#cw: execution

[overlord-of-fantasy]

Morgoth rules through fear

Content warning: Death, torture (mentioned), execution, slight gore

The other day I remembered that line in lotr about how the orcs and other dark creatures don´t follow Sauron out of loyalty, but out of fear.

I wondered, if we only never read about orcish heros, because they had to operate underground, because they would end up tortured or killed, if they were cought. If Morgoth and Sauron really made a show out of punishing and executing traitors and rebels themself, if they were cought. If rebels were very wary and trusted no one.

That was probably what made Angband so powerful. In a culture, were even the authorities openly pride themselves with titles like "the deciver", you can trust nobody. Every hero fights on their own. And that´s why they can´t win.

So I decided to dreaw Morgoth publicly executing an orcish traitor on a big stage, maybe even a tower of Angband. He wants it to be seen. She has been badly burned and beaten and has clearly accepted her fate. Her tows were cut off. She is also very thin, for she was starved, in hope, that she would reveal other rebels, if tempted with food. Morgoths hammer is covered with the red blood of the free people and the black one of his orcs alike.

[whumpadventureprompts]

Recognition

Whumpee is their team's leader. Whumper ordered the whole team executed, but one of their minions recognises Whumpee and points them out to Whumper, saying they might have useful information.

[low-cunning]

Two Uncles, One Father

Closed starter for @jxime-lxnnister

Ceria Lannister woke for the fourth time in as many hours. Screaming and wailing far louder than anyone that small should have been able to. 

She didn’t want changing, she didn’t want the wet nurse. She just wanted to be held. She wanted her mother, in all probability, but Tyrion was trying not to think about that. Trying not to think about Cersei’s severed head rolling down the steps of the keep, trying not to think about Jaime’s wounded cry.

Jaime was asleep in the room’s only bed, in just his smallclothes, a wineskin in his hand and dried tears still on his face. He was trying his best for his baby daughter, but he was grieving. Broken. Tyrion didn’t know what to do.

He picked his newborn niece from her crib and paced the room with her in his arms. The rhythm of his steps calmed her and her cries began to lessen. He turned to see that Jaime was awake, watching him.

“Go back to sleep,” he told him. “I think you need it.”

[the-other-bird]

I just rode through Rhodes with John and the sheriff was hanging Mark Johnson (the far too obvious John Mirror). He gave a speech now Johnson tried to escape his murderous past by becoming a farmer.

John just witnessed his own execution.

[artistic-arborealist]

(Part 8 was here!)

And Aratril ~does try~! He tries so hard!

But as Tercet’s ~first flight~ approaches, no matter how hard he tries, he still hasn’t found a steady position.

And, he tells Tercet, you ~can’t wait for him~!

The skies await!

And no matter what happens to him, this greybird must fly!

[Greybird - All three main singers singing, Aratril, Tercet dancing

Greybird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Greybird singing in the dead of night Take these downcast eyes and learn to see

Aratril and Cintinae gently lift Tercet’s head, and point upwards to the projected starscape above them

All your life You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Greybird fly, greybird fly Into the light of the star-filled night]

And so Tercet mournfully prepares to fly away, not knowing what her friend’s fate will be.

Finally, it’s launch day! And everyone gathers to see Tercet off!

Tercet stands in her pilot jumpsuit at the front of the facility.

And ~Aratril stands beside her~!

We find out that, every time Aratril visited the faclity to make sure that Tercet was doing well, he happened to chat with some of the technical crew. Because it’s his field after all!

And they were impressed with him!

And they had been looking for someone to fix programming emergencies! Someone who could ~handle an irregular schedule~!

So ~Aratril has managed to get an on-call position on the ship~!

The entire cast comes on stage, and we reprise, “The Skies Await“, the hopeful tune that was sung when FTL was announced!

They will ~all live~!

This time, it’s ~true~!

~No one else has to die~!

