#and tried my hand at the Orpheus guitar lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yakultberry · 3 years

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daffodils in winter (1); l.jh

✪ summary: in ancient times, only two lovers were able to sway hades into granting them a second chance at life together. even so, a single look back doomed their love story to inevitably remain a tragedy. but is fate truly set in stone or are we able to mold it with our own hands? ✪ pairing: orpheus!jihoon x eurydice!reader ✪ genre(s): angst, fluff, reincarnation au, modern greek mythology au, just,,,, a lot of pining ✪ word count: 3.2k words

✪ a/n: surprise @custardheart!! i’m your cwc secret santa! c: <33 i had so much fun trying to not to make it obvious that it was me HAHAH i even told you my dog’s nickname in case you had seen him before. i always love our conversations hahah it feels like we could just talk for hours and hours, especially since we have so much in common hehehe you are literally one of the sweetest people i know on cwc and i’m so glad to call you my friend!!

anyway, this took me so long and it’s not even complete 😔 i really wanted to try making a fic that caters to you and all the things you like reading so i just tried throwing it all in there LOL also peep the banner bc i tried to imitate your blog aesthetic too (which i LOVE by the way). since i didn’t want to leave you empty-handed or for you to think i forgot about you while i complete this fic, i decided to just release it in parts adkjsfals hopefully that’s ok!!

merry christmas and happy new year, taylor!! I LOVE YOUUU 🥺💖

It was nearly 10pm but the night was as lively as ever with people bustling and weaving along like the small stream that flowed through the middle of the stone-paved walkway. They strolled down the worn path on which thousands of footsteps had passed before them, their breaths lingering in the December air as they laughed together and whispered soft wishes. The harsh bite of winter never deterred couples from coming out to the walkway; in fact, many lovers used the cold as an excuse to clasp each other’s hands tighter, to press their warm bodies closer together. Even on the harshest nights, the walkway welcomed a handful of couples who would stay until the early hours of the morning.

This could, in part, be attributed to the walkway itself, or rather what could be found on the walkway. Anyone who stepped along the trodden path would soon find the walkway’s source of life and warmth: a flower stand. Now there were many walkways with flower stands, some even host more than one stand, but none ever seen like this. Even in the middle of winter, the humble stand teemed as though it were early spring with its variety of soft pink tulips, vibrantly purple violas, dainty white snowdrops, and daffodils so yellow they nearly glowed. Each flower was in almost unnaturally pristine condition-- there was never one droopy petal or dried up leaf. Rumor stated that if you bought a bouquet for your significant other, your relationship would surely last a lifetime, outlasting the winters that you might endure.

Jihoon, of course, knew that this was all a very elaborate marketing scheme to lure out crowds of hopeful couples. While he didn’t have a green thumb himself, he figured that technology must have advanced enough to allow for such beautiful flowers to exist despite the cold, but he wasn’t all too invested in finding out the how’s and what-for’s of the small stand. As long as it brought out the crowds, Jihoon couldn’t care less if the stand scammed naive romantics into throwing away their money for some flimsy symbol of everlasting love. What mattered to him was finding an audience, and he knew, without doubt, that he would find one here. He could already feel the lingering eyes of passersby as he arranged his amp and microphone, filling him with a bubbling anticipation that made his fingers itch for his guitar.

Despite the tattered appearance of the case, the guitar within seemed to be lined with gold along its edges, gleaming fantastically under the light of a street lamp. Upon closer inspection however, it was apparent that the instrument was well-worn with its own array of scuffs and scratches along the neck and body from its many years of performance. The guitar fit into Jihoon’s hands as if it were molded to be held by him, and he smiled to himself as he strummed each string to check for tuning. Just like that, he felt home.

“Do you always have to set up so close to me?” At the sound of your voice, Jihoon felt his grin widen, and he immediately looked up to make sure that you saw it in all its smug, cheeky glory. You stood to the side with a pair of stem clippers in hand, which he might have found intimidating had you not been holding a daffodil in the other. The endearing smile that itched at the corners of your lips didn’t do much to scare him either.

“This is where all the foot traffic is, so yes,” he mused teasingly. He then pointed to the flower in your hand. “I see you’re getting ready to shower me in flowers after my performance. People usually throw roses though, you know.”

“Okay, just don’t let it get of hand this time,” you said over your shoulder, already turning back to return to your flower stand. He didn’t dare look away, because on your third step back, you always twirled to face him for a moment to flash your unfaltering smile at him, which he mirrored.“The whole neighborhood must have thought you were having a concert with all the people that came out.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” he called after you, but you had already returned to your post, greeting several new customers who looked at your bouquets with awe and wonder.

