#alastor analysis

[faeyuh]

guys. going insane.

in these scenes, his hair gets way spikier than normal, they look like knives for gods sake. this only happens when he wants to seem THREATENING

but when around people he trusts like ROSIE his hair (probably unintentionally) gets ROUNDER and SOFTER, even his coat has less spikes than usual.

GUYS HE HAS A LITERAL SOFT SIDE IM GOING INSANE

#or i could be reading too much into these frames #hazbin hotel rosie #hazbin #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel spoilers #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel #rosie hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor #alastor the radio demon #hazbin rosie #the radio demon #hazbin spoilers #hazbin hotel analysis #alastor analysis #alastor character analysis #10k?? what the freak?

[alastors-antlers]

a brief take on the whole "Alastor's smile is permanent" discussion

hello all!

I've seen a lot of people theorizing lately that Alastor actually smiles all the time because his smile is magically, physically fixed onto his face. All of this seems to come from the fact that he's practically grimacing rather than smiling during the scene where he breaks down in ep8:

As well as this frame of his deal with Charlie: (lower res sorry)

I will say, I do like some of the implications of this theory. The sheer spite of his creditor forcing him to smile as an addition to their deal, almost like a sort of forced silence, is a neat concept. It's fun and dramatic. Plus, of all things, of course Alastor would claim the "smile at all times" policy and make it his own to pretend that it was his decision all along lol.

To be fair, though, I don't think we even need any magical compulsion to explain why he's smiling while he's having a mental breakdown. Actually, if we assume magical compulsion, I think we lose a bit of dimension from Alastor's character. (No judgement to anyone's take though, of course -- I just think this works in the direction of his established characterization, but obviously all personal takes <3)

Hear me out:

Alastor's persona is not just for others to see.

"A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends; keeps your enemies guessing; and ensures that whatever comes your way, you're the one in control."

That makes sense given what we know about him. If he's always smiling, he seems like he has it together. You can't read him very well, especially not when he's actively trying to keep up appearances.

Now consider that when you think about ep8's fight with Heaven, we see that he's already been through so much in this one day.

He fights an army of angels, presumably not even at his own whim (if we go by his blurb about freedom in the Finale song); he loses to Adam, who he considers sloppy and mediocre; his staff, which we can assume holds some part of his power, is snapped; he comes close to being Angelic-power-killed; and to top it all off, he knows that others watched him get injured and then apparently die or flee, all of which would ruin the public image that he's trying to maintain. It wouldn't even be unreasonable for us to assume that he knows Vox was watching, given that Vox kind of has eyes everywhere.

In a moment like this, in the finale, you could say that Alastor has lost (at least on some level) everything that we know matters to him. He doesn't have access to all of his magic, and it's limiting him. He's reminded that he doesn't have freedom or control over his own destiny. He certainly has taken massive hits to his powerful, composed persona. But he's desperate, and furious, and terrified, and clinging on.

That's why he's smiling.

It's not that he can't stop because he physically can't. It's that he can't stop because to him, the smile is the last thing that is still within his power. When there are so many moving parts that he can't predict what happens to him next, he can control how he responds to it. In these last fragments of autonomy, there is solace.

He needs to keep telling himself that he has it together and that he'll eventually scheme his way free, that there's a solution, that he won't be in chains forever; because letting his pretense slip would be admitting that it's all starting to actually get to him. That maybe this time, he doesn't have an escape plan.

In addition, if you read his interactions throughout the series, we also see something else: Alastor's reputation is of paramount importance to him. At multiple points throughout the series, when others disrespect him by discounting his power or presence, he gets visibly annoyed. And in the battle, we see a glimpse of the part of his personality he seems to be trying to leave behind - a normal Alastor, who's just some guy from Louisiana. No transatlantic accent; no unflappable malice; no sharp wit waiting at the ready. Maybe even unremarkable.

Dropping his smile - arguably the most prominent part of his brand - would be admitting that in reality, he's not the Radio Demon of legend that he aspires to project. And if he doesn't have that... where would he be?

#alastor meta #alastor analysis #hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin alastor meta #hazbin meta #hazbin alastor analysis #bro I love this guy so much

[glittter-skeleton]

I haven’t seen anyone talk about Alastor’s cannibalism in relation to his relationship with Vox

So with most cannibalistic serial killers the reason they are people wasn’t because they liked the taste. It’s about full control and psycho-sexual desire as consumption.

The want of control is obvious all though Alastor’s character over himself and others. From the way he clearly gets joy out of ordering Husk around and literally owning his soul to his own ever-present smile (if we assume he’s not forsed into it as has not yet been confirmed) as a means of controlling his own character at all times. But with cannibalism it’s more than that, it’s control over your victim ever after they died, the power to not only control their souls but their body

And that’s where the psycho-sexual part of it comes in. In resent years movies like “raw” and “bones and all” we see what has always been a part of cannibalism: desire. Because it’s not only the power, it’s also the feeling of consumption, of becoming one with your victim. I’m a way, that’s not too different from sex in it’s most pure and carnal. In real killers most of the cases of cannibalism are sexual, with sex crimes accompanying. We can assume Alastor wasn’t like that, but the element or the carnal desire that plays such a big part in cannibalism still follows his character.

All of that to say that the desire that Alastor can feel in his own twisted way towards other demons is… impossible with Vox. He’s not made of flesh and bone (most probably) and we don’t know if he ever was. There is nothing for Alastor to feel attracted towards, not even his body (in the most literal way). We can also play with the idea that Vox is a sort of Ship of Theseus-type cyborg replacing parts of himself with machine one by one until there is none left as we do not know of any other demons in hell who are anywhere like him. So even if Alastor could feel that sort of way towards Vox, it is no more. And on the other side, if Vox was literally re-born as machine (maybe as ironic punishment for trying to be like one on earth like cutting off his emotions, etc) than that Alastor finds most desirable in a person was never there in Vox to begin with.

This parts a bit of stretch but even without the cannibalism Alastor thrives in watching people who are hopeful, souls who try and fail over and over again. Which maybe, as a machine, Vox originally wasn’t. Maybe at the start of their relationship he was calculating and unemotional which pairs well with Alastor’s own mask of detachment and indifference but also makes him completely uninteresting to Alastor as a subject of desire. But on the other hand Vox isn’t just machine, he’s a TV and his character reflects the media’s reactionary and emotional judgment. I just don’t know how Alastor ever worked with Vox if he’s always had the mindset we see in the show. But if that’s the case Alastor does feed on Vox’s desperation but never fully, never truly desiring him the consuming, power-play way that he feels most strongly (aka the want to eat him). I present you with both readings of Vox’s past emotional state as we do not as of now know what their relationship has been before

TLDR: Vox is the pinnacle of un-fuckable to Alastor, as even though he does not feel sexual desire the cannibalistic part of him can feel the psycho-sexual want to consume a body. Which he can’t with Vox who is machine.

I’d love to hear what other have to say about a machine loving a cannibal so please feel free to share your readings in the tags

#a machine loving an asexual cannibal isn’t that an idea #I’ll give you everything but what you desire most I do not have #no matter what I do #he can take him apart and still have him functional probably but I don’t think he’s into that #radiostatic #hazbin hotel #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel vox #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin analysis #hazbin theory #staticradio #alastor x vox #vox x alastor #alastor analysis

[dekusleftsock]

This is your hazbin hotel warning so sorry 🫶🫶🫶

OKAY SO, a thing I haven’t seen this fandom consider is that Alastor doesn’t deal in souls. Or, not often at least.

