Magic lives here...

[briefobservationdreamer]

let's talk about stolas

While I wouldn't go quite so far as to say Stolas deliberately hurts people, and as a result I don’t hate the character in the same way I’d despise a reprehensible villain like Valentino, for example, I don’t think the things he did should be overlooked. Because these aren’t just small mistakes he’s made, and I think it's important to bring awareness to it.

Blitz:

Manipulated Blitz into having sex with him and initiated their “favours for favours” relationship. He made the proposition at a time when he knew Blitz was under duress and unable to give fully informed consent and explicitly made sex a condition for the grimoire during the conversation without leaving alternative options open. That wasn't just negotiating payment for sex work. That was using the grimoire as leverage to get the sexual favours he wants. To be clear, if Blitz refuses Stolas at any point, then Stolas could deny access to the grimoire and withdraw the desperately needed resource that I.M.P needs to keep their business running and get the income they rely on to get food on the table and a roof over their heads, along with other repercussions an imp could face for refusing a Goetian prince (one he is already in hot water with for attempted theft). Whether Stolas realised it or not, he took advantage of Blitz in a situation in which he had all of the power, physically, financially, socially and politically. This is sexual extortion, which - and I do not use this term lightly - is a form of rape. And this was a relationship that was ongoing and operating under these same exploitative conditional "I'll do this for you so that you do this for me" transactions for months.  

Persistently degraded Blitz multiple times with very demeaning sexual comments despite Blitz’s clear discomfort with it, making it completely rational for Blitz to think Stolas looks down on him for being an imp and only wants him for sex. Stolas might have thought this was a form of flirting and made an inconsistent effort to undo this after Ozzy’s, but the damage is done, and it would have been impossible for Blitz to tell if Stolas was being honest or just proving a point to make him look better, at least without some big gestures and a lot of repaired trust.

The comments he makes towards Blitz can also be racist, which is also indicated in the way he treats imp servants. This isn't directly about Blitz, but he treats his butler imps by thoughtlessly taking their service for granted, squeezing them like stress balls and making messes for them to clean up, which isn’t an ideal way to treat the race of someone you claim to love.  

Acts entitled and upset whenever Blitz didn’t personally come to save him, even when Blitz was preoccupied and still made sure Moxie and Millie would be there (and who never got any thanks for risking themselves to save his life).

Is clearly embarrassed when he was called out at Ozzy’s and does nothing to defend himself or Blitz.

He gave Blitz the Asmodean crystal to break their transactional relationship, but his lack of awareness still shows with how he handled it – opening with getting Blitz to put his entire livelihood in Stolas’ hands and making Blitz beg for it, then ending with casting Blitz out the moment his feelings were understandably not taken seriously and things didn’t go according to his script. I realise this was a difficult conversation that neither of them were really prepared for, but this was a situation entirely of Stolas’ making and within his power to prevent. For all his talk of setting Blitz free, he never really gave Blitz a chance to think for himself and actually make a choice.

Instead of listening to anything Blitz said about their relationship and addressing it, he blamed Blitz for the miscommunication and fallout without taking accountability himself and even attended a party dedicated to hating Blitz that was organised by someone Stolas knew was on bad personal terms with him (if he didn’t know before, he certainly did when Blitz reacted to the letter) out of petty spite.

This isn't a wrongdoing exactly, but other red flags I saw in their relationship are the fact that Stolas and Blitz don't actually seem to know each other all that well, as indicated by Blitz not knowing what Stolas likes to eat or Stolas not being aware of Blitz's well-known like of horses, along with other examples. Instead it is implied, and then made explicit in Apology Tour, that Stolas doesn't necessarily want Blitz, but rather wants his own romanticised idea of a relationship he picked up from watching rom coms and projected the image of his ideal partner onto Blitz. All in all, their relationship is extremely toxic and I think Stolas in particular has a lot of growth to do before he can be in a relationship.

Octavia:

Utterly obliterated any semblance of stable home life for his young daughter by having a very public and scandalous affair instead of talking honestly with Octavia about his relationship with Stella and getting a divorce, which we know was an option.

