#Stolas character analysis

[hellaversity]

Even back when Stella had her original design from the pilot, she was still, as seen in these old Instagram posts and the storyboard for Loo Loo Land, written as a domestic abuser. In the Instagram posts, she is grabbing Stolas' wrist and twisting it or squeezing it too tightly, and both times, he looks uncomfortable being around her. For the Loo Loo Land storyboard, Stella is even worse than in final version of the episode, where she's man-handling that poor imp butler by the wrist (which is STILL fucked up) and has some ridiculous facial expressions. In the storyboard, though? She holding the butler by the waist, like she's leaving no room for him to breathe, and there's no over the top faces to be found. Just a sinister, 100% serious glare. Octavia's reaction is also much more saddening in the storyboard version, where she's glaring at Stella and looks dead inside, like she's already given up hope on seeing any good in her mother. In the finished version of the episode, she's merely ignoring the screaming and fighting. Just more proof that Stella being abusive was always an intentional writing choice and was never a "retcon" to make Stolas look better.

[thecrazygamingzombie]

OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING CHARACTER ANALYSIS

[sopphic27]

Been thinking about the parallels between Lucifer and Stolas. Like. Lucifer was an odd one out among the angels, Stolas was an odd one out among the Goetia.

Lucifer fell in love with a human and was cast out of Heaven for giving the humans the gift of free will, and Stolas fell in love with an imp, and was cast down from his status as a Prince by basically implying that Blitz was not acting of his own free will.

They're both dreamers. They're both depressed. They've both split up with their wives (granted for very different reasons). They both have complicated relationships with their daughters. They would still kill or die for their daughters.

I think that if Lucifer found out about Stolas's situation (what really happened, not the fake version that was presented during the trial), he would probably see himself in Stolas. Can you imagine if Lucifer learned about the Goetic Prince who was banished for protecting his imp lover? Deja vu. Sucks that he wasn't at the trial. Idk how differently it would have gone since Andrealphus had the whole court wrapped around his finger with the exception of Vassago, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub. But still.

[jubileemon]

The way Andrealphus and Stella treat Octavia says everything you need to know about her current living arrangement. When Stella prevents Stolas from talking to Via, she laughs and mocks him by calling his attempts “hilarious”, not caring about how distraught Octavia is as a result. She even refers to her as his daughter, rather than our daughter or even using her name. Later in the episode, Andrealphus taunts Stolas for losing her in the same manner as his plants and stars - in his eyes, Octavia’s just another one of Stolas’ prized possessions that he managed to swindle him out of, and lords it over him.

[zombie-bait]

Full Moon

Ok so I don’t normally post about Helluva Boss but the newest episode touched on an interesting concept I haven’t necessarily seen represented in media. Back when I was on Twitter (derogatory) a few years ago there was this now deleted viral thread where someone discussed how their struggles with mental health affected their relationship with their partner and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. 

This is such a good, short example of how anxiety and depression can play tricks on you. It becomes so easy to envision yourself as a nuisance, a constant burden to those closest to you because they cannot possibly genuinely enjoy your company, right? But in doing so you create this arbitrarily cruel version of the people you love, people who would otherwise never behave like this outside of your own mind.

It's mean. Because your mind wants to be mean to you under these circumstances. It wants to put everyone else's emotions and desires above yours, both in worthiness and validity. And that starts bleeding into your understanding of other people, especially those you care about.

Now. Helluva Boss.

"Can I get a fucking MINUTE to think after everything you put me through you pompous rich ASSHOLE? Treat me like one of your little butler imps, you can’t just dismiss me like that! I mean, you royal fucks think you can do this every time, like you can just play with our feelings because we’re smaller and not as important. Well I’m not letting you, BITCH! Let’s go!" - Blitz

I find it really interesting how Helluva Boss decided to approach this conflict between Stolas and Blitz. Obviously, the difference in power matters. It's the underlying tension of their entire relationship and their lives. Stolas is burdened by the mountain of expectations thrust upon him from a very young age while Blitz is constantly reminded that he can NEVER be part of that world, that he is "smaller and not as important" not just in Hell's hierarchy but in his own life and family. Stolas very literally has power over Blitz (through the grimoire, the arrangement, his position in society) and Blitz uses their relationship as an excuse to reverse those roles. But that power dynamic, in one form or another, never truly goes away. And for Blitz, it's a lot easier to paint Stolas as this manipulative symbol of power and himself as nothing more than Stolas' plaything. It's easier to be angry than to be vulnerable and accept that someone might care about him.

"Dismiss" is the keyword in that quote. All that Blitz has been able to process is that Stolas has decided to end the relationship that they have. He feels ls like a choice has been taken away from him so he lashes out because he's not ready to emotionally tackle what the rest of Stolas' offer might entail. If Stolas hates him, just wants to play with him, then he is justified in his anger, his self-destruction, his isolation. If the world is mean, you're "allowed" to be mean back.

But

In that moment he forgets that Stolas is someone he actually cares about. Someone he's known for way too long and clearly wants to keep in his life, no matter how reluctant he can be to admit it. Someone who is not innately cruel or manipulative but sad and desperate for connections in a lot of the same ways that Blitz is. And Blitz immediately sees that he's miscalculated something.

Somewhere along the way the fictional version of Stolas that he's allowed himself to be mad at and the real one that he's not ready to admit he cares about have merged into something real that he has actual power over. Stolas can get hurt and Blitz can be the one who does it. He has once again allowed his greatest fears (which Stolas so frequently symbolizes) to co-opt his loved ones, to give him an "out" even though he didn't actually want one in the first place.

I'm definitely not the first person to say this but I think this is an example of the miscommunication trope done right. Their individual struggles are what cause them to be unable to connect during this conversation or to even have a proper conversation in the first place. There is no convenient misunderstanding or third party fabricating this rift. Both of them have preconceived ideas of what the other one is thinking but those ideas are flawed and rooted in self-hatred. They also both shutdown in their unique ways when the conversation starts heading in the direction they'd feared it would.

Blitz and Stolas work because they're both fucked up in similar ways, because they want similar things. That's the same reason why they're uniquely designed to hurt one another. A fear of rejection and a yearning for happiness. To borrow a quote that has been used by literally everyone from Spiderman to Evangelical preachers, "hurt people hurt people."

anyway, I really liked this episode.

(twitter thread screenshots sourced from this reddit post)

[criticalcrusherbot]

What’s gross is that I bet you’re smarter than this, you just have a bizarre antagonistic parasocial relationship with Vivienne Medrano.

This critique is fundamentally flawed in its analysis, misinterpreting the narrative structure and character dynamics of Helluva Boss. Here’s a breakdown of why it doesn’t hold up:

1. The Claim About Blitz and Octavia:

The statement that Blitz “pretends Octavia’s mother never existed” grossly oversimplifies his behavior and motivations. Blitz’s struggles are rooted in his unresolved trauma and inability to form healthy relationships, not a deliberate erasure of Stella. Additionally, the idea that Stella is treated as a “nameless surrogate egg donor” is false. The show repeatedly acknowledges her presence, but she’s portrayed negatively because her actions (abusing Stolas, prioritizing status over family) make her an antagonist. This isn’t about erasing her but about exploring Stolas’s toxic marriage and its impact on Octavia.

2. The Misreading of Stella’s Character:

The critique argues that Vivienne “has to make the woman purely evil and unfeeling,” but Stella’s characterization is consistent with her role as an abusive partner and a foil to Stolas. Her lack of maternal care is a reflection of her values and personality, not an inherent “hatred of women.” Plenty of female characters in Helluva Boss are nuanced, compassionate, and strong (e.g., Millie, Loona, Octavia), disproving the claim of misogyny.

3. The Strawman Argument of “Gay Erotica”:

The scene where Blitz throws Stella out the window isn’t about her disliking “gay erotica.” It’s a comedic exaggeration that underscores the absurdity of the situation, fitting the show’s satirical tone. The focus isn’t on her gender but on the humor of the clash between her and Stolas.

4. The Daughters’ Reactions:

The daughters’ lack of mourning in the Christmas episode is a misinterpretation of the narrative focus. The scene is meant to emphasize Blitz’s moral growth, not delve into the daughters’ feelings. It’s also possible that the mom died quite some time ago and they have moved past actively mourning, but to assume they “don’t care” is reading into something the episode doesn’t explicitly address.

5. Accusation of Misandrist Themes:

Claiming that Vivienne portrays “gay men’s love as more pure” ignores the complexity of Stolas and Blitz’s relationship, which is far from idealized. Their love is messy, imperfect, and rooted in deep emotional baggage—hardly the pedestal the critique implies.

In summary, this critique misrepresents Helluva Boss by cherry-picking elements and ignoring context. The show’s nuanced exploration of flawed relationships, trauma, and humor-driven storytelling doesn’t align with the reductive and bad-faith interpretation presented here.

