#this is the immediate follow up to their HBS

[kzlove]

handle you

syn -> eren proves that he can handle you.

warnings : smut, squirting, creampie, thick black reader, weed and alcohol usage, unprotected sex, spit, not proofread; just nasty

you were laying in bed with your led lights on, tv playing music softly from its speakers.

frank ocean, flo mili, sza, steve lacy, kali uchis, and whoever fit their way into the mood.

it was definitely past twelve o clock now, but you didn't feel even a bit of tired.

you take a couple pictures and post it on instagram, labeling it as 'bored' before posting.

you see a lot of your homegirls like it immediately, but of course they all was doing something.

sasha had a class to go to in the morning, annie was exhausted from work, pieck was with her boyfriend.

the only person that didn't heart it was mikasa, and that was probably because she was with her boyfriend too.

you drop your phone down and roll your eyes, deciding to begin working on your assignment due next week.

but you don't have to mess with it for long.

your phone buzzes next to you, gaining your attention from the laptop. an instagram notification.

onyandrift replied to your story : smoke sesh? wtw

you roll your eyes, recognizing the username as your boy best friend.

the two of you use to kick it with each other all the time, and even spent a few nights at his house over the summer in high school.

but you fell off, cause eventually he got a girlfriend and started to stream games and a bunch of other nonsense.

around that same time, you started focusing more on yourself.

loveyn : lame booooo loveyn : ion got weed to share w u

onyandrift : girl you nvr do onyandrift : i'm providing onyandrift : come kick it w me n a few of my hbs

loveyn : uhm loveyn : you think i wanna be around bare niggas tn??

onyandrift : stop yappin and get dressed im omw

you roll your eyes at the text and sigh, checking the weather.

it wasn't gonna be too cold, so you settled for this and grabbed your phone charger and lip gloss.

onyankopon doesn't live far, so it doesn't surprise you when you hear his audi a6 make that annoying popping noise outside your house.

you groan in annoyance and grab a water bottle before stepping outside, immediately walking to the car.

"why the fuck you still got that shit bruh?" you complain, climbing into the front seat.

he had on his essentials hoodie and black sweatshorts, grey yeezy slides on and a velvet durag.

he shoots you a grin before he takes takes your things and puts it in the backseat like he always did.

during your senior year, he had you sit outside with him in the hot ass sun while he put something on his car to make it noisy as hell.

he did explain what it was, but it wasn't like you really cared so you ignored him.

you didn't expect him to still have it though.

"who all gon be up in there ony?" you ask once he makes it to the stop light.

onyankopon sits back in his seat and things, rubbing the stubble on his face in fake thought.

"don't know." he fakes, before driving off when the light turns green.

you groan in annoyance, fixing your hair and at least making sure you looked good.

-

when you make it, he grabs your things and tells you to head to the backyard where everyone else is.

you follow his instructions, grumbling about how he had better sprayed all the mosquitos.

everyone was back there like he said they were.

it was armin, jean, mikasa, onyan's girlfriend zara, and some guy you don't recall ever seeing.

"hey girl! come sit!" mikasa grins, swinging her legs off jean and patting the seat beside her.

it happened to be between her and the random guy.

he didn't pick his head up to greet you or even look at you, tapping away at his phone.

'rude ass' you thought to yourself, sitting next to mikasa with a bit of a stank face.

she follows your view, and sighs, leaning back. "don't mind him. he just don't wanna be outside." mikasa reassures.

you roll your eyes and fix yourself, saying hi to everyone else.

onyankopon joins you all in the back with all the spliffs he had rolled after hitting everyone up.

sooner or later, lost by frank ocean was playing lowly on the speaker and you were all on your third spliff.

"this would be so much better if we had drinks." mikasa complained, leaning back onto jean.

he ignores her, because everyone knows how nasty she gets when she's drunk and high.

"fuck that. some fucking food would be amazing." armin huffed out smoke, handing the spliff over to zara.

everyone groaned in agreement, and you were the only one to get up with a hum.

you don't miss the way a pair of eyes trace your body as you stretch and fix your pants.

"finna go find sum in the kitchen for us to eat." you grumble, venturing into the house.

you close the screen door behind you and look through his cabinets with a frown, fixing your hair out of your face.

the sliding door to the backyard slides open and closed, making you turn to the sound.

it was the silent guy, eren, you learned his name was.

and now you could see him in proper light.

he wore a grey hoodie and a pair of baggy sweats, long hair pulled into a up and down.

you had to admit that he was fine, his wife beater seeming tight around his chest.

and green eyes staring you the fuck down.

"can i help you?" you question rudely, turning back to the fruit snacks in the pantry.

"maybe you can." he responds, and you hear him approach you.

now you know your position could be taken as anything but innocent, bent over inside a pantry.

you stand up straight and face him, looking him up and down. you weren't know easy bitch, and you won't be treated as such.

"you can't handle me." you complain, pulling your phone out and grab the whole box of fruit snacks.

he takes the box from you and puts it on the counter, smirking just a little bit at you.

"you don't think so?" eren questions, tilting his head teasingly.

you scoff, jabbing your nail into his chest harshly until he backed up.

"trust me, baby. i know." you grab the fruit snacks up and join everyone else.

-

"nah don't run now. thought i couldn't handle you?" eren grinned down at you cockily.

you were bent over onyankopon's guest bed, back arched and face smushed into the sheets.

one thing is for certain, you shouldn't have picked up that fucking cup.

mikasa brought out the liquor and poured everyone a cup.

which led to everyone spending the night at ony's house and crashing in every room.

mikasa and jean took the game room in the basement, ony and zara obviously took his room, while armin crashed on the long L shaped couch with eren.

or well, he should've.

you couldn't stop teasing him in that stupid fucking graphic tee ony lent you for the night.

which led you here, under eren's strong hold and getting your pussy pounded something serious.

"ooouu why you fucking me like this?" you whine out a bit too loud, reaching back to press on his stomach.

but eren shut that down immediately, slapping your hand away and stuffing all eight inches in your gut.

"all fucking talk." eren grumbles to himself, angling his hips upwards and fucking you even harder.

at this angle, his fat tip was slamming right into your g-spot.

your jaw goes slack in a silent scream as you push your ass back onto him, holding onto the pillow.

eren grins over you, slapping the flesh connecting your waist to your thighs.

"good girl.. take this fucking dick." eren grunts out, obsessed with the way your ass ricocheted off his abs.

"wait wait wait! m'gonna make a mess!" you pleaded with him, grabbing his strong arms.

hearing that only made him speed up, staring directly at your pussy as it clenched around him.

you screamed into the pillow, squirting harshly onto the sheets beneath you.

eren pulls out to watch, catching his breath and clapping your ass cheeks together.

when you catch your breath, you turn your head to figure out why he was so quiet behind you.

he stared back at you, before chuckling lightly. "onyankopon is gonna fuck us up." he joked, flipping you onto your back.

you rolled your eyes and get comfortable, staring at him from behind your lashes.

"not us. you. i told you i'd make a mess." you shoot back, letting him lift your legs up.

"uh huh. sure." eren says, not even listening to you as he pushes right back inside of you.

in this position, he reaches deeper inside of you and it makes you whine again.

you can't even think of a remark to say back, because his pace picks up once more.

eren wraps his hand around your throat and leans in, spitting in your mouth.

you accept it gratefully, swallowing and pulling him down to kiss him.

eren groans into the kiss, rutting into harder and rubbing your clit in rough circles.

you moan out, arching your back and grabbing his hand.

"fuck.. gonna make me nut in this pussy." eren groans out, moving his hand off your throat and kissing just below your ear.

you squeeze your eyes shut at the pleasure, bucking your hips weakly into him.

what he says doesn't register in your brain, your head going foggy as all you could focus on was how good he was fucking you.

eren starts to mumble something you don't hear clearly, bucking into you wildly.

you cum around him again, locking your knees behind him and digging your nails into his back.

eren groans in your ear, hips stuttering as he shoots thick, hot ropes into your sensitive pussy.

you flinch and whine lightly at the feeling, playing with his hair.

the two of you lay in your combined juices, still coming down from your highs.

eventually, eren turns his head to face you and grins.

"i gotta buy you a plan b?" he questions, rubbing your thigh in slow circles to get your full attention.

you shake your head and close your eyes. "i'm on birth control." you inform, taking a look at your nails.

"you gotta pay for my lashes and nails tho. got me fucked up." you grumble, looking at your broken index nail and missing pinky.

eren laughs at that, pulling out and climbing off the bed to pull his boxers back on.

"can't handle you my ass. don't ever let me hear you say that shit again girl." eren teases, helping you off the bed.

loud knocks make the two of you freeze, grabbing the sheets to cover your still naked.

a loud voice rings out from behind, making you remember exactly where you two were.

"aye make sure yall niggas clean up and take that fucking sheet home! got me fucked up, fucking in my house like that!" onyankopon complains, before walking off.

eren looks back at you with a grin, before slapping the fat of your thigh playfully.

he's never letting you stay over again.

[wishful-thinking64]

One Hell of an Unpopular Opinion #02

Note: This opinion is longer than the first one as I'm super passionate about this one compared to last time. Because of that it might come across as a bit of a rant. Side Note Regarding My Previous Post: I came up with a proper acronym for C.H.E.R.U.B. as I plan on using them in my rewrite for HB and what I came up with was the Capable. Habitual. Earnest. Reliable. Upbeat. Bureau. This took me all of two to three minutes to come up with. _______ Adina should've/should be in Hazbin Hotel's series due to how much she fits with the whole, "Heaven is corrupt," idea that the show is going for.

For context, Adina was a character from Viv's Zoophobia days who was featured in the scrapped Angels vs. Demons arc alongside Emily. That's right, much like most of the Hazbin Hotel cast, Adina and Emily were in the same Zoophobia arc too! However, unlike Emily, Adina's character was ultimately scrapped and replaced by Sera (by the way, you're not being clever with that name Viv) who is nowhere near as much of a threat as Adina was.

These three images ALONE already express so much about Adina as a character to the point where you can tell JUST BY LOOKING at them that if anyone were to try and convince this woman that her beliefs are wrong, they would probably either be murdered or tortured immediately. By the way, if that silk ribbon bow that Adina wears wraps around anyone that isn't herself, it not only reveals but forces demons (as seen by beta design Angel Dust) to RE-LIVE their MOST UNPLEASANT AND TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES. And on top of all of this...

