RJ Writing Ink

Luz Clawthorne: Hexside’s Number One Delinquent Witch Review

Halloween may have been yesterday, but I’ve still got one last surprise before next year. If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll know that I’ve been a fan of The Owl House since day one. It’s easily one of the best cartoons Disney’s put out in recent years, not to mention great representation of the LGBTQ+ community in kid’s cartoons. Still, if my reviews of Star vs. Fanfics tell you anything, it’s that sometimes, watching the show’s not enough. I want to experience what the fans have come up with for something I love. That’s why I want to tell you about one of the best fanfics I’ve ever read, Luz Clawthorne: Hexside’s Number One Delinquent Witch.

Written by: JP-Ryder

First Published: October 17, 2020

Type of Fan Work: AU

Status: Ongoing

Synopsis-

In an alternate timeline, fourteen years ago, Eda the Owl Lady’s rummaging for garbage on Earth to sell when her palisman Owlbert leads her to a nearby wrecked car. Inside the vehicle is Camilla Noceda, who, tragically, did not survive the crash. However, her sacrifice ensured that her infant daughter, Luz, did survive. Taking pity on the infant, Eda brings her back to the Boiling Isles. Despite initially wanting to return her to Earth, Eda grows too attached to the baby and eventually decides to raise her Luz herself. 

Flashforward fourteen years, and Luz Clawthorne’s every bit the troublemaker her mom was at Hexside. She enjoys picking fights with bullies, regularly scams kids and adults, and is the bane of authority figures everywhere. Unfortunately, all of Luz’s hellraising starts to catch up with her when Principal Bump gives her and her mom an ultimatum: she has to turn her life around, or she’ll face the consequences. Yet changing for the better proves to be harder than Luz could imagine, as she and the people around her all have to deal with some serious issues. This is the story of a human girl living in the Demon Realm.

Sweet mercy, this story is so good.

If The Owl House Didn’t Have Disney to Hold it Back

One of the great things I love about fanfiction is that it lets fans tell stories without some groups’ limitations. For example, a kid’s show that likes to delve into serious issues like prejudice, sexuality, and abusive relationships but has to hold back because it’s meant for kids? In fanfiction, there’s no such restriction, letting writers explore mature concepts to their fullest extent. In other words, they don’t have to hold back, which is what Luz Clawthorne does, and it does it well. 

The initial premise of the story is already darker than what Disney might allow. Luz was orphaned as a baby, only to be adopted by Eda the Owl Lady and raised on the Boiling Isles. As sweet as it sounds, keep in mind, Luz grows up never knowing her birth mother, and while she may not say it, it does bother her. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the prejudice she faces being a human on the Boiling Isles. While one would think her tougher, delinquent personality results from being raised by Eda, that’s only partially right. Truthfully, it boils down to an incident from when she was little that broke her in every sense of the word, causing her to put on a tough persona to survive. Luz spends most of the first book trying to overcome her past trauma, which can be downright heartbreaking to read.

The same goes for the rest of the cast. Most, if not all, of the story’s main and secondary cast members have their own issues to work out. Rather than just simple teen drama, though, JP-Ryder veers into very dark places, touching on subjects such as PTSD, self-destructive personality traits, abusive parenting, and especially the consequences of one’s actions. In fact, the whole theme of the story is everyone learning that their actions, both good and bad, have lasting results. Unfortunately, they may not often like what happens.

Different Relationships Found

One of the great things about Luz Clawthorne is that it completely shifts the dynamics of the relationships between the characters. Because Luz has spent her whole life on the Boiling Isles, everyone’s either known her for years or heard of her in rumors. As a result, the relationship she has with everyone drastically changes. Willow and Gus are her childhood friends and among the few outside the Detention Track who will hang out with her. She starts off the series with a very poor relationship with Amity, and an even worse one with Boscha. In addition, she’s not well-liked by many of the teachers at Hexside, and the feeling are mutual.

In keeping with the theme of actions having consequences, Luz spends most of Book One trying to deal with her relationships with others. Unfortunately, due to her own actions, both past, and present, several key relationships in her life get severely strained. While Luz ultimately overcomes most of these hurdles and builds stronger relationships in the process, Boscha’s continued hatred leads to the demon girl retaliating in the cruelest way possible. I almost cried when I read what happened.

