#AND THAT BLITZ WOULD SACRIFICE HIS LIFE FOR STOLAS

[kasumiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii030]

Okay, I'm just shocked that most of the theories and comics made from the previous series regarding the future of the Stolas and Blitz turned out to be 100% correct! The fact that Blitz will impose ponies on Stolas, that they will go to the store together, have breakfast together, the need for pills for Stolas, Blitz will hire him to work...Not to mention those theories that predicted the death of Stolas' favorite plants from the cold! I'm sure many people have seen all the posts I'm talking about now and feel the same way!ヾ⁠(⁠*⁠’⁠Ｏ⁠’⁠*⁠)⁠/

[lost-romantique]

The Love Language of Sacrifice

With the discourse surrounding Stolas at the moment, it really made me think about how one of Stolas' love languages is the act of sacrifice.

Stolas stayed in an abusive marriage with a wife that hates him, all so Octavia can have a happy upbringing.

For seventeen years he played the part of a proper Prince, dutiful husband, and devoted father just so Octavia could live a relatively "normal" childhood.

For seventeen years, he lived miserably, and essentially came to the conclusion that, that was what his entire life was going to be. His only reason for being, his daughter.

Stolas sacrificed a life worth living for Octavia.

"I used to think I was bold, I used to think love would be fun, now all my stories have been told... Except for one."

Blitz is Stolas’ light, that essentially rescued him from his unhappy and mundane life. Blitz came in with all his rizz and blatant disregard for authority and literally lit a fire so goddamn bright that it literally altered Stolas' entire belief system for himself.

Stolas was willing to sacrifice the life Blitzø taught him for Blitzø.

"I am the mastermind, the master of my fate... Sure as the stars have shined, I'll give my life to clean your slate."

[demon-country]

Man, no wonder Stolas got literal heart eyes after Blitz did this. This was his "Harriet! Don't get on that train!" moment, the big gesture he so desperately wanted just so he'd know that Blitz really did care about him enough to want him to stay. He had been so sure that that was going to be the last time he ever saw Blitz, that the last thing he ever did would be saving Blitz's life, and Blitz's response was to fight against the chains dragging him away just so he could run to Stolas with a desperate, heart-wrenching plea not to sacrifice himself.

Blitz had thought for sure that he'd never be able to give Stolas the kind of dramatic romcom moment Stolas longed for, but the joke's on him and us, because even though we all knew he would inevitably end up giving Stolas one and were eagerly awaiting it, no one expected it to be like that. And yet, the writers pulled through for us once again, because there really could not have been a more meaningful and moving way for him to have done so.

Anything where Blitz actually said something along the lines of "don't get on that train", could have been misconstrued by both Stolas and irl media illiterate viewers as Blitz just saying what Stolas wanted to hear without actually meaning it (assuming Stolas even remembers that conversation). But there was nothing contrived about this, there was no time for him to have possibly thought about any potential romcom moments at all; he just saw that he was about to lose Stolas for good and fought as hard and as frantically as he could, just to beg Stolas not to take the fall for him. To not love him so much that he'd think Blitz was worth protecting with his very life.

And I don't even think he realizes just how much that meant to Stolas, to know that the man he loves would fight for him with such fervor, despite knowing that it was a fruitless effort. Blitz, without knowing it and without even realizing just how much raw, earnest, desperate love he was displaying, gave Stolas exactly the kind of overt and undeniable proof that he was loved and wanted that he had always needed.

Except that, as Stolas has already found out, that's not enough. He made his big gesture to Blitz and Blitz made one to him, and that's a great start, but love's not just shown through grand gestures and they're not what'll help you pick up the pieces when your world falls apart.

The smaller, softer, quieter gestures of love are what Stolas will need most going forward, but for someone who has received as little love in his life as Stolas has, who has suffered from depression for ages, and who has just lost almost everything (including his antidepressants!), it might end up being hard for him to tell the difference between what is done out of love and what is done out of mere obligation to repay a debt. Not to worry, though, because he'll learn how to spot it soon enough.

He'll see that sometimes love is shown by taking care of someone when they don't have the strength to do it themselves

And by taking them by the hand and giving them a place to rest when it all becomes too much for them to bear

And by catching them when they fall, even when you're upset with each other

And by being so comforting that they feel safe falling asleep and leaving themselves vulnerable next to you without any hesitation.

Perhaps the greatest injustice the world has dealt to Blitz is by convincing him that he ruins lives, when the truth is that the person behind his walls has a way of loving people that is so incredibly healing. Simply by being his real, honest self, he manages to give the people he cares about the kind of love they need the most, without even trying. Without even noticing how much his words and actions have affected them for the better.

And now that those walls have started to drop, his loved ones have been able to start showing how much they love and want to support him as well. I have faith that once Stolas has cottoned on to the little ways Blitz has been showing him that he cares, that he'll start reciprocating those gestures. The man is such a romantic and in the song Just Look My Way he even says "I can give you everything you need" as well as "and no matter what in this world I could give, it's not enough"; there's no way he won't eventually try to provide for and take care of Blitz once he's well enough to. He just needs some time to heal, and until then Blitz will be there, giving him the love and care that he needs to keep his head above water.

Tl;dr: all the people who said that Blitz would never be able to give Stolas what he needs in a partner have just been proven dead wrong on all counts, and will continue to be proven so.

[certifiablyinsanez]

There definitely seems to be a setup for some fallout between Fizz and Asmodeus.

From what we see with this text-“see you on TV”-this seems to show that Fizz knew that Oz was going to a trial that was expected to be televised. There is no way in hell that Fizz knew this was Blitz’s trial…but did Oz? If Asmodeus knew, did he purposefully hide the fact from Fizz? If so, we can all see how that will not go well at all. By the casualness of Oz’s texts, it’s possible he didn’t know either. I know if I was Oz I would be absolutely freaking out if I knew I was going to a life or death trial for my partner’s best friend, I would not be sending hearts over text. And of course, earlier, Oz was one of only two (maybe three if you count Vassago) people in the entire court that voted to hear them out. But even so, Asmodeus didn’t speak much further than his initial appeal. That’s definitely not going to go well over with Fizz. We can see how this pains him, yet he still remains silent.

