#i know i was just talking about the hades and Persephone parallel but the Orpheus and Eurydice one also slaps so hard

[genericpuff]

Is there a real difference between something being a reimagining of Greek myths and something being inspired by it?

I mean, it's a difference that's kind of subjective IMO but the way I personally see it, it comes down to what the story itself is trying to be. Is it trying to be a retelling, or is it trying to be its own story that just happens to take elements from the myths for the fun of it?

A myth retelling will typically be doing just that, retelling a mythical story with its characters with maybe some aesthetic changes, artistic liberties, or tweaks to fit a new generation. Example: Stray Gods, Hades, Hadestown, Lore Olympus, etc. All these stories are retelling myths and tales while putting more modern or subversive twists on them. Hadestown may feature a version of the Underworld that's built on coal mines, but it's still the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hades may feature a version of Hades and Persephone who genuinely fell in love (Persephone was born to Demeter and a mortal man instead of Zeus which also removes the incest, and Persephone genuinely wanted to leave Olympus and saw marrying Hades as her way out), but they still gave Demeter her affiliations with winter and grieving the loss of her daughter.

Something that's simply myth inspired isn't necessarily trying to be accurate to the myths or retell them, they're just yoinking elements out of myths either directly or indirectly for the sake of fun and creativity. A recent example is Attack on Titan which is clearly referencing a lot of Norse mythology by the end with Ymir. Though an even bigger example of this is JRPG's, a lot of them tend to reference Greek and Norse myth in obvious or subtle ways, but aren't necessarily retelling those stories. Persona 3 uses a lot of Greek myth as the foundation for its story. The Ascians in Final Fantasy XIV go by Greek myth aliases such as Hermes and Hades, while there are raids in the game with Greek naming conventions (there's literally a raid boss in the newest set of Asphodelos raids named "Athena"). Tales of Symphonia is WWII meets Norse mythology, featuring subplots that tackle deep topics like discrimination, segregation and genocide (the "human ranches" are literally concentration camps) while also taking artistic inspiration from the Norse myths featuring the Great Kharlan Tree (the tree of life, Yggdrasil) and even the final boss' name is Yggdrasil, in the game's final cutscene Lloyd is given the opportunity to name the new reborn tree and while the audio fades out before you can hear what he names it, when you learn of Norse myth and how it inspired the game you just know he named it Yggdrasil (unfortunately they played it safer with the name "World Tree" in the game's sequel Dawn of the New World, but we don't talk about DotNW lmao). There are also a lot of religious allegories in JRPG's, particularly with Christianity, but that's another topic.

Point is, something that's simply taking inspiration from Greek myth or other mythologies isn't necessarily trying to retell those stories directly or even at all. Sometimes a piece of work is simply referencing them or enjoys the naming conventions or messaging of those original stories that it makes for a good parallel.

Not every story inspired by mythologies are attempting to retell them, but every retelling is inspired by the mythologies upon which they're based.

#greek myth retellings #myth retelling #ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything

[chrysanthemumgames]

I just read chapter 8 and wow, it was so amazing! I don't even know if I prefer the aftermath of the chapter 7 fight + the ending with the fruit and all, or if I prefer the whole Orpheus and Eurydice thing!

Eurydice literally tackling Orpheus out of the Underworld had to be one of the biggest "she did WHAT" moments of all times for me, but it was so great! Especially with it allowing a good ending too! Or well, at least as good as it could have been given the circumstances. Not to mention, I quite admire you for making something inherently "funny" still being more shocking and suprising than anything else thanks to how you described it. It could have easily turned into a comedic scene considering what happened, but somehow you avoided the pitfall. I also really liked the small detail to allow the MC to stim out of stress during the whole ordeal. It's these little details and how much freedom we get over them that truly make your game special - well, among other things.

Back to the fruit scene though... It's interesting - I was somehow both surprised and unsurprised that it was such a "mundane" thing. It's a bit hard to describe, but on one hand I thought that maybe eating the fruit would be something dramatic, and on the other hand it also felt like people in the Underworld would just treat that as something "normal" to do. Well, I'm assuming if the MC keeps the fruit for now but doesn't eat it yet it may turn to be more dramatic later heh - but that wouldn't really make sense for my specific MC. I really love the fact we can decide to share the fruit though! Again, such a nice thought.

That aside, I have a two questions if you don't mind!

First one is about the magic sharing thing (sorry if it was asked before and I somehow missed it!). Will we be able to determine how our MC feels about their "partner's" magic? I don't mean how they feel about the fact the magic is shared in itself - we can already determine that - but really how they feel about their partner's specific magic. Hades saying he finds the MC's magic rather pleasant was so sweet, and I'm curious if we'll be able to determine how the MC feels in return, basically.

Second one is about Orpheus and Eurydice. In my ending to the story, they will be staying half of the year in the Underworld and half in the mortal realm (I love the parallels with the original Persephone deal here too!) - for any good ending where it's relevant (I'm assuming there are variants), will we be able to talk with them a bit more in future chapters, once they've calmed down and all? Especially since it would be interesting for the MC to discuss being a demigod with Orpheus I think - all the more since he was raised as a mortal and the MC as a god. During the whole trial thing, my MC talked with Eurydice because it's what made sense - they were sort-of-friends at that point, and it made sense that she would be the person my MC would seek there and the one easier to "influence" out of the two to help them succeed, but that means he didn't have the opportunity to interact with Orpheus, sadly.

Thank you and have a great day!

Heya! Thanks as always for the reading and the feedback. :) As to your questions:

I don't have the next book planned down to the individual choices or anything, but I'm pretty sure that one will come up, yes.

Sort of the same answer, really. I do think I'll be looking for opportunities for the PC to talk to other demigods (besides Pyri), and an Orpheus who is around some of the time is definitely an option there. So I suspect there will be, depending on where they are and what they're up to, further opportunities to interact with those two!

#ask #kind non anons #konoi and noir

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Orpheus and Eurydice are Daryl and Beth

@bookqueenrules:

So, I watched episode 2 again with an eye towards any symbolism that may not have been explored by other posts. I actually liked it much better the second time. 

One of the first things that jumped out at was Isabelle’s flashback scene in the subway.  Behind her was a HUGE red advertisement for “Orphe”; it must have been a play based on the 2010-2011 dates on the ad.  They show it several times, but this was the only picture I could find.

SO, “Orphe” is French for Orpheus from Greek Mythology.  Orpheus played the lyre and was known to have superhuman musical abilities.  Where it gets interesting is the story of he and his wife, Eurydice.  Just after their wedding, she is bitten on the ankle by a poisonous snake and “dies” in Greek mythology this means she is taken to Hades (the underworld). Orpheus is in such grief he plays for Charon, who takes people from the river Styx to the underworld, and Charon agrees to take him to find Eurydice in Hades.  Orpheus is able to convince the rulers of Hades, Hades and Persephone, to let Eurydice come back home with him.  They give him only one condition.  She will go up to the surface behind him and Orpheus must not turn and look at her, or she will be taken back to Hades and kept there. Just as Orpheus sees the light of the sun and knows they are close to being home, he turns to make sure she is still with him.

Of course, she is taken from him back into the Underworld. Orpheus is beyond devastated. He lives in the woods for years playing for the animals.  He does not turn to other women even though many approach him.  Eventually, he is killed by the women he has refused. He is then reunited with love, Eurydice.

 I see that as SO symbolic. Eurydice’s ankle injury mirrors Beth’s foot caught in the trap.  I believe that “trap” was put there by the Grady people(the snakes).  They take Eurydice(Beth) to Grady(Hades) and keep her there.  Daryl(Orpheus) convinces people(Rick, Carol, Noah and company) to help him on his quest to get Beth(Eurydice) back.  It looks like it is going to work.  They are walking away from Grady(Hades), but this time Beth(Eurydice) turns back and is taken back to Hades. Daryl(Orephus) wanders in the forest for years.  

Obviously, I don’t believe they will be reunited in “death”, but maybe in some other Hades like Underworld.  It’s like TPTB are flashing a neon sign telling us THIS is the story.

Also, the episode of Mork and Mindy?  It’s from season 4.  It is the LAST episode, and it is ALL about how to have a happy marriage.  Mork gives his superior on Ork, his home planet, these four things in his report: honesty, respect, romance, and compatibility as being the ingredients to a successful marriage. 

Thoughts?

@twdmusicboxmystery​:

I love this! I have heard other people talk about Orpheus and Euridice’s parallels in the past, but I’m not terribly familiar with the story myself. So, I tend to read, consider, and forget.

But the way you’ve laid it out here is very compelling. It seems an exact parallel for what happened, and for him losing her again. When you talked about Orpheus, after losing her the second time, hanging out in the woods and playing for the animals, being approached by other women, it reminded me of nothing so much as Find Me, and Leah. 

I even wonder if not showing Beth’s face after the shot, and not saying her name for so long, was the writers’ way of paralleling Orpheus not being able to turn around and look at Eurydice. 

As for how they’ll be reunited, I think it will all be a symbolic underworld, as you said. Even Daryl being hurt and waking up in the convent was kind of a foreshadow of that. Something will happen where he will almost die, or it will appear he’s dead, but when he awakens, he’ll be reunited with Beth. 

And if they’re inside the CRM or something like it, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call an environment like that a dark underworld. 

Very interesting! I love it! 

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

[loverofallthingssmart]

PLEASE UNLEASH your hadestown demons!!!!!

unleash my hadestown demons is right this is a BEAST thank you very much ive satisfied the brain worms by dumping all my thoughts under the cut

first off. the beauty of live theatre allows for so much nuance and beauty to demonstrated so i cant even begin to cover all the things that could make me insane its so wonderful i love live theatre everyone should watch at least one live theatre production i believe it will solve at least one problem they have

the tragedy of it all!! its a sad song but we sing it anyway, in hopes that we hope that orpheus doesn't turn. but he will. bc he loves eurydice so much so he went down to the underworld to save her.

guys. the repeated, cyclical nature of everything. its an old tale from way back when and its a sad song but they sing it anyway. the point of hadestown is the HOPE of it all wait theres an article (https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/anais-mitchell-hadestown-west-end-broadway-b1134613.html) regarding mitchell's thoughts on orpheus that make me insane im gonna paste a quote here:

"If Hadestown has a moral, she says, then it’s “you have to try, you have to have hope, not because success is a given – it’s not. Orpheus fails. We heroicise” – here she breaks off to apologise that jet lag has led to her making up words – “we heroicise Orpheus not because he succeeds but because he tries, and that endeavour alone is worthwhile. How to live, and not merely survive, is to believe things could change.” ARE U KIDDING ME OURGHH

which brings me to the topics of like. climate change and capitalism that the play discusses its so good. the fact that there's no spring or fall, only summers and winter because of persephone's absences, how "is it true" is just a song abt labor protests red carnations are a symbol of love and passion yes, but in germany theyre a symbol of the working class protest. its SO important hades has just created an industrial revolution, has built a wall, has workers work forever, "why we build the wall" is soooo incredible "hey little songbird" "chant" all the songs that take place IN hadestown itself are sooo gritty so despondent in a way its insane.

theres another article that discusses sm of it AND discusses like portrayals of persephone that i REALLY like. im gonna paste it here PLEASE read it it has so much good stuff from a classics person regarding it and OURGH too good

orpheus's "to the world we dream about" but then also "the one we live in now" like oh.okay. im NORMAL….

if u noted every single lalala in hadestown it would be 6 min long. the leitmotif oh i am so normal actually.

okay im not rlly a music person i call myself music adjacent bc my two closest friends r music ppl LMAOJDHJS but like. the first time u hear eurydice say "i do" i.e what you say to seal a marriage is after she tells orpheus she signed the papers. she does not say "i do" in the entireity of wedding song, where they talk abt their nuptials. she says "i do" in informing orpheus she cant come up with him. that she chose this life (or death i guess) of her own doing. isnt that vile….

in wedding song she goes "is he always like this" and hermes responds but then in "a gathering storm" she asks the same question to no response.. idk what's there but something is there.

hermes being the narrator thats involved in the play is SOOOO delicious for my brain, the way he switches between a character involved in orpheus and eurydice getting together, invested in their relationship to a all-knowing narrator who knows the end bc he sees this every time.

there's this sense that only orpheus and eurydice do not know they r in a repeated play. which heightens their love at first sight, the "i feel like i know u but ive just met you" OHHHHH my god.

the original nytw script having orpheus say "ur early. i missed u." directly paralleling hades and persephone but in a different context because OHHHHMYGOD and not even that but the fact that mitchell took it out bc she believed it engaged the brain when the moment should only directly engage the heart. so she had the lovers say each other's name. one last time. im soooo normal

also this is bc one time i was thinking abt hadestown and mitski's remember my name played so . just that song in the context of hadestown is SOOOO bc like. like. how eurydice couldn't rmbr herself when she became a worker but orpheus went down to save her and she remembered.

when he turns back and says.