[anthurak]

After rewatching Mastermind, I feel like the episode actually draws a very interesting distinction between Blitzo’s and Stolas’s respective big ‘Heroic Sacrifice’ moments. Namely in whether they are genuinely necessary sacrifices or a wasteful moment of a character pointlessly throwing their life away.

You see, when Blitzo does his big ‘throwing himself on the sword’ moment where he takes all the blame on himself in order to get Moxxie, Millie and Loona spared, it’s a genuinely heroic, necessary act.

In this moment, Blitzo truly did have NO other options. They were ALL being threatened with death, so Blitzo leveraged the one tiny bit of power he held and took all the responsibility onto himself.

This is very much not a case of Blitzo ‘throwing his life away’. Right then, he was going to die no matter what. But through his sacrifice, Blitzo made sure that the people he loved would live.

Now let’s contrast this with what STOLAS did. He does do essentially the same thing Blitzo just did to save him just as Blitzo saved his loved ones.

But in context, Stolas’s big moment of sacrifice is a complete WASTE. Because while Blitzo truly had zero other options, Stolas DID.

I mean think about it; Stolas is a Goetia. He has POWER, he has influence. The ABILITY, at least potentially, to save Blitzo.

But did he attempt to use any of that? When he appeared in that courtroom, did Stolas try to argue Blitzo’s innocence? Try to push back against his brother-in-law’s scheming? Try literally anything OTHER than big dramatic self-sacrifice?

No. Literally the first thing Stolas did was go straight to throwing everything away, INCLUDING HIS LIFE to save Blitzo. Admitting to whatever made-up bullshit Andrealphus used to frame Blitzo and co. in the first place and just throwing himself on the sword right off the bat.

And that’s not a good thing!

Blitzo was ready to sacrifice his life after it became clear that there was no other way to save his loved ones.

Stolas was ready to sacrifice his life because it seems to have been the first thing he could think of.

Do I really need to spell out how this is a VERY BAD THING for Stolas?

Especially given that one of those things he immediately decided to throw away without a second thought to save Blitzo happens to be HIS DAUGHTER.

I mean, you want a character contrast?

One of the last things Blitzo says is to ask his two best friends to take care of his daughter.

While I think it's pretty goddamn clear Stolas wasn't even THINKING about his daughter.

And before anyone pipes in with any trite about how their precious-little-blorbo-who-can-do-no-wrong ‘didn’t have time to think of anything else’ and ‘was just trying to protect the man he loved’,

Again; LITERALLY THE FIRST AND ONLY THING HE COULD THINK OF WAS THROWING HIS LIFE (and daughter) AWAY TO SAVE BLITZO. How the FUCK is that supposed to be ‘good’ or ‘excusable’?

And despite the ‘wholesome Stolitz domesticity’ ending note, Stolas’s reaction makes it pretty clear he is currently processing just how MASSIVELY and UTTERLY he just FUCKED UP. Particularly the whole ‘Oh shit I just threw away my daughter…’ reaction to Blitzo and Loona embracing.

Overall I think this is very much a deliberate contrast meant to highlight these characters’ growth, or lack thereof, as well as showing how they deal with a moment of true crisis.

For Blitzo, this is very much a make-or-break, back-against-the-wall moment where he demonstrates how much he truly loves his new family with a truly heroic act of self-sacrifice. Blitzo knew he was going to die no matter what, but he made sure that his loved ones would be saved.

Which of course is meant to sharply contrast how STOLAS handles the situation.

Blitzo’s moment of self-sacrifice demonstrated how much he loves and cares for his new family, to the point where he will lay down his own life to keep them safe. Whereas Stolas’s moment of self-sacrifice demonstrated how little he cares for HIMSELF, or anything other than Blitzo. To the point where his first response was to throw away everything, including his LIFE, and his DAUGHTER, to keep Blitzo safe.

[agender-alien]

Blitzø’s self hatred has literally destroyed/ is in the process of destroying every good thing in his life. It destroyed his friendship with Fizzarolli (more in that later), it likely contributed to his fear of intimacy which is what destroyed his relationship with Verosika, and his fear of intimacy, which is fueled by his self hatred and fears of intimacy often are is drives him to talk to M&M and all his other friends like shit.

Blitzø’s deep and utter hatred of himself is actively preventing him from reciprocating Stolas’s genuine affection and letting him enjoy his relationships in general. And it seems like Blitzø has always been this way.

This man’s hatred runs deep, and it’s so intense he literally scribbles his face out of every photo of himself. He obviously cares about the people around him, he keeps constant reminders of the people close to him. The photo wall at home, the bobble heads of M&M in his office.

I think most people assume that this hatred of himself started with the fire. That his guilt over the accident is what led to his belief that he didn’t deserve to be happy, that ultimately destroyed his relationships. But i don’t think this is the case. I think his guilt over the accident definitely fueled his self hatred for a long time but i don’t think that’s the root cause of it.

In this scene it’s a teenage Fizzarolli’s birthday, and a teenage Blitzø appears to be going to hand him what appears to be a love letter, but upon seeing Fizzarolli surrounded by family and friends celebrating he becomes self conscious and throws the letter in the ground and walked away. I believe his internal thought process was that Fizzarolli already has all these people that care for him, why would he want Blitzø around?

I don’t believe this was cause of jealousy, that was fizzarolli’s interpretation of events from his perspective. I think this is one of the first example of Blitzø wrecking his life over his own self hatred.

And i think the most tragic part of this is that he has people in his life that definitely love him. Millie and Moxxie are his employees but they are obviously his friends and do care about his general well-being, Loona is a shit-heel most of the time but she also cares about how Blitzø’s well-being on some level. He has just re-kindled his friendship with Fizzarolli, and Stolas is so head over heals in love with him it’s insane.

Look at this man, so absolutely fucked. And Blitzø is going to be utterly incapable of reciprocating these feelings or even acknowledging that someone is capable of loving him until he actually starts accepting himself.

[voidsquidd]

Octavia's character is actually so well written like

The first time we see her is her having a nightmare about not being able to find her dad in the palace no matter where she looked. Her fear is already clearly shown in her first appearance, and from then on every time we see her is her having that fear re-instilled

In loo loo land, Stolas is unable to understand how she is feeling, that she doesn't want to go to the circus with him (this is a trait Stolas has throughout the series where he cannot tell what other ppl feel, and viv has made posts hinting at this being an intentional character flaw). So not only is he dragging her somewhere she doesn't want to be but then makes it worse by inviting blitzø becuz he wants to spend time with him. We know Stolas could defend himself, it's clear he wants him there not as a body guard but becuz he genuinely wants him to be, ignoring how via may feel, ignoring why he was doing this to begin with. He just invited the guy he cheated on vias mother with to spend time with them while they went somewhere to try cheer her up, and via puts up with it the whole time.

And remember, she was awake when Stella was screaming abour Stolas cheating, she knows what's going on already. They didn't do anything to try and hide what happened from their daughter.

It's also implied that Stella has always yelled and been like this, since we see a picture of younger her in s2ep1. This is important to show how via has always been living in a dysfunctional household. Her mother reacts to issues by yelling and throwing things, potentially physical violence too, and Stolas has needed anti depressants since before he met blitzø again. While Via doesn't know about that, his depression is going to have affected the way he raised Via.

Both her parents are unable to cope with emotions in a healthy way and that will have caused her to struggle as well.

When she finally has enough during the ep and runs off, Stolas goes after her and talks to her but isn't able to tell her the real circumstances for the marriage, she doesn't know why her parents act the way they do, or why they don't love each other. she doesn't know why Stolas cheated with some other guy or why he invited him just to flirt with the whole time. She's scared her nightmare will come true, she always has been due to her unstable environment and now there is someone Stolas could leave with. That is terrifying for her, that is where she starts to hate blitzø.

And all Stolas can do is promise he won't, but he repeatedly fails to change his behaviour. It's shown in all episodes we see via play a large part in: Stolas does something wrong without thinking about via, ignoring her feelings, forgetting important dates, he apologizes but then goes on to do the same again and again.

That is not enough, that makes via lose trust in him, makes her wait for the next time he fucks up, for the next apology, for the cycle to continue. It is meaningless if he doesn't change.

But that's all Via has, Stella is shown to be mostly absent, not wanting anything to do with Via. If her dad leaves then she will have no one and she constantly feels like he could leave at any moment.

In loo loo land, he paid more attention to blitzø than her.

In seeing stars, when she saw him again after running away becuz of the divorce she was also now having to cope with (which she could easily blame on the cheating and blitzø), blitzø is there, and had been with Stolas the whole day

In sinsmas, blitzø is there when she went to find her dad, blitzø who was the reason this was happening to begin with in her mind, was the one Stolas was now spending all his time with

And let's talk about the divorce a bit more.

