My place

But considering it's been been serveal months, and yet I still haven't seen a single other person mention this, I guess I gotta finally break the ice and be the one to start this discussion.

Baxter and Sir Pentious' former partnership/friendship is so obviously meant to be a parallel to Alastor and Vox that I immediately caught it on my first viewing of this episode. I even said it out loud during my reaction.

While Pentious is meant to be more of a parallel to Alastor and Baxter is more similar to Vox. You still can't truly say it's one to one. There's parts where I get the inverse vibes from both. I doubt Vox would find Alastor's profession "boring" back then since he was so enthusiastic with his partnership offer about combining radio and video.

While he prefers more modern things, he was willing to be open to Alastor's outdated interests at the time. And in return, Alastor was somewhat willing to be open to Vox's more modern POVs. When Vox says he's much more forward thinking, Alastor responds with a relaxed, "I'm listening, pal."

Baxter comments that Pentious was obcessed with fighting turf wars with Cherri, and with his tone it seemed to imply Baxter did not approve of this.

Baxter became more successful and while it seemed to hurt, he was willing to let Pentious go. Pentious also seemed to be completely past Baxter in the present since he barely even brings him up. However he still harbors resentful feelings for Baxter basically just leaving him behind so he could advance his career.

Meanwhile, Alastor doesn't really seem to give a shit about how Vox became more successful without him. But Alastor does still care about Vox enough to not kill him even after 70 years. And... do I even need to talk about how Vox views Alastor?

Another parallel Baxter has with Vox is finding someone new to hang out with that matches his crazy side more then his previous best friend. Baxter found Niffty, Vox found Valentino and later Velvette.

Pentious was seemingly completely alone trying to improve his scary and feared reputation all the way until the Hotel took him in. The difference is Pentious was open and willing to try to start over with one simple act of true kindness from Charlie.

Alastor is still essentially alone as he keeps pushing away any and all of others attempts fo befriend him. It's really only Niffty who he is truly comfortable with, while Charlie seems to be growing on him, her caring way more about Pentious, someone Alastor considers a nobody, when she thought he was gone compared to him, the radio demon, has clearly hurt him enough where his behavior and attitude towards her and the rest of the Hotel has become much more cold and distant.

However, there are still way more than enough parrells for this to obviously be intentional Baxter is younger and interested in newer technology, Pentious prefers older technology and doesn't want to change what he likes to work with.

Baxter also heavily pushed Pentious boundaries and advanced his techniques to the point where Pentious began to find his methods "Too violent and cruel." That part is interesting to me because unlike Baxter and Pentious, we don't have the entire Radiostatic story. We just saw the ending from Vox's POV.

Another point is Alastor speficially refers to Angel as a "Tragic viticim of circumstance," in the season 1 recap song. That means he doesn't blame Angel at all for the situation he's in and shows some level of pity. Sort of a "damn dude that fucking sucks." thing imo. Alastor won't do anything about it, nor will he lend a open ear, but somehow it's Alastor of all fucking people is the person who viticim blames Angel the least compared to basically the rest of the cast and most of the critics and even the fucking fans lmao.

It's this scene for why I hold on to the idea the fact that Alastor thinks Vox goes too far with his cruel and violent methods, too far even for him.

Since people are still debating Alastor calling Vox a "creep." I'll put my two sense on here. Vox and Alastor are both creeps and while it is a obvious plot point that Alastor IS a hypocrite, Vox is still a completely different kind of creep compared Alastor.

Alastor is sort of more the scary halloween monster sort of creepy. He's got more of a evil cryptic legend sort of creepy engery.

Vox has next to none of that. His physical appearance is much more goofy and silly the vast majority of the time. Honestly the most creepy thing about him is his full demon form. Most of his creepy aspects his from his behavior, not his physical appearance.

Vox perverted kind of creep. Vox has an excessive and obsessive surveillance setup not just on on his turf but in all of Hell. Angel says he 'gets off' watching others pain and suffering. To put it this way, not only has Vox covered pentagram city in Flock cameras, Vox also actively watches and stalksall the flock cameras, gets off to some of the stuff he sees, Vox is the CEO of the Flock company, and he can become a fuckin flock camera himself to target people.

Both of them are creeps, but in different ways.

