Place where I will probably post jack

A Polish 24 year old who writes things about HH and HB. That's about it. If you found me here by accident then I'm so sorry. I do know very well that I am in fact a mistake on this earth. If you care my garbage is here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulfulAzrael/works

[soulfulazrael]

Watched Odyssey and... I have thoughts (review containing spoilers)

I will say first... the movie is good. It's not a bad movie and it is something I am glad I saw. But I have issues with it as someone who likes mythology and has been very passionate about it since young age. It is a movie that to me has lots of good things about it and... quite a few bad ones. I will start with the good (also this will be LONG):

*THE GOOD*

And to me I think good place is to start is most of the effects (and believe me I will go to the pretty bad one as well). The movie definitely looks quite great, at least from directional standpoint. Nolan is someone who you know can direct and his shots mostly look quite great. The way he frames shots is very good...when it's not in dialogues, but I will get to that too. I especially enjoy the direction with stuff like Circe, Cyclops and the talk between Antinoos and Penelope. I also respect his direction with Sirens... to some extent.

But either way he works well with direction as we all know. I also really appreciate how much practical effects this movie has. I appreciate how many things are actually there like the armored giants who were actually that tall played by 7ft tall actors against 5ft tall doubles.

And I also enjoy stuff that was done partially with CG again like with Cyclops and Circe. Cyclops especially turned out very well from both visual and sound standpoint. His design while weird I do like. I like how deformed he is. That he is not just a big man with one eye. I still like Harryhausen Cyclops more from Sindbad, but this one is very good.

And sound is definitely main star here. The sound of the waves. The clashes. The thunder of Zeus and roar of the Cyclops. That last one deserves an ovation honestly because that was harrowing scream. It was GREAT. It really made you feel the pain that thing was going through.

And some of the casting turned out very well. Robert Pattinsons steals the show honestly as Antinoos. He captures perfectly that slimy, manipulative coward. And Anne Hathaway as Penelope does a very good job as well... which is a problem somewhat because of another actor, but I leave that for later. You can definitely feel and see all the pain and sadness with her and you can definitely feel the warmth of hers as well. She is played very well. And one more standout to me was honestly Eurylochos played by Himesh Patel. I definitely felt for him the most through the entire movie. I liked his relationship with Odysseus and how much he felt like a proper equal to him through this movie. Even if he made his own mistakes.

And I think ideas here are interesting with connecting sacking of Troy with destruction of values of the Greek World. How this is the tipping point to the end of an era, but that honestly feels better as an idea than execution cause umm....

*LE BAD*

Yeah. Let's go to bad.

I will say this right now. Most of the characters in this movie are not that interesting. It's not a hit against the actors cause they all do a passable job, but man. I can't remember almost anyone from this movie and if I do it's either those standouts above or for completely wrong reasons... or because it's Odysseus cause yeah.

I think one of the biggest problems with me in this movie is Odysseus himself. He does NOT feel like Odysseus at all. Matt Damon is playing here a very brooding, sad character with little to no personality beyond "home" and "Troy". That stands out to me because Odysseus while is very dedicated to going back home, he is not boring at all. He is a deeply flawed prick with ego problem. His ego being driving force behind his own disaster of a return. Someone who has very quick wit, sharp tongue and knows he has both.

I do not feel that with this version of the character. He is mostly just brooding and sad. I don't think I saw him smile once in this movie and you may say (well what is there to smile about), but I think it is important to give him a bit of humanity which I think this version is lacking. Matt Damon often times feels like he is kind of phoning it in. His line delivery in many places is quite monotone and his expressions often times leave a lot to be desired. Except Sirens scene. There he played it GREAT. You could tell all the emotions going through Odysseus as he heard them and then how painful it was to leave them. But other than that... could have been better.

Not to mention removal of the famous 'Nobody' line. I know Nolan said he couldn't make it work, but I think it should have been left in because of how much it both says about Odysseus when he comes up with it and gives it up and what it says about being a nobody as well and about ego.

And honestly I do not think Noland "could not make it work" because this pun is not translated well. Let me explain this in this section which will definitely feel the most like a rant.

This version of the Odyssey feels the most Americanized. Now what do I mean by that? Well I want to first say a small thing I know from production of another kind of well known movie, you may have heard about it called Avatar. Where James Cameron funded his crew the most alien sounding music imaginable for his movie and when he heard it he immediately threw it away and told to make some alien "amazing grace" cause he wanted his movie to be understood by all the down south americans.

This movie feels like that. With it's inaccurate costumes, the ships, the fact that Odysseus kneels to Agamemnon which I am pretty sure Ancient Greeks never did before Kings. The fact that it's so grey and lifeless and feels like it could be set ANYWHERE but Greece. Calling Hades HELL when it's NOT HELL AT ALL, portrayal of Gods to be more in line with Christian view of God than actual Greek myths and removal of the line.

And why do I think that? Because this is one of those moments where Odysseus is without any doubt a total unlikeable jerk. And Nolan has that thing where he will say there is nuance to his characters, but then he will make it so things look juuuuust favorably enough to the characters actions so that their brooding comes off as deserved, but you cannot ever truly fault them for their actions. Not completely. Like with Batman in Dark Knight where his love makes him choose wrong, but it's still presented as a good choice he made if Rachel was in the spot Joker told Batman she was in.

Because in this version the reason why Odysseus is punished by Poseidon is blinding Polyphemus. And yeah. If you were typing angrily about me not knowing those names, please stop. I know them. It's just that this movie is not interested in them. And we know it's that because Polyphemus prays to him after he is blinded. That one arrow Odysseus shoots after I do not believe is the reason for punishment cause Polyphemus already whined to his dad. Not to mention that arrow shot either way is far more justified, where the audience doesn't have to question Odysseus's actions as much as they should and find him unlikeable. Also with how the last fight goes.

I like the final fight, but I find some things lacking there. Like Odysseus going completely berserk on EVERYONE there which honestly makes Penelope leaving that traitor maid in there feel pointless cause I do not believe she even died there. She just disappeared from the movie after that... or maybe I missed something. But anyway this feels like a very whitewashed view of Odysseus so audience can feel comfortable with him.

And that to me feels very forced. Because big part of Odysseus's charm is that he is VERY flawed, that he is quick witted strategist, but also a painful narcissist who needs to be humbled. And this movie dumbs that down to it's audience.

And speaking of characters. Hai Agamemnon. Yeah. He is... yeah. He is pretty nothing in this movie honestly. He is just there to aura farm and spout exposition in Hades. And that exposition. Mainly his final word I think is the best encapsulation of Nolan's character writing. His last word being

"assess"

That's it. Assess. And that to me speaks volumes of one thing. Nolan doesn't see his characters as characters. He sees them as exposition/theme machines. Some actors with how good they are can break through that wall and become something great, but not because of Nolan's writing. It's mainly with how the actor plays said character. Like Heath Ledger with Joker. Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer or Pattinson in this movie. But his characters when they are not carried by GREAT acting often times fall very flat. Kind of tells you a lot why the only thing people talk about in Dark Knight are Dent and Joker.

Entire speech of Agamemnon about his fate honestly just feels phoned in. It feels like exposition. I thought of how I would somewhat write it. It's not much, but I came up with it now

"I came back a hero, but what welcomed me was sadness and hate I sowed when I sailed to Troy. I came back to ruin like the one I left back in Troy... Do not make my mistake Odysseus. Do not come back a hero lest what welcomes you is ruin."

