#helluva foreshadowing

[timkontheunsure]

Conditional Love -

Stolas will try to leave, and Blitz will have to tell him he loves him.

The song Merry Sinsmas lyrics foreshadows it. It's from sung from Blitz's view.

"You pack your bag, you kiss me on the cheek, you tell a lie 'that you will soon return to me'."

Then it back to Blitz saying "I loved you then, I love you still, and now it won't be long until you're here at last. And then I'll ask if you heart still burns for me?"

"I would travel every ring of hell just to see if you'll be mine."

"Merry Sinsmas. Know that you are on my mind! Merry Sinsmas! Truer love is hard to find."

Stolas will leave, and Blitz will have to tell him how he loves him to keep Stolas.

But ok why will Stolas try to leave?

Stolas is just as bad as Blitz with self worth issues. He believes any love and affection he receives is conditional.

He doesn't even think that Blitz would stop being friends with Striker, after trying to kill him.

Any love and care he reserves from Blitz is a tally in his mind. And on the other side is things he thinks he has to do to deserve it.

Same go with Via, so any her being angry isn't just that; it's that she hates him and he's not worthy of love as a father.

(Seriously they're so similar with this).

While Stolas can and does love unconditionally, he believes he's not worth it in return.

If he does enough good things for the people in his life they'll care about him for a little bit. If he doesn't they won't, because he's fundamentally unlovable.

It's the mind set of alot of abuse victims, because it is how abusers work. Their victims are tools, and it's really is a case of 'so what have you done for me lately'.

So what's Stolas thinks on his side of the balance sheet with Blitz? Gratitude, pity and guilt.

Stolas tuck Blitz's place, and tried to give up his life to keep him safe.

And since then Blitz has been showering Stolas with love and care for a month. Showing all affection he normally keeps completely hidden...

Blitz even hired him on.

While we know Blitz has been crazy about Stolas for around a year, (the guy's blushing about them in Harvest Moon Festival).

And Blitz thinks that he's been very clear.

That Stolas already knows how he feels, because he's already begged for him not to go, when he pleaded for Stolas to not die for him.

But Stolas really isn't getting this. Like Blitz didn't get that Stolas really loved and cared about him; all through their stupid tit for tat deal.

Trading affection from Blitz for access to the grimoire. Ooof.

I absolutely love Blitz savings Stolas from the dragon.

And in that moment it makes him so happy. Finally able to responding romantically again to Blitz. Because he gets Blitz loves him here.

But then he gets the stuffings knocked out of him. With Via telling him she was just an obligation, and him thinking she hates him; Stolas thoroughly back into the conditional love mindset all over again.

Because what makes this time difference after all?

In his mind Blitz only saved him as a debt to be repaid, with Blitz even appearing to tell him so... 😬

It's why he starts withdrawing again, cus he's got to remind himself it's fake. And it would be taking advantage to respond to Blitz.

A guy who's Stolas thinks has told him twice, that he'd never really want to date him. That Blitz never like him romantically, but he's willing to fake it. Ooof....

And now Stolas believes they're square, a life saved for a life saved.

Why would he expect Blitz still be lovely and caring of him after all? Stolas tells Blitz there's no need to feel guilty for what it cost Stolas, because it was his choice.

Blitz thinks he's been very clear that he wants Stolas, that they're on the same page, about them being in love with eachother...

But Stolas...He thinks it's all fake. An act Blitz is putting on to be nice to him. That if he went along with it he'd would be taking advantage again.

Same as he thinks he did with the grimoire, cus he still doesn't know Blitz enjoy spending time with him, outside of sex.

Stolas really does thinks he's an unlovable monster, that Blitz was forced to put up with.

And it's very unlikely he's changed that view of himself, now he has even less he can give Blitz.

Honestly he could do with Fizz pointing out no one goes to this much trouble for an easy lay. (If Fizz is to point out Stolas is being an idiot about how obvious Blitz love himI laugh so hard).

It's very likely to come back around this conversation.

It's played out twice so far.

First with Blitz wordlessly telling Stolas leaving to go dance with with BTB.

