#blitzo is actually really fun to animate

[cheerpuppy14]

Haven't drawn anything from this show in a long while

[timkontheunsure]

Part 1 Blitz & BPD coding

Ok quick bit first before getting into the nitty-gritty. So to have BPD you need to have 5 of these 9 traits:-

(putting as by proxy with him cus damage your image is harmful to your psyche).

Poor bugger looks to have 9 of 9

Alot of BPD patterns and strategies comes from childhood trauma, and Blitz has this in spades.

Scapegoat and attachment style

Cash is clearly a narcissistic Dad, see the kids as tools.

Cash uses Blitz's love and Strong attachment to his Mum to force Blitz to be useful to him, and do what he wants.

This sends the very strong message that love is conditional. That it is bought through what he can do for another. And that without being useful love and affection will be withdrawn, because he doesn't really deserve it.

We see wee tinny Blitzo struggles with making balloon animals, is a little clumsy, has a sense of humour that not a crowd pleaser. This puts him at the bottom of the pecking order.

This position is the scapegoat. Blamed for anything that goes wrong (fire), to keep the others in line (Fizz told done on purpose), given the most dangerous jobs (rob a Goetia), and given the lest love and affection.

Narcissist see people as tools or a burden. All love from Cash is conditional/transactional.

How Blitz gets love is to be used or to be useful. This the rule.

Affection freely given can't be trusted. It is a lie. This why any Stolas shows has to be either ignored, or change to a kink of "getting plowed by people you look down on". Making himself used.

But Stolas breaks this when he says Blitz "no longer have any obligation to see me, to touch me, to bed me, you are... you are free of me." He panics that he's being abandoned; "I can be better", "I'm I not fucking you good enough" are his immediate responses. Trying to get back to the safety of what he knows.

If they're no 'obligation' then there can't be affection and he wants to Stay with Stolas. And if there's no 'obligation' Stolas telling him he cares must be a lie.

He's slowly coming to see that this isn't always the case in apology tour; when his "earning" his way through sex is rebuffed again.

(It may not be Stolas' kink; but being fucked by an all powerful prince who degraded his a little might be Blitz's 🤭).

After the accident this rule gets a second fun extra playmate that anyone who loves him will be hurt. So Blitz must push them way, to keep them safe from him. These 2 rules give Blitz the disorganised fearful-avoidant attachment style. (Woo go him, give him a cookie. Or you know all the nope, but still give him a cookie).

Disorganised fearful-avoidant attachment comes with a push-pull of wanting to be close but close relationships are scary. (Like running away from Voroskia for loving him).

He is getting better by refusing to be dismissed by Stolas, and coming back the next morning. And even talking to him at the party.

But mostly this bit: "Oh, sorry, this entire time I assumed the worst because I was convinced a prince could never love someone like me, and I've let my self hatred stop me from apologizing to anyone I could ever care about!" Blitz in a nutshell everybody.

His self hatred makes him to self sabotage any romantic relationship before it gets to deep. To protect the people he likes and makes sure they can't love him. Because he doesn't deserve it. Thems the rules after all.

Cash and the accident has taught Blitz to hate himself.  

It's also likely why Blitz thinks apologies are for pussys, and that no one deserves one anyway.  Those sound like words put in his mouth for daring to ask his dad to say sorry. 

He doesn't think he's worth it.

(Added the cuddles pic cus I like the cuddles). And Blitz still doesn't trust that he deserved to be forgiven by Fizz.

This self hatred is why he can't picture anyone loving him, let alone Stolas

"This whole thing we had going... I'm- I mean you're a fucking prince. How could you ever actually care for an imp... Me? How could anybody?" "Stolas, you are better off without me. 'Kay? You deserve so much... I don't even".

No one is allowed to want him.

End of part 1

I'll stick the link to the next part when I get done it, but might be a bit.

Next time some such fun shenanigans as:

Difficulty regulating emotions

Being a burden & how to be useful to IMP

Spitting

Massive fear of abandonment

Emotional loops

The Deal

Chronic feelings of emptiness

Self hatred & the Belief others Must hate him

(his cookie)

As normal is absolutely fine if you don't agree. This is just something I like to do.

[gartenofbanny]

So regarding this character, many people said that he's supposed to represent the critics of Helluva Boss, but I believe that he's supposed to represent the exact opposite.

This character was a huge fan of Fizzarolli when he was younger, but after not getting what he wanted of Fizzarolli, he instead became one of Fizzarolli's biggest haters.

He sorta reminds me of the obsessed fans that idols would have, but his character felt really forced and out of nowhere, considering that he didn't make an appearance in Ozzie's or Oops. I'm not expecting him to make a huge appearance, but just hint at the guy. Have the dude stalk Fizzarolli in the shadows make it like a fun Easter egg for the fandom to see.

The topic of obsessed fans or stans has been done way better in Aggretsuko because it feels more natural, in my opinion, and this character was not shoved in your face. He greatly represents what an obsessed fan is. Plus, in a previous scene, he actually does the things that the Fizzarolli stan could've done.

Blitzo does describe him as a stan in the episode as well, so I do believe he's supposed to represent them, but he's not written great at all.

I do kinda see how he's supposed to represent HB Critics. If he is supposed to represent critics this just once again proves how Vivziepop can't take criticism.

If you spent time out of your day designing a character, have animators animate said character, write the voice lines, have a voice actor say those lines until they're acceptable, and use it as a "gotcha" moment for critics. It just shows how sensitive you are as a person and that you need to log off from the internet for a while.

[mdhwrites]

Since you watched Hazbin hotel, you maybe have watched Helluva Boss too. I have a question, cause im curious.

Do you think that Stolas's marriage was retconned to victimize him?

So I'm going to swerve this at first to just talk about the fact that what they did with Stolas is nothing new, it's just essentially twin tropes smashing together at the same time. Both are ways people use family to humanize someone, and in a broader context two ways in general used to humanize someone. His daughter is essentially "Save the Cat" where by showing a gentler, warmer, more caring side of himself, we know there's nobility in him which can paint some of his better actions in a kinder light. Meanwhile, his wife shows the pressure and cruelty upon him, the way life crushes him, that makes his crueler actions seem perhaps more like coping mechanisms. It's like giving an alcoholic a tragic backstory so you understand that he doesn't drink himself to oblivion because it's fun for him and he doesn't care about the harm it does to others but because he needs it to survive and function at all, at least in his eyes.

Neither of these tropes are bad either. Done with less awful character traits, you get stuff like the silly person who covers their trauma by being over the top and maybe ignoring reality more than they should. I myself literally used saving a cat as a way to humanize my noble main character in Little Miss Rich Witch because while she was dismissive of others and seem annoyed at many people's actions, now she was willing to hurt herself by reaching into a bush of brambles and help a kitten find safety. It theoretically can help assure the reader that a better person is under there and going to emerge eventually.

...Which brings us back to Stolas. Now the first thing I have to mention is that you're actually incorrect. I have not watched Hazbin but I mention a lot of shows that I've seen enough analysis, discussion, etc. for and feel comfortable enough mentioning some broadstroke elements that resonate with what I'm discussing. I HAVE seen some of Helluva Boss but ended it on the episode where Blitzo and Moxxie get kidnapped so I'm not ignorant on these subjects but I didn't really see when life went to complete shit for Stolas...

And I do not give a fuck because neither of these tropes function when there is no better man to speak of. I mentioned Rich Witch not just as self promotion but because of a REALLY important element that fails with his daughter: Follow through. Azu, the noble girl, puts herself in danger of breaking the rules because her busy schedule means that in order to bring the kitten to a shelter, she first has to bring it to school the next day. Then we find out that while she's tsundere about the reasons for working there and doesn't think animals like her, she actually volunteers at that same shelter so this is hardly the first animal she's saved in some way. This makes what is essentially virtue signalling an actual part of the fucking character. Stolas on the other hand, in the SAME EPISODE that we introduced to Octavia, has seemingly neglected his daughter's interests and the fact that she's been growing up for roughly a decade. Hell, even then, he still hires his boytoy to guard them so he can focus on being horny than his daughter and on other childish pleasures that he enjoys. So... Yeah, he gets a really sweet song with her but it's hardly like that's some small nugget smoldering at the core of his character as that fire burned out long ago.

Which brings us to his wife. Hey, why does the alcoholic have a tragic backstory instead of saying, "I beat my wife because she's a bitch and that's why I drink"? It's because the latter doesn't feel like a justified response. At that point, you are a horrible human being with little care for others, you're just bitching and moaning so that you can justify your terrible behavior. This is what Stolas is doing to his wife. "You're a bitch so I openly, confidently, CONSTANTLY cheat on you with someone I do not actually act like I give a fuck about except for his dick because otherwise show him basic human decency." At that point, the only reason the show manages to frame Stolas' wife as worse than him is because she never gets a song with Octavia so it comes across like only one tried to be a good parent before things went to hell and... That's just narrative bias, not strict fact. Not from what I saw.

These tropes only work when there is a better man underneath it all. There is no better man to Stolas. It's akin to how Blitzo has this tragic backstory, life has clearly dealt him a terrible hand... And he's just a complete horrid monster when it comes to those around him. Moxxie despises him for what he does to his privacy, his boundaries and his own personal life and for what? Because Blitzo gets off on it? Luna is a trying too hard goth chick and she isn't actually that mean or cruel or the like. Not even the fucking succubi that act as an antagonist for an episode are as bad to their people as Blitzo is to his and that's without getting into how that episode's proper antagonist is actually Blitzo, both because of past actions and present.

There is at no point, besides shallow backstory (which as always, backstory does not actually a character make because their present actions matter WAY MORE), where we really have a reason to think there's good people in there anymore. That's also why I dropped the show. I wanted to continue but it clearly was going to focus on its worst characters rather than anyone with an ounce of likability. Or, better yet, anything actually compelling about them several episodes into the series besides "Uwu, look at my tragedy while I harass the people around me."

I'm sorry, that just makes you the asshole. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I had initially considering answering this privately since I don't know all the nuances about Blitzo's marriage... But also I watched 7 episodes (including the pilot), more than twice as many as most people tell you is a fair shake, and these were my impressions. At that point... Sorry, you have an uphill battle to prove your sexual harassment in story is somehow justified. The CONSTANT sexual harassment that is not just because they're in hell since Moxxie and Millie prove you don't have to be like this. It's still a choice.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[chaifootsteps]

You know how i cope with the fact that Helluva Boss is "wasted potential: the show"? By gaslighting myself into tinking thats not an actual cartoon, but a fanfic of one better adult cartoon from another universe:

In some other paralel universe, there is an aclaimed adult Cartoon that aired in adult swim from the early 2000's, called "Helluva Job", wich follows the wacky adventures or 4 demons, all very different in personalities and have a hard time working together, triying to get out of their miserable life as the lowest class of demons in hell by working on killing humans in exchange of money from those who commision them those murders.

