#and how everything moves around Stolas and Blitz

[digital-neela]

Mammon and Levy from HB (still hate Mastermind for obvious reasons), if their ship name isn’t Green With Envy I’ll fucking blow up and act like I don’t know nobody

[edenpoise]

the fact that eve would be canonically older than most if - not all of the goetia family is wild.

[tealvenetianmask]

Visual Parallels: The Full Moon and Mastermind

It's mad scientist mode time ya'll.

The visual references to other episodes in Mastermind are wild. People have already beautifully pointed out how the duet sequence references Blitz's "Truth Seekers" hallucination and "Just Look My Way," and makes the two inner worlds mesh.

"The Full Moon" is also heavily referenced. I first noticed it in this shot of Stolas . . .

Which is repeated quite similarly a few times in the trial scene, and looks a lot like . . .

The camera angle (if there were a camera) is pretty much identical.

This made me realize that the whole sequence (the duet and Blitz getting pulled away afterward) has them positioned with Blitz facing Stolas and Stolas's back to Blitz, with a similar distance between them to what we see in "The Full Moon."

And as I rewatched both, I saw more and more.

An attempt by Blitz to touch Stolas, and Stolas not turning around, having already decided his course of action.

(Is anyone noticing a similar color palate yet?)

And a forced exit, based on a decision that Stolas makes:

So this very well might show that Stolas is holding a lot of the power in their relationship. But also, the similar elements in these scenes aren't identical- they simply rhyme.

There are some interesting differences with Blitz's physical expressions of desperation. Even though he's set away from Stolas against a bright red background when he's expressing himself in both.

In "The Full Moon," well . . .

He's guarded. His hands spend a lot of their time in fists. He's moving toward Stolas but not giving all of himself until it's too late.

But in "Mastermind . . .

It's like he's drawn by a magnet to Stolas while being forcibly pulled away. He's fighting the forces that would keep them apart, that would harm Stolas. He's fighting with everything he has. His hands are open the whole time he's fighting. The walls are gone.

Doors are also interesting in their contrast.

In "The Full Moon," we see Blitz bursting into the room like this:

In "Mastermind," the door behind Stolas serves as Blitz's exit point, but the camera angle, again, is very similar . . .

I don't know what to make of this one, honestly, except that these moments seem to reverse each other. I think there COULD be symbolism here (barriers and who creates them), but I'm not sure there's enough evidence that it's intentional like the others.

Now for a few key things "Mastermind" has that "The Full Moon" needed. Our boys weren't ready yet, but now they are.

Obviously the duet . . . but did you notice that their movements synchronize too? They're not looking at each other, but literally and figuratively, they're in tune.

2. Eye contact. FUCKING EYE CONTACT. It's so brief you could miss it.

There's recognition there. They each see that the other feels the same way.

Even though Stolas never turns around, and still has A LOT to learn about Blitz, they meet at the core of the matter. "Harriet, don't get on that train. It's going to London, and I CANNOT BE WITHOUT YOU."

[lost-romantique]

The vindication I felt watching this scene unfold...

Is so unreal that I genuinely consider it one of my favorite scenes of the show...

The fear I had that a love triangle could potentially happen was obliterated by this scene because Blitz gave up the fight, he isn't contacting Stolas, he isn't reaching out. The man saw Stolas dancing and kissing BTB and was like, "Okay, got it. Stolas hates me and moved on because I'm a pathetic ass... Good luck, babe."

This scene really goes to show how much Blitz actually blames himself for everything, and feels genuine remorse.

Watching Blitz's voice break when he says the words, "... and we never will" shows the audience just how much Blitz misses Stolas to the point that Stolitz deniers have been oddly quiet right now...

Blitz being blissfully unaware that the entire world of Helluva Boss revolves around his pathetic red ass, that if the relationship does not happen, Stolas in a way does not exist.

This is the first time Blitz expresses a desire for Stolas in a nonsexual way, because he isn't trying to make the relationship about sex anymore. Blitz is genuinely beating his own ass for not reaching out and for saying the wrong things at the wrong time.

This scene implicitly confirms that Stolas is Blitzø’s love interest, and that is his role in the story because Blitz expresses regret for not accepting Stolas' grand love confession

[yanderes-galore]

oooh love to see yandere tag team between Blitzo and Moxie both trying to court imp darling please

hcs if possible and maybe reader can be female (or gn if that makes it easier for u UWU)

I'll try my best! I'll use GN because I've found it easier recently.

Yandere! Blitzø + Moxxie with Imp! Darling

(FT. Enabler! Millie)

Pairing: Romantic - Sharing

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Polygamy (Moxxie, Millie, Reader, Probably Blitz), Violence, Mature themes, Murder, Kidnapping, Isolation, Dubious relationship(s).

I feel this pairing gets more complicated than I first thought.

Mostly because I feel Moxxie is rather loyal to Millie romantically.

However, one way I can see it working is if Millie encourages it.

Like maybe Millie sees how Moxxie looks at you and suggests making you their third... which enables Moxxie.

That would explain how Moxxie's obsession works.

Then Blitzø is self explanatory... He chases after you because he fears not being loved.

I feel these two would both fight over you... yet later work on helping each other courting you.

You're no doubt a new hire to I.M.P, yet another skilled assassin hired by Blitzø to make jobs more efficient.

Although... Soon your job ends up more complicated than you thought.

You took the job expecting to just be an assassin.

Instead, it seems you're getting pulled into relationship drama involving you.

Blitzø is naturally a mess, especially after Stolas.

When you join, he no doubt finds you attractive.

Which usually ends up with Blitzø flirting crude comments around you, even during missions.

He isn't the romantic type... unlike Moxxie and Millie.

Blitzø is used to intimacy being how you showed love.

He's used to being physical, as that's how his previous relationships went.

Moxxie is different while courting...

With Millie's permission, he tries to plan things out more.

He isn't trying to seduce you.

He wants to give you warm feelings, the fuzzy kind you get from poetic words and songs.

Moxxie likes planning dates and hang outs when not on missions.

He's more romantic and less intense compared to Blitzø.

Not only that, but Millie encourages him and reassures you.

If they want anyone to be their third... It would probably be you.

This originally causes conflict.

Blitzø is upset because Moxxie already has a partner.

Meanwhile, Moxxie accuses Blitzø of just trying to sleep with you.

Although, eventually they come to a deal.

You'll be shared.

Being part of imp polygamy was not what you joined the job for, honestly.

For the most part you avoid it, the feelings your coworkers have for you being one-sided in nature.

Blitzø still tries to be seductive, secretly craving some sort of attention due to no longer being with Stolas.

You often turn him down, which frustrates your boss.

Moxxie and Millie would no doubt try making songs for you or inviting you on outings.

Yet you no doubt can tell it's a subtle way of inviting you on a date.

You often decline, trying to be friends but be firm that you aren't interested in confusing relationships at work.

Of course... That isn't enough for your fellow imps....

Blitzø and Moxxie are the main ones who court you.

Millie lets them and mostly just helps plan things.

Poor you is just trying to do your job...

Only to catch your two coworkers stalking your every move.

They both remember nearly everything about you.

