I’ve spent the last week going over some of the best fan works for Star vs. The Forces of Evil. More so I wanted to do this for my enjoyment. I’ve saved the best for last, though. This AU’s good enough to be it’s own show, hitting all the right notes to tell an original story that retains all the hallmarks of Star. This is the story of a boy who was raised by monsters, Light of the Sun and Stars.

Light of the Sun and Stars

Written by: ThDorkMagnet

First Published: July 13, 2017

Type of Fan Work: AU

Status: Ongoing

Synopsis:

All his life, Marco Diaz has only ever known the monsters who raised him. Despite being one of the their hated Mewman enemies, the monsters consider the boy one of their own, save for their leader, Toffee. Then one day, Marco’s longing to see the outside world leads him to escape the cruel lizard and set out on his own into Mewni where he meets a certain blonde princess. This young girl takes it upon herself to be Marco’s guide to a world that’s filled with wonders he never knew existed. Together, the two become the closest of friends as they change each other’s lives, and their world, forever.

Review

I’m going to come out and say it: I absolutely love this fan fic! It’s incredibly well-written, the characters are faithful to their show counterparts, and the premise is so much fun. I couldn’t stop reading it until I got to the latest chapter.

First, let me give you an overview of how Star and Marco are portrayed in this story. I know it contradicts what I said about them being faithful to the show, but their core personalities remain the same.

Marco Diaz

Instead of being a human, here Marco’s a human-mewman hybrid. His parents died when he was a baby, so Buff Frog raised him as part of Toffee’s army. While he considers the monsters his family and loves them very much, his true desire is to one day go out and see everything the world has to offer. When the story begins, events force him to leave behind the only home he’s ever known and enter a world he knows nothing about.

This version of Marco has a childlike curiosity about the world, being constantly left in awe at all the new and amazing sights he sees. At the same time, he’s very shy and a little insecure. This is more due to having never another Mewman, though, rather than an inherent personality trait. Once he gets past that, though, he has no trouble making friends, winning people over with his kind-hearted nature and infectious, childlike enthusiasm.

He does share plenty of canon Marco’s traits. He’s kind and friendly to everyone he meets, he still likes red hoodies, and shares his counterparts talent for cooking and dancing. Yet he still carries the scars of his past, and sooner or later, he will have to confront them.

Star Butterfly

When we first meet her in the story, Star’s closer to the way she was in the second half of Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Events in her life, though, have forced her to mature faster than she did in the show. With her parents away on business, she’s left to run Mewni on her own on top of mastering her wand. That’s a lot of pressure!

Despite all this, Star remains the same kind-hearted and outgoing girl fans know and love. She doesn’t hesitate to help others, even taking dozens of orphans into her home when they nowhere else to go. Unlike in the latter half of the show, here most of Mewni loves Star and sees her as a guiding light in dark times.

While she appears happy and upbeat on the surface, she’s gone through some traumatic events of her own in the past. These events not only led her to almost abandon the happy-go-lucky demeanor she once had, but even feel ashamed of it at times. Her loved ones notice the problems she’s dealing with, but don’t know how to help her. That is, until Marco comes into her life.

A Meaningful Title

One of the more abstract things I love about this story is the title. There’s a good reason why the story’s called “Light of the Sun and Stars.” It’s referring to the relationship that Star and Marco develop and how much they come to mean to each other.

Having never seen another mewman before, much less magic, Marco’s completely captivated when he first meets Star practicing her spells. He thinks she’s the most amazing, beautiful person he’s ever seen and can’t help wanting to be around her. He just lights up whenever he sees her. She becomes the guiding star in his life, showing him all the amazing things the universe has to offer.

Conversely, Star finds herself drawn to Marco, as her initial curiousity and compassion compel her to take him in. She takes a vested interest in his well-being, and without realizing it, grows to deeply care about him. Little by little, Marco’s warmth and kindness help to heal from her past trauma. Everyone, literally everyone, notices that how being around him makes her happy, happier than she’s been in a long time. Marco becomes her sun, radiating warmth and happiness on her.

As an aside, the “sun” aspect refers to Marco’s cheekmarks, which are suns in this story.

The way Star and Marco’s relationship develops may seem cliche to some, but I love it. The way they quickly become friends and the most important people in each other’s lives is really sweet. I couldn’t help but feel it tugging at my heartstrings a bit. Everyone needs at least one friendship like the one Star and Marco have.

Yes, they do fall for each other. The cute thing about it, though, is that Marco doesn’t even realize its love. All he knows that being around Star makes him happier than he’s ever been. It makes you want to go “aww.”

