#wing clipping is obviously outlawed PROPERLY

[jmoonjones]

OK, so this story really ballooned in my mind and it started to become clear that drawing it all out would be a pretty big undertaking, especially since much of it is exposition.

I made the pivot to writing most of it out because as a dyslexic person, it does me good to practice writing (I tried for the style of a history book? Maybe?). Prior warning on any typos, just roll with it. 

In post-war Illyria, the land finds itself ensnared in a web of adversity. A dwindling population hampers agricultural endeavors, while power struggles over vacant leadership positions sow discontent among the people. Whispers circulate, advocating for Illyria's right to select its own leader from someone who lives within their own borders. 

This chosen person would safeguard the interests of Illyria and its inhabitants from being used as a military power but ignored in times of peace. Progression is overdue, trade is being stunted, and the now-largely female population (due to the losses during the war) is eager for equality. 

And thus enters Emerie, a Carynthian and a Valkyrie, as well as a small-business proprietor. Practical and resolute, Emerie begins to garner support from the predominantly female populace, with her Carynthian status creating male allies as well. She envisions a future of thriving trade, using her own experience running her shop, and dreams of Illyria never being lacking in spices and salt. 

She envisions cultivating an economy based on tourism, enticing other courts to partake in Illyria's small shops and enterprises, and this will help build new businesses like hotels and guided tours.

As the movement gains traction, the final piece of the puzzle falls into place: Devlon. Possessing the wisdom of age and name recognition she lacks, Devlon bridges the divide between the disparate camp factions and gives her 'legitimacy' to the wary males by standing as Emerie's second-in-command. 

Devlon wants independence for Illyria and is smart enough to see that getting on board with Emerie and her group would give the movement more traction and more likelihood of success. 

(It helps that Nesta, ever vigilant, casts an ominous witchy glance at Devlon whenever he looks to be up to no good. He will eventually establish himself as a trusted confidant to Emerie and her government. )

In a collaborative effort with their loyal companions, Emerie and Devlon meticulously pen a declaration of independence so thorough and thoughtful that even Rhys, the High Lord of the Night Court, accedes to its terms. Acknowledging that the most advantageous course of action for Illyria is to empower it, Rhys pledges financial aid as seed capital while the newly independent nation gets on its feet. A special bond endures between Illyria and the Night Court, now operating as sovereign entities with far less strain than before.

Emerie becomes the Prime, with Devlon as her Second-in-Command. There's an initial forum with citizens to share their worries, followed by a celebratory party DJ-ed by Nesta's ipod-egg and featuring singing by Gwyn. 

Rhysand employs this secession as a catalyst to deepen his involvement in the Hewn City, but this time with benevolent intentions. Bereft of the Illyrian army, he endeavors to gain control over the Darkbringers and seeks to enhance the quality of life therein, offering the possibility of migration to Velaris for those who desire it.

With Nesta and Cassian at the helm of two formidable armies—the Valkyries and the Illyrians, respectively—Illyria solidifies its status as a force to be reckoned with in Prythian. This commands immediate respect from the other courts, who are intrigued at this new country for them to trade and visit (but not dare to take on in battle). 

Oh, and did I mention that our trailblazer Emerie secures a seat at the High Lord table being the first female and elected leader to sit there? Because she does. 

Gwyn, bravely venturing forth from the confines of the library, champions the cause of non-High Fae rights. As a part-nymph, she has personally encountered bigotry, which resonates with the plight of other marginalized fae and Illyrians. (Remember all that 'lesser fae' bs from ACOTAR?)

Gwyn assumes the mantle of their advocate, bolstered by Nesta, who desires a future where her part-Illyrian child will never experience such animosity. Several priestesses get involved and their 'safe haven library' mission expands to other courts (becoming a quasi-embassy) run by a priestess-ambassador. Helion and Meallan are invaluable as transportation while they get set up. 

