HOLD MY HAND

I have a very strong opinion on the matter, and it is this: they didn't punish them adequately for what they did. Jack and Myron were extremely spoiled, Alma says so right in the first book. She says that's probably what ruined them.

I imagine that Miss A and Miss B were perhaps too nice to her brothers to compensate for the two of them being "less special." They probably only studied at the Ymbryne Academy because they wanted to see if they would be the first male Ymbrynes, but they weren't. So, to avoid feeling inferior, they were extremely spoiled.

Caul thinks Alma is privileged because she doesn't see her own privileges, or hates them precisely because they are a consolation prize.

In short, Caul and Bentham provoked Alma away from the eyes of the older ymbrynes, and when they were discovered they received ridiculously light punishments, from which they learned nothing.

Lucifer is the first character who fundamentally disrupts Alastor’s understanding of relationships. He has always understood relationships as something functional. He offers a service. He creates value. He becomes useful. That’s the pattern…

With Charlie, the “friendship” begins with him offering his power to the hotel.

With Vox, the dynamic revolved around ambition, influence, domination… partnership as leverage

With Mimzy, we see emotional attachment tangled in chaos, dependency and instability.

With Rosie, the dynamic is clearly structured and hierarchical. He is bound, limited, used.

With Husk, the dynamic is explicitly contractual. Husk is literally bound to him. Even when there are hints of reluctant understanding between them, the foundation is still ownership and control.

Alastor is not simply comfortable when he has something to provide…he is traumatically comfortable. Power, strategy, protection, influence… these aren’t just skills. They are coping mechanisms. Providing something gives him structure. Structure gives him control. And control feels like safety. And Lucifer… Lucifer is the first real disruption of that system…

Lucifer does not need him.

Lucifer openly belittles him.

Lucifer calls him useless.

And that’s huge… For the first time, Alastor stands in front of someone where he cannot insert himself through utility. There is no transactional entry point. No obvious “deal.” No leverage. That’s destabilizing. But here’s where it becomes even more interesting post-Season 2.

And that is familiar territory…. If you’ve read my theory about what Alastor might want from Lucifer now… whether that’s access to his power, his blood, a strategic alliance, or even positioning himself as something like an executioner acting where Lucifer cannot… then you can see how this fits the pattern. If Lucifer needs protection, strategy, power, solutions - Alastor has a foothold again. A safe one. Because transactional closeness is something he understands. It feels stable. It feels controlled. But that’s where our Radioapple becomes psychologically fascinating.

Because what happens if it doesn’t stay transactional again? What happens if Lucifer disrupts that pattern instead of fitting into it?… We’ve already seen hints that Alastor is capable of attachment: his protectiveness toward Niffty, his selective loyalty, even the emotional crack in his reaction to certain threats. He is not incapable of feeling. He is emotionally guarded

Lucifer, however, doesn’t operate from need in the same way others do. And if their dynamic evolves beyond function… beyond “I need you for this”… then Alastor loses the structure he relies on. And that is terrifying for him. Because connection cannot be controlled.

That’s why this relationship is narratively explosive. Not because it’s guaranteed romance. But because Lucifer is the first character positioned to both fit into Alastor’s transactional model… and potentially dismantle it. It’s interesting because it challenges the core defense mechanism Alastor has built his entire identity around.

And that’s the kind of long-arc disruption that actually changes a character. If a relationship is powerful enough to destabilize someone’s core defense system, it has the potential to redefine them entirely. And that kind of arc is rarely meaningless. Long story short, fellow Radioapple enthusiasts… we’re either doomed or about to witness the most narratively insane slow-burn… Yeah…we might be absolutely cooked. But if this actually reaches its full arc potential? It could become the most devastatingly well-written relationship in the entire Hellaverse.

Someone theorized that Rosie was the Morningstars’ nanny. The fact that we have more and more evidence she’s not a Sinner, her vibe literally constantly being compared to and based on Mary Poppins (the most famous nanny ever, arguably), being protective of Charlie etc. It would allow her to be close to the Morningstars without, like, literally being Eve or whatever else everyone thinks.

