alwayswriting101

[alwayswriting101]

sometimes the best fanfics are written by middle aged adults with years of writing experience who simply know how to craft a good story. but also sometimes the best fanfics are written by a sixteen year old girl with something deeply wrong with her

[alwayswriting101]

Fic That I'll Never Finish

Hi everyone,

so it's no secret that I've been having severe writer's block over the past couple of years. I've been trying hard to come out of it but idk if I ever will. Anyway, I just wanted to post this unfinished Helia-centric fic in case anyone is interested. Also because it would never see the light of day otherwise. Please excuse any errors as it was not edited or beta read. Thanks for reading if you do!

Title:?????

Summary: Basically this story (was supposed to) goes back and forth between the past and present, where Helia's background is analyzed to give context to his character (for this particular fic...I might have made him OOC). The present-day scenes focus on him during that confrontation he had with Valtor (in season 3 when Helia returns to Alfea to tell the girls the guys had been kidnapped). I never actually wrote the confrontation but I think it would've been interesting to see/analyze Helia's reaction at that point and what he would do and any guilt he would carry otherwise.

Themes: Hurt/Comfort, Coming of Age,

“I used to hear a simple song

Before you came along

Now in its place there’s something new

I hear it when I think of you…”

A beautiful melody accompanied the young woman while she sang, softly tapping away on the grand piano. She looked heavenly, wearing a long white dress, her dark hair down her back like silk, her pale skin radiating in the moonlight as it shone through the long windows. But her facial features, her eyes, remained blurry and distorted, although one could still feel the absolute joy within as her gaze fell upon the source of her affection.

A young baby, sleeping calmly in his bassinet. And even though he was still red-faced from his birth weeks ago, and had scattered tufts of dark hair, he was still the most beautiful baby she’d ever seen. He was her sun, her Helia. (1)

“I hear it when I look at you…”

(Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line)

Helia woke up before the sun rose, as usual. His time at art school had conditioned him to wake up before sunrise, and he found it difficult to break out of the habit, even though Red Fountain classes began at 9, which was still apparently much too early for Sky, Brandon and Timmy, although surprisingly not Riven. 

The artist-turned-specialist rolled over to find Riven, still snoring away. Usually he’d be up, giving Helia some company, or awoke whenever Helia so much as shifted in bed, but today the troublesome man slept like a log. He was probably still exhausted from the numerous celebrations that were held after Valtors’ defeat, or from his more private celebration with Musa afterwards, but nevertheless the usually light sleeper remained in bed, even as Helia showered, got dressed, and left.

Helia supposed that he should’ve gone back to bed. Classes were canceled today in order to start the search and rescue missions in the burned forest, and the squad was supposed to meet with Layla, Flora, and Musa so the fairies can aid with their efforts. But he couldn’t sleep, not after that dream he had.

It’s very rare for Helia to dream of his mother. She died in an accident when he was just a baby, and he had never seen any picture of her, and hardly even knew of her, due to his fathers’ insistence. But lately, he’s been dreaming of her more, seeing her more, this dream being the more detailed he’s had, so he needed to paint her before he forgot again.

Reaching Red Fountains’ garage, Helia signed out his wind-rider, and began on his way to Magix City towards his apartment. He rarely actually stayed at his apartment, since the magical schools required for their students to dorm, only using it when he was out too late past curfew, or when he wanted some time alone with Flora. Plus it doubled as an art studio. It may have been a waste of space and money, but when he needed it, the apartment was there.

The sun was rising by the time Helia reached his apartment, so he knew he had a limited amount of time, as he and the guys planned to meet the girls sharply at 8am, and knowing Cordatorta that really meant 7:30am. But Helia didn’t plan on staying long, just a quick painting to start with, and he would come back to add the finishing details. After gathering his supplies, Helia quickly got to work.

The repetitive movements calmed Helia as he was soon lost to his thoughts. Here he was, painting his mother, a woman he never even knew, because of…what? Out of curiosity? Obligation? Longing? Helia had no idea. He’s never really met his mother, he has no idea of the kind of woman she was. Would she be kind, or terrible, like his father? What values did she hold, did she strive for perfectionism? Did she have high standards? Where was she from? What was her name? How did they fall in love—did they fall in love (Helia had no idea who’d willingly fall in love with his father)? Would she like the man Helia became today? Would she be proud of him? 

Was the woman in his dream reality? Did she like to sing, to play the piano with such skill even Musa couldn’t match? Was she kind? Or was a dream just a dream, and Helia was sitting here chasing a fantasy he would never know if it was true or not. Helia was never one to wish for the impossible, he never dreamed of finding his mother alive somehow, because she never would. But when he painted, when he created a world in which the impossible may, in fact, be possible, he yearned for some sort of reality to ground him. He didn’t know his mother, he didn’t know if he loved her or hated her. He never knew if she loved him.

