MysteryLover

Girl nerd-type.

[mysterylover123]

Every Charlie/Vox Parallel: Season 1 Episode 5 "Dad Beat Dad"

And we finally add Alastor into the mix! Honestly I could just sum up this part with this:

Who's been here since day one?/Who's been faithful as a nun?

Makes you chuckle with an old-timey pun? Your executive producer...

I'm truly honored that we've built such a bond

You're like the child (Partner) that I wish that I had

I care for you just like a daughter (pal) I spawned (found)

It's a little funny, you could almost call me Daaaadd(dy) :)

(look for Radiostatic's silhouettes in that last pic)

aka Alastor decides Lu and Val should lose their daddy privileges.

So we start off "Dad Beat Dad" with Charlie having a slight manic episode about her plan, which of course she's explaining in goofy drawings:

Charlie: Nope, no! Not really! Haha! I've been up all night trying to figure out why the hotel isn't working. [Crushes paper with hand] We've done trust falls. We've tried sharing our feelings. We only have a couple months left before the angels come- [Turns into demonic form and laughs maniacally before turning back to normal] And at this rate...

Much like a certain someone at the start of season 2:

Vox: But I think we can spin that. [He uses his powers and in his screens three hand-drawn images appear] I think we can use the hotel's reputation and Hell's renewed hope, and start a Hell-wide uprising against Heaven! With us at the top, hah?!

Valentino: Ugh, I know you won't believe this, but I don't understand.

In this narrative parallel set, Val and Vel both to some extent occupy Lu's position in Charlie's story in Vox's, though as this post points out the narrative parallels between Lu and Val are very rich and central and worth exploring beyond just that narrative spot.

Charlie describes her relationship with her dad at the start of this episode as complicated and distant:

Charlie: No, we just have never been close. After he and mom split, he never really wanted to see me. He calls... sometimes, but only if he's bored or like, needs me to do something.

Which may be how Vox feels his relationships with the Vees are:

Vox: Hello there, Velvette! How are you this hellish morning?

Velvette: Oh, cut the shit, Vox. I need you up here now!

Very likely Vox believes he and the Vees have never been deeply close - if they are seemingly not privy to his relationship with Al and he's reluctant to c all Val his 'partner', he probably has those walls up - and he might believe they only keep him around for when they're bored or need him to do something.

Now, Lu, Vel and Val actually do love Charlie and Vox. This is really obvious from everything we see. On V&C's side, this internal conviction that their families don't actually love them is probably partially from their own self-loathing. If the parallels pay off with Lilith in s3, it may be because both are damaged from feeling rejected by one parent/friend, and afraid to ever trust the love of the other, because it could go badly again.

On Lu & the Vees side, it's probable that they all have some trouble with really showing their fondness for V&C in tangible ways. For as much as Lu/the Vees do care for C&V, and will step in for them when it counts (1x08/2x08), they often struggle to really show it through tangible, day to day actions. Charlie: I need to speak to Heaven. Well, whoever's in charge up there, above Adam, above anybody. I need to go to the top.

Lucifer: Oh, no. No~ No, no, no, no, Charlie, no, no, no. That's, uh hah, no.

Charlie: [angrily] Look Dad, [normal] I don't ask you for much, I never have, but this, this is really important to me. It's the most important thing I've ever done. And I... need you. I need your help.

In a darker world, on the Vees side:

Vox: You read my mind. That's actually why I'm here. I may need to borrow Angel Dust for a bit. And before you say anything, just wait till you hear me out. The next part of my plan is gonna make the princess kill herself. (laughs)

Valentino: Our plan. Mine, and Velvette's, too. Or did you forget? (seethes) I'm not gonna wait in the wings again while you and Angel take center stage. 

Vox: Oh, Val. Is that jealousy I hear? Come now, Val.

I think Alastor's verse in DBD - "I'm your guy, your DAY-TO-DAY" is important here in this narrative parallel. Alastor highlights how he's there for Charlie doing the gritty, day-to-day hard work of actually helping her, not just throwing grand gestures her way when things get dire ( That's how he frames it, anyway), which means a lot more to Charlie in the long run ("Dad, stop, he's protecting this hotel! How come he can have faith in me but my own father can't?) than things like 'champagne fountains' or 'caviar mountains'. And for Vox, who seems to do a lot of the gritty, day-to-day work of running the Vees like holding Overlord meetings or smoothing over Val's tantrums, the 'day-to-day' small sacrifices might mean a lot.

Both C&V choose to try and win over their families to their dreams by showing them all the cool things that could happen, rather than just telling them to go along with it:

Charlie: Please, just come see what I'm trying to do. You'll see why it's a really good idea. And Heaven is bound to agree if I get the chance to talk to them. Please, Dad.

Vox: ♪ Think of all your dreams that could come true ♪/Valentino: ♪ Even the wet ones? ♪/Vox: ♪ Yeah, those too! Imagine what it could enable! ♪/Velvette: ♪ For my label! ♪

In both cases, C&V have asked Lu and the Vees for help or interest in making their dreams come true. Lu & the Vees have basically said 'no' to being asked, so C&V probably don't feel terribly supported by them or like they believe in their goals. They have to persuade and win them over instead.

And of course this disconnect in both families is what Alastor worms his way into and tries to use as a means to undermine the familial bonds between each side:

In Charlie's case, he pours on the flattery:

Charlie: Okay! Okay, anyway. Dad, look at this lovely parlor where people can get to know each other and share secrets and stories and intimate feelings! Without Alastor, we wouldn't have been able to pretty it up this much.

Alastor: Charlie has a very unique vision. I am happy to fulfil her bizarre requests. 

Charlie: Oh, thank you, Alastor.

In Vox's case he pours on the ragebait:

Alastor: Flocked by your partners. With their far more impressive contribution to your flashy little clown show. What really are you contributing besides... noise?

Vox: (laughing and stammering) Uh, I'm the face? The face of the revolution, where the fuck have you been?

Alastor: Yes, but still, if that's all...

Vox: You think they could've pulled this off without me? It's me who made this happen. I have the vision.

Alastor's motivations here are interesting, in that he's ostensibly just doing this in both cases to be a manipulative little shit. He's got bigger plans, and manipulating C&V into thinking he's the person they need to care about, instead of their loving families, is part of that. But on the other hand, there's definitely subtle clues that Al does actually care about C&V in his own Alastor way. I'm not sure I have receipts on this, but there I think is an interview/post where Viv confirms he's "already adopted" Charlie in his head, and we've all seen the way he looked at Vox before things fell apart. Charlie, as my most popular post pointed out, is a lot like Vox, (duh, the whole point of this analysis!) so Al seems to be drawn to this personality type.

Post by @mysterylover123 · 5 images

💬 2  🔁 8  ❤️ 53 · Link So I've reposted this awesome post a few times, and it only recently occurred to me that hey, what exactly are the i

Al, as I suggested in analyzing this musical number, invokes Vox when he's thinking about family; he almost formed a familial bond with Vox, a friendship/found family, and then from his point of view, lost that when it turned out Vox was just using him (from his POV), wasn't as good as he thought, etc. And the same thing happens to him (from HIS POV, let me emphasize) in the S1 finale. He opens himself up to Charlie, another hyperactive disaster bi with crazy dreams, and letting himself "get accustomed" leads to him getting hurt. So in S2, he both rejects Charlie and the hotel, and goes to destroy Vox's found family (just for power, obviously, no subconscious emotional motivations there whatsoever, no sir). The ending of s2 hints he's decided to do the same thing to Charlie's family, as he looks at her and Vaggie before glaring at Lu.

So s2 and the Vees serve as a preview of what Al wants to do to the Morningstars. Break apart the family his begrudgingly favorite disaster bis have that isn't him.

Like I mentioned, Al opens his case with a reminder that he's always been around ("Who's been here since day one?" "Back then, you and I were as close to equals as I'd imagined down here" (Makes sure Val hears this). Then that he's been "faithful", makes them laugh, shared good times with them. He emphasizes his presence in C&V's lives while really highlighting Lu and the Vees absence.

This post actually hits on a lot of the nitty-gritty of how Al deliberately undermines Val and Vox's relationship specifically. There's similarities to the way he undermines Lu & Charlie's family bond in 'Hell's Greatest Dad'.

Reblog by @melodylove-art · 1 video

💬 2  🔁 27  ❤️ 115 · I will support jealous Alastor propoganda til I die.

He puts himself physically in between them, he invokes how close he is to them, insists on how Vox 'needs him' and how he's helped Charlie. Lu and Val try to interrupt ("Others say that in your needy hour..."/You two should just fuck already") which annoys Alastor, who proceeds to undermine the bond more, with a smug smirk about how easily he could bend C&V to his will.

Like I mentioned, he really hits that he's the 'day-to-day" in Charlie's world. He hits on their emotional closeness ("I'm truly honored that we've built such a bond"/"I thought you fond me 'inspiring"), and deliberately sows seeds of discord between the two families ("Sadly, there are times a birth parent is a dud"/"You'd be nothing without those two"). It's interesting too that the familial bonds Al chooses to undermine most directly are heteronormative - father-daughter, romantic couple (yes, a gay poly one, but still a romantic dyadic couple) - when he also emphasizes "the family you choose is better" in the number. Being queer, and queer in a specific way that basically defies all heteronormative organizations of family - coupling romantically, childbirth, etc. - Al probably has a very confusing feeling about these two weirdoes he wants in his life. He can kind of insert himself into the "adoptive father" role with Charlie, but what is his relationship with Vox? An "Old Pal?" Friends? He doesn't want to be 'friends', or partners, or lovers, so whatever is there doesn't have a category or a label. (it's called wanting a QPR Al, embrace it).

