#The fandom is even more gay/j

[davestriderisbetterthanyou]

my friend ranting about Ducktales: quack quack

me: so homestuck is a long ass webcomic In which four kids meet trolls and the fandom is like **GAY** like the fandom is super gay dude. And that can be interpreted as happy or the sexuality cus i ain’t one to assume yo but I know this fandom gets happy with fanart. Also Autistic, probably autistic.

[outromoony]

Sirius and Remus have a sweet tradition of leaving each other secret notes in unexpected places to remind one another that they’re always looking out for each other.

Before the full moon, Sirius often leaves a note tucked into the pages of Remus’s favorite book, saying, “I’ll there. Don’t worry,” reassuring him that he would never, ever, leave him alone, even after they had a fight.

When Sirius dreads going home, Remus leaves a note in his jacket pocket that reads, “Don’t let them get to you. You’ve got a place here.”

These little gestures remind them that, even in their toughest moments, they’ve always got each other and are loved through it all.

[siriuslygay1981]

THIS IS SO REMUS

[ardentpoop]

broader fandom’s cartoon supervillain singular-d*stiel-naysayer version of jared is pretty funny though

panel clip with jensen being asked a Gay question and reacting like a belligerent bear being poked with a stick and jared cutting in to be like Well Let’s Move On so the mood doesn’t get even more uncomfortable and everyone in the tags is going “fuck off j*red we almost had him we almost cut through the CW Censorship Committee’s evil spell that has our sweet sensitive just-like-dean boy in its thrall before you homophobically interjected. kys ugly!”

panel clip with jensen going I love jared he is my boy forever we like all the same things and we would both love to play those brothers again for 15 more years (author’s note: god forbid) we’ve been thru so much shit together which is why we’ll always be in each other’s lives. heart eyes emoji.

and the broader fandom’s going listen jensen we know you secretly despise that man bc you are secretly queer (author’s note: inappropriate; wildly speculative) and thus morally superior to him (author’s note: incorrect). here’s who you can recast as sam when you are called on to executive-produce the Dean Fucks Bitches And Explodes God Dean And Cas Turn Super Weenie Hut Jr’s Into A B&B spinoff series. in fact why don’t we replace sam entirely with an elf sidekick named squiggledorf who chirps aggrieved one-liners about how In Love dean and cas are every time he’s onscreen. I have some other brilliant ideas that you simply must take under advisement my liege please don’t shut my mic off.

[crazymuffin1]

this post is for people who wonder what the hell is going on with the venom movies/fandom because they havent watched it

if youre seeing it on your dash and dont want to scroll very long press J. if youre on mobile. cope.

venom the last dance is the third movie in the venom series and people who haven't watched the movies are probably wondering whats going on. whoever you're following has probably posted or reblogged some sort of eddie brock x venom thing. yes of course. mlm ships are popular and theyre the main characters. of course theyre gonna get shipped. just like stucky or other hot main male characters. nothing really special about these guys. right?

wrong! because as opposed to the other ones being non-canon ships where we just look at everything and say "thats gay" or look at it through shipping tinted glasses, symbrock is a bit special.

to start off with! the source material! the comics! im not gonna make this part long, just a bunch of images with short descriptions and you can interpret it however you want (click for full image)

panels ofter referred to as "the ones where they have sex"

no comment

even spider-man knows

aaaaaand the comic writers/artists also know

theres more (like how they have a kid and eddie experienced morning sickness...) but this is about the movie! not the comics!

first movie moments. im skipping smaller moments and i'll try to not write out the whole plot.

eddie and venom go through a whole car chase scene on a motorbike, and the moment eddie calls him cool, they get his by a car. often interpreted as venom losing focus from the praise

-omg why would that lead to venom losing focus?? because venom, on its planet, is a loser. bottom of the barrel. an outcast. and someone called it cool. venom sees that eddie is also a bit of a loser on his planet. theyre two losers together. Eddie asks why he doesnt just kill him and hop to another host, but venom says that hes a good match (other bodies reject the symbiote, and die from organ failure/eaten from the inside) and venom is "starting to like him" venom also gets a bit stuck on the moment that eddie says we instead of i. its both of them. together.

later eddie finds out his organs were failing (venom was starving and was working on fixing it) and when they get seperated the way he acts is kind of framed like a bad breakup. its not "im free from this parasite! yippie!" its "i trusted you and you hurt me. we're done" sort of breakup. venom tries to say he was trying to fix it but eddie ignores it (not the exact words but if you look at it you'll get it)

eddie gets taken away by the bad guys and venom hops on eddies ex and they reunite. and its not just reunite.

its this

thumbnail shows human face but it does not start off with that.

fun fact! theres a sort of deleted scene where eddie asks "who was i kissing just then?" and she says "mostly me" and then we hear venoms voice saying "well actually it was mostly me!" ALSO at the end of the movie, she says it was venoms idea. this was venom and eddie making out. not eddie and his ex. they do not get back together. she has a new boyfriend and they've moved in together so its serious.

venoms original purpose as to why the symbiotes are on earth was as a scouting party for an invasion force. venom changes his mind on being on the invasion part. eddie asks what REALLY made him change his mind "you did eddie."

also after the movie was in theaters they made an additional romcom trailer to promo the dvd/blueray release. the movie. framed as a romcom. im not kidding. on sonys official youtube. for both movies.

speaking of both movies, the second one has them breaking up! full on divorce after fighting and arguing!! very sad. and then venom goes to a rave (october, there are costumes, hes fully transformed) and says "i am out! of the eddie closet!" HES COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET. one person at the rave has a mask on that says "kiss me" and venom says "sorry no, not my type" THEN WHAT IS YOUR TYPE HUH??? MEN?? SWEATY LOSER GUYS??? his hosts keep failing because theyre not as compatible as eddie. and after having fun venom is sad and wishes eddie could've seen him. they of course, get back together* after some apologizes and because they need to fight a serial killer who also has a symbiote (carnage) because previously, they went to interview him, he insulted eddie, venom got mad on eddies behalf and grabbed him, resulting in getting bit, and that spawned a new symbiote from the blood. also the serial killer, (cletus kassidy) went to bust out his girlfriend who upon seeing his tentacles breaking her glass cage, called it hot.

*when they get reunited (anne helps out again) theres no kiss this time, and annes fiancee, after seeing them fight, says "those two need some serious couples counseling"

after a big climactic fight and mutual reassuring that theyre a perfect match for one another, they flee to some random place in mexico where they sort of have a love confession. theres an extended deleted version of it but i think many of us think they cut it down to save it for the third movie. also they get transported to the mcu in the post-credit and then re-appear in the post-credit of spider-man where theyre just sitting at a bar asking the bartender about the blip and thanos. venom decides to go skinny dip but they get transported back to their universe. net zero gain.

THE THIRD MOVIE

hasnt come out yet. but the promotional things. the trailer. my god the tiktoks and twitter clips?? WHY IS THE TIKTOK VIDEO CAPTION VENOM X EDDIE 4EVER??? HUH???? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME!?!?! IF I GET QUEERBAITED IM GONNA EXPLODE WHY IS ONE OF THEM FRAMED LIKE A COUPLES COUNSELING HELP GUIDE.

i cant post this one on tumblr but this tiktok is a slideshow, one image of venom and eddie from each movie, and the background song is "I've loved you three summer Lover - Taylor swift" with the caption "it's a love love relationship"

WE JUST WANT THEM TO KISS AGAIN AND HAVE A MUTUAL, EXPLICIT, LOVE CONFESSION. AND HAVE 4 HOURS TENTACLESEX SCENE. (not necessarily in that order)

and the first trailer that came out for venom3 has the line"eddie, my home [long pause] has found us" like girrrrrllll for a full 3 seconds i thought he was saying that eddie is his home.

[glisten-inthedark]

I don't know if I'm more chill about Byler endgame because I have the intel that people didn't have during volume 2 or what, but to any other ending that doesn't involve Byler becoming canon would just make the Duffer brothers the worst writers in the history of ever.

Because what do you mean you have a gay character that doesn't believe he'll get a happy ending only to prove that you know, he's right? How would that make any sense?!

