#smosh defy era

[vc55bughead]

istg defy era smosh is one of my roman empires

(specifically the shutdown riots but yk lol)

[sage-lights]

i miss when courtney used to call shayne “frog legs”

[invisiblyvisiblejay]

i am like. kind of positive that smosh is the only youtube channel i watch. when did that happen. i can't remember watching anything else recently. and by recently i mean likeeeeeee at least months

[eightballspecial]

the fact that they’re planning for this to be so long term…oughh

[baflegacy]

😬

[baconmoop]

I know like none of my followers (who haven't been around since before 2016ish) watch smosh but the video today got me feeling things.

I've been in Ian's position a couple of times. And while now I know mine is due to my low empathy autism and I assume Ian's isn't, I've been in that place where it's super hard to open up when someone's vulnerable with you, or to avoid speaking the truth because it sounds harsh or judgy. Where you come off as rude or uncaring without even noticing. I've had super close friendships end because they're way more in touch with their emotions than I am. I get it man.

I'm glad they got that second chance. It made me really sad when I saw Ian's reaction to the 2009 statement because I've been there. I'm happy that they're at a place where they can laugh and reflect over it though. I couldn't do what they did.

[alicesmindpalace]

A quick birthday 🎂 post about some of the reasons Iike and respect Ian so much.

I made one for Anthony's birthday and this is a good occasion to keep on talking about why Ian and Anthony are two of my favorite people.

Recently I've noticed that Ian is getting a lot of praise. In these last year or so there have been a lot of comments everywhere on youtube appreciating him for keeping Smosh alive all this time, being grateful for all that he has done during the "single working mom/dad working two jobs" era when Defy collapsed, and saying how great he is for the way he manages to foster such a good work environment at the company to this day.

So I won't add to that and just mention some other little things that I think should be mentioned more.

Referencing what I wrote in the Anthony birthday post, I always thought that Ian and Anthony handled the split with a lot of grace. It still blows my mind tbh how careful they've been to never say anything publicly that could even indirectly harm the other’s reputation, and that is so rare when these things happen. Ian especially as the person that most people considered the hurt party could have said things to gain the fans favor, it would have been very easy at the time because for a longest time the fandom was looking for someone to put the blame on. But Ian didn't turn Anthony as a villain in the eyes of the fandom even if he could have easily done it just by throwing some weird comment here and there, knowing that people were waiting for him to say something. He actually did the opposite of that and even when the chance was served to him a lot of times, he always refused to fall for the bait, and instead said nice things at the time, even if there was a bit of resentment there like he said after the reunion on a couple of interviews.

This obviously also speaks about Anthony's character too and who he is off camera, because there must be a reason Ian had that level of respect and loyalty. Like, I can't stress how rare this is, and how much I appreciated it.

Another random fun little thing that shows how respectful Ian is in these situations imo is how he always makes sure to subtly correct people in interviews and stuff, whenever the interviewers mention that "they" created Smosh as early as 2002 fr example. He could just roll with it, nobody would even notice, or know but he always makes it clear that it's Anthony that built the website and started the whole Smosh thing, and he does it when Anthony is not there to listen. It's subtle but a soon as he hears it he always finds a way to correct it, even in passing. I noticed this many times and I just love that.

He is very "fair" imo, and doesn't try to earn respect when he feels like he didn't deserve it, I still remember how genuine he sounded for example when he went out his way to correct Keith one time and say that he doesn't want his fans to defend him or to love him unconditionally, and wants them to hold him accountable, even when Keith had framed it in the way where it would have been easier for Ian to just agree with him and say that he's thankful for the fandom to be by his side no matter what. "I don't really relish in the idea of someone supporting me no matter what. I should be judged" /"The thing you said about unconditional love? The fans don't really know the person that they are a fan of".

