spotlightlowlife

[spotlightlowlife]

A step not forward but to the side.

First off, this family time tale is a nice idea.

Shorts is a good idea too. Filling in gaps without having to commit to a story, but that's also the issue and has been for a long while.

Though it's nice to have the sisters enjoy a day together, we gloss over what little we were offered in the first place.

Millie

The Millie episode in season one had the family be tough farm folk who were open about their disappointment at Millie's choice of partner and lifestyle, which truly didn't have to take away from Millie but it did because that was all their entire yet breif content and throughout these scenes, as is now usual, Millie had zero to say on the matter. It was up to Moxxie to find an excuse to finally stand up to the parents after making all the effort, though the impression of bridges burning thankfully wasn't there, Millie still had nothing to contribute.

Fast forward to this short and Millie has nothing to say on any matter. Moxxie not getting a mention doesn't make it more of a Millie story when Millie yet again has no argument for her frowned upon choices even when they're bought to her attention...

Why couldn't she defend her job?

Why couldn't she defend her choice to move?

Also for us...

Why didn't we learn why Millie moved to the city and why this particular place?

Did she leave home abruptly and why?

Did she always give the impression of wanting to be elsewhere?

When did Millie discover she loved spar days, shopping and clubs and why don't we know these things?

Dispite her lack of anything to say, I was impressed by Millie not feeling guilty about leaving the farm, but again this could be yet another example of nothing to say (if only at atleast one of the 'also for us' questions had been addressed)?

Sally

BS on Sally running that place alone, this is yet another example of pushing blame onto someone else to make a character seem nicer and more innocent, this show has a history of doing this, Stolas is sad because of Stella and (somehow) to a lesser extent Paimon being one example but there's one better. What we saw was a close knit family who were united in their bafflement at Millie's choices yet happy to see her, Sally was the only one who's judgment come across as fairly harmless teasing in the two lines she got, but now their parents are useless, the brothers are of little help, nobody else was around and Sally is sad because of this. It's reminiscent of Ozzie and Fizz exuding confidence, a love for lust and enjoyment at grudges (was the Fizzbot programmed to pick on Blitzø), the same two who happily mocked Millie, Moxxie and Blitzø, now push the blame for their unhappiness and work choices onto Mammon just as we meet him.

We really could have dwelled more on how much they miss one another and how much they have in common.

Sally coming across as a fish out of water didn't work neither, she dressed similar to Millie in the first place and again after the out of place dress scene that didn't even fit this series (maybe Hazbin), she never come across as rough and unglamorous.

Lastly Moxxie

Moxxie silently slipping past them unnoticed, apparently happy that his wife is happy to me isn't sweet, it's like he can't be comfortable in his home when Millie has her known to be hostile towards him for no good reason family over, that even so much as a greeting before leaving them alone ruins things. Had Millie and Sally been asleep this would have been exactly what was intended, sweet.

Has anything improved?

A side step this was.

#helluva boss critical #helluva boss millie #helluva boss sallie may #helluva boss critique

[spotlightlowlife]

The Kanker sister were unapologetic menaces

Related to my previous post on how kids show Ed Edd and Eddy did adult material (and a number of other things) better than both Hazbin and Helluva.

The other characters didn't find these girls amusing, they were terrified of them because of their inappropriate behaviour, even those who weren't their targets, their actions were addressed numberours times, yet they weren't about to learn anything and there was no reason for them to change their ways, their ways though not justifiable may have been understandable and unfortunately for all they had enough power locally to do as they pleased, they were a nightmare individually or united and weren't going anywhere.

It's been a while since I watched this show but here's a good old creepy example of Lee, Marie and May.

In Stolas we have someone of power, he's royalty and a big scary monsters, pretty much a god, he cornered and coerced someone he saw as a long lost friend into sex. In Valentino we have a pimp who makes porn and sort of has ownership over others. It doesn't matter however, because no matter how reluctant and visibly distant their playthings are, the playthings consented and the actual ruler of lust is big on consent.

There a pattern of stripping the powerful of the power we have seen them to have by supposedly leveling the playing field, in these cases it makes light of SA and it's all in order to make the abuser more likable and extended their staying power, dispite them also serving as a means to an end which should in itself extend their time, Blitzø needed certian resources to start his business and Angeldust is there to be sexualized by the audience more so than any of the characters. Stolas and Valentino facilitate an excuse to show us sexual content, no complexities.

#hazbin hotel critical #helluva boss critical #unpopular opinion #ed edd n eddy #kanker sisters #hazbin hotel critique #helluva boss critique #hazbin hotel valentino #helluva boss stolas #Youtube

[spotlightlowlife]

Ed Edd and Eddy succeeds at what Haz/boss attempts

Here's another series both these shows could learn from.

Spoilers ahead.

Ed Edd and Eddy, another hyperactive crazy gag cartoon that is hardly for its supposed target audience. With a very basic plot, it's a lot like Helluva boss, yet it manages to move any story along faster than the more serious plot driven but still wacky Hazbin hotel.

We have obnoxious lead characters pushing business in an unappealing looking and feeling environment where good and bad and right and wrong are ambiguous. Only accountability and growth are highly prominent in the kids show.

Initial plots

Assassin imps who sit at the bottom of society are determined to make this small business work.

Antichrist princess of hell runs a hotel where she wants to redeem sinners in order to send them to heaven.

Kids who grift for money and candy.

Characters

Eddy is a lot like both Charlie and Blitzø, he's a hyper, toxic positive, opportunistic try hard, desperate for his ideas to work, he's leader of the pack who's good at being dismissive and driven to the point of carelessness.

Like Blitzø and co. and pilot Charlie and co., the Ed's are not established at what they're working towards, but they're willing to put in the work which only leads to misadventures.

Excluding Charlie as she barely gets the time of day, the fake it till you make it demeanor Eddy and Blitzø display masks saddens, loneliness and a lack of control of how they live and how they've been living.