Something of the sort. Where it is not telling us every detail, but giving us enough information to feel what he felt. Where you can tell all the regrets and sadness over his choices and how his words can influence Odysseus's actions. Also if Nolan wanted with his honestly ill fitting voice to show how he was just a normal man beneath the armor then I say he should have showed him without the armor. Where Odysseus at first can't recognize him, but then he sees not a great King, but a small, pitiful man. Also I am not a fan of him just straight up telling what Odysseus has to do in Ithaca.

Which is ironic cause one thing I think this movie should leave in was someone telling what Odysseus has to do. With Scylla. And yeah. Scylla looks TERRIBLE. The CG on her is just bad. You can tell Nolan did not want to make a movie with her at all. That whole scene besides having awful looking monster also lacks emotional weight it should have. In the poem it's not a long section either, but you can feel all the pain Odysseus goes through as he sees his finest men devoured like it's nothing. Where despite being told he cannot fight it he still readies himself to save them, but cannot. A tragedy of helplessness that is missing from this version.

Not to mention how little impact it leaves because right after in the poem on the Helios island his crew partially gives in to eat the cows BECAUSE OF grief over Scylla. Also fun fact about that island. In polish subtitles they FIXED THE GOD THIS ISLAND BELONGS TO. Crazy right? They do not add Apollo into the dialogue, but add Helios later. That is hilarious and shows how... honestly little Nolan seems to care about mythology.

Which sadly you can tell. Because he is definitely way more in love with Troy and Ithaca than anything in between. He loves his dialogues which to me have way too fast cuts, sometimes it feels very rushed how things go in this movie. And this movie just doesn't look like it takes place in Greece at all. Especially with some cast members who look whiter than snow on Laestrygonian island. Honestly I am surprised some weirdos say how this movie is woke when it pretty much whitewashes greece so much.

I know other versions of this story do that too that were put to screen, but it's 2026. I think Nolan could risk it with new talent.

Oh and speaking of Laestrygonians. What was up with that girl and that armor? That looked honestly pretty stupid. Way more silly than the armors from Bronze age that Nolan rejected. Why did he do that? I don't know.

And boy is this a long review. There is so much in it, but I think you get the picture, but I will end it on the other scenes I like and I want to talk about. Something of a stand out section. Let's call it that.

*STAND OUTS*

Obviously one of my main ones is Robert Pattinson, but my favorite scene with him is when he talks to Penelope. Honestly I do think that scene is genius because it not only feels natural unlike so many other dialogues in this movie, but it's honestly a GREAT representation of Siren Song. But in this case for Penelope. Antinoos here being the Siren that wants to seduce Penelope into giving up her devotion and love which contrasts with Odysseus's own scene right after with Sirens. It's a great scene that I think adds a lot of weight to sirens as well.

But Sirens themselves are kind of disappointing. I get what Nolan was going for with not showing them or let us hearing their song, but man it goes over too fast, monologue at the end is distracting and I am sad we do not get even a glimpse of them being avian in nature. Hell just have wind blow one giant feather on the ship to show what kind of monster tries to lure them in. SOMETHING.

Sorry. Sorry. Back to stand outs. Cyclops scene. It removes quintessential line, but from the mood standpoint, the direction and both character and sound design it is amazing. I loved the scream of that thing in the theatre. Granted I did not see it in Imax (thanks Nolan), but it was still great. But it falling asleep after munching on two guys is a bit silly. At least he was just blackout drunk in original.

Also Circe, her scene was amazing from how the effect of the transformation was handled. It was grotesque, horrific and goddamn awesome. It was a great representation of her powers. I just wish she was a bit prettier like a witch from Greek Myths should be and for her crashout to feel more earned because it just sounds like she is ranting at them for no reason.

Also the Zeus punishment scene. That scene I say is underrated. It is mostly dark, but you can feel all the anger Zeus has towards that crew, all that spite and murderous rage as those lightnings flash and complete despair of the crew. THAT scene was good. It felt powerful. But it had a start that felt a bit comedic. With that cutaway to disaster. But it is a great and underrated scene in my opinion.

But there is more than one kind of standout. And this one... is the DUMB one. And I talk here about Odysseus talking about how he ended Bronze Age...

I have so many issues with that line. It's cheesy, it makes no sense (it's like them saying it's 3000 year bc or some other BS like this) and it's so damn stupid. Nolan. I get it. I get what you are going for. But at this point you are using a freaking Jackhammer for that nail. STOP IT!!! It was like one line I was very loud at over how stupid it was. End of Bronze Age just... shut up. Anyway. Moving to finishing thoughts cause... Bronze age. I dunno.

*FINISHING THOUGHTS*

The movie is good. I have LOTS OF issues with it as a mythology nerd and also someone who likes good stories and interesting characters, but overall the movie is NOT bad. I am just seeing lots of flaws in it that irk me and may not feel like much, but they do stack up for me into a pretty weird looking pile. But I can tell why people say it's great. I cannot tell why people say it's utter trash. And I do agree with those that say it's okay, but is very flawed and NOT one of Nolan's best. It's not. And it's okay.

7/10. Glad I watched. I will rewatch some scenes on youtube at most. If I pissed you off with this review I am sorry and that's my opinion. If you agree cool. If you like the movie that's good. If you think it's a masterpiece. I don't agree, but I am glad you are happy.

[soulfulazrael]

To all Rudy Knighters

Don't lose hope! I say we are still in the clear!

I know I sound delusional, but hear me out. We have two things to consider. On normal route it does look grim because apparently Rudy "fell down" which in Undertale means death and that's it about us hearing about Rudy. But I think there is more to that. Especially with his dialogue here.

Because Kris right after hearing about him falling down immediately takes VERY risky action and opens a Fountain in flower shop. Kris risks pretty much everything doing that for some reason and I think it has to do with Rudy's condition. He realizes Rudy wont be able to make a Fountain on his own and so does so early so Rudy can recover and go into Dark World.

Part of why I believe so is that on Weird Route you can see Rudy under the ladder. He is winded, but that probably shows the prelude to him falling down. He was weaker then and probably tried to finish the lamps, but fell down. And his dialogues here are... interesting. Especially this passage.

And I think this is a pretty big clue as to what is going on. Rudy I say was doing those lamps not just for Noelle, but as an excuse to stay outside until late at night, but him falling down made Kris have to act immediately so Rudy has chance to recover and get there in time to get Asgore.

It is a tight time, but it probably shows how desperate both Knight and Kris are. They have to now act fast for some reason which also shows with how Knight doesn't really aura farm anymore or plays around. He immediately grabs Asgore and doesn't engage anyone and tries to run away, but are VERY weird and winded. They seem to not be able to... move normally...

Like with Chronic Wasting Disease. Drooling, weight loss and now wandering around and bumping into things. CWD is progressing on Rudy! That is why Knight moves so weird and was so clumsy.

And so in next chapter we will probably have a big plot twist with the Knight. Rudy now is in a very ambiguous position, but I say it will be rewarded if we believe.

[soulfulazrael]

Why I don't like Suselle... at fucking all.

I play Chapter 5 of Deltarune and I must say... the festival is painful. It's cute, but... it feels so forced. And I know you will lynch, but hear me out... I predicted Weird Route of Chapter 5, I have things to say that are somewhat coherent... Hopefully.