Every episode its about them trying to get their new target, a premise thats kinda repetitive but the show manages to make it fresh avaery episode with its creativity.

It had a wacky absurd humor that doesnt take itself seriously, sometimes based on very silly and cartoony things happening to the protagonists, it also had a very, VERY dark humor that would make kinda fucked out jokes about taboo themes (kinda like drawn together), wich made many people belive that the show "didnt age well" despite still being hilarous. It also had some sexual humor, but it was very limited and always with clever jokes that arent just the characters screaming the names of genitals.

Robo-Fizz, The Cherubs and Verosika are some of the recurring villains that where remembered for having neat designs very charismatic personalities. Even the people that never saw the show know them and loves them.

The show was also know for having a lot of criticism of capitalism and rich people hidden behind clever dark humor, that didnt distract from the sillines of its show.

Stolas is just a recurring joke of "that one creepy old man Blitzo sleep with because he is rich and has to do it to keep his job", he never gets more than 4 minutes on screen and its always him being an steriotypical rich asshole who abuses his power and makes gross comments to Blitzo (and he is very classist and racist). Stella is just the woman thats married to him and she tries to be a decent wife, but she is clearly annoyed with him and clearly she just waiting for him to ask divorce.

Stolas also dies in the finale of the show when a metor falls over him, Blitzo celebrates this in the most childish and exagerated (but also extremely funny) way possible.

The art style was like a combination between Clone High and Dexter's laboratory, with the use of exagerated shapes to form its cgaracters. And the animation was just decent, but its praised over the character designs, wich are simple yet efective and creative

The show got 2 seasons and those were enough, it was remembered as one of the darkerst yet funniest cartoons that ever aired on adult swim, and how people still rewatching it years later.

Meanwhile, Vivziepop is some popular artist in the fandom of that show thats know because, for some reason, she got obsessed with Stolas fucking Blitzo, and she insist that their relationship is the most beautiful thing ever, and hates Stella for some headcanons she created about her.

She wrote the know fanfic "Helluva Boss" wich is basically her mischaracterising every character into becoming this really boring, flavourless version of themselves and get reducted to one aspect of their personality. And her trying to gaslight us into thinking that Blitzo and Stola's relationship was some misunderstood tragic wholesome romance, because "Stolas actually loved him!". Almost everyone in the fandom makes fun of this fanfic.

Extremely valid, Anon. To get by in this bitch of a world, sometimes you've just got to gaslight yourself a little.

[inu-jiru]

"Oops" Episode Rambles

I rewatched the episode for the sake of my rewrite post (plus I just wanted to see the final animation, credit where it's due, the show is fun to look at sometimes), and decided to share my thoughts since I haven't done that for an episode in a while:

Ngl, I'm honestly really indifferent towards Fizzmodeus, like I get that it's most people's positive for this episode but I honestly just don't care about it. I think it's because I'm so jaded to the 99% of dialogue that's sex-related to enjoy the sentimental stuff but also because it's just Bee and Vortex again, and it begs the question of why the shit Stolas' situation is so special (aside from him being Vivzie's baby) when the Sins just do whatever and either hide it poorly or don't hide it at all. Who came up with this hierarchy in the first place? Because the more we go on the more it seems like a thing that only Goetians focus on (which Ozzie should be apart of so what the fuck).

Speaking of Ozzie, I don't get why he's so nice, same with Bee. I'm not asking for everyone to be a shithead 24/7 but the concept of Hell's leaders, the ones who've created and are enabling the world of kill-or-be-killed that we've seen, being 100% friendly is just odd to me. Then again, Viv's idea of Hell is a nonstop party where they're all good unlike the EVIL BAD TOTALLY NOT GOOD angels and Adam so it doesn't surprise me. Also his whole thing about "Lust shouldn't be forced". Um? I'd get it if he were talking about LOVE, but Lust is not something I'd ever consider to be consensual in nature, especially not in Hell. That's all I'll say on the matter because it's a very serious topic, but then again, maybe I should consider myself lucky a topic that dark isn't being butchered by Vivzie. All of that said, I do like Ozzie's voice actor, he's really nice-sounding.

I don't understand what the hell happened with Fizz and Blitzo. Who the fuck was going around saying that Blitzo didn't wanna see Fizz and didn't tell Fizz that Blitzo showed up? I have to assume it was maybe Barbie or Cash (assuming Cash didn't also die in the fire). If it was Barbie I'm not entirely sure why. As far as we're aware (unless they retcon it in later) Barbie shouldn't have seen Blitzo knocking into the cake or leaving Fizz, so if she did it because their mom died, I can't see how she would know that. Maybe someone saw Blitzo and passed that on to Barbie, but the fact of the matter is I shouldn't have to Tetris-style guess and insert explanations for the episode. If any episode was going to be a full on backstory, it should've been this one, not The Circus, especially with Unhappy Campers being before this one.

On a positive note, I think those little fly-dog things are so cute in a kinda ugly way. I do think it's kind of a nice small look into Fizz's mind that he'd have one that's wheelchair-bound because he'd relate to it. Ozzie patching up Fizz was nice too, as much as I don't care for the couple, I'm glad that Fizzmodeus at leasts SHOWS the shit that Stolitz doesn't. And speaking of Stolitz, yeah Blitzo keep telling me all these things Stolas TOTALLY does for you yeah I'm sooooooo sure

And, like other people have said, Stolas was totally pointless and useless like always, and what a nice cool guy who totally isn't bad like the other Goetia when he let that lawyer guy get brutally murdered, like yeah I guess it wasn't really his place to help or anything but I don't think having him smirk and say "Get fucked, little one" is doing him any favors. I do have to wonder if they're actually gonna go through with this Crystal shit. I'm not gonna bother guessing anymore because like I said before, the show will throw a biggest, goofiest curveball at you to try and seem less predictable.

And speaking of curveballs, Crimson and Striker. That's it. That's all I gotta say on that subject. I miss Harvest Moon Festival, man. Like I'm no Striker fangirl who buys all the Striker merch and shit but damn he's so pathetic now. Why did Blitzo have to recreate the shit that happened and shoot the barrel when he could've shot Striker in the face while he was talking? Please, I need someone else on the writing team PLEASE

Anyway I think that's it for now.

[ravenalla]

So Helluva Boss Episode 8 thoughts

It was fine, honestly a breath of fresh air when compared to how outright terrible some of season 2’s episodes have been, but just basic and bland. It was nice seeing Loona actually get focus without Blitzo having to be there from the start, as someone who also has party anxiety I can really relate, but eh I really don’t understand what the point of the later half was story-wise. It’s not like she treats her dad any better after this episode, if anything she’s worse to him than we ever saw her in Seeing Stars. But whatever it’s own thing separated from season 2 the ending was cute, even if seeing Blitzo mope around for being a shitty person or Stolas being terrible is getting tiring. Speaking of yeah they really just didn’t acknowledge Ozzie’s outside of a blink and you miss it text message so that’s fun, now I hope the people who were saying “stop complaining we have an episode missing!” realize Viv was telling the truth when she said it had literally nothing to do with the main plot of the show. Also animation this episode felt especially rough in some areas in the beginning, the lineart thickness looked really inconsistent and almost like a map project at times. But I think it got better as the episode went on.

Bee I’m conflicted on, she’s just another one of the classic furrybait designs Viv liked to use in zoophobia and really underwhelming design for Beelzubub, seriously you could be so creative with it but instead for some reason they went with JayJay 2.0., literally you would never guess she’s suppose to be the ruler of Gluttony without the show outright telling you 🙄 but I did really like the animation they did on her tail and hair and the song had some nice visuals. It just doesn’t go at all with the rest of the design, not sure why they made her look part hellhound or even have THE Beelzubub to be the one dating Tex (seriously why is Blitzo dating Stolas a big deal then if all these supposed ringleaders who are HIGHER IN STATUS THAN HIM can just date whoever they want?) Chances are we never see her again or they replace her voice actor like they did with Striker. The dialogue they did for her was just as terrible and unfunny as always, and while I think Kesha overall was good for not being a voice actor yeah you could tell some of the lines were delivered really awkwardly. But I still commend her and the fact that they didn’t pull a Verosika and make her just the bitchy girl dating Loona’s crush your suppose to hate. Really hope they don’t go back on that and ruin her so they break up. Tex just felt kinda bland to me this episode anyways, he was cool in episode 3 but here he’s just kinda the friend/boyfriend who stands around. It’s be great if we got to see him and Loona bond more as just friends later on but who knows.

So yeah not godawful but not good. Just kind of a fine filler episode with the shows usual ups and downs. Kinda just glad it’s out now and it can’t be used as a gotcha for all of season 2’s inconsistencies lol

[helluva-dump]

Hey guys, Moonlight here, I just wanted to make this a side blog than having all that on my main blog.

This isn’t just gonna be a critical blog because tbh with you guys, I still have a soft spot for the show. I really enjoyed season one until season 2 just went for a very weird direction… So I don’t want to ramble a lot with negativity with this blog. I also sort of feel more comfortable making a side blog since I’ve been doing Helluva boss stuff with friends on discord which involves a self ship I got.

(Too nervous to actually tag it because it involves Blitzo, and I get nervous about St*l*tz shippers getting angry at me for it. I’ve seen how they act over Blitzstrike and Blitzka shippers… makes me worried they’ll attack anyone who ships their oc with either blitzo or Stolas. )

Like honestly, I used to ship them until season 2 made it about shipping over story…. And if you badly force a ship to your audience, I’m gonna end up hating it 🙃🙃🙃

(I’m also gonna make an oc to ship with Stolas because I REALLY think he and Blitzo are better off as friends with benefits than romantic partners. So I’m gonna give them that relationship with each other instead for my AU/Rewrite )

Also I’m very much aware of the abuse allegations and while I did detach myself from V*vziepop and lost so much respect for her as an Indie creator… I don’t wanna jump fully off the gun with these allegations since some of them are missing context. And dwelving in too much of them is gonna badly affect my mental health, so please respect that I don’t wanna talk so much about them. I’ll bring them up if I see a lot more, so far the document of animation reviews and Ken are the only ones I think that may be legit. But yeah, I’ll decide if I want to talk about these if I see moe coming forward.

