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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.

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Poet Man

Red Fountain

Headmaster’s Conference Room

19th January, 1030

Uniformed

Agent H

Helia dropped his pencil and ran a hand through his hair. He had spent the past few minutes decoding the note he’d received with his stomach caught in an anxious twist, and now that he had unravelled the coded message from his grandfather, a numbness settled in his chest.

He got up from his seat, note in hand, and walked over to his art station where a chamomile scented candle was lit. He held the note over the small spark and watched as it burned in his hand.

Agent H

The words turned to ash and dropped onto his palette, mixing with the earth toned oil paints he had been working with for his new painting.

He hadn’t heard those words in a long time; hadn't been called that since he’d left Red Fountain two years ago.

Agent H

Helia turned that name over and over in his head trying to get used to it after two years of collecting dust in the back of his mind as he started to pull out the boards on his wooden floor. Once he cleared the wood, he found the hatch built into the ground underneath his humble cottage.

He pulled it open and came eye to eye with the seal of the Company of Light — a golden wheel with its spokes extending from a sword in the middle and curves that curled up from the bottom. He grabbed the sealed box and set it down on his work table. He pressed his forefingers down on the lock that was designed to only open to his touch and a click followed.

Helia opened the box to reveal a blue cape, a pair of gloves and a round, dim gem sitting inside the compartments. He reached for the gem and the moment he touched it, it glowed oragne and came alive, its magic rushing through his fingers.

Standing in front of his mirror, Helia stared at his reflection; at the paint smudges on his cheeks, and on his worn out linen pants; at the black cord loosely wrapped thrice around his neck. He let himself relish in the facade he built for himself over his two years of solitude. He didn’t know what this meeting with his grandfather would entail but he had a gut feeling that he might not be returning to his home on Harmony anytime soon.

Especially since Saladin had addressed the note not to his grandson Helia, but to Agent H.

Although there was something so achingly comforting about this artist persona he had fallen into, the gem in his hand was a weighted reminder that it wasn’t who he truly was. It didn’t matter if he’d felt strangely at peace over the past two years as a starving artist studying under a retired art patron. The note, the seal, and the Sphalerite gem were tangible proof that he belonged elsewhere.

Vacation’s over, Agent H. He told himself as he held the gem up to his chest. After a deep breath, he pressed the gem into the skin over his heart. The thrum of power in the gem joined the soft heartbeat, and he closed his eyes as he felt the power rush through his body. When he opened his eyes again, the transformation had already taken place.

There he stood in the navy and beige uniform, the heroes’ cape cascading down his shoulders from where it was attached to the gem that sat over his heart. It was a simple uniform, meant to be misleading to enemies. But the material of it was woven with magic crafted by the Sorcerer Saladin himself. Paired with the gems mined from the powerful core of Eraklyon, the Specialists of Red Fountain who wore this uniform were protected by its magic. It could bend blades crafted by the Great Hagen himself, withstand fire breathed by the lost dragons of Domino and protect from the cold of the Omega Dimension.

Boys had to give their blood, sweat and tears to become the men who would earn the honour to wear this uniform.

Helia had been fifteen when he wore the uniform for the first time after he was presented with the Sphalerite gem. On the day he was accepted into Red Fountain. A day he’d never forget, the day his grandfather who was never known to be emotional uttered the words, “Our boy has finally become a man.”

It’s not like he’d ever been allowed to be a boy. He had thought bitterly to himself. Not to mention that the sentiment was expressed in secrecy for no one could know they were related.

His grandfather explained the meaning behind the Sphalerite gem he had been given, but Helia had been handed far more weighted things to worry about.

Each gem awarded to the Specialists was selected carefully by the professors of Red Fountain. Each aspiring Specialist was observed keenly during their entrance tests, and Saladin would then decide which gem suited the Specialist who’d wear it.

“This is a Sphalerite Gem.” Saladin explained as he picked up the gem from the tray Codatorta held out for him. He pressed it into Helia’s chest, and the rush of energy overcame him. A feeling that he had yet to realise would one day become as familiar as taking in a breath of air.

“Specialists who wear this gem are of sharp mind and tongue. They are valuable in missions that require critical and fast thinking, where the words they speak play just as important a part as their combat skills. They are masters of the game of manipulation, of strategy; who hold the vital touch of darkness on the side of good.”

