#alastor critical

[archivedblog16]

If you asked me during the hazbin hotel pilot era who my favorite character was, it be Alastor 100%. He unironically stole the show with his mystery (if the pilot didn’t have Vaggie lore dump unnecessary I would’ve enjoyed a bit more), personality, voice, charisma, and heck even his design especially his consistent smile intrigued me. Even the way he interacted with the entire cast made me excited.

So what do I think of Alastor now? Alastor to me is a loser, unironically an attention whore in terms of screen time and merch, an egotistical, petty person, and a man child edgelord. He lost most of his mystery and charisma throughout the show (though I will admit I am interested in his backstory but I won’t be surprised if he, himself has daddy issues. And, I did find some of his jokes funny).

The pilot portrayed Alastor as this powerful overlord who didn’t care about his status which made him so unique. He wasn’t gloating about how he’s the radio demon about to end your fucking life. Alastor in the pilot was subtle. At the snap of his fingers he destroys Sir Pentious with no hesitation and no exchange of words. Meanwhile, Alastor in the show has to blab and go this tangent of how sloppy, slow, and unprofessional Adam is only to get his ass handed to him.

Alastor in the show frequently mentions his status and gets pissy when most don’t care that he’s back or straight up not recognize him. Meanwhile, in the pilot you will notice that it’s the opposite, Charlie (the princess of Hell) and Vaggie are freaking out that Alastor is here at their door. It truly shows much power and control presents in the pilot without even trying.

The thing that disappointed me the most was his lack of interaction with the main hazbin squad. It was the driving point of why I was excited for Alastor and how his involvement was going to shake up the hotel for better or worse. Only to find out He barely interacts with them and I’m supposed to “care” when the most of cast members hug and get excited that he is alive in episode 8.

Speaking of the hotel, he barely contributes much regarding the hotel and fucks around. Like I was expecting him to at least help Charlie and Vaggie brainstorm activities for the sinners to do or even take control in his own of how he would handle Angel dust and Sir Pentious. Heck or even go outside with Charlie and Vaggie to promote the hotel to other sinners via singing and cause some drama/mischief along the way. Specifically talking about the hotel, the only things he did was do the commercial, fix the walls, and protects the hotel twice. But That’s it.

As I mentioned earlier, Alastor is an attention whore in terms of stealing the spotlight in the actual show and being in most episodes, which may be good for Alastor fans. They got the full course meal but Vivziepop needs to focus on other undeveloped main characters who desperately need the attention and development. Which why Alastor should be used sparingly, this would also make the audience more interested with him and creates more mystery.

For example: Episode 5, Dad Beat Dad: you would think the episode would focus on Charlie and Lucifer’s relationship which it does for a small portion but we also gotta have Alastor in there so he could drop the biggest F bomb to Lucifer to show that he means business and hatessss him. We also gotta dedicate a 2:30 minute song duet between the two men having a pissing contest, along with our home girl Mimzy being a plot device/prop for Alastor in order to HYPE HIM UP and tell his origins. Because Alastor soooo mysterious and such a hunkkkk. Oh yeah, Charlie is there I guess…

Also, Alastor’s smile in the show bothers me personally, more specifically the way it’s drawn. It’s to jaded and sharp, so it’s pretty obvious to tell how he feels and emotions Alastor goes through. Meanwhile, in the pilot his smile and energy is so goofy and I miss that. That really added to mystery because not only keeps you on your toes but you don’t know what’s on his mind for the most part or his long term goal.

This is by far my longest post and I wanted to get this off my chest regarding Alastor. 😭

[k1ttygam3r]

This is probably a hot take but I think that American horror media should come up with their own cryptids instead of taking from Native American folklore

[peachi-blossom]

Non-Hazbin Hotel characters that are better than Alastor: The Sequel

NOTE: I made "Non-Hazbin Hotel characters that are better than Alastor: The Sequel" because I got more characters that I have on the list.

Hehehe, Alastor is gonna get solo'd by everyone!

[ms-cartoon]

Alastor as a powerful demon is a little disappointing.

No really . . . he was honestly lame this season. Viv really hyped him up to be this scary, strong, intimidating overlord who's not to be f**ked with under any circumstances only to show him off as a joke, like the rest of these villains.