Second with Stolas leaving the party, Blitz flowing, but this time staying and dancing with Stolas himself.

Rule of three is very common in media. Think this time Stolas will leave, Blitz will follow, they'll dance; and Blitz will use his words to tell Stolas why the wants him to come back.

That he'll have to run over rings to get to Stolas, and tell him Blitz loves him, and for how long he has. And ask if Stolas still loves.

With Blitz bringing Stolas back this time.

It would be lovely if this was a duet between the two of them, because so far there duets have been fully on the same page.

WISH has them singing at cross purposes in two different places.

And Mastermind has them on the same page emotionally for their soliloquy, and in the same space, but they don't actually hear eachother.

The previous two dances have were set to diagetic music, and have it be a full duet that would be a sweet way have them talk. Like with Crooked between Fizzarolli and Asmodeus.

But come on Blitz just ask Stolas out properly.

(Ok level with you, I'm not ready sure that song is full foreshadowing. With every part going happening. Sam's said it's just a Christmas carol.

But Stolas trying to leave, because he thinks he's being a burden, and that Blitz only likes him because of guilt, gratitude, and pity; makes way too much sense to me.

The idea that Vassago might offer Stolas somewhere to stay keeps coming into my head. It would make sense as he seems to like Stolas, and the rich tend to not like to see 'one of their own forced low'...

Don't think that either Blitz or Stolas would want Stolas to go. But unless Blitz tells him how he feels, it does seem like something their own self worth issues could do).

[inkwyvern]

The mysterious demon snarled in defiance before Satan.

Heat radiated off him and his glowing eyes blazed with fury.

As my demon lover took a stand against his lord,

I felt my love for him burn even hotter than the fiery depths of Hell.

Emberlynn Pinkle you depraved little genius

[bleucaesura]

Not gunna lie.

Very much looking forward to when the show revisits THIS in the future and feeds us the yummy yummy rom-com “train” in the rain scene of Blitzø begging Stolas not to go because:

“I cannot be without you!”

*swoons* 😻❤️🥵🥰

Yup. Very much looking forward to that.

I’ll eat that shit up.

Nom nom nom nom nom 🤤

[miyakuli]

Yeah right

Secretary Stolas is def gonna be canon at this point

[impossiblesublimelight]

What is with this family and the full moon?

[mayketz]

so excited for secretary Stolas

[crooked-wasteland]

According to helluva fans…asking for sex then hesitating before being persuaded, is sexual assault because you showed a moment of hesitation? Wow they are morons.

Stolas a prince, was sober enough to dismiss guards then escort someone technically now in his custody, to his bedroom and lock the door until he got sex, then brag about it to his wife the next day and months after. These fans and even some criticals must have been closing their eyes during the entire hallway scene where stolas straight up tells blitz “follow me, imp” and tells him not to speak.

But in my opinion Medrano didn’t intend this scene to be as rapey as it was. To her it’s both hot and funny. I can’t help think how many pornos there are of scenes just like this, where someone traps someone else in a bedroom. And all the pornos where two guys go at it in secret while the wife is in the next room. It’s pure sleaze.

Just a warning, this one is a bit rambling, but this is why many of my drafts never end up finished because they touch on so many different things that I get stuck in my approach. I'm just throwing everything out as I write and so there are some tangents.

I apologize if that gets confusing.

I'm sure the intention was some kind of sexual thriller vibe. But I think the whole scene simply lacks coherence and so people grab what they can from the episode.

I didn't have a real place to put this in my 2-parter, but Stolas is just weird, in a derogatory way. Taking him as a whole, he's a gross, weird, ultra-powerful noble whose opening line is nothing if not wantonly sexual towards someone he literally doesn't know.

On the other hand, you see the consequences of why redundant scenes are such a problem. The sequence of Stolas flirting with Blitz is a terrible, uncomfortable, and insane first draft scene that someone forgot to delete. Everything from when they enter the room to when they sit down is why a lot of people see Stolas as being enthusiastically consenting the entire time.