Blitzø glides through his show on charisma and sympathy, along with facing someone objectively worst, his behaviour being rude and mean spirited is something nobody cares about and he like those around him can step up on anybody of any standing and their actions be shrugged off.

Eddy too is a charismatic and sympathetic character, his constant trying and failing at his ideas offers us a good underdog, yet he's no hero, he's a scammer and his unsavoury ways always bother people. He gets confronted a lot.

Charlie glides through on being a nice enough side character, dispite being the lead. Though like Ed, Charlie is very determined to push an idea and get others on side, but lacking in fight, assertiveness and aggression. All three leads are fast talking salesman types, yet Ed faces consequence on the regular.

HB and EED feature additional leads that serve as the primary leads sidekicks.

We have the highly similar Moxxie and Edd, though Edd stands up for himself a more, there have been fall outs and he doesn't treat his leader of the pack as a superior, something Moxxie does dispite being there since Blitzø business was just an idea, which was when they first met, welcoming Blitzø into his life.

Both are timid, sensible, cultured and full of ideas, dragged into the problems their pushy leader presents and walked all over, much to their frustration.

We also have the friendly and loyal bruiser sidekick who doesn't really have a lot to contribute in this group dynamic. These characters being Millie and Ed, yet were Millie could speak up more, have an opinion and let her presence be known but she doesn't, Ed on the other hand is consistently operating from elsewhere.

Target audience

Helluva and Hazbin are both adult cartoons, yet clean up the dialogue and that's hardly the case. Yes there's gore and mature themes but they make up a small part in upping the age rating in comparison to the swearing and sex jokes. The mature themes are offered to us in layman's terms, we get a lot of flashbacks and confessions.

Ed Edd and Eddy is for all audiences dispite being violent, featuring sexual harrassment, domestic violence and child abuse, the execution of these mature themes are played out in a nuanced manner where we are not spoon fed information.

Mature themes - trauma

Dispite being a comically violent gag cartoon, all the children, dispite being at odds with Eddy, some being volatile ob the regular and some being younger, were able to understand what domestic violence was when Eddy was bullied by his brother, his brother being a character Eddy had long hyped up as someone cool and admirable, turned out the only truth was that this guy existed.

His own revelation that he had fabricated a big part of his background explained a lot, all of Eddy's charisma and try hard ways were determination to be liked, appreciated and have nice thing. This was growth for him and he earned the respect and understanding of his peers absent of pity, everybody moved on happily without the audience being guided into what they should perceive.

The movie not only wrapped up the show, but bought completion to the whole story.

Helluva and Hazbin is very overt in showing us what the characters have been through and are going through. We get flashbacks to childhood even when it may not be necessary.

First off, Moxxie's flashback was fine, it wasn't particularly dramatic for its setting, it explained why he was a good marksman and why he had 'daddy issues', his daddy is also an active threat, so Moxxie's avoidance doesn't always work out.

Blitzø desperation to have his business work out leading him to make a dodgy deal fit perfectly fine, we learn that his kind are at the bottom of society, we see that they don't work anywhere glamorous and he's no kid, obviously he's had to make an effort to keep his head above water, his poor decision making has probably gotten him into trouble in the past which is something that could spell endless storylines, his family aren't present and he's aggressively forming a new one so bridges being burned were storylines the audience should have expected, we learnt that he stole from Verosika and broke her heart, Verosika is a whole sucubus who seemed more cut up about in him than him interested in her.

Did we really need to know that he was manipulated into being a user and a thief back when he was an innocent little child? Weren't his underhanded tactics understand enough?

Charlie got a flashback of being a very small child expressing an interest in what her daddy was doing but her now absent mother took her away. This provided the backbone for her sulking that her dad isn't being supportive when he presented himself as a rare character to challenge her ideas, yet unlike the other extras to do so he had the vantage point of having had the same ideals herself once.

Her mother being probably the most like minded person in her life yet absent, for some reason doesn't matter.

Mature themes - SA

In Hazbin we have a pimp who films porn and has his workers in soul contracts.

We have royalty lending out a grimore in exchange for kinky sex over in Helluva.

Sex jokes are a regular occurrence in the helluveese with actual SA being downplayed by the victim who holds no power and no to little choice, who openly shows a discomfort around their controller, not be a victim because they gave reluctant consent.

Sexual harassment and SA manage to be present in EEE in an overt manner despite the show being for all audiences, yet they also manage subtlety.

The pests are the Canker sisters, three intimidating sister with different dads who all want boyfriends and are a force to be reckoned with, they stick together and double up as school and neighbours bullies and are casually violent to one another with no hurt feelings. They have snuck on to the Ed's properties and even the most ferocious of charaters fear them, these girls want their way with their targets and little stops them, so they hold a lot of power, it really makes for a good hierarchy.

Though there is self awareness here, they have been stood up to for their aggressive advances and in one episode they had their pushy ways reflected back at them and were terrified, only this wasn't undone by a new episode rolling around and all that was done being undone, but normality was restored when they smelt fear, a predators equivalent of blood in water to a shark. This allowed a major plot progression to occur yet be reversed effectively, opposed to HH and HB offering big plot progress such as Blitzø and Moxxie's capture and heart to heart or Charlie showing up at Angeldust's work, which both go on to make no difference to future episodes as if they didn't happen.

The subtlety with their characters comes from the surprising adult joke of the different fathers which insinuates that their behaviour is something they're used to seeing, also, they are children, what chance have they had to learn empathy and decency? Who will teach them?

Which leads on to a major plot point of all these shows.

Elders are to blame

Where both Helluva boss and Hazbin hotel are big on daddy issues and absent mothers, Ed Edd and Eddy doesn't feature parent at all. We only follow children doing as they please wherever they may be. We don't see teachers even though we see them at school. We don't see neighbours even though the world around them is often being trashed. On the occasion we do meet a seemingly adult character it's away from the series and in the movie, it's a truely big deal that lives up to any hype, then the story is over.

