#stolas always makes me so sad

[fan-of-chaos]

Please, let me explain.

Helluva boss season 2 episode 12 vs Helluva boss: Look my way parallers

[holymolyfizzie]

my only hope going forward is that the stolas hate dies down a little. my boy just laid down his life for blitz, and when he was spared, his first and greatest thought was of via and not getting to see her for a century (not his title or status) -- that's made clear 2x, the second with loona. whatever ppl hated him for, he's made up for it, surely

[showtoonzfan]

Mutual showed me this on discord and it’s safe to say Viv’s emoji is probably hinting towards this eventually happening and OMFG as if this show couldn’t get anymore borderline Wattpad FAN FICTION, now Stolas is probably going to hook up with someone else for no other reason than to pat out the Stolitz drama further because we all know the two are going to be canon in the end but the show wants to drag everything about their relationship out. Despite the couple still being toxic as hell and barley having any layers to it, of course Stolas will be the one to go “oh no uwu Blitzy is the ONLY one for me!”- cause god forbid we have actual character development with Stolas realizing he’s legit not good for Blitz and is unhealthy, but what can I say, the writers are in denial and think he’s this sweet soft innocent Uwu bean who just wants love and having him be with Blitz is the only option this show wants to gear towards.

See why I said I’m dropping the show after the Fizz and Ozzie one? Lol.

[logan-bear-bear]

I meed to go to sleep. Will I? No. Im to busy thinking about Helluva Boss and processing (aka looking to deep into) different aspects of it.

For example

The scene at the end of Mastermind. Yes, it’s adorable and sweet and so depressingly sad when you squint to much at it, and I offer more sadness.

So we see Blitzø obviously thanking Stolas for saving his life and Stolas responding with the heart wrenching “always.”

Blitzø’s reaction to this though intrigued me

He looks guilty. He looks (to me, personally) upset over Stolas telling him this. Because he realizes truly for the first time because of this incident that he means it. Stolas will AND DID give everything to make sure Blitzø is safe, okay, and alive. And he is not a fan of this.

Looking more closely at these photos, this is probably an already common conclusion, I would just like to point it out to make peoples days worse 😘 also im sorry for probably taking up these tags

[lost-romantique]

Does Stolas deserve to lose everything?

The answer is a simple: No! Of course not!

What happened to Stolas in Mastermind was horrible, he essentially lost everything he ever knew in a very cruel and unusual way, and the real kicker is the fact that the punishment is rather light in comparison to the punishment Blitz would have gotten if he hadn't stepped in.

But why did it happen? Simple.

It happened for the sake of Stolas' future character development.

It didn't happen to "punish" Stolas when the man really only has the best of intentions.

Surprise! Surprise!

I want to highlight this specific statement Apology Tour's description states: Stolas still not being quite self aware enough at times.

Stolas genuinely does not know what is wrong between them, he genuinely can not understand the issues

If there is one thing Stolas has always wanted to know, it's the why...

Why is Blitz so guarded with me? Why does Blitz accuse me of looking down on him? Why does Blitz always mention my Princely status when talking about our relationship?

And here's the thing, even if Blitz were to sit Stolas down calmly and explain the why, Stolas will never get it. He will never understand it.

Stolas will never understand the struggles Blitz went through and still goes through just by living as an imp.

Blitz is an asshole, but you can't say he isn't determined.

When Blitz wants something so fucking bad, he'll get it, it doesn't matter who he needs to steal from, who he needs to fuck, who he needs to kill, lie, and cheat with... He's going to get it.

Blitz wants to be his own boss, he doesn't want to be like any other imp who works for someone else, so he'll do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality.

And the thing is Stolas wants to do better and understand Blitz's point of view... he states it time and time again.

Unless it's me And no matter what in this world I could give It's not enough To get through the walls you've conjured up to live