"it's you" "it's me"

^ are you fucking kidding me. the sort of disbelief the happiness the love the incoming grief im inconsolable.

when orpheus turns back, eurydice says his name w so much joy SO MUCH JOY she is not upset at him. "what was there to complain of, except that she'd been loved?" <- quote from metamorphoses

like yes we wish orpheus doesnt turn around but at the end of the day, orpheus is still the trusting guy he was in the beginning. EURYDICE on the other hand KNOWS how cruel the world is and chooses to trust orpheus anyway. but. "it's a tragedy" and doubt creeps in. part of the tragedy lies in the fact that eurydice, "all ive ever known is to hold my own" eurydice runs after him w open arms, chooses to trust him, chooses to follow the trial, and he still turns around. BECAUSE he loves her ohhhmygod im so normal

obligatory mention to the fact that orpheus could never finish the song he was working on because it was a duet. like okay lol. im fine im normal hahahahaha are u fucking kidding me.

hades and orpheus are mirrors, there r two relationships in the musical obviously and it is clear theyre mirrors of each other even w/o the original script line but like.

hades gives orpheus the test that he himself goes through every spring. hades is the villain of the story yes but he is not evil. he gives orpheus the same trial, sees that if orpheus can judge him for losing faith in his wife through the course of their relationship, let's put his romantic nature to the test. let's see if he can feel the absence of his love and keep going. and he cant. bc orpheus has never had to learn how to fend for himself. so when u take away his support system, when u take anyone's support system, how is he, how r we supposed to succeed?

just. the song "how long" encapsulates hades and persephone's relationship SO WELL. "the girl means nothing to me." "i know. but she means EVERYTHING to him" the fact that this is the first time we persephone REFUSE a drink bc shes had enough oh were SOMBER somber the way the whole song just parallels itself and every verse GOD.

the love was there. the hope was there. its a sad song. its a love song.

every single time before they leave. every time they're on stage, eurydice is in front of orpheus. he trusts that she is before him and she never doubts that he is there. it is when their positions change, him in front and her behind that he bends. it is then that doubt comes in.

those r just the like the thoughst of the music and themes itself we can talk abt the ppl and the live play now:

so first. can we talk abt this we need to talk abt for reeve carney's last show the original orpheus his last show he didnt turn back. he and eurydice lived they passed the trial. sorry that makes me so insane bc like. imagine u play orpheus. doomed to a lifetime of looking back at ur lover and your final show, u finally get to stay. oh im very normal i just love the nuances of live theatre!!! what a send off!!!!

THEN we can talk abt how eva and solea play PERFECT eurydices, full of grit and used to the cruel nature of the world. and how lola tung i feel is a DECENT singer but shes not a eurydice shes so light and soft but idk. who am i to say.

also the soundtrack is just SO incredible so is the set design there's not a single ounce of stage space that is wasted like there are so many nuances like i cant even talk abt all that there is my FAVORITE musical for SOOO many reasons ough.

yeah i think that's it. this took me MULTIPLE hours and i feel drained abt talking abt all this. WOW i love hadestown not normal amounts. i can't die before i see this live its one of my goals i just need to see it live on broadway.

#putting this in #2 am ramblings #bc i invested too much brainpower and time into this LAMSODJHHDFJSK #anyway. yeah <3 that's all. there r so many more nuances you could have w every decision made onstage for each production and it saddens me #that i cant know them all. but theres a beauty in that as well. #hadestown #orpheus and eurydice #guys orpheus and eurydice are actually my second favorite greek myth LSMSNBDGHSUJHD but god theres just so much. OURGH

[camgoloud]

📓?

(in reference to the following tag game: “Put "📓" or some other version of a book emoji into my inbox and I'll explain the plot of a fanfiction that I haven't written but daydream about.”)

ooh okay... so here i think i will talk about my Stunningly Original idea re: griddlehark hadestown au (what, ao3 user waydownhadestown with a hadestown au? who would EVER have thought lmao). i know that we have ALL talked about the gideon/harrow orpheus/eurydice parallels before but i think the part about my particular take on the concept that’s interesting is the older generation... i think the fandom tendency is to put john/alecto as hades/persephone, which—very fair! god of death, nature goddess, it works well. however. in the name of capturing the Energy of the hades/persephone dynamic from the original musical, i posit instead: mercymorn-hades and augustine-persephone. I MEAN. in my head it is just PERFECT for them... anyway, mercy brings harrow into the underworld/“across the River,” in this au; gideon comes back to get her and is told that they can Try to get back across the River together but it’s pretty unlikely they’ll both make it all the way; mercy and augustine watch them go toward an uncertain fate together because neither of them was willing to leave the other one behind... and have to Reckon With Their Own Past over it... also, PLEASE consider: pyrrha dve as hermes. acting as gideon’s pseudo-parent and the narrator of the story. watching this tragedy play out. thinking some Thoughts about the nature of love and death. particularly given her own history with g1deon and wake, her own two lovers who ultimately killed each other... a lot of Connections have been made in my brain over this au. will i ever actually write all of it down? hmm. we will see

#thanks for the ask! #ask game

[apocalypsewriters]

Hello! This is your friendly inquiry to answer this ask with whatever you'd like to talk about right now! Whether that be a story you're working on, something you're excited or worried about, or just something random you happen to know.

All the love,

~ toribookworm ❤️

Awww thank you

I’ve started thinking about A Quest of Cards and Calamity again after a writing slump, but there’s not much to say there other than I want to rename it (again)

What I DO have things to say about is Hadestown. I am so obsessed with this musical. Anyone who loves greek mythology or musicals or both or ANYTHING really should listen to it. Greek myth just hits different. I have cried over this musical every time I’ve listened to it and the parallels between orpheus x eurydice and hades x Persephone are amazing. I love that Orpheus and Eurydice change each other which leads to Orpheus’s failure and Eurydice not resenting him. Also it’s a LOOP, so, no, Hermes it’s not “aight” after eurydice is lost to the underworld. I have a hundred million thoughts on this musical so I will listen to it a dozen times more for every thought I have about it

#thank you for getting me to be self indulgent #I appreciate it <3 #ask

[telehxhtrash]

On the cultural lore behind the late Hunter Exam Arc and the Testing Gates Arc.

Hi ! Today I want to talk a bit about Togashi’s use of mythology, legends and lore as a way to emphasize the narrative in his story. 

It’s no secret that Togashi loves to use details and symbolism in his story, but I think the Testing Gates arc is the one arc that uses this writing technique the most. In only a few chapters, Togashi manages to reference and intertwine 3 different legends to highlight the message in his narrative : Gon’s rescue mission is emphasized by the legend of Orihime & Hikoboshi, the legend of Eurydice & Orpheus, and the legend of Izanami & Izanagi.

As you may know, the early part of Killua’s character arc reflects the Tanabata legend, and it’s reinforced by the fact that his birthday falls on July 7th, the day Tanabata is celebrated. I’m going to link this post that is better written than anything I could ever write on this, so I suggest reading this before reading this post ! I’ll still go over the general details of Tanabata below though.

The legend of Tanabata can be closely paralleled to Killua’s early story arc. 

Orihime worked relentlessly for her father and weaved the most beautiful clothes. She was very, very talented and worked very hard for her father. 

However, Orihime lamented the fact that because of her job, she couldn’t meet someone and fall in love. All she craved was human connection, and her working for her father kept her from meeting someone and falling in love.

Her father eventually allowed her to meet someone, Hikoboshi, and they instantly fell in love.

But sadly for her father, that meant that Orihime didn’t focus on her job anymore and only focused on appreciating her time with her lover.

In anger, her father decided to separate the two lovers and forbade them to meet. (don’t take this too literally - the Zoldyck family in its entirety represents Orihime’s father)

As you can see, Killua follows Orihime’s story pretty accurately. He used to work for his family as a skilled assassin, the most skilled one in the entire Zoldyck family’s history. However, Killua lamented the fact that because of this, he couldn’t make friends. That’s his primary reason for leaving the Zoldyck Mansion : see if he could make a friend. And then, he met Gon, and it was pretty much love at first sight. The two of them enjoyed their time together, joking around and sticking together most of the time, until the final phase of the Hunter Exam where Illumi forbids Killua from seeing Gon and manipulates him into going back to the Zoldyck Mansion.

This isn’t how the Tanabata legend ends, but this is where the other 2 legends I want to talk about come into play.

Gon, after being passed out for hours as a consequence of his fight with Hanzo, learns about Killua’s fight with his brother and completely flips out. He proceeds to confront Illumi about it directly and asserts that Killua is his friend and that he’ll bring him back no matter what. After this, Leorio, Kurapika and Gon make their way to the Zoldyck Mansion to get Killua back. As they arrive at the Mansion, the tour guide proceeds to explain one of the particularities of the Zoldyck Mansion : there’s a huge gate that can only be opened by brute force. Anyone can enter, as long as they go through this door. And this is where it gets interesting.

The tour guide mentions that this gate is called “黄泉への扉”, yomi he no tobira. The gate to Yomi.

But Tele, why the fuck are you mentioning this, you may ask.

Because 黄泉, Yomi, is the land of the dead. Togashi is expressing that this is the gate to Yomi, the gate to enter the land of the dead : the Zoldyck Mansion. The Zoldyck Mansion is directly compared to Yomi. 

In Japanese mythology, Yomi is where all souls go after they die. No matter if you were good or bad, you’ll end up in Yomi. It’s not Heaven, it’s not Hell, it’s just…. A place where you end up rotting forever. It’s described as gloomy and dark, empty and cold. It’s not burning in hellfire, it’s just a place where you just sort of wander aimlessly, empty for the rest of eternity. 

And this cold and gloomy, empty atmosphere can directly be correlated to the Zoldyck Mansion. The tour guide mentions that this is the gate to Yomi, because if you enter, you’ll never come back, but this applies more to Killua. Killua is in Yomi right now after a trauma-induced dissociative episode. He was forcefully sent back to the Mansion, and is now being tortured by his family. If Killua stays there, it’s obvious he’ll never come back psychologically from this. He’ll be trapped in this meaningless existence, cold and empty, devoid of any passion. A life his parents chose for him, a life he doesn’t want to live, a life as Zoldyck heir. He’ll be stuck in Yomi, the land of the dead, forever.

But Gon won’t let that happen. He planned this rescue mission because Killua opened up to him about who he wants to be. He doesn’t want to live according to his family’s plans for him anymore, he wants to live a life for himself and be free. And Gon wants to help him achieve that, because he saw the good in Killua. Which is why he insisted he’d rescue Killua himself and will drag him out of the Zoldyck Mansion. He’ll get him out of Yomi.

Which leads us to the story of Izanami and Izanagi. Yomi is commonly known as Izanami’s retreat after her death, so when you hear Yomi, you automatically associate it to Izanami. And there’s an interesting piece of lore when it comes to Yomi and Izanami : Izanagi’s rescue mission. Izanami died a horrible death after being burned giving birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi : she descended to Yomi. However, Izanagi, her husband (and brother but we don’t talk about that) found himself miserable. He missed her terribly and couldn’t live a life without her. That’s why he decided to make the trip to Yomi to get her back. Izanami ended up pleading to the Gods of Yomi to let her go back to Izanagi, and the Gods ended up making her an exception and allowing her to leave.

I’ll spare you the details but the story ends tragically with Izanagi trapping Izanami in Yomi forever, her ruling over it and the both of them pretty much getting divorced. 