HER TRUE FORM WOULD'VE BEEN THIS GIANT ELDRITCH LOOKING DRAGON CREATURE! VIV, ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU TRADED AN ACTUALLY GOOD VILLAIN WITH A GENUINELY BAD ASS FINAL FORM THAT FOLLOWED THE SHOW DON'T TELL RULE FOR ONCE ALL FOR A STATIC CHARACTER WHO'S FINAL FORM IS BASICALLY JUST A FUCKING BIRD!?!? ... Obviously, the answer to that question is yes. That being said, it will never cease to piss me off how or why the answer to that question is yes. Moving on, I heavily believe that Adina's character could still work incredibly well within Hazbin Hotel and to where you could still keep Sera if you wanted to. Simply, have her be Sera and Emily's mother. That's what I'm doing for my rewrite of Hazbin Hotel. To me it makes sense especially how Adina being Sera's mother would explain why she's so hesitant in stopping Hell's yearly exterminations. Although, that isn't exactly what I plan on doing for my rewrite you, reader, could use it for yours (if you plan/want to rewrite the show that is.) In conclusion, I'll never forgive Viv for replacing Adina with Sera because even if I wasn't a writer that was just a terrible decision to make. Like, you literally had all the material and potential there and you chose to scrap it. But hey, that's Viv for ya. Always scrapping good ideas.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Richard Luscombe at The Guardian:

Six major book publishers have teamed up to sue the US state of Florida over an “unconstitutional” law that has seen hundreds of titles purged from school libraries following rightwing challenges. The landmark action targets the “sweeping book removal provisions” of House Bill 1069, which required school districts to set up a mechanism for parents to object to anything they considered pornographic or inappropriate. A central plank of Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s war on “woke” on Florida campuses, the law has been abused by rightwing activists who quickly realized that any book they challenged had to be immediately removed and replaced only after the exhaustion of a lengthy and cumbersome review process, if at all, the publishers say. Since it went into effect last July, countless titles have been removed from elementary, middle and high school libraries, including American classics such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

Contemporary novels by bestselling authors such as Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume and Stephen King have also been removed, as well as The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank’s gripping account of the Holocaust, according to the publishers. “Florida HB 1069’s complex and overbroad provisions have created chaos and turmoil across the state, resulting in thousands of historic and modern classics, works we are proud to publish, being unlawfully labeled obscene and removed from shelves,” Dan Novack, vice-president and associate general counsel of Penguin Random House (PRH), said in a statement. “Students need access to books that reflect a wide range of human experiences to learn and grow. It’s imperative for the education of our young people that teachers and librarians be allowed to use their professional expertise to match our authors’ books to the right reader at the right time in their life.” PRH is joined in the action by Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks. The 94-page lawsuit, which also features as plaintiffs the Authors Guild and a number of individual writers, was filed in federal court in Orlando on Thursday.

The suit contends the book removal provisions violate previous supreme court decisions relating to reviewing works for their literary, artistic, political and scientific value as a whole while considering any potential obscenity; and seeks to restore the discretion “of trained educators to evaluate books holistically to avoid harm to students who will otherwise lose access to a wide range of viewpoints”. “Book bans censor authors’ voices, negating and silencing their lived experience and stories,” Mary Rasenberger, chief executive of the Authors Guild, said in the statement. “These bans have a chilling effect on what authors write about, and they damage authors’ reputations by creating the false notion that there is something unseemly about their books. “Yet these same books have edified young people for decades, expanding worlds and fostering self-esteem and empathy for others. We all lose out when authors’ truths are censored.” Separate from the publishers’ action, a group of three parents filed their own lawsuit in June, insisting that the law discriminated against parents who oppose book bans and censorship because it allowed others to dictate what their children can and cannot read.

Six major publishers sue Florida over book ban law HB1069.

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

Nuanced and Multifaceted Conflict vs. “Good v. Evil” in fiction

So. This is another thing I’ve wanted to talk about for a while. I promise I won’t always be focusing on Helluva Boss in my critiques, and I actually have quite a few other series I want to talk about.

There’s a big chance that I’ll be saying everything other people have already said, but I can’t help but WANT to talk about this specific character in regard to the story’s conflict. I think that it’s important to recognize when a character is written to be a complex person, and when a character is written to be an enemy to be defeated, and how not following through with your set-up can affect your story.

And HB does that A LOT in my opinion.

So. Let’s get into it. This time I’ll be talking about complex conflict between characters vs. black and white conflict, and I’ll also be touching on story set-ups and audience expectations.

I want to talk about a character who could have really made some of the internal character conflicts have so much more depth and intrigue. I want to talk about Stella Goetia

*as a side note this post is MUCH longer than I intended but I really wanted to get into a lot of the background and reasons for how Stella’s character development has actually completely changed what HB’d story conflict could have looked like. I’ll try and sum up everything in the end in a TLDR for y’all

So. Most of the reviews of her character I see talk about how she’s been “ruined” by the writing team revealing that she’s always been very abusive towards Stolas

I have to start off by saying I actually don’t think that Stella or her portrayal was “ruined” by the writing direction her character has been taken in.

In fact, this critique bothers me, because it doesn’t really get to what I think the actual root of why people are disappointed in Stella’s characterization, and the type of conflict that now exists between her and Stolas.

The main reason I believe people are unsatisfied with Stella is because they believed that her character was being set up for a complex and nuanced conflict between her and Stolas, and then that turned out not to be the case.

A quick disclaimer- I do think it’s possible to subvert audience expectations about story and characters in a satisfying way. But it has to be done in a way that respects the audiences intelligence and willingness to think about the story.

If your plot-twist, unreliable narrator, subversion, or what-have-you is done well, the audience should be able to either figure out what’s going based on the little information you’ve given them, and if they don’t, the change or subversion should still make sense and CLICK in hindsight.

Otherwise, your subversion will end up feeling cheap or confusing. Or worse, like a lie.

And this is one of the MAIN issues I think people have with Stella.

As the audience, we were NOT given enough information on her or her character before it’s revealed that she’s just “evil” and always has been, apparently since she was a literal child.

Again, I don’t think it’s an inherently bad decision to have a flat or pure evil villain. I’m fine with Stella being one, even if it’s less interesting to me personally.

But it’s definitely very different from what was initially implied and set-up, and the audience can pick up on that.

Before S2E1 “The Circus” we see Stella a total of 3 times in person, with one time being a flashback.

I’m going to go over those times to analyze if anything set-up in Stella’s appearances points towards her being. Well, totally and irredeemably awful and abusive I guess.

The very first time we see Stella is in the same bed with Stolas—Octavia calls for her parents, both Stolas AND Stella. Stella grumbles and refuses to get up and tells Stolas to go. This doesn’t immediately strike me as a sign of her being a terrible person. That exact scenario is present in a lot of family comedies, kids’ movies, and sitcoms.

Nothing about this screams that Stella is a terrible parent or an abusive partner to me. It just tells me she’s tired and doesn’t want to get up, which again, is not uncommon.

The next time we see her, she’s yelling at Stolas, and she throws a servant at him in anger.

Now, there’s no excuse for this, her behavior here is not okay, regardless of her feelings. But we understand why she’s acting the way she is--she’s furious with Stolas for cheating on her. At this point with the information we have, it’s also very reasonable to believe her feelings have been hurt.

Later Octavia talks about how her parents didn’t used to hate each other, and the way Stolas’ tries to explain their failing marriage to her comes across like his relationship with Stella is one that’s always had difficulties that they have tried and failed to overcome.

None of this information is enough to really convey or hint that Stella is and has always been abusive or evil. It shows that Stella and Stolas have a very rough relationship, and that Stella most likely has anger management difficulties, but you have to do lot of extra work to come to the conclusion that Stella is completely at fault here.

The next time we see her though, things have clearly escalated, because it’s revealed that she’s one that hired Striker to assassinate Stolas.

Now. Usually. Yeah. That would be a HUGE red flag. And I mean. It still obviously is.

But, and I never thought I’d use this uno reverse card, this is one of the few times where the explanation of “But it’s hell, what did you expect???” actually makes sense to me.

Because yeah, it is hell. It’s the end of episode 5 when we learn this, and our protagonists have killed and assassinated multiple people. Taking a hit out on people really doesn’t seem to be that uncommon of a thing in hell.

Even the next scene after the reveal that Stella is the one who hired Striker makes light of how serious this is, by showing that Stella was basically yelling her assassination plot right to Stolas’ face.

This is played for laughs! I genuinely am not sure if the writers intended for this to be foreshadowing of Stella’s abuse or not because if so, they turned her attempting to kill her husband into a joke!

If you cannot keep your themes or tone consistent, how is the audience supposed to follow your story?

There is subtle storytelling, and then there’s tacking information and character points later on in your writing. And this can have two causes.

Either your audience has to do the work of story-telling for you and make up their own reasons for what’s happening to make the story coherent OR they will be disappointed and dissatisfied by the final product.

I think that’s the main reason why S2E1 of Helluva Boss felt so jarring story-wise, and why Stella, to me at least, suddenly felt like a brand new character.

Like I haven’t been this confused by a character being suddenly evil since Hans from Frozen.

(like seriously why the hell did they put this scene in if not to just trick the audience. This isn’t giving us any plot info it’s only giving us contradictory info on his character. Like I talked about before, Hans’ heel-face-turn doesn’t feel like a twist. It feels like a lie.)

Okay so, how does any of this actually affect anything? Who cares if Stella is evil, that doesn’t automatically make the story bad!

Well. Yeah, of course not. Ironically, having the main conflict your story being a battle between “Good v. Bad” characters is neither good nor bad. It’s just a story decision. And ultimately at the end of the day, the writers of Helluva Boss can choose to tell their story however they’d like.

But, depending on how this is executed, good v evil stories can be a lot less interesting than morally grey or complicated conflicts and characters.

I am more interested in the version of the story where Stella and Stolas are imperfect and messy people. I am more interested in the story where Stolas has an affair to escape being in an arranged marriage, and Stella overreacts by arranging a hit on her husband (unless calling out a hit is normal in hell, but we can’t know b/c there is no baseline for what is considered normal in hell)

I am so much more interested in the story where Stolas and Stella are both depicted as being in the wrong, as being incredibly hurt by each other’s actions, and as not knowing how to repair their broken relationship for the sake of their daughter.

That story feels very real to me. It’s one I want to engage and invest in.

I want to see if these characters can grow to accept their mistakes and learn and change for the sake of Octavia and having to co-exist with each other, or if they’ll slip back into mutual destruction and toxicity.

But that’s not the story we’ll get to see, because it seems like the writers are more interested in keeping Stolas from having to grow as a character. And because of that, Stella has been turned into an evil obstacle that must be defeated, instead of a nuanced and real person.

I also feel like I have to say. I know I would be MUCH less frustrated by this if I hadn’t seen an HB crew member talking about how their show is similar to Bojack Horseman.

