#[i continue to have many thoughts and feelings and most of them are about stolitz]

[helldustedstories]

Man, I keep just thinking about G.hostfuckers. I genuinely enjoyed it, and I just keep going back to it again. But if that's how Blitz has been coping (or not coping) for the last month, what is Stolas doing? Is he dealing with divorce stuff? Is he drinking even more? Is he still off his meds?

I know we're getting Mastermind this month, and now that my anxiety about G.hostfuckers is over, I get to be anxious about Mastermind and Sinsmas all over again. While we had vague ideas about G.hostfuckers from trailers and panels, I know literally one thing about Mastermind, and not how it fits in anywhere. (which is fine! I kind of love going into it pretty much completely blind, but I'm also just ANXIOUS. Because despite dancing and laughing with someone, my boy is Not Doing Well (tm).)

And right now, I'm just clinging to the shot of Blitz and Stolas from the trailer because otherwise, I might not make it through the upcoming two episodes.

[dgoldhunter]

I'm so done...

Don't get me wrong, I loved many things about apology tour (mainly Verosika) but I was hoping this to be the break from the drama of Stolitz instead of a continuation of it. And thought I loved Verosika and her final interactions with Blitz... it felt a little... I dunno.. not logical? (not her interactions, but most of the episode)

Stolas and Blitz relationship is a whole can of worms on its own, but I'm on the team that Stolas was forcing Blitz, like I mean in the pilot of HB it showed how uncomfortable Blitz was with him, and in the very first episode how he was forced to it since he was in a very dire situation (and Stolas knew about it, since he is seeing it developing in real time throught his bubbles)... (and I mean, the pilot face says it all)

But back on track...

So my questions, how Verosika knew about their break up? All of it happened between Stolas home, not even in public, and I don't think Stolas posted it on social media... also Why is she treating him so nicely and touchy? I mean on Ozzies, the bouncer showed reverence when he saw Stolas and let him in alongside Blitz.

I could see her treating him with more respect, or asking him if its alright to hug him or something because of his royal status, or at least refer to him as "your highness" (and in Stolas fashion he would be like "Oh don't need to be so formal but eh... anyway). Sure, they are in a more casual and comfortable environment, but even then, there are some manners expected when approaching a royal. If you are going to disregard his status, then why have a ladder with the different races and their social hierarchy? I get it was to show how sweet Verosika was really, but there could be a ton of approaches to this (and it wasn't hard to tell, since she was only mean to Blitz and has been speculated since her first appearance she is really nice and lovely once you get to know her).

And talking about approaches, this episode could be PERFECT to explore more about Blitz and Verosika. Yes, they talked at the end and we get to hear that the shitshow Blitz pulled on Verosika was after she told him she loved him (and she admitted she was embarrassed since it was the first time she felt that way). Put Stolas on the sidelines for a little while, and focus on these two. Maybe not a hearfelt talk for the whole episode, but making Blitz realize that before he could apologize to Stolas, he needed to work on himself first and foremost(because his apology to him was very forced as well). I think their talk came too quickly, and even then, why talk? Why Blitz would ask Stolas for forgiveness? In his eyes on Full Moon, Stolas was using him and he ended their contract, so he snapped (rightfully so, he first forced him and now is tossing him aside).

Or hell, make it about Blitzo and his past relationships including her, how he fucked up every single one of them, knowing about more about how he meet them, how he fucked up in every single one of them, make him feel remorse since the beginning, not to just feel remorse at the end just because he couldn't get the uwu bird back. (In one episode of "The mentalist" TLDR: Doc Dungan, a football star, is told to the media to be dead when in fact he is alive. He gets to watch what people really think of him, including his ex wife, and gradually this was the wake up call he needed to stop being a self-centered asshole, more things of the episode of course, but i liked this take, now that Blitz was in a somewhat similar situation of him not being dead but having the opportunity to see and hear his exs opinions, honest opinions, about him, not just the hate part).

And... putting all this behind, WTF with Verosika's psycho break with the cake? Her voice completly changed and it feel... odd. Sure, she is not fan of Blitz, and everytime he showed up, she showed the contempt and the bitterness towards him. So this change of personality of hers stabbing the cake with so much malicious intent felt really odd coming from her. Like, following HB logic (ugh, and there isn't much), this outburst is more like how Stella would react to a Stolas cake, seeing her cartoonish hate towards him and how she treats him. Verosika never had that type of "hate" towards Blitzo. In Spring Broken aside from the fight on the parking lot, she was ignoring him, until he came to challenge her. And in Ozzies was a coincidence both of them were there at the same time, and she took the opportunity when it presented to diss on him.

So her acting like a maniac vengeful ex who wants him dead seems a non logical change (and if she wanted him dead, like the scene implied, she has the resources to ask for a hitman). I get the cake was there as pettiness symbol. But still pettiness is different from hate. And then revert that change that on was during 2/4 of the episode (the manical laughter also set me off).

At the end it was showed that she still cares for him in a way (showed in the lasts bits of the episode)... so? I would also expect that kind of murderous rage from people with absolute hate and bitterness (again, like how they are depicting Stella, damn, Stella acted the same way when discussing Stolas death if I recall and in other situations when Stolas was almost hurt).

I don't think she was acting to make him feel welcome (because Stolas looked uncomfortable when she started to act that way, and I get many exes would have those feelings towards him, but... ) and she definitely wasn't drunk, even if she have been drinking since the start of the party, it think at this point, she has a very high tolerance, so she would need a lot more to get drunk.

So yea, I loved Verosika and her return, but I expected an episode centered around her (like spring broken was) instead of shifting the focus again to stolas and blitz, who have been the main focus since the beginning of season 2. If Verosika knew about the whole shit Stolas pulled, I don't think she would have invited him to the party, since the exes part means a consesual relationship, something that Blitz and Stolas thing wasn't. Hell, I think if she could, she would have called him out (again, yes, she hates Blitz, but she still cares, I don't think she would have liked to know how his ex was raped repeatedly) since now its shown that his royal status is bleh.