And initially I was like oh yeah that’d be cool but now I’m locked the fuck in on it because first of all I don’t want Rosie to be Someone Else I want her to be her but I definitely think she’s not a Sinner. And I was thinking— who the fuck was human Alastor trying to summon to speak with? Just anyone? Or the Devil himself? Either way, I was thinking and holy shit, was Rosie Lucifer’s secretary? I’m deadass. She was ready to go with that pitch of “what do you want” to Al, she’d clearly done it MANY times before, and the odds that really That Many people are reaching out to Hell via summons circles and somehow coincidentally all ending up on Rosie’s radar… no, she does this. For a living, I feel. We haven’t seen anyone else be able to contact the mortal world, but we know high-level Hellborn can (under the presumed authority of Lucifer or the other sins e.g. Asmodeus’s crystals) and if humans were able to contact sinners I think there’d be a lot more Bullshit going on just in general (imagine doing a summons circle for fuckin. Genghis Khan. I’m sure someone would). No, I think Hell has a system for it, and having a wonderfully polite unsettling skeleton-doll-whatever-you-wanna-say woman managing some or all of your extensive busywork (yes, I’d count helping raise Charlie under that too 😔) has to be at least good for vibes. When Charlie grew up or Lilith started getting more powerful or the two broke up or some other catalyst, she simply settled back full time into her own little neighborhood of dead puppets (with a statue of the Morningstars!!! Near the center of the city if I have any bearings right!!!) and sent her favorite pet on some wild goose chases. How quaint!

So, the scene where Alastor gets free of his Deals with Rosie and Vox has been bothering me since I first watched "Curtain Call" at 4 am this morning.

For one, why did Charlie saying Vox is the most powerful break his Deal with Rosie?

What does her words change in this situation? Like, if Vox is more powerful, then he's more powerful, regardless of what Charlie says, right? It's not like there seems to be any magic involved other than Alastor using the Favor she gave him. Vox himself has been saying he's more powerful than Alastor for a while, so it's not like they just needed someone's verbal confirmation. And there's a significant delay between Charlie's words and the leash around Alastor's neck vanishing.

I was trying to figure this out all day. Maybe he needed the ego boost to transform into demon mode, and that was what tipped him over the edge to being the strongest sinner? But even then, there's this still a delay between Vox transforming and the collar vanishing.

Additionally, if Alastor's Deal with Rosie was broken, then how did he still have his power? My understanding of Deal Magic is that if the Deal is broken, it's broken. Neither side seems to keep what they got. Why would Alastor get to keep his power for free?

But what if Charlie didn't break Alastor's Deal with Rosie? What if she completed it?

Let's go through the scene again.

Charlie says: "Vox is the strongest sinner in Hell"

Then, we cut to three separate reaction shots where the people of Hell cheer.

The delay for those three reaction shots can be explained by them occurring simultaneously, and if the next shot was Alastor's leash vanishing, then I wouldn't have thought this much about it.

But the next shot is actually Vox and Charlie. Vox laughs maniacally, then transforms, screaming "Oh, yeah!"

Then Vox delivers another line of dialogue: "Look, Princess! Hell's finally listening to you!"

Only THEN do we cut to Alastor, with the collar breaking.

And not just Alastor, but Rosie, too.

Why include Rosie here? Specifically like this? The collar around Alastor's throat broke, but we don't actually see anything on Rosie's end that looks broken. And the sound effect at this bit isn't the sound of something shattering or breaking. Listen.

There's a sort of magical "ting!" as the collar breaks, and a dramatic "thrum!" when Rosie's eyes flash.

The time delay between Charlie's line and Alastor's collar breaking is 18 seconds.

The delay between Vox saying that Hell is listening to Charlie and the collar breaking is less than a second.

What if the task Alastor was supposed to complete for Rosie was making Hell listen to Charlie? At least three separate times in this episode, we are reminded about Alastor's cunning specifically when it comes to words and Deals.

Right after this when Alastor escapes Vox's captivity is the first reminder.

Vox: "Fucking wordplay?! You tricked me with a fucking technicality?! Seriously?!" Alastor: "Mmm... it worked, didn't it? Baby, I'm a demon in Hell! It's kind of our thing!"

Then, Rosie reminds us twice in her and Alastor's part of "Hear My Hope." "Why don't you help them, you double-dealing manipulator?" and "I will not reward a snake like you."

On that note, Rosie seems angry with him here. Like she didn't get what she wanted.Like, perhaps, she wanted him to help Charlie, but he used her phrasing to his advantage to free himself without actually having to help that much.

Even when he came to the Emporium to tell him he had quite the hotel and basically threatened her, she didn't get angry.

