History WebVideo / SmileTapes

* HopeSpot: Max, Shaun's dog, was feeling oddly quiet. After Shaun takes him to the vet, he gets better and starts to bark again. Unfortunately, Max suddenly passes away a few weeks later.

* NothingIsScarier: When describing Variant C of the spores, a "Text Here" shows up on the screen, implying that ''nothing is known'' of this variant. [[spoiler: Subverted in that the following distortion barely shows its effect on patients, including enhanced strength, speed, bulletproof exterior and bloodthirstiness.]]

** The exact origin of the fungus that SMILE is made from is left vague. In ''Far History'', it's heavily implied it originated from [[spoiler: space due to the video glitching when reaching the panspermia segment, but it's left to interpretation.]] Volume 3 [[spoiler:almost outright confirms that it came from space, more specifically the asteroid belt, as it was first found inside a sample of amber dating from the end of the Cretaceous period.]]

* BittersweetEnding: Volume 3 ends with [[spoiler:the epidemic effectively contained and the Variant C smilers destroyed in a rain of ballistic missile-delivered fire]], but almost 10,000 people have died over the course of the outbreak, a number which will presumably continue to rise as those currently infected continue to die off.]]

** The exact origin of the fungus that SMILE is made from is left vague. In ''Far History'', it's heavily implied it originated from [[spoiler: space due to the video glitching when reaching the panspermia segment, but it's left to interpretation.]] Volume 3 [[spoiler:almost outright confirms that it came from space, more specifically the asteroid belt, as it was first found inside a sample of amber dating from the end of the Cretaceous period.[[/spoiler]]

The series is split between volumes, there currently being two volumes with an upcoming third. Between the volumes various smaller videos are released, which are snippets from the next volume. There are also bonus images on Patorikku's Instagram, which are also on his youtube account's community tab.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[FromBadToWorse This is only just one of its first phases]]]]

** The exact origin of the fungus that SMILE is made from is left vague. In ''Far History'', it's implied it originated from [[spoiler: space due to the video glitching when reaching the panspermia segment, but it's left to interpretation.]]

** The laboratory segment from ''Vol 1'' shows the eventual progress of the drug in two patients. Their faces slowly wither away, their hair falls off and one's jaw is barely still attached to his face. It's also mentioned that one patient who managed to linger with it for 6 weeks ended up experiencing what appeared to be late-stage Alzheimers.

* GettingSmiliesPaintedonYourSoul: And carved on your face. See FacialHorror above.

* RedIsViolent: Shaun Gomez's photo, after commiting a homicide and getting taken down by the police, is largely red with his face censored. [[spoiler: Later in ''volume 2'', the strange man is shown with a distorted red smile and a Variant C patient is described as bloodthirsty and his photo get more red and red as it distorts.]]

* ArtisticLicensePharmacology: While drugs can be pretty harmful, slowly stretching your face to make you smile and ravaging your body is something you can't really do with cocaine. Given the type of drug though, this is pretty justified.

* MadnessMantra: Shaun Gomez's "I am happy, I am happy, I am happy".

* StepfordSmiler: Shaun wrote in his journal that while his friends have noticed that he's been smiling and assume he's happy, he notes that he's certainly ''not'' happy and that he's in agony and suffering due to the forced smile.

* FacialHorror: The laboratory segment from ''Vol 1'' shows the eventual progress of the drug in two patients. Their faces slowly wither away, their hair falls off and one's jaw is barely still attached to his face. It's also mentioned that one patient who managed to linger with it for 6 weeks ended up experiencing what appeared to be late-stage Alzheimers.

* HellIsThatNoise: During stage 2, the patients' behavior at the laboratory is described as predatory with manic laughter, the latter of which is soon played. It sounds like something between actual laughter and screams of agony.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Shaun Gomez's journal details how he [[SanitySlippage goes insane]] due to the drug. The journal is shown while calm music plays in the background.

* HellIsThatNoise: During stage 2, the patients' behavior at the laboratory is described as predatory with manic laughter, the latter of which is soon played. It sounds like something between actual laughter and screaming in agony.

The series is split between volumes, there currently being two volumes with an upcoming third. Between the volumes various smaller videos are released, which are snippets from the next volume. There are also bonus images on Patorikku's instagram, which are also on his youtube account's community tab.

* FacialHorror: The laboratory segment from ''Vol 1'' shows the eventual progress of the drug on two patients. Their faces slowly wither away, their hair falls of and one's jaw is barely still attached to his face.

* HellIsThatNoise: During stage 2, the patients' behaviour at the laboratory is described as predatory with manic laughter, latter of which is soon played. It sounds like something between actual laughter and screaming in agony.
* SanitySlippage: Everyone who's used SMILE or makes contact with the fungus' spores goes through this, though the biggest example is Shaun Gomez. He came into contact with the spores in December after a SMILE user coughed on him, leaving him more confused than angry. Over the month, he's face stretched, making a smile. He also started making contact with [[spoiler: a strange man]] in his dreams. In the end, he started repeating that "he's happy" and that he must make everybody else "happy". On New Year's Eve, [[spoiler: he commited an homicide.]]

* SlasherSmile: SMILE obviously does this, though the result ends up utterly horrific.

During the 90s, a new mysterious drug has entered circulation throughout the black market in the United States, which has been making headlines. The drug, nicknamed SMILE, is made using the spores of an unidentified fungus. Its many effects include mania, uncontrollable laughter, violent tendencies, as well as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin smiles]]. [[SlasherSmile Lots and lots]] [[FacialHorror of smiles]].

The series is split between volumes, there currently being two volumes with an upcoming third. Between the volumes various smaller videos are released, which are snippets from the next volume.

* AmbiguousSituation: The exact origin of the fungus that SMILE is made from is left vague. In ''Far History'', it's implied it originated from [[spoiler: space due to the video glitching when reaching the panspermia segment, but it's left to interpretation.]]