#ALASTOR CHARACTER GROWTH

[allastoredeer]

I just had to agree, that a huge Alastor fight scene is really all I want for season 2!

During "Stayed Gone", Valentino mentions a time that Alastor almost beat Vox, which implies that he narrowly lost in a fight between them.

He was badly injured in the fight with Adam, and had to retreat.

By the rule of three, it would be so poetic and amazing, if we got a fight scene where he doesn't back down, but continues to fight with everything he has, and emerges the unquestioned victor, wiping the smiles off the Vee's faces for good.

Bonus points if he actually accepts help from his found family, in the form of backup and helping him heal afterwards. He's so stuck on being a lone wolf (well, deer...), that him slowly learning to trust others would be such delicious character growth!

Actually, the way I interpreted Valentino saying that Alastor "almost beat Vox," is that during their fight Alastor was about to beat him. Like, if it continued, Vox was 100% going to lose. But the battle didn't see an actual end, with an actual victor, because, in my headcanon/theory, Vox was forced to retreat.

If Vox won, even narrowly, I don't think he would've been nearly as defensive or annoyed at Valentino for bringing it up. If the fight ended with Alastor retreating (or even losing), Vox would've milked the shit out of that. He would never let Alastor live that down. Hell, if the fight was recorded in any way, he'd be playing that shit on loop.

I think with Vox losing, it'd make him simultaneously eager for a rematch, but also nervous to fight Alastor head-on again considering he nearly lost (which might also explain why they never came face-to-face in season one. They only interacted from a distance, through their different mediums), and why he was SO happy when Alastor lost during the Extermination. He was living vicariously through Adam during that fight (Adams victory was HIS victory) because Alastor finally got a taste of the humiliation and defeat Vox felt all those years ago (and STILL feels, even now).

And considering all of that, I will go FERAL if there's a fight with all the Vees versus Alastor. I want to see what they can do. There are different ways to be powerful out side of strength and magical ability (see Rosie who's not physically or magically as strong as the other Overlords), so I want to see what Valentino and Velvette can do in a fight or on an intellectual level. The brains and the brawn (and whatever Valentino is.) I would laugh so hard if Valentino is actually the muscle of the Vee's. He's got very few braincells, but he can lift 2x his own weight, all they got to do is point him in the right direction. He's all muscle.

And I want that fight to be a close one too. In fact, if Alastor LOSES in that fight, my god, would that be such an angsty, complicated, even more humbling experience for him. Vox would be fucking THRIVING. He would be reveling. He finally beat the Radio Demon. He finally beat Alastor (and the complicated emotions. GOD the emotions that they'll both have during and after that)

But I also don't want Alastor to lose T.T He's my fav, and he already been so thoroughly humbled once, I think I'd collapse if he lost again. BUT if he were on the cusp of losing, got his second wind, and ultimately came out the victory, I would be screaming, jumping out of my seat, frothing at the mouth. I fucking LOVE that shit.

And super, serious 100% extra bonus points he gets help from his found family in the form of back-up or patching him up afterward. I think that would be amazing character growth for him. I WANT IT SO BAD ANON WHY DID YOU MAKE MY OBESSION AND YEARNING GROW I AM NOT A VERY BIG PERSON YOU'RE LITERALLY GOING TO MAKE ME EXPLODE WITH ALL THESE EMOTIONS

[tanema123]

(From X/Twitter) #HVFankidWeek 2024 DAY 7: Free day

I explained Elizabeth's (zestmilla child's) growth spurt. Richard (radioapple child) is in shock.

[minzart]

I knew Alastor was gonna grow to be the dad figure, it's a given with mentors... but... HAVING A DUET WITH THE BIOLOGICAL DEPRESSED FATHER THAT ACTUALY WANTS TO RECONECT/CONECT AS A CUSTODY BATTLE WAS NOT ON THE BINGO LIST HOLD ON-

[mistystarshine]

I just saw that post about character misconception in fandom and Adam and I just realized• isn't it weird that Lute doesn't receive the same treatment? Like most of the times, people will agree that she's a bitch and a genocidal monster, but with Adam it's the "he had every right to act like this for x and z reasons" from the (chronically online) fangirls or the religious conservative fanboys? Why is that?

It's the sexism <3

[graphicnovelist]

• POINT OF INTEREST •

Sure lots of people have talked about Husk and Lucifer looking disappointed to see Alastor in the Season 1 Finale, but is anyone paying attention to VAGGIE’S reaction???

Because I would have thoughts she’d be in the same boat as Lucifer, disappointed to see Al because she’s pretty sure he’s just there to manipulate Charlie, but she actually seems really pleasantly surprised. *Glad* to see him actually.

Because like from her point of view: This weird ass boomer did spend all his time at the hotel being a dick to everyone, but when it came game time, he was ready to fight and lay down his life for Charlie and the rest of the hotel’s residents.

So like I understand

[signedkoko]

Hello Koko! I Hope you had a good day/night, and that you are doing well and not overworking yourself:)

I think I saw that you didn’t have requests at the moment but that they were open so here a little request for headcanon/oneshot with Vox, Alastor and Angel dust separately with overlord gn!reader? (If you don’t take 3 at a time maybe only Vox & Alastor?)

They Thinks s/o is sweet, like they’re always smiling and being kind of everyone most of the time, they can’t believe they would even be able to hurt a fly even if they’re an overlord

but then they get told she just unalived her colleague (they were both leaders of the entreprise) because she wanted to be in full possession of their entreprise, maybe they owned a model enterprise or were music producers (like they were the one selling every musics in hell or sum like that?) how do they react?

(Really sorry if it’s unclear or if something is wrong, thanks for reading my request!)

-🐚

Alastor | Vox [Romantic]

In which you are their sweet little overlord who'd never be cruel! ...Or so they thought. Reader is genderneutral.

