Aisha Has No Character Goal in Winx Club
I mentioned this in the Aisha/Nabu post: Aisha doesn’t have a character goal, which means her story has no overarching plot. That’s why a lot of random stuff happens to her.
Let’s back up. What is a character goal? Simply put, it’s what the character wants or what they’re trying to achieve. Most of the other Winx had concrete goals from the beginning:
- Bloom’s goal was to figure out where she came from and find her birth parents.
- Stella is the only Winx who had a misguided goal: to make her parents remarry. Of course, she actually needed to learn to accept their divorce.
- Musa’s goal was to become a musician.
- Tecna’s goal was to learn to be swayed by emotion. She’s the only Winx who needed a love interest in order to accomplish her goal. Love is the most powerful emotion — and the most illogical. To allow herself to fall in love with Timmy, Tecna had to ignore her logical mind and follow her heart.
What about Flora? She’s just like Aisha: no character goal. We don’t even know what Flora wants to do with her life! (I don’t think Rainbow knows, either!) Thus, her story has also become a series of random events that often involve her love interest (Helia) or her family (Miele or her parents).
An Invisible Target
In “The Invisible Pixies” (Winx season 2, episode 13), Aisha told Stella, Musa, and the Pixies what we thought was her character goal. She wanted to escape her sheltered royal life on Andros. The problem is she’d already done that before she met the Winx, since her parents didn’t stop her from leaving or force her to come back.
She also wanted everyone to accept her for who she is, but do you remember a moment where they didn’t accept her? Where they treated what made her different as a problem? I don’t.
Plus, she gets along well with her parents. (I think Sirenix-Winx has mentioned this, too.) An exception was when they tried to force her into an arranged marriage, but why wouldn’t she be mad about that?
So what is the point of Aisha’s story? What is she really aiming for?
We know she wants to be a good princess, but that’s not unique to her. Bloom and Stella are also princesses, and I’m sure they wanna make their people proud, too. (Aisha seems more motivated, though.)
What does she want that no one else wants?
Marrying Nabu Was NOT Her Character Goal
I’m not surprised some Winx fans think marrying Nabu is Aisha’s character goal. After all, that’s the first ending Rainbow set up for her. Nothing else in her story since then — including her relationship with Nex — has felt like it’s building to something. (That’s because Winx Club itself isn’t building to anything.)
A fan on Winx Wiki once told me Aisha has “lost her way” without Nabu. (Was he her fiancé or her god? ?) They were right, but not in the way they meant it. Rainbow needs to give her a new destination — a true ending to her story.
But Nabu was just the first act. I don’t think they ever planned for Aisha to marry him (or anyone like him). Rather, they created him because of a dilemma in Winx season three.
What was it? I’ll talk about it next time.
Since Aisha’s theme is life, I think it’s kind of fitting that she doesn’t have a concrete character goal. There are a lot of times in life when we aren’t entirely sure what we want or are working towards. (Plus, these feelings often emerge during the teenage/young adult years, which is where Aisha is right now.) However, this makes her arc more difficult to write, so I wouldn’t mind if she got a goal.
I thought about that, and I agree. The unpredictability does fit her character better. But yeah, without a character goal, it is harder to write a story. Even as I’m planning my Aisha/Nex story, I’m dealing with that problem.
Interesting… Now that you mentioned about it, do you think that might be the reason why Aisha is paired up with Flora? ( Both of them do not have a concrete goal.)
I am a bit curious though. Is the unpredictability part you mentioned have to deal with the fact that Aisha has been living a life that has constantly been changing?
Well, Aisha’s name actually means “life” or “alive”, and of course, we often say that life is unpredictable. I wouldn’t say her life has changed a lot (at least not the core of it), but she’s had a lot of random events thrown into it. Every season is different for her, and with no character goal, there’s nothing tying it all together.
In contrast, Bloom’s goal was to find her birth parents. So at least in the early seasons, each season seemed connected in some way to that goal. In season one, she learned about her past and met her sister. In season two, she learned more about her past and fought an enemy with the opposite power. Then in season three, she confronted the sorcerer who destroyed her world, which was what started all this in the first place. Then of course, in the first movie, she restored her world and reunited with her birth parents.
There’s no through line like that for Aisha.