But maybe it's all on me For missin' every sign and every glance And every turn

Maybe there's somethin' here for us to glean For you to teach, and me to try to learn

~~~

The sad part is that Stolas is just going to have to learn it the hard way because where's the fun in just giving Stolas a book to read...

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

Blitzø and Stolas' eye markings fascinate me, and I believe they suit them.

Blitzø's cover both the upper and lower part of his eyes. It's a thing called "Clown Eyeliner", which makes sense: he WAS a circus performer at some point in his life.

And when he closes them, the eyelids and markings combined resemble crosses. Crossed eyes usually represent a character that got either knocked out, or killed.

Which overall fits his job as an assassin.

AND fits his self hatred. As we know, Blitzø's life is full of broken bonds and loss of people he once loved, and deep inside he blames himself for all of it. As we see in his photos, he always crosses himself out, as if to symbolize his belief that, despite his craving for affection, everyone would be better off without him, if he were dead instead.

He has crossed himself out.

And now, onto Stolas.

Stolas' markings are positioned just right under his eyes.

They're usually rather small, but one could make the argument they can get longer when he uses his more dark powers, as it has happened in Truth Seekers.

Anyway, with those markings placed like that, they heavily resemble streaks caused by either blood or mascara running because of teary eyes.

And Stolas, well, he's definitely not as happy as he looks. Behind his smile he hides a battle with depression and a lot of repressed sadness. Those streaks hint at a kind of crying that's not let loose, but it's contained.

A sadness that he never wanted others to see, as he grew up believing his emotions were a burden. That made HIM a burden for others. But as his life crumbles around him, hiding it is just becoming more and more of a struggle, his crying ruins his mascara so much that the markings end up blending in.

And by the time Sinsmas ends, we see all that pent up sadness crashing down on him for everyone to see.

Blitzø and Stolas' lives are respectively marked by death and grief. A combination that has led them to a lot of pain, and yet, they fit each other in flawed perfection. Blitzø comes alive and loved thanks to Stolas, and Stolas has a reason to be happy thanks to Blitzø.

[silversodas]

My Favorite Thing About Mastermind

Well it’s actually two things

The first thing, even though Stolas lost everything. For the first time in possibly his whole life, he is not alone, even if he feels alone

In this frame you can see how alone he feels. You can tell how horrible Moxxie, Millie, Loona and Blitz feel for Stolas. This shows me that even though he can’t see it right now, he isn’t alone. I don’t think they are doing this just for Blitz. I actually get the feeling that they will reach out to Stolas over time, here is why.

I actually got this inspiration from a post about the show Arcane. The cycle of violence and the cycle of mercy. Blitz ended the cycle of violence for Moxxie and Loona (though it took longer with Loona) and started the cycle of mercy.

Moxxie and Loona know what it’s like to be thrown away like you’re nothing. Blitz unknowingly set an example for them by saving them. Moxxie and and Loona were not abandoned, Stolas will not be abandoned

Blitz also set an example for Loona about making room when you need to. Blitz always found a way to take care of her, even when he really didn’t have the room or means to. So even though they really don’t have room for Stolas she will help make room for him.

The second thing is how the consequences of their own actions shoved Blitz and Stolas together. When I saw Ghostfuckers I had a feeling that even though Blitz was sad about Stolas, he wasn’t going to go after him, he thought Stolas was better off with out him.

And man I was not expecting the show to not only have Stolas come in and save him but to make Blitz face just how much Stolas loves him, to have Stolas come in, gloves off, manipulating the court into getting Blitz off totally Scot-free, ready to throw down his life, zero hesitation. AND AS AN ADDED BONUS! Makes him the hero to imps everywhere!!

[critical-velvet]

I had an epiphany, helluva boss makes a lot more sense if you imagine it as Stolas’s fanfic. Like 90% of it is just him being an unreliable narrator going “Oh no I had every right to cheat on my wife because she’s a BITCH who would abuse lil ol me and she’s ALWAYS been this way even when we were kids!!!” (“ No I didn’t actually try in this relationship why would I? I’m a sad gay twink I can do whatever I want!”) like imagine

“Oh and blitzy yelled at me even though I’ve never looked down on him except for all the times I did I can’t believe he would ever think so LOW OF ME 😭😭😭”

“Hmm I don’t know what to do with the girl imp hmm, I know I’ll write in a pregnancy that she would never want!! Oh I’m so clever and original :>”

“How do I demean my ex wife even more hmm…I’ll imply an incestous relationship between her and her brother oh, genius!! Surely no one will sympathize with her after that!!”

And meanwhile in the real world Blitz and the rest of IMP are happily carrying on their kill for pay business without needing to rely on Stolas, Octavia is happily living with her mom and uncle and Stolas is living on the streets living off of lucky charms and crying himself to sleep as he reads comments pointing out how much of an abuser he is.

This is my new headcanon it’s the only way I can tolerate this series

[caracalla-dondus]

The Arena

Pairings: Caracalla/wife!reader, Caracalla & daughter

Summary: Caracalla brings his daughter to her first gladiator match.

Author's Note: I don't mention the daughter's age but she's probably in the toddler age range.

~~~~

The sun blazed high over Rome, casting its golden glow over the crowded expanse of the Colosseum. The deafening cheers of the crowd echoed a thunderous sound that seemed to shake the very stones of the arena. Dust and the scent of blood filled the air, and the clash of steel rang out below, where gladiators battled for glory or survival.

In the imperial box, beneath a shaded canopy, sat the ruling family. Caracalla lounged on his golden chair, his eyes bright with excitement. Beside him, his wife reclined gracefully in her seat, dressed in a flowing stola with gold threaded into her hair. But it was the smallest figure between them that held their attention, their little Severa, experiencing her very first gladiator match. Geta had mentioned that perhaps it was too soon for her to attend but Caracalla would hear none of it, too excited at the idea of sharing something he enjoys so much with his daughter.

She was seated between her parents, her tiny hands clutching tightly at her father’s arm, her eyes wide and unsure as they darted from the battling men to the roaring crowd, an unfamiliar sea of faces in the stands. The sounds were so loud, so strange, that her little shoulders trembled, and her bottom lip quivered.

Caracalla, noticing, softened his usual boisterous tone. "What is it little one? Are you frightened?" His voice, warm and oddly tender, but also filled with confusion at the idea of his daughter not enjoying such a show.

Severa's voice was barely a whisper, her eyes wide. "Loud…" she said quietly, her small fingers curling into the fabric of his toga. “It's scary.”

His wife glanced over with a soft smile. “It’s all right little one,” she said smoothly, brushing a stray curl from Severa’s cheek. “No one will harm you. You’re with us.”

Caracalla, ever eager to share his pleasures with his beloved daughter, tried to make her see the thrill. “Look,” he said, pointing to the sands below, “Do you see them? Those men are fighting to be champions. Only one will survive.” His voice carried a child's excitement. “The people cheer for the entertainment they provide. And soon you’ll understand that it’s more than just a fight. It’s a fun game.”

