#since stolas seems to talk to ozzie like he's above him

[jizzlords]

Ars Goetia rose to the challenge. From here, Asmodeus was arranged to marry. The Goetia's saw potential in welding their power with Deadly Sins, something to bring their power closer to Morningstar's. A good move, indeed, if Deadly Sins genuinely seen the potential in actually sticking with the script (which they barely caught a glimpse of).

One by one, Deadly Sins tentatively agreed to wed (under some pressures of their rings, to find some sort of establishment and with limited knowledge of knowing what to do. Still having to find themselves while simultaneously juggling "matrimony", new power and changes with themselves).

Goetia successfully and vehemently married off one of their own daughters to Asmodeus. A petite thing, [redacted], who typically kept to herself. Utmost proper, regal, beautiful with markings of dark grey, white and hints of brown, elegant, a befitting wife! Despite a befitting wife, their wedding day was one of the most miserable days in Hell and the Lust Ring made sure of mirroring Asmodeus' mood. Rain. Storming. Dark and dreary. Despite the violent weather, everything was a haze. A blur, if anyone asked Asmodeus, who grieved internally and drank himself stupid.

Asmodeus' wife ... she wasn't cruel [to Asmodeus] by any means (some theorized she was too reluctant to push her weight around or make any bold moves with a Deadly Sin). But she also didn't understand Asmodeus who in return, didn't understand her. Asmodeus was mocked heavily for marrying in the first place despite mainly seeing it as leverage to help establish the Lust Ring. This only further discouraged him from wanting anything to do with the marriage. This was the bare minimum, was it not? "Embodiment of Lust hitching with a Goetia, a disaster waiting to happen. Lust isn't monogamous. Something bad will happen to that wife of his, marrying Lust like that."

Asmodeus wasn't a passionate partner with [redacted]. In fact, he hated his marriage. He hated his freedom being restricted. The freedom to live true to himself, with his heart on his sleeve, seeking the lustful pleasures of "life" in Hell (as pleasurable as it could get) and take the time to understand his own power, his capabilities, building a foundation for himself (which was stunted from his marriage). Asmodeus didn't even know himself in this timeframe and with the layer of Goetia veiled over his eyes, it made getting comfortable with himself that much more difficult.

With the fall, the loss of his wings and freshly bringing life to succubus, Asmodeus faced chronic pain throughout his marriage. What with recovery and changes to a demon such as himself. Asmodeus preferred to stay hidden, away from [redacted], away from in-laws, especially away from mirrors (though in a Goetia styled mansion, that was near impossible).

Much like any arranged marriage, a heir was expected from this marriage with [redacted] but with his own personal restrictions and physical ailments, Asmodeus never gave [redacted] the chance to be around him save for meals or in passing. And he never made attempts to do anything with her. The furthest they've ever gotten throughout their 15 years together was a cuddle which ended abruptly due to Sin's own personal boundaries having been exceedingly crossed.

Asmodeus always fled from his residence; the mansion was much too dull for his taste. Too crowded. Too dark, too miserable, too dreary. The standard in not being touched still followed and applied to everyone he crossed paths with but whenever he wasn't home, he sought Beelzebub or Belphegor's company. Asmodeus wasn't the most "loyal" husband, flirting (a second nature despite himself), sleeping at Bel's or Bee's homes (talking about their respective marriages), barely dabbling in touch in later years.

Asmodeus faced several chapters of burnout throughout his marriage. He was running on fumes the whole time, letting his guard down only around certain Sins as he noticed change in them throughout the years. Asmodeus had the tendency to snap at individuals. With sensory overload and chronic pain, he's actually been unkind to [redacted]. He'd been tempted many times to behave as if he weren't with a spouse. He'd been especially sharp-tongued with his in-laws who would only come to ask about a heir, taking "lessons" which were tradition in the Goetia family. Never how the marriage was faring. Ignoring the red flags in which he wasn't comfortable around [redacted], around Ars Goetia and their little society. Embodiment of Lust was, in time, gradually being snuffed out.

Asmodeus is a sharp-tongued individual who'd thankfully improved that blade in time but with a sharp-tongue, he had the tendency to blow up. Abusing alcohol, abusing power, abusing their marriage by trying to see how far he could get with antics without crossing matrimonial bounds. Where was the line for him to mess around with others who weren't his wife? Despite wishing to dabble in unfaithfulness, Asmodeus only fantasied about it aside from fleeting touches and playful flirtations.

