#No acknowledgement of how Blitz is SUPPOSED to work

[dapperkobold]

How to Make an A-Tier Tier List

I am SICK and TIRED of rubbish tier lists. I get that they're easy and cheap and often used as filler in a youtube channel, but so many are SO BAD when they can actually be really good and informational! So I am going to make a GUIDE on how to make a Tier List video that people will watch and respect, EVEN IF they think your opinion is garbage!

This will not save you from angry comments, but if you do it right people will care about your tier list enough to leave angry comments.

STEP 1: DEFINE THE LIST

You can make tier lists based on literally anything, so it's important to define WHAT you're basing the tier list on. For video games, for instance, are you judging in general across all levels of play? Or exclusively high end? Even if you're focused on high end, are you focused on hypothetically ideal play? Or average pro skill level? Or what? That might impact the list's outcome!

STEP 2: DEFINE THE TIERS

Okay bucko, if you just put down a tier list of S through F for me I will have so much trouble parsing actual quality information from it. Is A tier 'needs nerfs badly' or just 'An acceptable meta'? Is D tier where Bad Stuff starts? Or do Ds get Degrees? Is C decent or just meh? Bonus points if you actually DEFINE each tier. For instance:

Great (Excels in all situations) Good (Acceptable in all situations and/or Excels in niche situations) Situational (Acceptable in in niche situations) Adequate (Functions in niche situations, but not notably well) Failure (Does not function)

See? If I were to put something on THIS tier list you would know INSTANTLY how much I respect it. It also encourages a more nuanced approach than 'everything below A tier is garbage'.

STEP 3: SUBJECTIVITY DISCLAIMER

You might consider this mostly just covering your butt, but I cannot understate how this changes the tone of a tier list. Tier lists that are clearly built with a bias but claim not to be are aggravating. Include a brief oversight of your experience and point of view. Are you a middling player sharing your thoughts on the game for other middling players? Say that. Have you been playing the game for so long that you remember a time when the basic mechanics of the game are fundamentally different? Say that. This kind of context helps others understand why you're approaching the tier list the way you are.

You can make a subjective tier list. You always can. Just be clear up front that it's subjective, and your subjective point of view.

YOU ARE NOW ALLOWED TO PUT STUFF INTO TIERS

Finally! Now, if you want your Tier List to do rounds, here's what you have to do:

Clearly communicate the subject's location in the tier list.

Address, briefly, whether you have a personal bias and what it is.

Address why it is where it is on the tier list.

Acknowledge any major dissent you expect to this placement, and discuss it briefly.

Now, you're going to be tempted to at some point say 'but you all know why that is' about something or other. DO NOT. Remember, every video is someone's first introduction to a topic. If a bit of common community knowledge plays a major part in a placement (a scandal, a bug, a major mechanic, etc) at least call it by name so a curious outsider can enter into the space and look it up if they feel the need. A tier list that just goes, 'Melvin is B tier, and only because of the MOOS tech, moving on,' is NOT satisfactory. Mention that, perhaps, the MOOS tech allows him to hit the DPS cap, and address why he's still only in B tier because of it. You don't need to go over the tech itself in detail, only how it impacts the placement on the tier list.

BE SURE YOU HIT BOTH THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE SUBJECT. I cannot understate how fast I bail on Tier Lists that are all strengths or all weaknesses. This is in part the 'major dissent' bit, but it's also a big part of where it is: why isn't it higher? Why isn't it lower? By and large, things in video games are made to be balanced or at least have interactions. If something really doesn't have any upsides, specifically say as such: that at least makes it sound like you're TRYING to be fair.

THAT'S IT. It's that easy! A good tier list can act as a microcosm of a subject, and especially for games that change a lot that can be very useful! Take, for instance, Otzdarva's killer tier lists for Dead By Daylight; as the game gets updates, killers move. Some of that is in response to balance changes, other is in response to overall game changes. This both gives a relatively short overview of the entire game experience and serves as a onboarding point for curious newcomers! That's how you do Tier Lists!

[bringthekaos]

I'm excited for your thoughts on the new season if/when you share them

It has legit taken me 3 days to come to terms with Act 1. Enough to be able to speak about it. Gunna apologize in advance for the wall of text, and I’m hiding it under a break for spoiler reasons. Also prefacing with these are all just my opinions. All are free to disagree with me and RB with discussions/theories etc. just don’t be a dick about it, I’m not engaging in any discourse.

Ok. So. I have mixed feelings, and I’m aware that this is because I don’t have the whole story yet. So this is all contingent on how the rest of the season plays out.

First and foremost, I’m… wildly swinging back and forth between love and disappointment for Viktor’s arc. So first the negative, and I’ll try to keep it brief because a lot of people have already expressed this and I don’t need to be beating that particular dead horse.

Viktor has had his agency, his bodily autonomy, his original ideas and nearly everything that made him Viktor stripped away. Nothing so far has been his choice. And while this could have worked just fine for an original character, he wasn’t. So there is a massive disconnect between what this character was/should have been. In League, it was all his choice (albeit with a healthy dose of mental illness thrown in, but still). AND it was very heavily suggested that many of the augmentations he performed weren’t as extensive as he lead everyone to believe (namely the controlling/dousing of his emotions). But it appears that whatever the Hexcore did to him, it’s real. He is clearly having a difficult time accessing his emotions, and if he can feel anything, it is limited to the point of him being completely stoic. And the thing with stoic characters is that you obliterate any emotional payoff for the audience. It’s very hard to make an audience feel an emotional connection to a character’s story arc when they themselves don’t feel anything (I have a theory about this though, but I’ll address it a little later in this post). And then there is the issue of Blitzcrank. Blitz was Viktor’s whole world, after his exile. How are they going to swing that? Like, I’m not even asking for Blitz to be in Arcane (that would be great, but I really don’t think they have time). But I stg if they take Blitz away from Viktor, make them someone else’s invention (my suspicion is Heimer or he finds the idea in Sky’s journal)… I’m sorry but no. This was Viktor’s idea, Viktor’s genius. I will genuinely be extremely upset if they take that from him too.

Then there is the whole situation with Sky. First, this girl was fridged. She was nothing but a plot device and continues to be just that. It feels hollow and forced, especially now that he’s hallucinating her as some sort of penance for what he did. (I have seen the prevalent theory that it’s the Hexcore using her image and his guilt to manipulate him, given that it “ate” her, and we have seen it “manipulate” him before when it punished him for trying to destroy it). But back to Sky—he barely acknowledged that poor girl. The reason for that can be argued, whether it’s because he’s gay or because he was just so wrapped up in his one-track minded research. But regardless, there just wasn’t enough setup between those two for this whole thing to have as much weight and meaning as I think it’s supposed to. Honestly to me (TO ME) it reeks of comphet. It feels like that random woman they threw at Poe Dameron to No Homo him. I’m not even asking for Jayvik canon. But the creators were well aware of this ship, after all it’s the second most popular ship in this show and it’s been around since 2012 when Jayce was literally created for Viktor. I’m asking for the bare minimum here—that it’s left open-ended as it was in League, open for interpretation.

Last negative I have is the whole Viktor Jesus thing. The first problem is I am pretty violently agnostic, and messiah narratives have never spoken to me. I don’t enjoy them, they feel weak. The whole “ordained by a higher power” thing is just… stale. Especially when this character originally had no higher power, he gave it to himself through his own hard work and ingenuity. Honestly, Viktor’s original arc is about as far from a Jesus allegory as you can possibly get. And I am absolutely terrified that they’re going to end said Jesus arc the way you’d expect—with him dying for it. Which leaves the moral of his story “disabled man should have just accepted that he was going to die despite the fact that it was the oppression and xenophobia of Piltover that left him out to dry, without proper health care, accessibility, equality, or equity that lead to his terminal diagnosis to begin with.” Which is a very oppressor-centric narrative and we do not need another one of those.

Sorry, I know I said I’d keep the negatives brief, and that was… not. My bad. But moving on!

I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, I did. I am working to embrace this new Viktor narrative and work it into my brain in a way that doesn’t ruin the ship for me. So without further ado, the positives.

Jayce.

Jayce.

Jayce.