And apparently, Rosie cares about "them" (unclear whether that's just Charlie and those closest to her, the entire hotel, or more. Alastor's shadows showed Emily, Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, Angel Dust, and Niffty dying when he said that).

Remember Alastor's lines in "Finale." "The constraints of my Deal surely have a back door." I think this was the back door. A way to technically fulfill his end of the bargain and free himself now.

Been thinking a lot about the Radiotrio and their various allusions, with how they intersect with one another in their narratives, and I kinda got kickstarted by @aspoonofsugar pondering Niffty’s ghibli allusions and ended up going down the rabbit hole with all three of them, so, enjoy.

Husk and Alastor sharing Dr Facilier:

Keith David voices Husk, the same voice as Dr Facilier, from the Princess and the Frog, who Alastor appears to allude to. He makes deals and tricks others, yet is frustrated that they are those with more power than him. He has a shadow self and can seemingly control shadows:

And we get confirmation from S2 that Alastor is even from New Orleans (where the Princess and the Frog takes place):

And that he had “friends on the other side” (Rosie):

But Husk is Alastor’s shadow self he needs to integrate with as the parts of himself he is repressing, aka an overlord who is bound to someone more powerful than them, abused and looked down on as a pet, and a “loser”

“Big talk from someone whose also on a fucking leash” 

Has me thinking how they expanded on this a little in S2, actually even before that in the S1 recap song, where Alastor has this to say about Husk’s song Loser, Baby:

“He and Husk had a heart to heart…”

“Did anyone actually like this part?” 

Oh yeah the song about embracing your weaknesses and flaws Alastor? And empathising and forming meaningful bonds with others in sharing those vulnerabilities? Does that kind of song bother you, Alastor? Hmmmmm I wonder why. 

Then again in the S2EP1, with Husk being the one to prompt Alastor to help Charlie out, with Alastor refusing:

[Husk turns to Alastor, annoyed.]

Husk: Alastor, shouldn't you help her?

Alastor: Should I? Perhaps. Will I? No. Do I enjoy being difficult? [turns his head, 180 degrees towards Charlie, his eyes turn into radio dials, the area around him darkening slightly] Most definitely.

…as following the S1 finale, where Alastor was spiralling, horrified to have nearly died in the altruistic act of saving his friends, to have risked getting hurt in the process of getting close to others and caring about them (“great Alastor altruist died for his friends, sorry to disappoint, that is not where this ends!”), we see in S2 is desperately trying to repress the bonds he has with others (especially present with how he projects that onto Vox). So it’s fitting that Husk, who represents the side of Alastor he is trying to repress and ignore, is trying to encourage him to help Charlie, with Alastor ignoring him.

Niffty as various ghibli movies (Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle):

Since her song Clean it Up! With Nifty singing in japanese and being animated in chibi anime format, I have been pondering Niffty alluding to ghibli movies and their implications to her character and the story.

The most obvious one is her riding on her cleaning broom like Kiki in Kiki’s delivery service, Nifty blending the points between maid, witch and magical girl.

Kiki’s story is about a girl struggling to grow up, and still holding on to your passions even when you become discouraged or lose sight of what made you love it in the first place. This feels fitting for this allusion to appear in Nifty’s song Clean it Up! As it is one where she is trying to help Charlie, who herself is a child trying to grow up and who in S2 spirals and loses sight of her dream, becoming obsessed with how she is seen by others and wanting to prove them wrong. And in the process her pride blinds her to her dreams and she ends up hurting the people around her. When Kiki herself starts becoming self conscious and her confidence is shaken, unable to have faith in herself, she can no longer use her magic to fly to help others, which is equated to a creative slump by an artist, who gives her advice: 

Ursula: When I was your age, I decided to become an artist. I loved to paint so much… I’d paint all day until I fell asleep right at my easel. And then one day, for some reason, I just couldn’t paint anymore. I tried and tried, but nothing I did seemed any good. They were copies of paintings I’d seen somewhere before, and not very good copies either. I just felt like I’d lost my ability. 

Kiki: That sounds like me.

(Charlie trying to “copy” Pentious’ redemption with Angel Dust in Speedrun to Redemption, to no avail)

Ursula: It’s exactly the same! But then I found the answer. You see, I hadn’t figured out what or why I wanted to paint. I had to discover my own style. When you fly, you rely on what’s inside you, don’t you? 

Kiki: Uh-huh. We fly with our spirits. 

