#and as someone who doesn’t meet Musa needs

[florelia12]

So I’ve been thinking a lot about avoidant attachment styles since I’ve discovered I fall under that category like our beloved Helia hence an essay on his avoidant attachment style:

Its no secret that i love the comics and the Helia arc in The Trial comics. I think what I love about that comic is how florelia’s relationship is developed and depicted.

So, one of the characteristic of an avoidant is deciding to end a relationship without really communicating why. Helia did that to Flora after deciding that she deserved better than how he treated her, and that he wasn’t good enough for her or for red fountain. He decided for the both of them that this wasn’t going to work out because he’s not good enough. Flora didn’t get to have a say or to even confirm whether that was true because he just waltzed right out of there and cut contact.

So, he leaves and like decides to not contact anyone. After a few days of crying, Flora managed to contact him…He starts by saying that he doesn’t want to talk but she cuts him off and says I get it if you don’t want to be around me right now. “I accept that even if i don’t understand.”

When she offers her help to find him a place to stay, it was her offering the help without any strings. Which was why he took it (he was also kinda desperate). After he says yes, she even says okay thats it you can hang up if you want without forcing him to talk about whats wrong.

Then its Helia who speaks up and says hey this is kind of why im behaving this way. She senses an opening and tries asking if they can fix things. He’s not ready yet and so he says no, which she respects and hangs up the phone.

Flora then finds him once he’s settled down. Now, this could have been a manipulative move. Her taking advantage of the fact that he had no choice but to take up the rental room that she found for him so that she can force him out of his self-imposed exile and force a conversation.

However, when Helia tries to apologise because its the decent thing to do, Flora stops him and says he doesn’t have to talk about it if he doesn’t want to. She recognises his need for space right but also knows that he needs a friend right now. So, she offers exactly that and Helia accepts it.

This may seem contradictory since why is he accepting help when he’s an avoidant who’s hyper independent and wants to be able to meet his own needs. But, the reason people become avoidant is because at some crucial point in their life, their emotional needs weren’t met and the only way they could receive that was by seeking it out themselves, something that requires a lot of energy that unfortunately ends up with them not having any energy left to help meet someone else’s needs.

But, what Flora did was meet his needs while letting him know she didn’t expect anything in return. This takes a weight off his shoulders, and he feels secure enough with her promises to accept her help. Because right now, there is no expectation on him that he needs to meet which is the exact thing he ‘ran’ away (expectations he’s worried he can’t fulfil).

Then they’re okay for a while, and they can go on dealing with the matters at hand which is fixing up his apartment.

After a while, when things are going okay and he feels safe and secure. Helia opens up to her. They communicate. She understands.

Then comes the moment that didn’t really sit well with me at first but now I kind of understand.

At first I felt like why is she asking him about their relationship when he’s clearly going through hell about something else, isn’t that a little selfish when she said she’s okay if they don’t talk about it?

But, then I realised that Helia’s needs were met when Flora gave him the space he needed and accepted and understood him.

Right now…She’s asking for reassurance. She feels secure enough with him to ask for reassurance because she needs it right now.

This expectation, its a normal reaction. Its not her asking for something unreasonable. Even the way she phrases it is, do you want to end things? Is this what you need?

Not, oh lets get back together or why did you do that to me. Not blaming him for his actions. ( She even said she forgave him ). Not victimising herself.

Since Helia’s needs were met and he feels secure enough right now, he was able to meet her needs and so he offers her the reassurance she needed.

Which was this iconic moment…

I almost forgot the important part but when conflict strikes again…

Helia receives sus information about Flora and is struggling to figure out whether to believe it or not. Because he’s been tricked once, and now its happening again? Is he gullible? Is he the problem? He’s not good enough is he? A good specialist won’t fall for tricks so easily, right?

Flora senses the struggles and approaches, she’s panicky so she kind of starts seeking reassurance like what’s wrong? What’s going on? Talk to me!

This time he doesn’t walk away, he doesn’t avoid. He feels safe. He knows he can trust her because she’s proven that he is safe with her. He can trust his own instincts. Even if he was gullible, he made a mistake and trusted the wrong thing again, he knows he can communicate it with Flora because he feels safe enough to do it.

He reassures her that he trusts her. Then, they solve the problem. Together.

I just absolutely love this entire arc because its a realistic and somewhat healthy way of being in a relationship with someone who has an avoidant attachment style.

I’ve been seeing alot about this avoidant/attachment style and majority of it just straight up villainises the avoidant. I even saw someone say that “anxious people are expected to accommodate avoidants but avoidants aren’t really expected to accommodate for the anxious partner.” Which will always be true in some cases but is not what the general avoidant or anxious attachment style actually needs.

Its not exactly space that the avoidant needs (thats the coping mechanism), its safety and security. Just like someone with an anxious attachment style. Seeking reassurance is their coping mechanism, the solution is the safety and security that is offered. Accommodating someone’s coping mechanism is never a long-term solution, only healing can give you the peace you need.

Now, i did use to think that Flora had an anxious attachment style but I think she’s more secure. Like she needs reassurance, she struggles with her insecurities. But, you don’t really see her actively seeking it out very often. She understands most of the time when people want to be left alone. While she might struggle to give herself the reassurance she needs, she understands when someone else can’t give it to her at that moment.

Is she avoidant, on the other hand…i might have to sit on that a little but I’d love to know if anyone has any thoughts on that:)

This whole thing is so hard to navigate but people can sure learn a thing or two from fictional characters.

#the way I had such a hard time #trying to figure out my thoughts about attachment styles #until I could only really understand when its under Winx club context #says a lot doesnt it #but helia this is why i love you #but i hate you because why are you so much like me huh? #im going to put this in the tags because I don’t want to piss off any musa/riven shippers #but one reason why muri have quite a few relationships struggles is because they have a sort of trauma bond in my opinion? #like Riven is an avoidant and Musa has an anxious attachment style #when that happens they kind of just tend to trigger each other when conflict arises #thats not very healthy and its not doing either of them any good #but then they are also a good example of why avoidant attachment styles gets villainised #because Riven is always written off as the problem #and as someone who doesn’t meet Musa needs #but Musa isn’t that great at communicating either #i love them and I love how they heal from that but the way they heal #is by feeling more secure in themselves #which is truly the only way to get past these attachment issues #not expecting an avoidant to accommodate the anxious partner or vice versa #which is necessary yes but not what can really help both parties heal and feel safe and happy

[moonlightreal]

Fate season 2-5

Last time of Fate: Tales from Elemental Academy…

A villain was revealed!

A character died!

A character revealed their sexuality!

A character woke up in another character’s bed!

Episode 5: Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

Pretty clear he’s a bad witch but then this show is nothing if not full of baffling mixed characterization.

Also I think we found part of the missing episode!  There was a news that Fate was cut down by a whole episode right before release.  I bet the flashbacks of Andreas’ death were cut from a longer scene to save length.  I wonder if they also cut some earlier Stella/Beatrix scenes that would have made their shippyness feel less sudden and weird.

But let’s get into it!

Bloom has suck out of school to meet Sebastian!  But he didn't show.  She calls him up and we see that he’s in a room with light coming in the windows.  As he tells Bloom he can’t make it, he pokes at a dead moth on the windowsill in a clear message that he’s evil.  Bloom says she can’t keep sneaking out and he needs to meet her already!  But he blows her off.

The air shimmers and a bunch of trucks and specialists appear.  Bloom was trying to lead him into a trap! He didn’t fall for it.

Sebastian has been hopping around Solaria and drained six more fairies of their magic.  Then we see where Sebastian really is.  It looks like a church, with an amazing sculpted ceiling, and it’s got desks and a pegboard of pictures—and people!  The people are dressed in dark clothes and a bunch of them wear knit caps and coats indoors and have funny little table lamps on tripods.  It’s a very “rebel camp” vibe.

Rosalind voiceover says Sebastian will soon be stronger than she is, and “we have to stop him before he’s stronger than Bloom.

Sebastian goes to another room, takes off his shirt and sits down over a chair.  A scraper oozes up and bites him in the back and pumps magic into him.  Sexualized.  Gross. Then the camera pans up and we see a bunch more scrapers on the ceiling ready to deliver even more magic!

Opening!

Bloom, Stella and Aisha walk through school talking about why the trap isn’t working.  They point out Sebastian has no real reason to sit down with Bloom.  Aisha doesn’t like seeing Rosalind use Bloom as bait and Stella snarks, “Unappealing bait!”  Bloom says she knows Sebastian wants to talk to her and best case they catch him, worst case they get answers. Stella: “Is that really the worst case you can think of?”  Bloom points out that Sebastian knows how to get Musa’s magic back and that’s what matters.

Their outfits are a thing.  Stella: bright blue shirt and tan trenchcoat.  Bloom: Halloween orange sweater and brown leather coat with sheepskin trim.  Aisha: bright blue shirt, brown overalls with some kind of pattern of large ovals, and a brown and yellow jacket.  

Outside they find Beatrix, looking normal and wearing her hat again, getting a package out of the mailbox.  There really is a package from Stella’s mother!  Stella wrote asking for forgiveness and a favor; it’s something from the royal archives.  Beatrix is interested to know what’s in it.  The girls side-eye.  Beatrix says, ‘I’m an orphaned magicless fairy relegated to chore duty to stay at this school.  A little secret might brighten my day”  Stella says she’ll tell her later.

Stella: we can trust her.

Bloom: She’s Beatrix.

Stella: You trust Rosalind.

Aisha: You both have terrible judgment.

Heh.

Then Bloom says Rosalind has been on their side from day one and because of her Musa was able to stay at the school.  Because Musa lost her magic she’d normally be kicked out?  didn’t we work out it was temporary since she was only bitten once?

Musa is in the greenhouse with Terra, who is wearing some silly looking magnifying goggles to check on the tiny scars the scraper left on Musa’s arm.

Riven and Grey come in to get some willow bark.  Wait, if the Otherworld has hydraulic power and fluid mechanics wouldn’t someone have worked out how to get the useful chemical from willow bark and turn it into asprin?  That’s what lots of medicines are, just people notice plant make better→isolate chemical that make better→synthesize chemical and package in measured dose→same effect as plant but easier and safer.

Flora is trying to make a remedy for blood witch puppeteering.  She’s bothered by how they “can take over someone’s body, their agency” which is the first bit of woke language in this season and coming from hippie Flora it works.  Flora also has half her curls down and half up in little mini curly Sailor Moon buns.  Adorable.  Say what you will about everything else in this show, the cast is great at what they do and cute as blazes. Riven flirts and Flora asks Grey about Aisha.  After the kiss Aisha’s been focused on the mission I guess, not him.  Terra says Musa’s got magic rehab to do but the boys say Silva wants to see her for another debrief.  He oughtta come to the infirmary then!

After they leave Terra asks Flora if she spilled the secret, but Flora says of course not, that’s for Terra to tell when she’s ready.

Outside Riven says there is actually no debrief, he just wanted to save Musa from magic rehabilitation, which seems to be breathing exercises and yoga that Terra invented herself.  Wouldn’t there be magic doctors who’d have figured out magic rehabilitation before this?  Or is this the first time fairies have ever lost their magic? Musa thanks Riven for the rescue and the other rescue when Riven hauled poor passed-out Musa back to school.  Riven goes to swing swords and Musa asks if she can come, as a way to avoid checking in with Rosalind.  Riven says sure, they can spar.

In Bloom’s room she and Sky lie on her bed.  Sky bailed on training today.  Because he’s just had a horribly traumatic experience and should be seeing a therapist!  I’m sure Rosalind does not hold with therapists.  Hang on, also Sky killed someone.  Why is he not worried about getting arrested like the last guy to murder Andreas?  Anyway they talk about the trap and Bloom says they have to offer something to lure Sebastian out.  Her only idea is “cool shoes?”  heh.  Sky suggests the blood witch book they got from his house and asks if Bloom remembers and jokes about the mission and the fire being the only memorable things that happened that day.  Nice joking, not mean joking.  S’cute.  They kiss and things look steamy but Bloom says “you can’t avoid what happened to Andreas by focusing on me” and then Sky has to leave for guard duty anyway.  

On the way out he passes Aisha doing homework in the main room.  When he’s gone Bloom comes out and the two girls talk a little.  Bloom says Sky is not fine and asks if Grey pretends too and Aisha says she’s less open with her feelings than he is.  Then Bloom says she decided to offer Sebastian the book.  Aisha is sensibly against giving the evil blood witch more evil secrets.

Then Aisha pulls out what they got from Stella’s mother: a convergence crystal from the Solarian archive.  Lets fairies combine their magic.  It’s a big chunk of multi-pointed quartz.  The theory as Aisha explains it is that fairy magic is like a battery.  Musa’s has been drained but it’s still a battery.  She just needs a jump start!  It’s dangerous but not more dangerous than meeting the baddie.  Bloom points out that meeting the baddie only puts Bloom in danger.  Aisha interrupts to say she messed up by leaving everyone at the pub, leaving Bloom to handle everything.  Now Aisha’s back and she can help!

Oh Aisha, you and Bloom are both stubborn as bulls and think you should take responsibility.  This’ll go well.

Outside—night shot of the castle—Sky sits on the back of a truck and drinks from his flask as he remembers begging his father not to murder… his father.  And then having to kill Andreas.

A door opens somewhere and Sky calls out that it’s the middle of the night.  He assumes it’s other specialists up late but the suspenseful music says otherwise.  He draws a knife but that doesn’t save him… from getting grabbed by a blood witch!  Sky is now being pupteered!

Daylight, and Rosalind stands over Andreas’ grave.  He has a large and computer generated headstone with his name and the words “Champion” and “Alfean” carved into it.  Rosalind is using earth magic to add a third word: “Father.”  Bloom walks over and says it’s a beautiful stone.  Rosalind says it’s from a quarry in Eraklyon near where Andreas grew up.  She also says she thought of inscribing it “miserable sentimental fuckwit” but that wouldn’t fit.  Ok, I snickered.  Rosalind then says Andreas would’ve liked that.  Bloom says it sounds like Rosalind really cared about him and that she thought Rosalind would have a “Rosalind-style outlook on death. Cold and unemotional.”  But Rosalind says she’s buried a lot of friends and hates deaths like this that don’t “serve a higher purpose.”  But Rosalind doesn’t want to skip training, she needs Bloom in top form.  “Sebastian has already taken one person I care about.  I won’t let him take another.”

So is this show trying to do that thing where the baddie is shown to be evil and then they humanize the baddie and they’re not a baddie anymore?  Am I supposed to be rooting for Rosalind and I’m just not getting the signals?  Because I’m just confused.  Dunno if the show is bad at sending messages or I’m bad at getting them.

Rosalind has been presented as a villain for a few episodes then came the revelation that the scrapers aren’t hers.  But she still basically cackled and rubbed her hands at the idea of expelling students, was fine with sacrificing Beatrix and is clearly manipulating and using Bloom. She seems responsible for Beatrix’s unorthodox upbringing that led B to murdering Dowling’s secretary.  Also she killed Dowling, was fine with sending hunters to try to kill Silva, and nuked Aster Dell. Rosalind seems to enjoy being cruel. But her goal seems to be to use every available resource to save the Otherworld from the Burned Ones and now the Blood Witches.  So she’s a sort of tough ruthless antihero?  She seems to see herself that way and the fact that Bloom trusts her suggests the show may agree.

I wonder if Rosalind would have been different if Dowling’s actress had stayed for season 2.  Maybe after she left the writers had to shift Rosalind over to do the good mentor role along with the villain role?

Sebastian is using Scrapers to steal fairy magic for him to use himself and has murdered Ivy and the poor puppet he sent to talk to Andreas, and puppeteers people including getting Andreas killed.  He would’ve been pretty young 16 years ago but if he was at Aster Dell he might have been with a group that kidnapped baby Bloom and Beatrix from their families.  His personal goal is revenge on Andreas for bullying him and smashing his face, understandable.  But the larger goal of the Blood Witches is… what?  I don’t think we know yet.  Revenge on Rosalind for nuking Aster Dell would make sense but nobody’s said that yet.  I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the show tried another turnaround and presented the Blood Witches as a persecuted minority forced to do evil to survive while people like Rosalind and Luna hunt them.

By my reckoning they’re both baddies!  

Over in the suite the girls are pulling back the carpet to make room for Musa’s convergence ceremony.  Which is the first Musa heard about it.

But first Terra has an announcement since they “haven’t all been in the same room for a few days”.  She’s super shy and awkward and it’s cute.  Eliot Salt is a good actress.  She tells everyone she’s gay and has sort of always known but is now sharing that part of herself. “so kindly adjust your perceptions of me accordingly.  Ok, we need to move this carpet!”  Awkwardness and vulnerability played well!  And then Stella comes over and hugs her and then everybody piles on and it’s very sweet.  Yay, a scene of them being friends!  Yay Stella being friendish!  Stella says they are now all terra’s official wing-women and Musa jokes that they’ll snag her a lady and Terra says that’s a “heteronormative paradigm I’m not sure I ascribe to” which works when it comes from Terra better than when it comes out of everyone randomly.  Just limit the number of characters who talk like they swallowed my SW310: Systems of Oppression textbook please, Fate!

Also, the clothes in this scene feel like they were given some thought..  Bloom is wearing a sweater that sort of has a lightning bolt design, makes me think Harry Potter.  Stella is in this ridiculously preppy blouse with a vest and a silk scarf at her neck over plaid pants.  Someone gave thought to how “princess” would look in this world that has such confused worldbuilding and gave Stella a unique style and color palette.  Flora is in a belly-baring top that’s a different color but the same shape as the actual Winx would wear, with supertight conffetti-colored pants.  Aisha’s just in a sweater but has a pendant with an aqua stone.  And Terra is in a shapeless faded sweatshirt that looks like the stuff I wear for pajamas since they’re too worn out to be clothes anymore.  Which I guess is a statement that her character is more about comfort than fashion but if I were of a suspicious turn of mind I could suspect she gets less thought to her costumes because of her size.  

Then Terra says this isn’t a coming-out party it’s a Musa’s-magic party and Musa says can someone please explain this and the camera pans on Terra looking really happy.

But first, let’s see what’s happening in Rosalind’s office!  Which has been updated to read Headmistress Ms. R Hale.  Rosalind has a last name.  I can’t think of any Winx connection.

Rosalind and Silva are discussing something when Sky comes in.  Silva asks Sky how he’s doing and Rosalind interrupts Sky’s answer to say he was on guard duty because Silva vouched for his trustworthyness.  Sky says he’s super trustworthy and asks what’s going on.  Sky is being puppeted remember, and Sebastian’s doing a rubbish job; Sky’s super robotic.  

It seems that someone broke into the east wing and looked through Silva’s files of battle plans.  Now the blood witches know how our secrets!  Rosalind thinks Sky fell asleep and let them sneak in.  Sky swears he didn’t see anything.  Rosalind positively drools with enthusiasm to squeeze the truth out of the teenager she suspects, but Silva defends Sky and lets him go.

Back at the ritual! Musa holds the crystal and asks how dangerous this ritual is.  Aisha says they’re “mainlining raw magic here” but she has faith. Terra’s got… a rock?  She says she’s trying some mineral magic but the thing she’s holding is big enough that if it’s a rock it’s a very lightweight rock.

The girls sit on pillows in a circle and summon their elements.  Bloom makes her usual flame, Aisha summons a littl;e tornado of water. Terra levitates the rock between her hands.  Flora makes tiny vines grow over her hands which is quite a cool effect. Stella summons a ball of light and her eyes go creamy yellow which is a neat look on her.  And then they… level up their spells!  Bloom’s got fire in her hands and a crown of flame on her head, Aisha has a little thundercloud, Stella has this mini black hole? Mini eclipse? it’s awesome.  And Terra is compressing her rock into a diamond! They close their eyes and concentrate on sending their magic to Musa and… nothing.  It doesn’t work.

Aisha suggests they need more power, like the Dragon Flame if Bloom thinks she can control it.  Bloom is confident.  Everyone stands up and Bloom conjures a ball of glittery purpleish fire.  She sends it towards the crystal Musa is holding and everyone else sends their magic too. It’s working!  They can feel the power of their magic!  But Musa is not feeling it, or if she is it’s freaking her out.  Ashe says hang on, and then “I said, stop!”  and drops the crystal, breaking the flow of magic.  

Bloom asks what happened and Musa says “it wasn’t working” and heads for the door.  Aisha says it was working but Musa flees leaving the others confused.

Terra says, “why are you still holding onto magic?” and Aisha and Bloom say they aren’t.  Terra says “Good. Bit worried there.”  What does that mean?  Did Terra think they weren’t using their full power to help Musa or something else?

Anyway te crystal that is now full of everybody’s magic sparkles portentously.  Sure would be bad if the Blood Witches got it… or Stella decided to give it to Beatrix…

  Aisha is upset her plan didn’t work.  Bloom immediately jumps on her saying it was a good idea, but since it didn’t work how about we bargain with Sebastian now?  Aisha wants to know Bloom’s plan for snitching the book from Rosalind’s office and Bloom’s plan is to get Beatrix to do it since Stella thinks Beatrix is on their side now.

And Stella has gone to take Beatrix a drink.  Poor Beatrix has been assigned to check the records of every student by calling their homes, to make sure everybody is who they say they are.  Cold-calling and endless paperwork!  Horrible!  Also she said she’s made a hundred phone calls and has a hundred more to go, so there are two hundred students at this school.  Stella offers to help and Beatrix immediately asks “what do you want?” but B lets Stella sit next to her and hands over a folder.

B reminisces about last year.  She was the scary one, the powerful one.  And now she’s groveling to Rosalind “just to stay involved.”   Stella says nothing wrong with playing the game.  She groveled to her mother in a letter. To get… something?  B says she thought it was to get the crystal but Stella implies it was for something else, to be involved. Did she get the gem off in a scene that was cut for time?  Stella says she’s playing good little princess now.  And Stella does have a favor to ask, which clearly hurts Beatrix’s feelings.

Out at the stone circle—hey, they rebuilt that set for season 2!--Silva and Rosalind are talking tactics.  Silva is confidant that Beatrix’s record checking will find the mole.  Rosalind wants to do more, and Silva’s worried it’ll alarm the students.  Rosalind says “You’re full of opinions” and Silva counters that he shares his unlike Andreas.  And Rosalind says she’s not Miss Dowling and if Silva doesn’t get some information from last night out of Sky, she will.  And she says “I just hope when I finish he can still form sentences.”

So, Silva stabbed Andreas trying to save a village full of people and now Rosalind threatened to lobotomize his kid.  That’s… I dunno.  I do wonder if there was a cut scene of Silva or Ben Harvey saying that Rosalind had changed since it’s hard to imagine them working with this lunatic for years.

Inside Sky finds Beatrix sitting in a window.  He says he’s here to bring the book to Bloom.  Beatrix says “I thought you’d apologize for killing my dad.” and Sky, or rather Sebastian, says Andreas was his dad and was about to kill Silva so he had no choice.  

Beatrix says because of that everyone’s going to let Sky off the hook.  But Beatrix won’t.  Does B know what went down?  It’s the blood witch she should be out for revenge on.  But she gives Sky the book and walks off.

Rosalind is doing something lightningy at the stone circle.

And Sky did give the book to Bloom.  Maybe he copied the pages first so Sebastian has them already and the book’s not good as a bargaining chip.  Bloom’s going to Earth to meet Sebastian, since that’s the world he likes. She walks through the barrier around the school but just after, Rosalind’s magic finishes and the barrier goes solid.  Bloom can’t get back in.

Through the barrier they have a conversation.  Sky doesn’t say it but he doesn’t want Bloom to go.  She makes a pointy remark about him never talking about his problems and says that she’s stronger than Sebastian.  A lot stronger.  Sky says the reason he doesn’t talk about his problems is that she’s the solution. Aaaaw, romance!  Except is that Sky talking or Sebastian?  I assumed once controlled always controlled but can a blood witch turn it on and off?  They put their hands up on the barrier for a romantic moment and Bloom says she’s got this. She heads off.

She does not seem worried about getting back in so maybe she knows a way.

Musa has met up with Riven for sparring!  she’s wearing a black longsleeved shirt and skintight red overalls with purple ovals on her chest that are actually not overalls because the shirt is separate. Musa has the most incomprehensible outfits of any of the girls. She’s also got a staff!  She takes some swings at Riven and he blocks with his arms, which do not look armored but maybe they are.  He gets the staff away from Musa pretty quickly and says she’s not a specialist, she could get hurt.  But she fights back with punches and kicks.  It’s sexy, because choreographed fighting set to music is always sexy.  It looks like they had fun filming this.

It also occurs to me that Musa’s thing in season one was that she couldn't turn her power off, she was always picking up everyone’s thoughts.  Should she be feeling relieved that it’s finally quiet inside her head? Or freaking out that it’s suddenly quiet and she doesn’t know how to handle the solitude?  Something?  

But then Aisha’s thing last season was that she was bad at magic and self conscious about it and that plot point vanished along with Terra’s mix of self conscious and competent.  Bloom kept her “destiny ridden protagonist who makes bad choices” and Stella works because “child abuse survivor who uses bitchiness as a coping mechanism but is trying to be an actual good person” can cover her jerk moments and her nice ones.

So this sparring must be the Musa/Riven stuff we read about?  Some of it anyway? Terra comes out and shoos Riven away so she can talk to Musa.  Musa walks off.  Terra follows.  Musa says she’s tried of talking and “Terra-robics” How many magic rehabilitation exercises did Terra make her do?  I feel like a scenes were cut here too because Musa is way more done with this nonsense than what we’ve seen.

Musa says, “I’m happy you’re living your truth but that doesn’t make you an expert on everyone else’s so can you just mind your own business?” And Terra says “Not about this!” and keeps following Musa, who keeps walking away, as I cringe so hard I’m practically on the other side of myself.  Come on Fate, you just had a scene where everyone was acting like friends and now you give me boundary-ignoring Terra?  The whiplash!  Terra calls stuff like, “You can whine and call me overbearing and annoying but I’m not gonna stop until you get your magic back!”  Which I can see Terra is trying to say “We won’t give up on you.” but this is the stalker way not the friend way to deliver that message.  

Then Musa sinks up to her ankles in the ground so she can’t walk away anymore.

Riven comes to the rescue telling Terra that seems like a bit much.  But Terra says she didn’t do it on purpose.  Her magic’s all mucked up!

And we’re back in the dorm with textbooks open. Aisha explains that since the ceremony wasn’t completed they’re still connected to the crystal and “Low-key channeling, constantly” and her eyes and Flora’s light up.

There is a knock on the door and it’s Grey, wanting to talk to Aisha without the roommates listening in.  Aisha says she can’t right now and Grey asks if he blew it with her.  She reassures him that it’s just a crisis, not something he did.  They kiss and the crystal glows Aisha’s blue color.  Which is a nice deep blue, I think they made it darker than season 1.  Aisha says that’s the solution to one of their crises.  She shuts the door and Grey stands there looking thoughtful.

