#i'm a hater for thinking about your digital footprint

[the-paris-agreste-blog]

i love those ask character blog things because they are so unhinged. wtf do you mean he's pregnant???/ he's a war criminal!! I'm here for it honestly

me reading your rps like:

[hazbin-but-good]

another hazbin hotel rewrite/redesign?

yup! and i'm so serious about it that i made a whole blog for it. i'm a white queer ex-cath tran doing this as an art and writing exercise, so feedback from other creatives + jewish and/or racialized folks is especially welcome.

i'm putting this post and only this post in the main tags for visibility. also, not gonna link my main, but i do make my own original stuff, and i encourage fans and haters alike to do the same.

anyway, here's a mostly good-faith 1.7k-word essay on the original. i think it's pretty funny and brings up some less talked-about points. correct me on the facts, disagree with my opinions, and ask clarifying questions, but don't come at me with any piss-poor reading comprehension.

the hellaverse is garbage, and here's why

cw: strong language, stronger opinions, intersectional feminist critical discourse analysis

1. vivienne medrano, the person

medrano was born as a well-off white-passing latina (salvadoran-american) in bougieass frederick, maryland. while attending new york's top art school, she got popular on deviantart-tumblr-twitter by being a prolific multifandom fujoshi furry who's more into ornamental character design than storytelling. upon graduation, she leveraged her fanbase and industry connections to make the hazbin and helluva boss pilots, get helluva made for youtube, and get hazbin made for amazon prime.

like every woman online, she gets harassed for no good reason, and as a certified autist, i will defend her right to be dumb, weird, annoying, and bad with words. however, there are legit reasons to criticize her:

racism, misogyny, homophobia, fatphobia, some antisemitism, past transphobia, past ableism

shitty boss, bad friend

cowardly, vindictive, manipulative, thoughtless behavior

skeevy friends

sucks at taking criticism

in short, i think she desperately needs a PR person and someone to clean up her digital footprint.

2. medrano's art

incurious

inauthentic

noncommittal

creatively stagnant

overindulgent, and the indulgence isn't even fun

shallow and childish framed as complex and mature

bland and boring framed as shocking and subversive

to be clear, i'm at peace with the existence of suckass art like this; i just think the money, attention, and praise it gets are unearned and should go to more interesting works, of which there are infinite.

medrano's had the time, money, and social cache to grow as an artist, learn from the best, and take creative risks, but she hasn't. if she truly has nothing more to offer, she should let her collaborators take the wheel, but she doesn't do that either. instead, she keeps getting more and more resources to make the same baby bullshit, and that pisses me off. she could be the nicest person ever, and this fundamental arrogance would still make her art blow.

stop with the pointless guilt: liking medrano's work does not make you stupid or evil. however, if you stay in the kiddie pool of culture, if you refuse to engage with a diversity of art, if the hellaverse is your point of reference for anything media-related, you can't expect to have your opinions on art, media, or culture taken seriously. you have not earned a seat at the table. you gotta hit the books first.

i cannot emphasize enough how much incredible stuff is out there if you're willing to look further than what social media and streaming services put right in front of you. if you come away from this blog having learned about just one new artist or piece of art, i'll be a happy camper.

3. the hellaverse

a. empty and confused

hazbin and helluva's content and marketing has no clear target audience. the subjects are inappropiate for teens, but the execution is too childish for adults, and lemme tell you what i don't mean by that, first.

not inherently inappropriate for teens:

sex and sexuality

violence, including when it intersects with the above

politics and religion

not inherently childish:

animation (any style)

comedy

episodic writing and/or loose continuity

young characters

fun, happiness, optimism, the power of friendship, cuteness, tenderness, sincerity, etc.

what i mean is that these shows are literally about adult characters who fuck, smoke, drink, do drugs, go clubbing, work full-time, manage their own finances, and deal with stuff like bureaucracy, sexual violence, domestic abuse, marriage, divorce, late adoption, and family estrangement.