Because. It’s just not. I’m sorry, I’m not saying that to be mean, or condescending, or rude, but the way characters are written in Helluva Boss is almost completely black and white at this point.

Regardless of the writer’s intent, the vast majority of the choices they have made in Season 2 come off as explanations to excuse the protagonist’s mistakes, and give them a “get out of being potentially in the wrong” free card.

Compared to the writing decisions in Bojack, which almost always has characters confront their wrongdoings, for better or worse, HB honestly feels like it’s the Anti-Bojack.

It would take a TON of character development and time to make HB’s characters as interesting, fleshed-out, and as real as Bojack’s are, and at this point that’s I don’t think it will ever happen.

Again. Having black and white conflict is FINE. It is a choice in story telling that can be done very effectively. But if you are making a black and white story where one side is always terrible and evil, and one side can do no wrong, you can’t act like you’ve written something that is deeper and more emotionally complex and grey than that.

And the first time the writers gave Stella more than 3 sentences to string together, they made it very clear that any chance of her being a more complex and engaging character was being tossed out the window.

————

TLDR:

The main reason people are upset about Stella being shown as abusive in S2E1 of HB is probably because the initial depictions of her didn’t give us enough information on her character to tell that she was just evil/a terrible person.

The way the story was written in S1 to set up the possibility of a very interesting and complex conflict between Stella and Stolas, and when it was revealed that she’s just. The worst. There were people that were disappointed by this, because they expected more.

Audiences actually aren’t idiots, and when you subtly foreshadow something and then completely change things, that can be frustrating.

It’s MORE than okay to write a straightforward good v evil story, but it depending on the way it’s written and executed, it may not be as interesting to mature audiences as a more morally grey story would be.

If you can’t write characters confronting their flaws and being in the wrong, please don’t compare your writing to Bojack, I mean. C’mon.

[cloud-acee]

[ breakfast bunch ]

office crush to lovers. wotakoi inspired. wc: 2757

the city was bustling with busy as per a usual weekday. heels clacked and leather shoes hurried on the sidewalks, navigating their way to work. that wasn’t the case for you. today was a day off work because of some event in another department that did not concern yours and sunwoo’s, allowing a day of rest.

it was past 9 am and you have just woken up feeling quite a bit mislaid, not knowing what to do. usually around this time you’d be in front of your computer, typing away your work reports while taking bites out of the breakfast sandwich sunwoo always got you.

not having the energy to figure out what to spend today for, you mindlessly scrolled through tiktok curled up in your bed until a message dinged your phone.

nunu: morning

nunu: u up?

two messages sent after the other popped into your screen and you immediately clicked on it, not quite eager, but excited to know whatever sunwoo has planned for the day just so you could join in. hence, you responded and exchanged messages after so.

y/n: yea why

nunu: bfast?

y/n: let usssss

y/n: but where?

nunu: hb that sandwich place where i buy our usual?

y/n: oooh bet i’ve always wanted to try dining there

nunu: aightt, you know my place just message me when ure near so i can wait by the bus stop

y/n: got it 🤝

y/n: i’ll get ready now bye bye

nunu: you be careful, see u !!

acknowledging his last message with a heart reaction, you locked and threw your phone to the bed as you stood up to get ready, your face planted with an unconscious smile. you didn’t really know if you were happy with the idea that you won’t be couch potatoing for the day, or because you get to see sunwoo.

he’s part of your everyday now, not only on work days but even on weekends where you usually meet out to eat and hang, having been alone in each of your apartments. the friendly company of each other brought you both comfort. at work you got to play adults, but outside work you both get to act like teenagers with your endless playful bickering, midnight ice cream runs, and tv marathons whether it's an anime or movies or series. you loved being with sunwoo.

not further delaying your movements, you hopped into the shower preparing for whatever is to come today.

sunwoo, on the other hand, was all dressed already. he opted to message you after he's ready to go out just to avoid the possibility of you arriving in the meeting place earlier than him, not that it was a chance at all, but he wanted to make sure anyway just so he knows you wouldn't be waiting all alone. he meant to ask you to breakfast last night but argued within himself, not wanting to appear too clingy. sunwoo has always been careful about how you might see him. he wanted to be around you, but not always, not too pushy to scare you away. he didn't want to be too obvious, especially not when he's had some feelings he himself is yet to confront.

he saw you as a colleague at first, he respected you as a workmate. sunwoo saw your brilliance and wit, and he found you admirable. he didn't even notice when he started to feel.. things, he thought for sometime he just saw the good things in you, not realizing it's past mere compliments about you that he kept himself. the man was falling, oh he fell quicker than he could keep track of his feelings.

but he would never admit them. not even to himself, perhaps to sunwoo, acknowleding the heart is followed by rejection. and he enjoyed being with you too much to waste the bond, so he settles with your friendship. not that he was complaining, if anything, he was grateful to even be close to you, and much happier that you two were the closest among your workmates. sunwoo was contented but he'd be lying if he says he wouldn't want anything more.

the walk down the bus stop didn't take long enough for the thoughts that preoccupied his head. anyway, sunwoo already got to the meeting place just before you messaged to tell him you were around 5 minutes away.

basking in the morning air, sunwoo was glad the traffic had died down, allowing him to enjoy watching the vehicles that drove by. each one of them dropping and picking up new passengers, until it was you coming out of the bus.

sunwoo stood up with a small smile as soon as he saw you and you shoot him a smile back as you observed his clothing, he was dressed in a hoodie and jeans, just as you expected.

"do you even wash that hoodie? didn't you wear that last week?" you asked teasingly as soon as you were in front of him. the small smile on his face that welcomed you fell into a playful annoyed face, “at least i wash my hair everyday.”

he likes teasing like this, “hey, you’re not supposed to wash your hair everyday because it’s going to keep the natural oil and stuff,” you huffed as you followed him walking. “so you’re supposed to stink?” he joked even more.

“no i do not stink!” you said loudly laughing in between. “you have got to stop believing everything you see on tiktok,” sunwoo exclaimed laughing along with you.

the teasing and the tiktok banter kept going until you were a crossroad away from the small sandwich shop marked with a logo familiar to you.

as soon as you entered the sandwich shop, you heard the old lady stood behind the counter chirp a greeting to the man who held the door before you, “oh sunwoo, good morning!”

sunwoo kept his hand on the door as you took your steps but his eyes immediately went to the old lady, greeting back to her with another “good morning” paired with a gentle smile.

she had went back to cutting the ingredients as you walked towards the counter with sunwoo, checking on the menu. you observed the store and it felt like a subway but homey, maybe because of the seats and tables that are not too fancy but neat and pretty in color. seeing the freshly cut vegetables reminded you of your hunger and the smell of the sizzling meat didn’t help either. you continued scanning the menu when a conversation between the two started.

“are you getting your usual?” asked the lady as she looked at sunwoo. “yes but i’ll be dining here this time, you don’t need to rush preparing it,” sunwoo answered in a chuckle. apparently, sunwoo’s habit was no different to yours, always rushing in the morning.

the lady took note of sunwoo’s additional coffee order before turning her head towards you, “how about your order, dear?” she was sweet. you felt no pressure choosing a sandwich for breakfast but you didn’t feel adventurous today so you went with the order sunwoo always brought you.

“i’ll just have the regular sandwich with mayo, onions, and cheese, but without the pickles and tomato please,” you answered politely as you pulled your wallet out of your bag to prepare payment. just before you looked back up at the lady, you added, “i’ll also have the same coffee sunwoo’s having.”

this time you looked at her and she had this quizzed look on her face, as if solving a math equation stamped on your face. you only looked at her with both your eyebrows raised, mirroring the same look of confusion as you wait for a response.

“oh it’s her!” she exclaimed with her face lit up. you couldn’t understand what she meant but sunwoo seemed to get it when his eyes squinted then grew bigger as soon as the thought registered. “you’re sunwoo’s girlfriend aren’t you!? the one he always buys this breakfast sandwich for!” the lady said excitedly, wrinkling the corners of her eyes.

sunwoo looked as speechless as you did, perhaps you were as red as each other too.

the lady smiled so big you didn’t have it in you to burst her bubble, so you just pulled your lips in a warm smile as you bobbed your head slightly. “he always did get me my breakfast sandwich,” you responded as an agreement to the sandwich part, glossing over the girlfriend bit.

“what a sweetheart you have here, kindness in love goes a long way!” she said with the same level of excitement as she turned to sunwoo and talking once more, “and you have got a girl so pretty! how did a clumsy sunwoo score such a lady!?”

sunwoo only laughed in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head. the mood was lighter and you laughed with him too. he didn’t look at you but he played along ignoring the statement that made him blush, instead clearing his throat before speaking to you, “you can take a sit now i’ll take care of it.”

not wanting to protest, you only nodded your head and smiled once more at the lady before pulling yourself out of the counter. you chose a table just next to the window and settled your bag on it, with sunwoo following not so long after.

he slipped into the chair opposite to yours quietly but spoke eventually, “i’m sorry about that,” he chuckled awkwardly. “i knew her since i moved here for work and she suspected the extra sandwich i was buying with my usual order was for a girl,” sunwoo laughed at the memory.

rushing through the streets, sunwoo held his leather bag in his left hand before he got to the front of the sandwich shop near the corner of his apartment, pushing the door with his right hand. the old lady recognized him, he’s been a regular since around three months ago— right when he moved to the area.

just as sunwoo approached the counter, the lady beat her to it and asked, “your usual in 5 minutes?”

he laughed lightly answering, “yes, please. but with the regular sandwich too minus the pickles and tomato.” he says as he pulls some cash out of his wallet. this was when the lady noticed it, of the three months sunwoo’s been a regular, the last three weeks of his order included an extra sandwich on some days.

she couldn’t stop her tongue when she asked, “so your girlfriend doesn’t like pickles and tomatoes?” sunwoo was quite shocked, but he liked what he heard.

you were both new to the company but you came a bit later, resulting in the two of you working on some stuff together and sticking together during lunch breaks, having not much friends from the older employees. sunwoo found you so easy to be with. and quite frankly, you could say the same. you talked about a lot of things, especially anime. but besides your similar interests, sunwoo also learned about the absence of breakfast in your daily routine having such a shit sleep schedule that you wake up late and miss the time to prepare or buy anything to eat most days, if not every single day.

so one morning when he was getting his sandwich, he decides to buy two to give you the other one. he ‘accidentally’ ordered two so you got to eat it now because one was enough for him and it would’ve gotten stale if he keeps it for lunch. you do anyway, but you fish out the pickles and tomatoes before doing so. sunwoo mentally took note of the abandoned bits of vegetables and ordered one without them the following day.

you didn’t really think much of it then, just glad sunwoo was generous enough to share his food with you. sunwoo, on the other hand, was relieved. he wouldn’t really know how to explain if you ask him why he gets you breakfast.

claiming the paperbag containing the sandwiches, sunwoo thanked the old lady for always getting them done in 5 minutes. “oh don’t worry there’s not much customers anyway. you go now, you lovebirds have a nice day,” she grinned warmly.

it has become his routine since then, the lady’s too, that he had completely forgotten about the assumption she made months ago.

you intently watched sunwoo as he spoke of the memory so fondly. “i would’ve warned you about it but it slipped my mind, i didn’t really explain anything to her and just let her think of it like that, i’m so sorry,” he finished.