The last time I remember Aisha ever having an unaccepted time was when she was a kid…per that dream turned into nightmare sequence…but if that was it…then what happened to Anne? If the reaction in the Sirenix Bubbles (yes that’s the toy name, but it can distinguish s8 Sirenix from s5’s cursed look and 8 pt 1 from 8 pt 2 Crystal) arc…and Aisha only losing it after she sees Musa and Bloom getting jobbed is any indication…I wonder if Anne saying something along the lines of ”I have to go now” in the flashback was her dealing with death as a kid…as something bad could have happened to Anne…and that’s why Aisha was so nervous prior to meeting the Winx, and she fears death every time Musa and Bloom get knocked out of the sky…sure she’s learned to accept it with Nex, by now, but there might be a bit of sting for her still that Nex is trying to lessen, because while she’s accepted that it has to happen, she is still in ”that’s the end” phase but acts as if ”new adventure”…since we know how she hides her true feelings from everybody (but Nex of course because he’s the Eric to her Ariel.)
If Aisha needing to accept change as a part of life is supposed to be her hidden arc then she needs to maybe try not to be so clingy towards Bloom?
I get the feeling that Aisha is super clingy towards Bloom (which has also likely had negative impacts on Bloom after season 4 as prior to s4…Bloom wasn’t that bad with Sky.) because Bloom reminds her of Anne and she doesn’t want to lose someone like that again.
Then there’s Musa and Flora. Musa and Flora helped Aisha deal with her loner tendencies and showed her she had more than just Bloom for friends, but yet…she doesn’t seem to buy that…even though she tried to help them with their love life…as for all her skill and prowess and some growth, Aisha might be subtly thinking ”Bloom’s the only real friend I have here” and usually takes it the hardest whenever Bloom’s gone or gets jealous of another green/teal wearing fairy in the group that isn’t her (she thought Roxy was going to replace her during her Star Sapphire phase.) and that might also explain the Stella rivalry thing too. Even though Bloom says they’re all besties, Stella and Aisha both fight over who is Bloom’s real bestie.
This could all be wishful thinking (no star puns intended)
I agreed with the part where you mentioned that Aisha and Bloom not being close with one another. If you asked me, it seemed to me that Flora might be the one who is sort of clingy to Bloom. She is usually the one comforting Flora whenever Flora had troubles in her own life.
I would say that the way Musa and Flora helped Aisha with her loneliness may indicate that Aisha is closer to both of them rather than Bloom. In my opinion, Bloom maybe the glue of the group, but I think that there isn’t much you can do being the glue of the group sometimes.
Let’s say Usagi in for example. Sure, she is the glue of the group. But, how is she able to help the members of the group who were in a different situation than her? ( Single vs having a romantic partner)
Back to WinX club, I would say that Musa and Aisha click with one another the most because both of them knew what it’s like to be the loner of the group and also deal with losses in their lives ( Don’t forget. Bloom got her happy ending. While both of them still haven’t got their loved ones back from death.) Also, with Aisha getting a loving boyfriend, Nex, she could accompany Musa since poor Musa had it tough with her love life. ( I mean Aisha been through before. Hence, she knew how it feels like. This isn’t to say that Bloom’s one is smooth. But rather, Aisha was a loner. Hence , she might be able to comfort Musa more.)
As for Flora and Aisha, I would say that their sensitive personalities might explain why they are ” best friends”.
And season 4 seemed to showed these two together more often. ( I think)
Yeah, the times where we saw that Aisha wasn’t accepted for who she was only happened in flashbacks and dreams. We’ve never seen those problems in the present. She gets along well with her parents, the mermaids, the nobles of Andros, family friends like Taboc the Wise — pretty much everybody. It’s like her problems were all in her head. (They weren’t, but Rainbow didn’t show them.)
That’s an interesting theory about Anne. I don’t think she’s dead, but if she’s not, why didn’t Aisha try to find her? And come to think of it, her clinginess — at least early on — and her fear of being left alone did seem extreme for someone whose friend just moved away. Anne being dead would justify it.
I wish Rainbow would play with Aisha and Nex’s life/death symbolism more. Nex’s name meaning “death” is so fitting for her story, but they’re not giving it the weight it deserves. Sigh. I guess I need to accept that Winx Club isn’t deep enough for that. They don’t take their own symbolism seriously. ?
As for Aisha and Bloom, they don’t seem that close to me. I think it’s more that Bloom is the Usagi of the group, so everyone is attached to her in some way. They always fall apart when she’s gone. She’s the glue that holds them all together…for some reason.