The expressions Fizz has definitely pains me. I cannot imagine how it would feel to see a worldwide broadcast of my childhood best friend being executed.

Just look at his face.

This is a horrifying, traumatic experience, for all imp kind but especially for those close to Blitz. Shit, even Verosika was horrified.

This is brutal. The subtleties of class divides have been blown wide open. We’ve seen how it’s played out with Blitz and Stolas, I feel we’re going to see it with Fizz and Ozzie, whose class divide is even wider. Stolas just sacrificed his title, all his possessions, his power, and his daughter for a whole century for Blitz. All Fizz asked was for Oz to flex his power when he needed it most and Oz did nothing. Who will have to sacrifice more in their relationship? We shall see.

[warblogs17282]

I'm not done talking about how stupid of a take that 'Stolas is selfish because he chose Blitz over Octavia' is.

But this time, I want to talk about the implications that Blitz being executed has.

Let's start with the I.M.P crew, Loona loses her loving father, who she very clearly cares a lot for, Moxxie and Millie lose their best friend and their jobs at the same time, as the asmodean crystal is registered in specifically Blitz's name, meaning that Blitz dying means the human killing business dies with it, because they have no other reliable options for getting to the living world. Fizzarolli loses his best friend as well that he only recently got back into his life.

Plus, Blitz being executed would just send Satan's message loud and clear to all of imp-kind, which basically amounted to 'We'll kill you if you step out of line. We'll kill you if you even attempt to rise above your station we forced upon you. We'll kill you if you ever dare to challenge our power and authority. We'll kill you if you aren't our little obedient puppets.'

Stolas knows that Blitz is a father, Stolas knows that the Asmodean Crystal is registered in Blitz's name, and if chose to let Blitz die, he'd have to live with the fact that his choice caused so much suffering and pain to others, including to other people Stolas knows Blitz cares about deeply, showing that the stakes have always been much higher than just 'Blitz vs Octavia', even for Stolas.

Stolas went into that trial fully expecting to be killed, Stolas went into that trial assuming that Blitz would eventually be okay after his death, to allow Blitz to keep his found family and keep being able to provide for himself and others with I.M.P, to allow Blitz to keep making that name for himself.

You might be thinking at this point, 'but wait, then why did Stolas mention his daughter after he lost his powers and such then?', and I have the answer to that question right here.

Again, Stolas went into that trial fully expecting to be executed, and in s1 e2, during that song Stolas sang to Octavia as a kid, Stolas says "When I'm gone, you'll be okay…", which is quite literally saying that Octavia will be okay, even in the event of Stolas' death, which I'm pretty confident in saying that Stolas genuinely believes in this. I just don't think that Stolas factored in Stella and Andrealphus being abusive and manipulative towards Octavia specifically, which I believe perfectly explains why Stolas only mentioned Octavia after he got his actual punishment.

Plus, Stolas knew that Octavia would inherit everything of his in the case of his own death, because he literally ensured that everything and I mean everything would pass to Octavia, as Andrealphus bluntly points in s2 e4, alongside giving Octavia the chance to experience happiness, to be able to choose happiness, even when he's dead.

Finally, I shouldn't even need to say this but,

1: We all know that Stolas would literally sacrifice everything for Octavia, he literally was sacrificing his own happiness for so many years so that Octavia could live a 'normal life'.

2: Stolas had to make a split-second decision there, he had zero time to think anything over, plus Octavia wasn't anywhere close to being in mortal danger, but Blitz was.

In conclusion, if you all want to insist on making this thing a trolley problem, then I beg of you, remember the problem is nowhere near purely 'Blitz vs Octavia' for all of the reasons I've brought up in this post, and also remember that it's Andrealphus and Stella who tied them down on the tracks to begin with.

[pink-pavlove]

Buckle up babe, I’m ranting again.

MASTERMIND SPOILERS!

okay so I haven’t seen anyone else say this yet so here it goes.

Stolas song in mastermind was obviously him putting on a character, playing a role so Satan and the court would believe he was to blame, not blitz. He plays into the social hierarchy of hell and basically says to satan, you really believe this imp could go behind your back and fool you for so long? If that’s what you want to do, okay blame him.

Pretty expected, self sacrificing stolas stuff.

BUT THEN stolas says something that makes the gears in my brain whirl.

The scene change to give us a glimpse of imps at home watching, they all stare and blink like they are realizing something. Like things are clicking into place. Like SOMEONE just told them to do something and they thought, “hey, that’s a great idea, let’s do that.”

Stolas is not only painting a picture of what went down with the grimoire to trick satan and the court, he’s also playing toward the camera, talking to the hellborn who are watching this unfold from the tvs in their living rooms.

Stolas is basically serving a martyr to them on a silver platter. To me he’s saying, hey! Look! One of your own was about to be murdered for no good reason because people like me are willing to sacrifice your kind for their benefit.

He’s inciting change, revolution. And I think he’s doing it on purpose.

Stolas is the one who inspired the imps to support blitz, to idolize him. STOLAS IS THE REASON FOR BLITZ’S SUDDEN COME UP!

Which gives the line “thanks for saving me stolas.” “Always.” Even deeper meaning because not only has stolas saved him physically, he also just saved his life by giving him the one he always wanted. The life of the most famous imp of all time.

And all Stolas had to do, was lose absolutely everything he ever had. 😭

I am not well. Everything is going to get worse before it gets better. My poor bird boy!

[hismercytomyjustice]

Ngl I really enjoyed Via’s arc in Sinsmas. She is just SO MUCH like her father that it both delights and hurts me lol.

Their relationship is an interesting take on struggling to try to break the cycle of abuse/neglect.