But Severa still didn’t share his enthusiasm or see the appeal. She flinched at the clash of swords, the grunts of pain, and the excitement of the crowd when a gladiator fell and she closed her eyes when blood began soaking the sand. Her tiny hands clutched tighter at her father’s arm, and a fearful whimper escaped her.

His wife’s brow furrowed slightly. “Perhaps she is too young,” she said, her voice touched with concern. Their daughter was always a more sensitive child, easily scared by little things.

But Caracalla, ever the child at heart himself, was undeterred. “No,” he insisted, his arm instinctively curled around the trembling child. “The first time is always the hardest. I cried the first time too.” He said matter of factly.

His wife arched a brow, amusement flickering in her eyes. “You cried?”

A sudden forlorn expression overtook Caracalla for a moment. “Yes and my father called me a disgrace for it.” His voice dropped, and for a brief second there was something despondent about him, something sad and lost in miserable memories. But then it vanished as quickly as it came and was replaced by that familiar boyish charm and smile. “But I learned and Severa will too.”

Severa’s lip wobbled as another roar shook the arena. She turned her face into her father’s chest, her soft voice muffled by his toga. “Don’t like it.”

Caracalla, his excited heart softening, exchanged a glance with his wife. With a sigh of disappointment, he pressed a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head. “All right my little one,” he said, his voice lowering into a rare, protective murmur. “No more. I suppose you don’t have to watch.”

He lifted Severa and sat her on his lap and faced her away from the arena, shielding her from the spectacle. One arm wrapped securely around her small form, and his other hand summoned an attendant. “Bring her something sweet: dates, honey cakes. Whatever she wants.”

His wife watched the exchange and felt a warmth bloom in her chest. “You’re soft for her,” she teased lightly, though there was no mockery in her voice, only a sweet observation.

Caracalla, his lips brushing his daughter’s curls that looked so much like his own color, smirked. “Soft? Perhaps.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “But only for her.”