No one provoked that characterization out of him. He both doesn't remember Blitz's name, but also believes it would be totally normal to conclude that the kid from his childhood he only met once showed up 25 years later just to have sex. This is Stolas just being Stolas without the thought of cheating up until this point being an option to him. But the moment he lays eyes on that guy he only vaguely remembers, Stolas is revving like a college sophomore tailgating in his raised pickup after a frat party.

This is just bizarre. There is no way to justify this sort of character other than perverse and debauched. That the second he was alone with some man of a much lower status, and thus powerless and harmless, he goes from trying to endure his loveless marriage to fantasizing about some rugged, long-lost childhood friend (who, once again, he doesn't know the name of) coming to (affectionately) steal him away from it all instantly.

That's insane. That's an insane person. That's a villain in their own right. That is season 1 Ice King from Adventure Time. There is no way to really forgive this kind of character without some heavy overhauling.

Which is a problem because they already set up their Ice King redemption arc in LooLoo Land. While The Circus is a prequel, it was also the show's last chance to get the main relationship's connection right.

For some reason they didn't just rewrite season 1 after realizing they wanted to go in a different direction by Ozzie's, but that would have been more money and more time. This is also why you should have a lot of pre-planning. I also get Murder Family being a soft relaunch pilot and the contents of that episode not being canon as the team got a clearer image of what they wanted from the story.

But Season 2 really was that last chance. Being Indie and generous to their limited experience, Spindlehorse had a rare opportunity to take 3 bites of the same apple. They whiffed every one. I think it's reasonable to be unforgiving of these sort of mistakes this late in the process.

There's only so many times you can claim to be learning and make these sort of rookie mistakes before people stop accepting your third and fourth drafts after the fact. And I think Medrano has hit her limit following Mastermind when I see comments on her Instagram asking who lied to her in reference to her writing being better.

Anyway, that is the same problem here, but much closer together. The momentum of the scene with Stolas initiating conversation with Blitz that is clearly implied to be expecting sex at some point in the interaction get reset as Stolas and Blitz sit down on the chaise.

We have a clear delineation of two alternate realities where in one Stolas is just happy to reconnect with someone he, for some reason, considers an old friend, and another where expecting sex in this situation is just "normal?".

Meanwhile Blitz makes two plans that are exactly the same in order to get the book. Yet both times are shown to be "the moment" his character decides how he is going to get what he wants.

And because both of them are here in the finished product, we as an audience have no choice but to try and make these coexist in one time and space.

For anyone to keep their sanity, they have to choose one or the other. And it seems to me that the fans see the original setup as being "Just a joke", which is a whole host of problems on its own.

You should not be stopping the story completely and making your own blooper reel inside the main portion of your narrative. Any joke that stops the momentum and actively needs to be unwritten to maintain the flow needs to be deleted.

Which, for simplicity sake, when I use words like "unwritten" I specifically mean the act of writing around something that has already been canonized in order to "undo" the impact of it.

Like when Stella suddenly calls Striker to call off the assassination because her brother had to redefine her own motivation because the writers felt they had written themselves into a corner.

Or when Stolas comes out of nowhere in Full Moon monologuing about how the book deal wasn't right and that he wanted to end it, out of nowhere really. No moment of the show is spent showing us how Stolas learns from his mistake to get to that point, it very obviously is a rushed and hand-fisted way of telling an audience to stop bringing it up, instead of actually having the characters work through the conflict.

That is what I mean by un-writing. Its the literary equivalent of a new coat of paint on a condemned building infested with black mold.

Retconning would be never addressing the change or shift at all and moving forward with that change. Which can be done well by professionals through the lens of recontexualizing. Creating distance where you can and having characters face consequences for their actions and actively grow when you can't just ignore it.

Ozzie's is an example of a retcon as Stolas never once made clear that he was infatuated with Blitz at all. It almost succeeded with just recontexualizing the characters and their relationship if they had insisted that this was something new for Stolas. Instead they then went and made The Circus. Which recontexualized Ozzie's as a hard, amateur, retcon.

In the Circus, everyone is choosing a narrative between the two scenes on where to start. Does it start when they sit down or when they enter the room. From my understanding, all critics begin the scene when Stolas locks the door.

