#hazbin criticism

[owlintheemptiness]

Me sitting down to doodle a bit before sleep:

[azural83]

I miss this charlie

[sleeplessdreamer14]

When you really think about it, Charlie prioritizing sinners, these objectively horrible people, over her actual people, the natives of Hell who are struggling to make it in the Pride Ring, especially with human souls ending up in Hell and causing an overpopulation crisis requiring annual exterminations, is kinda fucked up. And the way she goes about her delusions adds insult to injury.

references from Adventure Time: Distant Lands, Obsidian

reblogs are appreciated, please do not repost, and remember to do your daily clicks

[crazyboy123n]

So, I just watched the first clip from season 3 of Helluva Boss released on the Prime Video channel. Well, ignoring Stolas being... Stolas, I wanted to address something quickly.

Really?

Like, are you serious?

Only now are they deciding to show that Stolas being tortured and almost killed by Striker traumatized him? Now that poor Stolas is a "commoner", powerless, without his position and daughter?

Now, it might seem like I'm being unnecessarily cruel and mean to Stolas, but I want you to think about it with me for a minute.

You all know how Helluva Boss uses Stolas's suffering, right? Stolas suffering from PTSD isn't going to be used to deepen his character, develop him, or anything like that.

No, no, it will only be used for one thing:

Make him suffer so the audience will feel sorry for him and to gather pity.

This is always how Helluva Boss's narrative uses his suffering, as in Mastermind and Sinsmans.

The loss of his power, position, wealth, and daughter was not used to hold him accountable for his mistakes or portrayed as Stolas' fault. It was only used to generate empathy and pity from the audience, so that they wouldn't have to address Stolas's real mistakes and hold him accountable.

It's just suffering for people to look at and say:

"awww poor Stolas ):"

And it's going to be the same thing here, his PTSD will only be used to victimize him and probably even to alleviate or justify mistakes he makes in the third season.

And damn, the worst part is going to be the fandom; they've been given an huge package now to victimize this damned bird, even more than they already did.

[redjoey1992]

Maybe it's just me, but Hazbin Hotel under Viv feels more like an "on paper" show. She never should've fired those other writers who make the pilot possible.

[bornfreediedcaged]

what has to be the worst part of Alastor’s characterisation as both a character that is creole and one that follows voodoo as a religion is that vodou is a closed religion that generally practices peace, justice and genuineness and his religion is treated more like pure improbable magic than an actual religion. they probably don't even know that there's idol worship in vodou. i don't even think they know that vodou isn't dolls, satanism and rituals wrapped up in a tightly packed bow. i don’t think Vivzie is even remotely aware of what a Lwa is. it's amazing how indie creators who insist upon their moral superiority and diversity completely forget about all people of colour, their religions, culture and beliefs and overall african diaspora.

don't even get me started on Alastor's human design either, so obviously just the white guy fanmade design tweaked to look vaguely afro-centric, all they did is change his hair texture a bit and tweak his skin colour. also the fact that some people are trying to say that Alastor made himself look white in hell because sinners have some say in what they look like is just a weird white power fantasy that you've made up in your head.

i know his ass did not choose to be a deer or to have that fuck ass bob fade when he literally got shot in the fucking head after being mistaken for a deer and shot for it (fucking terrible death btw. i know it’s meant to be ironic but i’ve always hated that because hunters usually know that what they’re shooting at).

along with all of this, his backstory is very inaccurate for the time frame and his african ancestry especially the inaccuracy in the way creole and overall mixed people were treated in the 1930s radio industry (which was discriminatory and biased despite only ever hearing a person's voice) and in general life. i am sorry but there was a very slim chance that anyone of african descent, no matter how mixed you are, would be able to work in a radio station at any capacity given it was the new media at the time, especially with all the white people he's shown working with.

keep in mind, segregation was outlawed thirty years after Alastor died, meaning he wouldn't have even been allowed to sit in the same booth as these men, let alone host a radio show. even in New Orleans, that had a big creole population at the time, creole people would very rarely even record in a studio, most people couldn’t even get a few minutes in the booth and very rarely would a creole person be able to host anything other than a speciality or a one off radio show. Alastor would most likely not be a mainstream radio star as he’s shown in the episode, he probably wouldn’t have even been allowed to visit a mainstream radio station because of all the white supremacy assholes who were capitalising on radio and the fact that they were basically run ‘for a white audience and by a white audience’.