Alastor is not intimidating at all. If anything he's more predictable. . . Or I guess predictable is not the right word, but it gives off the feeling like an "I've seen it all before" kinda deal. I mean- I would expect little more than this-

I mean seriously writers?? . . .A giant with tentacles??!! He's not even all that different from his usual appearance?? It doesn't feel original. It's like Viv thought "Yeah, you guys remember when Ursula from The Little Mermaid turned into a giant. Let's do that with Alastor but with less effort." Hell, at least with Ursula, it was scary. Alastor just felt . . . lazy.

And not only that, but his fight with Adam left a sour impression too-

Granted he did better than the scene where he turned into a giant out of nowhere, but this whole fight was left with a rather unsatisfying result. Alastor's fight with Adam lasted for like- a minute and now all of a sudden, he wants to melts into ooze and disappear somewhere??

So you're telling me this so-called "OvErLoRd" got whacked with a guitar ONCE and that was enough for him to bleed and get weak??? He suddenly can't use magic like he's been doing since fighting Adam?? And he just leaves like a sore loser??? I don't care if the guitar was an angelic weapon, it didn't leave that much of an impact. Alastor could've held his own a little bit. It wasn't like he was STABBED to death.

Don't even tell me that it's because his staff was broken that he's suddenly weak, cuz he magically reappears in the final song and is all healed up like nothing happened (cuz pretty much, nothing did happen).

Overall, for an overlord, Alastor is not as strong or intimidating as Viv wants us to think he is. It just looks like he's trying to hard.

[trashogram]

How would I improve Alastor?

• Open the first episode of Hazbin Hotel with him doing a live broadcast that serves 3 separate functions:

> To advertise the hotel/recap the premise.

> To inform Hell that he’s returned after his 7-year long absence.

> Warn Overlords and Sinners that he’s going to be making good on overdue deals.

• Have the Live Broadcast visibly reach all ears in the Pride Ring whether or not characters have a radio. Show that Alastor is capable of manipulating technology of all kinds when it calls for it.

> This can tie into his rivalry with Vox nicely

• Alastor views Vox’s attempts at stirring up drama with him as petty and childish and does not engage. Show that Alastor thinks he is above petty squabbling with others that are technically in league with himself.

• Have him remain a passive presence within the hotel for the most part. He may do something “helpful” here and there but is mainly around to enjoy himself and this is apparent throughout.

• No swearing or overt violence. Alastor is the Charming Bastard trope incarnate as he considers himself a respectable gentleman despite the fact that he is a monster. He prides himself on an impeccable self-image and manners that separate him from the “rabble” of average sinners and uncouth Overlords.

• Voodoo is not part of his character whatsoever because 1.) The creators haven’t proven themselves capable of implementing this aspect respectfully nor have they consulted with the communities that have history with it or practice it and 2.) Alastor already has a lot going on and doesn’t need this aspect to be an interesting character. Just leave it on the cutting room floor.

• No Kaiju-sized Alastor.

• Alastor does not antagonize Lucifer. Any negative feelings he has regarding the King of Hell are hidden extremely well. At most, have Alastor treat Lucifer like anyone else, but subdued as far as quips or condescension.

• Establish how Alastor utilizes the souls in his employ to do his bidding. A possibility I have in mind is that the darkness/shadows he conjures up to travel, use in song and dance numbers, manipulate objects and other people, etc. are manifestations of other demons he made deals with.

• Show us a key moment or moments where Alastor is treated as rudely as any other sinner until he speaks genteelly. Have his politeness be met with terror as the ones who harassed or mistreated him realize he is the infamous Radio Demon.

[floralcavern]

Alastor redesign concept photos (moodboard?)

Idk if I’ll draw this, but these are just photos with ideas. Most sophisticated men’s outfits from the 1920s were just basic suit and tie, but I found that a bit boring, so I really liked the one with the open jacket and baggy pants. It felt sophisticated but also relaxed and calm, nonchalant almost. Like he doesn’t need to try too hard to come off as important because he has the power to make up for it. It could be a direct contrast to Vox’s strait laced, stiff suit.

[hazbin-reimagined]

Alt text:

I hate him. I hate that I like him. I have to FIX HIM.

*insert image of Alastor Hazbin Hotel looking smug*

I am down bad for this bloody c*nt rag of a man but he is SO UGLY!!!!

Like why does he look like that.

I could wrap one hand around his waist but Hell if I tried

I am fixing him. I have to, so I can simp in peace.

Looking at him is like pouring acid in my eyes.