As you began to gather flowers for a couple’s request, you could hear Jihoon finally open his set with a healing, energetic tune that had the small crowd clapping along to the beat. The first time he had come out to the walkway, it had shocked you how the first note he strummed had immediately taken a hold of you, how it had somehow melted your concentrated frown into a smile with ease. It had been the end of a long day and you were ready to close up shop when a boy had set up for a busking session nearby. Although he only brought one small amp, you felt each note resonate in your chest, and felt the music brush your skin as though it hung in the air like a mist. Suddenly, thoughts of your stressful day had dissipated, dissolved by the boy’s guitar and clear, pure voice. It was unlike anything you felt before.

And yet, it was so easy for you to give in to the enchanting sensation, falling into its embrace like you were reunited friends.

Now you anticipated the way the melody gently tugged your lips into a smile and how your heart beat seemed to fall into rhythm with each chord. You knew you weren’t the only one so strongly moved by the music though. The customers you were currently tending to, a young couple new to the walkway, had immediately turned their heads towards Jihoon as he continued his set with another lighthearted tune about confessing and butterflies. Their sparkling eyes told you that you weren’t the only one moved by Jihoon’s music, and you couldn’t help but notice how they subconsciously reached for each other’s hands, fingers intertwining fondly. Much to your concern, a wistful sigh escapes your lips at the sight. Your eyebrows furrowed as you felt a dull ache blanket over your chest.

You tried shaking your head to rid yourself of the feeling, rushing to finish wrapping up the flowers in brown paper and string. “Your bouquet is ready!” you said much louder than intended, snapping the couple from their daze. Both blinked in surprise at their clasped hands as if just realizing how close they’d gotten, and you bit back a giggle when they could no longer meet each other’s eyes. Much like many of your other customers on the nights that Jihoon busked, they immediately joined his audience after paying, unable to get enough of his sweet voice. You stared after them for a bit, feeling somewhat intrusive as they overcame their initial hesitance and held hands once more. And suddenly it was there again: this time it felt more restless like you were waiting, but for what, you didn’t know.

It wasn’t the first time you felt this way. In fact, every time it creeped up on you like this, it frightened you how it settled in the pit of your stomach so effortlessly as if it had made a home there, deep inside you. It made you feel like you had been waiting for tens of thousands of lifetimes. Like you had been waiting so long that you forgot what you were waiting for.

At this point, you weren’t sure if you wanted to remember.

Throughout your life, the weight in your chest had made itself known only a handful of times, usually in quiet moments when the dark felt like it could swallow you up. It was the reason why you took refuge in the bright hustle and bustle of the walkway and why you lingered if only to be surrounded by your flowers. But now, it followed you even in the middle of a crowd, in the midst of the music.

“Hi! Could I get some roses?” The voice of a new customer finally tugged your attention from the couple, allowing for the pressure in your chest to dissolve for the moment.

“Of course you can, sir,” you chirped, relieved for the distraction. “What color? Would you like a bouquet?”

The customer, who stood alone, seemed to wiggle in thought. “Red, I guess! Don’t worry about wrapping them up! I’ll just take them as is, since I’ll be throwing them to that busker over there.”

“Oh! Wow, he must have made a real fan out of you, sir.”

At your statement, he let out a chuckle. “Oh, for sure. I wish he chose a warmer venue though.I guess that can’t be helped,” he said, giving you a meaningful nod, eyes gleaming as they always seemed to. You were taken aback by the sudden realization: You’ve met him before.

“Right,” you replied absentmindedly, forcing yourself to focus on gathering the last of your customer’s order in an attempt to mask your bewilderment. You were positive that you had never seen this man’s face in your life, yet you were struck with the insistence that not only did you know him, but that he knew you too. He was there, somewhere in your memory. But the closer you tried to get, the further you seemed to step into a murky fog; was it a far away memory or was it just a dream? Chancing a glance at him only served to fluster you even further, especially with the way his smile made you feel as though he could sense your inner bewilderment. You cleared your throat and timidly returned his smile as you handed him his roses. “Anyway uh-- here is your order, sir! He’s about to play the last of his set, so you should probably get over there. Hopefully he likes them!”

“Oh, I’m sure he will love them,” the customer grinned, placing cash in place of the flowers. “Well, I’ll see you around!”

