Posted 4 June 2023.
*Spoilers for Seasons 1, 2, and 3
**No spoilers for my Winx Expanded World series
I wanted to share a bit about the representation and diversity in my Winx Expanded World. If you’ve been reading so far, you’ll know each planet is based on an existing culture in our world, with variations to fit the whim of the Galaxy of Magix (in the series referred to as the Magical Dimension). In addition to the eight canon realms (including Earth), I have added five more OC realms. I want to include more cultures and more powers, so that was important to me. The point of the Winx Expanded World is to make Magix a living, breathing entity. The show gave us great foundations, and it’s important to expand upon them.
It is important for me to pay reverence to the original Winx Club world as created by Iginio Straffi. Straffi gave us the foundation of a world with so much potential, which I can hide in whenever I have my own issues. It is a huge part of my creative headspace right now, which I hope to expand into future works.
I plan on writing professionally in addition to a career in humanitarian services. Unfortunately, as this is all fanfiction, I cannot publish this for commercial purposes, nor do I ever wish to. This is all just for my personal enjoyment and interest.
A note: This guide is for my first story in the Winx Expanded World, An Unlikely Pair (Season 3 rewrite), only. (The abbreviation is AU3). I want this to be as simple as possible (and it’s still not simple at all). I hope my readers find this information interesting, as an important companion to help understand my fics better.
Realms of the Galaxy
As with any worldbuilding, there needs to be a very defined set of places, peoples, and values. Much of my worldbuilding inspiration comes from J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter is my bible!!!). There are four crucial elements to my construction of the Winx Expanded World, which I refer to as the four R’s: realms, race, religion, and romance. First, we will start with the realms.
The Galaxy of Magix is a group of many planets clustered together. Most of the planets in the Galaxy are a part of the United Realms’ Association, similar to the United Nations of our world. Unlike the UN, however, the UR is much more involved in keeping balance and protecting the various realms. There are eleven total realms in the UR (there were twelve until Domino was destroyed). The following planets are, in order of Creation by the universe:
· The Republic of Summa, Realm of the Four Natural Elements
· The Queendom of Linphea, Realm of Plants and Nature
· The Realm of Domino, Realm of the Dragon Fire
· The United Realms of Solaria and Lunaria, Realm of the Sun, Moon, and Stars
· The Kingdom of Andros, Realm of Water and Oceans
· The Realm of Fulgur, Realm of Weather and Storms
· The Warlocks’ Realm of Whisperia, Realm of Darkness and the Night
· The People’s Republic of Zenith, Realm of Metal and Technology
· The Realm of Melody, Realm of Sound and Music
· The Kingdom of Eraklyon, Realm of Stones and Gems
· The Kingdom of Rêve, Realm of Psychology
· The Realm of Magix, Realm of Magic (at the center of the Galaxy)
*italics are OC realms
Earth is another realm, but it’s not located in the Galaxy of Magix. As Griselda said, fairies on Earth “died out centuries ago”. However, as the Winx find out in Season 4, they didn’t die out – they were imprisoned. When considering Season 3, however, this is not relevant.
As you can see, the realms in italics are my own OC creations. Each realm has a certain element, which is the power-source of the people in the realm. The order of Creation is significant, because Summa, Linphea, Earth, and Domino were the first realms Created by the Great Dragon. Before the Great Dragon laid to rest on Domino, the gods of each realm were born out of his mouth. Then, when the Great Dragon finally merged as one with Domino, the gods Created the rest of the worlds, ending with Magix at the center of the Galaxy. Currently, the gods reside in the Realm of the Dead, the Otherworld – which is completely inaccessible to mortals.
Each realm is its own unique nation. Each nation/kingdom/republic is based on a certain culture: for example, Linphea is Native American, Zenith follows a communist structure similar to that of China and the Soviet Union, and Magix is modeled off the United States (with both its merits and lots of ugly flaws – I’m allowed to say this, because I live in the U.S.).
