#Bloom you and Sky have been doing bad this whole season. and Stella has gotten into at least 2 on screen fights with Brandon

[charmixpower]

Bloom: Tecna. You and Timmy are always texting, chatting, and emailing. You never spend any time face to face

Stella: You're having an all virtual relationship, which is like virtually impossible

I'm going to strangle them

Please refer me to exactly where Tecna invited the both of you into her relationship, I'd love to see it

Look at how upset she is!!! Crimes!!! Crimes!!!!

[darkpoisonouslove]

Riven x Musa

Ok, so I keep seeing posts everywhere that basically badmouth S8 and after seeing ten seconds of the trailer (YIKES to the animation, what’s wrong with the industry that they are making everything anime? Powerpuff Gen Z, I’m looking at you – obs: I didn’t watch it fully yet) I can see where some of the criticism is coming from but anyways…

My favorite Winx!couple EVER has always been Musa x Riven since I was kid and first watched the show (Netflix is not helping ‘cause I ship them even there).

I remember yawning at Bloom/Sky, rolling my eyes at Stella/Brandom and making a completely incredulous expression that I could literally feel forming on my face at Helia/Flora (can anyone say ‘unrealistic’?). Timmy/Tecna are a second favorite.

And why my Winx OTP are Riven x Musa followed after Timmy x Tecna? Because it reflects real life. In real life you’re not gonna stumble into people whose real and deep relationship problems are solved in twenty four minutes (not even that considering that some episodes present the “problem” half-way through said 24 minute-episode).

The breakup between Riven and Musa in S6 (spoilers everywhere after all) was one of the most mature breakups in the history of breakups with the hope for the future (yes, I’m completely ignoring S7, sue me, the whole thing was one huge filler anyways). And, after reading a lot of opinions on both ends (defending Musa/attacking Riven and defending Riven/attacking Musa) and watching the episodes in question (reuniting through reconciling) I think I can give my own analysis.

Since Musa AND Riven (individually and as couple) are my favorite characters in Winx, I think I CAN give a fairly unbiased view (hopefully).

*clears throat*

Ok, keep in mind that I’m defending BOTH of them, because I ship them too hard not to.

Musa Being OC (sometimes being called ‘brat’): C'mon, people! Musa and Tecna are OC since S4 anyways, where are the tomboy and the nerd? With the sneakers, T-shirt and comfortable-looking clothes? Noooo, now they all need neat skirts and hot pink high heels and long, glamorous hair. Do they look good? Of course, but and I would totally be less pissed if there was ANY indication on the reason for the change. Are they just maturing? Expressing themselves differently? Crowd mentality? Tune and Stella finally broke Musa down and Tecna followed soon after? Was it just to please Riven and Timmy? ANYTHING (even the 'pleasing a boy’ would at least be A reason - a ridiculous one that would piss me off, but A reason none the less), was just a sudden impulse that took?

Sure, we can talk about “character growth” until we are blue in the face, but the matter of the fact is that there was none.

The changes we see in Musa and Tecna are basically the creators making them more like the rest of the Winx (I’m including Aisha in this too, where is the sporty girl that matched the boy’s interest in extreme sports? C'mon! Even Bloom and her Girl Next Door looks are replaced with Bratz and Clueless-level of outfits).

Is anyone really going to look me in the eye and say Stella wasn’t a shallow (if friendly and good-natured) Mean Girl? She got better, but as I re-watch the show (currently in S3, meaning almost half-way through the content), Stella still worries more about her hair than anything else even while under literal fire.

More and more, Musa, Tecna and Aisha are losing their identities and what made them, IMO, the more badass Winx.

How did the two on the left went from this…

… to this:

Yeah, yeah, Musa still sings, Tecna still technobabble and Aisha is still a Warrior Princess but Aisha was the first one to go Bloom and Stella on us with Musa and then Tecna following soon after. It’s not just their clothing style, it’s the way they carried themselves too.

Right now? The only thing keeping them apart is their BF blues (different kind of blues) and some personal interests (singing, shopping, tech, the whole drama with Domino/Sparks, etc). But that’s IT, their personalities are going down the drain!

Sorry for the long-winded text, but the reason I’m expressing my disappointment at their change is because Musa’s reaction fits it. S6 we have such an AMAZING breakup (didn’t even think that was possible, WTH, right? Amazing breakup?) only for her to be mad as hell at Riven at S8? Bad writing, that has been dragging her (and the rest of the Winx) down to becoming just one unilateral, shallow character (the Specialists are also falling into that pit, what in the world did they do Helia in S8? He sounds like Thor telling about his “brave exploits” there, yikes). And continuity what? What continuity? Do they even remember how the breakup was written?

But ok, let’s put the Audience View aside for a moment and focus only on the In-Universe terms.

S6: You’ll always be my hero.

S8: What on EARTH are you doing here. 

I laughed a bit, the contrast just got to me but instead of getting mad at one or the other like most of the fandom, I laughed.