Your company was your baby, your castle, your absolute everything

And for the longest time, you'd always shared it with the co-founder

They had a lovely personality but worked behind the scenes for the most part while you acted on the main stage

Hell, you'd even introduced them to your otherworldly partner, Alastor, and had only told him of the good

So it was in fact quite a surprise when you turned up home with bloody hands and the most joyous smile on your face, almost as wide as your wedding day

That in itself wasn't out of the norm; you were an overlord after all! Alastor knew you could handle yourself, as much as you opted to ignore it

" Oh Al, I have great news! "

" Do tell, my dear! "

When you explained that the company was all yours, he was quick to catch on

Now that, that managed to surprise him

" I really thought you loved the gal! "

Even more surprising is how you'd managed to hide your true feelings from him for so long; he was sure he could have sniffed out your malice

But you were just that good at hiding it

He probably makes a joke about how you could be plotting his murder as we speak

" Maybe! "

His smile falters a slight bit

But you don't notice

By Vox's own request, your enterprise was kept unattached from his own; merely partners

This was because it meant better publicity if two companies got along so well, but also because he didn't want you to be overcome with the demands of his two co-founders

Yeah, Velvette and Valentino pissed him off to double hell and back, but he considered them friends

A few times, the V's and you and your co-founder would host lavish dinner parties, discussing economic growth and working together on projects

You never seemed to shy away from introducing your partner in industry, and as far as Vox could tell, you were as close as friends could be before anything got steamy

You were just the friendliest person he'd ever met; the number of fans you had showed that, but you'd even gotten favour from the other two V's with little effort on your behalf

So, of course, he was stunned when you called him in the middle of work

" You know you're the first to hear all my company news; I am now the sole owner! "

He could hear you smile through the phone, which almost scared him, and soon your phone was fizzling as he travelled through it

The first thing he noticed was that you were both standing in a puddle

A red puddle

Fuck

Ok

" Thats great and all, but lets get you out of here, and maybe—yeah, maybe we can call in a cleanup crew. "

He is your number one PR team; your overtaking of the company is seen as 'heroic' because you ' fought against a corrupt co-founder'

It surprises him, but he's almost proud of you; you are crazy strong and crazy capable

Author's Note - I do accept up to three characters for headcanons, but as per my FAQ I don't write Angel! Either way, welcome to the blog (again) shell/conch anon! Your idea is very lovely 🖤

[thebookmarker99]

I think people don't talk enough about how Charlie and Alastor are parallels to each other.

Let's keep in mind, Vivziepop has gone on to say Alastor and Charlie are the main characters of the series, and their relationship & growth is a huge plot point in the show. They are not only the faces of the series, their dynamic is the focal point of what constitutes redemption from two different perspectives.

They're literally narrative foils to each other. In order for this foil dynamic to work, Charlie has to be what Alastor once was, while Alastor has to be what Charlie can become.

Alastor upholds principles of traditional punitive justice. A "serial killer" dubbed a vigilante in his living years, enforcing his theory of justice through retribution rather than rehabilitation. Retribution to Alastor is not a black and white solution, but as a vigilante he believes punishment should be administered because the offender deserves it. Notice how he has it out for people in Hell who he considers flawed in some way (Lucifer, Overlords, loansharks). His idea of punishment must be proportionate to the crime committed-- "an eye for an eye" -- he is otherwise fairly cordial and, if we're looking at the women in his life, pretty protective of who he considers innocent to a fault. This explains why Alastor does not believe in redemption. To him, everybody in Hell, EVEN HIMSELF, are there as punishment for a reason and he gives NO excuse why he nor they should be spared.

Note: this has nothing to do with Hell's hierarchy or the fact Alastor wants to climb the ranks in a power hungry system. He doesn't believe in redemption, and he does not believe in his own redemption.

Now, let's look at Charlie and her idea of justice. Charlie believes in restorative justice, which hugely contrasts Alastor's philosophy. Restorative justice is approached by focusing on repairing the harm caused by unjust systems and criminal behaviour through participatory exercises which involve the victim, the offender, and the community. The purpose is to address the harm caused to the victims and discuss with the community over the responsibility of the offender in order to make amends.

In this process, Charlie believes involving all stakeholders are needed to bring about justice. Restorative justice requires offenders to confront their actions and go through a rehabilitation process, which is the entire point of Charlie's hotel. This is why she encourages healthy activities in order to fix criminals (sinners) and lead them back into society (Heaven).

This contrast in ethics from both Alastor and Charlie is immediately told to us in the pilot episode, where Alastor admits he doesn't believe in redemption (inside of every demon is a lost cause). Charlie explains she believes everyone deserves a chance at it (inside of every demon is a rainbow).

Alastor's strength in this response is that it upholds the rule of law, and in a funny way it's quite similar to Adam and Heaven's views (think of it as a criminal and a police officer having the same view on justice). Alastor's weaknesses in this perspective enable the cycle of abuse as it does not aim to care about any of the parties' needs as a result of being harmed, or addressing what caused this behaviour.

Charlie's strengths lie in her holistic approach to redemption. She believes through this response she can hold the sinners' accountable by addressing their needs, healing their trauma, and thus repairing their relationship with the community. Her weaknesses are her naivity and struggling to apply harsh judgement on severe crimes.

This is why Alastor and Charlie need each other. They make up for what the other lacks, and through a solid friendship they can learn a lot from one another.

It's a tale as old as time with narrative foils, as I mentioned above. One must see themselves in the other. One must embody what the other can become. Alastor sees a pure, younger version of himself in Charlie, but he thinks she's silly and naive because he has been jaded and has lived a life entirely different from hers. Still, her gentleness could reach him. On the other side, Alastor is cunning and smart; he's willing to enforce punishment on who believes is deserving of it. Charlie is frightened of hurting others, but Alastor as her mentor can teach her to become stronger.

Alastor and Charlie need each other.