Stolas grew up with his father not even knowing his name or showing him a shred of affection. He was a means to an end, a tool. The only way he’s ever received any kind of acknowledgement from his father is by doing his duty. Mastering his powers, entering into an arranged marriage, and producing an heir.

You can just so clearly see how he is trying SO HARD to give Via a different life. He wants them to be a family. For her to never doubt her parents love her. To be the father he never had.

To the point he shoves his own wants and needs so far down that he is barely holding on.

Via going from accusing him of not loving her to realizing that he loves her so much that he forced himself to play the role of a good father and husband. To the point he destroyed himself for her…

And that realization just devastates her.

Stolas getting involved with Blitz was the culmination of decades of forcing himself to be the person everyone else expected him to be. He feels he can’t be loved, but he can be useful. And maybe if he’s useful enough, people will care about him.

The reason his connection with Blitz is so strong is because both of them feel that way. The difference is that Blitz was able to create his own found family (tho it took him ages to realize it lol) while Stolas has always been alone. They’re two sides of the same coin. And while Blitz has spent the past few years healing, Stolas has been descending further into darkness because he doesn’t have that same support.

Via has absorbed so many of his insecurities. Especially the fear of not being loved or wanted despite Stolas trying SO HARD to be the perfect father to her. But he’s not. He can never be because he forgot the old adage of “put your oxygen mask on first before helping anyone else.”

I think that definitely can come across as him being neglectful of her. But to me it speaks to his desperation to be such a good father to her that he tries to hold himself to IMPOSSIBLE standards.

He doesn’t fail Via because he doesn’t care. He fails her because he keeps setting up these unrealistic expectations for their relationship. He massively overextends himself and puts his own wants and desires on the back burner so often that his life is imploding around him out of his control.

He doesn’t miss the stars with her because he doesn’t care. He misses them because he’s struggling to put his life back together after finally taking some initiative for himself. He’s trying to deal with the fallout of wanting a divorce from Stella, but he’s waited so long and he’s so overwhelmed by it all that the date slips his mind. And the instant he realizes what’s happened, he drops everything and goes looking for her.

Via keeps watching him make these promises he struggles with or fails to keep and doesn’t realize until she finds all of the happy pills how much he’s overextended himself for her sake. And because she’s her father’s daughter, she immediately thinks she’s at fault. She thinks he would be happier if he hadn’t forced himself to play house all these years for her sake.

She’s not wrong. If he’d separated from Stella years before, they’d probably all be better off. But he didn’t because of his sense of duty. Stolas’s problem is that he never advocates for himself until he reaches his literal breaking point. By then, the damage is more of a tsunami than a ripple because now his meticulously crafted house of cards is falling down around him faster than he can pick up the pieces.

Via is right that he would have been happier, but not for the reasons she thinks. He did it because he loved her, not out of obligation for her. And also because he is deeply broken and flawed.

Via’s dealing with a lot of complicated emotions too. Her father was willing to sacrifice himself for his affair partner, which she initially believes means he’s picking Blitz over her. But really it’s just Stolas trying to save the only other person in his life who understands him and who maybe cares about him.

How could he live with himself if he let Blitz die?

And it’s not like Stolas has time to sit down and think of a rational plan. He rushes to the trial because Blitz is literally about to be decapitated. And then he saves him the only way he knows how. I think part of him was also convinced that, as much as he loves Via, she might actually be better off without him because he is a wreck. He’s convinced he’s ruined his life and the lives of everyone around him.

I think this is why he doesn’t fight Stella much for custody of Via. Not because he doesn’t care, but because he genuinely thinks Stella is a more stable parent than he is and that Via will be better off with her as a result. The man also lacks a backbone too tho because his self worth is -9000.

But then Stolas doesn’t get executed. And the consequences of his actions hit him like a ton of bricks once the adrenaline and panic wears off. He saved Blitz, but at what cost? And, based on his statement in Sinsmas, it sounds like he would’ve done it all over again if given the chance. Because he’s the one who let Blitz use his grimoire even though he knew it was wrong. Because Blitz was in danger of dying because of him. And because he has a very strong sense of morality and justice too.

Dying in Blitzo’s place was a spur of the moment decision and once the dust cleared, Stolas realized how everything he’s tried to do to keep his shit together has fallen apart at the seams and now everyone knows it.

All Via can see when she looks at him now is that he’s hit rock bottom because of her. Again, not true. But Stolas has tried so hard to give her this idyllic family life, thinking that was the best thing he could do for her. Not realizing that she could see the cracks forming. She just didn’t understand why there were cracks until now.

I don’t think Via actually hates him. I think she hates herself. Convinced she’s the reason he’s hit rock bottom. Why couldn’t she see how much he was suffering? Why would he suffer so much for her? So she’s taking herself out of the equation, just like he tried to with Blitz. If she’s not in his life anymore, maybe he’ll stop killing himself to try to make her happy. Maybe he’ll stop being so miserable.

I think a big part of their arc together has been her going from thinking of Stolas as this perfect and larger than life figure to seeing him start to crumble and now getting a peek behind the curtain and realizing how much of that wasn’t real. And it scares and upsets her that her dad isn’t the perfect person he’s tried to be for her. He’s broken and hurting and she doesn’t know what to do to help because he’s spent her whole life focusing on her.

Not to say that he’s done that well. He genuinely hasn’t. He’s overcorrected so hard that he’s fucked her up in a completely different way because he’s overextended himself. He pushed himself until the illusion of a perfect happy family cracked along with him. He’s also made it difficult for her to know how to help him because he’s sheltered her so much.

I think this sometimes makes Stolas come across as selfish. He seemingly “ruined” his marriage and his relationship with his daughter for Blitz. But really it was just the pendulum swinging wildly in the opposite direction. He was so starved for happiness and connection that now he’s trying to live two separate lives and it’s just not possible and he’s falling apart even faster.

Stolas was so desperate for affection and to be of use that he lets Blitz have his grimoire, under the impression Blitz is attracted to him because Blitz literally tried to seduce him to get it. He also does all of the dirty talk because he thinks Blitz likes it.