So yeah, the episode felt like a excuse to comfort Stolas, still make Blitz the bad guy, give Stolas the thumbs up and comfort while Blitz rots in self hate. Verosika being the tool to comfort the poor uwu bird.

Uf, this was a long rant, and even if you don't agree, that's fine. I'm just a guy who loves Verosika Mayday... but is already tired of the writing that pushes this couple at the center of all of it.

[amalthea-13]

Setting More Boundaries

Alright. Didn't think I'd wake up having to post one of these, again However, it seems someone was mad at me for something I wrote and resorted to insulting me, again. I thought the issue was resolved, but alas it was not.

This specific person, we'll just call em Blue. Blue didn't agree with my take on Mastermind. I have told many people before that you do not have to agree with how I view Mastermind or even agree with any of my content on this blog. This blog is for me and other Stolas Stans. This was never a "neutral ground". While I am fair to Blitz and can point out when I am wrong, this blog was not conceived on neutrality.

I had explained this all well in my essay; What Made Me Defend Stolas so Staunchly?, and this person just- went the hell off on me in my comments. In said post, Blue decided to insult my OC who I ship with Stolas. This OC is deeply personal to me and I made an offhand joke that they were "made out of spite", but the person took that and told me my OC was a "Gary Stu".

I spent HOURS trying to reply to this person in a fair way. I really didn't want to cuss them out, but insulting this OC despite having NO INFORMATION about them??? It pissed me off. I'll admit it. It took me a hot minute to cool down and remind myself of my moral standard. To remind myself this person has every right to dislike me or my blog and that is okay.

So I took a deep breathe and kindly explained to them that I "cannot reply to them without nearly cussing them out", but that I hope they had a good day and I apologize, but I am to emotionally charged to handle this conversation. I never want to hurt people's feelings, even if they hurt mines.

They went on continuing to berate me, my oc, and called my takes "bad". Beyond that I cannot remember how the conversation devolved. I didn't block them because when I checked their blog I saw they made Stolitz Art I really liked. I mean their Stolitz Week Art had all been liked by me.

My ego was incredibly beat down bc this wasn't just- some person anymore. Blue was an artist I liked and respected. Therefore, I just complimented their work in the comments and told them I really hope they have a good day.

Blue proceeded to realize I was genuine and we DMed one another. We both apologized on our parts. While we have radically differing views, things remained cordial since that day. We don't talk intimately or at all and I assumed we left off in a neutral zone.

That was until this morning. Blue proceeds to rescind their apology. This DM came to me outta the blue and I was genuinely confused since my recent essays were all just analysis on Stolas. The most "inflammatory" thing I'd done was point out my issues with certain arguments lately, but then it hit me.

Now, I want to explain this action was innocent on my part. While yes it made me giggle a bit, I had no intent of spiting Blitz or being against him.

Recently, I changed my blog's aesthetic. I really liked the vibes surrounding Apology Tour, just aesthetically as an episode. I changed my banner to the lovely scenery of Stolas's home. Just purely because it took my breathe away. However, this person took my PFP change to be me I guess- "being biased"???

For anyone who doesn't know- my PFP is of Better Than Blitz Guy dancing with Stolas during Apology Tour. I chose this PFP purely because I liked it. I think Blue is confusing them for my OC which is just- not true. My OC is an Imp+Incubus Hybrid, not just an incubus. My OC also has never been posted publicly so again, I don't know where Blue is getting any of this fuel to insult them from.

They proceed to say that I "blame Blitz for everything" when I have stated that's not true. In plenty of essays I have pointed out how Stolas can be short sighted and unintentionally hurt Blitz, check the Stolas, Via, and Loo Loo Land essay for that. Anyone who has read my blog knows that I do not solely blame Blitz, but I do get frustrated with his actions, that's it. They proceed to go and insult my OC again and tell me my "analysis is one sided". They then send me a screenshot from- The Octavia Dilemma of all things??? An essay I have explained was a personal rant with it's own unique disclaimer and supplemental reading to explain my POV on???

This specific section took me ages to find, but this section was not a slight against Blitz. I was explaining I believed Stolas also sacrificed himself for Blitz for Loona's sake. I wasn't slighting Blitz here, I was simply explaining I think Stolas partly protected Blitz to also shield Loona from a fatherless life. Read The Octavia Dilemma yourself, there is a disclaimer and not ONCE do I insult or slight Blitz so I do not know what Blue was bringing this up for. I have read that essay over 15 times at this point and do not know where or how they took this as me being rude to Blitz.

What Do I Expect in The Future?

Genuinely, all I want from you all as an audience if- if you don't like me or this blog? Just block me man. Genuinely, it will not hurt my feelings. It will not bruise my ego. It will not make me go nuts. I just want to protect my peace man.

Blue, if you're even reading this. You have a good day man. Genuinely, I don't understand what I did wrong. You blocked me before I could respond and I do apologize, but the things you pointed out had nothing to do with Blitz. Anyone who has been on my blog knows I love BTB Guy x Stolas. I think it's a wholesome ship, but I also adore Stolitz as my comfort ship. Aesthetic changes to my blog do not mean I dislike or hate Blitz. If you had a problem, from the jump, just block me then.

To my audience, if you have an issue with me just send in an ask. An anon ask or whatever, I will try my best to resolve the issue and explain my perspective, but for fuck's sakes do not insult me or my OCs. Do not sit here and act like you know me or how my mind works.

The singular thing to set me off is an insult. Especially if I never insulted the person I'm interacting with. I never insulted Blue and they just kept hurling insults my way during our first interaction. Even after I told them to please just leave my OC alone. Soleil did nothing wrong by existing. Genuinely, please just leave my OC alone. I don't post them for a reason and just- want them to be left alone.

You don't have to like OC x Canon or whatever, but please don't talk shit about them. Disagree and dislike, but please leave my OCs alone. They mean everything to me and I just want to have my sweet guilty pleasure in peace...

Moving on the boundaries set are;

1.) If you do not like my blog or takes, BLOCK ME.

2.) If you do want to conversate, DON'T INSULT ME or MY OCs.

I hope this all isn't to much to ask. I'm just- so tired of dealing with being insulted.