The cultural identities play a key part in my stories. For example, Tecna tries to reconcile her Zenithian heritage with that of the dictatorial “People’s” Republic of Zenith; she also struggles with expressing her emotions, as Zenithians are not allowed to do so. Flora’s ethnic group is very tolerant of all sexualities, but still has a problem with witches and wizards; Layla struggles against the institutionalized patriarchy in her home world of Andros; and Timmy is a shy, nerdy loner in the bustling world of Magix City (inspired by New York City, which I live near). For the record, nerds are the cool people.
Races of the Galaxy
Another key factor of the world is race. If each planet represents one (or many) ethnic group/groups, then race depends on whether one is a fairy, witch, or mermaid (or the male equivalent). Below are the terms:
· Fairfolk/fairs (gender-neutral)
o Fairies (female)
o Elves (male)
o Pixies (all-female race)
· Merfolk/mers/merpeople (gender neutral)
o Mermaids/mergirls (female)
o Mermen/merboys (male)
o Selkies (all-female race)
· Warlocks (gender-neutral)
o Witches (female)
o Wizards (male)
Fairs and mers are virtually the same, except fairs live on land and mers live undersea. This is why they are often grouped together as the same race. They have very closely-connected relations, such as the bond between Layla and Tressa. (Mers exist in every planet, not just Andros). They derive their powers from their elements, which are defined by their ethnicities and home realms. Warlocks, however, derive power from the moon in addition to their elements. Both are very well-matched.
Fairies, pixies, mermaids, selkies, and warlocks can all wield incredible powers. Unlike our world, they are trained in magical abilities. Like our world, though, they have different occupations in very stratified societies. Fairies and mermaids can achieve transformations – Winx and Charmix as basic forms; Enchantix as the adult form; and specialized, higher-level forms beyond Enchantix. Unlike fairs, warlocks don’t need to transform to fly.
Elves and mermen have two choices. One: they can become warriors, trained with superstrength. This is the path which Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Timmy choose. The other: they can gain wings – meaning they can have the same transformations as fairies and mermaids. Nabu is an example of an elf who can transform. I believe people with wings don’t have to just be female – there’s a spectrum of gender which needs to be embraced.
When the United Realms formed, they created the UR Defense Administration, which oversaw the defense of the Galaxy as a whole. Therefore, they created three new schools, for students ages 15-18: Alfea College for Fairies; Red Fountain College for Warrior Elves, and Cloud Tower College for Witches. Currently, there are no schools for winged elves, wizards, pixies/selkies, mermaids, or mermen; however, that may change in future stories (be on the lookout!). These three ancient schools have existed since the start of the current Age, in which AU3 takes place. (More on Ages later).
Unfortunately, there have been endless feuds between fairs/merfolk and warlocks. One example as such is of the circumstances surrounding the Dominian Wars. There were three witches of the Sekuko family – Belladonna, Tharma, and Liliss – who made up the Coven. They fought against King Oritel and Queen Marion, attempting to steal the Dragon Fire. As a result, animosity against warlocks increased everywhere. Fourteen years before the start of the series (on Bloom’s first birthday), the Coven put Domino under eternal winter, which would only be broken when Bloom finally defeated and killed the three of them.
Belladonna’s great-granddaughters – Icy, Darcy, and Stormy – continued the fight. However, part of their motivation was also hatred against fairs. Fair-warlock tensions were already high, and the Trix made it even worse. They sabotaged the Miss Magix teen pageant, a racist competition which refused to let witches enter. They attacked Musa in the Lunar District, goading all the freshmen witches against Musa and nearly killing her. Eventually, things became better during the Battle of Magix, when student fairs and student witches finally teamed together to take down the Army of Decay. However, Mirta still faces plenty of bullying when she attends Alfea, for some students believe a biological witch should not be in their school.