For 17 yrs she has had both parents present, even as toxic to each other as they are, Via had always lived with both of them. And now she won't. Now she has to get used to both of her parents separating, living away from each other, all the moving their stuff out, the arguments, procedures and the legal side.

Suddenly everything has changed, her fears are getting worse, nothing is stable in her life anymore. And at 17 too.

When a divorce happens when the child is young, they get used to it, their memories of it get vague over time, even if having seperate parents will always have its own issues, they get used to it and adapt better since young children are overall better at adapting to changes like this, they haven't developed their emotions properly yet and are unable to understand what's happening.

But she is 17, she has always had 2 parents, she isn't used to it, and by that age she is old enough to understand, to feel those emotions. She is dealing with a lot and her fathers continuous issues are getting to her.

And then mastermind happens

Stolas thinks he is going to die when he goes to save blitzø, when he claims to have committed crimes he never did.

Via watches him do this, she probably saw how they were about to sentence blitzø to death, and now her dad is taking the blame, believing he would die; she believes the same.

Her father, after promising he would never leave, after repeatedly messing up and leaving Via last, after prioritizing blitzø and getting carried away with him and focusing on him so much, after being unable to do anything but apologize only to do the same again until those apologies mean nothing.

He is going to permanently end his life, leave his daughter behind forever, for the guy Via was always scared of losing him to.

Her nightmare that she has always has is coming true.

Her dad is leaving her for someone else, we dont even see him think or speak about her while he is doing it, she doesn't cross his mind.

Her not being able to find him was her fear all throughout her life and she had told him multiple times, ask if he would, and he was still going to die for someone else.

And then he doesn't even remember to call her till the next day, and they can't even speak becuz Stella doesn't allow via contact with him.

She has to deal with not having her dad there, for a month. She is with Stella and Andy and unable to speak to her dad all month. He tries to call her but she can't answer and she feels more abandoned than ever. Her mother still seems uninterested in her. The only one who cared even a little bit about her is gone and she's all alone having to cope with how she feels, how much has happened.

She was right, after everything, after all her fears, after constantly feeling like he was close to leaving, the insecurity she dealt with her whole life became true and she was proven right. All her fathers promises mean nothing, they were empty and his actions never reflected what he said he would do.

She clearly misses him, but she expected this, she was just waiting for it to happen.

Then she finds the pills, realises how unhappy he was in the relationship and she goes to find him.

And when she confronts him, this is what she says.

"You lied to me, you said you would never leave me, you promised . . . It was your choice. You chose him . . . You don't love mother, you don't love me, you love him . . . So does that mean you just stayed miserable because of me? Was I some fucking obligation? Is that why you didn't even hesitate when you got a chance to leave?"

When Stolas asks to explain she just says she can't. This isn't her genuinely blaming him, she isn't mad at him really. She just can't handle that conversation. So much has been changing, her life's been more unstable than ever, she never had ppl in her life who could manage their own emotions and she is a teenager and struggling to manage her growing emotions already, and that lack of guidance only makes her ability to worse. She was never taught how, she cannot deal with how she is feeling and simply cannot stand to hear the explanation. Seeing Stolas is hard for her.

And what I think makes this scene even sadder is what Stolas says in s2ep1 to Stella:

"You and I were arranged for one reason, to birth a precautionary heir to the Goetia family . . . The only reason I have endured your constant insults and cruelty was for that girl to have a normal life . . . And the only thing the Goetia family wanted out of our marriage is already 17, so it's over, I'm done."

Via wasn't even wrong. Stolas said exactly what she is accusing him of, even if he didn't mean it like that, even if she didn't hear. Even if it was for him to explain to Stella why he was finally thru with it, why nothing she did could change his mind. He still said those things, he still left once he had a chance, he still chose blitzø.

He didn't leave Via once he got the chance, he left Stella, but in the end his actions still had an affect on Via, one that he once again failed to realise.

And Via doesn't have the full story either.

All she knows is her parents never loved each other and it always seemed like her dad would leave and she was always scared of that happening. Then suddenly he cheats and starts spending more time with the guy until he eventually almost dies for him without even thinking about her. And she finds out he needed pills, that he was miserable. And she's just so upset over it, so scared over the fact he almost did die, the fact everything she thought would happened did happen. She almost lost her dad and he didn't even say anything to her before going to get himself killed. He admits to being sad in the marriage, to Via being the only good thing, but Via's grown up in such a toxic environment, she misinterprets what he said, she feels like it's her fault he felt this way, and she doesn't even wait for any more apologies.

She's heard his all her life and they never meant anything, they were never a sign he would change, so why should she listen to another one while knowing it was just another lie?

She can't listen to that again.

[hiddenturtlecity]

Believe it or not, this whole scene can be a good parallel to what *specifically* went down with Blitzø and Verosika

Because I highly doubt, with what we know, this is the first time Blitz verbally lashed out at someone he had feelings for. And I have suspicions Stolas wasn't the only person was "thought so very low of" from Blitzø.

This is the very core of our main protagonist, everyone. The very weakness that has pushed so many people away from him to the point of them having resentment. Blitzø carries his insecurities as if they are his literal scars. They remind him how much he has ruined lives and relationships (whether or not it was even his fault.) Everytime he pushes someone away it ends up biting him in the ass. The very first time he did this, it caused a LITERAL fire, resulting in Blitz losing his best friend, sister, and mother. The second time, he chooses to max out money out of his own girlfriend's credit cards for horse riding lessons. And now this...

Everyone is talking about how hurt Stolas was from Blitz's words and this is actually important. Blitz made him out as if he was indeed a monster, and was just using him for his own gain and couldn't give less of a shit about him. However, no one so far has mentioned this could be the same hurt Verosika carries.

She definetly fell head over fucking heels for this imp- SERIOUSLY SHE HAS A TATTOO OF A HEART WITH HIS NAME. Despite being of lower class than her, Verosika couldn't care less about that. Like Stolas, Blitzø was probably the best thing that ever happened to her. Someone she cared about the most. Yet, like Stolas, Blitz refused to see that. To her, a succubus no less, it was only about sex. Cause who could seriously give a shit about someone as insignificant as him. So he pulls that stunt with her credit cards, a fight has possibly ensued, and he has left Verosika bitter and heartbroken. Because like Stolas, she did not realize he would think so low of her when she thought so highly about him. Its so easy for Blitzø stans to think of her as a bitch instead of a deeply hurt person..

[beatrix33]

so I noticed something in this shot from the trailer

We’ve never scene Stolas in this outfit his normal clothes are red but I’m almost positive that’s not what he’s wearing in this shot because if you look at either version of this outfit it’s pretty clear it’s not that.

Because even without the cape the shirt he is wearing has red sleeves and no white or gold accents. I do think an argument could be made that he is wearing his apology tour fit since that does include a red long sleeve top without accents but here’s why I don’t think he is:

In the first picture Stolas is wearing black pants and the shirt is low cut to show of his slutty chest feathers. The second shot his pants look much closer to what he wore prior to his booty shorts/romper phase, also the shirt has a turtle neck. When I first noticed this I was like oh cool new Stolas fit love that.but then I realized:

Stolas is not wearing a cape here this is important because capes are typically a sign of royalty and his lack of a cape could signify that he has been cast out be the Goetia family. This theory is further backed up by the fact that blitzø is protecting him from a threat and as far as I can see he is not being bound by belssed ropes so there is no reason for him not to be using his powers unless he DOSENT HAVE THEM ANYMORE because he was cast out of the family. Anyways I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how he will probably be cast out of the goetia family and lose his powers, but I haven’t seen anyone mention this so I thought I’d put it out there as some added evidence to this theory.

[hellaversity]

See, this is what happens when people don't count important details in storytelling just because it's not being said outright, but rather shown through character expressions without dialogue. There were hints from the beginning that Stella was always meant to be a bad person and an obstacle to Stolas' feelings for Blitzø.

Don't believe me? Watch Loo Loo Land again with more open ears and eyes. Stella is shown throwing stuff at Stolas, including his sentient plants which he values highly and she was likely aware of that. That imp butler she threw at him means she not only abuses Stolas, but her own servants too, especially those of a particular lower class race.

Octavia's expressions here imply that this isn't an isolated incident either. That's the look of a girl who's heard this same type of arguing from her parents everyday. With how annoyed she looks, Stolas and Stella might as well have been fighting like this for years. It'd be more surprising if they didn't.

Octavia's lack of a reaction to her mom throwing a plant that almost hit her implies that this is far from the first time Stella has thrown things around the house. That is a concerning thing to get used to. Stella is also heard yelling about Stolas sleeping with an IMP, in THEIR bed. Notice the emphasis on "imp" and "our" bed. Even Stolas' only response to that is "I didn't have time to go to a motel!" It's pretty clear here that Stella is more concerned about about Stolas cheating on her with an imp specifically and ruining her reputation than the fact that he cheated at all.