Anyway, focusing on C&V more. Charlie and Vox both fall for this hook, line and sinker. Charlie is actually a little smarter about it since she's still cautious around Al in 1x07, but she seems in this number to believe in Al, and Vox believes every rage-bait thing Al says to undermine his family in season 2. Charlie wants unconditional approval from a parent, which Al mimics for her. Vox wants Al to approve of him, and Al keeps reeling him in with the teasing promise that he'll approve of him one day. So with Alastor's seeds of discord, both C&V are taken in and let him undermine their relationships with Lu/the Vees. And Lu and Val are both very angry and jealous about this.

Lu is able to, in this episode, recover some of his relationship with Charlie by opening up to her about why he's having a hard time with this specifically, while Val gets angry and storms off:

Charlie: Dad… just... help me. 

Lucifer: I... I can't. 

Charlie: Why can't you? 

Lucifer: Charlie! You don't understand. Heaven never listens. They didn't listen to me. They won't listen to you.

Charlie: You don't know that!a

In Scream rain

Valentino: Plus, I don't even know why you're asking. You just do whatever the fuck you want anyway, all for your stupid fucking plan, right?

[Alastor looks at Vox with a smug face]

Valentino: And this whole thing, (Valentino waves a hand at Alastor) it's getting old fast, Vox. 

love these visual parallels

Val and Lu both have musical numbers expressing their love for C&V and their fears of losing them:

Lu: ♪ I won't lose it all again. Now you're the only thing worth fighting for. ♪ [While he is singing, silhouettes of higher angels appear, surrounding Lucifer with spears. Next shot shows Charlie being surrounded by spears that slowly come towards her, with Lucifer noticing them in horror, and pulls Charlie away on the other side to defend her.] ♪ More than anything, more than anything. ♪  ♪ I'll shelter and adore you more than anything ♪

Valentino: ♪ Val, don't be dramatic ♪/♪ He's just a man ♪/♪ He's being rude 'cause he's stressed-out/♪ trying to do his master plan ♪/♪ Think about the future, Val ♪/♪ Don't let success break up the band ♪/♪ But as he rises higher ♪/♪ things aren't like they were before ♪/♪ And if he glows any brighter ♪/♪ will he see me anymore? ♪

But Lu's is a number he shares with Charlie, while Val's is a monologue. He shares it with Vel, not with Vox. Lu fears the Angels will take Charlie away from him, that she'll die to them; Val fears Vox will leave him if he gets too powerful. And while this openness between Charlie and Lu does let them start repairing their relationship, it isn't enough to stop it from going sour again a bit in Season 2, which we'll get to. Val doesn't share his feelings with Vox, who is too caught up in s2 with his plan anyway, and it leads to a real fracture between them.

So in 1x05, we see Charlie and Lu open up to each other and repair their relationship a bit:

Charlie and Lucifer: ♪ All that I'm hopin' ♪ /♪ now that my eyes are open, is that we can start again, ♪ /♪ not be pulled apart again /'Cause in the end, You are part of who I am. ♪ /Lucifer: ♪ I'll support your dream, whatever lies in store. ♪ 

With Vox and the Vees, of course, they started the series in a much more secure place, so their moment of reconciliation will have to be in the future, hopefully. But this also doesn't bode well for Charlie and her family in season 3, since Alastor seems to be fully planning on sowing the same seeds of discord between the Morningstars he sowed between the Vees. And we've seen that Charlie is just susceptible enough to his manipulations to believe him.

I think C&V both will probably need to deal with alienating their family because of Alastor in Season 3; now, it's possible Alastor might in both of their cases have wanted to keep them at some point, but he feels rejected by them both now and his undermining of their families is motivated by revenge as much as by possessiveness. So C&V both need to work towards building up trust and bonds again with Lu, Val and Vel, the people who, when the chips are down, really will be there for them. (Also in Charlie's case, Vaggie and her hotel friends). Both C&V's arcs are probably about learning to appreciate the people they do have instead of chasing after approval from people who are either A, manipulating them, or B, don't love them - or at least not enough to really treat them right.

We'll see how that plays out in future seasons.

[mysterylover123]

Watching Transformers Prime Darkness Rising Part 4

What satisfaction canst thou have tonight? (Crazy this is not the first Romeo+Juliet Reference I've done with these two)

So we open with basically everyone getting attacked by Decepticons! OP and Ratch vs an army, the human trio and their friends vs veihicons, etc.

It's so impressive to me how likable these human characters are. I think I'm still recovering from stuff like Armada where they were...annoying, to put it mildly. But these guys are really compelling.

Meanwhile Megsy is basically fanboying over OP as he sends his cons to battle him. Seriously they pile on OP, who kicks em all off and Megsy's like "That's my bb :)"

We get this super badass Mexican standoff with Arcee, Screamer and Fowler and the other bots; Fowler ends it by saying something goofy.

Screamer is impressively still not fucking up too badly. Gotta be a record for him, four episodes in and he hasn't done something boneheaded.

The humans continue their streak of being Actually Useful by finding some computer thing that will apparently explain what Megsy's up to. Damn.

OP climbs up a mountain to Megsy something something ain't no mountain high enough something something...

Megsy's staring so hard into his eyes and all that. Damn they don't let up.

Anyway Megsy's got something bigger planned. Duh duh duh.

No Jack, you're our emotional support human, you can't quit!

And poor Screamer, there we go. Back to the old Megsy beating the shit outta him.

And OF COURSE he makes it about OP. "NOBODY KILLS MY BABY!" "You mean but you, right?" "Sure, that's what I meant"

Primus it's like the galaxy's worst love triangle. Megsy just forever comparing his new bf to his ex.

[mysterylover123]

"How'm I lookin?" "Not bad."

This moment just says so much about Vox's character. He's just been voted the hottest sinner in hell, he's going to a rally in his honor, he's looking 10/10 in that suit Velvette must have made for him perfectly, and yet. He still needs to ask his boyfriend for reassurance about "How he's looking".

Because no reassurance will ever be enough.

[mysterylover123]

Every Charlie Vox Parallel, 1x04 Masquerade Part 2: Chaggie and Staticmoth vs. Huskerdust

While both Charlie and Vox's primary romantic relationships have a lot of good, lovely things about them, they're also both somewhat unhealthy dynamics in a lot of ways. There's co-dependency, trust issues, violence, etc., all worth doing into in more depth in future posts dedicated to each couple.

Masquerade also brings to light however, an interesting point: A comparison metric for what a healthy relationship looks like:

Huskerdust are easily the show’s most even-handed potentially romantic relationship. In “Loser Baby”, and in general, they give us a model for how to be in a mutually supportive dynamic, while Chaggie and Staticmoth, for as many sweet things as they have together, are both relationships that suffer a lot from a lack of reciprocity. 

Let's get into it:

First, Husk and Angel confide their problems in each other. Angel finally opens up to Husk about Val, Husk responds by opening up about Alastor. It allows them to each help each other out of their respective problems. Husk in Masquerade for Angel, Angel in Losin Streak for Husk.

With Chaggie, Charlie confides in and opens up to Vaggie, but Vaggie doesn’t confide in her nearly as often or as easily. It’s an important plot point in Season 1. Vaggie never told Charlie she was a fallen angel, and we have yet to see them talk about Vaggie’s side of that. They made up, but Vaggie didn’t sit down with Charlie nad talk to her about her life under Adam and Lute, her pain, her exile, etc. While it’s not 100% of the time, for the most part Vaggie doesn’t want Charlie to see her vulnerable.

In this parallel, Vox is that side of the Staticmoth dynamic. Val tells Vox how he’s feeling, about Angel, about Vox’s treatment, but Vox won’t open up to Val about Alastor (from what we’ve seen) or tell him about the source of his vulnerability. Val looks surprised in 2x04 when Al airs their dirty laundry. He hears about it through Alastor spilling the beans, not Vox. Vox and Vaggie are both too afraid of rejection - Vox that showing vulnerability will get him laughed at again, Vaggie that Charlie won’t love her if she ever “fails her”, possibly also from shame at her past deeds.

Second, Angel and Husk build each other up and respect each other while also being aware of, and calling each other out on, each other’s flaws. It’s the whole point of “Loser Baby” - you’re a “coked up, dick sucking’ ho/but Baby that’s fine by me.”

Charlie and Vox often struggle to build up their partners to the same degree that their partners build them up, because of their respective insecurities. They’re not without moments of admiring Vaggie and Val (“You do so much”/“Good man”), but it’s nothing compared to the rose-colored glasses through which Vaggie and Val see them. Vaggie and Val, as I said in an earlier post, both look at Charlie and Vox losing their goddamn minds and sigh dreamily. They both do interfere, yet I think it’s important that they have a hard time seeing when V&C are self-destructing because of that respect/admiration. Val fears that if Vox “glows nay brighter, he won’t see him anymore”, (I plan to do a whole analysis of Val's side of things at some point) so he has trouble building him up in a healthy way because if Vox gets too confident, he’ll leave him. Vox even shows signs of not really respecting Val, sniggering “sure you (have vision)”, not respecting his art, etc., and Charlie slips into anger at and disrespect towards Vaggie when they fight. 

It’s worth nothing that Huskerdust are way more Benedick and Beatrice-style, initially bickering and not liking each other before falling in love, while Chaggie and Staticmoth are both, on the surface, sweet and doting dynamics, but also struggle to have healthy respect for each other. While Husk and Angel come to admire each other (“This guy ain’t half bad”) after an initial period of insults, and therefore are comfortable with the idea that they both know the other ins’t perfect but still admire their good qualities, Chaggie and Staticmoth both seem to believe (Charlie the least of the four, but it’s there) that if they aren’t perfect, the other will leave them. Vox thinks if he’s weak and vulnerable around Val (or anyone) he’ll be laughed at again, Val and Vagige both fear their loves won’t accept them with all their flaws, so it’s hard for anyone to softly validate the other, or even handle a healthy fight.