Meanwhile fans put that scene (and a lot of other ones like it) in a bubble and slap a label on as "JOKE" and then continue the story after Blitz and Stolas sit down. Meaning they see Blitz as the instigator.

Which is necessary, because the 8 month gap between season 1 and 2 was long enough for people to start questioning key plot points that definitely contradicted Medrano's direction in Ozzie's. By this point, Stolas was being eviscerated for how his offer to cuddle in the season finale was rightfully turned down and how Blitz had no reason to believe Stolas saw Blitz as more than a sexual object. Not just from their dinner in the episode, but as a retrospective. Looking back over the whole season as a singular entity made people less fond of Stolas.

Frankly, his whole change of heart on Ozzie's feels like he's trying to use Blitz emotionally like he does sexually, and Blitz's response is extremely valid.

They run into the same situation here. Can't give up the gross sexual humor because Medrano finds that hilarious. So let's awkwardly un-write around that very clear sexual predator scene by having Stolas say:

I'm not someone who believes you can lead someone on, but Stolas did way too much.

People accused of "leading on" guys don't apprehend those men, lead them through their private residence to their bedroom, lock themselves with the man inside, and explicitly state that they desire sex with a word that practically spells out a kink for consensual non-consent.

No one has ever put that much effort just to turn around and say "I was only teasing". Even if you swear you're only teasing, you are the asshole in that instance. Of course no one deserves to be sexually assaulted regardless what they do; but how can you try and defend yourself when you literally were asking for it?

It's one of those situations where black and white thinking cannot function and I know by how people respond to this part, whether or not they are mature enough to be on my page. Because no one deserves something bad happening to them, no matter how terrible they are. But this specific situation is so murky between the power dynamics (if Stolas didn't actually want it, he could kill Blitz consequences free. And we have also seen he will kill someone even if his life is not actually in jeopardy in Loo Loo Land) but also the actions the characters have taken to show enthusiastic consent.

And even still, prior to Blitz biting Stolas, he didn't actually do anything sexual. He is simply flirting and moving Stolas around the room as a literal means of control. What about any of Blitz's actions is sexual in this sequence?

But again, this is such a demented and bizarre setup that literally no one in real life will ever be in this exact situation, and the characters themselves are not real. So unreal people in an unreal situation that isn't even remotely plausible in reality, I'm coming down hard on the side of, Fuck off, Stolas consented and he's not really revoking consent either, and even still Blitz has no intention of having sex with him anyway. So no, Blitz is not doing anything wrong, sexually speaking.

If Blitz isn't just answering a direct question in a suggestive tone, he's repeating back Stolas' question in a suggestive tone. Mainly because you can't answer this:

With:

It isn't until Stolas is enthusiastically consenting that Blitz does have sex with him or does anything sexual towards him. No one can even guarantee that Blitz knew biting Stolas would turn him on, it was just something to distract Stolas. These are hypotheticals asking about the mindset of a person who doesn't have a mind. Any clues to motivation are limited to facts on screen. Blitz acted impulsively, it worked out for him and resulted in Stolas' enthusiastic consent.

Which, by the way, pity sex sits just over the border of dubious consent for me. Sure, it's a choice, but one by definition made under the duress of one's own emotions. No one enjoys pity sex. Everyone who has had pity sex has always written it off as a regrettable night.

And while regret is not non-consent, doing anything from pity is the cause of feeling pressured. Factors can be internal or external. External factors push it closer to non consent, internal ones keep it as dubious consent, but my understanding of how people experience pity (especially people who suffer from abandonment issues) keeps me from seeing pity as being cleanly consensual.

Pity as an emotion is an interesting one, as my own relationship with the emotion is one I have processed and worked through. With my own history of trauma, I was a lot more desperate in how I pitied other people. It was like, I felt so bad for them that I had to do something to make me not pity them anymore, because the feeling was too uncomfortable for me.

As an over 30-year-old adult and having gone through extensive work on my mental health, pity is something distant to me. It's not a motivator to me now, but it very much was when I was less mentally well. And I often see reflections of that in how people online behave. So I assume that most people who would latch onto this show would also experience Pity with an unusual intensity.