A Re-Imagined Mewni and Cast

ThDorkMagnet changes up Mewni and the cast as well, with Earth taking a backseat. Unlike in the show, Earth and Mewni already have an established relationship. While they were once rivals due to Mewni trying to invade Earth, the two dimensions are now close allies. People travel regularly between the two dimensions, and some humans even emigrate to Mewni.

With the focus on Mewni, the castmembers from Earth are re-imagined as living on Mewni, such as Jackie and Janna. Jackie’s human, but has lived on Mewni most of her life, while Janna’s a monster-mewman hybrid. The two are Star’s oldest friends and live with her in the castle, and are among the first to recognize how much Marco means to her.

I won’t spoil anything else, but plenty of the other characters from the show make appearances, so you have that to forward to.

Better Monsters

Of course, it wouldn’t be Star vs. without the monsters. Sadly, from season two onwards, the show only focused on a handful of monsters as main characters. Buff Frog makes an appearance as an important secondary character, and his paternal side’s on full display with his relationship with Marco. As Marco’s adopted dad, Buff Frog gets the most importance out of the monsters in Toffee’s army.

Fortunately, the story also makes efforts to make the other monsters more than simple mooks. They have more three-dimensional personalities and motivations. Case in point, despite being a mewman, they genuinely care about Marco and his well-being. In turn, Marco knows that they’re not the heartless enemies mewmans think they are. Except for Toffee.

Using Toffee Right

Which brings me to the last thing that I love about this story. Unlike in the show, Light of the Sun and Stars uses Toffee to the fullest extent of his evil nature. While a scary enemy in the show, here he’s downright terrifying. He’s led the monsters on a brutal guerilla war against Mewni for years, slaughtering villages and killing thousands of people. He’s pretty much the boogeyman of Mewni.

Already a deadly warrior and strategist, Toffee’s also a master manipulator that I compare to Disney’s version of Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Both are psychopathic villains forced to take in an unwanted ward. Both try to keep them prisoner by emotionally manipulating them into feeling guilty for wanting to leave. The big difference is that, unlike Frollo, Toffee’s willing to resort to physically beating Marco to force him into line.

This is how you use a villain like Toffee. He’s ruthless, terrifying, and one of the deadliest beings in Mewni. The only reason he even lets Marco live is because of how fond the monsters are of him. So when he escapes, Toffee will stop at nothing to get him back. What happens next, I urge you to read for yourself.

A Fan Fiction On Par With the Show

Light of the Sun and Stars is one of the best fan fictions that I have ever read, hitting all the right notes. It keeps the show’s mythology intact and remains faithful to its source material. At the same time, it’s not afraid to come up with new and original stories, each of which ends up being very entertaining. ThDorkMagnet updates every two-three weeks, and she says that she plans on continuing it even though the show’s over. That shows that she’s committed to seeing this story through to the end.

As far as I’m concerned, ThDorkMagnet’s a true fan of Star vs., and it shows in the care and attention to detail She puts into her writing. If you haven’t read Light of the Sun and Stars yet, then I urge you to do so. Its one fan work that you won’t be able to stop once you start.

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One Piece Chapter 950 Review/Recap

I don’t think I need to remind everyone how Kaido and Orochi have turned Wano into a wasteland without hope. I don’t think I could imagine what it’s like to live for 20 years in despair, but the time’s come for Wano to take back its future. Thanks to Luffy and the Alliance, the dream of hope is returning to Wano.

Recap

Udon Prison is in Alliance hands, but the prisoners are already restless. Luffy offers Kidd and Killer a chance to join with them to take Kaido down, but he angrily refuses and leaves. After his allies joined Kaido, he’ll never trust anyone outside his crew again. Meanwhile, when everyone finds out Luffy’s a pirate, they start second-guessing him. Once Momonosuke reveals himself, though, their hesitation vanishes as they all bow to the boy as their rightful Shogun.

Elsewhere, Ashura reveals to Kin’emon what happened to make him lose hope. Ten years ago, many of the Kozuki clan’s followers left to fight Orochi on their own, and they got slaughtered. They may not know why they were sent twenty years into the future, but everyone’s determined to fight Orochi. Ashura finally agrees to join the Alliance.

In the forest near the Flower Capital, Zoro and Hiyori remain in hiding from Zoro no’s assassin’s. Regardless, Zoro vows to avenge Tonoyasu’s death while Hiyori swears to kill Orochi. In another place, Law’s been captured and being interrogated by Hawkins about the Alliance.