I've said it before and I'll say how many times I have to: They could've made Will in love with literally anyone else. I don't know, some boy from Lenora, some other guy from Hawkings, hell, even Dustin was an option. But noooo, they instead chose to make him in love with his best friend.

They could've presented another male character with Argyle, instead they spent God knows how much money of their budget getting every Byler scene just right. Who would give this much dedication to a sinking ship? Like, they literally talked about how they had to wait during the day just so the lightning was just right during the van scene.

And also, the lighting during the cabin scene as well? Because that must have taken them ages to get it right. For the line to poor down only on Will, and that's not an artificial light, is literally the sun. So you're telling the Duffers were going to waste precious time getting these scenes just right but you know what? They don't mean anything at all, forget about it.

And to further drive the point home, the storyline makes no actual sense from a logical standpoint. Remove Byler. Let's all pretend we don't ship for one second.

Why in the world would they make Will in love with Mike of all people? He could've been gay without having to be that in love with someone. I know I'm repeating myself but I have to because I don't think you guys understand how senseless this plot is if they're not going to do anything about it.

And I mean senseless in the sense that it literally has no use to the plot (that we know of which is why I made that post about how Will's love will be fundamental to the story).

And not only that, not having Mike go with El to the Nina project thingy literally stalled their progression which is a huge deal. I know some people don't like that Byler was removed from the supernatural plot, but I for one think it was a necessary evil to allow Will to explore his feelings and for Mike to miss him.

And to honest, even if the writers are the most douchebags to ever douchebag, it still wouldn't explain the amount of care they took in every Byler scene. It wouldn't explain how whenever we are in Mike's POV, is like he literally sees Will like this shinning beacon of light.

Because if they wanted a quick cash grab on the expense of the queer community, I can assure you there are easier ways of doing it. I remember when I was at the Sterek fandom and J*ff Davis was an ass about the ship during interviews. I remember how Tyl*r P*sey made terrible comments all the while they were clearly using the shippers in the series. And yeah, while I do agree Teen Wolf wasn't necessarily queerbait because there were actual queer couples, it still left a bitter taste on my mouth.

The way they built this, they didn't give themselves an easy way out. It would be one thing if Will was gay but not in love with Mike, it's a completely different thing for him to love Mike so deeply that he's willing to sacrifice his own happiness for him.

The writers made him to me irrevocably in love with Mike. (You don't make her (him) feel like a mistake at all), El (Will) needs you and she (him) always Will. These aren't the words of someone that has a crush or whose feelings are fleeting, these are the words of someone who would rip his heart out just so that the man he loves can be happy.

These aren't the words of someone that can be just be: yeah, I moving on from this. Mike is Will's heart.

So sure, Will needs to discover self acceptance and self love. He needs to recognize that he can be happy and deserves to have happiness, but if that was the entire point all along, he literally could have figured that without having to be in love with his best friend whom he believes will never love him back.

If the sole point of his arc was: Needs to learn how to accept himself for who he is, there are other - less cruel - ways of going about.

Because at the end of the day, making Will to be this deeply in love with Mike only to be rejected is just that: pointless and cruel.

And again. Pointless.

The GA already believes that to be the case, the Mil*evns too, Will also believes that. So why would it be a conflict at all if it was actually the case?

Why would they make a slowburn reaction? Will already thinks he was rejected, that's the thing. He already thinks it's hopeless.

So why would they use the painting? Why would they frame everything as a love triangle? Why not get this shit over already?

Why pair them together with the already canon couples?

At this point I'm just rambling and repeating myself. I'm gonna sleep, but I hope I was coherent enough.

You guys are welcomed to chime in, I love to hear your thoughts on that because I feel like I wrote all of this before but I'll say however many times I have to.

[haapy]

Are You Sure?! Reception and toxic influences in ARMY spaces

I wanted to post this under a specific Youtube reaction chanel, but I got cold feet.. This is something I wanted to scream out loud for so long, so I wrote it off my chest just to feel better and pasted my rant here for probably no one to read haha.

___________________________________________________________

Surprisingly lot of people seem to have a problem when it comes to Jimin & Jungkook together (alone), they just don't want to see them together for some reason or prefer when another member joins them. No one wished other members to join when V did In The Soop with Wooga, no one complained about collabs between Agust-D and J-Hope or J-Hope and JK, However they accused Jimin of using JK for clout when he did the background vocals of his HIDDEN Track "Letter" on his FACE album. Now they accuse him of using JK to promote his Album MUSE with AYS. Is it possible for ARMY's to appreciate what Jimin & Jungkook give you without throwing awful hate, thowing their bond under the bus or wishing the content to be with another member or adding member X?

Let me explain...

I've come across numerous false and misleading allegations on various YouTube channels regarding Jimin, Jungkook, and those who appreciate their bond.

You’ll encounter individuals who vehemently argue against the clearly special connection between these two members, downplaying their bond and insisting that all relationships within the group are the same. This perspective is unrealistic; while all the members love each other, each of their individual bonds is unique. At the same time, these individuals emphasize the closeness between V and Jungkook, attempting to influence new ARMYs and reactors, while labeling those who cherish Jimin and Jungkook's bond as the most toxic shippers. However, anyone familiar with ARMY spaces knows that the most toxic shipper group is not made up of those who support Jimin and Jungkook. In fact, they represent only a small portion of the fandom. If this weren't the case, you wouldn’t see so many comments on YouTube trying to downplay their closeness.

Many ARMYs who aren’t involved in shipping spaces, don’t bias Jimin, or don’t pay attention to these dynamics, may lump all shippers together. However, there are significant differences between the various shipping groups.

It’s important to recognize that every shipping community can have toxic elements. However, one prominent group, which makes up around 75% (or even more) of the ARMY fandom, consistently discriminates against the bond between Jimin and Jungkook, particularly targeting Jimin with hate and disrespecting Jungkook. It’s misleading to claim that all shipping groups are equally toxic when one is rooted in genuine chemistry and real moments, while another is fueled by conspiracy theories portraying one member as a harassing figure and the other as a manipulated puppet, liar, and spiteful partner.

This issue dates back to when Jungkook released his first GCF in Tokyo featuring Jimin. Suddenly, YouTube channels emerged, gaining millions of views by manipulating their viewers with the most disgusting and deceptive narratives, portraying Jimin as a homewrecker, attention seeker, and even a sexual harasser.

If you frequent ARMY spaces and pay attention to Jimin report sites, you will see the most horrible things said about him. I'm well aware of solo stans and hate against other members, especially within the Maknae line, but none of it compares to the sheer amount of hate and vileness directed at Jimin, who endures the most horrific defamation, sexual harassment, and death threats on a daily basis, primarily because of this specific group of shippers, other vile solo groups and homophobes.

Even before the announcement of Jimin and Jungkook enlisting together via the buddy system became public, groups of the fandom accused Jimin of sexually harassing Jungkook and promoting the "gay agenda," putting Jimin at risk of being imprisoned under Article 92-6 of the Military Penal Code, which categorizes all sexual acts between members of the same gender as "sexual assault and/or harassment." They even tagged Korea's Ministry of Defense thousands of times, making it trend on X, which resulted in ministry officials having to step in. (This is no joke, I collected screenshots for proof).

Even today, some people deny that Jimin and Jungkook enlisted together, instead pushing their ship agenda or claiming that they aren’t close. It’s baffling to see the strong reactions they provoke, which should be telling enough.

New ARMYs, be careful who you listen to. If you aren’t involved in any ARMY spaces on social media, ONLY LISTEN TO THE BOYS and consume original content. You can make up your own mind. Conspiracies aren’t limited to politics; they exist in K-Pop too.

