Snakes are terrifying, enthralling creatures. They have no legs, so they slither. They can shed their skin, which is actually cool but also horrifying. Snakes can absolutely kill you, depending on the type: some snakes can wrap around you until your bones break and you can't breathe OR bite you, poisoning you with venom, and then it's just darkness. Snakes don't fuck around.

Why do snakes matter right now? Because Taylor Swift—sometimes known as a snake, by Instagram commenters and #TaylorSwiftIsASnake on Twitter, which is pretty wild considering the description above—has been releasing glitchy clips of a snake for the past week. Swift just announced her new record, Reputation, which will be out in November, and last night she released the dark, petty single "Look What You Made Me Do." Based on the Reputation cover art and the track, it is a fair assumption that Swift is directly confronting her critics and the people (Kim Kardashian West, Kanye West, and literally everyone on the internet) who have called her a snake—turning that vitriol into a powerful life source. It is truly what all good villains do. Even in the clip for the song's video (to be premiered this Sunday at the MTV Video Music Awards) there is a shot of a hand decked out in gaudy snake rings, meaning she isn't gonna let this shit go.