I promise to never be late again with these posts, aaah! I never expected people to miss them omg 🥹 Thank you for telling me you like these little insights into the episodes! Not that you need to comment on everything I post, but because this doesn't get as much traction as other things, I sort of assumed no one would miss them if they were a bit late 🙈
I now know that people do care and that makes me really happy! I spend a lot of time on making the scripts, especially, so I'm very grateful you all enjoy them! 🥰
That being said, let's move on to the little discussion about episode 3!
When I was writing, I knew I wanted to add an episode where Brandon and Bloom talked about their shared experiences; I just never really knew where I'd put it. I honestly never expected it to happen so soon in the new season, but then again, I did have this idea from season 1 already. Even though it came earlier than expected, I think I found the perfect spot to put it. 🥰
When I plan ETI, I basically have a list of things that I want to happen. I never know when or if they will happen, but it keeps me a little more organized and helps me when I get stuck. Which is what sort of happened after episode 2. I wouldn't say I was stuck necessarily, but sometimes it's difficult to make an episode feel relevant while still allowing the reader a little break. I knew I couldn't just move on to another Valtor and Bloom scene after Bloom had run away from Alfea in the middle of class; people would surely ask why the Winx didn't come after her. (I'd be asking that as a reader, at least lol.) So I think it was important to show that while this story is Valtor x Bloom-centric, there is still a world around them. Bloom still has people who care about her and who look for her when she suddenly disappears. This also raises the stakes a little, of course; she can't just go to Valtor whenever she pleases because questions will be asked.
After I established that I wanted the Winx to meet Bloom back at Alfea, I initially didn't know what would be next. I could hardly drag out Winx's and Bloom's conversation for an entire episode. That's when I remembered my note about Bloom's and Brandon's conversation. It ended up fitting perfectly into the narrative! I'm really glad it did end up working, because at first I wasn't sure if I could integrate this scene without it looking out of place. But given that this is very shortly after what happened with Avalon in the classroom, it makes perfect sense for this conversation to happen. I really love it when things come together even though I initially had no idea how to make my vision come to life. I think that's my favourite part about writing, seeing it come together and coming up with new ideas to make the narrative flow better!
Another issue I had is where the conversation would take place. At first when the scene popped into my head, I saw them talking in the Winx' apartment. Whenever I come up with ideas, I have a very clear picture in my head. However, sometimes it's important to not hold onto that idea too much. While initially I pictured this conversation taking place inside, I also knew it wouldn't make sense. They wouldn't move too far from the others. So my next idea was to have the conversation in the courtyard, a couple metres away from the group. But that didn't feel right either... This was such an important and intimate conversation; it didn't feel right to have it in a courtyard of a school surrounded by people. So in case you were wondering, yes, the setting of my story is also always thought through, haha. I tend to chronically overthink. 🙈 After brainstorming for a bit, I found the perfect solution—the park that surrounds Alfea! We don't see this a lot in the show, which I think is a shame as it's such a beautiful addition to the school. The setting was absolutely perfect for what I had in mind: away from the crowd but still in the vicinity and not too isolated, like the dorm room, so it wouldn't be too intimate. I wanted everything to scream, 'These are friends and nothing more.' Hence Bloom's glance at Stella, asking her permission to be alone with Brandon. (Really happy so many of you noticed this small interaction 🥹)
You'd be surprised how quickly people ship characters or think there's something more between them. 😆 It happened during episode 20 of season 1; a lot of people thought there used to be something between Valtor and Daphne! For the record: this was their first and only interaction, haha. 😂 It's so fun to read all the theories. This one in particular was a really funny one for me! 🙈