[theloganator101]

If Alastor was better written, I could definitely see him being like Samantha.

[doodler16]

Note to self: Don’t procrastinate and make the Alastor critique video before Hazbin Hotel season 2 comes out (will delete this once I’m officially finished).

[greml1nb0i]

I hate the fact that Alastor’s reasoning for wanting to be a powerful sinner overlord is just... power? That’s it?? I wish the reason he made a deal with the devil was tied to historical context like not being able to become a radio show host due to the racism of the time. That desire could have slowly driven him to do anything to achieve his dream, leading to some really questionable actions for the devil (like cannibalism) which ultimately got him sent to Hell

What also pisses me off is that Viv didn’t even need to add the voodoo element . She could have just said that he practices dark magic with the devil granting him the knowledge as a reward for giving away his soul. Then instead of using voodoo symbols she could’ve replaced them with radio schematic symbols you know since he's referred to as the radio demon???

And don’t get me started on the whole Wendigo-deer-cannibal thing which is a huge misconception about Wendigo folklore in Native American culture which is also considered cultural appropriation due to how a creature from their culture has been co-opted and changed in ways that do not reflect their traditions

This is what critics and even fans I've seen mean when they say Viv is terrible at character design because it’s so clear she does Z E R O research

Oh boy, yes Alastor is a loaded character, he has so much wrong with him that if Viv just spent an hour or a week longer on thinking about, they'd be better versions than what we have.

Im going to use my own rewrite and my experience with the occult to best answer this. Bare with me folks. Lets take a deep dive into Alastor's character.

Alastor could very well have had his motivation be racially charged. He lives in an era where Jim Crow is rampant, it'd not hard to believe, that Alastor would want to prove a old white mf wrong by being the best damn radio host ever. This is where imma bring in my rewrite.

In my rewrite, i made Alastor dream of getting a radio show his whole motivation BECAUSE of the baseball games he'd over hear on Sundays with his Ma and Pa. The interworking of the mechanics [radio waves and the such] fascinated Al and so he went on to pursue a impossible dream. Alastor's parents whether their support is there or not, greatly affects where or not Alastor thinks he's doing the right thing or not, they are his conscience for better or for worse.

Then a jealous white guy "gives him an opportunity to prove himself". Only for it to be a cheap prank that make Al look like a fool. The prank can go from harmless and humiliating, to down right atrocious and evil. [im not spilling all the tea on Alastor's chapter, nice try, wait til it releases lmao].

Anyway you get the point

THIS is where the real motivations can come in. Its "justified" in Alastor's mind to murder these people; but ofc to the audience we think he should just run.

What he actually does is dependent on a few things.

THIS could be the story of Alastor but Vivzie keeps fucking around with the edge lord shit.

------

Onto the voodoo stuff.

Alastor's ties to the occult, more specifically Voodoo, is:

1, not shocking to me in the slightest.

and

2, incredibly offensive to not only Bipoc individuals but also other Occult practitioners.

We may not practice the same things but we will get pissed if a branch of the Occult is being used in media for the "oh so scary and evil trope".

This is one of those moments where Viv didn't even bother doing research.

Let me first explain what a closed practice is.

A close practice is an occult practice that is otherwise determined by your ethic background. If you are not born into it or invited, you may not be allowed to practice. Some practices do not give out Initiations or allow "outsiders" to practice.

Voodoo is a closed occult practice that has many branches,[yes like a government] most of which are all tied back to bipoc cultures, such as Cubans, Haitians, etc., They follow a certain code and ethics. For example: Those who are Haitian take part in Haitian Vodou who believe in the Lwa.

There is also a difference between Hoodoo and Voodoo.

Hoodoo is more spiritual and a way of mindfulness and superstition with folklore such as throwing salt over your shoulder and never placing your purse on the floor, while Voodoo is more religious and more polytheistic.

Hoodoo is also designated to those who are Black. So it doesn’t matter if you’re Haitian, Cuban, Brazilian, Caribbean or even American; just as long as you hold African roots, you can participate in the practice.

-----

You still following me? Good. Lets move on.

Now that i have these explained what Voodoo and Hoodoo is, i can talk about how they've been demonize in media, even to this day, and why Viv is a dumbass for doing the same exact thing.

Lemme make one thing clear first.

Cultural appropriation is when cultural beliefs or traditions are stolen and slightly altered to be someone else’s idea in the name of a trend.

