Series: Gravity Falls, Good Omens, Owl House, The Residence, B99, Hazbin Hotel, Anne with an E, Bly Manor, Hill House, House of Usher, The Amazing Digital Circus, Carmen Sandiego, Voltron Legendary Defender, Helluva Boss, Dead End, Inside Job, Steven Universe
Movies: Coraline, Nimona, Luca, Cruella, Heathers, Mulan, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Red White and Royal Blue, Knives Out series, Project Hail Mary, Mitchells agaist the machines, Bottoms, Zootropolis, The Princess and the Frog, Big Hero 6
Books: Solitaire, Radio Silence and Loveless (Alice Oseman), The Handmaidâs Tale, 1984, Project Hail Mary, Animal Farm, Emily the Strange: Lost Days, Red White and Royal Blue, Coraline, Anne of Green Gables, The Silent Patient, Percy Jackson (first five books, and itâs been a while since Iâve read them)
Youtubers: Milo Rossi (Miniminuteman), Two Dream, FunkyFrogBait, Rattus rattus, Jaiden Animations, Maddie maxis, Alex Avila, Abitfrank, Shanspeare, Rowan Ellis
Music (I listen to many genres, mainly indie, musicals, rock and pop): Florence and the Machine, Wolf Alice, Dirt Poor Robins, The Happy Fits, Billie Eilish, Marina
Musicals: Heathers, EPIC, Hamilton, BMC, The Lightning Thief, Six, Hadestown, Les Miserables
Podcasts: Welcome to Night Vale (still not finished), Magnum Archives (just started recently)
Other interests: Archeology and anthropology, alt fashion, creative writing, biology, lgbt culture & history, philosophy, history, literature, art
do you not like the third knives out? you specify the first and the second but not the third
I didn't really like it (or at least as much as the others) the first time I saw it, but I've watched it two times after that and it has grown on me. I think the first time it reminded me a little bit of the Hercule Poirot "A haunting in Venice" film (which I really don't like) so I didn't give it much of a chance. It also just happens generally to me that I can see something for the first time and not like it at first and then love it with time
I hadn't realized I had that specification still in my bio, but I'll correct it since it's not really true anymore. And thank you for the ask! đ
Being an asexual with food sensitivities is one of the worst crimes you can commit in social situations. Every interaction is like no I don't like it. No I haven't tried it like that, but I think I get the idea. No I'm not saying there's something wrong with it, I just don't like it. Seriously, me not liking it doesn't stop you from liking it. I'm not trying to criticize your enjoyment. Like, this really doesn't affect you. No I don't think I should just try it. I think being pressured to try it makes it worse actually...Yeah I've survived without it so far but thanks for the concern.
Some things you might have missed in the Good Omens S3 trailer.
I've seen a lot of good takes so far on so many aspects of the glorious 2 minutes we were handed this week, but I haven't had a chance to collect all of my little additions until now. Here are some things you might have missed, frame by frame. I promise, it'll be worth your time.
1. This crowd shot is from season 1
I really can't tell if they're pulling my leg and are just reusing unseen footage from season 1, or they physically/digitally recreated season 1 Whickber street, it's *that* good. But this is definitely our original home base, complete with pine green convertible with the same license plate, and correct cracks in the street. Will we be returning to the before times?
2. The second coming scroll is a giant checklist
I mean this isn't really a clue so much as really funny to me personally. Poor Aziraphale having to check off everything by hand.
3. We have 3 flies now
There's a blue and orange Nebula that is copied 3 times right next to the word behold. It's nebula NGC 5189 which is happens to be in the constellation Musca i.e. The Fly. I don't think that's a coincidence.
4. Jesus's cardigan is a mix of all the possible angel colours
Another kind of small mention, but I think it's really smart that Jesus' cardigan has bands of all three main angel colours: dove grey, cream and tan.
5. The Wizard of OZ reference
Peep the nice Wizard projector reference in this mysterious scene. The Metatron isn't hiding behind a curtain, but does that mean he's hiding something else about his role or power in here? Something's wrong, indeed.
6. Crowley is being held captive by Dagon
I don't know if it was really visible to everyone on the original social media posting but if you brighten the heck out of the image you can see that Crowley's got his hands tied behind his back here. I'm guessing Dagon is the one in charge now that Beelzebub is gone?
7. The lighting of this scene with the new Toby Jones character is a perfect match for the 1941 part 2 flashback.
I dunno man. Weird. They used the same lens and everything.
8. There are rainbow flares happening in this dystopian Whickber street
Just like in season 2, this particular establishing shot gets a rainbow flare. No other shots so far have gotten that treatment, so I find it interesting that only the dystopian Whickber street now fits with the Season 2 visual style.
9. One scene has been partially flipped
These are four shots in the same scene, but can you spot what's wrong? They've mirrored one shot each of Azirphale and Crowley. Either to throw us off the scent of something, or maybe a red herring about having no tattoo in this scene? Needless to say, that is a BIZARRE choice.
10. The Battle is their final performance & The Bentley isn't the Bentley (again)
In the closeup interior of the Bentley we can just make out the new double poster next to the Bookshop in the dystopian Whickber street. No longer the obscure comic book panels, it seems to be a funny take on a ballet poster maybe? : BATTLE. FINAL PERFORMANCE.
In any case, we've got a new Bentley... again. The huge contention around season 2's multiple Bentley looks has raged on, and now we get more fuel for the fire. Check out this great frontal angle of this Season 3 Bentley. It's got side mirrors attached to the doors, and four door construction, not to mention new bumper light covers. Strangely, it seems to be a perfect match for this promo Bentley that was parked for the set photos...