Anyway, I'm getting off track here, but what I'm getting is that the Madsnake backstory is something that I wish more peoplent talked about, especially considering it's so obviously a parrell to the radiostatic backstoru. There's way more to the radiostatic backstory than what we currently have. And I think the madsnake backstory can be worth noting for theory crafting and speculation.

"Oh but he likes it tho!" "He poses for Vox's cameras!" Have we ever considered that he does a grand total of 0 posing after season 1? The first time Alastor and Vox "interact" in season 2 is in episode 3, where Alastor, instead of engaging Vox like he did in season 1, immediately teleports away. I think he's annoyed at how obsessed Vox is with him. He looks nothing but annoyed to be in Vox's presence.

I'm standing by the truth that Alastor is DEEPLY affected by Vox's psychosexual obsession with him

Which, by the way, VOX IS PSYCHOSEXUALLY OBSESSED WITH ALASTOR, because of his comments at the end of S1 ("Oh Alastor, I can't wait to watch you get FUCKED!" "I am so hard right now!" "Fuck you Alastor, ahahahaha, this is better than sex!"), filming him, tying him up and gagging him, drawing his ass, claiming he does not have a fail, which means he probably took the liberty to CHECK, he forced Alastor to watch him and Valentino have sex (which is a form of sexual assault, ESPECIALLY if Vox attempted to include Alastor in the sex, and keeping in mind we don't know what happened during the sex. Alastor looked extremely pissed and disgusted.) and then there's the entirety of DYFR, which has EXTREMELY rapey lyrics (my house, my rules, my room, my tools, at my mercy, cursed to watch me take it all (take Val when they were having sex) , run dry and how you look so small (which insinuates that Alastor was not only unaroused, but was actively disgusted), try to squirm and struggle and it wouldn't do a thing, master and bottomest bitch, though the radio's gone dead you know, the show must go on (Insinuating Alastor was dissociating while he and Val were going at it, or, if we take the darker path that Vox actually did rape Alastor, Alastor went limp, or fell unconscious, and Vox still continued.))...

Obviously that would affect Alastor. I'm pretty sure he's a sex-repulsed asexual. The few sexual advances made towards him have made him very very very very very uncomfortable. First Angel Dust's offer to blow him, which he was very taken aback by, Angel Dust's offer to have sex with him, which he was also disgusted by, and his entire reaction to Vox's advances in episode 4. Coming from someone who is aceflux and has times where I am sex repulsed, I mean it is physically repulsive to think about or do. And adding on the fact that he believes he is heterosexual, and does not understand his own asexuality, he is likely feeling extremely confused, disgusted, and uncomfortable with the entire situation.

So why he fuck is he the one who is blamed for it all? "He deserves it because he was mean to Vox!" EXCUSE ME? NOTHING JUSTIFIES SEXUAL ASSAULT. Yes, Alastor's rejection of Vox was extremely harsh, but that does not justify Vox ASSAULTING HIM.

Are they just as bad as each other? Yes and no. They're both extremely toxic people, and they kill and they hurt others. But towards each other? Yeah, I'd say Vox is worse.

Let's see, what has Alastor done to Vox?

Rejected him harshly, called him pathetic, weak, disappointed, embarrassing

Insulted him and poked at his reliance on the other Vees.

Fought him

Lied about him publicly and taunted him

Sliced his wires off

Threw him against a building

Threw a truck at him

Collapsed a bridge on top of him

Attacked his friends

Threatened to send him to his broadcast

Hmm, and what has Vox done to Alastor?

Threw a tantrum over him coming back, causing a city-wide blackout

Made sexual comments towards him

Called him a furry, called him gross, has a weird fixation on his "triangle ass", called his staff a dildo.

Spied on him

Openly slandered the Hotel.

Mocked him.

Fought him

Electrocuted him

Bound and gagged him

Got his friends to fight him

Paraded him around hell

Announced on live television that Alastor did not have a tail.