And with a quick wink, he made his way to join Jihoon’s audience, and once more, you were left to deal with your thoughts on your own. What was it with the customers and launching you into emotional reveries tonight? You decided that that was a good excuse as any to close up shop for the night; you weren’t sure that you’d be able to handle another bout of deja vu or inexplicable longing. Plus you wanted to properly watch Jihoon’s last song, as you always did. You glanced over at him as you cleaned up, but you were quick to avert your gaze when he suddenly met your eyes and offered you a wide grin.

As much as you enjoyed his music, you couldn’t ignore how his appearance in your life coincided with these recurring feelings. It was perplexing how it seemed that with one strum of his guitar, he somehow brought you both comfort and simmering unease. But if you were being honest, you couldn’t say you hated it. You knew that if you asked him to set up a little more upstream, your flower stand would undoubtedly become your haven once more. It was an easy fix. Simple. But even when his weekly busks frequented to every other day, you only found yourself clutching tighter to that moment of elation when he began a performance.

When you stood there and listened to him play, you had a growing certainty that you would go through any length of suffering if it meant you could keep that moment.

Jihoon was barely able to sing his last note when the crowd drowned him out with applause and, to his surprise, showered him in several roses from the stand. He caught one in his hand, eyes shining with laughter as he immediately searched for your face. Instead of finding you though, he caught sight of someone that wiped the smile from his lips. Before he could so much as curse under his breath, the man took hold of his microphone and addressed the audience.

“Bravo, bravo! Ladies and gentlemen, please give another round of applause for Woozi, Olympic Entertainment’s feature producer! Woo!” the man boomed a little too close to the mic. “Olympic Entertainment sincerely thanks you for all of your love and support from this past year. We hope that you can continue supporting us and listening to Woozi’s ballads in this upcoming year. Please be on the lookout for his new single that we will be releasing on New Year’s Day!”

As the crowd erupted into murmurs and whispers, the man turned to beam at Jihoon, who replied with a stare as cold as the wind. “Soonyoung, what are you doing here?”

“The boss wants you to stop screwing around and get back to the studio,” Soonyoung said with a shrug.

“I’m not screwing around! You know damn well why I came out here--”

“Hey, those were his words not mine-- I’m just delivering them.” Jihoon tensed when he felt Soonyoung’s hand on his shoulder, having half a mind to shrug it off. He knew though, that Soonyoung had little choice when it came to the boss’ word, and neither did he. There was no use in taking out his frustrations on his friend, especially when the damage was already done. “You know that I would never have taken it that far if I didn’t have to.”

Jihoon sighed, nodding. “I know. I’ll just see you tomorrow.”

The crowd gradually dispersed as Jihoon packed away all of his equipment, and suddenly, he felt the full force of winter without the warmth of the crowd shielding him. He hadn’t expected that it would be so cold. After his previous busk sessions, several people in the audience would stay a while longer and approach him, usually to make conversation about his music or to simply thank him for the performance. Now they kept their distance, looking his way discreetly while they whispered about who he really was like he couldn’t hear them. Jihoon scoffed and slammed his guitar case shut, numb fingers fumbling at the clasps.

“Are you okay?” He didn’t have to look up to know that it was you.

“I’m fine,” he huffed out, jaw clenched. When you didn’t make any move to leave, he gave in and looked at you, a grave mistake on his part. At the sight of your sympathetic smile, he sat back down on the bench; there was no use struggling to put up a front when you seemed to see right through it anyway. You sat on the opposite end of the bench, facing him to show that you were there to listen. After all those times he came here, this was probably the closest you’d ever gotten to him, and yet Jihoon found himself wishing you had sat closer. “Well, I’ve been better.”

“I’m sorry that I sold that guy those flowers. If I had known that he was going to do that, I--”

“No, that was all on me,” Jihoon said quickly, unable to let you apologize any further when you were merely doing your job. “You probably think I just came here for some promotional stunt.”

“I mean I didn’t, but now that you mention it…” Without knowing it, Jihoon let out a chuckle at your teasing. “Even if it was for promotions, I don’t think anyone here would mind. Plenty of people busk to promote themselves. I don’t think that makes their songs any less genuine.”

He shook his head, the sigh that left his lips hanging in the air for a moment. “I mind. I love my job and everything, but I really needed a break from all that extra stuff. I came here because I knew it would just be about the music. No one had stopped to listen because it was my music or if it was a Woozi production or whatever. They only listened because they liked it. Now I won’t know if that’s actually the case.”

“I don’t see why they can’t enjoy your music while knowing who you are,” you said, eyebrows scrunched together, and Jihoon watched as you rested the side of your head against the back of the bench. Have your eyes always been this captivating? You dropped your voice to a stage whisper. “Is that your secret? Is your music magical only for those who don’t know your true identity?”