Adversaries

In the Helluverse, villainy is selectively embraced, the tone of who we should root for and who we shouldn't is clearly set. Where we have full blown predators and dictators being pushed as essentric and the other cheek turned to their actions and intentions, Valention is just running business and Stolas and Blitzø have a thing going on.

Some are even counterproductive, how did Lucifer being at the heart of everything not matter or care to be addressed? Why does Charlie not care about the sinners Alastor and Rosie cannibalized?

We then have had prominent adversaries who the tone depicts as baddies we shouldn't like and a real treat, however both series gave us a 'big fat stupid jerk' who nobody had issues humiliating. Nobody cares about what they have to say or their contributions.

Female adversarie haven't been much of a threat, they get to have spats with the character who in the spotlight, sympathetic and in the right.

What did Glitz and Glam do that was so wrong? Was Stella not a scorned woman cheated, publicly humiliated and given no choice but to leave her home,

later revealed to have the same sad backstory as Stolas yet less freedom in the present?

Females tend to be sexualised 'super bitches' with their bitchyness being what matters, not what is directed at them, but ultimately it doesn't matter at the same time because they don't matter. Over in HH, we have basic Lilith as a twist shady character lounging on the beach while war is happening and her daughter struggles? Why is this is an issue when her husband is yet to be confronted and probably never will be? Same 'bitch' who come between daddy and daughter.

There's also fellow basic Lute whose actions truly should should make her stand out but don't for no reason at all, yet would they get half the spotlight if they weren't designed cute?

Who knows, since every female to get some time has been 'pretty', but no doubt the same dismissive attitude would be sent their way if they absolutely had to be seen.

Ed Edd and Eddy have a variety of different local kids to serve as friends or foes. The perpetrator depends.

They tend to be common trophes that are built upon, take jerkish because he can be local mean kid Kevin, who sees the Ed's as dorks and feels the need to let them know it.

The highly aggressive Sarah is almost entirely reactive, yet as violent and strong as she is, she has no more courage than anyone else and is seen gaging when to pick her battles or being to frightened to make her presence known. She is a nice friend to Jimmy and mainly a menace because she is a bratty little girl who is harder to avoid than others since she's Ed's sister.

Some are decent like pretty and well liked Naz who is rather mature and isn't going to let herself get walked all over

and foregin kid Rolf with his unusual customs, a hard working and principled kid who will call out anyone

but how much patience should a nice enough person have? Especially when lot of the time it's the Ed's, generally Eddy, making trouble for others.

Ed's main barrier to success is his struggle impress or screw these others over, there's no shying away from his behaviour bothering people yet he still manages to hold up as a fun, eccentric lead.

Location

In the Helluverse, this is hell but only when it suits. The scenery of HB has looked rather spacious, vibrant and appealing while the harsh colours of the HH series in heaven or hell are bold, the ceiling we were offered in the pilot which offered a claustrophobic entrapment seems a thing of the past, it looks very big and open once we step outside of Charlie's hotel, even the colour relax to something more neutral.

There is a lack of depravity with powerful leaders we are to like being toned down, the sin of lust believes in consent always, the sin of gluttony worries about over indulgence and the actual devil is just a fun dorky dad who doesn't appear to be doing anything in particular. Anyone portrayed as a victim serves to tug at the viewers heartstrings and be cute and likeable in that moment.

Charlie has a big fancy hotel that isn't going anywhere and welcomes sinners, former humans who are spawned into a middle class.

Over in HB the demons have raised hell on earth, arriving to carry out hits, bringing forth monsters, demonic possession, lude acts infront of minors, showing true forms and being responsible for some of the most gory scenes.

All with no consequence. It's like the setting serves primarily as a way to incorporate fun character designs with the various races.

EEE gives us a bunch of unsupervised kids who can do what they want in this unattractive environment that uses a strange colour scheme with a lack of contrast that gives a closed in feel. It is entirely lawless, non serious, so OTT that anything goes, physics need not apply.

For years people have theorized that these characters aren't living and that this may be set in limbo or purgatory. Be this the case or not, this series succeeds at giving us a very off backdrop to compliment its total lack of realism.

#hazbin hotel critical #helluva boss critical #hazbin hotel charlie #helluva boss blitzo #ed edd n eddy #side by side comparison #long post #unpopular opinion

[spotlightlowlife]

Greed is every sin

Just as openly elitist power abuser Stolas is the best villain of either series in this Helluverse, Mammon manages to be the greatest sin of all and for a similar reason, being multifaceted via many efforts made to sway our thinking, yet these two are then taken in different directions.

So much range does 'greed' have that he even encapsulates the 'sins' we have yet to meet.

Of those we have met, Ozzie, Bee and over in Pride, Lucifer, Mammon has managed to showcase actions of their sins in his own greedy way. Greed has a bit of everyone, but vise versa? Not if they're supposed to be liked.

A totally desexualised character but blamed for the sexdolls of a famous character whoes 'dayjob' is entertaining at a kinky nightclub, run by the prince of lust. Even though he markets the dolls as multipurpose, fit for everyone at a very affordable price, the sex element is his fault. The dolls were clearly a collaboration and something thought up before a reference was chosen, Ozzie catches feelings for their references and feels he should no longer able to separate business from his personal feelings, whilst Mammon manages to prosper in business in a field that isn't his.

Lust ✅

A glutton for the sake of being a glutton, no need for celebration just mindless or stress eating, which fits well as greed and gluttony often go together, taking because it's there.

There's also the deliberate fat design intended to make him more grotesque. 'Gluttony' does not need to be fat, yet the 'Gluttony' we met simply wanted the party goers indulged, however Ozzie wanted his patrons to keep it sexy and Mammon collected cash during the pageant, they did as much as eachother, only the efforts to make him piggish only took away from Bee's thing.

Gluttony ✅

Showy and performative but happy to take the backseat, is seen working and mentoring, adapts to what's new, what works and what others want but also bold enough to openly share selfish motive. As involved and inappropriate as his behaviour may seem he's all business, willing to work with those who don't like him and invest in what doesn't interest him without buckling or offsetting.