Musa followed that by saying that Riven has not maintained contact and just in that I would be beyond pissed as well and giving my support to Musa. WTH, Riven? I think that each season is more less six months to a year? Sort of? Still, zero contact for so long even after ending on amicable terms and wanting to stay friends? And he went off on his own! A text now going, “I’m not dead” would be the bare basics for Musa not to worry herself bald!

BUT then I also read comments about how this was a two-way street, why didn’t Musa call either? That’s unfortunately something that I very much doubt will ever be explained. One of those: did it or didn’t it? Musa could have called and went straight to voicemail with no signs of life from Riven or she might not have called and just expected him to call as if feminism were dead and all initiative must come from the guy (which doesn’t even fit because they parted as friends).

Since we have no info on the above, I put it on both of them. It’s not fair to say, “HE should have called!” or “Why didn’t SHE call?” because we don’t have fricking context. So the only thing we can take is: no contact.

BECAUSE I put the lack of contact on both of them, Musa’s reaction was a little too much, however, Riven shows up all smirks and leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and I would have flashbacks to S1 if it wasn’t for the animation style that made all the guys look like girls. Dude! Not the time for that kind of posture. Not saying that he should be all sheepish and rubbing his arm as if he had done something horrible (again: we don’t have context on the no contact) but a more neutral approach was warranted here. Nobody does themselves any favors with that kind of attitude no matter what how high of a horse they may be (rightly or not) riding on, if anything I would react like Musa solely on that one.

Next episode we have that Riven convinced the guys to follow the girls in some mission and Musa was angry. Again: I would be too. WTH? Yes, yes, they helped and if it wasn’t for them, the Winx would gotten seriously injured but Musa did have a point saying that this demonstrated that they had no trust in them and need their hand held, it was no sanctioned mission like on Earth after all. BUT, Riven does something that I would never expect from in S1-4: he explains, he reasons it, he puts it in all the words that he does trust Musa and co and that he only wanted to show that he’d be there for her (you know? One of the main issues in S6 that made them breakup in the first place? His inability to conciliate Specialist work with supporting his girlfriend and ultimately failing or feeling like failing in both?) and Musa still pouts, crosses her arms, and turns around. Geez. I expected that one from Stella, not Musa. I think the closest Musa has ever come to THIS was back in S2 when Jared explains that Riven was the one to recommend that he interview Musa and yada yada yada and she got mad and stomped off on the poor guy that didn’t even understand what was going on (only to immediately apologize to Jared and recognizing that it wasn’t him that she was mad at… like I said: what character growth?).

Riven then goes to show that he indeed grew when he asked for advice from Sky and Brandon (WTH, right? Can we picture that happening back in S1-3? He very grudgingly would LISTEN to UNSOLICITED advice from Nabu and Helia in S4-6). And does a very, very goofy and embarrassing show of affection. Yeah… again… I can picture Stella loving the light show with her face for IDK how many people to see but not Musa (although can we really blame the guy after the series went out of its way to make Musa all Stella-like? Clothes, attitude, the only thing missing is making Riven carry her shopping bags around and call him “Shnookums” (although the mental image is already enough for me to fall over laughing, just for the face Riven would make). Still, I have to count that one against Riven if only because (as much as the show gives only lip service to it) Musa isn’t Stella.

Riven being mind controlled (again) aside, those two are back together. And on the overall? Riven showed more growth than any other character in the show COMBINED (he is the Zuko of the show), that doesn’t go to say that he didn’t make mistakes since coming back in S8 (but that was more a guy trying to win back a girl than… betraying his friends for a pair of nice legs or… IDEK like in S1 – where, mind control or not the show itself made sure to make it clear that he had free will) or that he is now the one out of Musa’s league. I think that NOW it can actually work… if the show allows him to keep the progress, Musa is the next to see her flaws and work on them (which she showed to be able to do since S2) and put effort in the relationship. The difference between them is that Musa can actually work on herself and the relationship at the same time. That’s not me saying she is better than Riven in any way, everybody has their own pace and their own way to cope, to improve and to self-reflect.

I still root for them.

~*~

PS-IDK why, but I read posts about how Riven changed so much and posts about how all his progress disappeared and he is now back to his S1 attitude and I’m just cofused. Yeah, different of opinions and so on, but such opposite opinions on the subject of a guy whose relationship was focused on three episodes? 

[unseelie-bitch]

Season 3 Episode 1: The Princess' Ball

Oh I am EXCITED for this

Oh god okay new shots in the intro include a well-dressed man who very much looks like a human version of Scarlemagne from Kipo. Gonna go out on a limb and assume he's the new antagonist

Musa's hair's longer!! Oh it's so cute

Okay who is this blue haired lady that keeps showing up in the intro she's clearly important but gives me villain vibes

Also loving the amount of ballgowns they're clearly going to wear this season

Stella's packing for a vacation, good start

Musa "wear whatever you have" is not advice Stella would EVER take come on

And why exactly is vacation way shorter this year? You can't just say that and expect me not to question it

I think Techna's voice actor has changed >:(

Layla and Musa aren't going home? Aww...