I also made this blog to interact with fans that are disappointed with the writing like me and just wanna do our own fun way of doing things than what canon gave is.

So yeah it’s not gonna be super critical, I just also wanna still do fun fandom stuff and my AU take on Hell.

You can ask me questions to brainstorm ideas and such :) I don’t mind rambling about the show.

[commenter2]

"Mammon's Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special featuring Fizzarolli" review

Let’s see Fizz handle Mammon’s BS. SPOILERS and long post warning

Well the video’s image already confirms Mammon is evil and seems to have an odd relationship with Fizz, but that was a given fact.

Teenage Fizz and Blitzo!

ITS KNIFEY!!!! KNIFEY IS MAMMON’S VOICE!

Let’s be honest, Mammon could have treated that Imp kid much worse so its nice to see him not.

I’d brag that I was right about Mammon exploiting Fizz, but that was obvious from the start.

You’d have to admire Mammon for being honest about his feelings.

The moon of the Greed ring is a giant coin, but it looks like a hologram of some kind to me.

So that’s why Fizz was cautious towards that fan on the “Ozzie’s” episode. I also feel like it’s a joke making fun of hardcore fans of a franchise, who think their ideas should become actual canon in said franchise.

Froggie? I get that’s its likely referencing how Fizz jumps around, but what’s wrong with Fizzy? Wait wasn’t Blitzo called that in “Western Energy”, and was insulted by it?

Obviously we all love seeing Ozzie care about Fizz’s happiness and wanting to protect him from his fans and Mammon, but I don’t fully believe Ozzie when he says he doesn’t want to build sex robots that look like him. Maybe he wants the robots for himself XD.

While Ozzie is talking to Blitzo, you can see one of his rooms having gear designs on the wallpaper. I know it’s been confirmed that he is a skilled inventor, but I like seeing that as it shows the writers are showing that he is more than just the embodiment of lust/Fizz’s boyfriend.

IDK about you but Ozzie’s new outfit makes him look like Valentino a bit. There has been a joke about how "Val is copying Ozzie" so maybe it’s a joke about that, just neither are copying each other and its just coincidence?

Just like Stolas can, Ozzie can become a pile/form of something, in this case fire. Could this be enough to confirm that he is part phoenix like I brought up before? I also feel like it’s a joke about the “flames of passion” saying.

Helsa von Eldritch!?!? Oh wait that's not her, just girls named Glitz and Glam. Apparently they are voiced by the VA who voiced Katie Killjoy in the pilot. I wonder if their audio will be used in future fan made Katie Killjoy funny vids?

What’s with the spider webs? Is Mammon supposed to be a spider demon? Could it be a refence to Angel Dust?

I’ve been waiting to talk about that scene of the girl getting her eyes burn ever since it appeared in the 2022 trailer. First off I can strangely see pics of her and that Imp she was on becoming a couple, if you ignore the sign she had. I could see a comic where he took her to a hospital which she finds sweet and then the rest is history. I can also see a comic where Lilith Morningstar forces Mammon to pay for her medical bills due to a combination of not liking Mammon and as revenge for his statement about women not being funny.

Mammon keeps claiming he never had a son, which I feel like is building up to the reveal of Wacky Wally being his son. Fingers crossed :3

Blitzo can still do the Spider-Man upside down hanging. That is going to make a lot of Blitzo X Stolas fans happy XD

The moment with the deaf child has to be the cutest moment in the season so far.

It’s that stalker guy from before, he surprisingly looks good after all that time.

MAMMON IS A SPIDER DEMON! Honestly I don’t really like that as we have enough animal demons as it is, so it would have been nice if he was similar to what Lucifer is, or a few of the fallen angels that still look like angels to some capacity.

Heh flying fishes XD. The song is also really nice too.

Why hasn’t Fizz tried calling Ozzie for emotional support?

You can see a game called Fizzopoly in the background. Knowing the real life Monopoly brand, I can see that becoming a real toy one day, or at least a Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss themed one. Would you buy it if it was a real thing?

There’s Ozzie. Also “character too big to get through door” cliché, but at least he can teleport to solve that problem.

There first “I love you” moment!

I know it was just played for fun, but I wonder if Blitzo (at this moment in time) is a bit jealous of Ozzie being with Fizz. That or he is just that neutral about it but he expresses it in insults.

I’m just noticing the electricity Mammon gives off. With Ozzie having fire, I wonder if this means the other sins have master of a certain element or something similar, except Lucifer who has mastery of all. Leviathan would obviously be water, Bee I think would have air via flapping wings, and maybe Satan could be Earth though that’s where my theory breaks down as we have seen Imps use and control fire too.

Wow 4 songs in 1 episode.

I wonder if this episode is giving us a glimpse of what Angel Dust is going to go through with Valentino in Hazbin Hotel?

Not really liking Mammon’s full demon form.

YES! THE FIGHT IS HAPPENING!

Wait is that Ozzie’s full demon form? It looks more like a power up. Hopefully that is the case and maybe one day we can see a proper full demon form.

Wally is there, thus ending the “Mammon is Wally in disguised” theory. Still think they could be father and son.

Muppet Fizz meme parody. Still hoping for a Ozzie as Cookie Monster parody someday. Also one of the guys 3 phones has a text saying “expect fan art soon”, once again showing how self-aware the writers are about the fandom.

WAIT NO FIGHT!! DAMMIT!!

Mammon says Ozzie is going to regret revealing his feelings to everyone, but I don’t see how Ozzie is going to face consequences for his actions. The only thing I can think of is a scenario where the other sins make the two go through an investigation similar to that one episode of “Parks and Recreation” just to see if Ozzie did something big for Fizz via favoritism that could be unfair for other demons or worst case scenario, get Hell in trouble with Heaven. Is it possible that the Goetia community could use this somehow, like overthrow Ozzie, or something related to what’s going on with Blitzo and Stolas? Could this start some kind of war, like Mammon has lost some profits (like $100 worth) and just decides the best thing to do is kidnap Fizz and force him to work for him? Mammon is pretty dumb, so I could see him doing such a thing.

I hope we see the twins come back one day. I could definitely see them becoming rivals of Verosika Mayday.

Looks like Ozzie platonically likes Blitzo now, if him smiling about his sexual question is any indication. I wonder if this will result in Ozzie trying to help Blitzo and Stolas get together!

Another great episode. I really liked how I was another episode centered around a reoccurring character like Fizz with little to no Blitzo, which is good from time to time. I also think having the VA of Knifey being the VA for Mammon is a perfect fit.

I definitely love that I was pretty close to getting the plot of the episode right, while also improving on it such as having Fizz wanting to try and be the best for himself instead of being blinded by idolizing Mammon.

The biggest thing I disliked about the episode was that we didn’t get to see Ozzie and Mammon fight, I mean come on we were so close. Maybe if we had less songs we could have gotten it. I also didn't like Mammon and Ozzie's demon forms as they don't look that different compared to seeing Stolas go all demon. Hopefully that was some kind of mid transformation, as turning into their fun demon form could have destroyed the whole area alone.

According to the order of upcoming Helluva Boss episodes, looks like the next episode will be a Stolas episode, and with the name “The Full Moon” it sounds like we will learn a bit more about Stolas’ book and FINALLY learn why he needs it on such nights. It’s also likely going to have Stolas and Blitzo get on better terms and maybe start off as being friends this time before becoming a couple later in the season.

I think it would be fitting to have the episode come out on the day/night of an acutal Full Moon, like the creators of Helluva Boss use to do with the character instagram accounts.

What were your thoughts on the episode?

[praeteritus-memories-muses]

Name: Stolas

Series: Helluva Boss

Continuity: Animated series

Age: Late 30's (physical appearance)

Height: 6'7"

Birthday: TBA

Birthplace: Goetia mansion, pride ring

Orientation: Homosexual

Species: Demon

Occupation: Prince of the Goetia family

Parent(s): Paimon (father, unknown status) , Unnamed mother (unknown status)

Child(ren): Octavia

Bio:

(TW: Forced marriage, domestic violence, etc etc)

A prince to the Goetia family, only just three ranks under from the king of hell himself, Stolas was raised in pure luxury by his father. As the oldest son, having several siblings whom he's either hardly spoken to or didn't have much of a connection to, he was taught how to be the head of the family as well as divination using the stars.

The Goetia family were in charge of prophecies, studying the planetary changes and the study of the mortal world to document it's progress. When Stolas was a child, was more than happy to fulfill these duties to both please his very absent father and a love for the work his duties entail.

What felt miserable to him was that he was going to be married against his will to Stella of a high born avian family. He cried the day he was told, but his only relief was a boy he met at the circus on his birthday. He met a boy named Blitzo, an imp who wasn't nearly as beloved as his friend when it came to making people laugh.

His father had actually purchased Blitzo from his father as a play friend for Stolas, and he actually came to adore and have wonderful fun with Blitzo, until the imp was exposed for stealing from the mansion and was subsequently sent back to his family.

After that, Stolas spent his days lonely, studying and forced to interact with his future wife. Stella had a haughty personality and was spoiled beyond comprehension, this wouldn't be something that would work in ordinary circumstances by Stolas was given no other choice in this situation.

The two of them would marry when Stolas had turned 18 and both were miserable. Stella was combative, loud and materialistic. While Stolas was shy, calm and a romantic deep down. Yet they were forced to produce an heir, and would eventually have a daughter together that he named Octavia.

Octavia had actually managed to smooth things over in their marriage for a while, as Stella had clearly an adoration for her daughter while the birth of his daughter was the happiest he felt since he was a child.

They actually managed to be cordial and amicable while Octavia was growing up, perhaps a silent agreement to give her a happier childhood, but whatever cordial relationship they had went to shit as their daughter grew older. He can't say he knows why, maybe it was the fact that both of them secretly felt like Octavia wasn't clinging to them as much emotionally and felt like they could let go of the façade.

As Stolas was miserable and arguing with Stella on a daily basis, unknowingly making his daughter miserable, Blitzo had come into his life again.

He went by Blitz now, and had attempted to break into his bedroom to steal his Grimoire without him knowing. Stolas thought that Blitz was coming here to actually see him and sweep him off his feet like when they were children, unknowing that Blitz was using him at the time.

Blitz would eventually, by seemingly accident, seduce Stolas. While Stolas believed this was all true passion, that Blitz actually wanted him, and even sparked the motivation in him to finally seek a divorce from Stella now that Octavia was nearly an adult herself.