“no, no problem at all, it’s fine!” you answered wavering your hand in quite a panic, not wanting to make sunwoo feel bad.

you really didn’t want to sadden that lady with the information that you two, in fact, were not dating. but admittedly, being called that made your heart flutter. oh, who were you kidding? anything sunwoo did— anything related to sunwoo, made your heart flutter.

the lady was right, he was such a sweetheart. always so mindful when he was teaching you about the work stuff he learned about some months earlier than you, accompanying you to non-work events (who knew sunwoo would join you to a sticker convention), sending you tiktok edits of your favorite movies, looking after sickly you in your apartment, making sure he's got an extra hair tie in case you lose yours— the list could go on but it’s that sandwich that you look forward to most days.

upon having this surge of realization, you felt your cheeks heat up as you spoke shyly, “i mean, it wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”

sunwoo only looked at you surprisingly with his eyes looking even bigger than they already do, but he also looked confused as his brows raised and furrowed quickly as if he was figuring a puzzle out. his head jumbled with words to form whatever question was meant to be asked in a situation as such, which he had never been in. did you mean what you said? did it mean you felt the same way he did?

his brain was racked with so much thoughts that before he got to ask what you meant, the old lady had already dinged the bell, calling for sunwoo’s name instead of his order number. blinking away the moment, "hold on," sunwoo said as he quickly stood from his seat quite wobbly before approaching the counter.

you would’ve laughed at his clumsiness but you had to mentally scold yourself first, what did you just say? were you even ready for this? well, you’ll never be ready to face something this big anyway, not something as big as your feelings that caught you in those moments with sunwoo you wished would last a bit— a lot, longer. they crept up the very first time sunwoo bursted out laughing at a joke you made, it was this warmth that spread across your chest that made you realize that besides seeing him happy, you also liked making him happy.

oh this isn’t good. what a waste of friendship would it be if sunwoo found your feelings ridiculous, you would much rather choke to death instead of being rejected and having your friendship ruined.

maybe you’re over reacting, but what’s a girl got to do when she accidentally confesses?

you were so into your own thoughts that you didn’t realize sunwoo was slowing his walking still trying to absrob what you said. did you mean, it wouldn’t be.. so bad.. being his? sunwoo has always been gentle with you when talking about things in a serious light, but he didn’t find this time a good time to be slow, maybe he should just go for it?

you felt like you held your breathe until sunwoo came back, carefully placing your coffee and sandwich in front of you and his meal on his side. sunwoo's sat in front of you again wiping the pair of fork and bread knife with a napkin before handing them to you. you only quietly said "thank you," as you reached for them when he spoke.

"so you liked that, huh?"

looking up with your mouth agape, you were horrified. sunwoo had a smirk and his eyes twinkled with something that tells you this day was going to be about more than a friendly breakfast date, this one was a hole you both have been digging.

[blossomthepinkbunny]

Character development in HB

(and why it doesn't really happen)

I think another reason why the characters of HB feel flat/underdeveloped is because there are a lot of the same revelations made time and time again, without any real progession. It seems as if the writers assume that writing a character arc is just doing the same stuff just more extreme.

Loona realized that she should appreciate Blitzø more two times already (three times if you count "Spring Broken"). In the Beelzebub episode she cares for him when he got drunk after trying to pick her up from the party. In "Seeing Stars" she tells Octavia that their dads might be annoying sometimes, but they care very deeply actually. We also get some insight into how Blitzø first adopted Loona in "Seeing Stars", when she was in a state of needing someone who takes care of her. Despite all these moments were Blitzø showed great care for her (including "Spring Broken") and despite the moments where she realizes she should be nicer to him, we never see a definitive change in her behaviour. Her helping to take out the C.H.E.R.U.B could be counted as having a new attitude towards her dad, but Millie and Moxxie also followed him, so it's not an exclusive decision she made. And if her not wanting her dad to die is a new trait of hers, then I don't know what I should think of her character to begin with.

Octavia has the exact same conversation about her relationship with her dad twice. In "LooLoo Land" she finds out that Stolas cares more than she realized and that adult relationships are more complicated than she expected. In "Seeing stars" Loona and her talk about how Stolas loves her a lot more than he is able to show. Octavias character is stale and there is never a new conclusion she draws from these experiences.

In another way, Stolas realizes that his daughter feels neglected and he wants to be more present for her, yet after that we never see him spend more time with her and after a few episodes she feels neglected once again.

We get to see some insight into Millies character in "Unhappy Campers". We see that she is pretty insecure in her own worth and needs approval. In some of the leaks for the unreleased ghost episode, Millie apparently is going to try to commit suicide because she feels useless and has insecurities. We get the same revelations for her, just that the second time it's way more intense. But despite this intensity, these deep feelings Millie has never come up until the show sees them as "relevant" (keep in mind this part with Millie is only based on the leaks I saw, take this one with a grain of salt maybe).

In the newest episode Stolas realizes that Blitzø isn't really interested in a deeper relationship with him. Blitzø tells him off, just as he did in "Ozzies" with Stolas coming to a pretty similar conclusion after Blitzø told him off and didn't take the offer to hang out in a non sexual context. He and Blitzø also text, which we see in "Western Energy". Stolas tells Blitzø that he doesn't have to show up to their annual meeting or that they can meet up for other, not sexual stuff. Blitzø never responds enthusiastically or like he is genuinely interested in getting to know Stolas. Stolas has found out that Blitzø isn't really interested in him beyond the deal multiple times. Yet in the newest episode, he acts shocked and saddened, as if this is something he just found out about.

I know that character development takes time and it's not realistic for people to immediately change after having one revelation about their behaviour. In HB however, the character arcs feel like they turn on and off however the show needs them to.

Loona is abusive, annoyed and cynical when the show wants to be funny (that's pretty much the only joke she has). When the show wants to tackle her seriously she becomes a scared, closed off, but still able to be genuine person who realizes that she needs to be better. They want her to become better but they also never let her fully go through with trying to change. Octavia is never seen on screen until the show wants to present Stolas as a better dad than he seems. So she can't progress because then, her whole purpose as a character (as it is now) is defeated. Millie is a seriously insecure person needing of approval in scenarios where they want to have conflict with Moxxie (or make her seem more deep ig) but in other instances we can't see her insecurity, because she also needs to fullfill her purpose of being Moxxies hypewoman and full support. Stolas wants to dial back his sexual side towards Blitzø to make him realize he isn't just interested in their deal. He wants them to be genuine and says himself, that he doesn't like just making their relationship sexual. He makes sexual remarks towards Blitzø in "Seeing Stars" and doesn't show restraint in talking about him sexually in "Western Energy".

The characters feel like they loop around and don't develop because a lot of them are just acting how the plot needs them to act in a specific scenario. That's either because they never get real focus that would help adequately deal with their stuff, or that it's pretty clear that they weren't written with the intention of having big arcs/deeper motivations.

I think the biggest development any character had throughout HB is Stolas realizing he wants more out of his and Blitzø's relationship (even though that came very suddenly) and Fizzarolli and Blitzø becoming friends again (which was also kinda rushed but it's fine). Blitzø in general is one of the better written characters in the show in my opinion and he has some nice moments amd interesting interactions.

Also, @wolfscarr has a three part set of posts talking about the problems with HBs narrative, wasted relationships and opportunities. It's really thorough and makes interesting points about the broken narrative of HB. I'll put the link to the first part right here if you wanna check it out.

[herejusttosufferalong]

My delulu coming in hot with a theory. The chaos of today got me thinking about this past week's happenings. A lot has gone on, but I've been thinking a lot about why J's sister unfollowed L's private account. We know he didn't unfollow her because his following count didn't go down. She stuck it out following him through his break up with J, his HBS and then his relationship with A. What could possibly be the breaking point for her now? The only thing that makes sense would be N. There would clearly be bad blood/feelings about N and L getting together because of the history with J. So, what has L either done on his page to run her off (we know it's not a grid post) or what has she heard from mutuals that would make her unfollow?

There have been an awful lot of coincidences this past week...L comes out of social media retirement to share a Bton blooper reel, A posts at SF w/ her group of friends proving one of them has a membership therefore they don't need L to be there, N has started posting regularly again, A has broken her pattern of posting for attention immediately after N (so far). This all speaks to something changing...and that's without acknowledging some of the real insane delulu things people have been theorizing the last couple of days.

Something is afoot and I am dying to know what it is.

oooh i like this kind of delulu

more please....

[lucariogirl369]

So...I got a Striker related theory...

Every time I watch the HB s2 episode Oops, this Striker scene near the end has been and always will be burned in the back of my brain.

Just by looking at THIS screenshot in particular, you can tell one of two things going through this man's now unstable mind; knowing he screwed up big time and is about to die...or, the biggest theory of all that a lotta of us HB enthusiast and Striker simps have theorized SINCE the dawn of his introduction back in The Harvest Moon Festival...he's about to relive some trauma.

I do have a multitude of theories about everyone's favorite lil' cowboy from this side of the Wrath Ring, but this singular screenshot alone already speaks volumes. One of which is that he lost his family during sometime in his childhood and/or he was once a husband/father at one point in his life, and seeing how he despises royals (despite the fact he only worked for Stella to get to Stolas...probably to get to her next, but that's a theory for another time), he probably lost them during a fire a royal family set upon his homeland and now he's reliving the horrible memory all over again.

But for this post, I'm sticking with the one during his childhood. Again, seeing how he hates royals, bluebloods, anyone who's a part of the "rich life" or is a part of the royal families, etc. His family grew up with not much but managing to barely get by with what little they had.

Only managing to afford food, clothes, a home, etc. If his family were to have more money in the pockets, they'd save it for emergencies or celebrations like birthdays or other holidays. This would've made him a target for bullying by richer families add to the fact that he's also a hybrid. No, seriously, he's a hybrid. That aside...

I would also assume his family either worked for a royal family under contract or were put into slavery and he witnessed the treatment his parents and possible siblings received throughout his youth. Which would explain why he hates royal demons, overlords, and the like.