"Hitherus" iconic

KIKO

Oh nice one Layla

Oh no Stella's getting a sungram please tell me her parents aren't cancelling on her

Oh Stella's getting a princess ball! Also "back when they still had arranged marriages" implies that Sky actively proposed to Diaspro and they were actually dating so... what's the truth lover-boy?

Oh no her dad has a suprise announcement he thinks will make her happy? What's the bet he's either pulling her out of school or has found her a husband

Aww Stella's bringing the whole squad!!

"Approaching omega dimension" with ominous music... can I assume we're either going to see the Trix or fancyboy?

Oh they're delivering three prisoners... Icy? Darcy? Stormy?

"They say it's so cold down there it freezes your heart solid" well Icy won't exactly have an issue now will she

Yep it's the Trix

Okay so Icy just woke up with glowing eyes which is a whole thing but can we talk about their frozen expressions? They not only look afraid but in pain... when were they frozen? What happened to them? I hope they're okay

Well Icy's free

Icy I'm loving your monologue but do you want to maybe free your coven sisters

Oh no she's hoping her parents are getting back together honey no

Oh my god Icy freed Darcy and Stormy and they both immediately collapsed they look so exhausted I'm so worried for them

"Only the baddest of the bad get sent here, girls" "Nice! I bet they're talking about us at Cloud Tower" I cannot stress enough that these are not Big Bad Villains they're just teenagers who don't want to be forgotten and have been abused and manipulated please can they get redemption arcs

Oh ice-laser-breathing-snakes. Isn't that fun?

Stormy actually looked terrified oh no

Blue haired girl from the intro has made her entrance and she's a dick

Pizza man is not okay with this Stella Vs Mystery Girl fight in his shop

Sorry they're... what? Please tell me she didn't actually say "Betas" like it's a flex

Oh wow her friends have a song and dance. Isn't that lovely

Okay I was willing to accept Mystery Girl right up until she was a bitch to Flora now she's going down

Techna going "snap" to emphasise Stella's insult? Iconic. Especially since she did it better than the Betas

Musa's getting her hair spelled! Excited to see it longer

Bloom and Stella are alone <3

Virtual dresses? Excellent world building

Montage!!

The Beta bitch is going to steal Stella's dress isn't she

Yep there we go

HOW DARE YOU PUSH STELLA AND BLOOM OVER

The Trix are running from the snakes oh shit

IT FROZE STORMY'S MAGIC AND SHE LOOKED SO SCARED AGAIN NOOO

Icy actually called back to make sure Stormy knew where they were going! I'm so glad they all care about each other <3

Icy please stop enjoying the icy floor the others can't deal with this like you can

Love that Icy jumped then flew into the cavern while Darcy and Stormy just fell straight down

Again, Icy is fine and gets up straight away, Darcy is hurt and crouched down and Stormy is just straight up lying on the floor please look out for the non-icy witches Icy

Oh there's sir fancyboy. His name's Baltor and I believe I've vaguely heard it

He was sentenced to eternity?? Jesus. Also implies that they would have gotten the Trix out at some point which is interesting

"Frozen dude, blink once if you can see us" okay first of all Icy his name is Baltor and it is literally RIGHT in front of you, secondly he was sentenced to eternity do you really want to try and team up with that? Thirdly iconic line though I love her

Love that Stormy's like "what if we unfeeze this guy so the snakes can kill him and we can get away" and Icy immediately agrees. These girls are pro-murder but everyone has flaws and they're cute so

Darcy and Stormy protecting Icy's back while she's using her (clearly diminished) powers to unfreeze Baltor? Even though they know damn well there's nothing they can do against the snakes? Absolutely brilliant the Trix are such a strong group I love that they actaully love each other and will protect the others at all costs

Fully ran behind Baltor and shoved him into the snakes lol

OH SHIT BALTOR KILLED ALL THREE SNAKES WITH LIKE 0 EFFORT

He's so extra I love him

He was frozen and awake for 17 years... yikes

I didn't notice his stupid little beard until now yikes Baltor please shave it

Oh he cut Icy off this won't end well Darkar has taught her not to let anyone else take charge

Baltor being like "I have no idea what any of you can do and I know I'm powerful but we've been sentenced to the same place so you probably are too. Also I'm out numbered so Imma just let you do what you want... for now" is the smartest villain-play so far

Meanwhile Stella's still trying to get her dress from Beta bitch

"Tantrum Tirade" is Beta bitch's spell so she's clearly the epitome of 'daddy's little rich girl'. Just the Winx version of Veruca Salt. Clearly Beta is for the trustfund babies without talent. Yikes

We have a name lads: Chimera

OH NO HER SPELL IS MAKING A BASKET OF PUPPIES FALL FROM A HIGH BALCONY

Watch Stella lose the dress because she's a good fucking person and won't let the puppies die