If there has I’d honestly like to see the posts bc this is a thought I’ve seen basically just me and my sister talk about. He doesn’t care—I’d even argue he thinks he’s too good to do so, thinks it’s too easy.

There’s a couple reasons I believe this, one of which being his backstory arriving in hell. Let it be known, the reason all of hell was impressed by his takeover as the radio demon was solely because he does not own any industry. He doesn’t have some company he’s been building for several decades. He didn’t join in with other overlords for shared power. He arrived in hell, and disrupted the power structure of overlords, and sinners. (We’ll get back to this later)

And the reason all of these overlords own major industries, famous for their insane production value and craft, is because the way that overlords gain power is through souls. Employment therefore being THROUGH these contracts (I’m going to refer to deals having to do with souls as contracts from now on, just to make a distinction). This is why Angel is owned by Valentino as a pornstar. It’s why Vox can just “call up the lowest earners this month” for Valentino to shoot for sport. It’s why Velvette can call her models hideous and let Valentino tear apart her best model. None of these souls, these employees, have any say in what or when or who their employers say they have to do. They simply do not have the autonomy to do so.

Now this calls in the question then, how did Alastor gain his overlord powers? If he owns souls, they are either ones he was given or earned from other overlords (ex, Alastor wins all of husker’s souls in a game of poker, leaving him powerless, and making his deal in the first place), or they were given to him by an overlord themself. Alastor CAN make souls stay at the hotel, but presumably, it’s not because he owns them.

If Alastor owned any other souls than Nifty and Husk’s, they would already be working at the hotel. We get back to that employment dynamic, contracts are means of living. None of these sinners had a choice because sinners have to make contracts to live.

Now, okay, we’ve established why Alastor’s overlord status is confusing and honestly makes no sense, why overlords are even overlords in the first place, the class metaphor and dynamic of the whole situation, AND why we know Alastor doesn’t own that many souls.

Now, I present you this: Alastor does not want Charlie’s soul. Alastor, wants to be rid of the overlord class completely.

LET ME PREFACE THIS BY SAYING: I KNOW The current ideas in the fandom of Alastor are that he wants more power. But, to be honest, the last scene with his character feels disingenuous to this idea.

Clearly, he’s in a deal with someone else. Clearly, this system has affected him too. Clearly, he just wants an out in the first place.

So, let’s go back to when Alastor first arrives in hell. Mimzy narrates how people dismissed him. How he wasn’t taken seriously. And then, proceeds to imply that targeting overlords for his radio show was to show said strength. Because Alastor was not someone to be dismissed.

And this characterization furthers in the episode itself: Alastor immediately has some beef with Lucifer because he’s a far more powerful being who wanted to dismiss his presence in the first place, preferring his daughter. Where they then have a pissing contest musical number, and Alastor generally dislikes him afterwords. My man even wipes his hand on his shirt after shaking his staff.

Not only that, but when Husk even IMPLIES that he’s not strong enough to handle whatever Mimzy has gotten herself into this time, that he’s still someone on a leash, he rampages on a killing spree to prove that he’s “still the baddass radio demon”.

This isn’t even mentioning when Carmilla said she wasn’t curious as to why he was gone. He needs to be important, to be noticed.

I understand that Alastor is genuinely someone who must prove themself and show their strength. It’s probably why he became a serial killer in the first place.

However, I think there’s a deeper intention with solely targeting overlords—one of his only contracts is with Husker, an ex overlord. The question would also be, why would he not put husk in his radio show as well?

Clearly, based on the fact that he warns him that Mimzy is just using him, that she’s a fake friend, they at the very least were amicable with each other. At some point. Maybe even still are. They STILL banter. And this isn’t to say it’s some weird “I’m in love with my kidnapper uwu” situation, this happened well before they were in a contract together in the first place.

Not only that, but Husker earned his souls, and therefore his power and overlord status, through gambling. He didn’t have some big scary industry, he wasn’t trapping people in these forever deals because they had no choice, he gained these through the unethical means of others. Maybe… Alastor believed that the ways in which he dealt souls, were different.

I can’t help but think that the company entirely surrounding taking away consent is the ONE COMPANY/THREE OVERLORDS that Alastor simply does not fuck with.

Not only that, but the only other overlord he’s friendly with is one that… just genuinely helps the people she employs? Just give them advice? Makes it THEIR CHOICE to march with someone else into battle? I love Rosie.

This isn’t to say Alastor is some saint that cares super oober deeply about consent. He doesn’t. If he did he wouldn’t be associating with overlords in the first place. He wouldn’t be taking advantage of people in such lowly positions.

All of this is to build the argument that Alastor does not own souls, nor associate with people who own them in irresponsible or unnecessarily cruel ways.

And, to further this point, Alastor most likely thinks it’s stupid in the first place.

In the pilot (which I understand isn’t COMPLETELY canon but it’s still Alastor’s character so. Whatever) Alastor almost immediately tries to jump Charlie with a deal. Work at the hotel, in exchange…?

But notice that this does not include ownership of her soul. At all.

In episode 7 before Charlie makes her deal, she asks, “You want…my soul?” And while he has this weird radio-y affect that goes all over the place while he says “your soul”, he also immediately replies in the most babying voice ever “Heavens no!” Like the very idea of needing her soul was silly. Ridiculous. Idiotic.

And, not only this, but when Vaggie bursts in to try and “save” her, he also rolls his eyes as he says “oh relax, she still owns her soul.” Again, babying. Infantilizing. Ridiculous.

It, again, feels like he doesn’t take the concept seriously. Like he thinks they’re almost too easy. To me, it’s clear he never wanted her soul. He’s always been far more interested in what Charlie can do for him, and what she can do with her dream.

Owning Charlie’s soul would simply give power over her, and her alone. Even in the interpretation that he “wants more power” she’s still just one person, one soul, one hell born. It’s so small inmemorable in the grand scheme of things. If he really wanted power through means of souls, he would fight the upward battle of capitalist destruction that is the overlord monetary system.

SO THIS IS ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND I ALSO WANTED TO WRAP THIS UP WITH ALASTOR’S TRUE MOTIVATION BEING DISRUPTING POWER—but this is also far too long and I’ve been writing for like. An hour straight lmao. I need a break and I wanna post this. So.

#alastor #literary analysis #hazbin hotel #hazbin spoilers #hazbin alastor #alastor analysis #hazbin hotel husk #no shipping sorry y’all love ya tho🫶🫶 #hazbin charlie

[foiledbyvoile]

HEAD EMPTY, ONLY SILLY DEMENTED DEER MAN.

The last two episodes really got me over here pondering and shit. Didn't think my 2019 Alastor phase would make a comeback, but here we fuckin' are. Seriously though, what is his deal? I love that you can't quite make sense of him, but also I NEED to make sense of him.

SPOILERS AHOY.

Clearly he's somewhat emotionally invested in all this, that little (cute as fuck) scene with nifty the night before the battle showed us a sentimental softness in him, but he's also definitely cozying up to Charlie to use her powers for something big.

Something like breaking a deal he'd made, and I've got money on Lilith. That bad bitch seaside moment was too iconic, she's pulling strings and catching rays, living her best life.

But I need DETAILS, man. I wanna know what the stipulations of the contract are, I wanna know why it was made, what was gained and what was lost, if this deal gave him the power he wields in the first place. What does Alastor need to do to fulfill his end of the deal? I want the nitty gritty of it, man.

Speaking of deals, Alastor and Charlie??? I know we're probably meant to sweep it under the rug, Alastor says not to worry about it, it's not for Charlie's soul, the whole scene was just brushed aside...but what about the desperation he fucking reeked of?? He was beyond eager to make that deal.