[sludgekludge]

It honestly kind of frustrates me they tried to do the whole childhood friends aspect with Stolas and Blitz when 1. Blitz was BOUGHT for Stolas for a day, and 2, Blitz already HAD a childhood best friend— Fizzarolli. Why not use The Circus episode to expand on what happened with Fizz and Blitz, instead? That would have been perfect for it since it already shows young Blitz and Fizz!

But no, we get a childhood friends to lovers yaoi slop episode that makes no sense and basically sands down the toxic relationship we thought they would have.

I was half expecting something to come up with that— a dramatic revelation where Blitz reveals he and Stolas were never friends, shattering Stolas’ delusion of them being in love. Hell, using the conversion from Ozzie’s could have helped this, too— with Blitz only going along with it to get the book.

They had SO many ideas they could use, paths they could take yet they make sure to swan dive into the ones that don’t make sense or try to actively retcon things we saw in the first season. It’s why after the Circus I completely lost interest in Helluva, only watching the rest of the season to see if it’d get better. I’m only watching the next episode, Sinsmas, and then plan on dropping the show entirely. Still so gobsmacked what a shitshow it’s become.

it is completely and utterly insane that they retconned in the 'childhood friends' thing so hard, it still baffles me. i recall watching the circus for the first time while binging the whole series and just being so convinced it was gonna end up being a dream or fantasy at the end because it was such a hard pivot from what ep 1 conceived the stolitz relationship to be. it's such a nonsense decision that i'm still baffled, honestly. that, and they want us to view it as like, cute and wholesome? stolas' first friend? girl blitz's dad sold him to you and then you never spoke again? the fact viv apparently claims this was the plan all along is so funny. it's so obviously the most forced fanfiction-trope retcon of all time. i can't fathom it. it's nonsense.

that aside, i agree, though - if fizz was going to be in the show as much as he is, then i have no idea why they didn't use him to fill the childhood friend hole, especially given that it comes before all the abrupt fizz development. why not set that up now? establish the childhood friend with the same lived experiences that blitz actually chose (and continued to) hang out with? but no welcome to our episode titled 'the circus', it's largely about stolas and not about our main character who grew up in the fucking circus-

i'm probably on stuck on this gravy train till it tumbles over a cliff and explodes, finally freeing me from these fuckass shows, (says this even though i still haven't watched ghostfuckers lmfao oops) but i've seen a lot of people drop it now that s2 is almost over and i'm not at all shocked. i do wonder how much the show in its current state alienates fans who were drawn in by the initial premise or the original setup of the stolas dynamic. episode 1 feels like a completely different piece of media at this point. it's going to be fascinating to compare the first few eps to the last when this thing is finally done and dusted.

[marithlizard]

Fic recs: Helluva Boss

Haven't seen any rec lists on here yet, so here's 10 of my favorite Stolitz fics on AO3, in no particular order.  Tagging @fangirlforthewin for encouraging the idea.

There's so much great stuff being written over there that it was seriously hard to choose.  If you’ve got your own list of favorites I’d love to see it!

1.  Soaked and Sullen by  IchijouKenichiro and  mckittericks Those two are terrible at talking about their feelings, but I've rarely seen them avoid it as entertainingly as they do in this one-shot about a reluctant group vacation with their daughters.

2. Should We Voyage Far by audiopilot Would I have thought a Western AU would work? No. Did it?  Spectacularly.  Blitzo spends most of his time living alone in the woods, haunted by the past, until a traveler shows up wanting to rent a room.  I can't say enough about the grim atmospheric beauty of this one.  Complete with a sequel in progress!

3. if you could only see the beast you've made of me (held it in but now it seems you set it running free)  by Helpneedmorefanfics Not sure if it's true in canon, but I do enjoy the idea of Blitzo being not merely good in bed but good with ethical BDSM and teaching Stolas the ropes (pun intended).  This one-shot about the charged and complicated sex after "Truth Seekers" is hot enough to fry an egg on.

4. you were raised by wolves and voices; every night I hear them howling  by Helpneedmorefanfics The best kind of horror is rooted in dark emotions that the audience can't help but feel sympathy with.  Stolas...has a lot of those.   Another gorgeous one-shot.  (Also you want to read their entire oeuvre, trust me.)

5. The Mating Habits of Imps by AjWriter Lots of clever story ideas from this writer (not always happy, mind the tags). I picked this one because Stolas finding ways to make a wary Blitzo feel content and safe despite himself is just catnip as far as I'm concerned.

6. One Time by slinkinginshadows  Progeny by Paperbackedbastard  Taking Responsibility by AshInTheWind I was going to skip all the megapopular fics because they're easy to find, but then it seemed silly not to include these great continuing mpreg sagas. If you're in the mood for warm and fuzzy (mostly) family-building, they deliver.

7. Echoes by LovelyZelda Alternating between the past and the events of the show, adding so much bittersweet depth for both Blitzo and Stolas, this one is just a gem.  I love everything LovelyZelda has written but Echoes is my favorite.

8.  Before the Thunder Rolls  by Novaeris This take on the "Real Fast" night is excellent, but this author has so many good stories I almost had to roll a die to make myself choose one and I’m still wibbling even now about whether to swap it with “Dusk till Dawn”. 

9. The Awkward Neighbors Saga by AsagiStilinski I've gotten way more invested in this ongoing well-done human AU than I ever expected to.  RadioDust and Fizz/Ozzie (what's the ship name for them?) as well as Stolitz, with a particularly moving backstory for Blitzo and Loona.  

10.  Broken Laws of Attraction by agentstarling If denial is a river in Egypt,  Blitzo thinks he's an expert sailor. He is not. And this one-shot is a delicious shipwreck.

[cdreemurr84]

The Most Unlikely Thing

A Stolitz Wedding One-Shot

Inspired by this lovely art by @sator-the-wanderer on Instagram (Link at the end)

(Note: This is my first time writing with Helluva Boss Characters—I was worried they wouldn’t be in character, but I hope you enjoy!!)