When his Grimoire was missing when he woke up the next morning, Stolas came to the conclusion that Blitz stole it and decided to pull something of an arrangement. He and Blitz would meet on the full moon to do whatever they wanted, and he would give the book to Blitz so he could travel to the human world whenever they pleased. Unknowing to Stolas that this was an unhealthy way to introduce the relationship he really wanted from the two of them.

Although he did cheat on his wife, he knows that it didn't hurt Stella when neither of them loved each other in the first place to be hurt by cheating. The only one hurt by this divorce was his daughter, whom drifted away from both her parents and now he has to pick up the pieces and mend his daughter's heart. He wanted to give her a normal family, and he feels guilt that he couldn't do that for Octavia.

As time as gone on, Stolas has realized his power dynamic with Blitz was unhealthy and so called off their agreement to instead give Blitz an official way of coming and going through the human world. Essentially, a promotion that would even their dynamic. He hoped that this would open the door for a relationship between them instead of just sleeping with each other, but Blitz rejected this due to the imp's own personal issues. This left Stolas devastated, and now he's left to pick up the pieces of something else he loved that he broke.

Currently, Stolas is processing his divorce to Stella while spending time with his daughter. Admittedly, he does have a drinking problem when he's stressed or depressed but he does so out of the eyes of his daughter.

Stolas is dignified, calm and the true personality expected of royalty in hell. However, this is all his outer persona to others for business. His true personality? Stolas can be flamboyant, gentle, romantic, affectionate and easily excitable.

However, none of this is to say Stolas is a perfect person. He's still a demon and that means he is full of flaws as all others. He can be selfish, arrogant, dramatic and often ignorant of the power dynamics he could hold with some people around him.

[unknownzapy]

HII!! I saw your requests are open so I wanted to request a matchup if that was alright, im looking for a platonic relationship if that’s fine and since I saw that someone requested for helluva boss I would really like that and also the amazing world of gumball and FNAF ^^ so now I shall introduce myself✨

My name is Joey I go by a nickname which is Asmo (as Asmodeus), im 14, i use he/him pronouns, im transgender, aromatic and unlabeled, my MBTI is ENTP, im also adhdtistic and I’m 5’6 with brown shoulder length hair, i wear glasses and im pretty much in between skinny and chubby? i dress in a lot of styles actually which are goth (trad goth, romantic goth, mall goth and nu goth), gyaru (hime gal, himekaji, agejo, rokku, manba, and kogal), scenemo and also ouji and lolita

My personality is ENTP but I’m usually pretty awkward when I meet someone so it may take some time to get used to the person before I start emoting freely, i love to ramble about my interests to people that I’m comfortable with, im also not afraid to get snarky if someone bothers me to much, im also pretty protective of the people I love and my interests LMAO, also I love making sexual jokes and I love making the goofiest jokes to exist like “im the ohio god” and I also love to make fun of kids on voice chat in roblox

My hobbies/likes: anime/manga, fashion, art (drawing, pottery, painting, digital art, animation, etc), cooking, learning new languages (like Japanese and Spanish), i also like to do gym which most people don’t like, listing to music/making music (I’m a vocaloid producer), musicals, hanging out with my friends, gaming, going shopping, and hotels

Dislikes: negative mentions of my voice, comparing me to people/saying stuff like “you remind me of ____”, also spiders I scream whenever I see one… no joke, insulting what I love, fish, uncomfortable places like sleeping on a couch

Thanks!

Helluva Boss Matchup Is…Loona!

Let’s be honest here, Loona and you would be friends immediately. The both of you are quite awkward when trying to put effort into meeting new people you like, have similar fashion senses (*cough cough* More so on anything Goth, Emo, or anything remotely “edgy” and “cool”), and finally both of your protective natures for your loved ones, even if Loona doesn’t show it that much.

At first, the Hellhound didn’t care for you as much as any other bystander, seeing you only as another sap living in Hell (or Earth, if you prefer). But then again, she’ll warm up to you and give a new friendship a chance, Loona couldn’t help but laugh at your vulgar jokes and vibe to your music tastes, which is a rarity in the I.M.P Business.

Blitzo, on the other hand, is rather protective of his daughter after realizing that she’s becoming slightly more extroverted lately, though he is happy that she’s making friends on her own and having a social life outside of the business.

Face it, Blitzo would definitely join you in the sexual jokes and light banter after a week of meeting you. Though, if you’re uncomfortable with him egging you on about these unfiltered puns, then he’ll back off entirely and potentially diminish your friendship with his only kid because of it.

Anyways, onto other details. Loona loves your body shape and doesn’t really care what you look like, as long as you're cool in her book, even if she’s snarky about it with her fellow coworkers (such as with Moxxie). Speaking of being snarky, Loona feels as though she can be her true self with you without any form of consequences, especially with the two of you playfully going at each other’s throats over video games or face to face.

Whenever someone else gets smart with you or tries to bully you for whatever reason while she’s in the room, The Hellhound will pause her fingers above her phone and stare at the one who offended you, giving them a bombastic side eye and silently daring them to repeat what they just said to you. If the offender continues to mock you, then Loona will forcibly take matters into her own hands and kick their ass, literally and figuratively.

She’s the type to watch over your shoulder slightly as you work on your favorite hobbies, and maybe even tries to do some of them herself. However, she admires you for doing pottery and art better than she can, seeing as though you’re more crafted in the subjects than she is. Please gift her a piece of your talent, I’m begging you 🙏🏼 🥺 Loona will definitely keep a drawing you did for her on her wall in her bedroom because she sees you as her younger sibling as this point.

As a transgender person, The Hellhound was pretty open minded and accepting, given the fact that her dad is having an affair with an already married man, but that situation is for another time to talk about. It’s complicated as it is. With you, however, Loona always opt to use your proper pronouns and surprisingly remembers them without mistake.

If anyone isn’t aware of your preferred pronouns or simply refuses to use them for whatever reason, then you can bet your ass that she’s standing up for you until the other person backs off. On a completely unrelated note, I’d also like to add that the two of you horse around like real siblings, rough housing and all, if you’re down of course.

For your sexuality, on the other hand, Loona was a teensy bit confused, but with enough explaining, she understands completely and is quick to question others if they decide to bring you harm because of it. She knows when push comes to shove real quick, so don’t worry about your safety too much, she works with an assisation group after all.

For Millie and Moxxie, they sort of see you as their own nephew and treat you as their own. Of course, the I.M.P are your new family now, so get used to a lot of action and various forms of platonic love 🥰.

Five nights at Freddy’s Matchup Is…Ballora!

At first, Ballora was the one who confronted you firsthand for whatever reason she may have had, though realizing your discomfort, she backs off and takes her time speaking to you. She is an unfiltered and honest character, which is why she hates “playing pretend” (or in my mind at least), May it be bad or good is entirely up to you.

She’ll most likely remind you how talented you are, wanting you to be your best, authentic self, despite what others may think of you. However, Ballora can’t force you to do something you are uncomfortable with, and will hold back with her advances.

In theory of the FNAF fandom, She is the mother and wife in the Afton Family, and her maternal personality will be directed to you as well, even in death. If the theory is false, then Ballora will treat you similarly to the children that come and go, though with more respect of course, considering that you’re a little older.

Now, onto your appearance. I feel like she’s the type to admire and adore someone despite their looks, and will tell you how amazing you look. For you, though, she’s astonished that you have varying clothing styles that even she hadn’t realized existed before. She’s beyond flabbergasted and speechless, which is a good thing; Plus, she wishes to dance with you someday in these clothes and show you off to the minireenas, even if you aren’t good at dancing at all.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but Ballora will show your art (and yourself) off like each one is your best prized possession. Though, she will avoid giving you the limelight if you seem to be uncomfortable with her high praise and try her best to take it back a few notches. She’ll most likely keep your art on her walls in her Gallery room, however kept in a more secluded area where kids, or anyone in general, can take them down. Only she can admire them, so she hates it when someone rips them up; Ballora learned the hard way.

For your singing and music tastes, Ballora will most certainly dance to it. You sing, she dances, the perfect duo 💪🏼. Sometimes, she allows the Minireenas to show off their own skills as well or join in on her dancing too. Wholesome, is it not?

When it comes to your gender and sexuality though, it takes some time for her to understand due to the fact that she was built in the late 80’s, where people were closeted for many reasons. Plus, she basically “lived” under a house for god knows how long. Though, I doubt Ballora will dislike you simply for your own preferences, and a matter of fact, Ballora has a newfound respect for you. Personally, as stated earlier, I feel as though she is the type to value honesty above all else, however will not push you to do something you’re not comfortable with. So with the fact that you trust her enough to reveal this information, Ballora can’t help but feel honored.

If anyone brings you trouble for who you are and what you like, her Minireenas (and maybe some Bidybabs, too, if Baby allows it) will take care of the offender, don't worry too much. Also, she can’t leave her stage during the daytime unless rented out, so the news of what happened will depend on the day. By the end of the day, Ballora will always be there to comfort and soothe you as best as she can if need be.

Lastly, your sense of humor. I feel as though Ballora has a dry sense of humor, while yours is more “wet”, if that makes any sense at all. Her laugh is similar to that of Fenneko from the anime “Aggretsuko”, but she genuinely will laugh at your Ohio jokes, even if her steel face says otherwise, so being an animatronic has its faults for being non expressive.

Ballora, as a whole, admires for who you are and supports you through and through. She’s the animatronic to praise you, even in your lowest of lows, she’ll be there to comfort you.

The Amazing World of Gumball Matchup is…Tobias Wilson!

As the best for last, Tobias will treat you with absolute royalty in a way that spoils you rotten. For example, he will buy you the art supplies you wanted for a year now or even go as far as to (platonically) “rizz” you up with incredibly, yet ridiculously, expensive gifts that no one else is able to buy and show off his “buff muscles” along with it.

At first, Tobias genuinely thought you hung around him purely because his family was rich as hell. The more the two of you did hang out, however, the more he realized that you actually wanted to be his friend, albeit in an awkward manner from the start.

From that point on, the little guy tried his best to act like a real friend and not be a jerk for once (like in the show itself), so it takes him a hot minute for him to be more of a decent person. Instead of buying you expensive items, and depending on your (platonic) love languages, Tobias will try to meet your expectations as a friend from then on.

