Star vs. Pirate AU

Ideas listed and saved in /sveg/ on the creation of a Star vs. Pirate AU.


Star vs. Pirate AU

Somethings we should address is the world for it, Like what exactly is Echocreek in this AU? An island port city or a pirate haven? Plus what exactly are Marco and Star's roles?

Pirate port town for sure, but one of the more presentable ones wherein you have to behave and keep pirating stuff under wraps.

As for roles, well I don't think there needs to be any important roles as such. Marco is just the son of two pirate captains, at an age now where he's readily exposed to their way of life and he's trying to find his place in it all. He has the benefit, or at times misfortune, of having a mind and heart which steers his actions.

Star on the other hand, I'm not really sure. Would you want to stick to her expressly coming from another dimension just like in the show? Or perhaps the shift to the timeframe of the universe has effected Mewnie too. Perhaps it'd be easier to find her a role in the pirateverse and work back from there I guess.

I was thinking that Star could still be royalty in some way, just have Mewni be a navel empire, kinda like what great Britain was. Perhaps Star is tired of the life of nobility and dreams the life of a swash buckling pirate. Only once she meets the young cabin boy Marco, he lets her know the hard reality of true pirate life and how dangerous and cut-throat it is.
Another question I wanna know is are we gonna use mermaid manatee Jackie?

Star would probably be royalty so the royalty would probably be against the pirates, laso im not sure about Jackie, maybe a mermaid (the theory is still dead)

Yea it makes sense to have her tied to some form of royalty, but how can she be her capable self without the magic wand to aid her? I'd rather not fall into a priness Star kind of AU, proper princess Star is boring as fuck.

It would also do well to avoid Star being too headstrong and forward in pursuit of a priate captain life, given how previous examples of characters like that can become exceedingly annoying looking at you Vriska.

I imagine much of Marco's struggles would be in accepting the harsh realities of pirate life, but I wouldn't want to see him end up as a complete pacifist, again those stories are a bit dull in a universe like the one we're thinking up.

>are we gonna use mermaid manatee Jackie?
We could do, I kinda preferred the more simple mer-person Jackie, with the sharp fins and teeth. Having mermaids be the more deadly kind would play into her natural tendencies going against her super chilled out attitude. Meeting a human her age who is going through a similar trial, but more moral based would serve as a solid dynamic between them, especially on the attraction side of things.

maybe a princess who likes adventure but has also been sent to apprehend pirates

I can't imagine you'd ever send a princess out to hunt pirates, although perhaps the more savage nature of Mewnie could be implimented into the universe. Instead of Star being from a large empire, such as the in-universe version of the British empire, she's from a smaller one that was forged with violence at its core, which could help to explain her prowess.

Saint Olgas could also possibly be pirate hunters that hunt down pirates and take them to punish them for their crimes.

Yeah they have that nefarious vibe to them which would fit hand in hand with the correction from decadent ways that pirating is instilling. I have a soft spot for villains that are seemingly focused on positive goals, but enforcing them with and through the worst means. In this case it could be the upfront goal from St. O's are positive, focused on attaining high society status and protection of the land settlements. However, to enforce this they make use of common thugs who just have to pretend they align with the ideals of the organisation, dressed up in smart, grey naval uniforms to make them more presentable.

We still need to work on the magic aspect of things. Though there's no reason we can't just use the same wand aspect the regular show uses, with Star's home empire still being magical in nature.
>It would also do well to avoid Star being too headstrong and forward in pursuit of a priate captain life
We don't have to have Star want to be a pirate, she could simply see them as this idea of a kind of roguish hero and when she learns the truth from Marco, it can be like losing a hero for her. Perhaps this sets her up as wanting to become the kind of pirate she's always romanticized the idea of, a dashing swash buckling hero.
>I imagine much of Marco's struggles would be in accepting the harsh realities of pirate life, but I wouldn't want to see him end up as a complete pacifist
Right, there's no reason why we can't have Marco be fighter when he already is after all. Though I am interested on how we can implement his safety aspect.
>We could do, I kinda preferred the more simple mer-person Jackie, with the sharp fins and teeth.
The one thing that bothers me about making Jackie seemingly dangerous is that, as far as we know, it goes against her very chilled out personality. Mostly because since she's hardly been characterized and we've never seen her act any differently then being real chilled. I suggested the Manatee idea because the thought of her acting like a real docile animal seemed fitting and being a dopey ass Manatee is a chance for comedy that might even allow us to use that air headed Jackie idea. She could be a play on that idea of a beautiful mermaid with her possessing a lovely upper body but the lower body of a sea cow. Actually that might explain why she has a curvy figure.
Thinking on it, I kinda wanna see chilled Manatee Jackie interact with a stuck up mermaid Brittney.

This gives me the idea of this Naval Empire Mewni being heavily militarized. Perhaps they constantly war against Pirate fleets.

>idea of, a dashing swash buckling hero.
Yeah that sounds like a solid base for Star, perhaps she's been very sheltered to the reality of the high seas, but doesn't get too hung up on it, looking to craft her own tale with the freedom that's offered. She could have been allowed up as a reflection of needing to toughen up to ensure the prosperity of her rule.

That'd fit in well with Marco, who would be struggling with the more bloody and realistic world of pirating, having been born into it. He could be attracted to the positive image of a life Star puts forward, without sacrificing practicality of surviving in a dangerous world. I feel it would help distance Star from the other characters, just like in the show.

>Though I am interested on how we can implement his safety aspect.
I'd suggest tying it into practicality over flat out safety obsessiveness. What I mean by that is Marco recognizes the reality that survival is commonly linked to avoidance of harm more than being able to fight everything. Again it could act as a clear way to contrast the more brash Star whose spent her life being taught to fight and fight well all challenges.
>This gives me the idea of this Naval Empire Mewni being heavily militarized. Perhaps they constantly war against Pirate fleets.
I was initially thinking that, however it's more interesting in my mind if there is a wide mix of settlements, representing the different dimensions. You coul express this with vastly different fauna and flora on each one, being the main reason for so much pirating given how many unique resources you'd get from this geographical makeup.

Instead, I think a small but exceedingly tough island with a strict royal family that enforces a tough culture would fit the bill. Making them human, but not human at the same time and helping to explain why Star is just so damn tough and forward in such a deadly environment.

>The one thing that bothers me about making Jackie seemingly dangerous is that, as far as we know, it goes against her very chilled out personality
That's a good point, I didn't initially consider that. Although I do feel there's value in the more dangerous form in such a violent world. If she was in manatee mode then she's docile, but rather unprotected and unable to contribute much. In the Star vs. universe she gives off the air of being rather capable and action bound, I fear being stuck as a manatee would limit what she could offer to the story.

