#i wrote this for the 3 remaining winx club fans

[daisiesinchampagne]

Balance Unbroken - A Winx Tale

Chapter 1

“Please state your name and planet,” Demanded a tall woman, a thick, heavy-looking clipboard firmly in her right hand. Dressed in a white tunic-like shirt, neatly tucked into dress pants, and tall hunting leather boots, tightly laced up, she looked like she was about to set into a nearby forest for a hunting exercise. Her long brown hair was hastily braided and now rested on her shoulder. She was not human, a conclusion one would come to after having observed her long ears which pointed outward, rather than up. 

“Coda, ma’am. Coda of Melody.” Ever since he was young, his parents would constantly remind Coda to maintain eye contact with the people he was talking to. Right now this endeavor was proving to be quite challenging as he would have to get up on his toes just to barely reach the height of her neck. Still, trying to be polite, Coda straightened his back to the best of his ability, remarking to himself that he never met someone quite so tall. 

The lady either didn’t notice his discomfort or didn’t care, as she was too preoccupied with trying to find his name in the many papers she was holding. “Coda… Melody…,” she mumbled, frantically flipping through the pages. “Here you are, right on the top of the list. Welcome to Alfea, your Highness. I am Professor Alenda. Please go ahead into the courtyard and await the welcoming ceremony.” 

Coda awkwardly bowed and quickly walked past her towards the campus, trying not to hold up the line. From behind, he heard Professor Alenda flip back through the pages on her clipboard and shout, “Next!”

Coda moved with the large line through the massive stone gates, trying not to bump into anyone - a task nearly impossible as with what felt like the entire population of Magix City gathered in one place. He couldn’t help but notice other students glaring in his direction. Some fairies were - or at least tried to be - discreet, but many didn’t even try to hide their peaked interest. 

“Quick, Lily! Look on your left!” an excited young girl whispered loudly. “By the stars, don’t make it so obvious! So the rumors are true…” 

Coda had known what kind of reaction his appearance would cause at Alfea, but actually being here was much more uncomfortable than he could’ve imagined, the crowds staring and murmuring like he was some kind of rare animal, being paraded around town. After what felt like an eternity of smiling uncomfortably at girls who weren’t even trying to be secretive with their stares, he approached a podium set up next to the main entrance and heard a familiar voice.

“Look who’s here! You finally made it!” a loud voice cut through the sea of conversations around him. He turned and looked for the source of the squeaking voice. Suddenly, a petite girl squeezed herself through the crowd, almost being crushed between two people in the process. She dashed over, a pink, frilly dress billowing like a cloud, while her long blonde pigtails bounced behind her delicate headdress. She came to a jumping stop in front of Coda, looking up at him with a wide, childish grin. “Coda, it’s so good to see you!”

Coda, relieved to see someone familiar, couldn’t help but smile. “Long time no see, Fianna.” 

“How was your trip?” she asked gleefully, as she took his arm and began leading him toward the seating area for the welcome ceremony. Together they almost looked like a young girl excitedly dragging her father around the courtyard.

“The magic barrier had to be lifted just so I could teleport here, so it’s a miracle I even made it on time,” Coda said as he tried to match her quick pace. “My escorts were sure we’d be attacked when leaving Melody.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about any of that now!” Fianna asserted with a smile. “Magix is the safest place you can be! Speaking of safe places, how do you like Alfea so far?”

Coda looked around. The large structure looked almost ethereal, with pastel-colored buildings shaped almost like elaborate clouds, surrounding a courtyard with a perfectly uniform lawn, now filled with students and professors alike. Colorful flower bushes were planted along the buildings, painting vivid splashes of color against the muted colors of the walls. The weather was scorching hot, a bit strange for the last day of summer when one would expect the temperature to begin to let up. Coda couldn’t help but notice various girls using either magic or elaborate technological gadgets to keep themselves cool. 

“It’s big, and very… girly,” were the only words he could muster up to describe what he was seeing. Fianna gave him an unimpressed look.