He did just see the magic crystal.  I wonder if he’;s a baddie.  \he seems normal but the previews did say all the new characters have a deep dark secret. Sebastian sure did but Flora’s only secret seems to be that she likes meddling in everything and looks cute in Sailor Moon buns, so who knows.

Flora says, ‘If you let him in a little more he’d understand why you have to shut him out.”  But Aisha says they’re fine.  And she has the solution!  Channel your magic into the crystal and it’ll go back to normal.  Easy for them, but Bloom’s gone off to meet the baddie with her Dragon Flame off the Leash!  But not to worry, there’s one episode to go so she can’t kill ‘im yet.

Bloom is on Earth at a truck stop diner.  Her eyes are flaming occasionally.  Quiet music plays as she looks around then in through the diner window at Sebastian ordering food in the diner.  She goes in and sits down. Sebastian ordered a chicken fried steak, even though he doesn’t know what that is.  So there is one bit of Earth culture the Otherworld didn’t copy!  Sebastian talks happily about how he loves “First world kitch” and a diner is the epitome of that.

And then he puppeteers everyone in the diner to put their knives to their own throats.  And he points out, “You should hate me” and lists the things he’s done.  He says he’s a scourge to fairykind but still Bloom came, “Make that make sense.”

Bloom says she does hate him and wants to see him in jail, but she needs him to get Musa’s magic back.  The diners lower their knives and go back to eating like nothing happened.  So Sebastian can turn it on and off and people forget after!  Explains Sky.  Bloom offers the book but guesses Sebastian can’t actually give Musa’s magic back.  But he can tell Bloom how to do it.  Then he waves the “Or, I could tell you about your birth parents” thing.  But Bloom wants to know about Musa’s magic.

She slides the book over and Sebastian opens it.  He says all the answers are actually in the book.

Which seriously, did they give the book away without copying every page?  You are too dumb to live.  But nobody else could read the book, and Sebastian can.  He says it was his father’s book.  Dad was a collector of “blood witch relics” during his lifetime.  They lived in Aster Dell so all the relics got nuked.  And dad “was obsessed with the dragon flame.”

But that’s all Sebastian says about that.  Magic return options: 1, get a scraper to pull the magic out of Sebastian and stick it back into Musa. 2)murderize Sebastian and all the magic goes back where it belongs. Bloom asks why he told her that and Sebastian isn’t worried.  She’s not gonna kill the guy with the answers.  So they’re stuck.

Bloom says that’s it and gets up and walks out.  She calls Aisha and tells her what she found out.  Bloom clearly feels like she didn’t get much for giving away the book.  Aisha tells her about the magic being supercharged. Aisha’s like “come home, you could lose control” and bloom’s like, “I can handle it.” because Bloom.  She goes back in, slaps the table by Sebastian and says, “Let’s take a walk.” and Sebastian abandons his chicken fried steak and goes off with a dangerous teenage fairy he has no reason to talk with more.

Back at school Sky finds the flask he was drinking from when he got got.  Silva comes over and is understanding, Sky doesn’t remember what happened because he was drunk.  Apparently he turned up passed out in the east wing.  Silva doesn’t lecture him—and well you shouldn’t, Silva, you’re a cool guy but you don’t exactly fight the culture of rampant teenage drinking at this school.  Instead he says he got drunk for two years straight after he killed Andreas, but the responsibilities of parenthood sobered him up.  And he's still trying to be that parent.

Sky says he can’t train, he gets flashbacks when he picks up his sword.  Silva says he knows, and reassures Sky that it will get better in time and when he really needs to fight he’ll be able to.  

Sky turns away but turns back to say he thought he was almost there with Andreas, almost to the point they could've had a relationship.  Silva says looking to the future is the problem.  Soldiers don’t get to do that.  Which, as Sky says, is messed up.  Silva says it is indeed messed up but that’s how it is.  If you can stop planning a future you become “unshakeable” like all the great fighters.  Sky says that sounds like a constant state of uncertainty but Silva calls it readiness. Sky says he doesn’t think that’s the kind of life he wants to live, and walks away.

Riven and Musa are sitting on the track where the specialists are trying to run.  Riven delights in being obnoxious.  Musa says it’s nice not to feel how mad the specialists are at them for blocking the path.

The phone buzzes. Terra's coming back.  Riven says she really won’t stop until she gets Musa’s magic back, and he admits he saw what really happened at the barn.  Flashback from the cut content!  Musa walked into the room full of scrapers and held out her arms so a bunch of them could take all her magic.  Riven was fighting so he couldn’t stop her in time. Musa says it’s been so hard her whole life.  Riven channels his awesome side and says, “Your life is your life, you can live it how you want.” and he thinks her friends will understand.  Musa doesn’t think they will.

Huh.  Can one of the “Winx” not be a fairy?  Guess we’ll probably kill Sebastian next episode and not have to answer that question.  Be fun if Musa grabbed the wrong scraper and got some other power.

Terra arrives; they have to go get Bloom.

Who is “somewhere in the first world, I just don’t know where.” says Aisha, having narrowed it down to one planet.  Stella, Aisha and Flora are telling Rosalind of all people.  I hope at least SHE scanned the book. Rosalind has no interest in a rescue mission; Bloom with unstable magic could kill Sebastian and take care of the problem.

I mean, she’s not wrong.

Of course Beatrix told Rosalind about the plan.  And about the convergence crystal, which Rosalind says is a good idea maybe worth looking into if Bloom doesn’t solve the problem.

Aisha declares that Bloom isn’t a killer and Rosalind says they’ll see.

Bloom leads Sebastian out behind the diner where there are trucks and stacks of tires.  She says she’s done playing games and Sebastian asks if that means they’ll quit pretending it’s about Musa’s magic. Sebastian asks if that was just a ruse.  Bloom’s eyes flame up and Sebastian steps back all “I don't mean you don’t care about your friend but...”  and Bloom head-down stomps towards him snapping, “What do you want?”

He wants the Dragon Flame.

Which is weirdly out of place in this very Non-Winx show.

And if he gets it he’ll tell Bloom where she came from and give everyone else’s magic back.  Bloom asks what he’ll do with it and he says “Right the wrongs of Aster Dell.  But not like, kill all fairies or start a war.  that’s Rosalind’s thing.”  Bloom says Rosalind doesn’t want a war but Sebastain says oh yes she does.

Sebastian’s dad knew Rosalind, opposite sides but both keen to bring the violence. “Zealots obsessed with an ancient war.”  The dragon flame was the big power, Sebastian’s dad found baby Bloom, brought her home, and… Rosalind nuked the town killing everyone there.

Rosalind says dad kidnapped her and Sebastian says no, found is right.  Bloom asks what that means but Sebastian’s done.  No more lore without payment. Decide now!  The music builds and Bloom says… “Never gonna happen.”  But Sebastian does want to leave Bloom with one more bit of info: Dowling’s fate.  Bloom is quite shocked when she finds out Rosalind killed her.  Sebastian says “I know, unexpected.  The info, not the action.  The action is very Rosalind.”  heh.  I do like Sebastian’s banter, he does it well.  Bloom doesn’t want to believe it but Sebastian’s like, come on really is it that hard to believe? And tells her Dowling is buried in the graveyard.  With a final “maybe you should’a thrown in with me-the-baddie instead of Rosalind-the-also-baddie, Sebastian walks off.

And Bloom starts to flame up.

Sebastian mentioned his father a lot but not by name.  Are they building up to a Winx-name reveal or did they just not bother to name the dude?

At school Grey asks another specialist if there’s a way through the barriers.  He has a family situation.  But it’s no big deal.

Hang on, could Grey be Sebastian’s son?  They don’t look totally not-alike and here he is being obviously sketchy.  The other specialist Luke thinks so too, and calls Silva to report… but Grey sneaks up behind and puppeteers him!  Grey is a blood witch!  He just makes the guy say nothing's wrong—kind of cool how he does this, standing behind the guy and mouthing the words.

Inside, Stella is calling Beatrix out for telling on them.  B says it’s just playing the game, Stella says Rosalind is different.  Beatrix says if Rosalind kicks her out she doesn’t know where she’ll go.

Seriously?  Beatrix doesn’t have a plan?  Beatrix doesn’t have a list of bigwigs rated by who’d be the best sugar daddy?  I mean *gestures at all of season one B*  

Ok I guess you could say that all of B’s agency, her ability to spy and seduce and manipulate, was all based on the fanatical loyalty to Rosalind that her father ingrained in her through her whole upbringing and Beatrix doesn’t really have desires of her own.  I know Beatrix lost her father, her magic, her dudes, and her hopes to be Rosalind’s right hand minion, that’s enough to drop anybody but it’s hard to believe Beatrix lost her whole core personality.

Also has anybody told Beatrix there’s ways to get her magic back? Also also, wasn’t baby Beatrix also found in Aster Dell with baby Bloom?  She might still be part of the A-plot.

Anyway Beatrix says “don’t be surprised when I do whatever I need to to survive.”

I wonder if Stella was about to say something like “you have me” cementing the fastest weirdest ship ever, but Aisha calls.  “Bloom called. Rosalind killed Dowling.”

Next thing Sky and the girls, minus Beatrix, are out in the woods banging on the barrier.  They are worried.  Rosalind is planning to meet Bloom at the portal, which must’ve been decided before Rosalind knew her secret was out.  

Bloom arrives back in the Otherworld in a graveyard, I think it’s the same portal location as in season one.  And Rosalind is sitting on the same bench where she and Dowling had their final chat.  This must be a real place on the grounds of the castle.  They have a tense conversation.  Friends told Rosalind where Bloom was, Rosalind’s glad Bloom got back safely, Rosalind was more worried about Sebastian’s health than Bloom’s, Bloom says restraint is sometimes difficult and apologizes for not telling Rosalind, but Rosalind says it was good planning, better not to tip your hand.

Bloom says it went ok, Sebastian really believes Bloom would betray Rosalind.  Rosalind says Bloom is like her.  Bloom’s eyes flame and Rosalind asks if being similar bothers Bloom.  Bloom doesn’t reply but Rosalind guesses by her troubled expression that maybe Sebastian “told her something that upset her.”

Aaaand I was kinda hoping Bloom would just flame up and put Rosalind out of my misery but she asks in a small voice if this is where Rosalind did it.  Rosalind says, “A little to your right.” calm as anything.  Bloom goes for her without fire and Rosalind mind magic slaps her down.  While Bloom whimpers from magical torture Rosalind actually gets some emotion in her voice, saying her Plan A was for the two of them to work side by side, two powerful fairies, an example to the Otherworld.  Bloom whimpers that she’s nothing like Rosalind, so Rosalind has to go with Plan B.

Rosalind surrounds herself with silvery clouds of magic.  She puts them on Bloom, who frosts over, frozen in suspended animation. Rosalind says that even with Bloom frozen Rosalind can still channel the Dragon Flame from her and just do all her stuff by herself.  “The uncomfortable truth is, if you really want to change the world for the better, you have to be capable of anything.”  Spoken like a true terrorist, Rosalind.  She says Dowling was weak too.

Bloom’s eyes flame and the very fake looking frost effect melts off her.  Rosalind looks taken aback as Bloom climbs to her feet and summons an orb of Dragon Fire in front of her.

“On second thoughts, maybe I was wrong.” is Rosalind’s titanically dumb last words before Bloom flipping nukes her.  Big dome of power, shockwave that blows around the others stuck in the barricade.  Sky says to nobody, “Bloom, what did you do?”

Rosalind is now a charred corpse.  As the others arrive Bloom says numbly, “I lost control.”

I dunno if being provoked by facts is the same as losing control.  If ever there was someone who needed nuking, it’s Rosalind.

But what will happen now?  Who can be the new headmistress?  Will Bloom get arrested for murder?  What’s Sebastian going to do now? Maybe he can be headmistress, start a tradition of putting awful people in charge of the school!

#fate the winx saga

[black-rose-writings]

Fate Season 2, Episode 1

Let’s get to the garbage fire

I say, before starting the episode a what looks like a literal garbage fire. Or at least a very trashy-looking party in the woods. Classy. Better than dead sheep, though.

Okay, a boy who looks and sounds like Philosopher’s stone era Neville is telling a couple to get a room.

And a sex scene. I did not need to see that. And a bitch is watching them.

The bitch is a bloodbender.

Some monster that eats the horny boy’s face.

Intro sequence.

Afea as ugly as ever, the music is barely passable.

Bloom is wearing very ugly clothes.

You’d expect a totalitarian regime would preffer their soldiers are like... disciplined?

Conspiracy time!

“You don’t know what you’re facing!” Then fucking tell her!

Bloom is a conservative, I guess. Not like... evil conservative. But definitelly a lot more in line with the rules than her OG counterpart.

Everyone looks worse than they did in season 1. Except maybe Musa. She wears something I could imagine OG!Musa wearing. Not a fan of short-hair!Stella.

Also... is Stella really wearing beige sweatpants and crocs? She looks like she’s going to take the trash out, not to school.

“Don’t fuck in the suite” seems like a reasonable rule, tbh.

Aisha boyfriend introduction? Okay I guess.

“Are you checking me out?” “No [insert practical reason]” is a trope I kinda don’t like.

The new Specialist uniforms are... still garbage. Just because it’s for adults doesn’t mean colors are banned.

Bad-ass music to show you how badass specialists are.

Sky’s dad is a cunt. Also, these guys can’t hold a candle to the OG specialists.

And Riven is a teacher’s pet, because he sucks up to the evil dictators.

Shitty bisexual and polyamorous representation incoming. And Riven is still gross.

And another unnecessary make-out session.

Beatrix can go fuck herself. She’s not evne funny this time.

Polaris AKA discount Omega, I assume.

Bloom’s planning a prison break. Because that’s not going to end horribly.

You didn’t even like the guy before he got arrested.

Why is Bloom so fucking focused on “how things used to be”? Bitch, I get that you’re coping, but this aint the way.

Maybe father your son instead of shitting on the man who actually did? My dude? I get that you’re evil, but like... jesus fuck.

For someone who’s been standing in the rain for a while, Stella’s surprisingly dry.

Why does Aisha even like this guy? Get some fucking standarts, man.

Well, you know, took you long enough to not absolutely hate each other. Shame all that bonding happened off-screen.

Secret evil lab time.

Sorry, Bea, I don’t think you’re in a position to demand shit from the Bitch in charge. This is going to end badly for you.

Okay, why don’t you clean it with magic? Oh, yeah, because Fate’s magic is fucking useless.

And Sky’s drinking alone in his room. And his dad is a piece of shit. He’s not even fucking sorry.

No, really, why is Bloom such a... conservative? Fucking disgrace

And, the plan is going to shit

“Keep up the pace and keep your mouth shut.” what a lovely advice.

Some kind of magic supressor, I assume. And that’s an oof.

And, Bloom is gonna find a body, I assume.

Fate doesn’t have creativity so they settle for shock value, I guess.

Time to meet discount Valtor.

Fuck that guy.

Like, hopefully, this is just a persona, but man... flanel?

So, she’s conservative because she blames herself. Got it.

Sky’s an artist, now? Oh, that’s a target.

That’s, what, third almost sex in this one episode? Jesus christ.

What’s Bloom doing?

Rosalind is torturing students for science. Okay.

#fate winx saga #winx #winx fate salt

[imkylotrash]

Meet Me In The Hallway (3)

Pairing: Sky x reader

Summary: Stella is losing patience and when you follow Sky into the forest to find the Burned One, she lets part of your secret slip as a warning. 

Tagging: @grey-girl @intoanothermind @bitchwhytho @music-of-melody

Series Masterlist

“I thought I saw you leave Sky’s room and then I thought… That can’t be true. Y/N wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that when they know what I know.”

You really hate Stella. Slowly, you turn around to face her preparing yourself for the venomous smile she no doubt has plastered on her face. Barely anytime has gone by but you’re already getting very tired of having her threaten you.

“Silva is hurt. He needed someone to comfort him. That’s all.” You’re dog-tired wishing for a peaceful sleep but Stella has other plans.

“If Sky needs comforting, I will make sure he gets it. Not you.” It baffles you how she claims to care for him when all she does it look after her own needs. Frankly, you don’t care who gets to comfort him as long as he’s not alone. You’d give up just about anything to make sure he’s happy but Stella seems to think it’s him who should give up everything for her. 

“Are you really that selfish you’ll put your own happiness above his?” you dare ask tired of her games. 

“I’m going to give you one last chance to fix this,” she starts completely ignoring your question. 

“I have to stay away from him. I get it,” you interrupt her about to turn around and walk away when she stops you. 

“I want you to convince him to go on a date with me. He’s been too occupied sulking over you to show any interest in me. I want you to make him realise that I’m the obvious choice.” She must’ve lost her mind. For a whole minute you simply just stare at her taking her words in. She wants you to convince Sky to fall in love with her. In the middle of everything going on with Silva. Is she completely mental? 

“Did you hear me or do I need to repeat myself?” In an attempt to act unbothered, she checks her nails but you see right through her. All the insecurities and abandonment issues shine bright in the dark and you briefly pity her. Everyone has heard the rumours of her mother and the way she’s been treated, but you came from a horrible life too and you didn’t turn into a bitch. 

“I heard you.” 

“Great. You can tell him I’ll be waiting in my room.” She walks past you not even bothering to ask how Silva is doing. Despite your need for some proper sleep, you decide to head down to the greenhouse. Mr. Harvey is adding a fresh coat of the herb mix to Silva’s wounds. 

“Sky is sleeping,” you quickly say to easy Silva’s mind. He sits back down revealing the pain he’s in. 

“Can I help with anything?” you ask needing something to occupy your mind from what Stella asked of you. How can you focus on that when Silva could be dying? 

“Maybe you could cool me down again? It really helped me rest.” You oblige placing your hand on his forehead and channeling just the slightest magic into the palm of your hand. It’s an instant effect when the ice hits him. Slowly his skin returns to a normal shade rather than the hot red it was mere minutes ago. 

“Thank you,” he whispers lying down on the table again. It must be really bad if he’s so willing to show weakness. In the time you’ve known Silva, he’s never shown weakness about anything. You know it would be a different story if Sky were here though. He’d never want Sky to know just how much pain he’s in and you can’t blame him. It would crush Sky. 

“No problem. I can come back in a few hours to do it again?” You look to Mr. Harvey for signs whether that’s a good idea or not. He gives you a quick nod before continuing his work. You mean to head to your room but you spot a blonde boy who’s sneaking out the backdoor. 

“Are you kidding me?” With a sigh, you follow him outside realising that he’s heading straight for the forest. 

“Sky, where are you going?” you ask and the sound of your voice stops him dead in his tracks. 

“I’m going to find the Burned One that got Saul. I can’t just sit around and do nothing.” He’s not looking at you. Probably because he knows you’ll try to talk him out of it. 

“Please stay. Marco is out looking as we speak and I’m sure he’ll find it.” You’re desperate to keep him protected within the barrier but you’re always painfully aware of the fact that Sky is one of the most stubborn people you’ve ever met. You’re not sure you’ll be able to convince him especially now that you’re broken up. 

“I’m not waiting for someone else to save him. Saul is all I have left.” It’s a brutal reminder of what you took from him when you ended things and it tugs at your heartstrings just how badly you hurt him. 

“Then I’m coming with you.” If he’s going out there, you need to be there too. You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to him and you had the chance to stop it. 

“You’re not going with me,” he says as if he has any say at all. 

“If you’re going, I’m going. Package deal, remember?” It’s something you started saying after Riven kept commenting on the fact that you never went anywhere without each other and up until recently you never have. He doesn’t look pleased but he also doesn’t say no. He just hands you a small dagger for you to hold onto to. You grab hold of the water drops lying on the grass and freeze them before levitating them in the air. 

“I think I’m good.” He takes the dagger back without a word and proceeds to the forest. It’s a long trek but you don’t complain. You asked to be here and as much as you hate the uncomfortable silence that’s formed between the two of you, you’re glad you’re here. There’s no point in the search because it’s impossible to figure out what direction the Burned One headed but all you can do is keep a lookout and hope you get lucky. 

“Stop,” you whisper grabbing hold of his sleeve. He stops moving but you feel the shiver in his arm where your fingers grazed his skin. 

“Sorry,” you mumble letting go of him. A little further ahead, you see something move. Sky pulls out his sword and you channel your feelings ready to freeze it in place. It’s not the first time you and Sky has worked together, but it is the first time it’s been outside of training. 

“I freeze, you stab.” He nods hardly moving a muscle. You direct your power at the Burned One freezing every part of it to keep it from moving. You hold it in place feeling the fire inside of it trying to beat your ice but as you see Sky run towards it, you feel more motivated than ever to win. He stabs it right through its core and when you feel its resistance die out, you let go of control. It falls to the ground officially dead. 

“We did it,” you say out of breath. How you haven’t passed out from sleep deprivation yet is beyond you but it’s catching up to you now. 

“I’ll call Silva,” you say ignoring the need to fall asleep right here on the ground. It takes two rings before he picks up shouting about how irresponsible you are for taking off and hunting Burned Ones yourself. He doesn’t say thank you, but you know it’s hidden between the lines. 

“He’s definitely feeling better,” you say once he’s done giving both of you an earful. He demands you both return to school at once and now that you’ve killed the right one, you can oblige easily. 

“Thank you for coming with me,” Sky says on your way back.

“Of course. I know what Silva means to you.” This time the silence is comfortable almost as if nothing went wrong between the two of you. But Stella’s ultimatum is still weighing heavy on your mind. 

“Can I ask you to do something without any questions?” you ask him right before you reach the barrier. 

“What is it?” he asks but you need him to promise you before you tell him. You know he’ll never agree to it otherwise. 

“Promise me,” you say pausing just before the barrier. From here you can see the school and the students training out on the grass as if it’s just a normal day. But to them it probably is.

“I promise.” 

“I need you to take Stella on a date.” His glare might just pierce you from pure anger. 

“No questions. You promised!” He’s about to protest but stops himself. He’s a man of his word even if he hates it right now.

“Fine.” He starts walking leaving you behind. The second people spot you, they stare at you like you just arrived with the circus. 

“Is that them?”

“Do you think it’s true?” 

“Are we in danger?” Everyone is whispering and pointing fingers making you feel incredibly uncomfortable. You notice Musa not too far away and head over to her. 

“What’s going on?” Before she has a chance to tell you, a first year taps you on the shoulder. A bunch of girls are watching from afar making it obvious that the first year in front of you is here on a dare. 

“Is it true?” she asks continuously looking back at her friends. 

“Is what true?” you ask confused ignoring the sneaking suspicion you feel. 

“Is it true that you’re a changeling?” 

#sky x reader #sky blurb #sky imagine #sky gif #sky #fate the winx saga #fate the winx club #fate winx club #winx saga #winx club #fate winx #fate

[spicyicymeloncat]

My thoughts on the Netflix winx (am I late to the complain train?) part 4 and final post!…

…part 4a because this post was too long haha

This isn’t actually me complaining… this is me offering my ideas for things they could’ve done differently.

Take this with a grain of salt, this will probably just be glorified fanfiction, and I’m not saying that my opinions are better than the professionals, I’m just someone who really liked the idea of a winx remake through a more modern lens.

I have many different ideas on which direction we could go in but I’ll start with my favourite:

1) Fate: drop the winx

It can be argued that one of Fate’s biggest flaws is that it’s so different to the original source material whilst not adding anything new or interesting. It’s more comparable to riverdale or even Harry Potter than it is to winx. Everything from the aesthetic, the characters, their ethnicities, the plot, you name it, has changed. The only things that stay the same are the names (like Bloom or Musa) and general concepts (Like Stella being a princess), as well as some very specific details (like Bloom cauterising Sky’s face probably being a reference to her healing powers when she saved Sky in season 2 (i think)). Heck they don’t even have wings (which is what the name winx comes from). Even if some of these things will be introduced in Fate s2, we really should not be waiting a season before we treat the show like the remake it’s supposed to be. It just feels like Fate is using the name to market to a pre existing audience. Fate would be much better off as it’s own thing.

“But how?” You might ask. Well if you read my post on how I feel about Fate’s writing, I mentioned I like Beatrix. So Fate as a show is trying to be an edgy, gritty show about teens struggling to survive in the world they live in, with political conspiracies and monstrous dangers thrown in left, right, centre. Here’s my pitch.

Beatrix is a girl who was raised all alone by her father, and now she’s going to attend the school she’s always dreamed of attending. Meet the people she always dreamed of meeting. Kill the fairies she always dreamed of killing. A morally grey survivor of the crimes her society kept secret, Beatrix becomes ensnared in tricky political conflicts as she seeks to understand the words of a mysterious voice she only hears in her sleep. Do the teachers who swore to protect her actually want what’s best for her? Is her loving father really all that he seems? Will Beatrix find herself alone in this world, or will she form bonds that just might stick? This is her Fate.

Okay that probably sounded cringe but hear me out. You want gritty protagonists? Here’s Beatrix who is not afraid to kill to get what she wants. And yet she’s still just a teenager and a puppet to people like Rosalind, and the queen, who did lose her family in a genocide that the school is trying to cover up. Fara Dowling is also seen as a morally grey, who feels forced to keep the secret of the genocide, and was also a powerful being manipulated by Rosalind. The plot follows Beatrix scavenging for answers, following commands from her father and being tormented by the voice of Rosalind, and she’s good at what she does, she gets a lot of wins, which would make it more effective when she’s told she’s being used (I’d imagine, she and Fara would confront each other at some point and Fara tells her that she doesn’t know as much as she thinks, which will serve as the theme of her character, who is unknowingly actually vulnerable). AND! Riven and Dane, whilst a little rough around the edges, actually form genuine bonds Beatrix and they face they’re own struggles too (I’m not making Riven homophobic/fatphobic though, and Dane’s going to have more of a character motivation that isn’t just “no one understands me”). And the three form a polycule that is the only wholesome and nice thing in the show, and their relationship is always put at risk as the students delve deeper into the mysteries of the school. The school doesn’t even need to be about fairies so they don’t need to have wings and stuff. I think this idea is pretty balanced and it would give the writers a lot more room to work with as it wouldn’t be a remake.

2) Fate the winx saga but I changed SOME the bits I don’t like

This idea isn’t really an original concept, it’s just me taking the baseline of Fate and changing some character arcs, outfits, and returning to the original cast. These are just a bunch of concepts that I think could work in the episodes Fate gave us.

Everyone is their original race. Although I love the actresses, white washing is never a fun thing to do! I think Flora should still be played by someone plus sized and honestly so should some of the other characters too! Also it would be nice to see some diverse teaching staff as well. Also Terra is once again Flora and her whole family is Hispanic please and thank you. Also characters who are in some way implied to be lgbtq+ so it’s not just the villains. Maybe Flora chats up a girl after the whole Dane things goes sideways. Also then Dane’s motivation can’t be that he’s a minority. Maybe Dane secretly craves carnage idk

Flora and Musa still have their conflict in the beginning and now I will explain to you how to resolve it with flare!