I think he initially sets the terms for the grimoire usage because he thinks it’s a price Blitz is more than willing to pay because he showed up trying to seduce him. I think he l also just really wants an excuse to see/spend time with Blitz too. It doesn’t even cross his mind that Blitz might want anything other than sex from him. He’s once again playing a role based on what he thinks is expected of him.

It’s not until Stolas discovers he’s starting to develop feelings for Blitz that he realizes their arrangement is wrong. And the moment he realizes it, he immediately tries to make amends. He hopes Blitz will admit he has feelings for him too, but is willing to step away if not. But he also cares about him so much, he makes sure to give him the Asmodean Crystal so he can freely make the choice.

Meanwhile he has no idea Blitz will just view this as another person trying to abandon him or look down on him. Because Blitz struggles with self worth too and believes the only way people will care about him is if he can be useful. Blitz has a deep seated fear of abandonment while Stolas fears no one could ever love him just for himself. He offers Blitz the crystal to let him know his feelings are genuine and to gauge Blitz’s too.

All of this is to say that I think Via and Stolas will reconcile, hopefully sooner rather than later. I think Via needs some time to process who her father actually is vs who she thought he was. And both of them need to be able to forgive themselves/grant themselves some grace so they can finally meet each other in the middle like Stolas has finally managed with Blitz. Stolas needs to accept Via is grown up now and he can’t shield her from the negatives of the world forever. Meanwhile Via needs to understand everything doesn’t have to be so black and white.

[xenwrites]

Some thoughts about the episode in no particular order:

- It takes Blitz having lost Stolas once, and then faced with the chance of losing him forever, to admit to himself that he loves him.

- Stolas's face as he looks at Blitz's apartment, the realization that there's a huge part of Blitz's life that he knows nothing about, despite being in love with him. (Kudos to the animators for conveying this in just a few frames too damn)

- Stolas's instinctual understanding of his standing as a Prince despite his previous protestations to Blitz, falling into the role, microaggressions and all, like a second skin.

- The line from the trailer "you never loved mother and you never loved me. You love -him!-" which...of course. Because Octavia just saw her father sacrifice his life without a seconds thought or hesitation to save Blitz. Seemingly without even considering her.

- Is Andrealphus fucking his sister??? Or does he WANT to?

- "Take care of Loona." "I love you dad." 😭😭😭

- The ONE TIME Stolas's singing in the show isn't diagetic. The ONE FUCKING TIME and its when they're finally being wholly honest with each other about their feelings AAAAAAAAAAAA

- The clothes Blitz gives to Stolas looks like (when hes holding them) the sheet he wore at the Fuck Blitzo Party. The symbolism of that! Blitz hiding beneath it because to expose himself would be to face hatred and violence! Now Stolas is the one hated and has to hide!

- Millie and Blitz's little high five 👌

[idontevenremember5minutesago]

I’m sick at the thought that Stolas saving Blitz actually proved to Octavia that her fears from Loo Loo Land were 100% valid!!

In the moment he did prioritize Blitz over Octavia. He was willing to sacrifice his life for Blitz without thinking that that would leave Octavia ALONE. He didn’t even pause to think how his actions would affect her. That she was also watching. How she would feel if he died. He put Blitz’ life over Octavia and it didn’t even hit him until the end of the episodes.

So now Octavia has confirmation that she ranks below Blitz. Now all of her fears have come true because Stolas has run off with Blitz and left her behind. He is someplace that Octavia can’t reach him. She will look all over the palace and won’t be able to find him.

And with Stella in her ear and Stolas unable to see her she’ll be alone with that realization.

And that’s absolutely heartbreaking.

[luneemeritus]

"pilot Stolas was better!!" no, he wasn't.

"bring pilot Stolas back!!" no ❤️

You want an evil, manipulative, abusive villain with little to no redeeming qualities that is a Goetia and has cool powers? We have two of them: Stella and Andrealphus. If it's only about the 'asthetic', a character doesnt have to be evil to be cool, Stolas's demon form and powerful moments are already amazing, and although he's powerless now, I'm pretty sure he will get his status back at least for a while to make a badass scene.

What the Hellaverse doesnt lack is amazing villains. If critics were so much better and creative than Vivziepop, they wouldn't turn a complex, well written, well designed and well acted character like Stolas into a boring Valentino 2.0 just because the pilot version seemed creepier. Lmao Stella is literally what all of Stolas's haters claim to want, look how well they're handling her. Seriously I've seen people saying that Stella needs a sympathetic reason to be a fucking abuser, but when Stolas (not an abuser) has sympathetic reasons to be who he is and do what he does, it's suddenly not okay.

Stolas is the only character I've ever seen who: sacrifice his life to his lover, and is still called "selfish" and "not enough for Blitz"; is seeing being abused by his wife since EP2-Season 1, even singing about how his life with her was miserable yet he remained strong for his daughter, and people will still claim that Stella turned out to be abusive "out of nowhere"; is forced to marry someone he doesn't love, is abused by said person, spent years alone and enduring that misery, and when he finally chooses to stay with the one person that never abused him, he is an "evil cheater"; sacrifices his own safety and happiness to make his daughter safe and happy, and ALWAYS — always — take accountability when he fails her (or when she thinks he failed her) as any good parent would do, and still be called a bad father (addition: forced to have said child but loves her anyway🤡). Just say yall alergic to character development.

I lost the Tiktok now because I blocked OP, but the big argument about "how much pilot Stolas is better" is a lie basically: canon Stolas, (abuse survivor, has the best development of the show alongside with Blitz, a loving father who remained strong for his daughter), is a "loser" (also a twink in a derogatory way, which is funny like, just say the f slur, we know that's what you mean🤡 specially calling a male abuse survivor "coward" and "loser" lmao like we know), while the pilot Stolas is a "manipulative, inteligent, cold villain" uuuuh no he wasn't lol hate to tell you dude, Pilot Stolas wasnt an evil interesting genius that was sooo intimidating, nah he was just creepy and honestly as funny as the canon one. Yeah you just hate the gay owl being well written. Pilot Stolas has 2 minutes screen. Canon Stolas has two seasons of development, he is the better one, I'm pretty sure people who say this don't even remember half of the pilot.