When we as a society adopt practices from outside of our own culture it’s important to be mindful and conscious about where they came from.

Appreciation doesn’t hurt anyone but appropriation does.

---

In America, Voodoo has been used to perpetuate damaging stereotypes of the black community and deepen the act of ‘othering’.

Newspapers and fabricated racial stories about Voodoo were used to portray black people as primitive and dangerous, and particularly to present black men as rapists of white women, framing Voodoo as the space in which they commit violent sexual acts.

This may explain one of the Jim Crow Laws but in a different light, since interracial marriage was illegal and black men could be beaten or worse, killed for it. I wouldn't be surprised if this was why, besides other racists illogical reasonings obviously.

The idea that Voodoo was something negative, violent, alienating and anti-white, was concocted by white supremacists, slave owners and colonists. Racists mfs basically

Sadly it was never sincerely questioned, and as a result the common perception of Voodoo remains negative and ill-informed.

Thus why we still see depiction of Voodoo and Hoodoo being used as "evil" in Princess and The Frog, The Child's Play film series, EVEN Batman, AHS, the list goes on and on and on, but now Hazbin.

In conclusion, Voodoo was seen as satanic, [Satanic Panic] and rituals were described as "summoning zombies, devils and spirits". Practitioners were seen as animalistic, violent, hyper-sexualized and barbaric. This played into the societal want to control and maintain the many racist laws that were in place. Voodoo was used to paint black people and the BIPOC community as a whole, as threats to civilization, to safety and to freedom.

As you can see the depiction and use of Voodoo nowadays is not in the best light nor has really ever been, Viv continuing to deflect the "you shouldn't do this, its racist and cultural appropriation" critiques, in order to have her WHITE idea of "spooky scary evil" magic.

Which may remind you DOES NOT EXISTS.

If a person claims to be doing "dark" or "black" magick, that mf is full of shit cuz that stuff doesnt exist. Its a cycle that never got broken and probably never will.

There is a form of magick called "shadow magick" however its purely for inward reflection on the mind, body and soul. Basically hardcore therapy but its all on your own and your "shadow self", which is a manifestation of your inner mind and self conscience thoughts. No you aren't actually summoning a shadow being, its all metaphorical and for therapeutic means. Please go see a therapist before ever performing this type of practice on yourself. You may find out things about yourself you do not like.

Also please do not begin practicing the Occult just because you might think its edgy or cool, Occult practices can be dangerous if you don't know wtf you are doing or know the basics. They are also not used for "funsies". Think of it like any other religious practice, be respectful with it.

Do your research and please for the love of the gods, do not claim to have supernatural abilities, you will be laughed at by others in practice.

----

MOVING ON.

Stick with me folks this is the last sections i promise.

Now lets talk about something that i love, Cryptids, specifically Wendigos.

Wendigos are not deer creatures, that is the Hollywood version of Wendigos, because real ones are butt fucking ugly.

The wendigo is part of the traditional belief system of a number of Native tribes, including the Ojibwe, the Saulteaux, the Cree, the Naskapi, and the Innu tribes.

The Wendigo is described as:

-being an emaciated corpse

-like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave

-Lips being tattered and bloody, or unclean and suffering from not eating flesh

- it gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition

---

So tell me where does the deer description come from?

 Blame Filmmaker Larry Fessenden,

He was the reason it became a huge thing.

He claims that a teacher in school originally told him a wendigo-like story about a deer monster, which he combined in his head with the wendigo tale from "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark."

Then later, the classic Wendigo story by Algernon Blackwood, creating his own mythology of the beast that he used in creating a 2001 movie simply titled Wendigo.

It was a weird horror movie and didn't even relate too closely to the myth, with the monster barely appearing.

Larry was unhappy with how the suit turned out because it was rushed, but the image caught on big from that point.

So can we all collectively say FUCK YOU LARRY.

---

And there you have it Anon.

Viv doesnt research shit and it took me only an hour to type all this out and double check some thing.

This is probably the longest deep dive ive done for Alastor, ive already done one on his character design in a previous ask, so if you want my opinion on that, look for that post.

Thank you Anon.

[tategaminu]

One is a scary deer demon character from a colorful musical 2D animated show

The other is a character from Hazbin Hotel

[archivedblog16]

That scene where Alastor comments thoughtfully about the situation they are in, sinners are using the night to celebrate before their last stand. And how it’s been a surprising thrill to witness those souls find connection will always annoy me.