11. New and old stores on Dystopian Whickber street.
The speeding Bentley lets us dissect the new stores on dystopian Whickber street. We've got "Coffee...", so it looks like *Death* is missing from this world? Death is no longer an option? Next to it we've get Golden Gods with the neon windows, and Beyond Soho which seemed to be a real estate office in some leaked concept art. Interestingly, in the Season 3 poster, Beyond soho is hidden on the left side, and the record shop is hidden in the far right. Could the poster actually be a version of whickber street cleaved in two?
12. We've got a book on the stand problem
Oddly similar to the Bentley version problem, we now have a problem with Aziraphaleâs desk. See here for the full breakdown from season 2, but long story short, there was a strange inconsistency with the set photos from season 2 and the actual show. The Harold Copping bible in the set tour was missing, and two copies of the periodical Lâart pour tous in its place. Which never matched with the show, where there was only ever one copy on the stand the few times the Copping Bible was missing. What are they cooking up over thereâŚ?
13. A planet of black widow-ish spiders?
With the brief glances we get at the intro sequence we canât tell much, but we do have a planet full of spiders that look like black widows with the famous hourglass shape, except in white instead of red. False widows perhaps? Spiders spinning time our duo go and visit? The last spider we saw in good omens was a horror. Iâd like to not revisit it.
14. This conversation takes place at Justine's in season 2?
While Iâve seen some speculation floating around that this HEARTWRENCHING face is being performed by Crowley in the bookshop, I have another view. I think this scene takes place inside a part of season 2 we didnât see. You can see the comparison here of the background of the front of Justineâs restaurant in season 2 and the scene in question. The awning and fairy lights are almost identical, as is the sun, just from a different angle. The hair and makeup are also very similar. Iâd bet money this is happening on the street in the open or on Justineâs front terrasse at some point weâve already seen.
15. We might get another 1941 flashback, and there's a hidden message.
Finally, we get a brief glimpse at another opening credits scene, and itâs got a ton of references to the season 2 opening credits scene that itself references the 1941 flashback: the bus with Wings for Victory on it, the bomber plane launching an explosive, and in the very top left we can spot a war balloon. We also have some very small text on the light blue building on the right. Itâs a mirrored â2.0-Aâ. If anyone has any ideas what that means other than version of realities, let me know.
The fun continues! Part 2 can be found here.
Thanks ever so much to the ineffable detective agency friends for the sounding board @ineffable-detective-agency and @embracing-the-ineffable for the high resolution photos yall are literally the best.
Right, considering the current state of corporate politics on this site, and that it seems that only those affected seem to be actively speaking on the matter, it is up to I, the only fucking cishet on tumblr, to drag this out to a wider audience.
REBLOG IF YOUR ACCOUNT IS A TRANSFEM SAFE SPACE.
We need to show these higher ups how much we truly value them.
I miss when everyone on my dash listened to Welcome to Night Vale so thereâs be a good chance that on any ole day someone would reblog a quote that would grab me by the throat and forcibly ascend me to a higher plane where I understood myself and the universe better and with more kindness but also a little spook
âThe past is gone, and cannot harm you anymore. And while the future is fast coming for you, it always flinches first and settles in as the gentle presentâ are you kidding me this quote has propelled me through at least three emotional crises
âThe desert seems vast, even endless. And yet scientists tell us that somewhere, even now, there is snow.â
That quote literally got me through grieving my brother like WTNV goes HARD
A List of Some of My Favorite Quotes From This Insane Podcast:
"You are beautiful when you do beautiful things."
"The present tense of regret is indecision."
"We understand so much, but the sky behind those lights-- mostly void, partially stars-- that sky reminds us we don't understand even more."
"Be proud of your place in the Cosmos. It is small and yet it is."
"Believe in yourself. You are an ancient, absent god, discussed only rarely by literary scholars. So if you don't believe, no one will."
"Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you."
âWhisper a dangerous secret to someone you care about. Now they have the power to destroy you, but they wonât. Thatâs what love is.â
"Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not. We never are. But thatâs not the right question. The question is are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
"When we talk about teenagers, we adults often talk with an air of scorn, of expectation for disappointment. And this can make people who are presently teenagers feel very defensive. But what everyone should understand is that none of us are talking to the teenagers that exist now, but talking back to the teenager we ourselves once were â all stupid mistakes and lack of fear, and bodies that hadnât yet begun to slump into a lasting nothing. Any teenager who exists now is incidental to the potent mix of nostalgia and shame with which we speak to our younger selves."
"We are not history yet. We are happening now. How miraculous is that?"
"Wednesday has been cancelled due to a scheduling error."
"We have nothing to fear except ourselves. We are unholy, awful people."
"A million dollars isnât cool. You know whatâs cool? A basilisk."
"There's nothing under your bed. There's nothing in your closet. Nothing waits in every darkness. Nothing is the most terrifying thing of all."
"The night sky is ten miles wide, eight miles deep, and floats three miles up. Its favourite food is grape jelly. It wants to be a drummer."
"Look to the sky. You will not find answers there, but you will certainly see what everyone is screaming about."
"Ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work."
"And now, a special report. Crocodiles: Can they eat your children? *YES.*"
"Lie down and look up at the ceiling and breathe with those curiously fragile lungs of yours and remind yourself: Donât worry. Donât worry. All is as it was meant to be. It was meant to be lonely and terrifying and unfair and fleeting. Donât worry."