The rest of the match passed with the emperor’s daughter nestled safely in his arms, her cheek resting on his chest, the terrifying world beyond fading away under his protection. And though Severa’s first visit to the arena had been a frightening experience, she felt safe. Because she was with them: her father, her mother, and that was all she needed.

~~~~

I wrote this fic because I wanted to show Roman parents being like "lol why is our toddler not amused by men getting murdered violently right in front of her??".

I meant to include more uncle Geta in this but he ended up only getting mentioned once because I wanted to keep this a short fic and I wasn't sure how to involve him more in this little scene.

I found the name Severa when I was browsing 'Roman female given names' on Wikipedia. It reminded me of Caracalla's father's name being Septimius Severus and idk why but it kinda feels in character that Caracalla would for some reason name his child after his abusive father. I also almost named her Antonia instead because the real Caracalla took on the name of Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus when he became emperor and I think movie!Caracalla would definitely name his child after himself in some way lol. I did not include her full name in the fic but in my mind it would be something like Septimia Caracallia Severa.

so TLDR: I put too much thought into this Roman name that I will probably only use once unless I decide to write more short stories about Severa

[ottersandfandoms]

Full Analysis/breakdown of the asmodous crystal exchange because the episode broke me and this is how I cope. Warning: long

So the first shot we have is Stolas sitting on his bed in apprehension, then Blitz jumps up on the balcony. Blitz starts the night off like any other, bringing out his bag of sex toys and just speaking in an unworried manner. Yet we have the sad music playing in the background that lets us know this is temporary. It’s NOT a normal night. Stolas knows this too and he’s just quietly watching.

Stolas finally speaks and he stutters at the beginning. This is really happening. He disregards all the other things Blitz brought and instead just asks for the book.

This is when Blitz first starts noticing something is up. We see a quick shot of his smile dropping. He was all worried about Stolas getting bored of him earlier and wanting the book back and now he began to actually think those fears are being proven true. Even if he doesn’t admit it, Blitz has a big fear of not being wanted and just pushed aside, like he has been for most of his life. 

So when Stolas admits he needs the book back Blitz panics. His fears are true. He begins to hurriedly speak and makes excuses. This book is his livelihood and the reason for his jobs so it makes sense why he is scared of losing it. He leans in and tries to initiate sex. It works every time with Stolas so why wouldn’t it work now? Stolas begins to grow sad. He does want to have sex with Blitz. But he knows that would be unfair so he gets up.

Blitz is terrified. He desperately begs Stolas for the book. Blitz is being put in a vulnerable situation and he doesn’t like it. His whole life could be destroyed if he can’t keep his business afloat. He wouldn’t be able to support himself and couldn’t support Loona. He would “do anything” to keep it.

But then Stolas shows him the crystal. Stolas presents it to him in a happy tone. He tries to be happy and hopeful even though he is clearly still very worried. Maybe everything will be ok. Maybe Blitz will reciprocate Stolas’s feelings and everything will be great.

Blitz thinks Stolas is joking. He doesn’t understand why Stolas would do this. Now his job is safe but his relationship with Stolas is not. His deepest fears are being proven once more. 

He’s not good enough.

He goes into this state of wanting to please.

When Blitz was a child, his dad clearly saw Blitz as the weakling compared with Fizz. And no matter how much Blitz tried to prove himself, it was never enough. “I can do better” is almost juvenile in its phrasing. A desperate plea and promise that might diffuse the situation. Blitz reverts back to his childlike self where he was always last choice and flung aside like he didn’t matter. Imagine how many times he said that exact sentence to his father.

Stolas explains. Stolas actually does a good job of saying what he wants. He is clear and to the point, emphasizing asking what Blitz wants. During Stolas’s speech, Blitz glances back and forth at the crystal, trying to make sense of what’s happening  and then at Stolas. Because he does want to stay. He likes Stolas. If he didn’t care, he would've taken the crystal and left, but he didn’t and chose to stay. Stolas finally just finishes his speech by confessing his feelings. He says them in a frantic way; he is putting himself out there but there is hope there too. 

Blitz thinks he’s joking. Of course he would be. Why could Stolas actually seriously care for him? How could Stolas care for him? The only possible explanation has to be that Stolas is joking. So he puts on a roleplay because he thinks it’s what Stolas wants. He refuses to accept there may be something more.

Stolas takes this as a mocking rejection. His hope has been squashed. Stolas is so used to being mocked that he immediately takes Blitz’s ‘roleplay’ as Blitz making fun of him. Stolas has been mocked by the people, the other Goatia, Stella. Blitz is just another one to add to the list.

He accepts the supposed rejection and walks away. Blitz now realizes he wasn’t joking. He is legitimately surprised that Stolas would want anything true with him. Blitz has this worldview of nobody truly wanting him; finding him useful, sure, but actually wanting him…that would be impossible. Stolas’s confession is a stark blow to that worldview and it makes sense why Blitz needs time to accept this.

This is where Stolas makes his mistake, he doesn’t give Blitz time to think through this. He takes Blitz’s confusion as rejection, not stopping to consider that Blitz is just as scared as he is. His hope is now totally gone. Both Stolas and Blitz are eerily similar in their fears. They both just want to be wanted but where Stolas shrinks away in sadness, Blitz lashes out.

And that's exactly what Blitz does now. And he doesn’t stop.

He doesn’t want to deal with his own hurt feelings so he instead blames it all on Stolas, to hide the fact that he may be blaming it on himself. The thing is, most of what Blitz says is true. Stolas repetitively called him a plaything and ‘little imp’ so it makes sense why Blitz doesn’t fully believe him. Blitz has always been the inferior one in his relationships. With Fizz, With Verosika, with Stolas, with countless demons. This has caused him this inferiority complex that he can’t escape. 

Blitz has tears in his eyes and he is truly breaking down. He has spent so long trying to convince himself that Stolas doesn’t care and now suddenly he does? He still hasn’t actually accepted that Stolas cares for him. He can’t accept that and that makes it all more painful. It has to be some lie or game and he is begging Stolas to stop playing. To stop complicating things because that will force Blitz to think about how he feels.

"Let's go!"