I’d have to go back and time it, but it feels like he got more screen time in this first act than the entirety of the first season combined, and his character shined for it. It humanized him in ways season one never did. He’s caring, he’s devoted, and he loved Viktor! No matter what kind of love you think it is, it proves he loved Viktor without a doubt. He carried Viktor several city blocks to the lab to save him, and then YES, he broke his promise about the Hexcore because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing him!

And he’s funny! (The scene where he picks up the regular sized hammer in the fight against Renni and made that “this is ironic” face?? And then basically the entire interaction with Ekko? The hand me a tome thing, and then when he basically pulled this when Ekko suggested “so this is all your fault cuz you pissed off the Arcane”:

GOD that shit was great. Jayce’s personality just shined, and maybe it’s too much to hope, but maybe this will douse a little of the hate. Because instead of being a subtle hint at all of those things being true about him, it’s now overt. And when people lack media literacy, the hints have to be overt.

And th-the. The h. The HUG SCENE. I don’t think I will ever emotionally recover from that scene. Starting with Viktor who, despite being clearly emotionally—I dunno, vacant I guess—sounded so lost and scared when he said “what am I?” For me, it was whispers of that scene from The Last Unicorn: “what have you done to me?” And my poor sweet Jayce, who clearly hasn’t left this damn lab except to go to Cassandra’s memorial. Sleeping on the desk and bleeding through his bandages because he doesn’t want to spend a moment away from Viktor while he “recovers.” And his euphoric response when he finds Viktor alive, when he realizes he hasn’t lost him. And I OWE HIM AN APOLOGY, goddamn. I said in a post that “Jayce will not understand.” I thought that was how Arcane was gunna start the divorce. But Jayce genuinely did not care, as long as his lover friend was alive. And just… Jayce being so affectionate through this entire scene. The hug obviously, but also blurting things he thought he’d never get to say to Viktor—“I’m resigning from the council, my place was always here in the lab with you.”

And… the hug itself. I know we’re all analyzing it frame by goddamn frame, but I see exactly what everyone else sees—there is a moment where Viktor very subtly smiles. But it’s gone in an instant, and it turns bittersweet. LOOK AT HIM.

There is something there, it’s just buried. Deep beneath the surface. It seems to say “I want this, I have wanted this for so long.” But then he realizes something, something I don’t think we’re meant to understand yet. Maybe that he doesn’t feel anything about it anymore, and he recognizes that this should upset him and it doesn’t. Or perhaps it’s something more along the lines of “it’s too late.” Whatever it is, I think this is the exact moment he knows he has to walk away. Because he knows he’ll cave to the affection, he said it himself. (Which is another thing entirely. His voice changes when he says that. Something in him is reacting to that word. Maybe he’s fighting against it, or maybe he’s fighting to get it back. But something made him almost growl that word.)

Which leads me to my final thought (for this post anyway, cuz it’s turning into a novel); Viktor is still in there. He can still feel things, I just think they’re extremely muted by whatever the Hexcore did/continues to do to him, or he has to fight to express them. Because he also smiled at the hallucination of Sky after he “cured” Huck. And if he feels nothing, he wouldn’t have been “joyous” at the thought of her being proud of him, approving of the good things he’s trying to do in her memory. He wouldn’t crave that validation, that vindication from her. So I’m hopeful that we start to see this shell crack a little, especially if those visions of Sky are the Hexcore manipulating him through guilt. It will start to erode him, no matter how stoic he has become. And literally the only thing I’m clinging to is that Jayce will see this and try to pull him out. “He’s still in there and I have to save him.” And that maybe it’ll start to work.

[flower-boi16]

Stolas' "Character Growth" of Making Amends With Blitz is Poor as Hell

Something many critics don't seem to mention when talking about Stolas' characterization in Season 2 is how the season tries (keyword tries) to have Stolas go through an arc of fixing his mistake in regards to making the deal with Blitz and, ya know, sexually abusing him. The show is acknowledging that Stolas fucked up, which means it isn't coddling him...right?

Well, this arc first gets kickstarted in Ozzie's when Blitz explicitly tells Stolas to "not pretend like anything we have is anything but you wanting me to fuck you", showing to Stolas that Blitz doesn't feel the same way about him as Stolas feels about Blitz, which gives Stolas a moment to reflect on their relationship.

The Circus then shows that Stolas believed that for once, he had a genuine mutually affectionate relationship with someone, that someone being Blitzo, as Stolas felt some kind of happiness he never felt before and could never get with Stella, only to realize that it was all a lie and Blitzo doesn't feel the same way as Stolas did for him. Stolas desired genuine intamite affection and thought he had that but he didn't, and so he looks to a book to try and find Blitz an alternative so he can continue his job without staying in the deal, chosing to free Blitz.

Oops then shows Stolas going to Ozzie's place to get the Ausmodean Crystal for Blitz, and The Full Moon shows Stolas giving the crystal to Blitz, now learning to let him go, putting his own selfish desires for affection aside and reconizing what he did to Blitz was wrong and choosing to let him be free from the deal.

So...this, on paper, sounds fantastic, right? The show is making an arc of Stolas growing from his mistakes, realizing the deal is wrong and choosing to let him go while acknoweldging Blitz's mistakes right....right?????

Well...no. While this is a compelling arc in isolation, there are several issues that taint it. For one, the arc revolves around multiple plot holes and contrivinces in order to work. I've already mentioned this several times but, Stolas and Blitz being childhood friends feels like a retcon and it doesn't really line up with any of their interactions in the first season, and this arc relies on the two's past friendship in order to work.

Further more, there's the fact that Stolas shoulden't even have any real love for Blitz in the first place considering that Blitz stole from him not once, but twice. First Blitz steals all of Stolas' items when they were kids for his dad by tricking him into a game and the second time Blitz takes advantage of Stolas again to Steal the grimoire. Did Stolas REALLY just...not realize that Blitz took advantage of him in either of those instances????

Why would he have ANY love towards him after he did those things? He should HATE Blitz for taking advantage of his feelings, but he doesn't. There's also the fact that this arc is just a complete replacement of Stolas' character in the first season, fully comitting to his sudden shift from a man who made mistakes that hurt others to a UwU gay sad soft boy who just wanted genuine affection, which is a jarring change for him as a character, and this arc competely relies on this sudden shift.

It removes everything that made Stolas an interesting character in the first season and replaces it with something unreconizable from his previous iteration, so this arc ends up feeling like an unnatural direction for Stolas' character to go to. The other big problem with this arc is how it codes Stolas' actions in a sympathetic light - as in, he only made the deal because he believed he had real affection with Blitz.

The thing is, this whole thing ends up making Stolas even less sympathetic than before. You'd think that Stolas would care about his childhood friend's consent in this matter because even if he thought that Blitz liked being his plaything he would still care about his boundries since well, he is supposed to be Stolas' childhood friend...right??? But instead of that he decided to put his childhood friend in a situation where he HAS to accept the deal or else he'll lose his job, and he's doing that through coersion, which is a horrific thing to do to someone especially someone you CLAIM to be your first ever friend.

None of Stolas and Blitzo's interactions in the first season come across as Stolas being oblivous to Blitz being uncomfortable rather it's Stolas not caring about Blitz being uncomfortable and not taking it seriously because he only cares about his own sexual pleasure. While Stolas' actions are still painted negetavily the show is using a sympathetic reason for his actions but that sympathetic reasoning doesn't end up working and if anything makes him look even less sympathetic than before. It's supposed to be "bad actions codded with sympathetic motivations" but it doesn't work because the actions he's done don't make sense with the motivation the show outlines.

And this brings me to the last, and, probably the biggest issue with Stolas' "growth arc" in Season 2; the show's refusal to admit the full extent of Stolas' what Stolas has done to Blitz. Season 1 had Stolas consistantly belittle and talk down to Blitz, ignoring his boundries and constantly dehumanizing him into just being his "impish little plaything", yet, the show pretends as if making the deal was the only bad thing Stolas ever did to Blitz and just ignores all the other stuff that he did in the first season.

It contributes to the problem of the show refusing to acknowledge Stolas' mistakes and instead choosing to downplay them or demonize those who dislike him for valid reasons (also, no, the description acknowledging Stolas' lack of self-awarness doesn't work because if Stolas is meant to be in the wrong during the episode than it should be frammed as such, yet the episode just frames him as solely the victim. That ain't good writting). And there's the fact that this arc would be rendered null anyway because well all know that Blitz and Stolas are going to get together anyway by the end of the show meaning that Stolas never had to let go of Blitz in the first place because then he'll get back to him.