"As long as Iâm reminding myself things, Iâm a good person, worthy of love â both from myself and others."
"Guns don't kill people! It's impossible to be killed by a gun. We are all invincible to bullets and it's a miracle!"
"Everything is exciting! Particularly existence. Existence is the most thrilling fact of all."
"There is a monster under your bed. A monster at your window. A monster any place you imagine one. You project your monsters on the world."
"You miss 100% of the bank robberies you don't commit."
"I like my coffee like I like my nights. Dark, endless, and impossible to sleep through. "
"A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale."
"And now, the weather."
I discovered this podcast at the beginning of high school, and let me tell you, it rewired my synapses.
Not only was it my first experience with positive LGBT representation, it was the show I clung to when everything else went to shit. Whatever was going on in my life, I knew I had this show in my corner, making me laugh, making me cry, making me feel okay about my place in the universe.
I owe the creators of this podcast more than I could express.
"We will never be the same again. But here's a little secret for you: no one is ever the same thing again after anything. You are never the same twice, and much of your unhappiness comes from trying to pretend that you are. Accept that you are different each day, and do so joyfully, recognizing it for the gift it is. Work within the desires and goals of the person you are currently, until you aren't that person anymore, and everything changes once again." (from Episode 75)
Before you bring out the torches and the pitchforks, please read everything I have to say here. I know that this post is long, but I'm trying to address many of the arguments that I know will be made in advance. Shipping is fun, and a massive part of fandom. Many aros/aces/aroaces enjoy shipping. But many are also made uncomfortable by shipping. Being in a fandom is supposed to be fun.
I am not going to call out or tag any specific fandoms or characters, because there are at least five that I am thinking of as I write this post. I am happy to have a calm discussion about this, but I am not interested in argument or debate. If you feel there is something I haven't considered here, please tell me. But I am not interested in a heated argument. I'm not calling anyone out, I'm not even complaining about either side of this debate (because I think the most realistic and productive answer lies in the middle). I'm just trying to share what I think are a few solutions that can make this issue better for everyone.
First of all, I think one important thing to note, that I don't see often addressed, is that there are two main types of shipping. Canon shipping, and non-canon shipping. These two types of shipping are very different.
In this case, "canon shipping" refers to wanting a ship to actually be confirmed on screen, regardless of if that is likely to happen. For example, character A and character B are both fan favorites, and are not only shipped in fanon, but many fans want them to be a canonical pairing.
Canon shipping like this is inherently a different discussion. If you want that pairing to become canon, then you also need the sexuality required by that pairing to be canon. For example, wanting a previously assumed straight character A to be canonically paired with a character B who is not of the opposite binary gender is essentially wanting character A to be not straight.
This gets more complicated when, say, trying to ship a canonically lesbian character with a man. That's obviously erasure.
Non-canon shipping, I'll be honest, I don't have much problem with, even for a hypothetical sex-repulsed, romance-repulsed aroace character (I do not actually know of any that exist in popular media, unfortunately). Non-canon shipping is essentially taking a fun character and playing what-if. Non-canon shipping is (usually) completely disconnected from canon. AUs, crack fics, even serious canon-divergent fics, it's taking the base of a character that you enjoy and trying out other things.
Sidenote: Characters are characters. You can't hurt their feelings by shipping them. This is part of why it's so fucked up to ship real people when they say not to.
Personally, I do not enjoy reading fics where a canonically aro or ace character is shipped in a romantic or sexual way, which is why I always read through the tags extensively. (QPRs my beloved)
A person saying "well technically this character is only confirmed aroace in the book the movie is based on, I think they're actually ___ in the movie and that should be made canon" is aspec erasure. A person saying "I know this character is canonically aroace, but it's fun to write a fic where they aren't" or "I know this character is canonically a repulsed aroace, but I want to put them somewhere else on the spectrum and explore that in this fic" is not erasure.
Now, the real issue with shipping aro/ace/aroace characters is, to put it simply, that there are not enough aspec characters. There are EXTREMELY few characters who are confirmed aromantic, even if they are confirmed asexual. And most of the ones I know who are even confirmed aspec, we only know because the creator said they are, and it was never actually confirmed in the show.
Aromanticism and asexuality are spectrums. There are many aros/aces/aroaces irl who are in romantic and or sexual relationships. But, it can be a little depressing to find a character you really relate to because they are implied to be sex/romance repulsed, only to find that practically all fanart and fanfic of that character involves shipping them in some way.
But, claiming that that fanart and fanfic is erasure can also be erasure. For example, if character A is confirmed asexual and strongly implied to be aromantic (as so many aspec characters are), and an alloace person, or a romance-favorable aroace, etc, projects their experience onto the character and ships them, it would be cruel of me to accuse that person of erasure. I would be trying to invalidate their experiences.
In the same vein, if I said "hey, considering tagging this so I can avoid it" and they insulted me for it, that's also cruel.
The solution here is not infighting. The solution is to have more aspec characters and do more with those characters. Because there is a lot of misinformation about what being aspec even means to most allos. Remember that a lot of people don't even know that aromanticism is a different thing than asexuality.
And yes, there is a tendency in fandom to ship non-partnering characters to the extent it feels like erasure. This is an overall phenomenon, not ever to be blamed on a specific person. But when you have a popular character who happens to be an explicitly stated non-partnering aspec, and all fanworks seem to involve giving them a partner, that is a net effect of erasure. No individual should be accused of erasure in this instance, but there is an overall effect of aspec erasure in these sorts of cases. That can sting to aspec folks who are repulsed or averse. And I could name multiple characters that this is the case for off the top of my head.