[dreamwreaver]

Charlie and Alastor, for me, really are a case of "right person, wrong time." I have never seen two characters so right for each other in the Hellaverse. I don't care what most of the fandom says, I will not ignore the insane chemistry they have. They are mirrors, they are foils, they are parallels, they are two opposite sides of the same coin and they are the spark to each other's growth. They could have been more but alas, canon dictates otherwise.

Made for each other but not meant to be.

Truer words were never spoken nonny

[knight-a3]

Heavenbound AU Masterpost

Alastor Redesign

I've spent an absurd amount of time researching deer, microphones, and 1920s-30s fashion for this. I'm by no means an expert of any of it, but I'm decently confident enough for some fictional depictions.

I'll include some notes under the cut, which does get a little long. I doubt other characters will get this detailed, but Alastor has a lot of design themes and motifs that were a bit too ingrained to remove. Everyone else is either simple in comparison, or much easier to simplify.

Alastor also just catches my interest in ways the others don't.

Design notes (I'll add edits notes as they come, should it be necessary)

My goal was to design him in a way that still felt like the same character, just altering the aspects I thought could be better. So a radical change wasn't what I was going for. That said, I had a logical reason for most of the changes I made.

--Deer-- Quickly, there's some regional terminology to clear up. In Europe, elk often refers to what North Americans call moose. And the NA Elk is sometimes called by an alternate name, "wapiti". I had never heard the term wapiti before researching this. And since I live where NA Elk are native (Rocky Mountain region), I think my terminology takes priority. Alastor would call them elk too. Before anyone says Elk aren't deer; yes they are. The word 'elk' basically means "big deer." They look similar to the Red Deer (Similar looking antlers, but elk are bigger, second only to moose, which are also a species of deer). It used to be believed that elk was a subspecies of Red Deer, but that's apparently been proven false. In NA, there are five main species in the deer/cervid family(listed from smallest to largest): Whitetail, mule deer, caribou/reindeer, elk, and moose.

Deer Sounds If you haven't heard deer sounds, I promise they aren't what you'd expect. Fanfics authors like to describe him making deer noises, but I'm not sure they realize what the sounds are actually like. I'll describe some noises, but search for them on Youtube, for both males and females separately. Using these terms will help you find specific examples. I listened to so many just trying to figure out how to describe them. Snort-They make a huffy blowing sound when alerted or alarmed. Often sounds like a bark. It's basically sounding the alarm. Does often make it when they're being harassed by bucks. Grunts- sounds like a croaky or clicky groan. Sorta like a frog or a pig. Sometimes sounds like cattle's moo. There are casual grunts, curious grunts, frustrated grunts, submissive grunts, low-drawn-out dominance grunts. Bleat- sounds more whiny, sheep-like, and higher pitched than a grunt. But it doesn't sound like a goat or sheep. It's used more by does and fawns. The younger it is, the higher the pitch. Really young fawns will sound like a little meep or maa. Snort Wheeze- sounds like a sniffy huff, followed by extended "F" sound. "sniff sniff Fffffff" There's a lot of air to it. It's basically an insult or challenge. Elk Bugle- much higher pitched than you'd expect from such a large animal. More so than a deer. It's an eerie, high pitched screech. They're basically broadcasting their location, looking for cows. Bulls will bugle back and forth, competing for attention. Elk chuckles and grunts- shorter versions of the bugle. Sounds kinda like monkey hoots. Elk Bark- alarmed or irritated. Sounds like a small dog's bark. Elk Chirps and mews- It reminds me of the curious sounds the dilophosaurus from Jurassic Park made. Or seagulls. They're just chatting.

What deer is he? Based on what I've observed, I don't think he was designed with any specific species in mind. I've seen others say his antler growth is most like elk, but I've found it inconsistent at best. Elk noises are used in the show, but that's because they make a distinct and eerie sound. More impressive than a deer's grunt or snort and wheeze. Personally, I think whitetail makes the most sense for him, since that's the species that would be most prevalent in Louisiana. While I'm basing him primarily off whitetail deer, he is a fictional deer-looking demon man, and doesn't have to perfectly resemble any single species of deer. His bright red color is clearly not realistic, for example. So I will incorporate some aspects of whitetail, mule deer, and elk, since those are the prevalent species in North America. I've given him a whitetail deer tail, but with the white swapped to black. That doesn't make him a blacktail deer, because that is supposedly a subspecies of Mule deer, and the tail does not look like what I am going for. Mule deer have proportionately large ears, and so does Alastor. Fans like to think they're soft and fluffy, but they aren't. I have felt deer hide, and it is NOT soft. I doubt it would be significantly different on live deer. Especially if it's anything like goats or cows(not even sheep are as soft as you'd expect). Deer ears are not positioned as low on the head as domestic livestock, but they aren't directly on top either. I wanted to maintain the upright position, because he didn't quite look right otherwise. I think I managed to get a decent balance. When he's particularly relaxed, his ears aren't as upright, but he rarely lets himself put his guard down like that. So it's basically just when he sleeps that they relax. His antler growth will vary based on a few different factors. When he is feeling confident and composed, the growth will be more typical to either of the three species. Whitetail or mule deer antlers will be more elegant, while elk antlers will be more intimidating due to the sheer size. But the more emotionally/mentally unhinged he gets(anger, fear, desperation, etc), the more nontypical his antlers will become. Which means there will be extra points in abnormal patterns. It's basically an indicator that he's not quite in control. He hates how it basically announces that, but very few people know that detail.