When it comes to hobbies, Tobias will stare at you like “👁_👁” in amazement and astonishment, mesmerized by your talent. May it be your pottery, cooking, or even learning a second language, he tries to either show off to get your attention or one up you in a playful manner, covered in clay, paint, and pride. Tobias probably summoned his paralysis demon in Latin by accident thanks to you, so there’s that/j.

Tobias will always question you as to how you got so many hobbies and still manage to create masterpieces, even if he does watch you create them like a child wondering how the Detachable Thumb Trick works, despite it being explained to them more than 12 times. Homeboy will praise the literal floor you walk on just by this alone 💀.

When it comes to Gym class, though, he will definitely get competitive with you while everyone else is exhausted, especially with Dodgeball. The two of you are wild with it, either you throwing the balls and him dodging with ease or the other way around, making the both of you that “one kid who becomes Goku” in Gym class. During this, most of the class will choose sides as to who would win or record the scenery before them. By the end of the period, everyone left with stunned bafflement and amazement, all in a good way. Now these classmates have a reason to go to Gym now, all thanks to the both of you, lol.

Besides this, Tobias totally vibes with your humor, especially the sexual ones. He’s the best one on the list with your sense of comedy and the type who would egg you on like a wingman, though if he accidentally goes too far with someone such as offending them or making them mad, he’ll immediately apologize and find a way to make it up to them. Especially if they were a friend of yours or a loved one, seeing as though he does try to be a better friend and person in the canonical show.

Understanding your sexuality and gender is a whole thing of itself. Considering his age, he’s new to all this, but understands the meaning behind them on the first try, absorbing this information like a sponge. Surprisingly gets your pronouns right on the bat, and will definitely swing at anyone who misgenders you. Tobias will treat you the same like always, but his respect for you has risen by 9,000. The rainbow child understands you the most when it comes to this stuff, so the two of you are immediately best friends from then on.

When it comes to other people giving you trouble with your interests or gender identity (or any part of you at all), Tobias will defend you like a white knight in shining armor. But in all seriousness, he’ll be by your side through thick and thin, even if he isn’t the best athletic and physically built person in the school.

By the end of the day, Tobias is your best friend until the very end. He deeply respects you the most out of everyone around him, most likely outweighing his envy for Gumball and his wild adventures and that’s saying something. Which is a good thing, by the way.

Additionally, He would never be the type to put you into situations where you’re uncomfortable, including to subject you to your fears (spiders, in this case) or compare you to someone else. Even if he did, it would probably be by accident and will apologize profusely after realizing this mistake.

While Tobias spent some time with you, he genuinely changed for the better; Not flirting with girls (even when they’re explicitly taken), showing off his money and “muscles”, ect. and decides to just be a relatively normal kid. He still has his moments but it isn’t as bad as he used to be, plus he always backs off when a girl tells him “no” or shows hints of uninterest.

Tobias became more of a class clown overtime, knowing when to take a joke and being the subject of a quick laugh. After all, Who wouldn't want to be friends with this rainbow goofball 😉.

[savvy-devine666]

I found this fanfic writers questionnaire (I did not come up with the questions etc) so I decided it would be fun to do!

Tag people and pass on the fun!

@ilya-halfelven @officialtrashbin @girl-next-door-writes

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

120

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,242,819

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Hazbin Hotel (Web Series) (35)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (33)

Sherlock (TV) (14)

Helluva Boss (Web Series) (10)

Durarara!! (6)

Thor (Movies) (5)

Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies) (4)

Descendants (Disney Movies) (4)

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (3)

The Cuphead Show! (Cartoon) (3)

The Sandman (TV 2022) (2)

Soul Eater (Anime & Manga) (2)

(There are more but these are fandoms I’ve written more than once for)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Everything Will be OK (Helluva Boss)

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and a half (Marvel Cinematic Universe 

Avengers United (Marvel Cinematic Universe 

Blitzos’ Harlequinade  (Helluva Boss)

Cross My Heart, hope to Die (Marvel Cinematic Universe) 

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angestiest ending?

A Ray of Light We Never Knew  (Sherlock)

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The Virgo Liberation  (Sherlock)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I got a comment that simply read ‘what was the point’ once though.

9.  Do you write smut?

Definitely 

10.  Do you write crossovers/what’s the craziest  one you’ve written?

Sort of but nothing that crazy since Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel technically take place in the same universe, as does the MCU 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I believe so

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I’ve helped a friend with some of their fics before, writing for a  certain character or  a chapter etc.

14. What’s your favourite ship?

Proxima Midnight/Corvus Glaive

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Adventures in Inkwell Isle (Cuphead series)

And honestly most of my long standing WIPS XD

16.  What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing for actually popular characters lol

I don’t like writing combat scenes simply because I don’t know if what I’m writing is matching what I’m visualising in my head

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

If i do, which is rare, I do just default to google translate but always with a note in the chapter to let the reader know there could be discrepancies because of that, and I include the rough translation/what I meant it to say.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Either Land Before Time or Dreamworks’ Shark Tale when I was 12

20.  Favourite fic you’ve written?

Lie Beside me (Sherlock)

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and half (Marvel)

[vazelbeak]

The problem is Viv never even puts in the world building to back up her designs as being more than aesthetic choices for fun and There is also designs that have "a lot on them" isn't about just aesthetics which for Viv, if she was able to handle critique she wouldn't constantly have to make the most bad faith interpretations of peoples problems. I've said it before but it's worth repeating, the problem is there's nothing to establish or explain why Beelzebub is a bee fox. When designing characters you often look at source material so what ever you make looks like what it's meant to be. But if you want to diverge from source material, you need to have a good reason why. For example, if you have a character who's a firefighter, but you dress them like a knight in shining armor in a modern setting, the problem is we wont even know this is a firefighter, because how often do we see firefighters in knight armor? That is unless perhaps this character is a firefighter, but right now they're at a renaissance fair and this is a side job so they need to dress accordingly. We have no reason given as to why Beelzebub would be a hellhound, we also have nothing to establish why shes a hybrid. If they built up something prior that she was the daughter of the original Beelzebub, or established ahead of time through something like Loona: Wow, you uh...look really different from how humans have drawn you Beelzebub: Ugh, humans are the worst! You send one demon up to earth in your name and everyone becomes convinced that youre some ugly fly! There wouldn't be nearly the same issues. As for complexity, it's not that the designs is simply ugly, it's that the complexity in designs seems to take a toll on the animation as characters like Fizz will have stilted movements, characters like Loona have bite/scratch marks on her ear missing, character's are off model in ways that suggest a lack proper character sheets such as Blitzo's side profile being inconsistent and even the inconsistency in brush thickness with clean up animation. But it seems like overly complex designs are prioritized over the actual animation which also in return often over works your animators.

Viziepop Again Drops Some Lore, Comments On Design, And Passive Aggressive Remarks At Critics

Vizie gets huffy about her designs are criticized but it’s because they become generic furies instead of tapping into their og designs and going wild. There is also the fact she says she does research but it looks like she only takes a glance and takes only bits of them. Because again reason why we don’t like Bee is because again another generic wolf girl with the bee designs only being a token given. And again she is supposed to be the Lord of the Flies but no flies anywhere. And again she could have designed a great fly/bee hybrid that could have rocked. Also while I can be on board with the circus theme but knowing how Vizie works I think she will fumble it harder with later designs. Also again she might be doing it her way but she needs to see that she isn’t safe from criticism when she acts like she’s doing something unique when she’s actually just playing it safe or making something generic in a different way. 

[fluffykitteninabox]

Helluva Boss season 2 episode 2 thoughts

This post is a bit of a mess and i might sound disappointed and angry. I'm not trying to hate on the episode or the series. I love Helluva Boss. These are just my thoughts on the new episode.

Spoilers obviously

First of all, animation was amazing as always. We got to see Stolas' human form, which was cool

There was not really a song in this episode, which made me a bit sad but that's ok. I guess you could count the little bit Moxxie and Millie sung to get money but it was so short and mostly part of a joke. I guess Moxxie has a shopping addiction now??

Anyway they weren't really the main focus of this episode so i don't count it.

Octavia and Loona have a great dynamic, as the entire fandom had already predicted. We get an entire episode where Octavia is missing, everyone is looking for her and her and Loona have a talk about their complicated relationships with their dads at the end. Exactly what the fandom wanted.

We also got to see a flashback of when Blitzo adopted Loona, which was very intresting and I would love to see that in more detail later on.

So all that sounds fun and cool right? We get Stolas and Blitzo being disaster dads, their daughters bonding about them being disaster dads, and Moxxie and Millie are being a cute power couple in the background as always. This episode must be great.. right?? It's exactly what the fans have been craving!

Unfortunately, this episode was a lot less enjoyable than the previous ones, even though the concept itself sounds amazing. I think they tried to do too much for just one episode.

The first problem is that they haven't really resolved the issue of Stolas and Blitzo's relationship, so them immediately acting like everything's normal and going back to flirting is a bit weird.

The previous episode ended with Stolas declaring to his wife that he wants a divorce. And this episode opens with a moving van taking her stuff out of the castle. So these episodes are clearly in chronological order.

Why then did we entirely skip the much needed talk that Stolas and Blitzo need to have about what exactly their relationship is. Clearly they both still have feelings for each other, but Blitzo still believes that this is purely a business/sexual transaction because he has a line in this episode saying:

"My dick is good, but it is not that good Moxxie"

when he and Moxxie are trying to figure out how to tell Stolas that his daughter went missing.

And even if they did talk about it off screen, then that's exactly the problem! You can't resolve your character arcs off screen! That's what Star vs the forces of evil did in its later seasons and it got so frustrating.

You know what would have been more interesting? If Stolas and Blitzo had to communicate for once and solve their issues like adults in order to escape from the whole "accidentally getting casted into a sitcom" situation. We could have seen them go from not talking to each other-to fighting-to reluctant alliance in order to find Octavia-to actually working together. But no, instead we get to see Blitzo performing in a random sitcom and Stolas siting down and enjoying the show!!

What??

Why isn't Stolas losing his mind about his missing daughter right now??

Also, Blitzo had a panic attack about performing due to his past experience in the circus and instead of getting a heartfelt moment between him and Stolas where he encourages him, that would help develop their relationship a bit, we get a joke about how good Blitzo is in bed.

I get that this is an adult cartoon that is inevitably going to contain sex jokes, and I get that their relationship has a big sexual aspect, and I don't mind that.. But we can't just ignore what happened in Ozzie's and The Circus and have them just start making jokes about sex.

That's... I'm sorry but that's bad writing!