But again, this is not something that you should accuse any singular individual of.
Instead of fighting about character shipping, there are three real things to be done.
1) Make sure to tag things appropriately. Use the ship tags for ship art and fics, not just the characters' names. Please, please, PLEASE, always use the ship tag when shipping. If I'm having a day where I'm feeling sex- and romance-repulsed, I don't want to look up my favorite character and be inundated with ship content. It's so easy to tag your shit. Please tag your shit.
2) Combat allo/amatonormativity in general. I think, in large part, shipping is such a huge part of fandom because of allo/amatonormativity. We live in a world that insists that lifelong fulfillment is dependent on finding a partner. If you like a character, then of course you want them to be happy, and unfortunately, this often translates to putting them in a relationship. Normalize being without a partner. Normalize being happy on your own and not needing or wanting a relationship.
3) Create more of what you want to see. If you're like me and don't enjoy ship art/fics (even if it's only sometimes or only for certain characters, whatever), then make what you enjoy! I started writing fanfic because I was tired of scrolling through my favorite tags on AO3 and finding nothing after filtering out the ship tags. If you are sick of shipping discourse and certain ships, the best way to move on is to make less of the stuff you dislike and more of the stuff you enjoy. Hence why this will be my one and only post about this topic, at least for a good long while.
Also, please note that you are allowed to be uncomfortable/annoyed by any ship for any reason. There are plenty of ships I hate. That's why I have so many tags filtered.
Basically, if there's a canon aroace character (especially if they are stated or implied to be sex/romance repulsed or averse), it's fucked up to say "they should just change them to be canonically allo." It's not fucked up to say "hey in my what-if AU they're allo." It's even better to explore how their aromanticism or asexuality may affect any relationships they may be in, or to leave them not in a relationship and explore their character in another way. Be kind to others. And for the love of god, tag shipping content. Please.
this can also apply to the fandom overall not just shippers
Alastor is treated similar to how a lot people treat woman in fiction and real life.
I want to start this post with a bit of context before getting into specific ships and how shippers tend to depict Alastor. Iâve never really liked most Alastor ships. Iâm very attached to him as a character, and anything that feels too out of character immediately loses me. To me, almost all Alastor ships especially when theyâre framed as mutually romantic or sexual feel like mischaracterization.
That said, thereâs been something else bothering me beyond just âthis feels OOC.â While watching how Alastor is depicted in certain ships and how people interpret him, I kept feeling unsettled in a way I couldnât fully articulate. I couldnât quite put my finger on what, specifically, I disliked. It took me about 2 years (since season 1) to finally understand it and it turns out it wasnât just mischaracterization that made these ships uncomfortable to me.
A lot of Alastor shipping content doesnât engage with him as a subject. Instead, he becomes:
A status symbol (âlook who I paired him withâ)
A reward
A moral trophy
Or an aesthetic (voice, smile, suit, power)
These are accessory treatment.
In fiction, this has historically happened to women:
Their inner lives are irrelevant unless they serve a romance
Their trauma is âflavorâ
Their boundaries are ignored because desire overrides consent
Their personality is flattened to traits that please the viewer
With Alastor, you see the same mechanic on how the fandom treats him:
His canon aversion to intimacy is dismissed as âfixableâ or a kind of obstacles to work around
His autonomy is overwritten so a ship can function
His trauma is romanticized instead of respected
His violence and control issues are aestheticized rather than interrogated
He stops being a character and becomes a thing to be used for emotional payoff.
Heâs objectified like how many women in fiction are because of his demeanor (I believe thatâs way), it's actually really interesting to watch. Alastorâs gentleman-like behavior mirrors a set of expectations that have historically been imposed on women in fiction: perfection in every way
Women in fiction are often expected to be:
Polite
Composed
Emotionally contained
Aesthetically pleasing even in distress
Alastor performs that exact thing:
Constant smile
Controlled speech
Impeccable manners
Emotional restraint even under pressure
Alastor can not have any real uglyness to him that isn't visually pleasing to the audience Iâve seem this with how people constantly compare âpilotâ Alastor to âshowâ Alastor (they're the same person to me) where people often expression how they don't like how âshowâ Alastor shows more of himself and âpilotâ was far more contained and it was harder to truly see his emotions. âPilot Alastor is praised by some people for being more energetic and enthusiastic even thought in the show they make it known that Alastor is getting more and more tired of working at the hotel, he isn't allowed to actually express that in anyway âWe can know that he's annoyed but they shouldn't show that too much, it's unpleasantâ.
Because he performs flawless composure, audiences subconsciously assume:
> âHe exists to be looked at, not listened to.â
Thatâs the same expectations female characters fall into.
Moral containment
Women are often expected to be âgood victimsâ:
Suffer quietly
Remain likable
Be redeemable and nurturing despite trauma
Alastor gets shoved into a warped version of this:
His darkness is acceptable only if itâs âcoolâ
His boundaries are ignored because heâs âcharmingâ
His refusal of romance is framed as denial, not choice
Alastor is not allow to verbally express any real discomfort he feels
His gentlemanliness makes people feel entitled to him.
Emotional labor projection
Another parallel:
Women are often expected to regulate othersâ emotions.
With Alastor:
People sometimes project emotional softness onto him
They expect him to âeventually open upâ
People expect Alastor to open up without any real justification, as if his comfort and vulnerability are things others are entitled to. Heâs expected to feel safe and emotionally available on command, even when heâs given no reason to trust or soften.