Things such as your coffee order, preferred place to hang out, preferred weapon...

Oh yeah, they keep track.

You have a feeling you know how...

But you never want to press the issue.

Both imps can be quite clingy, too.

Moxxie is naturally affectionate and Blitzø is... well, I think you know why....

Both imps are violent, it's natural since you're all assassins.

I can even see them trying to impress you during jobs.

For example... Who can get rid of the target the fastest?

They try so hard to court you... even to the point of agreeing to share you.

Yet you always decline.

Unfortunately, both of them are quite persistent.

I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually just wear you down.

You may be coerced into a 'beneficial' pairing with them just to keep them happy.

You just have a little fun... it's not really a proper relationship.

But both imps seem to treat it that way... or at least Moxxie does.

You may play along for a little while.

Although, what happens when you cut things off?

Maybe you find someone else to be your partner?

It wouldn't end well.

To them, the little affection and intimacy you gave them meant a lot.

So if you left to pursue something with another demon, both imps are going to follow.

Truth is, while they can share with each other...

They'd never share you with anyone outside of I.M.P.

You should've known better, honestly...

One day, when you least expect it, both imps are going to get rid of your lover.

They don't mind teaming up to get rid of someone they feel is stealing you.

By the time you realize what happened... You already have a sack over your head.

Both of them probably kidnap you and keep you somewhere they can both have access to you.

Once you come to, you're being scolded by them.

Scolded for cheating and being disloyal.

Now the two have decided they're going to keep you away from everyone else, you'll have just them.

Blitzø is the one most irritated about it... while Moxxie is more forgiving despite being hurt.

The two are tired of their love fleeing and avoiding them.

It seems they need to be more strict... This was never a casual fling...

You're going to be theirs, forever, and you aren't leaving until you understand that.

[eldritchcreatureofwords]

Because I Love Foils, I Thought I'd Ramble a Bit about This

I adore how much Striker and Blitz are the same person- or could have been. You take two people who both are angry, angry boys. They have a lot of hurt, a lot of rage, a lot of self-loathing, a lot of bitterness. They've lost and suffered at the hands of the people around them and the people above them. They've both lost someone or someones they care about. And this is where things diverge. Blitz found Moxxie and Millie. He got Loona. He made a little found family and they wrapped themselves around him as morality chains. I firmly believe that Moxxie has set himself up as the heart of this little team; he's the softest of the four of them, and despite the absolute piss they take out of him we've also seen that no one is allowed to fuck with him. (Seriously fuck with him- Blitz makes no move to stop him from being messed with in Harvest Moon Festival because while Striker is a dick to Moxxie, it's ultimately harmless shit-talking and I strongly think Blitz is of the opinion that Moxxie is enough of his own person to bite back if it gets to be too much. But in Truthseekers and Ex's and Oh's, we see fierce protectiveness from both Millie and Blitz.) Blitz saved him. I believe it went the other way, as well. Blitz is also clearly quite close to Millie. Whatever and whoever else in Blitz's life hurt him, failed him, gave up on him, walked away from him when he got too hard, too much, pushed hard enough- Millie and Moxxie have stayed. And they- and Loona- have given him people to care for, protect, and keep him humble. Er, sort of humble anyway- he is still Blitz. Striker, however, has had none of that as far as we know. Just himself. Just his thoughts. His anger. His hate. His hurt. Stewing. Growing. He wallows in it. It grows. People show him why they suck. He wallows in it. It grows. People show him why they suck. He wallows in it- -And there is no one to offset it. No one to make him laugh, to get him out of his own thoughts. No I'll be there, dad. No stupid fridge jokes. No unspoken understandings, stupid jokes, nights out, no one at all to care for. No one to rely on him. Blitz has a support network, even if he's not always aware of it. Fizzie forgave him. Moxxie and Millie and Loona love him. Stolas is...something. Something complicated and hard and scary but something that, ultimately, has been good, up until Western Energy/Full Moon ish time- and even then, Stolas has been shown to be gentle. Silly. Kind. He loves his daughter. He laughs at Blitz's jokes. He's far, far from perfect, but he's not Paimon. He's not Mammon. He's not Stella. Striker has Striker. And all that hate, all that self loathing, all that hurt and rage and sorrow- it's building and building and building. Both Blitz and Striker are headed, rapidly, for rock-bottom. They are shaken. They are struggling. I'm sick of losin' these fights. I destroy everything. I make everyone's lives worse. Except, again, here we diverge. I don't want to be this way. Not forever. Blitz has people he loves. Blitz loves. Deeply. Ferociously. So, so hard with all his heart. He has people around him he values like gold, people he wants to keep safe, people he wants to love him- he just can't see why they ever would. Blitz has something besides the hurt and the anger and the sorrow. Blitz has people to say no, look, stop, come up for air, think. Blitz has people who show him why it's worth it to claw your way out of the spiral. Blitz has people who need him. So while they're both cracking, Blitz will become kintsugi- cracked, broken, but with gold holding him together, stronger and more beautiful for the flaws and cracks he has overcome, no longer what he was, maybe, but something new. Striker, meanwhile, has no one to help pick up his peices and reform them. He will just. Break. Shatter. And his shards will slice everyone and everything near him. What could Blitz have been if, flap of the butterfly's wings, if anything had been...just a little different?

Easy. He could have been Striker. Fuck it. I'm in.

[warblogs17282]

Look, I like reading Stolago fanfics and all that, but I'd be lying if I said that Stolago shippers don't come out with some of the worst takes I've ever seen in regards to Stolitz, so allow me to weigh in my opinion on this.

Short Answer: Stolago would not work in canon.

Long Answer:

Point 1: The 'is Stolago an incest ship' debate.

We don't know. It's implied that Paimon has given birth to a lot of children and can change animal forms, making it very possible that Stolago is an incest ship, but at the same time, that doesn't automatically mean that Vassago is biologically related to Stolas, so I can't make a judgement on this point until we know more about Vassago's character.

Point 2: But Stolas went with the BTB guy!

Pay close attention to Stolas and Blitz after the BTB guy asks Stolas to dance with him, notice how Stolas was basically silently asking Blitz for permission to dance with the BTB guy, and Blitz also silently gives permission for Stolas to dance with the BTB guy. So it's not like Stolas just went 'oh cool this guy wants me, fuck you Blitz I'm fucking dancing', and that silent act of asking for permission proves my point.

Also, Stolas was very drunk during this section, and we know people who are drunk don't tend to think very clearly, so I really cannot blame Stolas for having that dance with the BTB guy, especially when we factor in the cocktail of everything being emotionally heavy for Stolas, and Stolas generally feeling alone and isolated during most of the party.

Plus, Stolas has no history with the BTB guy at all, so even if it does turn into a one night stand for Stolas, there's not gonna be much emotional connection between them. One of the main reasons Stolas fell for Blitz like he did is because of their shared history, all those years ago at the circus.

What was the point of me mentioning all of this exactly? The point is that Stolas and Vassago also have no shared history with each other to what we know, plus, Stolas quite literally says in s2 e1 "my first ever friend!". Plus, it expresses my dislike of the 'Vassago could be a rebound for Stolas' that I've seen float around a few times.