And then there’s Lillith. Of all the characters on the show, Luz being Eda’s adoptive daughter, ends up changing Lillith far more than anyone else. Having been kept in the dark about Luz for years, Lillith’s world is turned upside down by the knowledge that she has a niece, and a human one at that. This leads her character down a very different path than in the show, and one that ends up putting her through the wringer for what she did to Eda.

An Absolute Thrill Ride From Start to Finish

Currently, Luz Clawthorne is on hiatus while JP-Ryder writes up the second book. While I won’t say what happens, I will say that you shouldn’t expect things to turn out like they do in the show. This might end up being for its betterment, though. At the end of the first book, we’re put through an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Most of the cast is in a far different spot than when we found them, and it makes me genuinely want to see what comes next.

In addition, The Owl House is not the only Disney property to make up this story. While I won’t spoil the surprise, let’s say that it feeds into the fan theories that The Owl House and another popular Disney cartoon are connected. And this makes for some interesting stories that I hope to see the payoff for in the future.

Honestly, Luz Clawthorne is one of the best fanfictions I’ve ever read. If you like The Owl House or want to get into it, then I cannot recommend this story enough. 

Just, be prepared for singing. JP-Ryder likes the musical numbers found in a lot of Disney Properties, and it carries over.

Hey there, everyone, J here with the first in what will hopefully be a series of posts I’m calling “Fanfic Author Spotlight.” It’s where I give a shoutout to some of the fanfic author’s that I’ve gotten to know fairly well. That can mean both through their writings or through conversations I’ve had over the Internet with them. First up, we have a good friend of mine, someone’s whose talent as a writer’s only matched by her skill as an artist, KPRS4Ever!

A Little Bit About Her

I first met Sarah, AKA KPRS4ever, on Twitter not long after Star vs. The Forces of Evil ended. We both loved the show and were sad to see it end, and after chatting a lot on Twitter, we got along great. So now, I guess you could say that we’re friends or Internet buddies.

From what she’s told us, KP’s a New Jersey native who’s currently attending college and pursuing her major. She’s worked as an intern at Disney World, and said its one of the best experiences of her life. So much so that once she graduates, she plans on moving to Florida and getting a job working with Disney. And if Disney doesn’t hire her, then the mouse fails to see a talented writer and artist.

Brilliant Writer and Artist

KP may be one of the biggest fans of Star vs. The Forces of Evil that I’ve ever met, and she channels that passion into her fanworks. Having already written some fan works for Miraculous Ladybug and Kim Possible, she turned her focus to Star after the show ended. Her story, When Two Worlds Collide, picks up where the show left off as the cast deals with their new world. While I think the story starts out a little slow for my tastes, once it gets going, its as good as the show. Plenty of others seem to think so, too, as her story’s one of the most popular for the show on Wattpad:

In addition, KPRS4ever’s talents extend to fan art. She’s a passionate fan artist who’s made plenty of drawings for shows like Kim Possible and Star vs.. You wouldn’t be alone if you mistook one of her drawings as an image from the actual show:

As a matter of fact, KP’s so good that she’s even gotten recognition from the cast of the show. In October, Adam McArthur, the voice actor for Marco Diaz, hosted his first ever Boba Meetup at New York Comic Con. Not only did KP help organize and attend the event, but she made a special print to be signed by Adam himself for the occassion. Adam even went so far as to give her a shoutout on social media for it. Now that’s recognition!

KPRS4ever Needs Help

Between her writing and her artwork, all signs seem to point to a good future for KPRS4ever. However, not all is well for her. A few months back, she told us on Twitter that, due to some dumb technicalties, she was unable to get the final 0.5 credit she need to graduate college. As a result, she’d have to pay for an entire semester for a single class, or something. I don’t remember, I was too busy ranting about how unfair it was.

I believe she was able to work something out in the end. However, she still needs to take a final semester of college in order to graduate. The problem is that it’s going to cost her an extra $2,000. So instead of taking out more loans, she’s going the entrepreneurial route. That’s where you come in.

Right now, she’s got a Gofundme campaign running in order to make the money she needs for her last semester. In addition, she’s begun selling merchandise featuring her artwork over on Redbubble. All you need to do is to go to either of those places and give her the money she needs. That way, she can graduate when she wants, fulfill her dreams, and potentially make the next big cartoon at Disney in 8-10 years. It’s like a long-term investment!