*Mind you this is the scene right after Vox forced Alastor to watch him and Val have sex
They want him to be the stable, controlled one in relationships
And humbling him and expecting him to effortlessly take care of himself and others all at the same time
But canon Alastor does not exist to soothe others.
That expectation is imposed on him just like it is on women, but why does this happens specifically to Alastor?
Alastor sits at a crossroads of traits that trigger objectification:
Power without any vulnerability
Elegance without emotional access
Restraint mistaken for consent
Trauma hidden behind competence
When a character refuses to emote on demand, fandom often responds by rewriting them to make them consumable.
That rewriting is gendered even when the character is male.
The irony here is that:
Alastor is one of the few characters whose entire arc is about:
Control
Autonomy
Refusal to be owned
Weaponized politeness
And fandom responds by trying to own him anyway.
When a character:
Is composed
Is desirable
Withholds emotional access
Refuses normative intimacy
They are punished by being objectified.
Now with all this mind
One of the things that makes Alastor such a compelling character is that he withholds from us people wanna know him more. He is polite but not warm, charming but not open, helpful but not selfless. He performs control so well that people forget it is a performance. His smile is constant, his manners are impeccable, his voice never cracks and because of that, audiences often assume he is simple. He looks and acts as if he has everything emotionally together when it far more possible he doesnât.
Alastor is emotionally blunted, not empty. He feels selectively, inconsistently, and often without clarity. He forms attachments slowly on his own terms, and usually through routine, usefulness, or shared structure rather than intimacy. He values autonomy above almost everything. He does not like being owned, commanded, or morally reframed by others. Even his âkindnessâ is conditional and deliberate. Nothing about him is accidental.
And yet, despite all of this, fandom consistently treats Alastor as if his interiority is optional.
My comparison to him and how women are treated in fiction becomes unavoidable.
In fiction, women especially composed, polite, emotionally restrained women are often treated less as subjects and more as functions . Their trauma is aesthetic. Their boundaries are negotiable. Their refusal is interpreted as tension rather than a choice. Their restraint is read as availability. They are expected to be perfect, palatable, and ultimately consumable.
Alastor fits that same mold almost too well.
He is gentlemanly. He is controlled. He is aesthetically pleasing. He does not emote âcorrectly.â He rarely explains himself. And because of that, fandom feels entitled to rewrite him into something more accessible. His lack of interest in romance becomes a challenge. His autonomy becomes something to be overcome. His refusal becomes âhe just hasnât met the right person yet.â
Instead of asking who Alastor is, fandom often asks what he can be used for.
That pattern becomes especially obvious when you look at how heâs handled in ships.
Take Lucifer, for example.
In a lot of radioapple content, Alastor is made subservient emotionally, morally, or literally. He is framed as someone who needs to be put in his place, corrected, commanded, or owned. For a recent example of this the âexecutioner theoryâ where Lucifer makes a deal with Alastor that allows him to order Alastor to kill on command, as if Alastorâs entire character arc hasnât been about resisting ownership and refusing chains. This theory alone full proves my point about how a lot people use and place Alastor in different pairs as a mere accessory. What benefit does Alastor have at all in this scenario and even if there was one can't he just optain it himself especially without being under ownership again.
This dynamic is bizarre on a narrative level, but itâs worse on a thematic one.
Alastor is black, mixed-raced Creole man from the early 1900s. Lucifer is depicted as a white, aristocratic embodiment of old power. When fandom imagines Lucifer commanding Alastor, controlling his violence, or âtamingâ him, it recreates a racialized power dynamic whether people intend it or not. A powerful Black manâs autonomy is stripped so a white authority figure can be centered as dominant, tragic, or morally superior.
Whatâs especially telling is that these interpretations often ignore Charlie entirely. A deal where Lucifer controls Alastorâs actions by killing any sinner he commands directly contradicts Charlieâs ideology, her dream, and goes against the overall narrative of Hazbin. But those themes are inconvenient when the goal is a ship, so theyâre discarded.
Alastorâs autonomy is sacrificed first.
Instead of Lucifer fans trying to question why Lucifer sees not causing harm as a form of punishment to begin with, they instead jump to trying to fix Lucifers problem cuz âpoor himâ and instead of taking a moment and wondering why Lucifer has that specific punishment to begin with they come to the conclusion of âLets use Alastor to fix Lucifers personal âproblemââ.
With Vox, the treatment shifts but the objectification doesnât disappear.
In Radiosilence (the one-sided dynamic), Alastor often becomes the unattainable prize. His lack of interest isnât respected as a boundary; itâs framed as an obstacle. Voxâs obsession is explored, centered, indulged while Alastorâs subjectivity fades into the background. He exists to be wanted. Even tho Alastor presents and how he feels about Vox is the prime reason for the existence of this specific kind of ship Ive only seen few people actually dive into how Alastor would feel or behave in this scenario (even tho its canon now) it is almost always focused on how Vox feels.
In Radiostatic, the problem becomes even clearer. Alastor is frequently aestheticized to the point of abstraction. His femininity stays in this one which for some reason is quite rare as people often remove this trait from Alastor within some ships of him, but they sometimes strip his agency. Heâs depicted as something Vox has a status symbol, a beautiful possession, emotional jewelry. In many cases, some radiostatic fans have even admitted to not even liking Alastor at all even tho they full ship this ship. Heâs there to make Vox happy, to complete Voxâs narrative, to serve Voxâs emotional arc.
Alastor is no longer a person. He is an accessory.
This mirrors exactly how women in fiction are often treated in shipping spaces: valued for what they provide to another characters rather than who they are themselves.