“Girly huh? Well, ignoring your crude choice of words, I guess I can see where you’re coming from,” she said. “Though I heard that they tried their best to remodel the place here and there for the new male students… Oh! Seems like they are starting.”

The two rushed to find open seats and settled into their chairs just as an older-looking lady made her way up the steps to a wooden stage at the front of the seating area. Her heels clicked against the floor loudly, causing voices from the crowd to gradually dissipate as she reached the podium. Her appearance was certainly striking. Dressed in a tight-fitting red dress and an enormous red hat with white accents, Coda thought she resembled a poisonous mushroom from his home planet, or maybe an exotic bird he once saw in a picture book. Behind her, the professors formed a long line. Coda noticed the woman who took his attendance upon his arrival, professor Alenda, was among them. Her tall height made her stand out among her colleagues like a sore thumb. The lady in red adjusted her sharp-framed glasses, which hung precariously at the tip of her nose and quietly chanted a voice-amplifying spell before turning to her audience.

“Good morning dear students,” her voice, amplified by magic, filled Coda’s ears like a luxuriously smooth silk. “I am Headmistress DuFour, and on behalf of all the staff, I welcome you all, new and returning, to Alfea.” Coda glanced around and saw that every audience member stared up at the headmistress with glittering adoration. “Before the school year officially starts, I would like to share some exciting news. As of this year, our great school Alfea is now a co-ed institution. We are pleased to announce that after many years of preparation, we will be educating female and male fairies alike.” 

Murmurs began to sweep through the crowd, and DuFour paused before continuing. “This is an exciting and momentous occasion, after being a women-only institution for hundreds of years. I ask you all to exercise patience as we adjust to new rules and conduct. For now, I hope that we all get along and have a fantastic year together.” 

The female fairies could hardly hold their excitement as they swung their heads around, trying to find the new male students, their soon-to-be classmates. Coda shrunk in his seat as the people around him glanced in his direction. The welcoming ceremony couldn’t end soon enough, he thought, as he sank lower and lower until he nearly merged with his chair. He looked back up to the podium and was surprised to see the headmistress looking directly at him. She wore a warm smile and her eyes had a reassuring determination, and suddenly he felt instantly at ease. 

“Moving on to other exciting news, the Cloud Tower’s administration has graciously offered their campus as a venue for this year’s Welcome Ball. Students are to use the shuttles provided by Alfea to get to Cloud Tower after dinner. Please use this opportunity to network with fellow students and professors alike, and don’t forget that you will be working closely with both the student witches of Cloud Tower and specialists of Red Fountain to enhance your education here. Lastly, remember that you are representing Alfea, so I implore you to behave yourself throughout the evening.” 

***

After the ceremony concluded, Coda found himself in a group of students being herded toward the residential quarters. Fianna, now a sophomore, had gone in another direction with a group of female fairies. Dorm suites occupied the entire west wing and each floor was dedicated to a different year. First years were to move into the third-floor dorms in place of freshly graduated third years. Some fairies, who were unable to get their enchantix form, had to stay for a fourth year and were able to keep their dorms, but now had to share them with the freshmen. 

Coda walked along a seemingly never-ending corridor, swerving in between colorful luggage bags and their owners, many of whom stood in small groups in the middle of the walkway with no regard for people trying to pass them by. Finally, he reached his destination - large glass double doors that served as an entrance to his apartment. “Frey of Callisto, Cian of Serenia, Coda of Melody,” were the names listed on a nameplate on the left of the door. Coda slowly opened the door and looked around. It occurred to him that Alfea was considered one of the most prestigious fairy academies in the universe - and it certainly looked the part, the entryway alone was absolutely enormous. The common area, brightly lit by a panoramic window, contained four spacious blue loveseats, arranged in a circle around a large, wooden coffee table. To the left of the window, a sunken sitting area was tucked into a corner. A small fireplace was nestled into a circular recess in the wall, and next to it were two blue accent chairs. A large bookcase with numerous textbooks took up the entire right wall, and magical plants with colorful flowers served as decorative elements across the room. Despite being royalty, Coda was left awestruck by the resplendence of his new living arrangements.