So it's not really about Stolas's actions, or mistakes, or him being a good or a bad person (he is a good person). He could be the most perfect, excellent, flawless victim, the 'wokest' most self aware pure angel, it's still not enough. Because it's not about him, it's about a version of him that never came to be but haters love to whine about it.

[scribbly-artist]

Making Things Right

Summary: Two weeks after the trial, Stolas is still in Blitz’ home, wasting away. Blitz feels shitty and undeserving for what Stolas sacrificed for him. The least he could do is try to make Stolas feel a little bit better.

Author’s Notes: This came outta NOWHERE. But I needed to get this out of my system because it was all I could think about, and Mastermind made me sad. :( They deserve to be happy. I think after all that happened, and now that they’re on the same level, that they can repair what they broke.

I might have been somewhat inspired by this artwork to make this, even unconsciously. It wasn’t my intent, but it happened. Hoping Blitz and Stolas don’t sound OOC because I’ve never written for them before. I feel like after the recent episodes that Blitz would be more soft and considerate of what he’s saying. My first Helluva Boss fic too!!

Words: ~1,400 | AO3 Link

It had been two weeks since the trial of breaking demon law was cast across every TV in Hell. Blitz was ready to sacrifice his life for his cause, and so that his family and friends - Loona, Moxxie and Millie - weren't harmed for just doing their jobs. 

What he didn't expect was for Stolas to magically appear at the trial, and for him to throw everything away instead. 

Blitz couldn't lie; he was extremely grateful that Stolas did this for him. Stolas took all of the blame, and even if it angered him that Stolas took the brute force of it, at least Blitz still had his head. Albeit, he was feeling extremely shitty about the whole ordeal. 

But Stolas lost everything. His power, his family, his status. Blitz wasn't even sure if Stolas had the heart to contact Octavia after all of this. He had hardly heard him spoke in general across these past two weeks, which broke his heart. 

He felt awful about all of this. Sure, giving the imp race new-found power was nice, he supposed. Everytime he went outside over the past couple days, fellow imps cheered for him, stopping him to congratulate him everywhere he went. And he got a whole lot more business now. He wasn't used to it. But, it didn't feel great to know this was only coming about after Stolas sacrificed himself. 

Blitz returned home with a few paper bags full of groceries wrapped up in his arms, only just managing to shove his key in the door and twisting it to open the lock. He kicked the door open with his foot, bumping it closed with his hip as he stepped into his apartment. 

“Stolas, I'm back.” Blitz spoke aloud, though he knew Stolas wouldn't answer. He could see Stolas’ legs hanging off the edge of the couch, as it was much too small for him. Blitz didn't even see Stolas shift upon his arrival. 

Blitz paced to the kitchen, setting the bags on the countertop and stepping over to the couch where Stolas laid. He placed his hand on the top of the couch as he gazed down.

Stolas was wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito, eyes open as he watched the TV. Was he even really ‘watching’ it? Or just staring at it? Blitz frowned at the sight before him. He made his way to the front of the couch, sitting on it near Stolas’ legs.

“…” Stolas didn’t react to Blitz’s presence. Didn’t even shift.

“…I feel so fucking awful that all of this happened to you, Stolas,” Blitz let out a breath he was holding. “And I’m sorry for all the shit that happened that got you into this mess.”

Stolas finally shifted, acknowledging the imp’s presence by snaking his hand out of the safety of the blanket, weakly holding it out. Blitz took Stolas’ hand in his own, giving it a squeeze.

“But I wanna make it right. We need to make it right. Let everyone know that pompous shithead of a bird orchestrated all of this.”

Stolas gently moved himself so he was sitting more upright, his eyes finally looking at Blitz. His eyes were distant. Unfocused. Foggy.

“I’m so, so grateful you did this for me, Stolas. And I don’t even deserve it after everything I’ve put you through. I’ll probably be spending the rest of my life paying you back. I didn’t deserve your generosity, your kindness. Your love. I’ve been the worst fucking person to you, and I regret it. I’m the lowest of the low. But, I wanna make this right. If you’ll let me.” He let his emotions pour out through his words, his voice wavering.

The owl had tears in his eyes, threatening to fall down his cheeks. He sniffled. “Thank you… so much, Blitz…” Stolas’ voice was quiet. “I’m glad I have at least someone on my side…”

Blitz reached his hands out, cupping Stolas’ face and wiping his tears away with his thumbs. “Anything to undo the mistakes I’ve made. And to make you smile again.”

The owl’s heart swelled as the imp spoke. He was being genuine, for the first time. Stolas gave Blitz a small smile, the first one in quite a while even before this whole ordeal. But Blitz wasn’t satisfied with how small it was.

“C’monnnn, you can totally fucking do better than that.” The imp teased the owl, grinning.

“That’s all I can really muster right now… really…” his face leaned into Blitz’s warm hands. 

Blitz’s grin only grew wider, the cogs in his brain turning. He had an idea. “Well, why don’t I help ya out?” Blitz’s hands left Stolas’ face in search of the blanket wrapped around Stolas’s body, digging around for an opening.

Stolas’ eyes widened in alarm, knowing exactly what he was up to. “Wait, r-really Blitz, you don’t need to dO THIS—!”

The owl let out a yelp and immediately bit his lip as the imp managed to find his ribs through the blankets and feathers. Blitz’s ready hands latched on and started squeezing them as Stolas gawked, but was able to silence himself. He grabbed onto Blitz’ wrists, squirming about as Blitz tickled him.

Blitz chuckled as he continued, his fingers rummaging through Stolas’ soft feathers. “You might as well let it all out. I know you need this right now.” 

Stolas shook his head in denial, laughter threatening to bubble out from his throat. 

“Well, suit yourself.” 

