How do you feel about people’s frustration with Charlie not using her powers to solve the conflict with the Vees? A lot of critics think that as one of Hell’s supposedly strongest demons after Lucifer and the Sins, she should’ve been able to stop Vox and free Angel from Valentino, and her not doing so is seen as another example of shows supposedly bad writing and her being a bad protagonist. Can I get a rebuttal for this take too, as well as why Charlie not being the badass people want her to be helps her arc? I admit that I do wish to see her more badass side myself and hate seeing her get humiliated and fail all the time is a little degrading (especially with how she was forced to call Vox the strongest in Hell on live tv).
Hi,
sure, I can give you my two cents :)
1- Charlie is simply not a good fighter. Having power is different than knowing how to fight. Charlie dislikes violence hence she is not an expert at fighting. Season 1 final fight makes it obvious:
Exhibit A-Charlie is strong enough to disperse a flock of exorcists with one finger. Despite this, she is scared and fights defensively with her shield. If she knew how to apply her power in battle, she could potentially do much more damage.
Exhibit B-Charlie has more power than Adam, but she loses their one on one because he has more experience.
Let me highlight this does not apply only to Charlie. There are several characters that on paper are stronger than others. However, they fail to successfully use that power in battle.
Adam is more powerful than Alastor. However, Alastor is the better fighter to the point that if the Radio Demon were less prideful he could have defeated Adam in their early exchange. What fucks Alastor up is really his convinction he does not need an angelic weapon to face Adam.
Emily is a Seraphim, so she could potentially kill Vox with the snap of her fingers. However, Emily is a child (just like Charlie) and has never had to fight in her life. She is not a violent person and can't imagine to use her powers violently.
Abel is an archangel, which means he could one-shot Vox, like Adam did with Alastor. However, he is unsure of his abilities, so instead of proudly going into battle, he is left trembling and hiding.
Finally, an example from Helluva Boss. Andrealphus is a Goetia, which means he should be able to defeat the imps easily. However, he sucks at fighting, while Blitz's group has been making a living on their fighting abilities. So, they are able to embarrass him by kicking his ass.
2- Charlie has power, but she obviously struggles to tap into it. Once again, season 1 finale makes it obvious:
She is overpowered by Adam in their one on one, but when Adam attacks Lucifer, she is able to stop his attack with one fist. The implication is that Charlie has enough power to break Adam with one hand (which is precisely what Lucifer then proceeds to do). However, Charlie can't manifest this power at will (it is not that she CONSCIOUSLY loses her fight against Adam). She struggles to access it.
Why is that so? Well, it is part of her arc.
Charlie's powers are basically her jungian shadow aka the dark part of herself she is repressing. She usually manifests them when she is angry or grieving. In other words, until Charlie won't face all the complicated and ugly emotions she has been ignoring, she will never be able to fully manifest her potential. This struggle is once again set up in season 1:
Vaggie: Well, I mean... You're the princess of Hell.
Charlie: So?
Vaggie: So, you don't really use the power that comes with that, which I love about you, but maybe you can... I don't know, command a little more... Authority?
Charlie: [Whines] But that's so mean...!
Vaggie: It's not mean, exactly. It's... uh, aggressive kindness.
Charlie: Okay... I could be so aggressively kind to Angel's boss... That I convince him to let Angel spend more time at the hotel!
Vaggie: Sure, whatever gets you there, babe.
Here, Vaggi is right. Charlie needs to tap into her aggressivity and authority to succeed. The problem is that Charlie has a childish understanding of good and evil, so politeness =good and conflict = bad. It is very simplistic and detrimental to Charlie's success and growth. In short, Charlie's understanding of violence is set up to be challenged in the future.
All of this is well and good, but the examples I made are all about season 1. What about season 2?
There is one criticism that I think is fair, which is that season 2 does not explore the conflict between Charlie and violence. It kinda leaves it in the background, which is precisely why people are frustrated by Charlie not solving problems with violence. It seems like the story is ignoring that there is this pretty simple solution and is not addressing why Charlie would not consider it. At the same time, Charlie gaining a deeper understanding of her powers is part of her arc, but in season 2 she makes no progress.
That said, I think things should be watched at in context. I said several times now that season 2 is a season where the main plot and the main characters' arcs are put on hold. It is a season where a B plot (Vox) becomes an A plot. The writers used this season to expand on major supporting characters, the worldbuilding, the themes. In this way, they set-up the main characters for future development, but did not give it to them this season (Charlie, Vaggi, Angel, Lucifer and Alastor aka the main 5 are all set up to develop in the upcoming two seasons). I think this choice works for the story, but it is natural it would create frustration in some viewers 'cause we don't have the whole thing, but are consuming the story season after season.
