helluvahotmess

[helluvahotmess]

[helluvahotmess]

I think the FUNNIEST way to introduce Blitzo's mom would be that since all we've seen of her so far is one photograph and a serene looming figure burning away in Blitzo's nightmare, there is a bit of an expectation for her to be this soft spoken, calm, motherly figure. The Dead Mom TM.

And instead...the show would just jumpcut into a flashback where we see Blitzo's mom with all his mannerisms. This absolute loud, disaster of a woman bursting into a room like:

HEEELLLOOO- move it whore! - HELLOOOO and how's my little wondertwins???? mwhuah, mwuah, look, mommy made breakfast- Oh OH OH SHIIIIITTTTTT-!!! *Somehow manages to fall into dumbster*

It would be very funny, but it would also be very sweet to think that Blitzo picked up his mannerisms from his mom.

[helluvahotmess]

Stella has personality, you just don't like it. Octavia has personality, you just don't like it. Millie has personality, you just don't like it.

Viv can write female characters with personality, you just don't like seeing female characters with flaws.

Stella is selfish, stupid, privileged, and enjoys others' suffering. You know, like a villain. Because she's a villain.

Octavia is sheltered, has narrow view, little experience, and doesn't care about things outside her little world. You know, like a teenager. Because she's a teenager.

Millie is passive, patient, and focuses on supporting those she cares about. You know, like an repressed eldest sibling. Because she's a repressed older sibling.

Loona is aggressive, selfish, and distrustful. You know, like a foster kid that spent a LOT of time in the system. Because she was a foster kid who spent a lot of time in the system.

I think this is a collection of diverse and interesting characters. Just because Stella isn't seen being a good or loving mother doesn't mean she's one dimensional or poorly written, it means she isn't a good mom and doesn't want to be.

Why does "giving Stella personality" have to mean "good money who loves her daughter"? You guys just can't handle a character who is explicitly a bad mom who doesn't like her kid. Unfortunately, there are bad moms in the world.

[helluvahotmess]

horse standing calmly with a gay pride flag laid upon its back like a cape and text on the image helpfully tells us gay horse the horse seems neither happy nor sad about this development just normal similar to how many gay people want to be perceived not as something awful nor extraordinary just normal people who happen to be gay

[helluvahotmess]

How Blitz Saved Stolas in Mastermind

Something I've been wanting to do for a WHILE is talk about a very, very specific scene in Mastermind. Seriously, it's, like, two sentences long, but it really stuck out to me, and I've been thinking about it since November. (Apologies if other people have talked about this before!)

Let me preface by saying, I LOVE English and writing. I minored in English with a writing concentration in undergrad, and I used to work in my college's writing center. When I didn't have appointments, I would study grammar rules and shit like that. While English is, in fact, a very stupid language, it is still quite fascinating.

The thing that really stuck out to me in Mastermind is Blitz's use of something called "passive voice" during the trial.

For those who may not know, passive voice is a way of constructing your sentences. It makes it so that the object of the sentence comes before the verb, and, in a sense, it can "hide" the subject. This is different from active voice, where the subject clearly does the verb to the object. For example:

Active voice: I (subject) kicked (verb) the ball (object).

Passive voice: The ball (object) was kicked (verb) by me (subject).

I've had MANY teachers tell me that using passive voice at all is a big no-no, and that's due to a couple of reasons. First, passive voice tends to create a more complex sentence, which can be harder for readers to interpret. And second, some people consider it too informal or "not proper" for writing because it's not as clear or concise as active voice.

HOWEVER

Passive voice is often still accepted when a person wants to remove blame or hide responsibility. For example:

The lamp was broken. The car was wrecked. The bank was robbed.

See how you still know what happened in all of those instances, but you don't know who did it?

That is exactly what Blitz does during the Mastermind trial.

After he admits to stealing the book (or "attempting" to steal the book as he says), he then states,

"Point is! It was given to me, okay? I was allowed to use it."

Instead of:

"Point is! Stolas gave it to me, okay? Stolas allowed me to use it."

Passive voice. Why?

To keep Stolas out of it. To protect him.

I believe that if Blitz had mentioned Stolas's name earlier, it would've been a surefire way to not only save Millie, Moxxie, and Loona but also his own life. I mean, look at how fast Satan was willing to change his tune once Stolas "confessed." Couldn't Blitz have just said, "hey, dude. Uh, actually, the royal who owns this book let me do all this, soooo, isn't he the one who should be in trouble here?" (Now, maybe Satan wouldn't have bought this since he wasn't willing to listen to most of what Blitz was trying to say that day, but that is an entirely different conversation.) He could've done that by using active voice.

But he didn't. He intentionally kept Stolas out of that entire conversation. In fact, Blitz never even mentions Stolas's name until Andrealphus already brought him up, until Blitz admits that he could've killed Stolas himself. But that still doesn't put any blame on Stolas. If anything, it just makes Blitz look more guilty.

I think we can all agree that Blitz isn't the type to throw his friends under the bus. Obviously, if Blitz and Stolas were on good terms, he would do anything to protect him. But they weren't on good terms.

This all takes place after the Full Moon, after Apology Tour, after all the screaming and the raging and the storming off in tears. Prior to the trial, the last time Blitz and Stolas saw each other, Blitz left still under the impression that Stolas was mad at him, that Stolas wanted nothing to do with him.

And even still, he didn't acknowledge the fact that Stolas did allow Blitz to use it (despite him stealing it first). Even though they weren't even close to speaking terms, Blitz still protected Stolas that day.

He could've tried to save his own ass. He could've been petty about the deal and said, "here, Stolas, this is what you get." But he didn't. Because even though Blitz has his own valid reasons for being mad at Stolas, he still loves him. And he'd still do anything to keep him out of danger.