As for the fire...I theorized what happened was the following; his parents didn't have enough to buy for food or anything else, so, they made the riskiest decision by stealing from a royal family so they'd at least have enough for a meal, but ended up getting more so they could afford not just the necessities, but luxuries as well for their children.

That would end up being the biggest mistake of their lives. Once the royal family found out, they immediately attacked Striker's homeland, burning everything to the ground and destroying and harming the residents who lived there. Striker's parents and siblings getting the worst torment and torture of all. His parents told him to run and to not look back, but once he was far enough and he did look back...he was traumatized by seeing his family burning to death, no thanks to the noble demon taking his family away from him.

Maybe I'm looking too deep into this, but IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! His speech also signifies more from Western Energy!

"Not every ring is some fancy-ass city. With some fancy-ass mansion, that only FANCY-ASS royals get to live in! Some of us have hard lives to live! And some of us, have EVERYTHING we care about taken away by fuckers like you!"

From his speech about royal demons to Stolas, his "deal" to Blitz from Harvest Moon Festival, and the screenshot before the explosion says a LOT about what happened to Striker! Now, whether or not we see an official flashback from the Spindle Horse crew or at least get some kinda backstory for Striker, it would make a lotta sense as to why he is the way he is!

Ngl...I feel so bad for him! I wanna take 'em home, wrap 'em up in a fluffy blanket, feed 'em ice cream, and hug and snuggle him until he has a good cry and feels better! Our little cowboy has suffered enough and needs some loves and DESERVES some kind of redemption arc! 😭😭😭

[chaifootsteps]

so Lily Orchard made a video about Hazbin Hotel and it's kind of odd, tbh?

her coverage of the working / pay conditions basically boils down to 'animators just need to unionize' (seriously, she spends barely any time on it at all), which like, unionization would definitely help but it doesn't let Viv/Spindle off the hook for poor management in the meantime, & it's baffling to me that she implies otherwise. If Lacakdaisy and (as far as we know) other indie productions like Far-Fetched can behave professionally, why can't Spindle? (also like, absolutely zip mention of how the pilot cast were treated. nada. nothing.)

the entire hope of the indie scene was that it could grind up less animators than big studios do, & sweeping all that under the carpet is so deeply unempathetic to me. so animators being subject to poor deadlines, favoritism, unprofessional behavior, having their work literally stolen from them or going uncredited and then getting blocked when they try to correct it is no big deal, apparently? (which strikes me as funny bcause Orchard's work is so obviously inspired by The Jimquisition and Stephanie Sterling's work constantly critiques the game industry for its poor working conditions even though they also don't have unions)

a lot of the vid has this undercurrent of 'Viv has a big hatedom just for being a bi woman of colour and hatedoms are always bad and parasocial' and like - yes, I agree Internet mobs are bad. Yes, I agree people can get into a parasocial hatred of someone just as easily as parasocially loving or defending them. Yes, I agree someone who isn't straight, white or male is more likely to attract haters. And yes, I agree a lot of the criticisms of Viv are stupid.

my problem with this framing is it lumps in all criticims of Viv with the stupid ones. Again, does Lily Orchard not care about people being underpaid, overworked or uncredited? Does she expect unionizing to solve all the immediate issues people have faced with Spindle in the meantime? Also like - what Viv has done herself to feed this toxic environment goes totally unacknowledged. Viv's bad faith framing of her critics and multiple defensive threads get no mention, & Lily's video implies that only the critics of Vivzie are toxic and doesn't mention at all how bad /much worse some of her supporters are. none of the bullying and silencing attitudes from her fans get brought up; it's not like it would be hard to find when researching critiques of the show to see how even big creators like Cartoonshi were harassed into never covering it again.

I find her attitude towards the writing of HH odd, too. I understand why she doesn't like cartoons dragging their heels and stretching things out (goodness knows HB has been wheel spinning basically its entire second season and Western Energy was a complete waste of an episode), but calling HH's pacing 'breakneck' is generous. There's no time to breathe and none of the nuance or quiet moments she claims to want more of in other shows.

If the show is also about Heaven&Hell being an unjust sorting system as Lily claims, why isn't that more clear in the writing? Why is the viewer simultaneously supposed to believe Hell is full of murders and etc. but also is just full of people being unjustly persecuted. Even Angel Dust, the one character we're supposed to believe has developed the most, was a gangster in his human life & presumably killed people along the way, none of which the show bothers to examine even though his sister made it to Heaven and he didn't. (she has said she has no interest in helluva boss, which is a shame because I would have been curious to see if she would have convienently ignored the bootlicking praise for Stolas and the misogyny in the writing just because she seems to feel Viv is getting unfairly criticized)

she has said she's making a follow up that's more about the voodou issue, which she does agree is a problem, but idk. I just find it odd to watch a video where someone is willing to be critical of how voodou is represented, but the additional problem of real harm being done to up and coming animators is treated as not worthy of discussion. I think representation should be critiqued as much as the next person, but aren't the actual materia conditions faced by people working on the show as important, if not more important, than that?

Lily talks a big game for someone who molested her sister.

[thisislittlerunaway]

My take on Nic and word play:

Given that Nic has praised her fans on being great detectives I think it is quite likely that she chooses what she posts on SM wisely with different layers of message for the GA, casual fans and hardcore fans to interpret.

It is obvious she has posted cryptic messages before, the Ratatouille being one of them - to this day no one seemed to have offered a convincing enough interpretation of this very random post.

Furthermore, Nic also has a passion for words and the English language (don’t forget her university degree), and we have seen how exceptionally eloquent she is during interviews. Her choice of words are well considered, requiring lots of thoughts and showing great awareness of what’s going on around her.

Finally Nic is known to be chronically online and she keeps up with all the latest trends and gossip on the internet, including what her fans are talking about.

With these in mind, one definitely should not overlook her SM posts and just read them for what they are, especially when there have so much dramas going on lately (papgates, HBS, L’s PR disaster and the hatred he faces).

So let’s have a look at her recent insta posts in the past couple of days and try to add some layers of meaning to them, perhaps we might be on to something? 😉

First, while we know that Nic was advocating for a good movement by reposting this in her story, could this at the same time be a plea for fans to stop the hatred towards Luke?

Then there’s the Wordle post which showed Nic is clearly proud of her achievement (she should be - that’s impressive), but has anyone looked up all the meanings of the word ‘anvil’? There’s one that sounds… really interesting:

‘You can refer to a difficult experience that changes someone or leads to something good as a particular type of anvil.’

Is it Nic’s way of assuring fans that this difficult period will lead to something good eventually? One can even interpret this further as Nic sympathising with Lukola fans who are starving in the restaurant, and promising them they will get well fed soon once S4 filming starts.

Following her Wordle post Nic posted a photo of her playing Scrabble at the pub with some Guiness coasters on the table. As any Lukola fans and they would know Guiness is Luke’s favourite drinks Is she suggesting that she is with Luke? Or is she subtly hinting that Luke is in her mind? To be fair, just the idea of entertaining these possibilities in our head is enough to lift our spirit. Maybe Nic knows the impact the post can have on us and deliberately staged her photo a certain way to keep us happy, how kind! 😉.

The words seen on the Scrabble board are also interesting. Maybe they mean something (lots of drama-triggering words: fate, dead, lied, dirt) but I try to not overthink this because with Scrabble you play what you pick so can only make certain words each round.

Finally, Nic made a rare grid post earlier today to celebrate her best friend Camilla’s birthday. This immediately made me think about Luke’s first pap walk. While L seemed to be ignoring A, refusing to hold her hand and running away when the paps appeared, Nic praised her best friend on covering her face and protect her from the paps. It seems she’s trying to tell Luke: ‘see THIS is how you treat your loved one during a pap encounter’ 🤣. Another way of looking at this post is Nic trying to tell us Luke isn’t serious with his alleged gf. Otherwise he would have protected her from the paps like Camilla did to her. So Lukola can just chill now and don’t have to worry about a L&A end game.

[midnightmorpher]

Chapter 1: First Fall

In which things immediately go wrong for Reader when they fall into Hell

A/N: Hello, hello! I’ll first address anyone who might be following me for DCA stuff: I’m not abandoning it, don’t worry! Chapter 6 is in the works now and will be the next thing to be posted. I’ll most likely go with an alternative posting schedule unless something unexpected happens.

Moving on, yes! This is indeed a self-indulgent reader-insert Hazbin Hotel fic (Helluva Boss will come into play somewhere down the line). I might or might not have had an idea swimming in my noggin for months ever since HH aired and it’s finally bursting out of my cranium in fanfic form 👀

This is also kinda my first time dabbling in a large fandom like HH/HB (bigger than FNAF Security Breach anyway), so hopefully I can get the canon characters written okay?

That’s all I have to say for now: new fic, wanna share it here.

I’ll post a daily update that’s not even daily at this point soon! Past few weeks have been fucking insane so I couldn’t get online much, but hopefully work will start easing up enough to let me come on more often 🥺

Thanks to anyone checking out my new fic! Leave a kudos and comment if you like it ♥️

[showtoonzfan]

I wanna know your thoughts! do you think the pilot for lackadaisy is better paced or better in general than the Hazbin or Helluva Boss pilot?

I don’t even think it’s worth it to compare the Lackadaisy pilot’s pacing to the Hazbin pilot’s pacing, because obviously the Lackadaisy pilot wins on that LOL. Don’t get me wrong, during the chase scene I did think it was moving by a little too quickly, but Hazbin’s pacing in comparison was GOD AWFUL. It moved by incredibly fast, especially in the first half, it never felt like you could take a breath. Meanwhile Helluva’s pacing was fine, i think that’s the one you can compare to Lackadaisy, aside from the jumping back and forth between flashbacks.

When it comes to in general, I obviously would say Lackadaisy is better but that’s honestly because of personal bias. Plus, I will admit that it’s difficult to compare Lackadaisy to Helluva or Hazbin because they’re all completely different things. Like…when you ask the person which is better, it depends on what they like honestly. If you like deep yet wacky and juvenile inappropriate and over the top humor, you’ll like Hazbin and Helluva. If you like more simple stories with a cast of colorful characters and shenanigans (as well as gangster, smuggler stuff) you’ll like Lackadaisy.