Anyway.... Suselle

To me it's painful because it has a troupe I genuinely despise with a passion. Crushes and it being used as replacement for genuine growth in a relationship. Because to me that is always so damn lazy. Like damn Alphys and Undyne. At least they were not main characters and their romance could be goofy and short and not very complex.

But this story is not just silly goofy gooberisms. It tries to feel very deep and emotional, but when you add in romance like this for MAIN CHARACTER then it feels genuinely painful because it feels very rushed. There is no growth there because both Noelle and Susie are apparently are all in for each other since day one.

And the think I liked about Krusie is it WAS allowed to grow. You can see genuine change in Susie and Kris as they both grow closer together. It feels earned. It feels good and it's to me deeply hilarious Toby did not even want to do any Krusie stuff, but it turned out like this because those two actually GROW and feelings are properly explored and developed.

With Suselle feelings are talked about and just are there. And it feels lazy because of it. Not to mention how to make it work not only Kris is being leveled with the dirt, but ALSO both Susie and Noelle have to be quite OOC to work like it does because on it they both kind of treat Kris like awful friends.

I do like writing romances. I like pondering over them. But in here it feels forced. Like Toby wanted to add it just because and it is kind of telling that Krusie feels more genuine despite not being a thing in his mind. Because he does not focus on the aspect of romance, but a relationship and growth there which is important to then get into romance. Where bonds are established, growing and turning.

But with Suselle it's just "le crush" and apparently half if not 80% is done. NO! That's not how it works. It's fucking lazy. It's just lazy.

Also

I do not like how Noelle is written with Susie. She is so deeply unlikeable with her. Suselle overall feels rushed and feels like it offers the least of any ship. It offers nothing beyond pretty pictures. And that's a crime for me for any ship.

It feels like nothing. Krusie has growth and enough content to warrant proper turning into romance with few interesting plot developments or events where you feel the journey towards said relationship. And Kriselle has not only potential to explore dealing with abuse and new found appreciation for one you care for after terrible adversity, but also exploration of long lost feelings... Lost like a certain girl. Finding in yourself that which was snuffed. Finding her in your heart.

And what does Suselle do? Cute girl and a Tomboy. It's a picture.

[soulfulazrael]

I have a theory about what Thank You ARG tells us. Basically... chapter 5 on Weird Route will be the end of the route. More below

Now word of warning. This is gonna involve some pretty disturbing stuff... Anyway let's talk about children harming themselves.

This will be the end. You will move on because HERE Chapter 5 for Weird/Snowgrave route ends. Whatever happens I think Noelle will snap. That is why she wants to see Kris. Either she... game ends Kris and Us or just the Heart after helping Kris get rid of it. Possibly by using Snowgrave again, but this time on us. Trapping Heart somewhere. In block of ice either at the bottom of the lake or in Shelter or somewhere. What leads me to this is this

I think this is the meaning of 'bad news'. You DO NOT get to experience the Dark World because of this in chapter 5. Or the festival.

You do not get this. Not with Susie.

Not with anyone. You may be able to go there on the way to Noelle by the Lake where she wants to meet you, but you are NOT getting full experience out of this. Just outside perspective.

And no Ferris Wheel... But maybe if you 'failed' Weird Route in chapter 4 and had Kris run with Noelle MAYBE you get to see their relationship blossom. But NOT when you just abused her as much as you did on full Snowgrave. Because you are awful for doing it and deserve nothing more or less.

And I think that is why only chapter 2-5 are listed. Your journey with Weird Route ends at 5

It will be basically like ending of Prey where you go on the Escape Shuttle alone (spoilers for 2017 Prey. Great game. Play it). Where you can escape from space station alone like a coward and get a very abrupt ending where you are spoiled on the main twist and 'start over'.

And I think similar thing will happen here. There will be revelations after this 'death', but this will be the end of this route. And then if you try to load the end autosave from weird route to sixth chapter you get nothing, but probably a message and quick ending. And then when you go from six to sev-... six to... final chapter you get unrelated story that I think now normal route will get to where you play as the Vessel and either see the aftermath of everything or are thrown way in the past.

And I think that would be the best kind of end for such a cruel route. You wanted a different ending? You got it. A punch in the gut and being left alone in the dark. Forever.

[soulfulazrael]

I absolutely despise the portrayal of Barbie in this short

Because holy fuck does this mean Blitzo will be even MORE of a Gary Stue. Let me explain.

Basically this short says one thing "Barbie is a fuck up who needs help" and we all know how that will go. Blitzo will be the one she has to go to for a job and she will be all grumpy, he is oh so happy, but she is pushing him away, shenanigans happen that make them bond and she in the end forgives him, they hug, yadda yadda que in some flashback to when they were kids with their mom or something.

Of course it's just my schizo prediction above, but my point is that they will make Blitzo the guy who has to 'save her' and she is nothing without Blitzo who is pretty much elevated by the narrative of the show to be end of all imps, who bangs everyone, his GF was hottest pop star in Hell, who is loved by his friends even though they have little to no reason to like him and he now has to rescue his sister because she is terrible without him.

Fuck. That. I despise this direction because it spits at everything Bojack Horseman. Again. A show that HB is INSPIRED by is about. Because Bojack's friends in BH who were from his past ended up having mostly NORMAL lives. Like Herb and Charlotte and the thing about Bojack was that he was a fuck up who barged into their lives and created a mess.

And HB flips that by making it's Bojack figure basically a full on good guy who has SOME self loathing not due to any actual flaws, but self pity over not realizing how OH SO NICE he really is and having people from his past be in the wrong for hating him and be in terrible lives without him.

It's just so blatant in it's favorism towards Blitzo that it pisses me off this show even tries to tell you Blitzo is some 'deeply flawed' character when at worst he is cursing good guy who hates himself a lot because of accidents in his life he had no control over. Riveting. And it reduces Barbie to another fucking hype machine for him.

I hate that. With a passion. I guess one thing that Viv got right is that acronym of Helluva Boss is exact opposite of Bojach Horseman. HB and BH. Because this show could not be farther from that. It's almost magical.

[soulfulazrael]

Please Goose. MAKE ONE FINAL RIBBUN SCENE IN FINAL EPISODE!!!

You can't give me this huge crumb and not follow up on it

[soulfulazrael]

For the first time made some fanarts. Those are my OCs for Moxxie's family in my AU of Hellaverse. I don't draw much as you can probably tell, but I hope it's alright.

This set of characters is my version of Moxxie's family. I know how scuffed it looks, but I did feel the need to finally help myself visualize those characters before writing about them. I want to keep going with making art and improve as well. I will describe all of them below.

First one is Corinthian. Moxxie's father in this AU.

Moxxie in this AU has been abandoned by him. Moxxie's mother who Corinthian slept with at one point tried to get herself into Corinthian's graces and enter a lavish life of luxury with Moxxie in her hands, but instead he simply shot her in the head. After that Corinthian simply left baby Moxxie to die on his own as kinslaying is not only against the law of Hell, but also something he was less comfortable with.

Corinthian is one of the most dangerous mob bosses of Pride who hires Hellborn and Sinners alike. Very forward thinking demon who always has future in mind for his legacy. Him and rest of this family are a weird sub species of Imps who have stone skin that makes their bodies extremely durable and strong. Moxxie lacked and so he was abandoned. Corinthian also has deep love for art and so he carves Corinthian pillar pattern into his stone skin (that's what the thing on his neck is supposed to be).

