Hazbin Hotel Analysis - Tumblr Posts

i'm pretty sure it's family its from sicily :)

When he was alive Angel didn't know Italian!

Ok, ok, don't shoot me, let me explain. Angel was alive during 1920/1950, in New York, with his family being of Italian heritage. I don't exactly know how big this "heritage" is, I couldn't find much in the wiki, but I will assume he's at max a third generation immigrant (so his grandparents where the ones who emigrated from Italy).

Now, Italy at that time wasn't the most cohesive country, especially in terms of language. Every region had its own dialect (still does!) and most of the people spoke in that dialect. Standard Italian will reach full diffusion with the arrival of television in the '50s.

So. It's very very probable that Angel's parents were *not* speaking Italian, but a dialect (I couldn't find which part of Italy he's from so I'm just being very generic) so he probably didn't have any chance of learning Italian.

(this is not to say that he couldn't speak Italian in the show. everyone speaks current english/spanish (those like two words lol) so i'm pretty sure he'll be able to speak italian.)

When I saw your face

You made me feel like a stranger in a brand new place

And it felt so good to be understood

But there's so much I wished that I could say

So I

I'll be your armor

I love how these few lines of Vaggie's part in Whatever It Takes speaks volumes

From the first two lines: Vaggie only knew Hell as a place filled with sinful creatures that she had to get rid of, and here Charlie is, the actual princess of Hell, treating her with kindness without even knowing who she is or what she's done. Suddenly Hell is a place that can still have good in it - which isn't the place she was led to believe it was by Heaven.

The third line: Vaggie was trying to do the right thing by letting that cannibal child go, but was punished for it and fell. Charlie goes out to help injured sinners after Exterminations but gets no thanks or is treated badly by them despite her helping. Vaggie found someone else in Hell, of all places, who wants to do the right thing despite what the potential consequences might be.

The fourth line: Vaggie wants to tell Charlie that she used to be an exorcist and everything she's done, but knows that would end up hurting her and instead keeps the secret to protect her feelings. (Which parallels with Carmilla's part when she says: I'll keep you safe and keep this secret)

The last two lines: Since Vaggie is keeping this big secret from Charlie, she thinks the best way to make up for it is to literally be her armor. If anyone wants to hurt Charlie, they'll have to get through her first. Even though Charlie is canonically more powerful, she still puts herself between Charlie and any danger without a thought about her own safety.

Side note: Now that Vaggie's secret is out in the open and Charlie's more aware of her power, I can't wait to watch the dynamic switch from Vaggie being Charlie's armor, to Charlie being Vaggie's, and Vaggie learning she doesn't have to always put her life on the line to be worthy of Charlie's love.

Tl;dr: Vaggie saw Hell in a new light upon seeing Charlie and connects with her desire to do good. She feels bad for hiding her past and decides to always put her life on the line for Charlie. Vaggie loves Charlie very much :)

Yes please share with the rest of the class!

I love reading and theorising and analysing. Hazbin is so chalk full of details, hints and nuance, it's a feast for the brain!

But also: Whenever someone on the internet goes "[...]I may have deciphered Alastor's motivations completely, with zero holes in the theory", my brain goes:

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! 😂

I'm positively itching to read your theory now and see if it matches up with what I've gotten from the hints and foreshadowing so far!

!!! PLEASE READ, ALL I NEED IS YOUR OPINION ON SOMETHING COMPLETELY HYPOTHETICAL !!!

Hello! I am currently planning out and developing a Hazbin Hotel analysis/(video?) essay/theory that will likely be a very long, taxing, thorough project. I think that it's possible that I may have deciphered Alastor's motivations completely, with zero holes in the theory that I've noticed as of yet, as well as predicted his entire future character arc and fate as a result. It's something hidden in plain sight that no one else (as to my knowledge) has fully deciphered the overarching significance of yet. However, I believe that the writers' intent was to have it be foreshadowed, but to have nobody connect the dots as it's unexpected and a twist that will be executed in a way that is completely unique and (to my knowledge) unprecedented in any story ever before seen. This uniqueness means that they have the ability to foreshadow with a massive level of safety, and they likely have zero expectations for anyone to figure out too many of the specifics, especially this early. It would be insanely skilled, creative storywriting if true, everything we know about Alastor reiterates it, and nothing we've seen so far contradicts it either, at least as far as I've noticed without the time-consuming fact checking that would be required to present this theory in its most developed state.

As a writer myself, my question is whether or not sharing it this early would spoil his twist and the writers' hard work (should I end up being correct) and end up being disrespectful, or if catching on this early, dissecting it, and sharing proof would be a token of respect to the effort and display of skill that it takes to think of this and write it out so seamlessly. Furthermore, consider whether or not this could slow down the steam of Hazbin fan theories at large or reduce the impact of this twist, which would both be bad for the show's hype, long-term lifespan, and financial success.

Regardless of your faith in whether or not I have enough information currently to be correct in whatever prediction I make, it's important that you answer as though there is potential that it could turn out to be true. There is no way for me to be confident that I am right since it's just a theory, and anything can change going forward. But I do not want to interfere with the impact/weight this twist would have if it turned out to be true, so I'd much rather be safe.