His father, Creto, had never told him of her. Whenever Helia asked about her, Creto would fly into a violent rage, destroying all of Helias’ art and items, then demanding Helia train for hours. And that depicted most of his childhood. His father demanded Helia train for hours and days on end, becoming ‘stronger’. Creto demanded perfection, and wherever Helia failed at training, or lost in a fight, or became anything less than the ‘perfect’ child, the violent man would force Helia to train harder, longer, until he got each skill just right. The one and only time Creto so much as show approval for his son was at the Red Fountain entrance ceremony, when the upcoming freshman were introduced to their new school. Helia rode that high for a few months, giving him the strength to attend Red Fountain that long, before he grew increasingly disillusioned with (a), the fighting, which he’s been exposed to his entire life, and (b) the rumors of cheating, because he performed well in his classes. Helia grew tired, and seemingly overnight, transferred to art school, much to Creto and Saladins’ disappointment.

Helia didn’t care. He was just glad to get away from the fighting. And Helia excelled in art school, even managing to finish a three-year degree in a year-and-a-half, he was that talented. By the time Helia returned to Red Fountain, he was beginning to sell his art in Magix, for a pretty good profit. But all of that changed when he met Flora. Right, when the monster was about to eat her, Helia suddenly found himself restraining it, and a fire in his belly was ignited. In just a few moments, a few words, Flora had such an impact on him that suddenly Helia the pacifist was fighting to protect his girl he barely knew. He didn’t know it at the time, but Helia had fallen head-over-heels in love. He heard about love in art school, read about it, even occasionally wrote about it, but he had never felt it before. It was incredible, and Helia suddenly yearned for Flora, basically a stranger, so he transferred back to Red Fountain, and although he the oldest and probably the most mature of Sky’s squad, he fit right in. Then he began dating Flora and everything fell in place, and he’d never been happier.

Although Helia soon became the perfect son, Creto was still thoroughly unsatisfied with Helias’ undecidedness and impulsivity, and every time Helia had the courage to call, he was still berated as if he was a child. At some point, Helia stopped caring about his father, only calling when his grandfather begged him too, then hanging up the phone mid-rant. It was too much. And it was times like those when wished for some memories of his mother, at least of what she looked like, so know what he was missing. Was he missing a tryant, or an angel? He would never how his life would have ended up with his mother in tow, either for better or for worse, and for some reason that haunted him. 

Before long, Helia sat in front the painting, frustrated. It was actually mostly finished, with the grand piano and her body completed. It’s just that he didn’t know his mothers face. And no matter how hard the artist tried, he couldn’t remember how she looked in his dream. If only he had a picture… Dammit…Dammit!

Displeased thoughts were interrupted by Helia’s phone ringing. Still annoyed, Helia let the phone go to voicemail, he would call whoever it was later. Right now he needed to be alone, with his—

The phone rang again. His previous displeasure melted away as concern grew. No one called twice in a row unless someone else died, and his caller ID showed Riven, who hated calling in the first place. “Hel—”

“Where the hell are you?!”

“Um…,” Helia’s heart dropped at Rivens’ tone, “I’m in Magix City, what’s wrong? What happened?! Is Flora—”

“Flora’s fine, asshole! But you aren’t when I get my hands on you! You’re an hour late! We’re supposed to be scouting!”

Helia’s heart dropped further as he looked at the time, 9:13. Oh shiiiiiitt. “Oh my gods Riven, I am so sorry, I’ll be there in—”

Interrupted for the third time in as many seconds, Helia held his breath as Cordatorta suddenly somehow grabbed Rivens’ phone and roared, “Lad you better have a good excuse for this one! You have made an embarrassment of your team and of Red Fountain! We expect you to arrive on time for your missions!”

“I’m sorry,” Helia repeated as he raced down to his wind rider, his painting forgotten “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll be there in—”

“You better be here in the next ten seconds, or else you’re all getting detention!”

(Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break

“Where have you been?!”

Helia stood silent as Cordatota ranted about the honor of Red Fountain and Helias’ failure at the honor for the past half hour. Usually, Helia would be able to withstand Cordatortas’ rage, but not really when the five other men standing beside him were equally, if not more, enraged.

“Speak boy! Where have you been?!”

“I was in Magix City…” Helia intended to sound strong, but unfortunately his voice came out weak, just barely over a whisper.

“And what were you doing in Magix City!?”

“There was something I had to do...”

“What can be more important than a scouting mission to save civilians?!”