Blitz fully expects Stolas to yell back. he is so used to being in arguments where the other person will lash back as well. And Blitz almost wants this. He believes he deserves it.

But Stolas doesn't...

Instead he takes Blitz sceaming the wrong way. You see this heartbreaking scene of Stolas starting to cry. Stolas has spent his whole life being told to be quieter, be more controlled, less emotional. Him crying in front of someone, rather than alone really emphasizes the hurt he is feeling. And then there is of course the most heartbreaking line: “I didn’t realize you think so low of me”.

Everyone thinks low of Stolas. He is the “pathetic” Goatia prince who is constantly scoffed at and bullied. Blitz was his escape from all of that, but now he believes Blitz thinks the same as everyone else.

But Blitz DOESN’T think low of Stolas. He thinks low of himself. 

Blitz realizes he fucked up. He went too far and hurt Stolas.

He realizes that Stolas misinterpreted what he said because Blitz was never really talking about Stolas, he was talking about his own feelings. We can see Blitz actually try to reach out to Stolas. He needs to let Stolas know that he doesn’t think that. You can hear him start to say “I’m sorry-” but as he’s saying that Stolas portals him away. 

Blitz “What the fuck” perfectly encapsulates his feelings. He doesn’t understand what happened but he knows that he messed up. Blitz needs to let Stolas know that he actually cares about him and apologize for what he said and Stolas needs to understand that Blitz needs some time.

Blitz never once said that he doesn’t care, only that he doesn’t believe Stolas can.  

[ironyscleverer]

One aspect of Stolas and Octavias relationship that I think deserves a little more attention is the fact that Stolas is traumatized as Fuck, and growing up with a traumatized parent can have a pretty profound impact on you as a kid. Even if they’re a good parent, even if they try their hardest in every way, their issues always seem to have a way of making themselves known. So even though Stolas clearly loves Via to bits, and she him, I wouldn’t be surprised if her relationship with Stolas was more complicated than what we see onscreen, even beyond the “abandoned her for some random imp” of it all.

There’s not a lot of discussion of this in canon, understandably since most of Stolas and Octavia’s immediate issues stem from the divorce, but there’s a hint of it in Loo Loo Land, when Stolas talks about how much Via used to love seeing RoboFizz:

It’s pretty clear in this scene (at least to me) that Stolas is projecting his own love of clowns onto Via, who was in fact terrified by RoboFizz as a child. He goes so far as to misinterpret her tears as “tears of joy.”

That’s a pretty weird detail, and doesn’t really have anything to do with the Divorce, so there’s any number of ways to interpret it. At first, given Stolas’s character in season 1, it comes across as self-absorbed, but looking back, i could see how that self-absorption might be Stolas’s response to always ignoring his own needs and wants for the sake of others. Think about it—Stolas spent 17+ years believing he couldn’t make choices about his own life, and constantly sacrificing his freedom and well-being for others (his father, his wife, his daughter). He spent well over a decade being abused in order to give his daughter a normal, happy childhood. If he’s convinced himself his desires don’t matter, one way around that is to do things because “Octavia likes them.” So if he convinced himself Octavia liked clowns,,, you get the idea.

So anyway, in Sinsmas this side of Octavia’s childhood isn’t really the main issue, but I like to think she is starting to realize not only how weird and sad her dad always was, and how much that may have affected her upbringing. We see a tiny hint of this when she confronts Stolas about his pills:

Of course, Octavia doesn’t know the full story, but she knows enough to be upset. She knows that Stolas was unhappy enough to need the pills, and he stayed in that environment for her. Thats a lot to process at 17. It’s not a nice feeling to realize your childhood was an extension of your parent’s trauma. It’s also not fun to realize your parent chose to harm themself for you, even if they did it to protect you. It makes you feel used, like you’ve been made into an accessory to hurting someone you love. In my mind, Octavia is processing all of this, AND that her dad ran off with a random man.

All this is to say, by my wildly non-canonical interpretation, I really feel for both Stolas and Octavia in this situation. For Stolas, making his own choices and following his instincts for once was important for him to do. For Octavia, it’s reasonable for her to feel upset at her dad, perhaps for more reasons than she realizes. She’s looking back on her relationship with Stolas, and how he raised her, and reevaluating everything. Their relationship is changing, and I hope we get to see a bit of that reflected in season 3.

[uninformedartist]

😐 GRANT ME STRENGTH

Screenshot from Showtoonz

She saw many MANY people seeing how obviously one sided their "relationship" is and made this tweet, emphasising BOTH made mistakes.

Nah Vivienne, the only mistake Blitz made in their "relationship"... was nothing, ha WAS NOTHING.

Stolas though, lets see. Made that contract during a time Blitz's life was in danger, Blitz reluctantly agreed to it. The contact in question was ALWAYS about sex & fulfilling Stolas's desires. Blitz's business, livelihood, employees, family was on the line. Stolas's contract put Blitz's under & I say it again economic duress & the contract in its nature is cohesive rape. Blitz had no say on the details of the contract he just agreed because his life was in danger & his business was on the line when it was initiated.

Stolas then in many instances throughout so1 degraded Blitz. Touching Blitz without his consent, making sexual remarks & vances on Blitz that made Blitz visibly uncomfortable, gave him the pet name "Blitzy" a name Blitz on multiple occasions was verbal on denouncing. He used Blitz as an ash tray in one bedroom scene, called Blitz an impish plaything, referred to him, his employees and daughter as little creatures. He abuses the imp staff that works for him, using them as some kind of stress toy. Read a flipping book called "imps in the sheets" in front of his family, fetishising imps and so much bloody more.

So piss off Vivienne that people are seeing your racist, rapist elitist bird boy for exactly what he is. No manipulative tears from Stolas can change what YOU wrote him as. Like you wrote him as the most trash of a character & now want to change the game by writing him as a sad uwu birdy who is actually done wrong by cos the imp he exploited yelled at him, the imp he kept chained to him metaphorical in this contract. Blitz in his hallucinations literally viewed Stolas like a sort of slave owner, having him in chains by Stolas.

...Do I need to even mention that Stolas in his human is white as hell & Blitz is brown on account of how his twin sister looks in her human disguise.

So no it ain't clear that BOTH made mistakes, piss off with that. It genuinely boggles my mind she sees nothing wrong with how much of a piece of shit Stolas is & how Blitz is the only victim in this situation.