It's also worth noting that a lot of the key elements regarding what I believe is going to happen plot-wise have already been predicted, shared, and have gained fanon popularity, it's just that without a solid answer to why Alastor is the way he is, he is entirely unpredictable and all current ideas about his fate are up in the air. My theory's main idea is to provide plausible reasoning for his actions, but the reasoning is so straightforward and easy to understand (once you've spotted it, that is) that it would make what would redeem him, what makes him tick, his intentions, etc. just as straightforward near-instantly.

Thank you! I hope that was not too rambley, I was trying very hard to give the necessary details while still keeping it vague enough to avoid defeating the purpose of the post!

Edit: Nearly forgot to add that the details of this theory could render moot nearly every justification to speculate on/modify Alastor's place on the aro/ace spectrum within fanon, which could result in tangible improvement in the willful lack of understanding that aroace people in the Hazbin Hotel community are experiencing. It may be arguable that the proactive resolution/vast improvement of this issue is more important than any implications it could have for the show's material success.

So,

(Please reblog this if you answer! I would really, really appreciate it! Also, if you are a fellow writer and/or aroace, your opinion is extra appreciated. If you think it could negatively affect the show's impact, but that there are ways I could go about sharing the theory that would prevent or minimize this, please let me know!)

I love all the card designs in this show (the phone cases, too!).

There is also the scene in 'Loser Baby' where you see three cards on top of the marquee.

Husk as the Jack of Diamonds, Niffty as the (probably) Queen of Spades and Alastor as the (Probably) King of Spades. Though I should point out that there is a mini-frame after this where it actually looks like there is a pixel out of place on the Alastor card that make it look like Clubs suit... So.... not sure about it. But I am more inclinded to think it's the King of Spades because we see reference to it during the same episode.

What I find fascinating besides the implications about 'Team Alastor' here, is the fact that Nifftys card is above the boys' cards. So it's possibly a deliberate way of framing it because it's not a classic fan-the-cards-in-your-hand way of depicting them.

It's also really interesting that nobody has been depicted as the Ace of Spades yet. Since it's the highest value card in most classic card decks, it's interesting that even Lucifer doesn't see himself as the most powerful, despite being the literal King of Hell and a Seraph Angel. To be fair, Hearts is the second to highest value suit there is, so the only thing above the Ace of Hearts is, in fact, the Ace of Spades.

of all the cards we see in the series, lucifer has the highest with an ace and neat lil black face design that looks like adam's mask

the second highest is the king while husk recounts his story of selling his soul to alastor

(but mostly i just wanted to show the coolass designs)

So.. by pure happenstance I was scrolling instagram and came across a post called "From Sketch to Screen" on the official Hazbin Hotel channel. Vivzi is talking about designs and such and there is one scene where we see the entire frame of the Loser Baby stage.

Looks like I was right. It IS Jack, Queen and King, though unfortunately we can't see wether the suit on Alastors cars is a Clubs or a Spade.

Also there is this for a deeper dive on the suits and symbolism

of all the cards we see in the series, lucifer has the highest with an ace and neat lil black face design that looks like adam's mask

the second highest is the king while husk recounts his story of selling his soul to alastor

(but mostly i just wanted to show the coolass designs)

Ohhhh that is a nice detail! I didn't catch that while watching!

FIRE analysis.

Sooooo..... *donns tinfoil headwear with antlers* are we thinking 10 of Diamonds = Charlie, Ace of Hearts = Lucifer -> Both bookending AND completing the literal royal flush in Husks' hand?

If any of that is foreshadowing for season 2 it's going to be.....aaahhhrr 🤩💅

The powerful trio btw is something very interesting that's yet another mirror between Vox and Alastor and their respective teams. Both teams have two 'older' men and a 'younger' woman. I put that in quotes because Niffty only appears young. She might well be older than both Valentino and Velvette combined (depending on when either of them died), since she died in the 50s.

Though it's fair to say that neither Valentino nor Velvette are owned by Vox.

But I love that part about the team effort. I foresee a few things like that happening in season 2.

The 'Niffty gets captured by Vox' theory has been floating around for a bit, too. That one is a bit difficult for me to graps, though. Because If Alastor owns Nifftys' soul, he can just magic her to his side whenever he wants.

UNLESS. Alastor may be unable to do any meaningful magic if his staff remains broken. While it is probably not the source of his magic, it certainly is a catalyst for it.

Getting Angel out by group effort is another thing that tickles my brain. I wonder how that would go down. Breaking a contract might not actually be possible if it's something held in place by Hells' magic...

Ohh the spicy theorising!

of all the cards we see in the series, lucifer has the highest with an ace and neat lil black face design that looks like adam's mask

the second highest is the king while husk recounts his story of selling his soul to alastor

(but mostly i just wanted to show the coolass designs)

This feels VERY relateable to me. It's also a possible hint at the future. Love is borne of acceptance. The hotel crew absolutely let Alastor be who he is. There is potential for weakening some of those walls around his soul.

But for that to happen, there have to be many interactions and epiphanies along the way. Right now it looks like he will, at some point, give into his darkest impulses. How that will play out will probably decide the fate of the entire series in some way.

