#to experience it through vaggies mask rather than...

[mama-vaggie]

Dear Diary,

I had a rough night last night. I don't remember much other than hearing a lot of screaming that I know wasn't really there. Apparently I kept shouting that I wanted to go home. Angel walked me up to the window, pointed to the portal to Heaven, and asked if that's what I meant. I ran away screaming and started back up on my bullshit, so I guess not. There's a huge spot in the lobby where I was shredding all the wallpaper off the wall, so I'll have to fix that later today. Charlie said that Lucifer tried to stop me, but that it ended up being safer to just give me some space. That always makes me feel like shit, knowing that I was making someone unsafe to begin with.

I'll get out of bed in a sec. I swear. Right now it feels like there's still a lot of yelling going on. Every thought I have, there's a voice in the background arguing with it. I just need a little piece and quiet, just for a second, and I swear I'll be good.

[alastanor]

So maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part...

But when you see how this boy smiles, how huge that smile is.

ALL. THE. TIME.

It is kind of weird to see his smile change for a little bit when we get to this scene.

He is asking Charlie what she thinks, and she is genuinely overjoyed by everything he has done to make her hotel more welcoming and warm for demons interested in staying.

Her joy and happiness are so apparent, she approaches him with a huge smile of her own. And for a split second, that huge smile of his seems to soften. Just slightly, but if you pause it's there. Maybe this is just coincidence, but unlike some of the weird ass animation frames we get when we pause at awkward moments, his softened smile is longer than just a single frame.

Which leads me to think maybe, just MAYBE this is a quick break in the mask Alastor puts up. Because perhaps he is genuinely touched by how happy and appreciative Charlie is for his hard work. Which, if my theory on Alastor is correct, such appreciation is something he never received in hell for all he had done over the past century or so.

I'm not saying this because I ship Charlastor, either. I thought these two would do really well together even just platonically long before I jumped on the Charlastor ship.

The reason why is this:

Charlie and Vaggie are in a relationship, according to sources which include Vivzie herself.

However, without actually finding out through outside channels, I would have just figured the two to be rather close friends. There isn't anything that could really be considered romantic interaction between the two at any point in the pilot.

There are factors that could be involved as to why this may be, but it just seemed odd not to establish their relationship as more romantic in the pilot if they are romantically involved. Especially when the pilot is meant to establish these sorts of things prior to the actual show.

At multiple points in the pilot, their relationship seems to be somewhat off-balance. Charlie seems to rely on Vaggie more than what could be considered normal. Not to say depending on others is wrong, but the give and take between these two in those regards isn't normal for a balanced and healthy romantic relationship.

Vaggie is loving and supportive when we first meet her, but she also indulges Charlie in her dependency to her. Again, this isn't to say that depending on the ones you care about is wrong, but you also need a sense of independence and self-identity. These are two things Charlie seems to struggle with in the pilot.

Vaggie, like anyone who cares about someone else, wants to protect Charlie and see her succeed. We see several instances of her doing as such.

She even goes so far as to pull a spear on Alastor, who she knows is far more powerful than she is but does so because she wants to protect Charlie and the hotel. This is admirable, but the biggest issue with Vaggie's desire to protect Charlie is it keeps her sheltered.

She also endorses Charlie's cold turkey method of "discouraging sin" which we know would not work.

Charlie demonstrates some naivety in the pilot on how Hell (and by extension, the world) works, something that Vaggie does point out briefly but never fully drives home. Charlie feels the need to sing about her goals and dreams "because that is how she best expresses herself," even though life is not a musical. In her song, though Charlie's goals are noble, her ideas on how to reach them are short sighted and inconsiderate. More self-serving to her personal goal than to actually achieving lasting change within a sinner.

We see her throwing away vices each sinner possesses, seeking quick solutions to problems that cannot be solved with them.

This, of course, earns her no favors with her audience for which she is trying to sell her idea. So naturally they laugh and scorn her.

As princess of hell, it would not surprise me if she was sheltered by Lillith and Lucifer. Given her personality upon meeting her, that seems rather likely.

Charlie cannot learn any other way or experience the world as she should in order to grow as a person and into the princess Hell needs if she is constantly protected and sheltered by those who care about her most. Leaving the nest to pursue her goals was a good first step, but unless she can get out and experience the world instead of being sheltered from it, she won't be able to learn or grow.

This is where Alastor comes into play.

Alastor, from the beginning, has kept Charlie and Vaggie separated. Or at least not together for any extended period of time.

