A/n:
It's been years, dear reader!
Nearly two at this point. The last time I updated O Wondrous Wielder of the Winds was in December of 2019. It's now late October of 2021 and things are looking a bit different since the last update. The whole world is different.
COVID-19 has taken the world by storm and is still rearing its ugly head as I write this. For most of humanity, 2020 was like the hell on earth. Thousands—hundreds of thousands—lost their home, employment, stability, and peace of mind. Many people have lost loved ones to the virus, forced to cope with their grief within the solidarity of lockdown. As we sat at home, worrying about our jobs, households, finances, emotional wellbeing, and everything else, we also had a lot of time to reflect on ourselves.
During one of these reflections, I revisited OWWOTW and found it somewhat…unsavory.
I'll be blunt: I hate my earlier writing style and the non-seriousness of it. Back then, I was just an uncommitted writer who was publishing things for the sake of publishing. But now, I realize there were a lot of opportunities I missed. I could've given Acadia a better backstory, explored the Magic Dimension and its lore, etc. My overall biggest regret is re-capping the Winx episodes instead of diverging to write a more original storyline.
The most recent chapters of Winds better reflect my writing style. I thought about leaving the story as it is so readers can tangibly see the progress I've made between Chapter 1 and Chapter 35, but I want all the chapters to "match" the final chapters momentum, if that makes sense. To have a sense of unity.
I know a lot of you will be disappointed, but this is for the better! I've been a bit insecure about my decision but thanks to the (horrible) new Winx live action, the fandom has been renewed and I figured this is my chance to recaptivate my readers now that they've returned.
Don't worry, I'm not going to change the nature of the story. Acadia will still be a smartass, there will still be real-world references, and all the characters are here to stay. Two years ago, I decided I wanted to explore Sky's and Diaspro's characters and that will not change. Chapters 35 and 36 will likely remain the same, as will Bloom' early discovery of her fire powers and the drama surrounding it. In fact, I can safely say that most of the plot elements from the original will carry into the revised edition. There will also be a quite a few surprises as well.
As demonstrated in Chapter 34, it wasn't until the very "end" of this story I realized I wanted—needed to flesh out the Magic Dimension. In the cartoon, life beyond Alfea is deemed insignificant and I want to make up for that by fleshing out the realms; why not explore the different cultures, environments, species, etc? Why not explore the government and its handling of Bloom, a naïve girl who's the heir to a dead realm and the wielder of the universe's strongest magic? Who among their ranks would see an opportunity to use her? Most of Winx Club's conflict is kind of bland. Cliché villains pop up, threaten the stability of the Mafic Dimension, and the Winx alone defeat them. None of the dimensions' powers come to help, and there is no real cause-effect relationship between the Winx and the rest of the dimension. As long as Faragonda condones their actions, they can do whatever they want on any planet they want without really interacting with the rest of the dimension or facing consequences.
Think of the Council of Sovereigns in Season 5. That was the first time we saw the dimension's major power interacting and cooperating for the sake of all the realm. I want to see something similar happen with Sky, Stella, Aisha, Krystal, and all the other worlds. In summary, I want to see how the monarchs and their kingdoms fit into the governmental structure of Magic Dimension as a whole.
I also want to make use of plots from the comic series and commingle them with the main canon. I always liked the tone of the comic series: the Winx going on side-missions, exploring the greater Magic Dimension and making new relationships beyond the boys. Hopefully, the new version of WWOTW will have more in common with the comics than the strict continuity of the cartoon.
Perhaps the biggest reason I want to rewrite Winds is the fact I've finally figured out how the story's going to end. After some six years, the idea just randomly sprung into my head for the first time a few weeks ago. However, I have to tailor the story a bit in order for it to make sense.
I'm still working on the first chapter of the rewrite, but know it'll come soon. I'll keep this version up until then and on the day I publish the new O Wondrous Wielder of the Winds (yes, the name will be the same), that's when I'll delete the original (since this site doesn't allow two of the same stories). To be honest, I'm not as sentimental as I thought I'd be. This version has well over 50,000 views with over 200 unique story alerts but if it means improving the story, I'll gladly sacrifice it all. I'm sure we'll recover Winds'popularity very quickly.
That's all for now. I'm sure many of you will reread this version while I'm writing the new one, but be assured that this version isn't going to disappear forever. I'll repost it somewhere—just not on here so I won't violate this site's bullshit rules. Anyway—
I've missed you, dear reader. We will meet again in the new future but when that happens, our reunion will be epic! Until then, may your paths be filled with peace and light.
~Rosalite