Cintinae bids them a happy goodbye and good luck as they prepare to fly away into the skies! The music swells joyfully, along with our hearts!

And then as they walk onto the ship, Cintinae lets her arm fall, and pulls ~one last thing~ out of her beading bag!

A red jacket. 

She shrugs it on over her wings, and Trileli's actor comes back onto stage for the first time since Act One, coming to stand by Cintinae’s side. Cintinae and Trileli give the ship one last smiling wave goodbye!

And then, as the lights darken to red and the music whispers its last few hopeful notes, ~Cintinae turns away~.

And Trileli walks beside them, as they both exit to the noose-shaped shadows of stage right.

[artistic-arborealist]

(Part 6.)(Part 8.)

So Aratril takes a deep breath, looks Tercet in the eye, ~and explains~.

(And the lights dim and brighten, and we change scenes to a flashback.)

A few nights ago, Trileli came to Aratril for help. Help that his programming skills could provide. Help to subvert the law of Birdplanet.

~Help in her plan to save Tercet~.

Because, Trileli explains, FTL has changed everything! Tercet can still fly once again; she can ~fly to the stars~! If only she had time to go to the interview! Don’t you see Aratril! Tercet can ~survive~!

And Aratril points out that even if that’s true, even though they ~all agree~ that Tercet should have a chance to fly, she doesn’t actually have that time.

And Trileli points out ~one more fact~.

Trileli has no such newfound hope.

FTL doesn’t open up any new jobs for a singer.

And as they sing and dance the dissonantly, desperately, ~determinedly~ upbeat medley between their two songs, “Counting Hours, Counting Stars / Cut Us Down,” we find out:

Trileli and Aratril conspired to edit the list of the condemned, to place Trileli's name above Tercet's.

Tercet’s bad leg fails her, and she slips to the ground.

The moment stretches painfully, and all we can hear is Tercet’s pained breathing.

But Aratril, ~as his songs have been hinting at~, is depressed.

So, he confesses into the sudden silence, he didn’t tell Trileli this. He didn’t want her to worry. (Not during her ~last days~.) 

But as he stared down at that screen, Trileli’s name flashing at the top ~where he had placed it~, he decided to move ~his name~ up on the list, right after Trileli's. So that Tercet would have an even better chance. So that he could know that Trileli’s sacrifice wouldn’t wasted.

So that ~one~ of them will live.

Trileli traded her life to buy Tercet enough time.

And Aratril is ~next~.

[OOC: Modified lyrics for, “Counting Hours, Counting Stars / Cut Us Down” found under the cut. Assume that, IC, Arbor linked everyone to a lyrics site.]

Counting Hours, Counting Stars / Cut Us Down - Aratril and Trileli

Aratril: Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep Dreaming about the things that we could be And baby, I've been, I've been begging hard Said no more counting hours We'll be counting stars Yeah, we'll be counting stars

I see this life Like a swinging noose Counting down, and what's the use? In my face, a flashing sign This is it: end of the line

Grown, but I'm not that old Young, but I'm not that bold I don't think the world is sold I'm just doing what we're told

And I feel something so wrong Doing the right thing And I feel something so right Doing the wrong thing

Trileli: They'll cut us down, I'm yelling timber You better move, you better dance Let's make a night, we won't remember I'll be the one, they'll all forget

Aratril: Hey lately I've been, I've been losing sleep Dreaming about the things that we could be And baby, I've been, I've been begging hard Said no more counting hours We'll be counting stars

I feel the flight And I feel it burn Wings are aching every turn Hope is our four letter word They make that money Watch us burn

Grown, but I'm not that old Young, but I'm not that bold I don't think the world is sold I'm done with doing what we're told

And I feel something so wrong Doing the right thing

Aratril and Trileli:

And I feel something so right Doing the wrong thing

Trileli: They'll cut me down, I'm yelling timber We'd better move, We'd better dance Let's make a night, we'll both remember I'll be the one, you won't forget