So, overall, while this arc is fine in isolation, it falls apart due to it relying on too many plot holes and not actually having Stolas reconize the full extent of his mistakes, and so saying that the show is coddling Stolas is still a valid critique given that this arc is still codding his actions under a sympathetic light.

[chaifootsteps]

its really hard to take any comparisons of stolas to other abusive characters seriously because i genuinely dont think viv comprehends shes written an abuser, the same way other authors can comprehend theyve written abusers. she self projects so heavily onto him and acts like his sass is justified to the point pretty much everyone, even fans and critics, knows that s3 will just end up with him living with blitz and working for IMP (which was foreshadowed just oh so subtly in the helluvababies season 2 premiere,) after losing everything (oh no, the consequences of my actions!) because of the full moon deal HE decided to start. he started out doing something bad, acknowledged it once (didnt even apologize to blitz for the deal btw,) and got go back to his life of luxury after his former sex slave said no to his love. he took advantage of the main character in the very first episode and will still be rewarded with him presented as stolas's knight in shining armor, a family who will unconditionally love him because of fucking course they will even though they know their boss had to fuck him or else they wouldnt have their "meal ticket", and eventually, most probably, his daughters forgiveness after she cut him out of his life for.. taking antidepressants. not for neglecting her, not for not teaching her anything about the book she was solely created for, for 17 years, before letting someone else have it without a single worry of what could happen to it, and certainly not because she cheated on his mom with some "weird red dickhead" i can watch other shows with the understanding (most of the time) that that character probably will receive some kind of growth, karma, acknowledgement, or change of their terrible behavior if theyre intentionally written as toxic. or, if their toxicity is supposed to be the point, for them to go full ham with it. helluva boss is neither to me; its abuse tactics and toxic patterns presented as good, like gaslighting, triangulation, and codependency. and an audience like vivs will digest these ideas subconsciously as good if they have no critical thinking skills of their own, which most of them dont. and all while being too afraid to actually hold abusers accountable in a setting like hell of all places. thats why none of the characters even acknowledge the actually shitty things stolas does and arent allowed to not forgive him- because the creator herself is an abuser who doesnt understand, or doesnt want to understand, that being held accountable is about ALWAYS acknowledging the mistakes you made and STILL trying to be better, even if the people you hurt still hate you. not apologizing once, and then getting pissed someone didnt automatically forgive you, as if your remorse means you're entitled to forgiveness. thats how stolas thinks, because thats how she thinks, and thats terrible. i cant even watch these shows in a "im a messy bitch who lives 4 drama" way as much as i want to because watching an abuser get everything he wants after a season of straight up cloaca sucking is NOT drama. its just incredibly depressing and makes me think about the piles of money that couldve been used to make anything other then this, instead of the creators self insert fanfiction of "no one is allowed to judge my character based on my past selfish actions: the overpriced, overstuffed with expensive celebs while i claim i cant fairly pay my animators i force to work exclusively on my shows the musical!"

I think you're spot on, unfortunately. If it weren't for the fanbase slavishly, cultishly lapping up everything Viv gives them and making it a point to incorporate it into their own lives, it would be a fascinating look at how an abusive person sees themselves. Stolas's justifications really are Viv's justifications, and she'll never see him as an abuser for the same reason she'll never see herself as one.

[snowflake-of-destruction]

Going to try to get in the habit of posting Work in Progress Wednesdays...which will mean that I'm writing every week. Let's start with an excerpt from the upcoming Aim Ammam (your soon to be classic trope of immediately post-Sinsmas pregnancy test mix up fic) where the Mammonopolli finally comes out at Blitz's Sinsmas party.

"Shut up, Mox. Nobody likes an 'I told you so,'" Blitzø grumbled even though the shorter imp had made no such statement.. "Now are we going to play Mammonopolli or not? I have an empire to assemble."

There were various noises of assent. Stolas wasn't tracking every word, but even he had noted that there had been at least three previous declarations that games were starting, so it seemed overdue. A long, thin gift box was opened and a cute little map with drawings of Greed was unpacked alongside multiple decks of cards, a village's worth of charming little plastic houses, and some amusingly shaped iron figures that ranged from clowns to bags of gold to buckets of fried chicken. There were also stacks of money in a riotous rainbow of colors.

"Oh no! Put that back!" Stolas fretted, restraining himself from slapping the bills from Russ's hands as he took them from the box. Blitzø and Loona didn't seem nearly as distressed as he felt they should have been. They had so very little money, Stolas was discovering. These stacks had to be all of it, and now Blitzø's savings were being distributed by Loona's friend, who held onto far more than he should, claiming to be a banker--which seemed a vile lie since Stolas was sure the young man had previously claimed to work at a Radiohacks in Pentagram City.  How frustratingly like Blitzø to use this "board game" box to hold his money instead of a bank, and Stolas was sure he had no investments either. "Stop! I understand it's Sinsmas and you must all celebrate Greed, but that's not your money!"

Stolas had fallen victim to the delusion that every eye in a room was trained on him and every mouth either whispering or laughing at his expense before. In this particular situation, however, he did not believe he was imagining things.

“Stolas, babe.” The endearment was said so gently that it circled right back around to stinging like derision. Blitzø was treating him like he’d break again, because he was just such a hopeless basket case. “Have you ever played Mammonopolli before?”

Stolas found himself flushing and he wasn’t sure what for. There was more at stake here than the game. Russ was the one who should feel embarrassed for stealing Blitzø’s money. He had no reason for shame. “Well, no,” he admitted, voice dropping and threatening to give out on the second word. “But I assumed that I would be able to catch onto the rules…”

“The money’s fake.” Blitzø explained, patiently and without judgment. He pressed a few of the bills Russ had tossed Stolas’s way into his talons. “See? Crinkle it up a bit. It’s thin, right? And have you ever seen pink solbucks?”

Stolas wasn’t very accustomed to cash, but he nodded along with Blitzø’s question, acknowledging, not agreeing. No such thing as pink solbucks. Noted. He practiced his deep breathing. It was easy to match breaths to the tempo of Blitzø’s speech. The imp was speaking slowly, using the same tones he did when he attempted to talk Stolas out of his panic attacks. It only felt a bit patronizing.

“Look at the pictures. Mammon in different funny hats. It’s supposed to be funny.” Blitzø continued.

“So the money is fake. What is the little treasure map for? Are the dice for telling fortunes?” Stolas endeavored to ask intelligent questions to make up for his outburst. Judging from the unrestrained laughter of Loona’s female friend, he fell a bit short. Everyone else except Blitzø stayed silent though, as if they were pretending they weren’t being forced to listen to the inane prattling of a man severely divorced from reality.

“Stolas, I really don’t want to offend you, so, like, don’t take this the wrong way…” Blitzø qualifying statements he had yet to make was always a magnificently bad sign. “But have you played any board game…ever?”

“My servants often made up games to keep me occupied when I was a child whenever I claimed I was bored.” Stolas wanted to reclaim the words as they left his beak. He knew this wasn’t the Bored Game that Blitzø was talking about. “This was before I discovered books of course.”

Loyal, lovely Loona was the one to snort audibly now. Dear that she was, she tried her best to disguise it as a cough.

[xenwrites]

Some theories and speculation for upcoming episodes!

- Stolas depression arc but WORSE™️

- Stolas is gonna wake up to Blitz making him breakfast and doting on him like he always wanted but he's so fucked up from what happened that he can't see it as a sign of love and affection.

- Blitz becoming a rising star, finally, FINALLY getting acknowlegement, money, fame. Then, ego. At some point he'll get so lost in the adoration that he'll start to lose a piece of himself until he hurts someone he cares about (or goes too far) and it draws him back.

- Blitz becoming so busy at work that Stolas spends hours alone in his apartment, just, looking at everything. Snooping a little, when he isn't depressed on the couch. Lonely and isolated while Blitz is happy and unaware, knowing Stolas will be waiting for him at home. Knowing they have time and a chance now. (They don't. Not yet.)

- Stolas will stay with Blitz for a little while but eventually Vassago will show up, and offer him a place to stay that's more suited to his station. (After making sure to look down on Blitz's apartment, with distaste at the photos and the decorations Stolas has come to find charming.)