[mummer]

would you mind sharing some of your twow predictions/hopes? i'm trying to cope with a lack of twow 🤒

oh man where would i even begin. im gonna do straight up hard predictions and not allow myself to be very self indulgent here is what i think will happen unironically

melisandre does not intentionally resurrect jon bc that makes no sense for her character. i dont think she'll be the one to do it at all but if she does it will be an accident and also a brain shattering experience for her

jon is considered king beyond the wall (not king in the north.... yet) but you already knew that

jon spends more time beyond the wall actually. i am keeping this concept vague

night lamp is definitely real and stannis takes winterfell at some point but he wont survive the book

sam's oldtown chapters become unexpected fandom sleeper faves like theon's in dance

the rosby heir is olyvar frey

dany does not come to westeros before her final chapter and never even encounters jon. slave revolt in volantis yayyyyyy!!!!!

there is still no R+L=J reveal

loras ends up fine but drastically scarred

elia sand and aegon have a forbidden romance

pyp and grenn die offpage (i predict this so that i can be pleasantly surprised when they show up)

danny flint is revealed to be coldhands shut up actually

gerris drinkwater is surprisingly important to the plot

brienne and jaime both survive the encounter with LSH and survive the whole book i saw this in my mind

barristan either dies really early on or he eventually defects to join aegon because he thinks he's the more rightful heir. the ol treason for blood

the faceless men turn out to just be another branch of the iron bank who are doing assassinations for money more than obscure religious/political reasons. this blackpills arya enough for her to return home

sansa encounters jeyne again and this is what provokes her to move against littlefinger

theon...... joins the night's watch..... question mark

there's a gay sex scene but no one likes it

[yukidragon]

Sunny Day Jack - SunnyTime Crew Headcanons

I accidentally went on a bit of a ramble about the relationship of Jacktor and Jean over on twitter, and I realized that I haven't mentioned here just how drastically my thoughts have evolved about Jean Laurent since the last couple times I talked about him. So let's talk about my current headcanons for Jean and the other stars of the SunnyTime Crew, specifically their relationships with Joseph and Mary in Sunshine in Hell.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

For the longest time, the popular theories in the fandom have been that Jean is secretly Ian's father and that due to jealousy he might have had something to do with [Redacted]'s death, it not outright murdered him. I thought that the former was a neat idea and would add a lot of potential drama, both for Ian and for Joseph when these truths of the past were brought about in the present. I wasn't opposed to the latter theory, but I didn't really feel it had much weight behind it, and I didn't feel like going that route for my telling of the story.

Then three big things happened that totally changed my thoughts about Jean. First, I learned that Rory Rainberry is canonically gay. While the character and the actor aren't necessarily the same person - as Sunny Day Jack from CloudyTown is different from runaway Joseph Cullman, for example - a big part of the game surrounds how the character and the actor are tangled up and blended together. As such, it feels only right to me that the actor for Rory is also gay like the character he plays.

This, of course, means that unless Ian's mom was Jean's beard, or a fling he had while experimenting with his sexuality, it's unlikely they were in a relationship. It's not impossible, of course, since we know so little about Jean at this point. Heck, for all all we know he sold sperm to a sperm bank for extra cash on the sly.

The second thing I learned were several little tidbits of info from the new afterlife story in the latest build of the demo. I won't discuss any details about it here, as it's a closed beta for only members of a certain tier of the patreon and kickstarter backers, but I got a new sense of the vibes during that era in time.

The third big thing that happened is the sunberry renaissance over on twitter, spearheaded by the delightful Chosee. Sunberry, for those not yet in the know, is the ship name for Sunny Day Jack and Rory Rainberry. I'd say it's thanks to Chosee that Rory and Jean are enjoying a new surge of popularity, as well as a fresh perspective on the characters.

These three things - along with thinking more about this era of the story thanks to expanding Mary and Joseph's headcanons - inspired me to totally change what I wanted to do with Jean in Sunshine in Hell.

Naturally, before we begin I want to emphasize that these are my personal headcanons and telling of the story, and as such don't necessarily reflect the canon of the game. (Heck, for all I know, the initial fan theories are the correct after all!) Game theories can wait for another post.

A Good Impression

As we can tell from the interview with Dan, Sunny Day Jack was the most popular character on the SunnyTime Crew Show. While none of the cast members were immune to jealousy, it never got to the point of in-fighting, let alone murder. Each member of the crew had plenty of fans to adore each of them, even if Jack was the most popular character by far.

Joseph was highly nervous when first meeting his fellow cast members at the start and tried his best to make a good impression. He refused to make the same mistakes he did in the past that made so many people dislike him, and he totally reinvented himself. He had a brand new identity, a brand new name, and a brand new friendly attitude. No one ever had to know what type of person he used to be... not even the one person there who knows his name isn't really James Haberdae.

It's a fresh start for Joseph. He's been given a second chance to start over with the love of his life by his side. He wants to do things right this time. He wants to be happy with Mary and help make both their dreams come true. He wants get along with people, actually make friends for once instead of enemies... and most of all he doesn't want to let down the kids the way he was put down all the time when he was a child.

Joseph - or rather "James" - is rather well liked by his coworkers. He's helpful and friendly, eager to learn more how to to best do his job and help his costars. Despite his worries and past experiences, he winds up charming many people working at the studio.

The years Joseph spent on the street taught him how to please others in order to survive. Now he can actually use what he learned to build an actual life for himself, rather than drifting along barely scraping by. He swallows his temper when slighted and goes out of his way to be helpful at the studio, even if it means he winds up taking more work upon himself.

Fortunately Mary is there to keep Joseph from tipping too far the other direction and giving too much of himself to everyone else. She's got some bad people-pleasing habits as well, but because she's especially concerned for her starlight's wellbeing, she does her best to make sure he's taking care of his own needs too. Naturally, he does the same for her in return.

Of course, it's pretty well known that Joseph and Mary are together. It's kept on the down low, as the studio doesn't want any gossip anywhere within a mile of the SunnyTime Crew Show or its characters, but those who work on the show are aware of their relationship.

Most find the pair cute, but at least one person is a bit...

Well, I don't want to talk about a certain person here since that might be spoilers for the new afterlife story, so I'll say that at least Joseph's costars thought the pair were cute together.

In a way, the people at the studio are the first real friends Joseph has ever made besides his sunshine. They don't know his past or even his real name like Mary does, but that's for the better. He can reinvent himself, make a new future while keeping the only good thing about his past.

Finally Joseph isn't alone anymore.

Jean

Jean Laurent is an old hat when it comes to showbusiness. He was a child star who was put in front of a camera before he even had a concept of what a camera was. He's been in everything from sitcoms to soap operas to commercials, and he even had minor roles in a couple films.

Funny thing is that the SunnyTime Crew Show isn't Jean's first time being part of a wildly popular TV show that reached a national audience. As a child, he was part of a wholesome family sitcom. His precocious personality, as well as a memorable catch phrase captured hearts all across America. The show is one of those old classics that is still vaguely a part of pop culture even in the present day.

As an adult, Jean distanced himself from being boxed into that specific character or being viewed as a child. He wanted to be taken more seriously as a mature, grown up actor, but he's rather pigeonholed by the perception of him as a child even many years and roles later. The SunnyTime Crew Show wasn't his first pick of roles, and he mostly auditioned as a favor for someone, but the other acting gigs he wanted more fell through.

Any gig is better than none, especially when you want to get better roles one day. Playing the part of a clown baker for little kids might not be what he wanted, but it's fine for now. Sure the studio works them hard, but what studio doesn't? All things considered, it's not as bad as other places, especially since he's not the poor schmuck stuck center stage.

Yeah, Jean does feel the occasional jealous twinge when Sunny Day Jack gets more attention and love than Rory Rainberry, but overall he's perfectly happy being somewhat overlooked. Being the star that gets all the attention isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when people still see him as the annoying character he's trying to distance himself from. He twitches whenever someone says the name of that old show or the character he used to play.

And if anyone even jokes about prodding him to say that old catch phrase, he's throwing hands. He is never saying those words ever again. Never. Again.

Well... unless he gets paid ridiculously well. Despite spending so many years as a popular child star, his nest egg is less than ideal because his parents were the ones holding the purse strings. Those bastards wasted his hard earned money on drugs, hookers, expensive cars, and all sorts of useless shit. Once he became an adult, he amputated that dead weight as soon as he could. His family still tries to hit him up for cash occasionally, but they've well and truly burned any bridges they had to him.

Yes, Jean has a lot of experience with the world of showbusiness, both its highs and lows. He's practically seen it all.

That's why Jean could see Joseph was in way, way over his head. He knows all too well that fresh meat like Joseph - especially when they're so soft and tender - is going to get eaten alive. He's seen it many, many times before.