however, none of these "adult" things are given enough specificity to create drama or comedy. it's all too stock, vague, flat, weirdly sanitized, and thus utterly banal—pure aesthetics on top of bad saturday morning cartoons. it's exactly what i'd expect from a sheltered disney kid who needs to log off and get into their local gay scene ASAP so their only contact with things like poverty, policing, addiction, and sex work stops being facile movies and TV.

if the shows were aware of this and played with it, that could be amazing, but they're not. they give you the mickey mouse version of the world with a straight face and then play looney tunes sound effects to try to make you laugh and sad_violin.mp3 to try to make you cry. now that's funny.

b. old and tired

let's make like americans and pretend that the rest of the world doesn't exist. even within the confines of the USA, home of the hays code, the red scare, and reaganite propaganda, this neopuritan fascist state ruled by 1000 megachurches in a trenchcoat, the indie/underground animation scene has been doing crazier shit for decades. anti-war films in the 60's, bakshi movies in the 70's, the simpsons shorts and r-rated movies in the 80's, adult swim and MTV in the 90's, flash/newgrounds/youtube in the 00's, streaming in the 2010's—so what are we doing in the 2020's with this wet white rice drowned in expired ketchup? i feel crazy making this point because it's obvious if you've watched these things, but if you haven't, you're gonna be like "well, there's gotta be something new here". no! there isn't! in the words of jimmy "the scot" jordan, nothing, nothing, NOTHING!

c. ideological purgatory

actually, there is one thing in these shows i've never seen before: the presbysterianism. shout out some interesting or at least intentional presbysterian art in the comments, because the way these ideas are presented here is not compelling. it just makes the rainbow neoliberalism even more confusing and contradictory.

i guess the big presbysterian things are protestanism, calvinism, and, uh, big church government? presbysterians, get your shit together. get your brand down. catholics have BDSM and vampires, evangelicals have TV and corporatism; what do you have? celtic crosses? no wonder medrano has such uninspired ideas on divinity.

d. queer deficiency

when i look at a piece of art, i ask myself: "what does this give me that i can't get from the hunchback of notre dame (1996)?" if the answer is as limp as "uhh, gay people, i guess", i can probably look for my gay shit elsewhere and rewatch the hunchback of notre dame (1996) in the meantime.

but let's say that you have no standards. you've been waiting for ages for a show about gays by the gays for the gays, and by god you're gonna get it. this is it! here we go! time for some

generic twink obliteration

male sexuality as aggression and dominance displays

WLW (sex and chemistry not included)

a couple straight femdoms

and the stalest sex jokes known to man

...yeah, it's not very queer. and by "queer", i mean "questioning or subverting gender norms (including sexual roles) within a given cultural context regardless of creator identity and intent". i'm not a queer studies scholar so LMK if there's a more specific term for this, but whatever you call it, it's not in the hellaverse much.

there's not even any transness, literal or metaphorical, just ancient drag jokes. i guess the writers thought we would've been too controversial. so much for an indie animation studio that prides itself in the diversity of its staff both above and below the line, bakshi-style. i wonder how medrano, a bisexual woman, would've felt if told that a lesbian main couple in hazbin would be "too controversial".

4. spindlehorse and the vivziepop brand

spindlehorse toons underpays its overworked staff and keeps outsourcing more and more labor to even more overworked freelancers overseas to cut costs. a rainbow sweatshop is still a sweatshop, and just because these practices may be "industry standard" doesn't make them any more ethical.

the studio has also been repeatedly accused by current and former employees and contractors of creating a hostile and abusive workplace. AFAIK, it still has no dedicated HR person, and victims are too afraid of retaliation like blacklisting and online harassment to speak out.

this is exactly the stuff that unions exist to prevent. as i'm writing this, the IATSE (the parent union of TAG, which is the parent union of all US animation unions) is negotiating with entertainment industry executives for better working conditions, and if the execs fuck around like last year, it's strike time again. so watch this space, voice your support, and don't cross any picket lines.

i hope spindlehorse unionizes, but until then and for these reasons, i don't think you should give money to the company.

first of all, all content on amazon-owned platforms is ok to pirate, and all youtube ads are ok to block. everyone involved in making the episodes has (or should have) been paid upfront, so you're not taking the bread out of anyone's mouth.