If she was truly upset about the cheating itself, she would've said something more along the lines of "I can't believe you slept with someone else!" or something like that. Throwing their imp butler and him saying "You wanna fuck this one too?" and calling Stolas "pathetic, imp-sucking face" is all you need to know that Stella is making it more about WHO Stolas cheated on her with than the fact that he cheated. Keep in mind that this argument was going on right in front of Via, who didn't even say anything or try to stop it.

Octavia here says "You two done screaming for the day?" with little emotion, and Stolas' reply basically amounts to "Yup" without hesitation. More and more proof that his marriage with Stella was NEVER happy and never something that he wanted.

Later in the episode, Via does say that her parents used to love each other, even though we as the audience know it's not true. Stolas even tries to explain to her that he and Stella were never in love to begin with, but he didn't have the words. Because how exactly can you explain to your daughter that you and your wife were in an arranged marriage since you guys were kids for the sole purpose of producing a child, without offending her and making her think she was only born for one purpose? Or better yet, what reason is there to assume that she'd actually believe you?

People have looked at this picture on the wall and somehow came to the conclusion that Stolas and Stella used to be in a happy, loving relationship based on this picture alone, just because Stella is smiling in it. But if you look cloesly, you'll see that smile on Stella is barely there. She's very obviously faking it to keep up an image. She's forcing it so people won't get suspicious. This is the vision of Stella that Octavia remembers from her youth, which is exactly why she was naive enough to believe that her parents genuinely loved each other before Blitzø came along for a one night stand in hopes of getting the grimoire. Sure, she had seen them arguing and fighting with each other before that, but that's mainly because most if not all parents have gotten into nasty arguments at some point that their children were more likely than not to witness.

Stella is barely looking at Stolas there, clearly rolling her eyes and just wanting the picture to be overwith already. Stolas is genuinely happy there, but that's because his "little owlette" is there with him. He's not looking at Stella at all. Another picture in their house with just Stolas and Stella together has both of them frowning and looking at the camera, not each other. Octavia is the only thing to come out of Stolas' marriage that ever gave him any real happiness. She was the only reason he stayed at that house.

That scene where Stella ignores Octavia's cry for help when she's having a nightmare and tells Stolas to go check on her instead is more evidence that Stella had never been a nice person or a good mother. You could argue that she was just too tired to do anything about it, but look again. Stolas was just as tired as she was, yet he still went out of way to comfort his "little Starfire" when she was having a bad dream. Octavia may have called for both of her parents, but she said she had a bad dream about her father disappearing. Not her parents, just her father.

Also notice the drawings in Octavia's bedroom when she's a child. Look at how many of them are of her and Stolas together, but Stella is nowhere to be found in those drawings. That shows how close Via is to her father, especially when she was a little girl, but was never really close to her mother at all. Sure, those drawings are no longer in Via's room when she's a teen in the present, but remember that her and Stolas gradually got less close to each other as the years went by and their relationship got more flawed, to the point that Via questions if her dad even loves her anymore and literally listens to music about hating dads. But the fact remains that there were never any drawings of Stella in her daughter's room and there still isn't now is pretty telling that Stella was never a good mom, still isn't now and likely never will be.

Now look at The Harvest Moon Festival. If Loo Loo Land didn't convince you that Stella was a bitch, then this episode sure will. Stella's only scene in the episode is her screaming into a phone while she's talking to Striker about wanting Stolas dead. Right in front of him and Octavia. While Via is listening to music that's too loud for her to have even heard the screaming, Stolas heard it pretty clearly. But he had no reaction to his own wife screeching about hiring an assassin to kill him. Him being completely unphased by something like that is surely a sign that Stella had always hated his guts and he knew about it. He likely heard her shouting at the top of her lungs about wanting to murder him with her own bare hands. If he's not reacting to Stella talking to Striker on the phone about planning his death in front of him, he might as well have been hearing shit like that from her for years.

Not counting the pilot, those are the only two scenes with Stella in season 1. Both scenes depicted her in the same light. A loud, violent bitch in a loveless marriage. Therefore, her reveal in The Circus about always hating Stolas from the get go is not a retcon. Not that there was even much known about her character for there to be retconned in the first place, but her few scenes before that episode showed her doing and saying nothing BUT horrible things.

As for Stolitz, Blitzø is more than once implied to return Stolas' feelings for him. He just never said it out loud and is in denial about his own feelings. He's not even aware that Stolas' love for him is genuine because between their reuniting at the Not Divorce Party and their fumbled fake date at Ozzie's, Stolas has only ever talked to Blitzø with sexual innuendos. So Blitzø had no reason to assume that Stolas was legitimately in love with him and didn't just want him for sexy times, because Stolas hadn't really been helping his case. Blitzø ranted to Fizzarolli about Stolas "acting" like he cared about him outside of sex.

Everytime Blitzø talks about Stolas treating him like his own personal fuck toy, he looks and sounds pretty upset about it. I doubt he'd care all that much about his relationship with Stolas being transactional fucking if he didn't like him back. Right after the fake date gone wrong at Ozzie's, Blitzø is looking at several pictures saved in his phone, one of them being a photo of him Stolas laying together in bed. Blitzø looks genuinely happy in that photo, he's even smiling. He DOES enjoy being around Stolas. When Loona comforts him after Bee's party, he can be heard whispering the names of all the people he cares about and is close to. Those people being Loona, Moxxie, Millie and.... Stolas.

In Seeing Stars, Blitzø blushes when seeing Stolas in his human form and you can see his pupils dialating for a few seconds before he changes for a few seconds. I don't know about you, but I don't blush at anyone i'm not in love with when they get a new look. Pupils dialating are also a commom indication that you're looking at something you love. Later in that episode, Blitzo nervously sweats when Stolas whispers into his ear with a seductive voice, smiles at Stolas specifically when he causes the whole audience to laugh, and holds his hand while they run out of the burning building. Blitzø did not need to hold Stolas' hand. He could've just said "Hey, let's get the fuck outta here," and Stolas wouldn't have hesitated. On top of that, they are still shown holding hands long after they escaped and only let go once they see their daughters.

Now, onto the most complicated scene involving the Stolitz relationship, during Blitzø's ball tripping hallucination where he sees Stolas on top of a staircase and is being pulled towards him with chains. Already not a good sign. But Blitzø was already climbing the staircase before the chains appeared. Even when he saw Stolas above him, he didn't run away. He briefly walked towards him before being dragged towards him. He's seen blushing once he reaches the top and Stolas caresses his face. Also notice how the art style in Blitzø's ball trip sequence was completely different from how the show normally looks, but the moment he saw Stolas the art style changed back to normal. Meaning that Blitzø feels the most like himself when he's around Stolas.

He just wants to be in a legit, healthy relationship with Stolas out of love, not the transactional fuck buddy situation he's in right now. He wishes that Stolas would stop calling him degrading nicknames like "impish little plaything" and is bothered by the power imbalance between the two of them.

"Show, don't tell" is an important writing tool that isn't respected these days. If a story isn't being anvilicious and spoonfeeding you information with heavy-handed exposition and infodumps left and right, then foreshadowing details get dismissed and ignored, with some people straight up saying they don't count because it's not being spelled out to them every 5 seconds. This is why some people still insist that Stella's villainy was retconned and that Blitzø has no interest in Stolas despite evidence to the contrary. They were paying more attention to their headcanons than what the show actually presented, and got mad when their headcanons were contradicted by canon.

[caldella]

Stolas, Via, and Prophecies:

A Future Destined to be Misread

This is another loooong one! As frequently happens with Stolas discussion: TW/CW for mentions of suicidal thoughts/ideation and abuse.

Important note:

I originally started this as a reblog to this post on @amalthea-13 's blog, but it got long and felt like hijacking a conversation that wasn't mine. (Hope you're okay being @ -ed like this, I can remove if you'd like.) It would feel wrong to post this without crediting it or suggesting to read that post if you'd like, because the discussion was very interesting and made me think on a few points that I touch on here: particularly Stolas' life and how it limited his ability to do/interpret his job. This post here is a combo of my own character analysis, story analysis, and some fan theory.

I feel like I have multiple drafts going RN that were either inspired by or started up at the same time someone else posted something similar, so recognizing that is literally the minimum I could do.

Basically, in this post I'm taking my personal examination on Stolas' Goetian role to read prophecies in the stars: what has come from that, what they've potentially been, and where that might be going in the future of HB. Some of this is reiterating things I've already reblogged before, but here we're putting it in one handy-dandy spot.

Has Stolas Actually Read Prophecies in the Show?