After all, Alastor can get away with more when someone is wearing Rose-Colored Glasses than when someone is constantly shooting glares his way.

This is something that both works for and against Charlie. For her in the sense that spending time away from Vaggie and around Alastor would allow her to experience Hell in a more direct way. In the way that Alastor sees it, which would allow for a big paradigm shift and for character growth from Charlie.

But against her in the sense that it leaves Charlie vulnerable to getting hurt. Granted, when you get hurt that is an experience you also learn from. But how Charlie would get hurt is something else entirely.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Alastor spending more time with Charlie who looks for the good in everything around her, would likely also inspire a change in him and his world view. Even if miniscule.

In this sense, the two are good for one another. They would learn and grow from each other. Which is the goal in fictional stories like this.

This isn't to say Vaggie is a problem character, or that she is wrong to want to protect Charlie. On the contrary, I personally find Vaggie to be a very relatable character. But she, like every member of the Hazbin cast(and every denizen of hell, let's be honest), has some growing to do. And she can't really do that herself if she is focusing all of her energy and attention on protecting Charlie from anyone and everyone she considers a problem or a threat.

But regardless where the shipping chips fall, it will be interesting to see how all the relationships grow and change as the characters themselves do so.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[canon-fcdder]

“Tell me I’m cute, tell me I’m worthy.” Angel's been oddly quiet, sticking by Alastor non-stop. Hopefully Al gets the message & helps him. ( -yeets a needy Angel- :33 ) 

- ✩ { @gamblealife​​​​​​​​ } ✩

{ ☆ } Alastor can’t decide whether he enjoys the lack of inane and suggestive chit-chat… or is unsettled annoyed by it. He’s been wandering around the hotel, as per usual. Seeing what there was to amuse himself with— ‘chatting’ with Husk, seeing how red Vaggie’s face could get, suspiciously admiring the portraits of Charlie and her family —as the spider demon tagged along. Which normally wouldn’t be odd in itself, since Angel has been known to spend quite a lot of time around the radio demon. Just… not so quietly.

Even getting Vaggie mad enough to comically threaten his life hadn’t been enough to make Angel crack the smallest sliver of a smile, much to Alastor’s concern confusion.

It’s only when they reach the lobby for a brief respite— Alastor choosing a seat in the furthest corner, masking the area in blatant shadows to make passersby squirm… and move along FASTER, rather than gawk at the sullen spider and menacing deer —that Angel finally speaks, voicing a request that has Alastor’s narrowed gaze snapping from the bystander he’d been intimidating over to the arachnid instead. ‘Tell me I’m cute, tell me I’m worthy.’ Eyes opening wide with surprise and relief, scarlet hues flicker up and down the other’s form, checking for any sign of the usual spark that resides in the spider… But he can’t find any.

Just a solemn request by the male hunched over beside him.

… “You’re cute and you’re worthy.” Words are short, abrupt and to the point. Like a parrot repeating what it has heard, or someone playing a recording. Lacking warmth or empathy that the spider was likely hoping for. Spoken as a statement, fact rather than pity. Although, Alastor is MORE than aware that this is of little comfort to someone when actively reaching out. Like so many secretly sentimental people tend to do. But that’s beside the point. It’s not the words that are important; anyone can say things they don’t mean. He does it all the time. Can spew praise and flattery like a faucet. Even if it should mean SOMETHING that Al repeated what someone else told him to. What speaks louder than words are actions…

An arm gingerly drapes around Angel’s shoulders, different from Alastor’s normal abrupt and domineering breaches of personal space. Slow, careful movement that brings the spider closer, allowing him to rest against his side. Free hand lightly brushes through Angel’s hair, silky strands sliding between nimble fingers as he lightly hums with interest, heavily-lidded gaze studying the texture. Hand near-disappearing into soft fur, fingers steadily slide through in soothing motions. Twirling a few strands around a finger, they flutter back into place before his hand slides downward. Drifting across Angel’s cheek as if it’s the most natural thing in the word, thumb sparing a moment to brush it before his hand continues its trail downward…

… and goes to rest on Angel’s chest.

Carding through the thick fur, fingers rake deep into the soft surface. Methodically petting the other male, calm gaze focused on how the fluffy mounds are disrupted by his movements. On how strands slide and separate between his digits, on the intoxicating feeling. He stills thinks that he could get used to it. Of how he hopes it feels GOOD to the arachnid, much like when Alastor’s ears are petted. Although, the deer demon rarely experiences it. At the very least, Angel should appreciate the initiated comfort affection contact. { ☆ }