Jean didn't intend to get close to his fellow costars, or anyone working at the studio really. This was just a stopover role, something to pad his resume and bank account until he landed a part someplace better. You never know who in this cutthroat business is genuine and who is looking for an opportunity to stab you in the back while wearing a smile on their face.

Damn it if Joseph didn't get past Jean's defenses in spite of himself.

Jean was certain that Joseph was a bright star that's going to burn out quickly, just a newbie that got ridiculously lucky. He had every reason not to get too close, but over time he and Joseph bonded. At first he pegged "James" as a boy scout, a sweet and naïve golden retriever of a man who was practically born for the role of Sunny Day Jack.

Over time things changed bit by bit. Joseph was so earnest that Jean wound up feeling sorry for the guy and threw out a bit of advice here and there. Just to make things easier for himself of course. Joseph was always so grateful, so eager to learn, it made Jean feel awkward for how harshly he'd come across.

The actors all smoked, so the four would often wind up hanging out while taking their cigarette breaks. While Jean didn't tend to start conversation, the others were more open to talking. Venting about the bosses was a sure way to get Jean to join in, and he wasn't immune to laughing along to a funny story or ribbing a costar for something embarrassing that happened.

Joseph never pushed himself too hard on Jean when trying to make friends. He saw a bit of his old self in Jean in the way he used to push people away with a prickly exterior, ready with some cutting snark and raise his defenses at a moment's notice. He was friendly, but never encroached on Jean's personal space unless invited. That consideration played a big part in Jean eventually warming up to him.

Over time, friendship grew between the four, much to Jean's chagrin. Sure he had the occasional spat with Cloudy-Belle Sue's actress, but he respected her. Knackadan Drizzle's actor was a riot and a great wingman at the local hot spots when Jean was looking for a handsome gent to take home for the night.

With things being not quite so progressive in the 1980's like they were today, Jean had to keep his homosexuality on the down low. While the studio overlooked quite a few "questionable" things people did when working there, it was only overlooked if the news never caught wind of anything. This was why Jean had adopted the motto of "don't shit where you eat," so he made it a policy never to date his coworkers.

Of course, a little subtle flirting never hurt anyone when the cameras were off. When he was in a good mood of course. Jean didn't often let people know when he was in a good mood, but after he made friends with his costars, he would occasionally flirt with the two good looking men who shared the stage with him. It was all in good fun.

Really, Jean would've been very tempted to break his rule of not dating coworkers for Joseph. Those handsome looks were a big part of Jack's popularity for good reason. If Joseph wasn't already in a happily committed relationship, he would've most likely asked the other man to come to his place or a hotel for the night.

Nothing would've come of it beyond a night of sex even if Joseph was single though. It would've been just a fling since Jean doesn't plan on staying at the SunnyTime Crew Show longer than he has to, but it would've been fun.

Jean isn't one to break into a closed relationship though, not unless it's a toxic one that's better off ending. He's no saint even if he does have morals. Joseph and Mary's relationship is certainly anything but toxic. The pair are just so sickeningly sweet together that he can't help but feel a little jealous of what they have. He's not ready for that sort of relationship with anyone yet, but maybe someday he'll find a guy that looks at him the way Joseph looks at Mary.

Jean doesn't quite bond with Mary the same way he does with Joseph, but he does grow fond of her as well, and a big part of it is because he and Joseph become friends. He doesn't tend to interact with the writing staff very much directly, just reading the scripts he's given and listening to the director's instructions, but with how Mary and Joseph are joined at the hip, he winds up spending more time with her by association.

Mary is almost as new to showbusiness as Joseph. In a way, she's a good match for him in how soft she is. Jean suspects their relationship is a big part of why they're both so soft, as the pair dote on and spoil each other so much. They don't talk about how they met, but they act like they've always known one another, so he suspects they're childhood sweethearts. They probably had a charmed life together, never really knowing how bad life can truly be...

Yeah, Jean doesn't really know the pair as well as he thinks he does even after spending a few years getting to know them.

Jean gets close enough to joke around with Joseph and even lightly tease Mary a bit. All it takes is a bit of innuendo about what the pair do behind closed doors to make Mary blush hard. Naturally, Jean uses their nicknames for each other as a way to tease both of them. Jean even gets close enough with Joseph for insult humor between friends, though he never gets quite that casual with Mary.

Rather than being jealous of Jack's popularity, Jean takes advantage of it to tease Joseph. "Poor bastard," he remarked sometimes whenever "Jack" would get dragged off for yet another extra photo shoot, interview, or autograph signing that he could simply waltz away from.

Jean does legitimately feel bad for Joseph being overworked, and advises the guy not to jump at their beck and call so much, but Joseph always smiles and insists that he can handle it.

Joseph is too desperate to keep his job. Jean can see that. All the advice in the world isn't going to deter Joseph from clinging to the part of Sunny Day Jack with everything he has. Poor guy is just going to have to learn the hard way just how harsh the entertainment industry is.

Jean just hopes that there'll be something left of the good guy he's grown to care for by the time showbusiness has had its way with "James."

Jean never saw the incident of '84 coming, not in a million years.

In the aftermath, Jean moved on to another role, as he always intended to do, but it was tainted by the incident. He did visit Mary in the hospital once, but it felt more like he was coming to her wake than encouraging her to get better. She didn't even seem to know anyone was even there anymore.

Jean didn't visit a second time. He didn't want to think about the incident or what happened to either of the pair. He distanced himself from all the people who worked on the show.

With how hard the studio came down with the NDA, Jean knew better. He tried to forget he ever knew any of them at all. It was better to cut all those relationships off.

He never should've gotten close in the first place.

The show never happened. Jean was never a clown. There's a gap in his resume filled with hush money. Being paid for his silence helped ease his nerves a bit. This was just a part of the business, he told himself. He saw so much shit over the years... this was just more of the same.

That's why even in the present day, Jean is still acting. From child star to silver fox, he's a well known actor with a wide range of roles. He has connections in various places in the industry, even with the modern day LambsWork Productions.

Most days, Jean forgets all about the SunnyTime Crew Show and all the people he got to know there. He forgets the faces, names, and funny stories. He forgets everything.

But sometimes... he remembers the incident in spite of himself. He remembers the children screaming and the smell of gunpowder.

Sometimes Jean feels guilty for burying the memory of his friend James... but he knows better. He always knew better than every one of them.

On that note, let's switch over to another one of the costars of the fateful SunnyTime Crew Show.

Knackadan Drizzle

Much like Rory, Knackadan is also canonically gay. Also like Rory, I decided it would be fitting if his actor shares the same sexuality. However, while we know the actor for Rory goes by the name of Jean, we don't actually know the name of his actor yet.

Well... outside of the closed beta, at least. I'm not giving out spoilers here, so let's just stick with a fun little nickname for the purposes of this post. I'm going to go with Knacktor, a portmanteau of "Knackadan" and "actor" much in the same way Jacktor became wildly used for Joseph.

Likewise, I'm going to be calling Cloudy-Belle Sue's actor Suetor. I know Cloudytor and Belltor could work too, but I like the potential pun possibilities with Suetor. I just need to figure out a good joke involving her and a suitor...

Anyway, Knacktor, being the oldest member of the main cast and more mature than the rest of the crew has a more fatherly air to him. He's friendly and fairly outspoken. He's had many years under his belt as a model and taking in acting roles. He hasn't landed a starring role before, but he's got a good resume and a decent amount of experience.

Knacktor is the first person to befriend Joseph, warming up to him right away. He often times goes out of his way to help the poor guy out, as "James" is always in way over his head. He's the first to offer tips and give the new star a heads up when trouble is brewing. He's more than happy to suggest catching a drink together after work, maybe even a double date with his boyfriend.

Although I don't have the character fully fleshed out in my head yet, I like to imagine Knacktor as having a long-term boyfriend during this era. He might have to keep it on the down low, especially since not everyone is going to be nice about his sexuality during this time period, but with those he can trust he's more than happy to show off his lovely partner.

In a way, Knacktor envies his costars in the romance department. Suetor is engaged and even invited him and his partner to her wedding. Knacktor can see Joseph and Mary are no doubt headed for marriage as well. It's something he and his partner can't do legally... at least not for a few more decades.

