i'm a multifandom fanfiction and analysis blog. right now i'm currently hyperfixated on hazbin hotel! my favorite characters are alastor, lute, and charlie morningstar.
my tags are "alix does writing" for fanfiction, "alix does art" for fanart, and "alix does yaps" for analysis or other text posts.
masterlist.
current works in progress.
REQUESTS ARE OPEN!
rules.
more about me. my special interests include the bible, and 1920s-30s america, among other things. i'm a history and literature major in college.
i interact and block liberally.
this is a safe space for aroace alastor enjoyers! if you come into my account and start talking about how alastor isn't aromantic, i will block you.
Hey it’s possum but it won’t let me ask from my side blog for some reason?? Anyways
We were chatting a while ago about you having requests open. And you’ve told me you see Alastor as a cat person
And so I have been wondering if you have any thoughts/stories about Alastor growing up with the background/home life you hc he had, and his relation to animals as a result. I imagine he had an easier time with them than with other people :3c
first off...
MY FIRST EVER ASK! THANK YOU POSSUM!
as for what you're actually asking about, i've given it some thought. i do agree with my assertion of alastor as a cat person, at least, in the sense that he can respect a cat and its company. and he would be around cats because in the 20s, due to the ports and open markets and the warm sunny weather, new orleans (especially the french quarter!!) had quite the stray/feral cat population.
alastor, who i presume grew up in the french quarter, likely saw them around his home and work as a child and young adult. his sisters adored the cats—what young girl wouldn't?—and would rope alastor into feeding them so that the girls could pet them. alastor himself wouldn't have been too interested. i don't think he'd even want to pet the cats without prompting.
for that reason, the cats absolutely adored him. cats always love the person who doesn't want them around, it seems, and alastor with his disinterest made the cats want his affection more. and since he was the one feeding them, that would only strengthen the bond.
as for other animals, i would like to think alastor always had an aversion to dogs. they're loud, constantly need attention, and slobber everywhere! alastor is more fond of quieter or even shy animals. he wouldn't be much into wildlife beyond killing them. he'd capture squirrels or birds, and watch them struggle and die. he enjoyed seeing how their lives played out in those final moments. at some point, i imagine him experimenting on the cats around his house, too, but far less so, since his family was more likely to notice them going missing.
alastor's relationship to animals was much like his relationship to people. a quiet fascination, a desire for a sort of experimentation. the only difference was that animals, especially the cats, were far easier to be around because they weren't so needy. a cat may brush against his leg, but that's far more manageable than a human needing validation and affection. his physical aversion wasn't triggered by animals, because animals weren't necessarily expecting it, and they wouldn't act upset if they didn't receive his affections.
did this answer your ask properly? i realized i'd left this half-finished in my drafts for like a month...woops...
As promised, here's my take on Val's side of his relationship with Vox.
It's a bit tricky to go too in-depth on this because we still don't know that much about Val, and a lot of what we see is filtered through other characters' POVs. So I'm doing a lot of guesswork here. Based on what we've seen, I think Val feels deep down, like he isn't 'good enough' for Vox, and wants things from him that he isn't getting: Attention, validation, emotional intimacy, and an acknowledgement of their romantic relationship.
"If he glows any brighter, will he see me anymore?"
Literally the first thing we learn about Val in the series after his texts to Angel is that he wants Vox to come to his room in order to "calm him down". I think this gives an interesting layer to his behavior in 1x02, especially rewatching with his solo number from 2x07 in mind: While yes, some of his anger over Angel leaving is genuine, I also think he might be playing this up a bit because he wants Vox's attention.
Throughout the scene, Val keeps trying to draw Vox's full attention to him. He rants angrily about Angel and Vox gives him a bored detached "which whore would we be talking about?" after nearly getting a glass to the face, as if Val's feelings are so uninteresting to him he can't even remember the most important soul he owns, which angers Val further (on Vox's side, I think he's maintaining calm here because that's how you de-escalate a situation).
Vox turns to his phone? Val grabs it and breaks it. Vox turns his back on him? Val gets angrier. Vox stays calm and looks bored? Val keeps escalating, finally turning to a cabinet full of guns to use violence. This gets him Vox's attention for a minute, and that calms him down a bit. He gets a bit of what he wants from Vox: Attention, physical closeness, Vox lighting his cigarette and offering him earners to shoot, and he finally smiles.
But then Vox immediately, as soon as Val is calmed down, starts walking away again to do something else, and Val seems to decide to play his last card, the one that will guarantee Vox has to pay attention to him. He plays the Alastor card. This gets him Vox's attention all right - absolutely enraged attention, that involves threats and rage. He turns on the TV to show Al and deliberately places himself to the left so Vox will have to look at him to see Al. Vox responds by zapping closer to the TV so he can glare at only Al.