But then I remember the kind of person Vivienne Medrano really is... all I'm gonna say.

Credit to versosikastrikerexcuser, they got a really good blog post on all the shit Stolas has done:

[timkontheunsure]

A CBT look at Blitz's core beliefs

Boring explanationy bit

Ok first off a core belief is this how the world works sort of thought. It has a ton of evidence on it side, or some big life altering event. Acting within is designed to kept you safe. And everyone has good and bad ones.

Think of it as of a short bit of base code running in the background, helping you go with your gut. A quick a short cut, but one that's got a lot of logic and past facts behind it.

They're mostly set up in childhood. So if you have an abusive parent, or trauma, you can get ones that become unhelpful for you in other situations. Like with people that really care about you.

A distortion is a little different. They affect how you look at the wold based off your mood, and are always negative. They specifically don't have a lot of evidence on their side. Like a prism that makes things a little different than what's really there.

They are an action to do based on your mood: catastrophizing (when everybody I love leaves me next year)

Black & white thinking (yes there's all this evidence showing Stolas cares, but that doesn't count as it just sex).

Thought spiraling (this one goes to Moxxie heh)

Or snap judgments based only only how your mood is (Ghostfuckers is fun and sexy, so we should take the case when I know they don't exist).

Blitz's core beliefs

So 'all royals are assholes' and 'no royal will care about an imp' are a core beliefs. Because this is definitely true, the 1% don't give a fig. (Stolas and Ozzie are basically round errors from what we've seen).

"I'm going to die alone" is also one.

So is "I make everyone's lives worse"

But his good ones are: "we don't get rid of family",

Ok with these two good ones we're going to have to go into rules for life. Blitz core belief is about family sticks together and protects each other. That's his code that always wants to run.

But he's also got evidence that family will kick you out for not being good enough, and hurting/killing people on accident. When you get code clashing you get cognitive dissidence, which physically hurts.

So you do a patch to reduce that pain. A rule to live by. 'If X is right and Y is right, then the variable that off is me.'

'We don't get rid of family, but we do get rid of me = I'm the only one who we can get rid of'.

With Loona it's we get orphanage lady saying words that could have come straight out of Cash's mouth. (I want Blitz to get a song telling that git off so hard).

Those hit Blitz hard, so hard he changed his mind on adopting a small little child, to a older teenage. CBT says that when something hits that hard it's because it hit at least 1 core belief. He sees himself in Loona in that moment, and never want another kid to be gotten rid of.

And other one could be bad or good depending on what's around it. 'I will be of use to family/people I love'. Blitz needs to feel useful to the people he loves, especially with growing in a family business working from being a kid.

And the rule Blitz has made for himself between the "I'm going to die alone" + 'I will be of use to family' = 'But maybe if I'm useful they won't abandoned of me yet'

(Also how sad it is that Blitz feels he's only allowed help, and support if it's a tit for tat, favours for favours exchange).

So everyone has a mixed bag of these good and bad. The problem happened when trauma responses give you ones that don't help you in a new situation. Like say a demon prince falling head over heels for him.

The idea of CBT is that if your struggling to look at what's changed since the core beliefs were set up. And if it isn't keeping you safe anymore, then you try to replace the old one with a new one; that has new evidence that backs it up. A update.

Like how Millie shows Blitz concrete examples of him improving her life. Just telling him he hasn't wrecked her life wouldn't work.

(This is one of reasons why Stolas' confection doesn't stick with Blitz. Blitz needs to know reasons why someone like Stolas loves him. It why he asks him in apology tour. Stolas tell your boy why he's so amazing for flips' sake).

Millie shows how joining IMP positively improved her live. "He gave me so much...A career, a husband, a future. And now...He's my best friend."

And Blitz helping Millie through alot of her own negative self talk she had. That 'she's not good enough', 'she's only the muscle', 'that Pride's too fancy for imps', and 'no imp works for them selves'.

These we're all Millie's core beliefs before joining IMP, if she still had these Rolando's words would have hurt her. But through having the support and example of Blitz she's removed those old bits of code.

When see her mum it obvious where and why she has these ideas about herself. Lynn describes her full time job, being employed direct by a company; as "Freelance". Because Imps can't work for themselves. (Even if she is impressed by Blitz). It's like different between working for Uber, instead of taxi firm. No protections, and an unsafe unstable job.

She pulls up her daughter's valid explanation why she lost the fight as "Excuses!", because Millie was "'raised better than that' as the muscle of the team.

She's very against Moxxie for being too week, and not having the same melee skills as Millie.

It obvious that she wants her daughter to have a similar life as her, where she keeps her head down, and has a partner that is able to defend Millie. This because there's a level of safety in this crab bucket attitude. She'd very unlikely to come to the notice of higher-ups. Like how Stolas being very involved in IMP and with Blitz.

But Blitz talked Millie round, and also showed her that she doesn't have to pigeon hole herself like that. She has years of evidence that Blitz could do it, and him pointing out how good she is when she fell back into thinking of herself as just the muscle.

Rolando's trying to exploit vulnerability that she's updated against. (It's super ineffective).

Ok after that sight side tangent of with Millie's head, back to Blitz's.

The "your going to die alone" has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, tripping Blitz up alot. Because it comes twofold for his fear of hurting his loved ones, making their life worse, and his fear of abandonment. Because he was abandoned, that did happen.

Making him feel like he has it to push away the people he love for there own, and that they'll leave him eventually so might as well push them away now. He's got a lot of previous evidence tied to this.

It's going to take more then Fizz and Millie telling him he didn't ruin theirs, for him to start to be able to unpick this. Because he's still certain it's true. Even if he's improved the lives of most of the people he knows.

And even Fizz who were directly effected by the mistake Blitz still punishing himself for, has told him that being made disabled didn't ruin his life.