Blitz started to tickle whenever he could reach - under his arms, counting his ribs, wiggling along his sides, scratching at his belly. He was surprised Stolas could last this long without exploding, though he looked close. Stolas’ face was as red as Blitz’s skin at this point.

Blitz stopped for a moment, Stolas quickly took in greedy breaths. “Satan Christ, there must be somewhere that’ll break you,” his eyes darted around Stolas’ body for more ideas. When Blitz turned his body around to face the lower half of Stolas’ body, the owl started to freak out.

“No no no no, BLITZ, do NOT even TRY!” Stolas begged, raising his voice. Blitz smirked devilishly as he eyed off Stolas’ knees. He leaned over - going for the kill - squeezing just above his kneecaps.

The dam broke, Stolas couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst out with a mix of laughter and hoots as his body shook. He thrashed about, kicking his legs and bucking his body.

It was hard for Blitz to hang on. He stretched and wrapped his tail around Stolas’ body, both to stabilise himself, and to use his tail to poke into the owl’s sides. Stolas’ laugh just evolved to be more screechy at that. 

“BLITZ!! It’s toohohohoho mUCH! I’m— I’m SMILING! I’M SMIHIHIHILING!! OKAHAHA?!” Stolas laughed himself silly, new tears forming in his eyes. Mirthful tears.

The imp turned his head to look at the owl’s face, laughing himself as he slowly ceased to a stop on his totally unwarranted assault. He stopped squeezing his knees and poking him, shifting himself around with a wide smile on his own face. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? Lettin’ it all out?”

“I suppose it— hehehe, wasn’t… awful… hahaha…” Stolas admitted as he breathed out, residual giggles escaping him. He reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes, the stretched smile still lingering on his face. “Ahaha… t-thank you, Blitz…”

“Anytime,” Blitz chuckled with a smirk as he got up from the couch with renewed vigour. “How about I make you somethin’ to eat? Probably tired after all that. Wanna help?” He stretched his hand out in offering.

Stolas wiped the remainder of the tears from his eyes, nodding as he accepted his hand in his. “I’m afraid I’m not the best cook - all I can really make is a bowl of cereal.”

“Eh, I’m shit at it too. I usually get Loonie to make food. She’s a lot fucking better than me at it. I nearly lit the apartment on fire once.”

Stolas let out a giggle as he was led by the hand to the kitchen.

Finally, a step in the right direction.

[doodler16]

"If anything Ozzie could’ve been the one who would ask where Stolas is, yknow an established character we already know and someone who knows the details and gave Blitzø the ozmedous crystal so they don’t have to travel illegally."

i think this is the exact reason viv wants to act like ozzie was incapable of doing anything by passive aggressively liking fans tweets that argued he couldnt have possibly spoken up. because if he had even tried to save blitzs heiny by saying truthfully, "hey, wait - i know that guy! my partner fizz is friends with him! and he didn't force himself onto stolas, stolas personally asked me for an asmodean crystal for him when he realized he had, and i quote, 'feelings' for the imp! see? look at his right forearm, that there's one of my crystals, legally approved of." then they all would've believed a seven deadly fucking sin over some pissy elsa rip off that's ranks below ozzie, who has NO evidence of these vile accusations, vs the literal asmodean crystal on blitzs arm that you can literally see throughout the entire the trial. it's not like they took it off or anything! it's still there! keeping in mind theres no such thing as bootlegs crystals, because every on screen depiction (and i think even on screen description) states that an asmodean crystal is a personal item tied to it's owner - it's LEGAL owner.

but if that had happened, then we wouldn't have gotten our stoliz climax where stolas shows he loves blitz by.. doing the bare minimum of NOT letting blitz die due to STOLAS'S DECISION in murder family to make them fuck for the book, instead of giving his "first ever fwiend" an asmodean crystal immediately. how romantic!

im just getting so sick of the parasocial vivziepop stans doing backflips in logic to justify the way the story is, without realizing that they could and SHOULD be given something better. they see the cracks, but viv just doesn't want them to, because it's her way or the highway - she's the biggest fan of her own show, so things happen the way she wants them to, not in a way that makes any logical sense when you put it under the usual critical eye the average writer (and casual viewer) would.

i mean, what if oz said that, but satan still deemed a punishment against blitz worthy for having the grimorie to begin with at all as an imp, still tried to execute blitz as a public display of power, and THEN oz texts stolas while notifications of fizz texting oz pop up? you still get your angst, have ozzie ACTUALLY be a good person who's willing to put his neck out on the line for someone lesser then him with no personal gain and not just be a canonical complacent royal fuck who was about to let his lovers reunited best friend die on public television, which is why i will never be invested in fizzozzie ever again tbh, and STILL have your big stoliz savior moment, without it happening due to just because of stolas just so happening to turn on the news that day. a text from oz could've given stolas a moment to very briefly consider if this is something he should intervene in, before realizing he has to, because blitz made him feel free for the first time in his life. now he can free him too, from the grimorie, and from suffering the consequences of his actions that put blitz in this position unfairly to begin with. also i wouldn't personally write stolas following this up with a song about how he's the mastermind behind a plan he knows nothing about or have him insult his "lovers" intelligence repeatedly within it, "that's the point," my ass, stolas could've just sung about the way blitz made him feel when they first met as kids and then again as adults, and why he gave him the grimorie because of that, contradicting andres imp rape claim and showing blitz that stolas DOES care in a way that ISNT self sacrifice, but nooooo, we need just one more song of stolas being a entertaining dick! no wonder she said this episode was self indulgent lol

Someone get rid of Vivziepop’s Twitter or someone on her Spindlehorse team get Viv a social media manager. 💀 The fact this woman is passively aggressively liking tweets in defense of her show is insane. And maybe just maybe Vivziepop should explain herself in the show instead of Twitter.

I don’t care what anybody says Ozzie could’ve done more and spoken up. He is one of the seven deadly sins and has the power to make a difference. If Stolas (someone who is lower than Ozzie in terms of status) can make a heroic entrance to save his booty call and talk/sing against Satan. Then Ozzie has a chance.