When it comes to which product executed the character dynamics and conflict better, it was the Helluva pilot. Not that the Lackadaisy pilot did a bad job, but I’m starting to realize that the people who aren’t aware of the comic or haven’t been following the creator around aren’t necessarily going to grasp the characters or concept immediately, (and yes, this is the same issue the Hazbin pilot had, though I do think they introduced the characters 10x worse, and like I said, I personally was able to get down some of the character concepts and dynamics while watching the Lackadaisy pilot) of course it’ll take time, which is why I’m glad the creators want this to be a series because it opens a door to explore the world and everything better. We do need to keep in mind that pilots are a proof of concept, to get people to know what the show would be like. A lot of animated pilots recently don’t necessarily introduce the characters themselves (at least not that much) they focus more on the vibe of the show and feel, and save the introductions for the actual show, so it’s kinda a two sided thing.

But I do genuinely feel like the Lackadaisy pilot did a decent job with introducing what the characters are like and what they do. Like….if you read the fact that this takes place in the twenties and see that prohibition has started, (the text in the beginning) you could easily put together that these characters are smugglers and are looking for alcohol, and the group that immediately shows up to shoot them is after it. I will say the comic did do a better job at explaining the prohibition and how hard times were for many members, but a comic and an animated short are two different things. As for the worlds, the pilot could have done a better job at introducing the world, but so could have Hazbin and Helluva’s pilots ya know? In Hazbin’s case I give the lack of worldbuilding a pass because the show ain’t out yet, so since Lackadaisy is reaching towards a show, I’ll have the same reaction. I’m starting to trail, I’m not the best at describing these things but on a case of which pilot is better, it goes off of the person watching. HOWEVER, If you asked me character wise, it be the Helluva pilot. If you asked me pacing wise, it be the Lacksdaisy pilot. If you asked me conflict and story wise, it would also be the Helluva pilot to SOME degree, but keep in mind when I’m saying this, I’m just saying the HB pilot ended up doing a slightly better job compared to Lackadaisy in the departments I just mentioned. Lackadaisy still did a good job on that, especially the characters since they’re more engaging and likable like…that’s a DEFINITE LOL.

At the end of the day the Lackadaisy pilot (in my personal opinion) lacked in the “trying to appeal to an out of fandom audience” and introducing the world department, but at the same time it IS a pilot. I’ll acknowledge when I think criticism is needed, but I also think it’s too early to say things like these since we have yet to have a PROPER introduction to the story, conflicts and characters. However if you disagree or feel a different way, that’s okay!

[thompsborn]

updated hb, opened instagram, saw ty simpkins post with him posing w harley’s locker in avengers campus, immediately thought “omg he’s celebrating the return of homeward bound harley” and quickly followed up that thought with “he definitely fucking isn’t actually”

[silverwolfstuff]

CHAPTER FOUR (HH & HB)Family Drama and Sweet Love

9:00 amHazbin Hotel- Angel’s roomThe following morning when Hell’s sun rays bled through the window, Angel slowly woke up, from the shrill of his phone ringing. Peeling himself from Husk, the spider demon pulled himself out of bed and stood up as he answered the call from… Yeah you guessed it, none other than Valentino. With a roll of eyes, he pressed the “accept” button. He hissed a little when he heard his voice ringing in his ear. When the call ended, he slipped back inside his bedroom, petting Fat Nuggets and kissed Husk on his forehead gently before he dawned on his usual attire before heading out of the hotel and towards VoxTek HQ. He swallowed and walked in, immediately getting a look from Valentino that said “follow me”. He nodded and crossed his arms around his chest before he followed the latter towards his tower. He couldn’t help but notice how Vox and Velvette weren’t out yet. He was stuck in his own thoughts but was quickly pulled back to reality when he got a harsh tug on his hair. He cried in pain, back hitting the wall as he collided against it. “You insufferable little slut. Can’t even answer my calls, or answer back to me,” Valentino spat out, eyes redder than normal. He didn’t hear a word about whatever Valentino was saying. He jumped a little bit when he heard rapping at the door. The moth growled before going over to his door and opened it, raising a brow when he saw Vox. “What?” The tv demon gave a knowing look at the moth. 

“Some of us are trying to sleep, Val. Fucking keep it down. Please!” he growled, shoving something at his chest before he zapped away into his room where his sleeping lover was laying curled up in a blue silk pyjama shirt and pants under the blue comforters. Smiling softly, he stroked his mismatched hair back gently from his ears and kissed his forehead softly, sighing softly. He rubbed his shoulder gently, laying back beside him and groaned when he heard ruckus from down the hall. He was surprised that his demon lover could sleep- Oh.  He laughed to himself when he noticed the demon beside had earplugs in, no wonder he could sleep through the night without hearing Valentino screaming at Angel. He felt bad for the spider; he knew just how bad the moth could be. He sighed softly before calling in his secretary and told her that he was going out for the day and tomorrow. He told Velvette this as well, as she was cool with his relationship with Ash. He let the demon sleep a while longer, leaving a note that said, “I love you. Went to get breakfast for us. Val might be screaming at Angel again, don’t be alarmed if he is. Just.. Don’t come out yet. Vel knows what’s going on. See you soon, love. -XOXO Vox”.  He headed out to Imp City once he was dressed and had told Velvette that his lover was still asleep, plus he knew if Valentino found out about him and Ash, it wouldn’t be… Great. He sighed softly as he walked through the streets, hands in his pockets as he crossed through Cannibal Town, making a face of disgust. He gave a small nod to Rosie, whom he saw opening the doors to her business. The cannibal woman nodded with a small smile before the tv demon walked off. Seeing the security camera littered around Hell, he zapped through the rings and eventually landed in the Lust Ring. Asmodeus' reign. 

“May as well get this done and over with,” he mumbled to himself as he stepped into the large palace, finding it amusing that the sinners working for Asmodeus knew who he was and allowed him to pass through, granted the Overlords were lower than the Sins. It felt nice to know he was well known sometimes. He jumped a little bit, lost in thought. Seeing the doors to Asmodeus’ office, he knocked softly, hoping he wasn’t interrupting anything that the lord of Lust had going on with either a meeting or his partner Fizzarolli. He looked up from his phone, smiling a little when he saw that Ash had texted him. 

9:15 amLove you. And I know, I haven’t gotten out of bed yet. I have but yeah… Please be safe, V. -A

He didn’t get a chance to answer back as the office doors to Asmodeus’ had opened. “Vox? Surprised to see  someone like you here,” the sin chuckled, setting Fizz down on the ground beside him. 

“Yeah… I know. Look… Fuck, this is embarrassing, but can I make reservations at Ozzie’s?” he asked, sighing softly, leaning against the back of the chair that was in front of Asmodeus’ desk. The sin looked perplexed at the Overlord. 

“Any specific reason?” 

“....” Vox’s screen turned red as his fans turned on with hot air. He cleared his throat and fixed his bowtie. 

“Erm…. A one year anniversary.. With my partner,” he said shyly, looking down at the ground, ignoring the looks from the two sinners. Fizzarolli looked at his partner before looking at the Overlord. The Sin took a deep breath before nodding. “Sure thing, Vox,” he smiled, handing over the reservation slip. The sin nodded before the Overlord thanked him quietly and headed back towards VoxTek HQ. He’d made a few stops first, and two of those were getting something for Ash since it was their first year anniversary. Appearing back in his bedroom, he noticed the sinner was up and wandering in circles, well, that’s what he’d been doing, instead he was laying backwards on the bed in Vox’s shirt and a pair of leggings (like Angel, he had a preference to both male and female clothes). He looked up when he saw the tv demon and crooned softly, slight confusion ran over his features as he glanced at him and saw he was holding a bouquet of flowers.

“.... Wait. What’s tod-.. Shit. Vox. I’m so sor-~ Mhh!” The smaller demon gasped out as he was kissed by Vox. Vox smiled as he held him close by his waist and kissed him deeply, smirking against his mouth as he kissed the smaller demon, holding him close to his chest and dipped him, still keeping a tight hold around his waist. 

“Vox,” the demon whispered when they pulled away. The video demon smirked as he pressed a small kiss to his forehead and hummed gently. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to for~ Mhh!” he said before he was cut off again from a kiss. 

“Stop apologising, dear. It’s fine. Also, I got us reservations at Ozzie’s.” He smiled, screen turning bright red as he squeezed his hip. Ash looked at him, surprised and astonished. “You did what now?” “I pulled a few strings and got us reservations at Ozzie’s. It’s at seven. I’ll pick you up or we can meet in the Lust Ring,” he suggested softly and just smiled gently at his lover. Ash smiled and nodded, kissing his screen softly with a wide grin on his face. “You can come get me… Back of the hotel, in the garden, like always,” he said softly and kissed him again before he had to go to work. He smiled, texting him quickly before he vanished into the shadows and went to the hotel, meeting up with Charlie, whom he had run into as he walked into the lobby of the hotel. 

“Oh! Ash, where were you yesterday? Alastor was looking for you,” she said, moving to the side when Nifty ran around with a sewing needle, stabbing bugs that she saw on the floor, killing them, as well as a few small mice. Probably church mice. 

“I kill mother bugs in front of their children as a warning,” she cackled, killing several bugs in one go before scurrying off in the opposite direction. The two demons looked at each other before Ash just mumbled a quiet “okay…” before he walked over to the bar, greeting Angel who was laying on the couch while Husk was tending to his wounds. He looked perplexed but didn’t question it. He could only guess what had happened to the sinner. Sighing softly, the younger radio host slithered his way up to his bedroom, sitting at his desk, he started writing, something he did to pass time. Every now and then he would play the harp or the piano but mainly he’d write. He found it soothing. His shadows played music as he was lost in his own thoughts. 

  ***

Angel was now sitting with his head on Husk’s lap, allowing him to play with his hair and soothe him as he thought about the night that had happened before and he spilled everything to him. Husk sighed softly but listened to his lover ramble, knowing it helped him greatly. He pressed a small kiss to his forehead and offered a small smile to him. Eventually, the spider sinner had fallen into a light sleep, well, it was short lived because Charlie had opened the doors of the hotel and there stood Arackniss, Angel’s brother. The sinner looked at the princess of hell and past her shoulder he saw who he was looking for. He mumbled a quiet greeting before pushing past her and nudged Angel with his foot. The spider hummed in reply and curled more into Husk, holding onto him tightly. Though, the older sinner looked between the two sinners and sighed, tugging his brother’s arm. That nudge had awoken Angel, causing him to fall off of Husk. 

“What the-... Arackniss? What the fuck are you doin’ here?!” “Visiting you. Moll’s wanted me to since she’s… Y’know in heaven with ma.” “I know. I saw her and ma a few days ago. What do you want and why the fuck are you here? Yes, I got your message and yes, I remember when I was alive but even then, you were a dick and you still are. No wonder Molly couldn’t stand you every time you went t’visit or she came down ‘ere. I don’t want anything t’do with ya, nor dad. Both of you can go rot in the deepest pits of Hell for all I care,” the spider glared at his older brother. 

