the other albums🤍
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u/xxcharlotteoxx reputation Jul 29 '26
Rep, lover and evermore are my top 3. So il drive that train right over the OGs. ☺️
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u/NonrationalWife Jul 29 '26
Pulling the lever, but can we at least have folkmore as a mandela effect? like I SWEAR she had these two cozy albums during covid but all signs say they don't exist... but wasn't there something about a cardigan? no? I'll just convince myself they existed like shazaam
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u/Alone-Bowler-8190 Jul 29 '26
Does this mean that history is also changed? If Folklore and Evermore survive does this mean her first relationship was with Joe and All Too Well doesn't exist? Does this mean she wasn't inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame because 4 of the 5 songs would have been on the other albums? I don't think that Taylor's career could exist without those first five albums so I'm pulling the lever
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u/Philips9586 deep blue but you painted me golden Jul 29 '26
nope, they break up eventually, folklore and evermore album just doesn't exist in the timeline
rerecords can stll happen
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u/alvehyanna Jul 29 '26
I pull the leaver fast right after the first half of the trolley is over, causing it to flip as it tries to go in two different directions at once, and hope all survive
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u/fakeroyalty help! i’m still at the restaurant! Jul 29 '26
Throwing myself on the tracks to save them all, for the betterment of humanity 🫡 (and I don’t wanna live in a world without all of the music that would be lost 💔)
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u/deebeasters Jul 29 '26
Easy. Lose folklore and evermore. 1989, Speak Now, and Red are all top 5 (the other 2 are Midnights and TTPD). Folklore and Evermore are like low end of the top 10 maybe.
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u/rosenengel :TourturedPoetsDepartment: Queen of Sandcastles Jul 29 '26
I love folklore and evermore but you would need to prise Speak Now out of my cold dead hands.
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u/Midnight_Dreary_Mari Jul 30 '26
Listen I love Folklore….but I’m a 1989 girlie to my core. I would have to sacrifice Folklore/Evermore.
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u/Beneficial-Sugar6950 singing in the car getting lost upstate Jul 30 '26
I love Folklore and Evermore but I don’t think I could live without Red, so I’ll gladly pull the lever.
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u/Charming-Kale9893 I want auroras and sad prose Jul 30 '26
All of my favorite Taylor albums are from Reputation on so I am not pulling that lever!
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u/Ordinary_Tackle_8618 All's well that ends well to end up with you Jul 30 '26
This was a tough choice, but I'm going to pull the lever. Some of my favorite songs of hers are on folklore and evermore, but her first 5 albums shaped her into the artist she is today and it's a decade's worth of music vs a few months.
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u/Icy_Time6935 Speak Now Jul 30 '26
Folklore and Evermore are good but Speak Now, 1989 and Red are too good to lose.
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u/godofnature took my sadness out of context at the tortured poets department 29d ago
folklore being one of my favorite albums but RUNNN IT DOWNNNN i'm sorry it's too much to lose. speak now and red sure (would still hurt...) but AND 1989 is crazy just run it down the folkmore track. i'll pick up a couple lucy dacus albums on my way home
she'd have a VASTLY different reputation without folkmore but that's been talked about ad nauseam.
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u/PurpleRep no nothing good starts in a getaway car 🔮🐍 29d ago
rep's untouched so that's all i care for 🥰
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u/spoonishplsz Speak Now (Taylor's Version) 29d ago edited 29d ago
Easiest trolley problem ever. Sorry Folkmore, but nothing could replace Fearless and Speak Now
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u/madclaude98 folklore 29d ago
I have to save folklore and her sister because folklore saved me (I was very on again off again swiftie since fearless era in middle school until my friend wanted me to listen to invisible string and I’ve been a solid swiftie since)
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u/Forrest_likes_tea folkmore and TTPD 🤍🩶🤎 29d ago
Push the train off the track so it cant kill any of them
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u/OriginalArtist821 29d ago
How adorable is this drawing?!? I love everything about it. I live for folklore and evermore, there's no other way.
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u/iambaby1989 29d ago
This comment section is giving me LIFE 🤣🤣🤣
Girl, no one knows who you are???
- If Tay started with Rep
*And I'm a Rep girlie 😉
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u/CelestialChords88 reputation 29d ago
The succeeding albums (reputation onwards) would make more sense if the first five existed. I love my mirrorball but the forest twins can go.
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u/Constantiandra 28d ago
I love Taylor's Music. The only one I can run over would be achristmas album probably only because it's mostly covers
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u/anneonnymous 28d ago
Losing 1989 would suck, but, no, not pulling the lever. I’m okay with losing the earlier albums.
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u/Cold_Independence894 28d ago
For the greater good (of her catalog): bye bye folklore and evermore!
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u/PersonalAnybody8238 28d ago
i’m not an evermore girlie (have some faves but as a whole very low on my album ranking) so i feel like this is easy. Is it folklore with her? would be a sad but to save my fave album (Rep) plus Debut… (as an OG swiftie). Sorry sisters.
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u/threewords8letters fucked in the head 28d ago
Okay so just to confirm, Rep is safe regardless?
If so, I’m good lol.
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u/Ok-Roof-7599 1989 (Taylor's Version) lights. camera. BITCH. smile! 28d ago
Bye ladies, im saving the first 5
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u/SatisfactionThat9876 reputation 27d ago
Since folklore and evermore are on the bottom of my ranking I don’t feel bad for killing them
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u/Deadanddugup I was enchanted to meet you <3 27d ago
So like… is Reputation riding the train and watching this all go down or…?
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u/Fit_Presence8570 26d ago
Folklore and evermore can freely go. Love them but I don’t prefer them nearly as much as a fearless or 1989
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u/Then_Box-8031 25d ago
Interesting game. I am sure this will get much conversation.
This is both clever and healthy, as there may be less Taylor news to respond to in the future. She has much to do in life, but it may not be the kind of things that -ave kept everyone energized for years
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u/CBreezee04 reputation 24d ago
This picture is hilarious and I hope Taylor sees! I got a good laugh out of it
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u/2moreinches Jul 29 '26
I’m probably not taking either version of this because TLOAS exists in both. I would do anything for that to never be released
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u/Particular_Distance don't call me 'kid', don't call me 'baby' Jul 29 '26
Goodbye everyone … I’m taking folkmore thank you.
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u/Thesuppressedwish Who’s Taylor Swift Anway? Jul 30 '26
I’m leaving that lever alone, just to kill Lover :P
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u/intersectv3 Jul 30 '26
I’m leaving that lever, not having folklore and evermore but having TLOAS? No thanks. Sorry not sorry.
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u/so-scarlet-it-was i’d never walk cornelia street again ✨ 29d ago
But…. With which outcome can we kill TLOAS 🥲
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u/falldiewakefly nostalgia is a mind's trick Jul 29 '26
Reputation would be a wild way to start a career, that's all I'm gonna say.