I like what you have with Star and Marco, that works very well.
>I was initially thinking that, however it's more interesting in my mind if there is a wide mix of settlements, representing the different dimensions.
This works as well, it would make for a lot of interesting places Star and Marco can adventure to.
>If she was in manatee mode then she's docile, but rather unprotected and unable to contribute much.
>I fear being stuck as a manatee would limit what she could offer to the story.
Not so if we play our cards right. We can make it that at first glance, Manatee Jackie appears lazy and defenseless, but then it can turn out that she's actually surprisingly capable and resourceful along with an adventurous side that allows her to have a thrill or two. We can also add the idea that she's really chilled in a dangerous situation and that it doesn't even faze her. All we have to do is be clever with the way we write her and depict her.

For instance, I have this idea for a story where Cabin-boy Marco is telling skipper Star about Manatee Jackie for the first time. The way Marco describes her leads us to believe that Jackie is a mermaid, allowing us to be surprised when Star drags Marco with her to see Jackie and it turns out she's a Manatee version. One spaghetti moment later, Jackie is kidnapped by a band of wannabe pirates looking to capture mermaids, but mistake Jackie for one. Marco of course decides to rescue her and Star see's this as an opportunity to have an adventure, the swashbuckling save the damsel adventure and throughout her entire capture, Jackie would give zero fucks because she's too chill for this and, truthfully, she doesn't completely understand the situation.

Mmm A fantastic addition to the El Dorado Starco team.

I'm loving the discussion and brainstorming on the pirate au. I really like the idea of various settlements and islands taking the place of dimensions for wild and crazy adventures. Considering that Jackie is a monster in the setting that this particular 'earth' is probably more inherently magical and/or fantasy based.

Good points were brought up for both sides. So I tried to combine the Manatee concepts with the bipedal fish monster one. If I recall correctly mermaid legends came from sailors and pirates mistaking manatee and dugongs as humanoid half-fish people.

Jackie, Maidatee Adventurer of the Undersea

Awesome stuff, picturing Jackie with a pod of Manatees is pretty cute and this version looks real good. Perhaps she can have two forms, one for walking on land which would be this picture and another form where she appears more like a mermaid except its the Manatee body. I don't know, that's the thought.
All in all, it's great to have you draw pictures of this setting as it helps to bring it to life. Thanks for that Drawsis.
Now we just need to come up with stuff for the other characters. I'm still leaning on the idea of Janna being a mystic voodoo witch doctor/mystic. Especially if this whole setting takes place on a Caribbean styled world.

Good to hear, perhaps you could keep a note of it I guess, even if it doesn't get used now then it could come back in season 2, I mean who doesn't like pirate AUs? That, and we still have to see those damn rabbit pirates and they'll bring a piratey mood with them.

As for the manatee Jackie side of things, my issue regarding issues with usefulness stem from being stuck in the sea with the characteristics of a rather large, lethargic animal. It seems to contrast her in universe self in so much that she's very active, whilst having a chilled out personality. I feel the manatee side of things could have issues representing that active side of her, hence my preference for the more capable form with no tail.

It's difficult, as I do feel a manatee Jackie does work well with the chilled out attitude and if we're using your interpretation of the character how she's not the brightest bulb. I just wonder how you could have her influence events when not in the sea.

However, having written all this, this gem >>80722037 # comes along and the manatee Jackie idea comes alive again. Now this interpretation seems perfect in my eyes, providing the freedom to do things in and out of the sea whilst preserving that whole manatee dynamic.

>>80722037 #
You're on fire tonight draw anon, I adore the designs, your ability to make everything from this universe look so cute and fitting is amazing. Thanks for indulging the whole idea as fully as you did. I wonder if you could do an angry version of your manatee Jackie, as I've always held a fondness for the seafolk interpretations that seem presentable initially, but when they've lured their prey into false security they reveal a more sinister side to them.

Perhaps we could have it this way, in that initially Jackie has the form on the left of >>80722037 # which is usable on land, but highly ungainly which is way too much of a risk in actual combat. So, eventually they happen upon a small island that is surprisingly untouched by pirate hands due to the unique practices of the local populace. This being the introduction of a young, apprentice in the witch doctor arts with a particular talent, but a lack of discipline to fully realise the talents on such a simple life staying in the village. This character obviously being Janna, who takes to the pirate life like a fish to water, whilst retaining the benefits of her witch doctor heritage.

You could have her as an interesting contrast to the presentable main cast, in that she's dirty, very tanned and doesn't wear all that much given the simple village life and connection to the earth or w.e.

>my issue regarding issues with usefulness stem from being stuck in the sea with the characteristics of a rather large, lethargic animal. It seems to contrast her in universe self in so much that she's very active, whilst having a chilled out personality.
I see what your saying, well how about this, we can make so that Jackie is chilled for a manatee, but in actuality she's not as lazy and chilled as other Manatee people are supposed to be. Add in her adventurous side and this can make her not fit in with her people, who prefer an easygoing risk free life. A story element to work with to be sure.
Plus we could use the two forms idea I had here >>80722355 # like you commented. Her mermaid form is good for swimming, but leaves her vulnerable and her leg version is good on land but highly ungainly like you suggested. Her two legged form can also help her be more active by having her be a surfer to replace that skater aspect.
Anyways this is still up for debate and I'll leave the idea up there until we decide on a final idea.
Let me just input that I love this setup here >>80722533 # that you have for introducing Janna, that would work really well.

I saw Janna as a possible thied or tried to escape from their punishment by becoming a pirate, maybe we can combine these ideas

Sure, I can see that working. She could be wanted for witchcraft and such.

>Jackie is chilled for a manatee, but in actuality she's not as lazy and chilled as other Manatee people are supposed to be. Add in her adventurous side and this can make her not fit in with her people, who prefer an easygoing risk free life. A story element to work with to be sure.
Right that sounds solid for a background for her. What I wonder is though we dont have a concrete design for manatee Jackieis if all the other manatee people look like her, of is she the enigma with the more human features?

I do wonder if there's actual value in the tailed interpretation of manatee Jackie. It feels like it's just a bit too restrictive without offering much in return thematically, and whilst you can put forward the whole form changing thing; I would argue that it's a bit too drastic to fit in with the relative levels of realism which makes the AUs interesting given the magical influences. I like the idea of her skateboarding/surfing being ingrained in her design naturally through her riding the waves within view of people, which is easier to imagine happening with the appendage form.

>>80722911 #
I thought about the possibility too, I feel it's the easier option to just have her as a normal human turned pirate thief. There's value in that of course, however with the more tribal interpretation I feel there's a greater breadth of character discovery whilst retaining features like thievery.

Perhaps her non-conformism to the tribal ways stems from her greed, thus when she gets on the open ocean she's given the freedom to express this desire fully. This could act as her big weakness/character flaw all in one, given witch doctor/voodoo powers are usually rather strong. It could act as the potential big divide between the characters, given Marco and Jackie are unlikely to be very greedy, whilst Star wouldn't be overly greedy.

