Hazbin Hotel Side Blog

A quick clarification, because these get conflated by both sides of the argument: bottoming and submitting are not the same thing. There are subs who take a purely penetrative role, Doms who only enjoy being penetrated, and a whole spectrum of preferences in between. When I use terms like "submissive" or "in control", I am talking about power exchange, not penetration.

That said, I will grant that Vox is absolutely someone who started his homosexual exploration with the belief that the top is the "masculine" role. Whether he still believes that is another question entirely, and it might also be irrelevant. But I'll get into that more later. For now, we'll assume he still sees them as the same thing.

Let's start with the idea that he's a top because he desperately needs to appear masculine and in control. Because I don't think y'all realize how genderqueer Vox's presentation is. I mean, I have no doubt that he identifies as a man. He takes on a number of roles (businessman, news reporter, entertainer), so he doesn't really have one definitive public persona, but he's always in a suit outside of brief shots during songs. He carries himself with his shoulders back and his head high, save for when he leans down to talk to someone. If I had to describe his gender expression in one word, it would be masculine.

He also wears heels! Which means he goes out in public every single day in what some would consider women's shoes. And it's not just the art style, you could literally kill someone with these. Compare with Alastor, whose heels are drawn the same way from a distance, but clearly different up close.

Vox is canonically someone who carefully curates his public image and that of his colleagues. He also apparently has some degree of interest in exploring his gender presentation, and is comfortable with at least some deviation from traditional masculinity in his appearance.

Not only that, his mannerisms become unusually feminine when he visits the Hazbin Hotel! He's always talking with his hands, but the way he does it is markedly different here, to the point where he would be an effeminate gay stereotype if this was how he always acted.

This behavior is not because he's talking to a woman, or because she runs a business and he's trying to mirror her. He does not act like this with Carmilla. He does not (normally) act like this with Velvette. He definitely doesn't act like this with Katie.

One possible explanation for this is that Vox actually experiences some form of genderfluidity (most likely a stable gender identity with fluid presentation) and this happened to be a more feminine day.

My personal theory is that he finds Charlie attractive (mostly because it would be hilarious if his first thought on seeing her in person was, "Fuck, she's my type.") and since she's known to be with a woman, he assumes that's her preference and unconsciously starts acting more feminine as a result.

I would not say I ship it, but I can see why other people do. And him finding her attractive is definitely canon to me.

So, "He can't bottom because he needs to appear masculine"? Not possible. Whatever he's got going on, this man's presentation is openly genderqueer, and he seems comfortable with it (or oblivious, which would still indicate he's not fussed over how masculine he appears).

What about, "He can't bottom because he has to look like he's the one in control"? It's true that he's concerned about appearances when he's in public. And it's even worse when he's around Alastor. But in private, when it's just him and the Vees?

We don't see much of them enjoying downtime together, but going by Valentino and Velvette's reactions during their "movie night" in S1, it's pretty normal for him to jump around and yell a lot when he's excited. To the point where they probably wish he would chill out sometimes (he also gets. Verbally explicit while they're watching Alastor almost die. His overall behavior is highly inappropriate, and not remotely controlled).

He also has a habit of jumping/standing on furniture (usually his own desk, but not always), which is generally frowned upon by society. There is a strong argument to be made that Vox is autistic, and if so, he's clearly masking hard in everyday life, but comfortable unmasking around his friends. Which includes giving up his veneer of self-control. And socially acceptable behavior.

Anyway, let's get a bit more intimate!

Most of the time Vox dances with the Vees as equals, but he starts this dance in the follow position. And as far as I can determine, he remains in this position throughout the dance, until they trade off right at the end. This is the traditionally feminine role, and evidence that Vox is willing to step outside of his prescribed gender role, at least under certain circumstances.

It's also evidence that he's willing to give up control to someone else, because the lead is the one who guides the dance and makes most of the decisions about what comes next. Which includes ensuring the safety of the follow, especially during more dangerous moves, and not asking for more than their partner is capable of. Safety might not seem like a big deal when getting hurt is a mere annoyance, but I want to emphasize that giving up control in this context isn't just "sure, you can take charge". It is, in a very real sense, surrendering to the whims of someone else and trusting that they'll take care of you.

Also, not being in pain is nice.

This is what I mean when I say it might not matter whether Vox sees topping as the masculine role or not. Even if he does, he's willing to try things! He's willing to explore outside his comfort zone! Maybe it wasn't his idea, but there was still a point in time where he agreed to give the "woman's role" in dancing a shot, stuck with it long enough to learn it, and now he's comfortable assuming that role spontaneously. Which is a foot in the door to consider other things, both in terms of power dynamics and sexual positions.

So, we have established that gender roles are a non-issue, and that Vox is capable of letting someone else take control, at least in some situations. None of this changes the fact that he canonically tops, so let's talk about that.

We do not know that Vox was topping Valentino before he ran off to fight Alastor. "You can't get all up in this and then zip out like that" does not actually tell us anything except that they had their hands all over each other, because "get all up in there" does not mean being physically inside someone. It means being aggressive, passionate, or otherwise intensely physical.

We do know Vox was on top later, though. And that it was only good for one of them.

There are, I think, three possible explanations for Val's apathy here.

Vox is bad at topping.

Vox can top just fine, if he's actually focused on his partner. Which we all know he wasn't.

Valentino doesn't like bottoming.

Reminder that submission and bottoming are different things. Val canonically has more than a few submissive bones in his body, but that doesn't automatically mean he likes being topped.

