Sometimes I like to wonder if the way sinners are changed in Hazbin has any pattern. I know we have a few canon details but usually the fandom just has fun coming up with reasons changes happen to ppl in hell. Like, Ive seen ppl have fun with the idea that Alastor is a prey animal (which feels pretty intentional) and even the choice to make Angel a spider but Val a moth (like its a flip on who is dangerous and maybe a hint that Angel possesses more power later)
I really love when ppl give clever reasons for why they think something worked out that way and I like fanfictions that assert that there is some sort of system but no one can figure it out perfectly. Like Vox having TV for a face tells us to wonder about his vanity and voyeurism (and I love to joke that Alastors hair looks like that because he put too many chemicals in it while alive, like just a joke about him having burnt edges cause he kept straightening it) but I think its more fun when the trait isnt so special, such as in Vox's case.
I wouldn't want the show to ever define the rules too tightly but its fun to imagine that violence in life might contribute to being debased in an animal form, for example. (Nothing puts angst in smutt like someone writing Alastor lamenting his tortured afterlife because he's doomed to rut like an animal but is still ace. They literally made needing to fuck a punishment, its the same porn premise but now its a nightmare. the power of fanfiction written by ace ppl is unstoppable). And again, we know its not always so literal with someone's appearance in hell.
Like Husk being a cat but a little bit of a bird has always made me wonder what is actually gonna have happened in his backstory. (I know its cause her sister desgined him, but that just makes me think she will make him special more). He probably has no real feelings on cats and his punishment has more to do with not wanting to be vulnerable, small, and cute. He cant control how he purrs so he's punished to always be exposed for his feelings. Plus all we really know about him is that he is an alcoholic, genuinely loves magic tricks (this is so fucked up if you think about Alastors ability to do real "magic"), and used to "be somebody". This is why I dont think Husk is "lazy", idc if you do, I just think its a shallow read and kinda not how we should talk about someone we know had addiction issues. I think Husk is talented in a way the other cast members would kill for or has something truly special or rare about him. When you look at how some characters are given "drawbacks" (hell is indifferent) and some are given advantages it makes me wonder if they are just born into a new form that judges their life and heart or if someone like Lilith has a say. It feels like characters like Husk or Angel could be rewarded in hell if they embraced their good (identity, personaility, true selves) and not their weak points (addition, desire for power, control, ect) which makes sense if Lilith still wants hell to "resist" and rise up.
When Hazbin first came out, we had a bit in my friend group about what particular wrong doing in life results in you becoming a furry in hell because thats basically how we understood what happened to Husk. And so far the joke answer is "wasting your talent" but now Im not sure if the powers ppl get in hell ARE a punishment. Afterall, the overlords seem to be rewarded for doing evil and its clear some characters are stronger than others so something has to feed that. Like, Ive seen a million guesses as to why Alastor could have come into hell powerful: he sold his soul while alive, he made a deal with roo, he's a proper cunt, he fully embraced his nature without shame, he JUST obtains it through the collection of souls, hes the tent and the tent is him, and so on and each present a different dynamic or power system that could be present.
So yeah, defining the reasons for transformation within hell can re-establish completely differently set ups and I love when ppl play with this in their sandbox. I think Husk's gaudy pattern is meant to tell him he has to reject fear of shame and "cringe" and embrace and accept what makes him happy no matter how others see him.