That said, I think this flaw does not justify the majority of the criticism, which imo is in bad faith. After all, season 2 does make clear enough why violence can't be a solution.
SEASON 2 THEMES
The whole point of season 2 is to avoid a war between Heaven and Hell. The story also does a decent job at showing both that war can't be a solution, but also that the sinners' anger is understandable. The people of Hell are being subjected to a genocide for years, so it is no surprise they wish to feel vindicated, even if rationally this would only bring more pain to them, as well (Heaven would have most likely won the war).
In short, Charlie's problem is not really to defeat Vox, but to convince the people of Hell to give up war and to embrace her redemption ideology. Politically, she is presenting herself as a pacifist and a champion of sinners. How do you think public opinion would have reacted if Charlie just went and attacked Vox?
We don't even have to guess because the story gives us two examples:
Both Lucifer and Sera try to threaten Vox with their powers and Vox just takes these attempts and uses them to his advantage. He gets more power from angels trying to kill "the voice of the people". Sure, you could argue that killing Vox would have solved the problem. Would have, though? Sinners' anger would have grown even more and sooner or later someone else would have emerged to take Vox's place as the leader of the people.
It is also not what Charlie personally wants. To kill Vox simply goes against her ideals. Charlie's fixation on ideas is both her strength and weaknesses. To explore this contradiction is the root of her story. So, I don't see a scenario where she would have just gone and killed Vox. It would have made the character incoherent.
On this, I would add that people are acting as if Vox just goes and violently attacks Charlie the whole time... Well, he doesn't. He slanders her reputation, but he is VERY careful not to threaten her or her loved ones violently up until the last arc (the scene with Angel in ep. 2X3 is played for laughs; moreover, after Vox passes a line there Charlie does tell him to leave). Sure, Vox catches Alastor, but it is Alastor himself who goes to fight him. Moreover, everyone at the Hazbin Hotel knows Alastor is in the middle of his machinations and just trusts him enough not to intervene (it is stated so by Vaggi).
Vox becomes openly violent to Charlie's loved ones in the final episodes, when he kidnaps Lucifer and Angel. However, Charlie is not there to see it happen. She suspects something has happened to them, but is unsure and does not know the details.
With all this considered, it is really not surprising Charlie would not attack Vox violently. We are talking about the girl who is unable to go all out against the man who has just killed one of her friends. She is able to fully manifest her true power only to defend a loved one that is under attack right in front of her. This is just how sick violence makes Charlie.
CHARLIE IS A COHERENT CHARACTER
Season 2 may not go deeper nor solve Charlie's complicated relationship with violence and ideals. However, it is VERY clear about this conflict still being relevant for her character. Here comes 4 examples:
1-
Charlie: For my reckonin' (Hotel Visitors: For my reckonin')
I'll never turn to violence (Hotel Visitors: I'll never turn to violence)
This lyrics in Hazbin Guarantee is meant to be taken critically. Charlie has just won a fight and survived thanks to violence. Still, she is telling the Sinners they should NEVER use violence. It is clearly a point of view which is too rigid and a little bit hypocritical.
2-
Charlie: He ruined everything is what happened. The angels were here to set things right, but thanks to him— and, apparently, you— Vox was able to spin it, again!
In the climax of her spiral Charlie blames Lucifer and Vaggi for Vox's declaration of war. This showcases once again her white and black thinking and hypocrisy. She blames them 'cause their plan was about using violence to threaten Vox. So, it is OBVIOUSLY bad. Charlie and the angels' plan was instead about apologizing, hence OBVIOUSLY good. However, Vox's declaration of war is made possible not by Vaggi and Lucifer's intervention, but by Charlie bringing Sera at the rally. In the end, Sera even does exactly what Lucifer did. However, for Charlie Sera is innocent, while Lucifer is guilty. Here, our girl is clearly projecting some unsolved issues outside.
3-
Vox: And with Carmilla's aid, we can finally fulfill Lilith's dream. She started this resistance to take back our power by force. She wanted blood, now let's spill some blood. Resist!
Charlie: My mom never wanted violence. She empowered sinners. Peaceful protest. There was no blood!
Charlie gets angry at the idea Lilith might have endorsed violence. I am sure Lilith is not the blood-thirsty dictator Vox frames her up to be. However, I am not sure she was such a pacifist as Charlie remembers her. Once again no violence = good in Charlie's mind.
4-
Charlie: And now Vox is declaring a war, and Carmilla's right, I started it, and I'm a hypocrite and my dreams are gonna die!!!
