Over the last few months, I’ve covered a lot of fan fiction revolving around Star vs. The Forces of Evil. It’s my way of dealing with the need I have for more Star vs. content because, despite enjoying the finale, I was left wanting more. Lucky for me, a lot of the fan fics I find end up being pretty good. However, I don’t think I’ve found a fan fic quite like Royal Secrets by BlackWolfWrites.

Royal Secrets

Author: BlackWolfWrites

Type of Fan Work: Alternate Re-telling

First Published: June 19th, 2019

Status: Ongoing

This fan fiction’s an alternate re-telling of Season Four of SvTFOE. Unlike in the show, following the fight against Meteora, Star and Tom did not remain a couple. Having realized that she still has feelings for Marco, the two proceed to become boyfriend and girlfriend before they go looking for her mom. However, with tension between Mewmans and Monsters at an all time high, Star and Marco have to deal with royal secrets while keeping a big one of their own…

…which I will now tell you. You saw the episode “Britta’s Tacos”? Remember the joke about how everyone thought Mariposa was Star and Marco’s kid? That’s not a joke anymore. Star and Marco gave into their feelings, “quested”, and now Star’s pregnant.

Review

Before I get into the royal secrets nonsense, I just want to say this to Blackwolfwrites. I think that they’re a very good writer, and that Royal Secrets is among the best of their fan fictions. I’ve covered some of their other works, but I think he should know that. Any critiquing me or others do for your work only comes from a place of love and we want it to be the best it can be.

Secondly, while I love the show, I think the final Season was its weakest. Season Three, while not fully cohesive at times, was the best the show had. It started off with the final battle against Toffee, then worked its way through the various plots of the season, from Star’s sleep-portaling to the final battle against Meteora. Season Four, though, lacked that cohesion beyond the vague plot of Mina. Blackwolf, though, ties their version of Season Four together with two unifying threads: Starco and the fact that Star’s with child.

A More Realistic Approach

As sweet as it was for the show to give us StarCo in the show’s 11th hour, in hindsight it would have made more sense to do it after the fight with Meteora. We saw Star and Marco both realize they still had feelings for each other in “Booth Buddies”, and that infamous kiss left them both a wreck. The proceeding disappearance of Moon and the fight against Meteora forced them to leave the feelings about what happened unresolved. Yet in the Season Four premiere, we learn that they’ve been looking for Star’s mom for months, and were within contact with Tom. How did they not bring any of this up during that time?

Blackwolf takes a bit of a realistic approach to this whole scenario. In their story, the realization that they still love each other, combined with the fact that they almost died, leads them to do what many young couples would do in those circumstances: they give into their feelings. As a result, they’re a couple when the story starts. This gives Blackwolf time to make Star and Marco’s status as romantic partners develop. The result is every bit as sweet and heartwarming as you’d expect.

Starco Child

Now, for the narwhal in the room: their unborn child. I chatted with Blackwolf, and they told me they felt worried about how fans would react to it. I can’t blame him either. Teen pregnancy can be an awkward subject for many people. The fact that the show’s writers were able to sneak in those teen parent jokes into “Britta’s Tacos” is beyond me.

That said, I honestly think they shouldn’t have worried about it as much as they did. they chose to handle the matter in a very mature and respectful fashion, not playing it for jokes or making light about it in any way. Even more impressive, they had the two lovers remain in-character as they react to the news.

On Star’s part, she freaks out at first, which is understandable considering how she’s fifteen and all she’s got in her life. Yet any fear she has gets replaced by sheer joy. She loves Marco more than anything and knows that they’re meant for each other. As terrifying as it is to become a parent at such a young age, she can’t help but feel overjoyed. As for Marco, despite knowing the odds of teen parents (and almost fainting), he refuses to run away. Both decide to stand by their decision, even if all of Mewni hates them for it. Better yet, all of their loved ones who know about it thus far have been nothing but patient and supportive of them. They’ll need that support to beat the odds.

Tom Reverts Into Total Jerk

This is the one critique I have of Royal Secrets, and that’s how he’s dealt with Tom. When we first met him back in Season One, he was a total jerk, but he eventually started to change for the better. By the end of the show, he’s calm enough to break up with Star because he knows they’re not meant to be. Here, though, it feels like Tom not only didn’t get that message, but becomes even worse than before.

Apparently, Tom didn’t actually break up with Star, and the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. Thanks to circumstances beyond their control, Star can’t tell him the truth, and then he starts getting possessive and creepy. Even after confirming what he already knew, Tom still tries to get her back, which makes it even creepier than in the show.

I get what Blackwolf’s trying to do. Not everyone can get over Tom’s 180 by the end of the show and think he got off too easily for his earlier actions. That said, it still feels a little out of left field for me. Really hope he goes into more detail about it before the story ends.

What Could Have Been

At the end of the day, though, it feels like Royal Secrets is a look at what Season Four of Star vs. The Forces of Evil could have been. It keeps most of the plot threads of the final season, but it does a better job of tying them together than the show seemed to do. Granted, I know that straight-laced Disney would never agree to the “Star’s pregnant” story since it’s a kids show. That’s not the point, though; the point is that they could have done a better job with the story, and I think Blackwolf’s doing just that. If you’re reading this, Blackwolf, don’t stop this story! I want to see how this ends and how it will affect the ending to the show!

Special thanks goes to h2so3_art, who was kind enough to do this commission for me for the fan fiction. Go check them out on Instagram when you have a free minute; they’re good!

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Even though I have spoken enthusiastically about Star vs. The Forces of Evil in the past, I think we can all agree that it could have done some things better. However, if there’s one thing that I think was a missed opportunity, it was the Blood Moon Ball. Some Starco shippers saw it as the moment that decided that the two were meant for each other. Then Season Four’s “Curse of the Blood Moon” seemed to kill it for good. Only, not only did they end up together anyway, but the Blood Moon had nothing to do with it.

While I personally didn’t want Starco to happen because of some soul-binding, I see why some fans would be upset. The show doesn’t even explain how it’s a “curse” that well, making it even more of a letdown. However, a fan going by Blackwolfwrites decided to explore the potential of the blood moon in his own writing. The result is a trio of compelling stories that explore what could have been. This is what I like to call The Blood Moon Trilogy.

Minor Spoiler Warning, though

Sign of the Moon

Author: Blackwolfwrites

Type of Fanfic: AU/Shipping/Drama

First Published: Dec. 31, 2017

Status: Complete (Redux in progress)

Synopsis

Following the events of the first half of Season Three, Star Butterfly’s life is a mess. Her attempts to bring Mewman-Monster equality have stalled, her relationship with Tom is becoming strained, and she just found out that one of her worst enemies may be related to her! Through all these trials, though, she’s had her loyal best friend, Marco, by her side. Their bond, forged through countless adventures, has always been strong, in spite of feelings left unrequited and issues left unsolved.

Then, one fateful mission brings them back to the site of the Blood Moon Ball, and what they experience affirms what they already knew from the start: they’re meant for each other. Finally acknowledging their feelings for each other, the two best friends vow to be together, no matter what Mewni may think of them. They’ve overcome monsters, the Neverzone, St. Olga’s, Toffee, and more; what are some scheming nobles compared to that?

Little do the two realize, there’s a dark conspiracy in play that could decide to the future of Mewni itself…

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 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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