OH THOSE DOGS ARE SO CUTE

Oh shit. She's "soon going to be the princess of solaria". Shit man. Stella's dad's marrying Chimera's mother isn't he. That's the news SHIT

The gate to Tides? Oh no Baltor and the Trix can't wreck Layla's home world :(

Baltor you little bitch you could have told them the gate was re-enforced BEFORE they tried to break it and got thrown backwards

Icy might want to show off but I love how Darcy and Stormy are like "bitch do NOT bring that snake back near us"

The teamwork lads. Icy redirecting the beam so Darcy and Stormy can break the barrier? Immaculate. Also I love how Icy has started calling them "ladies" I just think it's cute

Baltor's little hops are ridiculous

"I like your style" "Back at ya Baltor" Icy I can't believe you just WINKED please stop flirting your girlfriends are RIGHT THERE

Mermaid guards!!

Okay but for real, why do you even HAVE an omega dimension gate? Like, what was the purpose? Come on

Oh Baltor's enslaving the mermaids. Christ that was quick

"How do all these guys get minions?" "I don't know but we gotta get some too" says Stormy and Icy, ignoring the third member of the Trix who's primary power is MIND CONTROL (also the Trix are so cute I'm sorry they're just adorable)

Musa's long hair is WONDERFUL

Okay Stella's new dress is actually quite cute

Musa please don't ignore your boyfriend

Are we going to find out why Bloom and Sky fought or...?

Riven brought music for Musa oh my god I can't believe I'm starting to like him... but the growth... the development... HE'S ACTUALLY KINDA CUTE NOW SHIT

"Something's wrong with the ocean" no shit Layla there's a TIDAL WAVE

RIVEN JUST SAVED A TINY CHILD AWW

Layla saving the OTHER tiny child

Oh... bye Layla! Good luck fighting Baltor alone...

"You brand them, turn them into freaks and take their power? Very cool, Baltor..." Icy PLEASE I know you have a crush but come on

Baltor's electric guitar solo is peak

[moonlightreal]

Winx season 8/17

Now three or four people are reading these, and I am very happy.  =)

In which we root for Stormy.

17 Dress Fit for a Queen

So, a Stella episode.

Alfea!  And we’re returning to the simulation class from season one!  It’s not called the “magical reality chamber” this time around because honestly, that name is a little silly.  But here’s Palladium all dapper in his vest and long hair asking the girls if they’re ready for a “special kind of test.”

Bloom is unsure.

Stella is ready for any kind of test… “as long as it’s about makeup or changing clothes.”

But this test is about visualizing your deepest insecurities, exactly what Stella isn’t an expert at.  The cute minor fairies look worried.

Stella says she has no insecurities, but it’s Musa who hops up to go first.  

So, what are Musa’s insecurities?  Riven.  Her taste in boys.  Her mom obviously. Choosing to do music against her father’s wishes, though now that the girls are successes I assume Ho Boe would’ve calmed down about that.

Good callback, the set is the same—a door, then a bridge into a domed room that projects the simulation.  

While Musa’s insecurities play a Palladium voiceover explains that everyone has insecurities—like, “some are afraid of making mistakes” Virtual rocker Musa flubs a chord.  

“Some are afraid of being unable to help others.”  Virtual Flora can’t revive withered plants.  

Some are afraid of losing control over a situation.”  Virtual Tecna has built a humanoid robot that she’s controlling with her phone, making it do dance moves.  But her phone control stops working and virtual Tec has to flee because it looks like the robot is going to attack her. Also, virtual Tecna is sitting in a lavender diamond shaped hovering chair that you can get in Winx fairy school.  The robot bangs the chair on the ground, it’s funny.

Virtual Aisha is climbing a climbing wall and falls.  “Some are afraid of losing their nerve.”  

Virtual Bloom gets dumped by virtual Sky. “And some are afraid of losing the one they love.”  She runs after virtual Sky, very upset.  When real Bloom walks out she says the simulation feels so real.

What’s this test about anyway?  It seems kinda traumatic!  But Stella has no fear, she thinks she’ll have to ‘come up with a tiny little insecurity I can visualize.”  Stell, I know it was an alternate you, but your Nemesis slapped you around with your insecurities not that long ago! I love Stella, but she has the self-awareness of a turnip.

Virtual Stella is in her pajamas and encounters three dressed-up courtiers.  They titter.  She wonders if she’s under-dressed… nah, they must be overdressed!  She snaps her fingers and poofs them into pajamas too, welcoming them to her sleepover.

Then her parents come out and shame her.  Stella stutters, falling apart a little. Then the simulation ends.  Stella walks out looking mad, and says she could’ve fixed things with her parents if she’d only had more time.  Her voice sounds sad but she looks pissed off; I wonder what tone of voice the Italian voice actress had.