Alastorâs entire character is built around resisting this exact thing. He does not give emotional access freely because he knows what happens when he does.
In some cases people will excuse Voxâs behaviour even if it's not for a ship by saying âAlastor actually enjoys being stalked he enjoys the harrassment, the assaultâ this very similar how people would blame and try to excuse similar behave made towards woman not even just in fiction.
And fandom responds to this by forcing access anyways, by rewriting his resistance as desire, reframing his boundaries as a kind of denial, and turning his control into compliance.
Itâs honestly a shame, because there are so many thoughtful and interesting ways to explore a character like Alastor, yet so many people default to shallow or outright harmful depictions instead. Iâve seen people dismiss the exploration of (queer)platonic dynamics as boring and even when they donât say it outright, it often feels like they simply donât know how to engage with a character like Alastor unless romance or sex is involved.
His identity his refusal of intimacy, his control, his emotional distance could be incredibly fun and challenging to work with, but instead fandom keeps forcing him into amatonormative frameworks that flatten him. Rather than asking what kind of connections Alastor would choose, people focus on reshaping him into something easier to consume. And that, more than anything, feels like such a waste.
I also canât help but notice that some people pride themselves in their understanding of complex issues like representation, ethics, or specific dynamics making analysis after analysis but when the opportunity arises and if theyâre not faced with anything that they personally can not relate to or can not view as surface level, they shut down. They skim the surface, dismiss concerns, or talk over people actually trying to engage, because confronting the topic might force them to confront their own perception. Itâs easier to stay comfortable, keep everything flat, and avoid thinking too deeply but doing that only guarantees the same problems keep repeating. The reaction people gave when the conversation of Alastor experiencing racism while alive and how people in this fandom would much rather fight hard to dismiss this idea rather look at how that would effect him and his relationships with others characters was telling, on how they are either ignorant and/or uncomfortable with digging deep into such topic
The fact that this is happening to a male character was actually very confusing to me at first I constantly wondered âwhat is it about character that makes people treat him like thisâ. There is more I wish to expand on but Alastor is non-normatively masculine, he's feminine in how he carries himself but he visually masculine enough where his popularity isn't diminished, his racially identity, emotionally restrained, and uninterested in traditional romance. Those are the same traits that have historically made women easier to objectify in fiction.
So, Why is Alastorâs autonomy always the first thing to go?
There something about Alastor that doesn't give him the same amount of privilege that other male character get and i do believe it has to do with even more things than just him having a lot of womanly attributes and once I notice it, I started to notice it everywhere and its very obvious that people are completely unaware of these implications when addressing Alastor but then that would have to bring up another conversation as to why these kinds of interpretation of him is the âdefaultâ and and why people don't immediately notice the implications of these depictions.
I could make a second part of this and going into more as to why this happens more maybe
This could probably be seen as a fandom critique post but I get scared posting anything that has critique and Hazbin in it cuz I dont wanna attract certain kind of people đ, but this has got to be something that is my biggest problem with being in this fandom as it melts down into a lot of issues like, racism, misygony, a/arophobia, and even ableism if I wanted to go even deeper into things, obviously not ever shipper is doing this (I feel that should be common sense)
I know this is quite the argument to get myself involved in, but this is a really important subject to me. I want to be clear that this is not inherently a criticism of shipping Alastor in general. Shipping/not shipping aroace characters is a whole separate discussion, one that I don't care to get involved with right now. To summarize my stance on that: the most realistic answer is to tag your stuff properly, and block the tags you don't want to see.
My reasons can be found both inside canon and from the words of the creators. Alastor is aroace, no doubt about it to me.
Alastor is explicitly stated in the show to be asexual. This is completely, inarguably canon. Additionally, there is significant evidence that he is sex-averse or sex-repulsed. Both in the Pilot and in S01E01, when Angel Dust propositions him, Alastor doesn't just say no, he looks somewhat horrified.
"I can suck your dick!"
*static screeches* "Ha! No!"
Same with his reaction in S01E01
"If you film me going at it with Mr. Fancy-Talk Creepy-Voice, you'd be rolling in participants willing to stay at this tacky hotel."
"Ha! Never going to happen!"
That's not disinterest, that's pure horror, shock, and disgust. He is defintely sex-averse, if not sex-repulsed.
In both S01E04 and S01E06, two episodes with significant sexual content, Alastor is completely absent. He is nowhere to be seen for the entirety of both episodes. He doesn't watch Angel's film, he doesn't go to Consent (the sex club), he is completely missing. And even in S01E03, he has absolutely nothing to do with any of the sexually charged scenes, like the BDSM club Angel takes them to.
So, it is extremely clear that Alastor has absolutely no interest in sex whatsoever. At the absolute most he is sex-indifferent, but I am leaning towards sex-averse (given he looked more irritated than disgusted in S02E04 about watching Vox and Valentino have sex, but any mentions of sex involving Alastor seem to disgust him).
His aromanticism is what people like to argue/push back against more. But not only are there multiple pieces of evidence from the creators of the show that he is aromantic, I believe there is plenty of canonical evidence in the show itself.
Let's start with the evidence outside the show. Amir Talai (Alastor's VA) called him aroace, then retracted that, stating that he is asexual but his aromanticism is unknown, and this is the primary evidence cited by those arguing that Alastor is not aromantic.
However, for a long time before this, Alastor was repeatedly cited as being aromantic/aroace until Vivziepop decided to retract that so as not to "ruin the fun" of shippers (like that would stop anyone).