Anyways. What matters is that when you talk about Yomi, it’s automatically linked to Izanami, and Izanami is automatically linked to Izanagi and his rescue mission. A rescue mission that also happened in HxH. Just like Izanagi, Gon decided to take the trip to Yomi, as the tour guide said, to rescue Killua from eternal damnation and be reunited with him once again.

Additionally and still in the spirit of the Yomi lore, the etymology of Yomi (黄泉) is uncertain, but it is theorized that it could come from 山, yama, meaning mountain. Izanami was buried in the mountains and Yomi was thought to be located in the mountains in ancient society, which is leading me to believe this could be the reason why the Zoldyck Estate has a mountain. So it could simply be because the Zoldyck Mansion is referred to as Yomi, and Yomi was thought to be in the mountains : hence the Zoldycks living on a mountain, fitting the Yomi lore perfectly.

There’s one last interesting thing about Yomi. Since Yomi is not Hell, it’s not where peoples’ souls go to get punished but more of a place of eternal wander, it’s oftentimes related to the Greek Underworld also known as Hades. So usually, when japanese media refers to something as Yomi, translators choose to go with “Hades”, which is the translation choice Viz made here.

So by insinuating the Zoldyck Mansion is considered as Yomi, it also connects it to the Greek Underworld, since the two are deeply connected. And interestingly enough, the first thing that pops into my head when I think of the Underworld is Orpheus and Eurydice’s story.

Orpheus and Eurydice fell in love at first sight, and enjoyed all their living moments together, however, this provoked the jealousy of one man who despised Orpheus and desired Eurydice for himself. After multiple events including a chase through the woods, Eurydice got bit by a deadly snake and died, leaving Orpheus heartbroken and alone. He couldn’t do anything but grieve and he lost his will to live without his beloved. That’s when he decided to take a trip to the Underworld in an attempt to get Eurydice back. Orpheus, armed with his lyre and his voice, was pretty much protected by the Gods as he walked through the Underworld and sang his song of love to anyone who would listen. His song and story brought tears to Hades and Persephone’s eyes, and Hades eventually accepted to make a deal with Orpheus : Eurydice has to follow him and he must not look back under any circumstance as long as they’re in the Underworld, or she will be sent back there forever. 

I’ll once again spare you the depressing details, but basically, Orpheus turned back because he couldn’t bear to not look at his beloved anymore, they got separated again and Orpheus ended up grieving his entire life, ending up being killed because of it.

So once again, here, there are similarities between Gon and Killua and Orpheus and Eurydice. Falling in love at first sight ; Illumi despising Gon and wanting Killua for himself and his family, thus ending up causing a separation and sending Killua to the Zoldyck Mansion ; Gon deciding to get Killua back. And for this one, there’s one interesting thing, and I thank @gallyl very much for telling me this, but it’s very important to note that Orpheus got Eurydice back because he sang songs of love and proved his devotion to Eurydice. Gon did the exact same thing. During those 7 chapters where Gon rescues Killua, the word friend is highlighted 7 times.

Gon, and therefore Togashi, makes it a point to emphasize that his rescue mission is solely based on his love for Killua. He’s doing it out of devotion and care for him. Just like Orpheus rescued Eurydice with his song of love and brought tears to everyone’s eyes, Gon managed to go through every hardship he faced by highlighting that Killua is his friend. That’s how he managed to convince Zebro to let him train to pass the gates, that’s how he got to Gotoh and to Canary, and eventually to Silva. Because he kept on saying that he’s doing this because of his love for Killua, which eventually softened all of these people and made them get on board with his rescue mission. 

Another parallel is the fact that Hades strikes a deal with Orpheus with a condition, and should the condition be broken, Eurydice will return to the Underworld. Here, it’s slightly different but still under the same spirit. Silva strikes a deal with Killua, making him promise to never betray his friend, and that if he does… he will be unworthy of his friends and will have to return home. 

There are also a few other references to the Underworld in the way Togashi portrays the Zoldyck Mansion and Silva and Kikyo, but I won’t get into it too much for fear of not being too objective and reaching, so I’ll just go over one. The Greek Underworld is kept by Cerberus, a gigantic 3 headed dog. And while Togashi didn’t make Mike a 3-headed dog, he did include 3 different dogs as gatekeepers of the Zoldyck Mansion, thus keeping a connection to the Cerberus lore.

So by making one random character talk about Yomi, the japanese underworld, Togashi calls back to those two myths : the japanese myth of Izanami and Izanagi and the greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Togashi put imagery for both of these legends to emphasize that they are connected to the story, and as a way to further highlight the narrative of someone rescuing someone they deeply care about.

I never finished talking about Orihime and Hikoboshi’s story, so I’ll do it now! After being forbidden to meet, Orihime pleaded for her father to let her see Hikoboshi again, until he finally agreed to let them reunite on the 7th day of the 7th month. However, when they reunited for the first time, there was no bridge to cross for them to be able to meet. That’s when a flock of magpies came and promised to help the lovers reunite, creating a bridge between the two of them, and allowing them to finally reunite.

This is once again reminiscent of the Testing Gates arc. Killua asked his dad to be able to see Gon again, until he finally accepted. However, Gon found that it was hard to cross the metaphorical bridge that are all the hardships of the Zoldyck Mansion, until a bird finally helped him : Canary. Canaries are birds that symbolize happiness, freedom and that spread joy. On top of that, I could even reach a bit and highlight that magpies, the birds that reunited Orihime and Hikoboshi are mostly recognizable by their long black tail. Canary and Gotoh, butlers, are the main reason Gon managed to get to Killua, and butlers outfits are characterized with a longer back, reminiscent of a tail, detail that Togashi also put. So it’s easy with that to associate the butlers with the flock of magpie, since they’re the reason Gon managed to get back to Killua.

The Tanabata lore started from the moment we got introduced to Killua’s character up until Killua and Gon finally reunite, and this lore was complemented by 2 other legends that highlight this beautiful narrative of rescuing a loved one.

All 3 of these legends share common themes : they feature lovers who got separated for multiple reasons and one of them pleading to higher forces to let them have their lover back. There’s a common theme of love and devotion that ends up moving the higher forces and lets the person be reunited with their lover at last. All these missions were rescue missions done in the name of love : Orihime pleaded with her father out of love, Orpheus sang his song of love to plead to Hades to let him get Eurydice back, Izanami asked the Gods to let her come back to Izanagi. And Gon begged everyone to let him see his friend. He shouted on top of every rooftop that Killua was his friend and that he’s rescuing him out of love and devotion for him, and that’s exactly what made people help him get Killua back. It’s seeing Gon’s love that made people help him, just like in those legends.

So by giving us references to these legends, by making Gon and Killua follow the same tropes as these myths, Togashi is highlighting the beautiful narrative of Gon’s rescue mission. Togashi is putting little details and symbolism to give his story more depth and make us subconsciously link together a legend about lovers wanting to reunite after being separated, and two legends about people going on a rescue mission to save their loved ones. 

Killua’s story follows the Tanabata legend closely, he meets Gon and it’s love at first sight, they are happy together, until they’re separated. Then he gets sent back to the Mansion, Yomi, the Underworld, which prompts Gon to organize a rescue mission out of love, just like Izanagi and Orpheus. It’s thanks to this love that he moved Zebro, Canary, Gotoh and finally Silva, just like Izanami’s pleads moved the Gods and allowed her to (almost) leave, and just like Orpheus’ love songs moved Hades. Finally, they are reunited by a bird, Canary, and a flock of magpies, the butlers, just like in the Tanabata legend. The lovers are reunited at last, after a long rescue mission.

I can already feel the panicked asks, “but Tele, all these tales end tragically, is Killua and Gon’s relationship broken forever? Are they going to die?”. No. HxH is not a retelling of common legends. It’s not accurately and faithfully translating myths into a manga. It’s using cultural references to emphasize some narratives, and here, it’s the narrative of two lovers going against all odds to reunite with each other once again after being separated. I’ll link you to this post by @/buzzykrueger that explained it better than I could, but don’t worry, I can promise you, Togashi will never head this way. HxH is not a retelling of old tales, and he loves to subvert common classical tropes. He already subverted them many, many times in his manga, and I can guarantee you that Killua and Gon will be fine in the end.

Also, yes, I’m referring to Killua and Gon as lovers in this post, because Togashi made the conscious choice to refer to 3 pieces of lore focused on romantic love. 

Thank you for reading this ! If you’re interested, I’ll link all my references below! Also, Tumblr hates me and won’t let me appear in tags anymore, so reblogs are very appreciated. Ty for reading!

• On the general legend of Tanabata : here and here

• On Yomi : here and here

• On Izanami & Izanagi : here and here

• On Eurydice and Orpheus : here

#hxh #hxh meta #meta #my meta #killugon #idk why i even bother tagging tumblr hates me #reblogs r very appreciated!!

[pomegranates-and-blood]

Σέργω (νοσταλγία deleted scene)

νοσταλγία Masterlist

Σέργω (stérgōto): love (mostly of non-sexual affection), to show affection, to be content, to acquiesce (Ancient Greek)

Pairing: Ivar/Reader

Summary: So, another deleted scene/chapter. This takes place between chapter 26 and 27. It’s just filler stuff that I particularly liked cause it’s the closest thing I can get to fluff without making myself feel insecure.

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: Aside from the usuals to this story, mentions of poisoning.

A/N:Yes this is one giant thing of me just referencing Orpheus and Eurydice’s story and making a lot of parallels between Persephone/Hades and the Reader/Ivar. That is about it.

Self indulgent? Yes. Unnecesary? Also yes. Do I love it tho? Another yes.

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius​​ @heavenly1927​​ @toe-vind-ek-jou​​ @xbellaxcarolinax​​ @pieces-by-me​​ @angelofthorr​​ @samsationalwilson​​  @peachyboneless​​ @1950schick​​​​ @punkrocknpearls​​ @ietss​​ @psych0crybaby​​ @revolution-starter​

And calm slowly but surely starts returning. Granted, it is slightly disrupted by the ‘diplomatic’ visit of one King Harald, who, according to Ivar, probably comes to Kattegat as a subtle reminder of the deals Ivar once made and to gauge at how stable the marriage proves to be.

And the possibility of children, which is not something you had considered before.

And something you won’t start thinking about now, definitely.

You smile in greeting, try not to recoil in disgust when the man with the inked face presses a kiss to the back of your hand; and for once stay quiet and only watch.

The nights that he spends progress simply enough, though you do notice Ivar goes to bed by the time you’ve already fallen asleep most of the nights the King spends in Kattegat, presumably talking with Harald, and you notice Hvitserk be colder than you could have ever believed him to be, as he smiles at the older man.

Even Ubbe, in all his apparent calmness, seems on edge during the time the other man spends in his brother’s kingdom.

The realization he is very much a threat, especially now that he has grounds to feel wronged by Ivar; is something you don’t know what to do with, how to feel about.

“Is he…a threat?” You ask one night, laying on your back in the darkness of the room you share with the man they made to be your husband.

Ivar sighs, “No. He is an ally. He is…angry, but nothing to be worried about.”

The low cadence of his voice, the choice of words…a part of you wonders if Ivar is truly trying to, in his own way, soothe you.

“You angered a great many people marrying me, didn’t you?”

“Just Harald.” He grunts, getting more comfortable.

“And me.”

Ivar smirks, “You won’t go to war against me.”

“For now,” You concede with a breathed laugh. After a moment, you whisper, “What will you do with him?”

“Giving him a looser leash in York will keep him happy. When Stithulf is dealt with and winter passes, we will raid from York again,” Ivar explains, closing his eyes again, “We’ll see then what we can grant him to keep him settled.”

You hum in response, letting your eyes fall closed. Too late you think about what you’re doing when you move closer to Ivar, one of your arms intertwining with his and your cheek resting against his shoulder. You feel him tense under you, and though you wait a few breaths in silence, he doesn’t move. He may not be breathing. With a sigh, you mumble, “I can poison him and make it look like an accident, you just say the word.”

That does manage to make a short laugh leave Ivar’s lips. You pretend to ignore how it trembles past his lips, how his breath is still uneven before he goes back to the unnatural stillness.

