An interesting part of Stayed Gone and Hell's Greatest Dad is how these two duets visualize the different dynamics Alastor has between his two "rivals"
In this analysis I'm mostly going to focus on RadioStatic since they're the ones I'm brainrotting over, though there are a few things I've noticed about HGD that I wanted to point out in this post.
So if you're looking for a more RadioApple focused analysis, I'm afraid this isn't it due to my inherent bias. If you have any thoughts about Alastor, Lucifer, and their dynamic or anything in general about this post feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas! ^w^
First let's get to the starting portions of the song when Alastor is in the picture.
In Stayed Gone, we're first presented with the background of Vox's store front having an empty neighbor by its side. Until Alastor enters the picture.
Visually this already tells us that there's always been an empty spot by Vox's side that Alastor fills.
Interestingly enough, we also see them being visualized as cleanly slotting together in the song even if there's a definite line between the two of them that keeps them separated. (Which is also present with how their store fronts are also separated by a wall)
Meanwhile, in Hell's Greatest Dad, we're shown that Lucifer and Alastor starts off in the song by being physically beside each other.
Which Lucifer swiftly leaves behind to have his solo portions.
In Stayed Gone, when Alastor first entered the picture, Vox tried to push Alastor out. But kept failing as Alastor continues to keep himself in the picture.
Interestingly enough, regardless of how much Vox pushes and how much Alastor keeps himself in the picture, they're always shown together visually even when they're singing by themselves.
And the moments when they're are on the screen alone instead of together is shown to be very brief before Alastor enters the picture yet again.
Contrasting that to Hell's Greatest Dad, they spend alot of their singing portions being solo and alone on the screen. Making a point to push the other away before making their point with Charlie.
They don't really stay in the same screen together and beside each other for long.
If Stayed Gone started with Vox trying to push Alastor away before begrudgingly letting him stay on the screen with him.
Then in Hell's Greatest Dad, they started off as staying and singing their parts separately away from each other as much as possible.
Before they stayed with each other for a longer period of time and making them have their more heated instrument duet and the arguing at the end.
You could argue that the two songs are an inverse of each other in a weird sense.
Another thing I've noticed is how Vox and Lucifer were presented differently when it comes to being "below" Alastor.
For Vox, there's a very clear line that makes this sense of being below Alastor very apparent.
Meanwhile Alastor's attempt at making Lucifer seem below him isn't as apparent and clear cut as Vox's
(I find it so fucking funny and hilarious how Alastor gave Lucifer a thumbs down. He didn't even pull anything like I thought he did at first!)
That's all the things I can compare and contrast between Stayed Gone and Hell's Greatest Dad for now.
I have more thoughts about how Alastor and Vox's relationship is presented, but they're not as closely tied/limited to these two songs so I'll talk about that in another post :P
This post isn't meant to say that either RadioStatic or RadioApple is better than the other as that's not my intention at all with this post. I just wanted to give my personal observations about these two songs and their differences and similarities.
So if I accidently offended anyone, I sincerely apologize.
Since I'm a RadioStatic fan, I naturally talk about them more in a positive light, though I did try to keep my observations about RadioApple as neutral as possible since I'm not as confident with my observations about them.
I hope this was a good read regardless!
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Vox's Death and Electrokinesis
So I'm straight up warning everyone now that this is a super dark take on Vox's death and where his powers of electrokinesis come from. Please, please, PLEASE read the trigger warnings. This has been in my head for a very long time.
TW for homophobia, 1950s mental illness views and treatments, homosexuality treated as a mental illness, sexual assault, gaslighting/victim-blaming, and other canon-typical triggers.
Some time during his career, Vox began an affair with a man who was also from the television industry. When his wife eventually found out, Vox was presented with two choices: a very messy and highly public divorce where the affair would be plastered across every media source in the country, or end the affair and seek psychological help. Not willing to destroy his image, Vox chooses the latter. He ends the relationship and quietly takes a "medical leave" from his career and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. It's supposed to be the best in the country, with the most up-to-date practices and treatments. He is greeted by a man with a kind face names Dr. Robles, who takes Vox's hand in his and promises him everything will be alright. Vox's wife assures him he will be well and home in no time, kisses his cheek as he is led away, deeper into the hospital.
It is Hell.
Vox is quickly labeled as having a "sociopathic personality disturbance" in the form of "sexual deviation" and is considered a curious case as he has positive sexual reactions to both men and women. This makes most standard treatments fairly ineffective as he is already having a positive sexual response to women. So they decide to resort to unmodified electroconvulsive therapy.