Point 3: Stolas has moved on/will move on from Blitz.

Ah yes, this Stolas?

The same Stolas that silently asked Blitz for permission to go dance with the BTB guy?

"would be an indicator I didn't want to talk right now."

"Seeing you right now is hard!"

Notice the phrase of "right now" that's used twice?

Stolas at no point said he never wanted to talk to Blitz again, only that he wasn't comfortable with doing so right now, because the emotions associated with that night are still very heavy and hard to process for Stolas.

This fact is further backed up by the fact that Stolas never blocked Blitz's phone number.

one more, this Stolas? for the car trip home.

Point 4: "Blitz is just an asshole who feels no remorse for the things he's done to others."

I could dive deep into Blitz's character to disprove this point, but I'll let the examples do the talking for me.

Moxxie: Do you remember what you said to me after my first day with the company?

Blitzo: ...Not really.

Moxxie: I remember. You told me I did a good job and that you were proud to work with me. I feel like you wanted to say something more judgmental, but... you said that because I needed it... And it helped.

Blitzo: Look, I'm hard on you, because I know what you're capable of, Mox. You care too much about what everyone thinks except for... me, because, y'know, my opinion is correct, but just... keep doing a good job. 'Kay? You shoot 'n kill good, you escape things easy... you can be strategic and cold-blooded when you need to, aaaand don't expect any more compliments; I'm maxed out.

Moxxie: Thank you, sir.

Blitzo: You know my name... Use it.

Moxxie: Thanks, Blitzo.

This Blitz?

This Blitz?

This Blitz?

THIS BLITZ??????

There's plenty of other examples I could put here, but I'll leave it here.

Point 5: "Blitz will just move on eventually."

Do you all seriously think that Blitz saying "your boring as fuck monogamy" wasn't foreshadowing Stolitz happening?

The Blitz that's angry that the BTB guy is 'stealing' Stolas?

The Blitz that admits the only person he actually wanted to sorry to was Stolas?

The Blitz that lets Stolas dance with the BTB guy without causing much of a scene, despite how much it hurt him to do so?

Plus, not to mention all the times in the past where it's been shown that Blitz cares for Stolas, including his wellbeing.

Point 6: "Stolitz has no chemistry"

I'm not even gonna bother covering this point, you clearly haven't been paying any attention to the show at all if you unironically think that Stolitz has no chemistry.

Point 7: "What about a love triangle?"

lost-romantique has already made two great posts on the matter, go check that post out.

Finally, I'd like to briefly talk about how Stolago being canon would undermine the plot of helluva boss by quite a bit.

Stolitz is one of the key relationships in the show, and the show revolves around Blitz, including his relationships, so naturally Stolitz is one of the key things for Blitz's character growth, so ending Stolitz for Stolago permanently would stunt Blitz's character growth quite significantly, undermining the plot of the show as a result.

Not to mention it'd also undermine Stolas' character growth as well, considering one of the main things that Stolas needs to work on is the classism, and rebounding to another prince won't help with Stolas unlearning his biases and such, overall making Stolago a rather bad idea for the plot as well.

Plus, even if Stolago was to become canon, it most likely isn't lasting more than an episode anyways, because this scene in the trailer could imply to us that Stolitz is getting a new beginning.

Another thing is that we know nothing about Vassago at the moment, and the things we can imply about him in regards to his title of prince points more to Vassago being a support figure/friend for Stolas (something Stolas badly needs atm) rather than a rebound for Stolas.

I will repeat, I enjoy Stolago in fanfiction and such, but can you all at least admit it's a bad idea in canon and to stop hating on Blitz so much and accept both Stolas and Blitz for the fact that they're both lovable and flawed characters please?

[starkid2464]

I just. Mastermind!!!

I have so many feelings man.

Stolas just lost EVERYTHING. I feel so bad for him, he has nothing but the clothes on his back and they got trashed. He’s likely not going to have custody of Octavia anymore, and I doubt Stella would voluntarily let him anywhere near her.

On that note, Stella, bitch, GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER! Get away from Octavia or I will burn you so far to the ground, they won’t be able to tell where the ash from you and the ash from the house intersect. Stella is going to at least try and manipulate this kid so hard. Granted, I don’t think she’s going to let Octavia think Stolas died (Octavia has a penstagram after all and would likely figure out he’s alive pretty quick with how the news seems to be spreading) but Stella could very easily manipulate Octavia into thinking Stolas did it to abandon Octavia, instead of saving a life, expecting nothing in return.

I can tell in the next episode (Sinsmas), Octavia going to say and do some things that once she figures out the full situation, she is going to regret. But I’ll forgive her for that, I was in that place too once, craving comfort from the only ones around, yet knowing that love comes only if you behave how they like, and because Stolas sheltered her, she likely can’t even tell that she is being manipulated.

And on the other hand we have Blitzø, he’s just made history as the first imp to survive after being sentenced to death. It seems like all of imp-kind is rooting for him, requests for his services are through the roof. For once, this man is catching a break. Then again, this will likely only pay back the obscene debt he got into during his breakup blues. Not only that but his daughter, his Loonie, finally called him dad. And Stolas, the man who he is just barely ready to say the L word to yet very much feels it, is in his house, staying with him. It’s gotta feel surreal considering how bad this day got.

And while we’re talking about Blitz, he almost died. That’s going to leave a scar, on all of them. Blitz might feel guilty for still being alive, when it cost Stolas so much. Stolas, as previously stated, lost everything he had except for his life, but is glad to have Blitzø alive.

Moxie and Millie… if Blitz died, IMP likely would have went down, leaving them jobless and putting Millie back in the position she was before she met Blitz, just with a husband and a daughter as well.

And Loona, sweet Loonie, almost lost the only reason she wasn’t put down at 18. The man who has given her so much, a home, food, a license, a job and a family.

And god, Fizz. I swear he and Ozzie are gonna get in a fight. Not a relationship ending one, nor a big one that’ll have them spending weeks apart but one closer to this: Ozzie comes home, and calls out “Fizz, I’m home. I picked up the sushi.” Fizz is on the couch, curled up, a death grip on his phone, the TV is off. Ozzie comes around the back of the couch “Fizz?” Fizz looks up, at the man he loves then down at the floor and croaks out “I don’t want to talk Asmodeus.” Fizz takes a breath before sighing “But why’d you have to do that.” Ozzie tries to take his hand but Fizz moves it away “Fizz, -“ but Fizz cuts him off just beforehand “I know, I know, it’s your job and it’s not like you could have taken all of them. It’s just. You knew, just as well as I did that Blitzø was innocent… and you didn’t say something?! I- I just can’t right now.” Fizz gets up and starts walking toward the door. Asmodeus calls out “Wait, can you at least tell me where you’re going?” Fizz looks back while gathering the essentials “I’m going to visit Blitz… I’ll be back before tomorrow. We’ll talk about it in the morning?” Ozzie bends down, passing Fizz the keys to the car “If this is what you need go ahead. I’ll tell the driver to meet you downstairs.”

And the next time Fizz and Blitzø see each other, I need something like this to happen: Fizz shaking Blitz violently “You asshole, you are never allowed to scare me like that again!”