Third, there’s the mutual support/self sacrifice thing. I think it’s striking that Husk and Angel both get angry at the other for putting themselves in danger to save them, unnecessarily, while Chaggie and Staticmoth don’t. Like, it’s complicated, but one of Chaggie’s more obvious problems is that Charlie gets unconditional support and self-sacrifice from Vaggie that she sometimes takes for granted, and not the other way around, and just accepts it rather than telling Vaggie off for being too self-sacrificing, like Husk and Angel do; Staticmoth also tend to expect the other to just drop everything and support them unconditionally (1x02/2x07) and we don’t see them get angry at the other for risking their life for protection. Both Huskerdust (and Cherriesnake, actually), have this bit of being angry at the other for self-sacrifice. It’s very Fullmetal Alchemist - self-sacrifice to the point of self-abnegation is a negative thing, and part of loving someone is telling them not to sacrifice themselves for you, in big things or in small ones, because you want them to value staying alive - you want them to care about taking care of themselves. Husk and Angel can do that (“I didn’t ask for you to save me”/“you jumped in front of a moving train, you idiot”); Chaggie and Staticmoth can’t, because they both struggle to see that self-sacrifice is actually a negative when it goes too far.

Fourth, Husk and Angel pay a healthy amount of attention to each other, while Chaggie and Staticmoth can struggle a bit with Vaggie nad Val wanting all of Charlie and Vox’s attention. In Staticmoth’s case it’s a more direct case of jealousy - in their opening scene, Val wants Vox to pay attention to his rant about Angel and not look at his phone, he tells him about Al probably t get him to care, and throughout s2 he has to watch as Vox gives all the obsession he wants (“You’re so obsessed with me”) to someone else. Vaggie is subtler in that she doesn’t have the same toxic possessiveness, but she doesn’t like Charlie sharking hands with Emily, she is often trying to get Charlie to calm down and just focus on her. Vaggie and Val both seem to have slipped into making Charlie and Vox the center of their lives (Vaggie more than Val, actually, at least Val has Velvette and his work), and they both are frustrated at not getting that degree of attention in return. Husk and Angel pay attention to and notice each other, probably more than anyone else, but they not only do so to a much more equal degree, but never to an unhealthy extent. Husk and Angel like each other, but they’re not obsessed with each other or co-dependent on each other.

Now don’t get me wrong. Husk and Angel aren’t perfect and Chaggie and Staticmoth aren’t doomed. There’s good things in the latter and problems in the former. At the moment though, Chaggie and Staticmoth are both struggling with a lack of mutuality and reciprocity in their relationships that Husk and Angel do have. They are all suffering from insecurity in their attachments and fear of rejection, with sleifhsness and all take and no give. Charlie of the four has probably done the most to work on herself and try to change, but we have yet to see Vaggie really recognize her own flaws - her co-dependency, her need to serve, her unwillingness to check Charlie or struggle to build her own identity - so that could be a problem. And of course Vox and Val are two flaming hot messes who haven’t done much reflection at all yet, and we’llseee that in future. 

I think both couples probably need to grow as individuals to really make it work. Charlie has already started, but I think Vaggie and her need to break up at some point so Vaggie can form an identity of her own and feel less need for Charlie to be her everything; Vox and Val need to have an open- emotionally honest conversation for once in their lives and understand what the other needs, and maybe work on their issues too. But the most important thing both need is mutual recpriocity. They both need to accept that they’re all losers, baby, just like each other. 

[mysterylover123]

Link

So I've reposted this awesome post a few times, and it only recently occurred to me that hey, what exactly are the implications of Alastor doing this?

The gist of the post is that, in Hell's Greatest Dad, Alastor adopts moves Vox uses in "Stayed Gone". He's a talk show host, a religious figure, and he crowds around Charlie in multiples.

I will add on re-watching it that he also re-colors his own suit from red to blue, frames, as this post pointed out, an inner world very much like the Vees', and heck he even busts out the piano, which the Sparks print implies he used to play with Vox.

But why? Is it just that he's always got Vox on the brain? Maybe true, but in context, what is Alastor doing in this song? He's trying to frame his relationship with Charlie as familial. He's hoping to piss off Lucifer by pretending to be a father figure to his daughter. And where does his mind go when he's trying to simulate family, to imagine being affectionate and close to someone?

To Vox.

Because in Alastor's mind, that's what he knows of family in hell.

[mysterylover123]

Every Charlie/Vox Parallel Season 1 Episode 4 Masquerade

Including this image again because it haunts me.

TW for SA. Obviously.

So this one is gonna be a two-parter, second half published simultaneously. Part 1 is an analysis of Charlie and Vox's problems with control as seen in 1x04, the second a comparison of Husk and Angel's dynamic in Losin Streak to Chaggie and Staticmoth's relationship problems.

PART 1: OBEYING THE PRINCESS OF HELL AND THE OVERLORD OF MEDIA

"Masquerade" is an episode, unsurprisingly, all about boundaries, control, and of course, consent. Three things which Charlie and Vox both have a problem with (him more than her, obviously), for which poor Angel pays the price. Both times.

In 1x01, Angel asked why Alastor couldn't "just make people stay" at the hotel, and Vaggie responds that people need to want to come there. They can't make them. In "Trust Us", Vox doesn't use his hypno-ray to make Salina (I think that's her name) join the Vees. He uses persuasion, the promise of fame and fortune, etc. Charlie and Vox both tend to resort to forceful, violent coercion as a last resort, preferring instead emotional manipulation and soft conversion.

Vox and Charlie are two figures of great power in the world of hell (the princess, the media overlord) and possess the power to "make" people obey them. But they frequently instead try and persuade people to follow or go along with them instead. In Vox's case, we know for sure why this is. It's the reason he doesn't SA Alastor in Season 2 - not because he cares about the ethics, but because he wants Alastor to choose him and want to have sex with him. It's likely why he's dating the only person in hell we know his hynpo-ray doesn't work on. He literally can't coerce Val into sleeping with him, so Val must always choose him. In Charlie's case of course, she does have ethical quandaries, but at the same time those quandaries tend to fall away when she feels herself losing control.

Going through Masquerade scene by scene (This episode is so hard to watch).

The porn film Angel shows the team is about being tied up, captured, and violated by an authority figure. That's probably not thematically relevant to the episode at all. Surely just a coincidence.

Anyway, we see that Charlie is clearly disgusted by the porn, and tries to be diplomatic about it. She turns away from it:

Charlie: It's, uh... very... honest...? Oh! [She turns away, nauseous. She tries to shield her eyes with her right hand.]

We get a sense that Vox is disgusted by the Love Potions, even if he's happy to profit off of them, in the ads

Both Charlie and Vox seem to disapprove of porn and to some extent of coercive sex, in Vox's case I think because he sees sex as something he wants to earn. In Charlie's case because of her upbringing, how sheltered she is, and her belief (even if she sometimes violates it) in free will.

Speaking of Charlie slipping into having trouble with boundaries, that is of course the focus of the episode. Charlie and Vox both have a lack of empathy - Vox can read people better than her, and Charlie is better at being compassionate or sympathetic, but both of them slip into a tendency towards selfish prioritizing of their own desires o ver others:

Charlie:   Angel, you can't leave yet!  We haven't finished our exercises for the day!

Angel Dust: I'm sure you'll manage without me. 

Charlie: There isn't much time left for the hotel to prove itself-

She attempts in this scene to physically move Angel around, to stop him from leaving, all while not asking him what he wants and focusing on how Angel not following her orders is going to interfere with her goals. Vox, big shock, does the same thing to him in Season 2.

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...!

Both Charlie and Vox seem to be unwilling to use force or terrorism to make people do what they want, preferring persuasion and charisma, despite having the power to do so. Obviously, Vox's hypo-ray is a version of enforcing his will, but it's noticeable that he doesn't usually default to relying on it as his prime tool. Vox's manner is a lot more aggressive, but he's still going off the same principle. Whether it's telling his allies they can't just be aggressive in public:

Vox: I summoned you both here because we need to discuss some of your public... displays. [gestures to Velvette] Velvette, you can't just fuck with Carmilla Carmine in front of other overlords, it makes business harder.

Velvette: Well, hey, you're lucky I didn't skin the bitch. [looks at her nails] She was boring.

Vox: And Valentino, you cannot keep hitting Angel Dust in public. It's-- [Laughs] No it's-- It's not. It's not funny anymore.

Valentino: When have I ever hit him?

Or utilizing persuasion in Vox Populi/Vox Dei to move the crowd rather than being aggressive or just using his hypo-eye to force them to do anything.

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.

Now, the thing is, on Charlie's side, she wants to win people over and utilize diplomacy instead of violence whenever possible (Parallel: Vox telling Vel she can't start shit with Carmilla. Violence isn't going to get them where they need to go). It's why she's so angry at Vaggie and Lucifer for threatening Vox in Season 2. Threatening hell into obeying her makes her look like a dictator. She wants to prove Vox wrong and win o ver the people, not force them. Because it means she hasn't been chosen.

Also this Chaggie interaction reminds me a bit of Staticmoth's dialogue after the sex scene:

Vox: Today was perfect! Right Val?

Val: Uh huh. Sure babe.

Same principles. Vox could be so aggressively kind (forceful and intimidating) to Alastor that he convinces him to like him. Val rolls his eyes here basically, just as Vaggie does.

When Charlie and Vox try to be assertive and forceful, it tends to blow up in their faces:

Charlie: I am the Princess of Hell, Angel, and I go where I please. [Whispering softly.] I'm here to get you some time off for the hotel. Now, where's your boss?

Vox: Well, I guess that's just tough fucking shit, isn't it? Tell him I expect him there early and wearing something nice. We need to have a united front against Heaven.

Both of them attempting to order people around, it doesn't work for either of them. Charlie ends up screwing up the shoot and making things worse for Angel, Vox, when he slides into being coercive and demanding, angers and alienates his closest friends.

Both do get forceful and angry when their loved ones are threatened:

Charlie: [demonic, angry] What makes you think you can treat him like that?!/Vox: (in 2x04 when Al tries to attack Val) FUCK you, twink! (proceeds to violence)

It's the more lovable side to both characters, that they genuinely care about the people closest to them, it's just that both of them slide into control and coercion at their worst.