next, let's look at the succulent offerings of the official vivziepop merch shop:

$10 pins and keychains

$15 sticker packs

$20 mugs and acrylic cutouts

$25 shirts

$30 metal cards (not even tarot)

$40 lounge pants

$50 mini backpacks

random $80 skateboard deck

forgive my latin americanness, but this is all stuff you can get made by a local metalsmith, print/sublimation shop, or just crafty people in your life. it's cheaper, customizable, and better for the environment to skip all the shipping and packaging. also, not painting your own skateboard is poser shit.

the hazbin website also has $15 pins, one $20 keychain, and $6 trading card packs. people are weird about trading cards, so if for some reason you wanna gamble for a mass-produced bit of cardboard, plastic, and tinfoil, at least bulk-order for all the vivziepoppers in your area so it's less of a huge waste. better yet, trace the designs and make infinite bootlegs.

at the end of the day, buying merch is not activism. your bulk order of trading cards will not save any wage slaves from getting evicted from their overpriced studio apartments. however, the shop links you to all the credited artists/designers, and more of your bucks will actually reach them if you buy their designs directly, then turn them into body pillows or life-sized bronze statues or whatever the fuck.

go through the credits of any episode of helluva or hazbin, and you'll find even more creatives you might wanna support. get jinkx monsoon's albums on CD. subscribe to actually good artist, animator, and composer gooseworx. lots of voice actors now have patreon, cameo, or self-hosted pages where you can write better lines for their characters and have them read it. these things may not look as shiny as Official Merch™, but we all need less plastic shit and more culture anyway.

[tarot-by-e11e]

Hellooooo 😍 . [ I'm feeling quite cheeky today bear w me ]

Archetype !!! Initials : S.P ( u know my name )

"Based on your personality, if you were any wild animal, what would it be and why?"

-> whale ( for always thriving in a community and very much in tune with my intuition !! Try to atleast .... also whales are family oriented and protective ... love this mammal ) Any big cat ( I can't pick one in particular but the energy is something I associate with specially when it comes to receiving affection ... I'm very particular whom I let pet me and whomever I don't lol.. and very guarding and territorial of my things I love ... and maybe eyes .. those sharp insights haha ) okkkk here u go !!!

Hi Baby Sissy S.P.,

Thank you so much for participating in my ARCHETYPE ask game.

It makes sense why you choose a whale because they tend to be very community-based. And you've always been the type to think of those around you~ Now you being any big cat is just you wanting to cuddle, you adorable floof~

So let’s get to your cards, shall we: VII the Poet, Queen of Coins, Page of Swords

So baby sissy, the archetype I got for you is the POET.

To embody this archetype, you'll have to let yourself fully immerse in your feelings and not be afraid to seek the truth, even in your darkest moments. That means you'll need to be firm with your resolve to pursue authenticity and integrity, while not letting yourself be swayed by the baseless hearsay and fearmongering rumors you hear and see online and in real life. That also includes not tolerating insults and debilitating side comments from people within your physical vicinity.

You need to also learn to speak your truth, especially to those who need it. You might not think highly of yourself now, but you actually have more wisdom to share than you think.

So with wisdom comes experience, this could be acquired through your own life lessons, and could also be acquired by the harsh lessons from those you trust. Seeing as you have a platform where your words are valued and appreciated, use it for the sake of those who need your words, for your truth.

But like how some truths tend to be sharper than knives, you need to learn how to speak with compassion towards those who've barely survived being stabbed in the back by those they once trusted. Honesty is great and all, but it's how a message is conveyed that makes all the difference.

So with this specific archetype, you're tasked to be the truth-teller and live authentically as much as possible to achieve your goals and dreams in life. And never forget baby sissy, hate comments are online confessions of the haters' insecurities, and that my dear, is an embarrassing digital footprint that will outlive their physical bodies.

And how you should go about being the POET, you need to keep two things in mind: speak with compassion and never stop pursuing authenticity. Feel free interpret this in any which way you see fit.