Blitz tends to prefer actions over words (e.g., that's why Blitz gets upset when Stolas gives him the crystal. He interprets Stolas's actions as "you're throwing me away.") Stolas tends to prefer words over actions (e.g., that's why Stolas gets upset when Blitz roleplays with "I love you/I'll stay with you." He interprets Blitz's words as "this is a joke to me.")

But that day? They both chose the opposite.

Stolas's actions saved Blitz. And Blitz's words saved Stolas.

Isn't that neat?

[helluvahotmess]

I met Alex Brightman at SacAnime. Wonderful man. 10/10. He and I had an interesting conversation about BlitzFizz. He said that while it is possible that, in another world without the fire Blitz and Fizz would have been a couple, ultimately, they would not have stayed together.

And that got me thinking as to why.

No shade to you BlitzFizz shippers. I am a huge fan of “friends to lovers” and your fanart is super cute. I’m just thinking about this in the context of the material.

And I think the reason why it ultimately wouldn’t work out is because Fizz is charismatic and charming and super sweet and always attracts the spotlight. Blitz…doesn’t. His sense of humor is weird. He’s crass. He swings first and asks questions later. And I can see some resentment building between them when their dynamic in childhood continues as adults. Blitz wants just a little of the spotlight, but he can’t have any while Fizz is just being effortlessly awesome.

And I think a huge draw to Stolas for Blitz is because he will never have to compete for the spotlight. Stolas enjoys being in the audience. He enjoys doing the behind-the-scenes work. He enjoys the thankless, tedious labor that the performers don’t ever think about. And that dynamic works for them! Forget sharing the spotlight; Stolas doesn’t want any of it! No, thank you! Shine it on Blitz. He’ll be hanging out doing literally anything else.

[helluvahotmess]

BLEGH

medium: Sharpie, micron pens, prismacolor pencil, gel pen

[helluvahotmess]

The new Stolas merchandise is so cute, I love it and want it 🫠🫠

[helluvahotmess]

I’m going absolutely feral over how amazing Blitzø and Octavia look in the new PRIDE Merch

[helluvahotmess]

Lost, exhausted by your time on stage

[helluvahotmess]

This comic takes place during Seeing Stars while Blitz and Stolas are on their way to the studio!

Hope you enjoyed! Mild art ranting below the cut 😂

I had to drag this piece kicking and screaming over the finish line. When I first got the idea and started working on it, I had a very different rendering approach I was experimenting with. I finished the entire comic in that style then immediately decided I hated it 😂 I liked the lines for the most part, but not enough to keep, so in the end I just... redrew the entire thing using the original as a reference (don't do what I do). And still this comic irks me. From a technical perspective I actually like it quite a bit; I'm satisfied with the way I drew Blitz and Stolas, at the very least. But in terms of what the comic evokes(?) I'm not not 100% happy with it (or even 90%). It's like a 'this art doesn't make me feel what I wanted it to make me feel' type of dissatisfaction, which is, unfortunately, kinda tough to resolve. I'm a big believer in embracing your failures (and in moving on when frustration is no longer serving you) so this was getting posted no matter how it turned out and eventually I'd run out of desire to work on it further. But I still wanted to let some of these feelings out because it's been awhile since art made me feel that way! And I think it's nice to let other people see the artist perspective sometimes even when it isn't totally positive. On the bright side, it was fun to experiment with a lot of things in this piece! Also this comic was actually finished weeks ago and I've already moved to a better place with my art. This kind of frustration is usually a precursor to growth anyways, so it's best to just be patient and ride it out 😌 Hope this little rant wasn't too much of a downer! The last thing I want is to take away people's enjoyment of the art by being too critical of myself <3 Here's a little peek at the original style! In retrospect, it actually wasn't that bad, I'm just more a fan of the starker, un-rendered look I eventually went with:

[helluvahotmess]

I love comparing Stolitz to Rose & Jack from Titanic, because I really do believe it's a perfect comparison when it comes to the abuse victim "cheating" on their "partner". Like, if people still don't understand why I don't consider what Stolas did cheating even after that, they're just a lost cause to me.

There are like only two outcomes. Either they can acknowledge what Rose did wasn't cheating, but still double down Stolas did cheat. Aka, further proof they genuinely believe reversed genders magically makes this situation okay, because of their bullshit "men can't be abused by women" agenda. Or they also call what Rose did cheating. Aka, further prove they're just victim blamers in general.

And a secret 3rd option where the comparison finally makes them realize Stolas didn't cheat and how the "he cheated" argument is bullshit... but I have yet to see that one happen.

[helluvahotmess]

Let me hold you, keep you close to me, I long to hear your voice

But dearest, I know better now, I must give you this choice

[helluvahotmess]

[helluvahotmess]

save me

[helluvahotmess]

moana te fiti forehead touch but make it stolitz

at one point i entertained drawing more of a full on moana au but never did so im gonna throw some stuff out here and if anyone wants to do it have at it lmao

striker manages to shoot stolas but its not enough to kill him, just corrupt him

stolas ravages his way through hell down to the lowest level, destroying important farms and businesses and buildings along the way

no one (except striker and blitz) knows exactly what happened, but everyone agrees that blitz has to be the one to go talk stolas down from whatever shitfit he's throwing

blitz n the gang kidnap striker and force him to come along bc i couldnt stop imagining blitz yelling "you will get in my FUCKING car, travel the nine FUCKING rings of hell, and fix that FEATHERED FUCKING ASSHOLE" as a parallel to moanas board my boat/sail across the ocean/restore the heart of te fiti bit

loona is hei hei in the sense that she'd rather not be here but is anyway

[helluvahotmess]

everybody go horse crazy this summer