Mammon succeeds as a ruthless, confident, both proactive and passive leader who doesn't come across as someone who casually hangs with 'commoners' and whose true influence and power is unknown.

Pride ✅

Way too attentive to be lazy, but, what do people have to say about a boss who puts their feet up and fails to do what they're more than capable of doing, rather, they get others to do? Mammon supposedly 'not doing clown stuff anymore' and Fizz being 'a better clown than he ever was' as according to Ozzie are statements that means little, he wanted a prodigy, we saw imagery of training arc he showcases entertainers in order to fulfil his greed and his trade gets acknowledged. Ozzie has a seedy nightclub where those who work their or visit are expected to behave in a sexy way and Bee expects her guests to indulge, what's the difference? They meet their sin quota whilst not showing us any form of trade outside of being a host, why is Mammon condemned for as in a leading example of laziness? If we're scaling laziness, where does this leave poor, yet to be introduced Belphahor?

Relaxation pairs with recovery, research shows that the Sloth ring has the hospitals and is also responsible for 'upper' medication. Nice right? Something positive, which is where all those we are to like lean towards. That and Bee seems to be friends with her.

Sloth ✅

Spring boarding onto the next sin, Wrath, someone who has been described as attractive (by Bee) and is seen as a leader and god to the imps. It helps to be liked. This is hell where anything supposedly goes, murder is fine but not sadness, sadness isn't a sin but what else is everything, irate. Mammon was allowed to not only be big and menacing but pose a threat to someone who would be frightened of their fallout, allowed to resort to blackmail when he didn't like how things were going and allowed to vow revenge before taking off and trashing the place and maybe even killing his audience who bore witness on his way out, in a rather composed way.

Wrath ✅

Looloo land being a ripoff of Lulu land is so clearly a display of greed, especially since Looloo land is poorly maintained dispite Mammon being a perfectionist, this ripoff could easily be an example of envy, a grasp at control born from following a definitive leader who seems no leader at all, but can do what he wants because this is his realm.

Wlillingness to rip off such a superior, block effort at takedown with an impenetrable contract and still maintain (according to research) a good relationship with shows caution, calculation and willingness to fight.

Mammon even has his face on hell's currency and a banking app, yet who exactly is he supposed to be paying tax to? Lucifer, hells actual owner who doesn't seem to be a leader? Or are they answering to those 'higher up' which places Mammon in the frustrating position of second fiddle to a boss who isn't the best?

We haven't met Envy/Leviathan yet, but we have a host of main characters who live contemptuous lives and look to what others have that they don't, so envy, like wrath affects everyone, have been prominent driving forces since the start along with sadness and tragedy which aren't sins.

Envy ✅

Mammon manages to encompasses all elements of sinning even when he shouldn't really because it's by proxy as someone whose actions are portrayed as self serving and cruel with no excuses or failure to acknowledge, someone who upsets and can be harmful to those we are supposed to root for, something these series shy away from when they want us to like a character. We have a demon who succeeds in being someone you have no business getting mixed up with, in hell, a place you shouldn't want to be, where he is a crowned leader who is after your money if you're lucky.

Greed ✅

#helluva boss mammon #helluva boss critical #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel lucifer #helluva boss ozzie #helluva boss beelzebub

[spotlightlowlife]

The exterminator angels were better off ambiguously robotic

Why not have them be the robots they seemed to be? Stoic terminator type figures who's identities truly don't matter because they identical factory models.

As we know, Vaggie is an angel.

Vaggie taking off her mask made no sense. Vaggie had the most nothing of fall and doesn't seem to matter to anyone of her kind, extra Lute simply doesn't like her for no particular reason and the two of them can happily never interact, Vaggie couldn't care less about Lute being her attacker.

Nobody in hell cares that Vaggie is an angel.

Lute was a sidekick to a relevant character who then would be used to usher in another relevant character.

All else are face covering, nameless nobodies who can leave deadly weapons lying around, their casualties in all these years has been one, yet who cares?

Unless Lute and Vaggie get some history telling us that they where someone before, turning exterminator angels into the equivalent of sinners, their leader Adam isn't particularly one of them.

Still, we aren't following exterminators and the two named and unmasked exterminators we do have could be any class of angel and it would make zero difference.

A total lack of care and consideration could work.

The already used but effective 'bottom of the social class', which is what extrrminators being the equivalent of sinners would spell works fine as an explanation.

Elsewhere we already see those at the very bottom being fodder, however to give heaven some credibility, would it not make sense to have the exterminators not even be 'people', so no harm done?

Elsewhere, we have the multipurpose Fizzbots, now entirely credited to Mammon the greed sin known for buying into what sells and ripping off established ideas, so what if the bots were another inspired idea, this time by the exterminations of the pride ring.

Though Adam and Mammon are probably the characters who need the least work, it doesn't hurt to further emphasize recurring themes.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel angels #hazbin hotel lute #hazbin hotel vaggie #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel exorcists #hazbin hotel critique

[spotlightlowlife]

Charlie hazbin reduced to an extra

S1 should have sold us on Charlie entirely, her ideas and motives, her connections with others or lack of.

Others keeping major secrets from her, working at her place because someone else wants them to, accepting bribes offscreen in a pilot episode that's pretty much mandatory viewing but selectively cannon, fighting besidr her in war when they had no choice and simply not wanting her to die, all don't tell us anything about how much Charlie is loved or even liked.

Charlie worked as both Lucifer and Adam's strawman, they are two individuals who are and aren't at opposite ends, both are mad at the sinners and are happy to see them brutally slain, however neither like one another, their is a rivalry on one side and torment from the other, yet for all these years they somehow existed keeping their distance from one another whilst sticking to an agreement that benefited both of them, which was dealing with the sinners. Charlie served simply to bring these two perpetrators together.

