In the early-2000s Wild West of internet culture, a new breed of online celebrity emerged: quirky hobbyist creators who built miniature media empires off of passion projects. Through the connective power of forums and content sharing platforms, their niche memes would often spill over into mainstream recognition.
No career better encapsulates this trend than that of animator David "Shmorky" Kelly. He began as just another ambitious artist trying to stand out among the bustling creative community of Something Awful. An influential comedy website and proto-social network notorious for its sarcasm and irreverence, Something Awful became a gathering point for outsider talents to hone their craft. Its members would collaborate on surreal games, music, literature, and of course, endless streams of viral media.
An Outsider Finds Fame
It was on this landscape that Shmorky carved a name for himself. His animation style stood out as crude yet kinetic. While lacking polish, the exaggerated movements and twisty-limb characters exuded a chaotic, unsettling energy. More importantly, his jokes landed with the SA Goons appreciation for the absurd. Shmorky soon became one of the site‘s most prolific meme generators.
Popular recurring characters like "Cool Dog" and the cast of "clerves" creatures fueled his fame and ubiquity. Shmorky originals would frequently get shared outside the insider crowd to places like Newgrounds and Youtube. For many, these strange Flash toons represented their first encounter with Something Awful‘s unique comedic signature.
And the community was tight-knit thanks to real world gatherings. Events like the Con Goons convention provided opportunities for Shmorky to directly interact with fans. Within this microcosmic bubble of in-jokes and references, he enjoyed the Validation and influence of a bonafide internet celebrity.
The Goldmine Crumbles
This ride to niche stardom took off thanks in large part to SA founder Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka. The two formed a mutually beneficial partnership. With Lowtax handling business operations, Shmorky could devote himself fully to creative output as the site‘s star content producer.
But the decline of Something Awful, reflecting the larger centralization of the web, put their working relationship under strain. As profits fell, tensions rose over output expectations and wages. Their bond fully ruptured in 2011 when Shmorky parted ways with the site.
Now operating solo and increasingly unrestrained, the shocking reality of Shmorky‘s private preoccupations sank in…
Down the Tumblr Rabbit Hole
Shmorky found himself struggling to stay financially afloat as animating failed to pay the bills His growing disillusionment with web culture manifested as an obsession with gender identity politics on Tumblr. He dove headfirst into the site‘s more radical circles, absorbing extremist dogma around abolishing traditional concepts of masculinity, femininity, and transgression There, he found echoes of approval for developing unsettling new fetishes far outside acceptable norms.
Adopting the moniker "Daisy K," Shmorky transformed himself from an idiosyncratic but harmless creative into a poster child for caution about internet radicalization His animation shifted to fixate on gender bender themes, while losing the sharp timing and storytelling once integral to their appeal. As if in parallel to discovering his own suppressed thoughts, his art degraded in the process.
Enabling Abuse
Shmorky sank deeper down the well of validation-seeking and boundary crossing. He entered into a codependent relationship with a similarly troubled woman named Amanda. Their shared disorders fed into each other – her histrionic meltdowns and suicidal threats paired with his emerging pedophilic urges. Rather than alert authorities or psychiatric help, Shmorky encouraged her antics, even recording her episodes to share for attention When naturally the relationship collapsed under its own dysfunction, this left deep scars for all involved.
Perhaps in retaliation, Amanda leaked shocking chat transcripts from the private roleplay sessions they engaged in. The logs revealed Shmorky"s participation in sexual fantasy chats involving rape, incest, underage characters, and graphic discussions around taboo kinks like bestiality and scat fetishes. The conversations followed ritualistic back-and-forth patterns, suggesting Shmorky derived repeated psychosexual gratification from these staged sessions relishing the virtual domination of vulnerable victims.
Fallout – Accountability vs. Vigilantism
The subsequent mass public backlash, led by forums like KiwiFarms, confirmed Shmorky’s total cancellation from online communities, both social and professional. But the momentum of mob justice soon spiraled out of control, elevating documented facts into murkier conspiracy theories around the animator’s unknown fate.
Some speculate Shmorky died by suicide under the weight of harassment. But alleged sightings of his distinct artistic flair suggest he creates under pseudonyms. Fringe theories even link him to an infamous right-wing propaganda cartoonist. Though considering typical psychological profiles, a redemption arc seems improbable for one so deeply troubled.
Regardless of Shmorky’s ultimate end, lasting wounds persist. His mentors, colleagues, loved ones – all endured betrayals and abuse from misplaced trust. And his creative legacy remains defined by predation rather than innovation. For developers and creators entering the Wild West landscape of Web3, Shmorky and his path warn against chasing the siren song of fame over ethics. Representative figures must consider youth and at-risk groups who may follow their behavioral examples into harm.