With that said, Asmodeus was/is indeed, a jealous "lover". For [redacted], it looked amazing being married to a Deadly Sin with a form like his (vivid in color, lively at parties (the alcoholism), fun to talk to) but if she meddled in harmless flirtation the way he did, it was the one thing that got Asmodeus to respond to her. Sometimes, she used that to her advantage as they both knew their marriage barely bore any value as they didn't establish a heir. And sometimes, Asmodeus would get brave when they'd use jealousy as leverage on each other. But whenever they'd get brave, they'd realize the lack in consent and drop it. Then it was back to bland, suffocating Goetia life. The cycle repeated and every time it did, gradually, things became more toxic.

As resentment with Lucifer festered, it also bled into their marriage. Asmodeus' jealousy and resentment, [redacted]'s desire to fulfill her role as Queen of Lust and confusion with their marriage. They'd never cross any s*xual assaults despite growing resentful with each other. Temptation was definitely there (wishing to prove a point in where they stand in each other's lives) but they'd always stop it abruptly.

Instead, with Asmodeus having been a TNT lit from both ends throughout their marriage, all it took was one final visit with in-laws and their partners for him to blow up. He was through with performing in a stiff marriage with stiff, suffocating individuals who all wore masks (a Deadly Sin could see the desires of many, faux masks be damned). All of them having the nerve to tut Asmodeus for doing the same as them.

He still has bad blood with some individuals in Ars Goetia as some attacks were more personal than others but a divorce was in order straight away. No more suffocating, no more shitty monarchies in his ring. Asmodeus learned a couple of things about himself in this bottlenecked arrangement and he found a new power in himself, determined to put it to use. And it started with severing his ties with [redacted].

Despite being divorced from [redacted], Goetia's still hold a high respect for Asmodeus. Asmodeus theorizes it's given the fact he fits their standard in beauty (male birds brandishing vivid colors, bird society over here) but in reality, Deadly Sins are still ranked above Ars Goetia. Rumors of Asmodeus establishing a contract with Ars Goetia also serving as a placeholder, part of what keeps his good graces with Goetia. Still a King, twice now with his own ring and in place of Ars Goetia.

[fizziepopangel]

A Fizziepop Take: Let's talk about Blitz's new look at Stolas

Ok, so in the past, I’ve talked about how the incident at Ozzie’s put more strain on an already fragile relationship, thus solidifying the idea a certain imp had in his mind that he was essentially beneath Stolas in every way he possibly could be and therefore unworthy of love. This ideology made the relationship between the pair appear strictly transactional since Blitz wouldn’t let it be anything else because he himself feels that that’s how it should be; that it’s all it could be. Now don’t get me wrong, Stolas isn’t completely innocent in making the whole relationship feel more like a transaction than a relationship, but in this instance, we’re gonna focus on Blitz and what I believe his turn around will be based off this newest episode because I believe that it could be a game-changer for their relationship and Blitz’s own character development. So let’s get into it!

As I’ve pointed out previously, Blitz has felt like he’s been used as a glorified sex toy since the beginning of their relationship. And given the hierarchy of the demons, Blitz is already pretty low on the totem being an imp while Stolas sits somewhere on top…. We can see that Blitz understands that when he’s tripping balls in “Truth Seekers”, but because of this, it seems that Blitz got it in his mind that Stolas was less than ‘human’ (for lack of a better term). Because of the status difference, Blitz always just assumed the other demon was unfeeling, uncaring, and essentially indestructible; building this image of the demon prince in his head that is a romanticized version of him that truly was worlds above where Blitz sees himself. And until “Western Energy” came out today, this is really the only version we’re shown of Stolas because we seem to be seeing the man the way Blitz does. Is he whiny? Sometimes. But do things hurt him? From Blitz’s point of view, no. 

We as the audience see maybe two or three times where Stolas is truly vulnerable but it seems to end just as quickly as it starts. Blitz doesn’t see that side of him. Granted, I believe Stolas does want a relationship with Blitz where he can be vulnerable in ways he never was able to before and because he has a preconceived notion of what their relationship is, Blitz shuts down any attempt Stolas tries to initiate intimacy… But I think in the imp doing this and Stolas just blindly going with it to try to appease Blitz has given the image of someone made of stone… And being so used to the abuse from Stella, Stolas doesn’t see that he’s almost restarting the cycle with Blitz by allowing the imp to be as mean as he is to him; even going as far as to tell Blitz through text that he can be mean to him if it’s what he wants. I think this genuinely leads Blitz to believe that Stolas can't be hurt in any way, emotionally to physically.