Alastor held onto that information for months, waited for the perfect moment, when Charlie was backed into a corner and desperate, and he used that groundbreaking leverage for a favor. That could be anything! Like breaking a deal only someone with her power could, or, since he clearly likes playing the long game, it could be something far less definitive, easier for Charlie to get behind. Something like helping him make his next move.

(Then the next, and the next, and the manipulation continues--ideally, I'm sure. Narrative folly and character development will almost definitely nip that evil scheme in the bud.)

You gotta love that classic Alastor guile when he tells her it's not for her soul. What it really is is a foot in the door for him, and a show of good faith for Charlie. It's a chess move, and if Alastor is as conniving and methodical as I hope he is, it's the equivalence of moving a pawn.

But then he backs up that dubious display of altruism by introducing Charlie to Rosie and the cannibals. Would Alastor really implicate a close friend and her community for something he wasn't truly invested in? That's a genuine question at this point. It's pretty much confirmed in the song that Alastor is choosing to help Charlie, that he sees the potential in her, but again, for his own benefit.

Which brings us to the radio tower, post fight. The vibes I picked up were immaculate. He's incredulous, desperate, shaken and very clearly trapped in circumstances that drive him absolutely insane.

Alastor's all about control. I think back on his spiel to Charlie about maintaining that control with a smile, but even now, when Alastor is cracking under the realization that he doesn't have that, he continues to smile.

I'm really under the impression that Alastor literally cannot stop smiling. (I'm not counting the single-frame-debacle.) It's either that, or he's forcing himself to smile, desperately vying for some semblance of control in a moment where he well and truly has none.

Then there's the line, "Great Alastor Altruist died for his friends". It feels sardonic. Bitter, like he regrets putting himself in that position, but was it really a choice to begin with? Because he let himself get too involved, too comfortable, and realized that that sentimentality he'd developed has become a weakness?

I think he really was forced to protect Charlie and the hotel (it would explain the seven year coincidence, and Alastor appearing at Charlie's doorstep so serendipitously). This is almost cemented by the following line, "I'm hungry for freedom like never before, the constraints of my deal, surely you have a back door."

He almost died (again), for the sake of Charlie and her hotel. That's a helluva fucking thing for a being who's toppled overlords and held power like he has. No amount of entertainment is worth his own life, there's just no way he willingly pits himself against Adam for anyone's sake.

Assuming that the source of his power is also the source of his subjugation, and considering how Alastor openly strives for control--yeah, he's having a bit of a moment™.  

I do hope that there's some genuine conflict in him in regards to his relationship with Charlie and the gang. That everything he's doing isn't inherently selfish anymore, but he veils that 'weakness' under his perpetual guise of deviant mirth. Bonus points if he's tormented by the good Charlie brings out in him. He deserves the angst, the fuzzy-fucker (/affectionate).

Couple of side notes here:

Thoughts on the way Alastor's mouth is sewn up when he strikes the deal with Charlie? Was he made to smile all the time, is it just a design choice? Personally, I'm hoping there's some angsty lore there, like maybe it's part of his contract as some twisted joke, idk.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Alastor vs Adam smackdown extravaganza. Yes, it was rad as fuck. Yes, of course Alastor was going to lose. But the way it was handled felt like a bit of a disservice, Alastor's reaction felt ooc. But then again that could just be me projecting my perspective of Alastor unto the character.

ALSO, having a character who is well known for not swearing dropping some casual, outta pocket f-bombs was a bit trite. it's supposed to feel like a reward, y'know?

ANWAYS. Yeah. Good shit. I'm losing my goddamn mind.

#alastor #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers #hazbin hotel episode 7 #hazbin hotel episode 8 #don't mind me just casually spiraling into obsession #alastor analysis #i just think he's neat

[snowyh2o]

So here’s something that’s been on my mind lately.

When Rosie gives Charlie advice on her relationship with Vaggie, and whether or not Vaggie really meant all the things she had said or if it was just lies, she tells Charlie that “—words, are cheap. But actions, they speak the truth.”

And the reason I’ve been thinking about this line lately is that, everyone on YouTube and Reddit and occasionally on Tumblr are all clamoring over each other about how “Alastor is clearly the main antagonist/villain of the series”, “Alastor doesn’t actually care about the hotel or Charlie, he’s only manipulating everyone”, “clearly, Alastor’s line about controlling all the strings means he’s planning on taking over hell!”. But I can’t help but feel like that’s…. A very shallow interpretation of him as a character and his role in the story.

The way he’s designed and implemented into the story has him filling the “morally dubious very suspicious and probably out for his own goals sponsor of the hotel” trope, and part of what draws people to his character is that we really don’t know what he’s going to do. Is he going to betray Charlie and the hotel? Is he going to give up on his goals for Charlie and the hotel? How is he planning on using that deal he made with Charlie? What will he try to do to get out of his leash? Because as it stands he could very easily swing one way or the other, or both at the same time.

But I also understand that a lot of people are saying those things because of what Alastor himself says about his goals in the series. Particularly in the finale, but also during the pilot and again in the first episode. Alastor says he’s here to watch people fail for entertainment. He says he wants to take control of the strings. He mocks the idea that he’d die for “his friends”.

But Alastor says a lot of shit, and not all of them are entirely true.

Words are cheap.

So, what do his actions say?

In the pilot he offers Charlie a deal centered around him sponsoring the hotel, Charlie refuses and instead orders him as the princess of hell to help out with the hotel for as long as he desired. Alastor agrees to this, and doesn’t push for making another deal. Immediately after summons Niffty and Husk to help staff the hotel and work on cleaning up the place. He then defends the hotel against Sir Pentious’s death beam and beats him up (because he destroyed a wall and interrupted his song—). He renamed the hotel, and then presumably attached his radio tower to the side of the building and moves in to live with everyone else.

In episode 1, he makes a really well put together video advertisement despite his infamous distaste for anything and everything related to modern technology and TVs. The ad is edited, voiced over, and contains custom animations. He would’ve had to have used a computer to do all this. The video itself was satire, likely because he was very annoyed at being told he couldn’t just make a radio ad for the hotel, and not what Charlie or Vaggie had wanted. Later on, when Vaggie decides to remake the ad, she asks Alastor for a camera, he summons a vintage photo camera (again because of his distaste for all things video) and Vaggie has to specify for a video camera. He summons a video camera that looks like it’s being held together by duct tape for Vaggie, and he’s clearly not happy about it, but the camera he gave her still works, and he still did what she asked of him. When Vaggie fails to make a proper ad, he mocks her in a “not so easy now is it?” Way, before offering to help her make one. He makes a deal with her, being that if he helps her with this ad, that she never asks him to deal with “this frivolous television technology ever again.” When she agrees, he summons up an entire movie productions set along with a change of clothing for all the members of the hotel (going above and beyond with this “help”), and by the end of the day had even pulled some strings and limbs to get it to air that very same day after they were done making it. Also, despite Alastor being in frame for the video, he’s the only thing that’s distorted, even though other instances of him being in frame distorts the whole image.

Episode 2 has Alastor defending the hotel from Sir Pentious’s attack again, though he’s also the reason Sir Pentious was attacking in the first place. And has him summoning minions to fix the wall before he leaves for the tailor. He doesn’t do anything tk Sir Pentious, except act a little threatening despite Sir Pentious having ripped off a piece of his suit, and what his reaction before Sir Pentious became a hotel guest was. Alastor is also seen participating as an audience to the “Drug dealer” skit, probably to laugh at Angel’s misery. He doesn’t do anything about Sir Pentious being a spy for Vox, but does appear to have scared Vox into not trying anything else.