Review

This chapter felt more like a transition than anything, so it wasn’t as exciting as previous ones. Regardless, we got to see some more pieces move into place for the final battle.

Right now, the Alliance faces two big problems, though. The first is that Luffy’s incapacitated from the Mummy virus, and that Law’s been captured. I’m not too concerned with either one though. With Chopper’s help, Luffy will be better pretty soon. As for Law, I know he won’t talk.

With that out of the way, I’m worried more about Momonosuke. Everyone expects him to be this big leader and Shogun, but he’s still a kid. A kid whose worried about measuring up to the legacy his father left behind. If I could give him some advice, it would be to stop comparing himself to his father and be a leader in his own way. I know he can be a great leader and warrior.

There are now eight days left until the final battle. Thanks to Luffy, the dream of hope has been rekindled in Wano. For some reason, I think that may be why Momonosuke’s mother sent him to that time period: to meet Luffy. This chapter may have been slow, but it’s building up to something big. The dream of hope shall not be extinguished.

I give “The Dreams of Men” a 3/5

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It’s day six of my Star vs Fan Week, and it’s time for another amazing work for StarFans everywhere. I’ve used examples from MoringMark twice now, but this next one’s his latest work, and his best one so far. It’s the next-generation, fanmade sequel the show deserves. Instead of being about the kids of the cast, this is about Mariposa and Meteora. I give you Echo Creek: A Tale of Two Butterflies

Echo Creek: A Tale of Two Butterflies

First Released: May 20th, 2019

Author: MoringMark

Type of Fan Fic: webcomic/unofficial sequel

Status: Ongoing

Synopsis

Fourteen years have passed since the events of “Cleaved” and life in Echo Creek’s returned to a comfortable status quo. All the monsters and Mewmans have peacefully integrated into life on Earth. Star’s dream of co-existence between Monsters and Mewmans seems realized , and like she and Marco promised, Mariposa and Meteora got to grow up together. This fun little webcomic follows the next generation of the Butterfly and Diaz families as they try to make the most of their summer vacation. That includes going on as many adventures as Star and Marco did.

Review

This webcomic was likely inspired by the Season 4 episode “Gone Baby Gone”. The short version is that Meteora and Mariposa accidentally end up in Hekapoo’s dimension where they grow up as teenagers and sisters together. It was a really interesting premise that seemed to entertain the idea of a sequel/spin-off about Mariposa and Meteora. Sadly, that idea took a backseat since the next episode was the start of the eight-part series finale. Thankfully, MoringMark realized the potential this idea had and decided to act on it. Might I also say that this may be his best work yet.

I loved “Cleaved” as a series finale, but because it was so open-ended, it left a lot of unanswered questions about what happens next. Echo Creek tries answering these questions by giving us a good look at what the cast of Star vs. did with their lives after the Cleaving. The two cast-members that look set to play the biggest roles right now are, of course, Star and Marco. They’re the leaders of Echo Creek, with Marco serving as Sheriff and Star as Mayor of Echo Creek. They both try to serve as mentors and role models for Mari and Meteora in their own way. Marco’s the overprotective brother, while Star’s the cool big sister who know just what to say to make the duo listen.

Next-Gen Butterfly and Diaz

The main focus of Echo Creek, though, is on Mariposa and Meteora, and it’s established that their relationship is a mirror image of what Star and Marco had. They love getting into trouble, with Mari acting as the voice of reason to Meteora’s more reckless tendencies. At one point, the two even mirror Star and Marco’s fighting poses from the first intro!

The point that I’m trying to make is that, until we get an announcement that says otherwise, I’m considering Echo Creek to be the sequel to Star vs. The Forces of Evil. The comics still in its early stages, but it has the potential to be as fun and action-filled as the show. Plus, MoringMark likes making these little shorts in between chapters that are pretty fun to read. While I don’t want to spoil anything yet, I will say this: there’s a bigger mystery to solve involving the legacy of magic. Where it will lead, I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.

Echo Creek: A Tale of Two Butterflies is currently on hiatus, but it will be back later this month. Click the link up to go to MoringMark’s Tumblr and read it for yourself.

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Star vs. Fan Week, Day 5

I have been having a blast writing about the different fan works for Star vs. The Forces of Evil this week. Even if people don’t read them now, it’s been as fun writing about these works as it was reading them. This next one, though, is going to be darker than any of the other ones I’ve done. Marco Diaz becomes an unlikely hero in The Royal Protector.