So, what are you waiting for? Go over to these sites and check her out. You can also find her on Tumblr, Instagram, and Wattpad. Know that you’re helping to support a talented artist and writer by doing so!

KPRS4ever’s Gofundme page

Here’s her Redbubble page! I just bought myself a phonecase from her with the wand on it!

Click here if you want to read her fanfic.

Click here to see my review of When Two Worlds Collide

And if you still need convincing, here’s some of her artwork. All rights go to KPRS4Ever, Daron Nefcy, and Disney.

I know I said that my Star vs. Fan Week thing would be for that one week. It has come to my attention, though, that I promised another author/new internet acquaintance, The Wandering Hippie, that I’d review his stories. I don’t even remember agreeing to such a thing, but since Hippie’s work is awesome, I’m going to do him a solid. Which is why I’m here now to write about his Monster Love AU series. It all starts with the rarest ship in the Star vs. fandom: MoonxToffee.

PUT. THE TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS. DOWN. Or in this case, STEP AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD. Before you judge, let me explain. Yes, I’m well aware that in the show, Toffee’s the slimeball who killed Moon’s mother and ruined any chance of peace between mewmans and monsters. Yet for some reason, this ship started. Regardless of my personal feelings about Toffee, I am willing to put my prior opinions aside. In fact, I see the stories that Hippie wrote as an argument trying to convince me to accept the MoonxToffee thing.

Also, I happily accepted Eclipsa loving Globgor, and they make a great couple, so I refuse to be a hypocrite. This is A Tale of Moon and Monsters, and its sequel, Star the Monster Princess.

A Tale of Moon and Monsters

Author: The Wandering Hippie

Type of Fan Work: AU

First Published: June 27, 2017

Status: Complete

Synopsis

In this AU, Toffee’s a young advisor to the King and Queen of Mewni rather than an enemy. He’s also the lizard man stuck with being Moon’s tutor in Princess 101. While Moon can’t stand him at first, they start to warm up to each other and change themselves for the better. The closer they get, though, the more it seems like people are trying to split them apart.

Little do they know that there are dark forces at work. For centuries, a sinister group has controlled the Kingdom from the shadow, one that will stop at nothing to preserve the status quo. With Mewni no longer safe, the two flee for their lives, and vow to take down this shadow group. Gathering their friends under Moon’s banner, the young princess becomes a rebel leader to free all her people. This act of rebellion paves the way for a war that, for better or worse, will change Mewni forever.

Note on the Villains

I can’t progress further without telling you about the villains of this story. They’re the Shadow Clause. In Hippie’s headcanon, they’ve been the true rulers of Mewni for most of its history. I think they started as a group meant to protect Mewni from the shadows. However, went full-on Templar from Assassin’s Creed and started controlling it instead. They’ve helped encourage the persecution of Monsters and oppress the Mewman commoners to stay in power. They’re so powerful, even the Queens of Mewni are their unwitting puppets. Since the Magic High Commission exists in this story, the fact that the Shadow Clause is able to operate under their noses shows how powerful they are. So, Moon does what plenty of teens and young adults do when faced with tyranny: she rebels. What happens, I leave for you to find out. It’s awesome.

And that’s all I can tell you without spoiling the ending. On to the second part of the Monster Love AU, Star the Monster Princess.

Star the Monster Princess

Author: The Wandering Hippie

Type of Fan Work: AU

First Published: January 9, 2018

Status: Ongoing

It’s been twenty years since the Mewni Civil War ended with the defeat of the Shadow Clause. Under the guidance of Queen Moon and King Toffee, Mewni’s started to rebuild. Now the time has come for Star, their half-mewman, half-septarian daughter, to inherit the wand. Then everything goes down as it does in the show and Star gets sent to Earth. There, she meets Marco, Janna, Oskar, and everyone else.

Now she has to master the power of the wand while protecting it from falling into the wrong hands. In this case, those wrong hands are mewmans who refuse to bow to Moon’s new order and want to return it to the old ways. On top of everything, Star has to deal with the stigma of being half-monster in a kingdom that struggles to accept it. Thankfully, she has plenty of friends, both new and old, to stand by her side.

Little does anyone realize, but there’s great danger in the horizon. An ancient evil, even greater than the Shadow Clause, is at work, one that Star will need all her strength to face.

