#as it is fans just have to assume

[problemswithbooks]

I will agree that calling Stolas names isn't very nice, nor does it add to OP's criticizing, but I understand where they're coming from. I'll explain why OP and others might agree with the idea that Stolas staying in the marriage doesn't make sense, and therefore people like OP blame him for staying.

Stolas going to the party wasn’t about “obligation.” It was about avoiding whatever retaliation Stella would dish out if he didn’t. Abuse operates on control, and the victim learns to navigate around the abuser’s unpredictable wrath to minimize harm. Stolas went because, in his mind, the fallout of staying home likely felt worse than enduring a miserable evening at Stella’s side.

I'm sorry, but where is this at all backed up by the show? Stella's tone in no way conveys that she cares whether if he goes or not. Stolas in no way is fearful of Stella in the scene, and even curses at her when he asks what is going on. The show in no way presents Stolas as going simply because he's afraid of retaliation, and given Stella didn't even give him the invitation herself and he only found out because it was in the paper, it's unlikely he's obligated to go for societal reasons.

Hell, I could equally argue that Stella did not want him to come at all. Hence, her not even telling him about the party and her making her awful comments about him as close to him as possible because she wanted him to overhear--her retaliation for him showing up. It'd also explain why she didn't care that he left. If she wanted him to be there, she'd have been angry he wandered off and go find him and drag him back.

The reason Stolas is at the party is that the plot needed him to be there. It needed him to be miserable, so he'd drink and then get so excited about Blitz being there. He's not in any way shown as being there because of some hinted threat by Stella. Due to the short run time of these episodes, surly the writers didn't feel like any reason needed to be given as to why Stolas would attend, abuse or having nothing else to do, either way. They simply needed him there to move the plot along, so that's why he's there at all.

Which is why, especially since they put in Stella's shrugged "You can come if you want" line, makes it look as if he went to an event he knew he'd hate for no reason.

Stella’s volatile personality made leaving a high-risk move. The likelihood of her retaliating—socially, politically, or even physically—was enormous. Stolas staying wasn’t about being a “sucker for punishment”; it was about survival. And let’s not forget, he had Octavia to consider. He believed staying gave her a chance at stability, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness.

Yes, leaving an abusive relationship is hard, but none of the reasons that that's the case apply to Stolas (at least as far as he knew).

Stolas is one of the most powerful people in Hell. He outranks Stella's brother. He has immense magical power that Stella seems totally lacking. It is not an elected position and he never seemed worried at the possiblity of lossing it if he became unpopular. After Octavia was born he was under no obligation to stay so that seems to rule out his father refusing to let him leave. Financially, he was fine after the divorce and only lost everything because of the Full Moon Deal he made with Blitz came out.

Sure, you could argue it might have effected his social standing, but he seems disliked by most of them anyway. Plus, Stella is already ruining his social capital with the upper class as it is, by publicly badmouthing him, so it's no benefit, socially, for him to stay.

Stella is only shown as a stupid bitch, who is never nice, ever, so it's not as if the relationship is going through the usual cycle where the abuser apologizes and acts nice for a while, therefore luring their victim into thinking they've changed, and giving them happy times to remember, which makes leaving harder. Stella and Stolas always hated each other, so that's not why he stays either.

Abuse creates a cycle of control, self-doubt, and helplessness. Victims internalize their circumstances, convincing themselves that enduring the abuse is the safest or only option.

Yes, abuse does do this, but that is not what we are shown for Stolas.

He is never afraid of Stella. EVER. Instinctively, he protects his face when she throws things at him, but that's it. He never holds himself back from telling her what he thinks or showing he's angry with her out of fear. As I said before, he wasn't even less harsh or careful before he stood up to her. He doesn't show any signs of being affected by Stella's abuse, either, like subconsciously flinching away from Blitz yelling and getting in his face.

Hell, even after he finds out she hired Striker, he's not afraid. Instead, the focus is on his relationship with Blitz, and it's not portrayed as him doing so, because he's so afraid that he wants to distract himself with the one possible good thing in his life.