When we cut back, Val is loudly complaining about Angel flirting with someone else, and says Vox's name as if he's trying to get his attention. I think that while Val's obsession with Angel might exist outside of Vox, there's also an element of him playing up Angel and his interest in him in order to make Vox jealous. Or at least he wants Vox to be jealous, to pay attention to him; hence why he's calling Vox's name at the end of this scene. And Vox of course only has eyes for Al. Val keeps trying to get his attention again - "You still pissed her most beat you that one time?" - but b y now it's too late and Vox is gone.
(Also as an aside: Vox and Angel may not have Vox and Charlie's rich thematic parallels, but they're both 1940s era white guys who are deeply insecure and believe they'll never be loved, cover up their insecurities with a flashy showman persona, are stars of visual media - TV and Porn - are in hell for murder, wear snazzy suits, are overly handsy, and like to solve problems with sass and violence. It's not quite Rachel dating "Russ", but there's just enough surface level similarities between them (and Val dates lots of doppelgängers visually for Vox and Vel) that I could believe Val uses Angel as a proxy to take out his frustrations with Vox on. Angel is the version of Vox that he can control and force to be with him, because he owns him.)
Val, when he's expressing his jealousy over Alastor in Season 2, indicates that he fears sex and desirability is all he has to offer Vox. He looks annoyed when Vox says seeing Alastor almost die is "better than sex" in 1x08, because if Alastor's pain is better than sex, what does Val have to offer Vox? He looks quite pleased when Vox shows the SlapCam Comp and says "You're obsessed with me" as if it's a really pleasant idea. He wants Vox's attention and complete absorption, but also seems to fear that if Vox gets too confident he'll lose it.
In 2x01, we see Val admitting he "doesn't understand" Vox's plans, and in 1x05 Vox teases him about "lacking vision", indicating in general Vox seems to view Val as kinda slow, not as smart as he is. And Val looks wounded by this, as if it's something he feels insecure about here. Val is actually quite smart in creative ways, just maybe not a long term planner like Vox - and creative intelligence, gendered as more feminine, is undervalued by society in comparison with planning and strategizing, soo it makes total sense Val wouldn't see (or at least Vox wouldn't validate that often) his own creative intelligence. So of course Alastor makes sure to emphasize that Vox found him "inspiring" when he's taunting him. Has Vox ever found Val 'inspiring"? Or made him feel like he does? Probably not.
And if Val feels like sex is the main thing he has to offer Vox, what the hell does it say that Vox will leave in the middle of having sex with Val just to go fight with Alastor? He asks Vox "I thought you liked it when I - " as if he's afraid he drove Vox away by whatever sex act they were doing, or as if he's trying to get Vox's attention again. But of course, whenever Alastor is in his radar, nobody else exists for Vox.
We get a sense from his texts to Angel that Vox won't have sex with Val in public, or possibly even take him out on a date. And what is the very first thing he does after getting Alastor? Take him on a fucking smoothie date. And take a picture of it, so it's not even a hidden away thing. He not only takes Al out on a date in public, but he photographs it so everyone will know. And then he uses Val as a sex prop to make Al jealous (we all figure that's what happened i that scene, right?) and ignores him to lock into Al. Val is in the bed, watching, but when Alastor's in the room, Vox has eyes for no one else.
Al also makes sure in the bedroom scene to let Val know that he and Vox were "close to equals", really emphasizing that her nd Vox used to be close. Indeed, we know that Vox was emotionally open with Al in a way he has probably never found it easy to be with Val and Vel, so Val probably has that to be a bit jealous of too. Still, he's cool with it as long as he can think it's just a sex thing. "You two should just fuck already" indicates that he assumes if Vox has sex with Al, he'll get it out of his system and move on.
He and Vox share affection and compliments in 2x05, with Val telling Vox he looks good and doing everything perfectly, getting a bit of an attention and a 'good man' compliment. But Al rolls in and insults Vox, and immediately Val just vanishes from his mind, he starts insulting Val, and ignores him to focus on Al and Al alone. It's basically a statement that he's more invested in Alastor's contempt than in Val's praise. And Val is left watching from the sidelines as Vox gives Alastor that full attention he wants from him.
Val rants in "Scream Rain" that he "can't understand what he sees in that imbecile, because I am here, beautiful, very beautiful"; he thinks that again, if this is just about sex, then he's better looking than Alastor, so what does Al have that he doesn't? It has to seem inexplicable to Val and Vel why Vox is bending over backwards to impress this asshole who does nothing but insult him. We know the full context of course, but Val and Vel don't seem to.