Episode 3 has him interrupting his breakfast to help Vaggie deal with the Egg Bois, humanely. Despite how very obviously irritated he was by their constant pestering, he doesn’t do anything to them, even though he was very eager to do so earlier before Vaggie specified he couldn’t kill/eat them. He even makes sure they don’t get themselves killed by saying something stupid in front of Zestial, and tried to keep them outside the building full of powerful and potentially temperamental overlords. He uses Frank to spy on Carmilla, and threatens him into silence (it didn’t work), but doesn’t try to dispose of them and ends up bringing the whole group back to the hotel.

Episode 5 has him in a pissing contest against Lucifer, and we learn that he makes old timey puns, is a reliable hotel manager, and apparently unclogs toilets for them. Charlie notably, agrees with what he says, or doesn’t say anything to contradict his words, and she’s generally much more comfortable during Alastor’s portion of the song than Lucifer’s. When Mimzy appears, he’s very happy to see her and initiates a hug. Despite this, he insists on joining Charlie with giving her dad a tour around the hotel. Alastor appeared upset at the mention of his 7 year absence, but tries to play it off. When Husk pokes at his sore spot, Alastor pulls out the chains and starts threatening him with a tortuous death should he say anything about that again, but doesn’t do anything else to Husk and leaves him alone the moment he has Husk’s agreement. Alastor actively defends the hotel against the loan sharks after Mimzy, and then seriously asks Mimzy, the only friend we’ve seen from his past, to leave if she’s only here to bring trouble to the hotel. He doesn’t interrupt when Charlie and Lucifer finally reconnect and reconcile.

Episode 7, Alastor speaks with Charlie in private and forces her to confront the situation the hotel is in by mocking her about landing the hotel in hot water. He doesn’t stop when she tells him to leave, and is able to successfully get her out of the bed covers and onto her feet. He offers advice, and a little insight to his own smile. When Charlie is at her lowest and most upset, he offers the solution to her problem for a favor at a time of his choosing where she harms no one. He doesn’t ask for her soul, even though it looked like Charlie was both expecting him to and appeared just about ready to offer it herself. After the deal, he voluntarily takes Charlie to Cannibal Town, no strings attached, to meet with Rosie. He was very bored listening to her vent about her love life, but didn’t try to interrupt her or get her to stop. When Charlie has trouble explaining the situation, he steps in and tells Rosie what kind of favor they want. Rosie agrees to help, because Alastor has never wronged her before. Alastor gives Charlie his microphone with no prompting when she comes back to try and rally the cannibals again. When she looks over to him and Rosie for support, he gives her a thumbs up, despite being somewhat awkward about it. He helps bring the cannibals on board with the offer of angel meat! During a more private moment with Rosie in the song, Alastor stated that he believed Charlie could do it all along. Then talks about how she’s powerful, and wanting to guide her potential, before saying they should stick with her if they want to win.

Episode 8: Alastor is an active member of the war council. He shared the details of his ability, or at the very least his shield, and either volunteered for or agreed to be the one to keep Adam occupied should he enter the battle. He lends his microphone to Charlie again during her final night before the battle’s speech. Alastor shared a quiet moment with Niffty. He doesn’t deride her for her attachment to the members of the hotel when she shares how much she likes them, and even almost agrees with her. When Niffty starts laughing uncontrollably, he looks at her for a moment before joining her in laughing, it’s very forced lol. During the actual battle, his shield was paramount in minimizing the number of angels everyone had to deal with, and he kept Adam busy for several minutes, only retreating after taking an almost fatal blow to the chest by Adam’s holy weapon. He disappears from the battle, but likely stayed nearby, and only went to his radio tower after the hotel had been destroyed or the battle had already ended. In his radio tower, he’s in disbelief over his near death experience. His expression when speaking of how he’d almost died for “his friends”, it isn’t anger or derision, it’s shaken, unsteady, and struggling to keep it together with a smile. He uses his anger and desperation to take focus himself again. In the end, he shows up at the hotel again, appearing perfectly fine and totally uninjured, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him at all, no siree! (His microphone is missing)

I think, maybe he doesn’t believe in the hotel, but he does believe in Charlie. Whether he’s aware of exactly how much he believes in her, and for what reasons, is unknown, but he’s placed his lot in with her, and he’s put a shocking amount of trust in her as well.

He’s also put in a shocking amount of effort into keeping the hotel running and doing what Vaggie and Charlie have asked of him for something he claims to think is a joke. If he weren’t serious about it all, he wouldn’t have been nearly this cooperative with it. Just take a look at what he did for the ad when he was doing it begrudgingly!

So I don’t believe him when he says he’s only in this for the entertainment. I don’t believe him when Alastor’s reassuring himself that he’s only in this for himself, that he doesn’t give a rats ass about the rest of the hotel.

He’s spent a little too much time and effort for it all to have been meaningless to him.

Alastor’s words are cheap. But his actions do tell some semblance of truth.

#hazbin hotel #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #meta analysis #alastor analysis #Alastor meta #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin hotel meta #long post #what Alastor says vs what he actually does #for the hotel #for Charlie

[hazbinnez]

read a comment about alastor's verse in "finale" that has been ruminating in my head ever since. the post talked about whether the alastor altruist verse implied he started caring for the other residents or not and the commenter mentioned that maybe even he doesn't know.

and that stuck with me because alastor is a very mysterious figure in the show but it never occurred to me that maybe even he gets confused sometimes.

and then i started thinking about how utterly exhausting that would be. alastor's always "on", he's always smiling, (nearly) always composed, always keeping his cards close to his chest, and how the hell do you keep that up?

how many walls are in place at any given interaction? how many masks are put on at every turn? how long does it take until you completely lose yourself to the performance?

alastor's need for complete control, ironically, has lead him to a place where he can't even understand his own feelings, can't even get a hold of his own head.

#alastor #the radio demon #hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #hazbin analysis #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor analysis

[zyrimix]

Alastor's character analysis based on his part in "He did it for us" and some other

"This place reeks of death, There's a chill in the air."

These verses put a very visual and sensory emphasis on Alastor's state of mind. They can be taken as a statement of fact too, of course. The Hotel was ruined, turned into rubble and dust. Lifeless bodies still lie all over the place. It reeks of death.

But there's more to it.

From the tone of his voice, the shake and hesitance, to the descriptors he uses, Alastor presents his feelings on a plate.

This place reeks of death. There's a chill in the air. Those are bodily sensations. An over-awareness to them.

Is there a chill in the air, or did your body lose its warmth? Does the place reek of death, or did you feel death's touch on you? Is this why you don't like being touched so much?

His voice is shaking with fear.

"And I barely escaped Being killed by a hair"

This is where he gains a little bit of control over his voice. It stops being so shaky. He masks his fear with different emotions.

These lines are spoken with disgust; followed by calling himself "great Alastor" it puts to mind an image of someone who considers himself superior to dying, or at least dying like that (more on that later). It sickens him to the core. He's disgusted with his weaknesses. Disgusted with himself.

But why?

He's scared, but by directing the feelings of disgust and anger towards himself he can pretend his true feelings don't exist or don't affect him.

Why is fear of dying so bad for him? Acknowledging it would be like acknowledging his lack of control over death. He can't be scared of death, because that means someone can kill him. Turning his emotions around is just another one of his attempts at staying in control. If he can pretend like he isn't scared of death, then he can pretend he still has control over his fate (bUT MORE ON THAT LATEr).