>is if all the other manatee people look like her, of is she the enigma with the more human features?
Ohh, now there's a thought. Marco can be attracted to what he see's as beautiful and yet Jackie might feel conflicted about her appearance since it doesn't hold up to the standards of her people.
I know the idea of the tailed Manatee Jackie still seems iffy, but I just what to put in that I just had the thought of Star and Marco surfing on Jackie's back in that form. Just a little funny idea I had.
And Hot damn, that's a great idea for Janna's character. That adds for a lot of character interactions and moments.
Slowly but surly this idea is coming together, I wonder who else we could add to Marco and Star's crew? We still have Ferguson and Alphonso to work with and I wonder what Hope could be?

>"Marco-"
>"No, Star. You can't go live with Jackie and her pack of manatees."
>"But they are soooo cute!"
Awesome design! I'm liking this AU, it could give a new spin to how the characters interact while keeping their personalities at core.
Everything, to fill the hiatus void.

Yeah I like the idea of Marco's attraction to her contrasting with her beliefs about herself. The old, skewed views of beauty thing as I can't see it really ever troubling Star or Janna. Although, whilst we do have a rather limited scope of Jackie in the actual show it doesn't seem like her appearance would cause her much concern, given she's a young bloomer and doesn't seem too focused on her looks to be vain like Brittney is. Perhaps she could be rather self conscious of her appearance around actual people, given to them she's a head-turner, an odd mix of a sea creature on land who's also strikingly beautiful. It'd be a cute little sub plot to the character, a chance for her and Marco to bond.

>Star and Marco surfing on Jackie's back in that form.
Heh, well if there's an idea to change my opinion on it, then that's certainly a good choice. Perhaps there's a way we can have both. Her natural form being the tailed one, and that charm necklass being some form of magical locket which allows her to go into a more anthropomorphic form which, whilst isn't ideal on land, does allow enough mobility to be useful in settlements. Janna could then come into the story to extend the potential of the locket, or perhaps it could just be the spoils of an adventure at some point.

Yeah I'm happy with the Janna idea, was thinking of it as the best of the headcanons we've had about her in the threads, everyone is happy.

>I wonder who else we could add to Marco and Star's crew?
Honestly? You could implant any of the cast associated with them in the show into the crew, Alphonse and Ferg being the token cabin boys who may or may not be interested in each others poopdecks.

>That pun
CARLOOOOOSSSSS!
>It'd be a cute little sub plot to the character, a chance for her and Marco to bond.
If we go with the appearance idea then that's the factor that would work best with it.
That neckless idea would work and I like the idea of bring Janna in on it. Good for the Story.
>That Spoiler
We need a scene of Ferguson and Alphonso singing In the Navy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw [Open]

>If we go with the appearance idea then that's the factor that would work best with it.
I think it'd be an interesting sub plot that fits in with just how out of water her appearance would leave her. The payoff being two fold, in that it allows her and Marco to bond as he's accepting of how she looks and the realization that when you're with an odd ball crowd, no one is odd. It'd also allow her and Star a chance to bond, in that Star could show her that a positive outwards attitude will get people to respond in kind, a negative or withdrawn attitude will just highlight the issue. You see that a lot with people in real life who are out of the norm, for whatever reason.

>bring Janna in on it
It's a difficult balance, as I said earlier, it's easy to make witch doctor powers pretty stupid OP if you start messing around with things like magic items or form changing magic. So ideally, Janna should be capable but at an above apprentice level at most.

I think with an AU focused on pirating and island adventures you have to have booty, and not just the kind on the sea-faring wenches. Magical artifacts are an easy way to tie in personal development with actual character progression.

Sounds like we got a sub plot to work with later on. Very good anon, this is all coming together nicely.
I especially like the idea that were making a pirate crew of the characters with these weird but fun forms, a true oddball crew. All we have to do is figure out what everyone else can be.
I wouldn't worry about Janna's Voodoo magic being too OP, we can make it simple and that while it's strong if she uses a sacrifice, the rest of the crew feel uncomfortable with her performing such acts so she sticks with stuff that lessens the number of severed chicken heads. The crew getting used to Janna's voodoo would be a good sub plot in itself.

Can't go wrong with the One Piece formula, making pirate crews out of unique individuals with cool abilities and going on interesting adventures to varied places. Helps having both sides of the spectrum needed for effective team management, that being Star with her natural charisma, forward thinking and desire to obtain what she wants and Marco's experience with his parent's crew, more understanding and strategic nature and the understanding that sometimes you just gotta turn tail and flee.

I do like that idea for limiting the strength of her abilities in an understandable and fair manner, as you said it'd make a solid sub plot that could plant the seeds for later conflicts linked to her greed. Given her origins from a tribal village that doesn't strive for much, having a more greedy personality that gets indulged in the open ocean could really spell trouble the more their adventure continues. It could also be a way in the aftermath of a conflict for her to bong with members of the crew, especially Marco and Jackie given they're likely to promote a 'strive for your best, but not at the expense of allies' message. That would allow her to keep her slightly villainous ways without being a villain itself, honestly some people are going to have personality flaws, but when they're not directed at you it's easy to be friends with them.

And about the Pirate AU, if you guys don't mind me chipping in, what if Star was a future or space pirate? It would fit with her being from a different dimension and having access to things no one else does. And then maybe she could have inherited a key to the greatest treasure of all, which her family is has guarded throughout generations, this could give a sense of royalty too. Maybe drop the future/space pirate all around and do the other part, which honestly I liked a lot

And I don't really think Jackie being a manatee is fitting. It would completely throw away her whole skater vibe, which is a major part of her admittedly under developed character so far. It's such a consistent part of her character she's seen skating in the opening theme and also riding that manta ray like monster in the class trip episode. May have other occasions but I'm not remembering/haven't seen it yet.

I think it could work, Star NEEDS something that makes her otherwordly compared to the rest of the cast while still keeping the pirate theme.

She having futuristic tech instead of magic could work. a "magic pirate" by itself sounds kinda boring to me. so its either your idea or something similar.

Sounds like we've got the previous subjects settled for now. Alright then I suggest we move unto the next group of characters.
I'm thinking Hope could be a young Noble whose family sold her into servitude to a pirate band to pay up a debt. She was stuck being a serving girl or Tavern wench until Marco and Star busted her out and she later joins up her band. Though I haven't exactly thought of a skill she could have and maybe it would be better to make her something fantastical as well.
I had this idea of Tom running a ghost ship like the Flying Dutchmen. Perhaps he could be the ghost of a young drowned sailor.
>>80726589 #
Glad to have you chip in Smash, feel free to share any ideas.
>Star was a future or space pirate?
I'm not sure about this. It sounds too fantastical for this setting and it might be difficult to pull off. But It might prove to be what's need to help Star seem other worldly.
>It would completely throw away her whole skater vibe
We were actually thinking of making her a surfer to replace the skate boarding. The Manatee thing is too help establish that she's really easygoing and chilled. If the read the past posts in the other thread, you'll see how we established it as such.