but do you know what the real kicker is? i learnt most of his information on the internet, you know, that Vivziepop is shown to be active on all the time. most of the vaguely specific information used in this post? i fucking googled it. she doesn’t have an excuse for making every religious and historical aspect of Alastor entirely inaccurate. it’s not character building, it’s not teasing her audience, it’s not character building, it’s not purposeful blasphemy by a character; it’s bias and historical erasure, no matter if she means to do it or not.

this shit is pissing me off so much that i’m hyper fixating on the improved version of Hazbin hotel i have in my head.

i have made a relatively short backstory for Alastor to show you how easy it is to be remotely and vaguely respectful, culturally aware and time period accurate (please do tell me if some things are inaccurate though);

Alastor is a scorned and extremely mentally ill Creole man who had tried his very hardest to become the host of his own radio show and only came out with small commercial parts every so often at his local station. He tries to pray, he tries to bring offerings, food, candles, animals. He tries to bargain and he tries to beg with whomever Lwa he can recall but as nothing changes, Alastor gradually becomes more jaded and focused on trying to achieve his goal through any means necessary. First this starts out rather innocently and he does feel quite apprehensive at times, but the most he does is, protest, accidentally damage property and soil reputations of radio hosts.

Gradually, this behaviour starts to escalate as Alastor realises his protests won’t work, he begins to normalise his behaviour to himself, telling himself that is all in the name of good and justice and that it will be justified in the end. He starts to set things on fire, throw himself in front of the cars of radio stars and engaging in violent protest/assaulting whomever he sees as doing him wrong. This spirals into the delusion that he was picked by his patron Lwa to overturn these barriers and do absolutely whatever it takes to get there. He becomes so obsessed with stardom that he becomes reclusive and is already extremely mentally disturbed, this only makes his mental illness worse.

Alastor begins to break and enter and once that does not work, he escalates further by brutally assaulting and accidentally murdering a very popular radio host. He finds that this, the death of the radio host, is what gets people’s attention even if they don’t know what the message Alastor was trying to send was. The fear makes people weary, it makes people think more deeply into things, something that Alastor capitalises on by leaving cryptic messages and carvings on his victim’s bodies. He gradually descends more and more into clinical insanity and begins to believe that he is above all and disregards all other viewpoints. This causes him to kill more indiscriminately, now beginning to cannibalise people, he gets pneumonia and then kuru a few years before he dies because he is unable to afford to eat anything but human meat once he is accustomed to it.

Then he goes to pray for power beyond anything any human, sinner or saint, could imagine, but in his fogginess, he cannot quite recall whom he is meant to be praying to for this blessing. He can’t quite recall much about his religion at all, in fact, it feels like his mind is eating itself. And it is, because Alastor has Kuru from eating too much human flesh and the prions are fighting back because he’s a human. Out of his frustration, he rips apart his home, incidentally arranging Rosie’s seal on the floor as he has an utter meltdown and as he goes to smash his radio on the floor, Rosie’s voice emits from it even though it was turned to no channel.

Their deal is made as Rosie offers him boundless power in exchange for three conditions, Alastor, not being in the right mental state and also being terminally ill (even if he doesn’t know it), accepts without hearing these conditions. These conditions were that he would be to die tomorrow, that this power only existed in hell and no place else and that Rosie owns Alastor’s soul until he completes a task for her. Rosie capitalises on Alastor’s mental instability and takes his soul without him ever knowing. He dies the next day a few minutes after he wakes up, only managing to get a couple steps away from his porch before he collapses out of fatigue and from Kuru, sped up by Rosie’s deal. As he dies, laughing uncontrollably, a baby deer comes over to his twitching body and licks his nose, influencing his sinner form.

[bumblebee-art-blog]

SPOILERS FOR S2 EP1 OF HAZBIN

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“We take abuse seriously!”

Also Hazbin hotel:

[passionateseadruid]

Why were all of Alastor's Pilot era relationships ruined?

CW: Anti RA (If you like RA scroll), Mentions of what Vox put Alastor through, Mentions of Rosie's owning Alastor.

I can't be the only one who's noticed this right? Alastor has no friends or relationships with any of the characters anymore. Not really at least... and when he does the narrative almost seems like it's pushing them into an unhealthy corner JUST so the Show can make RA canon. And if you don't believe me then stick around... I just might change your mind.

Okay let's start with the most obvious 2, RadioStatic and RadioRose

Rosie:

From the pilot and tumblr days it seemed like the two of them were inseparable! They were Mary Poppins and the Chimney sweep! (That's even what the two of them were an homage to in "It's A Deal". ) They were like two pees in a pod! They had one of the sweetest friendships in the ENTIRE show!