“Tony-.”

“It’s Angel. That name is long dead, Sal,” he spoke codly and without emotion. The slouched spider raised a brow. 

“You gonna regret-. Ow! Wha’ the fuck?!” Arackniss cursed, having been punched in the jaw from Husk  who had his wings around Angel protectively. The spider looked between his brother and the former overlord before he cursed in Italian and left the hotel with a scowl. Husk huffed and softly took Angel’s hand, pulling him down for a kiss, smiling a little bit. 

“Thanks, Husky,” he whispered. 

“‘Course, Legs.”

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E5

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Gonna knock out another two episodes of Hazbin Hotel today and then the last two at some point later this week, and then it’ll be on to Helluva Boss (which will probably be shorter posts overall, because HH is the cosmic-scale conflict show and HB is the interpersonal conflict show, but knock on wood and all).

Time to jump into Hazbin Hotel s1e5!

Charlie starting to understand that the concept of redemption is nowhere near as easy as she thought it would be is such a wonderful, simple, universal, maddening element of coming-of-age stories, where naivete is replaced with experience. And, following that formula, Charlie’s desire to help people with THEIR problems means she can’t ignore HER problems. Ain’t it funny? Her commitment to the idea that she is Right About This can get a little grating, even a little embarrassing to watch (at least for me); I think for me it smacks of well-meaning but ignorant privilege (and being in possession of that and having gone through a lot of growing pains just to see that I have it in the first place, let alone try to grow from it…listen I don’t really believe in “cringe” the way it’s commonly used but I sure do feel it while watching Charlie in a visceral, personal way). But her determination to stop suffering in tangible ways is still an honorable impulse, and her strength of character can only improve by being challenged and knocked down from paths that won’t work.

Charlie’s wording for how the Exterminations came to be is another interesting angle to add to the puzzle. Even Miss Sunshine and Rainbows doesn’t sugar-coat it (except with the original sugar-coating I think she originally heard the story with), saying Lucifer let it happen, that he said, “go ahead and kill everyone.” Up until this point, Lucifer hasn’t been seen in-show except in the first episode’s bedtime story version of backstory. He’s mentioned as a powerful figure, usually in relation to Charlie (or rather, in Charlie’s relationship to him, “Lucifer’s brat,” “Lucifer’s little bitch,” etc.), but he isn’t seen. All we have is Charlie’s unwillingness to reach out to him, a hint of Daddy Issues, and a vision of a dreamer who gets his ideas ignored and makes a mistake that creates Hell. And now with this, the image that we get of Lucifer seems cold, passive, and distant. And, heck, to Charlie, that’s exactly what he is. To EVERYONE, that’s how he seems to be.

So you can imagine the sheer shock and delight that gripped my heart to find out that Lucifer is the picture definition of Just A Little Guy.

(My friend who got me into the Hellaverse and was very much into the fan scene of Hazbin Hotel has told me that she’s having a hard time reconciling fanon, which was all they had for about five years, with what we now get as canon, and it’s interesting because I can see the roots of the ideas that formed that version of Lucifer, because it’s how Charlie sees Lucifer: aloof, distant, caring but not personal. Because. Well. That’s what depression on a powerful man looks like. Mr. Darcy and Lucifer could swap notes.)

(Also, there’s a red bodysuit on a dummy hanging in Lucifer’s room and I want to know what it is and where in Hell Lucifer would wear it.)

(Also also, I want his tea set. It’s so much fun. What the heck.)

Alright, Lucifer: this guy. This adorable, wacky, deeply broken little man. This guy who is supposed to be the scariest, most powerful being in Hell…and whom Alastor IMMEDIATELY picks a fight with. Part of this I personally see as Alastor’s natural arrogance; he’s uncomfortable not being the person in the room with the most power and control, so re-establishing that is important. Doubly important to him, I believe, is keeping his influence over Charlie, which Lucifer could most definitely threaten. Lucifer too isn’t used to having his authority challenged, not by some random sinner, and Lucifer does not like sinners. Like, full stop, doesn’t care about them, agreed to the Exterminations against them (likely as a trade to keep his family safe, which is an understandable trade and certainly one more up Lucifer’s alley, letting it happen rather than enacting it himself), doesn’t want Charlie to put herself on the line for them. And so having one belittle and threaten him and his standing with Charlie makes for an absolutely delectable tension, from which we get a very fun musical number.

(And look maybe it’s my very stupid Homestuck brain but the kismessitude is off the CHARTS, they are perversely loving poking at each other and it is FUN TO WATCH OKAY.)

Also, watching Alastor manipulate his way through the first half of this episode makes the catharsis of Lucifer’s genuine affection later (once he and Charlie hash out more of the bullcrap first) so much better, and it reinforces a running theme through the show (both shows actually): that the false or shallow stuff (Words, to use Rosie’s later advice) can entertain or help only so far before it falls apart, and the real stuff (Actions) is hard work but often the more truthful, stable stuff long-term. And “stuff” really is a catch-all term here: Alastor’s simpering false affection versus Lucifer’s genuine deeper fatherly love, Valentino’s version of love versus the Hotel’s version of love, Blitzo and Stolas’ full moon agreement versus the underlying feelings they have for each other, Sir Pentious’ first day “progress” versus his real, actual redemption after he sacrifices himself for people he was fully planning to shoot six months ago, Crimson’s playing nice towards Moxxie versus Blitzo’s actual trust in and care towards Moxxie. Real love, real support, real relationships, real progress: they’re messy, they’re hard, they’re not going to be storybook perfect, or as easy as sharing feelings and doing a couple of trust falls. I’m out in left field here again but this principle is so foundational to both of these shows; it’s 100% why I believe that if and when Alastor’s moment to turn on the Hotel and Charlie comes, it’s going to be such a satisfying and probably heart-wrenching moment, because even the detached sadistic Radio Demon might not be immune from making valuable connections that would bother him to lose. His game of manipulation and guiding Charlie towards a particular goal of his might get its hooks into him in ways he doesn’t expect—when the care he professes to have for Charlie turns into real care rather than a way to snipe at Lucifer.

ANYWAY.

Nice to see the theater that the hotel façade is always broadcasting, though not sure if it counts as real since it’s during a musical number. And to bring back the last point about fake vs. real feelings: Lucifer himself undergoes a transformation this episode, too. Alastor is laying it on thick, but Lucifer is as well, he’s just painfully sincere about it and that makes it worse. He doesn’t know how to emotionally connect to Charlie, but he wants to smother her with affection and gifts and favors, since that’s about all he has to offer. It doesn’t occur to him until Charlie snaps at him that what she really wants and needs from him is…him. Himself. And being horrifically depressed and isolated doesn’t do much for a person, especially a person who screwed up in about the worst way a being can and as punishment got kicked out of his home, forced into a place he doesn’t like (and maybe can never escape), and made to watch the fruits (lol) of his labor churn out thousands of years of pain and suffering. Lucifer doesn’t GET that all Charlie needs is HIM. Why would she need HIM?? She can need the stuff he can get her, she can need favors from him, but HIM??? His support, his love, his encouragement? Madness. Nobody needs Lucifer. Lucifer is a sad sack hiding away in his ducky room, nobody needs that. I’m not projecting. This is fine.

SO. Next important building block into the “so blood colors in Hazbin Hotel specifically, what’s that about” discussion: Lucifer doing the Vivziepop crazy-eyes-with-drippy-mouth deranged expression. His bloody mouth drippies? They’re gold. Lucifer is still an angel. He’s a Fallen angel, but we don’t really know what that means in this context, because Vaggie is also an angel who lives in Hell but is never referred to as Fallen, but Lucifer still self-identifies as an angel, never as a demon. He still has the wings, he still has the powers, he still has the golden blood, APPARENTLY. But he also has the demonic form, the fire powers, the authority of a king of Hell. So, okay, he bleeds golden. Angels do that. Sinners were once human; they bleed red. We don’t seem to meet another Hellborn demon who runs into trouble in Hazbin Hotel, but in Helluva Boss, Hellborn demons bleed black. And if we’re running on the assumption that HH and HB still exist in the same universe, the black blood for Hellborn demons should hold true for HH, right? Keep this thought in mind, it’ll become important at the finale.

MIMZY! With her Mammon tattoo that drives me up the wall because sinners can’t leave Pride so why does she have that!!!!

Her version of Alastor’s backstory is, again, sort of unreliable, but it’s probably pretty close to the truth (just not the WHOLE truth, but there are some things that will probably never be discussed because they’re not important to the story but I’m just curious about them…like exactly how long it took for Alastor to start gaining clout, how he managed to take down powerful Overlords all on his own, if he’s always been freaky-powerful and different or if he became that way, what he knows and if he exploited Hellish loopholes or just read the proverbial instruction manual, if any of the Overlords he destroyed signed their souls to him first, etc. etc. etc.). And it serves the purpose of filling in some context for Alastor and why even after a seven-year absence he seems feared and respected still (by certain folks, anyway). But knowing all of this, and knowing Husk used to be an Overlord too…it raises a lot of the same questions from last episode, with interest after Husk goes to try and talk to him about Mimzy.

A short play-by-play: Husk interrupts Alastor’s now-silent pissing contest with Lucifer to bring up a concern with him. Alastor dismisses and belittles Husk. Husk lashes out with an incredibly dangerous piece of knowledge. Alastor wastes no time in putting Husk back in his place. They part ways, Alastor superior and Husk cowed.

Now let’s dig in a little deeper: Husk goes to Alastor to warn him about Mimzy out of concern. That’s interesting. Concern for Alastor? Concern for the hotel and its residents? Both? Alastor’s self-inflated ego is both his strength and his weakness; it’s entirely fair of Husk to bring up that Alastor has been missing for a little while, and to point out that nobody knows WHY—the implication being, with Alastor’s absence, fear of his abilities will have dwindled some (and Mimzy did just get done saying that he hasn’t gone on an Overlord-killing spree in a while, though what “a while” means is unclear). And given that seven years was enough time for the Vees to rise in power and get a chokehold on Hell like they have, Husk’s concerns are entirely valid, even reasonable.

Alastor’s reaction is beautifully in-character: an assertion and confidence in his own abilities, and a subtle reminder to Husk of his position in their relationship and what and who Alastor is to him (yes, calling him a pet is “subtle;” the overt way happens shortly). Alastor doesn’t want Husk’s concern; just his compliance. Alastor is aware that Husk still has value as an underling, but he isn’t so irreplaceable that Alastor wouldn’t destroy him for impertinence in a heartbeat. Here’s the next thought, though: does Alastor not like the impertinence…or is he afraid?