Palladium just says, “Of course you could have, Stella.”  her doesn’t sound sarcastic, or particularly anything.  Then he says they’ll have another class tomorrow morning and leaves.  I expected something more like “this test was to help you understand yourself not fix problems in the simulation, which isn’t real after all.”  but nope.  I kinda wonder if Italian Palladium was sarcastic, maybe I’ll look this episode up on RaiPlay.

Back in the Winx common room the girls talk about how down the test left Stella, and how she never really got over her parents’ separation.  Flora comments that Stella always cheers other people up, but hides her own problems.

So the timeslide has not rewritten Stella’s parents splitting up—though in US law ‘separated’ is different from ‘divorced’ but I’m not sure a kids’ show would care about that.  Probably nothing.  Also Stella’s wish in season 5 seems not to have gotten her folks remarried as was wondered.  We haven’t heard much from Luna and Radius in a while.

Star case appearance!  It speaks!  The next star is on Solaria, conveniently. “It’s easy to be seen but to get it you must be wearing the confidence of a queen.”  Was that an attempt at poetry?

The girls look worried, not thrilled.  But Stella comes in and she is thrilled: that’s her homeworld!  Musa wonders what confidence of a queen means, but Stella knows!  It just means a dress!  And that’s right up her alley!  Bloom is unsure.  But Stella has her plan: make a dress and wear it!  “After all, nobody’s more confidant than I am!”

Valtor is watching. He dispatches the Trix to get the star first.  Stormy says a test of confidence will be child’s play for her, and she’s kinda got a point.  I’d put Icy with her “Defeat the Winx once and for all!” every season like clockwork high on the confidence meter.

I have been watching the Trix very closely.  This season has a prize in the bottom of the box, and I know mostly what it is so I’m looking for any hint of foreshadowing… so far I have seen not a single hint.  I wonder if the prize was added late in the writing of the season like the gang at Rainbow suddenly decided this season needed a little something more, or something.  One thing I wish they did was have foreshadowing in the opening sequence—like in anime ops, there will often be a hint, characters with their faces not visible or only shown as a brief flash so you see just enough to suspect…

(see the Umineko game opening for an example.)  But this season of Winx the entire op is just clips from the show itself so nothing in the op can sort of contain the whole season’s story… if that makes any sense… yeah, I think Winx ops could be better than they are.

Cut to gorgeous Solaria background.  A little bay, the palace, and a… giant building like six times bigger than the palace?  Do Solarians live in arcologies instead of normal cities? (spellcheck does not know the word arcology.)  there are also some viking style boats in the bay and random crystals spiking out of the water.  Very pretty.

The girls on their winxboards fly past the crystals, which are beautifully colored. Stella says her mom can help with dressmaking but her dad can’t even combine colors.  Heh.  But he’ll be happy about the surprise visit!

Throne room!  One throne, two lion statues, the usual drapey above-throne fabrics. Radius sits reading a scroll.  He gets up to hug Stella and calls her “Little Star.”  Aaaaaw.  Then immediately starts a lecture on how busy palace life is and how she should’ve called before visiting.

Stella blows him off, “Fine, fine, we won’t bother you, byeeee!”  and leads the somewhat embarrassed Winx out of the throne room.  Stella has an idea: her dad seems stressed, he needs a party to cheer him up! Aisha reminds her of their mission and Stella says she can do both. If her friends help.  The girls follow, their expressions neutral.  I would be having an expression of ‘concerned’ at this point.

  Outside the palace Stella walks with her mother while the rest of the Winx wait on a bench.  Bloom comments that it’s nice Luna is still living at the royal palace… what IS her status as the king’s ex?  Is she a queen?  She clearly still rates a royal look and that cool moon crown.

Luna suggests they look for supplies at Muppy village.  Whatever that is.  Before we can go find out Stella has another idea: a party for her mom too!  Bloom wants to talk some sense but before she can get one word out Stella conjures her winxboard and hops on, off to see the muppies!

Bloom doesn’t know what muppies are either.

They seem to live in houses made from mushrooms around the bases of trees, but the front door is size that a person can go in, so those must be big trees.  Stella says muppies are great craftsgnomes and they’ll have all the supplies Stella needs for her gown.  Musa sensibly asks why the muppies would part with rare supplies but Stella says all she’ll need to do is make them laugh.  The rest of the girls look more and more unsure about all this.

The Trix are of course watching from above.

Inside we see many bolts of fabric.  Stella sees some bluewhite fabric and decides that’s fit for a queen.  It matches her mother’s dress, a nice touch.  Then some muppies walk in, they’re short and look about like adult male pixies would, I think.  No wings.  And way too small for the scale of their shop.

Stella attempts to pay for the fabric with a joke, but it flops.  She’s so earnest about it, it’s adorable.

Musa summons soundwaves that make the muppies’ hair and beards spike out.  They see each other and burst out laughing.  Score!  Stella gets her bolt of fabric… and immediately dumps it on aisha to carry while she does some more shopping.