This take also misses how abuse warps decision-making when children are involved. Stolas stayed because he genuinely believed that keeping Octavia in a two-parent household was the lesser evil. Was it the right call? Maybe not. But it wasn’t about stupidity—it was about trying to protect her within a deeply broken system.

The problem with this is that, again, Stella is only shown as pure evil. If she's always been volatile, someone who never bothers to hide how awful she is, who will always say the mean thing regardless of how dumb a choice that is, then there is no reason for Stolas to ever assume Octavia having her mom in her life is a benefit. If Octavia, as we've been shown doesn't and has never, had a relationship with Stella, why would Stolas risk the possibility of Stella being cruel to Octavia? Which--given what we've seen of her, would be the most reasonable conclusion.

Plus, as I pointed out earlier, from everything we've been shown, and for all Stolas knew at the time, the systum would have been on his side. At most, he may have had to do pacial custody (as we see in the show) and lost a bit of money. Even if other Goeita don't like him, he seems to have more then enough power/high enough title they couldn't have done much about it.

And let’s not act like leaving would have been a magical fix. Stella isn’t the kind of person who’d let Stolas walk away quietly, much less take Octavia with him. She would’ve weaponized every ounce of her power to destroy him and maintain control over their daughter.

Again, where are you getting this?

Stella for all that Stolas knew, up until Striker kidnapped him, was leaving without a huge fuss (for her). At most, she wanted more money, which from the dialog doesn't appear he was lawfully obligated to give her. She never asked for Via and both of them seemed fine with taking turns with her. It was her brother's idea to 'manipulate' Via (which they don't really do, considering they can't stop loudly bragging about how evil they are in front of her) because he wants Stolas's power.

She's not presented as desperate for control over Via at all. She only hired Striker because Stolas cheated, not because she wanted to keep sole custody of Via. And, while yes, I think it's likely she would have tried to kill Stolas if he simply divorced her, we see no evidence to suggest Stolas thought that (he doesn't even notice when she hires Striker over the phone in front of him). Nor is he concerned about her brother in any way. The best we get is him saying "I don't care what your brother thinks" which more implies that he thinks Andre will simply be squawking in his ear about the divorce, which is annoying but not a threat.

If you can’t understand that, maybe it’s time to rethink how you approach character analysis—or better yet, try learning a thing or two about the psychology of abuse before you come for Stolas again.

I'm sure some people who don't like Stolas don't understand abuse or what it does to someone, but that's not everyone who points out issues with how he's portrayed. Personally, I, due to my own circumstances have to live with my abusive parent, so I get the psychological effects and reasons why someone wouldn't choose to leave an abusive situation. The problem is that the show does a poor job of conveying this reality with Stolas. Inturn this makes people not understand the situation he's in.

This isn't really a Stolas problem--he's not real. It's a writing problem. Not just for Stolas but for Stella. There were multiple ways to make this narrative work, even in small ways, like actually showing moments where Stolas was nervous around Stella, particularly in that pre-divorce flashback (similar to Moxxie and his abusive father).

Instead of a nonchalant, "Come if you want", have her say "you know what will happen if you don't come" with one of her malevolent smiles.

Maybe when he meets with Ozzie and sees Striker is involved, we get a shot of him being scared, and when he steps up to help Ozzie it's clear he's doing it in hopes of perhaps getting back at Striker in some small way.

Have Stolas flinch when Blitz gets in his face during Apology Tour, with it becoming more and more clear as they fight that he's growing more afraid/triggered by the fight, until he, in a panic, warps Blitz away. And instead of following Blitz right as he's kicked out we get a shot of Stoals trying to calm down before he has a full blow panic attack, maybe Stella's voice mocking him in his mind, with him trying to shrug it off while he looks down at the invitation, showing that part of the reason he goes to the party is to get his mind off of his past abuse.

During Sinsmas at some point he catches Stella watching everything down below and freezes momentarily in sudden fear.

Just, simply present it as Stella actually being someone he sees as a threat, someone who can actually do damage to him if he leaves. Instead, the show presents it as Stolas having all the cards. He has the money, the power, and social position (Ozzie, a Sin, likes him, and Vessago likes him too, so he's not completly isolated politically) to not just leave but leave Stella with practically nothing (so far all her social standing and personal wealth seems to come from Stolas, given she moved back in with her brother after the divorce and Andre says she'd get nothing if Via inherits). If he has no fear of her, if he'd lose nothing finacially, or socially, or politically. If his father isn't making him stay, then it does come across as him simply staying because...well, he wanted to.