“Something like that. Isn’t my music a bit more impressive if I’m just a regular person and not a professional producer?” Jihoon laughed. “I mean, imagine if people knew the secret behind how you grow your flowers in the winter. Don’t you think they’d be less inclined to buy them?”

You snorted. “I don’t have a secret, though?”

“Oh come on, you literally sell springtime flowers in the winter! You must get them imported or have some kind of fancy greenhouse.”

“I literally can’t even rent a space to sell my flowers indoors. I can’t afford any of that! They’re just flowers that I’ve grown in my garden. I tell people how I grow my flowers all the time and it doesn’t change anything. It still means something to them,” you said insistently. And then, softer, “Just like how knowing you’re some big shot producer doesn’t change the fact that I’ve never heard music like yours before.”

Jihoon swallowed, wanting more than ever to close the distance between the two of you. It was a gravity that he felt ever since his first performance, something he had originally attributed to the walkway and how perfect it was for his busks. As he sat here beside you though, the force seemed to tug at his chest almost painfully until it was aching. With his hands clenched, he tore his gaze away from you, unsure of what he was going to say next. His thoughts were fuzzy, like a static television screen going in and out of focus, and the only image he could make out was you. Or at least he hoped that it was you.

“By the way, ballads? I’ve only ever heard you play happy songs.”

“This was the only place I could play them,” Jihoon replied quietly. When his eyes met with yours, he was taken aback by how much he meant it; even if he tried to play these songs in the studio, he was certain that it wouldn’t be the same at all. Forcing a smile, he finally met your eyes again. “It was nice while it lasted.”

“Wait, are you not… are you not going to come back anymore?”

“I don’t think I should. There wouldn’t be any point, right? Since people know who I am now.”

“Oh.” I still don’t know who you are. This time, you were the one to turn away from him, a small frown on your lips. A harsh wind came in then, ruthlessly rustling the bare branches of trees and lifting loose petals from the ground around your stand. They swirled in the air wildly for several moments before raining down on where you and Jihoon sat in silence. Seeing how he shivered, you took the scarf off your neck and wrapped it around his own. “Here take this.”

“W-what about you?” When he moved to return the item, you shook your head and smiled.

“I’m used to the cold.”

#caratwritersclub #seventeen #seventeen scenarios #woozi #woozi scenarios #lee jihoon #jihoon scenarios #seventeen fanfic #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #cwc secret santa #I"M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG

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roadtohadestown · 5 years

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hadestown thoughts n’ things song-by-song

Y’ALL KNOW I SAW HADESTOWN A COUPLE DAYS AGO AND I GOT SOME THINGS TO SAY !!! these aren’t gonna be me fully describing how the songs play out (a couple times yes, but not from start to finish), but are me pointing out little things that i found very memorable or funny or were little “OH SHIT” kinda moments.

(i’ll also be referring to the characters by their actors every now and then)

occasionally i’ll refer to the fates individually by their actual names (clotho, lachesis, atropos); if you don’t know which actresses play who:

yvette -> clotho // kay → lachesis // jewelle -> atropos

———

ACT 1

road to hell:

the cast came out all at once and i swear my heart JUMPED when i saw them enter and wave at the audience !!!!

andré came in walking slowly over to his usual spot on stage right. while walking, he was holding the hands of some of the cast who were sitting at the tables.

the fates snapping a sassy look at hermes when he says “three old women all dressed the same.”

introducing orpheus, orpheus is literally a happy ball of sunshine running onstage, holding a red rag and a crate and starts wiping down the tables.

when hermes introduces eurydice, orpheus and eurydice bump into each other at the center of the stage. they stare at one another for the rest of road to hell and it’s so so cute and enchanting. sitting on orchestra left, i was just watching orpheus’s face, so awestruck and in love.

any way the wind blows:

fuck i am so gay for the fates

eurydice’s “anybody got a match ??” and hermes holding out a matchbox to her. she snatches it and says “gimme that.”

eurydice lighting the candle and clotho blowing it out.

