r/SafeSpaceofVox

I just need to vent a little because I’ve seen a lot of people trying to justify every bad thing Alastor did to Vox, especially the mocking in Episode 4, with the argument “Vox was a serial killer, so he deserved it.”

But then, the moment you challenge that position, they immediately retreat to: “Oh, the serial killer is cruel? Le gasp.” While still trying to argue that Vox somehow deserved it more.

And yes, I know there are Vox fans who do the exact same thing in reverse. But I honestly feel like it happens less often because of the framing in the show. Alastor is framed much more like a protagonist and part of the “good side,” while Vox is framed as the antagonist. Because of that, I think people are naturally more willing to excuse or overlook Alastor’s behavior while judging Vox much more harshly for similar actions.

I don’t know, I just needed to vent a little because this genuinely annoys me.

Do I think he'd have internalized negative values from his time period? Sure. For whatever reason he is the only character that's like that, but I won't deny it. That said his behavior in general isn't an accurate reflection of the sexism found in the decades he'd have been alive for. People read way too much into him saying bitch at the end of Hazbin Guarantee. Guys, it was written by Vivziepop. Everyone says vulgar things, I don't know why we should start caring when a villain does it. Are you people upset at Alastor for calling Vaggie "Vageen" in that same episode? Ultimately Vox treats just about everyone poorly, I don't think gender plays deeply into that.

"But he kicked the female news anchor in Brighter!" That felt more like a light slapstick gag than anything else. I don't think its intended to be taken that seriously.

"But he killed a woman!" And Alastor targeted female overlords, but nobody talks about that because his fans think he's a feminist.

"But he touches women without consent!" So does Alastor! Alastor squished Charlie's face in his hand, if Vox touching shoulders is invasive then what was this?

"But he made Velvette apologize to Carmilla when she didn't want to!" So? He's actually in the right here despite how the show frames it. If he's to do business with Carmilla then Velvette needs to smooth things over. Her ruining that one meeting didn't just reflect badly on her, it made him look bad. Velvette was being a brat. Sorry.

"But he fed Goldie to Shok.wav!" And Valentino replies with "I was using that", ultimately the scene exists to reinforce they're evil. There's a lot of that in season 2, too much if you ask me. Again, Vox treats everybody terribly.

"But he's tied up in a sexually exploitative business!" Yes, he knows what's going on there and doesn't stop it because it gives him money. I expect this to get addressed at some point in the show. His ability to exploit others without concern is something he'd have to overcome if he does pursue a self improvement arc. However, that business is gender neutral. Val isn't trafficking only women, in fact most of what we see are men being used, so this doesn't necessarily speak to an innate misogyny. Even then, are you also calling Val a misogynist or saying Velvette has internalized misogyny? If you're saying this about Vox then so are they. You can't have this him vs them mentality on this topic.

"Well, Alastor treats women better than Vox does!" Does he? Just because he has a fondness for Niffty it doesn't mean he's sweet to women as a whole. I don't care what Viv says, the idea that Alastor hates only men and loves women isn't something I believe. We know he's using Charlie, people gotta swallow that pill already. He doesn't care about her goals or her as a person, he's trying to gain something through her. He used her in the finale for his own benefit despite her begging him not to. He isn't actually friends with Rosie and according to Sam Haft he doesn't hold affection for Mimzy. Meanwhile, people making this argument ALWAYS choose to ignore that Vox has Velvette who genuinely likes him when he's not spiraling like he did in the back half of season 2. I'm tired of this!

To be clear, when I say "bad influences" I'm talking about Alastor AND ALSO Velvette and Valentino. It's pretty obvious that Alastor is bad for Vox, but Val and Vel are too, if you think about it for more than a few minutes.

On his own, Vox seems to be one of the more capable and respectable overlords, most notably when he's able to convince all the rest of the overlords to team up with him (something that it's implied no one ever tried before). Much is made of how he was a murderer in his human life, but while killing or otherwise damaging someone who gets in your way might be looked at with horror in the human world, it's more or less business as usual in Hell. At very least, Vox seems to be more selective in who he kills, tortures, and brutalizes than a lot of the other people who live there.

On the other hand, Val and Vel are as violent, petty, and dysfunctional as any other sinner, judging by the amount of times Vox has to go around putting out fires that they started. Yet, Vox keeps them around, and continues to trust them, against his own better judgment. At least in theory, then, if Vox were to cut them loose and strike out on his own (or even just get more docile or harmless subordinates), his life could look more similar to that of someone like Carmilla or Zestial (who mostly seem to just go about their business without bothering anyone). But perhaps that's just not who he is. What do you think?