The treatments are painful and brutal, often leaving him with nausea, fatigue, headaches, confusion, and even minor memory loss. Worse are the breaks and fractures that result from the induced seizures. Frequently he is left bedridden, confused and delirious and unsure of where he is. His sleep is riddled with nightmares of some horrific creature lurking in the shadows of his room, creeping close and hurting him. It finally ends when the machine malfunctions, sending him into cardiac arrest and killing him.
When his electrokinesis manifested, two decades later, it was...a time. First Vox was afraid, then he started cackling at the irony, before having a complete breakdown and scream-crying for the better part of an hour.
For the first week following the discovery of his new powers, Vox refuses to let Alastor touch him, which is particularly startling for the Radio Demon because he's usually the touch adverse one while Vox is very physically affectionate. Even small bumps and brushes has Vox leaping away from him. He begins to grow concerned that Vox has become afraid of him, which is frustrating because half the fun of Vox is that he isn't afraid of him like most Sinners. Eventually he corned the Tv-headed demon and demands an explanation. This of course leads to Vox panicking and sparking like crazy which in turn leads to even more panicking before Alastor seizes his shoulders, enduring the small shocks as he tells Vox to calm down.
Vox breaks down sobbing and tells Alastor everything he has never told him before: the affair, the choice, the hospital, the treatments, the nightmares, his "mental illness," everything. He's terrified of this ability. He knows what it can do and it terrifies him. And Alastor takes his face in his hands and tells him that his knowledge makes him all the more powerful. Not only can he control electricity, but he has first hand experienced what it can do to a body and that is power. Though Vox is hesitant at first, he accepts Alastor's offer to help him gain better control over this new ability.
---
It's about three months after the battle with the angels when Vox gets invited up to Alastor's radio tower. He's only been there once or twice in the past to silently watch Alastor with his "guests" as he broadcasts. Though initially skeptical of the invite, his curiosity gets the better of him despite Velvette and Valentino's warnings. When he arrives, he finds Alastor calmly tuning his radio equipment while his latest guest lays strapped to a metal table. It is unusually dim in the tower and Vox can't quite see what poor soul Alastor has plucked from the streets of Hell this time, but he can smell blood, which is even more unusual as Alastor usually likes to save every last moment for his broadcast, but from the wheezing it's clear this Sinner has already been worked over well. The Radio Demon greets him cheerfully as though nothing is amiss, as though it's perfectly normal to invite your friend-turned-rival over for a casual hang out. It's only when he encourages Vox closer that Vox understands what he's seeing.
Inky shiny black skin. Six limbs. Distended jaw. Long curling tongue.
Lying on the table is the creature from his nightmares.
Instantly Vox begins to panic. He feels terror, hands on him, pain, so much pain, he can't breathe, he can't think, why is it here why why why-
Alastor grips his shoulder, grounding him. He's saying something about...introductions?
"Vox clearly recognizes you, Dr. Robles, but I'm afraid you may have a harder time recognizing him. Like you, dear Vincent has gone through quite a few changes."
Dr. Robles. Dr. Robles. Dr. Robles. The name rings in his head like a gong.
Warm hands closing around his. A thumb running gentle circles on the back of his hand.
"It's all going to be alright. I promise."
Vox rips out of Alastor's grip and barely makes it to the wastebasket before he is sick. Because he understands now. He understands and he feels disgusting. All the nightmares...all the terror...all the pain...
Alastor's hand is on his back and Vox has barely composed himself when the doctor finally speaks.
"Vincent? Vincent Haynes?"
Vox didn't know exactly what expression he expected to see when he turns to face the doctor again, but the pure unconcealed hatred takes him by surprise.
"Filthy fucking whore!"
His words are venomous as he accuses Vox of being the reason he's in Hell, of tempting him and luring him into sin, of making him crave his flesh. How fitting Hell has stripped him of his beauty and shown him for the vain artificial creature that he is. Even as he says it though, his eyes rake over Vox's body and the TV demon has never wanted so badly for someone to not look at him. Alastor stops the tirade of vitriol with a simple flick of his wrist and a glowing green thread binding Robles' lips together.
"That's quite enough out of you, sir. I hope you don't mind, old friend, I already took a turn with the good doctor. Had to make sure I had the right wretch after all. It didn't actually take all that long. My goodness does this insipid creature like to talk about himself!" Without another word, the Radio Demon slips past them both to slide into his chair. The equipment before him buzzes to life.
"Salutations, listeners!"
Vox's hand crackles with sparks.
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