I'm very much open to hearing other's experiences in this regard.

But anyway, yes. Stolas claims to be "teasing", it holds no weight. Also, Stolas even just saying that he meant it all as some big joke is a certified "dick move". It's not funny, it's gross and weird. It just makes Stolas look more gross and more weird.

But the only reason he says this is because he said that weird crap by the door. So the fact that the scene by the door is being referenced after the tone shift removes the ability to just completely cut out chunks of the story and call it a joke. It was an attempt at minimizing Stolas' culpability after having him instigate the sexual direction the scene went in, trying to throw a hot potato so that the writers can claim that they are equally at fault.

Meanwhile, this is Blitz:

Looking like he licked the seat of a toilet bowl even as he's walking to the window to leave.

There is so much whiplash between him trying to get into it, only for Stolas to physically disgust him. And that amount of disgust somehow turning around completely is a hard one to tango with.

Emotions, at least in literature, run on Newton's Laws of Gravity. In order to change a character's emotions you need an bigger and opposite emotion.

So conceptualizing Blitz's disgust as a sphere the size of the moon, in order for that disgust to turn into pity, especially a level of pity that would make Blitz push past his disgust and have sex with the weird, gross guy out of pity, that's an emotional nuke the size of the sun.

So Blitz being Stolas' friend is more important to Blitz than his own repulsion to Stolas.

That's a lot of character development that makes the whole sequence viscerally uncomfortable, and that's just from Blitz's side. That's not even touching on Stolas and how repulsive we as an audience see him behave.

But that also relies on having your own experiences to really feel for the characters. Before ever considering having sex myself, this sort of story would have been edgy fun. I would have also been 13 and not an adult, but still. I would have found this whole setup stupid sexy fun. As an adult who has experienced sexual assault and consensual sex, as well as having a long-term partner, I feel Blitz's disgust as strongly as he does.

Him changing his mind cannot be something unimportant. Just like there was too much work done to make Stolas a fucking creep, too much was done to show how revolting Blitz found Stolas. It is perfect for Blitz's character, but not for the narrative Medrano is trying to tell.

Blitz's character consistency is too on point for Medrano to cope, and she shows by how she Un-Writes her stories that she doesn't know how to tell a story. The second her characters are faced with a problem, that problem is resolved in the laziest and least impactful way.

Did any of this make sense? Not going to take my own advice and just throw up my first draft. Hopefully someone likes it.

[drama-glob]

With this moment in "Sinsmas," it definitely continues to add evidence to the idea that the indicator that Blitz and Stolas are in a good place relationship-wise/are a couple is when they both accept the other's hand.<3<3<3

[akirathedramaqueen]

No rest for the wicked

What often keeps my mind occupied and worried for the last couple of... weeks, or even months, maybe, is what might happen to Stolas's relationship with Octavia in the near future.

We know something bad is brewing. The trailer gave us enough information to freak out but learn nothing from it. I think though that I have found yet another foreshadowing, and I am sad I did. I was not sure if I should post it since predictions and speculations are not quite my style, but fuck it, I’ll roll with it. I want you to suffer with me <3 Besides, after yesterday's @tealvenetianmask's wonderful post about Stella and how society enables her behavior, and my rambly reblog, which delves more into Stolas's relationships with Octavia and how they are affected, I decided I need to let it out of my system.

So, you see... while I believe this screenshot is our last hope for us, the Stolitz nation—that these two dumbasses will have ANOTHER chance to talk properly...

It implies that something arguably worse than their breakup is going to happen. Something on the 'whole palace is in ice and Stolas is in immediate mortal danger' level of 'worse.' Something bad enough to make them forget all the shit they’ve gone through with their disastrous miscommunication and unite to face a common threat.

Andrealphus.

Something that would make Stolas to leave quickly and forcibly. Run for his life. Disappear, sweeping off his trail, without Octavia knowing...

And let her think he ran off with Blitzø.

Are you gonna run off with him and leave me behind? Go away, where I can't find you?

Make her run around the palace looking for him and not being able to find him. Because he isn’t there.