Ursula: Trusting your spirit! Yes, yes! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! That same spirit is what makes me paint and makes your friend bake. But we each need to find our own inspiration, Kiki. Sometimes it’s not easy. 

(Charlie realises every redemption is unique to the individual)

Kiki: I guess I never gave much thought as to why I wanted to do this. I got so caught up in all the training and stuff. Maybe I have to find my own inspiration… But am I ever gonna find it? And is it worth all the trouble?

(Charlie’s reasons for starting the hotel and helping sinners find redemption being intertwined with her parent’s legacy, and still struggling to grow up into her own person)

Ursula: Well, for example, there were quite a few times when I thought about painting something over that painting. 

Kiki: But it ended up being so great! 

Ursula: So I guess it’s worth it. 

She also loses the ability to talk to her cat Jiji, who Miyazaki said is meant to represent her more innocent, childish side. Similarly, Nifty represents the inner child within the story of Hazbin, and Charlie has trouble understanding her during her song where she sings in Japanese, the parts that are the most important for Charlie to hear that represents the core of her dreams and goals with the Hazbin Hotel.  Both Kiki and Charlie lose sight of their passions and dreams, but luckily Charlie has her own witch that tries to remind her of them! (even if she can’t understand her at the time lmao)

Her introduction scene in the pilot also brings a few other ghibli allusions to mind tbh, since she is summoned from the fireplace like a magical familiar by Alastor to do his bidding, which mainly makes me think of Howl’s Moving Castle with Calcifer as Howl’s familiar, a powerful fire demon beholden to a contract with him, one who… pretty much keeps his castle moving and functioning. 

Nifty herself is an overlord, making her a powerful demon, but like Husk her soul belongs to Alastor and she works tirelessly to clean the hotel. 

Also the note Alastor leaves for Nifty to tell her to not clean up his messy pot of human remains. 

Absolutely a very Howl thing to do, when Sophie, the main character also under a curse, works tirelessly to clean his castle and Howl gets upset when she cleans things that should be just left alone (mixing up his potion bottles, getting rid of the spiders, etc). Calcifer is also revealed to be Howl’s heart towards the end of the story, with the message “a heart’s a heavy burden”. Howl is “the man without a heart” who has his heart returned to him by the end of the story. This makes me think of Alastor’s character, who tries to negate all his bonds with others, and whose arc will likely be about embracing his care for others and being vulnerable, aka showing and accepting his own heart. Niffty is the closest we see to Alastor, who acts heartless and like he doesn’t care for anyone, openly caring for someone else, and her embodying the inner child archetype, one could call Nifty Alastor’s “heart” the way Calcifer is for Howl, that he needs to embrace.

She also appears as small and soot covered at first, which reminds me of the soot sprites that appear in Spirited Away (the below image also reminds me of when Niffty is swarmed by her cockroaches)

Spirited Away takes place in a bath house where spirits stay to unwind and cleanse themselves, to clean themselves via the baths, and Chihiro the protagonist has to clean the baths as part of her work there while she tries to save her parents and reclaim her name. I’ve talked about it in this analysis but Nifty’s song Clean it Up! Acts a metaphor for how redemption is akin to embracing and cleaning up the mess/flaws of oneself. 

One of the scenes in Spirited Away has the protagonist Chihiro having to face an incredibly disgusting Stink Spirit. Not turning them away and instead confronting their mess head on despite its unpleasantness is essential to helping said spirit be cleansed, who is revealed to be a polluted river spirit in desperate need of help, but because of their stink, no one was willing to get close enough to help them. This is something Charlie needs to internalise if she is going to help sinners find the roots of the problems they’re dealing with and work through them. It might be messy and unpleasant and hard work, just like with Chihiro, but it is necessary to clean it up. 

Husk as the Cat from Coraline:

This is the thinnest one here so I’m heading into theory town now, so buckle up. The main thread is Keith David voicing another cat in Coraline, one who is at first simply an outside observer who is incredibly insightful, but mostly apathetic and aloof to the plight of our protagonist to begin with. 

The cat in Coraline knows the true nature of the otherworld Coraline is in, with the other parents, specifically the Beldam, wanting her as her own to keep. …And to eat. (something something cannibalism and toxic possessive love overlapping with one another.)

Coraline: But why? Why does she want me?

The Cat: She wants something to love… I think. Something that isn’t her. Or maybe… she’d just love something to eat.