Lucifer could have been the main or singular hurdle whilst still being an unthreatening goof, simply by thinking her idea was a waste of time and putting her in a position where she would have to explain or prove herself. What if he didn't have the resources to easily get Charlie an audience in heaven, what would his use be then?

Why wasn't his involvement called out? This would have been better grounds for Charlie to guilt trip her daddy over rather than 'distant during childhood' and 'never supporting me giving me what I want' she chose to sulked about which got her her own way.

Since Charlie managed a pointless talk with Adam back in episode 1 and so much effort has been made to tell us Alastor is this big threat that even Lucifer is weary of immediately, if only she had entered into her meeting with her dad with a load of options, showing her as a little more competent and bringing her back into focus.

Adam successfully got someone a place in heaven, ironically, with minimal effort. This someone was easily the most deserving of sinners we met and was worst of all, someone who Charlie wasn't even looking at as the ideal redemption candidate.

Charlie appeared to look to popularity, a juicy storyline and a cool friend, if her portrayal were to shift to highlight a bit of a shallow person then we would have great grounds for development, but s1 ended and that didn't happen, she didn't move on from 'nice' and 'innocent' and in effect it was Adam, the villain nobody cared about who did Charlie's job which was more than a job but her whole dream and purpose, for her - Charlie is oblivious to this last part, but knowing this wouldn't help her cause neither.

Lucifer rushed in to save the day just in the nick of time, him and Adam shared some of their history with us, it was all about them, them the baton got passed.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel lilith #pacing

[spotlightlowlife]

Make Charlie and Lucifer PROUD rulers of the PRIDE RING

Charlie is a princess, so Lucifer is pretty much a king, so why not establish this?

There is nothing that tells us that this guy even runs this particular region of the entire realm he created.

Where is his palace?

His grande entrance was walking into the hotel his daughter owns that we haven't even explored.

Who bought Princess Charlie her own hotel?

Where is the boasting? Any ostentatious showcases of high status that would be normal for even well intentioned rich people? Being rich, flash and used to a lot of freedom can easily create someone who doesn't know best but is adamant that they do, no matter how silly they end up looking and how frustrating they can be, even when meaning well.

Hell is Lucifer's territory that he created and gives exterminator angels, who are nobodies, free reign of whilst he has a key to the door and seat at the house in heaven.

Lucifer hates the sinners so his lack of leadership and agreement to their genocides are spiteful acts - so let him be proud of his hateful ways, especially if it won't matter.

Charlie's issues with daddy, what we l got sold, was simply not giving her what she wanted the very moment she wanted it, that's what their episode boiled down to because honestly, what did her flashback have to do with anything? She's a grown woman who remembers a loving, fun and interesting person who made time for her but her mother would spoil that? Her dad is the only one of two people she can emotionally blackmail with 'if you loved me....' to get her own way, yet she's no emotional blackmailer, she's 'nice', the writing direction and her lack of doing wrong or anything in particular leads us this way.

Let Charlie be a manipulator who flutters her eyelashes and puts on a sad face to sway others, it's not like they haven't already made her more infantile. Why not commit more to her being a bit of a brat?

Lucifer and Charlie's different stance on the sinners was very short lived. Charlie got what she asked for and wasn't setting out to change daddy's mind, so much so that his involvement in all this wasn't even acknowledged. She's supposed to pitch to different people who are in different places and win them over, daddy would have been a good start to atleast try with, we could have seen how she tackles a lost cause of an ally.

We didn't see how she got her 'team' on board, but we did learn early on that she bribed Angeldust, we go on to learn that Husk and Nifty are tied in with Alastor who chooses to work with Charlie but has some ulterior motive, Cherrybomb who we get for a minute is Angel's friend and Vaggie had just been thrown away and picked up by Charlie.

We literally had two outsider characters engage with the hotel and barely with Charlie. Sir Pentious who stuck around but has since checked out and moved on to bigger and better things, all thanks to Charlie's enemy (who ironically succeeded at doing her dream job) and Mimzy who bought us valuable information and could bring us a lot more, but she's not welcome anymore, Charlie wasn't the one to banish her, she didn't see her worth at all, nor that of the unknown sinners Alastor wiped out.

Where is her outreach?

Community exists and others are thriving.

Why isn't this singing, dancing, out of touch clown out in the community like anyone else selling their cause?

Why isn't she upselling the business and all it has to offer on the regular like she supposedly did before we met her?

She can still be 'nice', showy and stubborn, all traits of being PRIDEFUL.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel criticism

[spotlightlowlife]

Why does this character seem familiar?

Do similar.

#villainous demencia #Batman creeper #villanous #character comparison #the new batman adventures

[spotlightlowlife]

Writing for Millie should be hella easy

Stereotypes and cliches can work.

Right infront of us we have a tought southern farm girl, already a half written character. Millie's family, the first full family we meet, who don't even get to say much were actually crucial for her character building, they're a big family who are set in their ways, they're loving but not supportive of Millie's choices in a very passive aggressive way.

All these episodes later, these points are barely touched upon.

We would learn the Millie likes attention, she enjoyed playing a character who was the coolest person on the scene who could show off

which makes sense if you look at her rowdy upbringing, which could also explains why she is giddy at Moxxie's grand gestures and adoration of her.

Yet why did she have to play a role and take herself out of her usual setting in order to enjoy herself? This made sense for Moxxie who's sensibilities and hesitations aren't heard and is constantly frustrated, but why give Millie a similar storyline (not the first time a couples stories were awkwardly and disproportionately merged)? Having moved far from her family, having a supply of attention on tap from her biggest fan of a husband, working with a coworker she gets along fine with Loona and Mille worked together just fine when Blitzø and Moxxie got snatched, there were no differences between them, they actually appear to have hardly engaged with eachother?

and a boss who she's on excellent terms with in their small company, a boss who's intrusive ways she sees no issues with

which could also go back to having a big, noisy, busy body family who are slack with respect and boundaries something many people can relate to, why exactly did she need this moment in the spotlight?