Anyway, here are a few references

--Life and Death-- For simplicity and easy math, I'm putting his birthday around 1900, give or take a year. He died 1933, which means he was around 32-34. Not very old, but not super young either. Lots of fans headcanon that he's biracial. Usually with a black Creole mom and white dad. His dad is often portrayed as abusive. Alastor is often thought to be fluent in French(Creole French). I want to propose an alternative. His mom is half-black half-white, his dad is white, and Alastor is consequently a quarter black. He is distinctly white-passing. He knows some Creole French, but is not fluent. I just think this could make for some interesting dynamics. Just to shake things up, his parents cared about each other and his dad wasn't abusive. But his father died in WW1, when Alastor was a teen. Instead, his uncle(father's brother) was racist and abusive towards them. Without his dad around to fend off the abuse, Alastor ended up killing his uncle in self defense and dumped the body in the woods/swamp/bayou. He had no remorse, and was rather enamored by the experience. Alastor always struggled with empathy. He was the type of kid to kill animals out of curiosity, and was fascinated by it. He felt more alive when watching the life fade from their eyes. His dad taught him to hunt, and he enjoyed the thrill of catching prey. A big part of hunting is understanding the prey's behavior and manipulating them. His parents taught him not to hurt other people, but after killing his uncle that went out the window. He justified it by "hunting" people he decided deserved it, in some twisted sense of vigilante justice. Really, he was just looking for an excuse. He primarily used guns(rifles for a clean kill, shotgun for efficiency, pistols "just in case" an unexpected opportunity presents itself) and knives for a real hands on experience. But in the end, if it got the job done, it could be used. He dabbled in magic and demonic deals while he was alive. He has a pop-culture-voodoo aesthetic, such as dolls that are connected to people and such. But I won't refer to it as voodoo, because I don't want to misrepresent actual voodoo. I will just call it shadow magic and be making up my own rules. More on it later. Radio was a comparatively mundane part of his life. It was his more relaxing pastime. He'd broadcast anything he liked. News, gossip, music, jokes, whatever. He could talk for hours, and his charisma was captivating to listeners. He did live shows too. An open mic was free game. While not aiming to be a musician, he was a decent pianist. He liked saxophone too. He preferred to dance though, and not many could keep up with him, even after some whiskey or rye. He died after being attacked by a rabid dog. He survived the attack, but contracted rabies, which there is no cure for. It attacks the central nervous system and fries the brain. Once symptoms appear, it's a death sentence. He went mad, and a fellow hunter put him out of his misery by shooting him in the head. He thinks it's an embarrassing way to die, so he's told a few alternate stories, sometimes with a grain of truth. He's amused by the gossip and speculation. Nobody knows the true story. These stories include the usual headcanons floating around. Let me explain why I don't like the usual death headcanons Mauled by hunting dogs- Hunting dogs are not supposed to kill the prey, just help the hunter find and catch them. A hunting dog that bites the prey might spoil the meat. To have a whole pack do that means those are horribly trained dogs. I don't buy it. Mistaken for a deer and shot by a hunter- Hunters should not shoot anything if they aren't certain of what it is. Otherwise they risk shooting something they don't have a permit for. At minimum, they should be checking to be sure they are aiming at a buck or a doe. To mistakenly kill a person is absurd. Also, to hit perfectly in the center of the forehead?? That had to have been intentional.

He started killing overlords partly because he could, and partly because they meet his criteria for "deserving it". He remained anonymous about it at first for a few reasons: 1. it was how he worked as a serial killer in life. 2. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and getting away without getting caught. 3. Watching everyone panic about the mysterious overlord killer while totally unaware it was him(seemingly unassuming) was amusing. Eventually, the novelty of anonymity wore off(partly because there weren't many consequences to getting caught like there would be in life) and he revealed himself as the mystery killer. Then he enjoyed the reputation and Overlord status. Eventually, being feared bored him too. So now he has to find some new games to play, which is where the Hazbin Hotel comes in.

--Fashion:1920s-30s-- Clothes: Men's outfits typically consisted of a shirt, waistcoat/vest, jacket, trousers with belt or suspenders, and potentially an overcoat if weather permits. If it was cold, I think he'd wear a black overcoat, to reference his earlier designs. I had to shorten the jacket a smidge, because they usually wouldn't be as long as in canon. Unless that's supposed to be his overcoat(in which case it shouldn't be so form fitting) The jacket lapels would generally be pretty wide. The pant legs would also be wide. Some of the pant styles could get rather absurd by todays standards. The basic idea was loose and boxy. The jacket, vest, and pants would be the same color if it could be afforded. But for the sake of visual interest, I've decided to ignore that. Neckties were more common than bowties. But that's more just an excuse for me to reduce the ridiculous number of bowties the show has. Belts were starting to become prevalent, especially in America. Since my research indicated that hunting clothes would use belts, never suspenders, I figured Alastor would favor belts. While hunting, he'd were a buffalo plaid shirt, a hunting cap, and some silly looking pants that were wide at the thighs, reinforcement around the seat and knees, and tight from the knee down, with either boots, gaiters(a shoe/calf cover to help keep clothes clean, similar to spats), or puttees(leg wraps that do the same thing, as well as provide support).

Monocles were used as a portable option for reading glasses, and not worn constantly. They were used to correct farsightedness, not nearsightedness. But they were fading in popularity, in part due to the association with prominent German leaders during WW1. Basically, I don't think the monocle suited Alastor.

Hair: I headcanon that his hair is actually fur. And as I said earlier, deer fur is not soft. It's pretty coarse and wiry. He probably sheds a lot too. His canon haircut is atrocious, so I had to fix it. The look of the time was short sides, long top, and slicked with styling wax. I've styled his hair in what I think would be the closest approximation to 1920s-30s fashion he could manage. Since it's fur, I don't think the wax would do a whole lot for him. He makes do with an approximation of a tousle top, which is basically minimal wax and slightly disheveled. Facial hair was not really in style in the 20s, due to the availability of razors. Cleanshaven was the ideal, especially in America. If a man did sport a mustache, it would be something neatly trimmed, like a pencil mustache. (I'm not totally sold on how I've done his hair in the below image. I may add some wave to it later. Also, don't mind his gun, I just didn't feel like drawing it properly.)