The Royal Protector

First Released: November 16, 2016

Author: The Eternal Winter

Type of Fan Fic: AU

Status: Ongoing (I hope)

Synopsis:

Unlike in the show, The Royal Protector never has Star sent to Earth, so she and Marco never meet like in the show. Instead, Marco’s put in charge of helping Janna and Oskar Greason become better students, while Star gets sent straight to St. Olga’s, where she’s basically a prisoner.

The abuse that Star ensures for the next two years becomes so bad, it fractures her mind in two. When she finally prays for someone to help her, the universe answers and sends her none other than Marco. Together, the two escape St. Olga’s and set out on a quest to repair the damage to Star’s mind and get her home. With monsters, assassin’s, and more after them, Marco and Star will need each other if they wish to survive.

Review

If this story sounds dark, that’s because it is. It’s one of the darkest and most mature stories in the Star vs. fandom that I could find. The author’s not afraid to include mature themes that Disney would never approve of, but that’s part of the appeal The Royal Protector has. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like if Star vs. was written like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

For those wondering how St. Olga’s could break Star so badly, remember what it was like in the show? Here, it’s even worse. They took her wand, locked Glossaryck up, and forged every letter she sent to her parents so they wouldn’t know what was happening.

It gets worse. Ms. Heinous subjects Star to what’s essentially mind rape, forcibly separating all her so-called “negative traits” to suppress them. The end result leaves a boring, stereotypical Disney Princess that won’t even defend herself.

I’ve seen a lot of messed up things in fiction, but reading what happened to this version of Star makes me sick to my stomach, especially since the torture backfires, and leaves her with a split personality. You can barely recognize her afterwards. This is the Star Butterfly that Marco meets.

Red Star, Blue Star, And Marco

Marco’s more or less the same as he is in the show, but there are a few key differences. First, he’s a lot stronger since he spent an extra two years practicing karate and other physical activities; he’s got abs. Second, and most importantly, having added Janna and Oskar to his pool of friends has made him less socially awkward and more confident in himself. At the least, when he’s thrust into another world as Star’s Protector, he handles it calmer than canon Marco would have. That’s how I think, at least.

It’s a good thing Marco’s like this, too, because he gets thrown in the deep end right away. Aside from battling monsters and the guards at St. O’s, he has to deal with the antics of both halves of Star. For conveniences sake, he eventually dubs the two personalities Red and Blue.

Blue Star’s all the positive aspects of the Star we know and love. She’s kind and compassionate, but she’s also the result of Ms. Heinous’ horrendous abuse. She’s the stereotypical princess who won’t fight back. Red Star’s like the Hulk: she’s all of Star’s pent-up emotions and passions, and above all, she’s angry. Angry at her parents, Heinous, and the world for what happened to her.

One of the things I liked about this story is Marco’s interactions with both halves of Star. Both are smitten with Marco, but Red’s more aggressive with her feelings, to Marco’s irritation. Despite everything, though, Marco understands that Star’s a broken mess and needs help, which spurs him to stay at her side through everything. It’s a very unconventional relationship, but they both end up caring as much for each other as they do in the show.

A Story I Want More Of

As of now, there are only eight chapters of The Royal Protector out, with the last one released almost a year ago. The author claims to have wanted to wait until the final season ended for more inspiration, but we have yet to get anything so far. Despite the lack of activity, though, this is one fan story that I want to read more of.

The Royal Protector is darker than what we see on the show, and seeing what happened to Star makes my stomach churn. In spite of this, I couldn’t stop reading the story. The writing’s good and the relationship between Star and Marco is among the most unique of all the versions I’ve seen of them. There’s a lot more I want to say, but I think you guys should read it for yourself. It’s a good read, and I hope we get more now that the show’s over.

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Edens Zero Chapter 54 Review/Recap

In the last chapter of Edens Zero, Rebecca was subjected to a humiliating prank by Labilia with the false promise of getting her to the slums to save Shiki and Homura. In the end, they did get the help of fellow B-Cuber, Nino. Meanwhile, Shiki fires the opening shots on a war against the Scarlet Woman’s rule when he defies her enforcer Garret to rescue Homura.

Recap

The fight between Garret and Shiki ends up being as one-sided as usual: Shiki wastes Garret and rescues Homura. Despite everything, the woman insists on staying in the slums to find Valkyrie. Garret then shocks them both by revealing that he knows Valkyrie.

Meanwhile, Nino leads Rebecca’s group to the entrance of the slums, telling them that he works for the Scarlet Woman. He had orders to bring in anyone who mentioned “Edens Zero,” but he can’t bring himself to do it after seeing Rebecca’s cosplay. So, he’s going to say he never found them.

