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Hello, I’m the FanFic Critic. I read it, you listen.
Megan Wessels is The FanFic Critic, a reviewer on YouTube who reviews fanfics, bad or good, with currently over 2,000 subscribers. She's known for being honest and harsh about the stories she reviews, and is often Driven to Suicide when the story is particularly awful.Her YouTube channel is here, though her show is on hiatus as of October 2014. She was one of the hosts and creators of the now-former The Net Dwellers, and she also contributed to Reviewers Unknown and Manic Expression before the closure of both sites.Not to be confused with The FanFiction Critic.
Tropes featured in her show include:
Acting for Two: FanFic Critic and Susan are both played by the same person.
Funny Background Event: In older episodes, sometimes Megan's sister would walk in and suddenly leave, or you can hear her mother telling her to keep it down. Justified, as she still lived with her parents at the time. Still happens from time to time, especially if she has someone else in the room.
Every now and then, one of her cats comes in. In Episode 197, the two of them are sleeping on her bed, and sometimes react to her screaming. They then suddenly get up at once, and leave half-way through when she reaches the end.
Gilligan Cut: In Episode 129, this effect forces FanFic Critic into reviewing the infamous Cupcakes.
Susan, after reading a horrible fanfic in Episode 161, calmly grins at the camera as her mind snaps. She then shoots herself in the head with her own phaser. Thankfully, the phaser was only on stun.
I Need a Freaking Drink: Has been becoming more prominent the worse the story is, especially if the fanfic involves psychotic ponies.
Episode 184 had her drinking by the end of the story.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: Susan, after being killed and then brought back to life by FanFic Critic, went nuts. FanFic Critic, feeling guilty for her role in Susan's insanity, made sure her memories of the incident were erased. Susan got them back eventually in a much later season.
No Kill Like Overkill: In Episode 81, FanFic Critic rips up printed papers of a bad Land Before Time fanfiction, proceeds to slice it up with her straight razor, and then eats it.
Old Shame: The first season (Episodes 01-20), which is lampshaded by both FanFic Critic and Susan.
In one episode from Season 3, she does a long summary review on a Sweeney Todd story that she wrote.
Only Sane Woman: Susan, though she's slowly becoming like her cousin (see Episodes 140 onwards).
Playing Drunk: On the episodes where she hits the bottle, but she was actually drunk during Episode 191.
Episodes 181 and onwards use music from Doctor Who.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: She dishes these out on occasion, most notably if the fanfic has atrocious grammar and/or awful content.
She'll also fire them off at authors who promote the following in their fanfics: Rape, child abuse, bestiality, and over-the-top and unnecessary violence inflicted on one or more characters.
Susan ends up on the receiving end of one in Episode 192.
She tried reviewing the first issue of the infamous Sonichu webcomic, but she finally became so disgusted that she quit three-quarters of the way in it.
Happened again in Episode 189 with a My Immortal-esque Justin Bieber story. She only got through an eighth or less of the story.
Once more in Episode 194.
The cats in Episode 197.
Episode 203 about half-way through the second chapter she was reading because of the grammar and bad pacing.
Spelling Nazi: Her habit of pointing out spelling mistakes in stories is fine, but her habit of spelling out the right word may make one feel like they're at a spelling bee. Understandable in her early seasons, though, seeing as she didn't have the power to screen capture, yet.