Charlastor shipper’s perspective
Very long post ahead. This is not an attack or a debate invitation, just my personal perspective as a Charlastor shipper.
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I've noticed a constant wave of negativity surrounding this ship (whether on TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, or elsewhere), and as someone who likes this ship, I’m starting to feel a bit weary of it all. So, I’ve decided to address the arguments that people often make against Charlastor. I’ll also share why I personally enjoy Charlastor, so that those who don’t ship it can understand our perspective.
⚠ First, I want to clarify: Charlastor/Radiobelle isn’t, wasn’t, and won’t ever be the best couple in the entire show. Yes, it's toxic and has its flaws, just like (almost) all the ships from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. My intention here isn’t to claim that this ship is the best or that everyone must support it; rather, I feel that people often use the same arguments because they struggle to articulate why they dislike the ship. Of course, if you genuinely feel that way, I respect your opinions. What I’m aiming for is for those who aren’t fans of the ship to understand our viewpoint and not see us as societal outcasts. Remember, while you may not like a particular ship, it’s important to respect it. I also have ships that I don’t ship, but I don’t comment “burn it” under post.
Classic arguments people use, when they don't like Charlastor
If you come across any posts about Charlastor (anywhere), you might see one of the following comments from users:
“Charlie is a lesbian!”
“Alastor is aroace and asexual!”
“Charlie is dating Vaggi!”
“Alastor sees her as a daughter!” / “Charlie sees him as a father!”
“Homophobe!”
“Alastor is just manipulating her; he doesn’t care about her at all!”
Alright, let’s go through these points one by one, and I’ll explain each argument:
“Charlie is a lesbian!”
I’d like to start with this: if you’ve been a fan of Hazbin Hotel for a while or have done any research on it, you know that she isn’t. While it wasn’t explicitly stated in the series before the second season, it was known beforehand—Vivienne mentioned it in her posts on X (which are no longer available), and it was also referenced in the merch. Ultimately, this was confirmed when Charlie openly told Katie Killjoy that she is bisexual in the fourth episode of the second season.
It’s also important to recognize that just because characters are involved with someone of the same gender, it doesn’t automatically mean they are homosexual, especially when it hasn’t been confirmed or hinted at in any way.
“Alastor is aroace and asexual!”
Exactly, folks, he is asexual. Asexual individuals can have feelings and can still love, have partners, or engage in sex. Asexuality simply means a lack of interest in sexual activity. Now, regarding the second part: Vivienne has never confirmed that Alastor is aroace; he is still officially recognized as asexual. While his voice actor, Amir Talai, initially stated that Alastor is aroace, he later clarified that he doesn’t actually know if Alastor is canonically aroace. Vivienne also mentioned that Alastor’s sexuality doesn’t tie into plot and that fans can interpret his romantic orientation for themselves. So yes—canonically, he is confirmed only as asexual (which is also reflected in the merch, where he has only the asexual flag).
But if you believe he is aroace and feel uncomfortable shipping him with anyone, that’s perfectly fine. However, even if some people say this, they openly ship him with, for example, Lucifer.
“Charlie is dating Vaggi!”
This is logical and clear, even for (most) people who don’t watch Hazbin Hotel. Characters in fandoms who are dating someone or are even married can, and I emphasize, can be shipped with someone else. If you’re upset that this “erases” the official couple and are worried it might become canon, that’s simply not the case—at least not in this instance. I hope it’s clear that Charlastor won’t become canon, especially since Vivienne likely dislikes that ship. People generally ship characters for fun and because they enjoy it, but that doesn’t mean they want it to be canon.
If some of you are angry (and there are cases) that people ship Charlie with a man, I see nothing wrong with it. Charlie is bisexual, which means she likes both men and women. And if she were also a lesbian, there’s nothing wrong with that. There are still people who enjoy Vaggi x Angel, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s completely okay if you find it strange or uncomfortable to ship a homosexual with someone of the opposite gender, but please respect others and don’t ruin their enjoyment.
“Alastor sees her as a daughter!” / “Charlie sees him as a father!”
