artemis - “tolerate it” (evermore)

an apology first because you just said pretty recently (well it was recent when i first started on this ask) how much u hate writing artemis in angst, but oop, this is going to be very sad bc i’m doing it ab artemis and her madre 😬 it’s not my fault i wanted to a song from folklore or evermore because i haven’t used many yet and all of those songs are kinda sad and this one fit so well!

“I sit and watch you / I notice everything you do or don't do / You're so much older and wiser, and I” sara does not notice artemis, but artemis sure notices every time she is ignored, neglected and forced to raise herself. sara is much older and supposed to be a more wise, mature person to help artemis through the trauma of missing a brother and losing a father, but instead she brushes artemis aside and shuts down completely.

“Wait by the door like I'm just a kid / Use my best colors for your portrait / Lay the table with the fancy shit / And watch you tolerate it” this is like the eggshells story: young artemis wants nothing more than to impress her mother with a show of love. and her mother is neglectful and unappreciative, and artemis is left feeling tolerated instead of loved.

“If it's all in my head, tell me now / Tell me I've got it wrong somehow / I know my love should be celebrated / But you tolerate it” when artemis is younger, she still asks her mother to do things like walk her to the train, and talk to her. she holds onto that little hope that maybe she’s wrong, and maybe this time sara will act like a mother. as she gets older, she knows she’s right to be angry with her mom.

“I made you my temple, my mural, my sky / Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life / Drawing hearts in the byline / Always taking up too much space or time” artemis is desperate for any of the attention she deserves from a parent, but never receives it. sara always comes up with the lamest excuses to avoid taking care of her daughter.

“You assume I'm fine, but what would you do if I / Break free and leave us in ruins / Took this dagger in me and removed it / Gain the weight of you, then lose it / Believe me, I could do it” artemis is tough, but with the help and love of her found family, she can start to heal the wounds left by her mother. some things, however, will stay scars forever, just like ruins.

also, ik that u hv “Shake it Off” on ur artie playlist and just, ugh, 1989 is honestly all such artemis vibes tbh. fantastic choice!

ophelia - “Don’t Blame Me” (reputation)

“Don't blame me, love made me crazy / If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right” the best part ab ophelia is that she’s selfish and materialistic enough to be considered a bit crazy, especially in her pursuits of love. but, love shmove, amirite? if ur marrying for love and not money, ur not doing it right. that’s what ophelia says at least.

“Lord, save me, my drug is my baby / I'll be usin' for the rest of my life” ophelia’s pursuit of a wealthy suitor is almost an addiction. the obsessive craftsmanship of handkerchiefs intended to be dropped in front of potential husbands is so cunning and resourceful (a true slytherin), and we love her for it. she’ll be using those skills for the rest of her life. at least, until she becomes a parent and spends the rest of her life protecting her real baby.

“I've been breakin' hearts a long time” i can only imagine how many men she’s flirted with, only to become immediately uninterested upon learning they aren’t wealthy.

“For you, I would cross the line/ I would waste my time / I would lose my mind / They say, "She's gone too far this time" how far would ophelia really go for a rich husband? pretty far, i’d reckon

“My name is whatever you decide / And I'm just gonna call you mine / I'm insane, but I'm your baby (Your baby)” It doesn’t matter what ophelia is. as long as she’s married to a powerful, wealthy pure-blood, she has everything she wanted, no matter what she had to sacrifice to get there.

“I once was poison ivy, but now I’m your daisy” the website i’ve been using to help me learn more ab taylor’s lyrics suggested that “daisy” here could be referencing Daisy Buchanan from the novel The Great Gatsby. i think that’s a bit of a reach, but taylor has referenced The Great Gatsby in “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”, and actually quoted a famous line Daisy says in her song “happiness”. Anyways, *spoilers if u actually haven’t read gatsby* Daisy Buchanan is a materialistic woman with a rich asshole of a husband who chooses money (old money oc) and status over love. This isn’t exactly like ophelia, but it’s a pretty decent parallel.

jéloïse - “Lover” (Lover)

i feel like i’m betraying my color code with this pink tbh because ravenclaw blue + hufflepuff yellow is green, but green is just not the color of this ship imo, and i just did ophelia green, so i went with pink because it’s the color of “Lover”

“We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January / And this is our place, we make the rule” i’m not sure why, but i really associate this ship with that “honeymoon phase”- young adults, living together, figuring out careers and adulthood and everything else together. it’s their time together, and they now make all the rules of their home together.

“And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear / Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?” héloïse is one of the most mysterious characters out there, no question. also, another thing i associate with these two is that everyday, each one is still learning new things about the other. even after they’ve been married for twenty years, there are still so many quirks of each other to learn about.

“Can I go where you go? / Can we always be this close? / Forever and ever, ah” aww these guys are just such cuties. jim might be a little awkward, but i can totally see him secretly hoping that he can always tag around the brilliant, French new girl. and as it turns out héloïse likes to be in the company of the cute, sweet hufflepuff boy as well.

“We could let our friends crash in the living room” back to them as young adults- to me, they are those steady high school sweethearts that attend reunions together, and keep in touch with friends together. i imagine them as the marshall and lily of hogwarts legacy (cue u telling me that you’ve never seen how i met your mother).

“And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you / I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all” i think the first line would apply to both of them- jim because he’s pretty unsure of himself and i feel like héloïse maybe would get a little jealous of someone flirting with jim, especially before she even realizes her feelings for jim herself. and please the second line there is just so cute, like this pairing!