Another example of Linphean fairs, who have a long-standing bias against warlocks. The indigenous population of Linphea solely consisted of fairs and mers, but then warlocks from Zenith and Whisperia invaded the realm. Things only got worse when Zenith colonized Linphea. Though Linpheans eventually received their independence, they still hold a long grudge against warlocks. In fact, Linphean nationalism has been on the rise, and extremist Linpheans are trying to get revenge. Bisabuela has been a good icon, in the sense she’s denounced hatred as a part of their religion.
There is a such thing as a transformation from fair to warlock, or warlock to fair. (There is no transformation invented between fairs and mers, or warlocks and mers). It was invented in the Age of Unity; however, it is a very dangerous process which takes several months. The power source itself is not changing, but the direction in which it’s channeled is. Many do not make it out of the transformation alive. It was important to Mirta, however, to have wings, and so she went through it – not so she could “fit in” with the other fairies, but so she could use magic in the way she’s always wanted to. I have received comments that it seems like Mirta went through the transformation just so she could ingratiate herself to the other girls at Alfea. This is a valid critique, so I just want to clarify this was NOT her intention. She didn’t suffer all that to prove anything to anyone else – she just wanted to be physically, mentally, and magically comfortable.
Religions of the Galaxy of Magix
A note before we start: I know religion is a very uncomfortable topic for some people. It is for exactly this reason I think it needs to be talked about more. Personally, I am very devoted to my own spirituality, and I respect anyone who chooses to express his/her spirituality in any way he/she desires, or to abstain from spirituality entirely. Religion is an important construct in the Winx world – not so much in AU3, but it will be in upcoming projects.
Before I explain the various religions, I want to make an important distinction between religion and spirituality. Religion is an organized social construct, which often denotes hierarchy and stratification. Though many religious people do believe in God / the Goddess / a set of gods, the religion itself is not centered around the Divine. It is in reference to a human-made divinity, and often is meant to define an ultimate Good and Evil, which justifies accepted norms and values within the society. There are various different religions in the world, and they have different sets of values.
Spirituality, on the other hand, is not about ego or hierarchy or ranking. In the eyes of the Divine (whichever god or gods you believe in), every human is equal. There is no need for a chain of priests to communicate with the Divine and the Soul. It is about independence, but also interdependence – the idea that each of us is a unique human, but is also connected in a web which includes community, society, global society, and Nature. Politics, finance, and socioeconomic statuses are irrelevant in spirituality. Of course, there is no one way to connect with the Divine, but every prophet or prophetess in our world has preached the greatest connection of all – Love. Love is at the center of all spirituality.
Below are the various religions in the UR. The ones in bold are the ones which are relevant to AU3. See below:
Monotheistic:
The Church of Romulus (Romulanism – City of Romulus, Romula, Solaria)
The Synagogue of Remus (Remanism – City of Remus, Rema, Solaria)
The Mosque of Marinus (Marinism – Marinomedina, Hosseini, Andros)
The Church of Herakles (Heraklism – Herakliopolis, Eraklyon)
The Church of Rêve (Rêvianism – Destinée, Heavens, Rêve)
The Church of Kurustan (Iyengar Heraklism – Kurushahr, Magix City, Iyengar Magix)
Polytheistic:
The Temple of Devistan (Iyer Pratidhism – Shaktishahr, Devistan, Iyer Magix)
The Temple of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth (Elementalism – Aislinn Island, Chain of Spiritus, Summa)
The Temple of Linphèana (Linphèanidad – City of Trees, Linphea(
The Temple of Valhalla (Valkyrianism – Freyastadt, Valhalla, Domino)
The Shrine of the Sun (Helianism – Helios, Solaria)
The Shrine of the Moon (Selenism – Selene, Lunaria, Solaria)
The Order of Arya (Aryanism – Rangin, Iris, Fulgur)
The Temple of Symphonia (Symphonianism – Symphonia, Melody)
The Temple of Apollo (Apollonism – Atlantapolis, Atlantis, Eraklyon)
I explained this before, but I will explain it in-depth. The general belief in Elementalism, Linphèanidad, and Valkyrianism is that the Great Dragon created the universe. The four original planets – Summa, Linphea, Earth, and Domino – were born out of the Fire of the Great Dragon. For this reason, the soil of these four planets (particularly Domino) is filled with the energy of Dragon Fire.