Helia once again grew silent as his face turned red. He wasn’t too sure how to explain to Cordatorta, of all people, how he was trying to paint his mother, for of all anyone knew never even existed, who he briefly saw in a random dream.

An uncomfortable silence entrapped the group as neither of the men knew what to say. As Helia shifted uncomfortably under Cordatortas’ intense stare, that seemed like it would go on forever, until Cordatora let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, “All right. Since your team missed this scouting mission and we had to let the Alfea fairies go on their own, all of you will replace Jared’s team in scouting the area around Lake Roccaluce this afternoon.”

“But we were here on time!” Brandon complained as he glared daggers at Helia.

“I don’t care!” Cordatorta roared once again, effectively shutting Sky up and silencing any other groans or complaints, “You will do as you are told and you will do so, on time! Understood?!”

“Yes sir…” the group stated unenthusiastically.

“What?!”

“Yes sir!” The specialists repeated firmly, as they straightened their backs

“Good, and as for you,” Cordatorta growled as he returned his gaze to Helia, “you will wrote a 5,000 word essay on the importance of being a timely hero, and you have detention for the rest of this week!”

“Yes sir…”

“Good. Dismissed!”

“Dude,” Riven snarled as soon as the specialists exited Cordatortas’ office, “I am going to fucking kill you. We could be hanging out with the girls right now but nooo, you just had to be late!”

“And now I’m going to miss my date with Stella because of you! You better call her and explain because this time, it isn’t my fault!”

“Call Bloom too, she’s going to want to hear this…”

“And you better call Flora too,” said Timmy, apparently the only one unaffected by this, “She didn’t say anything but looked pissed when you didn’t show.”

Helia visibly winced as Flora was dragged into the conversation. He felt terrible that he ruined everyone’s day, especially since he was supposed to be the most responsible of the group, but when he realized Flora just as affected by his absence, the guilt grew by a million times. He just wanted to see his mother…

“What were you doing?” Brandon couldn’t help but repeat the question that was left unanswered mere minutes before, but still remained on their mind.

Helia couldn’t help but pause in the middle of the hallway, his face again growing red from embarrassment. The other specialists paused as well, their previous annoyance fading away into concern, besides Riven, who still had a scowl on his face, but Helia knew he was just as concerned.

And that made him feel like shit.

“Dude, what’s wrong?”

Running his hand through his long hair, Helia sighed in aggravation, “Nothing’s wrong. I was busy with…something, and I lost track of time. I’m sorry guys. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

The guys were clearly not convinced of Helia’s assurance that he was fine, particularly Riven, who opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by Sky. “Alright then…”

“You guys aren’t mad?”

“No,” Sky replied, choosing to ignore Brandon and Rivens’ protests to the contrary, “It’s not like some of us,” pointing a look to Riven, “haven’t been late or fucked up before.”

“Hey!” Riven angrily defended, “What the hell did I do?”

Sky again chose to ignore Riven, “I just think we’re all just concerned, you’re not like this. You know you can talk to us, right?”

“Yeah,” Helia mumbled, “Thanks guys, I’ll see you later.” Before anyone could argue otherwise, Helia quickly turned on his heels and sped down the hallway, back towards the main offices. He fully intended on leaving the building and crawling under a rock until his failure blew over, but his dreams were interrupted by Saladin, who managed to walk out of his office just as Helia was passing it, suddenly aggravating him to the core.

“Ah, Helia, what a coincidence, I was just looking for you. Please, step into my office.”

He knew that running into Saladin right at this moment was no such coincidence, but he couldn’t argue with the headmaster with a dozen other students, including his own squad, standing a few feet away, so Helia begrudgingly stepped in without argument.

Saladin sighed heavily as he sat at his desk, motioning for his grandson to do the same, but Helia chose to remain standing. “Helia…how are you doing?”

“I’m doing well, Headmaster, how are you?”

“Fine. You know Helia, when we are alone it would be nice if you could call me grandpa, perhaps? We are family you know, and yet its like we don’t know each other…,” Helia remained silent, his colbalt stare burning holes into Saladin’s grey ones. “Well,” the headmaster coughed, always unsure of what to do with Helia’s stoic demeanor. The boy was always so warm with his friends, but never with him. “Anyway, the reason I called you in was to tell you that your father is in town—”

Helia involuntarily let out a long, frustrated groan at the thought of Creto arriving and ruining Helia’s week. There was never a worse time for his father to show up, and yet here he was, storming into Helia’s life and damaging it however he saw fit. Helia nearly began cursing, but then suddenly remembered he was in the presence of Red Fountain’s headmaster, and pulled himself together.