Basically what I am trying to say is that I really appreciate that you can tell that he is a nice guy even though he doesn't do anything to sell you the idea that he is. He doesn't hide his love for drama, or gossip, or trashy shows or and doesn't hold back from judging or being cynical, he has a moral compass but it's his own and it's not for show or to gain any sympathy.

I think that what Ian said is true and it's impossible to know and to love someone unconditionally as a fan just by watching them through a screen, and my love is conditional, but what I can say is that what I have seen so far I really liked lol.

I think that people like Ian or Anthony are so difficult to come by! I'd talk more about how much I like them, but I want these posts to stay short so, yeah

Happy birthday to Ian!

[smoshkidtv]

also my favorite part of culinary crimes: ian and courtney’s dynamic!

it’s so sweet to see that they still have this awesome sibling-like friendship after all this time, it was my favorite thing to come out of defy-era smosh. i’m so happy that we’re getting more videos with the two of them, it’s just really sweet and wholesome 🥹

[femmmie]

ianthony conspiracy theory (this is just for fun!): they are writing a movie. they can't write sketches AND write a movie, as they already explained. In the Defy era they had to do all these things at the same time and it took too much out of them. So now they're doing it while letting the Smosh fam handle the channels. It would make perfect sense. Anthony said "he is SO good at writing and coming up with jokes." And Court said "they're writing a movie" as a prediction. So they have some secret deal going on and it will probably take at least a year to finish. They've proven to be able to do shit in secret before, plus all their dates they only reference in passing, there's something going on I can feel it!

[winterxgardener]

I genuinely think Shourtney is the greatest love story in the history of YouTube. Possibly the internet?

Starting with "see you at work" coming from Shayne after the audition, it's coming up on a decade of working together through all the eras and ups and downs. They are the two longest-standing cast members (the rest of the squad becoming part-time). You can't be a Smosh fan without being aware of the ship being mainstream at one point.

They have been with each other through major life events. You can see how close they've grown to each other over time. Ian and Anthony are the brains of Smosh. Courtney and Shayne are the heart and soul.

Smosh wouldn't be the institution it is today if it wasn't for Courtney and Shayne becoming part of the cast and sticking through until now. Smosh could have fallen apart if only Ian and Anthony had carried the channel when Anthony left Smosh. This isn't to discount the other cast members' contribution and hard work keeping the channel alive through defy and the shutdown, but Courtney and Shayne have helped shape things in a way no one else has.

What could possibly be a more insane and beautiful story of two best friends growing into adulthood together and falling in love? They have a dynamic that I'm yet to see in fiction. I saw a comment on a video once saying they lost their chemistry, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Trivial Pursuit TNTL episode is a small window into their relationship that we don't see much anymore. In my eyes, at the beginning, all of their flirting was on camera because that was when they could interact the most. As they became closer offscreen, onscreen wasn't their only chance to banter that way anymore.

However, since there hasn't been explicit confirmation of this by them, it will always be a bit of speculation on our part.

If they choose to go public and it is something they are comfortable sharing, a Smosh Mouth episode with just the two of them giving a brief overview of this story through all of this would be really sweet. It could even be fun for them to point out moments on camera and give insight into how things grew between them. That episode would be so fun, but it is all up to them. I unfortunately see that as unlikely.

Disclaimer: This is solely based on speculation and has not yet been proven.

My initial reaction when I read this:

I love how their story evolves from being strangers to co-workers to best friends to lovers (check my disclaimer).

To anon, thank you for this; it really encapsulates the important factors of their situation.

If, in the future, they decide to publicize their relationship and have a smosh mouth guesting, I don't think I would survive. My fragile heart and lungs won't survive 🙉🙉

[smoshsfavoritepizzaplace]

Also, I have to add (still the same anon, hello):

I think people are more likely to "disregard" something at Smosh when a character does it. For example, when Courtney plays Brianna, almost anything goes since Brianna doesn't have boundaries and says directly what she wants.