The Lens of Abuse: Understanding Stolas’ Actions

💁🏽‍♀️🤖: Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s remind ourselves of one critical fact: Stella is abusive. The show doesn’t beat us over the head with it, but the signs are everywhere—from her open contempt and cruel insults to her explosive fits of rage. Her dynamic with Stolas is defined by control, belittlement, and a lack of empathy. Abuse isn’t just about physical harm; it’s about creating a constant undercurrent of fear and power imbalance, and Stella wields both masterfully.

When analyzing Stolas’ choices—whether it’s staying in the marriage, going to that party, or how he handled things with Octavia—it’s essential to understand that they don’t exist in a vacuum. Abuse clouds judgment, limits perceived options, and forces victims to prioritize survival over happiness. Let’s break down why this perspective is crucial to understanding Stolas and why the critique of him being “pathetic” or “a sucker for punishment” completely misses the mark.

1. “He didn’t have to go to the party” — That’s Not How Abuse Works

It’s easy to sit back and say, “He didn’t have to go.” But when you’re in an abusive relationship, even basic decisions like this are never simple. Abusers like Stella don’t offer real choices—they create situations where every option carries a punishment.

Stolas going to the party wasn’t about “obligation.” It was about avoiding whatever retaliation Stella would dish out if he didn’t. Abuse operates on control, and the victim learns to navigate around the abuser’s unpredictable wrath to minimize harm. Stolas went because, in his mind, the fallout of staying home likely felt worse than enduring a miserable evening at Stella’s side.

Calling him “pathetic” for attending the party is an oversimplification that dismisses the psychological toll of years of manipulation and coercion.

2. “He didn’t have to suffer in the marriage” — Leaving Isn’t Easy

Here’s the thing about abuse: leaving isn’t just a decision—it’s a process. Victims often stay in harmful situations because of fear, obligation, or a belief that leaving will only make things worse. Stolas’ marriage to Stella wasn’t just an unhappy partnership; it was a deeply ingrained system of control.

Stella’s volatile personality made leaving a high-risk move. The likelihood of her retaliating—socially, politically, or even physically—was enormous. Stolas staying wasn’t about being a “sucker for punishment”; it was about survival. And let’s not forget, he had Octavia to consider. He believed staying gave her a chance at stability, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness.

The idea that Stolas “didn’t have to suffer” ignores the reality that, for victims of abuse, the path out often feels blocked, whether by fear, societal expectations, or the abuser’s power.

3. The Cycle of Abuse: Why Stolas Didn’t Leave Sooner

Abuse creates a cycle of control, self-doubt, and helplessness. Victims internalize their circumstances, convincing themselves that enduring the abuse is the safest or only option.

Stolas wasn’t “just an idiot who can’t turn down obligation.” He was stuck in a dynamic where Stella controlled the narrative and made him feel powerless. Add to that the societal expectations of Hell’s elite, and it’s no wonder he felt trapped.

When victims like Stolas finally leave, it’s not because they’re suddenly smarter or braver. It’s because something shifts—whether internally or externally—that gives them the push they need. For Stolas, this shift came when he chose to pursue his own happiness, even at great personal cost. That’s not idiocy; that’s growth.

4. Octavia and Parental Decisions Under Abuse

This take also misses how abuse warps decision-making when children are involved. Stolas stayed because he genuinely believed that keeping Octavia in a two-parent household was the lesser evil. Was it the right call? Maybe not. But it wasn’t about stupidity—it was about trying to protect her within a deeply broken system.

And let’s not act like leaving would have been a magical fix. Stella isn’t the kind of person who’d let Stolas walk away quietly, much less take Octavia with him. She would’ve weaponized every ounce of her power to destroy him and maintain control over their daughter.

Stolas’ decision to stay wasn’t about weakness. It was about navigating a situation where no option felt truly safe.

