RJ Writing Ink

Ever since I started reading fan works last spring, I’ve realized how much creative freedom they give fans. They’re not restricted by censors, age ratings, or executive meddling. As a result, fans are free to take a story they love and push how far it can go. For example, if they didn’t like the direction of a show went, they can rewrite it in a way they’ll enjoy. Which is a good thing if a lot of fans feel like a show wasted some great ideas. Case in point, this next fan work, In the Pale Starlight, takes the more mature themes of Disney’s magical girl show, Star vs. The Forces of Evil and sees how far they can be taken. As it turns out, very far!

In the Pale Starlight

Author: LordCornwallis

First Published: July 14th, 2019

Type of Fan Work: Alternate Re-Telling

Status: Ongoing

Synopsis

After Jackie breaks up with him because she knows he can’t forget about Star, Marco decides to move to Mewni full time so he can spend time with his best friend and become a knight. Like in the show, though, he realizes his timing’s less than ideal. Star’s gotten back together with her ex, Tom, and is more focused on being a better Princess. Thus, it’s off to the Knights of the Wash for Marco. Unlike in the show, though, Marco’s first quest almost proves fatal for the young man, but also brings the two closer than ever before.

This near-death experience makes the two teens how much they mean to each other. Before they know it, love begins to blossom between the two best friends! Despite their newfound happiness, though, the forces of evil still lurk in a dimension struggling to rebuild following Toffee’s Invasion. In the shadows, a conspiracy is brewing against the Kingdom, one that threatens to upend the Butterfly Family. Can Star and Marco uncover this new threat to her home before it’s too late?

Star vs., But Now Rated M for Mature

The first thing that needs to be established is the age rating for this story. It falls squarely in the range of PG-13 and R-Rated stories, for several reasons. Secondly, Star and Marco have been aged up to age 16; again, for purposes. 

First and foremost, Pale Starlight gets very violent; Game of Thrones level violent. For example, take the first chapter where Marco fights the Lint Monster as he does in the show, the writer describes his near-fatal injuries in detail so vivid that it made my stomach churn. His arm was fractured, he had a gash across his face, and he was barely able to stand from blood loss. This sets the standard for the story, and it maintains it throughout the whole story.

The second reason why this story is M-rated is due to the romantic aspects. Star, Marco, and their friends are aged up to 16. LordCornwallis says this is to make the more mature Starco situations more believable. As with the violence, the writer does an excellent job of describing the events in great detail. 

Personally, I enjoyed the writer’s decision to make this story an M-Rated one. The show already dealt with some heavy adult things like institutionalized racism, unrequited feelings of love, and the mistakes of the past. Add in the fact that it got a lot past the radar (“smooch buddies”), and this feels like a natural transition. 

A Vicious New Enemy

While I still think Meteora will eventually play a role, for now, the story has a new antagonist. One who, while not as crazy or power-hungry as the show’s villains, is just as deadly. Enter Duke William Appleton, the biggest jerk in all of Mewni.

Even though he’s only twenty-two, Appleton’s already the wealthiest person in Mewni. He’s even wealthier than Star’s family and thinks that gives him the right to treat everyone like trash. Worse, he’s also Star’s cousin through his mom’s side, and after Star, he has the best claim to the throne. Not content with what he already has, though, Appleton’s plotting to seize the throne for himself. To that end, he’s undermining the Kingdom through any means necessary. And he sees Marco as a genuine threat to his plans, one that he will go to great lengths to get rid of.

It’s hard to say if Appleton’s a good villain, as the story’s not over yet. Here are my two cents, though. As villains go, he seems very two dimensional, especially when compared to the villains found in the show. Like Toffee, he’s good at manipulating events behind the scenes to get what he wants, and is a deadly warrior with a cruel streak. However, he also wears his emotions on his sleeve and easily gets angry. He’s like Joffrey, only smarter. Given how the story’s progressing, though, I can see him becoming a dangerous enemy for the main characters, especially Marco. The guy has a hate-on for the boy!

No Disney to Hold it Back

In my honest opinion, In the Pale Starlight is an example of what the show could have been like if it didn’t have to be restrained by the fact that it’s a kid’s show. By Disney. LordCornwallis is a passionate fan of the series and sees how much potential it has as a means for storytelling, and he channels that passion very effectively. The end result is a Star vs. story for older fans who wished the show could have explored its more adult side without those pesky censors. Plus, the scene where Star and Marco admit their feelings is ten times sweeter than it was in the show. No offense.

If you’re one of those teen or adult fans of Star vs., then give In the Pale Starlight a look. It doesn’t get as much love as it should.

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Star vs. The Forces of Evil Holiday Special Review- Stump Day

I know I said I wasn’t going to be doing this 25 days of Christmas thing this year. However, Star vs the Forces of Evil came out on Disney+, and its the first day of December. In other words, I couldn’t resist. So, here’s my review of the first half of the Star vs. Christmas Special, “Stump Day.”