Charlie is so disturbed by her inner violence that she genuinely sees her being forced to use it in season 1 finale as a personal defeat. She is so scared by the destructive results of violence she truly thinks deep down SHE is the one who started the war.
CHARLIE IS TRAUMATIZED
The whole point of Charlie in season 2 is that she is not fine. The final fight of season 1 clearly re-enacted her trauma:
Sir Pentious dies = her mom leaves
The Hazbin Hotel gets destroyed = her family is destroyed
Not only that, but Charlie internalizes it is all her fault.
Her mom abandons her because she is not good:
Charlie: Look, this hotel was my way of finishing what she started, and I think I've been trying so hard to hold on to it because if I can make it work, maybe she'd be… proud of me. And maybe she'd come back and tell me what I did to make her leave.
Her hotel gets destroyed because she made mistakes:
Charlie: This bloodshed could have been avoided
If I convinced Heaven to work together
I took a hotel and I destroyed it
I know I could have done better
Better, instead of letting you down
It's not Lilith who is a bad mom for leaving. It is Charlie, who is a bad daughter. The proof that she is so bad is that now Hell is on the verge of war 'cause Charlie dared to use violence ONCE in self-defense!
Charlie's unsolved grief and trauma is why she is so ineffective in the finale btw. She literally goes into a panic attack the moment war seems unavoidable after Vox's Might of Lilith hit. She is overwhelmed by fear, shame and guilt. That is because in her mind EVERYTHING IS HER FAULT. Obviously this is itself a pretty childish and self-centered understanding of reality :P But here's the point. Charlie is a child who needs to grow-up. If she did so in one arc (which season 1 and 2 are), there would be no story.
In short, Charlie is terrified of violence and of the idea of being "bad". She is also clearly set-up to eventually discard this understanding of the world. I mean... her two biggest helpers are Alastor and Vaggi LOL
In particular, Charlie is DEEPLY in love with Vaggi, miss I love fighting and I collect weapons. This is not accidental. It is because the two girls need to integrate their complementary visions of the world. Just like they start doing in 1x7.
Vaggi discovers she needs to fight for love. It means she needs to fight to protect others and herself, rather than to hurt enemies and to sacrifice herself. Out For Love is about her integrating Charlie's vision of the world. Hence why she embraces "dancing" aka her art for the first time. She learns her body is not there only to kill (fight), but also to crete beauty (dance).
Charlie discovers she needs to accept violence to protect the ones she loves. Ready For This is about Charlie accepting this necessity. This is why she sings a recruitment song where she asks people to march and dance (=fight) for her. She even uses a lot of military jargon, which is Vaggi's default language.
Basically the point of 1.6 is that the two girls integrate with each other, even if they are separate.
VOX AND ANGEL
Since you asked about them specifically, here are some quick thoughts on their situations.
Vox
Charlie saying on TV Vox is the strongest sinner ties with the themes of the season. Charlie would have never given up to Vox, but is forced to say so because of her deal with Alastor. And what happens once she basically loses the fight of communication against Vox? She wins the war.
That is because Charlie is SO obsessed about being a GREAT AND INSPIRING COMMUNICATOR just like Lilith was, that she misses that:
A- You can't win a battle of communication against the embodyment of medias
B- It's not important what you say, but you do. Charlie says she is giving up on TV, but then doesn't and fights for the Sinners. This wins her the Kingdom back
Angel
People blaming Angel's loved ones for his situation are missing the point of Angel's character and story imo.
"Charlie does not care about Angel 'cause she is so fixated on being non-violent, she would not even try ot save him from Valentino!"
Charlie is literally ready to throw hands with Val five minutes after meeting him :''') It is ANGEL, who stops her from doing so. He does it to protect her, but he acts as if he is angry with her.
"Angel's loved ones do not care about him, 'cause they do not try to forcefully save him from Valentino"
They literally forcefully save him from Valenino in the season 2 finale. They even risk their well-being to do so and do not blame Angel for attacking them. After all that, Angel himself chooses to step back into his abusive relationship.
Angel's arc is meant to explore the difficulty of freeing one-self from an abusive situation and so far I think it does a good job at that. It is childish to think that it is easy to save a person in an abusive relationship. It isn't or there would not be so many tragedies all around us.
Angel's loved ones are people aka they are flawed. They don't have the whole picture of what Angel is going through and they face a person, who insists on pushing them away and refusing their help. They themselves need to grow to help Angel. At the same time, Angel needs to grow himself and to let them help him. That is the point of his story.