Instead of showing consideration for how the affair affected his daughter, feeling remorse for it and supporting her through the separation, he openly continues to have the affair even long after she made it clear to him how the situation was hurting her, makes very explicit sexual comments about his affair partner’s body in front of his underage daughter and ruins a father-daughter outing intended to cheer her up about their disastrous home life by inviting the affair partner along to fulfil a prince x bodyguard fantasy that neither Blitz nor Octavia wanted any part in.

Regularly argues with Stella about the affair and divorce in front of Octavia even after Octavia makes her discomfort clear, going as far as to call Stella a bitch in front of Octavia (which is in fact turning Octavia against Stella, contrary to Stolas' claims otherwise) and prioritising fighting with Stella over having another arranged outing with Octavia. When Octavia runs away alone and vulnerable to another world, Stolas blames Blitz when he should have been watching her and continues to waste time with Blitz when they go looking for her.

Used the grimoire in ways he knew to be illegal and could result in consequences that would harm Octavia and potentially prevent him from being present in her life if he and Blitz were caught. The whole trial was a mess of their own making. I understand Stolas wanted to save Blitz's life when Blitz didn't deserve to die for it, and Stolas didn’t have time to think about Octavia when he first showed up in the court room. However, he didn’t make any effort to get his affairs in order and make sure Octavia would be cared for when he thought he was going to be executed and put his head on the chopping block or while his punishment was still under discussion, despite knowing full well that Stella could take custody of her. He only thought about Octavia when Andrealphus brought up the legions he would be leaving behind, after Stolas had his powers stripped and it was already far too late to do anything about it. He did the one thing he promised her he wouldn’t do, and abandoned her for Blitz. Stella, Andrealphus, the system that arranged Stolas and Stella in the first place, and Octavia's awareness of those things are factors and separate points in the discussion, but none of those things mitigate the things Stolas himself has done to hurt her. She could let him explain, and probably should have, but really, what can he say at this point? That he had to sacrifice his life to protect his affair partner from the consequences of the illegal activity they were knowingly doing without saying a single word to her? All he can do to defend himself is give her the same excuses he's been giving her for months and tried to give her when she confronted him. Because there is no justification he can fall back on, no lie that Stella and Andrealphus need to tell her to make Stolas look bad, no misunderstanding that Octavia needs to "come around" to. Because she was right. He did abandon and betray her, and she has every right to harbour resentment towards him for it and take issue with his relationship with Blitz, and she shouldn't be expected to just deal with this and be satisfied with the bare minimum, be happy about stolitz's relationship or being part of a family with them and Loona.

Now, I’m not saying Stolas doesn’t deserve the chance to improve and do better. He cares about them, but he has a terrible habit of getting wrapped up in his own fantasies without seeing the reality of how his actions affect others, then trying to fix things with grandiose gestures that end up being hollow because they don't actually address the issue and aren't followed up with a correction of his toxic behaviour. Neglect, adultery, and sexual abuse are absolutely serious enough to end a relationship – as they should. Blitz and Octavia have all the reason they need to want nothing to do with him, and they’ve given him plenty of chances to change. The issues I've outlined here are the reasons why I just can't see Stolas' relationships with Blitz and Octavia as wholesome. Instead of being hated for lies to paint him as a misunderstood and tragic victim, Stolas needs to take the opportunity to reflect and change for the better. However, I can't blame anyone for being skeptical this will happen. The show yet has yet call Stolas out without putting the accusers in the wrong somehow to make Stolas look better. Blitz made the huge leap from "fuck you Stolas for using me and looking down on me, relationships are boring" to "you are my heart" in just three episodes and stops holding Stolas accountable without getting so much as an official apology from Stolas. I wouldn't be surprised if Octavia goes through a similar transformation at some point by the end.

[fantasywater]

This was a brilliantly written post that kept straight to canon facts to make it. Well done. However, your very last paragraph spells the future that I've also already pegged.

Unfortunately, Via is going to have the same trajectory as Blitz.

Blitz has been written and animated HATING Stolas for almost the whole of two seasons.

Full Moon was even the compilation of that hate.

Yet the very NEXT episode he is pining after Stolas.

Then two episodes later he says he's his heart while becoming the butler he railed against.

His transformation finally concludes in Sinmas with the Blitz we knew finally being erased.