“Ahem,” Saladin continued, shocked at the display of frustration but still determined to continue, “Your father is in town for a convention this week, and he would like to see you this afternoon.”

“Oh, well unfortunately headmaster, I am scheduled to go on a scouting mission this afternoon. What a shame…” Helia quickly added to hide his satisfaction. Maybe painting wasn’t a bad idea after all…

“I thought the mission was for this morning.”

“It’s been rescheduled for this afternoon.”

“Hm. Well, that’s a pity. Are you free any other time this week to see him?”

“No, sir.”

“Helia…,” Saladin sighed, weaving a hand through his hair, “He’s your father. You should make time to see him…”

Again, Helia remained silent, unwilling to argue.

“Alright then. Well, that’s all I had to tell you. Is there something I can help you with?”

Can you tell me about my mother? “No,” Helia lied, forcing his thoughts back down, “Thank you Headmaster Saladin.”

“Helia,” the headmaster called out just before Helia walked out, “Your father loves you. He may not be able to express it in the way you may need, but he does love you.”

“…I’m sure he does.”

(Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line Break) (Line)

Triumphant roars escaped the dragon’s mouths as they soared through the air, much to the delight of the five specialists. Domesticated dragons rarely roared, and the fact that they were doing so now was clearly a sign of good luck.

So far, the scouting mission was going well. Even though visualization of the forest was a bit more difficult due to Flora and Layla’s restoration (of which Helia was very proud to hear from Riven via Musa), the mission went quickly, with all of the civilians evacuating earlier. The specialists seemed to have forgiven Helia’s transgression, and his own frustration was melting off by that point. Helia was especially happy, because according to Riven via Musa, Flora was not upset with Helia, she just missed him, which Helia was very happy to make up during the dance later that day. He didn’t get a chance to call her yet, because of Stella and Bloom’s dramatics taking up all of his time, but Helia already planned to spend every second with her later that day, so hopefully it would make up for it. All he needed to do was to finish the mission and he would be home free.

The group decided to take one look back over Lake Roccaluce one last time. Seeing no civilizations, Sky declared, “Search and Rescue is complete!” The specialists cheered with the success of their mission, ready to finally go home, relax, and put the year where a terrorist attacked their school behind them.

However, moments later, Brandon cried, “Hold on guys, I see someone down there!”

“Where?!” Sky followed his Brandon’s line of sight, but still couldn’t see anything.

“Down there! C’mon!”

Helia felt his heart race as he followed Brandon to the location. Whoever was down there was missed by the dragons sense of smell, the remote pulse checks, the drones, and the specialists physically searching the area, so they must be seriously injured. This couldn’t be good…

Brandon landed first, immediately rushing towards a pile of rocks. Helia landed right beside him, and began pulling out the medical supplies as Brandon began the extraction, and Sky and Riven were just landing to assist him. Timmy was tasked with contacting Red Fountain and the proper authorities, which he was doing from his dragon above.

“Help me! Help!” The man cried.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of there!” Brandon assured, as he struggled to removed the large boulder that was crushing the man. Helia had already set up the medical supplies, so he decided to join Riven and Sky as they ran towards Brandon to assist him.

Before Helia could even take a step in the right direction, he could only watch in horror as the very same boulder Brandon was attempting to lift exploded, violently throwing the squire about 50 feet back, landing painfully on his back, knocked instantly unconscious.

“Pathetic…”

 Helia snapped his head away from Brandon, only to have his heart drop into his stomach. There, where moments ago there was a civilian in distress, stood the only other man Helia wished would never see again. The most powerful man in the Magical Dimension…

Valtor. He was alive.

Holy shit.

“Hello gentlemen, long time no see.” Valtor said smugly, as he approached the group.

“Valtor,” Riven—the first to find his voice—hissed, “What’re you doin’ here?”

“I am here to rule to Magical Dimension, as always.”

“No! The Winx beat you!” Sky shouted.

“Well clearly they haven’t done a good enough job, as I am still here, undefeated. And speaking of those little pests, I need to get rid of them before I conquer the Dimension. And you all are going to help me.”

“Fat chance!” Riven scoffed.

“Yeah, we’ll never help you!” said Helia, tightening his laser string glove. The tension was thick as the Riven and Sky yielded their weapons, prepared for battle.

“Hm. Very well then, I’ll just have to force you!” Valtor raised one arm to the sky, shooting out a radiating spell from the palm of his wrists. Helia instinctually ducked as he assumed the spell would attack them or knock them out or something, but soon realized the spell wasn’t meant for him…it was for the dragons.