Once in the slums, the trio encounters an extraordinary man in possession of an Ether Gear. His gear lets him move things a few inches, or teleport to his hands, which is why its called “Steal Hand.” The man’s name is Paul, and he’s Valkyrie’s student in the slums, and he knows about them and why they’re looking for Valkyrie. He has a message for Homura that explains why Valkyrie left her behind, and why she can’t come back.

Review

Two things happened in this chapter. First, we met another character who I have a feeling could become a potential member of the Edens Zero, and then we saw Mashima display his trademark love of fanservice. I get wanting to tease the audience, Mashima, but Paul stealing Rebecca’s panties seems too ecchi for a shonen manga. Have some standards.

Fanservice aside, I think that this chapter serves as an excellent way to set up a potentially big reveal about Valkyrie in the coming chapters. Whether it will deliver on that promise, though, is another thing entirely. I think Edens Zero should be doing more to make it stand out as its manga and not just a sci-fi version of Fairy Tail. Speaking of which, that girl that Nino mentioned was Angel from Fairy Tail.

The stage is set for a conflict between the Scarlet Woman and Edens Zero, and I only hope that we finally get to see Shiki sweat a little. In my opinion, most of his fights have been a little too easy to be entertaining.

I give “The Truth Is In the Cube” A 3.5/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 53 Review/Recap

When we last left off, snobby B-Cuber Labilia approached Rebecca with an offer she couldn’t refuse. In exchange for a favor, she’ll help Rebecca rescue Shiki and Homura. Can she be trusted, though? Let’s see with the power of anime!

Recap

Now that Rebecca’s famous following the events on Guilst, Labilia wants to do a collaboration video with her in exchange for helping her get to the Slums. The catch is that she has to cosplay as the magic girl Poyo-Poyo Ruby Chan, a top-rated children’s anime. The costume is designed to be deliberately too small, but everyone likes it. Including a famous B-Cuber and Otaku named Nino.

At first, it seems like Labilia’s trying to help Rebecca. Just as she does Ruby-Chan’s pose, though, Labilia dumps a pot of soup all over Rebecca, humiliating her; then she runs off. It’s not a total loss, though: Rebecca’s performance so touched Nino that he decides to help her get to the Slums.

Speaking of the Slums, just as Garret’s about have “fun” with Homura, Shiki shows up ready to declare war on the Scarlet Woman for hurting his friend.

Review

Instead of scolding Labilia, I would like to take this time to explain why I think she’s such a jerk. She picks on Rebecca to avoid the realization that, one day, she’ll wake up and realize she wasted her life while Rebecca will have tons of fans, go on all sorts of great adventures, and have actual friends. Am I in the ballpark? I’m more disappointed than mad that Labilia hasn’t changed her ways after Guilst, or learned to show Rebecca some respect. Something tells me that Rebecca’s new B-Cuber friends won’t let her get away with her cruel prank, though.

Speaking of B-Cubers, I like this new guy, Nino. As a man of anime myself, I love watching anime channels on YouTube, so it’s nice to see a fellow man of culture. It reminds me that our generation is the one that made anime mainstream.

This chapter was a step up from the previous one, even if it lacked any action. I got to see Rebecca play a significant role again and see her grow as a B-Cuber. That, and I like Nino. Anime will save the universe, indeed.

I give “Poyo-Poyo Ruby-Chan” a 4/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 52 Review/Recap

The last chapter we saw Shiki and Homura get arrested by the Scarlet Woman and her enforcers and sent to the slums to work off a ludicrous debt. It doesn’t take them long to pick trouble with one of her enforcers, Whip Punisher Garret. Let’s see how this goes.

Recap

Despite the other prisoners warning them not to, Shiki and Homura refuse to back down against Garret, so he uses his paralysis whip to force them to kneel. Taken by Homura’s beauty, he drags her off on her own to have his cruel fun with her. Shiki’s not going to take that lying down and prepares to go to war.

Elsewhere, after showing how evil she is, the Scarlet Woman reveals why she wants the Edens Zero. The ship’s ether drive can power the whole planet for the next ten years. Ergo, she plans on double-crossing Drakken Joe for it.

Back at the Casino, Rebecca, Happy, and Pino are unable to contact the ship, leaving them at a loss about what to do. Just then, a familiar face appears in the form of Labilia. She saw everything that happened and wants to help in exchange for a favor.

Review

I knew from the moment Shiki and Homura got arrested that Edens Zero was going to go to war with the Scarlet Woman. Now, thanks to Garret, Shiki’s about to go on a rampage. I didn’t see him trying to get out of jail by paying off that unfair debt.