Saladin had spoken to each and every Specialist who stood at attention during the Initiation Ceremony, had handed them their gems and the role they had to play in the Squad they would later be assigned to. It may seem like a harmless few phrases but it would define who they were until the day they died; more likely on the battlefield than old age as far as statistics went.

Helia would never forget those words. He struggled to understand them at first, or why they were presented to him. Later as he looked into the rare gem he had been given and read the meaning behind the word Sphalerite, he knew exactly who everyone expected him to be. He understood that he didn’t earn the gem, but inherited it.

Treacherous.

Now that Helia knew more about Art, he was even able to understand how even the overpowering bright orange mixed with the undertones of red in the Sphalerite gem played a part in its meaning. The appearance of the gem itself was deceiving; the way the orange shined in sunlight was pure and positive while the red would boil as dark as blood in the dark.

Deceptive.

That’s who he was. The kind neighbour who left out milk for his cat didn’t know that the boy next door who thanked her with a small smile had been raised to be a lethal weapon. The Patron who took him under his wing and provided him with the resources to earn a name for himself as ‘Helia, the Artist’ didn’t know that it was simply an alias for Agent H. Saladin himself probably wouldn’t even recognise his grandson if he saw him right now, with his palms stained with red paint instead of blood.

A mission gone wrong, trust irreparably broken, and a pardon from a pissed off Council of Light had landed him in Harmony, the realm of the Arts. Forcing Helia to invent a new life for himself, one that would appease those who feared he would turn against them for their silent betrayal. Now, it was time to go back; to put an end to the deception that was Helia, the Artist.

He wondered what name he would be given this time.

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“Ace to Poet Man. Target approaching on your left. Over. ”

“Poet Man to Ace. Roger that. Over.”

Helia ducked and rolled over as a rogue bullet flew over his head, hitting the metal walls. He straightened once he was safely hidden by a broken column and went silent. He listened carefully for the footsteps as they approached from the other side.

Just as they reached, Helia turned out and shot them square in their chest. Neon pink paint splattering all over their black coverall.

“Hey!” A sweet voice whined from behind a face shield.

He gasped as he lowered his guard only for a split second before someone else shot him from behind.

“Hey!” He whirled around, throwing his hands out and shooting an annoyed look at the curly-haired girl that shot him.

Aisha let out a mocking laugh as she kept the gun pointed at the pair now covered in paint. “That’s what you get for cheating with earpieces and shooting my girl!”

“She’s my girlfriend and your team has been cheating with magic so we’re just levelling the playing field.” Helia shot back as he lifted his face shield.

Aisha shrugged and disappeared behind one of the obstacles, the game continuing on while Helia had been outed in a manner that was rather disappointing for one of Red Fountains top Specialists. He blamed his victim for distracting him.

As he turned around, Helia found her pouting at him with her arms crossed and her face shield resting on her head.

“You shot me.”

Helia couldn’t help but smirk, finding her irritation utterly adorable.

“That’s the game, sweetheart.”

“But, you shot me.” Flora argued back.

“I didn’t know it was you!” He tried defending himself, playing along. Flora narrowed her eyes at him, still refusing to give in.

“I’m sorry.” Helia whispered teasingly, moving closer. The tactic was already working as the annoyed look in her green eyes gave way to anticipation. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest as she let out a surprised gasp, the paint on her coverall now sticking to his.

“There. Is that better?” He asked, lowering his head so his lips hovered over hers.

“Aisha already shot you, it doesn’t count.” Flora murmured back, snaking her arms around his neck.

“Hmm, then tell me how I can make it up to you.”

“Don’t you already know, Poet Man…”

Helia smiled and dipped his head, capturing her lips with his. He held her tight as he kissed her, Flora going on her tiptoes to reach his height. Neither of them paid any attention to the battle going on around them as their friends shouted out and shot at each other with paint.

“Attention player three from blue team and player four from red team. Kissing your opponent is against the rules. Please put your face shields back on and leave the arena. Both of you have been shot and are out of the game.”

The announcement from the speakers forced the couple to part reluctantly. Helia pecked her cheek one last time before putting his arm around her shoulder, a sly grin on his face.