5. Why This Argument Falls Apart

This take boils Stolas down to “an idiot who can’t turn down obligation,” but that’s an insultingly shallow reading of his character. Abuse isn’t about obvious choices or easy outs—it’s about power, control, and the psychological toll of living under constant threat.

Stolas’ actions make perfect sense within the framework of an abusive relationship. Calling him pathetic ignores the complexity of his situation and dismisses the very real struggles that abuse victims face every day.

TL;DR

Stolas’ behavior isn’t about being “pathetic” or “a sucker for punishment.” It’s about the psychological realities of abuse: the fear, the manipulation, and the way it warps decision-making. Leaving an abuser isn’t easy or obvious, especially when children and societal expectations are involved.

If you can’t understand that, maybe it’s time to rethink how you approach character analysis—or better yet, try learning a thing or two about the psychology of abuse before you come for Stolas again.

[fernsnailz]

sorry these kinds of comments have been really pissing me off recently lol

[craske]

a small prediction, or speculation on where the story in beast yeast might go in the future, based on what weve seen in the story mode in the cookie lab

or, as one would say, fuck you unbeasts your jester

[project-sekai-facts]

Oh that's why the broadcast station announcement was so late. Kondo-san says this will be officially announced during stream.

It's probably not a new unit, that'd be an anniversary thing. Given the title of "New Project" it will most likely be a separate thing under the Project Sekai name (bc the game is actually Colorful Stage. The name Project Sekai covers everything in the project).

I mean it could be a new unit, like how D4DJ recently started EGOEGG as a separate unit that only does live performances and isn't connected to the game, like how the bandori units MyGO!! and Ave Mujica started out (though they were later added to the game/anime). Given "Hatsune Miku Live" in the bg it could be something like that.

Alternatively maybe some spinoff game, or some form of media series? Apparently the text over glitch Miku reads "My Voice Cannot Be Heard", which is interesting. Yeah most likely this doesn't relate to Colorful Stage and will be its own thing.

Also I think Miku is CGI I need to make it very clear the chances of this being related to the game are not exactly huge.

[danyllura]

Thinking about the potential of Tigris, who was forced to sell her body to feed the Snow family, being dismissed from the games around the time Finnick would’ve won his. Katniss vaguely remembers Tigris, suggesting she’s not a recent designer but clearly not old enough to be beyond her time. And Katniss would have been around six when Finnick won his games. We aren’t given any indication of when the capitol began forcing the victors into prostitution or who was the first subjected to it, but we do know Finnick is the youngest victor of all time. Tigris obviously doesn’t tell Katniss and the rebels why exactly she was dismissed from the games. At that time all we know is that she was slighted by Snow and appears touched by the group leaving her food in thanks for her hospitality. Being older than Coriolanus she remembers experiencing war and hardships more than he does, and was left desperate enough to sell her body. She consistently showed sympathy to Lucy Gray and the other tributes. And sure she was an active participant in the games later on, but we truly don’t know her character that well. She may have gotten caught up in the prestige and wealth surrounding her position. Or was a Cinna type and saw it as her doing her part to give these kids their best shot. But I think from what we do know of her, Tigris protesting forcing a traumatized 14 year old into prostitution is very in line with her character. Of course, Finnick dies before we meet her, but I would have been curious to see if she would have behaved any differently in his presence. Because maybe Finnick specifically wasn’t why she was shunned or possibly even won after the she was dismissed. But there’s no way Tigris didn’t know/figure out about what Snow was making the tributes do. And there’s no way she didn’t see beautiful little Finnick and the adults lusting for him and didn’t exactly know what her cousin would make him do.

[blueskittlesart]

at a certain point i think we need to acknowledge that art is very rarely created accidentally. if you can see a theme in a work than that theme was, more likely than not, at least somewhat intentional on behalf of the creator. you don't put a piece of yourself out into the world without thinking about what it means at least a little bit.

[ozziyo]

posting another beloved little guy here because he's everything to me <3

[bonicedemandarina]

Jayvik childhood friends AU because I love them, also to spread the agenda that baby Jayce was one of those kids who'd collect rocks, I would know. I was one of them.