The implication here is that Alastor is in fact aromantic, and they just won't confirm it in the show because to make someone aromantic "ruins the fun." What the actual fuck?
My identity does not "ruin the fun." This statement is extremely arophobic in my opinion. First of all, no one's identity should be talked about in this way. Secondly, canonicity really does not affect shipping. Even if he was explicitly aroace, shippers would still ship, and that's fine, tbh. I would draw the line at saying a canonically aromantic character should be made canonically alloromantic, because that's queer erasure, but shipping is completely separate from canon. People ship characters from different fandoms all the time, that has no effect on canon. Tag your stuff properly, and block the tags you don't wanna see.
I really do try to avoid discourse for the most part, but this statement here is one of the most hurtful things I've ever heard someone say about aromanticism. Like, genuinely, it's a really cruel way to view a queer identity, as nothing but a tool for fun (or an obstacle to fun). If someone said "No, this character is going to be heterosexual or it would ruin the fun" or "This character is going to be cisgender or it would ruin the fun" there would be outrage. But everyone seems perfectly happy to accept this shit when it's about erasing aromantics.
Note: obviously this is an old livestream and a spur of the moment comment, not necessarily something that was planned or scripted out. I mess up in my phrasing of things all the time. I doubt the intention here was to be arophobic, but it hurts nonetheless, especially since she hasn't (to my knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong about this) apologized even for the phrasing or anything. My issue is moreso with the way everyone accepts this when they would be outraged if it were any other queer identity. There's a real double standard about applying the SAM only for the sake of erasure.
But then, Amir Talai posted a video in which he said that Vivziepop does view him as aroace. Here's a link to the video, (go about 10 seconds into the video).
In the announcement that Helluva Boss was coming to Prime, Blitzø called Alastor "the freaky red guy everyone's into", and the official Hazbin Hotel account commented, referring to him as "The freaky red guy who's NOT INTO ANYONE!"
(old screenshot because I'm not going on TikTok just to find it myself, sorry)
In the season 1 recap song (sidenote, I really need a title for this song), Alastor blatantly makes fun of Huskerdust, and his tone in describing Charlie and Vaggie's relationship ("She fell from grace and fell in love") sounds very sarcastic. Again, very repulsed aroace coded.
Now, with all of that outside context, let's talk about some things that are explicitly stated and shown in canon, which are significant. First of which being the "ace in the hole" line. Rosie specifically says: "Who's this you brought with you? Come now, Alastor, she's much too young for you. Oh, I'm just kidding! I know you're an ace in the hole!"
Obviously, Rosie was implying that Alastor was dating Charlie before saying "Oh, I'm just kidding!" The joke was with regards to dating (aka romance), not just sex. Like, the joke makes way less sense if you assume it's only about his sexual orientation and not his romantic orientation as well. The pun just worked with "ace" rather than "aro" or "aroace." I don't know how to actually put it into words properly, but it's clear to me that she's saying Alastor wouldn't date at all because of his orientation. AKA, that he's aroace.
Additionally, Alastor looks extremely irritated to hear Charlie's relationship issues.
This is the most "dear god please save me I can't deal with relationship drama" aroace face I've seen in my life. I have never understood this man so much.
His static gets louder and louder as she rants about her argument with Vaggie, and when she finally asks "Wait, where are we?" he looks SO relieved to have something else to talk about. Especially now that we know Rosie owns his soul, why would he be so happy to be going to her UNLESS it's because he's just so relieved to have someone else to pin all of the romantic complaints that he cannot care about on? That's certainly how I (a sometimes-romance-averse-sometimes-romance-repulsed-aroace who gets asked for relationship advice way too often) would feel.
This is possibly the most overdramatic pose from Alastor we've seen in the entire show. He is so extremely relieved to talk about literally anything other than Charlie and Vaggie's relationship issues.
His neon color palette is purple and green, AKA the primary colors of the asexual and aromantic flags respectively. Like, just look.
AND in the Valentine's Day merch, Alastor's Valentine's card specifically says friend: "You're a very deer friend." His keychain says "Love yourself."
This is some of the most aromantic Valentine's day merch imaginable. The only thing more aromantic for me, personally, is the "love loses" jokes (I know not everyone enjoys them, but I do).
Finally, why does it have to be such a fight to prove that a character's romantic orientation matches their sexual orientation only when that sexual orientation is ace? Why is the SAM only considered by fandom at large as an excuse to make characters more allo? No one is arguing "well technically Angel Dust is canonically gay, that doesn't mean he isn't aromantic" or "Vaggie isn't technically confirmed to be homoromantic, only a lesbian." And when we have this much evidence, it feels intentional to keep arguing against it. It feels like erasure and amatonormativity. It's disingenuous to only bring up the split-attraction model as an argument to decrease aspec representation.
Let Alastor be aromantic, for fuck's sake. Alastor being aroace does not affect fanworks. People will still ship regardless, and that's fine, for the most part. Annoying, but not harmful. But Alastor being aromantic is really important to a lot of people, myself included.
So, yeah, Alastor is aroace. I have never in my life seen a more aromantic character. I cannot think of any character with more clear, in-text evidence of being aromantic. He's aroace.
Do what you want in fanon, but PLEASE don't try to argue that he's canonically alloromantic, because that's simply not canon. The most you can argue is that his romantic orientation is ambiguous, but as you can see, there is extremely, EXTREMELY clear evidence that he's aromantic, even if the show is too cowardly to explicitly state it. Here's hoping that changes.