Angel Dust: I didn't want you to come here. I already asked you to leave and you didn't listen. You made things worse.

Charlie: I just wanted to help you-

Angel Dust: Well, you ain't! You actually want to help me?! Get the fuck out of here! Right now. and let me finish my work...

Charlie: I... I didn't...mean to! I... I'm... I'm so sorry!

Vox of course, tries to outright coerce his friends when he slides into a panic:

Vox: Valentino, you will listen and you will call Angel Dust here tonight. No questions. 

[Valentino stares wide eyed, blinking a few times, before he pushes Vox away]

Valentino: Ugh, get off me. You know that freaky eye shit doesn't work on me. Plus, I don't even know why you're asking. You just do whatever the fuck you want anyway, all for your stupid fucking plan, right?

Both Angel and Val (bizarre how they're paralleled in this interaction) refuse to let Charlie or Vox control them, and are outright furious at the attempt to coerce their behavior. Charlie does apologize verbally here, but as Angel points out in 2x03, that actually doesn't mean much when she doesn't learn from this mistake. Vox obviously doesn't apologize to Val (yet) so they're estranged in 2x07.

To sum it up: I already asked you to leave, and you didn't listen/You just do whatever the fuck you want anyway

(If Angel and Val didn't have a toxic abusive relationship they could form a "pushed around by my insecure boundary-ignoring boss" support group. )

Charlie of course, does (in THIS episode) actually learn her lesson and re-focus on the right priorities: Charlie: No! No... Don't force him back. Just make sure he's safe. I pushed too hard earlier and... I only made things worse. Look, he'll come back when he's ready. I just don't want anything to happen to him until then.

Charlie: Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go write one hundred apology letters and a lesson planned for tomorrow about... Boundaries.

Vox, on the other hand, doubles down, because his rejection phobia is deeper and because of his lack of the capacity for sympathy:

Vox: ♪ No more playing house, once they're devout ♪/♪ I won't need a squad ♪

Charlie apologizes, of course, and Vox can only manage a "Maybe I took it too far":

Charlie: I'm so sorry, Angel! I promise I won't ever, ever, ever, ever- 

Angel Dust: Charlie, it's fine. I get it. Thanks... for caring about me.

But unfortunately in Charlie's case, this isn't enough. She doesn't actually learn her lesson here, because she continues to push Angel's boundaries and try and coerce him in Season 2. And Vox of course has yet to truly apologize to Vel and Val.

So to summarize: Charlie and Vox both default into violating boundaries at their worst, because as discussed in 1x03 both have trust issues and here, both desperately want to be chosen by the people around them rather than just blindly obeyed.

Now onto part 2. The sweeter side of Masquerade: the show's best example of what a healthy, loving relationship actually looks like.

[mysterylover123]

Watching Transformers Prime Season 1 Episode 3 "Darkness Rising Part 3"

nice view :)

Genuinely cute opening scene of all the human sidekicks palling around with the bots.

Though Ratchet deals with the possessed scalpel disappointingly easily. I wanted that to be a bit harder, NGL

Megsy's ok I guess? Aaaand the second he leaves Screamer's all "Megatron has gone insane, I Starscream should now be in charge!"

Love the "Teacher Pet and Rebel" dynamic Soundwave and Screamer have in this show. SW's all like "But dad said not to" Screamer's like "What he don't know won't kill him"

We then get a very funny set of descending "You're in charge nows" with each participant hoping out and putting someone else in charge.

The kids in this show are genuinely quite likable? And useful too. I hope Miko running off into danger she can't handle isn't gonna be too regular a thing (monkey's paw curls)

Very human heavy episode this one. Could've used more cybertronians.

Fowler gets an upskirt shot of Screamer's legs and ass, for which I am very jealous of him. Anyway Screamer pokes him a bit.

Aaand the humans all end up trying to save Fowler. You know you're in trouble when three teenagers apparently need to save you.

Megsy and OP finally reunite! And immediately there's that chemistry. OP: "I know you're raising the dead" Megsy aw you know me so well babe. OP Well I should it's what our '5 millionth anniversary? Megsy: 5 millionth, that's 'zombie death army' right?

[mysterylover123]

The Love You Make: Vox as Caretaker

I feel like I haven't yet done a mostly solo Vox centered meta here, which is weird since he's my favorite character; I've done stuff on him and his narrative foils Charlie and Alastor but nothing on him solo. (This does end up talking about Alastor a lot too, but hey that's the nature of the beast. )

So. Vox's core underlying motivation, beneath all the bravado, the murder, and the posturing, is to be loved (adored, whatever you want to call it), and loved for himself instead of the front he puts on. I think that's pretty transparent, looking at how he acts: How much he desires admiration and yet is never satisfied with it - it will, as Alastor puts it, 'never be enough' because he can't love himself. His self-loathing is presumably not because he sees himself as a terrible person for, you know, all the murder and crime, but rather that he feels deeply inadequate and unlovable (maybe a mix of direct childhood rejection, maybe just being a dorky fey bi boy in 1950s US, who knows). Alastor may have fed into his belief that he will never be loved, but he didn't create it.

However, the flip side of that desire I've noticed on close-examination is that Vox doesn't just want to be loved/adored by someone else. He also wants to care for someone in return. And it's that desire - that very, very repressed urge to care-take - that really saves him in s2, not just that he wants adoration. That he is, in his grouchy, stunted, repressed way, capable of loving another person. After all, as the Beatles said, 'The love you take is equal to the love you make'. And Vox sure as hell doesn't have the Vees' loyalty out of sycophancy or fear.

(This got very, very long)

So to recap Vox's moments of kindness/caretaking so far (focusing mainly on the positive side of his relationship to the Vees here, because his slide into toxicity is worth its own meta), we've seen him drop what he's doing to go check in on Vel and Val after one of Val's tantrums; talk down Val and stop him from doing something stupid, offer him stress relief, light his cigarette, let Vel go do a meeting for him, entrusting her with an important job, invite them to take over heaven with him while dancing arm in arm, enjoyed a laugh at Charlie with Vel in private, gently put Val's glasses on after sex, and step in the way of deadly attacks (an angelic weapon and Alastor's shadows) to protect them. That's not counting tired-house-husband Vox in the Live-stream of Val's, or doting shark-dad Vox's fondness for Shok.wave. He keeps family photos of them and proudly displays them before Al. Don't get me wrong, he's no saint and he's not perfect towards them (OBVIOUSLY!), but there's this very care-taking, devoted side of Vox behind all the ego and the bluster that defaults to looking after Vel and Val. (For a deeper analysis, this post is great)

Bear in mind, this is just from a time period of about five days that we've seen, on many of which he's been noticeably grumpy or stressed. Extrapolate that into forty years of "business partnership" with Val and 20 with Vel, and that adds up to a lot of caretaking Vox. This post, and the comments on it, kinda elaborates on all this - the trauma response that drives him into awfulness around Al, the way the Vees cope, etc.

If all Vox wanted was to be adulated and worshipped, he'd be surrounded by subordinate sycophants he stepped on. He slips into that desire when he's upset (late s2, probably the end of his human life), but on a good day he wants to have someone in his life to care for. He's got a caretaking urge that is all twisted up in his violence, his cruelty and his selfishness and ego, but nonetheless comes through against his will. He wants to be a cold, cruel and calculating monster, and for the most part he is. It's kind of that he has, unfortunately, got a heart - not much of one, but it's there. I'd imagine that's probably why Val and Vel (and Al, though he's in denial about it) are so drawn to him; he's a horrible person like they are, so they don't feel judged by him the way they'd feel around Charlie and Co., but he's also capable of giving them the caretaking every human wants, no matter how horrible that human might be.

Sometimes this actually slides into Vox having an all-take-and-no-give relationship with the people around him. Obviously, with Al Vox gives everything (attention, admiration, his life and soul) and Al gives nothing, but his dynamics with Vel and Val can go this way sometimes too. When Val is crashing out over Angel leaving, Vox drops everything, talks him down and soothes him. When Vox crashes out over Al, Val just teases him (I'll def want to write about Val's side of this at some point). We don't see Val returning his casual affection at any point I can remember - we don't see him lighting a cigarette for Vox or doing the equivalent of putting his glasses on - or as I noted in my 1x03 analysis, we don't see Vel apologizing for creating problems with Carmilla. Now, they do repay his affection back big time in the s2 finale, so it's not like there's nothing; it's just on a day-to-day basis, they sometimes struggle to reciprocate in small ways, while coming through in a big, big way when it counts.

This isn't to romanticize or call Vox a saint or anything. He screws up, he has walls up, and he's a terrible person in so many ways. It's just that he has an instinct to care very passionately for the few people in his life, to give them affection and casual care. He wants to be loved and adored and worshipped, but he strangely also seems to want to love someone else at the same time. He doesn't deep down believe he's worthy of love, so he slips into abusive dynamics (letting Val throw things at him and break his screen, craving approval from Alastor when Alastor constantly tears him down) and retaliates with cruelty and evil and, ultimately, self-destruction.

But he gave Vel and Val (and Shok.wave) a home and a family and a grumpy caretaker husband/bestie/father, and they gave him in the finale the love in return that saved his life. His shark-son saved him from Al, and his team saved him from himself.

That's probably what took Alastor by surprise. For all his belief that Vox was easy to play, he still ended up crawling bleeding on the ground and on the wrong end of a death canon, and for all his attempts to break Vox, the Vees' bond was too strong for it. I think Al doesn't understand that Vox is capable of actual love, and that's why he didn't think A) Vox would call for help, B) Vox would be hurt enough by him to try and kill himself to kill him, and C) he underestimated the Vees' love for him, which only exists because Vox gave them care first.