 Coraline: Eat?! That’s ridiculous… Mothers don’t eat daughters…

The Cat: I don’t know… how do you taste? *chuckles*

Which makes me think of Rosie, the cannibal queen, and the likelihood of her being Roo (who is said to drink human blood) in disguise. And her being Charlie’s “other mother”. 

(...I don’t know if I entirely buy into this theory, but some have speculated that Eve/Rosie/Roo disguised themselves as Lilith in the past while taking care of Charlie, which is why we don’t see Lilith’s face or eyes, and her hair appears different than compared to when we see her in heaven. Well, I suppose Rosie is based on Mary Poppins who is a magical nanny who takes care of other’s children… *shrugs*)

Both Charlie and Coraline are given a set of other parents in their stories. With Charlie, it is Alastor and Rosie.

 In Coraline she is spied upon by Beldam's “eyes” specifically, the eyes of the dolls. It is through these eyes she sees the unhappiness of Coraline and the ways she is being neglected by her parents, and is able to know exactly what to offer Coraline to tempt her, presenting themselves as the better parents.

Other Bobinsky: You think winning game is good thing? You'll just go home and be bored and neglected, same as always. Stay here with us. We will listen to you and laugh with you. [Coraline enters the tent] If you stay here, you can have whatever you want. Always!

…which is exactly what Alastor does in “Hell’s Greatest Dad”: 

 In Hell, there are many red eyes that are theorised to be the eyes of Roo that she spies on everyone through, and noticeably there are many within the hotel, especially Charlie’s own bedroom. In the S2 finale when she says to Lilith “I wish you could see all this Mom” we see the eyes following Charlie in the background. As if to convey that while her real mother is not there, her “other mother” is always watching her. 

In the pilot right after Charlie has finished her voice message to Lilith, yet again being ignored by her mother and also expressing her father’s lack of belief in her and her dream, as if in response to this she is immediately sent her “other father”, Alastor. Like someone was observing Charlie and knew exactly what she needed and wanted, a parental figure that was present to give her the support she craved. And both Charlie and Coraline know there’s something suspicious about the nature of it all and are initially cautious, even though they are amazed by what’s being offered to them. 

Charlie: Okay, so, Al. You're sketchy as fuck and you clearly see what I'm trying to do here as a joke.

[As Charlie turns away, glowing red symbols start to appear beside Alastor which quickly disappear after Charlie turns back to Alastor.]

Charlie: But, I don't. I think everyone deserves a chance to prove they can be better. So, I'm taking your offer to help. On the condition that there be no... *makes gestures with hands* tricks or voodoo strings attached. [Alastor rolls his eyes at that last statement.]

Alastor: So, it's a deal, then?

[He twirls his mic staff and presents his hand for a handshake as green energy bursts throughout the hotel.]

Charlie: *refusing his handshake* Nope! No shaking! No deals! I... hmm... As princess of Hell and heir to the throne, I, uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel. For as long as you desire.

Coraline: I didn't know I had another mother.

Other Mother: Of course you do. Everyone does.

Coraline: Really?

Other Mother: Uh-huh. And as soon as you're through eating, I thought we'd play a game.

Coraline: You mean like hide-and-seek?

Other Mother: Perfect. Hide-and-seek in the rain.

Coraline: What rain?

[Suddenly, lightning flashes and rain pours outside.]

Coraline: What about the mud?

Other Father: We love mud here.

Other Mother: Mud facials, mud baths, mud pies. It's great for poison oak.

Coraline: How'd you know I... I... I'd love to play, but I better get home to my other mother.

Other Mother: But I'm your other mother.

Coraline: I mean my other, other mother. Mom number one? I think I should get to bed.

Other Mother: Of course, sweetheart. It's all made up.

But their growing frustrations with their own parents drives them back to their other parents in time, until it is too late to realise the trap they are caught in. 

Coraline: I almost fell down a well yesterday, Mom.

Mel: Uh-huh.

Coraline: I would've died.

Mel: That's nice.

Coraline: Hmm. So, can I go out? I think it's perfect weather for gardening.

Mel: No, Coraline. Rain makes mud. Mud makes a mess.

Coraline: But, Mom, I want stuff growing when my friends come to visit. Isn't that why we moved here?

Mel: Something like that. But then we had the accident.

Coraline: It wasn't my fault you hit that truck.

Mel: I never said it was.

Coraline: I can't believe it. You and Dad get paid to write about plants, and you hate dirt.

Mel: Coraline, I don't have time for you right now, and you still have unpacking to do. Lots of unpacking.