Perhaps she's phased by being friendless?

Loona is

I she even friendless? Who knows. Her relations don't matter outside being a plot device, she even got sidelined in her families episode several times because it served to introduce Striker and show how much of an outsider Moxxie is.

On the topic of relations

Why do Millie and Moxxie have the same ex?

Why did neither of them know this?

What difference did it make?

Why such hostility?

No reason, nothing matters, none and ?

An ex would have been yet another person needed to give her some content but it would have been character building none the less.

Where did they meet and what would have been the mutual setting that lead to this guy being in both their lives then them coming together?

Has Millie had a life away from the farm as a single woman or did she leave home for Chaz? So many possibilities. Being that she is the stereotype rough and tumble country girl, she could have consciously decided to go to the city to hang about in places where those supposedly unlike her are so that she could stand out and be appreciated without having to compete with anyone. She would have her own thing going on and this would be a good way to meet hipster Chaz and thespian Moxxie.

Of course, Millie could have shown up one day and met Moxxie on the job.

Blitzø and Moxxie being the buddy cop type lead characters is fine, it's clearly the dynamic that's intended and on the few occasions we see them working together this is what we get.

The lack of characters doing the jobs we are told they do is an issue that affects all characters.

Being a side character should offer a load of flexibility, not having to carry the story offers room to be busy doing irrelevant stuff, or serve as a voice of reason or scepticism to help move the plot forward, side characters can wrap up side plots writers can't be bothered with, but side characters being ignored serves nothing.

There have been shows that have a leader and their more competent sidekick who quietly does the work and never shares in the credit.

This could work for Mille, however dispite her lack of content, she is not the quiet sidekick. We are sold a praised and admired bruiser whose performance isn't up for criticism, someone not always clued up when faced with a challenge but that's fine, challenges are rare and she's someone we have no reason to believe is a pushover, she is also someone happy to have more of a say but also fine with how things are. OK, what next?

Neutral.

Why not commit and tone her up?

Play on that country bumpkin casting. So far Millie is the fun and violent scrapper which fits but this role is also totally appropriate, someone is going to fill it, other than that she's, just there, with no say.

In and out of work, why not have her behaviour be socially neurotic, inappropriate, possessive and apathetic?

Why doesn't she stand up for Moxxie more? Is the casual workplace bullying something she's used to, comparable to the regular fun mockery that circulates throughout the family home/town banter etc? Is she used to not being heard? Growing up not having her own things, having to answer to someone, ignorance, comparassion and lack of personal space could result in someone who doesn't like being challenged or ignored, doesn't like a lack of control but has been sheltered enough to not take consequences too seriously? Anything goes after all.

It works for Blitzø, whose modest and tragic past, isolation, guilt and loneliness has lead to a sympathetic, overbearing and desperate hustler

I actually think Millie's character is fine but is she just a decent side character who is only 'fine' because she's underutilised? I'm not sure?

#helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #helluva boss millie #missed opportunity #helluva boss blitzo #helluva boss chaz #helluva boss moxxie

[spotlightlowlife]

Well Deeki, you need to head over to ao3 and even then be the sole writer. XD

how are we feeling, critics?

i am DEVASTATED... nothing is safe from vivziepop's shows.

FANS DNI! just keep scrolling or block me, cause this post isn't for you.

edit: okay this might be funny bc we could potentially see THE cuphead say "YOU IS A MOTHAFUCKA YOU KNOW THAT???"

but i better see the cup bros solo all the hazbin characters otherwise i don't want it.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel criticism #the cuphead show devil #crossover #hangout hotel

[spotlightlowlife]

Do it. 😉

This can be yet another character who deserves better.

so this slayed angel was nobody?

Supposedly the first to fall victim to a demon during extermination.

The hardly significant Lute got a face and name reveal when we learnt that the angels are wearing masks and that Vaggie, who stands out to Lute but not Adam, was also one. They're all someone, dispite the last extermination having numberours faceless casualties nobody was interested in unmasking.

Interest could still be there, but doubtfully from the leading characters.

The slaying of this angel was a big game changer, but still no face reveal or anything to be said about their identity?

Personally, I think it would have made for a better story had the angel murder been an inside job to spur on another extermination, maybe we could have had it be Vaggie framed as a means of outing her and causing a divide in the hotel, questions could have been asked and her identity exposed.

A fall out earlier on in the series could have masked the lack of chemistry these characters have with one another.

The framer could Lute, giving her more background as someone with a grudge, having dealt with Vaggie but displeased at watching her on screen living a more free lifestyle, which would tie in with the angels being nobodies who aren't cared about, with Adam barely remembering Vaggie and with Lute's effort to place herself at the top looking more cunning, over just blind loyalty and subservience.

#Reblog

[spotlightlowlife]

There's tolerance, being passive and turning the other cheek.

Then there's not single thought or feeling, no personality having default nice.

It's possible to write a nice, kind, sweet and patient characters who still have something about them.

How much of a difference would it have made if we saw Charlie atleast walk out feeling creeped out and icky, showering, scrubbing and knowing something was off even if Angeldust somehow made her believe otherwise?

This could have been a situation she vowed to keep an eye on at a distance, it really could, it almost did, but did we see any of this, no, we got Charlie being an air head apologising to Angel but fast forward, this gets contradicted when she featured Angel speaking up to Valentino as ridiculous evidence of his change and worthiness for heaven. There was no relevant content inbetween, this could have been a chance to show that Charlie wasn't so clueless or atleast lacking in discernment.

Even if she was truly JUST upset at upsetting Angeldust, she's still entitled to her own thoughts and feelings on HER OWN EXPERIENCE with the individuals she communicates with.

#hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel valentino #hazbin hotel angel dust

[spotlightlowlife]

Pokemon Concierge Haz a lot it could teach Hangout Hotel

Pokemon concierge had a young lady lead named Haru who lacked confidence, direction and presence.

She was venturing into a new job where she would be hosting and helping pokemon at a peaceful location.

