RJ Writing Ink

Hello, everyone! Jay of RJ Writing Ink here with two big announcements that I think you’ll be very interested to hear about. They both have to do with taking the next step in my work as a blogger and a writer.

I’m Writing My Own Fanfic Now!

I can no longer deny this fact anymore: I’ve been sucked into the world of fanfiction. I started reading it right before Star vs. ended last year, and from there I’ve just spiraled further and further down the rabbit hole. Lucky for me, I have a pretty solid grasp on what I consider to be good writing, so I’ve managed to keep my interest limited to the stories worth reading.

However, just reading them isn’t enough anymore. I wanted to start writing fanfics, which led me to become a beta-reader for a few writers. But it’s been my goal to do my own fanfic for some time now. That’s why I’ve spent the last four months coming up with a detailed outline and character chart for my story. Granted, I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m so far ahead by now that I think it’s safe to start writing it.

The point that I’m trying to make is that as of Friday, September 25th, 2020, I’m started publishing my fanfic. BEHOLD: COMET VS. THE FORCES OF EVIL!

The premise behind this story is simple: I take the cast of Star vs. The Forces of Evil , genderswap most of them, and then come up with my own take on how the show could have ended. The plans that I have for this story are big, too. I’m settling for nothing less than something worthy of being published into an actual book.

I Have A Patreon

I’ve decided that if I want to make any money off of my YouTube Channel or this blog, then I can’t rely on just the revenue streams that both websites provide (at least, my blog does). So, I’ve decided to set up a Patreon page.

Now, it doesn’t have anything to offer people at the moment, but that may end up changing in the future. For now, though, I’m just looking for people to donate money. Every dollar will go to helping make my blog, YouTube channel, or fanfiction’s better. In the fanfic’s case, I’d use the money to commission artists to make drawings for my stories. .

I hope that you guys will continue to support my blog and my new fanfiction!

Click Here to read my Fanfic

Click Here for My Patreon Page

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.

Click here to see my other reviews of fan fiction

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Hello, everyone, Roderick J Fritz here with another round of Fan A&A Spotlight. Today, we’ll be taking a look at a fanfic writer that I should have covered months ago. He’s one of my personal favorites on fanfic.com, I talk to him frequently in PM’s, and I consider him to be a good friend. Meet the Wandering Hippie!

If you’re reading this, Hippie, I’m only saying what you’ve told us on Fanfic.com. No personal info.

The Life of the Hippie

Hippie’s been very open about the details on his life, enough that I can get a clear picture of him. He grew up in Pittsburgh and is currently in his early-mid twenties and an aspiring writer. From what I can gather, he was a huge geek growing up, being a fan of many popular cartoons, anime, and comics. In addition, he’s also an avid play of Dungeons & Dragons and a proficient Dungeon Master.

However, it seems his early years of adulthood were rough on him. According to his author’s notes, he made some poor decisions in his last years of college that made him feel like he wasted his time. On top of that, his friends started to drift apart, and he lost a ton of money to an online scam. As a result, he wasn’t in a good place for a while. All that changed, though, in June, 2017, when the Wandering Hippie published the first chapter of a fanfic story called “A Tale of Moon and Monsters.”

As it turned out, working on his fan writings was just what the doctor ordered. It gave him a sense of purpose in life, and within months, he turned things around. He got a full time job as a caretaker and bird handler at a pet store, joined a volunteer fire department, and found a new group to play D & D with. Most importantly, though, he found recognition from the fans he gained from his stories.

As A Writer

Thanks to his time as a Dungeon Master, the Wandering Hippie became proficient in the delicate art of world-building. That skill would translate well into his recreation of the universe of Star vs. The Forces of Evil, letting him build up a complex and storied world that not only builds upon the show, but even improves it in some aspects. At the time of this writing, it’s basically at Game of Thrones levels of complexity. Some may think that’s a bit much, but I see it as pushing the concept of Star vs. beyond what Disney allowed. If you read my character analysis for his stories, you’ll know he gets bonus points for fixing characters with less than desirable personalities (*cough* Rhombulus *cough*)

The best way I can describe the Wandering Hippie’s writing style is taking the comedy and drama of Star vs., mixing in PG-13 elements. Then he stirs in some tastefully chosen soundtracks and songs from shows and movies, the complex history of a Game of Thrones world, add fourth wall breaking Author’s notes and numerous pop culture references. The result is a story that, somehow, manages to work really well.

