Blogger Beware
Blogger Beware is a Goosebumps Blog run by Troy Steele. He writes synopses and reviews of Goosebumps books and TV episodes full of humor and snark. He intends to eventually review all of the books and all of R. L. Stine's work.
His work is so full of allusions that a fan of the books and the blog has compiled a reference guide. Also, most of the book recaps on Goosebumps Wiki - even some on Wikipedia itself - are just Steele's recaps with all of the snarky parts cut out.
The blog is here. The reference guide is right here.
Tropes used in Blogger Beware include:
- Actually Pretty Funny: In the Night of the Living Dummy review Troy admitted the joke about Russian and Yugoslavian songs was pretty funny.
- It also tends to come off sort of this way whenever he admits that a book was relatively good.
- Adults Are Useless: hence the "Questionable Parenting" section.
- Also stretches to Questionable Aunting, Uncleing, Grandparenting, Teaching Etc.
- Affectionate Parody: Started off that way, with Troy poking fun at the books but grudgingly admitting affection for them. This didn't last long.
- Caustic Critic: Usually.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He often points out the side characters that seemingly drop off the face of the earth halfway through.
- Did Not Do the Research: Often pointed out (such as when Stine makes references to 13-year-olds watching R-rated movies).
- Dude, Not Funny: The In-Universe opinion of "Chicken, Chicken".
- Also, "Revenge R Us".
- Flat What: A running gag.
- Mad Libs Catchphrase: "[person], who [verbs] halfway through the book/[some event which they regularly verb halfway through]"
- Most Writers Are Adults: Pointed out in the once-a-review "R. L. Stine Shows He Is Down With Kids" section.
- Running Gags: The Flat What; people turning out to really be a dog; werewolves.
- The phrase "halfway through", most commonly found under "Platonic Boy/girl relationship" in the format "person, who disappears halfway through the book," but if no one Chucks, he will find someone or something that does something halfway through something else.
- Mentioning Evan Ross from "Monster Blood" as frame of reference for a boring protagonist.
- The one where they turn out to be dogs, or something.
- Mentioning the common themes in the series such as moving and all the scientists.
- Reviling at the excess of vomit in the "Series 2000" books.
- Using the structure of the title in his plat recaps, e.g. "The kids decide that they should stay in of the basement," or "Max doesn't believe that he let's got invisible."
- And then the car wash cost five dollars.
- A sentence that is clearly set up to use the title of one Goosebumps book as a phrase, but instead uses another Bad Hare Day.
- "Oh, cool, I've seen [insert movie Stine is clearly homaging/ripping off here], too."
- Platonic Life Partners: He points out there's the "obligatory platonic boy-girl relationship" in each story.
- Schedule Slip: He admits that he doesn't have a regular schedule.
- Title Drop: The entries usually subvert title drops in the actual book by substituting the title of a different book instead.
- Token Minority: Frequently Lampshaded.
- Totally Radical: The "R.L. Stine Is Down With The Kids" section of the recaps makes fun of the books' many dubious depictions of children's slang and activities.
- Unfortunate Implications: In-Universe, for lack of a better term: Troy notes this in Attack of the Jack'O'Lanterns with the black kid who's mentioned as being as "Cool as an MTV rapper", unintelligible, one of the antagonists and having an afro.
- Viewers Are Geniuses: No, Two Guys, a Girl And A Pizza Place isn't readily accessible to that many people.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Another Running Gag whereby Steele often points out when minor characters disappear halfway through the book.