This is kind of what kicked off my idea to post. I've seen discussion a few times on how Stolas has never actively done his job in HB. However, I'm pretty certain he has. The thing is, the very nature of prophecies and how they work is why this might have gone unnoticed. If by 'reading prophecies' what's meant is actually meeting with the other Goetia about them - no, we never saw that. But I'm pretty sure that reading prophecies was what he was doing during the morning of The Circus:

He woke up, speed read through the constellations, then shoved the Grimoire back and moved on. This looked like a quick check-in on what the stars say. So, why did nothing come of it? Why was this never shown again? Because he didn't see anything new and likely hasn't for a long time.

Prophecies are generally rare and about big events. They're not going to pop up every day, or every year, even every decade possibly. They usually don't tell someone when specifically they're happening, either. They can hang overhead for generations, and the Goetia live indefinitely. A prophecy could involve something centuries in the future, and Stolas is only in his 30s. His job involves a lot of waiting for nothing, like constantly refreshing a webpage in hopes to see a few pixels move. Reading prophecies sounds powerful and impressive, but in Stolas' reality, it's tedious and fruitless: a good metaphor for his entire life. It probably reinforced his feeling of being trapped. Nothing changes: nothing ever changes. The stars themselves told him that constantly. Today is the same as yesterday and the day before, and tomorrow will be identical. This is his role, to be repetitive and useless day after day. He cannot avoid it, cannot escape it. The universe itself says so.

In fact, the feel I get is that Stolas found new information so infrequently that he could update the other Goetia every couple of months, and no one was the wiser:

Stolas' Confusion and Uncertainty About His Job

Stolas was both a good and a bad choice to read prophecies. He loves books, loves reading, loves learning. I think he threw himself into his role as much as he could, at first. But Stolas is also a very literal individual. Prophecies are not. They tend to come via metaphors and symbology, or they predict the outcome of something without showing the way things get there. Kid Stolas already had a shaky faith in how well he was going to be able to read them. We might find out that he received training on how to use the Grimoire after this, but being able to see prophecies doesn't mean he can understand them correctly, or even 100% know when he sees one at all. And in a society that considered itself above consequences, I don't think anyone else bothered to delve into what he discovered. They were left with his limited interpretations. Misreading prophecies is a common trope in literature/mythology. And when prophecies exist, those affected by them don't understand them 100% or realize when they're happening: not until the gears are already turning.

Someone like Stolas, who has limited life experience and tends to take things exactly as presented, only received his own viewpoint, which in true prophetic fashion skewed the results.

Stolas' Isolated Lens

Another callback to Amalthea-13's post - I 100% agree that Stolas' lack of faith in his own future and his social abuse/isolation hampered how he viewed on his prophecies, or hampered even getting them in the first place. His life was too above the everyday reality of working class Hellborn like imps, hellhounds, incubus, etc. He was also an outlier in his own social group, too, from the one-two punch of not fitting into their culture and having Stella/Andrealphus continuously degrading his public image. He knew enough about the ways the Goetia functioned, but he stayed uninvolved in their day-to-day pettiness and didn't share his life with them - to an extent where most of them didn't even notice when he wasn't present at a trial about him.

Why does all this matter? Because any prophecies he received have been viewed from this limited, hopeless lens. I think that he and Via both received prophecies, but they were only partially understood, and Stolas has heavily misread his own because he only focused on what was important to him. Having limited people he was connected to, and only one person he cared about at the time, he focused on how the future affected what was most important to him: Via.

More on that in the next segments.

Stolas & Via's' Actual Potential Prophecies

I am one of those who will die on the hill that Loo Loo Land, an episode already filled with foreshadowing of future plot points, gave us Stolas and Via's prophecies right away. Via's are more obvious, because they've both come true by the time we hit Mastermind/Sinsmas:

Via's prophecies:

Her living in the palace without Stolas, Stolas being gone

Stolas going away without her to live with Blitzø

Limited vision again! Just like Stolas, Via's viewpoints were restricted by her life experience and the most important person in them: in this case, her father. It hasn't been explicitly said that she is prophetic, and she might not even know she is. However, I think Octavia took glimpses of the future that might have a bigger reason behind them (like Stolas being absent from the palace) and only saw how that immediately affected the two of them, not what that could signify in the bigger picture.

In fact, for someone worried about losing their dad, she's rather blind to how Stolas wasn't wrong to want bodyguards at Loo Loo Land. Sure, he didn't need them, as the imps that attacked him couldn't do any lasting damage, but she skimmed over the fact that he was literally tied up and accosted multiple times. She thought having bodyguards at a theme park was ridiculous, but attacks on him did happen, even if they were mere nuisances. It didn't occur to her that her fear of Stolas leaving might be part of some bigger picture that was already starting to happen - one that involved Stella, Andrealphus, the other highborn of Hell - that it was more than just Stolas chasing Blitzø.

Which Brings me to Stolas and His Prophecies.

(Sorry the auto-captions from Stolas singing here are not good on YT, so I can't screencap the exact lyrics well)

I am far from alone in believing that You Will Be Okay was a set of a thinly veiled prophecies that Stolas received early on and interpreted from his limited experience/priorities. And I'm by far not the first to post about/try to digest it. But still... if these were prophecies, what do we potentially have here?

His own absence in Via's future

The stars aligning

The Seven Rings collapsing

Creation dying/finding him in the sky

Octavia will be okay

How Stolas Interpreted His Own Prophecies

Stolas doesn't have an interest in perpetuating the Goetia's cycle of power and control. He's had no reason to interpret prophecies in a way that benefits them. No one has really cared about him for a long time, and he's been shown over and over (by his father, by his wife, by their society, by the future in the stars) that he has no power to change things. I think this very literal-minded owl took any prophecies exactly as they were presented and didn't consider symbolic or alternate meanings. And the only personal use he had for them was to protect his daughter, because nothing else mattered at the time.

What Stolas believed he saw:

A future without him: he will be gone, and Via will take over the palace and his responsibilities.

The universe will continue, and the alignment of the stars and all their symbology will be Via's to interpret.

Whatever he's foreseen, Via will make it through. On the last days, when all the things have come to pass, Via will still be okay. Though he will only be there by the stars/everything he's taught her, she will remain until Creation itself is gone.

He has a lifelong history of abuse/isolation, and tendencies that hint at him being passively suicidal. If these are prophecies Stolas received, it's a pretty safe theory that he interpreted all of this as his impending death. After all, he was already forced to produce a "cautionary heir." The whole reason Via exists is in case something happens to him (and we still don't have answers on who his mother is/what happened to her). What else would take him away from Via except his own death? With a dwindling will to live, a wife who despised him, and a culture that barely acknowledged him and would only mourn his loss as a political requirement - there could be nothing else.

When Stolas looked into the future, he thought he saw nothing for himself. His story was not actually his - it was Via's.

Stolas spent his adulthood waiting for his nothingness to end (or as I've had pointed out that I didn't mention - waiting to end his own nothingness). He never moved forward because he had no support or external influence to do so. Never hoped for a better future because everyone around them and the stars themselves - which determine fate, as his job told him - said he wouldn't be there for it. At least, that's what it seemed.

Lack of Discussing His Prophecies

With all this, I think it makes a lot of sense that Stolas hasn't openly discussed prophecies so far in the show. From what he believed, his visions of the future only affected himself and Via, and Via would come through them fine. Stolas has spent his entire adulthood hiding his abusive marriage and his own depression issues from Octavia. if he foresaw the potential of his own death, there'd be no way he'd tell her about that, either. No need to worry her with whatever his fate was going to be. Just make sure she'd be okay to go on without him. No need to suggest research with the other Goetia - they don't care, and the only things that might affect them are the inevitable collapse of the Seven Rings and the End of Days, which none of them could prevent. If these were visions of the future, they only discouraged him from reaching out or looking further.

A Wrench in the Gears of Fate

We can't discuss Stolas and his bleak view of the future without then bringing Blitzø into the equation. Stolas doesn't call Blitzø his light for no reason - he's an outlier that defied everything Stolas had been told about his future. He met him before he started his 'job.' No one planned for them to meet as adults. The stars hadn't said anything about him, either. Stolas suddenly had an outside influence dropped into his life. He was experiencing feelings he thought would be locked away forever. He was making decisions based on himself: what he wanted, and not what the world told him was inevitable. Blitzø was a giant question mark that suddenly appeared on the map of his life.

All these prophecies might have been hanging over his head, and perhaps his end was still waiting out there in the nebulous future. But he could be himself until it got there. He could at least decide who he was in the first place. Besides the choice to be a loving father, he was making decisions for the first time in his life.

And all that culminated in Mastermind: Stolas determined that even if he couldn't change the overarching things meant to happen, he could choose how. He wasn't going to wait for fate to happen to him - he was going to make it happen himself

Misinterpreting/Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

This was such a fucking amazing moment for Stolas' story, with so many, many layers to it.

We obviously have this as Stolas' and Blitzø's big emotional moment that solidifies that both of them are in love. Neither of them wish to move on. Stolas loves Blitzø. He chooses to love Blitzø despite what anyone else would want. He would rather die than be without him. He would die for him. He would love him no matter what, over and over. Always.

