Scarecrow Reads Typical Tragedy: A Huge-Ass Review

[Scarecrow von Steuben]

Chapter One - The Grateful Dead
Summary: Tabuu says hi to the reader, Smiley is introduced, Tabuu goes downstairs, they chat, there's a bit of unnecessary swearing, Alex shows up and stays with Tabuu, Tabuu has to break the news to Smiley who basically acts as his mother-girlfriend and I'm not even going to touch that one, then wooooooooooahhhhhh the perspective switches and now it's Alex talking and he's a Convenient Orphan like Tabuu and he gets beaten up by the Grateful Dead-

-which is Tabuu's nickname for undead zombie trolls and I have no idea how that works since Tabuu and Alex live in a wiki about Nintendo and thus would never have heard of the band, and then it turns out Alex is a pyromaniac and he sets everybody on fire and that's where the chapter ends.



My Thoughts: This isn't really an impressive first chapter, though it seems to be usual that Tabuu's works start out mediocre and then develop into varying degrees of awesomeness. So I can't really tell where the story's going from here. It feels and sounds exactly like all of his other stories right now, and that's not really a good thing- not because his other stories are bad, but because it seems like he's repeating himself. It's the same characters, basically the same villains, and there can't be that many variations on "fuck up those trolls and then have sex with Smiley."
Tabuu has said he likes doing perspective writing, which is fine, but the issue is that most of the time the characters sound like they're trying way too hard to be badass, even in casual scenes like the first few.
I don't quite get the massive amount of completely uncalled-for swearing, though. Ever read the Harry Potter books? Remember that scene at the end where

Spoiler

Molly Weasley is all like NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH and then she kills the hell out of Bellatrix Lestrange?

Do you think that scene would have had as much impact if the entire cast had been throwing around 'fuck's and 'shit's throughout the entire series? No, of course not.
I don't have anything against swearing. I just think that wasting the potential massive impact of the f-bomb on fluffy slipper thingies in the first chapter of the story is ridiculous.

To be continued. Next up, "W.R.S."

 

[Scarecrow von Steuben]

Chapter Two - W R S
Summary: Tabuu narrates and provides exposition and talks all about his cool pen thingy and how wikipedia and wikia were going to kill each other and then there's a bit with Smiley and then the chapter ends.

My Thoughts: Er, not much to say here. It's a short chapter. The information is good, it sets up the world well. Other than that I might as well move on to the next one.


Chapter Three - Saturday Morning
Summary: Tabuu kills a monster thingy while reciting a pretentious poem or something, then the perspective switches for no reason and the third-person narrator makes fun of me.

My Thoughts: The fight scene is good, as usual. It's a little irritating how much it's being forced down the reader's throat that Tabuu is Really Badass, You Guys, but other than that the writing is better here than in the first two chapters. I have no idea what that thing at the ending is, though. A failed attempt at meta-humor? Something that will be explained later? I shall read on.

Next: (The End Of) Daily Life

 

[Contra(dictory)]

Alright, now that I'm back on a computer, I want to talk about some things.

It feels and sounds exactly like all of his other stories right now, and that's not really a good thing- not because his other stories are bad, but because it seems like he's repeating himself. It's the same characters, basically the same villains, and there can't be that many variations on "fuck up those trolls and then have sex with Smiley."

Admittedly, I do like to reuse some characters, but I haven't been reusing that much in this one. I always change the depictions as much as I can, and, if you recall, the villains in Resolutions (my last fic) weren't even users. Evoltsul, Bradley, Ruin. Rudnicki is a return from 132 REDUX, but he's much, much different this time around (and much, much more twisted).

For the record, I never imply fucking Smiley in any of my stories. That'd be...weird.

The swearing dies down a bit later on, but because it's my perspective, you see a lot of it. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyways, I enjoy your feedback, Scarecrow. Keep it coming.

Also, the "pretentious poem" you mentioned is actually something users are taught around their teenage years in many Wikis- of course, I haven't said that in-story. There'll be a lot of supplementary material in the future to flesh out things like that.

Since my avatar is actually taking center stage this time, yeah, there's going to be more Tabuu-focused scenes. This is getting annoying, I know, but I'm starting to split the perspectives a lot more in Part II.

And yes, what you said seemed like a failed attempt at meta-humor was, indeed, a failed attempt at meta-humor.

 

[Nabber]

For the record, I never imply fucking Smiley in any of my stories. That'd be...weird.

“You're taking Alex's bed?” I asked as we came to my apartment door, and I dug in the pockets of my robes for my keys.
“No,” she replied as we walked inside, “I'm taking yours.”
“Oh.”

Don't care whether you say nothing sexual happened or not. You knew what you were writing.

 

[Contra(dictory)]

For the record, I never imply fucking Smiley in any of my stories. That'd be...weird.

“You're taking Alex's bed?” I asked as we came to my apartment door, and I dug in the pockets of my robes for my keys.
“No,” she replied as we walked inside, “I'm taking yours.”
“Oh.”

Don't care whether you say nothing sexual happened or not. You knew what you were writing.

That was a jab at the perverted readers, actually.

After the huge melodramatic part of Resolutions, I wanted to calm things down a little. So I made a little joke at the reader's expense.

 

[Rise Up Above It]

For the record, I never imply fucking Smiley in any of my stories. That'd be...weird.

“You're taking Alex's bed?” I asked as we came to my apartment door, and I dug in the pockets of my robes for my keys.
“No,” she replied as we walked inside, “I'm taking yours.”
“Oh.”

Don't care whether you say nothing sexual happened or not. You knew what you were writing.

That was a jab at the perverted readers, actually.

After the huge melodramatic part of Resolutions, I wanted to calm things down a little. So I made a little joke at the reader's expense.

If the reader doesn't catch on and ignores that humour, what then? Surely they win the passive-agressive humourous banter stuff?

 

[Scarecrow von Steuben]

I never imply fucking Smiley in any of my stories. That'd be...weird.

So that would be weird, but everything else about you and Smiley's relationship is perfectly normal.



:P

 

[Contra(dictory)]

Oh, you.

 

[Smiley The Hun]

So that would be weird, but everything else about you and Smiley's relationship is perfectly normal.

Oh, but it isn't.

 

[Scarecrow von Steuben]

Chapter Two - The End of Daily Life
Summary: Walkazo exists for a while and then Tabuu gets his ass kicked by the smoke monster from Lost.

My Thoughts: The fight scenes are excellent, as usual. The one negative thing I have to say is that the names really get kind of awkward here, like the fact that there's a guy named My Bloody Valentine- what sort of parents would do that to their child?! Not to mention all the times he must have gotten made fun of in grade school.

But that's hardly unique to this story, pretty much every user fic has fallen into that at some point, it's kind of unavoidable.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

The one negative thing I have to say is that the names really get kind of awkward here, like the fact that there's a guy named My Bloody Valentine- what sort of parents would do that to their child?! Not to mention all the times he must have gotten made fun of in grade school.

If we look at the Wiki World from the perspective that everyone has strange and bizarre names (Where else to people named Toad and Nabber and Stooben exist?), then a name like My Bloody Valentine would likely be considered a bit odd but not out of place.

 

[Scarecrow von Steuben]

Yeah, but from a reader's perspective, it's kind of weird.

 

[Contra(dictory)]

If it makes a difference, he's only ever referred to as "MBV" from that point on.