Also, getting away from the more headcannony stuff, Stella’s probably still going to have a hit on Stolas’s head. It would let her keep the palace and everything else in the house to herself, with the added bonus of Andrelphus remaining a prince. A second assassination attempt would be wild to have to witness.

Also, I have a feeling that if/when Stolas comes into the IMP office, he will not be anywhere near the customers. They just got an influx in imp customers who aren’t happy with what he just said about their kind. (You don’t want to drive away the main source of business you just got)

Also, they really showed the classism in this episode. They put Loona in a MUZZLE! a muzzle! And they didn’t even let the I.M.P. defend themselves, automatically giving them all the death penalty until Blitzø begged for only him to die. Then when they hear Stolas is the one who committed the crime, they give him a slap on the wrist in their terms.

[pipsqueakparker]

just thinking about blitz and fizz hanging out more after fm/at

honestly blitz's relationship drama is probably such a help to rebuilding their own relationship - like, theyre probably both eaten up with guilt over the past, ofc blitz will always feel guilt over the fire, but fizz's body is literally a constant reminder, every time he looks at him he sees the result of what he did. but also fizz now knows that blitz never actually abandoned him, and imagine the guilt that could eat you up from spending the past 15 years hating your best friend over a LIE, and how do you make up for that? how do you move on form that? can you just go on? and how do you reconcile who they are today with who they were back then? after 15 years they have to relearn the nuances of each other, and find out what's the same and what has changed... it's a lot, is what i'm getting at. there's a lot of pressure and a lot of bittersweetness to their reunion...

but then blitz calls him drunk one night and starts spilling about everything that happened with stolas. and fizz invites him over, and he uses the gd crystal to just be there and fall into fizz's arms and just like that they're back, the pressure is off of their past because there's a real problem to deal with together now, and they can just focus on who they are to each other NOW.

and now fizz keeps inviting blitz over to watch their favorite movies, or to have dinner with him and ozzie (he even invites loona, but loona declines). he's trying to keep blitz occupied because he knows how to take care of blitz, even after 15 years, how to take care of this man is ingrained in his soul. and blitz lets fizz take care of him because its the most familiar thing in his life right now.

the day after the antarctica mission, he showed up to fizz & ozzie's place still lowkey fuming. he doesn't use the crystal to get there at all, he's mad at it. when he gets there, though, he holds his wrist out to fizz and says "its broken"

and fizz looks at it. and he calls ozzie in. and ozzie looks at it. and asks why blitz thinks it's broken, and blitz tells them that it's temperamental and it wasn't working for him at all and it nearly got them killed thank you very fucking much. and ozzie and fizz share a look and start snickering. and blitz is very annoyed, asks what they're laughing at. ozzie just hands him the crystal back and assures him that it's not broken.

"what do you mean it's not broken? did you hear me? are you listening?"

and ozzie turns to fizz, "i'll let you handle this one, froggie" and he leaves and blitz is pretty much fuming from his ears at this point and fizz puts his arm around blitz's shoulder and calmly explains it exactly as millie had earlier. these are asmodean crystals, this is how they work, and maybe it's not the crystal at fault... but maybe a certain... drop in confidence...

and blitz puts up all the walls, pulls out all the masks, assures fizz that there is no lack of confidence here, he's not been affected at all by recent events! no way, he is still horny as fuck and retains all of his sexual prowess.

fizz sees right through all of that because he was there when blitz made half of these masks, he can see the cracks, and he's half-sure he can dig his way between them to get to the root of this. there was always the risk of a new wall being put up in a familiar gap, but maybe it was worth the risk. so he pries, makes a few heartless digs to crack blitz's walls, and eventually it all crumbles and blitz is flinging himself across fizz's lap as if they were teenagers again.

"maybe i have been... a little off my game. so what? this thing's not gonna work until i'm - what? drowning in pussy?"

"well, then it would never work -" blitz glares at fizz at that and fizz takes it in stride "- you just need to rebuild that confidence"

"what, like that stupid fucking saying, 'get over someone by getting under someone else'?"

"you're not 'over' him?" blitz sits up and shoves fizz's shoulder, half-hearted, but he doesn't deny it. he doesn't say anything, so fizz continues. "maybe it would help to be with someone else, or -"

"are you offering?" blitz interrupts, trying to win ground back by leaning into fizz's space with a smirk. fizz puts a hand on his forehead and shoves him away.

"not while you're this lovesick -- or, just... spend a night with yourself."

"what? like...?"

"do i really need to spell it out for you, blitz"

blitz says he does. so fizz does, and he sends blitz home with a few new... treats to help him rekindle his connection with himself. blitz is glad loona's out at another party because it may not fix everything, but it is another good distraction.

fizz also likes hearing about blitz's missions, to an extent. he's still not as excited by the blood and guts and gore of it all like blitz is, but he likes hearing what blitz is up to. they have a nice old bitch-fest about emberlynne, fizz is laughing the entire time that blitz is recounting that night.

and hanging out with fizz means spending time with ozzie, and ozzie doesn't quite know what to make of blitz. he and fizz talk about it a lot, because fizz is worried about him, and maybe he wonders if they should meddle just a bit because obviously stolas and blitz just need to really TALK. they're misunderstanding each other, and maybe they could be the little push they need... but ozzie reminds fizz that they can't force anything and as frustrating as it is, they have to let these two idiots figure it out for themselves.

but for blitz, his time with fizz is more than just distraction. it's healing, in a way. and it's filling part of the gap stolas left, the part where blitz got to spend time with someone he cares about, and just listen to them and learn about them and tuck little bits of information away for later in case they're ever important. like fizz's favorite snacks now, which he'll sometimes pick up before heading over. they don't often talk about their past or the fire or anything that could potentially open a wound they're not ready to deal with... but blitz does notice moments that fizz talks with his hands... and he eventually asks because of how frequently the gestures are the same.

and fizz does dip back in the past for a moment, just enough to tell blitz how the fireworks going off had impacted his hearing. his hearing had mostly come back, like he can be okay without anything, but Ozzie actually made him hearing aids, too. but he learned sign language, too, because when it first happened he thought that was all he'd have. and it just sticks with him still, sometimes.

and blitz started to pick up a few, he'd ask sometimes, but others were a little more obvious. he saw fizz & ozzie exchange one, a gesture that reminded blitz of a bull's head or 'rock on', several times before he finally asked about it and fizz explained the 'I', 'L', 'Y' - blitz wants to vomit when fizz tells him how they'll often sign that to each other across a room or wherever just as a recognition of the other. it's so goddamn sweet that blitz is simultaneously seething with envy and bursting with pride at how happy fizz is.

the more time they spend together, the easier it feels to slip right back to how they were as teens. even adjusting for the obvious shifts in their personalities, it's not difficult. fizz is more confident, forward, and proud now, but he'll often retreat back into himself, look at blitz with those soft eyes, and gave up on hiding what a soft sack of sap he truly is. fizz feels like the opposite is true for blitz, there are so many more walls now, there's so much he's afraid of, but the more they fall into the familiarity of the other, the more that old blitz starts to come back out. and old blitz used to talk about his feelings, at least a little bit. more than present-day blitz. and fizz starts to break that down, too. starts to get blitz to admit aloud how much stolas means to him, how bad he feels for fucking it up...

fizz is trying so hard to lead this horse to water so he can drink.

but yeah. just thinking about them™

[drama-glob]

SPOILERS FOR "GHOSTF**KERS!!!"