“Am I forgiven?” He whispered into her ear as he led her out of the arena. Flora giggled, her eyes glinting mischievously.

“Nope.”

“You’re breaking my heart.” Helia threw his head back, groaning playfully and making her laugh.

“Who else is going to do it?”

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Flora’s Instagram

(Or the winx club equivalent)

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dude, at this point, Codatorta is Helia’s unofficial uncle. he’s probably known Helia since he was a kid too because maybe Saladin had to bring him with him to classes on days he had to babysit and of course, Codatorta would help sometimes while Saladin went to do headmaster duties and stuff

and Codatorta would let Helia ride on his shoulders and he would play airplane with the kid and tell terrible dad jokes and insist that Helia’s drawings were the best paintings he had ever seen even though they were made with 3 crayons and a dream but Codatorta is a supportive unofficial uncle and if his unofficial nephew wants to be an artist then he will be one

and when Helia joined Red Fountain, Codatorta was so ecstatic to be teaching him. of course he was proud, too. watching the little kid you knew grow up into an honorable man must be so amazing

Codatorta as uncle of the year, everyone *fancy applause*

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everything is all fun and games until you remember that the Specialists are the military of Magix

these guys train to protect the planet from threats. they use weapons and have ships that could destroy an entire civilization. they bond with dragons and train to give them orders to help them in battle. they know how to read stats and use radars and use advanced technology that we could never possibly understand. they have special terminology and know how to use an arrangement of weapons with lasers, plasma and light energy

these guys work incredibly well in groups and teams, they’re trained to withstand hard hours of work, injuries and stress. to use strategy to their advantage, to deceive and attack

they were not the main characters in winx. they were not given enough focus. but don’t forget that they’re not defenseless or just bodyguards. they’re some of the best fighters, they’re soldiers

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i just know Saladin is incredibly proud of Helia

he’s totally aware of the praise his grandson receives in classes, of how Helia’s friends speak so highly about him, of how talented he is

and Saladin surely has seen Helia’s art, Helia has probably shown him some of the things he does and Saladin may have called him often when Helia was in art school to know how his grandson was doing

he knows Helia is an amazing person, someone with whom people feel comfortable with, someone who’s not only a great artist but a warrior too. this man has the best grandson in the galaxy

and while Helia is good with words, maybe Saladin isn’t and maybe he doesn’t often outright tell Helia that he’s proud but Helia knows because of the way his grandfather looks at him, how he claps his shoulder or nods at him

i need more interactions between these two, they’re family, come on, you can’t tell me Saladin didn’t use to spoil his grandson when he was a child 😭

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Alfea Overview v2

i drew out a layout for Alfea i will use for specifications of my overview. did i make alfea a smidge taller? Yes but oh well, anyway lets begin.

The Alfea College for Fairies is a girls' boarding school in Magix for Fairies and the oldest (established 9000 years before the start of the story) and most prestigious educational institution for fairies. 

The education in Alfea lasts 3 years, one for each Fairy Form in the journey of an aspiring full-fledged fairy. Base form, Charmix, Enchantix.

The Alfea students are mostly in training ages 16-18 (unless they have been held back a grade like Stella, so in her case, 17). Fairies here learn how to control their power, fight evil, learn new spells as well as learn how to be their realms' queens and guardian fairies. In this way, Alfea is a little like a military boarding school for the elites.

In the Past

The Alfea Champions were an ancient trio of legendary fairies who were believed to be the most powerful fairies in all of Alfea History. Their feats have been known to be passed down through generations, immortalised in statues that stand in the Alfea Museum, and had been recorded in Legendarium. Ress of the Flame, Chevonne of the Water and Farcelia of the Wind. They were real fairies, but it has been so long that their legends outlived their actual story of their lives.

When Mavilla was headmistress of Alfea, owning and exhibiting the strengths of one's Fairy Animal was considered a vital part of a fairy education. Everything taught was a reflection of the contents of the Tome of Nature. Eventually, Mavilla changed this. 

Alfea used to have a crest which was a curved golden "A" on a purple and blue flower with a golden outline at the top of the school gates, just above Alfea's gate. The "A" of the crest is also seen on what used to be the school's uniform, consisting of a burgundy long-sleeved and knee-length dress and mary janes. The neck part of the dress has white lace and a dark burgundy loop.

