I don't usually like to review fanfics. After all, by their very nature they are amateur works, so reviewing them by the same standard as a professional work seems unfair. But this one feels a lot more professional than most, and I have a lot to say about it.
Despite its seemingly absurd premise (SpongeBob done as horror) it manages to pull it off surprisingly well. I actually found myself thoroughly invested in it, which is more than I can say for most other fanfics that try to put a dark and edgy spin on children's cartoons. The entire cast is, for the most part, in character, and the humor matches that of the actual show to a surprising degree. Even the inclusion of memes associated with the show felt organic rather than forced. Overall, if you're a fan of both body horror stories and SpongeBob, I highly recommend this one.
So what's the catch I mentioned in the title? Well, it's the epilogue. I'm not a big fan of "twist villains" in general, because in most cases introducing a villain in a story's final act leaves little room to establish their motives. And unfortunately that's the case here. It's heavily implied (though not outright stated) that SpongeBob was the mastermind behind the whole disaster, but the story as a whole doesn't do an especially good job of foreshadowing that. It's the same issue I had with the villains of Disney's 2010s animated movies, and compared to the rest of the story it feels like it was put in for pure shock value.
That aside, it's a better fanfic than it has any right to be, and that alone is enough for me to give it a thumbs-up.
Great, but with a catch
I don't usually like to review fanfics. After all, by their very nature they are amateur works, so reviewing them by the same standard as a professional work seems unfair. But this one feels a lot more professional than most, and I have a lot to say about it. Despite its seemingly absurd premise (SpongeBob done as horror) it manages to pull it off surprisingly well. I actually found myself thoroughly invested in it, which is more than I can say for most other fanfics that try to put a dark and edgy spin on children's cartoons. The entire cast is, for the most part, in character, and the humor matches that of the actual show to a surprising degree. Even the inclusion of memes associated with the show felt organic rather than forced. Overall, if you're a fan of both body horror stories and SpongeBob, I highly recommend this one. So what's the catch I mentioned in the title? Well, it's the epilogue. I'm not a big fan of "twist villains" in general, because in most cases introducing a villain in a story's final act leaves little room to establish their motives. And unfortunately that's the case here. It's heavily implied (though not outright stated) that SpongeBob was the mastermind behind the whole disaster, but the story as a whole doesn't do an especially good job of foreshadowing that. It's the same issue I had with the villains of Disney's 2010s animated movies, and compared to the rest of the story it feels like it was put in for pure shock value. That aside, it's a better fanfic than it has any right to be, and that alone is enough for me to give it a thumbs-up.