On one hand, Stolas took control of his own destiny. He took accountability for his own actions here, a theme that continued through Sinsmas. He fully decided in Mastermind to make decisions on his own terms.

But on the other hand, he still only defied fate by giving into it completely. "If the stars themselves say I'm going to die, then I'm at least choosing how and when. And I choose now."

Stolas still functioned under the assumption that he didn't have a future. His "choice" was to accept that he was meant to die, but to do so in a meaningful way. He would accept the fate prophecied for him by beating it to the punch and causing it. And he only made this choice because he couldn't think of another way to protect Blitzø's life. Part of his choice involved taking accountability for his own actions (like lending the Grimoire to Blitzø), but at the same time, he was forced into it by people like Andrealphus, who had already been waiting to make a trap he would walk into.

And even though he made a choice, he wasn't really allowed to keep it in the end.

Losing Faith in His Own Visions

In my opinion, post-Mastermind Stolas has likely lost all faith in interpreting the future. He thought he understood it. He was supposed to die. Via was going to inherit his place forever. The universe would keep going, with her safe. But, as often happens with prophecies, he read it wrong. Via's fear/future insights came true, and Stolas' vision that he wouldn't be there with her came true, but he didn't die. He has to live through it. Stolas has spent his adulthood waiting for an inevitable end - he accepted it, took control of it, tried to make it happen - and he's still here, still going. He always figured he would be gone as those gears of the universe kept spinning, but now he's still here, experiencing all of it as it turns and turns...

I don't think he's going to discuss prophecies or visions of the future, not for at least some time. He's misinterpreted them so far, and in his eyes it's done nothing but make things worse. The only positive thing he has left at this stage is Blitzø, who he still views as outside of any pre-made destiny the stars told him about. He got lost in that question mark on the map. Now he's not sure what that inevitable destination is actually supposed to be anymore, so why look into it? He's been only wrong so far.

Fan Theories - Stolas' Prophecies and His Future/the Future of HB

AKA I personally think Stolas will choose all over again, but this time fully for himself.

This part is just speculation! I could be wrong on all accounts!

With Season 3 heavily in the works, and theories on the plotlines/character arcs swirling around, I've had my own theories on You Will Be Okay and what it might actually mean, in context of the show's future. Not what Stolas read of them, but what they could hint at for the audience. Side note: I know that the entire HB story wasn't written out way back when S1 first started, but I think it's equally valid to theorize "the HB writers took You Will Be Okay and found ways to interpret it into the story" just as much as "the entire song was written to foretell the plot."

So let's go over some lines!

"It always seems so stark/How silence grows under the moon/Constellations gone so soon"

I don't think Stolas meant/realized this was a little prophetic, but I feel like it was. Once Stolas got involved with Blitzø and the Full Moon arrangement, he kept up less and less on his duties and responsibilities. Metaphorically, he became more silent in his job, and reading prophecies became less and less important. Blitzø was a silent space that destiny had not told him about. As he started to make decisions for himself going into S2, he started fighting against the monotonous fate the stars had pictured for him. Eventually, that led to him losing access to them completely. They're now gone from his life.

"As the stars start to align"

I feel like this is where we are at the end of Season 2. This is obviously a reference to his job, now Via's job, of reading the stars and finding prophecies/meaning in them. And a reference to how he felt his life was destined, written into the stars. But the metaphor of reading the stars can also be taken as where we are currently in the Helluva Boss story - Blitzø's and Stolas' actions for the first two seasons have kicked off some major things that are going to have domino effects as we go. The plot is starting to roll, and the future is taking shape. Stolas' decisions have had a hand in that, and he doesn't even realize how much.

"And if the Seven Rings Collapse/Although the Day Could Be My Last"

I feel like this is where we might be headed in the story. Not a literal collapse of the Rings of Hell, as Stolas has likely interpreted it, but metaphorical. We've had some hints starting at Mastermind that Blitzø surviving the trial - along with his and Stolas' words during it - have caused a ripple effect among the imps and general working class of Hell. The series doesn't shy from showing the corruption that inherently keeps the people of the Rings class divided and repressed, and it's exposing some of the weaknesses that might come into play to mess with that. I don't know if "outright imp revolution" is precisely what will happen, but I think the overarching story is going to involve a major shift in power dynamics that permanently alters how things are run in Hell. But it's not going to happen without major characters like Stolas being in a lot of potential danger to get there. This could also reference how his words in Mastermind have already started that ball rolling - a day that nearly was his last. It was STOLAS who mentioned Blitzø lighting a metaphorical fire in his race. He was an active part in kicking off any plotlines that come from there.

"And when Creation goes to die/You can find me in the sky"

Stolas didn't believe he'd be there for the end of days. And I'm going to be honest - I think he's right, but not in the way he interpreted. Stolas thought he was going to be killed (or if we take his potential suicidal ideation seriously, perhaps he'd reach a point where he would end himself). But I think the final part of Stolas' story - like Season 4 last few episodes end - is going to be different. We have him currently stripped of his powers. IIRC, Viv herself said that Stolas' injury from Western Energy would have a "lasting effect." She also said Stolas will not "physically die" in the show. (If someone finds a the screenshots of these please please share because I'd love to past it in here for reference). The reference to the injury could just mean the scar he now has from it. Or it could mean something else. The not physically dying could mean he might die metaphorically - which could have been losing his powers/identity in Mastermind, or it could not...

For all we know, Stolas is the first of his kind to be stripped of his powers. It seems he's the first Goetia to demand things like a divorce. He's functioning outside the realm of what the upperclass of Hell really understand. Again, uncharted waters, big question mark on the map. I've spoken with a few of you on here about how out-of-touch the banishment itself was. Stripping someone of everything and throwing them onto the streets that hate them would, under other circumstances, just be a more painful death sentence than the outright execution. Yet the upperclass of Hell didn't seem to view it as more than a temporary, slap-on-the-wrist punishment. I'd say it's fair game to say that no one has any idea what that angelic weapon injury might've done to Stolas, nor do they know what another one will do if he is injured again while stripped of his powers. No one really knows what stripping his powers might've done to his body in general. We've also been given what I take as another hint - a pretty obvious reference to Disney's Hercules in Sinsmas, with Blitzø saving Stolas from the ice hydra/dragon in a similar way to Hercules fighting the hydra.

So, where do I think this is heading?

I think Stolas is still going to choose to "die" - but it will be in the form of giving up his immortality. He will choose to die, but this time because it's how he can truly LIVE.

Let's face it, as much as it might hurt Via to process, Stolas doesn't want to live forever. And I'm not even sure how his character might become okay with doing so unless Blitzø magically gets immortality, too. Via is the only thing he cares about right now that will be around that long. He doesn't get along with the other highborn. He doesn't want involved in deciding how others are governed besides letting them choose for themselves. And the only individual he cares for besides Via is very not-immortal. I think, at the end of things, Stolas is going to face a reality where he is no longer immortal, whether it be a new injury that kicks off something in his not-magic body or a side effect of having his powers ripped out of him in the first place, not sure. But I think he's going to have the option to regain immortality, he might even have it back along with his powers for a while. But like in Disney's Hercules, he's going to turn the immortality down to choose a mortal life like Blitzø and the IMP crew. Because a real life to him would include all the things he thought he could never have: people who care about him, a life he chooses, and growing old with someone he loves. A family - like he tried to build with Stella but couldn't.

"When creation goes to die/You can find me in the sky" might be a reference to how he's always going to metaphorically be there for Via until the end of time, but it also might be a hint that HE, specifically, will be a creation that will one day die, but his love for her will live on.

I think Stolas saw most of his prophecies as things that will happen in a future after his passing, but he misinterpreted. They're all instead things he's going to personally live through, just like in Mastermind. Just as Via's prophetic nightmare was about her future, Stolas' visions weren't fully about Via: they were about him. He's not a passive observer of a future without him - he's part of the catalyst that will make it all happen.

As for getting any future prophecies, amalthea-13's post mentioned that he might be better at receiving/interpreting them later in the story, now that he's slowly gaining agency and drive and sees things outside his highly controlled old life. I again refer to that post for any potential, as my ramblings are more on stuff Stolas has already potentially foreseen. TBH I hadn't even considered the option of him having future prophecies, and it's an interesting idea to think about. While I'm more inclined to guess his prophesying is over, things could be really interesting if I was proved wrong - and I've definitely been wrong on plot theories before! Hell, this entire post could be wrong! Who knows for sure?!