Coraline: (sarcastic) That sounds exciting!

Mel: Put them back.

Coraline: But, Mom, the whole school's gonna wear boring gray clothes. No one will have these.

Mel: Put them back.

Coraline: My other mother would get them.

Mel: Maybe she should buy all your clothes.

Lucifer: Mhm, ya see? What I tell ya? Charlie, sinners are violent psychopaths, hell bent on causing as much pain and destruction as they can. There's really no point in trying.

Charlie: Dad, stop! He's defending this hotel! *turning to see Alastor eating a mafia loan shark* It may be a bit more sadistic than I'd hoped, but he's doing it for me! How come he can have faith in me but my own father can't?

The other father is also being controlled by the other mother, like Alastor is by Rosie:

...but the Other Father still tries to warn Coraline right from the start with his song about the Other Mother wanting to possess/control/consume Coraline, and about how she is being watched and manipulated: 

Other Father: Hello, Coraline. Wanna hear my new song?

Coraline: My father can't play piano.

Other Father: No need to.

[Mechanical hands appear from the piano, surprising Coraline.]

Other Father: This piano plays me.

[The hands pilot the Other Father to play a lively tune on his piano.]

Other Father: (sings) Making up a song about Coraline. She's a peach, she's a doll, she's a pal of mine. She's as cute as a button in the eyes of everyone who ever laid their eyes on Coraline. When she comes around exploring, Mom and I will never, ever make it boring. Our eyes will be on Coraline.

Which I honestly think Alastor will try to do in the future as he does seem to have some genuine care for Charlie, though he tries to repress it

Charlie: All you do is stand there, smiling while you watch us struggle and fail. I don't know how you can enjoy all this suffering so much.

[Alastor stands up, wraps his fingers on Charlie's shoulder while chuckling.]

Alastor: *Chuckles* Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath.

[Alastor lets go of Charlie.]

Alastor: *Grabs Charlie's face with his hand and makes her smile* A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control.

The other mother also stitches a smile into Wybie’s face, similar to how there are stitches in Alastor’s face that keep his ever present grin, so he is unable to express how he really feels. 

Coraline: You're awful cheerful considering you can't say anything. It didn't hurt, did it, when she...

Other Father: All will be swell, as soon as Mother's refreshed. Her strength is our strength. [the hands popped up grabbed his mouth and shook a finger] Mustn't talk when Mother's not here.

Coraline: If you won't even talk to me, I'm gonna find the other Wybie. He'll help me.

Other Father: No point. He pulled a long face, and Mother didn't like it.

[The piano pops out again, aggressively shuts his mouth and spins him away from Coraline. Terrified, Coraline leaves the house.]

Another thing is that during the last confrontation with the Beldam, Coraline throws the cat at her face as a distraction so she can save her parents and escape back to the real world. Which reminds me of how Nifty picks up Husk and throws him at Velvette’s face to fight her. 

Additionally there’s Rosie’s eyes being black like the button eyes:

 Alastor’s transformation being similar to the Beldam’s transformation:

the same finger tapping:

…and an emphasis on playing games unfairly in order to take away the freedom of others and possess them:

Cat: You know, you're walking right into her trap.

Coraline: I have to go back. They are my parents.

Cat: Challenge her, then. She may not play fair, but she won't refuse. She's got a thing for games.

Wybie grandma's sister: Be clever, miss. Even if you win, she'll never let you go!

The Cat seems to prize his freedom and agency, which the Beldam hates, (since she represents control and power over others) with the two stuck playing a game of cat and mouse: 

Cat: No, I'm not the other anything. I'm me.

Coraline: Um... I can see you don't have button eyes, but if you're the same cat, how can you talk?

Cat: I just can.

Coraline: Cats don't talk at home.

Cat: No?

Coraline: Nope.

Cat: Well, you're clearly the expert on these things. After all, I'm just a big fat wuss puss.

Coraline: Come back. Please? I'm sorry I called you that. I really am. How'd you get here?

Cat: I've been coming here for a while. It's a game we play. She hates cats and tries to keep me out, but she can't, of course. I come and go as I please.

Coraline: [confused] The other mother hates cats?

Cat: Not like any mother I've ever known.

 While in Hazbin Husk is a cat who has lost his freedom and agency in playing too many games, with him gambling against Alastor (who like the Beldam wants to have control and power over others) and losing his soul to him.