Most would say a night like this would never happen. That it was one of the many outlandish and downright ridiculous thoughts that appeared within the mind of anyone who knew them. If you said it outloud, you’d get a quick laugh out of the person you told, then the subject would be changed in an instant-as if it was never said at all.

Moxxie had that thought once. Right around 2AM he woke up from an uneventful dreamscape, and processed the thought with every ounce of his intellect. Even after that, it still made no sense. He turned to Millie’s side, taking a deep breath before he spoke.

“Millie? Are you awake?”

His wife stirred for a moment, a small yawn before she responded. “Yeah, Moxx?” She mumbled.

“I...had a weird thought..” He sat up, running his hand through his snow-white hair, soon scratching the top of his head.

“What was it?” She sat up a little, both curious and worried about what he might be thinking.

“Well-” He paused for a moment, giving the room a good look around before he continued. If a certain someone was here, listening, he wouldn’t hear the end of it. “It’s about Blitz and uh...Prince Stolas.”

Millie’s golden eyes widened as her tail started swishing like a curious cat. Any worry she had was gone, now she wanted to know all the details surrounding this. “Well?? Don’t keep me in suspense!” She smiled eagerly, shaking him by the arm a little.

“So like...and this is just a hypothetical..” He chuckled, smiling nervously for a quick second. “I just wondered for a second...well..” At this moment their eyes were locked, Moxxie’s face now torn between smiling or frowning. He had no idea what to feel. “Do you think they could ever...end up like us?”

Millie tilted her head, raising a brow. “Ya mean like...married ‘n stuff?”

Moxxie nodded a few times. “Yeah, Yeah! Do you...do you think-?”

She put a hand on her chin. “Well...I don’t think it isn’t possible. I mean...I’m pretty sure...excluding their little agreement...maybe they do like each other..”

“Do they though?” He started to lay down again, now staring at the ceiling. “I mean clearly Stolas likes him to the point where he won’t stop gushing over him. But...Blitz?”

“Who knows, hon. Blitz hardly talks about how he really feels. Maybe he does. And maybe one day they will…” The last thing didn’t sound so sure.

Moxxie turned his head. “But?”

“All relationships are complex, Moxx. And those two? Hell, it could take them years before they even think about something like that. But then again…”

“What?”

“Sometimes the thing you least expect might happen sooner than you think.”

Moxxie blinked a couple times, squinting a bit. “Sooo...you do or you don’t think they could-” He was interrupted by Millie giving him a kiss on the lips. She turned the light off next, shifting back into her sleeping position.

“Goodnight, Moxxie.”

Moxxie sighed, slowly closing his eyes as sleep began to cloud his mind again.

He still couldn’t believe he actually thought that. Although it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, it still surprised him no less. But despite how much he just wanted to forget it, it made him think about what Millie said.

It was true Blitz was starting to show a small glimmer of affection towards the Goetian Prince, especially since the rescue from a few nights ago. The concern and sudden display of power through a demonic transformation was enough to make Blitz gawk at the sight of it. And the way Stolas gently cupped his face asking if he was alright afterwards made everyone else in the room stare, Blitz feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole situation.

Yet it still made him think that maybe...just maybe something like that could happen. But that wasn’t up to him. Whatever they decided would leave this idea, this thought, completely within the hands of faith itself.

And with that, Moxxie fell asleep.

———————

Three years ago, it was never spoken of outside of that one night. And neither of the two had ever acted upon such a decision until much much time had passed. But now the stars were in their favor.

The sky was a dark, beautiful crimson that had mixed with a captivating wine purple. The stars were scattered, dusting the sky and turning it into a dazzling display of twilight.

They had kept it small, the only ones being present were close friends and family—which was basically four people. But it didn’t matter how many people were there, or where they did it. All that mattered was that it happened—which had ended up on the roof of I.M.P’s office building.

The vows had been short, with a few important bits here and there; Moxxie having to be both the one to wed them and the best man to the boss himself. He wasn’t sure he had the exact authority to do so, but both explained it was better than having someone else they didn’t know. Because once this got out, they’d have a whole other thing to deal with. But that was a future problem they would solve when it became relevant to them.

Blitz was given a stepstool so he could reach Stolas without having to stand on the tips of his toes. He didn’t want the stepstool, saying that he’d look like a complete joke. But if Stolas had to lift him up for this part, he would be unable to think clearly from the embarrassment.

Stolas didn’t seem to care how many people were present, or where they decided to host the reception. There was only one thing that mattered in this moment, and the smile of genuine compassion refused to leave his face the entire night. Blitz looking up with him while trying to contain himself only seemed to make him smile more. He was adorable.

Both eagerly waited for Moxxie to finish up, Blitz trying to keep himself from falling off the stool by how much he was moving. Of course he stood perfectly still once he heard the last few words out of Moxxie’s mouth.

“You may now kiss—”

Blitz practically jumped into Stolas’ embrace, quickly locking lips with him as the two slowly started to get lost in intimacy.

The four clapped while giving the newly weds smiles of congratulations. But those quickly faded away when they noticed the two weren’t paying attention anymore. The passionate kissing lasted for almost two minutes before Loona had to break them away from each other.

“Hey, lovebirds. Maybe wait till none of us can see you.” She rolled her eyes, putting Blitz down after basically pulling him off of Stolas.

Blitz put a hand on his head, taking a look around. “Oh shit, I forgot we were doing this.”

Stolas bent over with a light chuckle, booping Blitz’s nose. “-and aren’t you so glad we did, Blitzy~?”

The Imp pushed his face away as he blushed a bit more. “Yeah yeah just…don’t make it a bigger deal than it already is..”

“Looks like someone’s trying to pretend he can’t be romantic for once.” Moxxie smirked, making Blitz turn around in retaliation. His face was now a different form of red.

“Well you know what, Moxxie?! You—!” Then he stopped, biting his lip as he put his accusing finger away. “You…did..a good job…tonight..” He mumbled under his breath.

Moxxie kept smirking, raising a hand to where his ear would be. “Oh, what was that? Could you repeat what you said a little louder?”

Blitz shifted uncomfortably, hoping this was the last time. None of this was like him. And in front of his entire friend circle too!