More ideas are always welcome, discussion wise considering this is the fumes these threads are running on in addition to shipping and content creators.

I would suggest that having space pirates rather defeats many of the positive points of the simple pirate AU. Prime among these being the playing down of Earth as this pirate themed world and having things fit into a system as a result. It's a bit jarring just having someone from the future, kind of fucks up the feeling of the whole thing.

As for manatee Jackie, it's growing on me despite the issues with the whole skater part of her character. You could argue that her form would allow her deftness in the waters, providing her that water-skater role that fits in the environment, given that pirates likely didn't skate. Perhaps you'd be appeased by the more anthropomorphic manatee Jackie form discussed last thread and drawn by the talented resident draw anon.

makes more sense to me if she's princess of atlantis or something
like, it hasnt sunk yet.

>princess of atlantis
Shit that's genius anon! Why didn't we think of that sooner? It can be an advanced civilization that's been isolated from the rest of the world and we can base it off of Disney's Atlantis.

Hmm, I don't think we have to go too overboard with any of the abilities of the cast in this AU. Really it works better if you keep it simple, but offer room for the out of the ordinary abilities to play some part.

>Hope could be a young Noble whose family sold her into servitude to a pirate band to pay up a debt. She was stuck being a serving girl or Tavern wench until Marco and Star busted her out and she later joins up her band.
That's a solid place to start, let's work backwards from other characters in the show and their interpretations here. The most relevant being Janna, given pretty much all we know about Hope is her parents fighting and her being a friend of Janna, how can we tie her in to Janna in this AU?

>I had this idea of Tom running a ghost ship like the Flying Dutchmen. Perhaps he could be the ghost of a young drowned sailor.
Hmm, interesting but how does it link to his character in the actual show. I would argue that Tom is rather firmly rooted in the classic interpretation of an angry demon, making him a ghost doesn't align immediately with that theme given that ghosts are usually rather morose.

Perhaps he could act as the contrast to Marco, in that he's the same age but has had a more rough past, accelerating his pirating ways without fully giving him the skills to accommodate his views. He strikes out on his own just to get away from his family crew, internally not liking their methods but having internalized their teachings, is stuck dictating his life based on those views. That would introduce two interesting avenues of development. The first being a complex internal conflict with the whole pirating side of the universe, the second being his fixation on Star as someone who encapsulates the positive features of the pirating world.

Yeah, I understand it being too fantastical and all, just thought it was worth considering

Yeah, I read how it was established, but I imagined it in a different way, now seeing this pic >>80727026 # makes it more acceptable for me.

And this princess of Atlantis idea is actually really fucking cool.

I like the idea of Space Pirate Star, I mean this universe has fantastical creatures and magic users already, so Star having tech that no one else has access to would be the thing that makes her otherwordly.

Something like Star being a space pirate from a distant galaxy, she traveled space and looking for treasure on deserted planets, but by some accident she gets somehow stranded on earth, which has vast oceans she never seen since planets with lots of water are rare in her galaxy. And all she has left is her space pirate gear.

But whaveter is agreed on should be fine, I just wish Star remains being the odd one in some way or form.

>It can be an advanced civilization that's been isolated from the rest of the world
Eh I think having Star from an advanced kingdom kind of shits on the show's interpretation of Mewnie, and the effect it's had on Star's personality as a whole. Mewnie is a backwater kingdom that is propped up the overwhelming influence and power of magic, it makes more sense to me to keep it as a simple place, that produces tough characters. If necessary there can be something special that Mewnie produces, like Janna's tribal island voodoo.

Again, perhaps it could be tied in with magical artifacts like Jackie's necklace? I really hate making characters overly important to the world, making Star the princess of Atlantis just feels like overkill, given how mundane princesses are in the Star vs. world.

>>80727382 #
>But whaveter is agreed on should be fine, I just wish Star remains being the odd one in some way or form.
I feel that can and should be achieved in a simpler way than space pirate Star would suggest. It just feels so horribly out of place when you have one character from a place that is monumentally more developed than where the story takes place. Star as a character in herself is unique, she doesn't need some space pirate origin to make her an odd ball. She just needs a backstory that's odd in the universe itself.

>Did you save the ideas from the previous thread by chance?
I have not, I should go back and do so right away.
>Really it works better if you keep it simple, but offer room for the out of the ordinary abilities to play some part.
Right, we're going to want to keep this clear.
>how can we tie her in to Janna in this AU?
It can be that the tavern Hope works at is on a port island that is also inhabited by Janna's people. (Are we making Janna a primitive?) Janna could venture into town and hang out with Hope while she isn't working. Hell, we can make it so that Janna asks Star and Marco to help her release Hope from servitude, thus starting that story plot.
As for the Tom idea, I didn't really know what the nautical version of a demon was. Perhaps we can just make him a demon of the sea, replace the fire with water.
Also I really what to explore the idea of Star being the princess of Atlantis, that's just too perfect of a fantastical thing not to include. As >>80727341 # said:
>And this princess of Atlantis idea is actually really fucking cool.

>Mewnie is a backwater kingdom that is propped up the overwhelming influence and power of magic, it makes more sense to me to keep it as a simple place, that produces tough characters.
Alright, well we can make that Atlantis was this ancient civilization that was 'advanced' for it's time, in no small thanks to their magic, before seemingly disappearing. When it reappears to the rest of the world, It has this seemingly primitive society but the increable magic they use makes up for all the years of stagnant advancement. However they still use conventional means relating to their ancient level of civilization. The question is what civilization? Honestly I'm reminded of Disney's Atlantis movie, that's why I brought it up

>It can be that the tavern Hope works at is on a port island that is also inhabited by Janna's people.
Oh that's an interesting way of tying the two together. I think if you were to have that you would have to keep Janna's people isolated from the town. Honestly, I think it'd be easier and make more sense to keep them on their own large island given their natural defenses to pirates with their magics and perhaps jungle home.

If we had Hope's current home as like a port designed for traders and pirates mainlyclosest to the isolated tribe then you could introduce Hope first, but have Janna join before her. It could act as a a sub plot that expands into the main plot as they return from the tribe and Hope's wellfare has suffered since their last visit for whatever reason. That'd allow Janna and Hope to bond over the simple act of proximity and being one of the early signs to Janna that not everything in this freedom from her tribe will be positive.

>Perhaps we can just make him a demon of the sea
I think it's easy to feel forced into sticking strictly to the show's interpretation of a character and making things overly complicated. I would argue that Tom would work best as just a human, but with his actual character traits kept the same.

>Also I really what to explore the idea of Star being the princess of Atlantis
Well we can certainly explore the idea, although I would have to strongly express my dislike of the idea. I personally feel that, given the importance of a place like Atlantis would have on the story, Star would just be too important to have off on her own. I truly believe that one of the themes of the show is that whilst Star is amazing and unique to us humans, magical princesses are rather common. Instead her importance lies with her wand, so her magical artifacts over her place of origins.