- Stolas, at his lowest point and feeling that the reason Blitz is doting on him is out of pity and not affection, will accept as to not be a burden and to self flaggilate.

- Blitz is gonna come home excited and maybe with a present for Stolas, or with plans to ask him on a date. Only to find a letter with beautiful calligraphy thanking him for his hospitality and apologizing for being a burden.

- They're gonna miss the hell out of each other.

- Rumors will abound about Stolas and Vassago and Blitz who, having learned love and self sacrifice, and trying not to be selfish, will have to stand back, grit his teeth, and smile like he's happy for him, maybe even say that, despite the pining and ache and jealousy.

- Stolas will take this as confirmation that Blitz doesn't have feelings for him and never will.

- Vassago will, on paper, be the perfect partner for Stolas. Sooo much in common! And so kind and affectionate but Stolas can NOT stop thinking about Blitz.

- To the point where all Vassagos courting attempts fly over his head, which Vassago loses patience with *very* quickly.

- This leads to dark horse villian Vassago with a grudge against Blitz. (Maybe a teamup with Andrealphus who wants Stolas out of the picture entirely not just for 100 years)

- The two of them set a trap which leads to the scene in the trailer with Stolas on the ground and his arm around Blitz, who's brandishing a dagger against Andrealphus.

- The fight is a set up, where Vassago was supposed to "rescue" Stolas (and win his love!) but he's bird blocked by Blitz who saves Stolas instead.

- That fight ends with Blitz and Stolas making out (and acknowledging their feelings for each other) ((but probably not because thats one of the central character conflicts in the show and I doubt they'd resolve it so quickly. Not unless there's going to be a whole other B plot with Stolas as a member of Imp and the show going on instead of just ending entirely with Stolas working there, dating Blitz, both of them finally on even ground. Which is how I think the show will ultimately end.))

But these are just my theories and headcannons and tbh Vizi is incredible at subverting my expectations and making me eat my words so!!!! We'll see!!!!!!

[ember-owlet]

|| cg! verosika mayday headcanons ||

a/c : i love her so very dearly, one of my favorite HB characters. i hope we get to see more of her as the show progresses so she can become a character that is separate from her identity as blitz' ex, especially as a verbie shipper- please enjoy!! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

petnames used: kiddo, brat (in a lighthearted manner), honey, and baby

content warnings: mentions of verosika's fear of abandonment, mentions of hypersexuality to both regressor and caregiver in a non-sexual context, and mention of drugs and alcohol in a humorous context (THC gummies) ((stay safe little firelights, you can always come back to this when you're ready))

verosika is a caregiver that doesn't adhere to any set of rules or strict routine when it comes to her kiddo. what her baby wants, her baby gets.

however, due to her lack of emotional safety in relationships she prefers to keep her baby physically close to her whenever possible, regardless of whether you're in a big or smaller headspace.

if for any reason you need to leave for an extended period of time she'd like to be kept updated (nothing extensive but a simple text or picture would be the reassurance she needs to know you're not abandoning her.) she also likes to keep you included in her social circle, and would like if she received the same consideration.

its really hard for verosika to admit that she has needs someone or to be vulnerable since her relationship with blitz had left her defensive, so once trust is established she can't help but fear that one day you too may leave with no warning.

therefore, lots of reassurance and physical affection is a must in the mayday household; from small kisses to holding hands to cuddling, its her way to emotionally recharge and feel held after working on an enormous social pedestal every day.

would be one of the best caregivers in hell to sing you to sleep or sing a song with you to help you express your feelings.

tex is your go-to babysitter for any reason that she may be away, as she knows he would be the next safest person to watch over her kiddo.

can get carried away by the attention of her stardom, but honestly tries her best to bring herself back down to earth when needed. desite what people may think she also doesn't mind putting the attention on someone else, she loves the spotlight but doesn't mind sharing it.

can go from passive-aggressive to flat-out-aggressive to an almost unbearable degree. "you don't want to eat your veggies? fine, it's not like i worked all day to afford to make this plate for you. but if you want to eat something caked in sugar its not my fault if you gotta go to the dentist kiddo. why don't you skip brushing too while you're at it?"

swearing? always. there's never any rules against it and between her and her friends to her baby the whole room will always be full of potty mouths. /lh

playfully calls you her "brat." and mainly uses it as a term of affection in her personal and social life.

"what do you want, brat?" "you're such a brat." "you're an adorable little brat, you know that?"

has at least thought at one point you could still drink alcohol while regressed, not in any malicious context but its what she does to relax so surely its what her baby would need as well?

i fully believe that at some point she had gotten carried away and swapped a melatonin gummy for a THC gummy. her baby would snuggle up to her with a glazed expression and after a quick panic and debriefing with her fellow succubi she would try to explain that "WELL HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?? THEY'RE ALL THE SAME SHAPE."

absolutely vicious when it comes to verbal insults in defense of her baby. she would do it all without the slightest tilt of her glasses in acknowledgement to your bully.

takes no shame in defending you to her last breath, even if you truly were in the wrong your caregiver is the definition of ride or die. no questions asked she is quick to defend you.

on the other hand she never says no to competition. board games? karaoke contest? she won't let you win but also it makes the victory against your mama that much sweeter. is she salty about her losses? of course, it doesn't matter that a "child" beat her she's still gonna find a way to win the next time.

one thing that i personally believe verosika would shine in is caregiving for a regressor that experiences hypersexuality. as a succubus she would be especially sensitive to when your body goes through the urges and does her best to help you through it.

she is really good at noticing subtle changes in body and facial expressions, and sometimes her advice may be unconventional or even violent, but she really tries to do it with your best interests in mind.

she knows to separate anything sexual in regards to your regression, and tells you that your thoughts are separate from who you are as a person and she loves you as you are.

she would reassure you about all the things she loves about you and does her best to support you from her own experiences.

"mama loves so much more than just your body honey, i love your mind and your heart and your adorable little giggles."

at the end of the day she would pinch your cheek or ruffle your hair with a kiss to your forehead as her way of acknowledging your efforts. you come to realize that your caregiver truly cares when it comes to supporting others, and with time you'll be grateful to be let into her world to know the real "ver."

[artofhazbinhotel]

I agree with what you said about Stolas but things need to be addressed with blitzø too. How this whole thing started was stolas dad buying him and blitzø father making him steal from Stolas getting him to his house when he was older to steal the book but instead felt guilty and decided to give Stolas a pity fuck before getting caught.

Obviously it’s none of their fault but it was weird from the beginning and only got weirder due to Stolas perspective on their relationship. Throughout everything it was really Stolas toying with Blitz thinking it was love but it was evident in moments where Blitzø was in denial about his feelings but how the relationship work was obviously the issue especially how he was treated.

I wouldn’t call Stolas a bad father compared to what he dealt with. He’s really lovingly towards octavia and it’s only til later that things start becoming bad in her household. Stella isn’t a bad mother either it’s shown but Stella was abusive towards Stolas something he had gotta used too and stayed for Octavia until she was grown enough for him to start being able to free himself from Stella which Octavia viewed as him leaving for blitzø.

Obviously confessing your feelings in that manner was Stolas complete fault but what came after wasn’t his. Blitzø kept visiting and texting things he would usually avoid with Stolas and his only excuse was that he felt that he needed “to earn his way towards earth” which wasn’t true. Blitzø felt guilty again but decided to take his anger out to prove a point to Stolas that he wasn’t a bad guy for not caring until later he realized that he was wrong they both were and had different views on what they had.

While I think Stolas done very stupid things and missed at lot when it came to Blitzø. Blitzø also made bad choices and often hurt people due to him not being able to open up. It’s both their issue and I would rather then not end up together as well so they both see their error of their ways.