There's a whole debate in my head whether Barbie would have had such trouble with addiction; if she wasn't assuming/told that her brother started the fire on purpose, that killed their mum. I'm honestly not sure. But it does seem like her resentment over it has made it harder on her. And that all seems to stem from Cash abuse. (I'm sure Cash is the one to tell Blitz that Fizz said he'd die alone).

Ok on to how the these are interacting/fucking up his relationship to Stolas. Blitz is definitely is afraid to love Stolas for a number of reasons. (You knew I'd get there at somepoint right 😛).

Cus a whole load are clashes together for him, making it really difficult for him because about see things from the outside. with the "royal demons don't give a shit about guys like us" one.

Making Blitz rationalize that it's gotta be about the sex, and being of use. Anything that shows this assumption is wrong has to be disregarded with distortion.

But when Stolas takes sex off the table, and still talking about feeling, and relationships; it makes Blitz's fear of abandonment go turbo. It's not rational but it's the only rule Blitz has that might make Stolas keep him.

He feels like that sex is all he has to give to a prince after all. And he wanted Stolas to stay for a long while now. It's not a grimoire his hallucinations put on a golden pedestal after all. And there a a lot of similarity to how Stolas and his Mumma vanish.

(Debøra pør favør pointed out this emotion damage so now you have to suffer too 😭https://x.com/_Choco_torta/status/1859028103772955135)

"I'm going to die alone" and 'I must be of use' Blitz freaks out badly in queen Bee after Ozzie's. Blitz believed that he's be rejected by Stolas, he's been shoved back into the box of it just being about lust.

Because he wants more, but feels he's unworthy, it's got him hurt coming and going. He's got to shut down any attempt by Stolas to have something real. But he was also hurt constantly feeling sex is all that he's got to offer, and all Stolas would want.

"I make everyone's lives worse" and "We don't get get rid of family". Ok this is into theory level but think Master Mind and Sinsmas are going hit these last two harddddd. (We're one week from mastermind).

It looks likely that Stolas is going to lose Via, face punishment for the illegal deal, and be dragged for the affair. With Via swallowing a lot gaslighting about not being loved by Stolas (lines from the trailer).

Blitz will probably going assume it's another another life he's made worse, where he's caused them to lose their own family. Don't think this will play well with last guy he fell in love with he blow up.

It's going to make it much harder for him to remove the idea; that that him loving some will only hurt them.

Alot of the reasons Blitz thought it was ok to get close to Stolas are tied up in these beliefs. He assumes Stolas was powerful and immortal, so couldn't be hurt physically like Fizz or Mumma.

He assumed that a prince would never fall for an imp, so only he could get hurt emotionally. It couldn't end the same way as Verosika. Blitz thinking he's the only one to be able to be hurt, and get to be useful not just to Stolas, but provide a better life for his whole family. It would seem like a bargain. (And the self punishment aspect probably wasn't going be a turn off for him, cus Blitz thinks he deserves it).

This season seems slow be eroding that pedestal Blitz put Stolas on (and vice versa). It's hurts, and it's knocking the stuffing out of both of them; but it's bring Stolas to earth for Blitz. Making his more of a real person in his eyes.

Eh probably a lot way to go, but I'm here for it.

(was very loosely based on this post, because it got me thinking about distortions vs core beliefs. But then I went off on a whole thing, so thought it would be weird to put it as a reblog. Still loved @akirathedramaqueen analysis and would recommend giving it a read 😀)

[cemeteryspider]

Unfinished Symphony

Verosika x Hellborn! Reader

Summary: You're Blitzø's last stop on his apology tour.

Trigger Warnings: Mention's of Emotional Abuse, Alcohol Use, Mention's of Self-Hate, and Emotional Distress

Word Count: 723

When entering the house you nearly tripped over Vortex's feet as he stood near the door sipping out of a red cup. You gave him a small smile and a wave as you make your way further into the house, walls littered with graffiti about Blitzø some of which made you giggle.

Then you spotted her drinking from her flask and talking to someone you heard the name of this morning when she asked someone on the phone his address. Stolas. You never expected a Goetia to attend one of her Blitzø hatred party, yet here he was yet another notch on his belt.

You made your way through the sea of people to the drink table, mixing yourself a cocktail with the wide selection of booze that Bee, gratiously gave for the party. Vee had friends in high places you supposed. The drink softened the walls you always had up when the name Blitzø came up around you. Even if you were surrounded by people who had similar experiences with Blitzø you never felt as though you belonged.

He had hurt you, yes, but not that he saw it that way. Running into him always lead to him verbally berating you, and you taking it. Always letting him push you into old self-hating thoughts, a once healthy relationship built on mutual respect turned into an ugly dance of self-deprication and blame.

Still you kept drinking. The drink stops the memories of yelling from surfacing.

Pushing through the crowd you saw Verosika on the stage setting up mics and Vortex doing checks. You felt yourself on the stage getting behind your drum set tapping out a steady beat for your girlfriend, her bodyguard, the guitarists, and Stolas the newest addition to the party.

You could have sworn you could see the glowing eyes of your ex and well everyone here's ex. You push the thought away and allow yourself to lose yourself in the beat. Verosika's voice like a comforting blanket wrapping around you. Maybe more like a bandage that allows old wounds to heal.

As the song ended you found your way to Verosika on the stage, closing your hand around hers.

"Hey, thanks for the beat, babe," She pulled you close to her and rested her chin on the top of your head.

"Anything to hear you sing. You were amazing as always," You smile and nestle your head against her chest.

You felt and heard her giggle against you, "Stop, don't get all sappy on me."

You made your way inside and around the house introducing yourself to different couples and sad people around. Then Verosika said she needed to do something. You allowed yourself to mingle with old friends and new. Partnering with Vortex during a game of beer pong, when you felt a small tug on your shirt.

"Hey, Y/n... can we talk?" The voice that haunted your waking and sleeping time made your stomach constrict.

"Uh... yeah lets go," You followed him outside to the back porch.

"So it's been awhile, huh," He picks at his fingers and refused to look up at you.

"Look Blitzø I know you didn't want to talk small talk with me, so what's this about?"

He scoffed, "Listen, bitch you're making it really hard to do what I'm about to do... I'm sorry."

It was your turn to scoff, "For what, you don't even know what you're apologizing for"

"I'm sorry for always blaming you for every single problem we had. I'm sorry for blaming you for how things ended. Lastly, I'm sorry for every single fucked up thing I've said and done during and after our relationship. You never deserved any of that.... I'm sorry."