Each of the dragons lost control, screeching and bucking wildly. Sky—the best at dragon taming—sprinted over to Bathsheba, usually the tamest of the dragons, but even he was unable to calm her as the spell took hold. With corrupt roars, each of the dragons broke free of their leashes and rose to the sky, feeling in opposite directions. 

“Help!” The specialists looked up and realized that Timmy was still flying on Thaddeus, who was bucking wildly. Before anyone knew it, the harness broke and suddenly Timmy was rapidly falling hundreds of feet, to his guaranteed death.

“NO! Timmy!” Helia couldn’t help but scream as Valtor laughed maniacally. Timmy screamed and floundered around as he fell, as if he was hoping to grab onto the air. Fear, anxiety, dread built up in Helia’s stomach and spread throughout his body as the ground rapidly approached Timmy, and without any dragons or wind riders, he could only stare hopelessly at his friend’s freefall. Timmy is going to die! The thought seized Helia like a cobra, knocking him fully out of air. Because of Helia, Timmy would be dead, like his mother. 

Time seemed to simultaneously freeze and speed up as Timmy descended. Before any of the specialists knew what to do, they stared in horror as Timmy finally crashed into the ground, landing with a sickening thud at the impact, then bouncing and landing again a few feet away. 

“Fuck!” Helia cursed, as he sprinted towards Timmy with some medical supplies, the first to break away from his shock. In record time, Helia reached the specialist’s body, which was covered in dirt and scratches, and was missing his glasses, but otherwise intact. Helia thanked the gods as their enchanted uniform must have done its job and kept Timmy safe from the fall. He was still unconscious, but with no physical injuries, there was nothing Helia could do until reinforcements arrived. His duty now was to help Riven…

...who was currently being tossed feet in the air over Helia’s head into the nearby bushes.

“Riven!” Helia fully intended on rushing over to Riven, who surely must have broken his neck in such a landing, but stopped as Riven straightened the leg that was sticking out of the bush, assuring Helia that he was okay. 

Satisfied that Riven wasn’t paralyzed, Helia rose to his feet and turned towards Sky and Valtor, who were engaged in a standoff, Sky in a defensive stance, yielding his phantoblade, while Valtor calmly stood with his arms crossed, his face furrowed in concentration. His heart felt as if it would burst out of his chest, but Helia pushed down the feeling of impending doom as he rushed towards Sky. 

As Helia caught up to Sky, the prince suddenly lunged forward, aiming his phantoblade towards Valtor’s neck. Just as Sky’s sword reached the wizards jugular, Valtors suddenly opened his eyes and cried out, spreading his arms and releasing the spell that he was conjuring in the meantime. Helia could only watch in horror as a pulse of magic reached Sky, and the young prince suddenly passed out, his body falling to the ground as he seized and cried out violently. 

Helia felt blood rush to his ears as he tried to focus on several things at once: Riven and Timmy’s damaged conditions, Sky’s horrible reaction to whatever spell Valtor just cast, and that same spell speeding towards him. He was frozen, unsure of what to do.  His body acting on its own, Helia suddenly threw his hands up, and a small orange shield rose up before him, exploding at the attack of the spell. 

Exhausted by the magical onslaught, Helia sunk to his knees. He may have had magical abilities, but his father never allowed Saladin to train him, leaving Helia with the magical prowess that of a ten-year-old. It was moments like this, when faced with the most powerful wizard in the magic dimension, that Helia cursed Saladin for not fighting Creto and passing on his abilities anyway. If Helia survived, he had a few choice words for his grandfather…

...but his musings would have to wait as he heard Valtor step towards him menacingly. Fighting against every cell of his body, Helia found the strength to stand on his own two feet, as wobbly as they may have been. But before he knew it, he felt his feet lift off the ground and his stomach drop, as he looked up to see Valtor, the deadliest wizard alive.Looking back at this moment, Helia wished that he could’ve done something, anything to fight against Baltor, but his fear and exhaustion got the best of him. His mind, body, and voice remained limp as Valtor instructed....