To conceal his uncertainty he puts on an act of self-confidence. Even in his lowest, he continues to smile, as "it ensures that no matter what, you're the one in control" - this belief is so ingrained into him, that even after receiving lethal wounds he keeps himself smiling. It's almost like it's a self-soothing gesture. If he's smiling, that means he's safe.

The mere idea of not being in control cracks something within him. It's why he hates Lucifer so much. He can't overpower him just like he can't overpower death. He puts his fear of Lucifer behind several layers of annoyance and disgust just to cope. He's unable to accept the mere existence of things above his power - beyond his control. The reason why he reacts to Husk reminding him he's "also on a leash" in such a harsh way is denial.

"Great Alastor altruist died for his friends?"

It's disgusted mockery directed at himself for almost dying. And something... deeper.

It seems like the chilling realisation of why he put himself out there to die. The meaning of his "I admit one could get accustomed". He didn't even realise when he grew so attatched to them.

Whatever was the real reason why he appeared in the hotel in the first place, he didn't expect such turn of events. Did he forget these people were supposed to be his pawns? Did he really risk his life for them?

Nah. It's not about that. (not yet.)

"Sorry to dissapoint, that is not where this ends!"

He didn't die. It's a shoutout to his disappointed enemies. It's also breaking the fourth wall - he didn't have a change of hearts. He didn't put his life on the line because he wanted to protect the hotel and its residents.

It could also be foreshadowing of his character arc in the next season

"I'm hungry for freedom like never before"

Oh my god this verse did something to me.

It's like the entire soliloquy leads up to this sentence. It solids his character. It confirms his tragedy.

His "altruistic" act was not of his own volition. Hes desperate not only because he barely escaped death. He is not willing to die for someone as a part of a deal. His entire part of the song is a scream of not even belief, but only hope that he'll manage to escape whatever shackles were put on him.

Nearly dying like a meat shield strenghtened his need to somehow bypass the confines of his contract.

Freedom is so little to want. Having control over your own body is so little to want.

It's no wonder he makes such a show of self discipline and etiquette if those are some of the only means by which he can retake control. The reason for his entire obsession over remaining in control is his lack there of.

And what is lack of control? It's doing the things he'd never do. It's losing everything he'd worked to accomplish. It's anger. It's disgust. It's the humiliation of bleeding after being wounded, of hiding from the world's eye beneath his own shadow. It's fear. It's chill. It's death.

It's a reminder of his past life, perhaps.

"The constraints of my deal surely have a back door"

WHAT IS THE MAN'S DEAL? In every meaning of this sentence.

Whatever these constraints he talks about are, they must be painfully binding. He says the word "constraints" in such a heavy way like he regrets ever making that deal at all.

At first, he probably thought his newly gained power outperformed any bindings the deal could have. Then, he had to pay. Bypassing his part of the deal turned out to be harder than what he thought it would be.

Was getting out of his shackles something he wanted to do ever since setting a foot in the hotel, or did the idea sprout somewhere along the way? He's been setting something up, that much is obvious, but it could just have had to do with getting closer to the future queen of hell. Becoming her trusted counselor. A puppeteer (especially since she's supposed to look like a doll, allegedly).

"Once I figure out how to unclip my wings, guess who will be pulling all the strings?"

But please don't pull an Icarus tho

"She's filled with potential that I could guide" didn't seem to have that malicious undertone "pulling the strings" has, if not for his expression when saying it. He really seems to enjoy Charlie's company, but it won't stop him from completing his plans.

If freedom is his main motivation, the one he's willing to do anything for, it will be the cause of his betrayal later on. (his betrayal feels inevitable really.) Still, such motive can be quite easily forgiven by other characters.

If his ultimate goal is gaining absolute control, though...

It's something impossible to achieve, something that will hurt people around him and something that will be his hamartia ass's demise if he doesn't get over it.

End notes: Writing this down was supposed to straighten my thoughts but instead they started wiggling? Making this avalanche of words coherent nearly killed me. But it was a fun challenge! Will use all the gained knowledge for evil deeds

#hazbin hotel #hh #alastor #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor character analysis #alastor analysis #this show is a collective hallucination i swear #hazbin theory #hazbin hotel theory

[correlance]

One of the things I noticed throughout Season 1 with Alastor is that he purposefully mysterious and vague for two reasons: Firstly, in order to mess with people (i.e. Lucifer), and secondly, to be the "one in control" when it comes to the most power and influence, as he tells Charlie.

In Episode 3, "Scrambled Eggs", when Alastor and Zestial are talking, Zestial asks what Alastor's relationship with the "Princess of Hell" is. However, Alastor purposefully gives a vague non-answer, because even if he isn't involved with Charlie, other people assuming that he is can still be a something he can later use to his advantage and avail. As we see in Season 1, Vox and the Vees are also keeping tabs on Alastor and his relationship with Charlie through surveillance.

In Episodes 3 and 7, we also learn that Alastor also collects and uses information in deals and transactions to benefit himself, as he tells Charlie about sinners being able to kill angels in exchange for "a small favor, where he harms no one, at a later date". In the case with Lucifer and Episode 5, we see that Alastor lets Lucifer assume that he and Charlie are dating without saying anything, just before Charlie introduces Vaggie as her girlfriend. Even though Alastor is asexual, he still sees a potential opportunity to manipulate Lucifer's fears and insecurity about his daughter to favor himself, and to come out on top.

It's a subtle-but-underhanded sleight-of-hand and card trick, and easy to miss. One of the first tricks to playing cards, aside from having a good "poker face", is baiting other players into assuming your hand. In the end, this is all just a game for Alastor, and he's playing to win.

#hazbin hotel #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin alastor #alastor hazbin #alastor the radio demon #radio demon #the radio demon #character analysis #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin analysis #alastor analysis #poker #poker face

[theoriesbrainrot]

When it comes to Alastor's breakdown, I keep on seeing people arguing over whether he's mocking the altruist line because he thinks it is ridiculous, or if he cares.

Honestly, I don't see why it has to be one or the other though? He hates the idea of himself being referred to as an altruist because he's spent his entire life loving the feeling of being cruel and revels in his reputation. Meanwhile, he might also hate the sinking feeling that there might be some possible truth to the idea that he cares for them.

Remember, he does confess that he likes them to Nifty. Nifty is one of the few people he actually likes and he doesn't have much to gain by lying to her. Often what people say when they are alone and nothing is on the line is more true than what they say when everything is on the line.

It's probably very tempting for alastor to mock the idea that he cares about anyone at the hotel. He hates being attached to others, he's only ever seen it as a weakness.

While it is possible he is simply mocking the idea of him caring about the other residents, personally I think the truth is more complex. He mocks it because he thinks it is a ridiculous idea and because he desperately wants to convince himself that this is all he really thinks of them. Anything else would upset his worldview too fundamentally for him to allow.

#alastor #radio demon #alastor analysis #hazbin hotel #alastor breakdown

[earl-of-grey]

*puts my arms through the straight jacket sleeves* No- you don’t understand! If committing cannibalism symbolizes divine punishment from God *tightening the belts* then Alastor’s acts of cannibalism *dragging me into the van* is his way of enacting divine punishment on others!!! *pushing my head in* and therefore taking back control even from GOD- *slams the van door shut*

#hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel thoughts #alastor analysis #cannibalism #Alastor is a cannibal #divine punishment #enacting justice #and revenge #on those he thinks deserve it #locking me up #look up his name meaning #Alastor has a god complex #it’s concerning

[alastors-antlers]

Why Alastor is good aroace rep after all, written by an aroace

Hello all! I just want to start off this post by saying that I'm one person who definitely doesn't speak for all aroaces, but I wanted to make a post on this anyway, and maybe some folk would be interested in hearing out another perspective?

