Fuck sickos, fuck the trolls

Raynesh Ram

Graphic by Forrester Toews

If you’re online as much as I am, chances are you have heard about the untimely passing of YouTuber Gothic KingCobraJFS, also known as the gothic bad boy or Josh Saunders, his real name. His death — from a heart attack in his sleep — came as a shock to the online community, many of whom are in deep mourning. 

His YouTube streams tended to be long; he’d sit on a dirty couch day and night, smoke and drink, and discuss gender relations or give his thoughts about modern life. Sometimes he’d give viewers a tour of his kitchen, where he would make disgusting “dank meals,” as he would call them. During his streams, he would angrily react to messages obviously sent to him by trolls. To many online, KingCobra was a “lolcow,” an online figure whom people mock without their knowledge. Essentially, lolcows lack some self-awareness, which trolls use to their advantage for entertainment. 

“​KingCobra loved Ozzy Osbourne, smoking, drinking, and practicing the satanic dark arts. The star and joke of his own show, his life was divided into various sagas, with his trolls and friends as supporting characters.”

— Raynesh Ram

I can list off a handful of lolcows, such as Chris Chan, beebee890, Amberlynnreid, Cyraxx, and Daniel Larson. Hell, even the big, buff Rich Piana (rest in peace) could be considered a lolcow. On the one hand, these eccentric characters are the butt of the joke, mocked for being strange and, at times, creepy. But on the other hand, these internet personalities become well-known figures, even if the fame and recognition come at a cost. And if fame is the end goal, then being infamous might be good enough. 

​KingCobra loved Ozzy Osbourne, smoking, drinking, and practicing the satanic dark arts. The star and joke of his own show, his life was divided into various sagas, with his trolls and friends as supporting characters. Many of us began to use “cobra-isms,” like “that’s most definitely what’s up,” and “fuck sickos” in our everyday lingo. 

KingCobra’s life was public: home address, phone number, family, and all. Sometimes, cops would get involved after trolls called in wellness checks. Trolls would regularly order DoorDash food to his house, such as a Subway sandwich with only sauces and bread. Others would send copious amounts of alcohol and tobacco. Some even made the pilgrimage to KingCobra’s hometown in Casper, Wyoming. 

He was a flawed person, as rough around the edges as the wands he made. KingCobra was crass. Some of his takes on gender relations bordered on weird manosphere talking points, and he used tactical soap filled with pheromones to attract women. Intentionally or not, KingCobra unleashed his rabid fanbase on a woman who criticized him. 

Paradoxically, his raw, unfiltered takes helped draw people in, and his story, while filled with mockery, also helped create a community of people who hung on to his every word. He left a permanent imprint on internet culture, where he will forever live, with a fan base who will always remember him for both the good and the bad.

His untimely death feels personal. We won’t ever see KingCobra make disgusting food combos, nor will he get blackout drunk on streams. He won’t stream with his various homeboys, and he won’t ever rant about gender relations or discuss his ideal girlfriend (someone who is of age, alive, cisgendered, consenting, non-related, at least a four or above on the good looks scale, and preferably someone who is at least 21 years old). 

As KingCobra would say: Long live Ozzy. Hail Satan. Fuck the trolls. Fuck suicide. Fuck sickos. Long live Josh Saunders.