lachesis gracing a hand on eurydice’s hair (and i forget at which lyric because my mind is Like That and Forgetful)

come home with me:

eva casually dragging her hand back and forth above the flame, playing with it because she’s not really the focus of the scene and needs something to do while reeve’s busy crumpling a newspaper to make a flower for her

hermes saying, “orpheus......don’t come on too strong”

and orpheus—directly after hearing hermes say that—says to eurydice, “coMe hOmE wITh ME !!!” featuring reeve’s wonky movements that make orpheus seem awkward, which is just plain cute

at one point, he sits on the table beside her

hermes taking the candle from eurydice’s hands and placing it aside on another table. this candle stays lit for a lot of act 1, then is later blown out because we need Metaphors and Symbolism

i love that eurydice crumples up orpheus’s paper flower, then stuffs it in her pocket

wedding song:

damn i love eva and reeve

damn i love this ensemble

damn that flower is red

epic i:

once hermes says “sing it again though” and hands orpheus his guitar, orpheus straps it on. he takes a little moment of silence before he starts singing—like he’s trying to prepare himself first. in that moment, he’s actually just staring at eurydice and smiling because he loves her so much—

livin’ it up on top:

I LOVE THE FATES AND THEIR FANS !!! EVEN THEY’RE SUPER HAPPY THROUGHOUT LIVIN’ IT UP

WHEN PERSEPHONE COMES BACK FROM HADESTOWN, ORPHEUS IS SO GIDDY !!! YOU COULD SEE HIM SMILING LIKE CRAZY AND HE’S A LITTLE JUMPY BECAUSE HE’S SO EXCITED SEPH’S HERE !! HE’S LIKE AN EXCITED LITTLE PUPPY !!! HE WAS SO EAGER TO TAKE HER COAT TOO !!!

orpheus juMP

he was literally throwing a couple silver cups to hermes (who caught them)

there were cute little john and eva moments, with john dancing around her at one point

persephone tried to shove eurydice in with the dancing ensemble to get her to join, but eurydice walked away waving her hands and awkwardly smiling as if saying, “no thanks, i’m not gonna do that,” (but obviously later persephone successfully drags eury into dancing, and she’s wonderful at it)

when hermes said “let the poet bless this round!” ahmad, while holding one of the wine bottles, puts his hands up as if to say “alright, he can do it”

after orpheus gave his speech and they drank from their cups, hermes actually coughed—like the wine was just too much for him asjhsnsj

all i’ve ever known:

persephone’s onstage during the little hermes introduction bit. when he mentions orpheus and eurydice, seph holds out her arms to each of them as he does (as if indicating who’s who) before sitting down at the side to watch the two lovers.

orpheus takes off his apron (finally), revealing him in full with his nifty suspenders 😩💕

when eurydice said “now i wanna hold you too,” she was frantically moving her hands, grabbing different parts of orpheus’s arms

that sex scene was beautiful (IT’S JUST A GRACEFUL INTIMATE DANCE BETWEEN THE TWO AND IT’S PRETTY !! ESPECIALLY WITH THE LIGHTING)

mwah

way down hadestown:

orpheus and eurydice dancing around as everyone sings about hades and hadestown (spoiler: they’re cute)

as hades and persephone descend, smoke comes out of the pit, and the ensemble is leaning in to look down there. ahmad’s in front of all of them—leaning too—but also has his arms outstretched to his sides, keeping everyone else back. they all eventually break apart, and honestly the thing i most remember is just afra with her knees on the table and her hands gripping the edges of the table, too, to peer down into the pit.

gathering storm:

me, watching afra hand eurydice her coat

orpheus takes out his tiny notebook and pencil from his pocket and goes to the side to start writing in it, because he “needs to finish the song”

eurydice clutching her arms as she says “we need food.......we need firewood.....”

“okay, finish it...”

she goes over to orpheus and places a hand on his arm, then leaves

epic ii:

AW HELL YEAH, THEY BROUGHT BACK THE “doubt that she’d ever come, dread that she’d never come, doubt that his lover would ever come back” LYRICS !!

orpheus uses present tense instead of past tense !!! it’s now “he thinks of his wife in the arms of the sun” instead of “he thought of his wife in the arms of the sun” and etc.

chant i:

the workers’ choreo is so mesmerizing. SO MESMERIZING.

reeve sings the la la la’s differently than the broadway preview audio i heard before, and i LOVE how he sings it now. his ending “la la la la la la” leads into the workers’ “low, keep your head, keep your head low” and oh my god i am so in love with that

“is it finished !?” eurydice asks hermes. “not yet,” hermes replies. she asks “is he always like this !?” and he nods.

hermes is now narrating in third-person about how orpheus is ignoring the storm rather than speaking to orpheus directly

i really don’t know how i feel about eva going lower when she sings “harbor me.” in the past she’s went higher; and because i used to hear that all the time, now that she‘s going lower my mind‘s thinking “c’mon, you can go higher !! i know you’re capable of it.” but regardless, eva’s voice is still the most beautiful thing i’ll ever hear 😩💓

the way the fates snatch away eurydice’s backpack and coat is so elegant, yet cool and pitiful