Though you consider moving back, wishing that he can relax again, you don’t move. He is too unbelievably warm for you to do anything other than closing your eyes and letting his controlled breaths lull you to sleep.

____

You eye the man with the inked face from your place at the other end of the long table, and, laying your chin on your husband’s shoulder, you silently demand his attention.

Ivar turns his head slightly towards you so, making good use of many late hours teaching him your tongue, you whisper, “I don’t like him, not one bit.”

He chuckles, and a strange pride fills you at being able to make him laugh.

In the accented and still rough Greek, he replies, “Me neither.”

“I don’t appreciate how he looks at me.”

Ivar smiles at this, a lot colder, a lot more…cruel. You know he delights himself in knowing he has you while others want you; especially someone like this King.

“He always wanted what he cannot have. But Harald is harmless.”

“No one is harmless here. Your people ar-…”

“Our people.” He corrects, switching to his own tongue. You roll your eyes.

“The people of Kattegat may be my people as well, but not…Vikings. You have strange customs and even stranger…moral values.”

“Didn’t you promise your love in exchange for an army?” He taunts without hesitation, making you narrow your eyes at him. Ivar offers only a shrug and a mocking smile in response.

“How else was I supposed to get one?” You intone after a moment, tilting your head to the side.

As the night progresses, though you find yourself offering too many fake smiles, you also find yourself learning a lot about the world -and family- you married into.

“And your wife…”

“Ex-wife.” Ubbe corrects, you remain in silence for a moment or two before you continue.

“Your ex-wife, she was…happy with this arrangement?”

“More than ‘happy’, I’d say.” Hvitserk points out, and a smiling Ubbe knocks his cup with his.

“Gods above,” You mutter to yourself, and the Princes laugh. Rolling your eyes at their reaction, you lean closer to your husband, whispering, “When you told me about her, you could have told me…about all that.”

Ivar only shrugs, a tension that only comes up, you’ve noticed, when that particular blonde is brought up coiling around his shoulders and back.

A woman that wasn’t so aware of the dark eyes of King Harald studying her ever since he arrived in Kattegat would have let her hands settle on her husband’s back; but you only stay silent and listen with an absent smile to the tale some rugged warrior starts telling.

“Did anyone tell you about Harald and the Princess he was supposed to marry?” Ivar asks by your ear a while later, bringing your attention back to him.

“I’m guessing it is a good love story.”

“There’s better ones.” He replies, and a smile starts to spread on your face.

“Like?”

He returns his gaze to the feast going on before you, and instead of replying starts telling you of a young Harald that set off to become worthy of a princess that -even though Ivar does not see it, and you are certain the protagonist of the story did not either- was never of a mind to marry him. He tells you of how he found her again and she had already married another, a man that, when it comes to land or titles, was lesser than Harald.

He tells you of how her husband was killed in front of her, and how there’s whispers that she tried killing Harald under the guise of seduction only to be stopped and slaughtered by the King’s brother.

He finishes the tale, and you consider the story in your mind as you chew on a few almonds.

“You feel sorry for him, don’t you?” Ivar asks, incredulous. You turn wide eyes to him, and before you can give form to your explanation, the Viking chuckles, “You do. Gods, woman, you’d let someone escape Hel if they told you a love story, wouldn’t you?”

“I…It was tragic. Moving.” you insist, still betraying a smile at the expression on Ivar’s face, “Stop it, it’s not a fault to have a soft heart.”

He laughs, probably at you, but you find yourself still smiling like a fool. Ivar leans back on his seat, and after a breath of hesitation -that you pretend to ignore, but you both know you’ve noticed- grabs your hand in his and intertwines his fingers and your own.

“Alright. Explain to me why it is that some old fool thinking a princess could love him enough to wait for him is…moving.”

You shrug, your eyes on the stark contrast between his hand and yours where they lay on your lap.

“He loved a woman she never was and she…well, she never loved him at all. Yet Fate brought them together, again and again. It is a tragic tale, as most love stories are, and…”

“And you like tragic stories.” Ivar finishes for you, and you roll your eyes.

“I don’t like them, they just…it’s easier to tell a tragedy than a happy story,” You lean closer and once again resting your chin on his shoulder as he looks back at the feast, you whisper, “Harald’s story with his Princess wouldn’t be one to tell if it weren’t tragic. With her death, with that fallout, the illusion of how happy they could have been, of how perfect everything could have been, remains alive.”

“Is that how you feel about that commander of yours?” He asks suddenly, and when you lean back in surprise he only grabs your hand tighter and keeps his eyes ahead, “You think of how perfect everything could have been with him?”

“Narses?” You ask, incredulous, “No, why would I-…?” Realization dawns on you and you narrow your eyes, “You can’t be jealous of a dead man.”

For a moment you see the clear tell that you’ve struck a nerve, but Ivar recovers quickly enough, leaning closer to you and eyeing you with a barely-there smirk in place.

“You were jealous of a slave.”

“Former slave. A slave you freed, and didn’t tell me about even when she became my friend.” You point out, furrowing your brows at the way his smile grows even more smug.

“I married you,” He reminds you, but you roll your eyes. Ivar chuckles, knowing, “Doesn’t help much, does it?”

“It should to you!” You insist lowly, “I never let him marry me, and he was…”

“Perfect?” He supplies bitterly.

“Someone that didn’t abduct me.”

“And why did you let me make you my wife then, hm?”

Because I wanted to, because it was the one thing that let me stay.

“The Gods only know.” You reply, mock annoyance on your voice, because you cannot bring yourself to be upfront, you cannot bring yourself to give away this truth just yet.

____

Thank you so much for reading!

I’ll try my best to get a one shot done today and post it, but in case I can’t, here’s wishing you a fantastic end of 2020 and an even better start of 2021. Love you!

#ivar the boneless x reader #ivar x reader #ivar the boneless imagine #ivar the boneless #ivar #νοσταλγία masterlist

[alienjock]

the story of orpheus and eurydice has been such potent and heartbreaking myth of tragedy for the past 2000 years and it has never lost even an iota of its impact and sense of loss. the very concept of orpheus literally going to the depths of hell and back to bring eurydice with him, only to be fearful of losing her in those final moments before they reach the surface and turning around and truly lose her, is a beautiful story. one of temptation, faith, love, and desperation. 

but with the newest popular retelling of the myth, hadestown, the whole story is put through an entirely new lens, and not only that, it offers some new, compelling elements to the myth. from the parallels between hades and persephone and orpheus and eurydice, to the relationship of the second couple, to the (mostly) modern setting, it sings the same old story again, and hits hard.

in some versions of the myth, eurydice dies before their marriage from anything to a snake bite to just illness, and in some she dies after theyre married, wandering around the woods. but in hadestown, she chooses to “die” (go to hadestown), out of desperation and fear of starvation. not only does this agency and choice give light to eurydice’s character, but it changes up the dynamic of orpheus and eurydice: orpheus is so lost in his music that he cant pay attention to the world around him, including eurydice, who tries her best to be patient and have faith, but is struggling because all those pretty songs he sings wont save them from the hellish winter to come. 

the modern setting changes (but still keeps the same in many ways) the underworld to a mining town, and the great depression era as the time period, while still holding onto the divine aspects of the story. this changes the story from one of simple lost love, to a tragedy caused by the punishing, merciless laws of capitalism. the absolutely uncanny coincidence of the song “why we build the wall” brings a layer that anais mitchell never meant to bring, but the effect is still the same.

i dont really know where i was going with this post, but i just wanted to talk about some stuff i had on my mind about this musical. i just love it a lot.

#greek mythology #hadestown #orpheus and eurydice

[equalseleventhirds]

if you want to talk about hades town you can do so on this because i am very much interested in your thoughts about it!

fdsfjdskfds oh anon i am at Work and when i get out of work i will be Homework but......... listen. listen.

(ok a lot of this i’ve already rambled abt in my hadestown tag but. BUT). i got into hadestown pre-broadway, which means i listened to the original cast recording from 2017 a BUNCH. and while i adore both version, there were... changes. which i feel did orpheus a disservice, and the overarching plot a disservice, but in some ways treated eurydice better by filling her out more and making her more of a revolutionary. 

anyway, i defos don’t have time for a full song-by-song comparison, and also some of the songs available for the broadway version never made it onto the release of the 2017 version, not bcos they weren’t in the show, just bcos.... idk they weren’t released? weren’t recorded? i do not pretend to know the inner workings of the music industry.

BUT of note: the major changes to epic ii. in the original, orpheus was mocking of hades (’king of a kingdom of dirt’ yo), while in the broadway version, orpheus is just singing abt hades and persephone’s history. epic iii also removes that like, ‘a king who loves everythign like a hammer loves the nail’ and ‘he comes down heavy and hard on us’, so it’s MUCH less about the workers’ resentment of hades and just. about hades and persephone.

btw fuckin miss me with that narrative abt orpheus solving global warming by reminding the ruling class that they’re in love with each other? like, i’m sure that’s more appealing to ur standard can-afford-broadway audience, and as a LOVE story it’s cool, but. just not a good lesson actually. 

also ‘living it up on top’ completely cuts out his ‘why would a man of his own free will go to work all day in the mine and the mill’ which is, y’know, callous when considering the people (like, later, eurydice) driven to work for hades, but is TARGETED at hades, who for real does not NEED to work the way he does. miss that....

we also, throughout the broadway version, get a LOT of hermes speaking for orpheus. in the original, ‘come home with me’ is orpheus convincing eurydice, while the broadway version has hermes telling her that orpheus will make her feel alive. ‘living it up on top’ also changes from persephone speaking directly to orpheus and letting him take up the ‘bless this round’ bit, to having hermes volunteer him. blah blah ‘under my wing’ blah, but having a god (again, member of the ruling class, even if this one’s helpful) speak for him? when we have a version where he speaks for himself? come ON. i am not a fan of orpheus being made helpless! let him make his decisions! let his voice be one of persuasion even BEFORE he goes to the underworld!

(this also ties into my personal take that as a demigod, the son of a muse--and you know how those muses are--orpheus’ carelessness is what originally loses him eurydice. he does not care about eating through the winter, he’s never had to worry about that bcos hermes looks after him, while eurydice has had a harsh life and knows they DO need to worry. art is all well and good, but it is also important to care for the people in your life. it’s later, when orpheus loses eurydice and must venture into the harshness of the underworld, meets the workers/the wall and has to find SOLIDARITY with them in order to stand up to hades, that he finally recognizes the value of working with others to create a better life for all. in this essay i)

i also rly miss the original ‘promises’ bcos like, while orpheus & eurydice as always-in-love is sweet, i really enjoyed the fighty version where they are both resentful & angry abt broken promises, and both acknowledge that what they originally claimed to want from the other & give to one another was both unrealistic and not what they actually wanted, eventually coming to a conclusion that was more based on reality. like. communication resulting in a healthier relationship after dealing with unrealistic expectations.... we stan.

now that i’ve gone over how i think the original was better, i did still LIKE the broadway version, and there were some improvements! most notable, eurydice’s stronger role as like, an active revolutionary (or attempted one, anyway) rather than a more passive rescue.

i genuinely adored the change of ‘anyway the wind blows’ from an intro song by the fates to eurydice singing (with the fates backing her up/singing in her ear), bcos it sets up eurydice as an average sufferer of the world the gods made, and lets us hear it in her voice, her experience, and her opinions. she is the one to say weather ain’t the way it was before--and when we later get persephone telling us ‘some might say the weather ain’t the way it used to be’, she’s dismissing eurydice’s suffering (and the suffering of all humans), bcos she’s more concerned with her own issues with hades than with how she’s impacted the world.