I highly recommend listening to The Ace Couple's episode about Alastor, it's just a good listen overall. (Sorry, I hate Spotify and I'm working on moving elsewhere, this was just where I could find the episode).
Here's an excellent post about Alastor's aromanticism that you should also check out. It touches on some things that I discussed here, but brings up some other points as well!
Here I'm going to be looking at all of the previous Valentine's Day merch and promos, starting with this year's. Huge, HUGE shout out to @vivziepoparchives because that's where I found several of the merch and promo images.
Let's start with this year's Valentine's Day merch - 2026
The main thing we have featuring Alastor is a keychain with the hotel crew. Alastor is in the top right corner, holding a single, pale pink rose. He is turned away from the rest of the hotel crew, who are all holding Valentine's pillows. Charlie and Vaggi's pillow reads "I â¤ď¸ You", Lucifer's pillow reads "My Love", Cherri's pillow and Pentious's pillows both read "XOXO", Abel's pillow reads "Be Mine", and the Vees have two pillows, one which I can't read (it might say "Trust Me"?), and the other reads "Bite Me". And Husk's pillow looks like a broken heart (please ignore my sobbing).
It's already interesting that Alastor isn't holding a pillow, an indication that he isn't celebrating Valentine's Day the same way as the others (literally everyone else in the hotel crew has a pillow except him), but the choice of a single pink rose is very significant.
Fun fact, but a lesser known but still-used equivalent term for "aroace" is "arose". For example, when discussing non-romantic, non-sexual attraction, that is arose attraction. Someone who is aegoromantic and aegosexual might call themselves aegorose. I usually call myself aroace, but I could also call my self arose. Alastor is holding a rose. A rose. Arose.
But it's deeper than that, too. Red roses are the most commonly known flower symbol, and they symbolize passionate, romantic love. Pink roses, on the other hand, do not inherently symbolize romance. The first connotation of pink roses is gratitude and joy. Pink roses are usually considered a safe gift to give to friends and family, because they are not as heavily associated with romantic love as red roses. They CAN symbolize romance, but that is not their primary meaning.
Here are two screenshots from articles about the symbolism of pink roses.
"A classic symbol of grace and elegance, the pink rose is often given as a token of admiration and appreciation, they are the gentlest of roses and relay that message through their grace. Whether they're for your best friend, fiancĂŠe, or ever-dependable co-worker, a pink rose bouquet will create a bright spot in a special someone's day.
Pink rose meaning: sweetness, admiration, and joy."
"The symbolism of pink roses
Pink roses embody grace, gentleness, and joy. Their symbolism can vary depending on the shade.
Light pink roses: Often associated with sweetness, innocence, and admiration, these roses are perfect for expressing gratitude or celebrating new beginnings. Their delicate charm conveys a sense of softness and warmth, making them ideal for meaningful gestures like thank-you bouquets or birthday arrangements.
Medium pink roses: Representing elegance and cheerfulness, these roses strike a balance between playfulness and sophistication. They are often gifted to celebrate milestones, recognize achievements, or express heartfelt emotions.
Dark pink roses: With their vibrant hues, these roses symbolize appreciation, gratitude, and recognition. They are often chosen to express thanks to loved ones, mentors, or friends.
Unlike red roses, which are closely tied to passionate love, pink roses evoke a softer sentiment. They are the perfect choice for subtle declarations of affection or admiration without the intensity that red roses convey."
It is also significant that he is holding a single rose.
"Pink rose:
Grace and gratitude: a solitary pink rose conveys gracefulness, gratitude, and admiration
Elegance: it reflects a sense of elegance and sweetness"
Alastor seems to have given himself a single pink rose, essentially saying he admires himself and he's grateful for himself and I absolutely love that for him.
We also got these standees. Three couples, and three singles. Angel Dust, Lucifer, and Alastor are the singles. Angel Dust and Lucifer make sense as singles since they are both currently separated from their love interests. (Lilith being in Heaven and Husk being at the hotel while Angel is back with Val).
Alastor's standee, though, is interesting. The exact same background was used for all six standees, but only in Alastor's can we easily see the part of the design that features a heart split in half. Look over Alastor's shoulder, on the right side, and you can see it. It is only obvious on Alastor's standee, no one elses.
The final interesting piece of merch is this promo card, "Valentine's Day in Hell," which features the hotel crew making Valentine's cards. If you look closer at Alastor's card, it says "To me" and "Smile". Alastor made himself a Valentine's day card.
Now, let's move on to 2025. I discussed this very briefly in the original post, but lets look at it more closely.
2025 is when we got Alastor's "Love Yourself" keychain, which might not be aroace-coded if not for what all the other Valentine's Day keychains from 2025 were like.
"Love You", "F*** Me", "Be Mine", and "Miss You."
The three couples keychains are all overtly romantic/sexual, and the only other character with a solo keychain (Lucifer) is saying he misses his wife (Lilith).
The contrast here is telling, and definitely further indicates that Alastor is aroace.
2024
In 2024, we got a playmat with an image of Alastor, but I'd like you to notice that, while he is surrounded by hearts, they are all either stitched together or broken. While the stitches do fit his aesthetic, it's also an interesting choice for an artwork where he does NOT have any of the stitches showing on himself at the moment.
2023
In 2023, we got a T-shirt design that has Alastor surrounded by broken hearts and he is breaking a heart right in front of us. More stitches, but those actually do tie into his outfit this time.
Finally, we got these cute little Valentine's cards promos in 2024. Notice that most are explicitly romantic/sexual, while Alastor's very specifically uses the word "friend". Again, the contrast between his depiction and the others' is what's most telling.