In all honesty, it’s interesting to look at Blitz in this light where he seems to unintentionally be another abusive relationship that Stolas is trapping himself in because you can see that the imp does genuinely care for the owl, even if he thinks he shouldn’t. That is why the incident at Ozzie’s was such a big deal to him, because after some time, I think Blitz was slowly trying to open himself up to Stolas and whatever little progress he made was pretty much crushed when Stolas basically refused to acknowledge the fact that he’s out with him in public when confronted. For someone like Blitz who struggles with communication and bases their self worth on how others view him, Stolas not wanting to be seen with him in public but being kind to him when no one else is around would have destroyed every sense of security he may have been starting to feel with the other man. Like just shredded it. Which in turn, is going to cause a rift that Blitz will rationalize as just him not being worth anything more even though he is actively contributing to the rift by refusing to communicate.

Now, the interesting part: in the newest episode of Helluva Boss, Blitz actually has a chance to view a more humanized idea of Stolas. It sucks that it took Stolas being damn near murdered and hospitalized for Blitz to see him on a different level, but it does happen. I think this in turn may give us a more freely feeling version of Blitz down the line. We can already see small fragmented moments when Blitz is genuinely worried about Stolas, genuinely cares about him, but he still keeps himself distant…. Seeing something bad happen to Stolas does open the man up a little, prompting him to text the man while he’s in the hospital to let him know that he hopes he feels better. Despite how minor that may seem, I think it is a step in the right direction, and I do think he’ll see a more personified version of Stolas which could prompt him to want to be closer to him, meaning he would have to stop pushing his feelings down to allow himself to wander into this territory of emotional vulnerability he may have seen but never experienced.

While I trust Vivzie completely in this journey she’s taking us on, this is definitely a route I really hope she takes because I truly do want to see the two men get a happy ending of some sort whether that’s at the end of the series or it advances their storyline together through the rest of the series.  But this is just a Fizzie take on things so far. I would love to hear what your thoughts are on how Blitz and Stolas’ relationship seems to be going.

[likesomanywrecksdo]

ALRIGHT LET'S FUCKING TALK ABOUT THIS EPISODE

what i think happens

Blitzø and Millie get recruited for a job in the human world, investigating paranormal activities and its pays a shit ton of money. They arrive at the venue (which is a undercover D.H.O.R.K facility probably a hotel) and meet an off-putting receptionist. Now there are theories that this is Leviathan but i personally feel it is a right-hand man or devout believer in Leviathan's rule over the Envy ring. I feel that this receptionist is a hellborn demon, undercover as a D.H.O.R.K employe (a position that allows him to remain covert and not ever be suspected).

So the receptionist lets them do their thing slowly luring them with short hallucinations (mostly auditory) of their deepest fears (eg: Millie's guilt over not having time for her family or Blitzø's seeing Fizzarolli in the hospital). These small moments set the tone for when Blitzø and Millie get seperated. Millie get lured away with the voice of Moxxie in trouble and Blitzø with Stolas' voice (hallucinated Stolas is likely angry at him). The receptionist exposes Blitzø with the chemical that causes the acid trip (which he knows is efficient because of Agent 1&2). The receptionists attempts to pick off Millie by shapeshifting into Blitzø and get her to hurt her friends and people she loves.

Blitzø

Stolas' voice lures him in and away from Millie and suddenly he's in his van or car or wtvr outside Stolas' house and the scenes of him being angry at him and sarcastic from the trailer ensue. The reason I think this is because the clip of Stolas smiling sarcastically (above) is JUST before the full montage of everyone he's hurt in the past, so I think this whole "stolas is pissed" (makes sense since the last ep literally had Stolas singing on a stage that had 'Blitzø Sucks' on it) plays out until he says the infamous, soul-ruining line; "do you feel any remorse for what you do" . Let me explain my reasoning for this segment a bit. As of the event of the music video 'Look My Way', Stolas understand why Blitzø is closed off and he has these (literal) walls around him that prevent him from opening up ("the walls you conjured up to live, is this what you feel? scorned by a realm that cannot comprehend, what you are.")

So saying this NOT EVEN ON THE NIGHT OF THE FULL MOON where emotions are high and you can get caught in the heat of the moment (which would make more sense) would make ZERO character sense for Stolas. It's not that I don't want to see Stolas snap it's just the line honestly just seems like a manifestation of Blitzø's self hatred and not an actual line Stolas would say.