Until then, matching tattoos with hidden meanings would have to take the place of wedding rings.

In a lot of ways, Knacktor is the "uncle" or "big brother" of the group, watching out for his fellow costars as well as other friends he made while at the studio. Unlike Jean, he was more than willing to make friends and get along with everyone he could.

Knacktor's opinion on Joseph and Mary was that they were "good kids," and he liked to use the fact that he was older than them as a reason to playfully tease his younger coworkers. They were friends, and he got to know them pretty well.

The relationship Knacktor and Suetor have is more of a sibling bond type vibe. They have a history and are fond of teasing one another. They knew each other from a previous show they had parts in, which were also aimed at young children. It was more of a local show, but it gave them a good sense of how these things go.

Knacktor was in it for the long haul. Despite the flaws at the studio, he saw the potential in the SunnyTime Crew Show because there were so many people working there who were passionate about it. Joseph especially fueled this energy and encouraged others, which he was more than happy to help along.

What happened during the incident and the "facts" that came to light were something Knacktor never would've expected. Even today, he still doesn't know the truth about "James" or Joseph or whoever... Everything was buried... along with his unlucky costar.

Nothing was the same after the incident. Knacktor was there when it happened. He was standing right beside Joseph when the bullet blew the man's brains out.

He still has nightmares about what he saw that day... and sometimes... he has nightmares that Joseph is still dying, still trapped somewhere...

Knacktor tries to forget, if only for his own sanity... but guilt makes that impossible. He and Joseph were close. They had been good friends. Joseph opened up to him at times, and he did the same. He caught glimpses of the man behind that smiling mask, but never enough to see someone who could drive a person to murder.

Knacktor knows he'll never know the truth. He can't dig into it. He can't afford to, not when the studio threatened legal action against those who wanted answers, who wanted to talk about it.

He can never be really sure if he ever really knew "James" at all.

Trauma and guilt born from loyalty to a friend was made it impossible for Knacktor to forget. He visited Mary after the incident. She was a sweet woman. It was awful to see the way Joseph's death destroyed her. It pained him when he heard of her passing not long after.

At the same time, it was almost a mercy. Mary no longer had to live with the nightmares like Knacktor and the others did...

Knacktor couldn't keep acting after that. He refused to work with LambsWork Productions again or even return to the old studio... but it wasn't enough. Going into any studio caused him to suffer from panic attacks, even if it wasn't the one where the incident took place. All it took was some lights and a camera and he was reliving it again, watching a friend fall... his blood and viscera spraying all over him...

He could never forget that feeling no matter how many times he scrubbed at his skin.

It was impossible for Knacktor to continue his acting career. He retired quietly. The hush money from the studio allowed him some breathing room while he changed jobs. He couldn't work with children, not after that. He couldn't work anything that reminded him of the SunnyTime Crew Show. He got a nice, quiet desk job where he still works to this day, readying for his retirement.

While Knacktor doesn't hide that he was an actor in the past, he never breathed a word about why he quit. He'll change the topic or simply say he got tired of it, hiding his trauma behind a smile.

Some things are best left buried in the past, no matter how much the guilt haunts him.

Cloudy-Belle Sue

Of all the cast members, Suetor had the most experience working in young children's programming. She bounced around from local show to local show until landing on the SunnyTime Crew Show. It was the first time she was on a show broadcast nationwide. It was an incredible experience, one that she still treasures despite how it ended.

Suetor befriended Joseph easily, along with Mary. The two were just so sweet, and she was really rooting for them to make it. It broke her heart with the way their love story ended. They were invited to her wedding, which was set to take place only a month or so later...

Only a few of her coworkers came to Suetor's wedding, one of them Knackator. Jean rescinded his RSVP after the incident and ghosted all of them.

The empty chairs at the reception were painful for her to look at.

Despite the incident, Suetor continued to work in children's entertainment. Because she had been getting in makeup at the time, she didn't get a front row seat like Knacktor had. She didn't suffer the same level of trauma. The screaming of the children reached her dressing room, but it sounded odd to her at the time. She was distant enough not to notice the panic and fear in their voices until she heard the sound of gunshots.

Suetor left her dressing room only after it was deemed safe enough to do so after the police arrived. She didn't see any bodies, just the blood stains on the floor. Knacktor was off getting cleaned up. She took it upon herself to try and help calm the crying children who had been traumatized by the incident.

Of the three costars, Suetor was spared the worst of the incident. Knacktor was right next to Joseph when it happened. Rory had been backstage, but still had a clear view of Joseph's murder and the way Mary ran to the body, screaming...

Suetor did visit Mary in the hospital more than once. She tried to support Mary, but her words could never reach. They had become friends even before Joseph came back into Mary's life. She had hoped she could do something for her grieving friend... but she didn't know what she could offer.

There was nothing she could do for Mary, just like nothing she could do for Joseph. The studio wouldn't allow them to pay for a funeral for either of them. The cast couldn't even have a memorial. They were all scattered to the winds, left adrift and threatened into silence.

Suetor still has the vase Mary gave her for her birthday. Sometimes, she puts flowers in it that she thinks Mary or Joseph would have liked.

What happened to those two was a tragedy, one that should never have happened.

Suetor never got a clear picture about what happened during the incident. Jean refused to say anything and Knacktor was too traumatized to talk about it. Anyone else was too scared of legal threats to tell her the whole story.

All Suetor could do was move on. She continued to work in children's entertainment, sometimes in front of the camera, sometimes behind it. She tried to do right for the children, both in honor of her lost friends and so that no other child would have to suffer such a traumatic scene again.

Suetor had children of her own. They're all grown up and moved out of the house by the present day. By all respects she's had a nice life. The incident of '84 at times feels more like a nightmare than anything else, but she can keep it out of her mind for the most part. She is able to remember "James" and Mary fondly as she knew them and not so much for how they died.

Of everyone, Suetor suffered the least from the incident, but it still haunts her.

Everyone who worked on the SunnyTime Crew Show are haunted by the ghost of the incident of '84, even if they're not free to talk about it publicly.

Joseph tried so hard to do right by the children. Suetor saw that every day with how gentle he was with them, how wholeheartedly he embraced the role of Sunny Day Jack. She might have been the more experienced one of the two in this regard, but he had this natural charm with children. He was the most beloved cast member not by luck, but because he shone more brightly than any of them.

What happened to him wasn't right. Suetor heard only a few solid details, something about a lunatic with a grudge... but why would anyone hate such a sweet, sincere guy like James to the point of murder? It never made sense to her. A part of her was never satisfied never getting answers, but she had to accept it... if only because digging put her and everything she cared for at risk.

Sometimes over the years Suetor couldn't help digging, just a little. Not enough to risk NDAs. Not enough to risk her family. Sometimes she runs into people who were there, who knew Joseph, who were in the audience... sometimes they say things.

The children especially had a lot to say even years later... but children can be the most unreliable of narrators, and accounts can differ wildly, especially as the years distort the truth.

A bad person said Sunny Day Jack was actually a bad man. Then that bad person killed him. The things the bad person said to Joseph... Suetor could never be sure what exactly they were. Time also has a way of blurring the truth until things start sounding more like an urban legend.

It's an unsolved mystery, one Suetor can only accept will never be solved... at least not until a young woman who reminds her of the friend she made 40 years ago comes to her door to ask questions about a show that was lost...

I think I'll leave things on that note. As you might tell, the cast of the SunnyTime Crew Show is still very much a work in progress. Although they're not fully fleshed out yet, talking about them like this helps me develop them more. I think I've got a better idea of who I want them to be in Sunshine in Hell thanks to this post. I have a feeling I'll ramble on about them more again in the future to develop them further. I hope you enjoyed this exercise in character building!

[welivetodream]

✨ My BSD hot takes/unpopular opinions ✨:

1. Identifying BSD characters as Queer, is not problematic. STOP being so Heteronormative. Gay characters are not gonna kill you.

If I see another "BuT tHe ChArAcTeRs nEvEr SaId tHeY aRe GaY" I would bomb you 💣/j

2. Skk/SSKK/Fyolai/other popular ships, exist because people like it. If you don't ship them, don't engage with their content. Not all shippers act crazy and toxic. Stop blaming everything on shippers.