Your “That’s because Winx Club isn’t building to anything” inspired
me to make another similair post, but now about the series in general. https://sirenixwinx.wordpress.com/2019/11/04/winx-club-de-serie-zonder-doel/
Because you are right, where’s Winx building to in the new Seasons? The first three Seasons were building to Bloom’s journey and the Winx becoming guardian fairies.
If they would have just set a new storyarc up after season 4…then all of this could have been avoided.
Really season 7 should be season 5 (just remove what wouldn’t make sense in s5 from it…and let Musa and Aisha comfort each other during the transition) as the season is described as ”a rest” and ”transition era”. This allows Roxy a few more adventures, new wardrobes and allows us to see her learn a little.
Then you do season 5 as season 6, but don’t bring Daphne back right away. Bringing Daphne back should have been a big deal if they were going to do that. That could have made for a good 3 season storyarc after a 2 season transitional period. Season 8 would also flow better as season 6 and then season 6 should be where we’re at now. If the Winx have the Dragon Flame…why do we need more transformations? Season 6 should also have been the real return of Daphne instead of cramming it into season 5….and had some weight on the curse. Then a s9 should be Daphne making short work of the Trix alongside the Winx and end on the appropriate weddings. Daphne’s return and 3 weddings is a good epilogue as a whole to the Winx series.
Hmmm… Okay, so let me try to understand what that would mean.
Musa and Riven break up for real in the fourth season. Nabu has just died, so both Aisha and Musa are single. That’s what you mean about them comforting each other, right?
Meanwhile, with season 7 as the fifth season, Roxy doesn’t necessarily become a Winx, but she gets to use her powers to help her new friends right away. We also get to see her adjust into being an Alfea student.
I also assume that:
– Musa still meets Orlando, but nothing comes of that (just like in the actual season)
– Aisha stays single (no Roy or Nex yet)
Then season 5 happens (as the sixth season). We’re introduced to the Sirenix Curse and a way to save Daphne, but Bloom doesn’t succeed yet. Maybe the Sirenix power needs to become stronger in order to overcome the curse, and the form we see in season 8 is that stronger version.
Also, Aisha and Musa are still single. Roy is never introduced, though — I’m adding that in ? — but maybe we get hints that Aisha is ready to date again. And Musa admits she misses Riven.
Then season 8 happens (as the seventh season). Riven comes back, and Musa gives him another chance…I guess. At least it would have been two years instead of one, and they would have only broken up once instead of twice.
Aisha also meets Nex in this season. We don’t have the love triangle, and maybe instead of being a Paladin, he’s a Specialist. Red is still not taken as a signature color at this point, so he fits right into the group. And he and Aisha bond during the Sirenix arc and other moments.
Finally, the two forms of Sirenix in this season help the Winx in their mission to break the curse. They succeed, and Daphne comes back…I guess. Personally, I still wish she had stayed dead, but I get why Rainbow did that.
Then season 6 happens (as the eighth season). Selina, Legendarium, Bloomix — all that jazz. Daphne meets Thoren, but they don’t get married that season. We just see that they’re in love. Give it more time before heading to the altar.
Does that sound about right?
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[…] You’d think an independent girl like her who wanted to choose her own guy would never give in. But Rainbow went with the “Perfectly Arranged Marriage” trope because a Winx can’t be single for more than one season. In Winx season four, her story revolved around her relationship with Nabu instead of her character goal, since she didn’t have one. […]
[…] think the Nabu chapter of her story was a consequence of the fact that she doesn’t have a character goal. Without one, it’s hard to tell what she wants and what types of characters can help her get it. […]
[…] plot without it — if the writers are still going that route with her story — but remember my post about her lack of a character goal? I talked about how she’s a foil to Bloom. Bloom grew up as a normal girl and dreamed of a […]
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[…] think the Nabu chapter of her story was a consequence of her lack of a character goal. Without one, it’s hard to tell what she wants and what types of characters can help her get it. […]
[…] problem with Aisha’s story in Winx Club is she has no character goal. We know what she wants — to escape her restrictive life — but she succeeds in her first […]
[…] Actually, he will — as Aisha. I’ll merge his character with hers to fix a few problems with her story. It’s easier — and more interesting — than you’d think. You’ll see what I […]
Just to make some arguments for these Characters that I so dearly love in my heart of all hearts: –
Firstly Bloom character and Back story and Goals are obviously the developed out all the Winx’s as she is the main protagonist, she is us, she the the girl who dream she was a fairy, but unlike us, she actually was, she travels through the land and discovers why and how she send to earth (the land of lost magic) and she gets everything she ever hoped for: being the most POWERFUL Fairy Princess, an extra set of loving parents, a sister, and 5 best Friends, no bullies like she had to content with back home and SO MUCH More.