Haru isn't very sure of herself around pokemon, she doesn't know where to start with them and being that she is entirely new, she doesn't know their stories, she doesn't know her coworkers, she doesn't really know what the resort has to offer.

Charlie has yet to be seen expressing an interest in the backgrounds, what they think and feel or the future aspirations of any of her guests or residents, even though we have the very ambitious Alastor and major secret holding Vaggie right under her nose, we also have Mimzy who remembers her past life, how many others do? Who knows, Charlie doesn't seem interested. Would all these things not be vital in rehabilitation?

Charlie we know to be on the clueless side. While pilot Charlie had some humility, current Charlie is an occasional sulk. She isn't a sinner and she isn't in their position but she wants to help, she has a plan to rehabilitate them at her hotel, however she has yet to see her plans take off. It is unclear how long she has held her intentions.

Lack of confidence and direction became Haru's strength

Haru is quiet, doesn't have a particular trade and dwells upon areas where she is behind others

she definitely finds her strength in working with pokemon.

Haru had several moments being a downer on herself and her clumsiness looking like bad luck, but that was quickly used to have her empathise with the numberours nervous and awkward guests and residents, such as the infamous, awkward hapless psyduck

who went on to be her sidekick.

As for the series mascot Pikachu, we had a storyline of a pikachu very unlike it's type

a nervous and low energy introvert with a lack of interests who struggled to find its voice.

This pikachu wasn't what it's owner expected and had him concerned, but that wasn't a problem, the owner could approach Haru with his concerns, no judgement just understanding all around and many things to try out.

Pikachu did open up with losing any of its docile nature.

Charlie faces few challenges, which could easily be a good thing. It isn't important that we see her get her hotel, it's clear that being a princess is how she got it, but still, what is she doing with it? What's the appeal of this place?

Charlie pushed daddy issues only for her daddy issues to boil down to 'give me what I want to prove you love me', which could have been excellent had Charlie come across as a spoilt princess which could explain her immaturity. Her dad was hardly resistant to her ideas, they have actually been given to him.

Charlie is not out on her own, dispite her lack of chemistry with anyone.

Some pokemon are regulars at the resort

We had the sweet story of the disabled magikarp who made the effort to keep up.

Magikarp wasn't a strong swimmer and was reliant on its float ring which got swiped.

Haru set off to find the float ring, a simple yet gesture but one of he most helpful things she could possibly do.

She didn't succeed in returning to ring, not for lack of trying, however magikarp soon made huge improvements upon being facing the challenge of it's go to tool being absent and evolved.

Magikarp benefited from that one unprompt push that it had no control over. Haru was able to instantly and instinctively go to the most obvious option to help and she wasn't all talk, she made the effort, she spoke what she set out to do and went forth to do it, clearly this touched Magikarp enough to find her.

As covered, what is Alastor up to?

She knows he is shifty, she ignores others concerns and since he's a sinner, does she not hope to rehabilitate him? Would he not be a particularly challenging case and a perfect success story?

As covered, Mimzy remembers her human life, she actually remembers Alastor from back then, Mimzy has money troubles, would an invite into this big hotel not be beneficial for their atleast an effort to help a situation on Charlie's part?

It's pretty debatable if Charlie even wants those she likes to move on anywhere?

What exactly had Vaggie done to become a sinner? How had the two of them known eachother for years and at some point started dating yet Charlie never once asked how Vaggie grew up

or what was going on when they met?

Why should Angeldust move anywhere when he puts on an act of confidence which Charlie buys and is now in a big hotel running shoulders with a princess?

We have a variety of characters, all hosting a load of personality, abilities and connections, then there's Charlie who's just there waiting on someone to present her with something, take into account her apparent lack of interest in those she likes and ask, how often does Charlie bother with those who she isn't cuddly with?

Use of power

Where Haru is a kind and patient, inoffensive debbie downer with her heart in the right place, who ultimately thrived hanging out with inhumans, Charlie is simply nice because she's not doing anything wrong (or anything at all), Hazbin misses out by not having Charlie show any elitist side and reminding us that she isn't really one of them.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel critique #pokemon concierge #side by side comparison

[spotlightlowlife]

so this slayed angel was nobody?

Supposedly the first to fall victim to a demon during extermination.

The hardly significant Lute got a face and name reveal when we learnt that the angels are wearing masks and that Vaggie, who stands out to Lute but not Adam, was also one. They're all someone, dispite the last extermination having numberours faceless casualties nobody was interested in unmasking.

Interest could still be there, but doubtfully from the leading characters.

The slaying of this angel was a big game changer, but still no face reveal or anything to be said about their identity?

Personally, I think it would have made for a better story had the angel murder been an inside job to spur on another extermination, maybe we could have had it be Vaggie framed as a means of outing her and causing a divide in the hotel, questions could have been asked and her identity exposed.

A fall out earlier on in the series could have masked the lack of chemistry these characters have with one another.

The framer could Lute, giving her more background as someone with a grudge, having dealt with Vaggie but displeased at watching her on screen living a more free lifestyle, which would tie in with the angels being nobodies who aren't cared about, with Adam barely remembering Vaggie and with Lute's effort to place herself at the top looking more cunning, over just blind loyalty and subservience.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel vaggie #hazbin hotel angels #hazbin hotel lute #hazbin hotel carmilla #hazbin hotel criticism

[spotlightlowlife]

What does the hangout hotel have to offer?

Another leading character that shelved immediately, one just as important as Charlie, the hotel itself.

Is it a 5 star?

Do all rooms have their own hot tube?

How well staffed is it?

Can we have a look around the premises?

Does it have a restaurant?

What is this buildings history?

What attractions are nearby?

Do sinners stay for free?

Do demons from all different rings choose to say here?

Who hires the function rooms?

Since when was running a hotel, even a quiet one, a role anyone involved in can do peacefully?

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel criticism #Hangout hotel #Missing out

[spotlightlowlife]

What Hangout Hotel could take from Lucifer the tv show

One thing these two had in common, season one wasn't very good, learning names and the initial plot was the main takeaway.