At another point in time, Eldora was the keeper of the Alfea Greenhouse and taught floral magic.

School years

First Year

Freshmen fairies learn how to master their own source of power, as well as their base fairy form, and learn basic spells they can use in their daily life and in battle if necessary. Metamorphosymbiosis, Potionology and Survival Training are part of the first year curriculum. Fairies also learn how to explore diverse environments in the Simulation Room as part of their survival training. 

Second Year

Second Year fairies have the goal of earning Charmix. Their classes include, magic invocation, magic self-defence, applied convergence and cognitive analysis class, where fairies learn technical incantations, and spells requiring accurate pronunciation.

Third Year

Third Year Classes include, History of Magic, and those who achieve Enchantix will participate in Battle training to hone their skills. The fairies also have a final thesis, also earning Enchantix is more like an extra credit thing.

Graduation

After earning Enchantix, the basic fairy education is completed and they will graduate with Honours and receive the titles of Guardian Fairies of their respective homeworlds on the Day of the Gift. Without Enchantix, the girls still graduate, but they don't become guardian fairies. In this case, they return to their home world and can decide if they want to work towards being a guardian fairy by being an apprentice to one until they earn their Enchantix, or they can do something else. Alumni can also decide to extend their studies and do their masters here at Alfea in any Subject already offered, being mentored by any of the current staff

Winx After Graduation

They taught for a short period of time, before choosing to take their masters here in various subjects in addition to being substitute teachers from time to time.

Architecture and Layout

Outside

The Alfea Natural Park, which is a refuge for Fairy Animals, is found in the forest. It is unknown if parts of the forest close to the school belong to the school or not, but they are also used for classes and tests.

There is a bus stop where students, guests, and staff members can take buses from and to Magix City and to other places in Magix.

Protective barriers meant to keep non-magical creatures, non-fairies, and bad weather out are seen many times in the series.

The School Gates are the only access to the school compound. They consist of a large pink archway with two wing-like doors that move to open or close the gates.

Its campus is a large castle with pink walls and blue roofs built around a courtyard.

Ground / First Floor

Most of the Classrooms are found on the ground floor around the central courtyard. The side buildings have corridors through which the classrooms can be accessed and it has stairways from which the upper parts of the school can be accessed.

Namely: On the East Wing, Applied Convergence Classroom, Technical Incantations Classroom, Magic Invocation Classroom, Magic Defence Classroom, and on the West Wing, Potionology Classroom, Metamorphosymbiosis Classroom, and the Survival Training Classroom. Each classroom also acts as storage for whatever items the subject requires.

The School Kitchen, where Chef Sfoglia works, Students may also be assigned to do the cooking as chores or as punishment. Located in the West Wing

In the North Wing, The Entrance Hall is a large room found opposite the School Gates, and it is accessed by a set of grand stairs.

The Cafeteria / School Hall is a large room found on the ground floor. It has a large dome of glass as its outer wall and there are long tables where the students have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It has a special tier for staff members. Parties and balls are often held there and during such occasions, the tables are removed to make a place for the festivities. It is found below the Headmistress' Office and behind the Entrance Hall, in the North Wing.

The West Wing also contains The School Infirmary where students are treated in case of health problems and injuries. It is composed of an office and a resting room with many beds. It is managed by Nurse Ofelia and her assistant.

The West Tower is where the Magic Archive of Alfea is found. Precious and rare books and scrolls about many things can be found there and the school's Codex used to be kept there. A Pixie, named Concorda, is the keeper of the Secret Archives.

The first floor of the east tower contains the Applied convergence Classroom which also acts as the School Amphitheater for formal gatherings required by the Headmistress or otherwise. the students sometimes attend the school assembly and it is also where general meetings are often held, especially in crisis times. There is a table with chairs around it where staff members sit. Exams may also be held there.

The Central Courtyard is a large open space at the centre of the school. It contains:

Benches where students can sit and spend their free time. The Well, with underground tunnels that connects Alfea to the other magical schools, and contains various rooms and obstacles to go through in order to obtain the Star of Teamwork. It functions as a gathering area for celebrations such as the beginning of the year and graduation ceremonies are done. It also serves as a landing space for Red Fountain ships.