A demon always looking towards future and rarely staying for the present. Often times found in suffocating isolation. Always in fear of whether of making a mistake that may doom his family and legacy... Not knowing if he already did not make too many of those.

An imp older than most. A person larger than most. Has incredible set of achievements that make him to those in the know a living legend among nightmares. But his time he knows is going to end some day and so he puts his hopes into two children of his. Both who have makings of incredible monsters such as him.

One of whom is Moxxie's half-sister Iona.

Her horns based more on of course Ionic Pillar. She is very hotheaded individual. A very strong individual with fists that are comparable to small meteors hitting you at full speed. Horrible combination with her personality.

A spoiled brat who has deep passion for all kinds of things like music and war and wants everything in the world to belong to her, to enjoy everything the world has to offer. She is at first sight to everyone just a oddly strong, pampered girl who has no real future, but to everyone who knows her better she is also very intelligent and instrospective.

She wants everything and knows how to get most of it. She knows right words, gestures and actions. She knows how to make herself look to others like a goddess. Her brother may have a larger army, but she has greater sphere of influence as she can be both terrifying and charming. Ready to do everything to get her way and rarely feeling any shame for it.

She is someone who always seeks validation and approval from both her father and brother. She always wants to prove she is someone who can truly lead their family to a greater future and because of that every action she takes is decisive and strong and those she grows to care for she will never let go. She is a woman of many extremes. Like magma from a volcano she sweeps over everything and reshapes the world to the shape she desires.

A stark contrast to her brother... who we can't talk about without first mentioning the mask he wears every day.

Tuscan is the face of this Imp monster. Everyone who sees this thing, they see a brute of unparalleled strength and durability. In physical aspect there is no equal to him among imps and even some of the higher beings of Hell. A truly horrifying monster, but one held back by his brain comparable to that of a 5 year old. Reading books upside down and not knowing how to use a simple tissue.

But like a Tuscan and Doric pillars, it is holding up an image. And reality is very different.

As Tuscan itself is a visage held by Doric, Moxxie's half-brother. Based on strong and durable Doric pillar. Unlike what Tuscan persona may lead others to believe, Doric is exceptionally intelligent. Capable of crafting a facade of a complete moron and making his soldiers play around this facade with no issue. With one of them always playing a part of 'Doric' who is firstborn fragile son of the crime family's patriarch in the reality they want everyone else to see.

He created this persona due to his own bottomless paranoia. He knows better than anyone else how horrific this combination of mind and strength is to everyone else. As with the quote below from him:

"Why do you think so many always fall for this deception? Is it because of stupidity? Ignorance? Arrogance? No. They are afraid. I know my strength. And I alone know the location of my greatest muscle... And people are horrified by this implication of strength such as mine having intellect to know how to use it. One thing is to fight a brute with no mind having to be held on a leash. Another is to fight someone with a power of atom bomb and knowing where to drop it, when and how. I know who I am and so it is important to me that others do not."

Always playing the part of the dumb. Always patient. Always waiting for the right time to break his role. But that paranoid caution fueled by self-loathing is something that makes his role in the crime family far more difficult. He is far more passive and distant individual compared to his sister. Which makes him not favored by their father as he believes in this ever changing world you need to be more flexible and ready to action.

But Doric knows that soon enough he will show his true worth. When Iona is like magma, he is a large steamroller that soon enough will flatten all of Hell into a beautiful flat space. There will be nowhere left that he wont be able to control and see. That is something he knows.

That is my take on Moxxie's family in my AU. Hope whoever reads this enjoyed it. I also reuploaded it to fix the structure and post it overall at a better hour. Hope this is something people find somewhat enjoyable. I do hope I can write out this story one day with them and Moxxie who finds himself in a place he cannot call home, but somewhere that feels more right to him than he would ever want to admit.

[soulfulazrael]

Made a one shot fic about Zib from Lackadaisy. Exploring what it means to be hopeless.

A little story about Zib and his struggle with losing Mitzi. 1926 is a terrible year and on one day he learns what it truly means to have no more hope. If anyone here sees this, reads it and likes it then I hope to hear your thoughts on this. I like reading those.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[soulfulazrael]

For some reason I made entire one shot around this one character from Husk music video

Why? I dunno. The moment I saw that music video of Husk (which was pretty damn good, I can acknowledge when I like something in this show) I had an idea pop up in my head the moment I saw this cat sinner. Tried to ignore it, but then I realized "("Shit I am actually willing to write that shit down" and I did!

A little story about Husk waiting for Extermination Day. Depressed in his casino. Awaiting... something. And he gets to talk with this kitty. About their past. Their regrets. Suffering in Hell. Waiting for Angels to come down. Basically my way of diving into backstory of my version of Husk which is very ugly. If anyone cares it's here.

Do not forget where those characters are. They sure as Hell cannot. No matter how much they can try.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[soulfulazrael]

Hey Luci. Luci over here *snap* *snap* I think you are forgetting one crucial detail here!

YOU CAN MAKE FUCKING GOETIAS

Yeah. You can make them. And Viv already confirmed that Alastor would be like a wet noodle before someone like Stolas so I ask... WHY THE FUCK DON'T YOU MAKE A GOETIA TO MAKE A VOX INTO A GARDEN GNOME!

Even if they cannot kill him. Just make this stupid fucking TV guy into a statue you can use to hang clothes or something. Jesus. Viv did not think any of this shit through and it shows. What a load.

[angelcakes1947]

But you see they can't do crossovers yet.

[soulfulazrael]

Just make on OC Luci. Or call one that didn't appear in HB.

On a more serious note I get that, but this retroactively makes Lucifer a complete MORON who could have done that, but didn't because.... EeEEEEhhhh.

I guess this is where Charlie gets her brain as well. Her and Lucifer share the same braincell and it hanged itself.

[soulfulazrael]

Hey Luci. Luci over here *snap* *snap* I think you are forgetting one crucial detail here!

YOU CAN MAKE FUCKING GOETIAS

Yeah. You can make them. And Viv already confirmed that Alastor would be like a wet noodle before someone like Stolas so I ask... WHY THE FUCK DON'T YOU MAKE A GOETIA TO MAKE A VOX INTO A GARDEN GNOME!

Even if they cannot kill him. Just make this stupid fucking TV guy into a statue you can use to hang clothes or something. Jesus. Viv did not think any of this shit through and it shows. What a load.

[soulfulazrael]

Predator Badlands thoughts on what it all means. From past to the future and what Dek's journey means for Yautja

So this has been on my mind since I left the movie and I feel like I want to speak about it. Especially after watching Prey and Predator 1 (I also watched AVP, but that was a long while ago) and what I feel like Badlands is partially about.

Because as I watched Predator Badlands and saw Dek with his "Organic" version of Yautja tech made me wonder if this is how Yautja started of. If this use of those creatures from Genna was how early Yautja started of. Where they adapted to their planet and became apex predator through use of creatures on it and that leading up to them creating technology based on said creatures and in time becoming interstellar race of super hunters.

And that thought makes me feel like this movie is partially about Dek reconnecting Yautja with who they were because I notice in both Predator 1 and Prey. Predators do not use their enviorement as much as they probably should. Granted it's probably because of their superiority, but that is part of what I am getting at. Yautja became more... stagnant. They became too comfortable. They settled on staying as they are without much further improvement to their race as a whole. Because they are already strong, they already have great technology.