(To be fair, I do not currently believe that Alastor will be the big bad of the series. Putting a human soul into the status of the biggest evil in the universe feels wrong somehow. So currently I do not believe that the writers will go that route)

I think Rosie is a key factor to understanding Alastor's outlook on friendships.

The show all but spells out that Alastor sees attachments as a weakness, from the "Great Alastor, altruist, died from his friends" line to the hints about his failed friendship with Vox and to the way the narrative immediately punishes him when he admits to Niffty that "One could get accustomed". However something sets Rosie aside from all of this. With her, Alastor is open about scheming, he allows her to touch him and even seems to bleat like a fawn when she grabs him. Their friendship seems oddly healthy for a guy who seems to think that letting people even peek through the twenty meter wall he's built around himself is a fate worse than death. So what makes Rosie different? I think what sets her aside from other attachments that Alastor might view as dangerous (such as Vox, maybe?) is that no matter how close they might be, she still has her own world and he has his. There's a safety in knowing your life won't have to change and that you're free to take any risk, ruin any bond because you're not directly putting this person in danger. Rosie is Alastor's friend, not his responsibility. That's why she's not as affected by Alastor's disappearance and welcomes him back as if he had been gone for a week. Their lives are completely separated, but they choose to meet at the borders.

I think that someone like Vox doesn't do that. Vox lives with Velvette and Valentino, they share everything, success, plans, even a living space. Heck, Velvette can go to the Overlord meeting representing the other two because that trio can speak as one. When Vox asked Alastor to "join his team", he was basically asking Alastor to remodel his life to make space for him as well. If one of the Vees fucks up, all of them fuck up ("Our model is perfection"). Alastor has his own plans, his own messes and cannot by any means be tied down to someone else. Even if he did care for Vox, in order to really be on a team with him or anyone else, he would have to drop his creepy persona which keeps him safe, he couldn't just kill people and betray others however he wished, let alone make sketchy deals with much more powerful entities. His actions would impact the ones he kept close. Vox and Alastor couldn't join forces because they have fundamentally different goals and outlooks on attachment. Vox wants codependency, Alastor has conjured up indestructible walls just to survive.

So, tl;dr: Rosie and Alastor work as friends because they seemingly agree to keep their lives separate. Vox wanted to carve a niche for himself in Alastor's life just like he had done for him, but that's just not what Alastor wants nor is able to give.

I agree. If the pattern stays the same, it'll play out exactly like that.

Maybe the point is to show that people in greater power will take longer to reach rock bottom and they inevíteably fall harder. But fall they will and even then they will get another chance if they want to. I've seen a theory recently where someone speculated that Alastor will possibly be humbled into oblivion in the coming series. (Actually he is currently in the process of digging himself into a hole he cannot possibly get out of without the help of others)

I also kinda think that the main cast will all stay in Hell for one reason or another. For one, I think it's mainly because of the broken power balance between Heaven and Hell. The system currently is setting everyone up for failur. Including Charlie. Redemption as it stands now, can only ever be a stopgap measure. Charlie needs to realise that the system itself will need changing. Both realms need to become more equal to another. Heaven needs to be checked on their bullshit and Hell needs room to breathe so that Sinners will have the chance to strive for betterment. I personally believe that Charlie and Emily will be keys to that. So that both worlds will reach equilibrium between each other. There has to be room for Sinners to be redeemed but also for Winners to fall.

Running the Hazbin will always require a team of people. It can never be only Charlie and Vaggie. So my personal hope is that the crew will stay together and be the people that guide others on the path of redemption without ever taking it themselves (for various different reasons, of course) - The themes of found family are very strong in this series.

Think about it: you make the best friends in your unlife. They become your family. For the first time since arriving in Hell you feel like you belong somewhere only for you to suddenly redeem yourself and be fucking alone in Heaven again. That makes me sad just thinking about it.

So yea. Redemption needs to be a choice that can be achieved on a technical level with the choice of rejecting ascension if the person so chooses.

Sry for the wall of text but I kinda feel strongly about this.

Of course, I will accept whatever the showrunners present to us. It is their show, after all!

I think Rosie is a key factor to understanding Alastor's outlook on friendships.

The show all but spells out that Alastor sees attachments as a weakness, from the "Great Alastor, altruist, died from his friends" line to the hints about his failed friendship with Vox and to the way the narrative immediately punishes him when he admits to Niffty that "One could get accustomed". However something sets Rosie aside from all of this. With her, Alastor is open about scheming, he allows her to touch him and even seems to bleat like a fawn when she grabs him. Their friendship seems oddly healthy for a guy who seems to think that letting people even peek through the twenty meter wall he's built around himself is a fate worse than death. So what makes Rosie different? I think what sets her aside from other attachments that Alastor might view as dangerous (such as Vox, maybe?) is that no matter how close they might be, she still has her own world and he has his. There's a safety in knowing your life won't have to change and that you're free to take any risk, ruin any bond because you're not directly putting this person in danger. Rosie is Alastor's friend, not his responsibility. That's why she's not as affected by Alastor's disappearance and welcomes him back as if he had been gone for a week. Their lives are completely separated, but they choose to meet at the borders.