Messing with the Fourth Wall

One of Hippie’s trademarks is that he likes to use his Author’s Notes to mess with the fourth wall of the story. By the time he starts Star the Monster Princess, he uses them to speak to the readers directly. More often than not, he uses it to tell jokes or act out some cool scene he wants to do. I.E. pretending to be a thief, facing down the embodiment of reality, fighting an evil squid version of himself. However, he also uses them to discuss serious elements, letting us know when something’s of personal importance to him. Heck, he even admits that he cried during some of the more serious moments of Monster Princess, which he says is a sign of a good writer. I’d have to agree with him.

He’s also not alone in the author’s notes, either. He’s joined by three other people who help him. The first one is Omnitraxus Prime who, thanks to being aware of the multiverse, can somehow hang out with Hippie. There’s also the Narrator Guy from Spongebob Squarepants, who gets into arguments with Hippie every now and then. Lastly, we have Janna, who’s trolling abilities in his story have risen to fourth-wall breaking levels. Hippie tried getting rid of her at first, but since she’s Janna, he gave up on that; now she just hangs out with them.

Pop Culture Aficionado

I dub the Wandering Hippie as a pop culture aficionado because his stories are filled with references to various cartoons, books, and other mediums of story-telling. In fact, this goes beyond simple references and using other brands soundtracks. Many chapters of his stories include characters from the many cartoons and movies he watched growing up. Since this is a fan work, he can get away with it without those pesky ownership rules.

I personally enjoy the entire concept, because almost every reference or character he uses are from things I’m already familiar with. The latest chapter alone included cameos from Hellboy, Jackie Chan Adventures, Ed Edd n’ Eddy, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Say Hello to the Hippie

Now, there’s another reason why I wanted to make this post. A while back, I had suggested to Hippie that he get a new logo for himself. So to surprise him, I hired a fan artist by the name of Gogola on Instagram to make a drawing of him. Thus, I figured that this post would be the best way to share it with him. Hippie, this is for you, man!

Hope you enjoyed this, guys!

Click here to read Hippie’s awesome stories.

Click here to see more of Gogola’s work

Once upon a time, I was complete garbage when it came to writing; in fact, I used to hate it. Fortunately, my days in school helped me to improve my skill with the written word. By the time I left college, people were often telling me that I was a great writer, and I started to like doing it. However, as a side effect of years of lessons crammed into me, I became a bit of a grammar cop. I learned that that’s not necessarily a good thing when you like to read fanfiction a lot.

I say this because I’ve read a lot of fan fics in the last year or so. While most of them are very well-written, I’ve found my share that I feel have enough mistakes to hinder them. Then last week, I came across a fanfic called “The Celestial and the Princess.” The premise was an alternate re-telling of Star vs. The Forces of Evil; in this story, though, Marco’s not fully human. Taking a page from Marvel Comics and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, here Marco’s part Celestial, a race of beings that can manipulate the universe on an atomic level, letting them create anything they want.

Stepping In

I didn’t think much of the idea at first, but as I got into the story, I became interested in it. Like Star the Monster Princess, it was a premise that could potentially alter the outcome of the show. Giving Marco access to abilities on par with the magic in the show adds a new dynamic to Star and Marco’s relationship. However, there was one thing about the story that held it back: grammar. Spelling was off for several words, incorrect use of punctuation, and more. As a result, something inside of me snapped. I couldn’t stand by and watch an interesting premise be held back by the writing. So, after the author, ROTHEM, responded to my review, we wound up striking a conversation. From there, I showed him the edits I had made to their prologue, and they seemed to be impressed.

I don’t remember which of us suggested the idea, but somewhere along the lines, the idea came up of me becoming a beta reader for their story. ROTHEM admitted that English was not their first language, hence why they had such trouble with it. Then, before I could change my mind, I volunteered. So, now I’m a beta reader or editor or something. So far, though, I seem to be doing a good job of it.

Good Work

Since I started doing revisions and pitching ideas to ROTHEM, they’ve gone back and reworked the first few chapters. There were only two, so there wasn’t that much to go on. As a result, the story’s started to gain some traction. Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to give advice to ROTHEM on how the story can progress and ideas to include. They seem happy about the whole thing.

“The Celestial and the Princess” is still in its infancy; when I post this, I’ll have only just finished adapting the second segment of the first episode, “Party with a Pony.” As for what I gain out of this? I’ll be getting some experience as a writer that I can put on my resume, and that’s enough for me.

So, that’s all I wanted to say right now. Go check out the first few chapter’s of ROTHEM’s story and let them know what you think about it. I’m sure ROTHEM will be happy to hear your feedback.

Click here to see the story right now.

Click here to see my other reviews of fan fiction