And that is where Dek comes in. A runt who is seemingly fated to die embarks on seemingly impossible quest, but comes back from it changed as a Yautja who did what possibly their past ancestors did. Adapted, evolved, became truly strong. At the end of the movie Dek is better than his brother and better than his father because he did not remain as they did. Because they already had strength and technology they never had to learn what being weak is.

Dek did. Dek knows what it means to be weak. And because of that he knows what it means to be strong. And through Thia and Bud he also learned through being weak what it means to be a real man unlike his father. He protects those he knows need protecting (something he already did with his brother way in the past) and through that he creates his own clan which could also be how Yautja divided into clans as well. Through certain groups forming around a PROTECTIVE leader who lead them into better future so they all can be stronger.

Dek connected to the past of Yautja and now possibly could be a better future for them. From past to the future there is hope.

But that's my schizo theorizing. I do REALY want a sequel to see how Dek's characters progresses (also I need to see Yautja dommy mommies on screen *cough* *cough*).

[soulfulazrael]

Pentious's backstory I say is not very good, but there is a way to easily make it better (or at least more fitting for the story Hazbin is meant to be)

Now I'd like to say that this is my opinion of course. With that out of the way I want to present my issue with Pentious's backstory and the way Writers could have made it better without making too many changes I say. Not immediately at least.

Let's for now focus on his backstory first which is... him being a witness to Jack The Ripper killing a prostitute and being too scared to say anything because Jack was "very powerful and influential". That's the gist of his backstory and honestly... I don't like it. To me it feels like this show tries way too hard at making you sympathize with Pent's situation without focusing much on his sin being actual sin.

It's focus is more on Pent being forced into silence by what he describes about Jack rather than his own personal failings and that to me is not very surprising because given how Viv handles backstories of her 'flawed' characters like Blitzo and Stolas it is pretty much her schtick. Make it look like a character has a deeply awful past and then completely make everything in it either be not their fault or something that can be very easily excused. And that unwillingness to go all the way in Hazbin (given that in this show about redemption it is the ONLY earth backstory we know so far of any sinner in any meaningful way, in fucking season 2) is very harmful to the show's premise and themes.

Picture this. Hazbin Hotel is like someone wrote a show about prisoners getting rehabilitated, but all of the people who are focused on are either framed into being there or made some mean graffiti or at absolute worst beat up someone who will be probably revealed to actually deserve it. And every prisoner who committed actual crime like killing, robbery or rape is treated like a complete 1 dimensional dumb monster beyond redemption of any kind.

It misses the point completely. That's a BIG issue. But I think there is a way to make this backstory better without changing the setting or circumstance and that is all about framing and focus.

It's about changing the focus from Jack the Ripper to the prostitute he killed. In that Pent and her could be first shown as friends. Where she is someone who maybe has to do this job to support her child or something and finds solace with human Pent. Her one friend in poverty who is ambitious engineer who wants to get out of their awful life and maybe take her out of it through this as well. Where we can see a connection between them before the tragedy occurs. Where we can with maybe one or two scenes establish a certain bond between them.

And when the night happens she screams for help. His help. And Pentious is too afraid to die and not have his ambitions fulfilled and acts like a coward. Hiding in his house and not going out or doing anything. Jack the Ripper is of little matter here, it could be anyone. But what is the focus here then is not Pent being some poor soul forced into this sin because Jack is someone "powerful and influential", no, it's Pentious who makes this decision to abandon her. Who is selfish and cowardly enough to let his friend die. Someone you find deplorable for his choice

And when he gets to making his ambition a reality it blows up in his face (possibly literally) as he is too weighted down by guilt to focus and his invention kills him.

The key with this shift in focus is to NOT feel sorry for Pentious. It's to make you despise what he did. It's to make the audience HATE him at this moment. But give him enough humanity to make the audience want him to be better.

You can then show his growth through his sacrifice as he stops being a selfish coward. You can show his journey is still incomplete by having him meet this woman in Heaven where he has to come to terms she WONT forgive him and possibly makes her heaven a literal Hell now that she is here.

And maybe possibly his inaction caused child if she had one to become also someone terrible that now is in hell as well.

That last one could lead to further atonement of Pent as he maybe goes back to hell to save that soul. But then question would arise if he does this because he wants to atone or to make himself feel better.

Is he selfish in that pursuit or not? Make your audience think on it.

But also make the audience hope he can be better. That he can overcome those flaws and find his resolution to his guilt and his sins.

Maybe ending with him possibly becoming fully human in Heaven. Where maybe him looking like he does is a result of his still unfinished atonement for his sin. Where he has to earn forgiveness from those he wronged and himself and become someone truly better.

All that from this one shift in focus. You can make a good story even with such a seemingly minor change and suddenly make the story feel all the more meaningful.

Of course it is just my perspective, but I feel like this would go a long way to make Pentious far more interesting and give it more weight to who he was. Where he is not just some innocent precious baby and instead a deeply flawed person who did something deplorable, but in the end you want them atone for this even if you think they do deserve punishment for it.

Do I also have to remind people Viv apparently loves Bojack Horseman? Yeah could not tell either.

On another note. How in the hell is Pentious in his 40s in that flashback and yet lived in 1800s? How?

[balans-wife-deactivated20260728]

Honestly your take is in my opinion, not enjoyable even a little.

Also people didnt just die at 40 for every single person some lived long lives. Plenty did actually. So maybe slow down and consider that 1888 was not that far back really.

[soulfulazrael]

I meant more about how he looks. There is no way 40 year old in 1800s would look like a barely 20 something guy.

[balans-wife-deactivated20260728]

Have you considered he was like that because he was slowly dying from one of the many diseases that plagued the time.

Including the one that saps you of all your fat and makes you ghostly looking. It's on the tip of my tongue.

Could be thinking of tuberculosis.

Also his hair line was running away in areas. He had lots of hair but was clearly losing some.

[soulfulazrael]

I kind of doubt that because of how shelteted and isolated Pent was. This is just how Viv designs her małe characters no matter if it makes sense or not.

[soulfulazrael]

Pentious's backstory I say is not very good, but there is a way to easily make it better (or at least more fitting for the story Hazbin is meant to be)

Now I'd like to say that this is my opinion of course. With that out of the way I want to present my issue with Pentious's backstory and the way Writers could have made it better without making too many changes I say. Not immediately at least.

Let's for now focus on his backstory first which is... him being a witness to Jack The Ripper killing a prostitute and being too scared to say anything because Jack was "very powerful and influential". That's the gist of his backstory and honestly... I don't like it. To me it feels like this show tries way too hard at making you sympathize with Pent's situation without focusing much on his sin being actual sin.

It's focus is more on Pent being forced into silence by what he describes about Jack rather than his own personal failings and that to me is not very surprising because given how Viv handles backstories of her 'flawed' characters like Blitzo and Stolas it is pretty much her schtick. Make it look like a character has a deeply awful past and then completely make everything in it either be not their fault or something that can be very easily excused. And that unwillingness to go all the way in Hazbin (given that in this show about redemption it is the ONLY earth backstory we know so far of any sinner in any meaningful way, in fucking season 2) is very harmful to the show's premise and themes.

Picture this. Hazbin Hotel is like someone wrote a show about prisoners getting rehabilitated, but all of the people who are focused on are either framed into being there or made some mean graffiti or at absolute worst beat up someone who will be probably revealed to actually deserve it. And every prisoner who committed actual crime like killing, robbery or rape is treated like a complete 1 dimensional dumb monster beyond redemption of any kind.