Review

I was skeptical about this series when I started it, considering who Toffee is in the context of the show. Then I decided to roll with it and see where it went. Thankfully, Hippie did a good job of making sure Toffee’s not a jerk. He can still be cold and distant, but his friendship with Moon helps him to open up and make friends.

Speaking of friends, the cast of this story is going to be a mixed bag. As in, it’s a mixture of the show’s characters, Hippie’s own creations, and expy’s from shows and books that Hippie likes. Its a good balance in my eyes, and while some may think it unoriginal, I enjoy the references to other works. It doesn’t help that I’m a fan of many of the shows and books he pulls characters from, though.

One of the more creative aspects of Hippie’s writing extends beyond literature, though. He likes to put links to clips of music on YouTube at points in the story. When you listen to them while you read, it helps to set the mood for what’s happening. To the best of my knowledge, I don’t know of many writers who do this outside of audiobooks. Hippie, you’re a genius.

Enough praise, though. Let’s get to the meat of this review.

Heart of the Story

At its heart, A Tale of Moon and Monsters is about the youth rebelling. I’ve seen a few stories like this in the past. Tales where teens or young adults realize that their world’s very unfair and the adults running it are making things worse. So, they decide to take matters into their own hands and fix the mistakes of their elders. It’s a bit cliché, and the author even lampshades this in a later chapter through Toffee. Yet, I can’t help up but love this kind of story. I have a thing for standing up to jerks in power, and that’s not going away.

Star the Monster Princess picks up where its predecessor left off, with a new theme. Moon’s generation may have won Mewni’s freedom, but it’s Star’s generation that has to deal with the after-effects. As history has shown us, though, getting rid of centuries-old prejudices and racism is hard. As we see in the story, not even being a Princess is enough to protect Star from the worst of people’s behavior.

Hippie doesn’t hold back on what Star’s gone through. All her life, mewmans have bullied or outright tried to kill her because she’s half-monster; because she’s different. While still as kind and energetic as her canon counterpart, the things this version of Star have gone through left her with deep mental scars. Thankfully, Hippie goes out of his way to remind us in his story that there can be more good people in the world than there bad.

Every version of Star Butterfly places a lot of value on their friends. Fortunately for her, this version has plenty of people who can help her. Her friends and family are always there for Star when she needs it, reminding her that she’s not a freak. It leads to some really sweet moments, especially between Star and Marco.

Go Read This

As far as fan fictions go, I have to say that Monster Love AU is one of the most creative and original series I’ve read for Star vs. The Forces of Evil. A Tale of Moon and Monsters gives us a very imaginative look at a different version of Moon and Toffee while giving us an epic war of good and evil. Star the Monster Princess gives us a new spin on the show. It captures much of the spirit that made Star so much fun to watch. At the same time, its willing to take the “monster-racism” theme to its logical endpoint. Plus, thanks to Hippie’s excellent taste in pop culture, there’s plenty of references to other shows and movies scattered throughout the Monster Love AU series. If you’re looking for an alternative look at Star vs., then this is for you.

Now for a message to Hippie, because I know you’re reading this. First, thanks for mentioning me in your latest chapter and for recommending me. Anything to help keep the fandom alive. At least until Disney or Daron give us the closure we desire. Second, don’t disparage your own stories. You are a good writer, and your work is just as good as Light of the Sun and Stars. If it wasn’t, then no one would read it. Third, and I need you to pay attention to this one, I want you to keep at it with the Monster Love AU series until you feel it’s finished. I hate seeing a good story go unfinished. It’s like Invader Zim all over again.

Quick Announcement

Oh, and one last thing. In case you guys didn’t know, tomorrow Daron Nefcy and Adam McArthur are going to be on the Star vs. subreddit doing an AMA from 11 AM-12 PM PST. They’ll be answering all sorts of fan-related questions. This may be the best chance in the foreseeable future to learn if there is a future for SvTFOE, so be there. Here’s the link, don’t be late!

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Fanfic Week Pt. 1

Hello everyone, and welcome to my week of Star vs The Forces of Evil Fanfiction. After getting inspired by the SvTFOE event on Tumblr, I decided to do a week of talking the best fan works from the Star vs fan base. Unfortunately, I started too late last week, so I’m starting this week. We’re starting off with a crossover story of epic proportions, Starfall.

Warning: The following story does contain explicit content. All characters involved are above the age of 18. You have been warned.