I think that someone like Vox doesn't do that. Vox lives with Velvette and Valentino, they share everything, success, plans, even a living space. Heck, Velvette can go to the Overlord meeting representing the other two because that trio can speak as one. When Vox asked Alastor to "join his team", he was basically asking Alastor to remodel his life to make space for him as well. If one of the Vees fucks up, all of them fuck up ("Our model is perfection"). Alastor has his own plans, his own messes and cannot by any means be tied down to someone else. Even if he did care for Vox, in order to really be on a team with him or anyone else, he would have to drop his creepy persona which keeps him safe, he couldn't just kill people and betray others however he wished, let alone make sketchy deals with much more powerful entities. His actions would impact the ones he kept close. Vox and Alastor couldn't join forces because they have fundamentally different goals and outlooks on attachment. Vox wants codependency, Alastor has conjured up indestructible walls just to survive.

So, tl;dr: Rosie and Alastor work as friends because they seemingly agree to keep their lives separate. Vox wanted to carve a niche for himself in Alastor's life just like he had done for him, but that's just not what Alastor wants nor is able to give.

Jesus fucking Christ on a stick. You're right. I've never even thought about that, but you're right!

Alastor has also been waiting patiently for about a week without making himself known. He waited for somebody else to notice and point out the fact that the Radio Demon has returend.

I swear... the balls on this man...

I just realized something...

As we all know, at the end of Stayed Gone, Alastor echoes Vox's words:

I'm gonna make you wish that you'd stayed gone /Say hello to a new status quo

I'm gonna make you wish that I'd stayed gone, tune on in / When I'm done, your status quo will know its race is run

But these lines are NOT part of Vox's broadcast.

The cameras start rolling AFTER this part of the song. Alastor shouldn't have been able to hear the first verse. Except he did, and there aren't a lot of in-universe explanations for that:

Alastor was listening in on Vox the whole time.

That makes his threat scarier; with two simple lines, he shows Vox that he was never the one in control - not even of his own diss track. Alastor disrupted it, interrupted it, and then showed him that he knew exactly what Vox said before he even started it, because the walls of Vee Tower have ears. Alastor is everywhere.

I wonder why not more people have picked up on this. Like. So so so many people go: yea he just keeps the Overlords somewhere and keeps torturing them.

Like...nawww fam.

The scare factor lies within the fact that he made those radio broadcasts SPECIAL when he tore people appart. One time admission snuff shows. Does anyone even have any idea what kind of terrible lure that would be in a world where you can't die unless it's by angelic means? It means he probably made bank on those broadcasts in addition to building up his reputation. It's way more effective than anything Valentino can shit out of his porn studio, I can assure you.

And I personally don't think there is anything ambiguous about that. He straight up says "I will tear your soul appart." - With that threatending hand gesture, no less. That always makes me think of garrotte wires, not gonna lie. (Hella cool scene, too. Demonic flickering lights, chilling fear for Husk and that damn glowy chains)

That's also where Alastor's weird moral code comes in. He KNOWS he can do things to people that they will not recover from. He can take all the jabs from people trying to go after his ego or whatnot.

My personal take on the whole thing is this: He came to Hell, got rid of all those that he saw as scum and thus making a name for himself and then he just rode on that infamy. Because he had created a world where finally, he basically made himself impervious to fuckery from other people (probably the first time in his existence, given his background)

(Just to reiterate something: I don't think he would have gone through with killing Husk. Under NO circumstance. It is my belief that 'Team Alastor' has some deeper connections to each other than we have yet been made aware of. Their interactions are to familiar with each other for that. If you want I can make an analysis post just on that scene and share my thoughts. But it will be a super duper long one, just fair warning)

THAT MOMENT YOU REALIZE ALASTOR IS ACTUALLY WAY SCARIER THAN WE GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR

So, in the throes of doing world-building for my Hazbin fics and analyzing characters and how they fit into Pentagram's political system, I realized not only how powerful Alastor actually is, but how fucking scary.

Now, yes, in the grand scheme of things, Alastor is far from the most powerful person in Hell. Far from it. The Royal Family (Lucifer, Lilith, and Charlie), and the Goetia are way above the Overlords. Our twinky, angsty, galaxy bird, Stolas, could 100% body Alastor. I'm sorry, Al. I love you, babe. But in terms of the hierarchal system, you and the other Overlords aren't influential to the rest of Hell, at all.

But, it's an entirely different story if we stick exclusively to the Pride Ring.

I'm not trying to do a big, essay-length analysis, that's a lot of work and I'm tired, so I'll try to make it as brief as possible.

We know three crucial things: 1) sinners aren't allowed to leave the Pride Ring, 2) they've built a semi-functional society for themselves that is exclusive to their specific ring (with a political system that they've molded just for them), and 3) sinners can't kill other sinners.

So, what we have here is a big piece of land stuffed with people who can't leave it, in a society they've built specifically for themselves, with an amassing population that is constantly growing because they have no way of dying/or killing each other. (Honestly, it's like Heaven was setting them up for an Exterminations - THOUGH I'VE ACTUALLY COME UP WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, COMPLETELY FANON BASED THEORY/WORLD BUILDING IDEA ABOUT HOW HELL HAD KEPT THE POPULATION DENSISTY CONTROLLED FOR THE MILLENIA OF COLLECTING HUMAN SOULS, HOW THE POPLUATION STILL GOT TOO LARGE AND THUS RESULTED IN THE EXTERMINATIONS, AND HOW IT WAS ROSIE WHO HAD A HUGE HAND IN IT ALL.