With that in mind, perhaps she could have some tie to Atlantis, but being this princess? Too much in my books.

Yeah it's Atlantis to a t really. I'm just a bit reluctant to make Star the centre of the pirate AU earth. I think ancient civilizations are more interesting if they as a whole have passed on, but their culture or artifacts have trickled down to the modern cultures. I'd make reference to One Piece and how they handle how the past's heavy influences on the prominent culture of the present.

I think this all stems from Star's magical capabilties in the show more than her heritage. Given that premise I would ask, do you feel Star needs an equivalent form of magic wand to be as interesting as a character? Personally I don't think she would, you don't need the wand to facilitate adventures as the universe itself, the unique islands and diverse cultures are the magical adventures itself.

i think Marco and the pirates should be the center, i usually saw Star as trying to hunt down pirates instead and occasionally fighting them

>Diaz Family is infamous pirate crew, with members from all over the world. (Even including a Llama and a wooden robot)
>Marco has come of age to set off and form his own crew
>First day on the 'job' he discovers a blonde girl passed out on the shore
>When she re-awakens she introduces herself as "Star Butterfly" and claims she's from "Mewni" a place unmarked on any map, nor mentioned in any legend.
>Star tells Marco she's looking for the 'Star Piece" the missing part of her "Royal Wand"
>Marco is skeptical at first(his only brush with magic being the rare 'Jackie" sighting)
>But the more he travels with Star the stranger things get
>Like discovering that the cute manatee girl wasn't his imagination

I like the idea of Star's place of origin being vague/mysterious.

yeah usually atlantis has something holding it back. overreliance on their advanced ways.

>I like the idea of Star's place of origin being vague/mysterious.
Yeah that would make things easier, though Star doesn't seem like the type to keep secrets so how would she avoid blabbing about the place to Marco?

I think one of my big concerns about the whole thing is Star's wand, should it even be a thing in this AU? It seems too powerful and too un-piratey to fit in properly.

I see what you guys are saying, well here's how I saw it.
Star being the princess of this ancient civilization would mirror regular Star and Mewni. It's a seemingly ancient world, yet it has access to an amazing power source, simply magic. When Star wants to explore the rest of the world it would make her the fish out of water in the new modern world and allow her to act much like the other Star in the show. Her magic would function much like the same way when equipped with this Atlantian version of the wand. Wanting to see the rest of the world would be her motivation to explore and allows the chance for her to interact with this settings items. Of course, this new amazing world to her that's filled with wonders is dangerous as hell, do to the pirate themes and when she sets off on her own to explore it, she's basically jumping head first in boiling water. In comes the Diaz pirate crew and Marco himself, whom takes in the wandering princess. Marco is aware how dangerous this world is since he's living it himself and feels the need to protect this out of touch princess of a lost civilization. Of course, Star can hold her own with the help of her magic, but still lack the knowledge necessary to survive. So the Diaz crew make Star a part of their crew/family and thus starts the beginning of adventures that would lead Star and Marco across the globe on crazy quests where they see all kinds of weird things and meet even weirder people who join their crew.

All in all, I saw a chance to kind of tie it in with how the show was. The idea still need more working on but I feel like it could come out quite fitting.

e characters have on the ship

Now this sounds like a great start for this whole Pirate adventure. I especially like the whole idea and aspect that It's meeting with star that Star's off the whole magic oriented stuff.
The Idea that Star's origins being mysterious might get debated but overall this sounds like a good star.
>>80729533 #
I actually don't know to much about ship handling, but it was suggested that Ferguson and Alphonso be cabin boys. Perhaps the character with the sharpest eyes could be the spotter and Marco himself could steer the ship.
What are the jobs for running a ship?

I suppose I can follow that a bit better now. I suppose if you're taking Star's magic as a Dinsey Atlantis esque design then I could support that actually. Magic being more of an unexplained power source which can be channel with devices, that allows this more ancient form of power to have trickled down to items such as Jackie's necklace or ritual items of Janna's tribe which would explain without outright explaining where the magic for these items come through.

Really, I think the primary thing is just avoiding the whole spell shouting Star of the actual universe, more simplistic magic could work as her trump card in these pirate world over cultural readiness. Keeping that inquisitive nature and alien responses to everything is pretty important for Star.

I suppose what I'd ask in light of this idea is, what is their plan in this world? What does Star actually want to accomplish and how? What about Marco? Would we keep them under the Diaz's crew, or would they go and do their own thing.

who would be the navigator, and what about people who deal with the weapons and the people who deal with the supplies
also i think i see Brittney and her family as wealthy traders who hate pirates with Brittney as the heir to the trading company

Well: Captain, Sailing-Master, Boatswain (repairs), Quartermaster, Carpenter, Doctor, First Mate, Master Gunner, Riggers, Cabin boys and Swabbies.

So quite a few people in all honesty

>what is their plan in this world?
That would be the whole plot for the AU's story itself. This would be trickier and needs to be discussed but here's a quick though.
It all starts with Star wanting to explore the world and learn how to control her magic, with the exact knowledge of the wand equivalent's power being lost to current Atlantis. When Star sets off on the travels with the crew, they discover remnants of the empire that Atlantis was and all sorts of magical things relating to it, plus the lost records relating to the wand. Overtime it can turn out that more and more magical related things are awakening in the world since Atlantis was reveled again. And conflicts with pirate bands, Naval empires/kingdoms, the onset of war, and a threat to Atlantis itself, and it can turn out to be a world threatening event that requires the fully restored power of the wand fix.
We can work out more details to make it seem more fitting.
>>80729889 #
> i see Brittney and her family as wealthy traders who hate pirates with Brittney as the heir to the trading company
Now this I like the sound of. Good thinking Ghost.

So are you suggesting that Star is essentially a person out of time, her technical home being long since gone and scattered to the edges of this new world? I like that basic premise you suggested, it keeps it simple and with a clear direction of discovery before reaching an understanding of the more serious plot, little things initially driving the plot before the more serious issues appear; similar to season 1 of Atla.

Also I think a big question that has to answered is, do Star and Marco stick with his parents and their established crew, or do they go off on their own?

I prefer Star, Marco and eventually the 'rest of the EC class' being it's own upstart crew. Growing steadily as more and more members join.

>So are you suggesting that Star is essentially a person out of time
Quite so, it would be a fitting way to integrate how Star acted to learning about earth in the show.
>little things initially driving the plot before the more serious issues appear.
Exactly, it all starts simple enough before escalating into these grand adventures that test the entire crew.
>do Star and Marco stick with his parents and their established crew, or do they go off on their own?
We can have that Star and Marco first start off in the Diaz crew, where they can learn the ropes of ship handling and the pirate life itself. Eventually, after meeting up with the rest of the established crew, they set out own their own into the big open oceans of the world.