For contrast, you have Alastor. Alastor (at this point) wants only to be worshipped and feared; he wants to be respected and looked up to, but he doesn't want to be loved and he definitely wants to avoid loving anyone. And he gets what he gives. I mean, think about it: if Alastor went nuts and tried to kill them and himself in a vengeance crusade, would anyone in the hotel give him a gentle kiss, stop him from self-destruction, and take him home to safety without a second thought? Probably not.

Conversely, if Vox were injured in a fight with Adam and seemingly died, Vel and Val would not worry about him for five seconds and then focus on something else. They'd most likely be thirsting for vengeance on the guy who did it (we see them go fight Al for Vox in 2x04, after all). If Vox was injured and crawling on the ground after being kidnapped for days, Vel and Val would probably run to him, not a new friend they've only known for three days, and make sure he's ok.

And this isn't me criticizing Charlie, because hey, can you picture Alastor nagging her to make sure she eats right? Or stepping in front of an angelic steel spear pointed at her by an enemy to casually protect her, if Rosie wasn't making him? She's the person who worries/cares for him the most; he's earned a little bit of that by helping her, lying about liking her in Dad beat Dad, and taking her to Rosie, but that's about it.

Otherwise, Al gets from the hotel staff what he gives. Husk helps him out of obligation but he's happy when he thinks he's dead, because he's free (Completely valid, Al owns his soul). Lucifer hates him and antagonizes him, because Alastor hates him and antagonizes him. Angel, Cherrie, and Vaggie basically ignore or insult him, because he ignores and insults them. Even Niffty, who he's nicest to and who helps him out, isn't even that fussed when he might be dead, because while it's tempting to romanticize that relationship, he still owns her. And even Vox, the only person we know of who's ever been in love with him? Al gives him hatred and contempt, and Vox responds with a giant fuck off death cannon to the face.

The love you take is equal to the love you make. Alastor treats everyone around him with cruelty and contempt and gets basically two people (2.5 depending on how you count Vox) who give a crap about him, but not enough to even really help him when he's down. Vox treats the few people he lets into his life with acceptance of their evils and caretaking/affection, and gets undying loyalty in return. It pays off in the s2 finale; Vox may have lost the battle there, but he wins the war. Alastor's philosophy, despite rewarding him in the short term with more power, still leaves him broken and ignored on the ground while Vox's family saves his life and takes him home. (It's all very Azula; 'Trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable way'.)

Getting back to Vox, it's clear from this that he wants, deep down, to both love and be loved in return. Because he believes he cannot be really loved, he keeps up all of the walls around his intimates and channels it into obsessive need for external validation. He alters his body and self and mind to be whatever will please people. He channels that small impulse of caretaking into unhealthy (sometimes) one-sided relationship dynamics, because he has no impulse to defend his right to be equally loved/taken care of in return, and ends up getting stepped on a lot, and it feeds into a cycle. There's a lot of toxic masculinity wrapped in here; Al constantly shames him for his more traditionally 'feminine' strengths, like teamwork, caring and affection, which causes him to view that caretaking as shameful and weak and girly (internalized misogyny/homophobia) and distance himself from it. But unlike Al, who is comfortable with shutting down all of his more affectionate impulses, Vox can't shut down his feelings and be stoic and 'manly'.

Vox's capacity for real affection is pretty much his sole 'redeeming' characteristic (by which i mean, positive trait, rather than thing that will get him into heaven), and I think the show is subtly validating it. I don't think we're meant to view Alastor as 'in the right' for telling Vox needing help and support and love from other people is weak and lame. I mean, the power of teamwork stopped the death cannon from blowing up. We know what this show's about. 'Hear My Hope's TPOF saves hell from Vox's pain destroying everyone, and the Vees' found family saves him from destroying himself. Vox wouldn't have won had he through some miracle taken over heaven and become a god. It would never have been enough, because becoming God or whatever that means, in screenwriting terms, is his want, not his need.

He wants to be untouchably powerful so no one can ever reject him again. He needs to accept that he can be loved and it's ok that he wants to love in return.

[mysterylover123]

“Why can’t we have both? Vox has two hands”

Guys, I don’t think they want to share. 

Yes, Val was cool with the idea of watching them fuck, but he’s clearly not ok with Vox ignoring him to focus on Al. He storms off ranting about Vox paying more attention to Al than to him. I mean, I feel like for an open/threeway relationship to work (not that I’ve been in one, this is just my impression), the two sides need to either also be with each other or tolerate each other, be cool with however much of the central person they can get.

And Val does not seem to either want Alastor or to be cool with him getting more of Vox’s attention than he does. In 2x05 he’s bummed to see Vox fixating on Al instead of him, he’s visibly enraged when Vox is looking at Al during their fight in 2x06, he sings a solo sad number about losing Vox when he sees him alone with Al in 2x07. Val definitely does not want to share.

Reblog by @melodylove-art · 1 video

💬 1  🔁 25  ❤️ 106 · I will support jealous Alastor propoganda til I die.

And Al doesn’t either. It’s subtler, but Al as this video points out does everything he can to sabotage Vox & Val. He puts himself in between them in his little fantasy play of the deal. He interrupts their intimacy whenever he can, makes sure Val knows Vox was his first, grabs his attention and smiles in pleasure whenever he has it, and looks annoyed whenever Vox tries to go back to Val. Al likes having Vox’s attention on him and him alone. Heck I even did a meta about it in Stayed Gone - he’s quick to remind Vox that he wanted him when Vox tries to make a big song and dance about being over him. The biggest thing he gets out of this is undivided attention and adulation. He doesn’t want to split that with someone else.

As is in canon, Val and Al both want Vox’s attention all to themselves. I mean there’s a reason they both say “You’re obsessed with me” with a big old smug tone. So while yeah maybe Vox would be cool with having both, I don’t think Val or Al wants to share him.

As is so far, anyway. Maybe future character development will put them all in a more sharing mood :) Just not at the moment.

[mysterylover123]

Every Charlie/Vox Parallel 1x03 Scrambled Eggs (Chaggie & StaticDoll edition)

This episode is about both Charlie and Vox delegating a task to one of their Vees, and how that goes.

Charlie has Vaggie handle the activity for the day, Vox has Velvette handle the meeting with the Overlords. Perhaps not insignificantly, Charlie's activity for this episode is "Trust", which delegating a task to someone involves a lot of.

On Charlie's side, we see the full interaction and how this delegation process worked:

Charlie: Actually, I thought maybe you could take the lead on this one. I trust everyone, so maybe you know better on how to build it properly! 

Vaggie: What? Uhh, I don't know if I'm qualified, uh..., 

Charlie: Oh, come on. It'll be easy! I'm sure you can handle this.

Later on, Charlie starts being a little unsure about Vaggie's leadership style, leading to this exchange.

Charlie: I don't know if this is really working the way we'd hoped. Maybe we should-

Vaggie: Honey, you have to trust me here. I got this, okay? I'll figure something out

The scene we see between Vox and Velvette is the parallel beat in their arc, the expression of some kind of uncertainty:

Velvette: Yes, I've got it handled, Vox. Are you doubting me? Really? Me? That's what I thought. *laughs* Yes, I know. They're all a joke.*laughs* Thank you, V. See you soon. Kisses, darling.

I dig the parallel affection between Chaggie and Staticdoll here by the way. "Honey"/"Darling", aw. Anyway, Charlie and Vox both delegate a task to their Best Gal here, but it doesn't take either long to start being unsure and worried about how that best gal might handle it, unfortunately with good reason. Despite Vaggie and Vel's fabulosity, it is true that both of them also create problems by being hyper-confrontational, and a little bit impulsive.

A small side note on another parallel, but Charlie and Vox both seem a bit uncomfortable with explicit sex or sexuality? When Angel takes Charlie to the BDSM joint, we see Charlie being super uncomfortable (like she is in the pilot or in general) with explicit sexuality, and Vox is also often shown being grossed out by it (Katie coming onto him, his discomfort according to Val with having sex in public, etc). It is one, kinda nice to fight that whole "horny bi stereotype" with the two bi MCs being kinda prudish; Two, interesting from a character standpoint - C&V may both come from a more repressed background, and consequently be uncomfortable with explicit sexuality, Three, that both are protective of their own bodies and big on control. Wilder sex means losing control, something C&V both don't like to do.

Going back to the trusting thing, when Vaggi and Vel both end up kind of screwing it up - like, scoring some points, like Vaggi's trust exercise working in the long run and Vel's gambit revealing to her Carmilla's role, but also creating problems in the short term like putting the staff in danger and creating tensions with Carmilla - we see how Vox and Charlie respond to their Vees messing up:

Charlie: Vaggie! No!

Vaggie: This is the only way they'll learn, Charlie.

Charlie: No, it's not. There are other ways. It just takes time!

Charlie interferes and stops Vaggi's plan and reprimands her. Vox calls Velvette to a meeting much later, and I think it's interesting that while Charlie just tells Vaggi "No, don't do it!", Vox takes the time to explain to Velvette why it would be a bad idea:

Vox: I summoned you both here because we need to discuss some of your public... displays.  Velvette, you can't just fuck with Carmilla Carmine in front of other overlords, it makes business harder.

Velvette: Well, hey, you're lucky I didn't skin the bitch. She was boring.

C&V both take a direct approach of trying to interfere with their Vees' more impulsive decisions; both of them are control freaks to some extent who have a hard time with delegating, and the fact that Vox's delegation of the meeting task to Vel went sideways probably does fuck with his ability to trust her a little bit, especially since, well...in comparison with Vaggie, Vel takes way less accountability for her mistakes.

Both Vaggi and Vel are initially defensive of their decisions and respond with angry claim that their choice was the correct one:

Vox: Our brand is perfection, remember? We cannot let ourselves look weak to others overlords or to sinners. We are above... petty bullshit.

Velvette: Well maybe, people should start sucking less!

On the Hotel's side:

Vaggie: Time we don't have! How many Exterminations will have gone by before these idiots get their shit together? How many times will we have to watch your people be killed before we make headway?