In the next shop Stella finds a spool of gold thread.  She starts to tell her joke then rethinks and asks Tecna for help.  Tecna conjures a funny robot that rolls around, juggles, then drops the balls on its head.  The muppy proprietor laughs.  Tecna says , “achievement unlocked” which is becoming slightly annoying as a catchphrase.  Stella gets a box of spools of thread… and immediately gives them to Aisha to carry.  This’ll end well.

In the next shop they’re coming to buy jewels to put on the dress.  This muppy has a big jewel on his hat.  Bloom offers to provide the laughs and does a really cool trick with little streams of fire from her fingers.  But it’s not actually funny, and the muppy seems worried his shop is going to catch on fire.  As Stella tries to reassure him she knocks a bowl of jewels down on her head.  Laugh achieved, she wins a bag of jewels… and immediately dumps it on Aisha to carry.  Aisha says she should’ve brought a shopping cart.

The girls hop on their winxboards (Aisha’s burdens seem to have vanished) and head back to the palace.

The Trix hop down for their turn.

Darcy: “We don’t have to make these things laugh to get what we need do we?”

Icy: “I’d rather make them cry.”

Stormy: “We’ll let the Winx do all the work for us then take the prime star from them when they least expect it.”

Too bad, it would’ve been fun to see what kind of dress they’d have made.

Back at the palace Stella is working on a dress not unlike the folded-chiffon dresses they wore on Andros in the Sirenix episodes.  It’s pale blue/lavender with a skirt that’s short in front and long in back, blue ribbon trim, one shoulder, a wide ribbon choker, and jewels on the bodice.  it’s not at all in Stella’s colors and really looks more her mother’s style.  I wonder if that’s on purpose, a nod to Stella seeing her her as a true queen.

The other girls bring party stuff: flowers and ribbons, chocolate cake and lemon cake.  As you can guess, one parent likes one thing and one parent likes the other.  Stella decides they’ll use both decorations and magics the cakes together into a lemon-chocolate cake which is not a flavor combination I have ever heard of.  Lemon-cinnamon cake, however, is amazing.

Bloom manages to reroute Stella into trying on the dress.

Nighttime, outside, Stella is wearing the dress and her Solarian crown.  The other girls admire her confidence… and a door of light appears!

Cosmix time! Through the door!  The Trix follow, because of course they were hanging around.

The girls appear outside a beautiful pearly sphere with another sphere inside it. Inside is the prime star.

Everybody tries to fly in, but only Stella and Stormy can pass through, maybe because they’re the most confident.  But when they grab for the prime star they get zapped to…

Stella in her dress meeting the same three courtiers from the simulation.  Stella guesses this is a magical test, but at least this time she’s dressed for the setting!  She sees her parents and runs to them, asking if they like the party she set up.

But Radius says they have nothing to celebrate: Luna is leaving.  Stella can choose who to go with.  She looks back and forth between them, unable to choose.

Stormy arrives back at Valtor’s place where he yells at her for being late.  Stormy says she can come and go as she pleases and Valtor blasts all three Trix into the walls.  Icy and Darcy fall down into the chasm on either side of Valtor’s throne, hanging on by their fingers.   Valtor declares he’s powerful enough not to need them anymore.  Icy and Darcy yell for help, saying they can’t fly anymore.  Stormy does an evil grin that kinda makes me root for her.

Back at the palace Stella watches her parents walk away.  She starts crying, saying she doesn’t want to choose.

Stormy gets her badass on!  She can still fly, and still do magic, and she throws some at Valtor.  “You can’t treat me like that!  And you can’t treat my sisters like that!  She rescues both Icy and Darcy and declares, ‘Because I’m the most powerful witch in the magic universe!”

Go Stormy!

Back with the prime star, Stormy wins!  She gets the star!

Stella realizes, “It didn’t mean a dress, it means the confidence a queen uses to fulfill her duty, no matter how difficult.”

But it’s too late, Stormy’s got the prime star and the Trix escape with it. Stormy also said, “Guess I showed you two!” to her sisters, which did not make Icy a happy camper!

Stella stands defeated.

Stormy presents the prime star to Valtor.  

“I knew I could count on you, Stormy.  Keep this up and you’ll earn more than compliments.  I’m talking about your freedom from my magic bond.”

Stormy gloats.  Icy snarls.

Back on Solaria Stella’s wearing her new dress and the other girls are in their dresses from Andros.  Party time!  Stella worries about the preparations but it’s all perfect.

“No it isn’t! I failed the test!  I wasted time on that dress instead of focusing on my confidence!”

Bloom says anyone could’ve made that mistake, and Stella says, ‘Except that I did!”  and now the Trix have the star.

Cute moment of Bloom saying they love everything about Stella, the way she’s there for them, not just her confidence, and the Winx get all teary. Stella says she’s lucky to have friends like them, and Bloom says she’s lucky to have family that love her.

Luna comes in and admires Stella’s dress.  Stella says her mother was her inspiration, so I guessed that right.  Radius loves the chocolate-lemon cake.  They tell Stella that she’s their happiness, and there are hugs.  Aaw.