--Microphones-- I think Alastor would actually stay pretty up to date with a lot of things. But most people don't really realize it because he commits to his aesthetic. In regards to technology, if it has improved functionality, and fits his vintage style, he'll go for it. For microphones, he can summon whatever kind he wants. There are a variety of styles and types to choose from. I don't have any practical experience, but I did try to figure it out to a degree. There are three basic types he'd use, and they can look vintage just fine. Dynamic/moving coil: these are durable and less sensitive to background noise. It's the only one you can trust to survive a mic drop. Good for stage. Probably what he'd take out and about, because of the durability. Condenser: sensitive to sounds and capturing detail. Good for recording. Requires some extra equipment to prevent self-noise. Ribbon: Produces natural, smooth, warm sounds. Common in vintage mics. Probably Alastor's favorite, but they're fragile. Pop filters and wind guards help protect it from pressure changes.

--Color-- I tweaked the colors so he wasn't so overwhelmingly bright red. Overall just darkened his palette. His hair is a warmer shade of red than his suit. I also didn't think the green magic suited him. So his magic is more in the red to yellow range, because it matches his eyes and teeth(which glow, btw). Green will be an indication of either something poisoning his magic, or it's a borrowed power. I haven't fully committed to just one, and it might depend on what direction canon takes with his soul owner.

--Magic-- His stitching is an indicator that he's not really as composed as he seems. He's always a few threads away from tearing apart, but when he does he can always pull himself together again. He's in constant pain, but has also become so accustomed to it that he hardly notices anymore. I think he stitched his smile on himself. He wants to be smiling, and sewing it in place is how he can assure it never slips. It's part of his pseudo-voodoo aesthetic. Alastor was known to make overlords disappear, which shouldn't be possible without angelic weapons. But few people knew about angelic weapons before the show(himself included, I'm pretty sure). So I was left to ponder what he could have done to make victims disappear. I'm thinking the little shadow puppet gremlin creatures are the tattered remains of souls he's torn apart. I don't want to refer to them as voodoo dolls, so they will either be called variations of shadow puppets or gremlins. He usually offers fair deals, with or without a soul contract. Souls he owns--like Husk and Niffty--are added to his collection of minions, each minion has a gremlin that represents their contracts with him. But there are some that Alastor feels don't deserve fair treatment, so he tears those souls apart to broadcast their screams of eternal torment, then claims the remains of the tattered souls(whether he had a contract with them or not) and stitches them up into the shadow puppets. That way, they don't regenerate. Husk was lucky Alastor liked him, and offered a deal instead of just tearing him apart. Again, I don't want to misrepresent actual voodoo. So at most, it would be a corrupt version mixed with various pagan witchcrafts. It will just be referred to as either generic magic or shadow magic. If I need spooky symbols, I'll just make up my own. It will probably involve X shapes, to match his death mark. He became a powerful demon so quickly because he's clever, ruthless, and dabbled in magic in life, and was making demonic deals in life. Already having deals and practicing shadow magic gave him a significant boost once he died.

Some examples of his shadow puppet gremlins, plus his personal shadow buddy, which may or may not be the gremlin that represents himself:

--Wendigo-- No, I don't think he'd a wendigo. I personally don't think he was a cannibal while he was alive. He was a hunter who enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and liked venison(deer meat). The people he killed would be those he found disgusting, so I doubt he would have wanted to eat them even if he was so inclined. After death, he became venison himself, which can be perceived as cannibalism, I guess. He was cursed with insatiable hunger, which prompted him to branch out to more cannibalism from desperation. He still favors venison, which gets the closest to satisfying his hunger. Being dead has made him less concerned about cleanliness and hygiene, except when it affects the image he wants to portray. Then he became acquainted with Rosie, who was a cannibal in life. None of this makes him a wendigo. The concept of a man-eating monster or cannibalism isn't exactly unique, and I don't see a reason to apply that specific term to him. The original mythology of the wendigo does not include an antlered creature. I'm pretty sure that was more of a pop-culture addition during the 1900s. They're also more common further north where there are colder winters. Most descriptions say they are essentially ashen-skinned, emaciated-looking people(look at the game Until Dawn for a good example of that). Coincidentally more similar to the people of Cannibal Town. I doubt that was intentional, but the resemblance is still there. If any character was a wendigo, it would be Rosie. But I don't intend to explicitly make her one either.

[correlance]

I don't see this topic discussed very often, but Alastor is such a great foil and antagonist for Charlie, and a catalyst for her character arc.

In any narrative, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character, typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist, in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist. A foil to the protagonist may also be the antagonist of the plot. [...] A protagonist is the story's main character, whose actions help propel the plot forward. An antagonist, while often a secondary character, is pivotal in creating compelling narratives by introducing challenges and conflicts for the protagonist to overcome. These two characters are seen as opposing forces serve as the driving forces behind the plot; with the protagonist representing the hero or central figure of the story, and the antagonist acting as the main adversary. Together, they create a dynamic, and often complex, relationship that draws readers and audiences into the narrative, leaving them invested in the outcome of the conflict between the two. [...] The protagonist's journey often involves some sort of personal growth or transformation, as they learn important lessons or face significant challenges [from the antagonist] that shape their character.

When we look at Alastor and Charlie as separate characters, they couldn't be more opposite from one another. Whereas Charlie is sincere, genuinely friendly, innocent, naïve, trusting, believes that there is good in everyone, finds hope in redemption, and is one of the most pure-hearted souls in Hell, Alastor is steeped in sin. He is a remorseless narcissist and sociopath who enjoys torturing and killing others; in life, he was a serial killer who targeted the "scum of the Earth" - abusers, rapists, murderers, etc. - for amusement, entertainment, and to enact his brand of "divine justice" on the guilty.

He is someone who is unapologetic, or even gleeful, about giving others the comeuppance that he believes that they deserve. Alastor thinks that "there is no undoing what is done", and that sinners in Hell - himself included - deserve eternal punishment, whereas Charlie wants sinners to be redeemed, and find eternal happiness, peace, and bliss in Heaven. There two couldn't have more opposing views that clash with one another; and, yet, Alastor and Charlie usually get along quite well, and are well-matched in other personality aspects, such as enjoying music, dancing, and working as business partners.