——— episode one has so far seen Musa being cold to Flora, and Flora continuously tries to talk to her. This is a rewrite of the last scene with Flora and Musa in ep 1. Flora is rambling about this speaker she took from her brother and Musa is very tired of listening to her and eventually snaps telling her that she knows Flora is insecure and that she’s an empath and just wants a break. This angry outburst definitely hurt Flora’s feeling and she tries to deny that she feels insecure before running away (eyyy just like in the original show where Flora ran away from the group after feeling unwanted). Musa realises it’s not actually anyone’s fault for having emotions and Flora did get her a speaker so she ends up running after her. Cinematic shot time! As Flora runs, her emotions cause her magic to go out of control, and vines and wallflowers start to rapidly climb the walls and pillars of the school scattering petals and leaves everywhere. Musa follows the plants (it’s incredibly obvious where Flora went) but we get to see her eyes glow too because she’s using her powers to search for Flora. We also get some lame song about being rejected playing in the background to add some dramatic atmosphere. Eventually Musa makes it to the school’s indoor greenhouse, which we were told earlier in the episode is where Flora runs off too when she feels alone. Flora is on a pale painted bench surrounded by roses of an unusual colour, like bright purple or something. Musa realises that the secret garden is indeed very beautiful and she sits down and talks to Flora. Musa talks about how she never knew a place like this existed, but for once, Flora’s determined to shut up. Musa then tells her that she’s sorry she snapped and that she knows people can’t just turn off their emotions, and Flora then actually talks and says she does understands it must be hard to feel everything all the time. AND WOW LOOK CHARACTERS ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS AND SORTING OUT THEIR ISSUES!! And then Musa notes that maybe painful emotions are beautiful too, and that Flora shouldn’t be made to hide away just for being herself, and how Flora’s outburst in magic actually caused really beautiful flowers to grow (aesthetically pleasing metaphors yea please). And then Flora gets an idea, and essentially she comes up with a magical plant related solution to like dampen Musa’s powers or something (like improving the noise dampening aspect to her headphones or something) idk. And they help each other out, set boundaries and they become friends! I just want girls talking about their feelings in pretty gothic gardens okay. Can you tell I thought about that for a really long time? Here’s a pic of what kinda look I want for the setting of this scene. Ik that this is a drawing and obviously not a photo of something, but I just wanted to visualise the colours and stuff. My style isn’t very realistic but I tried •^•

Next thing is I wanna change Stella and Aisha’s arcs. Mainly I want Aisha to be a princess again. So Stella is going to have her original backstory of having neglectful parents, whilst Aisha is going to have helicopter parents. Stella’s loud, a show off despite not actually being that good at magic, and social. With her parents divorce, and rulership, they basically neglected her and now she’s an attention seeker as a result. She teases the group a fair bit and maybe doesn’t realise she crosses the line but honestly she gets really attached. Aisha on the other hand, gets her helicopter parents back, and because of it she’s rebellious, tries to go against what’s expected of her, and has trouble in social situations. She’s also really good at magic but doesn’t like to show it because it reminds her of her parents expectations. Both of the princesses form a kind of rivalry due to both being princesses of very different natures. At some point in the show they realise that the reason they fight is because they wish they had what the other has and they learn to support each other and stuff. Also this is like that one ep in the original series.

I also wanna bring back sci fi and bring back Tecna. The school is now once again a part scifi part fantasy school. We’re getting our air craft back, our weirdly shaped buildings, holographic phone calls. On top of freezing traps and guards, the school prisons are going to have passcodes because why don’t they already? And Tecna. She’s here. She’d probably help Bloom break into the newly established technological security. Maybe she has a reverse arc to Bloom where she gets too popular and doesn’t want to be. Like she’s feels like she’s only seen as the tech girl and hasn’t made any true friends. Yeahhhh. So Bloom kinda treats her like how she treated Aisha in Fate (but this time there’s ✨consequences ✨), in that she’s just a tool to help Bloom investigate the school, and Beatrix tries to use Tecna the same way but Tecna knows Beatrix is a murderer or something and refuses to help her. So then Beatrix bullies her and tells her she’s only good for her technology powers and everyone is just using her. It leads to drama with Bloom, and potentially everyone, but Tecna stands up to bullying or something and she sorts it out with Bloom and idk maybe Timmy’s also here idk. I just think it would be easy to have Tecna here, and she deserves to be cast in a live action.

Faragonda (I have no idea why she’s called Dowling can someone explain it to me). Is fcuking op now. We see a lot more of her fighting zombies, we see fairies fight in general, and whenever she’s on screen something magical is happening to remind us that SHES the headmistress for a reason. Maybe she’s got magic mirrors which act as security cams. Maybe she dresses for literal war when the zombies show up. When Rosalind shows up to kill her we finally see her magic up close. Rosalind tries to zap her when her backs turned, but she whips around and blocks it. They fight for a bit and the clips are spliced in between the winx going back to Alfea. The girls arrive to face the new school staff and suddening they hear an explosion. Cut back to Faragonda looking singed and suspended and then we see Rosalind snap her neck. She drops to the floor and is consumed by the leaves. (However I really want this to be a fake out death because THAT would be a power move). The show ends on Rosalind.

Honestly I’m not gonna change too much about Sky, I liked him as a concept. However the whole thing he has with Bloom and Stella is weird. Ooh!! What if Bloom and Sky are rivals! Little funky but I think it could work. They have a rivalry friendship when they meet and honestly their entire relationship can just be the same but now we frame it as rivalry. Sky’s not entirely cheating on anyone, he and bloom can develop something before we all know they’re an item, when Bloom’s sneaking out he follows her because he’s a goody two shoes and wants to stop her from breaking rules, whilst she’s a rebellious child who is going to break all of them. They develop a genuine friendship. Bloom doesn’t kiss him because whilst I know I can’t fully comprehend sexual attraction, someone tell me why someone on the verge of tears talking about their daddy issues makes you wanna kiss them. What? Maybe a hug and comfort but nothing worth as grim of kiss as that was. Something sweet and gentle and nice and not mmMM YOUR SO EDGY THATS HOT. Anyways the drugging in the woods happens but like she at least gives him her coat because she actually feels bad. Also maybe they’ve done something dumb like that to each other before because rivalry making it less awful. And after that he’s reasonably upset and like doesn’t let her kiss him because what? Kisses should be earned, not treated like bribery to forget about awful things people do. But they patch it when she comforts him whilst he’s going to an existential crisis about his dad being awful. Yeah

I like Beatrix, I like her story and I actually found her and Riven’s relationship funny. Also Dane is now secretly into dark magic and honestly he and Beatrix DO actually get closer as a result. And Riven’s just there like “wait wtf is happening”

Bloom. Okay firstly, Bloom’s parents are really nice and have a healthy relationship. She does accidentally nearly burn her parents down because reasons (maybe it was just a stupid fight, maybe she had a nightmare (like her daphne dreams but probably with Rosalind) and she accidentally activated murder mode), and her parents are like, okay so you’re adopted we found you in a burning building and we’re pretty sure you’re not human lol. Idk how Faragonda then gets in contact but she does (or we could go og route and maybe Stella’s running away from monsters and makes it into the human world idk) but either way fate starts the same just that Bloom already knows that she’s adopted and the first episode focuses on how she has to keep her earth origins a secret (to tie into other themes like Faragonda keeping the burned ones secret). I just realised there’s a lot of secrets in fate. Anyways, Bloom realises she actually wants to find out more about who she is and that plotline still exists BUT, she still interacts with the others outside of it. Like she’ll be in the room when Stella and Aisha interact, Musa’s just as pissed at her for being an emotional wreck in the beginning etc etc. Also Bloom can be a bit hot tempered, impatient and anxious but she’s not completely horrible like she is in fate. She probably does have a “I lost control of my powers scene” but she’s not awful to Aisha afterwards. Also I have no idea why she’s ring her parents behind a bush like why do you need to hop dimensions to do that. Like if she’s going to meet her parents then just do it? Anyways she finds things like the secret war room, we get foreshadowing to ancient texts of fairies with wings and she’s like “I thought Faragonda said that these didn’t exist” and basically how fairy wings work is that only these ancient fairies had them, but they can also be obtained if that fairy shares their power out to others. AS WELL AS THIS, basically, there was like a cult that wanted to find an artificial way of obtaining these powerful wings, like a freak of nature experiment to get the power through evil means. That’s what Beatrix and maybe even Sky’s dad is. Maybe Faragonda used to be part of it and that’s why she’s so powerful, but doesn’t show it. They all have burn scar/tattoos shaped like wings on their backs and we see it on Faragonda before she “dies”. And yeah this cult is lead by Rosalind. Although I think Rosalind should be an ancient fairy who’s like, lost her full power or something (I feel like she takes inspiration from Daphne, the ancestral witches and valtor as well). Either way you don’t get this back and forth between whether that genociding of a village was justified or not. Just no. Idc what we put there instead I just don’t need bloom to make Faragonda late to zombie watching, so that they can talk about ethics. Beatrix and Bloom take their joyride. Beatrix gets imprisoned, preferably not in school because why (maybe the school has a magical fortress nearby and that’s also where Rosalind is idk). Bloom doesn’t break Beatrix out, either Riven and Dane do or Beatrix black magics her way out. Maybe Faragonda is a little morally grey and instead of coming clean to Bloom about the village, she gets mad and I want her to have battle scars and I want this scene to highlight it. Idk how Rosalind breaks out. I kinda don’t want Bloom to break her out because I don’t want to justify Bloom basically causing all the problems in the finale. Idk maybe the zombies are already breaking the barrier because they’re fuelled by ancient magic, and Bloom’s like the only way to be powerful enough to kill the zombies is to use Rosalind’s magic. So they open Rosalinds seal a little bit and Bloom and the girls yoink some genocide magic.

I’ve officially reached word limit on tumblr I’ll continue this thought on another post

Part 1 - Social issues

Part 2 - Writing

Part 3 - Designs

Part 4b - rewrites continued

#winx #winx club #fate the winx saga #Netflix #winx rewrite #fate the winx saga rewrite

[floralovebot]

I really liked your aisha meta about her bonding and i was wondering what you think is her biggest weakness? And the other characters too if that's okay. Thank you:)

Oh thank you!! Hmm I had to think about this one for a second but I'll try to give you some good answers! Though to be fair, I think most of what I listed are things that have already been said aljdhgjladg

I do want to note, I think all of the major characters had room for growth and self-development especially within the first three seasons. We all know that characterization made a huge nose dive after season 4, so I'm not really going to be talking about the later seasons as they aren't super representative of their personalities (however, i will occasionally mention them for certain characters). \

Anyway, onto our beloved characters mental issues and why they should all be in therapy <3

The Winx

Bloom: I think Bloom is actually a very well rounded main character! She has positives and negatives and those don't often conflate with each other (and I think most of her "too perfect" characterization comes from later seasons). Because of that, I had a hard time thinking about what her biggest weakness is because,, she has a few. However, I think something that stays very consistent throughout the series is her escapism. Bloom is a major escapist, especially when she's feeling unworthy. She has a lot on her plate! And a lot of people rely on her, which naturally can lead to some pretty heavy thoughts ("Am I doing the right thing?" "Do I deserve to be the leader?" "What if they're safer without me?"), however those feelings, when they become too much, often leave her feeling like people are truly better off without her. Then she runs off to Gardenia or she shuts people out or she takes on some dangerous mission just to get away from people. Her escapism often leaves everyone, including her, feeling shitty and it would've been nice to see her grow from that.

Stella: Hmmm, so again most of the early characterization gave the characters a couple of weaknesses so I had a hard time thinking of what Stella's biggest one would be. However, something that I've always noticed about Stella that's always made me feel bad, is her extreme I Need To Fit In Or No One Will Love Me attitude. And obviously that goes into her childhood and upbringing, but it's something that stays with her even after meeting the Winx and having all those You're Perfect The Way You Are talks with Bloom. She often changes her personality/attitude/emotions to fit what she thinks other people will like most. But that heavily goes into her insecurities of thinking people only like her because she's pretty or a princess. Stella's a smart girl and she notices how people respond to what she's doing. But when she's changing something about herself to get others to like her and they respond positively to it? That's horrible for her overall self-esteem and to her just confirms her fears that people don't love her for her true self.

Edit: I absolutely don't want to come off as if I'm saying Stella's personality is fake! Here's a further explanation for hers!

Flora: I think some people might disagree with me on this one, but I genuinely believe Flora's biggest weakness is how often she rushes into something. On one hand, it's admirable and shows how strong she is, but on the other hand, it says a lot about how she lets her emotions run her and often doesn't think things through when someone she loves is in danger or she thinks she needs to do something Right Now. Unless someone else prompts it, Flora often doesn't plan or try to think things through rationally. I don't think it's a bad thing to be in tune with your emotions, but it can become a weakness when you only ever think with your heart and what it's feeling at That Moment In Time. Instead of trying to think rationally or make a plan, Flora often just follows her heart immediately, but that can be a bad thing when her heart is hurting and she's not thinking clearly.

Aisha: It's definitely her attitude of needing to appear emotionally strong all the time. Aisha gives more of herself than she receives from others and a lot of that comes from her need to be seen as Reliable and Good. However, that often means she doesn't get the time to sit with how she's feeling or she pushes her emotions down. She doesn't want people to know that she's feeling upset because she doesn't want people to feel bad for her or use their energy to comfort her. Aisha is definitely a "other people have it worse so what happened to me doesn't matter" kind of person and that's often what hurts her the most. She doesn't let herself be vulnerable and often only does so when she truly can't handle it by herself anymore. And I think this heavily goes into her childhood and how she's had to be independent from a very young age. Aisha doesn't know how to let other people in.

Tecna: Hmmm, on one hand I'd like to say it's her internal battle with her logical side vs her emotional side,, so I'm going to. Personally, I think Tecna is a lot better at emotions than she gives herself credit for, and I think that's her biggest weakness. She doesn't give herself any credit when it's something that doesn't come naturally to her. Tecna had to work on being more emotive and reading other people's emotions correctly and by S2 she's already doing so much better than she was, but she refuses to recognize that. Tecna is so stuck in the "what if i'm too logical/not emotional enough and my friends hate me because of it" headspace that she doesn't even see the progess she has made. Honestly, Tecna being too logical/not emotional enough hasn't been a real issue for years and she doesn't even realize that. It's a little ironic actually, she's so caught up in her emotions about being too logical she can't see how far she's come.

Musa: Her trust issues. Personally, I think Musa's biggest weakness is her problem with trusting people. Because she just.. doesn't. Musa has a really hard time letting people in (for rightful reasons) but she once she does let them in, she has a hard time trusting them too. This is most obvious with her relationship with Riven, but it also comes out with the Winx! She's constantly scared that people are going to leave her or that they don't really like her or that they do like her but she's going to end up driving them away and all of that negatively impacts her relationship with others. She just,, doesn't trust people and has an even harder time trusting herself. I think if Musa had been allowed to truly work through that, she would be much happier.

The Specialists

Sky: I think Sky's biggest weakness is pretty obvious! It's that he does not know how to interact with people. I think I'm one of the few people that doesn't actually hate Sky. I hate that, just like the other characters, he had room for improvement and self-realization, which got scrapped almost instantly for Perfect Prince Sky. Sky, like most of the other royal characters, grew up pretty lonely (and his parents are abslute shit). The only other people he would ever talk to are members of his family, other royals, or people who weren't royal but were close enough to it (ie Brandon and even Diaspro depending on which canon you go by). Because of this, Sky has a really hard time interacting with people in a casual setting. He's great in royal settings and all their missions, but that's because he's allowed to and supposed to act all serious and Business Like. When it comes to talking to people in casual settings, he often fails because he doesn't understand "normal" people and he's never been allowed to just,, sort through his own feelings. It would've been amazing to Sky grow from this, because even in the first season you see hints of Sky rejecting royalty and wanting to be normal. MAN I wish Sky got proper characterization, he would've been so much better if he did.

Brandon: Oh man,, I had a really hard time with this one, because Brandon honestly doesn't have a lot of weaknesses? I think something that could be considered a weakness is that,, he's very devoted once he decides he cares about someone. Which isn't bad! But it often puts him in dangerous situations because he wants to save someone. Like anytime Sky gets into trouble, Brandon is for sure right by his side. Or if someone messes with Stella? Brandon's there. And again, this definitely isn't a Bad Thing, but it can put his own life in danger. And in their line of work it often does. However, I do think this is mostly evened out because of Brandon's ability to call for help and think of a plan. He doesn't often just jump into things unless it's absolutely necessary. He's able to think things through clearly and strategize. Sorry anon but I honestly can't think of any Big Weakness for Brandon, because most of his weaknesses are evened out by some positive. (Like, I was going to say he's a bit of a pushover but,, is he? Then I thought well maybe it's because he's ready to die for Sky,, but like. That's his job? Idk man,, any Brandon stans wanna chime in please?)

Timmy: Hmmm I, once again, had some troubles with this one. Timmy has a few weaknesses, mostly in the insecurity region, but I had a hard time figuring out what his Biggest Weakness is. After some thought, I think it's his eagerness to prove himself, specifically when he doesn't need to. I think this definitely evened out in the later seasons once he got some confidence, but in the early seasons Timmy really wanted to prove himself. He wanted to prove that he was a good specialist, a good friend, a good partner,, just,, everything. He was really set out to prove that he was capable of things. This often put him in dangerous situations that he couldn't handle or something he could handle but was too nervous to. It didn't help that in early seasons some of the other characters doubted his abilities (cough tecna cough). But again, I think this really evened out by S4 and it's not a big problem anymore.

Riven: Ugh goodness where to start.. I think Riven's biggest weakness is actually a mix of Musa's and Timmy's. Riven has a hard time trusting people, especially himself, and he's constantly trying to prove himself. He wants to be seen as reliable and Good and that's where a lot of his competition with other characters, mostly Sky, comes in. But that heavily mixes with his distrust and hatred toward himself. I think most of his Trying To Prove Himself is actually him trying to prove something to himself. He's constantly looking down on himself and that need to prove and be better than other people is a product of that. And I think that's also why he has problems with letting people in. Obviously, he has some general trust issues, with wondering if people just don't like him and what not, but a lot of it is not trusting himself and not letting people get close to him because of that. Riven's biggest weakness is that he doesn't give himself any credit for the progress he's made and is constantly doubting whether or not he's a good person. And that messes with his relationships a lot because he thinks he's not good enough to be around people and that sparks his need to to prove himself. And even when his friends do try to comfort him or say he's enough, he doubts that too. Riven has a lot of problems but most of them go into how much he hates himself.

Helia: Well, as one of the resident Helia stans, I've thought about this a lot. And I've got to say, his biggest weakness is his complete inability to talk about himself. A lot of people think Helia is really good at talking about emotions, but that's only partially true. He's good at talking about other people's emotions. When it comes to himself,,, he's a mess. Helia is consistently really bad at sharing his feelings and even just general tidbits about his life (evidenced by all the times he does/says something and the others get surprised because they never knew that,, years into their friendship). However, this often strains his relationships with people because they end up thinking he hates them or doesn't trust them or something else. While I have my own issues with the later seasons, S5 did a really good job at focusing on this in the show (when it really only ever got hinted at or shown in the comics). The whole Flora/Helia/Krystal thing was a major product of Helia never sharing anything about his own life and Flora's insecurities over if she's good enough. With the mix of being able to talk to people about their feelings, but never his own, it creates this really awkward situation of people just like,, not knowing things about him and then doubting their relationship, but then not being confident enough to express that because Helia still talks to them about their feelings so he must care about them!! .. but does he? It's this internal struggle of he's obviously a friend but why doesn't he ever share anything about himself?? This is even shown in his relationship with Saladin, a literal family member!

I'm.. gonna stop here for now ajghaljdhglj I'm sorry this got so long! And that some of them were shorter than others..

#i did the specialists too because i wanted to talk about timmy and i would feel bad if i only included him #sorry this got so long but i hope you enjoy nonetheless #let me know your thoughts though! especially if you disagree! as long as youre not rude about it i love to hear what others think about thi #winx club #winx meta #answered #anonymous #i didnt proofread this sorry if theres mistakes ahgdljadg #mine.metas

[snarky-art]

Musa and Aisha in their enchantix! I still haven’t figured out how I want the wings to look but that’s ok I think.

Info on their relationship in my version of Winx Club below!

So when Aisha arrives at Alfea in season 2, it’s pretty much the same as in the original show. She doesn’t really know what to do. Anne was the only person her age she had ever really interacted with. The rest of the time she was pretty isolated and surrounded by adults. She has trouble figuring out exactly how to act around the winx and is really scared of messing things up.

Musa is also used to feeling like that. She has a lot of separation anxiety and fear of abandonment which she had manifest in the defense mechanism of not letting people get close so she couldn’t get hurt. She’s gotten better at handling it though ever since joining Alfea and getting a super close knit group of friends. As a result though, she can understand best how Aisha is feeling and is able to help in little ways the others can’t.

Musa does the most to make her feel more comfortable and at ease (the others do too but it just hits a little different coming from someone who really gets it, ya know?) and as a result they become much closer much faster. They find themselves talking more openly about their fears and insecurities and experiences when they’re alone and a they just end up having a really strong bond.
In my version of this, Musa and Riven did get together at the end of season 1, but they breakup around ¾ths of the way through season 2. They realize it just isn’t really healthy for either of them and they both bring out the worst in each other. They both have some insecurities from previous relationships and just their family life in general (Riven’s mom abandoned him, Musa’s mom is dead and her relationship with her father is pretty strained although it does start to get better after the concert episode in season 2), so Musa is the one who ultimately takes the initiative to break it off. They both aren’t happy and Riven takes it especially hard, but Timmy talks some sense into him and he starts working to get better around the end of season 2/beginning of season 3.

Another reason Musa breaks it off is along with realizing how much worse she feels with Riven and along with how much worse she is as a person with him, she has a moment of realization where she just goes “oh, but with Aisha, I DO want to be better, and I trust her so much more completley,, oh no.” and she’s basically like “now we don’t have time to unpack ALL of that right now” but along with ending her relationship being better for both Riven and her, she needs to think some stuff about that over.

Musa is in denial about liking Aisha for a while and tries to stifle it and convince herself it’s nothing or that it’ll go away. This isn’t because she’s having a Gay Panic or something though (in my thing she’s bi and has had partners of other genders before). The panic comes from at this point, Aisha is one of the closest people in her life despite them only knowing each other for about a year and she doesn’t want to ruin something good (cue abandonment issues). Musa handles this physically by being more shy and easily flustered and also by eventually talking to the winx about it. Tecna ties but in my thing, Tecna is borderline Aromantic (demi is what I’m thinking of for her, still haven’t figured it all out though) so she’s not very good at giving advice for it, but she’s happy to listen. Flora gives soft advice and a listening ear, ever the romantic, and Stella is too but she’s much more loud (she also feels bad about trying to hook Musa up with so many dates and her and Riven broke up now that she knows Musa was having a crisis the whole time, granted the date with Jared was a good thing since Jared and Musa became good friends so Stella won’t apologize for that one and Musa decides that’s fair), and Bloom is pretty awkward with relationship stuff so she does the “are ya winning, son?” approach to all of this. Musa appreciates that they’re all trying though, despite the various degrees of success.

Aisha doesn’t really talk to anyone about her feelings for Musa, which she realizes she has shortly after gaining her enchantix. During the first attack on Alfea in the their third year of school, when she sees her enchantix for the first time, and how sure of herself she was about doing what she could to save Galatea’s life and save all the ancient texts and tomes, she’s like “yup that pretty much confirms everything for me.”

In my version Aisha is a lesbian and she’s known for a WHILE. Anne was her first crush and she also liked some of the princesses and nobles that she would meet or see at the many fancy diplomatic meetings she would be dragged to. She’s very secure in her sexuality and romantic attraction (homophobia isn’t really a Thing in my version per se, but there are some concerns about lineage in upper circles for royalty and leaders, since not all queer couples can have children biologically and sometimes adoption is hard depending on the circumstances, ESPECIALLY if there is a form of magic that is needed to be transferred from one member of a family to the next member and it isn’t a guarantee or even possible for some magic to latch onto someone and become apart of their core if they aren’t biologically related). Aisha hadn’t mentioned it to her parents though. Her parents and her don’t have the most open relationship due to the very controlling and stifling nature of both the court her parents rule over and just their general demeanor which leads to the next issue: arranged marriage on Andros, which is something her parents still partake in, and that really makes both Musa and Aisha feel like their hearts are being grabbed and twisted. Once they tell her, she’s about to tell them but they leave soon after telling her because they have stuff to do and also they would rather speak to Aisha once she’s “calmed down some.” The next time she has time to tell them, shit with Valtor starts to hit the fan and it gets put on the backburner.

By the time Nabu shows up, it’s pretty rough. Once Aisha realizes who he is she’s mad because of course she is, this is the person she’s expecting to be with. Nabu is understanding of this, and gets it completely, especially since he originally lied about his identity. Aisha does take a breather though and they talk it out some. He wanted to see who he was arranged to marry like in the show, and Aisha says she honestly never wanted to see him, and he laughs and says that’s fair. They do end up having a “best bros” dynamic though eventually. AIsha tells him about Musa, and he says he’s so sorry about this whole thing and eventually they do meet up with their parents like in the show and they talk to them about everything finally and their parents tell them that the arranged marriage isn’t necessary in the end. It works out and Aisha and Nabu do a sickass secret handshake they made and all is well. The relationship between their kingdoms is also really strong regardless of marriage too due to their eventual life long friendship.

Aisha also eventually talks to Flora some about how she should go about asking Musa out and about whether or not she thinks it would be a good idea and Flora and Chatta (ESPECIALLY CHATTA) are doing EVERYTHING they can to not blurt out that Musa hasn’t been able to shut up about liking Aisha for over a year and a half at this point. 

Over the season their relationship continues to get stronger. 

TW: talk of e*ting disorder. Please skip this paragraph if that is triggering to you. I will have the next paragraph start with -paragraph over- so skip to that if you would like

I also have a thing in my version where Musa struggles with an e*ting disorder some just do to anxiety and insecurities and that was one of the ways those things ended up manifesting (that’s how it was for me and I’ve put a little bit of myself into each of these gals and pal (Tecna is nonbinary in my version and although they’re fine with being perceived as a woman and is cool with she/her pronouns and general slang terms like “gal,” “dude,” “bro,” etc., they still prefer overall being acknowledged as a nonbinary person by people who don’t know them very well (all pronouns are cool with them also. This stuff I just mentioned is how I am as a nonbinary person and I thought it fit Tecna too). This is why I have her looking a little thinner in my earlier sketches, since those take place in season 1 and 2. Aisha goes out of her way to help her however she can and Musa feels guilty but eventually Aisha just tells her to accept the help because she cares about her, she knows that Musa wants to get better (she started wanting to really work to stop skipping meals in the middle of season 2 and being less afraid of putting on weight. Her relationship with Riven wasn’t helping her mental state and this was around the point where she realized things probably weren’t going to get better unless she worked really hard on both herself and with setting better boundaries. Aisha was the only one to know about her skipping meals more than was healthy as it ended up coming out on one of their many late night heart to heart convos they like to have) and because it isn’t taking a toll on her mental health, and she promises to let her know if it does (Aisha also learned more about healthy boundaries during her time with the winx way to go, queen). They do meal preps together, get a healthy workout routine that doesn’t involve Musa dropping dead from exhaustion every time, and they get help pamphlets and Musa ends up seeing a counselor on campus to get some help and by the middle of season 3, things are a lot better, and while it’s still something that Musa is going to struggle with off and on during her life because that’s how this stuff tends to work, she has the tools to help herself better and she also has a really good support system and knows therapy is still an option if she needs it after her time at Alfea. The rest of the winx find out eventually too and are, of course, super supportive and proud of her.