Around the sides are the Gardens of Alfea. A place where students can relax and study and even practice their abilities with the accompaniment of nature.

And around the back is an open space mainly used for classes with a practical component.

Second Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). Located in both the East and West Wings.

The North wing’s first floor’s ceiling is very high, taking up 2 floors, and therefore technically there is nothing here.

The Simulation Room is where virtual simulations take place. It can also be used to teleport people to other locations. Professor Palladium is the one who is in charge of the Simulation Chamber.

There is technically nothing here in the West Wing because the Archive Room Ceiling is the tallest in the entire school, taking up 4 floors. (Tho it can still be accessed from here as well but the platform is small so people usually dont.)

Third Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). Located in both the East and West Wings.

The History of Magic Classroom in the East Wing Tower

And in the North Wing, the staff and Faragonda’s offices. Outside of which there is a small seating area.

There is technically nothing here in the West Wing because the Archive Room Ceiling is the tallest in the entire school, taking up 4 floors. (Tho it can still be accessed from here as well but the platform is small so people usually dont.)

Fourth Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). Located in both the East and West Wings.

The Dance Studio/Gym in the East Wing Tower.

In the North wing, Faragonda and the Staff Quarters. Only accessible via the offices.

There is technically nothing here in the West Wing because the Archive Room Ceiling is the tallest in the entire school, taking up 4 floors. (Tho it can still be accessed from here as well but the platform is small so people usually dont.)

Fifth Floor

Only contains the Viewing Decks atop the two Towers of Alfea. Only accessible by Flight or Teleportation.

Basement

The basement of Alfea is sprawling. It contains what will become Musa’s Music Cafe, the Alfea Museum, the Hall of Memories (formerly: Fairy Animals), the magical Entrance to the Alfea Greenhouse, the Library (containing the Research Lectern with Miss Barbetea as its Librarian) with its Restricted Section, and finally the Hall of Enchantments (It contains the hall of infamy, where the portraits of all the enemies of the Magic Dimension can be found, the entire history of the magical universe and contains the Heart of Alfea), only accessible through the Headmistress’s Office.

The rest of the images here include a Key, a Compass and a small sketch i did to plan out how many floors Alfea actually has.

Finally staff:

Headmistress Faragonda (Applied Convergence)

Miss Grizelda (Magic Defence/Applied Convergence)

Professor Palladium (Potionology/Survival Training)

Professor WizzGizz (Metamorphosymbiosis/Technical Incantations)

Professor Avalon (s3 new) (Magic Invocation)

Professor Daphne (s6 new) (History of Magic)

Chef Sfoglia, In the Kitchen

Nurse Ofelia and her assistant. In the Infirmary

Pixie Concorda, the keeper of the Secret Archive

Miss Barbetea the Librarian

Knut the Janitor (s2 new)

Dorm Assignments

The students use all three levels of the student dorms. And where they go rotate every three years. So if you joined the school and are assigned to the second floor dorms, you stay there until u graduate then the freshmen after you will take over it.

Once again all dorms are enchanted to be bigger than they seem.

For the Staff, (All dorms are enchanted to be bigger than they seem from the outside)

Faragonda and Grizelda (daphne in future) Share a dorm, the North Wing, central Dorm.

Palladium, Wizzgizz, Avalon share a dorm, the North Wing, East (left) Dorm

When the winx become teachers, they will insist on sharing a dorm, the North Wing, West (right) dorm.

The non teaching staff usually have a built in dorm at wherever they are working, so Miss Barbetea has a room in the library, and Nurse Ofelia and her assistant share a room in the infirmary and so on. Their rooms are also enchanted so they are bigger on the inside.

Sketch Dump:

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Lord Darkar once said in season 2 that there is a power stronger than Dragon's Flame. Which is very intriguing, but these turned out to be just words, and this season never introduced a character even equal in strength to Bloom.

And I have a crazy theory that it could be Helia. After all, he has power, as has been shown more than once. But for some reason he doesn’t take full advantage of it. Or is he prohibited from doing this because he is too dangerous? Almost nothing is known about Helia and there is no information about who his parents are. And is Head teacher Saladin really his grandfather? Could he be part of some kind of Darkar project?

