I wrote here about my hang-ups with Voss' past design here
This sketchpage was an accumulation of paying attention to other people's lived experiences and thoughts on representation. I looked at Indonesian Fashion, Religion, Politics, Cuisine, and as many photos as I could find in National Geographic and elsewhere of everyday life.
Here's what I wrote in 2020 about him, and despite my insecurity I like what I've done with him compared to how he was as a character before:
Voss is an Indonesian green peacock. He used to be a lot greener but taking grey market supplements to help him transition caused vitiligo, and that didn't deter him so it lead to a complete less of green and blue pigmentation. Only the yellow of his face and tail markings was untouched. It wouldn't be the first time he'd taken substances of obscured origins, much like the stereotype Voss loves parties. Well being the front and centre of them, and coming from a line of crooks and mobsters didn't help keep him on the straight and narrow either. An avid reader, on look out for others, he liked to remain inconspicious reading a book in public and signalling to others by shutting the book loud enough for them to hear. He took to small time con-artistry with a certain flair and expertise he gleamed from acting classes. Learning about make-up, how to project his voice, and one of his greatest passions: Masks and Puppetry. Two of the masks depicted are Indonesian Dance Masks, and the third is that of Jatayu, a divine bird from the Ramayana epic.
Despite the vanity and high maintence lifestyle Voss is acustomed too, He's highly observant even when bragging. Paying close attention to nonverbal cues to bring people's attention back to him. This is also reflected in his love of other cultures that aren't his own, which lead to him learning about different beliefs and rituals people have. Voss has no natural magical ability and isn't supernatural in of himself. Every trick to curry favour with fate, every spirit he talks to, future he can divine, is all petty magic tricks that anyone can learn. The hardest spells he has had to learn is building an Astral Temple that he can retreat into if the outside world gets too rough, and creating a dream avatar that is a distinct and more primal intelligence. That's the black bird right in the middle.
Which takes the name of 'Cengkah' (a close translation is quarrelsome.), it hunts dream fauna. eg. winged fish, unicorns, forgotten imaginary friends, personified fears, sometimes dreamers themselves if they're unlucky enough to cross paths. What Cengkah eats, Voss' body in real life gains some nutritional value and helps fortify him mentally when he wakes up. Cengkah exists purely in the dream realm and can enter the dreams of others if you didn't catch onto that fact.
The start of Voss' story in Aberdork United is that he ran from the syndicate he was family to, in order to avoid an arranged marriage. Life on the street was tougher, given he was an easy way for rival gangs to hurt to get back at his father (a mover and shaker of the criminal underworld) but was found by Julian and hired as a journalist assistant. Living with him and Mona in a flat above Katt Tatt's, Mona's tattoo parlor.