-end paragraph-

The main takeaway from that paragraph is that Aisha and Musa are very close and supportive of each other and that I mention Tecna is nonbinary (all pronouns acceptable, although tends to prefer they/them)

Along with that being yet another huge thing that relates to them wanting to help each other grow and become better people, they just end up realizing that if they could choose a day where they could choose anyone to spend time with for the whole time, it would be each other.

By the end of their third year at alfea/the movie (unsure which yet exactly, but it’s in that time frame) they get together and they stay together for the rest of everything:)

#winx club #Winx #aisha #aisha winx #layla #winx layla #musa #musa winx #enchantix #winx redesign #winx reboot #winx rewrite #winx remake #sapphic #WLW #they are in love #it's my sleepover and i get to choose the love story #enchantix redesign

[theres-someone-to-write-about-it]

Winx Club Characters

Musa: audio processing issues. Uses her magic every day subtly to boost volume or base but sometimes when people talk too much or too low it’s hard for her to understand. She also uses sign language a lot and uses her headphones to maybe raise the volume of background noice so she can hear it or completely tune everything out. Wind chimes all around the room. Spoken word poetry can turn into a blood bath. Use the vibrations of peoples words as a weapon against them. I can’t picture her as straight either. At the very least bi if not full lesbian or maybe even demi.

Flora: beautiful, wonderful, sweet Flora who is calm under pressure and in crisis and shows her love to her friends by understanding them. She’s the first to learn sign language the moment she meets Musa. Maybe learns in secret and surprises her. She’s not passive and gets distracted with her plants sometimes but they require a lot of tending to.

Layla (Aisha): ‘Magic shapes and shifting tides’. They’re able to manipulate water at the molecular level. Creating the form of objects as needed for useful things. Always always swaying. Sea legs are constant and they trip a lot but in a boat or in the water, they’re incredibly graceful. Always has a water bottle. They’re similar to Stella in their moods are affected by the tides and sometimes they butt heads about it. Ebb and flow. They’re royalty too so they gets the pressure and always tries to be better even sometimes to a self destructive level. Nonbinary!! As hell!! They have no shape!

Stella: strong Leo energy, fiercely loyal to her friends even when she can be self involved. She’s the sun and the moon. Always know a what time it is and where the sun and moon are. Great at directions which is why she’s a mentor. Show her being a mentor to all of them not just Bloom. Fashionista but not in a snobby stuck up or even brooding way. Royalty vibes are important but not because it’s weakness. Being unkind is weakness. Not sticking up or standing by people who need it is weakness. Her entire being is affected by the sky.

Techna: so logical and analytical but amazingly adaptable. Software engineering mindset of effective problem solving. Is the second to learn sign language for Musa and recommends technology to help. Would create an optimal watering schedule for all of Floras plants and a catalog for Stella’s clothes if asked. The touchy feely stuff is not her/their thing but she/they supports them in her/their way. Feels connected in the city and almost lost in the country where technology is scarce. Definitely a tech geek and the one for recommendations. I can’t picture Techna as cis but they are definitely ace.

Bloom: a good relationship with her parents who told her much earlier she was adopted. Can get heart burn a lot and coughs. Runs warmer than everyone and is definitely the cuddle buddy on the couch. Sagittarius energy with the passion burning inside but she doesn’t let it run away with her. She knows it’s a new world and she’s excited to learn about it. Can be narrow minded and focused on one thing when other things are happening that might deserve attention but has deadly accuracy with her words and magic. She’s determined and stubborn sometimes to an annoying degree. But I can’t picture her ever loosing her temper so where she says something hurtful to her friends. She measures her words carefully even when tensions run high and could never hurt them like that.  But also she’s ruled by passions so if her heart isn’t in it, it shows. Pansexual. Can’t change my mind.

Sky: strong and intelligent leader type first and foremost. Happy go lucky. I wanna say Cancer sun with a Sag moon and maybe a Taurus rising. Cause he’s sweet and in touch with emotions but is able to be grounded and see things clearly with a little passion thrown in there. His family and friends are his world. He takes being a future king very seriously but also isn’t afraid to have fun. All American boy Chris Evans honestly. That’s the tweet.

Riven: not a piece of shit stoner dude. He can be the brooding bad boy whose pretty cocky and who one enjoys taking down a peg. But at the end of the day he’s a secret ride or die. He loves his friends and does little things to show it that don’t really show it. Like taking the time to learn some new tech Timmy is working on so he can talk about it with someone but also as a way to flex his brain. Trains with Sky whose probably the best so he can be the best and protect him. Would absolutely play the sacrifice play but in a last minute you’d never see it coming way. Annoyingly chaotic bi energy.

Dane: as much as I don’t really know how this character fits into the overall show. I like his potential he was never given so I’m gonna give it to him. He’s a soft boy from a kingdom that’s actually dealing with bad shit. He’s been through horrible things and honestly wanted the academy to learn just more than he already knows and deals with. He’s tough and strong and great in a fight. But also doesn’t give two shits about toxic men questioning why he enjoys the greenhouse. Because it’s shit you need to know my dude, what’s gonna kill you or heal you when you’re in a realm with a completely different ecosystem. I want him to be at least 60% gay and have that never be something that’s mentioned without him in the room. Like he gets a boyfriend? Maybe he already has one? Chill! Now onto how he would absolutely break your legs if you were talking about any of his friends. Low key maybe Phillip Hamilton vibes...

#winx musa #winx #winx club #winx techna #winx bloom #winx stella #winx dane #winx timmy #winx sky #winx aisha #what I would do #headcannon #winx live action #winx cartoon #modern winx

[littlemisswolfie]

nothing is so loveless as the break of day

AO3

Cold dawn A waning moon With no companion— Since our parting, nothing is so loveless As the break of day.

—Mibu no Tadamine

 Haiji wakes up on his first morning in his new apartment and decides it’s too quiet.

Getting a team of almost complete rookies to the Hakone Ekiden in less than a year is an accomplishment. It’s noteworthy. While Haiji hadn’t been thinking of his future prospects in his last year of college (he just wanted to run), the fact is, what he did should have been impossible, as Kakeru said. Over and over and over. 

This, as it turns out, makes him very employable, and somewhere in between his emergency surgery and his final exams and his packing, he gets a job offer to be an assistant coach for a corporate team. He doesn’t really have anything else going for him, so he takes it, and he, Yuki, and King all graduate from Kansei to the cheers of their teammates. 

Haiji’s heart is heavy as he steps out of Aotake for the last time as a resident. He knows the team is in good hands, with Kakeru being unanimously voted to succeed him in captainship and several incoming freshman eager to be part of the team that seeded in their first year at Hakone, but it’s bittersweet. He got one year. One year. One year out of four. 

“Call me if you need anything,” he tells Kakeru.

*

Kakeru doesn’t call. 

*

“Hey, Kiyose-san!”

Haiji startles, looking up from his training journal to face one of the runners he’s been charged with inducting to the world of professional running. Tamura Shou, his mind supplies. He’s a bit older than Haiji, with dark hair and brown eyes. “Tamura-san,” he greets, closing his notebook to hide his notes. He knows from experience (from Kakeru) that runners seeing their own stats isn’t always the best idea. “Did you need anything?” The group Haiji is in charge of is taking a break right now so another group can run time trials, so he doesn’t see the harm in a little bit of conversation.

“Well,” Tamura says, looking a little sheepish all of a sudden, “Yoshioka and I have a bet running, and I wanted to ask you straight out, so, do you have a girlfriend, or something?”

(“By the way… Kakeru, do you have a girlfriend?”)

“What.”

Tamura flushes. “F-forget it!” He blusters off to a cluster of other runners.

Haiji blinks, a little stunned. What would have made him think Haiji had a girlfriend?

*

Cooking for one is hard. Haiji always makes too much.

*

He still talks to Yuki and King, sometimes. Yuki’s trailblazing his way through both the legal track and several women’s beds and is always eager to talk about each conquest. Haiji enjoys his career talk and tolerates his womanizing talk. King finally found work as a guidance counselor at a nearby middle school, and he’s the faculty supervisor for their men’s track and field team. Haiji never lets him forget how reluctant he was to start running in the first place.

The three of them meet up for drinks every once in a while. Haiji considers proposing inviting the older members of their old track team, but decides against it. Seeing them feels sad, like trying to relive that last glorious year of college would be betraying his friends.

“Haiji, King,” Yuki slurs one night after a few too many drinks, “you need to get girlfriends already.”

King blushes. “Shut it! I’m busy enough as it is without a woman getting in my way!”

Haiji sighs. First Tamura-san, and now this. What is it with the world prying into his romantic life? “I’m content,” he tells Yuki. “I already got everything I could ever want. What else can I ask for?”

*

He almost goes to a track meet to see if Kansei is there. He decides against it.

*

His team goes away for a training camp. Haiji can get around pretty well with his crutches by now, so he goes with them.

Okinawa is beautiful in the summer. Haiji leans out the window of the van his group takes and watches the passerby, the teenagers on their skateboards and the families walking together. He remembers how much the twins wanted to come here last summer. (He wonders where Kansei went this year, if they went anywhere at all.)

Watching the runners run is always hard. He wants to run with them, feel the wind in his hair, use his muscles that have become lax in the months since Hakone, hear his heart thunder in his ears. Wants to see if that white line that was always under Kakeru’s feet is anywhere else.

(He doubts it.)

He helps cook the meals for the team, like he used to for Kansei, but it feels wrong to cook with someone other than Kakeru next to him. He’d only had company in the kitchen for a year, but he grew used to it, and cooking without Kakeru is foreign.

He wonders if Kakeru cooks with anyone new at Aotake. He wonders why the thought makes his stomach twist up in knots.

*

He doesn’t visit his parents very often. What would they even have to talk about, other than running?

*

He’s off his crutches by then, but he still doesn’t get to go watch the Ekiden in person. Training starts that day, after all, and he’s too new to be able to beg off to watch his former team compete in a relay race. Instead, he watches the highlights when he gets back to his lonely apartment both nights.

Not everyone from last year is running the race. Prince, Jota, and Nico-chan-senpai all act as supports rather than runners, but they’re wearing their track suits, so Haiji knows they’re still on the team. He’s surprised at Nico-chan-senpai not running. It’s his last year.

The team is strong, much stronger than when Haiji was captain. He knows that’s because of their success last year. If they hadn’t made it to the Ekiden already, their team would be pretty much unknown. But the sight of all these strong runners working together with his friends makes something ugly bubble up in Haiji’s chest. He wants to be there with them. He wants to be running that race.

Kakeru beats the section nine record again. Haiji watches him hand the sash off to the last runner, some first-year, and remembers when that was him.

Kansei finishes eighth. 

Kakeru doesn’t call him.

*

After their graduation, Shindo and Nico-chan-senpai join their nights out. Shindo’s working as a business analyst for the corporation sponsoring Haiji’s team, so they see each other more frequently than the others already, and Nico-chan-senpai is still doing his freelance programming.

“Whoa,” Yuki says the first time they meet up, “you cut your hair!” His fingers brush Nico-chan-senpai’s newly-short hair almost reverently. “You almost look like a functional person!”

“Thanks, I really missed this,” Nico-chan-senpai snarks, but his eyes are unbearably soft.

The conversational inevitably turns to Kansei. “It’s so strange,” Shindo muses one night, before he gets too drunk. “I got so used to it just being the ten of us that working with all those new people was weird.”

“They just kept hangin’ around Aotake, too,” Nico-chan-senpai grumbles. “As if the twins weren’t loud enough already.”

Shindo groans. “And they’re even worse now that Hana-chan’s at Kansei. They have some sort of pact to not pursue her until they graduate, but they’re so moony. Musa and I were never like that.”

What?

Haiji’s glad he’s not the only one confused by this statement. A quick glance around their table tells him the rest of his former teammates look just as shocked. Well, except for Nico-chan-senpai, who just nods in agreement, like this is a reasonable thing for Shindo to be saying. “Uh, Shindo?” he says. “What are you talking about?”

Shindo looks at them like they’re all stupid. “Uh, me and Musa? We’ve been dating since last year’s Ekiden?”

“HAH?!” Yuki slams his hands on the table, jostling everyone’s beer. 

“Wasn’t it obvious?” Shido’s neck is red, now, and not thanks to the alcohol for once. “It’s not like we were trying to hide it or anything!”

“I-I thought you were straight, though!” King says, flushing red under his tanned skin. “You had a girlfriend!”

“Bisexuality exists, you know,” Nico-chan-senpai drawls. Haiji doesn’t miss how his eyes flicker over to Yuki as he says this, or how Yuki stares straight at Shindo, ears red. Huh.

*

“Kakeru misses you,” Shindo says to him after the others leave for the night (or early morning, whichever is more accurate). “You should give him a call, sometime.”

“He could also call me,” Haiji points out.

What good could I ever do to him? he wonders silently. I can’t even run anymore.

*

The revelation of Shindo and Musa’s relationship is one Haiji can’t help but dwell on. Looking back on it, he realizes the signs were there. They were always close, after all, and Musa ended up dragging a drunk Shindo back to his room on more than one occasion. It was weird to see one of them without the other close behind. 

So, he thinks, maybe this was inevitable.

He imagines their relationship, sometimes, when he’s alone, lying in bed in his too-empty apartment. They’re probably easy. Comfortable. They don’t have to fill a silence. They’re content to just be with each other.

He wonders if Kakeru has anyone like that.

He hopes not. Does that make him a bad person?

*

Now that he knows about Shindo and Musa, Haiji can’t help but wonder if any of his other former teammates are like them, so he does what he does best: he watches.

It only takes a few more guys’ nights out to notice how Nico-chan-senpai keeps looking at Yuki. He only does it when he thinks no one is looking, but his eyes are soft, affectionate, loving in a way that makes Haiji ache. Has anyone ever looked at him like that? Like he hung the stars in the sky? Like he’s the answer to everything?

“Why haven’t you said anything?” he asks Nico-chan-senpai when Yuki heads back to the bar to hit on a girl. Shindo and King are talking loudly to each other about their respective jobs, both already three sheets to the wind, so Haiji’s not concerned with either of them overhearing. 

Nico-chan-senpai doesn’t pretend to not know what he’s talking about. “I’m content with how things are,” he says, looking wistful. “I’d rather have his friendship and pine than risk losing him over a confession.”

Haiji nods, even if he doesn’t really understand. Then, a little quieter, he asks, “How many of the original team do you think are…?”

“Queer?” Nico-chan-senpai supplies. Haij flushes. “Well, Shindo and Musa for sure, and me, obviously. I have my suspicions about Kakeru, but I’m not sure.”

Haiji feels his world stutter to a stop. Kakeru?

*

He can’t stop imagining it, now. Has Kakeru ever kissed another boy? Did he sneak around with his classmates in high school? Is Kakeru with a boy right now, in his room at Aotake?

Haiji hates the thought. 

He pulls up his phone browser and types in “what does it mean if i get mad at the thought of my friend with a guy” and deletes it. He already knows the answer.

*

He throws himself into his coaching to try and distract himself from his new intrusive thought. His runners aren’t thrilled with his newfound enthusiasm, but it gets results, so none of them can really be mad about it. 

“What, did you get dumped, or something?” Tamura jokes.

“Five more laps!” Haiji tells him with a cheerful smile.

*

When Hakone rolls around this year, Haiji watches the replay of Kakeru beating his own record once again, and Kasei takes fourth place. After, Haiji pulls up Kakeru’s contact information and stares at the call button for a good minute.

He decides not to call.

*

The first time Musa and Prince join them after their graduation, Shindo downs five beers in ten minutes and spends the rest of the night in Musa’s lap. Musa (who has a goatee, now, and it suits him pretty well) manages a surprisingly normal conversation around his clingy boyfriend, and that’s how Haiji learns he’s staying in Tokyo for grad school.

“Visas are complicated,” he says. “Until the laws change and Takashi and I can get married, the only way I can stay here for now is as a student.”

Musa calls Shindo by his first name. Haiji’s not sure what to make of that.

Prince got a job as a shonen manga editor. “I’m not going to be working on any major projects for a while,” he grumbles. “What’s the point of editing manga if you don’t get to touch the big ones?”

“Hey,” Haiji soothes, “at least you get to work with manga! And who knows, maybe you’ll be tasked with a sleeper hit!”

“That’s what my girlfriend keeps telling me,” Prince groans.

Yuki almost drops his glass. “Girlfriend?”

King whirls around and grabs Prince by the collar. “I can’t believe you got a girlfriend before me!”

Nico-chan-senpai makes a considering noise. “That’s three of us with actual partners, huh? Shindo and Musa, and Prince.”

Musa laughs. “Four, soon, if the twins have their way!”

“I thought they were waiting until they graduated to ask Hana-chan out,” Haiji says.

“No, no, they are. They’re trying to set Kakeru up with a guy they met at this year’s Ekiden.”

Haiji’s blood roars in his ears.

“Oh, that guy from Rikudo?” Prince asks. “What was his name? Miyamura?”

“Miyamoto,” Musa corrects. “Miyamoto Jurou. They went against each other in Section 9. Jota saw him checking Kakeru out and decided they should get together.”

“I swear to god,” Yuki grits out, “if Kakeru loses his virginity before I get a steady girlfriend, I’m going to murder someone.”

So will Haiji, he thinks. 

*

Nico-chan-senpai pulls him aside as everyone else leaves the bar. “I saw that look earlier,” he says. “What’s got you so upset about Kakeru?”

Haiji really doesn’t want to talk about this, so he says, “I’ll tell you if you promise to ask Yuki out by our next guys’ night.”

And so the subject is dropped.

*

He goes home that night and looks up Miyamoto Jurou. He’s a third year at Rikudo, studying literature, and he’s tall and good looking, and he gave Kakeru a run for his money at this year’s Ekiden.

And he can run.

*

In what feels like a breach of their semi-distanced guys’ nights, Haiji finds himself at Shindo and Musa’s tiny apartment a few weeks later for a housewarming party.

It’s been Shindo’s apartment for a year now, but with Musa moving in, it feels kind of like a home. The decor is a healthy mix of Shindo’s country sensibilities and Musa’s colorful Tanzanian culture, and the two young men seem so at ease in this space they’ve made with each other that Haiji kind of wants to cry. 

More than anything (okay, maybe not more than running) he misses this. He misses living with someone else. He misses the noise and the companionship. Every morning, he wakes up to his empty apartment and he feels lonely.

He’s so caught up in this feeling that he misses Kakeru, Jota, Joji, and Hana-chan arriving until he hears something hit the floor. His head whips around and he sees Kakeru standing in the doorway, mouth slightly open in shock and a convenience store bag filled with what looks like plastic bottles of green tea at his feet. Haiji feels his heart stop.

Because Kakeru is gorgeous. He’s always been good looking, Haiji knows, but that was a lot easier to deal with when he saw Kakeru on a daily basis. Now, it’s been a little over two years since the last time he saw him, and he’s wholly unprepared. 

But everyone is looking at him, now, and he knows Kakeru kind of hates being the center of attention and that’s what’s going to happen if he keeps staring at him like an idiot, so he forces his face into a smile and waves. “Hi, Kakeru. Long time, no see.”

*

Things are more than a little tense, even if everyone pretends the atmosphere is normal. No matter where Haiji goes in the tiny apartment, he can feel Kakeru’s eyes on him, burning a hole in his skin. 

He tries to make the most of the party. He catches up with the twins and Hana-chan, who have all fallen into leadership roles as the years went on with ease. Now that Hana-chan is a Kansei student herself, she can help them full-time, which has, apparently, been very helpful. “Plus,” Joji whispers to him, already drunk, “having a cute manager is a huge morale boost!”

Jota and Joji are sort of like sub-captains, from what Haiji gathers. Kakeru is the main authority on all things running, but Jota and Joji, who specialize in sprinting and long-distance running respectively, have been overseeing those aspects of the team’s practice. “We have almost twenty guys now,” Jota says, “so it’s hard for Kakeru to give them all one-on-one attention, so Joji and I focus on the broader things while he nitpicks.”

“That’s a great idea,” Haiji praises, and he can’t help the smile that overtakes his mouth when he sees how Jota preens. This feels right, advising his former teammates like this. It’s different from the feeling he gets coaching the corporate team, because that’s a team, but this is Haiji’s family.

He wishes he could turn back time. He wishes he could live in that final, wonderful year of college for the rest of his life.

He wishes he could run again.

*

He can’t avoid Kakeru forever. Nico-chan-senpai makes sure of that, because when he escapes to the balcony for a breath of the cool night air, he hears Nico-chan-senpai say, loudly, “Oh, Haiji? Yeah, he just went out those doors! You should go check on him.”

Is this revenge? Haiji wonders. Is this him paying me back for trying to make him make a move on Yuki? It must be.

He doesn’t look up when he hears the sliding door open and then close again, or when he feels Kakeru walking up next to him to lean on the rail. “You never called,” he says, staring at the city streets below, still alive even in the dark.

Kakeru sighs. “I figured you would be too busy, with your rehab and your new team and all.”

“I’m never too busy for you.”

“Yeah, you say that, but you would do something stupid, like sleep less, to make time to talk to me.” Haiji finally looks over at him, his profile glowing a little from the light inside, and, god, he’s so beautiful. “You can’t do that to yourself again, Haiji-san. It was scary enough the first time, and we were still living at Aotake, then. If you collapsed again, I might not even find out.”

“Alright, point taken.” Despite the earlier awkwardness, this feels natural. It feels like quiet nights in the Aotake kitchen, listening to Kakeru clumsily chop carrots while the prepared dinner together. It feels like home, almost. “You’re doing a great job, Kakeru. I watched the last two Ekiden highlights, since I couldn’t go watch in person. You’ve become a great leader.”

Kakeru flashes him one of his genuine, tiny smiles. “I learned from the best.”

*

It’s easier, after that.

Everyone comes to the Aotake demolition party to say goodbye to the building that used to be home, and they split up to help Kakeru and the twins move into their new apartments, and things feel normal, for once.

Kakeru’s new apartment is tiny, but Kakeru, by his own admission, probably won’t spend too much time here in the next year before he graduates, so he’s not too bothered by it. Between his classes, training, and the part time job he’s picked up in the shopping district, he has a busy fourth year ahead of him.

“Years ago,” he tells Haiji when he sees him to the door when his taxi arrives, “you said you wanted to know what running was. Do you remember that?”

“Of course,” Haiji says.

“Come watch Hakone this year. I’ll tell you when it’s over.”

Haiji could say no. Should say no. He has his own team to think about now. But when Kakeru looks at him like that, Haiji would say yes to just about anything.

*

The next year passes in a blur. Haiji works harder than he ever has before, like he’s making up for having to take the first few practices of the new year off months in advance. The guys’ nights happen with a little less frequency (or, at least, Haiji attends less of them than he used to), but they’re fun when they do happen.

“I finally have a girlfriend!” King says one night, triumphant, and the table explodes into raucous cheers and applause. “Her name’s Noriko, and she’s the second year social studies teacher at my school, and damn, is she cute!” He whips his phone out of his pocket to show them a photo of a woman who is, indeed, damn cute. 

“Ugh,” Yuki groans. “Life isn’t fair. How did you get a girlfriend before me?”

“Being a whore might be a factor, there,” Shindo slurs.

Yuki growls when the rest of their friends laugh. “But really, who’s next?” He spins to glare at Nico-chan-senpai, who’s hiding his grin into his beer glass. “Are you gonna pop up with some girlfriend next? Huh?”

“Nah, I’m too old for that shit,” Nico-chan-senpai says, waving the comment off with his usual affable air. “I’ll just be the cool, childless uncle who spoils all your kids rotten.”

“So, that just leaves Kakeru,” Prince muses. “Has anyone heard anything else about that Miyamoto guy the twins were trying to set him up with?”

The mention almost makes Haiji’s blood boil, but before he can rile himself up too much, Musa shakes his head. “Hana-chan told me that he asked Kakeru out, but he turned him down. Apparently, he already has someone he likes.”

Around Haiji, his friends start debating who, exactly, Kakeru likes.

Haiji has an idea, though.

*

Before he knows it, the Hakone Ekiden has arrived. Haiji arrives at the finish line for the first day before the race starts, a livestream already bookmarked on his phone, and he finds the rest of the original Kansei team there, as well. “Hey!” Yuki says, slapping him on the back. “You made it this year!”

“Well, it is the last time any of the original team will be racing,” Haiji says. “What’s everyone running this year?”

Musa looks at his phone. “Jota is Section 1, Joji is Section 2, and Kakeru is Section 10.”

Haiji blinks. “Not Section 9? Why’d he change up sections?”

“If I had to guess,” Nico-chan-senpai says, “he wants to cross the finish line in his last Ekiden.” 

Haiji thinks back to his first and last Ekiden and nods. “That makes sense.”

*

Kansei ends the first day at fourth place, which is very promising for the return leg. Their fastest runner is at the very end, after all, and Haiji knows damn well how many runners Kakeru can pass if he’s serious about it.

Haiji stares at his phone in his hotel room that night and thinks about calling Kakeru. He knows he shouldn’t. Kakeru needs his sleep if he’s running the last section of the race tomorrow. But then he remembers their conversation on Shindo and Musa’s apartment, and he hits the call button.

Kakeru picks up very quickly. “Hey,” he says, voice soft. “Did you watch today?”

“Yes. Your team is really good. You’ve got a chance of winning tomorrow.”

“Don’t say that, you’ll jinx it.”

Haiji laughs. “Since when are you superstitious?”

“It’s my last chance, Haiji-san. I want to go out with a bang.”

“You’ll do great.”

“Will you be waiting for me at the finish line?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

*

Haiji is a nervous wreck for most of the next day. He remembers this anxious feeling from when he was running the Ekiden, but now it’s combined with a feeling of helplessness. There’s nothing he can do but watch, and he hates it. He wants to be running alongside Kakeru, working with him, helping him cross the finish line.

But he can’t.

So he watches.

*

Kansei keeps doing well. They’re a far cry from the haphazard team Haiji put together all those years ago. These men are trained runners, athletes who have spent their lives preparing for this moment. There are no Princes, no Nico-chan-senpais, no Kings.

They are a group of Kakerus.

Where am I? he wonders as he watches them run. Did Kakeru find someone to take my place? Was there room for someone like me in the team he’s made?