Anon why is your version so much better. That “Mastermind” song so unnecessary (it’s one of the few songs I personally don’t vibe with except the ending, I will admit Satan and other sins part is fire). Stolas says how he love blitzø yet uses any chance to insult and demean his intelligence in the most mean spirited way possible.

[lost-romantique]

Blitzø's Realization & Feelings

I like how Blitz is initially confused the moment Stolas arrives on scene and breaks into song...

He understands that Stolas just saved him from getting his head chopped off, but he still doesn't understand what he's doing at the trial.

After all, in Blitzø’s mind Stolas is over him, and moved on the moment he saw Stolas having the time of his life dancing with BTB.

In Blitzø’s memory reel Stolas has his top eyes open, and I think to Blitzø he reads it as Stolas seeing and relishing in that kiss, in that moment. Blitzø doesn't even consider the fact that it was a drunken kiss.

But the moment Stolas takes all the blame for himself, things take a turn...

It clicks for Blitzø, and he's just in pure and utter shock as he sees just how much Stolas genuinely and truly loves him.

It's at this moment where he says the words, "I don't want to live a life without you by my side."

Blitzø takes this time to finally let his emotions pour out like a fucking waterfall.

Whereas compared to Ghostfuckers he just subtly acknowledges it.

His expression drops from realization to pure panic at Stolas' actions. Blitzø doesn't want to die, but at the same time, he definitely doesn't want someone he cares about to take the fall for him.

"What are you doing!? I don't deserve this!"

"I realized too late!" Blitzø acknowledges that he realized both Stolas’ feelings and his own feelings too late in the game.

Blitzø in Apology Tour didn't understand his own feelings, let alone Stolas’ feelings. He tries to, but he can't.

"Don't give your life to clean my slate."

What I love about this line is that it reads as: Don't sacrifice yourself to absolve me of my crimes. Blitzø makes it clear he doesn't want this.

"You’re my heart."

Blitzø breaks down and says these words because to Blitzø this is what Stolas is, the key to his heart that he's kept locked up for years, and someone he wants to give his whole heart too.

Because Blitzø closed off his heart after the fire. His love is something that he believed could hurt someone, but with Stolas, he's worth that risk.

The moment Stolas is wrapped in chains, Blitzø moves on instinct, almost as if he's trying to get out of his own chains so he can run to Stolas.

Felt like it would be a disservice not to show the clip that destroyed me. 😀

Blitzø, the moment he's freed of his chains Blitzø says the words, "No- no!" in disbelief, shock, and desperation.

Blitzø is so desperate to stop Stolas from what he's doing, begging him to do anything to stop this from happening. And if that meant getting himself killed, he'd do it.

Because he doesn't want a repeat of this happening. It's one thing for people to leave Blitzø, he’s used to that, but it's another to have them die, especially in front of him.

He breaks down when he fears his worse fears have come true: that Stolas is dead and he can't do anything to stop it.

It's why Blitzø is so shocked and surprised the moment he sees Stolas alive, because his worse fears didn't happen.

The moment Blitzø gets the reassurance that he's is loved by Stolas he falls into that caretaking role almost instantly, since he knows Stolas is hurting right now.

He's taking steps being extra gentle, extra reassuring, extra soft, even going as far as to fluff the pillow on his couch.

It vaguely reminds me of how Blitzø is able to sorta gage what people's needs are. In this moment, Blitzø was about to shoot Creepzo, but instead he opts to beat Creepzo with the end of his gun once he realizes Fizz is on the verge of a panic attack.

What I love about this shot is that this is the most at peace Blitzø has ever looked in the entire show.