Charlie: Vaggie.

However, Vaggie then admits to making a mistake and opens up to Charlie about her choice:

Vaggie: I took charge today and it all went sideways. I'm supposed to make your dreams a reality. I'm supposed to protect you.  I'm supposed to never fail you. 

Vel, however, continues to claim that it was Carmilla's fault for "sucking" or "being boring" and that she didn't do anything wrong. Vox finally has to make her apologize to Carmilla in order to make their plans work, and when he does finally truly tell her off for this, she responds with seething anger at him.

Vox:  Besides, you did manage to fuck up the one overlord meeting I let you do on my behalf. So, uh, maybe you should reflect a little, mm-kay? 

Velvette: (growls) FUCKING MOTHERFUCKER.

Charlie, in contrast of course, tries to smooth over it and downplay to Vaggie, telling her positive things, similar to how Vox initially tries to frame it in a way that will lead Vel to feel good about herself, flatter her ego ("we are above it") though obviously way more empathetic:

Charlie: You didn't fail me. Vaggie, you're not-you're not-

Vaggie: If I can't help you, what's the point of me?

Charlie:  Vaggie, don't say that! You do so much! It's-

Vaggie: I'm sorry. I'd... I'd like to be alone for a minute.

Vox tells Velvette to reflect, Vaggi voluntarily chooses to reflect on her own. I feel like this is a potentially interesting window into Vox&Vel's relationship given the parallels - it's possible, considering how defensive she gets at the slightest sign of doubt from him, that Vel really likes Vox's validation and wants him to approve of her - not in the dad-daughter way that was originally planned, more in an equals way - but is less honest about it.

In this parallel though, it's interesting that Vaggie admits to screwing up and Vel doesn't. Given that as I said at the start, Vox and Charlie probably both have a hard time trusting people because they're such control freaks, having one of their most trusted allies handle a project in a way that's less than perfect probably does a number on them both. While Charlie has Vaggie's apology and some benefits to show for it, from Vox's POV Vel never apologizes or brings him much out of this confrontation.

All interesting set-up for Season 2. While Charlie does have more reason to trust Vaggie given how her exercise in part worked out:

Vaggie: *sighs* I'm sorry I got so crazy today.

Charlie: *grabs Vaggie's hand* No, no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put pressure on you. We work as a team. I guess I just thought all this would be easier, but, we'll figure it out, together. I mean, look what your exercise did for them.

It is notable that Charlie is still, in season 2, prone to trying to control things and not trusting to her friends to handle them. She has a big problem with not listening to Vaggie's advice in S2, and I think that this may have contributed a little, especially since Vaggie admits to having such a problem with needing to feel like she's helping Charlie. It kind of puts Charlie in a position to feel like she has to be independent, to not put too much pressure on Vaggie to help her in order to keep Vaggie from feeling useless. AS much as Charlie should trust Vaggie more, there's layers to her doing so that we see here.

And on Vox's side, with Vel refusing to take accountability for screwing up, it makes sense that he has a hard time trusting her in S2 and starts pushing her away. He gives her a chance to head an Overlord meeting once, it goes south and makes an enemy of the arms dealer he needs for their take-over heaven plan, and she never apologizes. While yes, he is rude and way less empathetic than Charlie, for someone with control and trust issues, that can't be good. It highlights the parallels that separate them in S2. Vaggie and Charlie are more empathetic, Vox and the Vees struggle to understand/be vulnerable with each other.

On another note, it's also interesting how the meeting sets up the bigger parallels between Charlie and the Vees as forces for change. Rewatching it I was really struck by what a vibrant presence Velvette has in this scene, compared with the other Overlords. And how both the Vees and Charlie are the ones who end up challenging heaven.

While Carmilla and co are basically accepting the status quo and just trying to navigate living under it:

Carmilla Carmine: Welcome, Hell's sovereign overlords. I've invited you all here because you represent the controlling powers of our city. Together, you own millions of souls. Souls at risk with the new Extermination schedule. *pounds fist on table* We need to discuss what can be done to minimize the impact to our interest.

The Vees want to change things:

Velvette: We found it during Extermination day. If these Holy Rollers can be killed, the game has changed. *stands on top of table* We can take the fight to them. The Voys and I have come up with a full assault plan--

As Vox puts it in "Stayed Gone", "You're looking at the future, (they're) the shit that comes before that".. The future of hell belongs to the Vees because they are future-minded. They want to actually change the nature of things, not just sit down and take it, accept their fates.

Kind of like a certain someone:

Lucifer: Come on little lady, why the frown?/In the last 10,000 years You're the first one to change this town

Charlie and the Vees are both forces for change, and it's interesting that while the other Overlords are willing to sit back and allow all this to continue in the name of protection, Charlie and Vox in their respective ways within what seems to be two weeks of dramatic effort unseat the old status quo, stop the exterminations, and send heaven running on sheer willpower alone. While this isn't to say the other Overlords aren't within their rights to be cautious (most of us would, in their shoes!), it takes people like Vox and Charlie to make change happen.

And for all their flaws, our future-minded big-eyed disaster bi duo are the ones who can do that.

[mysterylover123]

Is Alastor Considered Unattractive In-Universe?

This is a subject I’ve seen a few posts comment on, usually getting a lot of backlash in the comments defending Alastor’s hotness/rizz cred. I thought it’d be interesting to dive in and try to parse out both whether Alastor is considered unattractive in-universe (as a demon, not a human) and possibly also how he feels about that. 

First, as a preliminary statement: Of course Alastor is objectively hot, as a demon. IRL, he’s the most thirsted after character for a reason, after all. He’s gorgeous. But we’re not talking about objective, our world facts here. We’re talking about how he’s perceived in-unvierse. Is anyone in hell (other than Vox, obviously) attracted to this guy, from either a sexual or a platonic standpoint?

Let’s look at the hotel staff first. Charlie? Well, we see Alastor slinking and slithering around her bedroom in ways that would make Vox/most of the fandom orgasm, and she’s mostly weirded or creeped out by it. No signs of attraction there, and while she does come to consider him a friend and is briefly taken in when he flatters her in Dad Beat Dad, for the most part she doesn’t seem to find him charming or personable. Lucifer, definitely not. We’ve seen how he talks to Al. The minute he sees him he dislikes him, he fantasizes about killing him, he insults, derides, and clearly finds him irritating at best. I know people ship them, but there’s no in-universe scene where Lu seems to find Al attractive or charming.

Vaggie seems to find Al a massive headache to talk to and insults him to his face. I know we like to head canon Husk was charmed by him, but he doesn’t reference that. He says he lost his power to him in a card game. It would have been easy to parallel that with Husk and Angel, if Val charmed Angel into his contract and Al did the same. But no. He gambled him for it. Niffty definitely enjoys Alastor’s company, but even she, who comes on to every “bad boy” she meets, doesn’t seem to find him sexually attractive. That leaves Angel, who did briefly come onto Alastor in 1x01. But even Angel calls him “Mr. Fancy Talk Creepy Voice”, and only hits on him once, compared with Husk who he comes onto at every available opportunity. So even the hotel’s horniest staff member doesn’t seem to find Alastor all that attractive, and aside from Nifty, nobody at the hotel seems to like hanging with Al much.

What about the rest of hell? Well, Val and Vel clearly don’t find Al attractive; Val says he doesn’t understand what Vox sees in “that imbecile, when I am here, beautiful, beautiful!”, implying that Alastor isn’t good looking. The people on Vel’s livestream say his hair looks greasy; we haven’t seen any thirst tweets about him in-unvierse as far as I can tell, whereas thirst tweets have been made on the livestreams about every other character who pops up on screen. All 3 vees and Charlie, even at her most unpopular with the public, got thirst tweets. So clearly being an overlord or unpopular with the public doesn’t disqualify you from thirst tweets. There’s Mimzy, who seems to like his company somewhat, but she did know him asa human, so it’s debatable if that counts. I can’t find anyone in-nuvierse who has called Alastor attractive, and very few who seem to find him charming or personable. (An interesting contrast with Vox, whose charisma is basically his only superpower.)

Now, I also don’t think this is for lack of Alastor trying! It’s not that he just doesn’t give a fuck, since obviously he needs people to trust or work with him. He does try often to be charming and pleasant on first meeting. In the “Day in the Afterlife” comic, it even seems to somewhat bother him that people run away on seeing him. He’s really irritated that Lucifer almost immediately hates him, since his initial comments to the king are mostly pleasant. He’s annoyed that Carmilla doesn’t want to pay attention to him. He definitely wants to be able to charm people into doing what he wants, like he could in real life. For instance, when Husk talks to him in 1x05, his first instinct is to charm and sweet talk him into not worrying about it. Husk pushes him too far and he finally snaps and relies on intimidation. But charm is clearly his go-to instinct: He tries to charm Rosie into letting him quit the hotel in 2x04, He obviously weaponizes his charm and sex appeal against Vox in s2, the only person it actually works on, he tries to smooth talk Charlie in 1x07 and she’s having none of it; he has to basically blackmail her into making a deal with him. This all contrasts dramatically with Vox, who when he’s at his best can persuade other Overlords, who you’d assume would be smarter than that, into going along with his ridiculous plans on sheer charisma points alone. 