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When watching Season 2, Helia was the most mysterious character. And then you may wonder, what is his secret? But in the end, nothing interesting was shown with this character. His entire storyline was about how he became Flora's boyfriend. How I like his insidious grins, behind which, unfortunately, there is nothing. All that remains is to read fanfiction

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what are ur thoughts... on helia's relationship with masculinity? his earlier wardrobe was softer colors and peasant blouses and his (beautiful, beautiful T^T) hair was kept long. obviously we know that shit slapped even if the show wont acknowledge it now. his look always made him super distinct from the rest of the guys, but i feel like that may have also been an alienizing factor? red fountain is a military school and i promise im not asking for your take on gender roles or toxic masculinity of the entire magic dimension or to write helia a planet and culture and backstory from scratch (unless? 👀, bc your takes are always fascinating), but do you think he was ever taken with that, or felt subject to other's opinions on that sort of thing? has he always been comfortable with his presentation, or did he have any clumsy teenage overcompensating? if the latter, would you say leaving red fountain helped him come to terms with that or reinvent himself to his tastes? or maybe had him overcorrecting in the opposite direction, to distance himself from the red fountain lifestyle as well as account for his two haircuts and more traditionally masculine style later on?

anon i'm in love with you.

I have so many thoughts about Helia's overall aesthetic (and some about his concept designs heheh) but I won't get into all of them since that would make this way too long. To be honest, within canon we don't know a lot about Helia's personal thoughts about Red Fountain or the culture surrounding it and other military/paramilitary establishments. While this does make it harder for people to give him a solid characterization, it actually makes a lot of sense considering how quiet he is in terms of his own thoughts on things. We have random tidbits and rumors from other characters but almost nothing from him.

When it comes to his looks in canon, honestly I don't think it would ever be an issue. While long hair on men is stigmatized in real life, in Winx Club it's not that big of a deal, in fact, it's pretty normal. We see multiple male characters with long hair and not typically considered masculine wardrobes. Saladin, Palladium, Avalon, Valtor, and even background Specialists are just a few examples. Longer hair on men is a normal thing throughout all of the planets and only seems to be weird on Earth (ie Sky and Helia cutting their hair to blend in). While I do have a lot of thoughts on Helia's hair, I really doubt it was ever an issue in canon. It's only an area of topic in the fandom due to a couple of things that don't factor into canon (such as men having long hair being stigmatized in real life or the rumors that Helia was originally a female character [with absolutely no proof of that besides his long hair and slightly more feminine looking face]).

I think when it comes to Helia feeling out of place, it would likely have more to do with his personal interests, aka art, and not necessarily wanting to be a Specialist. Contrary to fanon, Helia likes being a Specialist and we know he respects Saladin and Red Fountain as a whole. Him leaving was largely due to being more interested in art than the "family business" so to speak. It's shown multiple times in canon that Helia feels a lot of pressure from being related to Saladin and that his own actions and opinions affect both Saladin and the school (which says a lot about how the Magix Dimension feels about families and relations). His back and forth between being a Specialist and being an artist have to do with him not wanting to disappoint Saladin or affect his image in a negative way.

We do know that other Specialists and people outside of the school have opinions about him and what he does but we don't actually know how he feels about that or how he deals with it. It gets brought up quite a few times; random people who aren't close to him talking shit for no reason (Brandon in ep.8, Riven multiple times in the comics, other random specialists, etc), and yet, Helia's own feelings about the matter never get revealed. Again, I think this plays into how quiet he is about his own emotions, not wanting to start shit or get into a fight that could later damage Red Fountain's image.

In that way, you could say Helia deals with some amount of rejecting masculinity, but personally, I think his actions have more to do with feeling like he needs to have a "good" image because of his familial relations. Helia doesn't start conflict, he doesn't push things or engage in arguments, he's extremely conscious about how his actions affect Saladin and the school (he even uses this to his advantage in the Shaab Stone arc). We don't know the extent of how much people talk about him, behind his back or to his face, and we don't the extent of how much it affects him.