Anyway, back on topic, so the Overlords essentially control this Ring. We know Stolas lives in the Pride Ring (judging by the red sky we see when he's at his house), so its possible more Goetia live there too (and imps, and succubi; the Pride Ring is known for being the most diverse of the Rings), but we haven't seen any evidence of the Goetia, or any of the other Hellborn, interact or influencE Pentragram City in a political way--outside of the Goetia being above the Overlords in the hierarchal system). I headcanon that they do have some involvement in Pentagram City, as they do live there, but for the most part, the Pride Ring is left completely to the sinners and how they run things.

Lillith got involved, obviously (but she's been missing for years in the beginning of the show), Lucifer hasn't been involved for who knows how long, and Charlie obviously doesn't have a lot of sway, nor did she have any previous influence given how she's treated by the very people she rules over. Her status is known, but there's no actual respect for her or her title as the literal Princess of Hell.

The royal family may the the strongest beings in all of the 7 Rings, but outside of Lillith, it seems they had very little involvement (in Charlie's case) or interest (in Lucifer's case) in ingratiating themselves into Pentagram City.

The entire Ring is being run by the Overlords. They cannot leave it. The Pride Ring is their domain. This is their new home. This is their world.

And in this world, the Overlords are the top dogs.

So, Alastor is powerful just in the sense that he is one of the Overlords. Like them, he is essentially one of the rulers of their personal, caged-off little world. He has power and political sway. He joined the other Overlords for Carmilla's meeting, where they were going to discuss the aftermath of the Extermination and what they can do about the loss in the population (and thus, their power, given that owning souls is how they get it).

It's implied that this isn't the first time they've had meetings like this, and if they get together to discuss the best ways to recover from the Exterminations and make up for their mutual losses (literally working together when they could've all just been rivals trying to undermine the others to get more souls), who knows what else they've discussed in their efforts to keep Pentagram City running (especially considering that the best way to maintain their power IS by maintaining the city, it's people, and keeping it from falling apart at the seams. Taking care of the city is in their best interests - I use "taking care of" very, very loosely, considering this is still Hell and it's hardly the gold standard of utopia's). They're essentially a Board of Leadership with mutually shared power.

The Overlords have all the power. All the sway. In their established world, THEY are at the top of the food chain.

BUT then, you take into account that sinners can't kill each other (a rule that extends even to the Overlords), and that's when things get interesting.

In episode 4, "Masquerade" Valentino told Angel that he's "killed people for less" during the scene in the dressing room. But, in episode 2, after Valentino had torn apart one of Velvette's models, she wasn't upset in the way an Overlord would be if they lost someone under contract, especially considering that owning souls is what gives them power (and I assume that they own the souls of most, if not all, of the people they employ). She said that she can't sit and wait for "that bitch to pull herself back together," so, yeah, the implication is that sinners can literally be torn apart (even by the Overlords, who are the strongest among them) but won't die is immense. No matter what you do, a sinner will reform, or heal, or whatever, but they will come back.

So, consider, that there is only one person who's been able to kill sinners, permanently, and that person is Alastor.

Not only that, he killed Overlords.

In a realm where death is impossible, Alastor had cheated the system. And as far as we know, he's the only one who's been able to do it.

The only person I can think of who has something similar is Carmilla, but that's because she'd integrated angelic steel into her apparel. (Though, there's something to be said about her selling angelic weapons to the masses, as she is a manufacturer and distributor of them not only in Pentagram city, but all of the 7 Rings, (as Stryker had gotten his hands on a "Carmine blessing tipped rifle" to kill off Stolas, who's a Goetia), thus, sinners killing other sinners can still be possible, but that's only if they get you're hands on a weapon with angelic steel, or they're wealthy enough to buy onr, and I imagine Carmilla doesn't sell those cheap.

But Alastor didn't use angelic steel. He found a way to tear souls apart, where otherwise they were only able to be owned. Considering how terrified Husk (who is one of the most calm and collected people in the Hazbin crew; who had once been an Overlord, himself) was when AIastor threatened to do they same to him, like, that goes to show just how serious it is. He was literally full-body shaking. Ears-pinned back. Flight-fight-or freeze. Pressing himself down into the carpet.

We've never seen him like that at any other time during the show, even during the Extermination when they were all about to die.

Alastor's threat had scared him more than literally getting killed my an army of Exorcist's.

And like, yeah???? I get it????

That shit has to be terrifying. Not only for those that Alastor threatens, but for every single sinner in Pentagram City.

This random guy cheated the system, killed without any outside means, and if he can topple Overlords (the strongest and most powerful of them) almost over night, there's no saying what he can do to regular sinners. (Or what they think he can do, I have more thoughts surrounding whether Alastor would be able to tear apart a soul that is owned by someone else, but this is already getting long).

And, presumably, the only reason he stopped is because he decided to.