Yeah so I genuinely can't write another word after this. I have nothing. But basically, after this I planned for Helia to confront Baltor in some way, and Baltor goes low and attacks Helia's insecurities (no one wants/loves/needs him, he's an embarrassment/shame/weak link to his friends/family, he isn't good enough, etc). Helia returns to Alfea and tells the girls the boys have been kidnapped by Baltor and they as a group prepare to get them back. Saladin tries to convince Helia to stay off the mission (because he legit almost just died at Baltor's hands) and Helia insists he goes (to get his friends back but to also prove he's not a fuck up). Saladin then drags in Helia's father who is cold and mean. He tells Helia to go on the mission (which was NOT what Saladin thought he would do), and if he doesn't succeed then to never return. Helia takes this to heart and goes on the mission, especially since he feels bad with what happened earlier in the day. During the mission he is brave but brash and ends up getting hurt badly. Everyone returns to Alfea and alternate who remains by Helia's bedside, (who's comatose but can hear what's going on), so the others may rest. At some point Helia's father and Saladin are at bedside and have an argument where it's revealed that Helia's mother died due to a failure on Helia's fathers part (I'm kinda thinking maybe she was attacked and Helia's father couldn't save her...something like that), so he's tough on Helia so that Helia can be strong and never have to go through that. He obviously feels bad about that now seeing Helia on his deathbed. The days pass and the Winx and Specialists go to Helias bedside where they recount his attributes and bravery in general/especially during the last mission and hope/pray that he wakes up . He eventually does and is happy to see everyone. His father and grandfather eventually visit again and the three of them have a talk which eventually concludes with Helia, and his renewed confidence, forgiving his father for his childhood, but choosing to finally cut contact and focus on his inner voice. Helias father understands and gives Helia a photo of his mother. Helia's father then leaves and Helia is left alone for a moment, before his friends reenter and support him through his healing.

And throughout ALL of this there is definitely some Flora/Helia romance. :)

Long story short I think Helia's a brave boy, but one who carries a lot of sadness in his body.

[alwayswriting101]

[alwayswriting101]

artist: Alilyushka

[alwayswriting101]

flora x helia forever

[alwayswriting101]

Winx Club / 2004 — 2024

[alwayswriting101]

i love the idea of flora who is so outgoing and friendly with even the surliest of people, who can strike up a friendly conversation with the likes of riven and witches, getting tongue-tied and flustered around helia to the point where it’s almost obvious that she has no issues conversing with literally everyone besides helia — who is just confused and a little hurt. is it because of his reputation? does he just rub her the wrong way? why him?

[alwayswriting101]

a summer nymph frolicking among the flowers 🌿💜

[alwayswriting101]

at this point, Saladin probably thinks he should have never let Helia become a Specialist, because what do you mean his probably only grandson has fought in wars and has been in multiple life or death situations before he turns 40???

like, Saladin’s heart is working overtime trying not to let him die of a heart attack every time Helia comes back from a mission battered and bruised. or when the other guys tell him that Helia did, in fact, sustained worse injuries but is not telling Saladin because he doesn’t want to worry him but that just makes Saladin worry more and medical bills are not cheap

and Saladin is truly questioning if he should have just told Helia that being a Specialist was boring and horrible when Helia was 8 and asking questions about Red Fountain just to prevent him from ever being interested in becoming one

of course, Saladin sees and knows that his grandson is one of the best Specialists to ever grace Red Fountain… but Saladin is getting old and his heart is not happy about sending Helia in dangerous missions. at this rate, Saladin will die of a heart attack at the tender age of 247 (?) 😩

[alwayswriting101]

Helia is too beautiful for his own good

because what do you mean this gorgeous man with silky smooth black hair as dark as the night sky, with piercing blue eyes that can be the warmest natural pool or the coldest ice shard, with a personality that brings so much peace and tranquility… is not real?? and what do you mean he doesn’t realize how truly gorgeous he is???

this man had people in art school falling for him left and right. he had the dancers at the performing arts department thinking of him as they danced to love songs, he had the painters making him their muse, he had the songwriters making music inspired by his sole presence in this universe, he had the actors finding the right emotions for their roles and giving their all thanks to him. and Helia was probably none the wiser, he just didn’t realize he had just made half the school fall in love with him

and years later when he comes back to art school to visit or to re-enroll he will see his former classmates who are just about to graduate and they will say ‘oh, X/Y/Z had a crush on you all year’ and Helia will be like ‘excuse me??’

because apparently this man just doesn’t know how truly beautiful he is, not even talking about appearance, but his soul. his soul is beautiful and he doesn’t even know 😩

[alwayswriting101]

actual representation of me whenever i remember that Helia makes paper cranes for Flora and makes sure to breathe life into them just so they can fly wherever Flora is in that moment to declare his undying love for her in a special way that he also made sure to teach her in case she ever needed it so he could come to her rescue and remind her that he, in fact, loves her with every atom of his being

photo evidence of the undying love in question 🥺

[alwayswriting101]

The reason Flora didn’t recognize Helia wasn’t because of him being transgender but because back when they were kids, Helia was that one kid who ate dirt by the handful and was generally a handful to anyone who took care of him.

Kind of hard to believe that this elegant, well-educated, and cool-headed man was a goblin child that would bite your ankles in his youth.