What does make this interesting, too, is that in contrast, alongside his rizz points, Vox appears to be an in-universe sex symbol. He’s part of the Vees, who are considered hot, and in-universe was voted the hottest person in hell. Which on the surface makes no sense. Alastor is a humanoid bishonen with a slightly awkward haircut and creepy smile, Vox has a freaking TV for a head. (Not saying I don’t get the IRL Vox thirst, I 1000% do). But objectively speaking, it doesn’t make any sense that hell finds TV-head man hotter than Alastor. I think it’s somewhat comparable to Toons in Roger Rabbit - Roger is to Toons a more eligible catch than Jessica because he’s funnier and a star, whereas humans see a pinup dating a goofy bunny. Maybe since most of hell is demonoid, sex appeal has less to do with being conventionally pretty and more to do with vibes and aura. But in any case, it is pretty clear that in-unvierse Alastor is considered less attractive than Vox, and indeed doesn’t seem to be regarded as attractive, charming, or appealing - facts that obviously annoy him, despite how much he likes being feared, probably because 1, he was used to being able to smooth-talk and charm people as a human, and 2. It makes to harder to get what he wants.  However, it’s also true that this doesn’t seem to bother him as much as you’d think it would, and while a lot of that maybe yes, is because he likes being feared, I think there’s another factor in why he isn’t quite so miffed as you’d think he’d be:

Because he’s spent 70+ years with Vox being obsessed with him. He’s had someone who must make him feel attractive and sexy, who is so weak for him it makes him stupid, for most of his afterlife. Even if most of hell finds him creepy and off-putting, and even if Vox is constantly trying to pretend he’s over him, Vox finds him attractive, and I’d imagine alongside Vox’s adoration for his other qualities, that’s gotta make Alastor feel good. So I’d imagine that he’s never become too insecure about his appeal because hey, if hell’s “hottest” bachelor is still into him, then he must still have it. I’d imagine that validation has felt pretty good, especially if everyone else acts like  he’s creepy and unappealing now. Among, of course, the other forms of validation Vox’s interest in him has provided. 

I mean, like the posts have said, I’m sure Alastor does in part enjoy being feared and seen as scary, but I also think he doesn’t like that people aren’t as easily drawn in by him as they used to be. This post theorized it’s part of his punishment (especially of the theory that he drew his victims in with his femme fatale-style seduction is true, probably meant to be part of his karma) to be seen as less pretty in hell. Alastor does rely on charisma as much as on fear, and I think it  does in fact annoy him that it doesn’t work as well anymore. Except with Vox. Who won’t be available to thirst after him in the near future.  Very interesting to see how Alastor will cope with the only person in hell who seems to find him attractive being MIA now. 

Again, objectively, Alastor is hot and charismatic. It just seems like nobody, one TV-headed idiot excepted, seems to find him so in-universe. 

[mysterylover123]

Watching Transformers Prime Episode 2 "Darkness Rising Part 2"

Megatron has gone mad with power! I Starscream am now your leader!

We start again with Megsy and Screamer! Who are almost shockingly polite to each other in this incarnation? I'm so used to them trading insults every other sentence this is throwing me for a loop.

Weirdly domestic moment where Screamer's like "Look an autobot corpse welcome home dear". Megsy's like "aw you shouldn't have" and then uses "blood of unicron" to zombie-fy Cliff.

OOH and he's so excited the minute Screamer brings up OP. He's like "OMG MY BB'S HERE!? Gotta get ready, is my helm straight, how do I look" LOL they're sooo divorced on this show.

We meet another human, this time a grumpy agent. I guess he's our Captain Fanzone for the show. OP shows off his empathy points by understanding his position.

Megsy I know you're evil but letting a zombie autobot kill a ton of your goons just seems inefficient. You don't have a never-ending supply of those. Or do you?

Oh no the bots think Cliff's still alive more trauma incoming for poor Arcee

Wow one of the human sidekicks is actually useful and knows tech? Like Alexis? I feel like they were taking notes from the best sidekicks in the past to make sure they didn't screw this up again.

Screamer's trying to look intimidating by dropping that bomb but he's so smol in this show it's kind of hard to take him seriously.

Poor Arcee so much trauma in just two episodes. And wow her new human bestie is surprisingly emotionally intelligent for a kid? Figures out Miko's bothering her and takes her aside, offers condolence? Turns out his mom's a nurse maybe that's where he gets it from

And she goes home with him and we get more banter. Was not expecting the relationship I'm most invested in so far to be Arcee and her new human bestie but here we are.

Anyway back at Con base, Megsy has a ridiculous plan, Screamer points out it's ridiculous, Megsy ignores him. Yeah we're back on brand.

Screamer: OP's dead. Megsy: Nope. Screamer: How do you know? Megsy: Cause we're murder soulmates screamer how have you not figured this out yet?

Also Ratchet that was really dumb, now that things gonna destroy your whole base.

[mysterylover123]

Alastor's face when Vox sends Val away and gets up close and personal with him and him alone:

(sorry for the play button, courtesy of this post)

[mysterylover123]

Charlie and Vox Parallels Part 2: Radio Killed the Video Star

So I'm mostly gonna be looking at Charlie's actions in this ep and comparing them with Vox; Vox's side of things has parallels with Charlie across the series and I'll be revisiting them.

And ooh boy....this episode, the one that introduces Vox, actually reveals just how borderline identical Vox and Charlie are. Just about every scene Charlie has in this episode has a parallel in Vox, and the last one I noticed is actually incredibly disturbing. A little eerie foreshadowing of Charlie's worst traits in Season 2.

But to start out with some simple stuff:

(transcripts from the website)

Parallel #:1 Proactively Dealing with Situations

The episode opens with Charlie panicking about the unexpected news of the exterminations being moved up, and we see her completely lose control as she starts rambling:

Charlie: Okay. So, the extermination is coming in six months instead of a year! No big deal, just a little setback. Nothing we can't handle. Just angels cutting our timetable in half, but who needs a whole year to save souls, am I right?! And next time when they cut the time in half again, and again, we'll just handle it, right?!

Vaggie: Yes. We will.

Later in the same episode, Vox starts freaking out about the arrival of a new and more dangerous threat in the form of Alastor, and Val similarly is in a position to calm him down.

Vox: Alastor...*walks to him* came back...and he is with Lucifer's daughter, and that wasn't the *FIRST FUCKING THING YOU TOLD ME?!?!?!

Valentino:  Hey! killing Alastor is your kink.

Differently, of course, Vaggie calms down and reassures Charlie here that they'll do something, where Val basically tries to downplay the whole thing. To Val, the problem is just Vox having a hangup about Al, not that Al might be a real problem.

Vox has a meeting with Val and Vel later, and continues this discussion

Vox: We have a problem. Alastor is getting close to little princess Morningstar, so our main concern now is ensuring that no deal is ever struck between Lucifer's *slams the table* BRAT and that smiling freak!

Velvette: Well, how exactly are we supposed to stop it?

Vox is the one who wants to do something about the potential danger Alastor poses, while the other Vees are pretty apathetic and not exactly supplying ideas. Charlie has a similar interaction with Angel at the start of the ep:

Charlie: Sure there is! We just...have to look a little harder for it!

Angel Dust: Well, while you're lookin', the rest'a hell's goin' nuts. People are already freakin' out about the news. Look at what's happenin' in the Doomsday District.

You can definitely see the similarities in these interactions - Vox and Charlie are the most hyper-motivated members of the group, and the ones who tend to come up with ideas and push projects forward, to attack problems head-on and lead the group in taking on challenges. Not that their Vs don't contribute at all:

Vaggie: Yeah, that's true. Sinners are desperate. Maybe desperate enough to try anything to escape the extermination?

Charlie: (Gasps) This is the perfect time to recruit more sinners for the hotel!

And with the Vees:

Valentino: Put something inside them. That's how I get the bitches to behave.

Vox: Well, maybe someone on the inside isn't such a bad idea. Do you think Angel would?

Vaggie and Val both make suggestions about what to do - suggestions that in some ways both come across as a bit insensitive; Vaggie basically talks about playing on/exploiting sinners' desperation in order to advance Charlie's dreams, and Val, well, that goes without saying.

Basically, this parallel highlights their shared proactivity, but it also highlights how they both kind of suck at it. Both of their plans fail in this episode. Vox's spy doesn't work and Charlie doesn't get a single new recruit. So while it's great that they both have enthusiasm and motivation, and are both tackling on a real problem head on, they need more than motivation to solve these issues.

Parallel #2: Taking in an Enemy

Later on, of course, Charlie takes in Pentious, who is not only secretly a spy for the Vees and trying to work (at the time) towards selfish ends, but as Angel points out:

Angel Dust: Are you fucking nuts?! This chump was trying to kill us like literally 6 hours ago! And now you wanna bring him in here to live with us?!

Charlie: Absolutely! This place is about second chances, and who deserves one more than this slithery... slippery... special little man!

In Season 2, Vox does the same thing. HE takes in a guy who was trying to kill him and his allies literally six seconds ago to live with them, and who is doing this for selfish, external reasons, to serve his own ends. There's a difference, of course: Charlie is willing to give Pentious a chance and treat him with kindness, and Vox tortures Al for humiliation and revenge. Still, it's an equally risky move on both of their parts; there's a similar lack of self-preservation in the action.

Side Note: Not touched on directly in this episode, but another interesting parallel I noticed is that it comes across like Lil maybe misled Charlie a bit about Lucifer, and maybe in some way tried to alienate her from her father - her other parent figure. (I don't know if it's confirmed, just a vibe) Just like Al tried to convince Vox that friendship was a lie and a joke and he'd be weak for seeking partners. But both Vox and Charlie refuse to let these attempts to convince them not to love stop them. Charlie still reaches out to her dad. Vox still chooses to have partners. C&V are saved by the fact that they are loved in s2, but also saved by the fact that they still choose to love, even when the people they want to impress the most try to convince them not to.

Anyway.

Parallel #3: Making their Friends Play Nice

This dialogue is almost identical.

Also in the same episode, we see Charlie and Vox both talking down their Latinx moth lovers from committing violence in a fit of rage:

Angel Dust and Vaggie: ♫ Can't we just kill him? ♫/♫ Shoot him and spill his blood? ♫

Charlie: ♫ That's an option you could choose. ♫

Angel Dust and Vaggie: ♫ Works for us. ♫

Charlie: ♫ But who hasn't been in his shoes?

Then, on Vox's side:

Valentino: That slippery twink is gonna remember who owns him. I'm gonna FUCK everyone in that rancid shit hole, I swear to god!