If Blitz(MAIN CHARACTER) didn't get to rightfully keep hating his abuser then Stolas's neglected SIDE character daughter is not going to get to either.

All the Loona/Via merch, the giggling together in the pride poster, the hug in Seeing Stars, the creator and voice actor both saying Loona has big part to play in season three etc…, is all setting the seeds that the homewreckers daughter is going to have a part to play in easing down Via's defenses to accept the man her father threw his family away for.

There is even a writing trick in Sinmas where Via calls Blitz dad three times.

Then the putrid cherry is Blitz has a dream imagery(foreshadowing) of Stolas and Octavia as his family. This is especially important BECAUSE of who Blitz is. Our MAIN. Basically this a new goal of our lead character so therefore it WILL be given to him because of that alone.

Which means Octavia's fate is sealed.

Furthermore the official spidlehorse account also placed, and then deleted, a car decal with all of them on it that had Blitz saying my family as a tagline.

Also the co-writer called her a cockblock and Viv, and her lead animators, outright said they don't like Octavia.

The stage for her has been set in and outside of canon.

Via is now in direct opposition of a now basically canon gay ship. This has to be rectified, and it WILL be by giving her the same lobotomy Blitz got. Therefore her character change is a matter of WHEN not IF.

A good writer would let her estrangement be a permanent consequence of Stolas destroying his family,but we are dealing with a YAOI FANGIRL so all bets are off.

In essence Octavia's pain of her fathers infidelity, neglect, and abandonment is not going to matter. Just like Stolas's sexual extortion of Blitz didn't. Therefore all we critics can do is brace for the inevitable.

[iamkittybg3]

Not a "Cycle of Abuse" - Just a Vampire Romance You Didn’t Understand 😏

It’s always interesting how quickly people reach for phrases like "cycle of abuse" when faced with Ascended Astarion - because that interpretation only holds if you strip away context, mechanics, and the actual structure of the relationship.

Not just emotionally but narratively.

Because what defines Cazador Szarr isn’t simply "power."

It’s enforced power over those who have none:

no choice

no autonomy

That framework is essential. Without it, the "cycle" argument collapses.

And that framework does not exist in Astarion’s romance.

When he offers eternity, he does not deceive, coerce, or trap Tav into it. He is explicit to the point of bluntness:

Astarion: "But if you want the gift of eternity, I can give you that. One little bite is all it would take. That's what you want, isn't it? To be mine? Forever? My dark consort. My right hand. My most beloved spawn."

That is a fully informed choice.

And everything that follows reinforces that this is not about domination but about a chosen bond.

"Aeterna amantes. Lovers forever, until the world falls down."

"We are sovereigns. My sole endeavour now is to make this world yours and mine alone."

"My pretty consort, I don't like to see doubt cast upon your face. Fear not: you are mine."

"Seven thousand souls have given me the power to carve out my own future, and I want you to be part of it."

"Yes, me treasure?"

"Little love, whatever could be the matter?"

"Ask me anything, and it will be yours."

This is not the language of someone recreating a system of fear and punishment.

There is no threat.

No coercion.

No removal of self.

If anything, Tav is consistently centered, reassured, and elevated.

And yes, "you are mine" is not some automatic red flag people want it to be.

People in love say things like that all the time. It expresses attachment, exclusivity, devotion. ❤️

Context is what matters.

And in this context, it’s paired with reassurance, affection, and choice - not fear or control.

You can still refuse him. Even more telling: outside of romance, he never turns the player at all.

So the idea of some inevitable "cycle" continuing regardless of consent doesn’t actually align with what the game shows.

What does exist is a very specific outcome:

If you accept - you are not being turned into a random subordinate.

You are becoming a vampire bride / consort - a chosen, bonded partner - not a disposable thrall.

You have chosen:

immortality

permanence

and a supernatural bond

So when he says "you’re mine," it isn’t sudden.

It’s consistent.

And even then, the emotional core doesn’t shift into control - it stays rooted in attachment:

Astarion: "I may have power, but it would be nothing without you. You complete me. And together, we are unstoppable. So Heavens help the fool that tries to get in our way."

Astarion: "No, everything I want is standing right here." (Pointing on Tav)

For someone supposedly continuing a cycle of domination, that is a very strange priority. 😏

And notably, his focus is not locked into conquest either.