EVA I HOPE YOUR KNEES ARE OK FROM THAT FALL. I KNOW YOU DO IT EVERY NIGHT, BUT STILL.

hey little songbird:

hades casually putting on his shades

patrick’s juicy low notes are to die for

“see how the vipers and vultures surround you” reveals the three fates making their way closer to eurydice

when the chips are down (intro):

the little coin ( / ticket to hadestown ) hades gives eurydice

the way eurydice holds up both the flower and coin in the air as if contemplating which to choose

when the chips are down:

yvette, please step on me

kay, please step on me

jewelle, please step on me

please. step on me.

gone, i’m gone:

shoutout to andré off to the side making all the necessary sound effects.

hermes jingles a coin bag until eurydice comes up and puts her coin (“ticket”) in the bag, indicating she’s boarded the train to hadestown.

cue andré blowing the little flute thing to imitate a train whistle. again, thank u for ur sound effects.

wait for me:

orpheus finally looking up from his tiny notebook with a smile on his face, as if he’s happy that he’s made progress on his song and wants to tell that to eurydice. but when he looks up, he sees hermes from afar instead and (still with an innocent smile) exclaims “mr. hermes !!” before going up to him. (unlike the london production, he doesn’t look around searching for eurydice first before encountering hermes.)

orpheus drops to his knees as he says “no...” during his convo with hermes

the workers shining the lights around like they’re search lights is so COOL

THE FOG !!!

the lights actually swinging over people’s heads in the first row. wow. just,, wow.

FATESFATESFATESI’MSOGAY

THE SET OPENING UP !!! I KNEW IT WAS GONNA HAPPEN, BUT DAMN THAT WAS SO MUCH MORE EPIC IN REAL LIFE

the way reeve jumped off the platform !!! TBH KINDA HOT

i was watching him run along the turntable and it was an awkward little run LOL

“I’M COMING WAIT FOR ME !!!!!” “WAIT” “I HEAR THE WALLS REPEATING !!!” that scene was so GOOD and MUCH MORE INTENSE IRL !!!

i loooOOOVED the way the workers turned their lights at each “WAIT !!”

why we build the wall

the workers retreat to the sides of the stage and hades comes in. they’re so stiff just standing there and singing and i’m like—well fuck.

the saLUTE !!! it’s literally just them putting an index finger up, bUT STILL. FUCK.

eurydice looks around to see everyone saluting, and eventually joins in with them and does it too

the way amber dramatically turns around with her arms swinging about, pauses, then says, “anybody wanna drink?”

ACT 2

our lady of the underground:

“SSSSSSTEP INTO MY OFFICE !!!!” *intensely hip thrusts her way to hell (disregard that she’s already in it—)*

“i got the wind right here in a jar” *grabs her boob and jiggles it*

don’t we just stan amber gray

way down hadestown ii:

andré making the sound of “the pickaxe ringing” by banging a silver cup against the microphone on the stand

eurydice coming through the door and down the stairs. upon seeing the workers, she exclaims, “i’m eurydice !!” with a smile on her face like she’s ready to meet new people, but her smile fades away once she realizes no one’s paying attention to her. “doesn’t anybody hear me?” she asks the fates. and clotho responds, “oh they can hear! but they don’t care,” with a devious smile on her (and the rest of the fates’) face(s). “no one has a name down here.”

the fates proceed to tell eurydice how the workers have all forgotten about their lives before hadestown, and eurydice will turn out just like the rest.

lachesis says, “so what was your name again?” (no response) “see? you’ve already forgotten.”

flowers:

eva’s voice.........SO SAD

how she holds out her hand left hand to the side, as if trying to caress someone’s face who isn’t there.

come home with me ii:

yeah, orpheus comes in from the audience and climbs onto the stage as he says, “come home with me !!” and it’s ADORABLE

he puts his guitar down as he gets onstage (which i’d say is a metaphor for him choosing eurydice over his music)

she leaps into his arms, they embrace each other, and it’s the absolute most sweetest thing ever

papers:

“hades, i know this boy !” (persephone) // “one of the unemployed...” (hades) // “his name is orpheus—!” // “you stay out of this...” // and persephone gives him a look because he just shuts her down, and she knows she can’t do anything about it

as the fates approach orpheus, eurydice extends her arms out trying to protect him

clotho snatching orpheus’s guitar and mischievously examining it

mmmmm look at that fight scene

nothing changes:

ugh, i love that acappella and their voices are SPICY 🔥🔥💯🔥

the way clotho just holds his guitar above him while he’s lying there on the ground, beaten, like she’s teasing him

if it’s true:

eurydice retreating back to the turntable with the other workers, knowing full well there’s nothing she can do, and simply works away like the rest of them