More importantly, though, it appears that the SW (Scarlet Woman) has no clue that the Edens Zero’s already on her planet, or that its captain is her prisoner. If she did, she’d stop at nothing to get her hands on Shiki and the ship. Let’s hope it stays that way for a while.

Now, do I think Labilia can be trusted? No, I don’t. She’s still a selfish brat. She does, however, owe Shiki for saving her from being kidnapped and turned into Illega’s naked furniture. More likely, she’s trying to get in good with Rebecca now that she’s famous from the Guilst Incident. Either way, I don’t trust her.

This chapter was about average for me, and I was left wanting more than what we got — looking forward to the next chapter more.

I give “The Scarlet Gauntlet” a 3/5

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Star vs. Fan Week, Day 3

In the Season Two episode of Star vs., “Running With Scissors“, we saw Marco spend sixteen years in another dimension hunting down Hekapoo, the forger of dimensional scissors, all to prove himself worthy of his scissors. He got them in the end, but after learning from Star that he had only been gone from Earth for eight minutes, he returned home, and the show went back to its status quo. Today’s fanwork, Like Father, Like Daughter, asks two things: what if the status quo didn’t go back to normal, and what if Star came a few seconds later? That’s how we get Seraph.

Like Father, Like Daughter

First Released: Feb 17, 2017

Author: ADdude

Type of Fanwork: AU

Status: Ongoing

In this story, rather than quickly readjusting to life on Earth, Marco has a harder time doing so something everyone notices. Just when everyone tries to get Marco to open up to them, Hekapoo shows up with a teenage girl in tow. She then drops a massive bombshell on everyone:

Marco, this is my daughter. Our daughter.

Star took longer getting to Marco, and the flirting seen between him and Hekapoo became more than flirting. A few days after he left, she gave birth to their daughter, Seraph Diaz. Due to time moving faster in Hekapoo’s dimension, little Seraph aged into a teenager very quickly. So Hekapoo brought her to live with Marco and his parents. The series follows Marco and the cast as they help Seraph adjust to life on Earth and help Marco learn how to be a parent. All this on top of the adventures he has with Star, too; things get weirder than normal.

Review

When I first heard about this story, I didn’t think I’d like it that much. I like Hekapoo and the dynamic she had with Marco in the show, but I never saw them as an item. That, and I always liked Star and Marco as a couple more.

Once I got into reading it, though, I was hooked on it. I’ve always thought that Marco’s Neverzone adventures were a missed opportunity for the show. The fact that he so easily readjusted to life on Earth was necessary for the show, but in real life, that doesn’t happen. So, Like Father, Like Daughter puts him in a situation where he can’t go back to the way he was before his scissors quest. Thankfully, having Seraph in his life turns out to be the best thing this version of Marco could need.

Speaking of Seraph, let’s talk about her and how she ends up changing everyone’s lives.

Seraph Diaz

Half-human, half-magical being, this little spitfire’s Seraph Celiosa Diaz. Despite being the same age as Marco and Star, she’s only a month old when the Story first starts. The reason behind her accelerated age is confusing, but here’s the bottom line. One day in the Neverzone ages her 6 months, meaning she would die within a year. So Seraph was sent to Earth for her own safety.

Appearance-wise, people have noted how she looks like a cross between Hekapoo and her grandmother, Angie Diaz. The coolest thing, though, is she inherited Hekapoo’s superhuman strength and ability to wield fire.

Seraph and the Cast

Seraph reminds me a lot of Star when she first came to Earth. She’s extremely friendly and tries making friends with everyone she meets. Each of the show’s cast warms up to her, albeit some sooner than others. There are three characters in particular, though, whose reactions to Seraph I found most interesting: Star, Jackie, and Hekapoo herself.

This fan fix starts at crucial moments in Star and Jackie’s lives. Star was starting to realize she had feelings for Marco, and Jackie was already dating him. Needless to say, the revelation that Marco has a daughter makes things awkward. Star’s initial reaction was really bad:

Star’s usual heart marks on her cheeks had changed into two spinning rainbow balls, and Star herself just remained motionless, only staring off into the space before her with what appeared to be a death grip on her wand. Her right eye appeared to be twitching, a contrast to the rest of the blank expression on her face.

Like Father, Like Daughter Chapter 2

It’s even harder for Jackie, considering how Marco cheated on her, and the two break up, though agree to remain friends. Despite befriending Seraph, later chapters reveal that, deep down, they still feel a bit resentful and jealous of how she symbolizes Marco’s relationship with Hekapoo.