However, if you're a newbie like I was and don't know much about the characters, things look different. I did understand that Courtney was playing a character but I assumed that she tailored the character *for Shayne* which changes the perception of her acting quite a bit, especially when you compare it to how non-raunchy other exes were.

I had a similar feeling with the video where Brianna Boho is trying to find a date. Shayne rarely comes up with sexy-sexy characters but the one time he does that, it's a character that keeps calling Courtney's character sex goddess and talking about how horny she is. And based on her expression, Brianna/Courtney wasn't taken back at all but loved every minute of it.

I think that if a fan was familiar with Smosh energy and how raunchy they can get, they wouldn't raise any eye brows because of this. But since at that point I wasn't familiar with sketches and Defy era stuff, I honestly thought that Shayne and Courtney were flirting with each other through characters but got away with it because everyone kept looking the other way. It was super confusing at first and tbh I even started questioning if I know what sexual tension is. xD

I absolutely believe this 100% bc even when it makes no sense, Shayne and Courtney’s characters somehow end up together or have some sort of affiliation. I mean, Shayne’s literal first imprinted character was based on Courtney. I’m not an actor but I would have to assume that your characters are other people with a sprinkle of your characteristics. And it’s especially noticeable with Shayne bc that man is not a flirt but when it comes to Courtney, he manages to have some sort of tension. Now that I’m thinking about it, whenever this conversation pops up, I feel like I always only think of that characters the appeared in multiple videos. CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW MANY TIMES THEY WERE A COUPLE IN SKETCHES!??!?? Sorry for yelling but Idk how I manage to always forget that. Those two been together in every universe except this one but they finally came to their senses (presumably) 4-5 years ago. The signs were plastered all over the walls 😭. But I’m glad they finally realized lol

[supercalime]

i totally agree with the vast majority of what you posted about shayne and courtney and fans entitlement to their private lives. i dislike that the fandom so heavily sees things through a 'shipping' lens - angela and damien look at each other for more than three seconds, so here's fourteen fics about them fucking. like it's so deranged and so so strange and fundamentally unfair for everyone involved.

it is the same when people want them all to be best friends irl so bad it causes them genuine distress when they say 'we're just co-workers who have a good time'. i understand parasocial relationships and am aware that some are closer than others (some are married i've heard lol) but if it makes you want to keel over and die to hear arasha call courtney her co-worker...genuinely seek help, that's not good for you.

as someone who came back in the buy-back era and who was a fan at the height of the defy shourtney shipping era, i think it's okay to be like 'aww in videos i always thought they had chemistry!' but the stalking, obsessive stuff is unhealthy at best and wrong at worst.

i worry now about the hyper-focus that will be put on shayne and courtney in videos, both together and apart. i think it's super brave of them to go public (also something they may have felt they had to do, given public records) and i hope that people will be able to dial in to respect them and their relationship!!

Thank you, I feel like I’m going crazy, I’m glad others agree!

Bro I can’t even IMAGINE what the “fans” are going to act now. I mean, I can, and it doesn’t look good.

Im calling it now, if the “fans” will keep an even closer look on Courtney’s body now. They will try to prove a pregnancy and I think that will be worse than what it has already been. If there’s an actual pregnancy that somehow gets announced this year, how much you wanna bet that they will use the time Amanda mentioned a smosh baby to prove they were right and knew all along?

If this weren’t Shayne and Courtney, who had to endure stalkers, harassment, unwanted sexual advances from fans, fanfics written about them, people speculate their relationship by every single interaction they had at work, I would have just gone “omg, so cool! Good for them”, but this poor couple had to hide their relationship, hide an engagement! Courtney wasn’t able to wear a goddamn engagement ring, all to protect their privacy.

Im happy for them but again, heartbroken by the fandom once again.

Anyway, all these posts, fights and interactions made me resent the channel I’ve watched for more than a decade so quickly it was actually shocking. Which fucking sucks cause smosh has never been about romantic relationships and this news shouldn’t have affected the fandom for better or for worse.