3. Atsushi/Kyouka is problematic, stop justifying it with "only 4 year age gap". Kyouka is a CHILD, ship her with Kenji if you want. Atsushi, like a normal 18 year old would never look at a highschool freshman and date her. Even if they date in the future, he knew her when she was younger and they had a sibling like dynamic. Lucy is a way better love interest to Atsushi (Don't know if this is an unpopular opinion tho, but I saw some people justifying it 😐😐😐)

4. DAZAI IS NOT EVIL. HE IS FAR FROM EVIL. He is, despite being super popular and the face of BSD, the most mischaracterized and villified character. Morally grey characters exist??!!!

5. Mori is a way worse person than Dazai ever was.

6. PM members get a free pass for any heinous crime they commit by being hot or babygirl-ified (still love them tho, we do not often discuss how bad their actions have been, you can like criminals and acknowledge they are criminals in fiction. I would add DoA to this too, but it's worse with the PM)

7. Akutagawa's abuse of Kyouka shouldn't be forgotten just because Dazai abused Akutagawa.

8. Mori emotionally manipulated and abused Dazai when he was a teen. Just because it wasn't physical, doesn't mean it was nothing.

9. Atsushi is NOT a soft boy, he is way bitter, salty and sarcastic than we give him credit

10. Poe is important to Ranpo and their friendship/relationship is wholesome as hell

11. Ranpo and Yosano's friendship is way better than them being in a relationship in the future

12. FukuFuku is better than Fukumori (imo!!!!)

13. Buying real authors work after watching BSD is actually a really good thing, since more Gen z kids (or other people) will read classics

14. There are layers to Atsushi and Akutagawa relationship/rivalry, and they have the MOST important relationship (not meaning romantic, just in general) in the entire canon.

15. Kunikida and Yosano could be a power couple

16. Fyodor is not a great villain (yet)

17. Nikolai CARRIES the DoA

18. Sigma shouldn't be in the ADA, he needs a happy home, family and some time to adjust to normal life

19. Q and Elise are both underused characters and could become a great dynamic

20. Ango deserves more love, the amount of pressure and stress he deals with is INSANE

21. It's OKAY if everyone joins the fandom for Dazai or skk (I did at first too!!)

22. Higuchi is annoying as hell. I do not get her hype, I like her but not as much as most people (just personal opinion, do not flame me 😭)

23. Everyone in The Guild is forgettable or boring (except Fitzgerald, Poe and Lucy. I like Louisa, but I forget her all the time)

24. Hetero ships are just not that great/interesting in BSD to me 🤷🏻‍♀️ (except maybe AtsuLucy or rare pairs) and female characters are not best utilised, I wish they play more major roles (can't wait for Agatha to arrive!!)

25. Some fan theories/arts get the story better than "canon" stuff at times. Fanon is NOT always the worst (sometimes enjoyable when the canon gets too dark or sad)

26. Toxic ships are okay in fiction as long as they are legal. Humans like toxic things, we consume it like junk food 💅🏻

(These are all personal opinions of mine and do not matter. Feel free to disagree. But, do not hate or be toxic!!!! 😇😇😇😇)

(PS: I compiled all these because of posts I have seen in, Reddit, Pinterest, Twitter and sometimes Tiktok. These aren't really abt you Tumblr folks. I meant to post this on reddit but did not have the courage or mental strength lol)

[unnamedly]

MY HEADCANONS FOR TDAC (main cast) CHARACTERS LGBTQ+ WISE cause although I don't find it important per se it still effects the way I look at the characters.

Going in alphabetical order:

Bubble- I don't necessarily see them as anything? If that makes sense. Like just unlabeled on everything, but not even calling themself 'unlabeled'. Bubble is Bubble.

Caine- AROACE. THERE NO WAY BRO ISN'T. My headcanon started immediately when I saw his face with the Moon. The absolute look of fear. That is an ace man if I've ever seen one. "Let's get outta here before the moon starts getting frisky!! o.0 " His desire to keep everything as pg as possible?? I dunno, he just gives me ace vibes ong. AND THEN- I just personally can't see him as being romantically into anyone. Like just an example, the scene in the restaurant. Typically in scenes like that in the media it's portrayed as a romantic evening/date. BUT IT WASN'T. It was him with his fucked up dog 😭 COMING BACK AFTER THE NEW EPISODE?? THAT MAN IS AROACE!!!!

Gangle- That is a nonbinary person if I've ever seen one. Demigirl perhaps?? Either way, I'm jealous of the androgyny that mfka has. I'm not too sure sexuality wise, as a multishipper. (I honestly j consume most tadc media so I'm not sure if that counts as being a multishipper lol) I would like to think that they use she/they pronouns and is maybe pansexual. (:

Jax- I was dreading doing bro. I wanna say cis man?? But I can also see agender using he/him. Gender just isn't something that concerns him. His only concern is being a little bitch. LMAO. And sexuality wise?? He's definitely got some queer flair to him. So imo Imma just say queer. :3 Like he knew he was gay to some extent?? And just stuck with the label. ALSO ADDING ON AFTER THE NEW EP, in my opinion he doesn’t have any interest in figuring out gender or sexuality, he only likes being an absolute bitch LMAO. I like him though so I GUESSSSSS it’s okay. Maybe.

Kinger- OKAY. SO. HE'S CISHET. AN ALLY. BUT CISHET. I personally hate when fandoms see a weak and/or smaller man and immediately label him as trans and/or queer. CAUSE BRO, MEN CAN BE MALEWIVES LET THEM BE!!! He's definitely the typa man to be called babygirl. Like imagine Jerma or Paul Dano, a silly cishet man who is in fact babygirl.

Pomni- BISEXUAL WOMAN. Bros got the bi-haircut. That's my only reasoning./hj But seriously?? As a bi person myself leaning toward my gender?? I can genuinely see that for her. It's canon, trust/j

Ragatha- SAPPHIC. THIS WOMAN LOVEEEESSSSSS KISSING OTHER WOMEN!!!! She loves women so much. It’s always a good day to be gay if your Ragatha.

Zooble- Non-binary. (Duh lol) But I’d like to say sexuality wise they lean more towards women. Zooble loves kissing women. Not as much as Ragatha, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.

[iandoubt]

Where’s the other five people in this fandom at? Season 3 is here…jk! The Hollow may have been canceled, but a guy can dream. I mainly want another season so I can get more of these two, Adam and Kai. Even before Adam was canonically gay, all of season 1 I was side eyeing these gay fuckers like “I know what you are” (/j, but still, the whole time I was like, is this a ship? There’s no way this isn’t already a ship, right?) and I need more of them being not normal about each other.

obviously this is mostly in silliness, but I do genuinely think this show should get a season 3 (and these two together), because there was so many directions they could have gone before it got canceled.

[poisonousquinzel]

people in the replies of this keep mentioning Joker and him being queercoded n shit and it's just like 😭😭😭😭 y'all are so stupid I stg

Yeah the best example of a good villain whose not bigoted is *checks notes* the dude who violently abused his bisexual girlfriend, drugged her, pushed her into chemicals, ran her over with a car, infected her pet hyenas with rabies and had them attack her, hung her up by the neck with a chain, tried to forcefully impregnate her, pretended he was going to cut her face off to make her scared, made fun of her appearance to her face and to his goons, cut the side of her mouth open with a shaving blade, put a hit out on her, carved a J into her chest, pushed her out of a window 5 stories up, has kicked - punched - slapped - strangled more times than I could list individually,,,,, or has sexually assaulted Batman, and has sexually assaulted Barbara Gordon, is implied to have sexually assaulted someone in Joker (2008), oh and forced Harley to strip in a public crowded bar under threat of detonating the bombs in her and the squad's necks if she didn't. So ya know, also sa.

but hey !!! at least he's not said a slur! and he won't work with Nazis! as if that's not the literal bare minimum. Wow he won't work with Nazis, fucking NAZIS, do you want me to applaud him for doing the easiest thing that any person with even mildly decent or existent morals would decide? Ya know, not working with goddamn Nazis.

No one should be working with fucking nazis?? The bar is in hell.