“You…didagoodjobtonight..” He said it louder as per Moxxie’s request, just a bit faster than normal. Now everyone heard him…however-

“Maybe a little louder…and slower?” He leaned in closer.

“Goddammit, Moxxie! I already held back insulting you just let me have this!” He snapped a little, making everyone else just laugh in response. Moxxie put a hand on his shoulder, his smile genuine.

“Thanks, Blitz.”

———————

The rest of the wedding had lasted a couple hours. Since the group was so small, dancing and talking underneath Hell’s strangely unnatural starlight felt more meaningful.

Eventually, M&M had to leave. But they wished the two best of luck, the wedding present they got the only thing left of them from tonight. Octavia and Loona decided to head inside the office to give their dads space. Now that they were legally sisters, hanging out would feel more genuine. Like you had someone else there looking out for you. Loona now was able to shout anything about being her big sister to anyone who tried to mess with them.

Up on the roof, Blitz and Stolas were laying down on what used to be the tablecloth to the buffet, staring at the stars. Blitz had taken advantage of using Stolas’ chest as a fluffy pillow. It was so comforting, like he could just lay there forever and never get up. But then…something did make him get up. He sat and hugged his knees close, his expression somewhat distraught. His eyes turned briefly to the owl demon, feeling strange.

“Stolas?” He finally broke the silence.

Stolas had already taken note of Blitz sitting up. But he quickly sat up when next he saw his partner’s face.

“What’s the matter, Blitzy? Are you feeling alright?” His questions were genuine, making Blitz feel worse.

“Is this…is this what you want? Do you really want…me?” Something in his voice cracked and that made Stolas’ heart feel a strike of pain.

“Of course I do! Tell me, what brought this on?” He held Blitz’s chin in his hand gently so their eyes met once more.

“It’s…It’s just how we started out. And everything after that…I don’t know why it took me so fucking long to actually admit that I…” He paused. “…felt this way.”

“And?”

“And…I didn’t think that you would actually..! You…You said yes.” His eyes started to water. “Why the hell did you say yes?!”

Stolas pulled him in close, caressing his back. “Because I love you, Blitzy…And you being there all those times, even when I didn’t truly feel this way—it still meant something to me. And I know it meant something to you.”

Blitz let out a crying sound, something he would never do. At least, not in public. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he just felt so vulnerable now…and he hated it. Stolas quickly responded to this by cupping his face and lifting it up so they were at eye level again.

The Imp’s lip was quivering and his eyes were bloodshot enough to almost blend in with his eye color. The tears were staining his cheeks, big droopy ones making him look like an absolute wreck. He looked even more embarrassed now than he did before.

Stolas wiped some of the tears away with one of his hands, a comforting smile. “Oh, Blitzy…do you think we’d really be here if I didn’t feel this way?”

He sniffed, trying to contain himself before he responded. “No..None of this would be…” He took a deep breath. “I guess I’m so used to pushing people away I never thought you’d actually stick around.”

Stolas gave him another kiss, shorter than before, but something about this one felt even more emotional than the last. Something about this one made Blitz want nothing more than to be with him. No matter what his fears were telling him.

“I love you, Blitzy…” It was the third or fourth time he had said it tonight, but this time it felt deeper.

“I love you too, Stolas…” He returned the kiss, both landing back down on the floor.

It was at that moment they refused to let this feeling leave them. For even though the memory of this magical night would fly by, they would never ever forget it.

End.

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[vizowrites]

“We” vs “Me”| or “Why BlitzStrike Works So Well For Me But Stolitz [as of episode 6].....Doesn’t”

Alright my Loves, so I said that I was going to talk in further detail about my feelings regarding Stolas and the multi-layered portrayal of his relationship with Blitz in the new episode, and today’s the day where that happens!!  First of all, though, before I really get into my feelings about things, I want to just make it ABUNDANTLY clear that I’m not trying to sway anyone from one side to the other, or trying to shame anyone for shipping two fictional characters.  I’m fully in the boat that you are completely entitled to ship whoever you want, but I also think it’s wise to at least be able to recognize the faults and flaws in a pairing--and especially to be able to recognize them in the context of an IRL relationship.  In this analysis in particular, I’m specifically focusing on these two relationships within the realm of the Helluva Boss universe [......Hell] and within the specific context of their characters as they’ve been portrayed in the show thus far.  And, my biggest disclaimer of all: I’m doing this for no other reason than I felt like putting my jumbled thoughts together into a cohesive post so that they don’t have to stay bouncing and buzzing around in my head.  Please keep that in mind that this is just pure personal opinion and interpretation before anyone comes at me with torches and pitchforks.  <3 <3 

SO WITH THAT LONG ASS DISCLAIMER OUT OF THE WAY 

Let’s finally get to the good stuff.  And the not so good stuff.  :D

So I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone who follows me here that I’m a huge BlitzStrike fan.  What I think fewer people know is that when I first entered the fandom a few months ago, I actually was on board the Stolitz train like so many others that I’ve met here in the fandom.  Naturally Stolitz was the first major pairing I was introduced to, and I did find both the characters of Blitz and Stolas incredibly interesting and compelling in their own rights AND saw the potential in how they could really come to grow into one hell of a relationshp over time.  I was honestly really excited to see it happen, too.  

And then I watched Episode 5 [still my favorite episode, btw] for the first time and had this sudden question hit me like a truck that even now is still relentlessly burning in the back of my mind because I still haven’t found a legitimate answer for it: Why in the FUCK wasn’t Blitz falling head-over-heels in attraction to Striker throughout this fucking episode??

