The Royal Protector, A Dark Star vs. Fan Fic

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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