Because here’s my next huge batch of questions: how does Husk know that Alastor is on a leash? How is it that Husk isn’t an Overlord anymore and instead is owned by one, but Alastor is himself not in possession of his own soul (maybe) and yet retains his powers, his souls, his standing? Is Alastor on the hook for his whole soul, or something else? Alastor as a deal-maker has shown that he deals in way more things than just souls; while souls seem to be the most powerful currency, they aren’t the only currency—or the only things that grant power. But it isn’t like most owned souls go around with a collar and leash with “return to owner” tags on them. Does Husk know because as a former Overlord he can recognize some of the signs in Alastor somehow? Is there some sort of mutual sense connection between them? Alastor owns Husk, but Husk only allowed himself to be owned to save his power. What does that mean? Do Alastor and Husk have a typical Overlord/owned soul relationship, or is there something different about their contract?

Any way you dice it, Husk overstepped a line that Alastor did not want crossed (oh the irony), and Alastor’s immediate reaction to challenges to his authority is to assert that authority with a show of force. Up until now, that show of force has just been creepy static Alastor, but with Husk, he has something more visceral. Husk’s contract with Alastor as represented by the ropes in Loser is airtight, inescapable and neat and complete. Likewise, Alastor’s chain on Husk is far more tangible than Valentino’s on Angel, more inescapable. And Husk, very rightly, is scared witless of his boss and what Alastor could do to him. Husk was an Overlord; he knows the feeling now of being on both ends of the leash, what a person can do with a soul they own. Alastor cannot afford to be challenged by someone he could destroy with a thought. More than that, Husk needs to be reminded of his place and that his place includes silence about what he knows. It’s framed as Alastor punishing and threatening Husk for the backtalk, but I think it’s a little deeper than that; I think it’s also him ensuring Husk doesn’t go spreading it around that Alastor is also on the hook with somebody else.

I wonder if it keeps Husk up at night, to know that the demon he sold (lost?) his own soul to did the exact same thing, that there is something bigger and scarier and more powerful than Alastor out there and what might happen to Husk if Alastor gets destroyed.

Aaaanyway.

Back to Lucifer, who is in the middle of trying to parent his child away from making very similar mistakes that he himself made without being open about it, like a parent does. The problem being, Charlie isn’t a child anymore. And her doing things like challenging Heaven and taking sinners under her metaphorical wings is going to have consequences much bigger than she’s aware of because she hasn’t been told the whole truth, the whole story. But even in his roundabout way, Lucifer IS telling Charlie pieces of the story—“You build something nice” Was that Lucifer trying to make the best out of a bad situation? He gets to Hell, he tries to make the best of it, he fixes up Hell to be this neat and fun circus. Woohoo! “You invite them in” So the first sinners show up, Lucifer has Hell all ready for them, and… “And they just bring violence and chaos to your doorstep.” It didn’t work out very well, did it? Humans create environments that are what they’re comfortable in, which means recreating what they know and understand; it’s what makes recovery for abuse victims so difficult, what makes PTSD recovery so difficult, what makes actually growing and overcoming our issues and bad coping mechanisms so difficult. And with a ruler who doesn’t understand humans, already knows that to get to Hell they had to do something wrong, and gets his assumptions proven right when sinners return to the behaviors they know and understand best…yeah, not so much a surprise that “it doesn’t matter how well-intentioned you are, they're always going to disappoint you” is what flies out of Lucifer’s mouth next, huh?

Lucifer is what Charlie could become if she lets herself become jaded and closed-off. Because some of the most miserable sad sacks in existence are the failed dreamers.

But hark!

“How come he can have faith in me but my own father can’t?”

Lucifer’s wake-up call, and the subsequent musical number where two very important sides are shared: Lucifer’s failed attempts at realizing his own visions for creation (and the way he puts it…it sounds like he tried to help sinners too, at first, but got too hurt in the process to continue; maybe he’s just referring to giving humans free will in the first place, but there seems to me to be little hints that even after getting to Hell he was still trying to help humanity and he failed), and Charlie’s core drives and goals (ignited by seeing her own dad’s creativity, still alive even after being pretty well mangled, not that she knew that as a kid; Charlie being aware of Lucifer’s intentions to help when he gave Eve the apple is probably a safe bet given the storybook, but her childhood innocence keeping her shielded from how badly that failure fucked him up also shielded her from his cynicism and despair and helped her cultivate real determination to make her ideas work). Lucifer failed, but he can help Charlie succeed—and even if she doesn’t, what she really needs from him is just the support. She does need him—and he can be there for her. He can be scared for her, want to protect her, but he can also set aside the impulse to hide her away to be who she actually needs, which is someone who steps up to help her and cheers her on.

He can be for Charlie what he couldn’t be for Lilith, in other words. Because what he needs to DO for Charlie is ultimately to let her go. To let her make her own decisions, and step in only when she needs him. Not to smother her, not to hide from her, just to be there on her terms. It’s visibly difficult for Lucifer to submit to Charlie’s request for a meeting with Heaven. But he does it. Because it’s what she needs (in more ways than he knows tbh).

There’s a million other little details I’m glossing over—Alastor throwing Mimzy out (and the implications that Alastor doesn’t want trouble like that coming to the Hotel constantly—either because he doesn’t WANT to be fending demons off like that, or maybe he CAN’T?), Husk’s little look of satisfaction as she leaves (yeah Alastor gave him absolute hell earlier but he was right, and Alastor did get rid of her, so in a way, didn’t Husk win?), Sir Pentious’ TV Guide magazine as the three onlookers swap between the two dramas unfolding before them (perfect gag, love it), wondering if Lucifer knew what Vaggie was (unlikely but you never know; maybe he just figured it wasn’t a secret so he didn’t say anything), Alastor’s twitching smile when Lucifer first enters the hotel and throws himself at Charlie, the “It’s A Boy” banner hanging in the background of the hotel—but I’m pretty sure I hit all the marks I wanted to make. There was a lot of meat to chew over in this episode.

And there’s gonna be even more next episode!

[hamsamwich23]

Hello and welcome, Silly Critters

About me

My name is Sam and/or Mort, I'm 19 years old. I identify as pan + demiromantic-asexual, and my pronouns are he/they/it/xe. I am also polyamorous and have one partner (whom I love very much💛).

My hobbies include writing (mostly fanfiction), playing video games, role play, photography, and more. I am currently working on two AU's, which will be mentioned later. (After my DNI)

My interests include: Hello Puppets, Doki Doki Literature Club, 1nv4d3r Z1m, Adventure Time, Hollow Knight, Cult Of The Lamb, Don't Hug Me Im Scared, Milk inside a bag of milk +Milk outside a bag of milk, Amanda The Adventurer, Welcome Home, Smile For Me, Happy Game, Slime ranchers, Among Us, Minecraft, Fall Guys, GHOST and pals music, Vane Lily music, R.I.P music, Limbo, Inside, Bojack Horseman, Yo Kai Watch (1st and 2nd Games), Nexo Knights, Night In The Woods, Deltarune, Undertale, Undertale Yellow, The Dog Island, The backrooms, Liminal Space, Tomodachi Life, That's Not My Neighbor (Bolded interests are my current special interests and main focuses)

My DMs are always open, and I'm always up for making friends! However I would like to mention that I am neurodivergent, I have AuDHD and struggle with OCD and heavy mental health problems. I simply ask that you be patient with me. As I may misunderstand things at times, as well as go offline or isolate myself at times.

❗Writing Commissions and trades are currently: CLOSED

❗Requests for Unreality Au one shots are OPEN

❗Hello Puppets Infected Au will be continued in 2025.

🍉This Blog Stands With The People Of Palestine🍉

DNI

I'm aware that people don't Technically have to follow DNI's, but I would still like to state my boundaries. I block freely and often, and will block you if you make me uncomfortable and/or treat people like shit, or for any personal reason that I feel the need to block.

That being said, as I mentioned before I have heavy paranoia issues and OCD that interfere with my every day life, including life on the Internet. If anything at all feels off to me I just block. I understand this is somewhat irrational and I apologize in advance if I end up blocking you for seemingly no reason. This is the easiest way I can explain the issue.

I would prefer if you didn't interact with me if you're any of the following or if any of the following applies to you:

Prosh1p/Comsh1p/Prof1c/ECT, shipping discourse blogs, against oc x canon/self shippers, if you engage in lgbtq+ discourse and/or are a lgbtq discourse blog, support the boyfriends webtoon, hardcore DSMP fans, k1nk/f3tish blogs that are not run by people i personally know, support either or both fox_an_draw and/or scatteredkitbrainzzz/kitruckus, hardcore stranger things fans

(a lot of these will still end up in an automatic block but I'll still at least try to ask for my boundaries to be respected)

Please do not talk to me about: Ship discourse, Lgbtq+ discourse, TheWaltenFiles (unless we're mutuals but even then I would prefer not too), IZfandom discourse, The Amazing Digital Circus.

You will be blocked immediately if: you are bigoted in any way at all (TERFS/radfems, rad-exclus, abliest, pro-isreal/Zionist, antisemitic/Nazi's, conservative/republican, anti-lgbtq+, sexist, anti-choice, ECT), L0Li/Sh0t4c0n, Pro-harassment, Antishippers who tell pr0shippers to hurt themselves/k1ll themselves/to relive their trauma, people who harass others over shipping in general, ai "artists", people who support the use of AI to steal from content creators, people who believe "blackwashing" is a thing and/or defend whitewashing, If you support any of the following people: JKRowling*, Viziepop*, proshippersaretheproblem, thelocalvampyre, inky/Spencer/snax/grey(IZ), Dream/DreamWasTaken, mr-saturnnn, Fluffyphobias, kittensneeze, izzydrawsforfun, lunasol, refrainbow.

(*Fans of Harry Potter and HH/HB who are critical and don't support the actions of the creators are okay to interact)

This list can and probably will be updated at any time

Socials/Other blogs

My other blogs on Tumblr:

@unreality-au-content-hoard - A blog for my Unreality Au, A crossover/multifandom AU inspired by weirdcore, horror, and Liminal Space themes. (Includes characters from Hello Puppets, Doki Doki Literature Club, Inv4d3r Z1m, Undertale +UT yellow (recent addition), Hatsune Miku(/hj), and OCs!! (All content warnings are in the pinned post. Fan content for this au is OKAY with me!!)

@morts-infected-au - A Hello Puppets AU inspired by the MLP infection Aus!! (this blog is still under construction and this Au contains heavy elements of horror and gore)

Discord: hamsamwich23

Instagram: hamsamwich23

Wattpad: judgment23

SquidgeWorld: hamsamwich23

Thank you for reading