The common space had two corridors that branched in opposite directions, leading to the students’ private rooms. This year, despite turning co-ed, Alfea housed only three male students which, to Coda’s delight, would mean that each boy would get a room to themselves. He pondered for a second, wondering which corridor his room was supposed to be in, and eventually picked the left one. This hallway led to a communal bathroom and a single private room. After a closer inspection of the nameplate on the door to the room, Coda found his name and grinned at his luck. He was still curious about the other corridor but decided that it must lead to the other two private rooms, which he had no business in investigating. So he opened the door to his new quarters.

Coda’s bedroom was nothing short of spectacular. Immediately on his left was a large closet, with all his luggage bags piled up next to it, and on the other side, standing next to the right wall, was an expansive desk, already full of supplies for the school year. The crown jewel of his room, however, was the bed. Resting between two towering shelves stood a large oval-shaped bed with silk sheets, swathed in sheer canopy curtains. It was a bed unlike any that Coda had ever seen, the sheer size of which could comfortably fit three people. 

As Coda turned to his luggage, the built-in mirror on the closet door caught his eye, drawing him to his own reflection. His black hair, a little too long and unruly, framed his narrow face, with bangs hovering just below his eyebrows as if they had a mind of their own. He fumbled for a comb, trying to make himself look somewhat presentable for meeting his new suitemates — maybe his mother had been right about cutting it before the semester began.

His pale complexion didn’t help, making his delicate features seem even more fragile. Black eyes stared back at him, reinforcing the unremarkable appearance he always saw: nothing princely, nothing regal. Just small, mousy, and easily overlooked. He was shorter than most men he encountered, though at least still taller than Fianna. That was some comfort.

Coda had just begun unpacking his largest suitcase when he heard a loud thud in the common area. It must have been one of his new roommates, Coda thought, steeling his nerves as he went out into the corridor. In the middle of the common area stood a tall lanky boy surrounded by piles of clothes, presumably spilled out of the massive bag he was holding. He looked extremely disheveled as if he had just woken up from a long slumber. His red hair stood up in random places giving it the appearance of a roaring flame, and his clothes were wrinkled all over. At the same time, he looked as though he was ready for another nap.

“Um, hello. Do you want me to give you a hand?” Coda asked as he made his way over to the boy.

“Out of my way,” the boy hissed. With a flick of his hand, the clothes floated off the ground and trailed after him as he made for the left corridor. 

“Actually, your room is the other way,” Coda said, taken aback by the remark. The red-haired boy shot him a deadly glance. They stared at each other for a moment before the boy turned and redirected his belongings, shooting them in the opposite direction with such force that Coda just barely managed to avoid being knocked over by a floating pile of books. And then just like that, he was gone, disappearing with his luggage into the righthand corridor.

“Heh, what a piece of work,” Coda jerked his head around, surprised by the voice coming from behind. There in the entryway, another boy leaned on a doorframe with a smirk on his face. Coda stood, silently studying the newcomer. “Well, looks like we're all roommates now, so he could at least try to play nice.” The boy dragged a small suitcase behind him as he entered the common area. He stopped in front of Coda and held out his hand. “My name’s Frey, by the way. I’m from Callisto. And you?”

“Coda,” Coda replied, shaking Frey’s hand. “Coda of Melody. Nice to meet you.”

Frey cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. His wheat-colored hair fell in a perfect wave over his forehead, contrasting with his tanned caramel skin. Frey was a whole head taller than Coda, with a strong, athletic build, yet his long eyelashes, sharp jawline, and eyebrows that came up in the center gave him a very feminine face. With his short stature, small frame, and unpronounced features, Coda couldn’t help but feel like a laughable parody of a human being next to such a beautifully perfect-looking person. “Coda of Melody,” Frey said with interest. “You mean, His Royal Highness Coda of the Planet of Music?” 

“Just Coda. I’m no prince at this school, just a student.” 

“As you wish, Coda the student,” Frey said with a devilish smile. “Well, we should start unpacking. Our Welcome Ball awaits.” 