After defeating the Netherbrain, he literally defers to Tav:

Astarion: "You know, now that our enemies have fallen, I might be the most powerful person in the world. And as you're my consort, that makes us the most powerful people in the world."

Player: "I wouldn't want it any other way." Astarion: "And neither would I. Together, we can do anything. The world is ours for the taking. So, what would you like?" Player: "I want to see the world, with you at my side." Astarion: "Then you shall. We'll travel the lands together, tasting everything Faerun has to offer. Perhaps we'll find somewhere we'd like to stay for a century or two - perhaps not. We have a beautiful, bloody future to look forward to, my love. I can't be sure what it holds for us, but I know one thing. This is going to be fun."

He follows Tav’s desire.

Not control. Not domination. Alignment.

And then there’s the moment people constantly misread - usually because they either don’t understand English properly or just latch onto one word and ignore the sentence around it.

The narration literally says:

"He will always see you as degrading yourself if you continue to be with him. But perhaps you wish to degrade yourself. And he knows it."

Not: "He degrades you" ❌

But: "You are choosing this - and he recognizes it" ‼️

That is not forced humiliation.

This line is not describing him degrading Tav - it’s describing how he interprets Tav’s choice. After Ascension, Astarion sees himself as something dark, dangerous, and fundamentally removed from what Tav represents. So from his perspective, Tav choosing to stay with him - to love him, to bind themselves to him - looks like them lowering themselves to his level. That’s why the wording is specific: you degrading yourself, not him doing it to you. And the second sentence makes it even clearer: "perhaps you wish to degrade yourself. And he knows it." This isn’t coercion or humiliation being imposed. It’s recognition. He sees that Tav understands what he is and chooses him anyway. And this is where the "he becomes his abuser" argument completely collapses on a psychological level. 😏

Cycles of abuse are not about power.

They are about repetition of the same harmful patterns:

control through fear

removal of agency

punishment for resistance

That structure requires the victim to lose choice.

Tav never loses it.

They are informed. They are given options.

Which means the core mechanism of an abuse cycle is not present here.

What is present instead is something much simpler and much less convenient for that narrative:

A trauma survivor choosing power, and choosing to share it with his lover ❤️

This isn’t a story about becoming his abuser.

It’s a story about never being powerless again and deciding who stands beside you ❤️

............It’s also worth noting that this dynamic only starts to resemble "abuse" if the player themselves turns it into one.

If you constantly dismiss him or mock him - he becomes sharper, more reactive. That’s not some hidden "true nature". That’s a response.

The relationship is reactive by design. He mirrors how he’s treated, especially after Ascension, when he no longer tolerates being diminished.

So if someone experiences hostility there, it’s worth asking where it’s actually coming from.

Because at that point, the "abuse" isn’t something being done to the player.

It’s something the player is participating in.

P.S. Not everything you don’t like is abuse - sometimes you just don’t understand it. 😏

[fantasywater]

Exactly this.

There is no cycle of abuse going on between Astarion and his spouse.

For God's sake, the man breaks one of Vellioth's rules immediately after he finishes ascending, and then proceeds to break all three of Vellioth's rules on the turning night.

Tav/Durge: "You did it."

Astarion: "WE did it."

We. Us. Our.

The man just can't STOP using those words.

Cycle of abuse my ass.

Basically if you're kind to Astarion as his spouse, he can't STOP gushing about you.

However, weirdly enough Astarion is arguably the only companion whose lover can be outright horrible to HIM—kicking him in the balls, making him a slave, outright killing him and throwing him off the brain, telling him he's just like his abuser, or saying "don't mess it up" when he's actually pouring his undead heart out about loving them in the spawn route.

So if he acts like a bitch toward the player after ascension, it's because the player started acting like one FIRST.

Now, as far as Cazador goes, the only way people can argue that the cycle continues is through Astarion's hunger for power regardless of the pain it causes others not named Tav or Durge, his willingness to send 7,006 people to Hell just as Cazador intended to do to him, and his desire to have others bend to his will—for example, being very gunho about eventually creating spawn despite knowing that they would be slaves to him.

THAT'S debatably where the parallels to Cazador exist: in his ambitions, his methods, and his willingness to victimize others for power.