(also the changes made had some Interesting Implications abt persephone’s complicity in that whole ‘keep your head low’ thing, that i think is p cool, actually? like afaik the 2017 version didn’t have ‘no spring/no fall’ going on, so the fact that the broadway one DOES and yet keeps her having spring flowers & autumn leaves only to the ppl in the underworld when she arrives.... inch resting. something something the ruling class provides ‘charity’ of resources people should already have as a reward for ‘good behavior’ something.)

eurydice at the beginning is isolated. she falls in love with orpheus and decides to stay with him, but even them being together does not mean he understands her, or values the same things she does. this is evident in both versions, but in the broadway version, when eurydice goes to the underworld, she does something interesting; she tries to introduce herself to the other workers. now, i never saw the 2017 version in full, only heard the album, but in the album she signs the papers and is rejoicing that she’s ‘free’ and has to be told that she isn’t. she doesn’t really speak to the other workers, beyond this exchange about ‘freedom’. in the broadway version, she’s dejected--she did what she had to do. she knows that’s what the other workers did. and she goes to talk to them about it, bcos in spite of where they are, she wants to create a connection with her fellow workers (building solidarity! my girl!!) (also interesting: at the start of the show. she’s alone. she’s always been alone. she sings about how people always turn on you and she’s better off alone before she meets orpheus, but even after she has to leave him, she tries to make a connection with other people. oh...... character development, we love it.) she doesn’t SUCCEED, but she TRIES. which may be important in why they choose to follow HER later.

now we come to chant (reprise), wait for me (reprise), and doubt comes in, the BEST revolutionary eurydice songs in the ENTIRE show. in the 2017 version these were mostly orpheus-focused (and altho i miss the ‘he said he’s shelter us/he said he’d harbor me’ parallels from the 2017 version of chant ii, the company singing with eurydice & orpheus about ‘if i raise my voice, if i raise my head’ fucks SO HARD). eurydice sings with the workers as they’re revolting, and when they walk out of hadestown, the workers follow her. (they don’t follow orpheus, even tho that’s who eurydice is following; ‘if she can do it so can we’. she’s one of them. she’s the one they’re following. can you BELIEVE). eurydice also gets to echo (louder, stronger, and using our instead of my) orpheus’s fantastic fucking ‘i hear the walls repeating the falling of my feet and it sounds like drumming’ bit, with the workers giving her backup. god. so fucking good.

and then, again, i never saw the 2017 version, but ‘doubt comes in’ in that one is still melancholy even on eurydice’s parts; she’s hopeful, but she’s alone, entirely relying on orpheus to lead her. i did get to see the broadway version (and bro.... the production value on that.... the LIGHTS first of all, the LIGHTING, and this song in particular? all dark when orpheus sings so you can’t see eurydice, and then cut to eurydice in lights with the workers following? MY DUDE.) and eurydice’s bits in this song are triumphant. she is sure they will get out, she is dancing and turning back to the workers as she sings she is right behind him (they sing back: we are right behind you). she is following him and sure of him, and she is with the workers and they are with her.

which is part of why ‘sing it again’ does so little for me, actually? like, orpheus had his chance, and he fucked it up, and yes it’s a beautiful story and we want to think he’d do it right, but this is nothing like the end, and singing it again leaves no way to move forward. eurydice led the workers! she gave them her name, she made them care, she was their beacon of hope and what they could become (compare to their previous beacon of hope, persephone, who shows up once a year and sells them remnants of their former lives and does not try to lead them out bcos she’s too caught up in her own anger). eurydice did not make it out with orpheus, but i HAVE to imagine that she and the workers got that taste of freedom, that taste of memory, that taste of solidarity, and would not just forget it again. it becomes more than a love story, it becomes about eurydice’s position of solidarity with the other mortals (something orpheus almost gets, but fails due to insecurity and inexperience and being the outside-savior rather than one of them). and obvs that doesn’t work with the original orpheus and eurydice myth, but listen...... let them bother hades after the end. let them fucking unionize. pls it would be so GOOD i am just! i am just!!

#fdsakjflds i said i didn't have time but HERE WE FUCKING ARE #welp. gonna put this in my tag bcos........ well. #i will first ramble in tags to try adn avoid global tags bcos holy shit this is a long essay #oh also #long post #in case the read more doesn't work #anyway........ hadestown is abt love but more than THAT it SHOULD be about revolution. #hadestown

[creativenostalgiastuff]

Casting the Sides for Hadestown

@today-only-happens-once and I were talking and started discussing Hadestown as it relates to the Sides. We bounced some ideas arround and I walked away having to post my choices on casting the Sides for Hadestown. I am not saying the characters are the same, just that I would want them to play that role becuase I think there are some interesting parallels or interactions doing it that way. In no way should the shipping of the characters be looked into in much depth. I don’t mean this to cause shipping debate, just some fun casting moments. Disclaimer: IF you don’t want Hadestown spoiled for you, you may not want to read since it doesn’t give the story away, but hints at things. 

 Orpheus- Roman

Part of show that indicates why I made that choice: song Come Home with Me

Hermes: Don’t come on too strong. Orpheus: Come home with me. Eurydice: Who are you? Orpheus: The man whose gonna marry you.

So I’m going with Orpheus because he’s creative, a romantic, hopeful, all of the best intentions. But he doesn’t have the confidence, really, which comes back to get him. Plus, you have to admit that some of his moments played by Roman would be hysterical, like the example above.

Eurydice- Virgil

Part of show that indicates why I made that choice: song Flowers

Eurydice: What I wanted was to fall asleep, close my eyes and disappear, like a petal on a stream, a feather on the air...

Eurydice is a more jaded dreamer, who would probably say she sees herself more as a “realist”. She makes choices in order to survive and get what she think she wants. Virgil is all about survival at the root of his being. Plus, while he comes off harshly at the start, the more you get to know him, you realize he does have his soft moments.

Hermes- Patton

Part of the show that indicates why I made that choice: song Road to Hell 

Hermes: It’s a sad tale, and a tragedy It’s a sad song, And we’re gonna sing it anyway

Hermes starts off as the guide for the audience and gives lots of background info. He tells us from the start that it is a sad story, so we know in the first 5 minutes of this that it won’t go well. Patton is always atune to his emotions, good and bad. He wants things to go well, but they don’t always. I think him telling the story and wanting it to turn out well would play out interestingly.

Hades- Deceit

Part of the show that indicates why I made that choice: song Hey Little Songbird

Hades: Hey little songbird, look all around See how the vipers and vultures surround you And they’ll take you down, they’ll pick you clean

Hades tries to convince Eurydice to join him without giving her the whole picture. His motives and intentions aren’t super clear really at the start of this. I think the deception and lies of omission would make for a fun reading by Deceit, a side that seems to want power. Plus you get a fun time with some of the dynamics this casting choice creates. 

Persephone- Logan

Part of the show that indicates why I made that choice: song How Long

Persephone: What does he care for the logic of kings? The laws of your underworld

Persephone is all about balance. She also understands her role as it relates to the world and her husband (doesn’t mean she likes it, but I digress). She often takes the role of a mediator as it relates to her husband, which is something that Logan does in the Sides universe. 

Fates- Remus

Part of the show that indicates why I made that choice: song Wait for Me

Fates: Who are you? Where do you think you’re going? Who are you? Why are you all alone? Who do you think you are To think that you can walk a road that no one ever walked before?

The Fates are very much the voice in the back of the characters’ minds as they move throughout the show. They are the nagging, the questioning, the doubt. And if that isn’t Remus I don’t know what is.

#sanders sides #hadestown #casting shows with characters #roman sanders #virigl sanders #deceit sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #remus sanders #orpheus #eurydice #hades #persephone #hermes #fates

[roseategales]

OF A GOD & MAN — SEEING SOLAS THROUGH THE MIRROR OF HADESTOWN: INTRODUCTION.

When talking about the song Why We Build The Wall and the inspiration behind it, Anaïs Mitchell has described the imagery of the wall itself as “archetypal,” “mythic,” and an “effective idea when people are feeling vulnerable.” Her descriptions, I think, show us how well she understands not just the tragedy of the Orpheus myth and Greek Mythology, but what storytelling, at its heart, is: The exploration of tried and true struggles and archetypes that were and are so fundamental to human life that the ancients built whole mythologies to understand them, to wrestle with them, to use them to teach, and to comfort themselves and their loved ones, that’s carried on to the people of today.

Storytelling at its heart—emotionally compelling storytelling, especially—is reflection and recognition of these things. It’s a feedback loop between life and art, history and present, audience and author, the individual person and our communities. And so, inevitably, we’ll find patterns and parallels woven in through every work there is, because of the interconnectedness of society and its ideas.

Enter Hadestown and Solas of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Two admittedly unlikely places to find uncanny parallels in, however inevitable.

Upon first glance, there is nothing that should connect these two stories, beyond that they were written to be tragedies and based on pre-existing myths (Orpheus from Greek Mythology and Loki from Norse Mythology, respectively.) One is a concept album turned Broadway musical, the other is a character who was created for an RPG franchise. But the similarities are, like the imagery of the wall and the whole of their stories, archetypal. Cyclical, even.

Aside from the characters themselves, we see this in the use of common imagery and motifs both works employ to communicate their ideas to audiences. In DA:I, Solas likens the Fade to “a state of nature, like the wind” and a “fast flowing river [that can] drown careless children, [or] can also carry a merchant's goods or grind a millers flour.” The wind in Hadestown is associated with the Fates themselves—the three goddesses who hold and spin the destinies of gods and men, thus who are fittingly used in the musical as a paradoxical metaphor for the characters’ own thoughts and the adversities outside of their control. The rivers are sung of by the goddesses as a mirror to the way the world works:

Why the struggle, why the strain? / Why make trouble, why make scenes? / Why go against the grain, why swim upstream? / It ain't, it ain't, it ain't no use / You're bound, you're bound, you're bound to lose / What's done, what's done, what's done is done / That's the way the river runs.

And they’re also described by Orpheus as one of nature’s resources willing to provide for him and Eurydice once his song is complete, what deafens Hades, blinds Persephone, and, of course, as the barrier of the River Styx in Hadestown below.

Similarly, the concepts of melodies and songs are used to frame important devices in both Hadestown and Dragon Age. Orpheus’ continuous labour on “a song to fix what’s wrong” is a driving force for his character and the musical’s plot. Lyrium and the Veil in the Dragon Age mythos is said to emit a song or a frequency. When asked about the magic of the Ancient Elves, Solas describes the spells that take years to cast as “an unending symphony.” Even in trying to comfort Solas himself, Cole describes his wounds as such in this exchange:

Cole: You are quiet, Solas. Solas: Unless I have something to say, yes. Cole: No, inside. I don't hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still.

The notions of musicality are effective, as with the leitmotifs of the rivers and the wind. By invoking them, writers can call to mind the feeling of being tugged along by currents and tides, of rhythms and beats as natural to us as breathing, and pull us to connection with the worlds and characters they’ve created. That Patrick Weekes and the Dragon Age team recognised and leaned into this, is clever.

The formats of how these worlds and characters are presented to us also lend to the link between the two works. In the opening and penultimate numbers of the show, Hermes and the Chorus sing, “It’s an old song / And we’re gonna sing it again,” referencing that they are retelling the myth of Orpheus as well as beginning their specific interpretation anew.

Like a retelling, a soundtrack, and a musical, the very form of an RPG encourages me to go back to the beginning and play it again, and to rediscover and interact with it differently every time. I may know the major themes and pieces of the narrative, but I can revisit it and find new gems to examine that I might have missed before, or reread lines and see another interpretation layered upon them.

And on a beautifully meta level, the act of beginning a story again also relates to Solas in how he visits and relives memories in the Fade, reenacted by the spirits who’ve observed the scenes. There, he is an audience member, like us, watching retellings of legends long past.

So, while it’s surprising to see so many parallels between Solas, the world of Dragon Age, and Hadestown, it really shouldn’t be. The bricks laid for the foundation of their stories are ancient, made new.

It’s my hope that in writing this meta series, I’ll be able to use the parallels and character types of Hadestown to illuminate facets of Solas’ character, how he converses with the world he lives in, and vice versa. I’m going to be pulling from all three albums and their portrayals of the characters, and the related Greek myths. The series will be divided into three main parts and their own subsections: Solas and Orpheus, Solas and Hades, and Solavellan. The posts will mostly be composed like essays, like this one, but there will likely be shorter posts and observations too.

Let’s sing it all again.