*

The Kansei runner who runs Section 9 doesn’t beat Kakeru’s record from last year. Haiji can’t help but feel incredibly smug about it.

*

Haiji limps his way to the finish line as soon as he sees the sash get passed to Kakeru, who’s in first place. First place! “Go on ahead of me,” he tells the others, who try to slow down for him. His knee is on fire, but he’s going to see this through. “I’ll just slow you down.”

“What the hell kinda talk is that?” Nico-chan-senpai asks. 

Prince nods and puts a hand on his shoulder. “You and Kakeru didn’t leave us behind, no matter how slow we were. The least we could do is return the favor.”

“We’re the Kansei Ten,” says Jota, since he and Joji joined the rest of their former teammates after their sections. “We finish this the way we started it: together.”

“‘Kansei Ten?’ What kinda name is that?” Yuki scoffs.

Haiji’s heart feels full, and he and his friends, his family, walk to the finish line together.

*

When they see Kakeru coming around the bend, everyone starts yelling. Haiji can’t help but think about that second track meet, where only half of the guys ran, and how the spectators just went buck wild. This is the same thing, except there are nine people cheering and one person running.

Well, more than nine people cheering. The rest of the current Kansei team has joined them at this point, so their shouting is deafening. Haiji knows there are several cameras trained on them, but he can’t bring himself to care. All he has eyes for is Kakeru, running towards him. Was this how Kakeru felt, all those years ago, when he was in Haiji’s place and Haiji was in his?

There’s my dream, he thinks again. It’s taken form and it’s running.

Kakeru has always been his dream, even if he went over twenty years without knowing it. And now that he knows it, he can’t escape it.

“Kakeru!” he yells, cupping his hands around his mouth to make himself louder. “Last spurt!”

His friends laugh at the phrase and join in in sync, but he’s not paying attention. All he sees is Kakeru, speeding up, making a beeline to him. He knows, logically, that of course Kakeru has gotten faster over the years, because that’s how progress works, but Haiji swears on everything good in this world that he’s never run as fast as he is now.

When Kakeru crosses the finish line (in first place!), Haiji rips the blanket out of the twins’ hands and throws it over Kakeru himself. “You did it!” he gasps, and he’s positive Kakeru can’t hear him over the cheers of the rest of the former and current Kansei team members, but he says it again. “You did it, Kakeru!”

It seems like everyone is trying to touch Kakeru. There are hands on his arms, on the blanket, on his back, in his hair, but Haiji refuses to be dislodged. He has an arm locked around Kakeru’s shoulders and he’s not letting go. Not for anything. 

Haiji sees the reporters hovering outside their circle of celebration. He should let Kakeru go talk to them, should let this incredible man get interviewed for the nation to see, but he’s selfish, so he still doesn’t let go.

*

“And there we have it! Kansei University has won the Hakone Ekiden, led by captain Kurahara Kakeru! There, we can see Kurahara-senshu’s teammates congratulating him, along with the original Kansei University Hakone team. In the center of the celebrations is former captain and current works team coach Kiyose Haiji-senshu. Some of you will remember that Kiyose-senshu had to quit running after his first and last Ekiden four years ago…”

*

“Kurahara-senshu! How does it feel to have won the Hakone Ekiden?”

“It feels amazing, but, at the end of the day, the times don’t really matter. I got to run with and against extremely talented runners, and that is what I’m most grateful for.”

“Do you plan to continue running when you graduate from university?”

“I’ve had some scouting offers from works teams, but I haven’t committed to anything yet.”

“What do you have to say to young athletes?”

“I want to say that running isn’t about who’s fast and who’s slow. It’s about strength, and everyone has the strength to start. And, no matter what, you’re always running with someone.”

“Thank you for your time, Kurahara-senshu. And, again, congratulations!”

*

The team and their supporters retreat to a nearby bar to celebrate. Haiji still refuses to leave Kakeru’s side, finding excuses to touch him as often as he can. He’s probably being too obvious, but, then again, next to Shindo and Musa, he’d be surprised if anyone noticed. 

King’s and Prince’s girlfriends meet up with them at the bar, too, so everyone gets to meet them. King seems a little suspicious of Yuki when they walk through the door, but he’s a perfect gentleman about the whole thing. “They’re great guys,” he says to Noriko-san and Chihaya-san, Prince’s girlfriend. “I’m proud to call them my friends.”

Everyone stops dead at the surprisingly earnest expression from Yuki, and Nico-chan-senpai pulls him into a noogie, saying, “Damn it, Yuki, why’d you gotta get all sentimental?” and then everyone laughs.

*

As the night winds on, Haiji finally has had enough, and he tugs on Kakeru’s elbow to pull him away from the noise of the celebrations. They wind up outside the bar, leaning against  the building, arms just barely brushing. Haiji knows his knee is going to hate him tomorrow, but for now, he’s just focusing on Kakeru. “You said you’d tell me what running is,” he says, trying for conversational and probably failing.

“It’s you,” says Kakeru, characteristically to the point. “You’ve always been the answer.”

Haiji just stares for a moment. Then, for lack of a better reaction, he tilts his head back and he laughs.

Kakeru, of course, flushes bright red. “W-what?”

“Oh, no, not you,” Haiji says, having doubled over. “I’m not making fun of you, I swear.”

“Sure seems like you are,” Kakeru grumbles.

“I swear,” Haiji repeats. He straightens up, because he knows he has to be serious about this. “It’s just, I thought something similar about you.”

The younger man perks up. “Really?”

Haiji nods. “When I saw you running, that first night, I thought, ‘That’s it. That’s my dream.’” He laughs again, this time, soft. “We’ve both been idiots, haven’t we?”

“I think so,” Kakeru says. He’s breathless, like he just finished running, and Haiji can’t help how he delights in being able to affect him like this. He reaches a hand out, just this side of shy, and tangles his fingers with Haiji’s.

“Hey, Kakeru?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Kakeru pulls his face down in response.

The first meeting of their lips feels like coming home.

“You know,” Kakeru mumbles against his lips when they draw back just enough to breathe, “my lease is up in a month.”

“Move in with me.”

“Yeah.”

And then they kiss again.

*

“Oh, fuck you guys!” Yuki yells when he pokes his head out the door a few minutes later to see them still kissing. 

*

A month later, Haiji wakes up in his apartment, Kakeru snoring softly into his ear and his leg thrown across his hips, and decides, maybe, it’s not too quiet, after all.

#run with the wind #kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru #kazetsuyo #kakehai #ao3fic #kurahara kakeru #kiyose haiji #my writing #my post #mine

[elias-veturius-laia-of-serra]

Do you think that Musa and Helene would end up in a relationship in the future? They seem to have bonded over the loss of their loves 🤷🏻‍♀️

------------

In response to this submission!

In my humble and personal opinion I would LOVE for them to get together. Helene tends to be very distant and closed off and defensive when she first meets someone and it takes a while to get her to trust you. Literally took Laia all four books and Avitas two and a half to get her to open up to them. However she felt comfortable around Musa in an instant and was even able to joke around and laugh with him despite not knowing him for that long. She would even open up to him about things and if she didn't he had a keen eye where he'd already know what she was thinking or what she needed to hear in certain situations. Like one of the main reasons she was finally able to allow herself to love Harper is because Musa kept pushing her and encouraging her that it's okay to let herself be loved and that she can love something other than the empire.

Plus I think some people misunderstood when Helene vowed to never get married or have children. They thought it's because of Harper but Helene has always showed disinterest in marriage and especially kids. Avitas literally states that she complains about kids all the time hence why he made her that tea that one time in book 4. Also it's for zach. If she had children, since she's empress, then her child would be the next heir instead of Zach. Or if she had a husband and she were to pass away then he would be the emperor instead of Zach. So she doesn't want to take away his rightful throne. Therefore it makes sense that she doesn't want marriage or kids.

Which is fine since Musa's last marriage ended in tragedy so I don't think he's looking for marriage either. ALSO Helene is young. She's even younger than me and I don't find it fair or realistic that she'd stay single forever or never try at love again. Even in book 4 it states how she's happy at the thought that she can still feel a thrill at a guy making her laugh and smile.

(In which by the way if she does want to stay single that's completely fine. She doesn't need a man to experience love. That is not at all what I'm saying! Basically I mean: if she does stay single I hope it's for her and not because she's hung up on someone she honestly barely knew and was only romantically involved with for a couple weeks. And I say barely knew cause even us as readers we didn't get to know much about Harper and his life or his backstory. And what we do know is very limited.)

Also Sabaa said she specifically left some things open for if she ever wants to come back and write novellas. Annnnnd in book 4 Musa reminds Helene she still owes him a favor soooooo. There's a possibility there! Plus I adore their dynamic together. It's one of my favorites. Plus I think they're the only two people who understand what the other is going through and what it feels like. Helene lost her whole family except Zach. Musa has lost his whole family and has no one left. Even his kingdom and people were mascaraed. So if there's one person who can understand them it's each other.

(P.S: I also think people got confused by the end thinking Helene moved on quickly. I just want people to know it does state in the book word for word that she mourned for months and by the time its the moon festival it's been several months and she's still mourning but has come to terms with Avitas's passing. Cause I saw a lot of people hating for that when in reality much time has passed! And if you don't agree with me - that's fine! Sadly a lot of ppl hate the ship ); but hopefully in time maybe we can get some new members - heheheh)

#an ember in the ashes #a torch against the night #a sky beyond the storm #aeita #atatn #aratg #asbts #sabaa tahir #helene aquilla #musa of adisa #helmusa #submission

[trashcankitty12]

Flora Headcanons:

Guys, meet the Sugar and Sweet part of the Winx Club.

Or, as you already know her: Flora La Rosa of Linphea.

Under the cut are the headcanons because again, these get long. (Also some I’ve mentioned before, I think, but whatever. And again, these are mostly for my main verse ‘Balance/The New Company of Light’ and for ‘Left’.)

-Flora has a rather large family, one that stems partially from cousins adopted after the Great War of Magic ended. (So many were displaced or orphaned, and her family was just one of many who took in the children left behind.)

-Honestly though, she really just sees her immediate family often, the rest of them coming around only for major Linphean holidays. (Though they all stay in touch through letters, phone calls, and social media. Especially the cousins.)

-Flora tends to be closer to her father as they share a similar sense of humor and have similar hobbies (like leaf surfing and giant ladybug racing). But her magic took after her mother’s and her mother was her first magic teacher.

-(She was a bit late getting her magic and a bit late getting her wings. She was eight when her magic came in and already 13 by the time her wings sprouted. Though she wasn’t surprised, as her mother had been a late ‘winger’ too.)

-Flora’s mother is the Guardian Fairy of Linphea and helps run the Main GreenHouse alongside the Nymph of Linphea and the royal family. Thanks to Alyssa’s job, Flora got to meet and assist all sorts of people from her realm. (Including the witch triplets who went to Cloud Tower; Euphorbia, Ververine, and Gerbera. And Princess Krystal.)

-Rhodos works with a faction of conservationists in Linphea to keep endangered animals (and plants) alive. He mainly works with the magiwolves of Linphea and tries to keep their numbers where they’re supposed to be. And because of his job, he ended up adopting a young magiwolf pup they named Amarok.

- (They weren’t going to keep him… They weren’t. But because he was born a different pigment than his littermates, his mother had abandoned him and… Rhodos couldn’t very well leave him to die. Besides, Amarok is nothing more than an overgrown lapdog. Usually.)

-Miele was born when Flora was about six or seven, give or take a few months. And yes, there was a touch of jealousy when Miele first came home because Flora didn’t understand why her parents weren’t spending as much time with her.

-Her parents were quick to pick up on her anxieties about the new baby and started incorporating Flora into assisting with Miele’s care. (Like reading and playing with her while Alyssa made dinner and helping her toddle around the family’s garden while naming off the plants.)

-Honestly, they grew up close and Flora became like a second mom to Miele. (Which would later turn into a minor annoyance as Miele got older, but that’s fine. They’re working through that.)

-Sibling shenanigans still occurred however, like Miele taking and reading Flora’s diary or Flora planting frogs or bugs into her sister’s room. (Or the Great Baking War that Alyssa refuses to let them live down.)

-Flora’s paternal grandmother, Nana Rose, is close to her family and has been living with them since her husband, Poppop Miden passed away.

-She’s a witch who works at the local clinic, her focus is on potions. (Which she passed on to Flora and has tried to teach her everything she knows about them… And everything she knows on poisons too because sometimes a poison is necessary.)

-And yes, Nana Rose did have hope that at least one of her granddaughters would be a witch, but she’s still proud of them. Wings and all.

-Flora has a hidden angry side. It doesn’t come out much and she does her best not to show it often, but she has a major temper when she does slip and let it out. She will unleash her will into the plant life around her and have it come for whoever pissed her off. Or if she’s really feeling it, she may just go in for a physical attack. The girl can pack a punch. (Granted, this only happens in situations where loved ones are in danger.)

-Flora is the only one from her elementary and middle school friend group that went to a Magix School. Most of her friends went to the Linphean Academy.

-She’s the tallest in her main friend group, standing at 5’7.

-She’s one of the Mom friends in the group, the other being Tecna. (She’s the more empathetic and emotional mom friend. Tecna’s the ‘well you fucked around and found out the hard way’ mom friend.)

-Flora wasn’t too sure about Chatta being her pixie at first, but is beyond grateful for the pixie helping her come out of her shell more.

-They now attempt to have weekly (though it’s sometimes monthly) tea parties to catch up on everything.

-Flora doesn’t really ‘do’ competitive sports often, but leaf surfing is the best thing ever and it’s one of the few sports she’s better at than Layla. (Though she does have the advantage of being Linphean and getting to leaf surf regularly…)

-Flora is a romantic and enjoys the ‘rom-com’ things; walks on the beach, silly moments around the town, dancing in the rain. But that shouldn’t mean she’s not careful with her heart. She’s empathic (as many Linpheans are) and is good at reading people when meeting them. So unless you’ve got a ‘beautiful’ soul, she’s not going to be interested.

-Flora loves that her friends are from such vastly different places because it means she can learn more about the realms from people who actually live there. (And teach her their languages, though she’s only really fluent in Solarian and conversational in the others.)

-She’s a spiritual person, as many from Linphea are. Flora believes that just like plant life, all life is connected by an invisible root system and that life is precious and should be treated with respect. (However, she also recognizes that there are those who have ‘tainted spirits’ and need to be dealt with so they don’t harm others.)

-Flora’s not exactly shy. She’s just shy around new people. But once she gets to know you and considers you a friend, you’ll find she has no problem speaking her mind. (And sending random things to you over the phone because they made her think of you.)

-There’s a misconception that she, and other Linpheans, are vegetarian. That’s not entirely true. Linpheans do eat meat: fish. They don’t have it often, only for certain occasions, but they do eat it.

-Flora also doesn't mind dirt or getting dirty. (But there is a difference in natural dirt and gunk. Okay? And gunk sucks.)

-Flora doesn't swear often, but she has let a few slip out from time to time. Usually in heated or emotional or upsetting moments.

-Her favorite parts of an Linphean holiday are getting to spend time with her family. She loves it when they all get together and enjoy each other.

-Like most Linpheans, Flora is immune to most poisons. She’ll likely feel a touch of nausea or a minor headache when poisoned, but due to her immune system, she’ll be perfectly fine within a few hours.

-Despite the fact she’s usually the one trying to talk the others out of dangerous situations, doesn’t mean she’s actually afraid of them. Sneaking into another school, fighting through a realm of shadow creatures, going toe-to-toe with magical terrorists; those don’t phase her.

-No, her real fear is something a bit more… Relatable. She’s scared of losing her loved ones. The thought of having her magic and being able to do such incredible things, but not being able to save her family or her friends just absolutely shakes her to core. (Especially in her nightmares when she’s forced to watch them die and she can’t do a thing to save them.)

-(Freshman year really fucked her up when they were fighting the Army of Darkness/Decay. There was a moment she thought she’d lost Musa and Tecna and she nearly broke down. Thankfully, the other two fairies managed to recover with a few of Palladium and Ofelia’s healing salves, but it was touch and go.)

-Flora can’t stand bullies. Granted, not many people like bullies or tolerate them, but Flora just can’t stand for someone to pick on anything that can’t fight back. It’s why she’s managed to enchant a few endangered plant species to being able to speak up and fight back against those who want to pick them apart and why she’s always ready to take on the Trix.

-Flora was the one who helped catch Bloom up on some of the most important aspects of the Magical Dimension (or at least the parts that Stella glossed over or that Tecna overexplained to the point of making it sound alien even to Flora). In return, she learned so much about Earth culture… She was stunned.

-(And fell in love with Earth’s versions of disaster movies. She likes to show other Linpheans and be like “see, if we don’t start really helping the other realms with the ecological problems, this will happen here too.”)

-(Bloom may have also gotten Flora hooked on those ‘hidden camera’ shows... It’s a guilty pleasure.)

-Flora’s got a major sweet tooth. Major. Which is fine because the girl is great at baking. (The other girls are always excited to taste test.)

-Flora’s not quite as delicate as others make her out to be. Yes, her hands are soft despite being in dirt and soil 80% of the time (Linphean lotions are awesome), and yes she’s good a giving that gentle touch to her plants, but she’s physically stronger than she appears. She can lift 50 pound bags of fertilizer with little issue. She’s pretty handy with a shovel (and not just for digging, which her poor cousin Marlow found out when a prank went wrong). And she’s not ‘razer thin’. She has decent muscle mass and is a bit on the broad side. Doesn’t make her any less graceful in the air or on the ground.

-In a fight, she tries to be more defensive than offensive because she doesn’t want to get in Bloom, Layla, or Stella’s way. And she finds her spells work better as traps than as an offensive maneuver. That said, if she feels her friends are in extreme danger, she will not hesitate to call on the Plant Life around them for help. (And she’s known for getting physical too, so watch out for that.)

-Aside from Layla, Flora feels a connection to Roxy. The younger girl’s passion about animals makes her think of her father and she does her best to encourage Roxy to use her passion in her magic.

-Bloom introduced Flora to the game Minecraft. For the first time, Flora understands why Tecna gets so involved in her videogames. (Please send help, she may be addicted. But her farm is looking amazing.)

-Flora doesn’t really worry about fashion, preferring to go by what she feels is comfortable, but she has a hard time saying ‘no’ to Stella when the other fairy has ideas. (Which usually turn out to be beautiful and comfortable and really, Flora just has the best friends.)

-Flora enjoys the nights when all six Winx Club girls can just hang out and be normal for a few hours. Sleepovers, Truth or Dare, movies and junk food. She loves it.

-She got close to Mirta while the other girl was a pumpkin, even finding a way to communicate despite the spell. After the spell was broken and during their sophomore year, Flora was one of the students who helped show Mirta around and made sure she was comfortable. They often talk and catch up. (And yes, Flora did have a hand in helping push Mirta and Lucy together. She regrets nothing.)

-Flora has thought about a tattoo. Many people on her realm get them, though it’s not a requirement nor does it give any extra magical benefits. She just doesn’t know what to get and she wants it be special. (All she knows is where she’d put it, over her burn scar from the Wizards.)

-At her time at Alfea (and in her middle school), Flora was part of the Student Council and Eco Club. She did her best to help make her schools a little more ‘green’ and energy proficient. (Tecna was a big help in coming up with a design for more efficient electrical equipment.)

-Out of all the girls, Flora has the hardest time connecting to Musa with convergence. Their personalities and magical abilities tend to clash from time to time, so they need to really strike a feeling of harmony before trying.

-Bloom is the easiest to converge with. They shared a room and often had so many late-night chats that their auras and feelings just naturally come together when needed.

-Out of all the girls, she’s the most likely to continue living on Earth. She finds the realm so fascinating. (It was a magically dead planet that kept on living... Just.... how?)

-Flora’s current goal in life is to start the revival process of other dead realms in the Magical Dimension. She feels that if she and her friends can resurrect Domino, bring ShadowHaunt back to its former glory, and bring magic back to Earth, they should be able to handle bringing others back to life too.

#winx club headcanons #winx club #winx flora #winx club flora #flora la rosa #sweet and pure #spring flower

[fireheartwraith]

So, I decided to watch Fate: The Winx Saga after some deliberation (I saw the trailer and it looked cool). As I never watched the original Winx Club, I'm coming into this pretty much blind to the lore, so if you want to know what someone that doesn't have the "it's different from what I wanted" baggage thinks of the show, let's go!

Episode 1 and Episode 2

• Ooh, this is giving me flashbacks to my first day of university... Luckily Pedro is a good soul and saw me just standing there and asked me if I was a freshman (yes), if I was lost (very much so) and if I wanted help (please)

• I can tell the the show wants me to ship these two because meet cute but... I didn't think it was cute. He was kind of rude in the beginning and it wasn't *sparkles* it was small talk. My talk with Pedro was pretty much the same, except he was nicer. Being a decent person doesn't mean romantic attraction, Show, if you want me to ship this you will have to try harder

• Oh, he's the ex

• Something tells me Stella wasn't this bitchy on the original show. I am not here for the female rivalry, specially if it's because of a basic white dude

• I have never related to someone as much as I relate to Terra since I too tend to talk too much, too fast, and overshare to make up for my insecurities and anxiety. My mom is the plant gal though...

• I want a succulent!

• Bloom, who the heck talks on the phone with the speaker turned on in a room full of people you don't know???? Show wants me to believe you're an introvert when you pull this shit???

• I love Aisha

• I also love Musa

• Is a burned one kind of like a werewolf? Where if it scratches you, you turn into one? If that's the case, is there a way to get them conscious again? Like the wolfbane potion in Harry Potter

• I'm gonna pretend everyone is over 18 bacause I can't handle another Riverdale

• ........ everything changed when the fire nation attacked

• I'm sorry but you can't talk to me about the elements and expect me to not think about atla

• Being an empath in high school must suck. All that teenage angst....

• Changeling! Makes sense. My bet is that her father is the leader of the burned ones and the principal is her mom

• I get that she's missing home and normality but her mom was a bitch

• I'm glad they revealed this now and not at the end of the season, when literally everyone would know

• Stella quit being a bitch

• I expected the princess of Solaria to be a fire fairy, not an air one....

• Riven and Beatrix deserve each other

• Protect my gay baby!!

• MAGIC LESSONS

• Bloom needs to meditate and Stella needs to chill

• What kind of human parents name their child Bloom??? Aisha sounds like a human name, not fucking Bloom. I bet it's a white people thing, like Ashleigh

• Stop being mean to Aisha and Terra! They're just trying to help!

• Musa really found the one bitch in this place that doesn't have anxiety and went 👀 huh

• No! Don't use anger! Are you the only kid that never watched A:TLA?? Have you learned nothing from Zuko???

• No! Don't follow the whispery voice in the woods! That's how people get killed in horror movies!

• Oop, that's a lot of bodies

• Something tells me that burning a burned one isn't going to help

• Aisha to the rescue!

• Gross

• SO THERE IS A POTION

• Silva is a really common surname here in Brazil.... We're fairies confirmed

• Oh, they are going to pretend that Sam being Terra's brother is drama worthy huh

• Stella quit being a bitch /rt

• Yes! BOND

• huh

• That's different

Episode 3

• Have I already said that Aisha is the best??

• I still don't get what the specialists are. One the first episode Sky told Bloom "you are a fairy" as if he isn't one, and the only thing I've seen specialists do so far is fight with sticks. What are they doing in magic school?

• So, Silva can't get better until the burned one that infected him is dead? I'm pretty sure there's something like this in vampire or werewolf lore

• Is Silva Sky's dad or something?

• MAGIC LESSONS

• Don't go to the dark side Bloom! Beatrix bad!

• How many headmasters does this school have??

• Oh yeah, this dude is evil too. I forgot he existed

• Uh, do all hetero coupled do cringey shit like that?

• My mom starts talking to me about something she was thinking about as if I have the context ALL THE TIME!! We're all Terra #PowerToTheNerds

• But I'm more of a coffee addict than a tea aficionado

• Oh thank god they are using km

• RIP Silva

• Aaawww suite to the party!

• Okay but grown ups gossiping while being 100% of what the youngsters are trying to hide is my favorite trope ever

• All these pop songs are going to age the show

• Terra that was so awkward omg

• What the fuck Stella???

• How old do fairies get? Like, do they live for centuries?

• Is it bad that I discovered what shotgunning is through a smutty wolfstar fanfic? 😬

• Rosalind? Former headmistress Rosalind?

• Oop, another dead body

• Oop, Silva..... F 😔

• Bloom can't you listen to Aisha for once??? You are going to get yourself killed

• That's a sweater, not armor

• Because that's not creepy at all

• You could at least have phoned a responsible adult before running off into the forest looking for a toasted slender man

• Your suite mates don't qualify as responsible adults but it's better than nothing I guess

• Oh look, a portal to another dimension!

• Look! A responsible adult!!

• Oh, he's still alive

• Oh wait, nevermind

• Did she just Thanos him?

• Hugs!

• I still don't get what the specialists are

• My best friend in high school was adopted so I'm having flashbacks... Her birth parents got in contact after almost two decades of radio silence. It was a very difficult time for her, with lots of different and sometimes opposite emotions about the whole thing. In the end she accepted that whatever happened, happened and that the mom that raised was her real mom, no matter her faults. I hope that Bloom can get to the same conclusion

• Alright, I wasn't expecting Rosalind to be in magic cryogenic coma

• Why can't they meet? Is Rosalind evil or something?

Episode 4

• At least now Bloom is aware that her friends have their own lives and aren't they just to be her sidekicks

• Girls sticking together!

• Still don't get why Musa needs to hide her relationship with Sam.... If I was Terra I would be more upset that my friend was hiding the relationship from me than the relationship itself

• Last episode was Sky's daddy issues, so this one is Stella's mommy issues. And, of course, the whole show is about Bloom's issues (general)

• The Queen of Solaria is named Luna?? Huh

• This episode is also about snooping

• I'm going to find whoever thought hdr was good idea and force them to watch something on Netflix when the screen is so dark you can barely see what's happening

• I'm going to pretend that's a p!atd reference

• I'm going to pretend I didn't hear 2004

• Can the camera stop spinning, I'm getting dizzy

• Anakin noooo

• Rehabilitation magic?

• So Queen Kindness is not so nice after all

• I want to give Sky points for figuring it out but let's be honest here, it was not that hard

• When did they name themselves "Winx"? And what does that even mean?

• ANAKIN NO

• Good for you sky

• Yes! Tell the responsible adults!

• Push her

• So your parents were from Aster Dell

• Well they both are redheads

• Oh sweet Anakin...

• SEE???

• Silva that's shady as fuck

That's all for now! I will watch the rest, but don't know if I should make another post or just edit this one...

#fate: the winx saga #ftws #ftws spoilers #ftws reaction #fate the winx saga spoilers #bloom #bloom x sky #terra #musa #stella #aisha #am i forgetting someone #sky #riven #beatrix #dane

[fymagnificentwomcn]

What are your thoughts about Silhatar Mustafa?