I'm really sorry, I honestly really wanted to love this episode as much as I love all the ones that came before it.

But it just didn't feel the same.

The pacing is off and characters say and do stuff with no real rhyme or reason.

Like Moxxies shopping addiction side plot (barley an actual side plot imo) is only there so he and Millie can be written out of the main plot so that Loona is the only one that finds Octavia. Now that normally wouldn't bother me too much because Moxxie and Millie aren't necessary for the themes this episode is trying to explore. I probably wouldn't have noticed that, if Stolas and Blitzo weren't basically written out as well by their own barely a side plot. Because that's what the sitcom thing was basically. An excuse to have Loona be the only one actually searching for Octavia so they can meet and have their little talk.

They had the perfect opportunity to finally force Stolas and Blitzo to be emotionally vulnerable with each other and talk about their problems, and bond about how much they both love their daughters, and they didn't take it!!

This could have been so great!

But ok, maybe they didn't want to resolve the problem this episode. Maybe they have plans for a future episode when these issues will be addressed that will be so emotionally gut-wrenching that it will make me eat my words!

Good that's what I want!

I want to cry so much that I'll use up an entire tissue box!

But until we get to that point, it's still a bad idea to have them go back to acting like nothing ever happened. Just have them fight! Have them be mad and not talk to each other until you have to force them to talk it out. That's good for the story. It creates conflict and conflict is what we want. That's what makes it intresting!

Unless they're planning to address this as the characters "avoiding the topic and pretending everything is fine", then I can't see it working. It feels like a retcon. And if I sound angry in this post it's because of that. I've been traumatized by Miraculous Ladybug, which retcons basically every single one of its episodes at this point! The story never moves forward.

I don't want that to happen to one of my favorite ongoing animated series.

I LOVE HELLUVA BOSS

I KNOW IT CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT

This post may seem like I'm overreacting a bit...

and it's because I am!

The series is not ruined just because I thought an episode was bad.

That's still just an 1 out of 10. It's honestly amazing how they manage to come up with hit after hit after hit. Missing the mark once is completely normal.

Nothing is perfect after all.

So here's two things I really enjoyed from this episode (excluding the animation, because the animation is always gorgeous)

Number one was the flashback about Loona getting adopted. That was very sweet and emotional and I loved it. I just wish we got to see more. In my opinion, it should have probably been explored in a different episode dedicated to just Blitzo's relationship with Loona.

This was more of an Octavia and Stolas episode, but because they tried to parallel the relationship both Blitzo and Stolas have with their daughters, they didn't have enough time to explore either side well enough.

I believe the episodes Loo Loo Land and Spring Broken handle these aspects better.

I hope we get at least one episode for Blitzo and Loona specifically because I feel like their family dynamic needs to be explored more in general. Stolas has already gotten a full episode about him and Octavia and this was basically the second one. Spring Broken does touch a little bit on Blitzo and Loona but it's not an episode dedicated to them.

The second thing I loved about this episode was Octavia and Loona's talk at the end.

It's nice to finally see them interacting, since they're kind of like step sisters in a way. Their dads are "dating" and that affects both of their lives in big ways. Especially Octavia's now that her parents are getting a divorce.

Their talk was a nice heartfelt moment and I hope we see them get closer in future episodes. They're both angsty teens that seriously need a friend.

...

ok I lied, here's a third thing:

This episode was hilarious. Helluva boss knows how to do comedy well. Even if I felt like some of the jokes took away from the genuine moments we could have had, they were still very funny.

[xensergal]

Xen "Octavia" Sergal Goes On A Very Stupid And Long Rant About Her Favourite Show Helluva Boss Because She Needs To Get This Shit Off Her Chest ASAP™: The Movie.

This is a long, long ass fucking rant about this show. i will type shit as it comes up in my head. i dont care if my takes are "trash" or "shit" or whatever. its my tumblr and i get to choose whats posted here. ok.

its actually fucking insane how my 2 favourite shows are on near complete opposites to each other on the surface. you have an impossibly perfectly written show with 0 bad episodes and the greatest characters to ever be on TV (Breaking Bad), and then you have a 15-20m per episode comedy/musical/drama on youtube (Helluva Boss). but this isnt about me comparing BrBa to HB, its just about HB.

i have a lot to say about this show. a lot i really, REALLY couldnt get out due to twitter character limits/not really having many friends who watch helluva boss, so tumblr gets my full thoughts, straight from the top of my head. right as theyre being produced. enjoy.

Stuff

the premise of this show is pretty damn cool. a comedy/musical/drama about a bunch of imps in hell who start up an assassination business to make ends meet, while also yknow shenanigans n other shit happens like complicated love trigonometry, bc hey its a show you cant 1 thing forever bc thatd be stale *cough* SITCOMS *cough* and repetitive and would be a shit show, this isnt a shit show. its one of the best ive ever seen. but back to what i was saying. the show has a fantastic premise with good plot and cool characters i will get to in just a moment. i rewatched all of whats been uploaded for this post. to refresh my thoughts and finally, get all this shit off my chest which ive been needing to for all this time.

O YEA OBV SPOILERS FOR ALLLL OF HELLUVA BOSS DUHHHHHHHHHH

Pilot

this is 3 years old and damn does it show. the animation is very stiff (but still, well made) compared to later episodes, and especially 1 which ill get into later. but the pilot does a great job and introducing the viewer to the main characters of the show, those being Blitzo (Brandon Rogers), Moxxie (Richard Horvitz), Millie, and Loona (both Erica Lindbeck). all with weird, and fucked up relationships with eachother. M&M are a married couple (gross), Loona is a complete whore with syphilis, and Blitzo is her adoptive Father whos also a complete perv who stalks M&M at their house. its fun! its a good plot with good characters and its pretty damn funny. theres also a major supporting character introduced in this episode, Stolas (Brock Baker). i love him, youll see why very soon.

the pilot isnt without its issues tho, the pacing is complete ass with flashbacks inside of flash backs and its just, man idk its fucked up dude i dont like it. weird shit.

7.5/10, good shit, good opening to HB

Murder Family // S1: Episode 1

good episode! damn after a year of waiting after the pilot for something new people surely had high expectations and id say E1 followed, its pretty good.

plot wise it follows I.M.P on a job to kill some bitch n yknow shenanigans n whatnot moxxie fucks it up because hes a bitch and people almost die but moxxie saves em in the end its good and i like it!

some stuff changed from the pilot, mainly voice actors. Erica Lindbeck no longer plays both Millie and Loona, just Loona. meanwhile Millies new VA is Vivian Nixon and shes pretty good! Millie has more of a southern accent now which will make sense in a future episode. however Stolas also had a VA change, Bryce Pinkham. its flawless and makes me love Stolas even more, you will see why.

8/10 episode, great shit. much better than the pilot.

Loo Loo Land // S1: Episode 2

words cannot describe how much i love this episode. its flawless.

saying something is flawless is big, really big, but i do feel like this one is. and its all thanks to the opening sequence. the opening sequence makes the audience do a complete 180 about what they thought of a character, no longer is stolas just "a rich, important figure in hell who is extemely gay for blitzo" hes that, plus a loving and devoted father. and the music, its perfection. its the highlight of the whole moment alongside the beautiful visuals and deep character development. and on the subject of characters. Stolas #1 comfort character.

this episode introduces quite a few, the first 2 youll see are Octavia (Barrett Wilbert Weed), Stolas' daughter and Literally Me™, and also Stella (Georgina Leahy), Stolas' arranged wife who wants him dead as hell with NO shoes on in the casket for fucking blitzo. shes hot. very hot. girlboss. shes mean to Stolas tho :(

this episodes plot is cool too. I.M.P make an exception for Stolas and are hired to be bodyguards for the day at a theme park oh joy a theme park how whimsical and fun loving! oh goody! everything is on fire by the end of the episode! splendid!

but like yeaa dude this episode slaps, great plot great characters great shit, O YEA CHARACTERS i forgot about Fizzarolli (Alex Brightman) hes in this episode too, at least a robot version of him. Blitzo and Octavia hate him, thats cool.

10/10, i think this is the best episode of HB released so far. it also has Wally Wackford (Don Darryl Rivera)

Wally Wackford Counter: 1

Spring Broken // S1: Episode 3

oh damn! another banger! lets keep this good episode streak going!

this episodes also great. not as great as E2, but still great.

I.M.P get their parking spot stole by Verosika Mayday (Cristina "Vee" Valenzuela) whos a famous popstar in hell (thats why theyre in hell because they listen to pop and pop sucks listen to metal instead youll also go to hell but for a much cooler reason) and just happens to be Blitzo's ex girlfriend. so Blitzo challenges her to a duel where he bets I.M.P can kill more people than Verosika can fuck by the end of the day an who wins gets the parking spot (spoiler alert blitzo wins bc ofc, plot demands it) and then shenanigans lol.

i really dont have much to say about this one other than i like it, verosika is hot, drunk moxxie is funny, and that hehehoo sex joke. O YEA the musics good too its very good

9/10. banger

C.H.E.R.U.B // S1: Episode 4

i hate this episode. i really really hate it.

nearly everything which couldve went poorly, did. and i dont like that. let me explain.

the plot is okay, I.M.P go to kill a trillionaire. good! thats cool! fuck billionaires and especially fuck trillionaires. meanwhile a competitor, C.H.E.R.U.B, is trying to stop this guy from ending his life. and I.M.P cant have that so they convince him to fuckin die already lol. its fine but how the episode executes this is atrocious. you could easily skip through this one and go onto E5 anyway, this plot adds nothing to the current overarching storyline. yet.

for comedy, pacing and the actual joke is everything. especially if your main writer for this episode (at least by order of appearance in credits) has been doing comedy skits on youtube for many, many years now. no offense to Brandon Rogers, hes phenomenal, but this episodes pacing and jokes are trash. the pacing goes as follows:

Beginning plot development/jokes - meeting the competitors/jokes - joke - joke - joke - fight - joke - end joke. its trash and doesnt work at all imo. the jokes fall flat and its not well paced at all.

however there is 1 more point i want to bring up about not just the episode, but the show in general. regarding moxxie and the things which happen to him. moxxie in this show is essentially a less depressed Squidward Tentacles. this sounds fucking insane but Let Me Explain. the writing has him treated like a fucking punching bag for jokes and/or plot development. in E3, this was for plot development. he got stuffed in a beer keg and nearly got ate by a monster fish. this episode it was for no reason whatsoever. he just, got hurt and thats the joke. the joke is moxxie got hurt. thats it. next episode does it worse, ill get to it.

but anyway, this episode was shit but i liked the fight scene in it, that was cool.