OMG!!! So much happened in this episode and just poor Blitz all around. ;_; ;_; ;_; While it's not good that he's running I.M.P. into the ground and binging junk food while watching TV, he's just in such a bad place from his fallout with Stolas and it seems like he's at the depression stage of grief; I guess he tried working through it, if the shorts do take place before this episode, but it didn't work and so he resorted to his new coping method. :/ Millie doing what she can for him is heartwarming as she continues to be his most supportive friend, even though Blitz's desire to be Bethany and try to f*ck some ghosts rather than face his actual problems is obviously just delaying things. :/

I appreciated the blatant "Scooby-Doo" reference, but things taking a very dark turn once Millie and Blitz part ways is beyond messed up. O_O We knew from the trailer that we were going to see the "ghost" mess with him and make him see his mom, but to watch her LITERALLY BURN in front of him in addition to seeing all the horribly injured versions of Millie is twisted, gut wrenching and horrific. O_O

My heart broke when Blitz didn't want Millie to touch him and yelling that he destroys everything, but I love Millie immediately going in to reassure him that he made her life better and it was soooo cool that we got to see how Millie and Blitz met. It was lovely getting to see how I.M.P. came to be and that between the other episodes we got this season, were able to see how overall everyone bettered from Blitz's involvement in their lives.^_^<3<3<3 Millie and Blitz just resting shoulder to shoulder at the end of her speech was just so sweet and felt good after all the crap Blitz just went through. <3<3<3

Big surprise that Rolando was the bad guy and anyone that didn't know that must not have seen the trailer. ;) His powers were so creepy but cool (if I'm being honest) and now we can say we saw an infestor demon in action. ;) Rolando's fight scene was scary but awesome and certainly shows he's been at this game for a while. O_O Even though seeing Tilla burn in front of him was probably still the most horrific part for me, Blitz being forced to see all those painful memories was a close second as well as him begging for Rolando to stop hurting Millie when he controls his body. ;_; ;_; ;_; Millie was right though that Blitz has this and I love that Millie beat the possession out of him. ;) I did laugh pretty hard though at the final move just being Blitz kicking the ghost sucker into the pull, but hey, it did get the ghost so I'd say the product worked...even if it did cost a couple thousand souls. ;)

Millie and Blitz just having a little chat at the end of it all felt really nice and even if Blitz is still depressed about Stolas (which I can't say I blame him), he at least doesn't have to cope as he was doing before, can start to actually heal and has Millie there to lift him up like he did for her.<3<3<3

At least Moxxie got to a happy ending too with getting to enjoy a musical and some ice cream after trying to complete his truly awful task. ;)

Such a great episode overall and that while it did hit in the feels department, I know I spiraled into way worse scenarios this could have gone (as I'm sure many of us did ;) ), so I'm glad the level of anguish was tempered by the strength of Millie and Blitz's friendship to see them through this job. ^_^<3<3<3

[instantfoxdonut]

Helluva Boss S1-S2: Octavia Rant

okay, it has CLEARLY come to attention that ever since the episodes Mastermind and Sinsmas came out, MANY people having been hating on Octavia's character with little to no evidence for it.

Allow me to explain

As someone who watches both helluva boss and hazbin hotel, alot of drama has been spreaded around throughout both shows, most recently, with helluva boss's season 2 finale. Alot of people have started to make pointless rants of why octavia being angry and most likely wanting NOTHING to do with her father, Stolas, in the future makes her a terrible daughter and character, and may I remind you, with LITTLE TO NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER.

And now, I shall bring out the evidence of why octavia's feelings towards her father, blitzø, and her mother are justified.

First of all, the first time we actually get to see Octavia is in S1- episode 2: Looloo Land. The episode opens with a flashback to Octavia as a young child having difficulty going to sleep. Due to Stolas hearing Octavia while trying to sleep himself, he goes to her room with his grimoire and sings to her while taking her to watch an entire solar system implode on itself. Then it cuts to Octavia in the present waking up to the sound of Stella, Octavia's mother, screaming at Stolas and throwing objects across the kitchen at him. Now before she woke up, she seemed genuinely content, but once she was brought back to harsh reality, she looks absolutely miserable.

if you can't tell HOW miserable this girl is- then here is a mini compilation of her misery:

In all of these images you can clearly tell, her life SUCKS. Not to mention, the fact that she puts her headphones in to most likely drown out her mom's shouting kind of gives the impression that this has happened before, and she is USED to it- which is not a good thing. Now, I may not be a parent or an expert on taking care of other living beings, but I know enough that if a child is so used to hearing their parents screeching at eachother EVERY MORNING, to the point that they have had to learn to drown it out with other sounds or distractions, then it is CLEARLY A BAD THING. It's normal for parents to argue every once in a while, but this girl has to hear this EVERY MORNING, AND HAS HAD TO FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG. And that does not help with that the song she listens to in the beginning of the episode, is "My World Is Burning Down Around Me" by a band called "Fuk u Dad". Do you see where I am going with this? No? It's okay, I'm not done proving my point yet.

Now as for this rant, I have done some delectable research and have found that during the teenage period of life, most teenagers tend to try to find something to relate to. Specifically music, art, books, poetry, writing, ect. They also tend to pick these depending on how they feel about certain subjects, what they have gone through/ what they are going through at the moment, and a way to express themselves, and as a way to vent about their feelings. By the specific song choice, it's not only referring to how her life is LITERALLY FALLING APART AROUND HER, but also how she feels about the whole Stolas and Blitzø situation. She FEELS like her life is burning down around her while it also, non-metaphorically, is. Seems like a pretty fitting music choice for everything she's going through right now, am I right?

Moving on.

Second of all, during the same episode, she was dragged to LooLoo Land by her dad along with, you guessed it, blitz, which she is OBVIOUSLY not happy about. Her day started terrible, and now it's only going to get worse. Also, she has to see her dad FLIRT with the imp that is partaking in ruining her life INFRONT OF HER. And she looks so uncomfortable during the experience to the point that during the LooLoo Land show with the robotic Fizzarolli, she gets up and leaves, and runs off to sit on a ride by herself, and looks like she wants to cry. When Stolas goes after her, she wants him to go away, but still tolerates him. When he asks her what's wrong, she asks him "Are you going to run away with him and leave me behind...? Where i can't find you and I don't know where you are... and leave me alone...?". This moment, you can see how she is so close to crying at this point that her voice is breaking and that she has a teary expression. Then Stolas responds by hugging her and saying "No. No, I would NEVER do that. Ever". And as everyone finds out later, he BREAKS that promise to his daughter. As the series progresses, we also get to see how their father and daughter relationship slowly, but surely, begins to fall apart right before our eyes.