In this shared mission, Nesta stands as Gwyn's steadfast second, while Gwyn reciprocates as Nesta's second within the Valkyrie army. Together, they dedicate their efforts to train any woman who aspires to be empowered and thrive.

Emerie bestows a position of authority upon one of her close friends in Windhaven; a fellow small-business owner, who becomes the Chief of Trade. She begins by establishing a robust import framework, laying the groundwork for future exports and imports. Initially targeting the Night Court as a trade partner, their aspirations eventually extend to encompass all of Prythian.

Azriel becomes both emissary for the Night Court and shared spymaster. This mutually beneficial alliance allows Illyria and the Night Court to share confidential intelligence. By being more involved in Illyria, Azriel begins to reconcile his own long-held prejudices to his people and heritage. He splits his time evenly between the two courts (when he's not spying). 

Nesta and Cassian live in Illyria full-time, training their armies and raising their family. Nesta also dedicates time to creating a night life by helping establish several clubs/bars with dancing and music for all to enjoy. Eventually talented Illyrians will form schools dedicated to the arts. Speaking of school...

Devlon's cause is education. Too proud to ever admit he's wrong, he realizes he needs to be right more often than not to make that work. He sets up schools in each camp, many of which also serve as boarding schools for the orphans. He claims it because it's because he doesn't want to deal with wild children running about, but he becomes very invested in education and it gets really dusty in here whenever a child hugs his leg. 

This emancipation advances Illyria and the relationship with the Night Court is forever made more solid now that there's mutual respect and admiration between the two. 

Are you still reading? Oh my goodness, thank you. As you can see, this idea would have been tricky to draw out since most of it is exposition. 

#yes it's a hilariously non-violent and calm transition of power. This is cute escapism! If you want violence and strife #please watch the news and then donate/vote/act upon your outrage #for real #meanwhile #devlon becomes an emerie simp #this is what happens when I'm sat in a waiting room for hours and let my brain run rampant #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar head canon #wing clipping is obviously outlawed PROPERLY #emerie of illyria #valkyries #nesta archeron #nessian #gwyneth berdara #gwyn berdara

[serotocin38]

As Film & TV Genres

Shen Qingqiu as Murder Mystery: Shen Qingqiu would make both the perfect villain and the perfect detective in a murder mystery show or movie. Just imagine... A camera slowly panning into a dimly lit room, covered wall to wall with pictures and newspaper clippings. A silhouette of a man stands in front of the wall, slowly fanning himself. The fan snaps shut with a very satisfying click as everything suddenly becomes clear, and the mystery is to be unveiled. Honestly, it’s the fan. The whole “hiding half of his face behind his fan” thing could definitely be a perfect modus operandi for a killer shrouded by shadows, or the detective who is cold and aloof on the outside, but hides a dark and painful past behind that mask. Also, if Shen Qingqiu were the detective, he’d be the one that values his work above all else, causing him to have a nonexistent love and social life. But who can break this workaholic shell of his? Cough, definitely not his coworker who also happens to be the killer he’s chasing, cough

Luo Binghe as Thriller: Not only does thriller go hand-in-hand with mystery, but a thriller film is characterized by feelings of both anticipation and apprehension. If that doesn’t describe Luo Binghe, I honestly have no idea what else can fit him. If one were to ask Shen Qingqiu pre-relationship what he felt about Binghe, it would probably be along the lines of “he makes me want to shit myself in fear, but he’s also kind of sweet and makes really good food, but also I’m terrified of him”. I think it would be cinematic gold for a movie to open up with: It’s an empty room, backlit with a foreboding red glow. A man walks in slowly, his footsteps echoing with each slow thud. And then he chuckles, low and quiet, head cocked to the side tauntingly. All we can see is his cold smile, the slight curl of a sneer or a smirk. Maybe he even licks his lips once, showing a glint of canines. And he says one line before the screen goes black, “I’m coming for you”. And we’re left wondering, who is this character? Is he a good guy? A bad guy? Either way, he’s pretty sexy, but also a bit scary because what if he’s a psycho murderer? We’ll just have to find out...