Oh I completely agree with you, blitz used him as a date, flirted with him to get the book, insulted him instead of communicating how he's hurt, and tried to use sex to fix their relationship. Neither one of them is a saint, and okay about the father thing, I don't think he's a bad dad exactly? Just not a good one. You can love your child but not be the best parent y'know? Imagine how she felt, her dad is very publicly cheating on her mom and what is supposed to be her spending time with her dad is interrupted by him focusing on that guy. He said "the only man who can fuck me" in FRONT of her 😰 he's great compared to his dad, but wouldn't be? Yeah the whole apology tour plot was just blitz being an asshole, but i really don't think in the beginning of the episode stolas saying "when have I ever done that?" And "just like striker" are good things, he isn't acknowledging blitz's feelings with the first thing and with the second blitz was with his daughter and did send the help he could. It's like Stolas makes blitz feel guilty for things that aren't even his fault, and the "do you feel remorse for anything you do?" Places more blame on blitz than himself, he was doing so good with realizing the deal was wrong and then he did all that, if he had just asked why blitz felt lower than him and found out what he did was insulting they could have come to an understanding at the very least but instead he was like "nuh-uh, never did any of that youre crazy"

[wolf-tail]

Once again Helluva Boss continues to improve and mature as a series.

I haven't talked about it for a while but the series is making leaps and bounds of improvement in writing quality. A common complaint i've heard about the show is that it seem to function on what's called protagonist centered morality, essentialy " whatever the main character does is morally justified because he's the main character" but the more you look at the show the more untrue this is.

Even if Blitz is sympathetic, his actions are not justified, and his behaviour makes people he cares about hate him. Sure, it makes him sad but he deserves to feel sad, he's the one who keeps hurting people. "Apology Tour" really makes that point shine.

An excuse he makes for his own behaviour is that he was born and raised in literal Hell, he's "supposed" to be shitty. This line reminds me of the kind of immature and media illiterate behavior some vivziepop fans display when it comes to her work. When her shows have South Park levels of dumb edginess, they'll excuse it with "Duh it's Hell they're supposed to be bad people!" then turn around and gush over how sweet and kind those same characters are. That line, and how the show immediately refutes it, Is also showing me that the team is capable of self-criticism and change, because their work almost seems to use that same excuse. But the whole point of both Hazbin and Helluva Boss is that those are not valid excuses, and that characters in Hell have both the ability and responsibility to change and be better people.

Another common criticism of the show is the inherent toxicity of Stolitz, but that's also the point of the show. The way the characters are when they get together and where they are currently do not make for a healthy relationship. Whils a lot of critics point to Stolas as the source of the toxicity, I feel that's unfair to his character. The show initially sets him up as the selfish hedonist who uses Blitz for his own pleasure, which is how Blitz sees him. But the show continues to show us that that's not who he is. He's a hedonist only in the sense that he's been denied happiness and pleasure his entire life, of course he'd seek it out. He was the child of an emotionally neglectful father, a repressed gay man forced into an abusive relationship because of compulsory heterosexuality, and a father struggling to connect with his teenage daughter through the haze of bitter divorce. He eventually has enough character growth to realize the unhealthy power imbalance he has with Blitz and attempts to solve it. But when he does, we see the true source of toxicity in this relationship.

Blitz is a violently traumatized man who developed some really unhealthy coping mechanisms, and essentially allows his trauma to control him. He's manipulative, rude, possesive, impulsive, and prone to lashing out against the people who care about him the most. Stolas went from "he makes me happy" to "I want him to be happy", but I don't really think Blitz knows how to be happy.

And that's why he has an entire room full of people whose hearts he broke and hate him enough to throw a party about it every year.

Another thing I liked about this episode is that it really embodies the concept that the opposite of love is not hate. Stolas put at the best, the "Fuck Blitz" party exists because so many people loved him, loved him enough to be hurt when he betrayed them, loved him enough to hate him. The show validates and justifies that anger and pain, and acknowledges that Blitz is just the protagonist, not the good guy.

And it forces him to realize that, too.

[just-a-laughingstock]

I'm just gonna say it

The new episode made me hate Stolas. I used to be in the middle that both Blitz and Stolas were broken people who needed to work through their baggage before they could enter a healthy relationship, but not I fully believe that Blitz deserves better.

(Spoilers for THE FULL MOON)

This scene seemed like it was supposed to be this big moment for Stolas where he finally sets Blitz free and gives him his own will, but instead he came across as a spoiled asshole.

He wanted to communicate with Blitz about their relationship but as soon as one miscommunication happens, he leaves without letting Blitz explain himself. Then when Blitz calls him out on his douchey behaviour Stolas just goes all "Woah is me. Why do you think so lowly of me?" like bitch?

You started your dynamic on nothing but sex. Blitz would have sex with you so he could keep his business going. You literally only ever spoke about and to Blitz in a sexual manner. But the moment you want something more meaningful you got pissy that Blitz still thought you were only after sex.

Like after Ozzie's I thought Stolas had learned how Blitz viewed their dynamic and would make an effort to show Blitz that he cared, even if it took awhile. Considering that in "Look my Way" which comes before The Full Moon, Stolas acknowledges that Blitz has issues rooted in how the world treats him for being an Imp. But when Blitz responded in a way that wasn't "Oh yes Stolas I'd love to be an item with you" or "Oh no Stolas, thank you for the crystal but I only saw our relationship as transactional" and instead reacted like a damaged person would, he cried and acted like the Victim. Like Blitz the character that Stolas knows has issues (might not know how deep, but knows they're there) had the right to be angry, but somehow Stolas is the victim because a damaged individual reacted in a way that damaged individuals tend to act.

And the thing is, I might have been more understanding if it weren't for clips that seem to be from "Breakup Tour" that shows Stolas singing with Verosika in front of a sign that just says "Fuck You Blitz". Like fucker you have 0 room to be telling Blitz that when all he did was speak up about how you seemed to constantly look down on him. Blitz spoke about his feelings, exactly like Stolas wanted him to in that scene. But since Stolas didn't like those feelings Blitz had, suddenly Stolas is the victim and should have his girlboss moment where he sings with the chick that humiliated Blitz in public.

Stolas has already come across like a spoiled brat who was upset he didn't get his way, and we've only seen the first episode of Season 3. I'm honestly not looking forward to the rest. Cause I'm scared the writing team is gonna make Stolas some UwU Baby who needs a hug while treating Blitz like some asshole who hurt Stolas's feelings. Both Stolas and Blitz are flawed people but all this episode did was make Stolas's flaws unbearable.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk

[strikersexhaver]

Lol Blitz said "Oh my god the fucking supremacist is on my side" to Striker's face!!!!

I think I kinda like how Striker implied to feel proud to be an imp,the lowest ranked in Hell while simultaneously being an ass to his own kind? He's racist yet acts like he ain't 😂

Oh definitely, it’s fucking hilarious! It’s actually one of my favorite parts about his character, the hypocrisy and yet the pride he has.

But on a more in-depth analysis of it ⬇️

As a mixed person… He’s the peak, the epitome of issues towards mixed people, which obviously we’re not the most discriminated against or hated but every group has their problems right? And Striker shows that exactly.

He’s insecure with the more ‘lesser’ side of him so to say, the lower class. The one that’s more discriminated against and hated on, he prides himself on being better than the rest. He takes out the issues of his race on the lower class, seen in EP6 S2 “OOPS” with Fizz and Blitzø.

Yet, even if he tries to appeal to the higher ups with the whole charade of being better than the rest. He still works for them, does not advocate in a way as other peace protestors have.

His insecurity, fragile ego, all depends on him being ‘better’ and such.

And also, remember he is a hybrid… Notice how he hasn’t said a damn word about his (supposed) other part of himself?

I really do enjoy Striker’s character because of the subtle acknowledgment of the internalized racism some mixed people face. I have experienced this my own self, and others have of course. It usually occurs when you’re living as the lower class or just devoid of the other half of your ancestry, genetics, culture etc.

[teeth-cable]

How am I supposed to feel sad for Stolas and not see him as an uwu sad boi when the show literally shows him like a sad uwu boi?

I am all for showing Menteil Ilenns in shows if they are done right.

He had the same arc with his daughter twice.

No depth with Stella other than yelling (and, yeah, I am still not convinced he didn't do anything to her).

He and Blitz still didn't even say anything. forgetting his state and power

All his time is spent deeeling with someone else to make him look good.

This and also the show wants you to feel sad for them when the characters absolutely deserved their misery.

I understand having a mental illness is not an easy battle but the majority of the characters are asshole who are just getting consequences for their actions because they refused to improve or even acknowledge their mistakes. Like sorry, but I am not going to feel sad for Stolas when that guy turned an business only sex-transaction relationship (Which he was already crossing a line by fetishizing Blitzo and interrupting him during work hours when Blitzo told him not do) into pursuing a personal one, crossing boundaries when Blitzo wasn't ready nor never gain Blitzo's approval, neglecting his daughter because of his horniess for Blitzo, and justifying cheating on Stella because there was no love in their relationship when he could have just divorce her.