And I don’t mean that in a “They’re so hot and I ship them now why didn’t they get together?? DX DX” kind of way--I mean that in the genuinely perplexed “I don’t understand based on what has been presented to me thus far about Blitz as a character and the storyline overall why he’s reacting so nonchalantly to this whole thing”.  To Note: This is me wondering this from the context of what’s in the show itself, not from any extra fan materials like the Instas or Twitter or just straight up knowing that the most likely answer is that there are people on the creative team that ship Stolitz really hard and realistically wouldn’t have probably written Blitz as being attracted to Striker because that would just be--to quote Jack Sparrow--blowing holes in their own ship.  No, this is me disregarding ALL of that and trying to rationalize this with myself from the perspective of a fan whose entire knowledge of the show and its characters comes exclusively from what’s in the episodes themselves.  .....And that’s where I just can’t find my answer, except for the Stolitz positive “He’s not attracted to Striker because he’s in love with Stolas” answer.  Which really doesn’t even feel like a satisfying answer, because the entire vibe I’ve gotten from Stolitz in the show has just felt.....strangely.....off.  Like, the framework is there and the elements are there, but I’d felt as though they had so far to go still that it would be entire SEASONS before they got there.    

And THEN the new episode [Episode 6] came out and I’d heard a handful of fans going crazy because the show was finally addressing Stolitz in full, and I thought to myself, “Well, maybe if the show really is going to go with saying that the reason Blitz wasn’t interested in Striker is because he’s in love with Stolas.....sure.  I’m curious to see how they finally establish it in an episode, especially since there’s only two more episodes left in the entire first season.”  And then I watched the episode.  And then it hit me why Stolitz just does not do a damn thing for me but BlitzStrike does despite the fact that we’ve had 4/6 episodes [5/7 if you count the Pilot] of Stolitz but only 1/6 [1/7] of potential--not even canonical--BlitzStrike:

When Striker talks about Blitz, or interacts with Blitz, he always talks about them as a “we”.  As a team.  A partnership.  OR he just straight up puts the entire focus on Blitz and his accomplishments and keeps himself out of it entirely.

When Stolas talks about Blitz, he always talks about them within the context of “me”--of himself--of what Blitz does or should do for him.  Even here in episode 6, in the most “selfless” instance we’ve seen yet, where he does ask about Blitz’s safety first BEFORE going right back into how Blitz’s actions affect him and what Blitz should be doing in response for him.  Stolas’s focus is always automatically set to himself--and even when it comes to the people he supposedly loves the most.  

To explain what I mean here, let me give some examples directly from the show itself, starting with the Stolas side of things: 

Episode 1

Blitz, in the middle of trying to hide so much that he actually clamps both of his hands over his mouth just to muffle the sound of his own breathing, knowing damn well that this psychotic bitch who already shot him once won’t hesitate to do it again if she finds him.....gets a call from Stolas.  Stolas, who we clearly see from his leisurely hang out time in his bubble bath, is literally watching this happen and is fully aware that calling Blitz right then was potentially putting him in danger. But what does he say when he gets Blitz on the phone?  He offers--not help--but Blitz the use of his book in exchange for monthly sex.  Stolas literally uses Blitz’s peril as leverage here--consciously or not, though given the fact that he knows the situation at hand, I’d find it very hard to argue that he didn’t do this on purpose--just to get him to agree to be his bootycall until further notice.  

Stolas not only doesn’t lift a finger to help Blitz once in all of this--even at the moment where he and Millie are about to be shot in the face--but instead continues to stay on the phone talking about all of the things he wants for their upcoming future rendezvous.  He already got exactly what he wanted out of this and he still just continues to go for more for himself.

Episode 2

.....There are honestly so many fucked up things that happen here as far as Stolas and his relationship with Blitz goes but honestly the thing I want to draw the MOST attention to is actually Stolas’s storyline with his daughter, Octavia.  I know it’s a little left field, but bear with me--this is actually something I want to use as comparison for Stolas’s relationship to Blitz as we go along:

When Stolas first decides that he’s going to take his daughter to Loo Loo Land, he does so while completey setting aside the fact that she doesn’t want to go.  He just offers her assurances that it’s going to be so much fun because he remembers that she loved it so much when she was a little girl--effectively putting his memory above her wishes even as she’s sitting right there and telling him that she doesn’t enjoy the idea of going now.  

Stolas doesn’t actually notice just how uncomfortable he’s making Octavia throuhought their entire trip by spending his time sexually harassing paying more attention to Blitz than he is trying to cheer her up.  This tells me that Stolas--though I do believe he genuinely wanted to do something to make her happy--still wasn’t able to completely overcome his own self-centered tendencies at first even when it’s for her.  And this is the person that Stolas loves more than anyone or anything else in the entire world. It still wasn’t enough.

It’s only when Octavia runs off and completely breaks down that Stolas finally gets the much needed slap-to-the-face of reality to understand just what he’s putting his daughter through--and, for the first time in the entire show, he actually puts someone else’s needs and well being above himself.  It’s the one solid honest display of love that we see from Stolas in the entire show--and it’s how we as the audience come to learn that that’s how Stolas shows that he loves someone: When he puts their needs above his own with no strings attached or expectations of something in return.  A true selfless act just because he loves them.  **Keep in mind the parallel of Stolas carrying Octavia out of Loo Loo Land at the end, and how it compares to Stolas carrying Blitz out of D.H.O.R.K.S headquarters.

Episode 5

The. Fucking. Cigarette.  I had no idea that something so small and quick would be able to infuriate me as much as it did, but the fact that Blitz used the post sex cigarette to free Stolas from his wrist bondage but then Stolas turned around and put the cigarette out on Blitz’s horn which is literally a part of Blitz’s body just.....honestly it sums up exactly what I’m trying to get across in this entire huge ass post: Stolas only ever thinks of himself first and anything pertaining to anyone else just doesn’t cross his mind at all unless you blatantly put it there in front of his face.  And the fact that he’s still at this point with Blitz all the way here in Episode 5 is not.....promising for their relationship.

The fact that Stolas literally cannot stop himself from calling Blitz “Blitzy” or talking to him in such a condescending way no matter how frustrated Blitz gets and how many times he asks him to stop.  I just--how is that supposed to be interpreted as someone talking to a person that they love?  There’s no respect or dignity given to Blitz at all on Stolas’s part, and the fact that it seems to be presented as a “Oh teehee it’s just their cute couple thing” is just.....I really, really don’t like that.  It also doesn’t match with the Stolas in the very next episode which I quite frankly think is because the creators have been listening to the feedback from fans and were like “We need to SHOW THEM that Stolas actually does speak to Blitz respectfully!!” but that’s just my personal opinion there and, also, it still didn’t happen.  