Lucifer did atleast stick to its initial plot of 'this is the devil, he's charming, he can get those hiding something to tell on themselves, he works with police detectives, he has a nightclub, he has family issues', easily done when it all fits the characters and reasons for being around one another

Charlie on the other hand is the devil's daughter, she's nice, she wants to help sinners make it into heaven through rehabilitation, she has a hotel and sort of has family issues, simple enough to pull off had it not been buried under side plots from others

yet unlike Lucifer, Charlie's niceness isn't a means to an end, it's her whole personality, whilst part of Lucifer's charm is hypnosis

we see Lucifer present in his club regularly, we don't see Charlie running a hotel

we see Lucifer helping police solve crimes, we don't see Charlie making any effort to help anyone in their rehabilitation journey, it's debatable if she even wants her friends to upgrade out of there and there's not even been a hint of interest into anyone's backstories Vaggie being a prime example even though there are those who remember being alive Mimzy, nor is there interest in their intentions Alastor or if they're suitable, does Charlie vet or troubleshoot? Surely she need to get her investigative head on if she's serious, take a leaf out of the spinoffs book that atleast opened with the assassination agency at work.

This is a big glaring issue because this is what we were sold. Attaining the hotel and starting up the business was no issue, we didn't even see it happen, but then nothing else work wise happened.

Charlie's family issues, no matter where they choose to go with her mother, have been an unnecessary late inclusion.

Once Lucifer began getting into the swing of things and we learnt more about these family issues, we would soon learn that there was no real structure, the angels were bickering siblings either sticking to what they knew or scrambling to one up one another, desperately seeking validation

daddy issues wasn't just a Lucifer problem, the mother wasn't really an issue and when daddy did show up, the god character of this world, he probably wasn't what many expected, a free spirit, loving but very out of touch parent who sees his children as adorable and doesn't like it when they fight, yet the freedom granted and lack of interference has been a major contributor to their fighting. Freedom and lack of interference has been something that has humans asking questions too. Small actions snowball.

This character was yet another in this series to effortlessly created a divide between those like humans and those who aren't.

In Hazbin we get the similar setup of a godless reality with a load of infighting as angels form structure and rules, Lucifer here is too a charismatic outcast

yet other Lucifer would place himself on earth where he probably doesn't really belong, to start working and live a different lifestyle for some time, surprisingly not in a position to lord it over the 'mere humans', not that he wanted to, Hazbin Lucifer we are told is depressed, we are guided to believe did nothing wrong though he clearly did and all is magically not a problem the moment he can impress his daughter.

Why was it that simple?

What is he really doing all day?

Where does the leadership come in?

Why doesn't anyone bring serious questions his way, like the agreed upon exterminations?

There are many demons of hell in both series's. Lucifer of the namesake tv show is neglecting his work as their leader to be on earth, there are repercussions for this as demons have tried to topple him. He also has a demon at his side bothered by his absence, who has her own journey of not getting humans and having a major mama issue, these issues are a major part of her character and get tackled.

Hazbin Lucifer is the god of his very own realm and 'his people' are former humans who he despises, which means nothing to anyone. He has been in hell since it has began, somehow not leading and there are no consequences for any actions, anything goes, killing heaven's angels? No problem.

In the other show however, two heavenly or prehistoric figures cross paths and word spreads, the characters mean something.

Lucifer picked up, however many seasons Hazbin has left, they could do with following suit and staying focused.

#hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel lucifer #Lucifer tv show #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel critique #unpopular opinion

[spotlightlowlife]

How innocent Lucifer/girl boss Lilith could work

Since it's now been decided that Lucifer has been defeated and depressed, but no less fun all these years

while Lilith thrived as soon as Lucifer's hell became a thing, and now she is being called on to step up, how could these be used to explain away

• the messy hierarchy

• the shithole that is hell

• the other six sins

• the other demons that aren't sinners

Unfortunately, blame it all on Lilith could be the solution

(it's not like there isn't form for this already).

First off, she will slot in easily to the mothers trend.

Lilith being no angel but a human, perhaps not having much power of her own outside of her prestigious marriage and no respect from the heaven borns, only really having a connection to the once human sinners and whatever few prehistoric people that are somewhere in the crowd of the abundance of new people born over millennias could be why things are such a mess?

Lucifer could easily be the equivalent of the sugar daddy (again, form on multiple occasions) who is the investor and landlord who ultimately has to be answerable for what goes on in his turf on his tab, reluctant or not.

Absolutely anything goes in this realm.

Maybe it's because the true owner doesn't want to bother and the manager can only do so much? A workplace like this tends to be chaotic and all things serious stop mattering.

Since Lilith had fame

her popularity could easily lead to some leadership since fans and maybe an entourage will look up to her and certian people in certain places may rub shoulders with her, now look into the old stories of Lilith, who was said to have left Adam to live in another part of the garden to hang out with demons and have an affair with the devil, it all cosigngs Hazbin Lilith.

Since she was able to hang with Lucifer, what if she too befriended the other six sins?

What if she's the one doing business with them?

What if they're hired middle management helping to create order out evil?

What if Lilith is one if the sins?

Though the Hazbin series focuses solely on the sinners where the pilot didn't, we all know that there are various races of demons in hell, now look at the three sins we have met, along with additional royalty Stolas and Paimon (who seems to have children of various kinds)

they don't look remotely alike, so what if the sins or other high ups like them touched down in hell with 'lesser' little demons like them?

The sinners could simply be Lucifer's reluctant responsibility because the fruit was his doing, maybe he and Lilith did cheat heaven accepted Adam or blamed and not worked upon Eve out or a god role over their descendants?

Are we supposed to believe that Lilith has no knowledge of good and evil (what the fruit historically contained)?

How true is Charlie's storybook?

What if Lilith hazbin Eve all along?

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel theory #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel lilith #Helluva boss sins