Vox:  VAL. Hehe. Think about it. Our brand is perfection. And what do you think chasing whores around town will do for our image?

Valentino: Um...fuck it up?

Vox: Right!

The exchanges match. Vaggie (and Angel) and Val declare they're going on a rampage where they shoot someone for (in their eyes) betraying them, Charlie and Vox are both placating and then carefully de-escalate and talk down the situation using their mission and their priorities. Obviously, the difference is that Charlie shows Pentious genuine compassion, and Vox just views Angel as a tool. But the gestures are very similar.

Also, it's worth noting that Charlie and Vox both ask their friends to apologize for their mistakes:

Charlie: Well, I guess this is a great time for your first lesson! *Clears throat* "How to apologize!" The first step to becoming a better person is to admit when you are wrong, why don't you give it a try?

Sir Pentious: Yes...uhm... Mr uhm... Radio Demon sir, please forgive me for attacking you and ruining your very lovely coat... uhm... here.

Later on in Scream Rain:

Vox: See, my associate, Velvette here, came along today specifically to apologize about her childish actions at your last overlord meeting. She meant no harm. Did you, Velvette? 

Velvette: (seethes) That's right. I spoke... out of turn. Forgive me.

Very similar actions; both understand the value of apologizing, even if it's fake, as a necessary action, even if it is a little bit strange or inadequate.

Parallel #4: Hurting Angel

And now, here's where things get really messed up:

Forcing Angel to act out a humiliating script where she casts him in a role that exacerbates all his insecurities with astonishing insensitivity, for the sake of advancing her own goals.

Now, who does that remind you of?

There's even this creepy parallel shot between this scene and Poison:

Angel, standing on the outside, after being hurt and humiliated, looking at first our hero, then our villain quite forlornly (Charlie even grabs Pentious' hand earlier in the shot like Vox is holding Val's. CREEPY).

Now obviously yes, what the Vees do to Angel is multitudes of infinity worse than what Charlie does. She just accidentally humiliates him. But the parallels are right there. Both Charlie and Vox (and not to farm out all the blame for Val onto Vox, Val is definitely very guilty here, but for the sake of the analysis, Vox is the CEO) force Angel to be more miserable by reading a script they write for him.

The subtext is there. If Charlie continues ignoring Angel's feelings and keeps pushing him, she might begin to mirror the ways the Vees treat him. It's a terrifying cautionary tale.

Hope she doesn't do something worse in season 2...

[mysterylover123]

Watching Transformers Prime "Darkness Rising Part 1"

Behold! The New Lead of Transformers!

Ok, so finally! Transformers Prime! The show everyone says is The Best One (after Beast Wars apparently). Will try not to let that make my expectations too high. I mean after TFA...

So we open up with Arcee! What a different kind of beginning from the others, the rest all started out in space. Or with humans.

And she's chatting with Cliffjumper, voiced by The Rock, who I've been spoiled dies right away. Guess we're playing by G1 Movie Rules here.

There's Starscream! What a radically different design for him in this show. Waaaay less colorful. He's pretty sinister here, though I have been informed he gets back to his usual whacky shenanigans eventually.

Soundwave doesn't talk? Doesn't that destroy like, half the point of Soundwave!?

Aaaand he kills Cliff. For no reason. Wow Screamer that was stupid. No torture for info, or use as hostage? That was G1!Megatron kind of dumb move. Have you been taking Villain Stupidity lessons?

OP's like, second line in the show has him bringing up Megs. Wow was that a record?

OH SHIT They're the last autobots and Cybertron is gone!? How freaking depressing, what a sad way to start the show.

Looooove this take on brooding angry Arcee. I can really see why she's such a fan fave in this series.

We meet our human lead Jack. And I thought the fandom was just being creepy with like, shipping them and all. But literally their first interaction is him saying "I love you" and feeling her up (in motorcycle form). Yeah the fandom didn't make this shit up. Who wrote that!?

Anyway Fighting Ensues with some NPC Decepticons. Arcee's all vengeful and shit. Bee and Bulkhead are there, and I like that his human friend can understand his beeps.

And a girl joins the two boys, so we have a human trio. Her fangirl-ing over the Autobots is #relatable.

HAHA YAPPING ABOUT MEGSY IS HOW OP INTRODUCES HIMSELF TO PEOPLE ON THIS SHOW. He's been on screen for like two minutes and he immediately finds an excuse to start talking about him. "Hi, I'm Optimus Prime, have I told you about my ex wife 'brother' Megatron and all our angst?"

Technically he's just being Megsy's hype man tho, cause here he comes!

And OMG Prime! Megs is adorable. Yeah yeah I know he's supposed to be scary but. The little toes, his goofy expression, those giant puppy dog eyes? Aw. No wonder OP never got over him.

[mysterylover123]

I heard you on the wireless back in '52 Lying awake intently tuning in on you If I was young it didn't stop you coming through

And now we meet in an abandoned studio/We hear the playback and it seems so long ago And you remember the jingles used to go

Oh-a-oh/You were the first one/Oh-a-oh/You were the last one

Video killed the radio star...(repeated)

audio Pictures came and broke your heart...

[mysterylover123]

Love, Nihilism and Fear in Hazbin Hotel

In 1x07, Carmilla and Vaggi have a very significant song/conversation in discussing the Angels and how to defeat them: Carmilla tells Vaggi she "won't stand a chance unless she's out for love" in the battle. And as some have noted, this may be why of all the heroes in the fight in 1x08, Alastor is the one who puts up the worst showing.

On the surface, Alastor is an ideological nemesis/counterpoint to Charlie and the series' main themes. Our heroine believes in the power of love and friendship, and love and friendship are continually shown to be the ways through which the characters find redemption and joy. Charlie and Vaggi save each other with their romantic love; Lu's familial love for Charlie pulls him out of his depression, Husk and Angel's love saves/improves them both, and even the Vees are saved from complete destruction by their affection for each other.

If Alastor really believes what he said to Vox - There are no friends in hell and love is a weakness - if he really is just the monster he presents himself as, then the story trajectory seems clear. Charlie, the heroine who believes in friendship/love, will prove him wrong; the narrative will prove him to be mistaken, etc. However, the story isn't simple in that way. It's not just a nihilistic monster who thinks love is a joke vs a classic Shonen/Shojo hero.

The key isn't that Alastor can't love/care and our heroes can. The difference is: the heroes will take the risk of getting hurt that comes with opening yourself up to caring, and Alastor is afraid to.

If we assume (as this video outlines) that Alastor is capable of caring in his own way, but responds to genuine feelings with fear - fear that he'll be used - then that changes the perspective here. The series does not present love as a simple, painless thing. Charlie and Vaggi love each other, but they also hurt each other a lot - Charlie is hurt in 1x06 by Vaggi lying to her, Vaggie is hurt by Charlie in s2 when she pushes her away. Charlie and Lu have hurt each other in their family bond (in the past, in 2x05 when she kicks him out). Husk and Angel hurt each others' feelings sometimes too; Cherrie and Sir Pentious are what Radiostatic would be if it was healthier; and the Vees hurt each other badly in season 2. Love isn't simple. Love can mean getting hurt.

There's a difference, obviously, between the ways love can lead to getting hurt or wounded and actual abuse, as Val and Angel demonstrate for contrast. But the show does show that, when it comes to healthy, mutually loving relationships, you need to be able to risk the pain (go through the pain, as the Buffyverse would put it) of getting hurt.

That is actualized in action from in the battle in 1x08. Alastor has opened himself up, against his will, to caring again; he's almost there, almost in a place where he can take the risk for his friends again. But when he takes a stand against Adam, he gets hurt (physically).

But he's not the only one. Charlie and Vaggi both get injured really badly fighting the angels. Sir Pentious dies after taking some damage. The rest of the crew all face pain and danger here. Vaggi gets injured as badly as Alastor fighting Lute, if not more. But, when Alastor gets injured, he immediately quits and slinks away. The others don't.

Because they have something to fight for - something they're ready to get hurt to protect. And it makes them all very brave.

It's why Alastor comes across as so pathetic and comparatively cowardly/weak in this finale. He has the potential to care for others, but as soon as he gets wounded, he runs away. The others all fight through the pain and take the risks. It brings them friendship, community, redemption (in Sir Pentious' case) and strength. The real kind of strength and courage, not the fake kind Alastor uses to prop himself up.

Metaphorically, Alastor almost takes the risk of opening himself up to others, and once again gets hurt. Just like with Vox in the past (from his point of view). He let someone become close to him, and got hurt, and responded by doubling down on never caring, because he won't take the pain of being hurt.

(Which does make Vox a lot braver than him, be cause he does take the risk. He asks Al to be partners. He's opened up again to friendships with the Vees. He also looks a murderous angel (Lute in 2x05) in the face, who's ready to kill him, and doesn't blink. He takes injuries in battle and keeps going. And he does defeat Alastor in 2x08 - in that he reduces him to crawling around on the ground with a giant fuck off dead canon in his face, and also survives and lives another day - because he has friends. He has Shock.wav to save him, his passionate feelings about Alastor to motivate him, and Vel and Val to protect him from himself.)

Alastor, for all his bravado, is too afraid to take the risk of the pain that can come with love. And that's what he's missing - the courage to take the risk of the hedgehog's dilemma. And ironically, that fear makes him incredibly weak, almost pathetically so. Real strength, as the show demonstrates, comes from both working together with others (the hotel, how the Vees are nearly unstoppable as long as they remain a team, Hear my Hope, etc.) and having someone to care for, someone to fight for.

I think that Alastor's fear of letting someone in needs to be his downfall somehow in order to support this point. Love needs to be shown to ultimately be worth taking the risk. Possibly this will be simple enough. Alastor will be defeated and stripped of his power and left with nothing, not even Nifty's friendship, because of that fear.

Because you don't stand a chance unless you're out for love.