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>>80730633 #
Right I think most anons can agree that an origin like that for Star is ideal, though it does sacrifice King and Queen Butterfly as usable characters as a result. I believe it's worth the loss.

>after meeting up with the rest of the established crew, they set out own their own into the big open oceans of the world.
What would you consider the core crew for them to head out then? I think it's important for them to become independent relatively quickly as being in the presence of an established crew would rather limit the options available for personal development and wacky crew hijinks.

>>80730731 #
Some things can't be avoided, anon. I'd just stick with Marco being cute with any of them and manatee Jackie endgame, seriously that shit is cute as all hell.

>though it does sacrifice King and Queen Butterfly as usable characters
Yea that is true. I mean, we can incorporate that idea of Star enchanting a mirror like in the show or even a through clear water so she can talk to them. They could even point her in a few directions for adventures. Thought their presence would still be limited.
>What would you consider the core crew for them to head out then?
It's still too early to decide since we haven't established all the characters, but I'm guessing the usually well loved characters here on /sveg/.
So it would come down to:
>Marco, Star, Jackie, Janna, Hope, Ferg, Alphonso, Sabrina, Brittney
Anyone else is up for debate.

Oscar as a musician, als i thought brittney would be a trader and not a pirate

>80731138 #
>Oscar as a musician
I don't know what they called them at the time, but this works. Oskar could just sit there all day without working and act like a free loader.
>als i thought brittney would be a trader and not a pirate
Oh she's not a pirate, she's not even there of her own free will. Star semi forced her into joining the crew, that's the funny part.

i kinda prefer brittney not being part of the crew, or at least her trying to escape, i kinda prefered Marcos Parents being the captains

>i kinda prefer brittney not being part of the crew
It's still up for debate.
>or at least her trying to escape
Oh does she ever!
>I kinda prefered Marcos Parents being the captains
They are when Marco and Star are with them, If we don't go with the idea of Star and Marco setting off on their own, then the parents can remain as such.

I think Brittney does work best as an antagonist rather than a crew member, given how easy it is to tie her in with a more aristocracy setting.

I also prefer the idea of them breaking off from the Diaz's, given that it allows for a greater number of possible hijinks given a smaller party and less experienced hands.

Alright then, perhaps Brittney can have her own crew made up of the members of the spirit team. Though that would take out Sabrina and even Chantelle as crew members. Unless they were to betray Brittney or something.
>given that it allows for a greater number of possible hijinks given a smaller party and less experienced hands.
I agree, it might even be easier to manage with a smaller crew.

Sounds good to me, Brittney could always just have the backing of a crew of lackies, paving way for members of the spirit committee to join the Star crew as it forms, gotta have that clumsy powder monkey Sabrina for sure.

>I agree, it might even be easier to manage with a smaller crew.
That certainly played a part in my reasoning, in so much as Star is less likely to be noticed by being on her own than being in the presence of a notorious crew like the Diaz's. It'd also work to move along Marco's story in him finding his place in the world, with freedom given to him by his overly supportive pirate parents.

I've saved a lot of the previous ideas, most notably:
>Star being the princess of Atlantes.
>Jackie being a Manatee mermaid.
>Brittney being in a rich trading family.

I think we were pretty set on Jackie's interpretation in the setting, given the number of ways it worked with the setting, possible story and sub plots and interactions with other characters. Brittney as well works as some form of antagonist that's more prim and proper than one would assume pirates to be. As such, it makes sense to make her some form of privateer or trader; linked with an organisation mirroring either the cheer committee or Echo Creek Academy.

Star however is still up for debate. I think there's a value in having her as some form of nautical princess with a magic theme, but not her in show wand. However, I'm not too sure on having it be Atlantis as such, given how important that would make her position, when in show princesses are a bit of a commodity.

This Pirate AU can have all sorts of different nations that involve ruler-ship, that'll help make with the many princess points. Star would be unique since her being the princess of an ancient civilization adds to the wonderment.
I was thinking as well about the idea for magic and I think it's possible to have it for this world if we made it so that it was common in certain areas of the world but distrusted by the majority of people or just uncommon.

Well my concern with it stems from the issue with factoring in other princesses, is Atlantis was this big ancient civilization which Star has somehow survived the ruin of, then how can there be other princesses or how can Star not become the overly special character at the center of the pirate world. Whilst Star is the focus of the show, she's not the most important person in the universe which allows for a more interesting character in my eyes. Having a pirate character being the center of the universe is a tactic which has not payed off in other areas if you know what I m8an.

Yeah you can't go wrong with that interpretation of magic, I liked the uniqueness of the Atlantis film 'magic' in the form of the cystals that powered these amazing objects. I think that interpretation would fit here well, however a more similar magic to the show could be applicable as well. What form do you think would work better?

Atlantis doesn't have to be this majorly important place or the center of this AU. The idea for it was that it 'was' this once great and advanced civilization, mostly because of it's magic, at the time it was prominent. But then it became separated and lost to the rest of world and entered a state of stagnation. Time passes and while the rest of the world advanced and flourished, Atlantis remained the same and is admittedly primitive compared to the rest of the world. The only thing they have going for them is that they have powerful magic. This serves for a interesting background for Star since she'd be a princess lost from time and add that element of her interacting with the AU's modern technology, much like in the show with Star interacting with earth things.
We don't have to make Star the center, the center should be the Pirate crew made up of the shows cast.
As for the magic, that's one of the discussions we really need to get too as we haven't really thought of a substitute for Star's wand. I'd like to do something like the wand in the show but it's really up for debate.

Whilst that does sound more applicable to the issues I outlined, I'm still not sure about if it should be a long dead civilization in which Star is the miraculous survivor, or your suggestion of it still being around. I feel that such a powerful place wouldn't be able to ignore the outside world if it existed in the current time frame, unless there's some interesting magical force which is preserving them in some form of a void.

It also brings into question how and why Star is no longer there. You could obviously go with her adventurous spirit demanding more from life, thus looking for an adventure on the high seas, however how would she have developed like that in the void that is Atlantis and how would she leave? You'd also have to answer why she didn't feel tied enough to her people to stay there, given that the princess leaving a country is a rather large event. Also she likely wouldn't speak the common tongue, which is an issue in itself.

I think if we can iron the idea out it would serve as a solid origin for Star, given that it would preserve her in show characteristics in terms of the wonderment with common objects in the world, whilst having these amazing abilities and experiences that the other cast can play off of.

Magic is a whole other beast to deal with, I would much prefer it to be played down and not in wand form. But I like the idea of magic being more common in some form, hence the whole Janna witch doctor idea.