Full drawing under the cut! And also the link to the fic that inspired me to make this piece

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49757233

if the link doesn't work then the fic is It's nice to have a friend by ttrblmkr

[ckret2]

Whats a nitpick you have with The Book of Bill? Can be anything minor or trivial

All right, trivial as fuck. I think the "lost Journal 3 pages" should have been "lost Journal 2 pages".

We know that Ford didn't completely fill each journal before starting the next one—if he had, then he wouldn't have had spare pages to put the portal blueprints in—so he must have been switching between them when he wrote, meaning toward the end they may have covered overlapping events.

We know his first meeting with Bill took place prior to starting Journal 3 and while he was working primarily on Journal 2, because that's where Gideon finds the page on Bill.

It would avoid the "how were these pages still missing when the Journal 3 we read had been magically restored?" retcon.

I just don't think we need even more Journal 3. We got Journal 3. Journal 3 is finished. Do you know what we don't have? Journal 1 or 2. Even though I don't expect us to ever get full Journals 1 & 2, if you're gonna make some random journal excerpts anyway, why not go ahead and say they're from one of the two journals we didn't get to see?

[millenari]

whatever the hell is going on here

[deanofsam]

it just occurred to me that some of you might have missed seeing american football player joe burrow’s suit this past june during paris fashion week, and it is my personal opinion that everyone see these images at least once in their lifetime, especially those of us with a shared interest in slutty clothes on men (fictional or otherwise). so here they are.

[andro-dino]

Mr. and Mr. Alabaster

(this is me being cringe but free THIS IS ME BEING CRINGE BUT FREE)

true to my word, I am currently rewatching root rpg just bc I miss celgene alabaster. I was thinking a little bit too hard about him though and ended up making him a husband, so here's Sonny! he has existed for like two days and already he means the world to me.

they r,,,,, important to me. idk man i just like the idea of this big ol grumpy, shady badger guy having an adorable rabbit husband who he calls cute affectionate nicknames and they both adore each other. THEY MEAN A LOT TO ME. i have like so many thoughts about their dynamic but i can't articulate them into words so im just like hrnrnrnrnrnrnnrnrnr!!!!!!! im thinking about them so hard guys you dont understand they r taking over my brain i love them so much

i have more doodles i'd like to make of them but i guess only time will tell how many of those i'll actually be able to get down.

[kaeyachi]

Funny idea. Hear me out.

Diluc, who we all know would go out the door, claymore blazing, to attack a supposed pervert

+

Kaeya who doesn't recognize people are flirting with him/ oggling him

Diluc must have regularly had a field day slamming his claymore left and right when they were younger, trying to explain to Kaeya that they were perverts and to be more careful.

Kaeya would just think they were crazy fans or something.

[hotwaterandmilk]

I'm seeing "Wedding Peach was unsuccessful" trotted out on Twitter again and it's honestly kind of funny to me. You can dislike the series, but you're rewriting history if you suggest it was a massive commercial flop/astronomical failure — it simply wasn't.

The Wedding Peach TV series maintained viewership throughout its run which is why it aired an entire year's worth of episodes (the full length it was intended to run) and didn't get cancelled like Nurse Angel Ririka SOS, for example.

I'm not going to pretend it did Sailor Moon numbers, dear god, it absolutely didn't get close hence why it wrapped as it did. I would suggest looking back now, that it was the definition of a mid-performing title for the time period. It sold toys decently but not outrageously, it got viewers but not an outstanding number, and it garnered a small but dedicated fanbase of male otaku. All of which is par for the course when it comes to a mid title in 1995.

Wedding Peach DX was produced because the TV series LD sales were decent enough to warrant it. Children were not buying LD box sets at this time, adult fans were and it was this interest that justified the creation of the four DX episodes as direct-to-video releases. If a series doesn't sell well they don't make more episodes, let alone higher quality deluxe episodes specifically for the home video market (and thus for older audiences with spending power).

It is very important to point out that Wedding Peach DX had NO INVOLVEMENT from the original creative team. Tomita Sukehiro and Yazawa Nao did not contribute to its creation, Tadano Kazuko didn't provide designs. Yuyama Kunihiko was the driving force behind the production of the DX episodes and he served as both director and writer for all four episodes (bringing on Wedding Peach animator and soon-to-be frequent Pokémon collaborator, Ichiishi Sayuri to serve as character designer).