I really need to clarify this because, as someone who ships Charlastor, it personally makes me anxious and uneasy to think about what others must think of us when they say this. Alastor does not see Charlie as his daughter in any sense. Vivienne herself confirmed that Alastor only said that to annoy and provoke Lucifer. When Alastor says this, he isn’t looking at Charlie at all; he’s saying it to Lucifer, and it’s clear that he’s trying to get a reaction out of him. Not to mention that Charlie already has her own father and is an adult. Why would she need a second father? Furthermore, in my opinion, Alastor does not treat her like a father would—he mocks her, doesn’t believe in redemption, and even makes mocks of her girlfriend. That’s not how someone should behave toward a person they see as their child. Sorry, but if you call Charlastor toxic and claim this, then I personally think that the relationship between Charlie and Alastor as daughter and father isn’t exactly healthy either, is it? Also, when Alastor introduces Rosie to Charlie, he refers to her as a princess and presents her formally. When Rosie makes that comment, Alastor doesn’t even react to her, not even with his expression. Even though Alastor is still smiling, we can see when he feels frustrated or annoyed, and after season two, this becomes even more apparent. I’m sure Alastor (at least in private) would say something, because we know relationship between Alastor and Rosie behind closed doors. Additionally, Alastor is younger than Charlie, having been born in the 20th century, possibly in the 19th. Charlie, being the princess of Hell and the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith, is much older than Alastor. So yes, just from that, it sounds odd.
Fans in Hazbin Hotel (I don’t want to generalize, of course, this happens in other fandoms too) take everything said literally. Additionally, some fans believe that male characters see other women as their daughters, which seems completely nonsensical to me. Some people also view Velvette as a child in the Staticmoth ship (Vox x Valentino). But if that’s how you still see it, that’s fine. However, please don’t say that Charlastor is toxic and disgusting when you view their relationship as that of a father and daughter, because yes, not all fathers are supportive and caring.
“Homophobe!”
First time I saw some post talking about this (here), I honestly couldn’t believe that some people were actually typing things like this. But my opinion changed when I watched a video about Charlastor and saw a comment saying: “If you ship this, you’re homophobic.” All I can say to that is this: shipping a man and a woman does not automatically make someone homophobic. I’ll say it again—Charlie is bisexual, which means she is attracted to both men and women.
As an example, if there’s a canon straight couple and people ship the woman with her female friend instead, that doesn’t automatically make them “straightphobic” (even if that word probably doesn’t officially exist). In the same way, even homophobic people can sometimes ship same gender couples—yes, that does happen. At the end of the day, this isn’t about gender. It’s about the dynamic between the characters.
“Alastor is just manipulating her; he doesn’t care about her at all!”
I understand this argument, but on the flip side, Alastor manipulates and toys with everyone—it's just part of his nature. He even manipulated Vox into breaking his agreement with Rosie. Also, Charlie isn’t as easily manipulated as people think. She’s aware of his nature and understands what a deal with Alastor entails; she’s simply a very good soul. Yes, I admit that Alastor used Charlie to free himself from the agreement, but she wasn’t the only one he used—he logically used Vox as well. People often say this, yet they ship Alastor and Lucifer, despite the fact that it seems easier to manipulate Lucifer than Charlie. Vox literally used Charlie’s voice to manipulate Lucifer, and did so without Charlie even being present. it’s important to realize that other ships aren’t entirely healthy either.
Now, regarding the second part: Vivienne herself confirmed in an interview after the second season that he trusts and admires Charlie—something Alastor likely doesn’t even recognize or want to admit. Amir Talai also confirmed during the NYCC panel that Alastor trusts her the most. I know that voice actors aren’t the creators, but this has been officially acknowledged by Vivienne as well. So yes, for those claiming that Alastor doesn’t trust her, I’ve provided official information here. Ship Alastor with whoever you want, but please don’t comment on Charlastor posts saying how toxic it is and that Alastor only manipulates Charlie while comfortably shipping R@dioapple. I’m mainly typing this because I keep seeing these comments under Charlastor posts, and it’s starting to get a bit uncomfortable. Yes, we’re all aware of this aspect, but that doesn’t stop people from shipping them. Furthermore, their relationship can continue to evolve throughout the series; after all, we’re just in the second season, and Hazbin is officially slated for five seasons.
Now that I've explained all the arguments, let's get to the thing I promised at the beginning:
Why do I like and ship Charlastor?