“is this how the world is !? to be beaten and betrayed and then be told that nothing changes—will it always be like this !?” is my favorite

orpheus finally standing and is still in pain from all the workers beating him up

him pointing at each of the workers as he says “i’m asking me...and you and you and you!”

the workers each get up as they sing “we stand and listen” (or is it “we stand with him” ?? whatever, you get what i mean). but orpheus is giving them hope !!! yes !!!

how long:

persephone and hades standing on either side of the pit

they were staring at each other, moving in sync like a mirror; when persephone stepped with her right foot, hades with his left, and so on.

chant ii:

the workers and orpheus slowly rising up from the pit

“is it truuuuue ???” echoing in the back, then hades shouting “it’s the bOY !!”

when the workers say “i can’t look at my brother’s eyes,” afra and ahmad started getting up from the center and refused to make eye contact.

while i am still salty about them cutting persephone’s chant ii verse, i didn’t dislike hades’ new part. i liked it.

as hades shouts, “I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY !!!!” aLL THE LIGHTS IN THE THEATRE GO OUT AND IT’S WICKED COOL

epic iii:

sitting in my seat was honestly a perfect spot for me. hades was sitting in his stool and his back was to me, so obviously i couldn’t see much of his facial expressions, but it was literally like i was getting hades perspective as he viewed orpheus singing.

the most magical moment in the show tbh

when orpheus first sings “la la la” and hades says “where’d you get that melody ??” he gets up and starts walking towards orpheus like he’s about ready to fight and sue him for plagiarism

but persephone intervenes with a gentle “let him finish hades” before he takes another step. so he backs off.

when orpheus was singing about how hades “saw [persephone] alone there against the sky, it was like she was someone [he’d] always known,” eurydice steps up on the turntable. orpheus is in the center, with persephone and eurydice on either side of him—truly showing the parallels between orpheus and eurydice’s love with that of hades and persephone’s.

hades eventually gets on the center with orpheus, and the platform rises again. when everyone—workers and fates included—surrounds them on the turntable below, singing with orpheus, hades looks around at all of them, angry and confused

at the big “la la la la la la la” moment when everyone joins in with orpheus, the workers each get up in pairs as their side of the turntable finally faces the audience. they step up and remove their hats.

the workers finally make eye contact with one another

REEVE REALLY HITS THAT NOTE. AND IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL.

the way the flower just appears in hades hands after he sings “la la la la la la la...”

you can really SEE persephone crying

lover’s desire:

persephone putting the flower on his vest is so cute

SHE TAKES HIS HANDS

i love hades and persephone ok shut up i’m soft

KIMBERLY PUTTING HER HAND ON AHMAD’S ARM, THEN LOOKING UP AT HIM AND TIMOTHY. JOHN AND AFRA ARE SIDE BY SIDE, HOLDING EACH OTHER AS THEY WATCH HADES AND PERSEPHONE DANCE.

promises:

honestly i don’t remember too much of it visually because i was too busy crying.

i heard “i don’t need a ring for my finger, i just need a steady hand to hold,” and i just started BAWLING

i think i remember she takes his hand when he says “do you let me walk with you” though

“can we go?”

“i don’t know...”

word to the wise:

the fates dancing around hades was just. mmMMM.

his kiss, the riot:

he removes the flower on his vest. (oh, symbolism, we meet again.)

hades is beside hermes as he tells him “let there be one term to be agreed upon...”

wait for me ii (intro):

ah yes. hermes sitting on that stool as it slowly turns around on the turntable.

wait for me ii:

during my show, andré accidentally sang “that is the road to paradise and likewise the path to ruin.” which is alright. we all make mistakes, it’s okay fam 👏

i started crying again once eva and reeve harmonized on “wait for me...i’m coming” and looked at one another

“are we gonna try again?” “it’s time for spring...we’ll try again next fall.” “wait for me?” “i will.”

as orpheus is walking along the turntable, hermes, persephone, eurydice, and the workers are gathered in the center. near the end of the song when they’re all singing “waiiiit for me... i’m comiiiing, waiiiiiit i’m... coming with you” persephone’s holding out the red flower while eurydice has her hand outstretched to orpheus.