Like???? Do you guys understand what I'm saying???? For someone to have that kind of power??? In a system where that power SHOULD NOT be possible??? A power that gives him this massive advantage over everyone else???? That no one else can do???? And the only reason he doesn't use it is because he decides not to????

It's no wonder Alastor was so feared. Why he still is feared (by those who know of him at least LOL he has been gone for 7 years). And, like, yeah we see him be all creepy and scary during the show. We see him use his magic and grow into his demon form, and he is intimidating in that right, but I think the true horror of his character comes from this ability to kill the unkillable in a system where it never should've been possible in the first place.

That's where the true terror of the Radio Demon lies. That's where the visceral fear comes from. And it's why he's someone you wouldn't want to mess with, even for the other Overlords (especially for the other Overlords).

Like, it makes sense why he has such a massive ego. Why he thinks he can take on anyone. It's because he has. He's powerful, even by Overlord standards, and he knows it. And it makes further sense why him now being on a leash is making him unravel at the seams.

Am I making sense??? Is this all just meaningless rambling to you guys??? Idk! Idk. It's just been tumbling through my head, and it made me realize just how scary Alastor is, especially from an outside perspective.

I have SO many headcanons T.T I've done so much world-building, and I am have so much fucking fun. I feel like a kid in a sandbox. My brain hasn't stopped buzzing since this show came out.

Anyway, I'm off to outline more wips and work on the fics I'm writing. Happy Hazbin-ing to the rest of you.

I personally think it's a good mix of both.

The scenes depicted are more Alastor being Vox coded, I think. Why?

Because Alastor is usually the reserved one and overreacting to the point of expolsion and property damage is more Vox' thing.

Other scenes that are more Vox being Alastor coded would include:

-Vox hitching up the most fake smile on the planet before addressing those reporters.

-Vox sweettalking both Velvette and Valentino into backing down/compliance.

There are other things that I can't place as well:

-Both are prone to do a laugh that changes pitch halfway through

->Vox pitches deeper in the beginning of ep2; Alastor pitches both deeper (end of ep2) and higher (end of 'Stayed Gone'). The type of laughter is pretty distinctive and unique to those two characters, though (I think)

-Both have stalking tendencies: Vox is way more overt with this and has to use his little drones to do it but Alastor is doing the same thing. He hacked himself into Vox's consoles to loom over him meanacingly while there is a blackout in Pentagram City and he had been listening in to Vox 'welcoming him home' in the beginning of 'Stayed Gone' (no cameras were rolling during that time, so the only way he could have heard that would be through frequency manipulation and 'listening in')

I'm sure there are more similarities (apart from the almost matching outfits, of course) but right now that's the only things that sprung to mind.

Oh and one more thing: Does anybody else find it pretty telling that Vox' colours are blue/teal and black, yet he wears red and black closer to his body in form of that little sweatervest he's wearing? It's an item worn underneath a jacket, so it's technically closer to his heart, right? Anyways he's wearing his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Alastor, but Alastor is similarly pining for Vox. It's just less overt and gets overshadowed by how dramatic and over the top Vox is.

It's a fascinating topic, nevertheless.

This is exactly what I am thinking. He is a master at this and even if an initial deal doesn't turn into a string of deals in the long run, he nevertheless has made the initial human connection with another person. Emotional availability. A helping hand.

He's a showman that loves being around people at heart. That sets him appart from people like Adam, for example. Adam would be perfectly content just sitting in a room by himself doing his own thing. He is self-entertaining because he only needs himself. Alastor is the kind of person that only strives with people and a certain image around him. That is why his image is carefully crafted and maintained at all times (if possible).

My guess as to why he keeps Husk around as a former Overlord is, that he very likely had a kind of friendship with him. Maybe even similar to Vox in some ways. Though he may have kept Husk at arms length because he may have been burned by Vox at that point (we don't know, yet, exactly). Husk being a known gambling addict that also deals and gambles in souls, it may be that Alastor has bailed for Husk a few times in the past. Either without asking anything in return or asking very little. At some point he may have either had to put his foot down ("Last time, buddy. Next time I'll have your soul.") OR he waited for a particularly desperate bailout for Husk whereupon he sprung that deal. From the visuals in episode 4 it is very much implied that Huks CHOSE his fate. He sat in the spotlight and he leaned towards Alastor to make his choice. The deck was stacked in Alastor's favor at that point and he held all the "answers" (cards).

Alastor may be so proficient at dealmaking because it provides a framework of security that was unprecedented in the human world. Because deals in Hell are magicaly binding. You can not get screwed over if you make everything a deal.

It is a safeguard from fuckery against his person. It represents a modicum of control in a world that is otherwise very chaotic.

This is all conjecture on my part and I think I may be projecting heavily onto Alastor here, but given his background I think it highly likely that he has been screwed over by people (particularly people IN POWER) before. Which is why he has nothing but disdain for Lucifer even before they met (he's been making fun of the man since episode 1) and the first thing after meeting Charlie is trying to make a deal with her. Because people in power always end up abusing that power in some way and Alastor has decided he's had enough of being at the receiving end of that.