Drew a crude image of his tail-less behind

Went on a weird ass smoothie date with him

Forced him to watch Valentino and Vox to have sex

Flashed him

Invaded his personal space several times, particularly touching his shoulders and face

Forced him into several sexually provocative positions

Caused Alastor to drop his smile

Threatened to slit his throat

Threw him halfway across the Pentagram

Called his massive death shark, that then went on to nearly bite Alastor's arm off

Tried to kill him with an angelic cannon

Was quite literally ready to kill everyone in the vicinity just to see Alastor hurt

When i say that possibility of Vox actually raping Alastor at some point isn't zero, people start fighting back so much. "Vox would never" Except he did in every way but actual sex. "He would never hurt Alastor" He LITERALLY DID! AND DON'T YOU DARE TO SAY ALASTOR IS A MASOCHIST, IT DOESN'T WORK THE WAY YOU THINK IT IS! "He respects Alastor" WHAT??? Oh, yes, so much respect to make Alastor go on TV and claim that he basically stripped him down and saw his ass. So much respect in the entire DYF(R), where Vox was posing him and manhandling as much as he wanted. "He respected when Alastor pulled away" Except HE DIDN'T, literally less than a minute later he touches Alastor AGAIN. Istg, some shippers watch some different show.

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I personally love over the shoulder shots like this because it somehow makes the comic feel real. Like we’re actually peaking over their shoulder to see everything unfold. And the bruise and the folds in his shirt are really good and make it more real

And the eyes on the top frame are REALLY good. Best close up of his eyes in all of Elsa’s comics

Plus the sketches are SO Alastor

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Elsa did a wonderful job at showing the passage of time in these two frames. But that first one is REALLY really good. The green magic, the reflection in his eyes, his hair hiding his smile, the floating dates, the black background and the actual dates, all of it! Very cinematic <3

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I’ll never not laugh at this frame

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Elsa captures the complexity of how Alastor is feeling in that moment SO PERFECTLY. He’s not happy. He’s relieved that it’s over but he’s sad because he’s doing it to someone he used to love and care about once upon a time

And the coloring is just beautiful

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Again, the coloring and conflicted expressions are SO spot on and realistic

And weird side note…I loved the way Elsa drew his teeth. I don’t know why but it feels the most natural out of all the comics/artists I’ve seen that show his mouth open and all his side teeth

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Boy what a frame. The colors, the shading, the expression, the stitches. Beautifully capturing the radio demon with a personal conflict

I’m doing IF (Incompatible Frequencies) WARNING! Please read the labels and trigger warnings for this comic.

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First off, THIS was my favorite frame because after all the abuse we see Alastor go through, it was so nice to see him be the big scary Radio Demon again. Like YES, let me see more of that side of him

Also the broski thing was hilarious when you said you didn’t realize at first 😂

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Next, this frame is just straight up artistically wonderful and scary at the same time. No expressions needed.

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I love Alastor’s “bitch excuse me” face

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The cute faces of course

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I liked seeing Alastor focused on something. It’s really nice when we’re observing him “without him knowing we’re there” kinda thing. Without him looking at the camera. And I know this is after a tense moment, but it’s simple and Elsa really captures his whole character in this one frame

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Saving the best for last. He looks SO attractive in this pose. Especially after giving Vox a lesson and literally stepping on him. About damn time

1. Yes! This scene was part of the first draft and i didn't change it a bit since then. Alastor is really strong and still can hide his feelings very well to the point where by the outsider HE is seen as the bad guy. Of course his reputation adding to it. But basically this scene is supposed to show that Alastor is still Alastor despite all the abuse and we only see him crying and expressing how hurt he is because the comic is Alastor's pov, unlike in the show, where we don't get to peek into his head and heart.

But media illiterate morons will still scream how Alastor is a cry baby here and blah blah blah. Cough. Sorry. Sore spot.

Last moment mentioned is also from the original draft but the perspective of the shot was changed. Originally point of view was straight forward or even slightly above and Alastor's pose was less confident. But i changed it, because it wasn't conveying the right emotion. I didn't realize how much of a thirst trap this will end up to be LOL. what do you want from me, I'm ace!

I know you said include more than IF but this is just such a masterpiece how can I not! I might make another post for another comic.

more under cut, because it kinda got long too lol

Yes aromantics CAN still be in a romantic relationship.

~BUT~

If I say I'm aroace and/because I don't want either of those things, your first reaction shouldn't be to tell me I can still have them. I understand that people CAN, but they can also choose not to. Let people have their own reasons for identifying with labels. If I don't want sex or romance because I'm aroace, I should be allowed to say that without people using sex/romance favorability to invalidate my identity. That's not helpful. I don't need to be told I CAN date when I just told someone why I can't.