4/10, trash but the fight was good. it also has wally wackford.

Wally Wackford Counter: 2

The Harvest Moon Festival // S1: Episode 5

wow.

when this episode first released, i didnt think much of it. i believe i said it was about an 8/10ish or something like that. rewatching it, i couldnt have been more wrong.

this episode has some fan-fucking-tastic plot. and it just might be the best plot driven episode to date. maybe E7 gives it a run for its money, maybe.

the plot is as follows, Stolas invites I.M.P to the wrath ring for a day off for the harvest moon festival. here we get to meet Millies parents Lin (Su Jan Chase) and Joe (Edward Bosco), but also Striker, whos played by Norman Fucking Reedus from video game kojima. and my GOD he fucking slays the role. besides Bryce Pinkham as Stolas, Norman Reedus as Striker has to be my personal favourite Voice in the show. its fucking fantastic.

however there is 1 character i do have to mention in particular, Sallie May (Morgana Ignis).

Why her in particular? she only has a few lines! yea true, however it gives me an opportunity to talk about the shows flawless LGBTQ+ representation. In Sallie's case, shes Transgender. you can tell the gender of an Imp by the pattern on the horns, millie for example has mostly black horns with thin white stripes, a sign of being AFAB. Moxxie and Sallie however have even sized black and white horn stripes, a sign of being AMAB. but what about other characters?

(these are all from memory so forgive me if any are wrong)

Blitzo is Pansexual

Moxxie and Millie are both Bisexual

Stolas is Gay

Stella and Octavia are currently unconfirmed (i think) tho i headcanon them both as Lesbian because i can.

Striker is also probably Gay i mean have you seen him talking to blitzo like cmon

(also funny side note i should add the VA's for Stella and Sallie, Georgina and Morgana respectively, both ship their characters together i think thats pretty fuckin cool i feel like i just have to mention that somewhere)

theres def a lot more ive missed, however these are the ones which come to mind. their sexuality/gender identity is never forced in your face, its never too painfully obvious that theyre gay for the sake of it, its pretty much flawless representation and i feel more shows should take a thing or 2 from HB in this aspect

Gushing over Norman Reedus amd LGBTQ+ rep aside, the plot revolves around a yearly game of strength in the harvest festival where blitzo and striker (among many others) compete in together. also tangent time

LETS COUNT HOW MANY TIMES MOXXIE GETS FUCKED BY A SHARK

3. thats 3 times. again, punching bad. what did moxxie do to you, anyway tangent over.

anyway striker competes in the games to gain the trust of I.M.P to stab them in the back by killing their gateway into the living world, Stolas. and you wouldnt believe who hired him (at least i didnt when first watching), Stella. anyway moxxie finds out, shit goes down, they fight, striker gets away. moxxie finally gains the trust of millies parents, big reveal, episode end. banger fucking plot and its just so damn good.

remember how i said the animation in this show gets really gooood,,this is the episode i was thinkin about when writing that. this episode has hands down the best animation (aside maybe the finale of E6) overall of any episode. with cool panorama shots which go around the whole charaters, n shit like that its great.

banger song too, striker did a sing and its good.

10/10, a great episode, but still a weaker 10/10 than E2. it also has Wally Wackford

Wally Wackford Counter: 3

Truth Seekers // S1: Episode 6

I barely remember anything from this episode, and at the time of writing, i only watched it five minutes ago.

so the plot is like, blitzo and moxxie get captured by crazy conspiracy guys called D.H.O.R.K.S (haha dorks) and its up to Da Girlz™ to save em meanwhile Da Boyz™ get truth gassed and spill a bunch of plot shit and its good i dont remember what exactly they said but its a fuckin good scene the animation is great with a unique visual style bc theyre hallucinating and OOOOOOOH the hallucination song its a fucking bop i love it (This is a good time to mention for anyone who yet doesnt know Sam Haft has put a bunch of the songs hes wrote for HB on Spotify, they may be just covers, but theyre still fucking great.) but anyway the fuckin, fight scene when millie and loona catch up to moxxie and blitzo is gahhdamn fuckin beautiful its so well animated n shit and then ya just got

Demon Stolas.

because fuck yes.

anyway yea good episode i guess plots good everythings good its just, i forget about this episode so often im convinced its not real

6/10, banger, just wish it wasnt so forgettable

OZZIE'S // S1: Episode 7 - FINALE PART I

rewatching this episode hurts. i cant put it into words how, its just a lot of fucked up shit to take in at once and i really do not want to write about this because its late and im tired so ill keep it fucking simple

Blitzo fucks everything up by using a fake date with Stolas as a cover to stalk M&M on their 1 year anniversary of their wedding, but then moxxie breaks into song and Asmodeus (James Monroe Iglehart) does not like that one bit so he and fizzarolli fuckin rip him a new asshole meanwhile blitzo interferes and gets both him and stolas into shit and my GOD this is where it gets depressing.

this song, despite it being a banger, is depressing as shit. i cant stand it, i cant stand how it treats blitzo and stolas

the shitty choices theyve made...

the people theyve thrown away...

its all coming back to them in song form. and it fucking sucks for them.

but m&m are doin okay ig they fuckin, hit fizz over the head and continued their song after that shit its all good for them tho ig or smthn idk im tired.

10/10, a phenomenal ending to the 1st season of one of the greatest adult animated shows ever written. it also has Wally Wackford.

Wally Wackford Counter: 4

THE CIRCUS // S2: Episode 1

damn i like this episode

i like the blitzo backstory with how he and fizz used to be before they now hate eachother, with how he met stolas and became his first friend. with everything really. its a great episode and like

damn its good idk what to say im tired its just a good episode.

Johnathan Freeman does a good job as Paimon, stolas' dad too even tho hes a shitty dad.

ok yea plot tho, it takes place like ~25 years before the pilot which is neat i like backstories. but like, paimon literally bought blitzo just so stolas could have a friend so he didnt need to be a father to him thats just. man i dont like that. blitzo and stolas are so cute tho i like them. uuuh fuckin, more stella content too shes back still a girlboss still hot, still mean to stolas :( you can tell im tired cant you lemme just say a thing

WAIT I FORGOT THE SONG AT THE END the song at the end is so goood i love it. idk if i like it more than You Will Be Okay but i like it its good i like it thats all i can really say rn. i could say more if i wasnt tired but im tired.

9/10, good shit, good backstory, good good good good episode.

SEEING STARS // S2: Episode 2

i have. so much to say about this. too many words to fit into tumblrs infinite character limit. but ill keep it brief because i want to

you have no idea, how long, i have waited for this to happen. just one scene between Octavia and Loona. just one, and now i have it. i am complete.

i saw this post which talked about star and moon symbolism between octavia and loona and it made me realise, holy shit, there is gonna be so much more octavia and loona content in future episodes if all this isnt a coincidence. and i am ready for it all.

i could talk about the rest of the episode if i wanted too, but i dont. i only want to talk about these perfect 2 minutes between these characters. i do think this is the best moment in the entire show so far. seeing a headcanon that youve had for so long (in this case loona and via being friends) become true, it connects with you in a way that not much else can.

and i dont care about the rest of the episode. not one bit. not right now anyway. i just want this moment, forever.

10/10. a good episode all around, and a truly, perfect moment. it also has Wally Wackford.

Wally Wackford Counter: 5

and damn thats like, all of helluva boss so far. ive been writing this for like 7h now becasue tumblr keeps breaking for me and i keep having to write anything all over again. god im tired. but im so glad to finally get all this off my chest after years of not really having anywhere to gush about this show. it means a lot to me, more than what people think. and i dont know where i would be without it, literally.

"but whats with the wally wackford counter" its there because its funny and hes a funny character.

[hazbincalifornia]

Changing

Chapter 38: Blitzo and Stolas go shopping.

Ao3 link

“This should be fun!” Stolas straightened up as he stepped through the portal into a small, shady corner of the mall. “I go shopping with Via every now and then when she wants to show me something, but this sort of thing is still a bit new to me.”

“What sort of thing, going and buying shit for yourself instead of having a manservant do it for you?” Blitzo’s eyes darted around. Already, eyes were turned to them, but Stolas didn’t seem to notice, caught in his own little universe where the world was just the two of them. “Unless it’s some rich-boy bullshit that’s so comfy I feel like I’m wearing a cloud, I’m just going to stick with the kind of clothes I already like, alright?”

“Fine by me,” Stolas replied, gesturing a hand forward. “I doubt this place has much ‘rich boy bullshit’ anyhow.”

Blitzo’s tail curled against his back as he thought for a moment before heading over to a map. “Might as well start somewhere that has this kind of stuff. There isn’t a store in Hell that doesn’t sell at least some red and black goth-y shit, maybe I just had garbage luck the first time.”

Stolas bent over above him. “Oh, Baby Army seems as if it would be a good first stop, then. Besides, it’s already on the first floor.”

“Works for me.” Blitzo started walking forwards, cracking his back in preparation for the stripping and outfit-swapping that was to come. It took Stolas a few moments to catch up, and he raised an eyebrow at the delay. “What? You tired already? We didn’t even do anything yet.”

“No, I was just thinking… is it heavy?” Stolas tilted his head, and Blitzo’s lower lip fell open as one eye twitched.

“Uh, yeah, no duh it’s heavy? The clothes I did get said I’m already at full-term size, which is definitely your fault.” His tail smacked at Stolas’s wrist. “Next time, warn a guy he’s going to be cosplaying as a whale for the next six months.”

“My apologies,” Stolas murmured as they passed a sign that informed them that Baby Army was having a fall sale (with a picture of a sinner hitting the ground at terminal velocity, which Blitzo admittedly snickered at) when walking into the store. Stolas immediately had to bend over, shoulders hunched up to his cheeks. Since there weren’t exactly many sinners having kids, it was pretty much made for the few imps who had decided to make their homes in Pride- and had a ceiling that emphasized that fact. The imp employee jolted up from her magazine as they entered, a faint imprint of her hand leaving left a dark mark on her cheek as she shook off sleepiness. It reminded Blitzo of Loona, truth be told, although her voice was more baffled than bored at the sight in front of her.

“Er, what can I help you gentlemen with?”

Blitzo tugged at his shirt. “More of these. Got any?”

She pointed over to the back. “Baby clothes in the front, maternity and paternity wear in the back, and there are changing rooms under the sale sign.”