#da meta #dai meta #solas meta #dragon age meta #mine. #text post. #of a god & man: solas & hadestown meta series. #dragon age. #hadestown. #solas. #hhhhh i'm doing this #i'm actually doing this #please send me questions if there's stuff you want me to cover specifically #i have notes but they're a mess lmao #long post /

[celestialsblues]

So, I saw Hadestown yesterday and so I wanted to point out some cool stuff in the show that I saw. This is in absolutely no order.

- The candle Eurydice lights stays lit until Hermes blows it out when she goes down to Hadestown

- The Fates literally circle around people like vultures and are almost constantly moving around and in and out of the stage when they’re in a scene, all of their choreography is really cool

- The fight choreography for Papers is awesome, there’s a part where Orpheus basically jumps up and falls back onto the workers and they carry him for a bit kind of upside down and it’s sick. They pull him by the suspenders a couple times too. I was not expecting to like Papers as much as I did

- I don’t think the OBCR captures just how sad Eurydice sounds in Flowers like, she looks like she’s on the verge of tears almost the entire song it made me want to start crying myself

- How in Epic III the workers start to take off their caps and look out at the audience to show how they can finally see again and want to work with Orpheus

- All of Epic III, just everything is so good

- This has nothing to do with the show but shout out to the ushers at the Walter Kerr theater for being so nice, ya’ll are awesome 

- Speaking of the Walter Kerr it is a beautiful theater like damn, the paintings are nice

- Doubt Comes In is terrifying. I don’t think I can explain it well, literally all of the lights go out at first expect for the one on Orpheus and him and Eurydice are on the turntable. You can see her slightly due to Orpheus’ light and there’s a part where she goes into the darkness and then vanishes and she isn’t on the stage anymore. Also there’s some parts where Orpheus looks like he’s going to turn around when Eurydice is singing and its heartbreaking 

- How in Road to Hell (Reprise) the song is almost over and you think ‘Oh no is everyone gonna come out and Orpheus isn’t gonna be here’ but then he comes out in his Act 1 outfit with his apron and man it’s both nice and sad at the same time

- The time between Hades telling Orpheus to sing to him and then when he starts singing is longer because like, they have to adjust the microphone and stuff and it’s funny and made me forget my sad feelings for a second

- I love how the show starts, I have nothing to add other than this show is so aware of the audience 

- God practically every song in this show is a show stopping number, I can’t stress enough how outstanding all of these songs are despite the fact that I literally have listened to them almost a hundred times before seeing this show

- In Wait For Me (Reprise) Hades and Persephone end up standing there directly paralleling Orpheus and Eurydice and its beautiful  

- All of the lighting, I really understand now why they won best lighting design because the lighting in every scene, specifically the Chants and Wait for Me are outstanding

- And to talk about lighting I have to talk about how in How Long, the lighting goes from the orangey red of Hadestown when Hades is singing to the nice blue from up above when Persephone is singing 

- If It’s True is amazing and all I have to say is how in the song how all the workers end up sitting in a circle around Orpheus and he points to them and idk what I’m trying to say but its interesting

- Due to the fact that its a small theater, small stage, and small cast you really feel super close to the stage and the actors even when you’re not like, I was up on the balcony and they still felt super close to me its cool

- If you need to know anything about me its that I love his kiss, the riot. It’s literally on my list of top favorite songs of all time due to how much I love it and just hearing that accordion solo live made me very happy shout out to the Hadestown band they are outstanding

- The whole cast is amazing and I don’t know what else to say about them other than the fact that I love them all

I have nothing else to say other than that fact that this is an outstanding show and honestly no show has deserved best musical like this one does. The amount of love and effort put into it is so clearly shown. Everything about it, the music, the story, the dancing, the set, the lighting, everything is so so so great. I can already see the impact and the message this show puts out. This show is absolutely outstanding, I cannot praise it enough. 

#hadestown #pen's rambles

[ifeveristoday]

team Slow Burn/Burn it All Down

“Real monsters don’t announce themselves or present opportunities. Not here. They enter your head, your heart, tear at you from within.” -- Angel, Hellmouth #2

Are we talking about the demons underground or the demon walking around with Angel’s face?

Hellmouth leans heavy on foreshadowing and having unspoken/underlining meanings that differ from the actual words on the page. It continues using elements from Egyptian and Roman/Greek mythos but the main draw of this issue - and I’m assuming the rest of the series, is the reluctant partnership of Buffy and Angel. I don’t agree with the criticism that taking Buffy and Angel away from their respective apocalypses ruins the flow of the overall arcs. It’s a vast story to tell and the pace of the reboots (which is something I have criticized) makes it difficult to include in the main storylines without sacrificing important character development. There are just so many characters, especially in Sunnydale. Jordie’s writing excels at the character and emotional beats rather than plots, and while we have had some great strides in Willow, Xander and Jenny’s personal journeys, there remains some distance from the namesake characters, which I feel like it was intentional to get to the place that Hellmouth occupies. 

Love it or hate it, the Buffy and Angel relationship is a huge part of both of their stories and character developments and we’ve had inklings of how Buffy is going to change/possibly wreck Angel’s life in Angel, but he’s remained a shadowy figure in Buffy’s story. Hellmouth changes all of that while retaining some of the original canon’s flaws/trademarks but also poking gentle fun at them.

Spoilers from Hellmouth #2 below the cut.

Buffy and Angel are slightly different from their canon selves - Angel is independent of Buffy’s journey at the very beginning and already has his purpose set in Los Angeles. Buffy is a newly minted Slayer, living with her secret for a whole three weeks before wacky Slayer hijinks puts her in the path of Willow and Xander. Their initial meeting/relationship is reminiscent of the very early episodes of Season 1 Buffy - with a reasonable amount of wariness on Buffy’s part and Angel’s dry/slightly cocky attitude with a 2019 update of their anxieties. There’s also a flip in roles as Angel asks Buffy how she’s feeling and what she wants to do in the future at the start. It’s just the feeling of a connection with no romantic overtones. 

The comic recognizes the fucked-upness of Buffy being a child and fighting the forces of evil and sympathizing with her via the character of Jenny. While there is an obligatory nod to Buffy’s desire to be normal, it also makes a point of isolating her from the Scoobies and her frustration at knowing how to be the best Slayer she can be. Giles tells her that he’s to direct her, but not tell her explicitly what she has to do sounds an awful like parents preparing their children for adulthood. There is no handbook. While Buffy is welcomed into Willow and Xander’s circle (and that’s another flip - it is Willow who reaches out to Buffy first and invites her into being social), they’re very much a unit while Buffy sort of floats between their friendship. But I feel due to them being so young, it’s easy to claim best friendship, because - the intensity of feelings and hormones.

This makes Buffy’s character kind of harder to read, and less sunshiney than her OG counterpart. But it’s a shared facade - TV Buffy just hid it better underneath girliness and bouncy hair, while Boom! Buffy is focused, for better or worse to her duty. This is a Buffy that hasn’t quit Slaying before, who gets slightly conflicted guidance from her Watcher and who needs Willow and Xander more than they possibly need her to be a connection to being sixteen. Everyone has their own stuff to deal with.

Hellmouth gives Buffy the spotlight and also drops her into an immediate partnership with Angel. It very pointedly is not a romance - they both get on each others nerves actually, and it inspires A+ bantering while revealing the most of each character so far. Buffy’s venting to Angel (Buffy #8/Hellmouth #1) implies that she’s worried about her friendships and failure to connect, that she’d rather tell a complete stranger this than confide in her friends/Watcher. 

Angel listening and not judging shows an immediate empathy for her - and his actions during Hellmouth show a more vulnerable/less closed off Angel. He doesn’t occupy the same caretaker vibe he has with Fred and Gunn that he does with Buffy, namely because Buffy refuses it. She calls him out on trying to be the mysterious weight of the world Loner who takes on all of the responsibilities. 

Angel quickly realizes he just can’t be That Guy with Buffy, and it makes his character hilariously resigned/looser in response. He warns her about dangers in the Hellmouth but accepts Buffy’s way is different from his, but that doesn’t make it wrong. He’s willing to admit he might have been wrong about demons being upfront when the slithery shapeshifter demon confronts them - and Buffy’s snarky response “Cool, cool. Won’t rub that in.” lightens the tense moment. 

Notably, Angel is the one that gets injured/dragged by the demons while Buffy runs to save him. The fighting sequences are highlighted and Buffy’s scenes, in particular, are very smooth and highlights her Slayer grace. They fight beautifully together and despite their prickly banter, feel a shared responsibility to each other’s well being. Their separate confrontations with the shapeshifter shows their fears - Buffy ‘abandoning’ her family and friends and failing to protect them, Angel seeing the ghosts of the people he’s failed to save. Buffy reacts strongly to how her family and friends need her, while Angel angrily tells the shifter to stay out of his head and that it doesn’t know anything about him. Circling back to Buffy saying she doesn’t know what she wants, the Ominous voice implies Angel doesn’t really know what he’s doing and who he is.

Ah, vague accusations of something evil and upsetting, how I haven’t missed you.

After Angel demands to know who’s blood is needed for the further escalation of Evil Plan, and the Voice doesn’t reply, he immediately realizes Buffy is in danger and runs to find her.

Buffy’s still fighting the shifter and it mentions she could put an end to her family and friends’ suffering with her sacrifice - namely, that her blood will save the world.

While Buffy logically knows that the shifter isn’t her mom (because of course, the shifter would take on the form of Joyce), this emotional blackmail breaks her out of the illusion and she kicks it’s ass. Almost punching out Angel in the process. 

Angel is less emotional about his ordeal and Buffy lets him have it again, telling him that it's unfair that she’s the only one being vulnerable - “I opened up because we need to work together, and you haven’t said a thing.”

Instead of being defensive and defaulting to Sir Mopes a Lot - Angel sincerely apologizes and tells her that his fears were also centered around his friends and him not being able to save them in time.

And it’s Buffy’s turn to reassure him/pass on wisdom - she realizes that the Hellmouth wants to separate them to make them weaker and that Angel deserves a little more empathy from her.

THEY’RE COMMUNICATING THEIR FRUSTRATIONS AND CONCERNS WITH EACH OTHER, Y’ALL.

Angel does have a moment of saying, “Silent suffering is more my cup of tea,” and Buffy’s quick response of “And how’s that working for you?” showcase their differences/similarities nicely. Angel despite making friends doesn’t tell them what he’s thinking because he’s used to being alone, Buffy with her very loud opinions isolates herself (un)intentionally because she’s new to Slaying and being a teenager at the same time. They can’t talk to the people who care for them--- but they can talk to each other.

When they face hurdles, they take turns reassuring/pointing out the Obvious Evil, and then a tiny moment - Angel adds onto Buffy’s observation of not getting surrounded by the demon horde by saying, “Just like Thermopylae.”

As with each issue of the Boom!verse, when names I don’t recognize I obviously google them - and Thermopylae is a reference to both the battle of Thermopylae (think the 300 comic and uh, history) and the “Hot Gates,” and is the cavernous entrance to Hades.

Is my theory/wish that there’s going to be Persephone/Hades parallels and Eurydice/Orpheus vibes in this story going to play out? God, I hope so.

Anyway, back to the moment - when they inevitably get surrounded by the demon hordes, Buffy remarks, “Well, there goes thermometer.”

The. Classic. Buffy. Malapropism.

My heart.

Angel gets slashed in the fight, and Buffy worries about him, but there’s a bigger problem - 

narrated by the Voice - “Are you sure everything is as it seems? You’ve been wrong before.”

“Blood is spilled...vessels are filled...every pretender killed.”

Shot to Drusilla as Prometheus in chains, spouting some of the worst “Dru-esque” dialogue I’ve read. Sorry Jordie, this is up there with the clunky faux Whedonisms of the early issues.

So Dru isn’t the major Big Bad, but rather the unseen Voice, who we, of course, don’t know.

Is she ultimate sacrifice, the vessel (after all she is of Angel’s bloodline) and oh, Angel Still Hasn’t Told Buffy He’s A Vampire which...

Boo.

All of the voice overs hint that the confession when it happens is going to cause Buffy Big Mad - after all, Angel knows more about her than she does of him, AGAIN.