And the deal he eventuall does make is for a favour in particular. There is an angle to it where it is just another trick for the hat. A favour on the pile of favours. Just in case he sees the knife in Charlies hand going for his back. We know Charlie would never intentionally do that, but Alastor might not see it that way. If he already knew exactly what he wanted Charlie to do for him, I think he would have asked for that outright.

We will have to wait and see what that turns out to be. No doubt he will betray Charlie and the gang in some way. At least that is what is implied. I'm so interested to see where this is all going.

Can't wait for season 2

alastor is such an insidious dealmaker because he's so reasonable. he doesn't ask for anything outlandish, especially not right out of the gate—he agrees to make a commercial so long as he's never asked to engage with anything tv-related again. he turns down charlie's soul and readily concedes to the stipulation that her favor doesn't have to hurt anyone. from the way husk describes their deal ("when you're down on your luck, you turn to anything to keep you afloat"), it heavily implies to me that husk went to alastor, not the other way around. alastor gets his foot in the door by making himself freely available, and by making it easy to tell him no the first dozen times he nonchalantly offers a deal, so by the time he starts angling for a deal he actually does want, you're less likely to notice immediately how predatory he's being, or how he's backed you into an inescapable corner. he makes himself an inevitability. you know he's a monster, you know that he's manipulating you—but he's also become your only choice, and so you don't even get the consolation of being able to say he tricked you, because you chose it

THIS.

There is that undercurrent of ANGER that Charlie harbors all the time. She keeps a lid on it as best as she can and it kinda looks to me like she feels the need to be in 100% control all the time.

Which, incidentally, is a trait that Alastor values very much. This may indicate why he (and other characters) find her endearing. Rosie mentioned how Charlie has "moxxie" about herself and it may hint at this.

When Charlie DOES lose it; oh BOY does she ever lose it. Fisticuffs with Killjoy on live TV. Getting angry at Valentino before Angel stepped in. Adam.

Those were just a few glimpses because as soon as it flares up, the emotion turns into something akin to fear and she presses it back down immediately. I feel like that is connected to some traumatic event from the past.

I also kinda think that Alastor might know or suspect something pertainint to that. Either because game reckognises each other or because he actively knows her past somehow. He kinda poked the dragon in episode 7. Seeing how far he could go. Needling her just enough. As soon as she went "Oh fuck you, Alastor!" - he backed off immediately.

Really hoping to see some of that next season *fingers crossed*. We have to remember that everyone at the Hotel is a hasbeen and the more I think about it, the more I think that may actually also include Charlie.

I am on the fence whether she may actually have killed someone in the past, though. However, I am certain that SOMETHING happened.

I love how the characters in this show sometimes have absolutely hideous arts & crafts skills (just think of that drawing by Vox, lol) despite being perfectly drawn characters themselves. 😂 It's very endearing to think they would just sit around the kitchen table and doodle or craft things. That extends to other things, too. Niffty is apparently into fanfic writing and Angel is into knitting, crochet and bedazzling.

I never actually thought those characters in 'Hell's Greatest Dad' were drawn by Alastor himself but it kinda makes sense and I love that.

Also funny to think that he CAN do a decent job if he's not trying to be an ass about it. Like that drawing for the commercial was made on some dirty butcher's paper from the reduced aisle with the stickers still on 😂 That was purposefully bad just like the rest of that abomination.

And those drawings in 'Hell's Greatest Dad' are even shaded to some degree actually look cute. He clearly made an effort there.

HEAR ME OUT

REMEMBER THIS???

MY NEW HEADCANON IS THAT THESE SKETCHES IS HOW ALASTOR ACTUALLY DRAWS

BOOM. MIC DROP.

why ive never thought of it before omg

The face of a man who's about to have an aneurysm - The implications here are so endless and I can't wait to see where this is all going.

He very clearly doesn't just want that deal. He NEEDS it. Desperately.

I wonder how many concessions he would have been willing to make if Charlie had had the sense to haggle more.

On an unrelated note: He rubbed his wrist afterwards like it smarted a bit.

I wonder if making deals with "real" Demons gives some kind of a feedback loop that stings or hurts in some way.

this is the desperate face of a man who is one rejected deal away from setting the hotel and everyone in it ablaze

I believe it.

They obviously hurt each other in very profound ways. It's to the point where Alastor has come to hate modern technology as a whole and believes men are bad friends in general. That can't have come out of nowhere. If we believe he was into everything surrounding radio when he was alive, HE used to be the tech guy on the bleeding edge but now he just stopped. Alastor is also shown to be tech savvy in subtle ways. Those are traits that don't just 'go away' over time. Something impactful happened to both of them and I think 'each other' happened.

How much or what way 'each other' happened I don't know. I so hope we are getting shown next season.

When I say mutual radiostatic I might mean that they were both romantically in love with each other

What I really mean though, is that their feelings for each other were equal in magnitude. That they had a deep bond and that they were so so so important to each other. That whether Vox was in love with Alastor, Alastor was in love with Vox, that they never felt romantic feelings towards each other, that no matter the nature of their relationship, the other was most important thing in each of their lives. That their relationship falling apart affected both of them. That they're both equally obsessed with each other and need the other's attention. That they're both still grieving the loss of the other.