[darkpoisonouslove]

2020 in Words

After the total exhaustion and lack of motivation of the last few months, I have finally found the strength to review 2020. In terms of writing, that is. Otherwise, we ain’t touching that with a 100-foot pole. But anyway, let’s get to the actual good part of 2020 - the writing.

Word Count:

678, 105 words

And that isn’t actually all. I have started various things that 2021 caught still in progress so there are more words to be added to that number but I’ll count them towards whatever time frame I finish them in (I do not even dare assume that all of them will be finished this year).

A little over 1/7th of that word count was accomplished only in March when I wrote over 100k words. Wow, productivity where did you go? I know that the world is going to hell but do you mind coming back? I can use you. I have so many new ideas that I am really excited about but totally lack the energy to actually get to. Hope that will change in the next weeks because there is A Lot going on in my head that I am actually dying to share.

Fandoms:

Winx Club has totally taken over for me. I have barely written five works this year that are not about that show and I just don’t know what is happening anymore. I have so many thoughts and things to discuss and fix about it and I have a feeling that some upcoming events will only reinforce that position. But what truly matters is that it has truly made 2020 more bearable to be in the fandom and write fic. The interactions with other fans have been lovely which is totally worth the brain damage that some experiences over this show have inflicted.

Once Upon a Time lurked until about the half of the year but I can’t say that I have been actively interested in it. I just rewatched 4A for the Frozen Swan interactions and 4B for Cruella De Vil and that was pretty much all of it this year. I think it’s safe to say that at this point I have more or less moved on from the show and I do not expect a miraculous comeback to it. Which leaves my rewatch dangling over the chasm of uncertainty but I have projects I am far more interested in rn to be thinking about that.

I actually joined the Lucifer fandom this year, though I cannot say that I am active in it at all. It was nice to challenge myself with the small contribution I made to the fanworks in the fandom so I am putting it here because I am not done with watching the show even though I don’t think I have a good enough grasp on any of the characters in order to actually write them.

Ships:

Well, 2020 definitely delivered on that front. I have found myself piles of new ships to ship the hell out. Some I am more grateful about, others leave me slightly bitter over not knowing what to do with them but it certainly hasn’t been boring. Because this is my wrap-up and contemplation, I get to list them and maybe say a couple of words about some of them.

Griffin x Valtor - Not new but it was definitely the biggest part of that year.

Griffin x Valtor x Faragonda - New in the sense of me having written a fic about this now... and having several more ideas on my drives so... beware, future!

Griffin x Faragonda - Also not new but when the feelings catch up with me, they really mean it. Two major bursts of inspiration about them have left me with interesting results and I am looking forward to finding out where this goes.

Marion x Oritel - That was new. It was the first new ship of the year. I have more ideas about them but the muse has not visited lately. I am not giving up, though. Sometimes you gotta sail the ship even when there’s no wind.

Flora x Icy - That was definitely a surprise. I don’t know what happened but I do know that a goddamn look at Pinterest has brought on an entire epic about them (and the other Trix and Winx) so... thanks for that, Pinterest. I wish you could pin free time on Pinterest and go consume it later so that I would actually have the time to work on all of this.

Layla x Stella - Oh, yeah, baby! I have feelings and I really want to do at least an outline of what would be too long to actually write as a fic, especially since I have A Lot on my plate rn.

Griffin x Griselda - Well, that... happened. I have no idea where any of this is going, only that it is a major part of Griffin’s arc in my most major series so... I guess it’s headed somewhere. Just have to stay along for the ride.

Zarathustra x Griselda - So totally trashcankitty12′s fault... But I guess I am the one responsible for actually including it in already ongoing stories.

Ediltrude x DuFour - Okay, that one I totally roped myself into. Do I regret it? ... Maybe a little because it may need to remain just background thanks to everything else that I have going on.

Griffin x Marion - Almost forgot that which is a damn shame because it is one of my absolute most favorite ships.

Griffin x Valtor x Marion - Not gonna lie, this has been sneaking into some stray ideas too repetitively to be an accident. Will it ever exist outside of my head, though?

Samara x Erendor - I just wanted to make them more likable to me because they were my least favorite characters on the show. Worked too well and now I am in fic hell.