Conclusion

That's about it! If you read this whole thing, please take my wholehearted applause, love, and apologies for the length. Y'all know I love this absurd, depressed owl. I'm so nervous for the chaos he's gonna go through in future seasons, but I also can't wait to see it. Time will tell if any of my personal prophecies come true, or if I misread things badly myself instead. 😘

[jubileemon]

In the music video, Blitzø is represented by the Moon, while Stolas is associated with the ocean, initially walking on it before being submerged in it. This is actually very symbolic of their dynamic. The Moon controls the tides, but at the same time, it orbits around the Earth. Blitzø relies on Stolas and is drawn to the force of his power that he needs to accomplish his goals. However, Stolas is controlled by Blitzø's gravity as well, to the point of drowning in his emotions for the imp. They both profoundly affect one another.

Even the string that ties Blitzø and Stolas together is deeply symbolic. The majority is Stolas's blue, which is representing how much he's put into the relationship so far, as well as the massive amounts of feelings he's going through dealing with possibly losing Bitzø once he gives him the crystal. He has so much length to it because he's being so much more open about his feelings as well.

Meanwhile Blitzø's red is barely there because he doesn't, and possibly can't, put more into the relationship than he currently does. He has so much self-hatred that it's almost impossible for him to love anyone romantically, considering he doesn't even love himself. That and he's scared to put himself out there only to be hurt. He shows so few emotions and so his portion of string is immensely shorter. When it snaps, it all goes back to red on his end as all his trauma and repressed emotions about it flood back and envelope him in the moon once more.

Pay attention to the size of the moon. At first the moon was small, that is, these "walls" were thin or insignificant (this can be recognized from the childhood of Blitzo and Stolas, Blitzo was full of enthusiasm and hope, but now it is slowly fading away). Previously, Blitzo was more open, but after many events in his life, his walls began to increase (he was used by his father for profit, his best friend Fizzaroli suffered because of him, etc.), and eventually became huge and impenetrable (he does not share many things, not even with his own daughter, and he's afraid to trust Stolas on purpose). Even Stolas, with his tall stature, cannot compare with them. This literally shows that Blitzo can't trust anyone.

Stolas sees this and tries to break through them, but until they talk, the walls will not be possible to get through. It is precisely because this "barrier" cannot be destroyed that Stolas will give Blitzo the opportunity not to depend on him because of some kind of grimoire. The Moon's increasing size may also indicate that Blitzo is becoming a significant figure to Stolas. He wants to be with Blitzo not only physically (by type of sexual attraction), but also emotionally. In other words: Stolas fell in love with Blitzo seriously, not in childhood, when it was just sympathy, but real love, which is difficult to get rid of.

The symbolism of Blitzo as the Moon is very reflective of his and Stolas' relationship. Not only is it a callback to the fact that they mostly see each other once a month on a full moon to do “the deed”, but it it's also just a great metaphor for Blitzo as a character. Humanity has been fascinated by the Moon for a long time and tried to reach it for centuries and it was only in 1969 (relatively recently) that they managed to do it. The moon had always been this gorgeous, desirable, yet unreachable thing and that's exactly what Blitzo's love is from Stolas’ perspective.

Stolas' love for Blitzo is represented by the moon. First small and bright, something he can hold close and dear. Then larger, something harder to hold but something still fully within his grasp. Then at the end, impossibly large while also just out of reach

The moon also mirrors the power dynamics between Stolas and Blitzø, at the start with Stolas holding all the power, then Stolas putting himself at Blitzø’s level when he finally tries to look deeper and see what Blitzø needs and his walls. Then the moon grows larger than Stolas as he intends to give Blitzø the crystal so he doesn’t have to depend on him anymore. And now the power in the relationship shifted towards Blitzø. Whether the relationship continues is now up to him.

[justsalpals]

Me, staring at the ceiling: It's silly how much I'm getting caught on that one line from Verosika in House of Asmodeus. She very firmly claims Blitzø "did no reciprocatin'" and from her attitude seen in Apology Tour I don't believe she would lie about that. At first glance this lines up pretty easily with what we know of Blitzø, namely his selfishness, disconnect with relationships, and tendency to push everyone away in his self-loathing. Aligning these known behaviors with Verosika's testimony of his sexual habits does track, however-

While we can gather that Blitzø has had many a sexual partner in his time, likely communicating poorly with all of them, the one we have the most window into his sex life with is Stolas. And they pretty explicitly have a BDSM relationship wherein Blitzø acts as dominant, quite often featuring restraints, blindfolds, and gags. A role which would require a lot of work and focusing on his partner, and always seems to leave Stolas quite satisfied in the end. These two views of Blitzø seem contradictory: is he the self centered imp who won't go down on his girlfriend, or the attentive dom whom Stolas can trust to surrender control to for their full moon trysts?

My cat: :3

Me: I've come to the conclusion that he is indeed both. Think back to Blitzø and Stolas' first encounter as adults. As we all know, Blitzø did not enter that interaction with a genuine intention to fuck that bird. He was purely seducing for distraction and thievery purposes, tying Stolas up only for the sake of absconding with the grimoire. The blindfold, the biting, it was all a ruse that he just sort of stumbled his way into in the moment.

I'd go so far as to argue: this is not the typical way Blitzø had sex up until that point. While indeed being the more experienced of the two, I believe in that moment Blitzø was just as clueless about BDSM as Stolas.

My cat: -screaming for food-

Me: shush shhh wait a sec I'm going somewhere here.

In it's own way though, isn't that beautiful? Even though their relationship started as strictly sexual, through each other Blitzø and Stolas both discovered a new side to themselves that they hadn't considered but clearly enjoy. Blitzø was put into a position where he had to consider his partner to a degree he hadn't in the past, had to have someone put their trust in him, knocking him out of his comfort zone and into something more vulnerable than he'd let himself express in the past. While I doubt they've been entirely SSC or responsible with each other along the way, I think them both fumbling into this dynamic and trying desperately not to appear inexperienced to the other is a beautiful mirror to their later romantic relationship and in this essay I-

[breathinginsulfur]

Blitzø and BPD: Character Analysis

Hey everyone! Finally going to write the character analysis i’ve wanted to do for so long now. It’s gonna be long, so get ready.

IMPORTANT NOTE

I have borderline personality disorder (BPD). This is based off of not only my own experience, but the general symptoms too. Whether or not Blitzø was intentionally written this way, i have no clue. If you disagree with me that’s fine, but please don’t be an asshole about it.

What is BPD?

For this, i will be using the Mayo Clinic definition and symptoms.

What leads to BPD? Usually, a traumatic or neglectful childhood, and possibly genetics as well. Typically develops in adulthood, however for me it developed at the end of middle school. I grew up being emotionally neglected and could never hold friendships for very long. But this isn’t about my trauma, it’s about Blitzø’s.

If we look at Blitzø’s childhood, we can see that the trauma is there for BPD to develop.

First of all, his father, Cash Buckzo. He’s an alcoholic, raising two children in the circus. Based on Blitzø’s lack of literacy we can assume he got minimal education. Not to mention that it’s clear Cash likes Fizzarolli more than Blitzø, despite not being biologically related. Blitzø grew up knowing his father loved him less.

While we don’t really know anything about his mom, we can assume she may have been sick, based on Cash’s line, “don’t you wanna help me and your mama out?” Followed by Blitzø responding, “of course i wanna help mama!” His mom seemed to be the more loving person in the family, and that will be important later. Blitzø and Barbie clearly loved her.

Blitzø also struggled in the circus, never being able to impress the audience.

Though of course, when Fizz was there, it went well. Fizz carried Blitzø’s acts in the circus, making the horse balloon when Blitzø couldn’t. Blitzø grew jealous knowing that he was a disappointment to his father. He wasn’t loved by him. Fizz was.

And god, i wish we knew fucking anything about Barbie. As i said before, my biggest issue with this show is how it’ll fully develop every male character before even glancing at the women. I really hope they get better with this.

But moving on, it’s clear that despite his jealousy, Blitzø cared deeply about Fizz. But that would all fall apart one day.

Blitzø held a card with a flower in hand, meant for Fizzarolli on his birthday. This implies he may have had romantic feelings for him, but we don’t know 100%. Blitzø tries to walk into the main area, but sees his dad give Fizz a card that says “I wish you were my son.”

This was Blitzø’s breaking point.

He’s had enough, he gave up. He pushed aside the imp carrying the cake, and that was his biggest mistake.

The fire.

It was truly an accident. But it was an accident that would shape Blitzø for the rest of his life. Because of his mistake, he lost his home. he lost his mother. his sister and father survived with seemingly minimal injury, but Fizz got the worst of it. Because of Blitzø.

And all he could do was run. Run away, and find help.

Unfortunately, we do not know the details of what happened post fire. All we know is Cash did everything to keep Blitzø and Fizz apart.

Cash more than ever likely hated his son, hated him for injuring the imp he valued so, so much more. So he told Blitzø Fizz didn’t want to see him, and told Fizz Blitzø would never come see him. Cash set it into Blitzø’s mind that Fizz hated him now. And it stuck.