But when it comes to his relationship with Tav or Durge, the evidence points in the OPPOSITE direction.

There is no abuse there.

Just love and forever.

[fantasywater]

Ascension Is Astarion's Canon Ending

Ascension

Staying Spawn

When it comes to Astarion and the ritual, and failing the gaslighting persuasion checks meant to steer him away from his TRUE WISH ascension, he tends to say what he ACTUALLY feels about being a spawn — and it is ALWAYS negative. He talks about powerlessness, hunger, humiliation, fear, and limitation. Meanwhile, his reactions to ascension are consistently framed in positive terms: freedom, power, safety, LIFE.

Even in scenes where he briefly expresses guilt about condemning the 7,000 spawns, and his siblings, to be tortured in hell he STILL ultimately wants to complete the ritual.

After all, it's "best they serve a purpose".

In scenes where the player kills Cazador themselves, outright refuses to help him, or stops the ritual midway he can become PISSED — sometimes murderously so.

That reaction matters.

If JUST killing Cazador were freedom enough for him, denying him the ritual would NOT provoke that level of rage and devastation.

It's so OBVIOUS that Astarion's TRUE happy ending — REAL freedom — is his evil ending: ASCENSION.

He even constantly lampshades this by saying "TRUE freedom" in his scenes going forward.

Quite tellingly, Spawn NEVER says this after the Rite.

What he DOES say, if you break up with him after the brain is defeated, is: "How dare you break up with me after all I sacrificed!"

SACRIFICED? What could he POSSIBLY be talking about, spawn fans?

Up until that point, wasn't he saying how you saved him from himself?

But the truth slips out, even after the reassurance he gives the player earlier, and he then accurately let's spill that he views giving up ascension as a sacrifice.

Even earlier, Astarion STILL makes comments such as, “I am—well, not happy with how things turned out. But this does feel right,” and another remark, “I’ll have to (live with it). But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” These lines even more concede that his REAL FEELINGS over giving up the ritual still find their way into his words.

In essence he told you what you wanted to hear, and not actually the TRUTH about how he REALLY feels about you talking him out of ascension — UNTIL he doesn't even have you anymore.

Basically, he's filtering himself the same way he always has in order to maintain approval, affection, and stability.

A mask.

Because the truth is EVERYTHING he has a cutscene about losing since being turned into a vampire — the sun, his reflection, the taste of wine, freedom from the never-ending hunger, power, safety, wealth — he ONLY gets back through ASCENSION.

As a mortal, Astarion was a wealthy, hedonistic magistrate, and the Ascendant path is the ONLY route in which he regains the power, status, security, and freedoms that defined that life.

"Unmaking what you made me."= A slave, a prostitute, a walking corpse cursed with never-ending darkness and hunger. An un-life.

"You have given me EVERYTHING."= HIS LIFE BACK.

Once he learns of the rite, he NEVER stops wanting the TRUE freedom it brings. His arc then stops being about JUST killing his abuser once the ritual comes into play.

Again, he wants his LIFE back, and ASCENSION gives him that.

His spawn ending is so OBVIOUSLY a FAILED QUEST that the devs have tried to gaslight players into thinking it's a happy ending via patches because the spawn fans got pissed.

If you go to Cazador without knowing about the ritual, he point-blank tells you about it, and what Cazador HIMSELF says about why even he wants to do the Rite is quite damning and gives even more fuel for picking the Ascension route for Astarion. Additionally, he also mentions missing his mortal life if you use Detect Thoughts on him while he is in his coffin.

Cazador was MISERABLE as an undead.

He had wealth, influence, and the power that comes with being a TRUE vampire, yet he still HATED his existence enough to spend two centuries working toward the Rite of Profane Ascension.

He was willing to uphold a bargain with one of the most powerful demons in Hell and condemn 7,007 souls, all for the chance to escape the curse of vampirism and LIVE again.

But sure—Spawn is “happy” if you talk him out of Ascension. And sure, you’ll find a cure for him, even though a powerful vampire lord couldn’t manage it and had to resort to extreme, morally horrific measures just to get close.