What inspired these to be fanservice dreck to the level they ended up being is honestly beyond me. I mean the otaku market definitely wanted more episodes featuring the characters (and more songs featuring the seiyuu, if you want to see how keen otaku were for FURIL please see this post) but part of what they liked about the characters at the time was their (barfbarfbarf) perceived purity and innocence. The DX including panty shots and swimsuits kind of threw them for a loop. Even now, if you look at discussions about the DX among otaku there's a bit of a divide in opinion.

The DX episode sales were (as far as I can tell based on magazines from the time) also mid, but enough to cover four episodes. Three and four don't seem to have sold as well as one and two, but again the stats from the time aren't comprehensive. I think the fact that there weren't any after episode four says it all, honestly. OVA episodes are expensive to produce and it was extremely common for them to stop immediately if the sales weren't there. DX didn't justify its existence beyond those four episodes and Yuyama moved onto a far more successful project in Pokémon.

On that topic, I think it's important to note that Wedding Peach was OLM's first television series (albeit a coproduction with KSS). If it and the studio's adaptation of Mojacko hadn't made some level of profit it would have been quite difficult for them to adapt Pokémon. Neither Mojacko nor Wedding Peach set records with their viewership or sales numbers, but they both did "OK". It was in Pokémon however, that that OLM truly found a successful property with the series still running today. Sometimes you've got to have a few runs at producing things before you find success. Wedding Peach was one of these early runs, a project where a lot of people cut their teeth but one that didn't justify its own continuation beyond a certain point. Just a very standard media mix from the mid-90s, in other words.

Wedding Peach is a problematic title with indifference through to outright objection to representing love outside of heterosexual romance. Looking back now it feels like an absolute dinosaur on so many levels. Between the anime's fatphobic episode and Momoko dropping some gender essentialism, I'm not surprised people want to relegate it to the dustbin of history.

However, I think it is very telling that Tomita Sukehiro, when presented with the opportunity to tell a similar story in the modern day, chose to represent not just queer love, but platonic and familial love in Wedding Apple. While he can't undo the regressive and cringy elements of the original series, as a creator he has progressed and I'd like to think we can all continue to improve our outlooks and output as we grow.

Disliking Wedding Peach in the modern day is completely understandable. I'm not going to pretend anyone should watch it in 2024 without knowing that it is a camp, cheaply made relic of a time when heterosexuality was considered magic. However, just because it pandered to all the worst things trending at the time doesn't mean it didn't sell enough products or hold enough viewers to justify its production. It did, it just wasn't a strong enough property to go beyond that and that's representative of mediocrity rather than mind blowing commercial failure imho.

[ecoterrorist-katara]

I’m so tired of wlw background ships in mlm fandoms.

mlm shippers almost never develop wlw ships to the degree that the audience feels invested in them. The conflict and character development and love story rely on tropes rather than actual narratives, yet fandoms act like they’re doing wlws a favour by shoehorning in this shitty “representation” when it’s just golden retriever x black cat over and over and over again in different fonts.

To be clear I don’t blame anyone for not having big wlw ships, because most major media out there do not have two fully fledged female characters you can ship together. If you want to write mlm ships, good for you! If you want a lazy wlw ship in the background, that’s fine! But don’t act as if the fandom actually cares about them, or that anyone did the legwork to make them characters that you can care about. Most of these female characters are never properly developed in the canon source material, and they’re almost never properly developed in the fanon material either. You can always tell by how these women are like, one archetype + gay (sporty gay, feisty gay, slutty gay etc, like some kind of gay Spice Girls). Yet fandoms just love to act like these background wlws mean so much & have the best love stories & everyone just should ship them. It’s all so performative.

wlws are not an aesthetic. wlws are not 2D happy couples to round out your queer utopia, a queer utopia that somehow still manages to foreground men. Women are always treated as 2D characters in narratives, except now there’s a subgenre where these 2D women are gay. Groundbreaking.

[cozylittleartblog]

you guys know the 1920s and 30s existed before v*vziepop right