Your felt your eyes fill with tears and saw tears already leaking down Blitzø's cheeks.

"Okay. Thanks for the apology. Maybe we can get coffee sometime, and just talk. I don't forgive you, but maybe this is the first step in the right direction," You allowed yourself to put your hand on his and rub your thumb against the back of his hand.

With his other hand he wiped the stray tears from his face, "Yeah... that would be nice."

You could hear Verosika's heels click outside, and you stood up brushing yourself off.

"Everything okay out here?" She smiled and took your hand in yours.

You smiled and looked up at her, "Everything's just fine, Vee."

"Well then I guess I'll see you later... Blitz."

With that you left the party behind, and went back in hell, to your shared apartment. Verosika tenderly taking you in her arms and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"I love you, Vee."

"Love you too."

[signedkoko]

Howdy!

Makes perfect sense about the requests, thank you for letting me know!

There was really one idea that I've been thinking about but it's kinda angsty and cliche so I understand if it's not the most interesting prompt

--

It's for poly Stolas and Blitzø x reader (but if you don't write poly relationships they can be separate)- finding their s/o crying? Usually their (s/o) tries to be self-sufficient and while they're in touch with their emotions, feel uncomfortable being vulnerable about it.

--

I understand if you choose not to write it for any reason, though. Take care 💛💛

-🐻

Stolas X Reader X Blitzo [Comfort]

In which the two stumble upon you crying, and do their best to comfort you.

Of the two, you are likely to be the most down to earth, go with the flow person

It works best that way with two large personalities, they give you all the love and attention you could need

And ultimately, you are very good at working through your own problems more personally, since a lot of them don't concern your lovers

The both of them have a lot of more pressing matters that require a lot of support, though Blitzo is far more begrudging about his issues

It was just that, recently, everyone has been so busy, and you found yourself falling below the line of being 'okay enough'

Except Blitzo had so many clients with IMP recently, and it was that time of year where Stolas has to participate in all kinds of royal ceremonies required of his lineage

So you were mostly home alone, seeing them at the end of the day and, if lucky, during breakfast

It's not to say they were neglecting you or one another, but there was a mutual understanding that the three of you had very demanding lives- or at least, they did

Everything was just becoming a bit much, and you found yourself spending most your day shut in

One evening, Stolas came home a tad earlier than expected

He knew you'd be home, and after a long day he wanted nothing more than to tell you about it and see your face again

He was very troubled when he heard crying coming from your shared room

Probably runs in, blowing the door open and dramatically lifting you up into his arms

" Oh my is everything alright my dear!? "

Like a mask had been switched, you hid your tears and stopped crying, shaking your head

Even if you try to tell him you were just a bit sad, he will not have it, it is extremely rare to see you crying, and knowing you'd been home alone all day he worried you hadn't taken care of yourself

He lets you back into the bed and hushes you, rubbing circles into your back and using his magic to bring the phone to him

" Blitzo, when will you be home? "

" Kind of in the middle of something, Stolas, can it wait? "

" I'm afraid not, you see, our partner- "

" I'll be there in 5. "

Literally there in less, his van is squealing into the driveway and you can hear him running through the halls, and when he enters he is on the phone, likely yelling at Moxie to take care of everything

Both are on you in moments, Blitzo is inspecting you for any injuries and Stolas is soothing you with scratches and comforting gestures

While Stolas will try to coax you into being more open with them, Blitzo is far more direct

Because, fuck! He's worried! And if you don't tell him what's wrong, how can he fix it? How can he make it all better?

As hard as it may be to get things out, they won't leave until they can figure something out for you

Author's Note - I always like s/o with Stolas and Blitz because I imagine reader can be sort fo a mother figure to both Octavia and Loona! Anyhow, thank you for requesting, and please enjoy 🖤

[lost-romantique]

I love how much Sam Haft is talking about Mastermind...

I definitely did notice how Mastermind and Apology Tour are so opposite of each other in messages.

Apology Tour left Blitz more humbled as he realizes the gravity of his sins, and as he (in his eyes) loses Stolas completely.

But Ghostfuckers is supposed to be the turning point for Blitzø’s character as he is pushed to the brink of insanity, and has to be saved by Millie in order to get out of the experience alive.

Blitzø learns from Millie in Ghostfuckers that it's okay to be weak and vulnerable, and thst he isn't just some monster that destroys peoples lives.

I just find it so fascinating how Blitzø in his journey of self-actualization, gets rewarded for his self-sacrifice by getting the love and appreciation of his found family and by his peers.

For people that don't know, self-actualization is a concept based off Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

For the longest time, Blitzø was moreso busy focusing on his safety and physiological needs versus actually fixing himself; and I feel like a part of that is due to his years alone he spent after the fire. Blitz was forced into a mindset of "survival" and he never really left that mindset, even after creating I.M.P. As a result, of ignoring his trauma for so long, it ended up giving him a very fucked up way of thinking that severely impacted his relationships in the long run.

I specifically love the fact that Sam Haft mentions that Mastermind is supposed to be a humbling episode for Stolas as he's actually made aware of how much privilege he possesses.

It really makes me look forward to Stolas' future character development as he "touches grass".

Also, low-key don't understand why some people were surprised Stolas would actually go to great lengths to save Blitz...

Of course he would, Stolas has always put others needs before his own, it's a part of his character.

Legit, a huge part of Stolas' character development as a whole is him standing up for himself, and putting his wants and needs first before his own.

It's one of the things he learns from Blitz that he states time and time again, "he taught me I could choose" to "I am the mastermind, the master of my fate".

I think the sad part is that the fate he chose and honestly yearned for was the sweet release of death...

Christ on a stick, Stolas babe, please gain a support network. Honey, you fucking need it. Desperately.

Go be best friends with Moxxie and watch Cats together or something, please. That way Blitz and Millie could go hang out and commit arson or something.