This concludes the end of your reading.

Do let me know how this resonates. Feel free to send me some love and support via my Buy me a Coffee Link here.

Always remember, this reading is for entertainment purposes only. What you do with this information is up to your free will.

Take care always, okay?

[planetpiastri]

pairing: logan sargeant x fem!reader [no faceclaim, reader is faceless] summary: when alex's childhood friend makes an appearance on his instagram, logan is instantly smitten, but the universe insists on keeping them only as a missed connection, and alex isn't helping matters. notes: ok this was supposed to be the ending but turns out i crave angst so there'll be one more part coming soon hehe [series masterlist]

liked by alex_albon, logansargeant, and others

ynusername if anyone wants to dig up my problematic tweets from 2011 and use my digital footprint to ruin my career, be my guest 🫠

view all 1,078 comments

logansargeant I'm not sure if your tweets about One Direction are gonna be bad enough to get you fired

ynusername i told you that in CONFIDENCE!

lilymhe one more week xx

alex_albon bring mr. meowgi to silverstone please

ynusername mr. meowgi has an appointment at the kitty spa the week of silverstone sorryyy 🩷

username1 yn rewatching the gp that she physically attended.. she's one of us fr

liked by williamsracing, oscarpiastri, and 68,432 others

logansargeant Tricky quali, but proud of the pace we have. All to play for tomorrow 👊

view all 2,998 comments

ynusername "aLL To pLaY FoR tOmoRrOw" boooooo where's the PERSONALITY

logansargeant You are so mean to me oh my god blame my PR officer ynusername was the blue steel in the first pic his idea, too? logansargeant ...maybe

username2 RRRAHHH WHAT THE FUCK IS A Q1?? 🦅🇺🇸

alex_albon chin up king, don't let the haters get you down

logansargeant The hater in question is your best friend alex_albon and i've never been more proud of her 🫶🏼 ynusername HAH

username3 what is this comment section 😭😭

ynusername

liked by alex_albon, georgerussell63, and others

ynusername appreciation post for the one who's been there for me through it all 💙 20 years and still going strong 💙 ily alex let's bring it home in silverstone this weekend

view all 2,327 comments

username4 holy shit sometimes i forget how long alex and yn have been friends 😭

georgerussell63 Between this and the instagram story... why do I keep catching strays?

ynusername strays of love, georgie x

lilymhe TOO CUTE!!

alex_albon feeling very exposed but that's ok 🫶🏼 looking forward to the next 20 years of dealing with you

ynusername if anyone is doing the dealing, it's me alex_albon we deal in equal measure ynusername ok fair

username5 AWWW BABY ALEX!!!

logansargeant What a nerd

alex_albon outqualify me before you call me a nerd ynusername alex don't make me delete this post be nice to him alex_albon uuggghhhh logansargeant No no keep being mean to me it's the only way I get her in my corner

ynusername

liked by williamsracing, lilymhe, and others

ynusername alex and lily crashed the picnic and then we got rained out but before that it was a really great day

view all 2,109 comments

lilymhe wasn't my idea 🤷🏻‍♀️

ynusername i know this and i love you

alex_albon sorry for the rain but not the other part

ynusername ur obsessed with me get a job alex_albon you first ynusername EXCUSE YOU

username6 pardon me miss but who is 'we'

username7 it's gotta be logan, no? username8 i wanna say yes but he didn't even like the post so idk 😬

georgerussell63 No invite once again ☹️

williamsracing

liked by ynusername, alex_albon, and 110,276 others

williamsracing Hey Silverstone 👋 We're home 💙

view all 3,897 comments

username9 manifesting double points today 🙏🙏🙏

ynusername williams admin can we kiss

williamsracing 🤭🤭 alex_albon stop seducing my coworkers logansargeant I object to that, I like to think I was the one doing the seducing alex_albon nobody was talking to you white boy username10 logan and yn confirmed??? alex_albon grow up ynusername wow so much hate has spiraled from my comment of love... williamsracing They'll never understand what we have 🫶🏻

tagging: @sonder-paradise hey girl

[series masterlist]