Personally, I think Helia is conscious enough to have dealt with toxic masculinity, specifically trying to get away with it, earlier in his life. While Red Fountain is a paramilitary school, it's shown explicitly that they don't tolerate that attitude and try to knock it out of any boy that enters (aka don't start dumb fights, don't insult your teammates, don't do dumb shit to prove your worth, etc). The only reason the main boys managed to stay in the school is that they're canonically the best students and Codatorta believed in them (also cause yknow,, they're the love interests).

While the Magix Dimension definitely has some degree of toxic masculinity, Helia in particular mostly battles with toxic perfectionism and family legacy. He's not consciously or subconsciously trying to be the ideal version of a man nor does he base his life or opinions of himself on that. Helia tries to be the perfect Specialist and the perfect grandson. He tries to be the perfect student in a school that's largely associated with the best soldiers in the universe and that's also run by his grandpa, while also dealing with his own actions and opinions affecting the image of said grandpa and school. So honestly, no, I don't think Helia particularly gets affected by masculinity, toxic or otherwise, and I don't think any of his actions in canon could be led by it. However, I do think he's in an awkward situation and tries too hard to live up to other people's (and his own) expectations of him and that some of those expectations can run into the "ideal" version of masculinity (such as Brandon saying "he doesn't like to get his hands dirty" as an insult).

While I do love the idea of Helia going through a little teenage rebellion and him going to art school being a result of that, in canon, it's partially implied that he really didn't change. Saladin sees him as the same person and the specialists recognize who he is. There is no "whomst the fuck are you" kind of moment with any of the characters. This is more implied by canon than directly shown but, I do think that Helia was one of those people who had to mature quickly as a kid. And that him leaving Red Fountain multiple times is mostly him trying to get away from those expectations. We see this theme with multiple characters so I don't think it's a wild conclusion.

When it comes to his haircuts and different aesthetics, I think that's mainly Rainbow mucking things up. His aesthetic change in S4 is so they can blend in, it's not him being himself. Even when their identities get revealed and everyone knows they aren't from Earth, they're still trying to fit in and live within that Earth culture. His changes in the later seasons are largely due to Nickelodeon not understanding the characters and just wanting a group of masculine soldier dudes.

Unpopular opinion but: I think a better way of showing how out of their element the specialists were in S4, would actually be to cut Helia's hair super short, not just the uneven shreds he got, and then have him grow it out through the season (maybe even magically like they did with Musa) to show that they're chill on Earth and people aren't scared of them. Is this an excuse for me to imagine him with a wolf cut? Yes.

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i’m inclined to believe that Helia has dislocated his shoulder so many times using that string glove that he doesn’t feel it anymore. like, you can’t tell me his training wasn’t absolutely insane to be able to pull stunts like the ones he did in the show

probably has a long history of pulled muscles, dislocated shoulders and sprained wrists to last him a lifetime. and every time he pulls a ridiculous stunt and his friends look at him like “hey, your wrist looks weird, you should get that checked out” he’s just like “nah, i’ll be fine”

pain tolerance is through the roof for him, i’m telling you

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i would have loved to see more of the Specialists’ reactions to Helia coming back to Red Fountain. the only thing they knew was that he was a pacifist and that he had dropped out of the school. it would have been interesting to see their reactions to know that they got a new roommate, especially Riven’s reaction since they room together

i don’t think they would have been unkind, and they clearly warmed up to each other very quickly but i need to know what happened when presentations were made, like, Helia is Saladin’s grandson. what did the guys think about that? were they curious about what Saladin was like as a grandfather? were they curious about Helia’s history in the school? or just his past in general? what did Riven do when he learned he would be rooming with a stranger, and Saladin’s grandson no less?

this kills me inside a little every day. i nEED TO KNOW

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nostalgia...

commissions open

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💐

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I love how theres like two majorly different takes on Helia.

The first: Soft boy, sensitive, shy, quiet, refuses to fight because it’s violent, sad and lonely at first, best friends with Timmy because he’s also awkward and quiet

The second: Smart ass, quiet because he’s a Saladin and has been media trained since birth but is silently judging everyone, refuses to fight because he thinks its fucking stupid, best friends with Timmy because he’s the only other member in their squad who is actually mature. Constantly co-parenting Brandon Sky and Riven while the three fight over their single shared braincell.

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nostalgia...

commissions open

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