EVA JUMP

“I’M COMING WAIT FOR MEEEEEEEEEE I HEAR THE WALLS REPEATING THE FALLIN’ OF OUR FEET AND !! IT SOUNDS LIKE DRUMMIN’ !!!!!!”

it all goes dark as they sing “i’m coming !!!! (coming !!) (coming !!)”

doubt comes in:

IT’S LITERALLY AS GOOD AS YOU’D THINK IT IS

SO OMINOUS AND SPOOKY WITH THE FOG !!!!

eurydice’s following right behind orpheus, but he doesn’t know that. and the doubt and uncertainty on his face is heart-wrenching.

like. the STRESS on his face as he throws both his hands to his head and clutches his hair.

as the scene needs to focus on orpheus and his perspective of feeling alone, the spotlight is taken off of eurydice as she stops walking and lets the turntable turn until her full figure retreats into darkness. the spotlight is fully on orpheus and orpheus alone.

in the dark, three lanterns gradually rise up from the pit. as the fates start singing, their voices are hauntingly beautiful in the scene.

“doubt comes in...the wind is changing...doubt comes in...how cold it’s blowin’...doubt comes in...and meets a stranger walking on a road a l o n e . where is she ?? where is she now ??”

orpheus’s “who am i ?? why am i all alone ?? who do i think i am ? who am i to think that she would follow me into the cold and dark again.”

“orpheus, i’m listening—i’m right here !! and i will be to the end !! and the coldest night of the coldest year comes right before the spring.”

“i used to see the way the world could be...and now the way it is is all i see.”

orpheus’s realism contrasted with eurydice’s optimism just tugs at your heartstrings. orpheus, the once optimistic poet who “could see the way the world could be” no longer has that gift. eurydice, once a realist, has now been given hope that her lover can show her the way.

near the end of the song, the stairs begin to light up, and so does the exit. they’re so close to the surface—they’re almost there. and eurydice is so hopeful. she’s so certain they’ll make it that she doesn’t even doubt for a second that orpheus will turn around. but suddenly you hear a gasp. and you realize in the blink of an eye that orpheus had made a grave mistake. he’s turned around. his eyes are on eurydice, who’s frozen and in tears.

“it’s you...” he utters.

there’s a long silence

“it’s me...” her words are weak. “orpheus...?”

“eurydice...”

eurydice drops to her knees as she quickly descends back to hadestown. orpheus had scrambled his way to the edge of the pit, helplessly on his knees, staring down at where his lover had just been.

road to hell ii:

hermes’ “a’ight” after a long silence just brought me so many emotions. fuck.

as hermes is singing, eventually orpheus gets up and, with no other choice but to push on, continue his way up the stairs (to the surface), slowly and alone.

“‘cause here’s the thing: to know how it ends and still begin to sing it again...as if it might turn out this time...i learned that from a friend of mine.”

“see, orpheus was a poor boy—“ dressed in her act 1 clothes, eurydice reappears onstage saying, “anybody got a match?” hermes is still up front in the center, facing the audience as he holds out a matchbox in his left hand. “but he had a gift to give...” eurydice comes up and takes the box from him, “gimme that.” she sits down on the ground and takes out the candle from her bag, lighting the match, then lighting her candle.

from her pocket, she takes out a red flower and holds it to her face, sniffing it. a soft smile forms on her lips—like there’s some sentiment to this flower that she’s yet to know of—and puts it in her hair.

as the pit comes back up with all the tables and chairs, there’s persephone sitting on one of the tables.

at the end, orpheus returns back onstage with his apron and everything, stopping at one of the steps as he makes eye contact with eurydice. they’re staring at each other, lovestruck, just as they were in the beginning. “we’re gonna sing it again...”

we raise our cups:

persephone and eurydice’s harmonies 💞💓💖💕❤️💞💞

orpheus playing his guitar onstage even though all that shit just happened 😭 i cri

———

miscellaneous things:

act 1 was great, but the moment act 2 started i instantly knew it was gonna be my favorite. in the past when listening to audio, i always preferred to listen to act 1, with only a couple songs from act 2. so i always thought act 1 was my favorite act. but finally seeing hadestown in person, i think act 2 probably takes the cake.

once curtain call started, i was clapping like mad. when we got to the ensemble bowing, my hands were already dead but i was like, “FUCK IT, IF MY HANDS FALL OFF TONIGHT IT WAS WORTH IT BECAUSE I GOTTA APPRECIATE THIS ENTIRE CAST”

#AND THAT’S IT #i’m tired #a couple things may be inaccurate but it’s. fine.#hadestown #hadestown the musical #hadestown broadway #broadway #casu’s ramblings #my shtuff #casu’s hadestown experience

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