/j

god this is canon

baby helia out there catching worms for floras garden and showing up absolutely covered in dirt and twigs

i love it too bc under that persona of suave, well traveled, artistic gentleman, helia is so quippy and quirky, so there would be moments where flora is like ahhhh there it is

[alwayswriting101]

The Nutcracker (Fanfic)

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a Flora/Helia Christmas/Ballet AU for a while...and even though it's nowhere close to being done I just wanted some thoughts on my prologue chapter to see if this is something people are even interested in or.... not. So here it is! Please provide any thoughts or opinions below. And to give some context this fic is loosely based on Barbies "The Nutcracker" (iconic, I know). Thanks! (And if anyone is willing to beta-read any of my future fics it would be much appreciated)

Ethereal string music projected from the orchestral pit, floating into the rest of the music hall as the prima ballerina danced in perfect time. She was a fairy, floating on the harmonies as her body delicately spun, stretched, and leaped into the air.

The ballerina performed for the hundreds in the audience before her, yet little did she know there was another admirer behind the scenes, watching her every move with bated breath. 

The music began to swell as the trumpets and the woodwinds flourished with the string instruments and choir, so young Flora peered from behind the wings of the stage, very obviously neglecting her duties, to view her favorite part of the performance. The ballerina lept and glided across the stage as Cinderella, somehow looking as delicate as she was powerful—and Flora, selfish as she was, imagined herself on that stage in Cinderella’s place, soaring. It’s all she’s ever wanted,  to dance until her lungs burned, until her legs were numb, but her heart and mind ascending above any amount of pain. She would dance before the world, dance until she died of happiness, and then continue to dance before The Lord and all of His angels, until she was commanded to stop. 

It’s all she’s ever wanted. 

The prince has now joined Cinderella on stage, their partnership enhancing the performance as they skillfully danced together. Flora held her breath as the prince carefully lifted Cinderella above his head, but they together showed no hesitation. It was as if Cinderella belonged there, lifted and admired above the prince’s heart. 

The prince gently placed Cinderella back on the ground, to which she then continued to perform a series of twirls to the offstage wings as the prince began to perform his solo…which was right towards Flora. 

…uh oh. 

Flora quickly rushed deeper into the wing, grabbing her small broom and dustpan, busying herself with sweeping nonexistent dust off the floor, and the ballerina rushed to the wings. The ballerina practically collapsed onto the floor, breathing in gulps of air as if it were water and she was dying of thirst. For a moment, she didn’t even notice the little stowaway hiding in plain sight. 

“Hello,” the ballerina called, “My name is Isla, what’s your name?”

Flora shirked back a couple of steps, “My name is Flora, madam.”

“Flora,” Isla giggled, “And what are you doing here, little Flora, are you lost?”

“No madam,” Flora whispered, “I’m supposed to be cleaning…”

“Cleaning?” Isla raised an eyebrow and looked around the wing, which had been spotlessly cleaned by the adult maids not even two hours ago, “It looks pretty clean to me.”

Flora, hung her head in shame. “I am supposed to be cleaning in the back, with the other girls, but I wanted to see the ballet!” 

Isla couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from her mouth, which became even heartier as Flora blushed heavily. “Well, I can’t blame you…the costumes are really pretty aren’t they?”

“They are so pretty, you look like a princess!” Flora bounced on the balls of her feet as she looked up to Isla, “but I also really like the dancing! I want to be just like you when I grow up!”

“Really,” Flora swore Isla’s eye twinkled like the stars from above. “Well Flora, then here’s something to jump-start your career.” Flora held her breath as Isla slowly reached around her neck, pulling off a silver necklace with a small silver nutcracker on the chain. It glistened as the stage lights reflected off it before Isla placed it on Flora’s neck. “This is my lucky charm…with this necklace, all your dreams will come true.”

“Really?”

Isla never answered, for her cue to return to the stage had arrived. Flora stared from the sidelines as Isla performed a perfect arabesque, and joined her partner on stage. 

Flora looked down at her new necklace. It felt cool against her neck.

(DONE)

So I'm thinking of going for a magical fairytale vibe, where the narrator speaks in these dramatic, overly detailed sentences...but I'm not sure if it's good! 🥲. Please advise.

[alwayswriting101]

remember that one time they gave flora a sword

[alwayswriting101]

Can you recommend some Florelia fanfics please?

So this is actually a terrible question to ask me because I think all Florelia fics are amazing just by the nature of having my OTP 😅.