And I do wonder how much Husk knows about what Alastor and Rosie are scheming, since he knows Alastor’s soul is owned, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows that Rosie owns it:

Husk: I mean… you've been gone a while, and it's not like anybody knows why.

Alastor: They don't need to know, and don't you worry your fuzzy head about it.

{Alastor rubs Husk's ears which angers him.]

Husk: *growls* You may own my soul, but I ain't your fucking pet!

Alastor: *chuckles* But you are! Haha!

[Alastor turns around to join back with the tour.]

Husk: *whispering* Big talk for someone who's also on a leash.

The wording of “and it’s not like anyone knows why” in regards to Alastor disappearing (for seven years) at Rosie’s request implies Husk does know what Alastor was doing during that time. 

That last picture took wayyyy longer than i expected. Like, last picture took the same amount of time as all the previous lol

UMM ANYWAY, CONTEXT, i was like, thinking about something and like. Why Alastor was so sure that Vox wouldn't go overboard with him, having Alastor in his hands after 70 years of obsession? And then it hit me. Because he knows it. Because that happened at some point in the past. Vox had Alastor under his control, could do whatever he pleased... and yet, didn't cross the line. Of course, it left him hurt and traumatized, but it didn't break him. He managed to heal enough to face Vox again and keep his cools. But still, Alastor has this part of him, hurting from that and being scared that this would repeat. And he had to reassure this part that he would be fine...

this can also apply to the fandom overall not just shippers

Alastor is treated similar to how a lot people treat woman in fiction and real life.

I want to start this post with a bit of context before getting into specific ships and how shippers tend to depict Alastor. I’ve never really liked most Alastor ships. I’m very attached to him as a character, and anything that feels too out of character immediately loses me. To me, almost all Alastor ships especially when they’re framed as mutually romantic or sexual feel like mischaracterization.

That said, there’s been something else bothering me beyond just “this feels OOC.” While watching how Alastor is depicted in certain ships and how people interpret him, I kept feeling unsettled in a way I couldn’t fully articulate. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what, specifically, I disliked. It took me about 2 years (since season 1) to finally understand it and it turns out it wasn’t just mischaracterization that made these ships uncomfortable to me.

A lot of Alastor shipping content doesn’t engage with him as a subject. Instead, he becomes:

A status symbol (“look who I paired him with”)

A reward

A moral trophy

Or an aesthetic (voice, smile, suit, power)

These are accessory treatment.

In fiction, this has historically happened to women:

Their inner lives are irrelevant unless they serve a romance

Their trauma is “flavor”

Their boundaries are ignored because desire overrides consent

Their personality is flattened to traits that please the viewer

YES

this can also apply to the fandom overall not just shippers

Alastor is treated similar to how a lot people treat woman in fiction and real life.

I want to start this post with a bit of context before getting into specific ships and how shippers tend to depict Alastor. I’ve never really liked most Alastor ships. I’m very attached to him as a character, and anything that feels too out of character immediately loses me. To me, almost all Alastor ships especially when they’re framed as mutually romantic or sexual feel like mischaracterization.

That said, there’s been something else bothering me beyond just “this feels OOC.” While watching how Alastor is depicted in certain ships and how people interpret him, I kept feeling unsettled in a way I couldn’t fully articulate. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what, specifically, I disliked. It took me about 2 years (since season 1) to finally understand it and it turns out it wasn’t just mischaracterization that made these ships uncomfortable to me.

A lot of Alastor shipping content doesn’t engage with him as a subject. Instead, he becomes:

A status symbol (“look who I paired him with”)

A reward

A moral trophy

Or an aesthetic (voice, smile, suit, power)

These are accessory treatment.

In fiction, this has historically happened to women:

Their inner lives are irrelevant unless they serve a romance

Their trauma is “flavor”

Their boundaries are ignored because desire overrides consent

Their personality is flattened to traits that please the viewer

feel free to add any character, I fw all vincent ships and he'd simp for anyone ❤️

POV you gotta climb a little higher to the top of the displaaaay

Yes. It IS that deep.

This is a CannibalStatic AU that takes place in the 50's, where Alastor is a transgender man who's been forced to live as a woman and has decided to temporarily be a nurse as it was one of the few jobs available for him; He summons a demon with the purpose of [REDACTED], and in the end, they start to bond and learn they have a lot in common as they slowly learn about their own queer identities and fall inlove!

Not even a little, Vox?