I'm not really caught up on everything that's been said over the course of HH's creation - only more recent interviews, since I'm pretty new to the fandom. Apologies if I've missed anything, but also I do not have the time to keep up with all the out-of-canon-material backstory unfortunately. I'm working with what we've got here.

So here's the thing:

Alastor is cruel, he's narcissistic, he doesn't care about anyone except himself, he's a serial killer and a monster.

(That's the argument I've heard - please tell me if that's not really what people are going for lol, in which case I've totally misunderstood?)

The issue with aroace rep when it paints asexual people with those traits is that it aims to dehumanizes them. Sex and love are essential to the human experience, right? So why wouldn't someone be interested? Because they're self-absorbed, and cold, and detached. They don't have the capacity to love others enough to feel romance.

And sure, Alastor is a killer, and a schemer, and prideful, and a monster by hell's standards. But no matter how above it all and stylish and in control and provocative he wants to be, he's a very human character, and his aroace-ness never serves to add to his alienation. You could even say that it makes him seem even more personable.

That's what I think is the key difference.

why he's human

Alastor's whole persona is about control, and he basically straight-up says this. He's controlling what his enemies know, what his public image is like. His goal is to be the Radio Demon -- overlord of Hell, charismatic, Machiavellian, and undefeatable. He's not. Despite that smile plastered over his face (a powerful tool, huh) he's so expressive for someone who's constantly pretending.

You see his exasperation with the Egg Bois and with Charlie's ranting; his nervousness in front of Zestial; his frustration with Lucifer and the petty lengths he goes to to piss off the ruler of Hell.

You see his desperation, making that deal with Charlie. He's surprised by the idea of being vulnerable in front of an enemy like Adam, and so close to danger. He drops the radio filter and the affect out of fear, and runs on broadcast TV to let out panic and anger and bitterness in his hideout, where no one else can see him.

He has a smile that tells us he's genuinely happy to see someone; it's a little wider than his default. You see it with Mimzy's greeting, you see it with Rosie. Rosie, especially, serves to make Alastor more human to the audience. More on this later, but for now, I'm just saying that you can see that he at least seems to respect her greatly. Whatever bond they have, we know that he trusts her to touch him, to share history with him, and with support that he trusts no one else for.

He pretends, but he can't pretend it all away. Loads of these emotions aren't even advantageous for him to show. It isn't necessarily how the typical asexual psychopath acts; he's not emotionless or only capable of anger or brutality.

He's so full of emotion that it leaks through, despite all that he does to avoid it. He's not inhuman and aloof, not really - he's so, so human, even when he tries not to be because he thinks that'll be what keeps him above all the rest. In control, and free from his chains.

(If anyone wants to see images about all this, I'll make a separate post - just let me know.)

(I also have another post, talking about why Alastor is at least a little attached to the hotel's residents too, shown via conversation with Niffty. In what way? different question.)

how the aroace part contributes to that

Now, to be fair, we don't hear much about his aroaceness in canon. It's just not relevant a lot of the time.

In the pilot, Angel's proposition ruffles his feathers so much that Alastor blanks for a moment. It's a joke, sure, but that ace panic face is a pretty popular Alastor moment in the fandom - Alastor, thrown off-balance by a sex joke of all things, after so many years in Hell that he should probably be used to this.

It's a moment that makes him more approachable; his aroaceness shows him unprepared for something someone else does for one of the only real moments in the whole episode.

And the other part: the ace in the hole statement.

Rosie apparently knows Alastor so well that she read that he's aroace. That tells us about their relationship; namely, that it is long-standing and genuine enough that she gleaned a piece of real information from him. It's a casual fact that she knows about him before he even figured it out himself. It lends legitimacy to their bond - this bond that shows us a more comfortable and warm side of Alastor that we don't often see.

If their relationship is purely business, isn't this something pretty frivolous and personal? It's not like he has anything to gain by telling her about his life, but she learned about it somehow. How close are they? That's where it adds a layer of complexity and personality to his character..

thoughts on representation

Overall, Alastor's an interesting character who has a level of depth and care and personality (outside of cruelty) that asexual psychopath tropes lack. Again, the moments where he's being represented as disinterested in sex or romance don't make him seem detached. Again, they don't say "look how hostile toward relationships his behaviour is - how separate he is from our humanity". That's what bad villain ace rep is. That's not what the show's doing.

Also: I'm not saying that we need to lower our standards or anything, but even if you think it's not the best rep, I feel like we should be supporting HH's efforts here. I know that on Tumblr we have a pretty queer-friendly space going, which is honestly an understatement lol but

Aces are incredibly underrepresented in fiction. There's a whole Wikipedia page about asexual characters in media, and it's short as all hell, and even if you consider what's on there you see quite a number of one-off characters who are never mentioned again.

In terms of real life business - before the DSM updated their definition of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in 2013, identifying as asexual wasn't even a recognized thing. If you talked to a clinician about your lack of sexual desire, you could be diagnosed with a disorder. Only in the 5th edition do we now have a little exclusion footnote about it.

The concept of asexuality hasn't been explored nearly as much as other queer identities in our scientific research. We get crumbs in terms of mainstream representation and understanding. House M.D. has an episode where House "disproves" us because he's just so smart.

Alastor isn't going to be perfect representation. There's no such thing as perfect representation, and from the moment he was conceptualized, you could see how people would take him poorly. Still, I think he's a net positive.

He isn't a side character or a token ace - he's a core part of the show, whose personality and character motivations we can reasonably presume are going to be explored much more deeply in upcoming season(s). He's loved by the fandom. Right now, given what we know, I trust Vivziepop to write the aroace representation he deserves, because with the way I've heard the cast/directing/etc. talk about him, they're trying to do the aroace community justice, so I wish people would let up just a little on the whole "Alastor is bad rep".

Let's give him a chance, all right?

#hazbin hotel #aroace alastor #alastor analysis #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel spoilers #asexual #asexuality #hazbin alastor meta #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin #alastor #hazbin meta #hazbin analysis

[aspiringcorvidae]

I really hope we get to see Alastor’s death at some point in the show. It has to be a very interesting scene, because there’s so much that’s fascinating about the way he died and his character. Because Alastor’s whole Thing is control, and power. He needs to feel in control of the situation at all times, and once he loses that control, it leads to some…interesting consequences, like the famous mental breakdown of episode 8. And my childhood serial killer obsession is about to start showing a little bit, because I love how his death ties into him being a serial killer. If you didn’t already know, control is a big reason, if not the main reason, that serial killers, y’know, kill. They get a thrill off of being able to enact their will and power onto someone else, and take control of someone else. It’s a pretty solid assumption that Alastor’s need to feel in control and his hunger for power were part of what pushed him to start killing. And for him to die by sheer chance? Dumb bad luck? It must’ve been earth shattering for him. Especially with the circumstances surrounding his death. As far as I know, it’s canon that when he died, he was in the process of disposing of a body. Can you imagine, he’s just committed another successful murder, he’s continued to evade the police, and he’s about to dispose of the body of his most recent victim, still riding the high from the kill? He must’ve felt like a god, untouchable. And then, suddenly, a careless hunter spots him, and Alastor is as good as dead by the time he hears the gun go off. And just like that, in the mere moment it took to pull the trigger, Alastor’s control and power is stripped away from him. By pure chance, and nothing else. He must’ve felt furious, or humiliated, when he got to hell. Especially when he realizes that his final form for all of eternity is a deer, the very thing he was mistaken for, that got him killed. And a perfect example of helpless prey. The whiplash he must’ve gone through had to have been crazy, and it makes me really want to see his death. Sorry but I wanna see the deer boy suffer

#alastor #hazbin hotel #cw murder #alastor analysis #was just thinking about how I’m excited to see how he ended up becoming a serial killer #then I got thinking about his death #and this formed in my head #is it weird that this started as me texting my friend about how #i really hope the show goes into detail about how being aroace effected alastor in life? #then i got a little off topic lmao #alastor the radio demon #character analysis

[dekusleftsock]

“You should know more than anyone what a soul can do when they take charge of their own fate”—an analysis/accumulation of how Alastor views choice, redemption, and most importantly, Heaven

This quote I feel has gone… surprisingly unnoticed fandom wise. Hell, I haven’t even seen shippers address it. The reason? It destroys any and all ideas that Alastor doesn’t believe in redemption.