Daddy! Daddy... I had a dream! A really bad dream! I was looking all over the palace, and I couldn't find you anywhere! You weren't there!

And the worst part is that it would make her assume the worst: that he left her behind just for a weird red dickhead.

Why?

Because Stolas's relationship with Blitzø has caused a rift between the prince and his daughter.

Because he, unfortunately, has never told her what kind of mother Stella is, or what she has done to him. She is left to believe everything was okay until that imp came around, seduced her father, ruined her family, and wrecked her home.

Because Stolas grew distant and forgot about the important stellar event he promised to show her. Was he wrong for it? Of course not! Stella made everything to throw him off the rails completely that morning. But Octavia still has the right to be upset.

Not to mention that she’s nowhere to be found since that night in Los Angeles… Why isn’t she around? Is she resentful toward him? Is she being kept from him? Or is he keeping her at arm's length because of the assassination attempt and his deteriorating state of mind? What happened?

I can already see how Stella and Andrealphus could use all of it against Stolas, grooming Octavia and simmering her in hatred for him. Bluntly lying about true reasons Stolas fled.

Stolas kept silent about the abuse he survived, hoping to protect Octavia and let her live a perfect childhood. But instead, she won’t have a single soul to support her, since Stolas will be chased off and hated. By her. Surrounded by vultures who now prey on her, who have couped her father and forced him to break the solemn, earnest promise he made to her.

What?... No! No, no, never! I'd never do that. Never...

How fucking tragic is that?

[shhrrroooommmmmyyyyyy]

hear me out

imagine this is how blitzø proposes. we're cooked if there's a horse involved. or if it's under the tree from their childhood

that's it

that's my ted talk

[godrotty]

Can u imagine if this kickass imagery was connected to long-term narrative consequence rather than being a brief showy wad of nothing-cotton for boy angst

[timkontheunsure]

Part 1 Helluva Foreshadowing and Callbacks

Ep 1 murder family

That Moxxie's from the mob and has a shitty dad

That Blitz considers killing a mum to be ruining a family, and that he has guilt over it

That Moxxie's has similar dead mum issues

That the illegality of borrowing the book would bite they in the arse.

That Martha will keep triggering Blitz with his own guilt about his mother.

Ep 2 Loo loo land

That Via would look all over the palace, but not be able to find her dad. Her nightmares will come true

(credit to Stolas devoted for the one's in the link)

That Stolas would be kidnapped by an imp

That the fire was an accident, but that it was started by Blitz

That Fizz would be horribly burnt by it

That Blitz's scar pattern also came from this fire

that the fire would burn down the whole Circus

That Blitz's had a crush on Fizz

M&M coming to Stolas' rescue when he's kidnapped by an imp

That Stolas will be upset that Blitz doesn't save him that time.

But will be save by his Knight Blitz later

that Via's will think her dad ran off with Blitz. Leaving her behind.

That her home will be ruined by her dad being gone

Moxxie will ride a dragon

[hideawayfairy]

Fun Fact

The parts in "Look At This" in which Fizz resembles a snake were not in fact a reference to Kaa from Disney's The Jungle Book as many plebians are lead to believe. But rather, they are actually foreshadowing that Alex Brightman would be announced as the official voice actor for Sir Pentious.

[eat-a-dicker]

this is a screenshot i took a while ago. it's interesting to me that fizz's expression is one of glee, a tiny bit of judgment, but he is happy to see blitzo at ozzie's with a boyfriend of high status.

[miyakuli]

** Permission to post it was granted by the artist Do not repost/edit the art without permission Please, support the artist on their pages too **

Artist : ぱぺる@papelnln

Source

[anthurak]

So this is going to be part of an upcoming post I'm working on...

But does anyone else remember this lighter we see Loona using in Mastermind?

You know, the one we first saw back in Seeing Stars?

The one which was clearly used as a visual metaphor for Loona's messy, dysfunctional but still genuine and caring relationship with Blitzo?

And then in this episode, we see BLITZO send this lighter up in flames.

So I can't help but wonder if this is hinting at anything...