Mhm pretty much indifferent to him, but as many, deserved so much better?

I mean later on he was horrible, but he wasn’t himself anymore following Gevherhan’s death and his disastrous marriage to Atike.

When we meet him we know he’s Murad’s best friend and has a reputation as ladies man, seems like a guy seriously devoted to his work, but having a messy private life lol.

The person he seems most attached to was Murad, we see he is very much concerned about his well-being and happiness, for example he is very glad seeing Murad being happy after a ride with Farya (later changes his attitude towards her after the pig incident). He also has a soft spot for Ayşe (in platonic sense), which mirrors Ibrahim’s fondness for Mahi due to being treated as part of their family (and this relationship stays strong until the end, even in her last episode, he pleads on her behalf with Murad).

It’s clear he and Kösem aren’t great friends, but they both have learned how to co-operate with each other for Murad’s sake, he also seems to have similar relations with the rest of family – there doesn’t seem to be exceptional closeness between him and the rest of the family other than Murad, but everybody manages to get along.

The show starts when Mu/rat loses his previous main male favourite (and I don’t intend here any romantic undertons either ahaha) aka Musa, and Silahtar is given his position. In later flashback scene we see what Mu/rat expects of him – absolute loyalty. Obviously Musa has left big shoes to fill in and Silahtar is undoubtedly aware of this.

Suddenly Silahtar’s professional life and his messy private life intersect because he gets caught between two sultanas – one which he begins to have feelings for and the other who begins chasing after him for a change.

He was well aware Gevherhan might be too far above him and perhaps got scared about having for the first time real feelings for a woman, so he entered into what he thought a casual relationship with Ester. However, he could have sensed that Ester wanted something more, she was pretty vocal about bearing her loneliness aka widowhood badly and wanting to have someone by her side long-term. Then he actually did decide to pursue Gev and like he said start a new chapter with his life, close the previous messy private life and start anew with the woman he truly loved. He also intended to immediately come clean to Mu/rat and ask for Gev’s hand, even at the risk of being executed.

Ironically, what proved to be an obstacle was not where he actually was at fault (Ester), but where he was innocent (Atike).

As I said, Ester serves here as foil to Atike – she has much better reasons to be bitter and want revenge, but ultimately she draws a line and leaves the matter. And LBR nobody would have cared so much about her as about a sultana… but this sultana is lying, even if she herself believes in her delusions.

The whole situation truly gives me Atonement vibes, and as in Atonement it has a bad ending, but here it gets a bit more complicated because of Silahtar’s love and loyalty being connected also with another person – Murad.

I said it multiple times – in the end the real love triangle is Silahtar-Gevherhan-Murad.

As I mentioned in the beginning, from beginning Silahtar is very protective of his friend and sultan and also wants to do as best as he can in his job. He is also a bit naïve about Murad – during the Kasim matter, he scolds Kemankeş for having helped Kösem hide the truth, but he himself has no bad intentions and does not want Kasim hurt – he believes Murad will not pursue the matter as far as he ultimately does.

Similarly, he makes digs at Kemankes to not switch sides for Kösem’s.

When he asks Murad for Gev’s hand, he is sure his friend will treat him at least justly. But boy he was disappointed. Murad doesn’t even ask him about the whole matter and trusts Atike blindly. Then puts him in that praying cell to make Silahtar understand that the most important thing in his life is his padişah and absolute loyalty to him.

To make matters worse, once Silahtar is released from prison, his “friend” decides to complete the “lesson” with “absolute loyalty test” – marry Atike.

Murad is well aware Silahtar does not love Atike and does not want to marry her. He actually uses his beloved (?) little sis and traps her in marriage that has no chances of being ever happy to test Silahtar’s loyalty.

And Silahtar, traumatised and brainwashed by everything – chooses loyalty to Murad. Of course if he had said no, he would have been executed (though Gev would have more strength to live seeing he didn’t abandon her), but he still chooses a sad life trapped in his private life with a woman he now despises… what is left is truly only Murad and his service to him.

In a way, it’s strange that following Gev’s demise Silahtar becomes obsessed with the person who caused him this misery – but at the same he lost everything, all he has left is Murad, he made his choice, chose Murad, so now all he can do is stick to his choice and save what he still has.

When Murad comes to Silahtar when the latter is mourning Gevherhan we see he has learned his lessons by now – Murad is distraught because his mother told him he was guilty of his sister’s suicide, so Murad (as always) makes his friend’s pain be about him and asks whether it’s true. Silahtar now knows what answer Murad expects and states that “all our lives and our paths, life and death, belong to you” and remarks that if Gev had accepted Murad’s will as we all should, she would have been alive. It’s deeply sad to state, but Silahtar knows Murad truly wants no other answer than this. However, before Murad’s appearance, Silahtar recalled telling Gev that only she made him feel alive and now he tells Murad he is practically dead and trapped in his life, and that he needs to live with his pain and regret forever. He actually says similar thing to Atike - yes, he chose loyalty to Murad over the woman he loved and now has to bear the consequences for the rest of his life. Atike, of course, does not get it and still belives they might have a happy ending.

It’s a very dark reality for him now, no wonder he pretty much loses his mind out of this grief, and it only gets worse because he realises Atike will never divorce him and will not even rest until he tries to be a husband to her.

When he comes to her and they “kiss” he taunts her to divorce him and sees that even when he mocks her she’s so obsessed with him, she won’t go let go no matter what. Kösem actually would be happy to see Atike divorcing Silahtar because we know she never liked him, the only obstacle is Atike’s obsession. So later he tries to play the husband part even though it’s clear he continues to despise her.

Ironically, he develops sort of his own obsession, but with Murad. Pretty much tries to remove everyone around Murad and most sadly tries to turn Murad against his mother and brothers. He suggests both changing the law and putting Murad’s brothers to kafes, which is an action very uncharacteristic of his old self. Still, it’s clearly not a vendetta against Murad because we see he still clearly cares about him, e.g. when he hides from him the fact that Farya (whom he strongly dislikes) had connection with Murad’s children death. He does confide it in Kösem though because he knows that while she will scold Farya, she will also keep quiet not to cause Murad any more pain. It again proves that while these two never liked each other much, they were able to set their differences aside for Murad’s sake.

This is not just restricted to his family, but also to Murad’s other men – Abaza, Kemankeş – because he shows Murad the letter from Kösem to Kemankes not only to strike at her, but to make Murad doubt Kemankeş too and he taunts Kemankeş with being Kösem’s spy (which is true because now Kemankeş is reporting Kösem Murad’s tyrannical behaviour, the opposite of what he was sent to Kösem, I love this irony sm ngl)

Kemankeş however is not interested in becoming Murad’s male favourite, but a new serious rival pops up – Yusuf. And a new triangle emerges 😊 Silahtar cannot hide his jealousy at all, even Atike notices it, though as always she mistakes it as him being jealous of her, same with Kemankeş who taunts Silahtar that Yusuf’s relationship with Murad curiously resembles his relationship with “someone else”.

I really despair we didn’t get more of Silahtar/Yusuf/Murad thing NGL, but I’m sure it would have gone this way if Caner had not left the show, I doubt Silahtar would have ever abandoned Murad at that stage, especially since historically he was his most loyal man until the end (“the person who was always loyal and genuinely attached to him since his youth” as Du Loir suggests) and was even in terrible despair upon Murad’s death, sooo.

In short again, he’s not among my fave characters, but he truly deserved so much better because he was living in actual hell and dark place later on, and ironically Murad was well aware of this as he remarked over his body that “for some people living is so painful, they feel trapped and in chains, death is actually relief for them, and only those who remain suffer” (aka exact repetition of what Sil told Murad about Gev following her death).

- Joanna

#Anonymous #answered #silahtar mustafa pasha #magnificent century: kosem #murad iv #gevherhan sultan #atike sultan #ester kira #muhteşem yüzyıl kösem #mck #mods opinions

[moonlightreal]

Fate episode 4

Welcome back to Fate Elemental Academy!  Or should I call it Fate: The Elemental Academy Saga? Fate: Tales From Elemental Academy?  I kinda wish I had an actual following now, we could push changing the name all over the fandom. Fate’s a bad Winx show but it’s not a bad show.

When we left our cast Beatrix just murderized a dude, Terra was suffering, Musa was finding love, Stella was mysterious, Bloom was destiny-ridden and Aisha was getting bored with it all!  What will happen now?

Also, is Rosalind evil?  I assumed she was the “she” who got rid of all the Burned Ones and thus was a hero, but she’s got some serious resting evil face.

Episode 4 opens with a gorgeous shadowy shot of Alfea in the twilight of day twelve-ish I assume.  In Dowling’s still badly lit office the adults are investigating Callan!  Whose real name was Callum, I think, but he’s dead and so won’t mind what I call him.  But Dowling says he hasn’t been seen “for days” so we’ll jump to it being day twentyish.  They’ve searched Callan’s room and found “metal-amalgam” which seems to be mercury, which someone would use to try to get past the trap on the door to the undercroft. Harvey charmingly starts a lecture on its properties before realizing Silva and Dowling want to get on with the infordumping.  Dowling says Callan wouldn’t have known about the mercury, it’s “archaic fairy knowledge” and he’s not a fairy.  

But couldn’t anyone study the lore even if they don’t have powers? Dane was doing potions/chemistry in the greenhouse with Terra and he’s not a fairy.  There’s usually some magic stuff that muggles can do just by having an enchanted thingamabob.  Fate, your worldbuilding leaves much to be desired.

Silva guesses Callan had help.  And Harvey’s made magical fingerprint mist!  He’s got a pitcher on a stick and smoke is coming out to track the magic used in the room!  Does that make Harvey a fairy?

The smoke outlines Callan’s vanished form, where he was sitting paralyzed before Beatrix zapped him.

Dowling: “At least we know where he went.”

Silva: “And that there’s a murderer in our school.”

The murderer herself is looking at her phone, scrolling through Bloom’s social media selfies.  Bloom’s online name is bloomerang04 which is a dumb online name.  Of course the fact that we pick our online name at age 15 or thereabouts means most of us have dumb ones.  Riven asks B what she’s obsessing over and Beatrix says, “Your fault for spreading it around that she’s a changeling. She’s now the most interesting person at school.”

WHAT is it about changelings?!

Riven says everyone will move on in a few days and asks Beatrix if this is “one of those movies where you dye your hair and take her life...” and Beatrix looks… hmm.  

Do I smell Plot or am I imagining it?  But then Riven decides to claim Beatrix’s attention in smoochy ways and I’m pretty sure they’re Doing The Sex.

Opening!

In the cafeteria, people stare at Bloom as she gets her breakfast!

Aisha has taken over Callan’s job to snoop on what he knew!  Bloom “suggested” she do it.  Or more like, begged.  And thought Aisha is such a suckup she’d do it just to get brownie points with the headmistress.

The vibe of this scene is like nails on a blackboard.  Bloom, you are awful people.  And Bloom wants to eat breakfast in here to avoid the stares because she’s a changeling.

Musa comes in cheerful, “Bloom still pretending she’s not upset by the gossip?”

Bloom: ‘still pretending you’re not dating your roommate’s brother?”

And Terra comes in right in time to almost hear that.  Bloom, you are awful people.  But Terra’s got her own gossip: Stella’s mom is coming!  Stella is “dreading being outshined by her mom” and Terra is kinda loving it.  For which I can’t entirely blame her since Stella is also awful people even if my suspicions are right and there are circumstances that made her that way.

Bloom tries to be non-awful and says the girls don’t have to come eat breakfast with her “like I’m some kind of loser-mess.  I’m fine.” Friendship music plays.  The girls smile. Then Bloom heads off to finish her “poison paper” before the assembly.  Musa says, “For the record, she’s not fine.”

In the arched walkway above the cafeteria Riven, Dane and Beatrix and talking about changelings!  B: ‘Changelings were a way for pissed-off fairies to get revenge on the first world.  Swap a fairy for a First world baby and wait for it to wreak havoc.  Changelings are bad news.  That’s why we stay on their good side.”

One of the boys had asked about “is that true about changelings?” presumable Dane, since Riven knew enough to spread the truth around. So not everybody knew all this.

FINALLY! Thank you, show.  And, this is neat!  Those would have to be some very pissed-off fairies to sacrifice their own baby, what’d the first worlders do to them I wonder!  Though it still doesn’t explain why Bloom should be “bad news” any more than any other fairy.  Does growing up in the human world make for more powerful fairies?  I mean, that IS the lore, human food, human milk, human soul… but did the writers of Fate know that?  I’m not trusting the writers of Fate to know much of anything at this point, even if they did get all those Yeats episode titles.

But we get interrupted by teen drama, Dane sees Terra down below and goes to see her.  Sigh.

But then to muddy the waters, riven says Dane “believed all that changeling bullshit you just fed him!”  but B says it “isn’t all bullshit, changelings can be dangerous.  You did everybody a favor.’ warning them about Bloom, I assume she means.

Show, I hate you now.  WHY are changelings dangerous?  What was true and what wasn’t?  Bloom’s changeling nature is the central bleeping worldbuilding of this story and we get dragged around?

Next I see black SUVs, tell me it’s Silva and his army people coming to do cool competent stuff so I can like this show again!

Nope, it’s Stella’s mom.  Stella and Sky are waiting to greet her, Sky says it’s only half a day and Stella says, “Half a day of everyone adoring her like she’s literally the sun.”  Sky says, ‘She is the queen of light.” which is an awesome title.  She’s here to do an assembly about Burned Ones… what, like those  PSA assemblies we had about the dangers of drugs?  Hahahaha!  That kind of PSA might be more apt, I’m pretty sure there’s more drugs at this school than there are Burned Ones.

But Stella is terrified, I think, behind her Stellaishness.  Says her mom is really here to “check on my progress.”  Sky suggests getting the rest of the girls to be a buffer but Stella says, ‘I don’t need them.  I have you.”  But Sky can’t stay physically, he leaves Stella to meet her mom alone

Stella is wearing a long coat of pale pink with gold and diamond star barrettes in her hair.  I would love it if at the end of Stella’s character arc when she grows past whatever it is that’s squeezing the life out of her, she’ll switch to bright bold colors and teenage rather than middle-age fashion to celebrate her freedom.  At the moment it makes sense that she dresses rather dumpy and too-mature, she’s dressing under pressure.

The black cars, they’re not all SUVs, pull up.  there’s a flag, faded blue above, red below split by a diagonal line with some kind of crest in the middle.  Solarian flag?  No yellow, no sun or moon.

Stella’s mom looks noting like Queen Luna, she looks like a middle aged lady with brown hair, her hairdo and clothing juuuuust like Stella’s! In season 8 the real Stella designed a dress after her mother’s gown out of love, but I think this Stella dresses like her mother because of pressure.  Also there’s nothing queenly about the queen. She’s wearing a business skirt and jacket, big chunky necklace, no crown.  Political royalty not magical royalty.  She gives Stella a kiss on the cheek and says, ‘You look stunning.” and Stella grins.

In the greenhouse Harvey, Terra and Sam hang out.  Where’s their mom? Harvey wears a wedding ring but no mom in sight.  Harvey is working on a special project, filling a vial with something.  Terra asks if she can help but Harvey says he’s got this.

Dane comes to see Terra.  Both her family members give Dane a serious Look.  Heh.

Terra: “Whilst I appreciate that it is the historical perspective of the patriarchy to save women from upsetting situations, I’ve got this.”

Props to Terra’s actress for delivering that in a not at all groan-y way. Every time this show tries to be woke it is groanworthy and awful and they should just not, but every time the actors pull it off.  

So Dane says “You didn’t answer my texts… you’ve been really great to me...” and Terra shuts him down!  “Yeah I have.  I’m a good person, Dane.  I think you are too, but I’m not really sure I care to find out.  Anymore.”  and leaves him with “A word of advice.  Be careful who you trust.”  

Sam: ‘Still kinda want to punch him.”  Heh.

Harvey gets a text and takes his project off to meet the queen.  When he’s gone Terra immediately goes to his workstation to check out what he’s up to.  

The queens party goes to Callan’s office, which is now Aisha’s office.  Aisha greets the queen, whose name is actually Luna!  And she knows Aisha’s name, but does not need any help.  The adults go into Dowling’s office to talk.  

Aisha accidentally knocks some papers off the desk then, grumpy at this spying job she’s taken on and isn’t having any luck with, slams a filing cabinet door.  And finds something.  A mechanical ring the size of a jewelry ring, stuck in between two parts of the filing cabinet.  Aisha thinks it’s part of the cabinet, but then it begins to whir and she hears voices.  It’s the receiver for a bug!  Callan bugged Dowling’s office and now Aisha can listen in on the adults!

Only she… hides the receiver back under the cabinet?  

The only thing she overheard was the fact that Callan is dead.  Seems that Dowling’s telling everyone he left for a family emergency. Aisha tells Bloom this and Bloom is even more keen to get at those old records, from before Dowling became headmistress.  Maybe they’re in the east wing, and everyone’s going to be at this mandatory assembly so now would be the perfect time!

Aisha says it’s a bad idea.  Bloom says it’s a better idea than getting stared at by everybody and “I can’t just sit and listen to people make stuff up about me.”  

WHAT are they making up?!  I wanna hear these rumors!

Anyway Aisha is finally convinced to cover for Bloom, say she was too sick to come to the assembly.  But for reasons of Plot Beatrix was right above them on the upper walkway so she knows where Bloom’s off to.

Gorgeous outdoor shot of the castle.  Pardon me while I look it up… it’s a stately home!  You can go there, they have a farmers market and everything!  Ok, mark that down on my travel list between my Lost Crown tour of Polperro and my Higurashi tour of the real Hinamizawa…

Whilst I dream of seagulls and cicadas, Bloom is back in the dark east wing past a keep-out looking for clues.  Sky catches her!

Beatrix is outside looking for Bloom.  Riven catches her.  She says, ‘mandatory assembly’s a mandatory ditch.”  they pass a keep-out sign on some big doors as rain begins to fall.

Mysterious big doors in the school!  Another Winx Club sort of thing here at Elemental Academy.

In the cafeteria benches have been put in for the assembly,  Lots of students chat and the adults talk together.  Outside the arched windows we see bright blue sky.  Are the windows enchanted?  That’d explain why I never know if it’s day or night around here!

Queen Luna walks in her heels on a sort of stage in front of the windows. She holds up her hand and snaps her fingers and the light in the room goes purple and the sunlight streaming in from outside dims as if dusk has fallen outside.

Stella, wearing a brighter pink coat and double star pin, sits in the very front between two of her mother’s bodyguards.  The pin could be just because of Stella’s name, but in Winx Solaria does have two suns.  I like this pin, for Escape to Witch Mountain reasons, so I looked it up.  Stella’s pin is gold but the silver version is… oh dear… three dollars on amazon!  Methinks this show spent its whole budget on the Irish castle!

Terra and Aisha admire the queen.  “Massively powerful fairy, zero ego, boss goals.  Bet it drives Stella crazy?”  Stella glances back. She can hear them.  

Musa and Sam are knee-nudging each other, it’s pretty cute.  They text with phones on laps, sam asking if Musa’s into all the sneaking around hiding their relationship from Terra.  He asks, ‘is it a kink?’ and Musa texts back, ‘Meet me after the assembly, you’ll find out.”  Tell me you two aren’t dumb enough to start Doing The Sex in the same suite Terra lives in too!  Maybe they’re just gonna hang out and make out.

Hilariously Queen Luna is saying, ‘I’m here to treat you like the adults you are” as these two plot that most teenage of plots, meeting up to have a good time!  Luna says she’s here to talk about the Burned Ones, it’s been years since one was sighted…

Terra nudges Musa.  “What’s Stella going through right now?  She’s miserable, right?”  Terra has noticed what I’ve been suspecting! Poor Musa, distracted from flirting with the cute guy, sighs a little and says a polite, ‘Please wait.’  

She turns her powers to read Stella’s emotions… but there’s interference.  Dowling is walking by and she’s using her mind powers as well!  Musa says, ‘This assembly isn’t just about the Burned Ones.  Something else is up.”  Harvey is standing in the audience and Dowling takes a position among the students also

Queen Luna is talking about, “...for decades, families and villages suddenly torn apart by one of these monsters that left our world in chaos...”

The teachers are here to scan for Callan’s killer, I assume.  Since it’s a mandatory assembly every student will be present… except for Bloom and Beatrix, who ditched!  Gee, I hope Beatrix doesn’t try to pin it on Bloom!  But how could she when Dowling can read minds?

Back with Bloom and Sky, Bloom says she was born in 2004—the year Winx Club was first broadcast, seventeen years ago!  Our beloved show, may it survive to see eighteen.  Bloom’s idea is to look for pregnant teen fairies in the class photos, and she has oddly specific details to look for: baggy clothes, girls holding books in front of bellies.

There’s some conversation about how Bloom is tired of being whispered about and wants to yell at people they’re all assholes, and Sky agrees that most people are but you have to find the good ones.

Then he finds a picture of adults.  His dad is in it, along with Rosalind, Dowling, Silva and Harvey.  Bloom says, “you look like him” although we don’t really get a good look Andreas at the photo.  Sky mimicks Silva’s accent, “And act like him, and maybe one day if I work hard enough I can be half the warrior he was.”  Heh.  Bloom also giggles at the accent.

Sky also said, ‘his commander was a woman” presumably Rosalind.  So Rosalind was a leader of soldiers.  Was she a fairy or a specialist?

Bloom asks if it’s weird that everyone knows his dad better than he did, and Sky says ‘Alfea’s been my home my entire life” so I guess he grew up here with Silva being much more father than mentor. Wonder what happened to Sky’s mom.  They’re having a nice moment and here come Riven and Beatrix to join the party!

Back in the assembly, Musa scans the adults.  Dowling and Silva are on edge, and Harvey is really scared.  Terra says her dad was making something with the crystals from the vessel, so he was putting crystals in a little vial.  A magic tracking device.  Now Dowling’s got it.

Queen Luna is saying, ‘conflict is now on the horizon!  We are tracking at least five Burned Ones throughout Solaria.  The threat is serious. And growing.”

Back in the vaults B says, “people who think history is rubbish are rubbish.  Don’t be rubbish”  Ah Beatrix, there’s the like 10% of your personality that I like!  Then she reverts to the other 90% and suggests Bloom and Sky were down here to have The Sex.  Riven says nah, Sky’s not that interesting.  Bloom, who heard all that, says ‘But we were alone and that was pleasant.”  Heh.

They find a locked door.  Sky says he can ask Silva what’s behind it but bloom wants to get through now.

Riven: ‘The more you say no the more she wants it.  Give in.”

Beatrix: “Do we need to have a talk about consent?”

The more this show throws woke verbiage into random conversations the less woke it looks. 9_9

Bloom sensibly: “Why are you guys down here, again?”

Anyway Beatrix says she’s on Bloom’s side, which I do not believe for a minute.  Bloom says no thanks, don’t need help from someone who posted a nasty video about terra, Beatrix says she was an innocent bystander which I do not believe for a minute, and says Bloom should be mad at riven for starting the Changeling rumors.  Bloom and Sky look at Riven.

Riven: “Not exactly the way I thought you’d screw me today, B.”

Sky if it’s true, Riven flees to escape a lecture from “Saint Sky” and Sky goes after him to deliver the lecture.

And he does, out in the rain.  Riven says he really likes Beatrix, that B is the only one who likes him the way he is.  That Sky thinks he’s better than riven.  And that Sky should maybe not be talking about bad life choices while he’s chasing Bloom while still having Stella.  Sky says that’s not what’s really going on and Riven says that’s what everyone else sees, including Stella.  And Riven says, ‘that’s probably why she told me Bloom was a changeling in the first place.”  And he walks off, leaving Sky in the rain with the knowledge that Stella is mean-girling Bloom.  Unsurprisingly.

Sky of Elemental Academy is having just as much trouble here as his animated counterpart keeps having with Diaspro!

Back inside the girls haven’t figured out what the adults are after. Terra finds it hard to believe they have “some big ulterior motive.” and Musa says, “people have more stuff going on than you’d think, especially parents.”  Heh.  Then she takes off for a snog session with Sam! Sam says he’s like to make their relationship public, but Musa likes the secrecy.  If everyone found out, she’d have to feel everyone’s reaction, ‘good bad, positive or negative.”  Sam says she has to feel it bu does she have to care?  And says being an empath seems to suck, which it sure does seem to!

Would “everybody” even care that they were dating?  I mean Terra would but at a school full of teenagers dating how many people would care?

I read a book… Burning Glass, about an empath so powerful that when a starving mob approached she let them in the gates because she forgot she wasn’t one of them, caught up in the mob’s need to get in to where the food was.  She didn’t just feel people’s emotions, she acted on them because she couldn’t tell which of the things she was feeling were coming in from outside.  I keep thinking the writers are trying to imagine Musa like that and failing completely.

Over in the east wing Beatrix guessed that it was Rosalind who left bloom in the human world and Bloom realized that Beatrix lied the night of the party about not knowing who Rosalind was.  B says Rosalind was “a fierce bitch.”  I’m still feeling this great big hole where someone should say “Rosalind destroyed the Burned Ones in the war with her great magic.” or something and nobody says it.  Bloom knows Rosalind was headmistress before Dowling and is dead, we viewers know Rosalind is not dead, did something important with the Burned Ones, and has an evil face.  I dunno, like the changeling thing it feels like there are these weird blanks in what the show is giving us.

Beatrix suggests Bloom light the locked door on fire as a way to get it open. She knows Bloom’s powerful enough.  Bloom says power is not the problem, lighting the whole school on fire is the problem.  Then sky texts and Bloom lies and says she’s not down here anymore which will definitely be back to bite her later.  She suggests she could “fry” the hinges off the door, but Beatrix has already picked the lock.

With a machine custom made for picking locks, not with bobby pins.

On the other side of the door they find… a war room.  A round sand pit that, when B enchants it, the sand lifts up to create a miniature of the school.  Beatrix calls it, “A place where dangerous, shady-ass people decide who lives and who dies.”

Dowling is giving Stella a magic lesson.  She creates an arc of colored light between her hands, mimicking the chains on her brooch.

Queen Luna is not impressed.  A little mini rainbow is not much of a display of power.  Luna and Dowling proceed to ignore Stella and talk over her head.  Luna sent Stella back to be “fixed”--the same word Stella used about bloom after she taught Bloom the way of the Sith—after the “incident with Ricki.”  Dowling says rehabilitating magic is a process and it takes time.  Luna: “would you like me to recite the list of threats we’re facing while you take time?”

Me! I would!  1)Burned Ones 2)???  And how much can one fairy do about them?

Stella tries to interrupt and Luna says, “Do not speak when I’m speaking.  Solaria is the strongest realm in the Otherworld, she is its heir, an extension of that strength.”  Stella protests that it’s working, she is getting stronger, and her mother just snaps at her not to speak again.

Stella says she blinded a Burned One and Dowling has her back, praising her for how skillfully she did it.

Queen Luna makes a full illusion, disappearing the room and leaving Stella in a VR forest.  With wind-howling sound effects, not sure how light did that!    Stella is terrified.