Third of all, in S2, episode-2: Seeing Stars, Octavia, for the first time we have seen, wakes up HAPPY. We then see her go uo to her calendar which shows she has a date circled and written with something along the lines of her going to see Asaphalts Tears with her father. She seems genuinely excited about it. But as she goes out to talk to Stolas about it, we can see a moving van and Stella's stuff being moved out into the van while Stolas is arguing with Stella on the phone. When Octavia tried to talk to him, he pushes her away and tells her that he is busy, not only refusing to listen to his OWN DAUGHTER, but also FORGETTING the OTHER promise he made to her. Now, alot of people may think "Oh, well Stolas is obviously busy and stressed, and it's just some Asaphalts Tears, it's totally okay for him to forget about taking his daughter to see them." No, it's actually NOT OKAY. He clearly promised to her that he would take her to see them, and may I remind you, Asaphalts Tears only show up every 1000 YEARS. That is a LONG TIME before she will get to see them. Not to mention, due to her being 17 at this point in the series, this would be her VERY FIRST TIME SEEING THEM. Due to her reaction, she is clearly upset about him brushing her off and forgetting, to the point she storms back to her room, and tears up and throws away her calendar. Then, she decides to take her father's grimoire and uses it to go see them, which ends up with her in the middle of Los Angeles by herself utterly lost. When Stolas realizes his book is gone and that Octavia is missing, he and Blitz along with the rest of I.M.P., go to look for her. In the process, Blitz gets mistaken for a celebrity and Stolas gets taken with him, leaving Loona to go look for her instead. By the way, the entire time that Blitz and Stolas are stuck on a recording set, Stolas COMPLETELY FORGETS ABOUT HIS OWN DAUGHTER. AGAIN. He then spends that time swooning over Blitz while Loona is busy running herself ragged, looking for HIS DAUGHTER FOR HIM. Once Loona finds Octavia, SHE has to tell her that her father loves her, since he isn't able to do it HIMSELF. Octavia even states, "If he cares so much, then why did you come looking for me instead of him...?" She is SO RIGHT with that line. If Stolas ACTUALLY cares as much as he says he does about his daughter, then why couldn't he be bothered to LOOK AND TALK TO HER HIMSELF? People also seem to like forgetting that as a parent, Stolas should be concerned enough about his daughter to be able to actually talk to her and look for her and not be flirting with Blitz for 5 MINUTES. That is just common sense.

Fourth of all, throughout both Sinsmas and Mastermind, Octavia is starting to suffer more than ever from her father's actions. Jesus, it's like Rose/Pink Diamond with Steven all over again-. In Mastermind, during the trial, we can see that the entire thing is being recorded and broadcasted LIVE. Once Stolas decides to (somewhat) own up to his actions, he places his head on the block, thinking he will be executed. Remember, this is being broadcasted LIVE. Octavia is WATCHING. SHE IS THINKING THAT SHE IS GOING TO WATCH HER FATHER BE KILLED. Alot of people are most likely saying at this point, "Well, Vivziepop wouldn't just kill off Stolas before the show ends." True, but that's not the point. We, as the viewers, DO know that he won't actually be killed. However, Octavia, as a character, DOESN'T know. I also feel like most of people that watch the show don't understand how TRAUMATIZING THIS WOULD BE FOR HER. She thought she was about to watch her father DIE. Even though he didn't actually die, she can still be traumatized by just the thought or even alluding to him being killed. It's already terrifying enough for a child to think about one of their parents dying, let alone WATCHING THEM DIE. ON TELEVISION. That would mess her up terribly. She was so distressed about thinking that her dad was about to die, that she goes to run up to her room. But before she can even leave the room, Stella stands in her way and embraces her. Once this happens, Octavia begins to sob in her arms, while Stella smiles. SMILES. Her daughter is seeking any form of comfort from her, is shaking like a leaf, AND crying, and she SMILES. Everybody already knows, Stella is a terrible person and mother, and is also an abuser and manipulator. To a certain degree, Octavia most likely knows this, but she is also so desperate and in need for comfort right now, that she is willing to hug her anyway.

In Sinsmas, we see that Octavia is still dealing with the aftermath and ending of Mastermind. It's not long until she finds a box of Stolas's pills, and her guitar. She then sings her song, "I Will Be Okay". Some people on tumblr have said that she is actively grieving her father even though he is still alive and her also planning on cutting ties with him. Those ideas make alot of sense and I like and support those ideas. Throughout the song however, we see these silhouette versions of Stolas and Blitz. These are representations of how she seems them. She sees her father leaving her behind for some porno fanfiction written by a virgin, and Blitz as one of the people destroying her life. She clearly hates him, and that is once again, understandable. She may not obviously have the full story due to being stuck with Stella and Andrealphys and hearing their versions of what happened, but she knows enough to the point that she hates Blitz and actively blames him for ruing her life more than it already hazbin. Get it? Hazbin? As in, hazbin hotel? The other show- AHEM- anyways- Her feelings are absolutely understandable and has every reason in the book of feeling the way she does. She already had a shitty life, and then it got shittier. Moving on, when Octavia's phone rings, Stella snatches it away and forbids her from talking to Stolas. Her and Andrealphys then make fun of the idea of him trying to even TALK to his daughter FOR ONCE. When Stolas returns to the castle, demanding to see Octavia, Andrealphys mocks him instead and gets his tail feathers pounded into the ground, which leads to a whole entire fight. At the end of fight when Andrealphys is about to attack Stolas and Blitz, Octavia steps in and deflects back at him and says "Don't. hurt. my. dad.". Once Andrelaphys storms off, Stolas goes to tell how proud of her he is and how he is sorry, and Octavia wants NONE OF IT. She is done with the apologies, the lies, the broken promises, the pain, and with his affair with Blitzø. She lashes out at him with the lines "I DO understand!", "Is that why you had these..!? Because of me..? Am I just some obligation to you...!?", and then "No! You don't love mother and you don't love me, you love him! We were never good enough for you!". Afterwards, she goes back inside, refusing to listen, and even look at him now.

In conclusion, Octavia has every right to be angry and to even go as far to HATE Stolas and Blitz. Before people say "But Stolas was miserable! He didn't mean to hurt Octavia and to make her life worse!". That doesn't matter. Just because he didn't mean to hurt her, doesn't mean it justifies his horrible decision making and him ultimately abandoning her for some utterly unrealistic fantasy. Octavia deserves an apology, a REAL apology and an explanation, not the shitty ones written by people that have never apologized in their lives and don't even know what the word means. As i have said before, her life was already bad enough, and in the process, Stolas made it worse. I am genuinely sick of people babying his character and defending him when his character is an ADULT who MADE the decision to sleep with BLITZØ in the first place. It's his decision, and these are the consequences, and the only way that his character can develop is by facing those consequences and moving past them, which many people seem to have a hard time understanding when writing characters. Not all issues with characters can just be sweeped under the rug, some actually need to be solved. Not to mention, Octavia gets even LESS SCREENTIME THAN MILLIE. And she is one of the main protagonist's daughters. She only has about 17 mintues of screen time in the ENTIRE SERIES, while Milie has over 20. Octavia's character is actively being WASTED and only being used for drama to keep the series going. Don't even get me started on the SHIPPING. There are people actively SHIPPING her with LOONA. If you couldn't tell, Loona is Blitz's adopted DAUGHTER. If Stolas and Blitzø ACTUALLY WORK OUT, that would make Octavia and Loona SISTERS. We also hardly know anything about her character other than her parents taking over the rest of it. Being associated with other characters isn't a personality trait. I also feel like alot of people would also feel angry if one of their parents put them through anything remotely like this. People have been bashing and hating on Octavia's character without justifying it or even explaining why. Everyoje knows that Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel have some of the worst fandoms to be seen with the human eye, which is where all of this hate came from, the FANDOM.