Alastor's character traits also balance out Charlie's traits well. Whereas Charlie is innocence, Alastor is experience; whereas Charlie is naïve and trusting, Alastor is shrewd, calculating, and mistrusting; and, when Charlie needs assistance in her darkest hour, Alastor appears to help her, serving a role as both her friend (i.e. shared interests) and her antagonist (i.e. having conflicting goals and beliefs), with the latter role being important in Charlie's character development in Season 2 and beyond. Without Alastor, there is no development for Charlie.

The entire purpose of the antagonist in a story is to shape, mold - or "guide", as Alastor puts it - the protagonist (Charlie), and serve as a catalyst for character growth. In Charlie's case, we have a classic case of what the Germans call a blindungsroman, or "a story that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood". From a character standpoint, Charlie is still in the "childhood" stage, but Alastor wants to help transition Charlie from "childhood" into "adulthood", and from "innocence" into "experience", in what one writer termed "the crucible of youth".

"The German word 'Bildung' is both a thing and a process, originally referring in a Medieval Christian context to how God actively transforms the passive soul of the believer. If sin deforms the believer, the sinner must passively prepare to receive God's grace, and this passive reception is a kind of molding by God to prepare the sinner's soul for redemption. From the very beginning of the idea of Bildung, the word identifies how people become who they are, and it has always assumed that 'becoming' is never simply an act of the individual will. [...] A universal truth seems constant...reaching maturity is often achieved at great cost, and only after severe heartbreak."

[allastoredeer]

I want to see Alastor go absolutely feral in Season 2! Not his controlled chaos, big demon form. I mean backed into a corner, swiping claws, bearing teeth, feral!

Either as a panic response in his backstory or past with Vox.

OR as you mentioned, in a second wind, near loss versus the Vees.

Give Me a Pyrrhic Victory!

Congrats Alastor, you won! You just had to loss all your composure and control to do so.

A complete trade off to his graceful retreat after losing to Adam.

PLEASE

God, I love it when normally put-together characters go feral. I love it when they go absolutely apeshit. Especially if it's my favorite character. Which Alastor is (｡◕‿‿◕｡)

I want him to lose his composure so bad. I want his mask to slip. I want them to see the vulnerable humanity underneath. I WANY IT SO MUCH MY HEART YEARNS

[byoldervine]

Writing Tips - Overarching Themes

A lot of stories like to have overarching themes, such as themes of redemption, acceptance, ruthlessness, love, etc. But how do you come up with the themes for your story?

1. Don’t lose the plot. What kind of journey does your plot take your characters on? What do they achieve and what do they learn along the way? Off the top of my head Miraculous Ladybug doesn’t do a great job at portraying an overarching theme of ‘love conquers all’ when love repeatedly causes problems for the heroes (to the point of “It was our love that destroyed the world” being one of the most memorable lines) and only seems to benefit the villains. Let the plot help keep you on the right track

2. Ask a question. There are tons of themes that rely on asking a question and pitting two different virtues against each other; traditional vs modern, redemption vs damnation, nature vs nurture, etc. The theme of the story is then watching one conquer the other, or finding out where the balance lies between the two if that’s more applicable. ATLA was, of course, very good at handling the nuances in redemption and damnation; it showed people learning they need to change, people wanting to change, people choosing not to change, people trying and failing to change, and even people with the capacity to change only if they take it. The episode The Southern Raiders is also a masterclass in nuance in revenge vs forgiveness, and ultimately allows the audience to form their own conclusions

3. Add a twist. One thing that really intrigues me about EPIC: The Musical is how the overarching theme is ruthlessness vs mercy - with the lesson being that main character Odysseus needs to be more ruthless. You don’t get a lot of stories that teach ruthlessness as the good and correct answer over mercy, that you should kill a defeated opponent rather than letting them live, and that makes the story so much more interesting and unique. If you can think of a way to intentionally twist the expected outcome of your overarching theme, see if you can make it work within the story

4. It’s overarching for a reason. Make sure your overarching themes are evident in the story and impact the characters and their decisions, as well as the consequences for such. Hazbin Hotel has an obvious overarching theme of redemption, and you can see it in the way each episode plays out that redemption comes into it, whether it’s Vaggie regaining her wings when learning to fight for love rather than vengeance, Charlie giving Alastor the chance to work in the hotel despite knowing he doesn’t believe in her goals, Husk encouraging Angel’s character growth and his true nature, etc. Almost everything the characters do relates back to the theme of redemption and betterment

5. Reward the theme. Maybe in the past characters have been burned before and no longer believe in your overarching theme, but the course of the story changes their perspective. The Owl House has overarching themes of non-conformity and individualism and acceptance of those who are ‘weird’ or different, and they all culminate in Luz finally feeling understood for the first time in her life after never feeling that way. Attempts in the past to be understood have often been met with people labelling her as the weird kid or her being punished, and then throughout the story there’s a lot of people that accept Luz, but in more of an “I don’t get what you’re saying, but I get what you’re trying to say” kind of way; acceptance and understanding aren’t quite the same. And lacking acceptance has negative impacts in the story for good and bad characters alike; Luz is at her most powerful when she accepts both the human and witch side of her rather than comparing herself to Azura, Amity’s potential for redemption comes only when she accepts Luz as a witch, Belos loses his power when he’s no longer accepted by others, etc. Characters are rewarded for following the overarching theme and punished for straying

[flower-boi16]

as a trans person, im pretty baffled by how hh/hb are called good shows queer representation-wise when gender is barely explored at ALL. the only trans character in both shows (afaik) is millies sister whose name i already forgot and who appears in one episode for 5-10 seconds and then in another short that vivz didn't even write. but gender-wise, all the characters are either male or female, which puzzles me so much because there are so many different species in this version of hell (imps, hellhounds, etc) and you're telling me ALL of them are binary and (seemingly) reproduce sexually??? that's not queer, as well as not creative at all

tldr hh/hb is awful when it comes to gender. both shows are as white and "lgb" as they can be

Hazbin and Helluva's queer representation is actually like. Really fucking bad. We have...