If you enjoy dark romance— you might end up liking Charlastor too. Personally, I’ve always been drawn to tropes built on contrasts: good and evil, light and darkness, the moon and the sun. There’s something deeply compelling to me about a character who presents themselves as cruel, dangerous, or beyond redemption, secretly caring about someone who represents everything they are not—their opposite, or their enemy. I’m especially fascinated by dynamics where the “monster” isn’t immediately redeemed, but instead slowly reveals cracks in their armor. And at the same time, I like when the optimistic, hopeful character struggles with the question of whether and how it’s possible to change someone who seems fundamentally broken. I know it sounds cliché, and I’m fully aware that this trope has been used countless times before, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful for me. It’s the emotional tension and contrast that draws me in. I love the idea of Alastor eventually realizing that Charlie truly matters to him—that he doesn’t want to lose her, that he wants to protect her, even if he doesn’t fully understand why or refuses to admit it. And I also love idea of Charlie realizing that she cares about him more than she expected, despite knowing exactly who he is and what he represents. That push and pull, that emotional conflict on both sides, is what makes their dynamic so interesting to me. So yes, I like Charlastor, even with all its flaws. And no, that isn’t going to change my opinion. I’ve genuinely tried, more than once, to convince myself not to ship them—but by the time I did, it was already too late. Funny enough, when I first encountered Charlastor, I actually hated it. And the reason was simple: I believed all the arguments against it. But out of curiosity, I started paying closer attention to their dynamic instead of just the discourse around it, and that’s when I fell in love with the concept.
At some point, I realized that I can’t force myself to stop liking something that genuinely brings me joy. I enjoy reading about it. I enjoy looking at fanart. I enjoy actively seeking out content related to it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Enjoying a fictional dynamic doesn’t mean ignoring its flaws. So don’t let other people ruin your ship just because they don’t understand it or don’t like it themselves. At the end, fandom is supposed to be fun. Enjoy what you enjoy, and let yourself love the things that inspire you.
Conclusion
As I said at the beginning, my intention was never to claim that Charlastor is the best ship. That was never point. I simply wanted to speak from the perspective of someone who does ship Charlastor—someone who is honestly tired of constantly seeing the same comments under Charlastor-related posts. This wasn’t meant to convince anyone or start an argument. I wanted to share my personal reasons for liking Charlastor, and I genuinely hope that people who don’t ship it—or even actively dislike it—can at least understand where we’re coming from. You don’t have to agree with us. You don’t have to like the ship. But I hope that, at the very least, some anti-Charlastor fans might stop seeing us as social outcasts just for enjoying a fictional dynamic. To be absolutely clear, I am not trying to stop anyone from shipping Alastor with someone else. Ship whoever you want—that freedom goes both ways. Fandom should be a space where multiple interpretations and preferences can exist at the same time without one side constantly attacking the other.
I also want to say this clearly: even if a ship feels strange or uncomfortable to you personally, that doesn’t automatically make it wrong. As long as people aren’t shipping minors with adults or characters who are closely related, there’s nothing inherently harmful about it. At the end, these are fictional characters. Liking a ship doesn’t say anything about your morality, your values, or the kind of person you are.
I’d also like to say something directly to those who don’t like Charlastor:
As I’ve already mentioned, you don’t have to like this ship. All I ask is that you please don’t leave the same arguments I’ve already addressed under Charlastor posts. We’re aware of them. Repeating them over and over doesn’t change anything, and it only creates unnecessary tension. The same goes for openly hateful or passive-aggressive comments. I’d also gently ask people to avoid comments like, “I like the fanart, but this other ship is better,” or anything along those lines. I know it’s not meant in a harmful way, but sometimes a comment simply isn’t necessary. There are moments when it’s enough to think to yourself: “Wow, I really like this fanart,” and then scroll past. It’s also worth remembering that engaging with content—especially by commenting—affects your algorithm. If you interact with Charlastor posts, you’re more likely to see more Charlastor content in the future. So if it’s something you genuinely don’t enjoy, the easiest solution is often to just scroll away. And to be clear, this doesn’t apply only to Charlastor. This is something that should apply to all ships and all fandom spaces. Respect goes a long way, and everyone deserves to enjoy their corner of fandom without feeling attacked.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this—especially those who don’t like Charlastor but still listened. I also made this in Google Docs, so I'm providing a link. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day or evening. And most importantly, remember to do what brings you joy and fulfillment.