This is just an essay about my opinion on Octavia's character as a whole along with her connections to other characters and her writing. These are my opinions along with some others that I happen to agree with.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[pleasantspark]

Every Hypocritical, Contradictable, or nearly everything stupid (Or OUTLANDISH) thing in the HelluvaVerse we're supposed to ignore and move on from

Sin of lust, Ozzie is against forcing one into sex, Forces Moxxie to sing, kicks out when he refuses.

Everytime a guy gets sexually assaulted it's supposed to be seen as bad, or even cute, but when it's someone who doesn't actually mean nothing to the plot at all, it's funny and quirky.

consequences don't exist in Hell but in Heaven they sure do.

Angels claim they don't know "What gets a soul in Heaven" (but for some reason this statement is completely misconstrued in the fanbase and explained away.) But they are able to point out that Angel Dust isn't allowed into Heaven. While Adam writes down the shit afterwards. Either they are frauds who aren't worthy of their status, or they simply don't have the heart to tell Charlie it is, and send her down like Lucifer does.

Name everything Stolas does. Literally everything.

On the topic of the bird bitch, Stolas demands respect from Blitz when he has done nothing to deserve it, he's wasted Blitz time, treated Blitz like shit, and doesn't respect him at all. Stolas is just a bratty prince who doesn't know the value of respect but demands others give it to him.

Adam's views on Sinners are morally gray and stupid at best. What he says can be easily applied to Heaven, and it doesn't make sense.

Angel Dust's abuse is seen as scary and serious while Sir Pentious' getting dragged away is comical, make it make sense.

On the topic of that, we're supposed to feel bad for Angel Dust the entire episode of Episode Four when he comes across as unlikeable. He spent most of his time trying to convince the entire cast on why his porn video is good, while also defending it, and getting yelled at by Husk, and when he gets called out for sexually harassing someone, he storms off like a baby. This is who me and other victims are represented by folks, a sad sack of shit who completely lost all character to be someone to use and dispose.

Adding onto Heaven not knowing what gets a person into Heaven, does that shit also mean not knowing what someone gets into Hell either? Would that also mean Redemption is pointless?

Charlie's apparently blind, because she spend nearly 3 years with an ex-exterminator without knowing she's one? How can we as people believe Vaggie isn't one without knowing the fact she LOOKS LIKE A STANDARD ONE.

Also, HOW CAN VAGGIE SPEND 3 YEARS WALKING AROUND BEING A FORMER ANGEL WITHOUT ATLEAST HAVING SOME SORT OF POWER? SOME SORT OF PULL?

Charlie hasn't seen her mother in 7 years, yet her mother spoken to her in the pilot. She's much closer to her mother, yet her mother is also distant.

Nearly every female characterization is neutered or they are sent back to the kitchen, killed or even made worse because we needed to uplift terrible male leads.

Half of the LGBTQ+ Cast is in Hell, which matches some christians worldviews on people part of the Queer Umbrella, but this show STILL has to paint Heaven in a negative light? I don't even KNOW if SAINT PETER is gay or not. If he is, he also has a stereotypical voice to go along with it, he sounds like a Zestier Timmy Huckerdoo from SML than some guy in Heaven.

Hell is supposed to be the good guys while Heaven is the bad guys, Hell fucked themselves over by fighting against Heaven, making Charlie's dreams UNABLE TO COME TRUE. No one points out this at all. She ruined all chances at redeeming whatever rapist walks into the Hotel with that stunt.

I ran out, I will make more when I thought of it.

[theadhddimsenion]

a few predications on Sinsmas and season three and four of helluva boss.

this is gonna be a long one so hold on.

first and foremost I can all but guarantee that Sinsmas will stolas second big reality check. He’s going to get torn into by his daughter and called out for everything in a practically brutal and heart wrenching scene and the moment Octavia is out of earshot Andy will move in to finish stolas off once and for all but will fail perhaps due to blitz comically cutting off his precious plumage leaving him pathetically bawling over his destroyed peacock feathers unable to take a hit to his ego like that then paimon will reveal himself as the TRUE master mind and Andy was just the star scream to his Megatron so to speak and decides to go to kill stolas and blitz himself but is fought off either by blitz having some genuine power of love type shit where he grows wings and actually manages to wound the goetia king or due to some other force intervening. Blitz will take his boyfriend home and actually manage to cheer him up a bit with a he and the imp teams crappy attempt to give him a nice Sinsmas because the thought really does count.

Season three will have a lot of more action oriented episodes with the battles between the dhorks and cherub getting more intense and Collin becoming increasingly unsure of the morality of what they are doing because their human “friends” seemingly care more about killing demons and proving to the world that they were right than actually protecting their species and Cletus and keenies abuse of him getting worse and worse. Eventually cumulating in a final battle where the dhroks make their lack of care for humanity clear and Cletus and Keenie finally fall from grace and become the monsters they always were and after both are defeated and the dhroks replaced with a more competent demon hunting organization Collin is just about to return to heaven only for deerie to spitefully deny it to him out of her personal grudge not even bothering to come up with an excuse this time around and saying she hated him and surprisingly it’s Loona of all people who comforts the little sheep because she knows better than anyone what it’s like to be screwed over by unfair systems considering she was born a slave really showing how far she’s come.

Loona will getting some minor devolvement just one final push over the finish line to get her fully on board with learning to accept help and love and her banter with moxxie now feels like siblings teasing than real hate.

Millie will have an arc about learning that she can say no to people and that overworking herself trying to solve others problems is only going to end up hurting the very people she wants to help

Season four will be essentially a “trauma final boss rush” with each of our heroes from hell going up against something/someone who will try and temp/force them to return to their old habits but each one of them will reject/fight off these challenges and learn to stay good after becoming good. Blitz will face his father who tries to manipulate him into thinking that self sabotage and self hatred would be the right call but he won’t fall for it, paimon will try and bride stolas with his daughters safety (which is a lie) and having his old life back so he doesn’t have to ever experience the real hardships of hell and he can return to his fantasies and delusions but stolas will reject this and turn goetia law against him and now that he and his daughter won’t marry paimon has to go back to one of his old wives who is essentially his Verizon of Stella, moxxie will save his wife from crimson and drown the fucker in the same lake his mother died in etc etc for each of our heroes.

fizz and Ozzie will have their first spat but will be a okay same with m&m.

blitz will get his own hair metal love ballad for stolas and the owl will lose his fucking mind.

the end of season three will conclude with stolas organizing his daughters rescue from her arranged marriage but the important part is that he will make it clear that he isn’t doing this to win her forgiveness but rather because he wants what’s best for her whether or not she forgives him for his actions.