Now, why do I say this? We don’t know how Adam got into heaven in the first place, that is true, however we DO HAVE the context of the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

The story never tells us where they go. The Bible never outright says whether they fell because of the ultimate sin of temptation, nor does it say they repented themselves in their living life. However, because in Hazbin we have the context that Adam is both a winner and the leader of the angelic army, PROVES to me that in some way some how, Adam repented for his crime and the ultimate sin.

Adam, the person who literally made the worst sin in all of creation with the biggest impact, is in heaven. Not only that, but he’s the leader of the Angelic army, he has control. He has influence. He has power.

Fundamentally, repenting in the afterlife and in the living life work the same. They both take steps in betterment, and you can and should be forgiven for crimes that were committed. Because betterment isn’t just some selfish choice to make yourself happy, it’s for everyone. When you improve yourself, the people around you tend to be happier. Regardless of how heaven feels about it, or how YOU feel about it, improvement of any kind helps the world go round.

Alastor isn’t stupid, he isn’t naive, he isn’t even power hungry. He’s intelligent, he can put two and two together. If a winner who made the ultimate sin was somehow able to repent, anyone can. And that is dangerous information.

He sings about how he refuses to be altruistic, how he refuses to care. Not because he never BELIEVED in redemption, oh no, he does. He knows it’s possible, everyone can change—cut from the same fabric, a winner can just as much fall as a sinner can rise.

No, the reason Alastor hates this altruistic behavior or genuine care for others, is that it challenges the belief that he is unfeeling, inhuman. That he can rip himself from his very fundamentals.

Alastor is prideful. Aside from the serial killer aspect, it’s probably why he’s in hell in the first place. There’s a reason he parallels Lucifer so much, a reason his narrative foil is vox. Both of these men suffer from their abilities to look past their own power and reach, to the point one of them is the ruler of the pride ring.

And this prideful problem is what keeps him from accepting change—he has to be special, he has to be different, he has to be the performer, he has to be in control. Why wouldn’t a man so obsessed with control over his status and the people around him NOT BELIEVE in redemption? That’s so unbelievably far from that concept. It’s the polar opposite even.

Alastor is actively choosing not to redeem himself. It’s honestly the main flaw in Charlie’s plan to begin with—the average sinner is far more likely to choose redemption because they have been put in a place of genuine suffering; however, overlords are unique in the ways that overindulgence actively empowers them. They are choosing to bad things, not because of happenstance or even trauma. It’s why characters like Valentino are so easily dislikable, even though other characters or other sinners have or are actively doing as bad or worse things than him. (I trust the fandom on here understands that liking a character vs liking their actions are different and that it makes sense for people to genuinely like Valentino 🙏🙏- signed by someone who isn’t necessarily a Val fan just someone who enjoys his interest and what he brings to the table antagonist wise)

Val, Vox, and Vell all choose to do bad things. They are one of the few sinners within hell who HAVE the choice to make others happier/make themself better without Charlie’s involvement, which is why they ARE such good antagonists. It challenges Charlie’s beliefs in whether every sinner can or should be redeemed, and for that reason alone I find them an interesting concept.

Getting back to Alastor specifically, however, he chooses to carry himself as someone who cares most about the entertainment of himself and the general population. He is untouchable, sadistic, unfeeling, uncaring, and most importantly, he is irredeemable. Charlie cannot and should not touch him with a twelve foot stick of empathy if she wishes to keep her dream alive. <- this is how I think he wants himself to be perceived

This was my thought process of him—at least up until the finale—he doesn’t want anyone to know what’s going on underneath that smile; there’s this post that was made on an Alastor ask blog a while ago, I’ll link it here, but I think it speaks to such an important part of Alastor and his character.

"The clothes I wear—to finally loop back to your original question, terribly sorry for the digression!—they serve two purposes. One, they consistently identify me, like a uniform. Two, they keep your damn eyes off everything but my smile."

It’s an amazing monologue and is apart of a very funny fic based off of the ask blog, which I’ll link here, but I think it articulated something about Alastor that, up until the point where I’d read that fic, had felt unexplainable.

Alastor’s smile has never been “forced” upon by anything. And if it is, well I guess I’ll eat my words and complain about how very uncreative it is, but this is his choice and his alone. Just as Alastor is choosing not to redeem himself, he is also choosing to smile, day in and day out, when he’s stressed out of his mind or having a good ol’ meltdown. It’s not that he physically can’t do so, but that a mental key is unable to be pushed into a misshapen lock.

Alastor, is a performer. At heart he’s a radio host. Why would a radio host have to smile? Why, you can hear it in his voice of course! It promotes a feeling. Studies upon studies have been done about how acting like an emotion you WANT to have can bring you closer to that emotion. Like, say, smiling while performing a radio broadcast after staying up all night killing people can help you stay chipper and professional!

And, as Alastor explains, a smile to him is a tool. The first thing you notice about someone at any given moment is their face.

But, I made a specific bit of wording earlier. I said my perspective was that he is someone who wants to be perceived as irredeemable.

But, given how he chose to reveal that aspect of himself with Charlie, I almost feel unsure now.

Obviously Alastor was never an angel. Viv is so obvious about it visually with vaggie and possibly carmilla, that atp I think I could point out anyone who came along and looked vaguely angelic and be right. He wasn’t. Unclipping his wings meant something like, trying to take control back. Everyone perceived this “thing” he’s describing, as a who.

Who has control over Alastor, who has him on a leash, who makes Alastor feel genuine, unable to hide, overwhelming fear. And this could still be a who.

But it could also be a what. Or a place. Or a noun. Unclipping his wings may even mean… going to heaven.

Do I think he wants to do this the fair and just way? No. No he doesn’t. He’s fucking Alastor. Whenever we think about him being empathetic, I will remind us that he is still Alastor who has killed thousands. He should redeem himself, he should want to, he should try, but he’s not doing that. Not yet.

So, to get back to our boy Adam and Alastor’s little monologue to him, it’s clear to me that Alastor believes anyone can take charge. God, angels, demons, Lucifer, they don’t have power. Not really. Because when it comes down to it, your soul and what you do with it is still yours. That’s power. It’s why I used that monologue and explained my perspective on his smile, just as much as he chooses his fate, chooses his words, chooses his smile—having a choice and control over oneself is power.

“What a soul can do when they take charge of their own fate.” Taking charge of one’s fate is what Alastor perceives to be true power. He tries to enact this through his fight with Adam, yet fails spectacularly when he lacks the true nuance to having control over one’s soul—care. Love. Fighting for something or someone else.