[moonlightreal]

Winx Club Season 8/12

In which Valtor finally gets his villain on! (eventually)

12 Surprise Party on Earth

We open with some more nice wide shots of Valtor’s asteroid.  Our villain is in a thoughtful mood, which I’d screencap for you if my program did caps.  He also seems to be wearing purple eyeshadow, which continues to prove my point that eye makeup = evil in the Winx ‘verse.

He’s watching a big all-round hologram of space, and suddenly a comet streaks across the view.  Valtor is delight!  This is “the wishing star.  It hasn’t been seen in the magic universe for almost a thousand years! I must have it!  It’s the only way to make my ultimate wish come true!”

Sounds interesting!

But here comes Obscurum to interrupt Valtor’s rant.  “Ahem.  Sorry to interrupt such a glorious dream, your Foolishness, but you do know your dark powers will prevent you from getting anywhere near the wishing star.”

Valtor already knows, but he says he can power up be getting himself some Cosmix! And he does a really lecherous grin and we cut to…

Orion’s ship! Orion does the most adorable, “What did you bring me from Syderia?” and is delight when Bloom presents him with the crystal of “condensed star energy.”  

Twinkle suggests using it for a paperweight or bookends but Orion says he can make a prototype mini star core.  If it works he can make new cores for all the stars Valtor destroyed.

Bloom’s phone buzzes.  Shy is suggesting a romantic dinner.  The Winx are immediately all opver the romance, except for Tecna, who is...having that geekfest with Orion that I wanted her to have a few episodes ago!  They’re talking about how to boost the power of the new star cores.

Stella: “Who needs romance when there’s some new hypertechnothingamajig about to be built?” ^^

Bloom says Tecna and Orion are right, the mission needs to come first.  “I’m just sorry Sky and I have so little time to see each other.”  Bloom sounds quite chipper, but her face is sad.  I think the actress didn’t do the emotion right for that line.

Flora suggests the Winx can handle things so Bloom can see Sky, but Bloom has to go to Earth for her mom’s birthday.  So she has to turn Sky down.

Tec and Orion are still talking star cores.  Adorable.

So the rest of the Winx will continue to do outer space stuff while Bloom heads to earth.

Cut to Gardenia! Mike is waiting on the beach, holding a cute picture of young Bloom. She turns up, and they hug.  They’re going to throw a surprise party for Vanessa.  Mike says it should be easy since Bloom can just snap her fingers and do it with magic, which brings up a whole bunch of thoughts about what it would really be like if some people could use magic like that.  Well maybe magic is like money, one-percenters can snap their fingers and make stuff happen too.

But Bloom wants to set up the party without using any magic!

Mike is going to take Vanessa out to lunch so she doesn’t suspect.  He asks Bloom if she’s sure she doesn’t need help.

“Dad I’m a fairy, I bring light back to drained stars.  I think I can handle a party.”

Cue predictable comedic failure montage!  Bloom attempts to set up a beach party without magic and stuff goes wrong.

On his Asteroid Valtor is talking to himself again.  he’s looking at a projection of the universe that’s going from blue to purple which I think means the spread of drained stars.  He’s gotten a lot, apparently.

“I’ve drained the light of one star after another to increase my powers, but the Winx always manage to save the day!  No more!  they’ll never stand in my way again, once the Cosmix power is mine...”  Counting your chickens before they hatch, huh Valtor?  He rants a bit more.  His plan is to get at Bloom through her family.

Obscurum turns up in a hologram; he’s on Lumenia.  His favorite spot.  He rambles a bit about becoming king.

Valtor dumps Obscurum through a portal into a river.

Beach!  Vanessa arrives for her surprise party!  With a bunch of people we’ve never seen before.  Bloom did get it set up without magic.

Sweet moments with Bloom and her family.  Bloom’s given her mom a photo album with pictures of her childhood.  They talk about Bloom’s adventures in space, but she says her home will always be with them.  She also says that all the places she goes are places I trouble, and she looks quite pensive, and Mike reminds her that here in Gardenia she’s safe.

No mention of Bloom’s other family—which is fine, I love her earth family, but it does make me wonder if the Season 8 Timeslide has erased Bloom’s Domino family from the timeline.  That would be a pretty big change.

As they go to cut the cake, Valtor decides it’s time to blow the earth’s candle out!  He opens a portal near the sun… but not the mass of incandescent gas that we know it as, this sun is a honeycomb ball of glowing yellow stone.  Staryums pour into the caves.

But the sun’s lumens are badass!  They’re Roman lumens with lil helmets and armored skirts and some of them are carrying blowguns  they’re prepared to defend their light!

So the staryums get together and turn into starchomps.

Roman lumen attack! Darts away!  I think they’re shooting starlight from their blowguns.

The starchomps get together and grow into an even bigger stompy monster!  It scares the lumens away and starts punching the sun’s star core!