But what about the Other Girls well if you were to ask what Stella Goals were off the top of my head, I would of said two things:
1. To become a Fashion Designer whenever she grows up,
2. To marry Prefect Brandon who will take the time to listen and properly communicate with and there marriage will be the exact opposite of her own and she would have a strong of not letting her children know if Brandon and her EVER DID HAVE A FIGHT.
You when much deeper whenever you said that her goal was to was to have her parents back together through as you said that a misguided goal because her parents are no right for each other and being together causes them more pain than joy, so Stella had to let that go, and learns that lessons a few times though the show run, yes it was a goal (ambition) of Stella’s but it was about her “personal” wants (this means what she wants to achieve for herself) and Stella doesn’t really to work that hard at the goals, I mentioned above, she already has the prefect guy and she brilliant at designing clothes (although she uses magic to do so.)
This is how I think about the Winx’s Goals in two parts: One Family and Two Career Ambition, Stella actually the Only to have a Clear Ambition which is not what you would expect at first because she the least caring about school but then recently is because brewing potions or talking stimulation tests aren’t going to get into the Fashion Industry are they? But what does is entering Constants like Miss Magix’s.
But what about the others: if you had asked what Stella’s Goals where, I would said two things: One – to find her true love, date him and eventually marry him, and Two – to work as a Fashion Designer whenever she grows up.
IF Wow was cannon and not a winx fanfic brought to the screen, then I believe that Stella would be happier doing that stuff “starring on reality Tv”, “Designing Clothes”, “being a famous judge on a Talent Show”, you know, than being a Queen and taking responsibility for a whole bunch of things that happen in the country and being involved in politic matters, if Winx was made for an older audience, although still innocent audience, that would be a great storyline, for Stella: Spoiled princess who gets famous “On Earth” becomes Princess of the “Magic Land.”
For Flora, I would argue that she does have a very clear theme, which is Family, in Season 2, she earns her enchantix by confessing her feelings for Helia (Romantic Love is the first foundation of building a Family) and her Enchantix by saving Meile, her younger sister (a child who is closely related to Flora’s own Personal Being) as for the Career Ambition: I wish they would flex out more about what exactly she wants to with the flowers because they could get creative with that. The most obvious job for her would be Botanists or working in a flower shop (like Bloom’s mum) or she be a cook (like she is on Wow, although Bloom could also grow up to a cook and is the least likely option in my opinion for Flora but they couldn’t have “Planet Grower” as a talent on Wow, it just wouldn’t work but I do love how “Plants = Food = Cooking” works so well for Flora) or she could tag-teams with Tecna and they could try and find renewable energy sources or Flora could teach people to be respectful to nature or She could open up shop in Elendora’s old Greenhouse or she could be a traveller and get to see things that are naturally and technology, Flora home world has no technology in at all so I wonder if was fastinicating and confusing for her to discover what a computer, just as was fastinicating to Tecna to discover what a Broom was and how to sweep floors in Season 1 Ep 7:
Friends in Need.
As Alfea again for the next Generation of Alfea Fairies, especially since Flora very studies, in Season 1 Ep 15: Honor above all, Bloom says that Musa and Flora get the best grades, I had to check it because I thought (but wasn’t sure) that it would be Tecna and Flora who would of gotten the best grades, I didn’t expect it to Musa but yeah Flora is studious, in Season 1 Episode 3 Bloom asks Stella and Flora why they wanted to go Alfea, Stella says that she wants to be beautiful and successful and powerful and then after that goat she says that of course she what to do great things like bringing back her parents (so I guess you right about that being Stella’s character goal) and Then Flora and she said that she wants to be a good fairy as well but she hear primarily because she wants to learn (Causing Stella to throw a pillow at her and say that such a nerdy answer – but totally the answer that I would give, yes I am a nerd. ?) So yes school is important to Flora’s character. As for the reason why she does not have alit of delevoped backstory is because they isn’t a lot of angst in her past, Bloom didn’t her real parents or her history or that she was a fairy, Bloom theme is finding yourself, believing in yourself ect.