Bloom x Sky - I got ONE idea, okay? Too bad that I love it too much for my own good, especially considering that it is sort of a rewrite of the series. Like I didn’t have enough of those already.

There are more, actually, but we will be here all day if I have to list every stray idea that I have entertained so let’s just move on.

Stories:

Winx Club - 80 (4 unfinished and 3 that I have been dragging with me since 2019 for a total of 7/111 incomplete.)

OUAT - 3 (all finished but I have two collections that are still open from 2019 and 2018 respectively)

Lucifer - 1 (it was a one-shot but I am glad that I managed to write it at all)

Original works - 1 (poem that I came up with at 4am)

That makes a total of 85 written works this year which is honestly astounding! My brain has been harping on me about not being productive since June but I have actually gotten quite a lot of work done! (Fun fact - my total for 2019 was 58 stories, and for 2020 it is 85 XD. We’re gonna need some new numbers in 2021.)

First fic of the year - Gold and Purple (Griffin x Valtor AU inspired by a Bulgarian folk tale)

Last fic of the year - New Warmth to Weave in Your Garden of Shine (Samara x Erendor + New Year traditions and worldbuilding on Eraklyon)

Favorite writing moment - that has got to be coming up with a wild idea for my season  rewrite that I will not be spoiling now. It was also inspired by Bulgarian folklore and I am so excited to reveal it (because it is so fucking grand) but we will all have to be patient.\

Wildest writing experience - definitely the entirety of chapter 4 from A Home You Never Knew How to Have. Man, that was... a goddamn ride. In every sense of the word. I still haven’t reread that bitch after posting it even though I have opened it probably a hundred times.

I launched several series this year that will need a lot of work to be brought to completion. Naturally, my focus is not on finishing those but on starting new things. Because of course it is. So here’s a heads-up for another post that will be coming shortly with announcements of my ideas. I would like to call it a plan for 2021 but I fear that will be too presumptuous of me so I will say that it is my hope that those are things that are to be released this year but I will only lapel them as projects that I am looking forward to rather than “upcoming”.

Other Works:

This year actually bore a couple other forms of art so I am going to list my creations in other mediums below because they deserve the attention.

Aesthetics:

Icy

Darcy

Stormy

Marion

Ediltrude & Zarathustra

Siren AU:

Griffin

Ediltrude

Zarathustra

Icy

Darcy

Stormy

Magic-Swapped Transformations:

Griffin Winx

Ediltrude Winx

Zarathustra Winx

Griffin Chamrix

Ediltrude Chamrix

Zarathustra Chamrix

Griffin Enchantix

Ediltrude Enchantix

Zarathustra Enchantix

Videos:

Griffin/Valtor - The Devil I Know

Winx - Trouble

Marion x Oritel/Griffin x Valtor/Faragonda x Hagen - Savage

Bloom/Mitzi - Wicked

Samara - You Should See Me in a Crown

Bloom/Sky - Kerosene

Winx Rewatch:

I actually rewatched all 8 seasons of the show + the 3 movies and I have written out my thoughts on all of them. You can find them here:

Winx Club Season 1 4kids (Stream of Consciousness) (I am actually considering redoing this one because it wasn’t in-depth like the others are)

Winx Club Season 2 4kids Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 2 4kids Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 3 4kids Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 3 4kids Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 4 Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 4 Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club: Magical Adventure (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 5 Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 5 Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club: Mystery of the Abyss (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 6 Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 6 Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 7 Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 7 Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 8 Part 1 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Season 8 Part 2 (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Special 1: Destiny of Bloom (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Special 2: Revenge of the Trix (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Special 3: The Battle for Magix (Stream of Consciousness)

Winx Club Special 4: The Shadow Phoenix (Stream of Consciousness)

I will not be writing any takeaways because I already talked about some of those in an ask and my brain is too fired at the moment to pull off some actual analysis and compose a proper conclusion. To be perfectly honest, I prefer not to think too much on 2020. It brought a lot of good things along with the bad but I still prefer not to look back on it if it isn’t necessary. I think it received enough of my energy already.