From each of those planets rose a Creator God/Goddess. Those deities wrote the laws of the Cycle of Nature, and then, the world began anew. They created more planets, from which more deities were born. The religions that followed eventually became either monotheistic or polytheistic.
It is important to note the deities created Free Will. That means their role only existed up to Creation – as soon as they finished Creating the world, they relinquished all their power over mortal affairs. They created the Otherworld, a home for all the deities. Some religions believe the Otherworld is the home of the dead; others believe in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Religion is not hugely important in AU3, but it still does serve a purpose. Right now, its purpose is mainly to provide more interesting information about the world, but later I will start delving into philosophy – spiritual and secular.
Romantic and sexual orientations, and gender identities
And last – we have to talk about romance!!! I made LGBT+ relationships, as well as other types of diversity, a necessity in this story. This is important to me, as a lesbian woman. In 2020, when I first started writing AU3, I was just coming to terms with my identity, so AU3 was a very important story for me to start.
When I was 18 (when I was posting AU3 for the first time), the coming-out process was a BIG deal for me. I have written very much about bigotry against lesbian couples in AU3, because in my world, it was hard to come out. My sexuality made me uncomfortable, so I had to emphasize that point. You will see the same in AU4 (Season 4 rewrite), when I get around to rewriting it.
Nowadays, though, I tend to wish no one had to come out at all. I prefer not to think too hard about discrimination – I just wish all queerness would be mainstream, so we don’t have to make a big deal to others – and ourselves – about how we identify. I really don’t care what others think of me – if they have a problem with my sexuality, they can f*** off. It’s an important part of my identity, and I don’t need anyone else’s approval to have feelings for women. I hope to make that sentiment a part of my future stories.
In AU3, the only queer relationship really explored is that between Flora and Mirta. This is a pairing which I have a deep love for in my heart. It is just so deep within me – it’s the kind of love I aspire to have in my own life. I always headcannoned Flora as a lesbian (and Roxy, too – as you’ll see in AU4), and Mirta’s love for Flora just seemed so natural, especially after Flora turned her back from pumpkin to person. I never liked how the canon series dropped Mirta after Season 1 – she had such potential as a character. I have done my best to rectify this in my series.
Why representation and diversity are important to me
I am studying at university as a history major. Since I was very little, I have always loved learning about different cultures and peoples. I don’t know where this fascination came from, but it’s just so interesting. I plan on doing humanitarian service in India, where my parents are from, as well as Tajikistan (I am currently learning the Persian language, and I plan on learning Hindi next). In my view, learning various histories, cultures, and languages is essential to understanding the world.
Since I have such a passion for these topics, I wanted to write a story where all this was included. Winx was the perfect backdrop for this – especially because of how important it has been in my life. When I was in 5th grade, I endured lots of bullying from my classmates – at that time, it was the girls. Girls at that age tend to be really mean, especially since we were all having new hormones and developing breasts and periods. Many of the other girls made fun of me because I wasn’t wearing a bra yet, and we all engaged in other types of silly, petty drama. The boys weren’t any better – they acted like they were superior to all the girls. I just reached a point where I hated being around people.
And then I came across Winx. For the first time, I saw healthy female relationships, and it made me feel so hopeful about the world. It helped me get through such a difficult time, when school was a terrible place for me. Ten years later, I have found my passion for worldbuilding in Winx. I know this will help me become a better writer, and also more equipped for humanitarian service.
I hope to inspire more and more people through my writing. I wrote AU3 in 2020, and after two years, I am expanding it into a new series, which many people can enjoy. I look forward to hearing all your comments. Namaste, and I’ll see you in future projects!
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