LOSERS
Finally, it is funny to me that people make it sound as if Charlie is the ONLY ONE who fails ridiculously. I mean, the whole point of the Hellaverse is that everyone is a loser:
Husk- He tells Angel to give Charlie's disastrous redemption plan a chance and then gets angry when Angel saves his life
Vaggi - She keeps her identity hidden for three years, thinking she can somehow pull it off in the long run; she is also unable to come up with a convincing excuse not to go to Heaven, which OBVIOUSLY leads to her secret coming out :''')
Lucifer - Have you seen the man? Let's just say he ends up being a power-source and he kiiiiinda deserves it, you know?
Alastor - He can't use angelic weapons 'cause he is too cool for them. Then, he makes the fact that he lost literally everyone's problem and spends the entirety of season 2 throwing a temper tantrum
Vox - He comes up with this overly complicated plan to gain power through popularity. He does all that and finally becomes THE STRONGEST sinner... and he is barely more powerful than Alastor, still gets his ass handed to him 'cause he is a less efficient fighter and loses it all. Let me also point out that for all of Vox's struggle he is still Overlord- level. Forget Charlie, cinnamon-roll Abel can one-shot him :P
I think I made my point. Everyone in the series is flawed and lame, which is why they are all so compelling. This is also why I find the whole "frauds" discourse so pointless and funny... "This character is a fraud!", "No, this character is a fraud"... Hello? They are all frauds, it's kinda the point. They are all trying to appear better than they are, which is why the narrative humiliates them.
CONCLUSION
Let's go back to Charlie and say I think people are simply reading her wrong. She is not meant to be a hero. She is meant to be a traumatized person trying her best, which makes her far more inspiring. She isn't the genius-princess that conquers everyone with her charm and quirkiness. She is a realistic portrayal of a neglected child, who becomes a young adult without fully growing up.
It's something the story makes crystal clear. Charlie's first scene is her reading a fairy tale about her family after a highly violent event (the exterminations). She is sad and scared and has no family with her because both of her parents have been neglecting her. So, Charlie is left with their idealized version in a picture book and the childish dream to fix her family.
I will point out another layer I never see people discuss. I will say I don't know if we will truly go as deep into the exploration of Charlie. Still, it is an element, which is worth considering. Charlie's parents neglect her not because they are bad people or do not love her. They neglect her because they too are two deeply traumatized people. They had this big dream which became a nightmare and broke the world.
I think both Lucifer and Lilith have both been twisted by whatever went down in Eden and are clearly projecting their traumas in different ways on Charlie. In short, Charlie is the victim of this HUGE inter-generational trauma. Her parents broke the world and have been struggling with this. As their daughter, Charlie has been struggling with this legacy, as well. She wants to fix the world because her parents broke it. So, if she can amend their mistakes they can finally be a normal family.
This lens gives her first scene even more substance. Charlie could frankly just ignore the exterminations. She is not a target and could even leave Pride and build a life for herself in one of the lower rings. Still, she deep down knows that her parents are responsible for the situation. Everything the Sinners are going through is at the end of the day her parents' fault. So, it is also her fault. This is why she is so obsessed by the idea of making "everything right".
@aspoonofsugar It occurs to me that you could almost find a shield and Spear symbolism in Charlie and Vaggi as characters.
Charlie is a shield that can withstand a lot which leaves her thinking she'll be okay but ultimately doesn't fight back making her vulnerable in ways she doesnt see coming.
Vaggi is a spear that constantly attacks but leaves herself open to being hurt or hurting others unintentionally.
Thus, they both need each other and cover the others blindspots.
I’ve literally never seen this post on my dash when it is not after dark and cold as balls. I’m beginning to think this is a conspiracy to get us eaten by some nocturnal tree demon.
yeah the guy who invented them made incredibly precise infusion pumps (as opposed to gravity fed ivs) which not only meant they could give medications to teeny tiny babies safely, it's also used for insulin pumps and portable dialysis machines. the key element is that it's a peristaltic pump so the liquid stays in sterile tubing for safety
(unholy drink cloaca uses it to dispense precise amounts of flavored sugar syrup)
It should be well noted hundreds of thousands of Native American tribes exist, much more long lost to time. This post includes the most populated as of now, but know this applies to all.
Also some of these tribes cross over to Mexico and Canada!