But then we find out that she's the one who owns his soul. She treats him like a pet and he seems to actually genuinely HATE her! She calls him a pet, puts him in a cage, and seemingly enjoys reminding him of the power she hold over him. A lot of people have been turned away from their relationship because of this.

The show took this relationship (Alastor's best friend in hell) and basically shat all over it by having her abuse him and her power.

Vox:

This one feels like it's the most obvious.

In the Tumblr days yeah Vox was obsessed with taking Alastor down and they had a very Rival/Enemies coded relationship. But to me it always felt more even... especially during season 1. Yeah, Alastor was shown getting one over on Vox but their hatred really felt like it wasn't just one sided.

Alastor didn't need to hyjack Vox's song if he really didn't care about what Vox was saying... but he did, because he does care. (Not in a romantic way) Alastor hated Vox as much as Vox hated him, and he'd take any opportunity to fight with the guy because that was the only fun/the only challenge he had in Hell.

But then season 2 rolls around and Vox became a creepy obsessive incel. He's obsessed with Alastor! To the point that he might actually have an Alastor Body pillow like some of yall put in your Vox fanfics. And that's genuinely what it feels like sometimes, a fanfic. "Oh wow! Vox is just such a Yandere for Alastor! Look at their toxic Yaoi!" It doesn't feel even anymore! It genuinely feels like Vox is harassing Alastor (and... isn't he? He ties Al up and parades him around... eventually forcing Al to watch him and Valentino to have sex! Like he has a fetish for being humiliated and then humiliating his partner twice as much!)

Vox eventually goes as far as pushing away every other relationship and all common sense just for Alastor's approval. Like... HUH?! That is not something Season 1 Vox would have done!!

Mimzy:

She appears ONCE and only seems intersted in Alastor for protection. She appears to cause the hotel trouble, and then have Alastor clean up her mess. She really only seems to be using him as a shield and he keeps her around because the fights are entertaining for him and they give a more fierce reputation. Then we never see Mimzy again.

Husk:

He get's one moment in season 1 where Alastor threatens to rip his soul apart. Great... more abuse -_- This one I can't really be too mad about because Alastor has always enjoyed lording over Husk and abusing that power. But then in season 2 he speaks to Alastor once but he's more so fighting in self defense rather than actually trying to help out Alastor.

That is the extent of their relationship and yet the show want to act like it's such a big deal that Alastor is abusing Husk because it parallels Angel and Valentino's story but we've BARELY seen Alastor and Husk interact!

Niffty:

She get's two moments with Alastor! 2! She get's a moment in season one where she gives him the roach crown and then she has a moment in season 1 where she RUNS across town TWICE just to save Alastor! That is how much she cares about him and in turn when she's about to be shot! (I don't think Val's guns are angelic so he just REALLY didn't want her to feel any pain!)

And then... the fandom insists that he sees her as a daughter... or a little sister...

No guys... Niffty is 22 years old. She's not 4! If anything these two are giving besties. It doesn't always have to be a parental/familial relationship guys. Friends exist too...

Speaking of that.

Charlie:

Now we come to what is arguably the most noticeably absent relationship in the show.

Charlie and Alastor are such interesting parallels. They have similar personalities and interests. Alastor and Charlie were both very bouncy and animated, they both like drawing and doodling, they like pineapple on pizza, they have the same sense of humor (noted on the wiki that Charlie likes Alastor's puns, so he obviously makes her laugh).

And from the pilot alone it felt like these two would be the driving factors of the series! The good and the bad. Push and pull. Yin and Yang. The protagonist and the antagonist.

Would Charlie be successful in changing the souls of hell and would—could that even—include Alastor himself? Or would her deams be crushed so hard that Alastor eventually manages to corrupt her into being just like him?

HELL THEY'RE LITERALLY BOTH THE ONLY 2 ON THE PILOT THUMBNAIL!!

Their relationship feels like it should be THE MOST important one in the series!! They represent the entire theme questions of the show. "Can even the worst lost soul be redeemed?" and "How far can you go before redemption becomes impossible?"

Charlie and Alastor are the moral argument for why redemption is/should be possible and why it isn't/shouldn't. The Pilot was a battle of ideologies. And most interestingly... it asked another question through Alastor's original motivations... "does intent matter?"

If he actually was the one who was doing good around the hotel, protecting it, getting them sponsors and managing it... Those could all be argued as good (or at the very least selfless things) but we know that his motivations are self serving rather than altruistic.

BUT what if, even for a brief moment... Alastor WAS redeemed... either through a choir of Angels trying to bring him up to heaven or a holy light sucking him up to heaven...

