In Defense of Sub!Vox ⋆˚꩜｡ | A Character Analysis
Alt title: VOX IS ACTUALLY SUBMISSIVE AND HERE IS PROOF!!!!
DISCLAIMER! I already tried to write this but it all got deleted; the first version is probably better but this is a subject I like to yap about so take these scraps to make up for it.
If you’re new here, Hi, i’m Ellie and this blog is basically just about dominating the dominant. This last season of Hazbin has established Vox as a power-loving maniac top, but I think this is the less interesting role he can take in the bedroom.
Him being submissive can also be just as in-character as him being dominant. Let me explain.
001 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Vox is a violent, manipulative psychopath. Most likely, he has some form of ASPD (Antisocial personality disorder), or best case scenario a deadly NPD and BPD combo. Needless to say, his nature and mental health impair his empathy to extreme levels, making his biggest priority himself in every situation.
Everything he does is to further himself, whether it’s compromising his two longest remaining friendships to reach godhood, or killing his competitors in cold blood for better positions. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants out of pure obsession, despite any costs.
002 VOX’S RELATIONSHIPS
And yet, Vox does have relationships, as self-centered as he is. Yes, partially this is because he is a master manipulator who knows which people can get him what he wants, but it’s more than that. The people he keeps in his life are further compensation for his shortcomings: The vees give him more power than previously had, because of their combined efforts. And not to mention the amount of control Valentino gives him simply by allowing him to be sexually dominant.
His relationships did not always have to be this way, and sometimes they still aren’t. He cares for the Vees in his own fucked up way, he even monitors how much food Val eats in a day. And before them, of course, there was Alastor. For the first time in his life, Vox displayed humanity in a relationship (Viv stated that this was a side of him he didn’t know he had), and that was because of trust. There was a vulnerability with Alastor he had because he truly admired him. Vox is emotionally impaired, because of previously mentioned mental illnesses, but as much as he could rely on someone, or trust them, or be inspired by them, he felt that way with Alastor.
But when he was shot down, he was absolutely shattered. Because of this new side he’d shown, it was later written off as just weakness, and discarded into anger.
This reaction clearly comes from a need for power and control, also for the purpose of fueling his inflated, but fragile ego. Because that’s a very important thing about his large ego— it’s very delicate. That’s why Alastor so easily gets to him when he points out Vox’s shortcomings; his self worth is a castle built out of straw. This is why he’s so willing to sacrifice everything to win, to be the one in power, to be right.
But to understand what i’m getting at, we have to strip him down entirely.
003 BEHIND THE PSYCHOLOGY
He wants power, thats obvious, but where does it come from? The short answer is insecurity. His inflated ego is very large naturally, but equally as fragile. That’s why it’s so easy for Alastor to draw a reaction out of him when he points out his shortcomings, he mentally cannot handle getting rejected like that.
Power is used as compensation, furthermore, as an attempt at stability. If he builds himself up on this mountain of admiration and control, he won’t have to doubt himself any longer, he’ll have won. But this isn’t the case, because Vox also harbors an intense need for attention. His lapse into serial killings not only comes from a desire for success, but a wanting of the spotlight — a goal he’s prepared to do anything for.
Once he gets attains the spotlight, he begins to receive another necessity: approval from the masses. Whether it’s people praising him as a god, or as the savior of hell, it’s another way to cement his cracked ego, at least temporarily. But to feel good about himself, Vox needs constant attention, constant praise, or at the very least control because it mimics the sort of stability he’s always craved from getting the two prior things.
004 SUBMISSION
So to sum up; stripped of outer layers, Vox is motivated by a need for attention, a need for approval, and a need for stability.
Now, do we see what i’m getting at?
The desire for approval would roughly translate to a praise kink, as most people with the same insecurity enjoy praise from a partner. Vox wants to feel recognized, to feel accomplished; that desire is a kind of submission on its own, and I believe it could translate to the bedroom.
Obviously the need for attention is self explanatory; taking the submissive roll would almost guarantee the attention being on him, because he would be the one on the receiving end, being doted on by the dominanter. It’s almost the reversal of being worshipped, while still harboring the same result.
Now the need for stability is interesting because I think this also creates the want for someone to rely on. Most likely, part of the reason he admired Alastor so much was because of his competence. This fact, paired with the daily life of running Voxtech, would create an even further desire to be taken care of by someone genuinely trustworthy, and stable. The need for stability also could translate into a mommy or daddy kink, if we’re being specific. Those titles are normally associated with someone not only in control, but someone respectable and trustworthy, as I said.
005 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
So why is he not seen in a submissive roll more? I think that romantically, he is far more careful about who he lets see him vulnerable after Alastor, to avoid any further rejection. Also, I do think that Valentino enables him to be the more dominant one in the relationship. However with a partner he really trusts and relies on, I think this side of him would be extremely prominent, because of how deep his need for approval is.
I realize this was long, and honestly very unimportant, but I often feel self indulgent writing Vox in a submissive roll, when really it’s just as self indulgent to write him 100% dominant. There are two solid truths about Vox’s character; he desperately wants control in every situation he is in, and this comes from the deep seated reasons of compensation.
Anyways, bluntly, Vox is a switch. But there’s been so much TOPaganda recently, it’s important that this post exists. Peg the fucker, peace out.