The art and coloring is stunning as ever in this issue - Carlini really knows how to draw action sequences, and the varying light/color schemes really make the sense of Buffy and Angel descending into the Hellmouth feel vivid and real.

tl;dr I loved this issue and each issue the stakes definitely seem higher. The bantering and a slow reveal of their personalities are also excellent. The foreshadowing/double meanings of the dialogues.

The stuff I don’t like - the Dru dialog at the end, Angel being secretive about his Vampire self.

#hellmouth #thoughts and reactions #reactions and reviews #my review #buffy comics #angel comics #boom! studios #boom! verse #disaster grumpy bats #the ballad of buffy and angel #buffy summers #angel

[cdyssey]

Hadestown (7/14/19), Act I

Act II

This is largely just me rambling about how much I love Hadestown and how beautiful it was to see live, but I’m going to be heavy on spoilers, so please don’t read this if you want to go in blind!!!

*An overlay pic I did in, like, three seconds on my phone, lol.

Hadestown, a sweeping thesis statement: It was the most beautiful musical I’ve seen in my life, and it touched me profoundly.

Hadestown, a hieroglyphic summary of me during the entire show: 😭😭😭😭😭😭 (I’m srs. I was in tears every three minutes. I cried during the standing ovation.)

Hadestown, Act One:

“Road to Hell” —

What an opening number. My gods—so vivacious and vital and joyfully, deliriously alive.

The first noises you hear in the moments before “Road to Hell” are the sharp clacks of André’s shoes as he makes his way across the stage. Even in a handful of silent seconds, he makes his presence known. Right before he starts the song, he unbuttons his coat and shows his sparkly vest off. I love him???????

Like, I adore how he so perfectly inhabits the role of an omniscient, omnipresent narrator. He’s literally a god walking among men, and that’s such a beautiful take on Hermes.

The stage for “Road to Hell” is set up to be a kind of bar where Orpheus works as a busboy! Orpheus sweeps around cleaning off tables, and Eurydice (Jessie Shelton!!) comes in seeking shelter from the cold. When Hermes announces that it’s the beginning of Orpheus and Eurydice’s tale, they come face to face for the first time and simply stare at each other.

Also, you know how Hermes takes extra care to mention that Orpheus’s mother was a Muse and a friend of his?? I think that tidbit helps set up the friendly, mentor-like relationship Hermes and Orpheus have throughout the musical!!

“Any Way the Wind Blows” —

Okay, this is where I desperately wish that the entire OBC was out because I only remember a couple of things from this song, and that makes me sad. ;-;

But what I can tell y’all is that Jessie Shelton is a brilliant, nuanced Eurydice. Her youth and her scrappiness shine through; her hunger—for sustenance, for hope, for a better life—evidences itself in every note she sings!!

AND THE FATES. MY GODS, THE FATES. I LOVE THEM. Kay, Jewelle, and Yvette imbue them with such chaotic evil energy™. They’re quite sinister throughout the musical, tempting and teasing whomever they’re stalking in turns. I’d literally die for all of them!!

But anyway, in this song, Eurydice lights a candle to protect herself from the cold, and the Fates constantly lurk over her shoulder, pretty much dogging her. It’s here you begin to realize what weight Eurydice has on her shoulders. She knows what’s behind her back. She knows who’s trying to steal her light.

OH, OH, and up to around “Epic I,” keep an eye on Hades and Persephone in the balcony!! They’re playing dominoes together.

“Come Home With Me” —

ASFVDS. The intro to this one is so funny. Hermes tries to play wingman for Orpheus and advises him to be chill and not come on too strong. Immediately afterwards, Orpheus is, like, COME HOME WITH ME. MARRY ME.

(Reeve Carney is a national treasure and should b protected.)

But basically, this song is Orpheus’s proposal song!! Eurydice is skeptical, but she increasingly and incrementally warms up to him.

“Wedding Song” —

OOH, this one’s a jam!! It sounds like something str8 off of a country album.

A lot of it is Eurydice warming up to the idea of marrying Orpheus. She’s obviously at war with what she knows and what she wants—the world she dreams about and the world she lives in.

Sometime during the song, Orpheus sings the “la, la, la” melody to her and inexplicably procures a flower for her. So awed by it and him and the magic they create together with their love, Eurydice melts.

Also, holy heck!!! The staging is really amazing for this one. At some point, Orpheus walks on a bridge of tables to Eurydice. He finishes one table, and one of the company members moves another so that it’s right in front of him.

“Epic I” —

Just so y’all know, every time an “Epic” is sung, I just full on start crying. 😭

“Epic I” starts with Orpheus trying to figure out where the “la, la, la” melody came from, and Hermes tells him it used to be sung by Persephone and Hades. He urges our boy to recall their love story through song.

As he sings, attention is drawn to the balcony for the first time since “Road to Hell” as the gods react to their story being sung. Hades is largely uninterested, but Persephone leans over the balcony to listen to Orpheus, obviously moved.

“Livin’ It Up On Top” —

Is this a good time 2 declare my undying love for Amber Gray and everything she stands for?????????

BECAUSE GODS, SHE’S AMAZING. I saw her in Great Comet as Hélène, and even then, I was impressed by the nuance she brought to what could have been a one-note character in the wrong hands, but her Persephone?????????? Brilliant. Flawless. The love of my life. I’m forever a stan. With her loose (but graceful) limbs and brightly lit eyes, she makes sure you know that Persephone is one hell of a character without even singing so much as a word, but when she does sing?? The power and liveliness in her voice echoes all over Walter Kerr.

Amber 👏 Gray 👏 is 👏 a 👏 powerhouse.

OKAY, back to the song!! This might be a little before it starts or right as it begins, but before she leaves the balcony to usher in spring, she kisses Hades on the cheek. He doesn’t really react, and that broke my heart.

(ALSO, BASELESS CONJECTURE, but you know how Hermes mentions that Persephone is always late?? I’ve always wondered if that’s her parallel to Hades being early. Even though their relationship has stagnated, she doesn’t want to leave him. 😭😭😭😭)

Like “Road to Hell,” this song’s just full of life and fun. Persephone plays around with Eurydice and Orpheus a lot, and it’s honestly the first time we see Eurydice loosen up and let herself be happy.

“All I’ve Ever Known” —

Eurydice and Orpheus make me emo. ;-;

At some point, when she’s singing that all she’s ever known is how to hold her own, Orpheus reaches out for her. She flinches at first, but a couple of verses later, reaches out to him.

When Orpheus sings “I’m gonna hold you forever,” he hugs her from behind and crushes her tightly to his chest, and the relief on her face was just palpable. Oh, my godssssss.

All the while, Persephone is watching them, obviously in love with their love, and Hades is reading a newspaper on the balcony!

“Way Down Hadestown” —

LEGIT ONE OF MY FAVES. GOD, THE LYRICS, THE ENERGY, AND THE ACTING WAS AMAZING.

“Better go get your suitcase packed! Guess it’s time to go!” The Fates sing this mockingly at Persephone, and shortly after this, she slowly bends over in despair, her face hidden, her arms limp.

BUT THEN, and this almost made me SCREAM, she begins to tap her feet to the music EVEN AS SHE’S STILL BENT OVER. ASFCDSS. I love Amber Gray. It’s almost like, depressed though she may be, she can’t help but dance to the rhythm. She does this right up until her next verse.

Throughout the first half of the song, Orpheus and Eurydice are just, like, hella enjoying the music together. They’re snuggling and cuddling, and at one point, they’re lying down at the front of the stage spooning as they watch Hermes, Persephone, and co. dance.

In the second half of the song, though, when Hermes starts warning them about the dangers of Hadestown, there’s a subtle shift. Even though the music is still jaunty, he and Persephone and the company are clearly trying to drill it into the lovebirds’ brains that all that glitters isn’t gold. I used to dislike tht those lines were taken from Orpheus, but now I really appreciate the meaning the change conveys.

Hades shows up in his jacket and glasses and gets a big laugh with his “I missed ya” line. (SPOILER ALERT: PATRICK PAGE IS ALSO THE LOML.)

“Seems like he owns everything.” / “Kinda makes you wonder how it feels...” When Eurydice longingly sings this line, Hades lowers his glasses to appraise her, his interest caught. Orpheus, seeing the way he looks at her, jumps in front of Eurydice as though to shield her.

GOD, this song was good.

(OH, and question? Is the accordion a big part of Hades’s musical motif? I noticed that there’s a lot more of it being played whenever he shows up or is being talked about.)

“A Gathering Storm” —

I’ll talk about this more later, but the lighting work is incredible in Hadestown. Like, in this song, for instance, the blues and grays are sharp departures from how brightly lit the stage was when Persephone was down for spring.

This song is where the ideological divide between Eurydice and Orpheus really becomes apparent as Orpheus grapples with the tragedy that spring is gone, while Eurydice just accepts it. It’s just how it is. He runs to finish his song, while Eurydice runs to find them food and shelter. You can see the fear and and hunger and desperation begin to creep upon Eurydice’s face again. Gone now is the girl who laughed and dance during “Livin’ It Up On Top.”

“Epic II / “Chant” —

“Epic II” is Orpheus trying to finish his song as he continues to piece together why winter came so early! I think Eurydice is offstage for this one, presumably scavenging for food while he writes like he’s running out of time.

I don’t remember WHY it’s so awesome, but the transition from “Epic II” to “Chant” is incredible. (@WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE - RELEASE THE REST OF THE OBC, PLS.)

ALSO, “CHANT.” GOD. This has always been up there in my top five for its lyrics alone, but the staging is insane. If there’s a song in Hadestown that works like a well-oiled machine made up of so many moving parts, then it’s “Chant.”

When Persephone starts singing about how bright and hot it is, she calls attention to the fact that the lighting upon her is exceptionally, painfully bright. Throughout this entire song, her face is shattered with fear and horror as she looks around and takes in what Hades did to their kingdom. It’s heartwrenching, and I CRIED.

The company is absolutely incredible in every song, but I was especially struck by their movements here. Toiling away, they circled the raised pedestal that Hades and Persephone stood on. At one point, their movements were such that they resembled a gear moving.

And also, these acting choices makes me so damn emo: For “Chant” up to “Epic III,” Hades can’t hardly keep his eyes off of Persephone, both when she’s singing to him or he’s singing to her. However, after she’s done singing to him, she nigh refuses to look at him while he sings to her. Patrick and Amber r the best.

When Orpheus sings his first “la, las” in “Chant,” he’s still trying to write his song. In her conversation with Hermes, Eurydice grows increasingly frustrated, as in, How the hell is a song going to save us? She still has a little hope at this point, but it’s quickly waning. The red carnation in her hair, put there by Persephone in “Livin’ It Up On Top” is the brightest item on the stage. (It especially contrasts well with Eurydice’s monochromatic costume.)

ALSO, Jessie went HARD on Eurydice’s high notes. SHE’S SO GOOD, Y’ALL.

In the middle of “Chant” when Orpheus is still trying to figure out Hades and Persephone’s story, Hermes is trying to warn him about the storm ahead, about Eurydice, but he’s so caught up in what he’s doing, that he can’t hear or see anything beyond his lyre and the lyrics.

Towards the tail end of “Chant,” the Fates steal Eurydice’s backpack and coat, really sealing in the apparent hopelessness of her situation. The way Eurydice hugs her arms against the wind made me want to CRY.

“Hey, Little Songbird” / “When the Chips Are Down” / “Gone, I’m Gone” —

It’s either at the tail end of “Chant” or the beginning of “Songbird,” but Persephone is lowered into the ground through the in-stage elevator (that usually symbolizes the ascent and descent to Hadestown), while Hades remains above ground to croon at Eurydice. The entire time she’s lowered down, she stares angrily at Hades until she’s pulled from sight.

TIME TO TALK ABOUT PATRICK PAGE NOW!!! His voice is so unreal—it’s like a sinkhole, so deep and consuming and churning with gravel. I literally can’t imagine any other person doing what he does in the role of Hades.

“Songbird” largely consists of Eurydice trying her best to resist Hades’s temptation, but faltering as he starts to echo her own thoughts. I think he hits the biggest nerve when he guesses that Orpheus is a penniless poet.