If I make a point about how not being able to be in relationships or not being able to feel the things other people do makes me feel isolated, your first reaction shouldn't be "but you can though."

Sure, I could, but I'm sure both me and the other person involved would be miserable. Just because I sometimes wish I could doesn't mean you can use an identity I don't belong to as an excuse to invalidate me.

I am not sex-favorable. I am not romance-favorable. This was not my choice. I have accepted that I will never be in a romantic or sexual relationship. But some people like me haven't. And we need to stop collectively treating them like they can just become sex/romance-favorable if they try hard enough.

Another thing is how my identity is pitted against those who are favorable. It's really sad, because it's not my fault some people use me to invalidate them, and it's not their fault people use them to invalidate me, and we need to stop pretending like it is.

I think a lot of the aro/ace community's problems would be solved if we just treated sex and romance like they were just another thing people do sometimes. You can have them, but they shouldn't be EVERYWHERE and you should be able to avoid them if you want. Like yes, you can have sex/romance and engage with material like that, because it's just a thing people do sometimes. And yes, you can block one or two tags and not have to see that stuff, because for YOU, it's gross and uninviting, but it's just a thing people do sometimes.

SEX IS OPTIONAL, RELATIONSHIPS ARE OPTIONAL, AND IF SOMEONE DOESN'T WANT TO HAVE THEM, THAT'S NONE OF YALL FUCKING BUSINESS!!!! WE DON'T SUFFER FROM NOT HAVING IT IN OUR LIFES! And aro/aces who are sad about not being attracted to anyone are victims of internalized aphobia! If they weren't pitied for not havingvit, or had examples of people living happily on their own without having relationships, they would be fine with it (This is why representation is important)

I'm so tired or "aces can have sex" Yeah, tgey can, because it's basic biological thing that any human body can do. It doesn't mean that the owner of the said body wants to.

"Asexuality is a spectrum", an I'm on the end that doesn't want to fuck like, never.

@elsa-fogen I know you said expressions but I actually want to talk about this little part of there dynamic.

These 2 parts where they basically go 'You can't be mean to me I'm just a baby." To eachouther.

Which yes Alastor is actually just a baby and Vox us being evil evil man but Alastor is still actively trying to weponize how cute he is aginst Vox. Vox is also like if I just give big puppy dog eyes everything will be ok.

And I like this most becuse this is something we see them both do in the show but like not to eachouther at the same time.

Alastor does it to Charlie befor they make there deal and abit to Rosie befor he lost his composure and then don't you forget. Vox does it mostly to Val especially after Vox populi to get out of trouble. He also does it when he's trying to play nice with Charlie. They both think Charlies bleeding heart will fall for there big puppy eyes.

I think whats worse or better depending on how you look at it is this is when there like both being genuine. Moments before disaster am I right. Anyways there one moments of almost healthy communication where there still being a little manipulative and it ends terrible. That's great I like it really cooked with that one.

Also, I'm WEAK to imagery of Vox holding Alastor in his arms, especially like here, it's just UGH 💔💔💖 and Al here looks so fragile too... One of my favorite frames from the whole comic.

I have been challenged.

Yapping ↓

Okay I don't have a favorite frame, but I love the headcanon that Alastor absolutely hates paperwork.

It doesn't entertain him at all, like people who also don't entertain him, he tries to avoid it. I can't find the post but I love that whole exchange between him and Carmilla. The fact that he most likely didn't have an education so he had to learn how to write because of racism in the 1930s. Also how he reasonably gets offended when people get mad they can't read it because he had to teach himself.

Arghhhh it's my favorite headcanon and I wish more people drew it/talked about it!!

Also this whole exchange in IF au!!

(All art is done by @elsa-fogen)

How she's concerned because he isn't saying the paperwork is horrible and boring because something is clearly wrong.

It's amazing. Anyways fangirling over.

Well, technically Carmilla forced him to learn, since she's a documentation demon LOL

At some point she was just being petty (because Alastor was in his "feral" phase) (and she started enjoying ragebaiting him lol) and she was finding reasons to not accept Alastor's papers... So he started making 2 versions, one perfect, one with some obvious mistake that Carmilla could point out. Few years later Carmilla figured out this scheme and said to Alastor that he can give her the normal version of his papers right away, she'll stop studying them under a microscope. That was the end of the great Paper war between Alastor and Carmilla