Being an abusive borderline rapist with a sky high sexist streak is just casual Worst Villain behavior, he's not a bigot!

Everyone knows you're only a bigot of you 1. Say Slurs 2. Work with Nazis.

That's obviously the only qualifying criteria for being a bigot.

-

The Joker is a whole entire sexist with a history of severe in character abuse and sexual assault. but none of that matters to ((unfortunately large)) sections of the fandom or to locals cause some of y'all would rather just pretend he's an uwu messy gay dude who's just oh so in love with Batman and is not a sexist, abusive bigot cause fuck women and the suffering he enjoys putting them through right? like y'all's only reference for him is the fucking Lego Movie and GOD it shows

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2023: #02 & #01 (Finale)

02. CZECHIA Vesna - "My sister's crown" 10th place

Decade ranking: 5/116 [Above Daði Freyr, below Käärijä]

Finland over Czechia seems like a no-brainer. Some midcarding bitches vs ~K*Ä*Ä*R*I*J*Ä~ come on, how hard can it be? Who is Czechia even for?!

ME, motherfucker. This entry is for ME, and FOR ME ALONE!!! and since this is MY ranking, that made the decision very difficult. It took me MONTHS to settle who to put at the top.

Vesna are often cited as one of the more overrated acts in the year. Overrated by whom? Who overrates Vesna? Isn't 10th a correct placement? i've met NO ONE who would even consider putting them as high as second? - and I obv don't count since it took me AN ETERITY to out myself as a Vesna stan!!

I'd counter that Czechia are THE MOST UNDERRATED by the fandom (not by placement - that is Slovenia, as always) and absolutely deserved all the good things that happened to them ^_^

So obviously, there are multiple factors at work here. The song is a fantastic earworm. Like, defo one of the best in the year? In terms of sheer replayability, "My Sister's Crown" is on the same level as "Edgar" (studio only :-/) and "Carpe Diem", and you know how much I value those. The song has four languages (including Bulgarian) and none of them clash. The lyrics are quotable and fun. This is a track with ATTITUDE and ZEST, that managed to criticize the war in Ukraine without beating us over the head with it via a poorly hidden, clumsily written political message. The song is SMART, and respects its listeners.

LOVE'S NOT A MONEY BAG BLOOD'S ON YOUR GOD'S HANDS YOU CANNOT STEAL OUR SOULS

However, going into the year, there were issues - Vesna were messy and dissonant, and the six girls often gave the impression of competing against each other for attention. They were not a UNIT. Although "My Sister's Crown" was always one of the best songs, many (including myself!) were sceptical it could come together.

And it did, spectacularly.

See, one of the things about this year is that the good performances and good songs were often mismatched. Albania, Estonia and Poland had great on-stage glam-ups, but they were severely hampered by the songs being what they were. Other countries such as France and Austria had good songs, but required really good acts to tie them together, and failed or, in case of say UK, has good acts that were performed badly.

If you made a Venn Diagram between the best songs and the biggest growers, there wouldn't be much overlap. Except for Czechia.

To quote Matteo Lane's pearl of wisdom; if there's only ONE GAY, everything gets done! Ahmad Malloun was the One Gay and channeled his bossbottom energy to fuss Vesna into shape. Suddenly, the girls were harmonious and disciplined and that made all the difference. Suddenly, Czechia had an act with a clear vision - Six women united visually through their outfits. Vesna had become a UNIT, united through sisterhood.

SESTRO KRASIVA OI TI SILYNA HOROBRA JEDINA KORONA TVOJA

It really doesn't get mentioned nearly often enough how amazing the Czech staging was. Sure, Loreen and Käärijä, both top notch. But this is my personal favourite of the bunch. It's a visually stunning, avant garde act that fits the music, that fits the thematics, that pulls you in and tells a story without overtly complicating matters. They start as a group of angry hexaplets and then burst into joyful sororian rapture at the end. The staging is both aesthetically pleasing and intuitive. They hit the gold standard for acts that everyone should try to strive for!!

There are times where I wonder whether I really should rank Vesna above Käärijä. My Sister's Crown fully morphed into a me-coded entry. And perhaps, if and when I watch 2023 again, I may do exactly that. For now though, I've decided against it. The argument for Finland is less complicated, so I went with that. And now for the winner of this ranking I am sure NOBODY saw coming ever:

-------------------------------------------------------------

01. FINLAND Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha" 2nd place

Decade ranking: 4/116 [Above Vesna, below Chanel]

It's Käärijä, bitch.

I rest my case for ranking Finland first. I don't think anyone argues this as invalid? Good, let's pick it all apart because if there's anything Käärijä deserves, it is being talked about. 😉

So um, where to start? Maybe it's best to start with the song - "Cha Cha Cha" was that rare 1-in-500 entry. I always say that novelty always tends to become stale over time - once in a blue moon however, it endures. "Cha Cha Cha" is a novelty song that is also an excellent song in its own right, and it stil holds up very well. It's a fun song to listen to, even without all the circus and theatrics.

The circus and theatrics though, omg <3 Talk about a DELECTABLE act, once again. This is yet again an example of how staging compliments the song and makes it digestible. Cha Cha Cha is entirely in Finnish with only a few loan words tossed in - difficult to get into on paper. The staging however, brings the plot points home.

The song's about wanting to overcome anxieties to dance? So break from the crates

Confront the inner Dance Demons that harass your psyche

make your way to the dancefloor while dodging decapitation via errant wires.

and then, when you overcome all fears transition to that godly, campy key chance, ride your them, having overcome your inhibitions.

AND I GALLAVANT ON THE FLOOR LIKE A CHA CHA CHA AND MY ANXIETIES HAVE NO GRIP ON ME NO MORE

The act is BRILLIANT. The ballroom dancers with their creepy pearly-whites, the dorkopotamus choreography, the styling, the overwhelming sense of triumph once the key change hits... It's the same deal as Vesna and Loreen, just a handful of visual cues that visualize the song's themes (anxiety, rather than sisterhood or desolation) are easy to understand and don't further complicate matters. THIS is how it's done. This is how you Eurovision.

The magical ingredient that tied it all together was the man, the dad bod, the bolero himself - Käärijä. Talk about a personality so massive everything gravitated towards him. It's hard to put the extent of his likeability into words - he's just so disarmingly himself. The key here is that Käärijä doesn't see himself as anything special. To him, he's just "boy from Vantaa who likes queen Loreen". He's just self-aware enough to realize the effect he has on others, but not self-aware enough to understand what exactly endears him to so many people. So when Käärijä plays up for funsies, he magnifies all aspects of his personality which makes him... even more endearing. 😍

(it's the same magic dust that has people flock to Baby Lasagna this year, really.)

It's rare to have a contestant who managed to completely warp the meta around him to this extent. It's even more rare that the contestant in this position then loses the competition. I remember telling my friend André, who was behind on NF news, that Käärijä had won UMK, and he replied with an innocuous "great, I haven't been this excited for a contestant since Verka!". I think I realize in that moment, that was to be Käärijä's destiny. Verka was the Hot Favourite in their year, the breakout star of 2007 - and Verka placed second to a more competent entry (Molitva <3). It was in that moment that I knew that Käärijä's inevitable fate was to come second to Loreen.

And I feel like, we all knew deep down that was where we were headed. We all wanted Käärijä to win as much as we did, because we knew that he would not. He was blissfully cruising towards a loss, and that was too much of an injustice to accept it and not manifest a reality where he beats Sweden.

It even got to a point where some people are now retroactively trying push the notion Tattoo is better than Euphoria (that statement is more offensive than anything I've ever commited to print or speech, including the one time I called Lesley Roy frumpy on cam <3) and the best entry ever (excuse you?) largely because it beat Cha Cha Cha.

So if Käärijä is this great, then why the doubt? Why only fourth for the decade (for the moment)?

Well, it's same deal as Cornelia for me. The best live of Cha Cha Cha that we received was the first one, at UMK, and every other performance we've had since then was not as good. The one in Eurovision had terrible vocals and slightly less impressive staging compared to UMK. I know right? The ESC staging did MORE and yet accomplished LESS. They got rid of all the wrestling references? Where's the close-up at the end? The arena? THE LIFT?