Chaz (Bi), a one-dimensional asshole who constantly makes unfunny sex jokes who abandoned Moxxie, his boyfriend, and st. boyfriend went on to date & marry a women (not a great look)

Chaggie (Sapphic), an boring ass and underdeveloped reletionship where one of them purely revolves around the other with no development beyond that. Also the reletionship is severly co-dependant.

Stolas (Gay), a horny asshole who forces someone into having sex with him for his own pleasure, cheated on his wife & frequently neglects his daughter, yet the narrative constantly UwUifs and coddles him for his mistakes.

Stolitz (Gay), a horrendously poorly written & toxic reletionship that the show constantly pretends isn't toxic.

Vaggie (Gay), a character with little to no real depth beyond their reletionship with her girlfriend.

Valentino (Pan), another one-dimensional asshole who SA's Angel Dust.

Pentious (Bi), frequently used as a punching bag in the show (like being SA'd in episode 6 and it's played for laughs) and he was confirmed to be bisexual in a live stream.

Travis (Bi), a very minor character that gets 0.5 seconds of screen time. Also was confirmed to BI in an AMA.

Vox x Valentino (Gay), a reletionship between two antagonists that is also shown to be heavily over-sexualized

Burnie Bunz (Gay), a minor character who is an obsessive stalker who gets killed off in the episode he's introduced in.

Sallie May (Trans), gender was confirmed on twitter and she's a minor character with very little screen-time.

Charlie (Bi), a pretty poorly written protagonist with little development or growth.

Apple and Coco (Gay), side characters with litteraly 0 lines and the only way to even tell if their dating is by going on the model sheets.

Vox (Pan), extremely hypersexual when it comes to his reletionship with Valentino.

Alastor (Aroace), his sexuality was also confirmed in a live-stream and it gets only one small mention in the show.

Moxxie (Bi), frequently used as a punching bag within the show and goes through the same repeated arc.

Litteraly the only decent LGBT characters are Blitz, Angel Dust, Husk, Ozzie and Fizz. Aside from those six, everything else is straight trash in terms of representation lmao.

[phoenixlionme]

Hazbin Hotel S2 Theory: Vaggie's Loyalty Being Questioned

I think I figured out more of why I always found the Chaggie fight so hard to watch. It wasn't just because of Charlie's cold anger at Vaggie or how she questioned her loyal girlfriend's loyalty, the latter which visibly shocks and hurts the latter. And I also found another reason: Vaggie did not tell her side, at least onscreen, and of right now we don't know if the couple actually had an actual conversation about Vaggie's secrecy. Now, admittedly the crew had only 8 episode to work and did the best they could but hopefully season 2 will have more episodes. And I want it to come back to this for a number of reasons.

Now, besides being a glutton for the emotional pain of fictional characters, I also have legit reasons. First, Vaggie's arc hasn't even begun; and I think the writers did that to further her development in S2 but planted the seeds in the first, namely how Vaggie is emotionally closed off from other, even to Charlie to some extent and we don't see her go through any growth yet. Second, I personally don't believe that Charlie is fully over this - I mean, yes, she did talk her feelings through with Rosie but, again, we don't see her and Vaggie have a full-on convo, and I think Charlie may still be hurt over it. And, lastly, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, we don't hear from Vaggie's side - Judging from her body language, Vaggie is ashamed over her prior lie and Charlie had every right to be upset by it but as mentioned in this post from an AU (long story), I do think Vaggie should (and hopefully will) have had a moment to explain why she did what she did. Heck, her reason might be more tragic than what Rosie hypothesize - Not just out of shame but also out of have a strong self-hatred for herself that even Husk (who accurately pointed out Vaggie's self loathing) didn't fully comprehend.

And the question is, "How will this be brought up?" Simple, Alastor's allegiance. To explain, it's made clear that whatever "harmless favor" Alastor has planned, it might be harmless physically but not emotionally. Now, before I get ahead of myself, I'll give my prediction for S2:

Sir Pentious' ascension will be known early on. And while rejoicing over him being alive with everyone else, Charlie will also develop a more reckless drive to redeem Sinners now that she has proof. However, her recklessness will cause her to lean on Alastor's surface level trust, (possibly) the Vees or just Vox, and not listening to Vaggie's legitimate concerns.

Vaggie's suspicions of Alastor will come up again. Maybe Husk warns her to not trust him or maybe she sees Alastor in a VERY untrustworthy light but since she has no proof, she'll probably keep to herself until she has something concrete

Following from this theory, Vaggie will develop a closer bond with Carmilla. Maybe in exchange for the huge weapon supply, Vaggie didn't make a magic binding deal but a verbal promise to assist Carmilla that would equal the number of weapons she gave. I mean, we didn't see their entire convo, or maybe Carmilla will do this in S2. Either way, Vaggie will grow closer to Carmilla; in contrast, Charlie might be wary of Carmilla given how the latter knew of a way to defeat Exorcists but shared nothing. And I think the Overlords might be oppose to ascension or not want to help the Princess despite the proof. While Vaggie might not agree with Carmilla's stance perhaps Carmilla would bring up a good point - why would they go to a place that killed them without remorse yearly and still think lowly of them? And it'll strike a chord with Vaggie. Going back to Charlie, she'll feel hurt that Vaggie is agreeing with someone who against their dream, even though Vaggie is simply acknowledging the Overlord has a good point. But an emotional Charlie (with possible emotional manipulation from Alastor) will see it as Vaggie siding with someone else and it'll cause friction. Not to mention, since Vaggie is helping Carmilla when she's not at the Hotel, this will cause Charlie to feel neglected by her girlfriend/partner.