That said, I am going to concede that he probably does. He and Vox would have been incompatible from the start if they had both wanted to top, and unless Vox managed to work through some of his issues before they met (unlikely), he almost certainly refused to consider any other role when they first got together (or they both just subsist on handjobs and oral. And I think they'd have gotten bored decades ago if that was the case. Sexual compatibility is important, y'all).

Back to the bad sex. With the knowledge that Valentino was into what they were doing before Alastor called, and the implication that they were both getting pretty handsy, I am going to relegate "Vox is bad at topping" to the realm of headcanon. Which doesn't mean he's never selfish, but it's clear that he knows perfectly well how to pay attention to his partner and make it enjoyable for them.

Also, Val has standards. If Vox was bad at topping, he would not be topping (and their sexual relationship probably wouldn't have gotten past a one-night stand).

So, what does all of this tell us? Absolutely nothing beyond that Vox is a good lay! Because "he canonically tops" does not mean he only tops! Or that he always takes the dominant role! Especially when we have established that he's willing to give up control and try stuff out!

Let's talk about Valentino for a minute. Obviously we know he's got a dirty mind, a small army of kinks, and no shame whatsoever. He has no problem expressing his sexual interest in anything, including Vox. But he does seem to conceal his romantic interest, if only from Vox; Velvette seems fully aware of it, so they've probably talked about it. I don't think we know enough about Val to say whether he's normally shy about his feelings or if he just keeps them to himself because he knows Vox is afraid of feelings and doesn't want to scare him off. But I do think we know enough to guess that it's at least partly the latter.

First, they have known each other for decades. There is no way in hell Val has missed how uncomfortable Vox is about his own sexuality, or the way he avoids saying things that would imply too much intimacy. Especially considering Vox would have been worse when they met; he has no known close relationships apart from the Vees, so if he had friends before Valentino, they weren't allowed close enough to form lasting connections.

In fact. Obviously they had to find out Vox's hypnosis doesn't work on Valentino somehow, so he did try it at some point. And I've seen the "why are you sleeping with me, then?" jokes, but I think the reality may have been much more tragic. I think it's possible that, whatever "friends" Vox had before Val, he was using hypnosis to keep them around. After all, his last "friend" betrayed him. And if there are no friends in Hell, you can't trust anyone. It's likely that Val was the first close relationship Vox had after Alastor, because he was the only one who could get close.

Also, when Valentino is complaining about Vox running off in the middle of sex, he starts to say something about, "I thought you liked it when I-". Which could be nothing, or it could imply that he initially thought Vox dipped because he did something wrong. And that could imply that it's happened before. Which, y'know. Give a man internalized homophobia and the ability to teleport, then put him in vulnerable situations with another man? Yeah, Vox has probably gotten too much in his own head and noped out a few times.

On a related note, I would guess that Vox doesn't usually initiate sex. Partly because Valentino is Like That and probably brings it up first most of the time, but also because when we do see Vox try to start something, the utterly shameless porn industry overlord is blushing.

Another possible piece of evidence is the way Vox beats around the bush with "Maybe we could... Fuck around" instead of just saying what he means. Which could just be his idea of seduction. Or it could be that he has trouble expressing desire, whether because of the internalized homophobia, the emotional vulnerability, or both. This point is open for interpretation, though I personally suspect the latter.

Something else that's open for interpretation: Valentino occupies himself during one of Vox's monologues by drawing him tied up, and hides the notepad when Vox walks behind him while he's working on it. As an artist myself, who hates people looking over my shoulder, I just assumed he feels similarly. But I've also seen it suggested that he's shy about Vox seeing what he's doing, given the nature of the drawing. Considering he doesn't look at all embarrassed when Vox does eventually see it, I'm inclined to say it's not shyness, but it could go either way.

Of greater note is that Vox doesn't seem embarrassed, which is an interesting reaction from a man who blushes every time someone suggests any of his behavior is remotely intimate (an amused "You're obsessed with me" from Val is literally all it takes to get him blushing earlier in this same scene). Granted, this is Val's behavior, not his, and he knows full well the kinds of thoughts Valentino has. It only involves him because he's the subject matter. Still, there's a couple things we can conclude from it:

Valentino would like to be the one in control, at least sometimes.

Vox is completely comfortable with someone wanting him tied up.

Given Vox's other assorted issues, I think there's a very low chance that this comfort is a result of talking about it, and a very high chance that it's a result of doing it or thinking about it. Either way, he's into it. And bondage wouldn't even require him to give up control; he could just take charge with his cables if he wanted to, and teleport out if he decided he was done. It would only be an act of submission for him if he wanted it to be, which makes it perfect for easing into the idea of actually giving up control in a sexual context.

And with that, I think canon has been completely picked clean! So, to sum up:

Vox has 99 problems, but his masculinity isn't one of them

His desire to be in control does not outweigh his desire to have fun

He is more likely to be good in bed than not

He probably doesn't initiate much

He is into bondage.

We do not know whether he prefers to top or bottom, whether he prefers to be in control or to submit, whether those preferences are constant or subject to the mood he's in, or whether he would have those same preferences with someone else. Because sexuality and desire are complicated, and he does not have a great relationship with himself! It's very likely that he would be less open to giving up control to someone he hadn't built trust with, or that he would favor different roles, or that he would struggle more with his desires. Because all the information we have about his sex life comes from one long-term relationship with someone who has spent years or decades being patient with his hangups and coaxing him to try new things.

"He's canonically a top."