“Thanks.” Blitzo waved a hand, bracing himself for more of the same shitty selection as before as he weaved around the displays. You would think a store specifically made for new parents wouldn’t have a bunch of little tables that you’d have to maneuver around, sheesh.

When he arrived at the back, however, it… didn’t look bad at all, actually. Most of the clothes were simply in solid colors with occasional stripes or flowers, and a few had little animal designs that weren’t horribly offensive to the eyes. He lifted up a gray tank top that had a red bird on the chest, rubbing his thumb over it as Stolas swatted irritably at a mobile hanging from the ceiling.

“Really, you would think- oh!” Blitzo’s head swiveled around to see that Stolas’s eyes had gone wide. “That one is… cute.”

“Yeah, kinda.” Blitzo considered for another few moments. “A little on the nose though, don’t you think?”

“One has to have a sense of humor,” Stolas said with a little smile.

“I’ll try it on, but I won’t get it, alright?” Blitzo folded it over his arm, scanning over the wall and pulling out a few more that looked comfortable. Three were simple reds that could mimic his usual turtleneck, one that had a horseshoe design, and one even was a collared, button shirt in case he needed to dress up fancy to meet Aamon. Bluebloods other than Stolas would probably be more like the bitch-wife, right? Even ones that Stolas liked. (The thought of the kid under that made his fingers twitch, but he shook it off like Loona always did after she got wet in the rain. It would be fine. Stolas wouldn’t pick somebody shitty if he trusted him with his kid.)

He grabbed some pants as well before heading into the stall. Stolas nearly followed behind but whacked his head on the top of the frame, and Blitzo couldn’t help a snort of a laugh.

“I’ll come back out after every one, that alright with you, your royal clinginess?”

“Yes, yes, that’s fine.” Stolas’s cheeks were flushed as he folded himself down on a tiny stool nearby. They were lucky he had hollow bones, or it probably would have collapsed on the spot.

Blitzo closed the door behind him before he tugged off his shirt, about to try on one of the others when he caught sight of his reflection. Back at home, he’d been trying to avoid looking at himself too much when changing, but three of the four walls had body-length mirrors, so it was sort of hard to keep from catching a glance.

…Holy fuck, he looked huge. His stomach jutted out in front of him as if he’d swallowed a toddler, and sweat already dripped down the side just from the effort of walking over here.

Fuck, how was he going to manage another month like this? Especially if they still had growing to do? At least he hadn’t been unlucky enough for twins, he’d probably barely be able to walk by this point, but still. He rested a hand on the bare skin. This was… really all him, huh? He traced over the edge of one of the scars, long-familiar and yet foreign in how it curved up and out. White stretch marks decorated the entire thing but especially the middle, and he chewed on the inside of his lip as he twisted to the side and traced up one with his fingertip. It itched when his claw brushed it, and he snapped the hand back with a little hiss before it could start oozing blood.

“Are you alright in there?” Stolas rapped his knuckles on the side of the dressing room, and Blitzo blinked himself back to reality.

“Can’t handle not seeing me for two seconds? Needy bitch.”

“It’s just- oh, nevermind.” He heard Stolas settle back on the stool and pulled on a pair of red pants and the bird shirt to get him off his back, yanking open the curtain.

“Happy?”

Stolas clapped his hands together, smiling. “Are you sure you don’t want it? It looks comfortable!”

Blitzo glanced down, rubbing his thumb and index finger over a patch of fabric. It was admittedly pretty comfortable, and loose enough that he wouldn’t just outgrow it immediately. “Alright, alright, fine, I’ll get it.”

Stolas stood up, placing a kiss on Blitzo’s cheek. “Thank you, darling.”

The rest of the outfits were much the same, Blitzo tugging something on and Stolas giving a grin and a smattering of applause, praising how it brought out his complexion or looked extra comfortable or just was cute. He didn’t even push any more bird-themed shirts on him, although he did give a wistful little smile at a pair of shorts that had a chick hatching out of an egg on the pocket that Blitzo passed on for being too small. He didn’t really want half his ass popping out and making the muffin top worse.

The more clothes Blitzo pulled on and off though, the more his nerves tightened, winding like a body over a spit. Every time he changed, he saw himself, and every time there was something new- how his ankles were swollen, how his cheeks were slightly softer than usual (all that human meat had been getting to him, hadn’t it?), how the bags under his eyes still lingered (deeper than usual), and how after about an hour all of him was covered in a slick sheen of sweat and he needed to sit down inside the changing rooms just to catch his breath. They’d traipsed to the only four stores that might have pregnancy clothes, and the second one seemed catered exclusively to fetishists, considering it was mostly leather with more skin exposed than covered.(Honestly, if he’d actually been into this, he would have probably liked it a lot more- the designs weren’t bad, just- probably not going to be that all useful. He did find and snag one that was small enough to still wear after the kid was out, though.)

And yet, through it all, Stolas still kept that delighted grin, eyes wide and eager and with an edgy of horniness that Blitzo knew all too well, even though he was clearly trying to keep it in check from his bouncing leg and curled fists. The pile ended up growing beyond the number of days Blitzo even had left to be pregnant, but Stolas’s enthusiasm never waned. As steady as plastic.

He had to be faking it, to keep this up so consistently- he wanted to stay in Blitzo’s good graces now that they’d taken a few tentative steps forward, wanted a treat after being iced out. The apartment was overboard and he knew it, and now he was trying to be a perfect model of a… baby daddy? Boyfriend? Neither worked, but neither didn’t work either, and the thought dripped down like his mood the longer he waddled around with a ball of wriggling meat in his gut.

They were on the last outfit, and Blitzo had been thoroughly wrung out. Satan knew how he’d managed to go on missions even a week ago, his body was about to give out on him after an afternoon of steadily-increasing effort to keep up a grin, and he could feel his ass leaving sweat prints on the seat.

There was a kick from the inside, and he slumped back against the wall with a groan, rubbing a hand over the sore skin after rolling the pink top up. The latest pants couldn’t even zip properly, leaving his underwear poking out. “Oh, you be quiet, squirt. This wouldn’t be nearly as hard if you were the size you were supposed to be.” He clicked his tongue as the movement curiously prodded against his hand. “I better be able to get my body back after this, ‘kay? Ungrateful little shit.”

The kid didn’t reply. Blitzo sighed, rubbing a circle around the little bump. “Can’t believe you’re going to be out soon, and this’ll all be over. Sure, tall dark and nerdy is going to take you, but still, you’re going from in here…” Another pat on the skin, “To out there.” He waved forward and got a squirm. “If I were you I’d just stay in there. It’s a hell of a lot less messy, but that would make me rupture eventually, so it’s a good thing you’re a dumb baby who doesn’t know what’s good for them yet. You’re just gonna have to be content with ruining my body for another couple of weeks.” Another drop of sweat trickled down over the stretchmarks and onto his finger from his thudding chest. After heaving in a breath, he pushed himself up, swinging the door open. Stolas started to clap again, but Blitzo held up a finger and it died off.

“Are you alright?”

“You can- you can stop faking it now. That was the last one.”

“Faking… it?” Stolas’s eyes widened, and Blitzo groaned, pinching between his eyes.

“Look, I know you’re trying to be nice, and normally I’d appreciate the ego boost, but I feel like hot fucking garbage by now, so you can drop the act, ‘kay?”

“It’s not an act.”

“You can’t tell me that all of this,” he gestured to the half-rolled-up shirt with his sweating, swollen belly hanging out and unzipped pants, “is genuinely attractive to you right now.”

“Of course it is!” Stolas’s eyes narrowed again. “Do you really think I’d sit here and lie to you, especially when this is going on my dime- what, to make you feel better?”

“Of course, because I’m pretty fuckin’ pathetic right now.” His arms were shaking, and Stolas stood up, squeezing at Blitzo’s biceps.

“You absolutely are not, I simply made you walk too much.”

“It shouldn’t have been too much-”

“But it was. Your body is nurturing another entire being, that’s nothing to sniff at.”

“It should, and stop trying to change the subject.” He pointed a finger at Stolas. “Look. You think I’m hot. I totally can accept that. I am hot. But all… this?” He clapped a few times. “You’ve gotta be bluffing at least a little unless it’s just some fetish thing, because I don’t-”

“I really do mean it!” Stolas’s feathers fluffed up, flustered in a way he usually wasn’t outside of getting his ass pounded into dust. “How can I prove that to you? I’m trying to give you what you need, but that doesn’t mean I’m lying about thinking you look cute or wanting you to be as comfortable and happy as you can be these last few weeks. I’ve never been subtle about the fact that I adore you, Blitzy, no matter what. What do you want from me, to pretend that I hate you?”

Blitzo tugged the shirt down so it covered his stomach, even though he could still feel every bit of it over the slick, sticky skin. “I don’t fucking know what I want, okay? I didn’t exactly get handed a manual for this shit the second the kid started growing in here.”

Stolas took a moment, voice dipping down in volume. “Then let me at least try and show you that I want to be there for you. That I really do care.” He glanced away for a moment, before squeezing Blitzo’s shoulders. “No tricks, no games. We need to figure this out for them. I don’t want the stress to cause either of you any harm as we tip into the end of your pregnancy.”

Blitzo watched Stolas watching him. He had the same steely determination as he’d had a few days ago, and it churned Blitzo’s stomach to see the hints of irritation that he dared to question Stolas’s intent (because it wasn’t like this was his first rodeo, he knew infatuation came before everything fell apart, but Stolas had offered this instead of going along with it, and Blitzo didn’t know what to do with that). His legs still hurt, but Stolas waited until he nodded.

“Fine. I don’t want them getting fucked up either, although if stress is a problem, that ship may have already sailed about four times over and we’ll be lucky if they don’t come out with two heads and a love for shitty techno music.”

“Thank you, darling.” Stolas dropped a few hundred-soul bills on the chair before scooping up the bags and sliding them down his wrist so he could open a portal back to the palace, the view zooming in on the unmade bed.

Blitzo stepped through before immediately dropping onto the cozy, familiar sheets, and Stolas gave a little chuckle. “I figured you would appreciate getting to talk on a more… familiar stage.”

Blitzo only realized that Stolas had tugged off his shirt when he turned his head.

He knew it. He knew it, this was just… just… the excuses wouldn’t wrangle themselves into words at the soft look in twin pairs of red eyes when they met his, and when Stolas went in for a kiss, he couldn’t find it in himself to push away, not when melting into it felt so much easier than trying to spell out everything that had tangled him up.