As for Hekapoo, having a daughter serves as a catalyst for the magical entity to mature significantly and become a lot more responsible. She’s still mischievous and likes teasing others, but having Seraph changes her for the better. I also like the fact that some of the more recent chapters have Hekapoo coming to terms with the consequences of her actions. I.E., not telling Marco of the time difference in the Neverzone and then sleeping with him when he has a girlfriend is a bit of a dick move.

Good Story Structure

One of the best parts of this fic is how ADdude structures the story. It has arcs that can span across several chapters, like a n actual show, or a Light Novel series. The writing’s top notch, engaging, and captures the show’s cast very well. One of the first arcs is a tournament arc, and if you know what to look for, you’ll see plenty of cameos and shout outs to great fighters in pop culture. The whole story’s a blast, and I love it

Read This Story.

ADdude took a potentially obscure pairing and made into a compelling story that has a sizable fan base. I’m not a Markapoo supporter, but this story does a good job of showing what could happen. The best part is that ADdude shows no signs of stopping the story, either. From what I can guess, it comes out every month, so it comes at a decent pace. If you like Star vs., then this would be a fun story for you to read.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Star vs. Fan Week, Day 2

What would happen if your future kids came back from the future to make sure your parents get together and preserve their existence? It sounds like a version of “Back to the Future” or other time travel stories, but this one has a twist. In this case, the kids are from two separate futures… and have two different moms. This scenario is precisely the dilemma that Marco Diaz faces in this next fan work, Ship War AU by MoringMark.

Ship War AU

Written by: MoringMark

Type of Fanwork: AU Comic/Shipping

Status: Uncertain/Incomplete

Synopsis:

The comic starts in the middle of Season Two episode “Bon Bon the Birthday Clown.” Only in Ship War AU, Marco and Jackie’s date gets interrupted by two unexpected visitors. One’s Elizabeth Butterfly, Star and Marco’s future daughter, and the other’s Jam Diaz, Jackie and Marco’s future son. Both came back in time with different motives, but they’re each determined to ensure their existences.

The rest of Season Two unfolds as Jam and Elizabeth try to blend in and make sure Marco ends up with their respective moms. Meanwhile, Marco’s just trying to keep his relationship with Jackie intact while dealing with the fact he has two teenage kids to handle, plus Star.

Review

I don’t know where the author, MoringMark, learned to draw, but man he’s good. Looking at Ship War AU, it almost perfectly captures the art style of the show, right down to the backgrounds. You can almost mistake it for the show itself, at times. The resemblance is more than just skin-deep though, as MoringMark nails the characters personalities, or even expands on them. Since the whole premise behind the fan comic’s a shipping war, it focuses less on the events of the show at first and more on the shipping. The events of season two eventually play a significant role, but that comes closer to the end.

In terms of the shipping dynamic, one thing the comic succeeds in doing while the show fails is demonstrating the effect that Star’s feelings for Marco have on Jackie. In the show, Jackie eventually broke up with Marco because she knew he liked Star but moved on. Here, though, we see how that could have affected Jackie in the show. We see her openly admit to feeling jealous of Star for her looks, personality, and popularity. Then just when she thinks she has Marco, his future daughter with Star shows up, and that jealousy gets a lot worse.

Speaking of the future children, it’s time for some character analysis regarding Elizabeth and Jam. This will get a little long since I want to cover both their backstories and personalities. I can’t help it.

Elizabeth Butterfly

This is Princess Elizabeth Butterfly, Star and Marco’s future daughter in Ship War AU. In her timeline, Star and Marco are happily married as the rulers of a futuristic Mewni. Glossaryck tasked her with traveling back to the events of the show to deal with a space-time anomaly, only to run into Jam, who has his own goals. Now she has to ensure her existence while keeping Star from figuring out her identity.

Appearance-wise, Elizabeth’s practically the spitting image of Star, inheriting her eyes, cheek marks, and physical appearance, while getting Marco’s hair color. As far as personality goes, Elizabeth takes mostly after her mother, albeit more subdued. She’s got a giant sweet tooth, capable of being as reckless as Star, and loves fighting bad guys and bullies. Fortunately, she got Star’s magic and wand and Marco’s skill in martial arts.

While her personality reminds a little too much of Star to call her wholly original, I like Elizabeth because she has some of the best aspects of Star and Marco. She can be snarky and sarcastic at times, but she’s every bit as selfless as her parents and quick to make friends. After some time passes, she even tries to reach out to Jam, despite their initial attempts to ensure their existence. Underneath her confident exterior, though, is someone whose worried that they won’t be able to live up to Star’s legacy. It’s learning how to stop comparing herself to her mom and the rest of the family that drives her character near the end of the series.