Sure, these inaccuracies didn't detract from my personal enjoyment of Cha Cha Cha. They however did allow for Käärijä to fall behind far enough behind Loreen in the jury vote so that he could no longer catch up with her in the televote, like a death by a thousand paper cuts.

It was a great live, but it wasn't great enough to win. Eurovision Käärijä was not Käärijä at his best, while Vesna without question gave their best performance in the Grand Final. Hence my doubts.

However, I ultimately went with Käärijä anyway because he did something Vesna could not - he gave a concert in my city, and I attended. HE MADE ME LEAVE THE HOUSE AFTER DARK. And god, if you've not been to a Käârijä gig before, absolutely fucking go if you're able to - IT'S CRAZY IT'S PARTY is the perfect catchphrase for this hyperactive, sexually amorphous, adorkable gremlin.

He was his unadulterated self, slapping his belly only vaguely aware of his sex appeal, swooning over a group of Slovene attendees because they reminded him of The Love Of His Life Bojan Cveticanin, ripping one of his merch t-shirts in half and then wearing it as a jacket, airdiving a wayward balloon that floated its way on the stage. The music was also excellent. Exposed to to the FULL scope of Käärijäness, made all the good memories of the 2023 preshow flow back, how could I not rank him anywhere other than first? Maybe I will change my mind and rank Vesna first in a few years from now, but for now, let's savour him while he's still fresh in our minds.

REMINDER THAT THE 2024 ROSTER IS GREAT LARGELY THANKS TO KÄÄRIJÄ.

REMINDER THAT HE WOULD SO WIN ANY FUTURE EUROVISION IF HE WANTED TO:

(May I just name this as my fave song from the 2024 nf season MAY I????*)

He WAS 2023. He WAS Eurovision.

He may have lost the contest, but he has won life. (and paid his taxes.)

ALL RISE FOR THE BEST ACT OF 2023!

The RANKING (completed)

"Novo, Bolje" was my fave 2024 NF also-ran. Obv.

ADDENDUM: ABOUT ESC2024

Yeah, obviously i'm not going to do a pre-show ranking. With all the poison and controversy going on, it's just not the right time. I delayed this ranking specificially so that I wouldn't be temped to do the 2024 one later. (Unlike a certain broadcasting institution, I possess a modest amount of insight, foresight and self-awareness. 🙂 )

Hopefully, ESC 2024 goes down without too many incidents, and I'll able to start my post-show ranking the week after the Grand Final.

See you there, hopefully, if Eurovision isn't dead and buried by then! 💚

[pixlpxie]

That fact that wooyoung and San both said it makes them uncomfortable when people ship them together but people still do it is mind boggling, like San has asked repeatedly for people to stop because he’s uncomfortable with being shipped with other men or with other people in general. Wooyoung just said it’s weird for people to do that, but he doesn’t mind it as much. But San tho, that man went on a three minute rant about it(when he did that live and read fanfics, he saw one of him and wooyoung and he immediately stopped and made his boundaries very clear) and yet this one account on tiktok(idk the @) and a bunch of weirdos keep sexualizing it, especially when that one wanteez ep where they all get drunk, and San had to pee so he held his dick down bc it was getting hard from having to pee, and everyone was saying “it’s bc wooyoung was next to him, they should just kiss already” and shit like that, my favorite one I saw was “whoever gets mad at these is the real problem” and i dont remember the caption of it but it was harmful to wooyoung and san and it was where San was sitting in a bus and he was a lil hard im assuming bc he was adjusting himself (it was a print, he was wearing those sweatpants that show it off) and it was just bizzarre to me that people think this okay when all of them have specifically said to stop. Like I get jokes and shit but that one account isn’t joking, like they want them to be together so bad it pretty much pushed San and wooyoung away from each other for a bit(two weeks straight of barely speaking to each other on camera and not even hugging each other).

You can't ever stop ppl from shipping other ppl i mean you already do that for your irl friends too (im guessing so at least) and even if they tell fans to stop they won't stop. That's the reality. But if this starts to affect their relationship then it becomes a problem because it's no longer just a fan/fandom thing. There can be something going on between them thats more than friendship and as long as they dont confirm anything we won't know. I think the issue with shipping idols is that many people tend to miss what a friendship is and that these idols are from a country where acting 'gay' with your homies is a normal thing lmao 😭 men will fuck each other and then say they're not gay that's exactly the same in korea🧍🏻‍♂️also are you rly good friends if ppl dont think yall gay/j but fr tho friendship is a form of love why do people get weirded out when it looks and feels like love 😭😭 dyk what i mean 🧍🏻‍♂️ if youre gonna ship them do it discreetly and dont force it down their throats 👨🏻‍🦯 let's just hope that their relationship is not hurt bc of the shipping 😔

[silly-mars]

HELLO THERE!!

I'm Silly Mars! Or just Mars. I think it's finally to me to present myself!!

BASIC INFO!!

My name is Mars!

My pronouns are He/him ONLY (it's okay if you don't know my pronouns!! And you use they/them instead, but if you know please use my pronouns!!)

IM A MINOR. 16 to be exact. (Shocking i know, i even think to myself that i'm still in 2021). SO PLEASE!! don't be weird.

ENGLISH ISN'T MY FIRST LENGUAGE!! I'm spanish (hola tontos jaja) still! I will try my best for having a decent english!! And don't worry, i can understand English perfectly, the problem for me is talking it or writting it.

I like to use tone tags!! It makes it easier to me to understand stuff!! (Sometimes i'm a dummy. /Lh /hj)

TALKING TO ME AND STUFF!!

GUYS PLEASE! i'm super friendly!!/srs I LOVE when people send me messages for art or even talking!! Please never think that you're annoying or something!! I love having notifications of my moots!! If you want, i invite you to talk to me! For whatever reason, and i hope to be good mutuals or if it's the case good friends!!

My username on discord is "silly_mars." If you need to talk to me for something important!! Just wanting to chat with me and interact (guys, i don't bite.) or even for projects n stuff!!

THINGS I LIKE!!

THE LEGO MOVIE!!

I think it's kinda obvious THE LOVE i have for this movie!! I remember being in computer class and there was a piece called "resistence" and i was like "THE PIECE OF RESISTENCE!!"...and my friend was worried for me, but that's another story.

Team fortress 2!!

I KNOW, what a shock! I like things THAT AREN'T THE LEGO MOVIE!! Well yes! So don't be surprised if i upload something that isn't LEGO movie!! Anyways i love this videogame so much, Scout my wife and Spy my human pet.

REGRETEVATOR!!

Silly little Roblox Game!! My favorite gender.

I just love videogames or media that have a lot of silly characters, so that game is for me!! Also, im literally Mark./j

WARRIOR CATS!!

I don't consume the canon stuff like i used to, but the fandom still has a place in my heart!! Because THE ART IS SO GOOD and the fan stuff is way too good!! Also i love my baby longtail. He deserved better :(

COPPERNAUTS

The fact that these two are characters from the LEGO movie, but they have a special interest is so amazing to me. THE FACT that they only have 1-2 canon interaction and they're ALL OVER MY HEAD is so amazing to me...UGH anyways, i hope gay people were real/ref

ASTRONOMY

Not really a fandom BUT I LOVE SPACE!! I can literally say 100 fun facts about space, PLEASE./hj

AAAAAND more stuff!! I have a lot of interests idk anymore guys:(

DNI N STUFF!!

Just basic DNI, yk, if you're homophobic/transphobic don't try to be my friend or even mutual, this place is safe for LGBT community AND MYSELF.

Racist stuff, ableist stuff, just- any type of hate for a group of people isn't welcome here.

if you ship something weird don't expect me to follow you back or interact with you.

If i don't like something i just scroll away, or if it is more serious, i block it and scroll away again.

LINKS!!

Well! I have a pair of links to get me know better!!

Pronoun page!!

My card!! (I don't know how to make good cards, but here is it, so you can find all my social media more easy, lol)

OKAY!1!!1! THAT'S ALL

Uhhh that's everything i guess!! Still, if you have any questions my ask box and other social media are open!! I hope you like my blog, art and even fanfics or projects!! Have a good day!