Who knows? Vox may have a similar tendency of 'self-erasure' in photos as Blitz does. Unfortunately we don't see any other photos of him.

Anyting concerning Vox is always just commercial or ad-related.

It might also just be, that Alastor and Vox both have the same photograph but Vox just tore himself away in his copy.

There are many compelling arguments for both. I would love to know if Alastor has his own copy of the photo or just the half with Vox on it.

Can't wait for season 2

The only thing I want to know is where is the second half of the Vox and Alastor photo?

Does it make any sense for Vox to keep the part with Alastor and remove the one with himself?

Usually the trope of the torn picture is when you keep the part with yourself and tore away the person you don’t like anymore…

But no, Vox has the part with Alastor. And what is more surprising, it is in a pretty good condition, not rumpled, not stained… Like it was kept in the frame… because the photo without the frame will become damaged in 7+ years…

So the question is, does Alastor have the other half? Does he keep it in the frame as well? Or in the pocket close to his heart?

I bet he's been sitting on his hands for a week. Just bursting to have Vox find out and announce his return to the entire Pride Ring. It's so much more impactful when someone else does it for him.

When SOMEONE ELSE is pointing at the Radio Demon being back like:

Don't get me wrong. Alastor's return could also have been framed/staged in a dramatic manner himself. But the entertainment value, the impact and overall presentation is much much better from Alastor's point of view when it is VOX doing all the work for him and embarassing himself in the process.

"You know me too well." is not just something Valentino can say at Vox. It's also something Vox can say towards Alastor and that makes it all the more delicious.

i choose to believe that alastor didn't really need to go to the tailor in ep 2, his coat was already tattered as hell, he just noticed vox spying on him and needed an excuse to go out and see the drama unfold firsthand bc he knew vox wouldn't be able to resist making it the whole city's business

Indeed. Coupling this with the notion that Alastor values hard work and an inherent dislike for people in power, you get a very potent volatile mixture.

I imagine Alastor disliking people in power because they will (in his eyes) all ineviteably end up abusing said power against everyone they view as "lesser". It's proably something he learend both during his life and un-life, so he has come to expect it of everybody.

This perception got immediately confirmed when the very first interaction he had with Lucifer was literally a condecending question about whether he was "the help". The man didn't even start with "Hello" 😂 He asked "And you are?" with an expression and attitude to match.

Funny idea about all three of them going out to dinner would be that both Vox and Lucifer have NO idea what kind of a powerderkeg they are dragging along until Alastor loses his patience with either or both of them and either goes sassmaster to the max or full eldritch rampage on them.

Either works and will leave both of them nonthewiser, thus opening up on further possibilities for shenanigans.

lucifer and vox are rich4rich in an entitled royalty x exploitative billionaire way that means neither of them are particularly decent to service workers, and i just know it pisses alastor alllll the way off. they're not outright cruel but they are dismissive and view being "the help" as an inherently demeaning position that's obviously beneath them, while alastor, who knows intimately what it's like to be seen as lesser, resents the fuck out of that attitude. i actually think vox probably worked some shitty low-paying jobs during his early years in hell, but learned 0 lessons in empathy from the experience because he was always hyperfocused on moving up and onto greener pastures. on the other hand, lucifer's been a king for ten thousand years; his ass does NOT give his servants a second glance anymore, if he ever did. considering how he looks down on sinners in general, + all of his condescending little remarks about alastor being the hotel's busboy/bellhop, that implies to me that he considers those jobs to be unimportant and not respectable compared to him, royalty. these three would struggle severely to go out for dinner as a group because alastor would be seething violently the entire time watching vox and lucifer interact with the waitstaff

I don't think people are physically able to break deals that way. If something is magically binding, I think they can't resist it unless they are very powerful (If Helluva Boss lore can be believed here, not even a Sin like Asmodeus would be able to break something like that).

My main reasoning for this would be something very subtle in the very same scene. When Alastor is talking about "why he is here", his answer was initially "for the entertainment." But there was a moment in there where he went "and..." *hesitate* his fist glowed green and both him and his shadow were staring at it and then he continued with "..fail spectacularly." Somehow it feels like he was about to let someting slip and the energy prevented him from continuing. Just my personal thinking, of course.

Also: The deal is between Vaggie and Alastor specifically. It does not prevent anyone else from asking him to "engage with television technology". And let's not forget one essential part of the deal. The wording specifies "asking" him to do something. Vaggie's modus operandi is giving Alastor orders. The deal will not prevent her from ordering him to do something.

All in all it seems like something mild and we really have to see what comes of it in season 2.

The possibilities are very very delicious in any case!

Alastor and Vaggie’s Deal

So I'm having thoughts. I've seen a lot of speculation that Alastor's deal with Vaggie in episode one is going to be his trump card to not fight Vox. However, let me pose a different question:

What happens if Vaggie breaks the deal?

What if she doesn't realize that the deal would apply to Vox? What if she does ask Alastor to fight him? What happens to her?

And what if this is what Alastor is counting on? What if he knows the consequences to breaking a deal and is just waiting for Vaggie to slip up? Look at their deal. Alastor had to do a single favor for her, a one and done, and she is bound to uphold her end for eternity.