He's just so grateful that he's alive and that Stolas is alive.

~~~~~~

Anyway, wanted to include this bit because I love how Sam Haft pointed out that Blitzø leaves Mastermind more self-actualized.

Whereas for Stolas, he leaves Mastermind more humbled as he gets a taste of how truly privileged he is.

[demon-country]

"Stolas is a worse dad than Blitz, because when Stolas was about to die he chose Loona over him."

The situations were completely different, you can't actually compare them in that way.

1) In Western Energy, Blitz was going to go save Stolas, but was able to send Moxxie and Millie instead, freeing him up to stay with Loona.

In Mastermind, Blitz was in imminent danger. As in, by the time Stolas saw what was happening there was only about a minute until Blitz was going to be decapitated. There was no one to send in his place and no one else could've gotten there in time even if there was.

2) Loona had a hospital appointment she couldn't go to on her own due to her extreme phobia of needles, and it would have been years before she could get it again if she missed it (unless Stolas pulled some strings).

Octavia was not in danger and had no pressing need for Stolas to be by her side. He was also implied to have set things up so that, should he die before she's legally an adult, she'd still be well off and protected to the best of his abilities. She'd be heartbroken, yes, but her assets and future would be secure. (It's no substitute for a loving parent, of course, but it'd allow her some freedom to do as she pleased, like not being forced to marry someone against her will.)

3) Fighting Striker wouldn't be, and wasn't, a sure death sentence. He's good at what he does, but he's just one guy who can be fought.

Stolas didn't have the time or knowledge to come up with a good defense, and even if he did the court wouldn't have cared, because they were bored, hungry, and don't care enough about imps, due process, or doling out real justice to be bothered listening to a nerdy bird attempt to be a lawyer for some uppity imp trying to rise above his station. Putting all of the blame on himself and making a big, flashy production about how he's some cunning manipulator who thinks he's above the law and Blitz is just a worthless pawn to force them to pay attention to him was his only real option if he wanted Blitz to make it out alive.

And even if Stolas did let Blitz die, then he undoubtedly would have spiraled into an even deeper depression, riddled with guilt, grief, and self-loathing. Because that's what happens when you have precarious mental health and watch the love of your life be executed, knowing you could maybe have done something to stop it, but didn't even try. Which, you know, also would have hurt Octavia, because it's not easy seeing your parent in that state. Neither choice would have spared Octavia the pain of losing her father, at least temporarily, and people would still be calling him a bad dad for letting his mental illness affect his relationship with her.

Also, did people not see the way Blitz was begging Stolas not to take the fall for him? He absolutely would have re-taken his place on the chopping block if it meant Stolas didn't have to die. Then Loona would be down her only parent, with Blitz actively choosing Stolas first, because Stolas was seemingly about to die and M&M had already promised to take care of her. You know, exactly like Stolas in this episode.

Blitz would have been in the same sinking mental health boat if Stolas died, as well, except he did try to save him (or more accurately, get him to save himself) it was just entirely fruitless. The man nearly ran his company into the ground because they broke up, he'd fall completely apart if another person he loves died "because of" him (in his eyes), this time without even knowing that Blitz loves him.

When push came to shove, when someone they love was about to die right in front of them and they felt secure with the knowledge that their child would be okay without them (eventually), they both attempted to sacrifice themselves instead. And they both would have been inconsolable wrecks if the other had actually died. There were no good options, they were just trying to make it so that everyone they loved made it out alive, even though putting themselves in the line of fire was the only realistic way of doing that.

[strangegardendelusion]

So for mastermind, how come andrealphus kept painting imp as the villains and stolas as the hopeless victim

It has been made clear since his first appearance that andrealphus hates stolas and wants stolas job + money

Andrealphus should know painting stolas as the helpless victim would lead to stolas not getting punished

My guess is Viv + the writers wanted a romantic gesture to happen, where stolas would sacrifice his life for blitz, but they didn't know what to do to make that happen

[lifea16]

Mastermind live thoughts [Spoilers below cut]

The animation is amazing like oh my god! 💕

Ah, gonna be the Stolas trial I see

Andre stop flirting with your sister

✨Unpaid interns✨

Fuck.. double trial I see

RUN

Be fucking faster

Why do they sound like the cherubs

What is this….?

“Face the music” is honestly a bit too funny

Trailer scene time!

FUCK

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

Blitz you don’t deserve to be deadnamed :/

???

Andre what did I just say, stop flirting with her, at some point comphet is cursed

Oh thank Satan (?) that Blitz actually defended himself against the possibility he forced himself onto Stolas

Candle head in Wrath?

Vassago bilingual? And he here!

Don’t you wanna take Stolas down first??

Yep.. they are claiming Blitz S/A’d Stolas in the trial. Fuck. At least hopefully the Blitz antis will realise they’re wrong in the episode

Bestie (/s) I think you got Blitz and your sister’s names confused. Put Stella on trial coward

Grimour, Stricker

You tell them Blitz!

Poor Mox :(

Go off Bea!! /pos

Yep you too Ozz! Tell ‘em

Mammon aren’t you Ace?? Don’t you want not to be fucked??

Satan looks a lot more like a Candlehead than I would’ve thought

How is this not the finale?? AAAA

Well shit….

Yay! Classism!

Poor Fizz, seeing your best friend (?) almost get executed live on TV! TF

Blitz sacrifices himself (tries to) <//3

(My hc) “Bitches (Blitz) say “I wanna die” like a broken record, but when you almost get executed on live tv, you shit yourself

Stolas save your future boyfriend now!!!

Go off Blitz! Tell ‘em off on their classism

As much as I understand not liking racial coding, .. Blitz and imps in general especially in this episode are very POC coded, with a lot of he’ll just being racist

</3

No Blitz don’t accept your fate 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Stolas ex machena please please please please

😭😭😭😭😭😭

Why Blitz must you care so fucking much about your family and if I could cry I’m pretty sure I would be by now

The screencap I paused on is so pretty.. To bad it’s Blitz getting executed (And almost made me wanna cry) or I’d make it my banner

Aaaaa

Fuck yes Stolas!!

Blitz is saved !! ✨⭐️💕

Boyfriends protecting eachother 💕

Yay! Songs! <3

XD “half a brain”

“Some kind of Mastermind-“ roll credits

Stolas I know you’re dealing with rascists but please don’t act like that with Blitz rn ur doing a regression and I hope it’s an act

Nevermind lol kinda

Yep. This is a clear racial allegory. No hiding it now

Fancy ahh reveal Stolas

Also we just shifted the “I’ll sacrifice for my loved ones” horse to Stolas instead of Blitz

Stolas ur an idiot too

Fuck yes! Romantic ish Stolitz duet part!

No Blitz you fucking deserve to live <333

And I’m back too “if only tears could fall” again.. Please Blitz take his sacrifice and save him after that till the system breaks and you two will be free

Either death or.. whatever happened last two episodes

Shit

Where is Lucifer? Just because Luci’s in his depression era doesn’t mean you are the ruler of hell Satan

Oh nevermind

The sins have existed before Luci fell. Interesting

Blitz is so defensive over Stolas and his life ahh 💕😭

Step 1: *Panic* , Step 2: “Wow this is a sturdy door”

Blitz is being silly but not swearing so he must be concealing his emotions again

<33 Group hug <33

Are we starting some weird chain now (Octavia was now alerted and running for Stolas)

Or not..

Poor Via </3

Loophole! Also more racism allegory!

Banishing him is actually a decent idea (for once)

Ohhh Andrealphus just wants power. Honestly I should have figured sooner lol

If this is Mastermind then what the actual fuck will Sinmas be (unless it’s another Queen Bee situation)

100 years.. So have a relationship with Blitz and once that’s done go back to royalty! Sounds great!

..wait are we getting imp Stolas

Nevermind lol. Just hatless

He will enjoy very much

Ooh!~ Our theories were right! (Stolas must also learn classism the hard way for a bit)

So the white pupils are permanent now

<3

OMG Blitz hero! Yay!!! <3

<3333

Blitz is at an all time high and Stolas is at an all time low.. interesting

<33333

So.. are they immediately dating now?

THIS WAS ALL SO AMAZING!! Favourite episode now!