Episode 6 

Keeping in mind that THIS is finally the episode where we see Stolas actually save Blitz from danger and demonstrate even the slightest inclination towards his well-being.....I think that honestly makes the next few things here even more fucked up

First and foremost: “WE”.  The second after Stolas asks if Blitz is alright and gets the assurance that he is, he roughly grabs his cheek and points out that “If you get in trouble, I get in trouble!  WE don’t want that”.  The fact that this is the first time that Stolas ever talks about Blitz in the context of “we”--when really what he’s really saying is that him [Stolas] getting in trouble is going to be a bad thing for all of them--is just.....so, so disappointing.  At least with this I could hope that perhaps the idea here is that Stolas is genuinely afraid that if he gets in trouble, he won’t be able to protect Blitz from the undoubtedly much worse trouble that he would be in as an imp, but still.  The fact that Stolas immediately reverts back to his self-centered perspective so quickly after supposedly being so worried about Blitz’s wellbeing, really makes it seem as though it’s just his own ass that he’s trying to protect.  And that.....isn’t  exactly what I’d been expecting from “the episode that confirms Stolitz is canon” feedback I’d been hearing.

"Am I going to get ANY thank you for the rescue Bltizy?”  This for me was kind of what actually lead to me having this whole epiphany over Stolas’s selfish perspective in the first place.  I realized that even here--even when he’s just been the most “romantic” towards Blitz that he’s ever been in any previous episodes up until now [and yes this shift in his character was incredibly jarring for me because of that]--Stolas still goes right back to thinking about what he’s going to get out of this now that he knows Blitz is safe.  Let’s take this back to that thing I was saying about Episode 2 and comparing how Stolas rescued Octavia and how he rescues Blitz.  Obviously they’re going to be different because it’s Stolas’s daughter vs his hook up BUT just think about where the focus is for Stolas in both of these scenes.  With Octavia, Stolas is entirely focused on making things up to her--taking her to do something she wants to do--even if it’s something that he himself doesn’t fully understand or isn’t fully into.  That doesn’t matter though, because the entire point is that he’s doing something just for her.  It doesn’t have to be about him.  But now go back to the scene where Stolas is carrying Blitz out of the room.  What does he do?  Ask what Blitz is going to do for him.  That just takes the idea that this scene was a confirmation of their love and throws it right out the window.  Stolas--as we’ve been shown before--would never ask for something in return from someone that he actually loves.  

Now let’s take a look at the one and only episode we have of Striker and Blitz interacting together, with an honorary shout out at hallucination!Striker’s appearance in Episode 6: 

Episode 5: 

Striker knows Blitz’s name.....and he uses it.  He’s literally the ONLY other character that we’ve seen so far refer to Blitz as “Blitz” instead of “Blitzo” or “Blitzy” by someone who wasn’t a member of I.M.P..  Aka someone who wasn’t a member of Blitz’s family.  He shows Blitz respect at that basest level, and only builds on that from there going forward.

Striker first recognizes Blitz for being “the bold imp that started his own killin’ biz”.  Not his hotness, not his skills in the Harvest Moon games because at that point he hasn’t seen them yet.....but for his accomplishment in starting up his own successful business down in Hell.  He treats it as an accomplishment.  With the kind of respect that comes with acknowledging another person for their accomplishments.  Right there, within two seconds of meeting him, Striker demonstrates more respect for Blitz than Stolas has yet to do in the entire show.

The Harvest Moon Festival Games.  Now this is something I find fascinating to think about from Striker’s perspective in particular.  We as the audience are shown pretty early on that Striker has a strong desire to be the one who comes out on top.  He likes the idea of being superior and he openly relishes in the praise and attention he gets for being better than everybody else.  ....Except Blitz.  When they tie in the games, Striker doesn’t seem bothered with sharing the spotlight with him at all.  If anything, he--again--respects just how skilled Blitz is in rightfully earning his place beside him on the stage.  That, to me, is HUGE.  I’m not going to go so far as to say that Striker necessarily sees them as equals because I think that might be going a bit too far for his ego but he does still fully acknowledge that Blitz is in the same general class as him: that is to say, better than most.  Worthy of the same kind of acknowledgement and praise that Striker gets.  I literally can’t get over just how big of a thing that is for what we’ve been shown of Striker’s character, and I think it’s unfortunately something that’s incredibly easy to miss or gloss over. :(

And now--for what I personally think is the most significant thing of all--we have: “We”.  How many times does Striker suggest during that final scene between them that he really wants Blitz to join forces with him as equals?  He never demands that Blitz join up with him, he doesn’t threaten him into joining up with him--Striker barely even hurts Blitz at all during their fight scene compared to how he tried to straight up murder Moxxie--and, most of all, Striker continues to acknowledge that Blitz deserves better than his current arrangement with Stolas.  And he’s right.  But instead of putting it as “I’M right and this is why you should do this”, he always puts his focus on Blitz himself, or the two of them together as a partnership:  “You are so above sucking on a a digusting rich pompous Goetia” | “We could be the most dangerous beings in Hell, Blitz” | “You could partner up with me and klll the unkillable--starting with the one that treats you like a plaything”.  It’s just--I honestly can’t believe it’s taken me this long to put together why Striker appeals so much more to me as a romantic interest for Blitz, but really breaking it down episode by episode and comparing the differences in wording between Striker and Stolas’s dialogue when it comes to Blitz is just.....holy shit. 

Honorary ShoutOut of Episode 6: 

The fact that the only thing hallucination Striker has to say to him is “But you don’t want to do things alone Blitzo!” is really, really interesting to me in the fact that he’s.....not......wrong??  Like, To be fair, Striker, RoboFizz, and Verosika all spill their harsh truths, but the thing is.....Striker’s is markedly different in that his wording really isn’t harsh or aggressive at all the way the other two are.  He’s just kinda stating a fact in an overexaggerated way because tripping balls hallucination sequence.  It’s very interesting to me that that’s the worst that Blitz can imagine him to say--as well as the fact that halluci!Striker calls him “Blitzo”, which is really weird considering that Striker’s never called him “Blitzo” once in the entire show.  Makes me kinda wonder where that came from tbh. 

