Bwahahahaha! It’s HALLOWEEN, boils and ghouls! And you know what that means: it’s time for another One Hit Wonderland: Spooooktacular Edition!
*coughs* Sorry, I’ve been misinformed. I am now told that it is, in fact, June, and I’m supposed to be writing yet another hypothetical on the fate of the SpongeBob Community. Hey guys, Wumbo here. I don’t write anything anymore! I’m not quite sure why jjs wanted me to do this. But it’s okay, after the smashing success of my half-episode fart “SpongeBob and Patrick Vote for Obama” or whatever, I’m sure that nothing will go wrong with this hypothetical! So… sorry, let me get into the mood. *ahem*
Picture this. An online forum community dedicated to unhealthy worship. You got it? I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but stay with me here. This worship is not directed towards a TV show, a music artist, or even a celebrity! No, this worship centres around something much more sinister: an online reviewer. Not just any online reviewer, but one who keeps his mask mostly obscured in the shadows! And his name is Todd! Why, you might call him a “Todd in the Shadows” of some sort! Oh, most online forums centre around things that are at least somewhat in the mainstream. But to be second banana to the Nostalgia Critic? Well, that’s a special type of niche that only the wildest guesses could imagine. So imagine with me, if you will, the answer to this question…
Episode 27: Is SBC a Trainwreckord?
Wait, no, that’s not it. Sorry, let me try again…
Episode 27: What If… SBC Was a Todd in the Shadows Community?
The year is 2010. Clapmaster, who is a frequent user of the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses message board, grows weary of the board’s focus on The Nostalgia Critic. He wants to see his favourite reviewer, Todd in the Shadows, get more love. So he creates the TITS community, and after waving away dozens of horny, confused old men, he vows never to use the acronym again. Rather than only accepting members from the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses forum, as is common practice, Clapmaster allows anyone to join! Gradually, the forum increases in popularity with users like Wumbology, katnisslovestacos, and Old Man Mr. Meeseeks declaring their admiration for the hooded, shadowed pop music reviewer.
Things are harmonious until August 27, 2013, when a user named President Squidward joins. He suggests that there is more to TGWTG music reviewing than simply Todd in the Shadows. He suggests that the Todd in the Shadows Community merge with the upstart forum, Rap Critic Community. Well, oh, my, GOD, Clapmaster (now known as Clappy) can’t believe this and bans President Squidward on the spot. This leads to a lot of infighting on the Todd in the Shadows chatroom, until katniss hijacks the conversation by posting the song “Got an Itchy Leg” over and over again. Clappy scratches his leg and reluctantly agrees to allow President Squidward back into the forums and begins correspondence with the Rap Critic community. Unfortunately, the Rap Critic Community is still sore from the Accidental Racist review and the two forums remain separate, though some users join both forums out of curiosity. Butt What?
The Todd in the Shadows Community weathers the storm of #ChangeTheChannel, with tens of refugees from the Channel Awesome forums flocking to the community. The forum becomes rife with derogatory Nostalgia Critic memes. “A BAT CREDIT CARD” becomes the most-used phrase on the forums. The original members begin to fear that the Nostalgia Critic memes are overtaking the forum, and its members are losing touch with its original purpose, save for Wumbo, who gleefully participates in every meme until it’s distressingly unfunny. Wumbo, who is now an admin at this point, suggests that the community award the Noble Critic award to the user who has the best Doug Walker memes. This is the final straw, and Wumbo is banned from the community for five months. If only all online forum drama was this tame!
Upon Wumbo’s return, he brings to the community’s attention the existence of a subreddit dedicated to Todd in the Shadows. Rather than recruit members from the forum, the users of the Todd in the Shadows community make special note of their obsession with Trainwreckords. The Doug Walker memes quickly shift over to Trainwreckords memes. Occasional poster jjsthekid posts “Is Pink Floyd’s The Wall a Trainwreckord?” mere days before Doug Walker’s disastrous takedown of The Wall. He is forever awarded the Noble Critic award.
The Todd in the Shadows community still continues to this day, though with less frequency given Todd’s less frequent output. A Discord server is created to discuss various topics outside of Todd’s videos. In the tv and film channel, many users happen to express an affinity for SpongeBob SquarePants.
Did they deserve better? Hell no.