Jam Diaz

This is Jam Diaz, Marco and Jackie’s son from the future. His name comes from the acronym “Jackie And Marco.” Unlike Elizabeth’s happy childhood, though, Jam’s was hell on Earth. In his timeline, Star disappeared a few months after the events of Bon Bon the Birthday Clown, and then a phenomenon known as the “Stapocalpyse” saw Earth overrun by monsters. With both Jackie and Marco dead, Jam came back in time not to ensure his existence, but to stop the Stapocalpyse. Then he has to deal with Elizabeth.

Appearance-wise, he got Jackie’s eyes and the blue streak in the otherwise brown-hair he got from Marco. He also wears his late mother’s seashell necklace as a memento, and always carries a skateboard and helmet on him at all time. Ironically, his severe and stoic personality resembles the “bad boy” image that we saw Marco trying so hard to create before he met Star. Also ironically, his good looks and personality lead him to become as big a chick magnet as Marco was in the show: just look.

I like Jam because he reminds me of Future Trunks, and Future Trunks is my favorite character in DBZ. Both are time-traveling warriors trying to stop an apocalyptic future and are super awesome. Unlike Trunks, though, Jam’s slower to trust others since he’s been on his own since he was a kid. He also serves a good foil for Elizabeth. While Liz is more emotional, Jam’s stoic. More importantly, though, Jam’s goal is to stop the apocalypse that kills his parents; he’s okay with sacrificing his existence if necessary.

Original Content vs Canon

I’m still new to the whole fan works thing, so my opinion on what makes a good fan work is yet being formulated. One thing I do know that I like, though, is fan works that try to remain faithful to the source’s canon, but also tell their own story. It’s hard to explain. In the case of Ship War AU, we have a fan comic that, while telling a new story, more or less follows the plot of the show from Season Two onwards. Most of the significant events from the episodes still take place: some happen as they did in the show, and others end up having different outcomes entirely. It’s enough, though, to keep me interested in the end. Sadly, we may never know what happens, as the series was never finished.

Stuck in Hiatus

The comics end around the start of Season Three of the show, just as we get to the big fight against Toffee. Unfortunately, we never see what happens, as MoringMark seems to have moved on to other projects. It is a shame, because with SvTFOE over, I’d love to see how he’d end the comic. There’s always hope, though. In the meantime, Elizabeth and Jam have made appearances in other fanworks done by MoringMark and fans of the show, so they’ll be around.

Conclusion

If you’re one of those people who’s into Star vs. for the shipping, then this should be right up your alley. If you’re not into the shipping, then this story will at least entertain you. It captures the essence of the show in a very reliable manner, both stylistically and in terms of tone and characters. We may never know how it ends, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying Ship War AU. Full disclosure, this won’t be the last time we see MoringMark or his work this week. What can I say? He’s just good. You should go check out his Tumblr page, right now. Click the link here

Here’s a hint about tomorrow’s fan work choice: it involves another fan-made child character.

Click here to see my review of yesterday’s fan work, Starfall

Hey everyone, Jay here with a special announcement. As you know, I’ve been busy lately with my posts on Amphibia and Sword Art Online. Now that at they’re done for a while, though, I have no other shows that I want to do use for my R/R (Review/Recaps) posts. I only have manga posts to write about for a while. So, I decided to use this next week for something special I wanted to do for a couple of weeks. It’s going to be a little weird, a little wild, and filled with star.

In the week leading up to the series finale of Star vs. The Forces of Evil, I got into reading fan fiction for the show. It was my way of coping with the sudden and interest I had in the show. I still think it was me subconsciously transferring the excitement I had for the final season of Game of Thrones to a show that I thought wouldn’t disappoint me as much. Look me in the eye after the penultimate episode and tell me that you didn’t feel like GoT was dead to you!

I’m glad that I did, though, because it turns out there’s a lot of excellent fan writings for the show out there. Some of them, I think, rival professionally written books and TV shows. As I read more and more, I knew I couldn’t stay quiet about it. That’s where I got this idea: Star vs. The Forces of Evil, A Week of Fans.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be posting a different fanwork based on Star vs. The Forces of Evil and why I think you should read it. Rather than spoil anything, I’ll keep the plot to a minimum and focus on why this may be a good thing to read in your spare time. I’ll even include links to the stories in the description.

I hope you guys enjoy my new passion project! Come by tomorrow to see my first pick, Starfall!

To see my review of the season one finale of Amphibia, click here.