Shoutout to all Cherokee LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Navajo LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Sioux LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Chippewa LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Apache LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Shawnee LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Choctaw LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Pueblo LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Mohawk LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Blackfeet LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Creek (Muscogee) LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Seminole LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Inupiat LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Lumbee LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Cayuga LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Onondaga LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Seneca LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Tuscarora LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Chitimacha LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Shoshone LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Nez Perce LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Yakama LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Klickitat LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Palouse LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Wasco–Wishram LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Spokan(e) LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Arapaho LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Cheyenne LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Caddo LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Powhatan LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Waco LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Tawakoni LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Quapaw LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Aleuts LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Comanche LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Chugach LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Assiniboine LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Gros Ventre LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Kiowa LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Lakota LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Lipan Apache LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Plains Apache LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Odawa LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Ojibwe LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Potawatomi LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Hualapai LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Ute LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Pawnee LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Wichita LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Mandan LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Osage LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Yup'ik LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Omaha LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Ponca LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Tlingit LGBTQ+ folks.
Shoutout to all Taku LGBTQ+ folks.
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Shoutout to all Crow LGBTQ+ folks.
Take pride in it all. Your culture, your identity, it’s all so beautiful. Celebrate where you are from and who you are. It makes you you, and that is something to be proud of.
Post for Africans, post for Oceanic folks, post for Middle Easterners, post for Latin Americans/Hispanics, post for Pacific Islanders, post for Asians, post for Caribbeans
My Twitter timelines been full of people yelling about which Pokemon type Sonic would be and that made me wanna draw him as a Pokemon line for the hell if it (he’s normal type fight me/j).
"everyone should get more aromantic" can appeal to tumblr's sensibilities but I genuinely think everyone should also get more asexual. I don't mean everyone stop having sex, what I mean is
Sex is not essential. You can live without it. Full stop.
Not having sex isn't shameful or a sign of failure. It also doesn't make anyone boring.
You are not entitled to having sex with anybody and nobody is entitled to having sex with you.
Sex is not what makes someone an adult.
Nobody's worth is defined by how much sex they have or don't have.
Sex is not equally important to everyone.
You can have fulfilling and happy relationships without sex.
You should only have sex on your own terms, not because you feel like you owe it to someone, or because you feel like you'd be incomplete without it.
Know your boundaries around sex and be firm about them. Know how to respect other people's boundaries.
The previous point also applies when it comes to discussing sex. If someone doesn't wanna talk about it or hear about it you have to back down.
Anything can be sexual but not everything has to be sexual.
I hate that when you’re stressed enough your body just starts falling apart. I think it should realize you’re already stressed and don’t need that and start functioning better actually
Here is an article from NPR about it (May 22, 2026):
Carolina Milanesi, an independent technology analyst, said Google is trying to make its cash cow business — search — richer and more personalized, and it will make shopping easier. But there is a risk that users may have fewer choices about what to click.
"Right now it's: I ask a question, I get a bunch of answers and I feel that I'm in control as to which answer I take, or if I'm looking for something, which product I'm going to end up buying. That is going to be less so going forward," she said.
Milanesi envisions AI-enabled search and agents proposing products to consumers — perhaps even those they have requested — but with less clarity or choice around where it's coming from.
"If you're going to say: 'I want a pair of Jordans, go find them,' you're not necessarily sure what steps have been taken and whether the AI has used a source or a store that was paid for and therefore came up in the search results," she said, "or if AI actually went and did their due diligence and picked the best for me as a customer."
And here's one from Time magazine (May 20, 2026):
While Google already has “AI Mode,” the company will now power the whole search bar through its new Gemini 3.5 Flash model.
Instead of the classic list of blue links, Google Search will now also generate a custom page with an AI-generated summary of what you’re searching about, which will then trigger a conversation with AI Mode on the main page, allowing users to ask follow-up questions—similar to the kind of layout you would see when opening ChatGPT.
And a little more from Time's article on how this may affect the websites that we are trying to search for:
When Google first started implementing AI-assisted results, news publishers warned of “catastrophic” impacts on the industry, much of which relies on Google search to drive users to their websites.
Last year, news websites saw significant traffic declines as chatbots increasingly replaced Google search as the primary way to find sites and ask questions.
Small businesses also noted drops in traffic to their sites from Google, which has traditionally delivered customers.
Lily Ray, vice president of SEO strategy & research at Amsive, a digital marketing agency, warned as early as last year that Google’s planned changes to search are “going to have a devastating impact on the Internet.”
“It will severely cut into the main source of revenue for most publishers and it will disincentivize content creators who rely on organic search traffic, which is millions of websites, maybe more,” she told Technology Magazine.
This is a really fantastic return to form for this genre of post. In recent years there's been less and less effort put into this vital aspect of internet culture, it's nice to see a return to the truly artisanal work of the late 00s.
janainaart
yousharknotpass
theartofmadeline
dededos