So after the Stolas scene, Blitzø is at the circus fire, then he's at the hospital, then Ozzie's while Verosika is singing. Everything is happening so fast he can't keep up. Then, it all stops at the sight of one person. His mom. Blitzø is his teenage self again, the braces and everything, crying in his mom's arms and her telling him everything will be alright and that he's not a bad person. Just as he is starting to snap out of his acid trip. The receptionist pulls him back in with seemingly real footage of her getting really badly hurt by some version of Blitzø. He's spiralling again, this time with Millie and Moxxie in his hallucinations but not for very long as once Blitzø sees Millie come to break him out, he calms down enough to snap out of it but his emotions are still running high which leads to a real-life breakdown in front of Millie (below).

and that's our acid trip guys. sorry if it's badly written, just needed to get it out of my system.

THIS ENTIRE POST HAS MADE ME REALISE HOW HARD IT TO SPELL HALLUCINATION UGH

[stolitzsings]

Ok I have been Chewing on this post since I first saw it bc it is so correct

Thinking also about how their relationship to touch/reaching for each other changes over time!! (thoughts below the cut bc I'm incapable of being brief)

Like Blitz is the first one to reach for Stolas (see the 2nd picture above) and initiates pretty much all physical contact in that scene. But the first thing Stolas does the next morning is reach for Blitz, even though Blitz is already gone

And then for most of season 1 we have Stolas touching Blitz, usually affectionate but always a little condescending (grabbing his cheek or tapping his face), and Blitz brushing him off or getting annoyed

Then e6 happens! As OP pointed out in their tags, in his trip Blitz is reaching for Stolas even though it means being chained. It's the first time we see Blitz reach for him since their first night together! We also see a moment of genuine care and concern from Stolas when he touches Blitz's face to make sure he's ok. And it's the first episode when Blitz initiates touch again! What's more, the WAY he initiates touch--taking charge, teasing Stolas, controlling when and how Stolas receives gratification--serves to extend their relationship beyond the bounds of their agreement. Blitz is clearly enjoying the way his touch makes Stolas squirm, and when they kiss they both have one hand on the other's face, mirroring each other, in sync for the first time

In "Ozzie's" Stolas is less pushy, offering touch and letting Blitz accept or decline. But I want to highlight one particular offer: Stolas suggesting they could cuddle instead of their usual activities when Blitz drops him off. He noticeably hesitates before making this particular offer. He's taking a risk here, proposing a different type of physical intimacy that, at this point, probably feels more vulnerable than sex. No protective pretense of "We're just using each other for pleasure and our own gain," just "I would like to hold you, and find comfort in your arms." And of course, Blitz sees this as a lie to get him into bed, because he can't believe Stolas would want to hold and be held by him.

In s2, Stolas is so much more cautious with touch. He avoids even getting too close to Blitz. The one time he does touch him is when he's trying to calm him down/hype him up before the sitcom. The way he tilts Blitz’s chin up is firm, but not forceful or condescending as it might have been a few episodes ago. There's no question of talking down to him; it's a touch that grounds and reassures him, as Stolas calls back to a relatively "safe" dialogue pattern for them. And it's a touch that Blitz evidently welcomes. Then, after rescuing him from the chaos at the studio, Blitz continues to hold on to him until they meet back up with Loona and Via. It seems like Blitz is still looking for that touch, and now Stolas is withdrawing out of fear/a desire to respect Blitz’s boundaries.

The "Just Look My Way" music video is the culmination of this, as nerdasaurus1200 points out (and chosenmango4233's tags expand on) in this excellent post. Stolas is very careful NOT to touch the moon that symbolizes Blitz for him. You can even see him reach for it in the first chorus, then pull himself back. He desperately wants to keep Blitz within his grasp but knows he can't. The end of the video is fucking devastating in terms of the reaching hands motif. When Stolas breaks the soulmate string that binds them, that break is a pair of hands still reaching for each other as they're torn apart. And THEN Stolas makes one more desperate attempt to reach him, straining to touch him, trying as hard as he can, but his worst fears are realized and he just. Falls short. Doomed to watch Blitz drift further and further away as his own despair drags him down.

In conclusion I am absolutely feral about the way their feelings are shown through this imagery. They may be terrified to express how they really feel, but their body language always betrays them

can we finally talk about the stolitz hands motif please please