I agree that it needs to be worked on more,
>What is this Atlantis like?
>What is it's form of magic and how did it vanish from the world?
As for Star leaving, I made the suggestion that her wand-equivalent was reduced in power, hence why Atlantis hid itself, so she has to venture out in the world to recharge it. The depleted magic form would serve for the idea of Star learning to use the wand and venturing out into the world would satisfy the need for adventure idea. Along the way she meets the Diaz Pirate family and the take her in.
The overall idea is that Atlantis was once an empire that was attacked by a bunch of it's neighbors and the capital city itself was hidden to protect itself. After many years and generations this out of time Atlantis needs to recharge their magic source since they feel very threatened to this new advanced world and the people need protection. Star feels the need to protect her people and brashly sets out on her own to find remnant magical power sources amongst the ruins of the ancient empire to recharge her wand-equivalent.
And the idea of magic being a common thing sounds like it would work now that you brought up Witch Doctor Janna.

>>80898293 #
>so she has to venture out in the world to recharge it
I don't think that idea will work, given that if her task is tied in to the survival of Atlantis, then she would have been accompanied by a considerable number of people to ensure the task is fulfilled. What we need is a way to have her tied to Atlantis, but willingly choosing to leave. This is obviously different from the actual series, given that Star was forced to come to Earth. However, I think it fits this AU better that Star willing chooses to go on the adventure. Although, you could make for an interesting plot point by having Star seemingly happy to go on the venture, but in actuality her hand was forced which she tries to bottle up from the rest of the cast. I'm a fan of plots like that as it can serve to both divide or bring together the affected cast, given the concepts of trust involved.

>Atlantis was once an empire that was attacked by a bunch of it's neighbors and the capital city itself was hidden to protect itself
So are suggesting the other empires in question here act as this worlds monsters, but in this instance they beat the Mewmans (read: Atlantians) and to preserve themselves they made use of their magic to put the capital into a statis?

That's an idea we can work with. Perhaps in the time frame of the AU they're beginning to come out of the stasis, but due to the siege from the other kingdom being as violent as it was, they require their country's magic to ensure their survival when they come out of stasis. As such, Star and her parents emerge first, but Star is the only one capable of leaving and empowering an artifact (her wand) to ensure her people survive when the place full emerges.

I figure that as long as we brainstorm the idea for why Star needs to leave then I can see it working overall.
>As such, Star and her parents emerge first, but Star is the only one capable of leaving and empowering an artifact (her wand) to ensure her people survive when the place full emerges.
This could work.
The idea you had with the emipres serving as the monster is pretty good. Perhaps there can be monster empires that was the primary enemies of Mewni/Atlantis.

Well I think the world should fit the theme, by which I mean a large number of relatively small islands widely scattered across a much more water heavy Earth. That way you can have the wide variety of islands acting as different dimensions in this AU in the style of One Piece. This also allows for a wide variety of threats and allies without having to create a whole expansive back story for them.
Monsters could be a known threat that have somehow survived from the ancient times and spread thin, but not as common as pirates and notably in certain areas of the world. It'd allow for an interesting setup for Ludo and Toffee as some of the 'elite' monsters who are smart enough to copy the boats of humans. Thus we get monster pirates! Who the hell can say no to that eh?

Yeah I think it's important to merge some aspects of the Earth and off-world settings of the show into the one setting, for clarity's sake.
It was my idea last thread too, been some good One piece updates recently which really ignited the idea when thinking of a topic for the weekend threads. I'll be damned if they don't last till season 2.

>We just gotta find a way to tie the rest of it together with matching themes from the show.
Well one of the obvious ones, from a monster development perspective, is Toffee as the forefront of monster development. So instead of just having a position as Ludo's hired help to improve his monster's effectiveness; he instead has a much grander role in the development of all monsters into sea faring menaces for insert insidious plot here reasons. Ludo could just be the first 'successful' band of monster pirates who he takes an interest in to push his plan along.

Where else do you think we should detail, I mean much of this is just laying ideas down for season 2 and renewed threads/interest.

>I believe th idea was that Star and Marco would start of as the crew for the Diaz ship and then set off on their own with her newly gained friends as their crew.
That makes sense to me, best of both world option. How many people do you think they'd need to operate a ship on their own? I think that'd be key in deciding when they'd split off, which could co-inside with some event happening which requires the Diaz's attention elsewhere from Star's whole journey.

In terms of main cast in this AU I think there's some easy choices: Star, Marco, Jackie, Janna, Alfonso, Ferguson. Then after that it comes down to background characters being given a role to play.

Quite a few people, the jobs are Captain, Sailing-Master, Boatswain (repairs), Quartermaster, Carpenter, Doctor, First Mate, Master Gunner, Riggers, Cabin boys and Swabbies. Now maybe we can have some characters take two jobs to fill in any roles that are needed.
Also I believe Hope was included in the main cast. She was a Barmaid/Tavern wench in servitude until Marco and Star rescue with the aid of Janna, who was her friend at the time.

Right that's quite a few roles there, I imagine there'd be some nameless crew members just to ensure the ship functions properly without being forced to introduce a huge main cast, given how that can stretch character development in a bad way.

I did forget about Hope, she seems the most likely candidated after the main and secondary cast; the first of the background character's given life and personality in these threads. In that case Sabrina is a must too, Justin would be good a another capable dude, given that Ferg and Alphonso just aren't built to be anything but comedic relief.

Yeah I think you need a clear group of main cast, secondary cast and background cast to make a series work. The problem is the management of main and secondary cast, the two can bleed together if not careful or just may not get enough development to be meaningful. There's numerous good examples of that in fiction, so the main group would ideally be a solid base in the form of Marco, Stare, Jackie, Janna and perhaps 1-2 other characters.

I might not be a problem as long as we stick to the main cast being the center of attention. We'll include the secondary crew when the scene requires it, such as when a larger group for a larger scene.

Alright! Freaking great, thanks Drawsis. I like Ponyhead as the Head of the ship, I know this sounds stereotypical, but maybe we can make her a seahorse.

Ponyhead as a figurehead is an awesome idea! Not for Marco though, probably. "I can hear her all. Day. She never shuts up."

Fucking magic, it's all amazing draw anon. Where to even begin praising it, I suppose Janna given how it's pretty much exactly how I imagined her with the whole witch-doctor/voodoo theme, the outfit, the hair the belt with all the bottles and skills.. it's fantastic I can't stress that enough. You've also found a great place for Ponyhead in the AU, I hadn't even considered her yet and it just works

love Janna's bandana having the same design as her beanie, and that cat is wearing it too! it could be the mark of her crew.

>Floating Princess Seahorse
I think I might like this better than her being a ship's figurehead

Getting back to the pirate ideas, the big question in light of the marvelous sketches from the resident draw anon. Talking SS. Ponyhead or my little Ponyseahorse. The latter would allow for a more active role in the whole adventure, being Star's committed ride in the sea, given she's not used to life on a boat whilst Marco is.

As for Seahorse PonyHead, we could have her transform between he two. Like she's normally a magical floating seahorse, but she can also combine with ships to make them magical. Something like that.

Hmm, I'm not sure about that given that if she has crew present then she'd be stuck in boat form given the items you'd need to run a ship in an active sea, with enemies abound.