Everyone else in this fight wins a major battle in some way—Angel saves one of the egg boys/protects the hotel(I’m including husker in this example), Charlie saves her dad, Vaggie saves Charlie, Sir pentious by all accounts still wins in the end against Adam because he becomes a winner after fighting for Cherri, so on and so forth—the only one fighting for no one or nothing here is Alastor. Funny how, in the one fight in sir pentious’ life where he fights for someone else or something else, he gets his cake and eats it too. He becomes a winner. Adam still dies. He doesn’t win but he does.

Alastor is choosing to not redeem himself, to not care, because he doesn’t have to as an overlord—but if he wants to prove himself, if he wants control, if he wants to take charge of his fate… he has to let himself. He has to choose to care about something outside of himself. Being in denial that your plan may be inherently altruistic and that you only care to the extent that you have to, isn’t fighting for something.

And this is Adam’s problem too! He’s long since stopped fighting for any real purpose than getting hard on beating people who can’t fight back, and this is WHY he loses! He isn’t fighting for anyone! He isn’t even fighting to protect the institution of heaven. This is why someone like Sera is dangerous, she cares about something outside of being an authority over a place. She cares about Emily.

And I have to say, I’m rooting for Alastor. Regardless of how selfish his plan may be, I’m still rooting for him—because for him to do what he wants done, he has to better himself.

I think remembering the context that Hazbin is inherently about choosing to stand back up after being kicked down, is so so important. It’s about choosing to love yourself, choosing to care, choosing to improve. And I love that Viv is making her message about how no one can be better without choosing to do so. You can’t make someone fix themself, you can’t make someone care, you can’t make someone love themself.

And I know this is a thing said often times to put people with mental health issues down, but it does have some merit to it. You can’t get better unless you try. Nothing will make you, that has been and always will be, your choice.

#hazbin spoilers #hazbin hotel #hazbin charlie #hazbin alastor #I’m only tagging Charlie bc she’s kind of the main contributor here but like. if you’re reading the tags first this is a very general- #analysis of hazbin but mainly about Alastor. hope you still read it though🫶🫶 #hazbin hotel analysis #alastor analysis #alastor #literary analysis #hazbin hotel adam #Adam my bbg you will get your own post one day 🙏🙏 #also I’m not making a hazbin warning at the top bc you can just block the tag

[critical-hazbin]

Thoughts on Alastor so far? He’s probably my favorite character in HH, but after the poor writing that came from HB episodes 3 and 4, one part of me is worried the crew will ruin him when Hazbin Hotel eventually starts getting episodes.

(This ask was sent in a long time ago, sorry it took me until now to finally answer.)

Spoilers for Season 1 of Hazbin

I was almost certain they were going to mess up Alastor's character horribly. I did not have much faith in the writing for Hazbin. With Alastor specifically, there is a lot of room for error in terms of characterization, and I found personally that he was the trickiest one of the cast to write correctly and consistently. Between fandom woobifying, conflicting information, and a lack of insight into his motivations, Alastor's character has seen many varying interpretations over the years.

Well, now that the show is actually airing, I have to say that I don't think they ruined Alastor's character: they actually did a great job with him. I do understand the perspective of those who disagree with me, and miss the pilot characterization. But as a long-time Alastor fan, I feel the writers gave him surprising depth and found his flaws intriguing.

Pilot Alastor (Ed Bosco and Gabriel Brown) was goofier, more lighthearted, chattier, and more openly affectionate. Nothing really seemed to rattle him, and direct signs of his deviousness were minimal. He had more extensive radio sound effects and was truly a product of the thirties (reflected in dialogue through specific phrases), but had a smaller range of emotional expression as a result of his "radio broadcaster" persona. Husk seemed to owe him a favor, as opposed to Alastor owning his soul outright - "I suppose I could cash in a few favors" - and this was a common fan interpretation, not just a misinterpretation on my part.

Series Alastor (Amir Talai) is more temperamental, prideful, openly intimidating, reserved, and less prone to rambling. The radio effects are minimal unless needed for dramatic effect; his smile is sharper and less genuine. We see a wider range of emotions (frustration, anger, fear) from this Alastor, all with the smile still in place. There's a certain coldness about him, from his demeanor towards Husk (whom he keeps as a pet in an abusive soul contract) and his annoyance at others (Charlie, the Egg Bois, Sir Pentious) that contrasts his superficial warmth from the pilot.

It's a subtle but definitely noticeable set of changes for a character many fans had grown attached to. And yet, I found I liked the new version of Alastor, and felt that the writers added depth to a character who could have easily been a flat, all-powerful "Gary Stu" archetype. We see how these character flaws come back to bite him in the finale and how his limitations imposed by his deal set up his character for other, more interesting developments. Him having a breakdown and then immediately returning to the others with a smile on his face like everything is fine? That's the kind of Alastor that I knew was in there, and it was amazing to actually see it on screen. (I always figured he was a mess beneath the mask. That last scene was not shocking for me the way it was for many others.)

This fascinating characterization hasn't stopped other people from saying they "miss the pilot Alastor" and "wish he was still like that". I get that, I really do. If pilot Alastor was how Alastor wanted to be seen by others, series Alastor shows us who he really is. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is going to like that.

Side note: Ed and Gabriel did a perfect job voicing Alastor. Amir is also doing very nice work. I still miss the pilot voices, even though I like the voice he has now.

#hazbin critical #still not sure if that is the right tag for this? #Hazbin hotel #alastor #pilot alastor #series alastor #responding to criticism #alastor character analysis #alastor analysis #asks

[snowyh2o]

It’s currently a fan theory as to why Alastor keeps Husk around, the theory being that Alastor simply likes cats, and spared Husk because his demon form was a cat. So to him Husk is essentially a pet, who he likes to have around to look at, not even to like most of the time (like any cat owner), just to be there, is all a cat owner asks of the cat.

Sure, but like. That’s not what Alastor does with Husk? He literally summons him to act as the barkeep/man the front desk of the hotel. Husk’s reaction to Alastor summoning him, and Mimzy’s comment about how Alastor still has him swinging hooch implies that it isn’t something too uncommon for him to do, but also not something he does everytime Alastor needs something to be done. And even then Alastor has to bribe him with alcohol to get Husk to agree with working at the hotel.

Alastor doesn’t treat him like a cat, he treats him like a reluctant employee. Husk even calls Alastor boss. Nothing about Alastor’s actions with Husk implies he thinks about Husk that way aside from that one interaction where Alastor is deliberately trying to get under Husk’s skin.

Personally, I believe Alastor keeps Husk around because 1) he’s useful, 2) Alastor’s said to have a weird moral code, and 3) Husk went to Alastor to make that deal, Alastor didn’t target Husk. And it probably happened sometime after he stopped hunting down overlords. It makes Husk interesting, I don’t think many people (overlords) would be desperate enough (or confident enough) to go to the dude who’s known for torturing and killing overlords and then broadcasting their dying screams to the rest of Hell for so much as disrespecting him, and expect to get a good deal out of him over just being killed.

#asks #anon #hazbin hotel #Alastor #Alastor hazbin hotel #husk #husk hazbin hotel #Alastor meta #Alastor analysis #the interesting part of their dynamic is how much Alastor seems to trust Husk #and how Husk was genuinely concerned about Mimzy’s presence and what that meant for Alastor #Husk hates Alastor for owning his soul #and Alastor finds Husk pitiable for having fallen so low as an ex-overlord #and I want to point out that Alastor’s threat to Husk was such an empty one #if he actually did do that he’d be kicked from the hotel #or at the very least completely alienate Charlie from him and ruining any plans he has with her #‘course that wasn’t the point of the threat #the point was for Alastor to scare Husk into compliance #and away from asking questions Alastor can’t afford to have answered #(fan theories these days be feeling a lot like fanon rn)