The FanFic Critic is a Video Review Show hosted by a fictional character of the same name who reviews fanfics, bad or good. The character is portrayed by the video creator, Megan Wessels. The FanFic Critic is known for being honest and harsh about the stories she reviews, and often dramatically overreacts when the story is particularly awful. The series can be found here
on YouTube.
Wessels was one of the hosts and creators of The Net Dwellers, and she also contributed to Reviewers Unknown and Manic Expression. Following a yearlong hiatus, Wessels announced on October 30, 2015 that she was ending The FanFic Critic. In April 2016, Wessels returned to reading fanfics on a new YouTube channel. Her new series, named The Fanfic Critic Vlog, is not a continuation of this show or the character, but rather Wessels reading the fanfics as herself. Her new YouTube channel is here.
Not to be confused with The FanFiction Critic, though they are friends.
Tropes featured in The FanFic Critic include:
- Berserk Button: Several:
- Bad grammar and spelling, characters that are Out of Character, Real Person Fics, the list goes on.
- M-preg. She cannot stand stories where a male character gets pregnant. All of her readings of such stories are negative.
- Catchphrase: "Hello, I’m the FanFic Critic. I read it, you listen."
- Death Glare: Whenever a story is particularly bad, she gives these. See the page image above.
- Driven to Suicide: Her character (not the real person thankfully) often commits or attempts suicide. First in Episode 03, where she reviewed a Slash Fic starring The Nostalgia Critic and The Angry Video Game Nerd, and 100 episodes later when she reviewed the sequel to said fic. She's attempted other suicides, but her cousin is always there to stop her.
- 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.
- Go Mad from the Revelation:
- FanFic Critic has had this happen a few times. One example is reading a bad, albeit well-written, story from an author she had encountered before. During her Sanity Slippage, she sings a parody of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
- 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.
- Grammar 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.
- 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 The Land Before Time fanfiction, proceeds to slice it up with her straight razor, and then eats it.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: The "English" accent Megan does for Susan is just terrible. "The Fhan Fhic Critac". It sounds more Australian than English.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: She dishes these out on occasion, especially if the fanfic has atrocious grammar and/or awful content. She'll 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.
- Running Gag:
- Susan preventing FanFic Critic from committing suicide.
- FanFic Critic trying to find a third thing to say at the end of her videos.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: 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.