When you turn your brain off, it sounds cute but Alastor be acting like he spent the whole season with any of these characters in the hotel when he has barely interacted with anyone in the main cast.

[lust-for-ultraviolence]

Angel: I am an SA victim and addicted to drugs 😢

Husk: 🎶 you're a whiny bitch somethin' somethin' you're a loser baby🎶

Angel: lmao true! I will continue to be a sex pest towards you and Alastor. My trauma only shows up to be teh smexy uwu!

Bonus

Charlie: oemgee! Alastors victims that he ATE are gonna be so HAPPY to see him when he gets redeemed and goes to heaven.

Bonus bonus

Vaggie: heyyyyy babe. We're in bed....together.......and I'm not wearing underwear.

Charlie: that's weird, ya silly billy. Did you poopoo yourself? I'll go get you a new pair.

Vaggie: *sobs in sexual frustration*

[peachi-blossom]

Non-Hazbin Hotel characters that are better than Alastor

I hate Alastor because he comes off as an edgelord and he has DIFFERENT SHADES OF RED TO THE POINT HE BLENDS IN THE BACKGROUND. Also again with Vivienne Medrano coddling her precious babies who are actually terrible people who do terrible things to people who didn't do anything wrong. It's genuinely annoying.

EDIT: 7/5/24

I have written what Alina and Yuu wished for.

EDIT: 7/7/24

The reason I put Shadow the Hedgehog on my list because people were calling him edgelord in the past, but this year, Alastor has surpassed him. Now everyone, the reward for being the ultimate edgelord goes to... "drum roll" "drum roll" "drum roll"

Alastor! Congratulations, you are now the ultimate edgelord in all of history!

EDIT: 7/9/24

I replaced Imposter from Among Us with Mortimer Handee because he uses Voodoo for evil purposes.

[ms-cartoon]

Since I talked about Husk and his choice of a voice actor, might as well talk about some other characters I don't agree with.

I don't mind Stephanie Beatriz as Vaggie, but her voice direction could use some work. In the pilot, Monica Franco as Vaggie felt more fitting because there was more emotion and feeling when she was speaking. When talking to Charlie, I could hear the amount of concern and care she expressed when she voiced her worry to Charlie, especially about not wanting her to sing. When talking to Angel, she sounds really angry and annoyed over what he did as if she really wants to strangle him, which is a good way to show us how much of a hot-tempered individual she is.

However, when I hear tv show Vaggie, her voice just sounds . . . dead I guess is the word. It almost sounds like Stephanie didn't wanna be on set and is just completely bored. There's barely any emotion to whatever she's saying. In case you don't get where I'm going here, let's just say the expression on her voice doesn't match the expression on her face.

I don't like Alex Brightman as Sir Pentious.

He barely sounds anything like his pilot version. As a matter of fact, the only thing that stood the same was high voice. He literally sounds like Beetlejuice/Fizzaroli trying too hard to pass off a British accent. Plus, he's already voicing like, two people who are recurring characters (Adam and Fizzarolli) he does not need to fill the role of another character.

This is the miscast that makes me laugh.

I feel like the only reason why Viv chose Brandon to voice Katie was cuz she happens to resemble one of the characters he portrays, Bryce Tankthrust, and decided at the last minute that he should voice Katie using the Bryce Tankthrust voice.

That being said, I don't like Brandon Rogers voicing Katie Killjoy. It just does not suit her. Not sure how I can explain it, but something about this feels forced. Like just because she looks and somewhat acts similar to Bryce, Viv thought Brandon was the best choice for Katie Killjoy.

My opinion on Alastor's voice is the same as Vaggie's, Amir is an okay choice for Alastor, however, he could be better. It's just one thing though.

I really do miss Edward Bosco as Alastor. He was perfect for that role, but I'm not trying to be biased here. My only problem is Amir doesn't sound threatening or intimidating enough for Alastor's character, and when he is trying to sound threatening, it sounds forced.

[resisteverything]

I will never understand how after all these years Vizie never fixed Alastors hair. It looks like a dead bird with 4 wings. It swallows his antlers to the point that some people didn’t even notice he had those. It’s wider than his head at the top and yet the sides are paper thin, the whole thing looks gravity defyingly stiff, like at least part of it is made of something other than hair. It’s distractingly lame looking.