It misses the point completely. That's a BIG issue. But I think there is a way to make this backstory better without changing the setting or circumstance and that is all about framing and focus.

It's about changing the focus from Jack the Ripper to the prostitute he killed. In that Pent and her could be first shown as friends. Where she is someone who maybe has to do this job to support her child or something and finds solace with human Pent. Her one friend in poverty who is ambitious engineer who wants to get out of their awful life and maybe take her out of it through this as well. Where we can see a connection between them before the tragedy occurs. Where we can with maybe one or two scenes establish a certain bond between them.

And when the night happens she screams for help. His help. And Pentious is too afraid to die and not have his ambitions fulfilled and acts like a coward. Hiding in his house and not going out or doing anything. Jack the Ripper is of little matter here, it could be anyone. But what is the focus here then is not Pent being some poor soul forced into this sin because Jack is someone "powerful and influential", no, it's Pentious who makes this decision to abandon her. Who is selfish and cowardly enough to let his friend die. Someone you find deplorable for his choice

And when he gets to making his ambition a reality it blows up in his face (possibly literally) as he is too weighted down by guilt to focus and his invention kills him.

The key with this shift in focus is to NOT feel sorry for Pentious. It's to make you despise what he did. It's to make the audience HATE him at this moment. But give him enough humanity to make the audience want him to be better.

You can then show his growth through his sacrifice as he stops being a selfish coward. You can show his journey is still incomplete by having him meet this woman in Heaven where he has to come to terms she WONT forgive him and possibly makes her heaven a literal Hell now that she is here.

And maybe possibly his inaction caused child if she had one to become also someone terrible that now is in hell as well.

That last one could lead to further atonement of Pent as he maybe goes back to hell to save that soul. But then question would arise if he does this because he wants to atone or to make himself feel better.

Is he selfish in that pursuit or not? Make your audience think on it.

But also make the audience hope he can be better. That he can overcome those flaws and find his resolution to his guilt and his sins.

Maybe ending with him possibly becoming fully human in Heaven. Where maybe him looking like he does is a result of his still unfinished atonement for his sin. Where he has to earn forgiveness from those he wronged and himself and become someone truly better.

All that from this one shift in focus. You can make a good story even with such a seemingly minor change and suddenly make the story feel all the more meaningful.

Of course it is just my perspective, but I feel like this would go a long way to make Pentious far more interesting and give it more weight to who he was. Where he is not just some innocent precious baby and instead a deeply flawed person who did something deplorable, but in the end you want them atone for this even if you think they do deserve punishment for it.

Do I also have to remind people Viv apparently loves Bojack Horseman? Yeah could not tell either.

On another note. How in the hell is Pentious in his 40s in that flashback and yet lived in 1800s? How?

[balans-wife-deactivated20260728]

Honestly your take is in my opinion, not enjoyable even a little.

Also people didnt just die at 40 for every single person some lived long lives. Plenty did actually. So maybe slow down and consider that 1888 was not that far back really.

[soulfulazrael]

I meant more about how he looks. There is no way 40 year old in 1800s would look like a barely 20 something guy.

[soulfulazrael]

Pentious's backstory I say is not very good, but there is a way to easily make it better (or at least more fitting for the story Hazbin is meant to be)

Now I'd like to say that this is my opinion of course. With that out of the way I want to present my issue with Pentious's backstory and the way Writers could have made it better without making too many changes I say. Not immediately at least.

Let's for now focus on his backstory first which is... him being a witness to Jack The Ripper killing a prostitute and being too scared to say anything because Jack was "very powerful and influential". That's the gist of his backstory and honestly... I don't like it. To me it feels like this show tries way too hard at making you sympathize with Pent's situation without focusing much on his sin being actual sin.

It's focus is more on Pent being forced into silence by what he describes about Jack rather than his own personal failings and that to me is not very surprising because given how Viv handles backstories of her 'flawed' characters like Blitzo and Stolas it is pretty much her schtick. Make it look like a character has a deeply awful past and then completely make everything in it either be not their fault or something that can be very easily excused. And that unwillingness to go all the way in Hazbin (given that in this show about redemption it is the ONLY earth backstory we know so far of any sinner in any meaningful way, in fucking season 2) is very harmful to the show's premise and themes.

Picture this. Hazbin Hotel is like someone wrote a show about prisoners getting rehabilitated, but all of the people who are focused on are either framed into being there or made some mean graffiti or at absolute worst beat up someone who will be probably revealed to actually deserve it. And every prisoner who committed actual crime like killing, robbery or rape is treated like a complete 1 dimensional dumb monster beyond redemption of any kind.

It misses the point completely. That's a BIG issue. But I think there is a way to make this backstory better without changing the setting or circumstance and that is all about framing and focus.

It's about changing the focus from Jack the Ripper to the prostitute he killed. In that Pent and her could be first shown as friends. Where she is someone who maybe has to do this job to support her child or something and finds solace with human Pent. Her one friend in poverty who is ambitious engineer who wants to get out of their awful life and maybe take her out of it through this as well. Where we can see a connection between them before the tragedy occurs. Where we can with maybe one or two scenes establish a certain bond between them.

And when the night happens she screams for help. His help. And Pentious is too afraid to die and not have his ambitions fulfilled and acts like a coward. Hiding in his house and not going out or doing anything. Jack the Ripper is of little matter here, it could be anyone. But what is the focus here then is not Pent being some poor soul forced into this sin because Jack is someone "powerful and influential", no, it's Pentious who makes this decision to abandon her. Who is selfish and cowardly enough to let his friend die. Someone you find deplorable for his choice

And when he gets to making his ambition a reality it blows up in his face (possibly literally) as he is too weighted down by guilt to focus and his invention kills him.

The key with this shift in focus is to NOT feel sorry for Pentious. It's to make you despise what he did. It's to make the audience HATE him at this moment. But give him enough humanity to make the audience want him to be better.

You can then show his growth through his sacrifice as he stops being a selfish coward. You can show his journey is still incomplete by having him meet this woman in Heaven where he has to come to terms she WONT forgive him and possibly makes her heaven a literal Hell now that she is here.

And maybe possibly his inaction caused child if she had one to become also someone terrible that now is in hell as well.

That last one could lead to further atonement of Pent as he maybe goes back to hell to save that soul. But then question would arise if he does this because he wants to atone or to make himself feel better.

Is he selfish in that pursuit or not? Make your audience think on it.

But also make the audience hope he can be better. That he can overcome those flaws and find his resolution to his guilt and his sins.

Maybe ending with him possibly becoming fully human in Heaven. Where maybe him looking like he does is a result of his still unfinished atonement for his sin. Where he has to earn forgiveness from those he wronged and himself and become someone truly better.

All that from this one shift in focus. You can make a good story even with such a seemingly minor change and suddenly make the story feel all the more meaningful.

Of course it is just my perspective, but I feel like this would go a long way to make Pentious far more interesting and give it more weight to who he was. Where he is not just some innocent precious baby and instead a deeply flawed person who did something deplorable, but in the end you want them atone for this even if you think they do deserve punishment for it.

Do I also have to remind people Viv apparently loves Bojack Horseman? Yeah could not tell either.

On another note. How in the hell is Pentious in his 40s in that flashback and yet lived in 1800s? How?