[tealvenetianmask]

I think it's pretty cool that Blitz mentioned Stolas's imp butlers as part of his rant. I hope that Stolas heard him there among everything else happening between them.

"Treating me like one of your little butler imps!" The way that Stolas behaves toward his servants has clearly been on Blitz's mind for some time- as confirmation that Stolas fundamentally sees imps as below him.

I've hoped for a while that at some point the way that Stolas treats this guy

would get addressed. Or at least that we'd see a respectful interaction to show that he's changed. But where we are now . . . at the beginning of Full Moon, Stolas is literally seen throwing the contents of his fridge on the floor in the midst of a meltdown while the butler stands there looking utterly done. Do you think Stolas is about to clean up that mess? There's no way.

If he's going to be in a relationship with an imp, Stolas can't be the guy who treats his imp servants like furniture and doesn't give them two thoughts. The way he moves through the world has to fundamentally change- not all at once necessarily- but he has to at least understand the extent of his privilege and how it's impacted Blitz-- and others around him.

When I thought that throwing imp butlers around was just a gag, it made me a bit uncomfortable. But I'm excited now that it seems like this sort of behavior from Stolas was actually an intentional sign from the writers that he still has a lot of growing to do.

Edit- go see Sam Haft's tik tok video on Full Moon where he breaks this topic down better than I ever could.

[helluva-squid]

Okay I also wanna talk about Octavia because there are some... wild takes about her floating around.

I am an afab person who (surprise, surprise) has father-related trauma. It's not the same dynamic as Stolas and Octavia, but the end result was that I moved as far away as I could as soon as I was able and overall limited how much I saw and interacted with him. As I got older, though, I could better understand how a lot of my dad's behavior was the result of his own (unresolved) mental illnesses and generational trauma. It didn't mean I automatically owed him forgiveness, nor did it make what he did (and continues to do) any less painful. Part of healing from parental trauma is finding the balance between acknowledging the very real damage inflicted on you by someone who was supposed to be your guardian, and the grace and understanding that comes from eventually being able to see your parents as people who were just doing what they could with the shitty circumstances they found themselves in. It's one of the hardest things to learn - you can hold both of these thoughts at the same time, and one doesn't cancel out the other.

My relationship with my dad has improved a little over the years. I do still have to hold him firmly at arm's length, but at least having the perspective to understand why he acts the way he does has helped me to take it as less of a personal failing. Octavia is 17 years old, which is an age where you still see your parents more as Caregiver and less as A Whole Person. As the viewers, we know that Stolas did the best he could for Octavia - we know he loves her more than anything. We know that Stolas was put in an impossible position, too. His choices were essentially to save the person he loves and lose everything else, or let Blitz die and live the rest of his life under the control of Stella and Andrealphus. But it was still a choice he made, and the consequence of that choice was that Stolas effectively abandoned her, no matter how much he didn't actually want that. Octavia still loves her dad, wouldn't let her uncle hurt him, but either way she feels like he chose Blitz over her.

I'm pretty hopeful that as Octavia understands more about her father as a person - how deeply unhappy he was, both as a closeted gay man and as someone trapped in what was pretty clearly an abusive marriage - she will find it in her heart to forgive him. Stolas is, at the core of it, a good father, just caught up in really awful circumstances. But she also needs some time to be angry and hurt. Eventually I think we will get that beautiful vision Blitz had of the four of them as a blended family, but I don't think it's reasonable for Octavia to just Get Over It straight away.

Anyway, I have been surprised at some of the takes I've seen because I really thought it was a very grounded portrayal of familial trauma and mental illness. I love both Stolas and Octavia a lot as characters and I am really really REALLY looking forward to some step-dad Blitz in the future.

[spyroforlife]

SO.

Your thoughts on the latest episode of Helluva Boss? Do not spare the walls of text.

It was good but I feel like Andrealphus's plot was very contrived and it had so many ways it could have gone wrong and backfired on his ass, but instead it conveniently didn't so that we could get depowered Stolas and Stolitz hurt/comfort. Everything fell into place perfectly to get Stolas to admit his fault and thus Satan takes his power and Andrealphus and Stella win. Because that's just how they wanted to write it. Buut.. idk. I think this should have worked out differently.

Stolas is a genius and has been portrayed as someone who is very meticulous when it comes to deals and laws. I think it would have been far more interesting if he had showed up to the trial fully prepared to defend both himself and Blitz, with a solid case to present to the Sins. And being a Goetia, Stolas would have likely had a better chance at strong-arming them into actually listening to his testimony, versus Blitz who they of course just dismissed because he's an imp. But Stolas has power. He has pull. True, he had to move fast to even get there before the execution, which Andrealphus was surely relying on. Ultimately, Andrealphus is meant to be the 'mastermind' of this episode. But still, I think Stolas could have used his influence at that point to halt everything and force this to proceed in a more fair fashion.

Let him gather evidence and present a defense. And then he could have turned things BACK AROUND on Andrealphus, to prove to the court that he's trying to bring Stolas down just to get his power for himself, and reveal all Andrealphus's lying and bribing.

But you know. This isn't as exciting. So of course we got what we got.

An alternative idea though, to me, would just be... Stolas IS the owner of the grimoire. Anything he decides to do with it, in his ultimate wisdom, is just and acceptable. He should have just simply pulled rank and said sure, he allowed Blitz to use the book for his business, but this is his domain and if he authorized it, it goes. It's no one else's place to interfere in Stolas's use of the grimoire. That could have been an interesting angle. And at this point Blitz has been using the Asmodean crystal anyway, so hey, you wanna take this up with ASMODEUS?

And Asmodeus, being a Sin, will probably be granted even more leeway. He gave it to Blitz, for Blitz to use as he wished. End of story. And Blitz is no longer using the grimoire. What's the problem? There isn't one :) But how INTERESTING that Andrealphus brings this up now, huh? Almost like he's... trying to get something out of all this... HMM

Basically, turn Satan's wrath onto Andrealphus for being manipulative, and Blitz and crew can skedaddle, and Stolas is fine.

These are just more reasonable ideas about how it could have gone, and again, I acknowledge that that's not really the point. They wanted it to be dramatic, they wanted it to be angsty, and that's how they wrote it. Of COURSE Satan's an impatient little shit. Of COURSE Stolas barely gets there with time to spare and just immediately throws his reputation and life on the line for Blitz. Of COURSE Satan just decides fine by him and strips him of his power, so of COURSE we get Stolas going home with Blitz and things are domestic and sad uwu

Still. I just like to imagine how things could have gone differently, and Icedick coulda gotten his ass handed to him

ah well I'm just gonna hold out hope for Octavia figuring out Stolas is alive and rushing to be with him and immediately start helping him figure out how to appeal to Satan and turn this all around, also Vassago can help because I like him

on a less serious note, there were some pretty cute Stolitz moments that I enjoyed and I hope they talk more about their feelings now. Also Andrealphus and Stella's incest thing is fucking hilarious and it's been so funny to see people losing their minds over it, OH NO THE OWL ROYALS ARE DOING AN INCEST, THE SCANDAL