I think Blitzø’s BPD developed pretty soon after this. He was still a teenager, but probably close to being an adult.

Now, lets finally get into the main bits.

Symptoms

I will go over when I believe Blitzø displays the 9 BPD critieria, throughout the whole show.

As described by Mayo Clinic, the 9 criteria are:

- A strong fear of abandonment. This includes going to extreme measures so you're not separated or rejected, even if these fears are made up.

- A pattern of unstable, intense relationships, such as believing someone is perfect one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel.

- Quick changes in how you see yourself. This includes shifting goals and values, as well as seeing yourself as bad or as if you don't exist.

- Periods of stress-related paranoia and loss of contact with reality. These periods can last from a few minutes to a few hours.

- Impulsive and risky behavior, such as gambling, dangerous driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating, drug misuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship.

- Threats of suicide or self-injury, often in response to fears of separation or rejection.

- Wide mood swings that last from a few hours to a few days. These mood swings can include periods of being very happy, irritable or anxious, or feeling shame.

- Ongoing feelings of emptiness.

- Inappropriate, strong anger, such as losing your temper often, being sarcastic or bitter, or physically fighting.

During S1 Ep 1 & 2, we don’t really see much of Blitzø’s more internal feelings. The most we get is the moment with robo Fizz, where he says that no one loves him but he’s “really good with guns now”. Blitzø doesn’t yet see the appreciation I.M.P has for him.

1. strong fear of abandonment

We see this a lot. I first want to point out episode 3, where we begin to learn more about Blitzø.

Blitzo cares so much about Loona. The second he loses sight of her, he panics. Then he finds her talking to Vortex, and gets angry. Blitzø does not want to lose Loona. He has done everything he could for her, from letting her use the one bedroom in their apartment to letting her have a job at his business. He can’t risk someone taking her away. So when Loona gets pissed at him he plays it off like he normally does, but we can tell he’s pained by it.

We also see more of this in episode 6, in my favorite sequence of the whole show, the Bad Trip. The voice of Moxxie in Blitzø’s head calls out how he’s scared that one day, everyone else will get sick of his behavior and leave. This is an extremely common fear in BPD. The fear of dying alone.

Blitzø says it himself in episode 8. “I’m gonna die alone aren’t I? Just a wrinkly, old, weathered, waste.”

However, my favorite example of this is in S2 E2.

Blitzø gets an intense flashback to when he adopted Loona. His care for Loona is so deep that he’s willing to kill people if it means they won’t be separated.

Or of course, how he acts in Full Moon when he thinks Stolas is going to take away his access to the living world forever.

2. Pattern of intense/unstable relationships

Definitely the most apparent symptom Blitzø displays. We already discussed how his relationship with Fizz got ruined, so let’s start at Verosika.

Blitzø and Ver’s relationship was thrilling. He probably came into a lot of notoriety, dating someone of her level of fame. However, there relationship was focused more on the sex and partying, not the love. But Verosika saw more for them, she believed they could have a romantic life. So she confessed.

One of the worst parts of BPD: self sabotage. Blitzø’s guilt complex was too immense, he truly believes he fucked up too much to ever love again. So when Ver says she loves him, he runs away. He likely loved her too, but he couldn’t risk hurting her that way. So he left, without a word.

Then of course the elephant in the room: Stolas. This is already long enough so let’s keep this just at their status in season 2.

Obviously, Blitzø does not think Stolas actually loves him. At all. How could he love an imp, especially this one? The one who ruined everything?

But deep down, Blitzø does want more. He does care. You probably remember the line from S2 E4(or 5 i always mix them up):

“Stolas got what? He can get hurt?”

As season 2 progresses, Blitzø slowly realizes that Stolas does care. That Stolas is not that different from him. Blitzø loves Stolas too, but hates himself so much he can’t imagine being loved back.

And this is why Blitzø acts how he does in the beginning of Apology Tour. When he angrily tells Stolas he won’t ever say sorry to him, it’s not out of hate. This is another common BPD trait, beginning to resent the ones you love, because you cannot fathom that they love you too. As we see throughout the episode Blitzø desperately wants to say sorry to Stolas, but keeps pushing it off. He doesn’t want Stolas to leave.

3. Quick Changes in how you see yourself

Blitzø does frequently split on his self worth, which you can catch if you pay attention to his dialogue. Staying on Apology Tour, here’s one of my favorite examples of this:

Blitz, not wanting to admit he turns people away due to guilt, says "I'm too much Imp to simp." but then like a minute later he lets it out to Stolas, confessing he doesn't understand how anyone could love him for who he is. Blitz pretends that he sees himself as this sexy demon everybody wants but cannot have, but that facade can break within seconds. Blitz regularly tries to convince himself he's just too good for anyone and that's why his life is this way.

I also think Blitz playing as Bethany GhostFucker is a good example of this. he's pretending to be someone he's not, someone he thinks is admirable, someone who has what he wants.

Another key example of the fact that Blitzo regularly masks is one of my favorite background details in the whole show.

Blitz has countless photos of his loved ones on his wall, but he always marks out his own face. Proof that he only pretends that he has an ego.

4. Periods of Stress-related paranoia/Loss of touch with reality

Blitz has lost contact with reality before, however the two mostly notable times were not solely caused by his own mind, outside forces started it. The bad trip was due to truth gas, and the hotel demon possessed Blitz. However, going back to Seeing Stars, Blitz again did completely lose touch with reality for a moment, when he remembered adopting Loona. Blitz is paranoid though, he fears losing Loona, losing Stolas, losing Millie, etc. But that is more of symptom one. If someone has a good example of symptom four please let me know.

5. Impulsive and Risky behavior

here's another one Blitz does a lot.

Relating back to when Blitz broke up with Ver, he did something that seems incredibly unwarranted and cruel.

"You gonna run off leaving someone else to pay for the hotel room? Steal their car and run three rings to Wrath and max my credit cards on shitty horse riding lessons?!"

Yes, this was a cruel action from Blitz, but with the context of his disorder it makes sense as to why he did it. Blitz self sabotaged. He impulsively chose to make Verosika resent him, so he ran away, stole her car, and spent all her money. This is not a defense of his actions, but an explanation, which you can probably understand if you think critically.

Another key example is from my favorite episode, GhostFuckers. Blitz is absolutely swamped after the party, and has completely ruined his savings through impulsive purchasing.

He made Loona stay up all night to deal with his impulse-bought taxidermy owls, Moxxie has to figure out how to save the company from bankruptcy, and Blitz is completely neglecting all self care. He's binge-eating, watching a porno show all day, hoping he'll just die of diabetes or something.

we also saw how Blitz got so insanely wasted that even the Sin of Gluttony got concerned.

6. Threats of Suicide and or/self harm

I don't particularly think there's any good examples of this in the show. but if you have one, let me know.

7. Wide mood swings that last from hours to days

I think the GhostFuckers situation is very similar to this. As well as in Apology Tour, but his mood changes more so based on the development of the argument. I think overall his Ghostfuckers situation is the best example, as that episode had likely lasted for at least a full day. Blitz does experience a whole array of feelings in that one episode, from feeling excited over pretending to be Bethany, to angry at Millie, then feeling like a disgusting monster that shouldn't even be touched. The last symptom of impulsive anger is more like him and we will get to that soon.

8. Ongoing Feeling of emptiness

Guess what. Ghostfuckers again !!!! Blitz has a massive void in his heart post Apology Tour, and wastes away his time refusing to be productive.

I also generally think Blitz felt empty after Ozzie's, mindlessly scrolling his phone through the pictures of his old memories.

He only broke when he remembered his mother.

9. Inappropriate, Strong anger

we see this a lot with him. Blitz regularly snaps at people, often always at very, very bad times.

There's all the times he's threatened Moxxie, Yelled at the lady in the hospital, wasn't afraid to talk shit to Mammon's face, got kicked out of a coffee shop, and so many other times. Blitz has impulsive anger that he clearly struggles to control.

Conclusion

Blitz's symptoms have negatively affected his life, from losing partners and friends, neglecting his personal care, and putting himself in great danger.

but he's getting better.

It starts at Apology Tour. He admits he wants to change. That's the first step.

Then Millie, a friend, reassures him that change is possible. That he has someone he can lean on. That he's not irredeemable.

Blitz has changed so many people's lives for the better. He got Loona out of her hellish life in the adoption center. He put a light in Stolas's life. He made Millie realize she's more than just a simple Wrathian. He got Moxxie out of jail.

And because of that,

he has people who love him.

Blitz is changing. His reformation arc has begun and I believe in season 3 we will see a different side of him. Because he's not an emotionless assassin. He's broken, but the pieces can be put back together.

and that's why he's my favorite character in the whole series, and one of my favorite characters period.

if you read all this, thank you. I hope this made some sense, and please let me know what you think.