[soulfulazrael]

Hellaverse vs Disco Elysium. About proper balance of tones, proper mix of absurd and profound.

Now I know how this sounds from title alone. Really? Hellaverse vs Disco Elysium? A coughing baby vs Atomic Bomb scenario in terms of works of art? What are you doing? Why are you THIS much of a hater?

And I want to first explain myself. I know this seems at first as an unfair comparison, but I think you will understand once you read further in. I know it is strange, but I think both shows of Vivienne Meadrano and Disco Elysium created by Robert Kurvitz have quite a few things in common with how they approach storytelling because to me it feels very similar between both of them. Let's solve this case shall we? Warning. LONG post. Also full of spoilers for both Disco and Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel

What I want to delve into in this post is how one of those art pieces tries to do what the other does and fails quite badly at it and I want to somehow get into the 'how' and 'why' if only to maybe show a better way to approach this kind of thing.

And that something that I see being similar between Disco and Hella is tone. Or rather how both of those pieces of art try to balance their tone. Between absurd and profound. Between hysterical and harrowing. Between mind bending and thought provoking. From my perspective there is a big issue in Hellaverse overall when it comes to tone and how it balances absurd and serious. Not only with it's ideas, but also it's characters and the world. Into each one I will delve into in this post.

Let's start with the tone with how it approaches certain ideas.

And I think best example for how Hellaverse mishandles something of the sort is SA and on Disco side I choose problem of Racism that it tackles. And let's start with our favorite spider boi and his pimp.

Angel Dust thing has been a huge point of controversy and I think it is easy to see why. It is a very sensitive subject to A LOT of people and everyone handles it differently. Some relate to how it is handled in HH and some are VERY much not. And both I respect and if you got something out of HH version then good for you. I wont take it away from you.

But the issue I want to tackle is the tone of this idea because the big problem right away to me is how inconsistent the show is with how it tries to portray this issue. One moment it is meant to be a source of jokes and the other it's something we are meant to take VERY seriously. For Angel I say it works okay sometimes because his character is build on his defense mechanicsm being very unserious at first glance about his body and treating himself like an object, but where it falls apart to me is Valentino.

Who is by all accounts a joke. He is not threatening. He is actually dumb like a sack of bricks and ONLY in episode 4 is he treated as any sort of tangible threat, but even then he is constantly shown to still be a dumbass. And that to me is a big issue. On one side you try to treat Angel's struggle as something real, but then you make it into a joke because the one who abuses him is made to be a joke. On one hand you want people to be afraid of Val and be horrified by what he does to Angel and on the other you have him throw bitch fits and have him act like a 5 year old throughout most of the show.

There is no real consistency there. Because not only does it lessen the weight of what is going on with Angel, not only it makes Valentino an INCREDIBLY boring character who is pretty much copy and paste of every other villain Viv has ever made, but also the story doesn't make any sense because in no way does Val come off as someone who would ever get Angel to sign any sort of deal. They are too dumb for it to be plausible.

And I will say this. The fact that 'le contract' is what is used to get Angel to stay is so damn cheap to me. Imagine how much more impactful it would be if it was Angel being genuinely seduced and gaslighted by Val into feeling like he NEEDS to stay with him. How despite the abuse he receives Val always convinces him with promise of 'loving' Angel and making Angel believe they are at fault for the abuse they receive, maybe with Val also having HUGE anger issues causing him to be extremely violent towards everyone. That I think would immediately make this conflict feel far more real and Val actually interesting and scary while also not losing comedy with his anger possibly being the source of it. Not just pure idiocy.

And I think what buries even more how this show treats idea of SA is infamous Pentious scene from episode 6 where he is dragged away to be SAd as well and the show treating it like a hilarious joke. Where one moment you are meant to sympathize with one victim and then laugh at another. It tries to mix absurdity and seriousness in a very odd way, where it tries to make both scenarios have both tones instead of choosing one or another.

And I want to compare it with how Disco tackles idea of Racism and there is no better example of absurdity of it than Jean-luc, better known as Measurehead.

Built like a truck Semenese Supremacist who talks like the biggest parody racist imaginable. Spouting dumb shit he heard on the radio about haplogroups and how he is so defensive about his semen that he is not going to impregnate any woman which means he wont ever continue his 'superior' bloodline. He is a walking contradiction. A joke that no one takes seriously beyond the physical aspect of him. And that is what he is... but there is something more beneath.

And that is a person who ALSO believes in idea of moving forward, about not delving in the past and living for love you can find today, someone who works for the Union because his mother did. Someone who could inspire others to self improve, but once again, he is a walking contradiction. And that one hint of complexity just adds to the comedy here.

His character is made to be absurd. The absurd side of all the Fascists out there. Of the racism itself. The writers know what kind of character Measurehead is and what he represents about the issue they tackle and they stick with it, but also add enough to him to make him not just an absurd parody, but a real human being.

But then you may ask yourself where is the serious side? It's simple... It's in you.

Or rather Harry. Because I think the most serious this whole story is about racism is not when you hear random comments about Kim. Or when he talks back to a racist lorry driver. It's the moment when YOU say something HORRIBLE to him. Which you can see below.

And I want to notice how the tone changes when WE are the ones at fault. Because throughout the game racism is not dispalyed as a MAJOR issue or rather not something to put at the forefront. But when it comes down to you insulting Kim. The closest person to you in the game, this story KNOWS that it has to stay serious. It is not a huge moment, but it feels earned with how it build up this issue through casual and absurdity. It uses the absurd that was build into something that hits you VERY deep. And that's the thing about this. Spacing this idea.

You have to know when to linger on the issue in one way or another. You have to know when to make it more absurd and in what way. Knowing what part of this issue is meant to be absurd and what is meant to be serious. Measurehead is by all accounts not meant to be serious and any racist remarks from him would probably be met with little reaction from Kim and the game itself because it knows he is a joke. But when it's something intimate and close then it feels earned to feel serious. And it's one of MANY ideas that this game tackles.

And I feel like in HH it would work well if maybe with Pentious in that scene after he is dragged we see that he is not in fact being abused and instead being given genuine advice from sinners there who are tired of him making a joke of himself. Making comedy out of our assumption of what was going on.

And I think that nicely leads to another thing. Tone of the characters.

Which is also extremely out of wack in both shows. Good examples of it I say are characters like Crim and Blitzo.

Crim is obvious one. We all remember the 'dildos in walls' scene. How the show makes Crim to be some serious threat and then just goes on to make him into a parody in the same breath. Which doesn't work and makes his character feel very confused. Some people it makes him '3 dimensional' and I disagree. To me it feels like he is whatever writers need him to be at a given moment if they need a joke. Because a proper 3 dimensional character would not contradict itself like this and instead all those aspects add unto themselves.

Or how Blitzo is meant to be a turbo piece of gargabe who treats people around him mostly like trash over his own problems, but then the show tries to paint him as always in the right badass who everyone stays with for some reason. He is meant to be a fuck up, but the show cannot commit itself into having him actually be at fault for anything unless it involves Stolas. Because he is frankly a writer's pet and Stolas is a larger one. I think it is nicely shown in Oops where the show tries to make Blitzo's 'sins' to be completely accidental while also having him act as if he actually did anything. Going as far as to just throw the blame for him never visiting Fizz unto his 'le bad dad'.