Queen Luna: ‘when you control light you control what people see.  And despite what anyone says matters in this world, appearance is everything.  You know that better than anyone, Farah.  Especially given my efforts to help you maintain them.”

Dowling just says they’ve both done a great deal to preserve Solaria’s reputation.  Hmm!  That’s interesting!  And she lets Stella go.

Outside the office, Aisha is working at her desk.  She asks Stella if she’s ok and Stella says of course she is, but Aisha’s using the listening device again!  She overhears Queen Luna basically threatening to have Dowling removed as headmistress!

Outside in the still cloudy day, Sky is taking his mood out on a punching bag.  He gets a text from Stella saying, “She’s a monster.” before Sky can go give her some much deserved sympathy Silva walks past demanding an update.  On what?

In the greenhouse Harvey is worried.  His magic bottle, which is very pretty, didn’t work.  Terra comes to ask if everything’s ok and he yells at her, then apologizes.  Terra turns to go then turns back and asks, ‘if there was something going on you would tell us wouldn’t you?”  and Harvey lies and says of course he would.

Aaaaaaaand now I’m looking up potion bottles on amazon wondering if this prop is also something I can have.  Not obviously.

Terra, Musa and Aisha are talking about it in the suite.  Aisha is sure the grownups are doing what they think is best.  Terra would rather just be told there’s a secret rather than be lied to.  But they do work it out.  The crystals read magic, there’s a dead person, the adults were looking for someone who kills by magic but didn’t find them.

Then Sky bursts in looking for Bloom.  The girls ask if Silva told him what’s up, but Sky is out of the loop.

Terra: “Dowling’s assistant died, the faculty think a fairy did it. They held the assembly to find out which fairy, but they didn’t because he or she wasn’t there, so now we don’t believe or trust literally anyone.”

Sky: “Shit.”

Sky, smart cookie that he is, realizes immediately that it’s Beatrix.

The murderess and Bloom are reading scrolls in the war room—in the DARK, everything’s shadowy how are they even reading?

In 2004 Rosalind was “leading the crusade against the Burned Ones” Beatrix says so finally there’s that laid out.

Bloom was born December 12 2004, just like the real Bloom.  Beatrix seems oddly interested in that fact.  I’m beginning to have a suspicion.

Bloom’s phone is blowing up with messages but she’s busy reading.  Beatrix stealth zaps bloom’s phone to break it so she doesn’t get Sky’s warning call.  

Rosalind was in a place called Aster Dell.  This also seems to interest Beatrix, who suggests they just go there right now.  She knows where it is, it’s not far.  Bloom has a rush of common sense to the head and hesitates to leave school with someone she barely knows but Beatrix points out that they’ve already broken into a secret war room and maybe now is not the time to stop before they get somewhere. Not completely without a point there, so Bloom agrees.

Sky finds Riven and demands the whereabouts of “The unstable sex addict who’s been leading you around by your dick.”  Pfft!  Also, not very understanding after Riven admitted he really does like Beatrix and feels accepted by her.  But Riven doesn’t know, anyway.

Stella bursts in, “I sent you twenty texts and you’re here looking for Bloom?”  And Riven gets to say, ‘Have fun with that!” as he escapes.  Sky blames Stella for starting the changeling thing, Stella says, “I didn’t want to hurt her.” which is not true.

Sky: “You say you don’t want to be like your mother but all I see is someone who treats others exactly the same way that Luna treats you.” And he says he’s done with this.

Harsh but true.

Beatrix stole a car.  Bloom is very impressed!  Heh.

The other three girls have had a rush of common sense to the head and gone to Dowling to tell her about Beatrix.  Dowling’s first response is to ask why Bloom was down there but Terra pulls out their deductions and says “can we please drop the bullshit?” and when her father tries to stop her she calls him out for putting them in danger by not telling them!  Go Terra!  Silva comes in to tell them someone knocked out one of the queen’s guards and stole an SUV.

Beatrix must be extremely badass to take out a bodyguard!  we’re only in episode 4 but I don’t think she’s planning on coming back to school after this.

Black SUV drives on a dirt road between trees.  I do love how there seem to be no other buildings and no paved roads in the Otherworld.  I guess I’ll take what worldbuilding I can get.

Bloom and Beatrix have arrived at an absolutely stunning location, a cliff over the sea.  Bloom wonders if this is the right place.  Isn’t Aster Dell supposed to be a town?  Then she realizes there are skulls at her feet among the heather.

But no time to ponder it, Beatrix is getting lightningy!  She throws lightning—shorting out an invisible barrier concealing ruins. Aster dell was a peaceful town until it was attacked by Burned Ones and “a military unit from Alfea” decided to go all scorched earth on the place and killed everybody.  Queen Luna set up the illusion to hide the ruins.  “Leader of our realm tried to cover up a war crime.’

Beatrix says this is where she was from, and where her family died.  Two days before Bloom’s birthday.  This is where Bloom is from.  Rosalind rescued Beatrix too, and gave her a memory of the Alfea adults destroying the town.  Rosalind was the only one of the adults with a conscience about killing innocent people.

Bloom protests, the adults are lying but they aren’t monsters.  I’m skeptical too, because us viewers know that Beatrix is Beatrix and has said all sorts of things. 

On the drive back Bloom asks Beatrix if she’s a changeling too, but no.  Rosalind left B with “a close friend” and Bloom in another world.  Bloom asks why Dowling would recruit her as a student after killing her family and Beatrix says she doesn’t think Dowling realizes yet what Bloom is, and Bloom shouldn’t tell her.

Bloom: “Which is exactly what you’d say if you were making this up.  To keep us from comparing notes.”  go Bloom!   Beatrix asks what she has to gain from making up a story about murderous teachers, and the two of them can work together to find out more.  Rosalind is alive and imprisoned at Alfea, and Beatrix came to break her out.

...for “him”?  Mysterious “him” not mentioned yet.  And where does the return of the Burned Ones fit in?  Hmm.  I admit my main reason for not believing Beatrix’s story is that it’s Beatrix telling it.

Also in these sorts of stories the birth parents are never dead.

But no time to ponder it, the teachers are here!  They stop the car, Dowling slaps some magical cuffs on Beatrix and Silva and Harvey grab Bloom.  They deliver her back to Alfea into a group hug from her suitemates.

The girls were worried that Bloom was off with a murderer but they heard that from the adults who Bloom just heard are liars and murderers themselves.  We know the adults are telling the truth about Callan but Bloom doesn’t.  Sky is there, also worried that she’d been kidnapped by Beatrix—but Silva calls him away.  Paranoia intensifies.

As they head for bed Terra rants about her dad lying to her and acting like it was for her own good.  Terra ends with, ‘you don’t lie to people.  Not if they matter.’

And Musa feels guilty and spills the beans about her and Sam!  It’s been weeks!  Terra bursts into giggles and hugs Musa and says Sam looks just like their dad and he went bald early.

Looking down from the walk they see the queen’s guards rolling Stella’s suitcases towards the door.  The one thing the two Stella’s have in common apparently is their love of lots of luggage!  Yep, Stella’s been moved out.

Stella is in the car.  Back home her mother will teach her.

Stella: “You could’ve let me say goodbye to my friends.”

Luna: ‘”They’re not your friends, Stella.”

Which, evil mum kinda right.  Apart from taking out a Burned One together, every interaction between Stella and the others has been nasty and catty and mostly Stella’s been avoiding them whenever possible. They aren’t friends.  They might be later, but they sure aren’t yet.

Beatrix has been thrown in a cell.

Silva locks the door—with Sky there watching, and I’m sure Silva’s trust in Sky will come back to bite him later.

Then interesting conversation.  Silva asked Sky to keep an eye on Bloom, and now he wants Sky to get all the details of what just happened out of bloom and report back.  Silva actually says the “a soldier’s job is to take orders” and “your loyalty is to me, no one else.” which, I like you Silva but that is the wrongest tack you could take right now!  Silva is very scared and it’s making him make bad choices.

Bloom has gone to Dowling’s office to ask what she did to Beatrix.  The cuffs were “runic limiters” which prevent a fairy from using magic.  Bloom says ‘They were barbaric” and “You tore her skin open.” which I guess the cuffs did kinda burrow into her skin.

Dowling is just worried if Bloom’s ok and then asks what they talked about. Bloom says it was just a joyride, she and Beatrix talked about clothes and boys.  Bloom leaves.

Dowling immediately phones up Bloom’s parents on Earth and says Bloom’s been having a bit of trouble and would they please report to her if Bloom says anything weird.

Sheesh. Could these otherwise smart, capable adults who have years of experience with teenagers be handling this any worse?

Well that was… something.  Terra is badass.  Stella’s mom is exactly like I expected her to be.  Beatrix spilled a lot of important Plot and I’m sure some of it was true and some of it wasn’t.

Next time on Elemental Academy!  Will the girls rescue Stella from evil mum?  Will Bloom bust Beatrix out of the dungeon?  Will Sky be forced to choose between his father figure and his crush?  Will Bloom’s parents accidentally betray her?  And what’s Riven gonna do now that his smoking and boinking buddy is under arrest?  Half the cast is being set up to make some really dumb life choices!  Tune in next time!

#fate the winx saga

[imkylotrash]

Recipe For Disaster

Pairing: Riven x reader

Request: A light fairy from Earth that started already in the second year bc of her potential, but do classes with the first year too. They become friends and start dating. The faires are being terrible to her, only the winx help and he doesn't know. When he sees her crying in the dining hall when the faires are being mean bc of her talent, relationship and origin (like "What he sees in her?), he stands for her and the winx too. Anonymous

A/N Thank you for motivating me when tumblr deleted my first draft of this. It kept me going when I just wanted to call it night and go to sleep, haha. 

Tagging: @grey-girl​ @bitchwhytho​  

Starting at Alfea when you know absolutely no one is hard. Add starting as a second-year student because of your powers and you have a recipe for disaster. No one wants to befriend the freak who was clever enough to skip a year and it gets very lonely having no one to talk to. It takes you weeks to find your people. It happens accidentally one day when you ask Terra for directions to the green house and she instantly starts talking your ear off. Something you’ve grown to love by now. Terra introduces you to the rest of the girls and finally it feels like you belong somewhere. Through them you meet Riven. The bad boy who’s remained ignorant to all the rumours flying around at Alfea in turn making him unaware of what people think of you. It’s part of the reason why you love hanging out with him. It becomes a little bubble where you don’t have to deal with the rest of the fairies. One day he kisses you out of the blue admitting that he’s been wanting to do that for a while and it melts your heart. After that the two of you become inseparable.

“Hey handsome,” you say coming up behind him. He sneaks his arm around you instantly making you blush. Even though you’ve been together for a while now you’re still getting used to his carefree PDA. He doesn’t care who’s watching or what they think.

“Get a room,” Sky laughs but Riven only has eyes for you right now.

“Hi baby,” he says quietly clearing intending for it to be a moment just between the two of you. Without taking his eyes off of you, he flips Sky the finger.

“Are you busy?” you ask relishing in his undivided attention.

“I promised Sky I’d do some practice with him. But I’ll see you for dinner?” You nod thinking it’ll give you plenty of time to catch up on some reading.

“Perfect,” he says giving you a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing with Sky. You head straight for the library where you get a few good hours of reading in before deciding to call it a night. When you exit the library, you notice a group of fairies standing outside.

“If it isn’t Y/N. Did Riven get tired of you yet?” You’re not sure what they’re intention is but you’re not going to stand and listen to this. When you try to walk past them, they block you keeping you right where you are.

“Tell me just how you’ve gotten Riven so bewitched by you. Because clearly, it’s not your looks,” the first girl says venom dripping from the words.

“Maybe she has experience keeping men in the bed,” someone snickers. You’re not going to cry. You repeat that mantra over and over again in your head determined not to give them what they want but they’re bringing up all your insecurities and it feels horrible.

“Maybe you’re just another project. Everyone knows he’s had his share of them,” the first girl says with a horrible smile. It’s the final drop. You can’t fight the tears falling.

“Well, I heard it’s because she has great taste in music.” You look over to find Musa standing there with the rest of the girls.

“Actually, I heard it’s because she’s literally the nicest person alive,” Terra argues making you smile. This right here is the reason why they’re your best friends.

“Well, I heard that it’s because he loves her.” You spin around to find Riven watching you. There’s murder in his eyes as he looks at the girls surrounding you.

“You love me?”

“Yeah, I do. How could I not?” he says walking past the girls and straight to you never breaking eye contact. Gently, he dries away your tears and place a kiss on your forehead.

“I love you too,” you say feeling a new wave of tears hit you but this time they’re happy tears. It’s the first time he’s said those words to you.

“Now get lost,” he says looking at the fairies still standing around you. He doesn’t let go of you as they hurry off.

“They should be grateful I don’t know their names,” Riven says clearly still upset. But you couldn’t care about what they said because you have the girls and Riven and you couldn’t ask for me.

“How long has this been going on?” he asks looking down at you. You’re about to tell him that it’s a one-time thing when Musa beats you to it.

“Ever since she started. They’re jealous assholes who thinks degrading Y/N will make them feel better.” You’ve never heard Musa curse but you like the fact that she’s willing to do it for you. Even though you’re not sure how you feel about Riven knowing the truth now. You don’t want it to change anything or make him think that you’re not worth it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice is soft - free of judgement.

“When I found out you didn’t know how other people felt about me, I guess I just really liked the fact that you didn’t know. It was an escape that allowed me to feel normal. And I worried you would feel differently about me if you knew.” You’re scared to look at him as you admit the truth you’ve been hiding for a while now but once again Riven proves to be the best boyfriend one could ever ask for.

“I don’t care what other people think. I love you and that’s all that matters. I’m here for you,” he says kissing you.

“We’re here too, you know,” Musa says with a smile.

“Yeah. I know we don’t kiss you and stuff, but we’re here if you need us,” Stella laughs and you can’t help but laugh a little yourself. You open your arms and they all attack you with hugs. That night you have a slumber party with the girls and Riven. Sky even shows up after hearing what happened telling you that he spoke to Silva and it won’t happen again. It’s at that moment you realise that you’ve gotten this amazing family at Alfea and while you have no idea how you got so lucky you know that you’re grateful.

“Thank you for being there for me tonight,” you say. Riven kisses your temple once again making you blush.

“We’re always ready to kick some fairy ass if they don’t treat you right,” Terra says trying to sound all tough. She fails making you all laugh but it’s the thought that counts.

#riven x reader #riven blurb #riven gif #riven imagine #riven #fate the winx saga #fate winx club #fate the winx club #winx saga #winx club #fate winx #fate

[drops-of-moonlights]

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: Season 5 (The Rage of the Merfolk Prince)

Or, in which I give the basics of what I’ve changed about the story for the AU. It was originally way more descriptive but if I kept it in that style I would have finished in 2039 and I ain’t got time for that. Let’s cover Season 5 at last!

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: SEASON 5 (The Rage of the Merfolk Prince)

It’s been a few weeks since the adventure in Nevere and Zeisterna, and the Winx come back from Earth after having helped out with the preparations to fully join the Council of Magix.

Roxy and Selina come with them, both now soon to start classes in Alfea and Cloud Tower respectively. They all are tired, just having helped with an oil spill near Gardenia that took them by surprise.

Selina bids farewell after getting directions, and after finishing up Roxy’s remaining paperwork (most of everything else she filled out on Earth with Klaus and the Black Circle’s help), they also say goodbye - classes don’t start for another week, and the Winx have stuff to do.

A few hours later, on the Order of Mana’s Roccaluce base, Tecna, Musa and Flora are granted the title of Guardian Magi - now recognized as heroes of their realms thanks to their deeds, and able to directly interfere in any situation that proves dire.

After the ceremony and a lot of congratulations (as well as the girls meeting Tecna and Flora’s parents for the first time), Aisha is called by Tressa, who tells her that Tritannus has somehow escaped.

After a short panicked scream and her attempts to immediately go to Andros stopped by the rest, Aisha elaborates on who Tritannus is. (You can learn more about him here! for the rest of his fam, go here)

So far it seems Tritannus escaped with the help of a group of magi, but his actual whereabouts are unknown.

On Mareia, near the Highpeak Prison for Troublesome Merfolk, a merman is escaping, alongside three witches - Tritannus, aided by the Trix. The Trix had been relocated to that prison for the time being, and thanks to Earth’s recently-opened Ocean Gate, some of that spilt oil entered Mareia.

Tritannus, using his knowledge of toxins and the like and aided by the Trix, manages to poison the guards even with the magic limiter placed on him, regaining his trident (and the Trix their weapons), making a run for it.

The magic limiter is undone on Tritannus forcefully, making his aura and magic overflow, his eyes gaining the magic high light.

After forming an alliance with the Trix, he explains them his plan of revenge, and with how useful the oil proved, they decide to go to Earth and get more.

The Winx go back to Earth for three days right before classes start, wanting to actually spend time relaxing with Bloom’s parents, the guys tagging along to properly explore the city as the last time they visited it was to fight the White Circle.

Tritannus and the Trix make it to the Earth Gate, but are stopped by Lemmy and Phylla, the Selkies of Earth and Andros. After a short fight, the Selkies lose, and Tritannus takes the chance and steals one of the pearls in each of their necklaces - holding the power to freely traverse between the gates. Linking them to himself and the Trix, they make their trip at last.

While exploring the city, Sky pulls Nex aside and shows him a jewel necklace - the Heart of Arturia. He’s planning to give it to Riven as the official signifier that they’re dating, as they haven’t announced it to the general public yet and Samara’s pressuring him about it.

Sky is unsure about using the Heart for it as it can have the meaning of engagement and he doesn’t want to scare Riven off, and Brandon’s advice to give it to him as soon as possible has made him more nervous. Nex suggests to give it to him when an opportunity presents itself, and that he’ll know when to give Riven the pendant.

The day goes by without any major incidents until sunset, when a surge of oil seems to spout out of the ocean, coating the beach and mutated fish suddenly attacking.

Everyone transforms and starts fighting the monsters, the guys stay behind to protect the beach while the Winx advance into the sea trying to search for the source.

After a few minutes they find Tritannus and the Trix, and with Aisha recognizing her cousin the fight goes underwater. The girls struggle to fight well in Believix (so do the Trix), eventually both teams retreating to regroup and think about how they will progress. During the fight back at the beach, Sky loses the pendant after being forced out of his armor, falling into the seas. This sends Sky into a minor panic, due to the superstitions surrounding the Heart. Riven can pick up something’s wrong with him but doesn’t bring it up, knowing full well how his boyfriend works and that he needs to calm down first.

After helping to clean up the next morning, Bloom meets with Mitzi to give an actual goodbye, keeping a promise made with her after having disappeared for 3 years. Macy is also there, holding a small weak-looking flower in a pot. She reveals to Bloom that she seems to be developing magic, and somehow managed to make this flower sprout. She has called it a Lilo, as it was made using lily seeds.

After a short talk, both sisters leave to the park, a flower rally happening that day as an incentive for more people to go green after yesterday’s shenanigans.

From the shadows, the Trix can sense incredibly magic budding in that flower thanks to Macy’s inexperience, and conclude that if it blooms, it will release plenty of magic for them to absorb, which will hopefully fix their issues underwater.

After a few hours (since Mitzi had to run some errands and Macy wanted to tag along), the Trix take the chance to strike while the girls are distracted, attempting to steal the Lilo. They don’t foresee Mitzi immediately round kicking them all at once, grabbing Macy and going as fast as she can on her motorcycle, telling her sister to call Bloom for help.

They manage to elude the Trix for a bit and take refuge in the mall, hoping the increased amount of people will make them drop their pursuit. However, Mitzi only knows of them thanks to Bloom’s stories, and her expectations prove to be false when Icy casually covers the place in frost.

Macy tries to fire weak spells to try and delay them using the plants in the area, but her magic is still untrained and they’re quickly burnt by Stormy. However, the plants retaliate and immediately ensnare Darcy and Icy, Macy looking surprised.

The spell was Flora’s, who arrives with everyone else to protect the sisters. The Winx go confront the Trix directly, while the guys escort Mitzi and Macy out in the confusion. After a short battle, the Trix go after the Lilo again, the Winx following suit.

During the escape, they briefly go past the park, and Macy decides to simply plant the Lilo around the rest of the plants and then enchant them, hoping that will be enough to mask its signature and make the Trix take too long to find it. Seeing the logic behind that, the guys agree, and with help from Helia and Nabu the whole park is enchanted.

The Trix arrive at the park and are confused at all the magic in the area, and decide to simply go after Macy again and force her to talk, though she’s visibly less harsh than she would have been with Mitzi. She’s defended by the Specialists and the Winx again, but Icy finds an opening and grabs her, lifting her to the air. She starts to threaten her but Flora intervenes, managing to bring Macy back to the ground and starts to fight Icy one-on-one.

It’s an intense fight, as Flora’s very aggressive physical fighting style is starting to cut away at Icy’s defenses, and right when she’s about to strike the final blow, she is struck on the back by Stormy. She starts to fall but picks herself up, and realizes a sudden magic rush is starting to burst from the garden.

The Lilo blooms, left unattended during the fight and the extra magic from it feeding it, releasing a torrent of energy. The Trix move as fast as possible and manage to absorb the magic, sadly realizing that it was less than what they thought they would get. They try to retaliate against the Winx, but Flora and Macy manage to make a convergence spell, a torrent of petals, leaves and branches suddenly pelting them and hitting them, driving them away back with Tritannus - they got what they wanted.

Macy is sad about what happened but Flora commends her work, impressed at how someone as young as her made a flower as interesting as the Lilo. She suggests to train under Eldora if she has the chance, now that Selina’s at Cloud Tower she could use the help from time to time. Macy accepts, and after taking a while to relax among the flowers, everyone leaves for home, Mitzi and Bloom moving their hangout to tomorrow after the shenanigans of today.

The next day goes without incidents, and after bidding goodbye to her parents, Bloom and the rest go back to Magix, to start their 4th year of class properly. The guys outside of Helia and Nabu start their 6th and last year at Red Fountain, while Nabu signs up for the 2-year program at Alfea.

Bloom and Dia reunite after three months of not getting to see each other, and decide to catch up on lost time. Flora is approached by Krystal, recognizing her childhood friend, leaving Flora confused. She reveals she was Rosa, the girl that used to play with her and Helia on the woods, and also sit down to catch up.

Afterwards, the group goes to talk with Faragonda, explaining the situation with Tritannus and the Trix and how their mainly-underwater actions make it harder for the girls to confront. Faragonda doesn’t try to dissuade them from attempting this as Aisha having personal links to the case is not something she can dismiss, so she tells them they might need to obtain Sirenix to properly deal with Tritannus.

A few moments later, the Winx asks Daphne about Sirenix, and how they can get it bothering her about her own journey. The Princess is reluctant on letting them try it as its trial can be hard to deal with, but eventually relents and tells them what she did - one must get 3 pearls from the various seas of the system, and then bring them to one of the Springs of Sirenix to obtain the form.

However, they need to kickstart the quest properly, and for that they must find the Grimoire of Source Forms, that houses the riddles used to begin the quests for the elemental transformations. Daphne does mention that simply befriending a Guardian Selkie would be viable as well, as that’s what she did with Politea, but the Winx go with the book as that would be faster. A copy of it is guarded in the Magic Archive, and so the Winx begin their search.

They decide to call the guys to help with the search given the archive is massive, and Helia also reunites with Krystal. On their way to the archive, Sky talks with Flora about the pendant and his worries, and Flora advices to simply focus on finding the the Heart first, and then see what he does with it.

Nex and Krystal end up in a conversation after a while, and seem to hit it off nicely.

On the swamp of Melmamora, the Trix and Tritannus ponder what to do regarding the Trix’s inability to properly fight underwater - even going back to Enchantix is giving them trouble. Tritannus then remembers about Sirenix, and believing the Winx will try to get it as well, the Trix go to Alfea, expecting to get indirect answers from them.

On the Archive, everyone starts to help with the search of the Grimoire, and after a few hours, they manage to find it thanks to Concorda’s help. It’s at that point that the Trix strike, making a mess of the place and start to fight for the book. Krystal helps as support, her powers over healing proving helpful in short bursts and her small control over plants helping Flora from time to time.

However, while on the highest points of the Archive, a bad move and an attack by Stormy damage Sky’s wings, making him fall to the ground. The armor has a safe fall spell embedded that helps Sky to not die from the fall, but he still hits the ground hard.

Tecna, who currently has the Grimoire, takes advantage of the show to cast a duplication spell, keeping the original hidden. She throws the copy to the ground while rushing over with everyone else to Sky, and the Trix, believing it to be the real book, grab it and leave.

Krystal and Helia manage to undo most of the surface damage together, but when Sky wakes up, he seems to have lost his memories. This is bad for many reasons.

A few days pass, and not even the Winx’s and Faragonda’s Onyrix powers are enough to help him remember more than his name and role as prince - something inside him is keeping the memories blocked for some reason, and until they discover what it is they can’t do much. Flora, Brandon and Nex have an idea of what it could be, and both boys volunteer (alongside Riven and Dia) to help him recover his memories more gradually by recalling their relationships to each. The Winx are still worried about their friend (Bloom and Stella mainly), but Dia reassures them they’ll find a way to help him, and that they still need to start the Sirenix quest.

The girls then go back to their dorm and try to open the Grimoire, but to their surprise they can’t. After a few more attempts, the book itself seems to talk - saying that it needs a key to be opened before they attempt the quest. It says to look for it in the “lush place blessed by Aethernae”, before going silent again.

On the seas of Andros, Tritannus and the Trix manage to open their version of the book - and obtain the same results, though mentioning a place guarded by Voidoleire rather than Aethernae - Tecna’s copy of the book was good enough, and worked the same way. They realize that Sirenix would also grant them access to the Infinite Ocean, and that would be immensely helpful to their plans.

After a quick search by Tecna, they determine that the most likely place the Grimoire meant was the Shrine of Aethernae in Graynor. With Stella’s staff, they quickly teleport there, and find themselves face to face with a Pixie. Introducing themselves as Natalira, they then guides them to the altar, where they assign them a challenge - they must find the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle, and convince it to come to the altar without using magic or potions to enchant it.

The Winx then split in teams of 2, and after some contraptions and challenges (as well as some bonding moments), they reunite as they see a fight between a manticore and a griffin.

The fight starts to escalate to the point the girls start to feel in danger, and as such transform and look from a distance. The griffin manages to do very heavy damage and ends up kicking the manticore to a cliff, the beast hanging on a branch for dear life. The Winx realize it’s about to break, and with a convergence spell they manage to bring it back to safety. Stella and Aisha take care of its injuries, Tecna and Bloom try to calm it down, and Flora and Musa get it some food and water to replenish itself.

The manticore nuzzles them all, and then suddenly shifts color - its grey fur and mane suddenly turning rainbow. It was the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle all along.

The Winx then manage to bring it back to the shrine, and congratulating their kindness, Natalira gives them the key to the Grimoire - a key decorated with different-colored gems. 