The rest of the Winx meanwhile are on Lumenia.  Tecna shows off the prototype star core to Queen Dorana.  Dorana worries, quite reasonably, that once the stars are repowered the staryums will just come back and drain them again.  She wishes her brother Argen were here; “he’d certainly know how to stop them for good.”  flora reassures the queen that her brother will come home soon.  And until then, the Winx will fight them1

Twinkle reminds everyone that we don’t want to hurt the staryums.  Then she flies and hugs Queen Dorana’s foot, which is very cute but Dorana looks kinda uncomfortable.  She reminds the girkls that she turned Lumilla back to herself by hugging them.  So more hugs should turn the rest of the staryums back!

Dorana is skeptical.

Musa and Aisha do not like the idea of hugging staryums!  Anyway, there aren’t enough of us to hug them all!

Flora says that hugging is the only way.  ‘Only when they feel loved and accepted will they turn back into lumens.

Well I guess it’s a version of the Kiss of True Love, the Hug of True Acceptance?  I once read a book where they were trying to disenchant some people and there was a line about “it has to be true love, not brotherly love” which made me wonder if there are other spells that would only be lifted by Brotherly Love.

Anyway, Queen Dorana feels unwell suddenly and sinks to the ground.  Something bad is happening!  Twinkle’s projector-thingy shows the sun is under attack!  Everyone’s worried!  They leap into action!

Party is party. Then it goes dark!  The sun is flickering!

Valtor summons dark giants from under the sea!  I presume he left them there earlier. They’re the same color as staryums but not furry, they’re more towards “made of living shadow” type of look, with a eye-ish circle on the head, lines of mystic runes, and Valtor’s mark.  Very cool.  Two of them come tromping towards the beach.  People panic and run.

Bloom: Oh, well, now I’ve got two problems to solve.  Save the sun and save Gardenia from those whatever-they-are!”  She sounds wonderfully exasperated.

Mike says there’s only one Bloom, but she says she’s never alone.  And calls Sky. This isn’t the date they wanted, but giants are attacking.  

Sky: “Let me guess, Valtor?”

The Specialists will fight the giants while Bloom hugs her folks and heads for the sun.  Sky did want to go with Bloom, but she basically ordered him to do giant duty.  I wonder if this will come up in their inevitable couple-drama.  Bloom flew off in Cosmix, but it doesn’t show her transforming in front of her parents.

Inside the sun the rest of the Winx face off the punchy monster that Aisha calls a megachomp when Bloom arrives.  Megachomp punches things, then it noms the core in one bite.  Heh.  He just swallowed it.

Flora: “Maybe if we hug him he’ll turn into… well, a lot of lumens.”

Stella: “Sure Flora.  You go first.”

They decide on some magic zapping instead.

Then there’s Valtor!  In the flesh!  The first time he’s left his lair all season!  He’s floating just outside the cave.  Stella even comments on this, saying he’s never crawled out from under his rock before.

Valtor: “Are you kidding, Stella?  This is a special occasion!  The sun’s gone dark, the earth is about to be destroyed, and Bloom will be forced to make the hardest decision of her life.’

Valtor summons a portal and blasts Bloom through it.  Then he ducks back through his own portal, escaping.

In magic-space, or outer space, our hero and villain face off.

Bloom: “We beat you before, Valtor!  And for sure we’ll do it again!”

Valtor: “I only lost because I let you do my bidding.  But you won’t get away with it so easily this time.”

...what?  No really, what did that sentence even say?  ‘Let you do my bidding’..?  What?

Bloom summons magic.  Valtor summons an image of cars on the highway and people flee from Gardenia, while the giants tromp towards shore.  On the beach Vanessa refuses to leave until she knows Bloom is safe.  Well that’s dumb.

Bloom: “They’d better not be in any danger!”

Valtor: ‘Oh, sorry, it’s too late.  They already are.”

Who WROTE these lines? -_-

Dark giant summons flying staryum-monkeys that attack the people on the beach!

Bloom is ready to fight, but Valtor is the only one who can stop the ‘stargoyles’ and the dark giants.  So Bloom can’t take him out or the monsters would be freed from his control and run amok, he’s saying.  Bloom says the specialists are on the way, but Valtor points out that his monsters are already THERE, innocent people are about to be toast, right now.

Bloom: Then I’ll fight them myself!  I’m not scared of your dark magic!”

Valtor laughs.  “Ah but if you save your parents, who’s going to save your friends?”

And we see the Winx having no luck against the megachomp, which looks a lot bigger than in the last scene.

Valtor: ‘And you know, without the sun your parents won’t survive anyway.  They trust you.  Will you betray them?”

Yes!  THIS is an appropriately evil Valtor, at last!  Once his lines started making sense.

Bloom looks back and forth between the two images, unable to decide.

Valtor presents his third option: give him the Cosmix power.

Bloom: “Never! You’d become even stronger!”

Valtor: “Right. But it’s still the best choice.”  he promises to let everybody live if he gets the power.

Bloom wavers.