On Vaggie's side, besides growing in herself without it being tied to Charlie or the Hotel, she'll also voice her concern of trusting Alastor. Pointedly reminding Charlie that Alastor ONLY helped her when she was at her most desperate and has constantly mocked her dream while doing VERY little to actually help in the past.

The couple get into an argument over this: Vaggie upset with Charlie not listening to her and only listening to Alastor because the latter tells her the things she wants to hear even though he's not being actually helpful; on the other hand, Charlie is angry that Vaggie is SEEMINGLY not on her side and is siding with someone she's barely known (at this moment, Charlie is being unknowingly hypocritical).

Then the big hit that causes a major damage in their relationship - An angered Charlie coldly states something along the lines of, "Maybe the reason I'm trusting Alastor is because unlike a certain someone he's never lied to me. Maybe he's been helping me throughout the whole 'we finally have proof that Sinners can be redeemed' and NOT helping those against it. I mean, fuck, Vaggie, you're supposed to be on MY side. Why are you trying to ruin this?"

And the room goes quiet. If there's anyone present, they are stunned silent. No background music. And Vaggie is left speechless and Charlie quickly realizes her mistake and tries to apologize. In a move that shows how hurt she was at Charlie's words, Vaggie rebuffs Charlie's attempt to apologize and leaves.

I know it may sound like I'm making Charlie more gullible and meaner to Vaggie but I think it is possible. We don't know Charlie's full opinion of Carmilla is; hell, for all we know, Charlie may harbor some distrust given the Overlord's huge secret that could've helped the Hotel. Plus, I think Charlie feeling ignored by Vaggie could work if written properly. I don't know I just think it's possible and I DON'T want them to break-up but have a conflict and grow from it.

[beesinspace]

I thought I'd start uploading my takes on the hazbin characters I've done so far for anyone who wants to see them. Along with why I made the choices I did!

These are gonna be real rough as most of the pics I've done so far are my first take, get these ideas on "paper", so please excuse the varying quality lolol riiipp

Anyway! Husk! I have so much to say about his design lol

I really wanted to give the main cast distinct colour palettes and ages ago I someone else take on Husk where they added green to his design in relation to casino tables, which I thought was great!

As I was doing my own take on husk I kept thinking about green for him and so looked into the colour, the more i read the more it fit! Green being associated with Greed and money but also safety and calmness! so I when with green haha

In my desgins I will be pushing for a diverse range of body types too! I love everyone who draws Husk as a big ol' kitty <3

I added the card suits back into his design, but in a subtle way. I wanted him to be more reprisented with the club as it's linked to Growth, so I put them on the ends of his ears and tried to make his tail feathers kinda look like it too (but I'm not 100% i n love with it so will probs change). I changed the direction of the hearts on his paws so that when he holds his hands out to someone Angel it shows a heart but if he holds his hands up defensively they look like a spade, which are linked to death, so could be read as a threat. He doesn't have many dimonds on him anymore as they are linked to wealth and prosperity, I think they would be more present in his Overlord look.

I made him look more scruffy too tho i did give mans a shirt as i wanted to push the "Guy who has lost it all and has kinda given up on 'life'" angle, so he's missing a few feathers, his fur is all over the place etc. . I'm also on the headcannon that Husk carries very few possessions as he never knows when or where Alastor will drag him to, so has like three shirts (if that) that he can hardly be motivated to clean most days.

welp. thats all for now! I'm gonna play with design more as and when I draw him in the future, but this is where I'm at lol

[chaifootsteps]

I'm sorry if I sound like the classic "ugh, why can't they be just Friends????!1" but after some episodes I just can't keep wondering....

Are friends even a thing in the hellaverse?!

I really, REALLY can't think of any interaction between characters that isn't either oversexual or fells like a natural friendship...

I've seen people say the V's feel like a natural group of friends but....nope, both males of the trio have that oversexual tone and velvette is just there.

No one in IMP feels close to anyone that isn't family or romantic, Blitz is awful to mox, Loona is awful to mox, Millie and Loona are always hating each other and Vías "moment" of calm with Loona feels OC for her.

Same with the hazbin cast, despite there is a possible bound between niffty and Husk being under Alastors control they rarely interact, the supposed love Charlie express to the cast feels plastic since she never got close to anyone really and barely interacted (just that disgusting episode where she sees a friend in pain and wont help cause 'itz meeeeaaaan!!'), and they got rid of the cool friend that cherri was supposed to be in favor of....you guessed it !! Shipping!!! Yay!!!!.

The only "frienship" that could have been great where emily and Charlie, and Veggie with angel in the past when she was supposed to be a sinner...

but I don't feel like Charlies feelings about others are sincere anymore by how unnatural she acts, like she says she cares but doesn't really and Emily, despite being really innocent deserves better...

And veggie isn't a troubled sinner that died in the 90's anymore so that "enemies to friends" regarding a growth of a soft spot between her and angel, and the possibility of them bounding over their shared pain (veg was supposed to be a S*xworker in life) is gone like any hope I could had over this mess...

Sorry for the long rant but I haven't seen anyone pointing it out.

You're right, and I think it's one of those things that hints at something fairly sad about Viv as a person. She can't write sincere romantic relationships to save her life, but she's also just really, really bad at writing friends. Characters might work together towards a common goal, might even hang out together, but there's a lack of empathy, of connection, of real love. Pentious's "friends" let him be dragged off by a crowd of rapists, Husk says he accepts Angel's flaws and then expresses disgust with them two episodes later, and everyone in HB constantly abuses and belittles and threatens everyone else.

The most believable friendship we have is Pilot and Addict Angel and Cherri, and we saw what happened to that.

And yeah, there's no getting around it, I think that's all Viv and how she interacts with people. Viv's closest, most enduring friend is Sam, who she shit talks behind her back and who talks shit about her in turn. And that kind of says it all.