Aratril: Hey lately I've been, I've been losing sleep Dreaming about the things that we could be But baby, I've been, I've been begging hard Said no more counting hours We'll be, we'll be counting stars

Aratril and Trileli: [Repeat 4X]

Make that money Watch us burn Broken wings The lives we can't earn

Everything that kills me--

Trileli: I'm going down, They're yelling timber We'd better move, We'd better dance Let's make a night, we'll both remember I'll be the one, they won't forget

Aratril and Trileli: Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep Dreaming about the things that we could be But baby, I've been, I've been begging hard Said no more counting hours We'll be, we'll be counting--

Trileli: Everything that kills me... Makes me want to fly

[artistic-arborealist]

What's this "red shirt" thing you keep on mentioning?

So, it’s never verbally stated in the show, but in Awakening of the Birds, every character who is about to be executed wears a ~red shirt~!

And yes, ~every~ character!

(And the director talks about their intended symbolism in an interview too!)

[The linked video focuses on the face of a green wearing glasses on a chain. 

“The motif with dressing them in red shirts?” They tilt their head to the side and gesture absently with their hands as they talk. “Yeah, the costuming crew did a good job on that, didn’t they? What we were going for there– you know, they’re about to be executed, yeah? In a way, Birdplanet has declared that they’re a thing with no worth, um... to be discarded.

“So Birdplanet makes them wear red shirts, so that they’re, ah, pre-marked for cleanup. If you get my meaning.”

The green concludes their rambling explanation and smiles cheerfully at the interviewer.]

[artistic-arborealist]

(Part 1 of the summary!)(And Part 3!)

So let me take a moment to note a couple of cool things in the musical!

First, Trileli, who cannot sing, is the only character played by a ~singer with no dancer~!

And Tercet, who cannot dance, is the only character played by a ~dancer with no singer~! 

(And I think it’s really cool how they arranged Tercet’s dialogue to pull this off! So, there’s some ~really excellent use of interpretive dance~ in some scenes so that her dancer doesn’t go over the acting percent cap!)

And also, you should take a look at when we’re introduced to the support group during “One by One (The Beading Song)”!

(I’m continuing under the cut, because the ~lyrics are long~!)

One by One (The Beading Song) - Cintinae

I string the beads onto the necklace, one by one

Beads chosen for the colors of my friends

And once again I must unknot the knots for we have dropped a thread

I only hope this won't become a trend

Actor begins beading a necklace

The thought is daunting

Soon we'll all be found wanting

Yet the days fly on and on

Grey, green, and yellow, one by one

One by one, I count us up and mend

And I, purple and youngest will bear witness when we scatter

As their wings falter, I will be alone again

Actor stumbles and drops beads onto the floor, sound effect plays loudly

We have pretended

Our lives will be extended

But as the days fly on and on

They'll bring us in and string us up, one by one

For none of us had ever learned to fly

The whole world has determined that they should have smashed our eggs

I am so tired, but I do not want to die

No matter our intent

That's what our broken wings have meant

And as the days fly on and on

Soon we will learn our times are up, one by one

So soon we met, so soon I say goodbye

Then I will wear no beads, but a necklace of rope

I am so tired, but I do not want to die

(I am so tired, but I do not want to die)

So, look at the line, “for we have dropped a thread”! This is the first time that it’s implied that the orange we saw in “Execution of an Unnamed Orange” was once ~a member of the support group~!

And so, the lights flash the ~obvious colors~ during “Grey, green, and yellow, one by one”! And then flash purple for Cintinae themself!

But if you look ~really closely~, (look at the dress rehearsal videos and freeze frame!), you can see a flash of ~orange~ between the transition from yellow to purple!!!

And it’s never explicitly stated, but they do drop more little hints throughout the show!

So, everyone knew Unnamed Orange! Unnamed Orange is ~actually one of the main characters~!

It’s ~totally canon~!!!