Stella parents are divorced, they are opposites, they are the sun and the moon. Flora wants to do well in school, get a good job, get married and have a child or children. Obviously if I was mature Flora character up, I would make her loss her way a little bit during her younger teen years 13-15, but at her heart was always the right place, however she feel trapped or box in and wanted some human friends “she would befriend animals” but it was enough, and she longed for adventures but didn’t how to express those thoughts and feelings because she had been to shy to put herself forward unlike her parents (who we meet in Season 7: Adventures in Lynphea where they are shown to be very social and out going people, her mum talks Bloom’s ear about the flowers and plants, she growing in the garden (and Flora face palms and says hear we go) and her dad is somehow even more over the top.
As for Tecna, she mentions through the seasons that people on Zenith don’t find showing their emotions easy to do, hence her goal that you mentioned up above, so both Flora and Tecna have goals of belonging and making friends, due to Flora shy nature and due to Tecna blunt one, Aisha also has this goal (since Ann) was a long time ago and Bloom (Season 1) was made out to be an unpopular loser without a friend to her name before meeting Stella and the others.
I think it would of been interesting if they played into Tecna parents didn’t know to show emotions, no Zenith before Tecna shows them how to does, and Tecna at times feel unloved at home, or she feel pressure to be the best of the best and the smartest, her parents could be the best scientist that Zenith and therefore the magical demission had to offer (Timmy’s Parents Backstory (Although his family is from Magix not Zenith) as mentioned in the Winx Club Book: The Fairy Insider.) Although never mentioned in the Cartoon at all, so had that be Tecna Backstory, it would worked as a girl/boy swap, they have the same story and fall in love, which would make sense for the type of show that Winx Club is, the boys are literally the Winx in Male Form.
This goes one step further with Aisha and Nabu having the same backstory with a few slight differences, so why not have Tecna and Timmy have the same backstory too with a few slight differences. It would give another specialist a backstory at least.
Together the two could dream of having a family, and filling it with the love they never received and the show could of done some flashbacks to their past, either Tecna or Timmy with some young child and helping them to deal with something like their parents fighting or something, would of been interesting!
And also give them adecemic goals like they so much you can do with technology and science, do they want to decode scripts for computers, be sciencist (in what flied) ect, you know make them more defined in that area, maybe Tecna wants to look in how to use natural resources to fuel technology especially after Season 5, or she wants to grow up to a Video Gamer, or if we thinking a little bit outside the box in medicinal studies, you get my point.
As for Musa, her dream of being a musician (Career) is rather obvious but also her dream (Family-Based) was to reconnect with her father after her mother’s death which she does in Season 2 Ep 15, the Show must go on. And I know I staying this for pretty much every girl (well a variation of this) : but her goal would be if she ever had a family, not to make the music die, like her dad did, after her mum died, if she or her spouse died, this would be something, I imagine her making her husband promise and reassure of through their marriage.
Finally Aisha goals were to escape her family, to be free from her arranged marriage and to marry because she fell in love (subverted with Nabu actually being her prefect guy), to make friends, after Anne and her separation as very young kids and to travel the world (as she doesn’t to sit still and is scared of missing opportunities like that because of her closed in childhood) she loves her parents at her core and they love her at their cores, but she has a complicated relationship with them, because of the many rules, she has to follow to be a proper princess and withhold old fashioned tradition such as the arrangement marriage.
Aisha and Stella princess upbringing are the opposite, as Aisha is traditionally and Stella’s is modern.
I believe that if she was the Queen, she would change that rule and serval others that are outdated, and she wouldn’t make her kid marry a stranger. That could be why, she more committed to being a good Princess that Stella and Bloom (Early Seasons), although I have to say that, Bloom was also very commited as well, because from Season 1 up to the first movies, she is trying to save Domio or Sparks as for Stella her immature personality get in her way to much to what to be a good rulers, she also aware of how stressful the job actually is as she raised in that liveself unlike Bloom but she does not have the intitsl conflict of wanting to please her parents because it was forced on Aisha growing up but Stella parents didn’t give any duties when she was growing. It is part of Aisha that wants to break away and see the World (She wanted to discover more Amazing Places like Pixie Village where she actually feel loved and accepted) but there is that part of her that knows she can’t keep running for ever because she must one day take her rightful place as the Queen of Andros/Ties and we see that highlight in Season 8 The Dephts of Andro’s.
What do you think did I manage to give each girl a family and career goal?
The only one who I didn’t mention for Career Goal was Bloom but she either wants to be an Artist or a Chef.