There is SO much to explore here with THESE two specifically... yet they just... dont!

And others who WEREN'T HERE for the shipping wars of 2019 to... well now I guess... EVEN THEY CALL OUT ALASTOR AND CHARLIE HAVING BASICALLY A NET NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP!!

If randos on YouTube can step back and say, "Hey it's weird that Alastor is telling Lucifer that he sees Charlie like a daughter when they've barely interacted." then it shouldn't be too hard to take your blinders off and realize, "wait, why HAVEN'T Alastor and Charlie interacted... like ever?!"

Angel Dust:

This one is more of an honorable mention because it was so big in the pilot era. RadioDust was HUGE and then they only get 1 moment in the very first episode that was basically a less funny version of:

"And what can you do my Effeminate fellow?"

"I can suck your dick-"

*MIC PEAK*

"HA! No."

...

So why do I bring this up? Because it really feels like the writers are trying to push away every other relationship Alastor has JUST so RA seems more appealing.

So at the end it's gonna be:

(and before I get into it let me make this clear that these are not how I actually feel about these ships. I'm making a point about how vicious and nonsensical some of the arguements are)

RadioRose: YOU CAN'T LIKE THEM!! SHE LITERALLY USED TO OWN HIM!! HE HATES HER!! THEY WOULD NEVER BE A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP DYNAMIC!! YOU'RE PRO SLAVE X MASTER!!

RadioStatic: YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY LIKE THEM!! DON'T YOU REMEMBER HOW MUCH VOX ABUSED ALASTOR?! AND VOX IS SO OBSESSED WITH ALASTOR!! HE'S BASICALLY AN INCEL!! YOU CAN'T PAIR THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE THAT SETS A BAD EXAMPLE!! YOU'RE PRO ABUSER X VICTIM!! PLUS STATICMOTH!!

Almimzy: THEY WERE BARELY AROUND AND SHE'S JUST USING HIM!! THEY HAVE NO CHEMISTRY!! COME ON NOW!!

RadioHusk: DUDE THAT'S SO MESSED UP!! HE LITERALLY ABUSES HUSK!! PLUS HUSKERDUST!! AND THEY BARELY SPEND ANY TIME TOGETHER!! YOU'RE PRO SLAVE X MASTER!! (BUT REVERSED THIS TIME!!)

RadioMaid: EW!! PEDO!! SHE'S HIS DAUGHTER OBVIOUSLY!! AND SHE'S LIKE 4!! PLUS MADMAID!!

RadioBelle/Charlastor: YOU'RE PRO GROOMING!! HE ALSO SEE'S HER AS A DAUGTER!! HE'S JUST TRYING TO MANIPULATE HER AND YOU STILL WANT TO SHIP THEM?! PLUS CHAGGIE!! YOU CAN'T PAIR THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE THAT SETS A BAD EXAMPLE!! YOU'RE PRO ABUSER X VICTIM!! (BUT REVERSED THIS TIME!!)

RadioDust: ARE YOU DUMB?! NO CHEMISTRY!! THEY BARELY SPEND ANY TIME TOGETHER!! PLUS HUSKERDUST!!

And with Cherrisnake being canon, Huskerdust being canon, Chaggie being canon, Madmaid being canon, and RadioRose being RUINED!! (plus no RadioDoll because Velvette is a lesbian)... who does that leave?

OH YEAH!! Lucifer and Alastor...

Well CLEARLY they should be together because who else do we have?! No one!! They have to be together because there isn't anyone left!! Never mind the fact that they would be even more toxic and abusive than probably half the ships on this list!!

RS - "THEY HATE EACH OTHER!!" So does RA.

RB, RR, RM, and RH - "POWER IMBALANCE!!" So does RA.

RS, RH, and RR - "IT WOULD BE HATE FUCKING MORE THAN GENUINE CONNECTION OR LOVE!!" So does RA.

Pretty much all except Almimzy? - "AGE GAP!!" Are we fucking serious because SO DOES MOTHERFUCKING RA!!

"B-B-BUT RA IS SPECIALLY!! THEY'RE ENEMIES TO LOVERS!!" So was Radiostatic, and Radiobelle could have also had a cute mini Enemies to lovers arc (HELL SO COULD RADIOHUSK!!).

"BUT RA IS SO CUTE!! WAY CUTER-" Shut the fuck up, that's an opinion!

"But... but RA makes me feel things!!" And you're entitled to how you feel about a ship but if the only way to make them canon/better is to tear down other character's relationships (or retcon/rewrite/ignore them completely) then maybe it just shouldn't be canon.