Him being depressed and lonely at the end of the show is just the consequences of him being a terrible person. Nobody in his life wants him so much so even his own daughter, the only person who loved and admired him ran away from him twice and now for a third time because she feels and is constantly neglected by him.

[riotcontrolmargera]

jealousy - johnny knoxville x reader.

female reader.

warnings: nsfw. swearing. alcohol. jealousy. possessive. choking. biting. penetrative & unprotected sex.

-------------------------------------------------------

your relationship with johnny was complicated from the start. well, it wasn't a relationship per say, it was more of a situationship. you two weren't really together, you were sleeping with each other with no strings attached— at least, that's how it started and it was working just fine for a while. you had no commitment to him, he had no commitment to you but the more time that you spent with johnny, the more those pesky little feelings developed.

you never spoke on your feelings towards him, nor did you even acknowledge them — in fear that speaking on them would make it true and total truth be told, you didn't want to jeopardise what you and johnny had because you would rather have him in this way, then not at all, if he didn't share the same feelings towards you.

you were aware that johnny lived a rather promiscuous lifestyle, he was seeing other women while he was seeing you. nothing serious, just meaningless sex — and that was fine with you but that didn't mean that you didn't experience the awful feeling of jealousy. you were good at concealing those feelings... most of the time. not tonight though.

tonight was the wrap up party for jackass: the movie, which was like any other jackass party but on a much bigger scale. you weren't sure if it was the feelings that you had for johnny or if it was the alcohol that was already in your system — but when you saw johnny standing real close and personal to a woman that he was speaking with, seeing the same charming and flirtatious smile that he uses with you, a switch went off inside of you.

instead of marching up to him and making a god damn fool of yourself, you figured that you'd play his own damn game.

you turned away from the scene in front of you and set off to find your other friends, plopping yourself down on the couch between ryan and bam. you took the half full can of beer out of dunn's hand, putting it to your lips and finishing it off within a couple of seconds. your frustration must've been obvious since ryan wrapped his arm around you, gently rubbing your shoulder. "you good?" he asked you with some concern in his tone, his blue eyes on you.

the situationship that you had with johnny went unknown to the boys, both of you opted to keep it quiet since you were co-stars. there was some suspicion going around the group but neither you or johnny confirmed or denied it. it seemed like a good idea to begin with — and, maybe it still was — but now, you were hating it. you couldn't even speak to your best friends about your boy troubles.

"of course, ry." you answered, putting on your most convincing happy face. "let's get another drink." ryan took your word for it, knowing better than to push and pry. he happily obliged and went to get you two both another beer, since you had drunk the rest of his. he sat back down besides you, handed you your can and moved his arm back to the position was around your shoulder.

you spent what seemed like hours talking to ryan and the other boys that sat around, you never laughed so hard. beers and shots kept coming your way and there wasn't no way that you were going to deny free drinks from your closest friends. you watched as steveo and chris attempted to do some kind of stupid stunt, almost everyone around you was completely fucking blitzed and you supposed you were too. though, not nearly as some of the other guys.

as another plate of shots came around, you saw johnny watching you from afar — seeing the way that ryans arm rested around you and the way that you leaned into his chest. he seemed pissed but you couldn't bring yourself to care, if anything, it made you want to piss him off more. everyone was tossing around stupid ideas and challenges for people to do. an idea came across your mind, one that sober you probably wouldn't have ever dreamed of.

as ryan reached to grab a shot, you grabbed his wrist and looked at him. a smile coming across your face while confusion came across his. "i have a better way that you could take a shot." you said in a suggestive tone. "—why don't you take a couple of shots from my body?"

you had said it much louder than intended, since as soon as the words came out of your mouth, you heard a mixture of 'woo'ing and wolf whistling come from the guys around you. you couldn't help but laugh while your face burned bright red — before you could take the words back, the table was being cleared out for you to lay down on.

you stood up from where you were sitting and hopped yourself up on the table, laying back on it. once you were comfortable, you watched as chris and steveo took the plate of shots and placed one in between your cleavage, feeling some of the room temperature liquor splash onto your chest. behind them, you could see johnny watching the whole thing and shaking his head, almost as if it was a warning to stop.

but you ignored the warning. fuck him. if he could do whatever and whoever he pleases, why the hell couldn't you?

you looked over at your blond curly haired friend, who was still seated on the sofa, not completely believing that you were seriously doing this.

"you coming, dunn?" you asked him. "if not im sure chris or steveo would be happy enough to do the honors." with that, he stood up from the sofa and made his way over to the table that you were laying on. he looked at the placement, his eyes scanning over you. he looked at your face.

"christ— you're sure about this?" he asked and you nodded your head. he nodded his head before moving his head down to your chests level, you shuddered as you felt his warm breath and the hairs of his beard tickle against your skin. dunn was a grade A fucking tease. he took his damn time, his tongue pressing against your skin as he slowly moved down to where the shot glass was sitting between your breasts. his lips wrapped around it carefully before slowly removing the glass from between your breasts, shooting his head back to take the shot.

you didn't dare to move, watching as he removed the glass from his mouth before leaning back down to lick up the liquor that half spilt onto your chest. it would be a lie if you said that the situation didn't turn you on, just a little bit. you didn't care that there was so many eyes on the two of you and you sure as hell didn't care that johnny's was on you either.

you could hear the other guys loosing their minds at what they were witnessing, from clapping to wolf whistling. you couldn't help but laugh and start clapping yourself. chris was about to place a shot glass into your mouth when johnny came over to the table, his face far too serious for a good time. "can i speak with you?" he asked, though it wasn't much of a question. "now."

you sat up on the table and looked at him, he had the sort of look on his face that told you not to argue with him on this. you apologised to ryan, patting him on the back before sliding off the table. 'someones in trouble' you heard someone laugh out before you went with johnny, he led you into a bathroom so that you could talk privately without prying ears around. along the way, you were asking him what the fuck what his problem but he gave you no answers.

he closed the door and locked it, looking at you with an unamused expression. they really weren't kidding, you were in trouble and you fucking knew it. "what the fuck was that out there?" he asked.

you were annoyed that he pulled you away from your friends to interrogate you on something that he would easily do, if someone asked him too. the double standards of this man were impeccable.

"you answer my question first, asshole!" you fought back. "the hell is your problem?" you asked, he stood in front of the door and there was no way that you were getting past him, not that you wanted to leave anyway. the alcohol in your system made your skin feel hot and you were ready to fight this fight with him.

"what's my problem?" he repeated like he couldn't believe that you were asking him that. he stood several steps closer to you, leaving a small gap between you. you looked up at him as he was much taller than you were. you weren't afraid of him but you had doubts that he was trying to intimidate you. johnny wasn't that sort of man.

"my fucking problem is that you're out there letting dunn touch what's mine." he spoke again, causing a shiver down your spine. you swallowed the lump of air that caught in your throat, you knew that you should be furious with him... but you couldn't help but want him. you remembered the woman from earlier, reminding yourself of his hypocrisy.

"yours...?" you scoffed with a laugh, shaking your head. "we aren't together, knox. you can fuck whoever you want and so the fuck can i." you tried to move around him but he stopped you, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you closer to him. you were now chest to chest with him and looking into his dark brown eyes. his expression was still stern and fixated on you. you could smell his cologne with faint hints of the beer that he drank and cigarette that smoked, his scent was intoxicating to you. despite being mad at him, you've never wanted him more. a hand came to your throat and applied some pressure, you let out a quiet noise.

"you're mine, sweet heart." he said in a low and seductive tone. you began to feel weak in the knees, ready to submit to his every word. "do you understand that?" his eyes were on you, looking at you as he was expecting an answer — and that was enough to get you to buckle, you nodded your head slowly.

"i want to hear that pretty little mouth say it." he mused, with that charming smile. he guided you back and lifted you up onto the bathroom counter, moving between your legs. your thighs sitting on either side of his hips. he had you right where he wanted you and there was no complaints from your end. he leaned into your neck, you could feel his hot breath hit the skin. you shivered as you felt his lips meet your skin, he started leaving hot opened mouthed kisses.