But here are my general recommendations:

Literally anything and everything by @florelia12. All of her work is fantastic x1000, But Moonlight & Monsters has literally changed my life. I love this fic (and all her fics) soooo much. She is also a (obviously) a massive Florelia stan. AO3 page

The Florelia chapters in Winx Club One Shots by SeaEmerald (chapters 2, 5, and 6). Oh my God is their writing incredible. Very highly recommend all of their fics, if you're interested in other couples/fandoms.

A Natural Fit: Soulmates AU. Also anything by QueenofHufflepuff. I love their writing style to the point where it's inspired my own fics!) They also go under Matrices and Vectors on ffn.

All the Petals Fall by @lynpheas. I swear to God this fic made me quit writing because like what point is there in writing when a fic this good exists 😭😭😭. Also recommend all of @lynpheas works but not all of them are Florelia. AO3 page

Black Sky by SilverSongstress. I cannot emphasize how epic this story is. There's lots of Florelia conflict (that doesn't really get resolved by the end (at least to my memory)) and I was okay with that! There are some issues re: formatting but it's truly a very strong story.

Lunar Rainbow and Under the Cherry Blossoms by Roxy Fan 4 Ever. Literally love these fics so much. So romantic!

The Neighbor by libra986. Now I actually don't remember shit from fuck from this fic, but I remember being OBESSED with it...do with that what you will...

High Temperatures . I like this one.

Six Years, This one is just so nostalgic for me, I think it was one of the OG Florelia fics 😭. I can't tell you how much it PAINS me the sequel is unfinished.

I Promise, Courage from the Heart, Save Me, My Turn to Save You, and Remember Me by Lill2350. Again very nostalgic fics! I think they have a few more Florelia fics as well.

Living a Dream. Very Cute fic.

Chastity Slightly NSFW so don't open if you're at work or underage. But I thought this was a really cute/romantic fic.

Style by KinkyWings. I think this fic is really, really cute. The author has other fics based on more...untraditional pairings (and fics that are definitely NSFW), but I really like this one.

Waned Worries. Why did this person orphan this account 😭? Really good oneshot.

Kamilia has written a bunch of Florelia stories, too many to list and many of them NSFW in one way or another, but check them out if you'd like!

Flora's Christmas. Just a cute Christmas Time Oneshot

As an aside: here are some fics that I tend to really enjoy that focus on Flora or (mostly) Helia as individuals and not as a couple.

Retired, Falling, and The Moonlight Project by @redemptionarcsucker. Their characterizations of Helia are unmatched. And their writing is impeccable! AO3 page

Also @floralovebot has really great Flora/Helia/Florelia headcanons/characterizations on their page.

A Conversation Between... Literally, love this fic with every beat of my heart since I read it years ago. This fic actually focuses mostly on Stormy but Flora has a lot of characterization through her.

The Meaning of the Color Black and Inspired by Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel. Fantastic Helia centric stories by a fantastic author. They have also written on other pairings.

Names. A random, unromantic one shot but I really like the concept.

Never Have I Ever and A Specialist's Journey by QueenofHufflepuff. I've already raved about them in the rec above. Really amazing work. The former is Flora based and the latter mostly Helia based (from what I can remember).

The Shimmering Sunflowers. I am a big fan of fics where Flora is a big sister to Miele.

And finally, I always recommend The Great Witch Rebellion, Brothers at Arms, Band of Brothers, and Bonds of Brotherhood by tearsinrain These fics are focused on the group as a whole and are basically rewrites of the main storyline, but these fics are fantastic. I would bind them into a book if I could. The characterization of Helia (who unfortunately is not really featured in Brothers at Arms), is amazing. And the Florelia scenes that are available are really amazing.

I am a big, big fan of Florelia. If I could fit every fic featuring them onto this ask, I would, but unfortunately, I can't! But if anyone has any additional recommendations please feel free to add! I'm sure there are some stories/authors whom I loved but might have missed, but this is a very general list.

[alwayswriting101]

These recent Florelia fanfics on AO3 are freaking killing it!!! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 Thanks to all the amazing writers who fill my cup up it's always much appreciated.

[alwayswriting101]

New Commission Post!

I wanted to make a new one since the original didn't have enough information and may have been confusing. I also wanted to show proof of commissions I've done!

So yknow, the economy is in shambles and I'm having bad health issues that make it extremely hard to hold a job (I also don't have health insurance and can't get it checked out yet). I am living with family right now, but the emotional guilt trips and refusal to understand physical health complications are really making things worse.

Commissions are open full-time! (I also don't really have slots so don't be nervous to reach out)! I'll do fanart for any and all fandoms. I will send you sketches to approve and updates throughout the process.

I understand that times are tough for everyone, so please don't feel bad!!! ALL help is appreciated right now. If you can't commission or tip, please reblog the post to help! Thank you!!