I think this alll gives us an explanation for why Vaggie is comfortable validating Charlie in the Chaggie/Staticmoth parallel arcs of season 2, of reassuring here she's gonna be ok, and Val struggles to do the same for Vox, when that's what Vox desperately needs to avoid crashing out - some reassurance that he's good enough. Because Val fears if Vox gets too confident, he'll leave him. It seems like being left or abandoned by a romantic or sexual partner may be Val's greatest fear - a lot of anger comes from fear, and his rages are almost always motivated by believing a sexual partner has abandoned him.
It's also interesting that while Al is constantly insulting Vox, his goal is to build Vox up enough to be the strongest sinner in hell on his own (to benefit himself) while though Val tends to validate Vox, his desire is to keep him from getting too cocky so he won't leave him, out of love. If Vox and Al's relationship was healthier, Al could be a good force in pushing him towards autonomy and being confident in himself rather than needing others' validation, and the darker side of Val/Vox may be Val trying i some ways to undermine Vox to keep him from getting too confident. But of course that's not the scenario. Just a thought.
Val asserts his autonomy and refuses to put up with bad treatment, but he also tries to justify it ("He's just a man, he's being rude cause he's stressed out just trying to do his master plan). He also tries to farm it out to Vox being upset because of his plans, not to the really blindingly obvious fact that Vox is doing this because Alastor is taunting him that he'd be useless without Vel and Val. Val may struggle with admitting that, because if Vox is motivated by needing Alastor's approval rather than just being stressed about his work life, that means Alastor's approval means more to him than taking over heaven and becoming God. Which it turns out it does.
From Val's POV, Vox chooses Alastor's contempt over his love in the Season 2 finale. He chooses to kill himself (and them) over Alastor rather than go on living with him and Vel. And Val responds with a surprising act of selfless love. In a scene that I just realized actually parallels Husk slapping angel to snap him out of strangling Cherrie, Val uses violence to force Vox to chill and takes him home. He's angry at him, but he protects him and takes him home.
From things like the drawing tutorial, where Vox is a devoted caretaker, albeit a grouchy one, him jumping in the way of Al's attack to save Val, his casual affection and caretaking towards Val (calming him down, lighting his cigarette, putting his glasses back on), etc., we know what Val is fighting for here and why he still wants Vox. When he's in a good place Vox gives him caretaking and affection. But he doesn't give him that undivided, obsessive attention he shows Alastor. Now, realistically Val - you don't want Vox to be as obsessed with you as he is with Al. That doesn't end well. But emotionally, Val seems to want Vox's undivided attention and adoration, and as of the s2 finale, Vox has given all of that to Al instead.
A guy who, from Val's POV, doesn't deserve it. A guy who to Val is A. Less attractive than him, B. Nothing but mean and condescending to Vox, and C., Not really all that special anyway. What, Val must be asking himself, does that stupid deer have that he doesn't?
We know of course, that it's not about Alastor being 'better' than Val -Vox may enjoy their intellectual banter a bit and see Al as more of an equal, but it's a lot more complicated and sad, a great big boil of neediness and unrequited love, etc. But he hasn't gotten comfortable enough to tell Val this yet.
Val is angry at Vox and isn't talking to him. He must feel rejected by him at the end of season 2, but he still chooses to be with him. It's a surprising act of unconditional love, ironically performed by one of the show's most despicable characters. Because even though Vox didn't choose him, Val actually still chooses to be there for Vox, even after he hurt him. It's one of the most striking acts of unconditional love we've seen in the series so far (and props to Vel for doing it too, but she's another discussion).
So to sum up, Val feels insecure around Vox and fears Vox will get too confident for him; he wants Vox's full attention and to be the center of his universe the way Alastor is, and he can't get it no matter what he does. But he also shows Vox genuine, unconditional love and takes him home after his freak out. He and Vel clearly want Vox to "be chill again and realize who he missed". Where will this go? Time will tell.
Adhd alastor permeates every bit of thought and analysis i have about him. I am atp incapable of reading him any other way
And when the thought first occured to me I was like nooooo no no that's too self indulgent I'm just projecting that cant actually be a valid interpretation of him
But things kept falling into place and now it feels like the only thing i talk about
a ton of people have unexpectedly followed me over the last 2 days so here is my rent-lowering gunshot:
the american south is the most racially diverse and poorest region of the united states, and any political sentiment that treats the south is stupid or expendable is inherently racist and classist. a lot of y'all are racist and classist. the south is also the heart of american culture. argue with a wall. you cannot deny that everybody in the entire world does not emulate artists from atlanta. there is vested interest in keeping the south poor and uneducated BECAUSE this is the most racially diverse region in this country. if you actually give a fuck about progress, you would fight for the south, not mock us.