"im yours, johnny." you breathed in, your hand came up to his hair and tugged on it. you could feel him begin to suck on your neck, hard enough to leave marks on your flesh. your hands moved down his back, once your hands get to where his shirt ends, you move your hands up his back and touched over his skin. you gasped as you felt him bite your skin, digging your nails into his back.

"johnny, people will see that!" you breathed, thinking about the reaction from your mutual friends. his hand came down from your neck, feeling over your chest. his hand grabbing at your breast while his kisses travelled down your neck, biting and sucking love bites along the way. a soft moan came from your lips and your head lulled back slightly. his hand continued down from your breast and moved down your body, he stopped his movements momentarily as he reached the end of your short dress.

"i don't care if people see, sweetheart." he told you with a chuckle. "i want them to know that you belong to me." this possessive side of him wasn't something that you had seen on him before but you definitely weren't complaining, it was such a turn on for you. his other hand met your thigh, both of them sliding up to the waist line of the little black panties you were wearing — he slid the panties down your thighs, taking a step back momentarily to remove them and discard them to the floor.

you pulled him closer to you, leaning up to kiss him passionately. once your lips connected, you part your lips and let his tongue into your mouth. the kiss got heated fast, your hands moved over his body and his on yours. he pulled away from the kiss, his forehead pressed against your own, those dark brown eyes on yours.

"tell me what you want, sweetheart." he breathed, not taking his eyes off you. "use your words." you knew what you wanted. you wanted him. not just for sex but you wanted him in every way possible. you wanted to be his and you wanted him to be yours, only yours.

"you." you said, your hands travelling to his belt buckle and started undoing it. you could see the tent in his jeans, which only made you want him more. you hadn't even touched him and he was already like this, for you. once the belt buckle was off, you slid the belt out of the loops in his jeans and discarded it to the floor. next was his jeans button, undone the button and pulled his zipper down. you pulled his jeans down, just enough for him to pull his cock out from his underwear.

"good girl." he mused, his hands coming to your dress to push it up before he positioned himself between your legs.

you felt the tip of his penis slide up and down your already wet folds a couple of times, before sliding into your entrance. you let out a pleasured sound as he entered you. his hand found its way back to your neck, applying pressure to your throat once again as he started to move his hips into you. you could hear his heavy breaths and the low groans that came from him.

he leant his head down, kissing and biting at whatever exposed skin that he could reach — he wasn't shy about leaving marks on you, this time around. not that you minded, you found it extremely hot. his hips thrusted at a fast and steady pace, the hand that wasn't on your throat was holding your hip in place. you sucked in a breath, hoping to keep your noises in — not wanting anyone to hear what was going on in this bathroom but it wasnt necessary as the music and general mayhem that was happening outside the bathroom concealed any lewd sounds.

your hands came to grab onto his shirt, holding onto it tightly. "you feel so fucking good." he grunted, his hand tightening around your throat. "tell me who you belong too, baby doll."

"you... fuck, johnny, you." you said breathlessly, feeling the intense pleasure that travelled through your body. "i belong to you."

"good girl" he mused, satisfied with the answer that you gave. it's exactly what he wanted to hear, its what he needed to hear. he started to increase the movement of his hips, his hand dropped and moved to your clit, the pad of his middle finger began to rub in a circular motion. it was clear to you that he wanted to make you climax and fuck was it working. lewd noises of pleasure started to fall from your lips, mixed with with some curses and his name. your head lulled back and your thighs began to shake.

you could hear his words encouraging you to cum for him, his head moving to lean into your neck. your arms wrapped around his shoulders and held him close. you could feel yourself getting closer and closer to your orgasm with each of his thrusts. he knew how to push your buttons in just the right way.

"johnny, im so fucking close." you exclaimed and he exhaled a breath, biting down onto the flesh of your neck again and moved his finger against your clit, a little faster. "me too, doll." he told you.

after a few more of his thrusts, you were at breaking point. between his thrusts and the work that his fingers were doing to your clit, you came around his cock fairly quickly. you felt the orgasm run through your entire body, making you tremble and your toes curl.

"fuck... that was incredible." he spoke up after a moment of silence before pulling out. "yeah... it was." you breathed.

he looked at you as you caught your breath, you could see his eyes looking over your chest — admiring his work. there was love bites and the occasional imprint of teeth in the skin. he was proud of himself and you could see it in his face. your hands moved down and fixed his pants, zipping them back up and doing up the button.

he passed you your panties and you passed him his belt, the both of you making yourselves presentable enough to return to the party. you had some concerns about what your friends would say and about this being the way that yours and johnny's mutual friends find out about your shared dirty little secret. you slid off the bench and when you turned to look at him, he was watching you.

"now... one more time, doll. who do you belong too?" he asked, a shit-eating grin on coming onto his face. you slapped his chest gently. "you already know the answer, knoxville."

-------------------------------------------------------

my apologies for taking my sweet ass fucking time on this one! this one was requested from an friend ♡ i don't know if it's good or not, so my apologies if it fucking sucks.

[chaifootsteps]

was reading this: https://www.tumblr.com/fantasywater/761286441867313152/a-curiosity-about-stolass-love-for-blitz

and though I wouldn't word it entirely the same way as OP, they've got a point. we're supposed to think that Stolas has found a new lease on life after meeting Blitz, but from what we're shown on screen that isn't true at all and he's still the exact same person (if anything he's worse since he hasn't meaningfully changed at all and is in denial about all his own flaws and how he's hurt both Blitz and Via)

He's still drinking himself into blackouts and pretty obviously not taking his medication properly or regularly if he eats a fistful in one episode and runs out unexpectedly in another. He's still miserable most of the time. He can't make friends because he lacks the ability to form any real connections with anyone (or to be kind enough to make them want to put up with his self pitying behavior)

I tend to reflexively dislike comparisons between Blitz and Stella because it implies Blitz is abusive (which he's not, that's Stolas) but it's clear that Stolas responds to difficulties in his relationships with them in the exact same way. He self medicates with booze or pills, usually after either a serious self-pity session or snapping back at them, or both. He doesn't talk to them about their feelings, just grandstands about his own

And they are superficially similar. They respond to things that hurt them in a fiery way - they don't take shit lying down like Stolas does. As OP pointed out, Blitz struggles with illiteracy - the same thing Stolas mocked Stella for.

the only positive difference that I can see is that Stolas enjoys the sex with Blitzo a lot more than with Stella - and that's a benefit only Stolas is enjoying. we don't really have the evidence to say that Blitzo enjoys sex with Stolas more than he has any other partner he's had who was decent in bed - he responds to Stolas with revulsion, then disinterest, then resignation, then him being horny just because Stolas is convenient and they were having a meetup anyway, then finally anxious codependency and trauma bonding post break up. We never see genuine affection from him

this show doesn't seem to understand relationships need more than a functional sex life to work properly. because if you take that out of the equation, it just looks like Stolas hasn't escaped the pattern of conflict in his marriage at all

all he's done is replace a partner who is closer to his social standing with one who is far beneath it, in order to give himself all the power and leverage. and he does it without acknowledging that consciously or not, that is definitely the case.

the darkest possible reading here is that Stolas unconsciously wanted someone who was on the surface similar to Stella - less educated than him, will fight back and snap if provoked - so that he could recreate the relationship dynamic wherein he is the victim who isn't being given enough love even though he's trying oh-so-hard to make things work and they just aren't appreciating him enough. and it indicates a perpetuation of the cycles of abuse - if you take the reading that Stella didn't care about Stolas' feelings while they were trying to conceive, Stolas is now doing that exact thing to Blitzo during sex with a bucketload of classism on top

Got to say, Anon, it's spooky how plausible that darkest possible reading is. Whether Stolas does the things he does consciously or not, it's insane that anyone can look at all of this and not at least acknowledge the possibility that people might find it fucked up.

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork on the set of Head, April 11, 1968; photos by Michael Ochs Archives.