Wei Wuxian as Western: Hear me out, hear me out. Westerns are generally pretty cheesy with the exaggerated drawl, the gunfights, the macho men slowly walking towards each other with a squinted eyes, flicking aside the toothpick they’ve been chewing on the whole movie. But it’s exactly that setting that I think would fit Wei Wuxian perfectly. It’s a rom-com and action salad tossed together with a handful of tumbleweeds and a healthy dose of dusty streets. Wei Wuxian would be the charismatic outlaw who thinks he has no cares in the world aside from booze, women, and righting the wrongs of the money-greedy government. But he was wrong. Because suddenly, his best friend gets shot in front of him, and his friend’s dying wish is for someone to watch over his little brother. So suddenly Wei Wuxian, the lawless loner, is saddled with some law-abiding teenager who seems to hate his guts. And Wei Wuxian can’t exactly get rid of him, so he puts up with this burden who slowly grows on him as they travel the Western wilderness on horseback. Wei Wuxian tries teaching the kid the ways of drinking and flirting, but the kid’s obviously not interested. In fact, the kid’s disapproving glare every time Wei Wuxian returns with his saddlebags filled with cash is actually starting to make him feel guilty?? Anyway, my point being, it’s not a Western without some cheesy romance ;)

Lan Wangji as Nature Documentary: There’s not much of a reason for this other than the fact I feel like Lan Wangji would have a very soothing, deep voice that would be perfect for narrating nature documentaries. Just imagine him saying, “The male peacock continues to flaunt his beautiful feathers in front of the drab, colorless females. He is rejected again... and again... and again. They don’t seem to notice his efforts............... *soft sigh*”. And that’s all the reasoning I feel is necessary to provide.

Xie Lian as Reality TV: With Xie Lian’s ability to be so unbelievably unlucky, he really needs a crew of cameramen following him around. They wouldn’t even need to script fake drama into it because his life is so crazy to start with. He gets dragged into conflict after conflict when all he really wants to do is to settle down in his run-down shrine and live a domestic life. Xie Lian may not have many brain cells to spare, but he’s still the unwilling parent figure of the Upper Heavenly Court, and they cannot function properly without his interference. Not to mention, he often has a band of “children” he has no relations to following him around (e.g. Lang Ying, Gu Zi, small Hua Cheng, Ban Yue, Quan Yizhen, Shi Qingxuan, Qi Rong, Mu Qing, Feng Xin, etc.). His viewers are very sympathetic towards the 800+ year-old virgin who is immortalized at the age of 17 to be saddled with such a huge responsibility (but they love the drama, so they’re not that sympathetic).

Hua Cheng as Action: If a building were to explode, the only person who would turn and walk away in slow motion would be Hua Cheng. There’s no doubt that he has a flare for the dramatics, wanting to stand out and do extreme things to grab attention. But plot twist, Hua Cheng isn’t the hero of the story, no, no. He’s actually the “bad guy”, but he’s really, really, really good at his job, so we just watch him escape over and over again, running back home to his little wife who is waiting day and night, wondering if his husband will return today. But Hua Cheng made a vow that he would always come back, no matter what. So Hua Cheng is painted as an evil, manipulative, cunning villain to the public, but Hua Cheng doesn’t care, and will continue to do even crazier and even riskier stunts all to fulfill his promise to return to his beloved. Plot twist part 2, Hua Cheng didn’t actually want to be the bad guy. He just volunteered himself when his beloved got into some trouble with some really bad people, and he found out that he’s actually really good at kicking ass and is a natural-born escape artist or something, so he’s just winging it, really. 

#bingqiu #wangxian #hualian #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #wei wuxian #hua cheng #xie lian #lan wangji #svsss #mdzs #tgcf #mxtx #mxtx headcanons #writing stuff