“SONGBIRD VS. RATTLESNAKE.” OMG, I didn’t realize that the Fates are the rattlesnake until seeing this song live and watching them sashay across the stage like one. ASDFVDS, I’m so dumb. Anyway, again, and I cannot stress this enough, but the Fates are incredible. If Hades opened the wound, then the Fates drove in the nail, reemphasizing what Eurydice already half-believes.

“THE FIRST SHALL BE FIRST, AND THE LAST SHALL BE LAST. CAST YOUR EYES TO HEAVEN—YOU GET A KNIFE IN THE BACK.” Omg, first of all, these lines go hard, and secondly, with the knife line, Eurydice acts like she’s been stabbed, and her entire face just contorts with pain.

“Gone, I’m Gone” is incredibly affecting. I don’t know if Eva does this live, but Jessie sounded like she was sobbing as she sung this.

When Eurydice decides to descend to Hadestown, the elevator goes down with her and returns with only her flower. I straight up lost it.

“Wait for Me” / “Why We Build the Wall”—

HELLO, AMERICAN THEATRE WING?? WHERE IS REEVE CARNEY’S TONY AND APOLOGY LETTER???? THANK YOU.

At the beginning of “Wait for Me,” Hermes picks up the carnation and twiddles it in his hand until the line “With all your heart?” Then, he places it on Orpheus’s, well, heart.

God, the lamps swinging through Walter Kerr made me weep. That’s such a beautiful staging choice. Rachel Chavkin, wherever you are, I love you.

“Wait For Me” received an extended applause. It most certainly went on for at least two minutes.

God, I love “Why We Build the Wall.” I could drown Patrick Page’s voice and be happy with that life decision. (On a side note, does the intro of this one remind anyone of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”????)

This is the first song in which Persephone comes down in her Hadestown garb, a black dress, her hair restrained in a net(?). The difference between the bright green and the black is harrowing. All of the energy just seems to be vacuumed out of her. She, Hermes, and the company sycophantically sing when Hades asks them to.

After the instrumental portion of the song, Eurydice ascends on the elevator, arriving in Hadestown. She almost immediately makes eye contact with Persephone, quite obviously feeling the same shock that I did upon seeing the lively goddess clothed in black. Shock turns to horror as she realizes that this isn’t the rest she’d been hoping for. Persephone looks at her sadly as Hades calls her into the office to sign papers.

And oh, God, this musical absolutely ruined me in the best of possible ways. I’ll type up my thoughts on Act II tomorrow!!!

#hadestown #eurydice #orpheus #persephone #hades #p: hadestown #hadestown spoilers #i'm so emo #i just needed to catalog my thoughts #so i don't forget them

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seeing hadestown 9/29/19 - part two

under the cut is my take on act two of hadestown after seeing it. i didnt really do a play by play of what’s happening in every scene so this is kind of assuming that you have some previous knowledge of the show and focuses on on the cast and the little things they were doing. part 1 here. meeting the cast. meeting tlt cast. if you have more questions or are curious about anything else PLEASE come and ask me in my inbox or messages i could talk about this show for the rest of my life

our lady of the underground:

the workers weren’t there - it was just persephone and hermes which was really cool

not sure if that was a new thing or a temp thing or something i was supposed to know but yeah i thought the workers were usually there

amber is obviously captivating in this song

she comes in arm and arm with hermes and then she like tries kissing him and he makes a disgusted face at her and walks away so she chases him while shimmying

she gives him her flask and he gives her her bouquet from the beginning in return and he smells the flask and violently leans back with a disgusted face it was so funny

i forgot what she did that made me laugh but when she said “you want stars?” i remember laughing so loud at something she did rip i think it might have just been the way she said it paired with throwing her arms up but i sadly don’t remember

way down(reprise):

when eurydice said “hi i’m eurydice” eva’s mic cut out just for that one line so then when she was like “doesn’t anybody hear me?” her mic was back on i was like lmfao no, nobody CAN hear you it was such perfect timing tbh

at one point she tries to get to the fates at the front and she tries shoving past some workers and they move out of her way in like. slow motion it’s sad

when she tries to go back the workers are forming a line that blocks her

flowers:

legitimately the saddest thing to ever happen to me ever in my whole life ever

i was very sad

very sad

eva’s voice was so soft and beautiful

the “choreo” was so impactful but simple but also super coordinated you could tell it was all very purposeful

what she does with her hands during the “i remember someone” part is so sad and soft but hard to put into words

you could tell that her crying was just eva genuinely sobbing

the workers are all laying on the stage/platform behind her while she sings and they look like they’re sleeping/resting

come home with me reprise:

THE SOFTEST EVERRRRRR

reeve hauls ass through the aisle like i was trying to look for him but he seriously came out of nowhere and bounded down the aisle so fast

i squealed when orpheus picked up eurydice and spun her i knew it was coming but it was too tender and soft for my heart to handle

when she’s like “you heard” the way he said “no” was so matter of fact and he smiled like such a little shit and everyone laughed

their hugs uwu they hug so much

when he spins her around please 🥺

papers:

it was perfectly done

when he said “i’m not going back alone” he stepped forward towards hades and the when he said “i came to take her home” he pointed at eurydice and it turned into a grab hug

he is so sad at the end omfg

during the instrumental is when his cuts and dirt really become obvious bc it seems like the workers are targeting those spots

at one point orpheus is up on the center platform stairs and he throws himself off and timothy catches him like a one man crowd surf situation it was actually funny if it was heartbreaking

nothing changes:

it really seemed like orpheus was going to give up

he was clutching an imaginary injury on his side and breathing so heavily and he seriously looked defeated

i knew what was going to happen and i was still like PLEASEEE don’t give up bb

if it’s true:

magic

pure magic

the vocals had me crying

orpheus is so defeated at the beginning and eurydice is on the work line but she isn’t doing anything but just as she starts working again at a slow pace the other workers start singing and she looks around in amazement

persephone is on the side the whole time watching in awe and disbelief

when the workers really start standing and getting into it eurydice is the last to join them because she literally is in shock and can’t believe it

the workers slowly left the line and were facing the audience and breaking the mold

when they’re all really singing eurydice seriously just can’t believe it she smiles so wide at the audience and covers her hand with her mouth

how long:

not to be repetitive but excellent choreo once again

it’s relatively simple but impactful

i don’t have too much to say bc it was obviously fantastic vocally but if you’ve seen the london boot there wasn’t anything they were really doing much differently (not in a bad way like. they were Great)

chant reprise:

when they come back up singing “if it’s true” they look like a little group of kids scheming to steal cookies or something lmao

when eurydice has to go back to work orpheus holds her hand until the last second uwus

the hades/persephone/orpheus/eurydice placement was perfect and very similar to london if you’ve seen the boot

hard to describe but very well planned

orphydice sounded SO GOOD during during their solo “could i change the way it is?” and they were staring at each other my hearttt

the light. you know the light. it was so fucking bright. i haven’t seen properly since.

everyone on stage was covering their eyes except orpheus who did it like three minutes late

epic 3:

orpheus was So Nervous

after hades says “oh it’s about me” he jumps back from the mic and turns terrified to hermes who ofc just says his classic “go on”

right from “he was like me: a man in love with a woman” he stares at eurydice for pretty much the rest of the song until the spinny lifty part it’s so soft

hades was so betrayed when the workers started singing

and he was furious when he was caught in the middle with orpheus

eva’s placement during this song is very nice. she spends a lot of it behind orpheus during the turning part and it kind of looks like she’s standing behind him as support

the dance is everything you want it to be

so soft and persephone is so fucking excited to be dancing like you can’t just tell she is JUMPING out of her skin excited

eurydice and orpheus keep looking at each other like they can’t believe it’s happening

promises:

when eurydice says “we’ll just go back the way you came” she points back at the aisle he came from originally but it’s kind of funny lmao bc it’s just people there but they both stare like it’s this magical destination

when she says “look at him—he can’t say no” she runs right up to hades and points in his face but he’s too caught up in persephone to even realize

they are so soft like. their little touches give me Life

eurydice sings to the workers and grabs all of their hands while she sings “i don’t know where this road will end, but i’ll walk it with you hand in hand” and it is so very sweet and soft

and when orpheus is on his knees and says “will you let me walk with you” and she turns around and says “i do” the workers all put their hands on their hearts and look at each other like a group of stereotypical teenage girls watching their friend and her bf lmao

word to the wise:

the second hades says “i don’t know” persephone goes from having been hugging him for the past ten minutes to hurling herself to the other side of the stage in two seconds flat

the fates are essentially making fun of orpheus in their gestures and faces and pointing but he’s hugging eurydice who was had her back to the audience but was shaking her head and then you see him nodding and reassuring her

his kiss the riot:

usually not my cup of tea tbh i mostly skip it bc i only enjoy some parts of it mainly the instrumentals but live changed that so much

it was so dramatic and it looked like hades and hermes were having a bro on bro chat

but seriously patrick page had me captivated he did phenomenal

wait for me reprise:

if you aren’t the wait for me reprise don’t talk to me

when hermes says that hades said they could go orphydice is literally already on the other side of the stage trying to leave before he even gets the next line out

when hermes tells them the conditions eurydice steps forward to stare up/at the audience and orpheus stays on the side staring at hermes in the center

when hermes says “do you trust each other?” eurydice still keeps staring but orpheus nods furiously and then he says “do you trust yourselves” and they turn to each other and say “we do”

orphydice is standing next to each other and staring at the audience for the beginning both with very emotional looking faces (although it was getting hard to see through my tears ahsgsjsks)

orphydice is standing in the middle holding hands and then hades and persephone each step forward and grab hands too with the guys and girls each on one side in a fantastic parallel and then all of a sudden when orpheus and eurydice drop hands persephone and hades still hold hands but they switch around so quick so that persephone is next to orpheus and hades is next to eurydice and it was disgustingly symbolic and gutting for me

hades and orpheus shake hands and eurydice and i shook our heads no at the same time

the vocals. the vocals guys.

after watching that youtube video of eva’s part in the song that’s on a loop for over an hour more times than i can count seeing it live was ethereal for me

i couldn’t believe it

i was crying so much but i was also fucking smiling because i was in such awe

when eva jumps so does reeve

eva noblezada is the only person that has rights tbh

doubt comes in:

so we all been knew about the lighting in this song is the most excellent ever

there are a lot of times where not even the audience sees eurydice or you see moving in the darkness but you don’t know if it’s eurydice or a fate or a worker

the drums are much louder and more prominent than in the soundtrack so the steady pounding is MUCH more intense and jarring

when the fates are taunting orpheus he puts his hands over his ears and is super tense and as eurydice sings her first verse he slowly takes them off his ears and relaxes

after her second verse he takes his hands off his ears but stays tense. that’s when i knew i was done for.

for the second half of the song there aren’t as many parts where eurydice is shadowed - making it clear to viewers that she’s there but not to orpheus

at one part in the beginning when she’s right behind him orpheus turns to the audience and eurydice JUMPS back so he won’t see her big ouch

the second i saw the steps light up i was like fuck this i cant

when orpheus comes off the platform to kneel next to the sinking stage him and eurydice fall to their knees at the same time so right when he gets to her she falls faster

the look of agony on her face stepped on my heart and spit in my face

right after there was a lot of whispering and i heard one person in the section next to me whisper “i can’t fucking believe this. i cant do this today”

road to hell 2:

look up pain in the dictionary and it’s this

i was sobbing the whole time

we all know how it goes with this one

after hermes said “to know how it ends and still begin to sing it again - as if it might turn out this time” someone in the theater was like “mmmm mmHHHMMM” like in a “preach” way

when eurydice came out again with her candle and flower the theater was Shook i felt it

i just kept crying and shaking my head no tbh this whole day is a blur but this part specifically is a fever dream

amber and eva’s parts in this song gave birth to me and they were even more majestic live

eva’s voice is the first wonder of the world i swear

we raise our cups:

it’s called Sadness luv

but amber and eva sounded great

everyone looked sad and somber except reeve who was so smiley and proud lmao

when they were passing out the cups andre didn’t get one at first and he put out his arms like “hello????”

it really was gorgeous live everyone’s voices sounded lovely it was just so so so so so so so so sad

and then it was over and i was like Wut The Fuc

#the time i saw hadestown #hadestown #fav #mine