Starfall

Written by: GolfAlphaMike

Type of Fanwork: Crossover with Gravity Falls

First Published: 11/4/2015

Status: Complete

Synopsis

It’s been four years since Star began living on Earth with Marco, and the two are about to graduate high school. Years of adventures have given them an unbreakable bond, as best friends, and as lovers. Just as the two prepare for their future together, though, things change for Star. Her mother doesn’t have long to live, forcing Star to assume the throne soon than anyone planned. According to the laws of her world, she must take a husband, but when she tries to summon Marco, something terrible happens. Earth’s sealed off from the Multiverse; Star and Marco are literally worlds apart.

On Earth, all memory or trace of Star’s been erased, with only Marco able to remember her. While everyone he knows thinks he’s crazy, the boy knows that none of it was a lie. Thus, Marco Diaz sets off on a quest that will take him from a familiar town in Oregon and beyond to reunite with Star. Little do either know that there are dark forces at work and a centuries-old conspiracy that covets Star’s magical bloodline, and will stop at nothing to keep the two apart.

Review

I will be blunt: I think Starfall’s one of the best pieces of fan literature that I’ve ever read. I daresay it, but it’s good enough to publish into a book. It’s an epic romance novel that spans years of the characters lives as they live, grow, and fight. I can tell that GolfAlphaMike put his heart and soul into this work because it shows from the first chapter. It grabs hold of you and refuses to let go until the very end. The fact that GolfAlphaMike started writing Starfall in 2015, with only the first season to go on, makes it even more impressive.

Star and Marco’s Relationship

Considering that the author only had one season to go off of, it’s impressive that he was able to correctly guess that Star and Marco end up together in the end. He also wasn’t that far off when it comes to their character development, either. Star becomes more responsible than when we first met her, but she’s still the same fun-loving girl. Marco’s learned to be more of a risk-taker, but is cautious enough to avoid being reckless. Above all, the bond between them is the main focus of the story. No matter how big it may get, it always comes back to them.

The Crossover

Like I said in the description, Starfall’s a story that combines Star vs. The Forces of Evil with Gravity Falls. Since the latter show had ended by the time this was written, it had more to work with. The cast of Gravity Falls comes in at the right moments, but they never steal the spotlight from Star and Marco. They play a big role in helping Marco get to Mewni, and their personalities are the same as when we left them in 2016. The main difference is that eight years have passed since Weirdmageddon, so Dipper and Mabel are adults now. Otherwise, they’re the same.

The Characters

Being a fanfiction, Starfall has a mixture of both canon and original characters. Most of the casts from both shows plays a secondary role, helping Star and Marco on their journeys, but that’s about it. The only other canon character who plays a big role is Tom, who, ironically, mellowed out as much as he did in the show. The difference here is that its because he fell in love with another girl, an original character named Marina. So he no longer sees Star as anything more than a friend, yet he’s being forced to marry her by somone else.

That someone is Tom’s mother, who in this story is called Empress Ishtar, not Wrathmelior. Unlike Tom’s mother in the show, who genuinely cares about her son and his happiness, Ishtar barely does. In Starfall, she uses any means to keep Star and Marco apart, from blackmail and political red tape to outright attempting to murder Marco. She’s a good antagonist, and her motivations are very dark. Think Cersei Lannister; only she’s smart.

Original Concepts

Since Starfall’s written in the gap between the first and second seasons, a lot of elements from the show don’t exist in this. There’s no Eclipsa and Globgor, no Magic High Commission, among other things. GolfAlphaMike more than makes up for it, though, by coming up with some great original concepts. I don’t want to spoil them, but if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll recognize them. Golf’s acknowledged that they directly contradict the show, yet the concepts are interesting enough that I give them a pass.

Very Good Read

So this fanfic doesn’t follow the show that well, but to be fair, it was written when the show had only one season under its belt. The fact that the writer’s ability to create a great story from that one season is an impressive feat. Making it enjoyable enough that you can’t stop reading it, though, is a sign that this is worth your time. It does contain explicit moments of “adult things,” but all the characters involved have reached adulthood by that point.

I know fanworks aren’t for everyone; I’m still not that into that, honestly. I made an exception for Star because I’ve seen how passionate the fanbase can be about the show, and it hasn’t let me down. Its works like Starfall that give me hope that the fandom will keep the show alive for years to come. If you like SvTFOE and don’t want to say goodbye, then this is for you.

Click here to see my other animation stuff

Click here to read the story for yourself