“I’d always had deep doubts, ever since the session for ‘Last Train To Clarksville.’ I walked in there with my guitar and Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart looked at me with derision and scorn, like, ‘Guitar in your hand, you fool!’ That was the end of it for me. Right there I was done with The Monkees in large measure.” - Peter Tork, Head 1994 liner notes (x)

“When The Monkees were big, I couldn’t handle the pressure. I missed the easy, street-level camaraderie of my Greenwich Village days.” - Peter Tork, Uncut, 2019

“[M]y personal belief is that Bob [Rafelson] is an evil-minded man. He likes to bring people down. Bob was often unsupportive as a human being and distinctly negative — and I was on the short end of that.” - Peter Tork, MOJO, June 2002 (x)

“The movie portrays them with not so much sweetness and brightness [as the TV show]. It’s a much heavier and far-out thinking group. I wouldn’t call it uncharitable. I thought it was expanding my sense of who they were. There’s a boxing scene in which Micky says, ‘Take this, you dummy.’ Suddenly the music changes and Peter appears in the corner, Christ-like, and says, ‘Micky, I’m the dummy. I’m always the dummy.’ The point was that he was always asked to be the dummy, so here he’s acknowledging it. But he’s also the one who’s given the longest speech in the movie about spiritual evolution, which he’s learned from the guru in the steam room. I was trying to give him a chance to be himself, but in a symbolic way. He is that way today, by the way. In other words, The Monkees became what they really were.” - Bob Rafelson, MOJO, June 2002

“When I recorded ‘Can You Dig It,’ the guitar solo originally ran about three or four minutes all by itself. We cut that back to a minute and a half. Bob Rafelson took a pair of scissors and snipped off the end of it. He didn’t ask me to shorten it, which I would have been glad to do. He just chopped it off. Son of a bitch! I have a lot of gripes about that, but that’s neither here nor there.” - Peter Tork, Blitz!, May/June 1980 (x)

“We gave him a watch and our blessing when he left. We never thought of replacing him — there's only one Peter Tork in the world. Who knows, maybe in two or three years' time he'll come back?” - Michael Nesmith, Melody Maker, March 1, 1969

“Peter and I were the bulk of the playing ability because we were musicians. But when Peter left it rather unnerved Davy and [Micky] — and I changed my mind [about quitting]. After all, the personal appearances were pretty well satisfying, the music was fun, and the whole thing was fairly lucrative. And Davy and [Micky] left alone would have been in real trouble.” - Michael Nesmith, Disc & Music Echo, September 19, 1970

Q: “So, when you left, did you want to be known as the former Monkee or did you want to erase that part of your past —” Peter Tork: “I tried to erase it.” Q: “— and start anew.” PT: “I tried to erase it completely.” Q: “How do you do that?” PT: “Well, you just don’t do anything connected with it, just absolutely refuse to have anything to do with it, and… basically what I did was I retreated into — I wound up retreating into Marin County, California, which is just north of San Francisco. And there I worked, I belonged to a worker-owned restaurant, waited tables and was part of the cooperative that owned and operated the restaurant. Nominally owned the restaurant; it was actually owned by this guy whose parents had left him some GM stock, and he bought this thing and the co-op was supposed to pay him to buy him out over the long haul. I think they have done finally, I think it’s now a real workers’ co-op. And I worked there, and I retreated, and nobody said anything to me about my Monkees past except one or two guys said, you know, 'I’m glad to see you just on the street schlepping around,' that kind of thing, which made me feel good. I belonged to a few groups; I belonged to a thing called the Fairfax Street Choir, which had 35 voices in the rock section and was very hard to stage. (laughs) Those little coffee house stages, 35 guys and women. And I also belonged to a kind of second on the bill act in San Francisco called Osceola for a year or so. And that kind of thing. And nobody said anything about The Monkees to me.” - NPR, June 1983

[showtoonzfan]

(Last ask got cut off on my end, this isn't spam lol) What I was trying to say was, HB and HH get all this blind praise for its- really bad representation of LGBTQ+ characters. The only trans character is fetishized, yet Viv is treated like this hero for trans rep. Stolitz (the main gay ship) has the plot-line of a yaoi fanfic. Angel Dust (the supposed positive gay rep) is literally a walking stereotype of not just gay men, but sex workers as well. Alastor (the aro/ace 'rep') is just the classic serial killer who's too in love with himself to ever love anyone else. Not to mention the whole 'spooky-ooky voodoo' thing he has is straight up disrespectful to the religion. But ironically, the straight couple(s), including Moxxie and Millie AND Lilith and fucking Lucifer live this fairy-tale dreamworld and the only good rep from the show is literally from background characters or a one off character we'll probably never see again. Wanted to know how you think Stolitz should be re-worked (if it can be saved atp. It's hopeless as of now) Along with how you think Alastor can be good representation if the effort is put into him.

Agreed with everything here. So sorry for the late reply, just a message to all my followers real quick, keep in mind guys that if you send me something, I’ll get to you in time! I get a lot of asks, so it’s hard to keep track sometimes, but I haven’t forgotten you! 👍

Also yes, I do believe Stolitz can be saved, but of course things would need to change. Now I don’t mean on a rewriting standpoint, but I do mean just….moving forward. To make a long story short, what Stolas needs to do is get his shit together. He needs to acknowledge and FULLY own up to what he did, how badly he treated Blitz, and how he couldn’t make his daughter his priority. He was selfish, possessive, and toxic, and honestly he just needs to figure out what love IS because he clearly doesn’t know how to treat a partner. The show also really needs to start doing some actual GOOD storytelling, I want to see why exactly Stolas fell in love with Blitz, what impact he had on him, and why he pins onto him so much. The show failed at making me feel like Stolas felt any genuine feelings towards Blitz, and because of that I don’t even want the two together because there’s nothing to go OFF of, there’s just…no chemistry outside of them meeting once as kids, and then fucking, and that’s the major problem, but like I said, this can be saved, so long as Stolas admits his faults and actually WORKS to be better. On a realistic standpoint, Stolas should honestly just leave Blitz alone, figure things out for himself, tend to his family and take time alone, because I honestly don’t think he’s ready for a relationship, until he fixes himself. That’s why I would HOPE that from what we’ve seen in episode 1 of season 2, Stolas gives Blitz an Asmodeon crystal, and cuts ties with him until further notice. I would love this idea, it would show us the first step example of Stolas actually trying to better himself. And speaking of Blitz, he needs to do the same thing. Cut ties with Stolas, and get his shit together. The problem is just that both these characters are just horrible people who need to admit their faults and work on being better, THEN they should see if they’re able to be in a relationship. The problem is….that when it comes to how Blitz sees Stolas, the show through storytelling has done nothing but show that he doesn’t like him, and feels trapped, only screwing him for Lust and pity. It’s honestly safe to say that as a writer, Vivzie has fucked up multiple times when it comes to their relationship. Every time she has a chance to improve it, she makes it worse, and with season 2 episode 2 being the recent episode, it can only go further downhill from here. Again, there’s still a chance to improve this moving forward, but I feel like the only way to do that is for Stolas to just give Blitz the crystal and focus on himself for a bit.

As for Alastor, I’m going to be 100% honest, I don’t really think his asexuality needs to be explored in the show. Not that I have anything against that because I don’t, it’s just think that with a character like Alastor, is there really a need to explore it? With a writer like Vivzie, I personally always felt like she never had the intention to. I feel like her idea for his character was just that he was obsessed with himself and too focused on other things to be in a relationship, and that’s it, no double meaning regarding sexuality. It felt more like she labeled him as ace because she wanted representation points, when she easily could have said “he’s obsessed with himself because he’s a homicidal maniac serial killer” and just leave it at that, it would have made sense and I wouldn’t have batted an eye because it fits with his character. Meanwhile fans always made his asexuality a big deal and I never understood it. For a character like Angel, I get it, because he wasn’t allowed to be himself during the 40’s and is now openly gay in hell, but Alastor? Why would I care about this man being ace, who’s literally a serial killer that’s probably murdered thousands of souls and is one of the most feared beings in hell? Who’s also clearly mentally insane? I dunno, y’all can disagree with me on this, but this is just my opinion. People also call Al good ace representation and Lmao….no? Go look at Todd from Bojack Horseman, THAT’S good ace rep, Alastor only feels ace to me because he’s a dick who only likes himself. However please again keep in mind that these are my opinions, if you’re happy there’s an Ace character in the show, that’s 100% okay! As for Alastor and the voodoo stuff being disrespectful, I can’t really speak on this subject because I don’t have the proper knowledge, so I’m not saying I disagree, I just can’t speak on the subject lol.