Having thought about it for a bit, I'm leaning more towards the seahorse version as it solves the issue of Star going overboard which seems likely given her forward nature and lack of restraint. Marco is much less likely to go overboard, having lived on the sea since he was born and even if he did he's likely an exceedingly good swimmer that and he his own manatee mermaid to get him back to safety in a pinch.

I'll give it some thought, I think it can work but for now I'm on the floating Seahorse idea. Maybe in the storyline it was SeaPony that put the idea for Star to leave Atlantis. Either way, I'm curious and excited to figure out how to fit her in the AU.

Well another big question would be, can SeaPonyhead speak? Perhaps she was in stasis alongside Star as her trusted steed who was released at the same time as her. That gives her an active connection to her past, which would be precious to her and allows for some really interesting story lines, like the one in Avatar the Last Airbender where Appa goes missing and it's one of the few things possible that truly frustrates, angers and hurts Aang; which is a side to his character which was hard to see otherwise. The same could be applied to Star in a similar fashion as it's likely something Marco wouldn't be able to understand in the event something happened to her.

I don't see why not. It wouldn't make sense to not make her speak.
The idea you have for her is intresting and I can see it working if we can't find an alternative to incorporating how PonyHead was in the show. Good job so far anon, this is all coming together nicely.

I wouldn't be too quick to give her the ability to speak, magical seahorse she may be, it helps to have animals act as animals, which means no speaking. Again I'll refer back to Aang and Appa in that whilst they couldn't converse the same tongue, they had some form of spirtial connection which allowed them to be aware of what the other is feeling, allowing Aang to fill in the other in what Appa was feeling, eventually allowing them to somewhat understand what he was feeling too.

I think a similar setup like that would be good as it'd allow Star her own private chunk of Atlantis to keep her spirits high on her journey.

Wouldn't removing SeaPony's ability to talk diminish the point of her character being like the original? I don't think it's fitting to pull that off since it would basically reduce her to an animal friend rather then the fully interactive character that can say her mind and act like a person with the crew. Still we can work to figure something out.

Well some changes have to be made to fit the different universe setting and I think Ponyhead is an acceptable loss, without actually being a loss given she's there in some form. Honestly it'd probably do her standing good, everyone usually likes the spirit animal associated with the main character unless they'e completely ignored after the first season, looking at you LoK.

I think the big deciding factor for me in that area was that Ponyhead wouldn't really offer much to the more prominent human characters in this AU. In the show she's primarily just a supporting character for Star and her and Marco are forced to interact. Whilst she lightens up to Marco in the end, they never really have much meaningful interaction after the first episode.

I have to disagree anon, if we want to improve and offer up PonyHead as a more prominent character then we can do so through writing and by having her interact with the characters, talking to them, acting with them, growing with them, being a character with them. This AU allows us to decide what happens to this version of PonyHead and we have the chance to make her a more likable character through the use of good and clever writing. It'll be tough, but I know it can be done without the need to take away PonyGirl being a full interactive character.
If we can decide on how to portray her then she can offer a good chance at creative story telling and being an interesting character.

Well that's the crux of the issue, is Ponyhead worth a prominent character slot when there's considerable other secondary and supporting staff which could take that place, taking into account that Ponyhead could fulfill much of her role in the show as a non-verbal animal companion for Star in this AU.

I just don't see much value to her character outside of her relationship with Star, perhaps you could convince me otherwise but it feels like no great loss to me for an interesting opportunity to tie in some aspect of Atlantis culture with Star in a form that the other characters can't fully appreciate. It makes it an exclusive and special relationship which is interesting in my eyes.

I believe we can make it so. We have the skilled writers that can definitely improve upon her and offer her up as a better character that can be enjoyable to read with we're clever and choice our words right. It all comes down to seeing what we think might make her better and enjoyable. If we can have her interact fully with the characters then we can make her have relationships with anyone else besides Star, all kinds of moments for building personality and friendships.
Still, this is up for debate and we'll need more final agreements and decisions before jumping into finalizing things. We'll work on this and see if we can't compromise a solution or even a new idea.

I suppose it's a discussion which would need other aspects to be resolved first before a conclusive answer can be found. I still feel that, whilst we could make Ponyhead an interesting speaking character in the AU, do we have to? Could she not play a different role that is equally important but in a different manner?

I feel like it'd be a wasted opportunity not to have some form of companion from Atlantis for Star who isn't human/atlantian which works to both provide comfort and reinforce her loneliness at the same time.

It also feels like Janna could do much of her potential interactions by herself, given her seemingly forward nature and abrasive personality.

>do we have to? Could she not play a different role that is equally important but in a different manner?
One can say and argue that for many characters. It all about how we go about doing it anon. It doesn't matter if she plays an important role as long as we make a fitting role for her where she's important to it and allows her to flourish and grow.
>I feel like it'd be a wasted opportunity not to have some form of companion from Atlantis for Star who isn't human/atlantian which works to both provide comfort and reinforce her loneliness at the same time.
We can still do this by replacing the creature with something else. The Laser puppies per say would fill the animal friend role much better since their already kinda like that, we can even change them into something else to fit in more. And there will be plenty of moments to add loneliness for Star, but I believe the general focus should be the pirate comradely between the characters as a crew.

I suppose that's a good point, I forgot about the lazer puppies, though they technically are earth creatures, they are magical. I'm not sure though, they don't have much of a connection to the sea and Ponyhead just fit that design so perfectly, it'd be a shame to pass it up. I can see the other side of the argument, in that Ponyhead could make for an interesting pirate, given her rather aggressive personality.

I'm on the fence about it, perhaps it's an idea left for much later as I think it'd be more interesting for her to play a role like that, but we may lack sufficient characters in the crew with an actual personality.

Maybe Pony can still fill her role as a close friend of Star's but gets captured/arrested(heroic sacrifice?) early on. Maybe the jail in question can be this universes equivalent of St.O's but broader towards pirates rather than princesses. Or poachers since she's a mythical creature.(similar entity can also threaten Jackie)

Once we get around to the rest of the things and subjects then I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out or compromise. What we need is more people to work on this with us.

I don't know, I think one of the points of an AU is to have it be different from the main universe it's based on. Just going along with events that happened in the show is rather dull. It's more interesting to take the characters and put them into this wild and different setting and go from there. If Ponyhead is going to be a character then she should be a prominent secondary character, given her connection to Star. Marco is going to be able to connect to the denizens of the sea easier given that he's lived there, Star however is going to struggle at times given how out of place she is.

Well we're not gonna be doing full on episode revisions for the AU of course, I just meant that a scenario where this version of PonyHead was captured could be like an shout out or something along those lines, I think that's the word for it.
We are most definitely going to be doing our own stories, but no problem with hiding a little Easter egg or two, it might even be fun to do so.
Still though, fitting and original stories can be the focus above all as long as we figure out what to do.