All Hail Stump Day

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Mewni, Stump Day. When the first Mewmans found their way to Mewni, they were struck by a terrible winter storm. In order to survive they had to huddle behind a giant tree stump and forge bonds of friendship. ThentheylearnedmagicandusedittobeatuptheMonsters, the end!

To honor that memory, every year the Mewmans honor the Stump, or else. However, Stump Day’s not just Star’s favorite holiday, it also happens to be her birthday!

It may just be me, but the fact that Star’s birthday falls on Stump Day seems like a continuity wrinkle. Wouldn’t that mean the Wand Ceremony in the first episode should have had snow and holiday decorations or what not? Or did they move it to a different day to honor the Stump?

Unwelcome Birthday Party

Not realizing how important Stump Day is, and wanting to surprise his best friend, Marco throws a surprise party for Star that very night. This causes Star to freak out and try to destroy her own party. She never celebrates her birthday on her actual birthday out of respect/fear of the Stump.

Everything goes downhill from there. Marco and Tom start fighting when Marco calls him a bad boyfriend, then everyone’s yelling at each other and Janna throws the Stump in the fireplace. As a result of everyone’s actions, they anger the real Stump, and it tries to kill everyone present.

Personally, I found it a little ironic that no one believed the Stump was real aside from Star. Everyone present comes from other dimensions and sees magic on a regular basis. Given everything they’ve seen, is a giant, ax-crazy Mewman version of Santa hard to believe? In the end, it doesn’t matter, though: Stump Day comes to an end before the Stump can kill them all, and everyone comes together to celebrate Star’s birthday. The end.

Don’t Trust the Stump

I’ve seen several fanfictions re-use the concept of Stump Day since this episode, and a lot of them don’t paint the Stump in a good light. My personal favorite, though, is MoringMark’s story involving the Stump in his webcomic Echo Creek. Long story short, Mariposa and Meteora fight the Stump, and it reveals that it caused the storm that led to it being worshipped. It was revenge for them cutting down its tree.

Basically, I see the Stump as an axe-crazy hunk of wood that’s not to be trusted. However, it’s also the same kind of crazy you’d expect from a show like Star vs. The Forces of Evil. I know the chances of the story being continued anytime soon are low, but at least we get some great fanworks out of it.

This should be the part where I insert some cheesy Aesop about the importance of coming together for the holidays and/or possible death, but I got nothing. All I can say is that that rotting piece of bark is not to be trusted! Happy holidays, everyone!

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Star vs. Fan Week, Day 4

One of the big things that I’ve learned about the fan community for Star vs. The Forces of Evil is that there’s a lot of shipping. When there’s a lot of shipping, that leads to the concept of next gen original characters, and there are kids from almost every pairing in SvTFOE. Kids from Star and Marco, Star and Tom, Marco and Jackie, even a few for Marco and Janna. Basically, if anyone thought they’d make a good pair, the fans made kids for them. So MoringMark and a bunch of other fan creators had the idea of banding them together in one place. That leads us to today’s Star vs. Fan Work, SvTFOE Metaverse.

Fan Work: SvTFOE Metaverse

Created by: MoringMark (Originally)

Type of Fan Work: Webcomic/Anthology

Status: No Idea

This doesn’t really have a synopsis to it, so I’m skipping that in favor of giving an explanation.

The whole concept’s based on the Citadel of Ricks from Rick and Morty. Which, in turn, was based on the Council of Reeds from Marvel Comics. Existing in a dimension separate from the rest of the Multiverse are bases for every next-gen fankid where they can hangout with their inter-dimensional siblings. The focus is mainly on the largest base, the Citadel of Starco, home to all the fankids of Star and Marco.

Since MoringMark originally created the idea of the Metaverse, his Starco kid, Elizabeth Butterfly, plays a major role as head of security. Unfortunately for her, she ends up getting into a lot of trouble dealing with threats and fankids from other bases. Her biggest headache seems to be dealing with the kids from the TomStar base. They keep trying to sneak in or just mess with her all the time. I think it’s a funny meta reference to the rivalry fans have over who Star should have ended up with.

As far as a plot, there really is none, and while that would normally bother me, there doesn’t need to be one. The SvTFOE Metaverse was created to give fans of the show a means to collaborate and work on. It does a pretty job of it, too. Most of the comics are funny, slice of life stories that will make a fan chuckle, and anyone can add onto it. I don’t think anyone’s posting about it lately, but it can’t hurt to at least look it up.

Also, check this out:

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Star vs. The Forces of Evil, “Cleaved” Series Finale Review

After four years of fun and weirdness, it’s over. Star vs. The Forces of Evil, one of the best cartoons of the decade, has ended its run on TV. Unless Daron Nefcy decides to make a movie, but more on that later.

I mentioned this in my review of the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones that I was now looking forward to the finale to Star more than Game of Thrones. After watching the finale on DisneyNow an hour before it ever came on TV, I think I was right to do so. I cannot remember the last time the finale to a cartoon has made me cry so much!

A Fateful Decision

After being backed into a corner by Mina’s army of Solarian warriors, Star realizes that there’s only one choice she can make to save Mewni from being destroyed: she has to destroy magic itself.