Im gonna take a step back from the company, at least for now. I’ve unsubscribed to all the channels and unfollowed everyone. I hope I can get back to watching them but for now I legit feel icky, as stupid as it sounds.

I also learned my lesson for good, never ever interact with the rest of the smosh fans, it’s almost never worth it.

[crepesuzettey]

Talkin about the current shift in Smosh main

Sooooo I'm really thinking about this now because there is some implication in the newest LWS that they were kind of trying to "manipulate" their audience to get memberships off the ground or whatever. Let me just say right now that I am still a fan of Smosh and I'll still watch their content, I'm still a member. But every time they make a major shift like this, they always handle it sooooo poorly imo.

I mean, the way they handled the pivot from unscripted to sketches was so messy. I bet if they just communicated from the beginning that those videos were too costly with not enough return and the main channel was in a really desperate place, there wouldn't have been as much of a divide in the fandom after the buyback. Instead, they implied that unscripted ended because Anthony was coming back, and that caused a whole argument. Tbh that's probably the root of the current problems in the fandom lol

And someone else pointed out that they kind of put down a previous era to hype up the current era. Yeah lol. There's probably some genuine feeling behind that -- I'm sure the cast are very excited about what they're doing, and each "era" of Smosh does have its pros and cons (for example, under Mythical they were free to do whatever they wanted compared to DEFY, but there might have been struggles with the main channel's voice and the brand wasn't as popular as it used to be). But it doesn't really help this situation.

What's happening now isn't super clear to me -- did they actually want to make the sketches or not? Either way, their communication with their audience hasn't been great. The way I see it, when you make content on YouTube, part of the career is seeming transparent to your audience and being genuine where it counts (even if you're a company). It's kind of ironic that they're highlighting unscripted content more due to the demand for a genuine approach to online media in modern years, but this is how they communicate with their audience lol

I can understand if they didn't want to blow things up by announcing that the sketches were over before Bit City came out, because that might have hurt the premiere. But I do think there's always a way to announce the news in a way that won't make people THAT upset. The way they've done it just comes across as kinda sneaky and I guess it doesn't feel like there's "closure".

One of the other fandoms I've been in was a kids' MMO fandom and when it was about to shut down, they released an article for parents called "When Your Child's Favorite Media Goes Away". Since I was reminded of that earlier, it got me thinking about how that game handled its closure really well and kind of walked the audience through that last month, whereas with other kids' MMOs I kind of got the vibe that they just announced the shutdown, put up the FAQs page, and then pretended like everything was normal for the most part.

I know this was a game for literal children, but I still think it really shows how handling the end of a service with care can actually minimize fan backlash against the company. From a practical standpoint. Smosh makes changes so abruptly that it can come across as "uncaring" to their audience and it's also just so annoying lol. Like, there HAS to be a better way to go about this!

[merrybloomwrites]

Could you write a fic where Spencer and reader have been working together at smosh for years, since the defy era. Fans ship them constantly and they finally get together after watching a compilation video?

This is cute! I'll add this idea to my list

[melodymelancholyart]

Saw your Super Smosh post, What’s opinion on Smosh babies?

My years on Deviantart have destroyed my ability to look at anything baby related and not immediately assume that it’s fetish related.

Also Ian and Anthony wearing diapers or getting pregnant was weirdly reoccurring in the Defy era and idk why. I’m scared to know why.

[more-francho]

I really don't think Ian has the same feelings like Anthony has about the whole deal. I think Ian just holds his feelings towards the friendship he believed it was totally fine.

What i'm trying to say is, Ians sad and depressed era was a combo of the shut down of defy, his new responsabilities as the former boss of Smosh, and by the fact that he never understood when their friendship disappear, if it could be a better description.

He seems the kind of person that is so focus on the happy things that never ocurred to him that the bad ones where such a big deal. So when the bad shit happens, he wasn't ready to fight back.