The Winx thank them, and as they open the book (as they brought it along with them), it asks one final question: are they completely, truly sure they want to start a Quest? Using the book method only gives a time limit of a full lunar cycle, and if they fail to finish in time they won’t be able to try the quest again in 3 years. The Winx agree wholeheartedly, knowing that Aisha’s family and the oceans of the system are in danger and this will be their best chance.

At this, the book flips to the page holding the first Sirenix riddle, and the Winx feel a sudden rush of magic - they have obtained Harmonix, as their minds, hearts and souls were perfectly aligned (“in full harmony”, so to speak) in their decision.

On Daumme, in an island near Oppositus, another Pixie gives the Trix and Tritannus the same Key. With the Trix and Tritannus also agreeing to the quest, thought out of a desire to be powerful, they are given Harmonix as well.

The first riddle speaks of Shimmering Shells and of subtle songs, both Aisha and Tritannus recognizing that as a place near Andros and Mareia.

The Winx then decide to do each riddle in different groups of three, so one team can advance the quest while the rest do research on Sirenix itself, as well as trying to help Sky recover his memories.

Stella, Aisha and Bloom go to Andros, and with Roy’s help, they arrive at the Shimmering Shells. However, once they do dive down there, they realize Tritannus and the Trix have already been there - and have taken the Pearl of Ingenuity for themselves. They have corrupted the Shells making them hostile, so the three Princesses try their Harmonix powers on them, healing them. As thanks, the Shells provide the next riddle. On the way, they meet Lemmy and Phylla.

During the trip back, Tritannus has paid a visit back home, and has managed to poison his father as well as Nereus, putting them out of commission and into the dungeons - Ligea and Tressa having escaped. He proclaims himself King of Mareia, and guards the palace with his mutant fish to delay a rescue.

They also run into Illiris and Sonna, stealing a pearl from each gaining access to the seas of Solenei and Daumme.

It’s then that he reveals his true plan to the Trix - the only way he can actually ensure a long reign is if he’s powerful enough for the other realms to try and not bother, and that’s only obtainable in Infimare. At the promise of further strength, the Trix keep their alliance, but do discuss in private that they’ve been through this song and dance before and having an escape route ready should be top priority.

The next riddle told by the shells spoke of the Azure Valley and of a gorgeous shield, Stella remembering that’s right in front of the coasts of Astrael, Solaria’s capital.

Stella, Flora and Aisha go to Solaria, while the rest stay back to try and help with Sky’s memory during a short trip to Roccalucce. Sky seems to be making slow progress, but something seems to still be plugging his memory. Nex and Brandon talk about what they could do about the pendant, and if they should tell the girls.

The other three reach the Valley (meeting Illiris, Solaria and Quarzis’s Selkie), but run into Tritannus and the Trix. After a short fight, he mutates a passerby jellyfish, and after realizing the place they’re in is gonna cave, he leaves the fight to the mutant.

The girls try and heal the thing but it’s too fast for them, and after Flora gets hit by its tentacles (slowly getting poisoned), Stella starts to panic. However, she notices a rusty shield on the floor, and after a second of hesitation she dives in to grab it, and bashes into the jellyfish with enough force to knock it down to the floor. She then uses the shield as a canalizer for her magic, firing a beam of light removing all the corruption.

As the jellyfish leaves and Aisha heals Flora, the Pearl of Self-Confidence manifests in front of Stella, a small seashell-like box appearing as well to store it - the Winx have their first pearl.

The next riddle speaks of a ruby reef and of a sweet memory, Musa immediately knowing it means Melodeus. She elaborates that the Reef is a popular tourist destination near a city called Famire, and it was her mom’s favorite place.

Musa, Stella and Tecna leave for Melodeus, while the rest start to do more research on Sirenix and on Tritannus with Daphne’s help. The name of Politea keeps popping up on searches, and Daphne feels a twinge building up.

on Famire, after a few minutes of searching, they find a massive harp made of coral, as well as Tritannus and the Trix. They fight again, but after a miss from Tritannus the Winx manage to defeat them, sending them back running. They meet Sonna during the fight as well.

Musa plays the harp, the memory of her mother fresh in her mind guiding her, aided by the other two thinking of how Musa might be feeling and trying to match her rhythm. After they finish, the Pearl of Empathy appears - only one pearl left for the Winx.

The next riddle mentions a sunken castle and a shining beacon, Tecna thinking of the legends of the Databridge Castle on Zenith.

Bloom, Aisha and Musa arrive with Roy, and meet Lithia, who acts as the Guardian of the Castle’s ruins as they’ve had issues with scavengers before. Roy wants to come with, having heard of how the building has remained in perfect condition after all these years and thinking this is his best chance - revealing to the girls as well that he’s a Sorcerer, transforming into Energix to go with them.

As they make their way, they’re ambushed by mutant fish sent by Tritannus, delaying them, the merman and the witches getting ahead.

The team has trouble coordinating and cooperating, one of the fish poisoning Aisha and Tecna making them argue. By the time they’re done and reach the castle, they find Tritannus and the Trix have already claimed the Pearl of Cooperation, having solved a challenge fairly easily.

Both teams are 2 for 2 now, and this worries the Winx, fearing they’ll get access to Infimare not knowing what their true goals are.

The next riddle speaks of the sea of flowers and of approach, Flora recalling the ancient Ocean of Blossoms near Lynphea and Dolona.

Flora, Tecna and Musa leave for Lynphea, as the three princesses are busy helping Daphne on Domino - a grand ball will be held to honor her achievements once more on Nevere and Zeisterna. Brandon and Nex finally tell the Winx about the pendant and how that might be linked to Sky’s repressed memories, and the Winx promise to help look for it if they have the chance - it’s probably still on Gardenia’s seas.

As they say this, Phylla and Lemmy find the pendant, and decide to keep it as a trinket for now - they now the Winx fought there a few days ago and they might be related.

On Lynphea, the girls find themselves in a sea covered in giant flowers - Flora explaining it was a result of the massive spell used during the Primaverian War. Diving deep, the girls face a massive flower, and also meet Desiryee, the Selkie of the area. She explains the flower is what will guide them to the pearl.

When they try to approach it they’re intercepted by Tritannus and the Trix. During the fight, Icy is ensnared by the plant, revealing its nature as carnivorous. The Winx try to take advantage of the distraction and search for the pearl, but are surprised at seeing Darcy, Stormy and Tritannus working together to save the witch.

They manage to sever some of its leaves, freeing Icy and obtaining the Pearl of Bonds. At this, the villains have all 3 pearls necessary, and decide to leave to look for a Source of Sirenix.

The Winx are in a panic, as they only have a week left to complete the Quest and they’re still missing the last pearl, while Tritannus and the Trix might already have Sirenix.

The book then gives them the last riddle, talking about a yellow reef, of bravery, and of a long-lost place. Thanks to Daphne, the Winx discover this means a reef on the northern coast of Domino, with Bloom, Stella and Aisha going, hoping to be back before the ceremony starts in a few hours.

Tritannus has found a Source of Sirenix near Salett, and as they go towards it Icy decides to stay back and dip for Domino for a bit - she has something to do in the country and the pearl’s magic should work even if she’s far away. The rest agree though Tritannus is confused as to why, and as Icy leaves, the other two explain to him that she has family on Domino and is still close to her little sister somehow.

The Winx arrive at the Yellow Reef and after meeting both Serena and Nissa, they find themselves as the prey of a massive shark. After a few rounds of eluding it and taking advantage of the place, the Winx realize the shark has the final pearl on its fin.

Bloom, not thinking once more, dives into the shark trying to approach it, and after three close calls she manages to get on its back, taking the Pearl of Courage.

The three princesses then come back, happy that they managed to obtain them all, and as they’re leaving they meet with Phylla. She shows them the pendant she found on Earth, and matching the description of the Heart of Arturia, the girls take it with them.

On Domino, the ceremony goes without much issue, and after showing the pendant to Sky (him then getting a severe headache), Nabu manages to finally “unplug” his memories, remembering everything.

At this, he takes the pendant and, with Daphne’s permission, takes a stand. He announces formally his relationship with Riven, and in front of everyone, gives him the pendant. Riven is just a tad confused, but is happy the relationship has been properly formalized, and kiss a bit on stage.

On a different part of the country, a young girl is walking around in the snow, taking a turn on an alleyway, at the edge of town. She meets a tall woman, and after a short hug, they catch up on how everything’s going for them - it’s Sapphire, meeting with Icy.

They try to catch up with what’s been happening (their parents are slowly rebuilding their business empire back to nobility, are trying to suck up to Bloom and Daphne as much as possible), and Sapphire questions her about what she will do if everything goes south. Icy tells her that she already has an escape plan ready and is surprised Sapphire is not trying to stop her.

Sapphire answers she has long since given up on that and as long as Icy doesn’t do something that directly affects her negatively she’ll be fine with whatever happens. After another hug, they both leave, and Icy starts to consider what will she and the Trix do if Tritannus fails.

Meeting up with the rest again (and sharing her concerns with her friends), they all reach the edges of the country of Salett in Antocea, where a Source of Sirenix resides. The source accepts their pearls, and a portal to Infimare opens.

The Winx, meanwhile, are told by Daphne that there’s a Source of Sirenix on Lake Roccaluce. The girls express confusion at this since it’s a freshwater lake, but Daphne tells them that Magix has been heavily terraformed the past few centuries and the lake is what’s left of an ancient sea, and that’s why the Source is still there.

The girls arrive and the source accepts their pearls, and a portal of Infimare opens.

A projection appears for both teams of a larger Selkie - Omnia, as she calls herself. She takes the pearls and dissolves them, dispersing their dust over their finders and sending them through the portal.

They can all feel the power of the oceans flowing through them, their forms changing and their magic adapting to a sudden pressure - they had all obtained Sirenix.

As they finally arrive, the Winx meet Omnia in person, who warns them that Tritannus and the Trix have also obtained the form, so they must be careful. The Winx explore a bit of the place and go back, wondering still what Tritannus’s goals are.

The Trix and Tritannus also arrive on Infimare, and at this Tritannus elaborates on what he meant by power - the Throne of the Oceans is a very magically-charged place, and if he can absorb the energy into his trident, he can keep the other realms at bay while he rules Mareia. He elaborates that to access the power they need to destabilize the three Pillars of the Ocean first, however, so they get on that.

A few days pass, and the Winx decide to spend a weekend on Earth with Roxy and Selina, as summer is close to ending and they want a nice sunny day on the beach. Even if Selina and Tecna might be turning into lobsters.

However, the beach is suddenly filled with jellyfish. This is not the most common of occurrences in Gardenia, but the jellyfish suddenly mutate and start attacking everyone. Everyone transforms to fight it.

The fight goes more or less fine for most of it but the jellyfish unmutated are still an issue, so Aisha and Flora end up dedicating most of their time to sending them back into water. Tecna, Musa and Stella focus on fighting the monsters while Bloom, Selina and Roxy try to protect the beachgoers and their families.

It’s during one of these attacks that Roxy defends her dad (who was also helping everyone), getting stung harshly on her side. She manages to recover fairly quickly from the hit, however - the act was enough to earn her Enchantix, and with her extra power she manages to mass un-mutate the jellyfish.

The Winx seem to suspect this was an attack from Tritannus, but Roxy informs them that’s not the case - from her readings gotten from the animals with her magic, the mutation seemed to just magically happen. This worries Flora, as the potential of Wild Magic suddenly running amok on Earth is a worrisome thing. The three Gardenians are confused at this, and Flora elaborates - it’s ambient magic gone haywire for some reason.

The girls are concerned but Roxy reassures them that she’ll get the Black Circle look into it further, and after an extra day to relax they get back to Alfea and back to chasing Tritannus.

On Infimare, the prince and the Trix have managed to find their first pillar - the Pillar of Light. With a convergence spell, they manage to slowly destabilize the pillar.

A sudden burst of energy seems to happen on Solaria, the Lantern of the Sun and the Mirror of the Moon alight and emitting strong waves. Radius and Alessandro go into the chambers housing the objects and try to figure out what’s wrong, but Radius is hit square-on by the energy and falls unconscious.

Chimera, now back on Solaria, reaches her dad and stepdad and manages to cast a barrier on the room, trying her hardest to contain it. She manages to hold it long enough, but she ends up detransforming from fatigue.

On Magix, the Staff of Stars also seems to be reacting to this unbalance, but Stella manages to calm it down enough simply by encasing it in a bubble of light. The Winx rush out to Faragonda’s office to consult her about this, and run into Griselda on the way who was fetching them.

Faragonda then explains that the Pillar of Light on Infimare has been attacked, which is directly linked to the three royal treasures of Solaria driving them haywire. The Staff was not as affected since it’s now linked to Stella herself rather than the pillar, but she does inform the Winx that it might be Tritannus’s work. 

Stella, overcome with worry, teleports to Solaria, while the rest of the Winx go to Infimare to search for Tritannus.

On the desert country, she runs into her mom, as well as into Alessandro and Chimera. She initially questions Chimera’s presence but brushes it off and asks about her dad - Alessandro then tells her he’s very badly hurt by the waves of magic the Lantern and Mirror gave out, thought it can be healed with time. Stella herself then looks for him and tries a few of her healing spells, which seem to alleviate the situation.

The Winx managed to track down Tritannus right as he finished destabilizing the power, taking the seal with him. He claims that the seal is what he needs for his plans for the Throne of the Ocean, giving half-truths to throw off the girls as he leaves with the Trix. The girls do try to give chase but give up, prioritizing making the pillar stable again.

On her way out, she bumps into Chimera, and while she’s still not comfortable with the Beta fairy around, she does accept the girl’s request to talk. She apologizes about everything she did when allied with Valtor, and while she doesn’t expect forgiveness or like Stella still, she does want to be on at least cohabitating terms.

Stella tells her to try her best to control the items until she can get back, especially since she will inherit the Mirror when the marriage becomes formal. Chimera agrees and while they’re still on not good terms, they have achieved an understanding.

While Stella leaves, Chimera realizes finally confronting Stella and talking about the past was enough to grant her Glamourix.

Transforming into Sirenix, Stella reaches the girls, and realizing there might still be a link between her Staff and the Pillar, they all focus a convergence spell on the top of the staff, then using it as a direct path to the Pillar, Stella unlocking her Sirenix special spell: Light of the Abyss. This manages to stabilize it again, the Lantern and Mirror calming down.

Back on Solaria, Radius seems to have woken up and while still dizzy, Stella, Luna and Chimera’s spells (aided by Alessandro’s potions) managed to heal most of the damage. Stella is grateful and joyous, but realizes that Tritannus’s goals might start to affect the rest of the realms properly.

Faragonda seems to have realized this as well, as she has gone to the Order of Mana’s site in Lake Roccaluce, demanding a full assembly of the realms to deal with Tritannus now that his goal has moved past Mareia and Infimare. The Order tries to counter that he’s still not enough of a threat despite his goals with the Pillars, but Faragonda simply answers with the fact that similar inaction is what let Valtor do all the things he did 2 years ago. At this, the Order is forced to properly call a reunion.

After a few days (in which the girls get a tentative map of Infimare from Daphne, made when she made the quest herself, and spent training their Sirenix powers a bit more), an assembly involving all realms is called on Lake Roccaluce, all the royals attending alongside their parents. Tecna, Flora and Musa stay behind to keep training alongside Diaspro (who now has obtained a magic sword in an attempt to be better at physical fighting) and Codatorta. who makes them fight a dragon.

On the lake, all the royals are present, with the three headmasters alongside the current head of the Order of Mana officiating the meeting. Most of the non-Antocean realms oppose the idea of an Alliance as it has not concerned their zones yet, but a handful seem to favor the idea especially after hearing Ligea and Tressa’s story, while also bringing up the fact only Andros and Dolona were willing to help them during the Valtor Crisis.

Domino, Solaria, Serenia and most Antocean realms are in agreement with the alliance, most other realms will go with majority vote, but Eraklyon, Melodeus, Zenith and Quarzis oppose the idea, prioritizing their own realm’s safety over the rest. Bloom notices that Zenith’s leader seems uneasy, but can’t pinpoint why quite well.

The meeting ends in no decisions being made, so the Order schedules another meeting in a few more days in case Tritannus’s next moves influence the leaders. Bloom is sad that absolutely nothing was achieved, and the rest inform her that that’s just how politics are.

On the meantime, Tritannus and the Trix have located the Pillar of Balance, and start to destabilize it as well. This makes the Giant Diapason on Melody react, emitting a deafening sound and driving the Singing Whales berserk right as they reach their usual visit to the surface, suddenly disappearing to Infimare. 

Everyone leaves for the Ocean planet while Musa dips to go check on her dad (who was at a place where the whales attacked), runs into Galatea on the way out.

They talk for a bit and Musa asks how the royal meeting went. Galatea sighs and confesses that she was too scared to talk all session, despite wanting to refute her father’s choice of isolating the country for protection as the alliance would be the best outcome. She feels useless thanks to her own insecurities, but Musa reassures her that she can do it next time she talks with her parents about the situation.

They arrive and realize the devastation that has been caused, as they attacked a harbor town and their sounds have destroyed many buildings. Both girls start to help in any way they can (with Musa reuniting with her dad finding him unharmed), but after a bit the Whales seem to return, starting to wreck more havoc. 

Both fairies transform and manage to handle most of the damage, but the whales are relentless and the tides turn mid-battle literally. Galatea seems ready to give up, too enveloped in her fears, but Musa manages to push her spirits up again and, thanks to Musa unlocking the Song of the Siren, they manage to calm down the whales enough, with Galatea pushing her powers and managing to achieve Glamourix at last. With this, Musa finally leaves for Infimare, Galatea going back to helping those in the shore.

On Infimare, Tritannus has already left after claiming the second seal, the Winx starting to stabilize the Pillar. Musa arrives just in time, giving the final push for it and restoring it completely.

A few days pass, the girls and Daphne researching more about Infimare and the royal shitshow going down in the background. Around this time, Nex and Krystal start dating. Melodeus has been convinced and Sky and Dia have been making good advancements with Eraklyon and Quarzis, but Zenith remains stubborn.

Around this time, the Winx pinpoint the location of the Pillar of Weather, and alongside Daphne joining them just in case, they delve into Infimare to try and destroy the pillar. Daphne feels something when they arrive, as she hasn’t touched the place since coming back from the mirror, but ignores it for the moment and helps the Winx destroy the seal of the pillar, destabilizing it.

As it destabilizes, the Lightning Rod of Databridge on Zenith Primari Museum reacts in a more subtle way than the other two, slowly forming a massive thunderstorm over the capital city.

The Winx plus Daphne manage to stabilize the Pillar again, but as they do they feel a sudden rush of magic all around them.

The Throne of the Ocean has been activated by the last pillar’s reaction, and taking the chance, Tritannus absorbs as much energy as he can into his Trident, his own magic feeling the rush. He lets the Trix also channel said magic into an object, but rather than use their weapons the Trix instead link three stones to the Throne.

With newfound power, he then leaves with the Trix back to Mareia, and having heard that the other realms are planning an alliance, decides to prepare for an eventual siege.

When he arrives at the palace, he realizes most of the population has fled and that both Nereus and Neptune have somehow been rescued, but he pays no mind to it and announces that while he knows he has followers, if they do not plan to fight alongside him when the time comes to prioritize their own safety and evacuate.

He then, alongside the Trix, cast a massive barrier spell over the capital.

The Winx realize after that what they just did allowed the Throne to be activated and gave Tritannus exactly what he wanted. Everyone is incredibly bummed about this but keep going, the meetings for the Alliance still going.

Flora, Tecna and Musa request to be present at the next meeting using their status as Guardian Fairies to participate. Most of the realms have agreed to a full attack on Tritannus now that he has taken over Mareia (a recovering Neptune wishing to attack him himself), but Zenith remains stubborn despite Cryos looking particularly uncomfortable. Tecna then pushes harder for him to realize how dangerous Tritannus could be, when news from Zenith’s capital arrive talking of a massive thunderstorm wrecking the place, several injured already.

Both Cryos and the Winx then plead for a halt of the meeting, the troubles at the large country more pressing.

As they arrive, they see the thunderstorm is covering most of the area, even extending to the neighbouring cities, many places on fire. The Winx call the Order of Mana for help since they cannot deal with this alone, and Cryos looks even more frail than before. Tecna realizes most of the forces are focused on the hills, and she wonders if there’s something worse going down there than anyone else.

Cryos then informs her that’s where the 5 leaders of Datacorp reside, probably in their bunkers avoiding the storm. Tecna finds herself getting angry, but the rest are confused.

Tecna then reveals that Zenith, or at least the center of Zenith, is run by the Datacorp Council rather than by any actual government, the 5 richest CEOs of the land who dictate the lives of the place. She has heard tales of the true state of Primari, but didn’t know it was that bad.

Cryos then cracks and reveals he’s simply a puppet for them, acting as an informant for them and nothing else. He claims that the only reason they oppose the alliance is because Tritannus’s actions have made the demand for Zenithian products higher, and they hoped to strike a deal to increase their profit.

Everyone is visibly disgusted by this, but Tecna has become livid. The whole system is in peril,and they only think of their own gain. She then starts to walk towards their hiding place, but comes back to her senses and prioritizes the storm.

The Order of Mana’s paladins arrive en masse and with Tecna’s directions they start to help and deal with the chaos, while Tecna transforms and rises to the sky.

Everyone else is asking her what the fuck is she doing, but she tells them to not worry, she has a plan for all this. She does asks for backup, and the Winx alongside a couple more paladins rise with her.

Tecna starts to channel her magic around the origin of the storm, charging a large spell around her. She tells everyone to evacuate the area directly below the eye of the storm as she keeps charging, the Winx ensuring everyone’s safety.

She manages to unlock her Sirenix spell Perfect Tempest, and uses it to disrupt and undo most of the thunderstorm in the area, succeeding but getting drained in the process. The Winx manage to catch her and with the help of Water- and Electric-Source paladins they manage to destroy the rest of the storm completely, as well as clean up more of the rubble in the process.

It’s the next day when Tecna then makes an announcement (after talking it out with the Winx as well as consulting the high-ranking Paladin that commanded the support yesterday), and decries every single failing the Datacorp Council has done over the last years in their insatiable greed. The Council itself tries to stop her (having planned to make their own announcement before her), but Tecna uses her position as Guardian Fairy to call for a complete reform of Zenithian government, the Datacorp Council having lost all of their power.

Tecna then assigns Cryos as her assistant and current overseer of the country (as she still needs to deal with Tritannus personally), but promises the people that she will be there every step of the way. With this, Zenith is formally in the alliance, and the final attack on Tritannus can start.

The first wave of the war goes somewhat smoothly, Tritannus’s first line of defense being mutated creatures. Flora manages to unlock her Sirenix Spell Seafloor Blossom during this, managing to restore most of the flora and part of the fauna corrupted.

Tritannus is still strong thanks to the Throne’s energy, however, and his second wave is harder to deal with. A surprise attack thanks to Solarian and Melodian forces manage to push them back, however, and the massive barrier over the capital has been breached.

The next line of defense are Tritannus’s followers, who give a good fight but are ultimately beaten in numbers and are held captive. Nereus starts to lead the campaign from this point onward, having recovered well enough and wanting to confront his brother.

The forces have arrived to the Palace’s entrance, and the last wave of defense attacks, a mix of follower merfolk and mutated sharks. During this battle the Winx plus Nereus, Tressa and Neptune manage to enter the palace proper, and have the final battle with Tritannus.

Nereus keeps asking why has he done all of this, why has he hurt him and his family so much, and Tritannus is slightly regretful. However, Neptune’s decries of his failures and admitting his hatred for his son brings his anger back to full front and starts to attack in full, the energy in his trident starting to overflow and himself gaining the aura on his eyes.

The battle goes on for quite long but Tritannus manages to score a deep hit on Nereus trying to go for Neptune, knocking him down and, taking advantage of the shock, manages to impale Neptune, killing him. He then takes the chance to escape back to Infimare with the commotion. Aisha unlocks the Tide of Infinity and manages to heal Nereus with her Sirenix Spell, but Neptune is a lost cause.

Everyone follows him and the Trix into Infimare without the grieving Nereus or Tressa, and the fight resumes in full, both teams going all out. The Winx realize that the trident is his link with the Throne’s energy, and after a decent distraction they manage to destroy it thanks to Bloom unlocking the Burn of the Depths, melting it.

The stored energy is released violently, however, and flows into Tritannus, driving him mad with power. The aura on his eyes grows bigger and shinier, his own scales glowing a bright green, markings on his arms and tail forming. He continues to attack in full not caring if he gets hurt, damaging his own body in the process.

The Trix take advantage of this and bail, swimming deeper into Infimare to avoid the Winx.

After a long battle, a convergence spell manages to capture and subdue Tritannus, knocking him out and winning the war after an incredibly long three months.

A few more days pass before he wakes up, and a court case is determined on the Order of Mana’s headquarters in Mareia - he will continue his previous sentence of 55 years (with an added 20 thanks to the murder of Neptune) not on Mareia, but on Omega. Tritannus himself is oddly calm during the whole trial.

As he is carried away, Nereus and Tressa confront him, and he genuinely apologizes for what he made them go through, as well as Ligea. He does not regret taking out Neptune’s life, however, and if the price to pay is to be sentenced to Omega, then so be it.

A few more days pass after Tritannus’s case and Neptune’s funeral, and most things are starting to go back to normal. The Winx still have schoolwork to deal with (though thankfully it has been a lesser load this time), the Alliance is establishing itself more formally, and Zenith has a long road ahead of change and confusion.

Tecna has to go to Zenith every two weeks to oversee all the changes (since she called for the reform, she has to take part of it), and starts to consider the fact that she might actually have to act as Zenith’s leader in the future. Bloom has not heard of Selina for a while now, and is slightly worried, but reassures herself that she might be busy with starting school and is then focused on her own royal duties now that Diaspro wants to make their relationship fully official. Stella has started to entertain the idea of trying to actively get along with Chimera, but finds it difficult to go through. Flora gets a call from Miele very excitedly, announcing that she got admitted in the Linphea College of Magic at last and that she will start classes in two months. Aisha has frequently been visiting her family, wondering what will happen now that they’ve lost two people in such a short time. Ligea seems to still be grieving, but is still overseeing the restoration of Mareia’s capital. Tressa has seem to delve more into her sword fighting while Nereus keeps on the preparations to assume his role as king earlier than intended. They’re all hurting, but Aisha’s sure they will be able to heal soon.

On Infimare, as the Trix find a place to hide, they discuss the recent events and what they’ve managed to learn from stray selkie conversations, unaware that someone is listening, reacting to the name Daphne...

#Winx Club #Winx Redux AU #Winx AU Detailing #Winx Redux AU: Summarized #This one was also super long and it took me longer to do because of Life and Animal Crossing #It was STUPID fun to do tho even with all the changes I had to do #next will be my adaptation of MOTA but idk when I'll get to write it so you might need to wait a bit for it!