#voxtopics

Whenever he's feeling really pleased, it seems, Vox likes to hug himself:

...huh...wonder what's behind that?

He also likes to climb onto tables:

Once I get up there...I'll feel a little better about myself, maybe?

And leap into chairs:

This man is just so physical, I can't. This bi disaster. Iconic.

Well, this WOULD have been funny if I had posted it thirty minutes ago, but....nah, I think he knows.

Oh, Vox...your true demon form is peeking out through the cracks more and more, isn't it?

First with Alastor...

And now:

Do you even know it's happening?

This is the second time he's shoved a character he's sharing a song with offscreen and they're not even in the same room. He senses her coming onto his screen before she does:

This man's overlord powers are something else.

Oh, and then he stares directly at us, too; thank you for that, Vox. Say what you will but he's good at his job.

After Season 2, I'm not gonna lie: I want to see Vox redeemed more than ever. I love a challenge, and redemption would definitely be a difficult thing for this guy!

So, here's my version of Redeemed/Winner/Angel Vox! I wanted to do a bit more than a palette swap and go for a redeemed version with fitting thematic changes - visuals that show the character has undergone a big internal transformation, while also fitting his character.

Inside of every demon is a rainbow.

When Sir Pentious arrived in Heaven, the physical features of his body that functioned as a punishment in Hell were removed: he lost the many eyes that had covered his form as punishment for turning a blind eye to the murder of several women in his neighborhood. Similarly, in Heaven, Vox's form should change to reflect that he is no longer being punished for his transgressions. But what is his punishment, exactly? Is it having a TV for a head, such that he must constantly project an image to the world? The need to upgrade said head to avoid becoming obsolete? Or is it the fact that his power apparently comes from his approval rating? Regardless, none of those things are true now! because...

The first and biggest change for Vox is that he's finally escaped the TV. Instead, his head is a pane of pure light - free, unbound by metal and plastic, unburdened by the constant need for upgrades, able to change shape and still project whatever he needs.

He doesn't get the luxury of being fully human again, but truth be told, he'd probably feel strange being confined to a human form now.

Chasing Rainbows

Sinner Vox is heavily storm-coded, even referring to himself as "the flood" in obvious reference to the event God used to wipe out almost all life on Earth. In his redeemed form, Vox moves on to the natural next step in that story, as well as his own: While Sinner Vox is the oncoming storm, Winner Vox is the rainbow that comes after. Still a weather phenomenon - and as in Christian mythos, wherein the rainbow symbolizes God's promise never to destroy humanity in this way again, Vox's unmistakable wings are his own reminder not to return to his past self. The rainbow also evokes other myths: In Ancient Rome (ROME), the rainbow goddess Iris was a messenger and god of communication; and in Norse myth, the Bifrost that acts as a bridge between realms is sometimes viewed as a rainbow - both fitting symbolism for the first soul to successfully bridge the gap between realms and broadcast publicly between Heaven and Hell.

Given his canonical ability to send messages and bridge realms, I envision Vox taking a sort of psychopomp role in Heaven, helping guide new arrivals. Let the guy who tore off the Pearly Gates greet at them, yeah? I'm sure Peter would appreciate the company...eventually.

I also wanted to honor the many parallels between Vox and Charlie that the last season highlighted - so what better way than to reference the very first song she sang? In the pilot, Charlie wants nothing more than to redeem sinners, but the opening number ("I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," written in 1917 and popularized in the '40s - a song Vox would know!) makes clear that she feels stuck, and that none of her schemes ever work. It sort of feels appropriate that such a monumental feat as redeeming a guy who almost took out half the Pentagram would symbolically let Charlie catch her "rainbow." I mean, you can't write a more inspiring story than that!

In this way, even without his tech, the former media Overlord continues to be a driving force in messaging and communication. He's still bright - still dazzling - and he still attracts eyes, in the way people always look up to admire a rainbow when they see one - but now, what he offers is beauty for its own and others' sake, not his. Showmanship is second nature to him, and he very much still is one; Vox has always been so dedicated, ambitious and hardworking - turn those powers to good, and I imagine him as overwhelming and magnetic of a force for good as Sinner Vox is one for evil. But now, instead of a being of lightning, he is a being of light. And nobody ever could miss him.

Sometime early in their acquaintance... Alastor: Oh, so you're a serial killer TOO, hm? Well, there's certainly no shortage of them around here! Vox: Haha, well, you know, Hell, I guess that's to be expected! But you know, the whole radio angle is interesting! How did you kill your victims? Alastor: Oh, well, I wasn't picky! Sometimes the throat, sometimes the chest, always a lot of good places to stab! You? Vox: .... Vox: ....I electrocuted them with literal fucking lightning from the sky

Monocle!

As well as confirmation that he can change his voice to mimic others' ("'Well, you're pretty new yourself!'"), and . . . I feel like we are sleeping on this? It just invites so many good questions:

Did Vox wake up in Hell with the red eyes and cyan smile he uses now?

If not, was that the first face that came to him when he did try to create one, or did he choose and curate the one he has now?

Or did this bitch just fucking imprint on Alastor? I mean, red sclera, sharp colored teeth...

Could he change his chosen face permanently if he wanted to, or would it take a lot of effort?

Does this make Vox one of the few souls in Hell with the privilege of being able to show others the real human face he had on Earth? (I mean, if he wanted to - but why would you?)

Did he project his real human face to himself in mirrors sometimes when he first got to Hell, to alleviate the inevitable dysphoria of having a TV for a head? Or did that just make things worse?

Is Vox's vocal playback limited to putting together clips of words he has already overheard, or can he generate words he's never heard before from people whose voices he knows?

If the latter, has he ever used this power to trick people?

Was this a power he always had, or did he develop it as he grew into being an Overlord? (Seriously, this man has SO many Overlord powers compared to everyone else, it's insane.)

And most importantly, if he can generate words he's never heard before from people whose voices he knows...did he ever use this power to torture himself by talking to himself in Alastor's voice?