While I fear that her decision could have far-reaching consequences, it shows how much she’s grown. Whereas the hyperactive cuckoolander we first met would have balked at this plan, Star’s grown wise enough to realize that the level of power magic gives is too dangerous. Even Hekapoo supports her decision, even knowing that she, Glossaryck and the rest of the Commission will die.

And she won’t do it alone. Marco joins her for the most important mission of their lives as they head towards their destiny.

In a rather clever turn of events, the finale also shows us the real reason why Glossaryck eats pudding so much: it helps people keep their minds in the Realm of Magic. That is genius! But Star’s plan isn’t as simple as she hoped. Try though she might to use the Whispering Spell to destroy the magic, there’s just too much of it.

Meanwhile, Marco tries to fight off the corrupted Unicorns and a corrupted Tom using his karate and the wand. Yes, he’s using the Royal Wand again, which is a cool concept. Sadly, it doesn’t really do anything, as Marco’s not as good at magic as Star is. Luckily, he snaps Tom back to normal despite getting hurt pretty bad.

Our Powers Combined

At that moment, Eclipsa, Moon, and Meteora all show up after deciding that Star was right. And then the past wielders of the Wand show up and help. It may be a little fanservice-y, but it was a nice touch to see the past Butterflys show their support. Even Solaria, the one who created Mina, helps her daugther, and looks at her granddaughter with pride. When Mina tries to interfere, Solaria looks at her in disgust and shame.

“With or Without Magic…We Belong Together”

Together, they manage to destroy the magic, and the realm begins to crumble. Tragically, when Marco asks how he and Star plan to see each other, he realizes that they can’t. Star tries going back to Mewni, but the idea of a life without Marco is something she can’t deal with. She chooses to leave her home behind to be with her best friend and true love.

Turns out, Marco had the same idea, and both of them remain stranded as the Realm of Magic crumbles around them. They don’t care, though. Magic may have brought them together, but with or without it, they know their place in the universe is with each other.

A World Without Magic

And in one final flash of light, it’s over. Magic is gone from the universe, with the Magic High Commission and Glossaryck along with it. Marco, Jelly, and that eagle guy are sent back to their worlds. But without magic, the Solarian warriors return to normal, and Mina’s victims will live.

Even Mina survives, and despite Moon trying one last time to help her, she refuses her help and runs into the woods. I don’t feel bad for her: even after seeing Solaria disapprove of her actions, she won’t let her racist views go.

One Last Spell

The age of magic is over, but just as it looks like Star and Marco will be separated forever, one last act of magic plays out. I don’t know if it was because the Realm of Magic was responding to their statement that, magic or no, they belong together. Or maybe it was that old trope of “magic being born from love” being in play; or both. Whatever the reason, a portal appears on Earth and Mewni, and Star and Marco rush to it as fast they can, only for it to explode.

Two Friends, One World

When the dust settles, something truly amazing has happened. The last bit of magic cleaved Earth, Mewni, and possibly every other dimension into one. Where there was once many worlds, there’s now one incredible one.

None of that matters to Star and Marco, though. The only thing that does matter is the sight of each other right in front of them. Against all odds, they found a way to always be together. The two lovers walk up to each other, too overjoyed to say more than a “hey” and “hi”.

And as the credits roll and pan out to the otherworldly sky that makes up their one world, they probably leapt in each other’s arms, laughed and cried, and then kissed like it was no tomorrow.

Can’t Stop Crying

Everytime I try and watch those last few seconds, my eyes won’t stop tearing up. It’s just so beautfiul. The incredible background, and the joyful music make me start tearing up from happiness . If you read my post on Star and Marco’s relationship, then you’ll know that I think that Star and Marco’s friendship has been a central part of it. They have one of the strongest relationships that I have seen in fiction; their love was strong enough to cleave their two world’s together into one.

When I saw that “Cleaved” was only going to be half an hour, I was worried that it would end being a rushed ending like the final season of Samurai Jack. But I was wrong. While it was the final episode, it was part of nine-episode arc that, in a way, could be considered a movie finale. Some fans consider it to be rushed, and while I wish the fight in the Realm of Magic went on longer, I disagree as a whole. “Cleaved” left me feeling emotionally satisfied with the ending, and it managed to come back to the core aspect of the show: Star and Marco.

This Isn’t the End

But for those not satisified with the finale, something tells me this isn’t the last we’ll see of Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Magic may be gone, but now Star and Marco have a whole new world to live in, and new problems to face as Earth and Mewni learn to live together. There’s plenty of potential for a sequel in the form of comics, a movie, or another TV show! Daron Nefcy has even said that she’d be happy to come back to Star and Marco in the future, so there’s still hope.

In short, I loved the finale. It managed to wrap up the final arc of the show, ensured that our heroes got their happy ending, and was open-ended enough to allow for more adventures to be told. This may be goodbye for now, but I doubt we’ve seen the last of Star and Marco.

I give “Cleaved” A 5/5. Incredible ending to one of the best cartoons of the decade.

Click here to read my review of the final episode of Game of Thrones