And compared that with the main fuck up of the Disco Elysium. Harry Du Bois. Tequila Sunset, Raphael or whatever else you choose him to be. He is a great detective, but also a horrible drunk who did A LOT of terrible things during his countless drunk escapades. And it is interesting to me how both HB and DE go for the same kind of 'pushing everyone away to destroy themselves' protagonist, but one clearly knows how to commmit to this tone. Because Harry while he is a good detective is NEVER given easy answer to any of his problems. Everything in the game SCREAMS at you, you are a very big problem and you need to start thinking about fixing yourself. Or getting worse until you reach rock bottom.

And I think it comes down to DE being far more daring with it's approach. It does not shy away from Harry being in many cases ABYSMAL human being, but it also reinforces his better aspects like how his relationship with children, love of sports, his talents, passions and heartbreaks. You feel why some people care for him, but also feel fed up with him. You feel why some people genuinely hate him and are NOT in the wrong for it. Because Harry fucked up a lot and people like Sylvie are not wrong for hating him.

DE commits to Harry being a broken human being and because of that he feels so human. He has faults, but he is not defined by them. He has his good sides, but he is not put on a pedestal for them. And compared that to Blitzo who's bad sides are mostly swept under the rug unless it involves Stolas and his good parts are pretty much making him out to be pinnacle of his race who everyone either has to love or be a villain or someone who 'doesn't understand'.

Because HB with this feels reactionary and therefore there is no consistency with how characters are portrayed.

And last aspect I want to focus on is 'The World' and the tone of each. Because tone in HB and HH in terms of it's world building is also very confusing because you have it be set in Hell, but at many points it feels like this setting is not really used for anything beyond just being a wacky looking earth. But it still has immortal demons and class system dividing htem, but it is confusing as to where it comes from because the main people in power like Sins mostly do not seem like characters that would create such a world in the first place like Beelzebub, Asmodeus or Lucifer.

It's idea of being set in Hell is not explored enough to be meaningful part of those shows. Like yeah, characters in HH are sinners, but we never explore their past from mortal lives. HB is meant to explore Hell, but it just makes it look like again... wacky earth with nothing really noteworthy to make it feel different. There is no unique cultures, no examples of art being made in Hell. How Hellborn think of humans, unique ways their society works. It's all... nothing. And then there is Disco.

And I think it is the MOST unfair comparison here because world building in that game is simply amazing with so much history being written in it, but I think a big part of it is how consistent it is. It feels familiar, almost too familiar to the point where you may ask yourself why it's set in a different world, but then you peel away deeper and you realize why. It's a world where nothing exists. Where end is coming in the form of the Pale. It's a world where everyone besides you knows it all will end one day (unless you go on to be Apocalypse Cop).

You feel why the world is the way it is. You feel it with every dialogue spoken in this game. With how it presents different ideologies and how all of them can be seen as their own reaction to the Pale. Some focus entirely on themselves and ignore it. Some take everything in face of oblivion. Some try to contain it and others to repel it. Hope is big part of it as well. Especially with Moralism and Communism. One's slogan is 'for a moment there was hope' and another needs hope to exist and is build on hope of a better tomorrow.

It all feels very consistent and I think it is largely because the author of that game and novel sacred and terrible air thought very hard about this world. So I will stop with it here, but I want to point out here how consistent world building is here. And how much more detailed it is despite world of Elysium being so similar to ours in many ways while HB barely uses anything unique despite being a completely different realm, Hell itself and feels more like our world than anything else despite what it tries to be.

Sorry for long ramble. I recently also came back to Elysium and I also started to to see some things from HB like this

And I had to get something out of my system that I thought of for a bit about HB/HH. It is messy I know, but it is something I wrote... mostly for me. VERY late in the night as well so yeah. Nothing like sleep depravation in the name of hyperfixation.

And I think the moral of this whole thing is that... HB and HH are clearly reactionary. Their tones in anything they do is VERY inconsistent because the author herself doesn't seem to really be able to stick with an idea if it starts to feel bad for her. Or stick with a tone if she gets bored or uninterested with it. Also inability to kill your darlings, but it is something that Disco also doesn't do and yet it clearly is better off for it. And I think it also comes down to how each spaces their content, how each one spaces those darlings.

Because Viv clearly has little patience for such things. She wants something done, she will do it NOW. Now or never. While DE has far more patience and let's certain things stay hidden or be left until the end. Disco Elysium is a GREAT game that I think all of you should experience. And if anyone here played it and wants a proper discussion about it I highly recommed this video by Last Minute Essays. He delves into this game in a way that I think is the most appropriate. It's not about politics. It's about humanity of this game (and politics).

Hope you all enjoyed this aimless ramble of a sleepy weird polish man

[soulfulazrael]

I noticed something... concerning growing in Deltarune community

And it relates to my previous post about a certain theory I had because the more I delve into this community after thinking about it the more I am concerned. And big part of that is this piece of art by sanbel780308

Just so you all know though. I throw NO shade at the artist. They are REALLY good and I hope none of you go after them or insult them or anything. This piece of art or rather that post is something that made me realize something about DR community overall.

There is some weird... hero/savior complex going on... or something... incel like. I dunno. It just feels weird. It is mainly centered on the mentality people have around Kris and Susie. Where there is a very big theory where once Susie knows about Kris and us being separate she will ditch Kris and realize WE were her real friend all this time and that will create sad conflict.

And I honestly at this point think it's just fucking weird. Like the more I think on this theory and what mentality some people who believe it have, the more gross it feels and the more I dread if it becomes a reality.

Because this is pretty much an idea where YOU are the only reason Susie likes Kris at all and without you Kris is NOTHING and they would be nothing if not just evil. Where you are the one who does everything right. Where YOU are the one who deserves to be Susie's friend and Kris NEEDS you to be her and everyone else's friend and...

Can you tell already all the things that are just... wrong with this? It's genuinely creepy mentality. Like imagine you have a friend who helps you out with talking to a girl (or a boy or other, I don't judge). They give you some hints, they help you out being more confident and you are able to also spend more time with her, being able to have fun with her and do things with her on your own.

But then you introduce her to him (or her... or other... either way I would judge, you'll see why), you explain how they helped you. And then this person goes "Yeah. I did all the work for them. Pretty much everything they said and did was from ME! So you should be with ME! Not them! Without me they suck!".

This is pretty much what this sounds like to me. I think this comic by valentinemesis I think REALLY well shows what I mean here

Honestly. This comic nails on the head what I think is genuinely growing in this community. And the more I see it the more I hope that my idea where Susie is able to quickly get over what Kris does and is and is more angry and distrustful against US to be a reality. Because honestly... this fanbase kind of needs it I say.

This kind of cold shower where you have to wake some people up to reality where this kind of mentality REALLY should not fester. Because I genuinely something just awful would come from it. And I think Toby is smarter than let something of this sort brew in his community like this. Especially with how it feels close to what "Chara did all the bad things" was for Undertale. I feel like he knows better now.

Especially with how many of them also ignore how Kris DOES in fact do things with Susie without our input. If not most of them at this point. And to act as if they have no say, or relationship with Susie is genuinely gross.

Or maybe I am just paranoid, self hating weirdo, but to me... I just feel off about all this. And I genuinely hope this wont turn into something awful.

Anyway. Hope you all who read this check out those artists I mentioned. Support them or whatever. Do not harass any of them (as if I have enough reach to cause this). And... I hope you do not think of future events in Delatrune like this because... you gotta admit. It's fucking weird.