Alright so, in conclusion of this very long and rambly styie post: I want to take things back to where I started by reiterating that this is not me trying to convince anyone that BlitzStrike is “right” and Stolitz is “wrong”, or that you should stop shipping what you’re shipping in the fandom.  This was just me honestly getting way more excited than I should’ve been over having my “Eureka!” moment for realizing why this new episode didn’t put me back on the Stolitz train like it did for so many other people--and why, in fact, it actually made me think even more favorably of the idea of Blitz and Striker being together.  

Thanks for sticking around with me for this very long read, I hope you found it interesting, and I really really hope that it didn’t piss anyone off or rub too many people the wrong way.  Like I said at the beginning, ship who you want to ship!!  That’s part of the fun of being in a fandom.  I’m just hoping that this might help make it easier to understand at least one perspective on why Stolitz is seen as being so problematic as a ship [as of where they are right now].  

Here’s to seeing where things go from here!! 

[g-on-ef]

Ngl big fears of mine are 1) They screw over Striker's character (ex. He follows Stella's orders without complaint, his business pitch isn't true/his true motive isn't "down with the monarchy", basically turned into your usual generic "must be better than everyone" villain pls I just want him to be at least a decently fleshed out morally grey villain/anti-hero) and 2) They screw over Stolas' character somehow (take away his character development or don't even bother developing him, continue to side with him instead of acknowledging that both Stolas and Stella are in the wrong cuz ye, those two don't love each other anymore but its still wrong to cheat on your spouse and assassinate your spouse respectively, I just want the owl dude to realize his mistakes and flaws and improve as a character).

Also, I really hope they don't force Stolitz cuz as much as I like it, I don't want it forced without any development. Like, at least have Stolas realize that he's been treating Blitz, and by extentions, imps in general, badly and try to improve as a person.

Nonnie I have so many feeling about this so hear me out

When Striker was first introduced I thought hey this guy is cool interesting and definitely an asshole who is impressed by Blitz I'm in love.

His first interaction wit Moxxie I PERSONALLY emphasis on the word personally think he was genuinely trying to see if he was as good as Blitz.

I mean here you have an imp that started his own business so he had to hired someone who was as equally impressive as him.

Most likely he had an idea what Moxxie was like since Millie's parents told him about her they probably told him about Moxxie and he wanted to see if they were right or not.

As the episode progresses you see how an equal he is to Blitz and Blitz is obviously attracted to him since he asked him to join IMP and Striker said yes so obviously these two were impressed wit each other they wanted to work together.

Now onto the speech, y'all I know I made a post about it but damn I can go forever as to why the speech is so fucking amazing and how it relates to the outside world and just everything about the speech just gets me so excited !!!

When you hear it your just like oh shit he's right everything about Hell and it's monarchy and how Blitz is means nothing because at the end of the day he's still following the status quo he's still doing what Hell and everyone thinks of IMPs.

Serving those higher than them.

And it's just Striker is a threat because he brought up some good points and it got you thinking about how EVERYONE views IMPs I mean we even saw a glimpse that the imps hated are annoyed and hurt by how others view them a glimpse along wit Striker's views were enough to get me thinking this character is gonna become a threat to Blitz and even Stolas and the monarchy that runs hell.

I mean he's the first one to openly insult a royal {Blitz doesn't count because of his relationship wit Stolas} so again all that is a perfect recipe for a morally grey character that's gonna become an interesting character that'll be a threat to everyone around him.

... ... ... And than we get to the ending ... ... ... Again I ain't gonna lie I was disappointed. Because like you nonnie I want this character to be fleshed out into a morally grey anti hero character.

I want him to become a threat and start inspiring his people to fight back, to show the royals who really runs hell.

Like this could lead up to such an interesting story tackling a lot of heavy topics basically the adult version of ATLA still be light hearted and funny but dealing wit sensitive topics.

But this is an "adult" cartoon where the humor relies heavily on sexual innuendos, cursing, inappropriate gestures, and other things that can't be shown in children cartoon characters.

If they can have Striker use Stella as a stepping stool to reach his goals that'll be fine wit me cause he can still be a morally grey character. Sadly I don't see that happening.

I don't think Vizipop and her crew are capable enough to handle writing such complexity due to many reasons one being character growth.

Unfortunately nonnie they already ruined Stolas's character.

For me I will take any form of development even if it's small, Stolas had that in the second episode he saw that his actions were hurting his daughter and he chose her above anything else.

When he saw that Via was hurt he chose to put aside his flirting nature and chose to get Via outta the theme park and take her where she wanted to go.

And than episode five happens and we are back to square one.

For me I would have had Stolas and Blitz renegotiating their agreement and have Blitz keep Stolas company like the two spend quality time together that way we can see them become aquaintencess then friends then lovers you know have a healthy normal relationship.

Have Stolas see the errors of his ways have Blitz grow and learn to love himself and accept himself and just watch the relationship happen naturally but again this is a cartoon for "adults" and it's aim for "adults".

We are five episodes in and have yet to see Blitz or any characters grow as individuals, hell we haven't even see them grow closer as a group it basically feels like I'm watching a bunch of random coworkers fighting each other and putting up wit each other because they have to.

Episode three had an opportunity to give us Loona and Blitz moments but all we got were drunken Moxxie horny teenagers and pacing that had no idea what it was doing.

Hell even episode four had it's moments where Blitz and the crew could've worked together but instead was dragged out.

Imma be honest with y'all though I saw no point in that episode I really didn't.

I personally think the episode were Stolas is sad could give us development but if imma be honest with you I think it's gonna be more of a flashback episode than anything else I wanna be wrong and I hope I am.

Honestly I feel as the show progresses we are gonna get Striker being a generic villain that'll give everyone a reason to hate him and BlitzStriker and Stolas would most like not suffer as much as we all think he should.