There is no such thing as a choose-your-own-adventure story because the bias of the humans who made the game is always going to seep through, and they will punish players if they don't choose what is secretly the true canon the devs want you to follow.

And the strongest way they usually do this is through lack of content for the failed-quest side, and the smorgasbord of content that opens up for the side they secretly want you to follow.

This exact phenomenon happens in the Spawn and Ascension paths.

Spawn stops existing as a character after the graveyard scene (and is still living in the past), yet if he ascends, it's written like the natural conclusion to his arc.

The SHEER amount of content he gets just explodes.

If he ascends, he gets:

a longer, more visually romantic love scene that the devs EXPLICITLY describe as him being FREE. They do not say this about Spawn AT ALL.

an abundance of soulmate-like dialogue and scenes

multiple detailed answers in the "what are we to you?" dialogue tree compared to Spawn's one short, bland one

an abundance of unique kiss scenes and animations

the ability to turn and MARRY the player

his reflection restored

his own army helping in the final battle

scenes of him joyfully talking about his future, whether romanced or a friend (while as a spawn his dialogue is depressive and again still stuck on Cazador and the past)

visible confidence so he doesn't need to filter himself or live in fear anymore

his heart BEATING again

a prophecy saying he and his spouse will live and love one another until Faerûn itself burns to stardust

several unique breakup dialogue trees showcasing his pain

the option to rule the world together (spawn can only be a slave, run or die)

if a friend, after the Netherbrain, he mentions wanting to partake in wine again since it will taste good now instead of like vinegar (spawn gets to burn)

if romanced strong implications of a marathon session with his wife after the brain falls (again spawn gets to burn)

a NEW outfit reflecting his station, wealth, and reclaimed identity—something he was denied for centuries (Spawn instead retains an Early Access outfit tied to his former enslavement, and even one of his “brothers” wears it).

dialogue in which he responds to companion criticisms by centering trust and love in his spouse, which also serves as a conclusion to his personal arc.

a castle

riches

power

getting to travel for the FUN of it instead of searching for a cure (that you would have already HAD if you’d let him ascend)

the ability to bask in the sunlight FOREVER

The vanilla game—and even the patches— treat his Ascension as the TRUE continuation of his story. This is because the developers are obviously far more interested in exploring his future as the Ascendant than his life as a Spawn, which further reinforces that this path is his REAL ending.

Even more evidence that the rite IS intended as his TRUE happy ending is the sheer JOY Neil brings to Astarion’s voice and body language every time he has scenes after Ascension.

Now contrast that with how DEPRESSED he sounds and looks from the ritual onward when he stays Spawn.

In any scenes afterwards, he just sounds so subdued, uncertain, and sad.

Even the patch endings for him have a melancholic air to them.

They carry a severe overcurrent of adaptation rather than fulfillment.

He also weirdly only seems to have any semblance of ''I'm fine'' if he's NOT in a relationship with the player in the epilogue.

Being a mercenary, or being a leader in a hovel with other spawns, seems to get some minor comfort out of him then actually being with his lover.

And I find that contrast even more striking when compared to how, whether in the epilogue or not, he's openly affectionate, gushing, and ecstatic in the ascended route with his bride.

In general, whether friend or romanced, his happiness is INFECTIOUS and OBVIOUS as a Lord.

Neil plays Astarion as triumphant and euphoric with his life back.

Because THAT'S what ascension gives him.

HIS LIFE BACK.

TRUE FREEDOM.

Basically, this CLEARLY evil, selfish, power-hungry, narcissistic guy—who was like this throughout ALL THREE ACTS—gets his ACTUAL happy ending by committing an atrocity. By contrast, the developers PUNISH Astarion if the player tries to make this clearly evil character a good guy, i.e., through the Spawn route.

[fantasywater]

Spawn and Ascended Astarion are the SAME PERSON

A lot of Spawn fans only seem to hate Ascended Astarion because ascension strips away the last bits of restraint he still had as a spawn.

He STOPS softening himself.

He lets the FULL EXTENT of his selfishness, cruelty, ambition, and arrogance show OPENLY.

And instead of admitting THAT’S what actually bothers them, many fall back on the morality argument as a coping mechanism.

Because honestly, I STRONGLY feel that if Ascended Astarion kept the softer, more emotionally vulnerable presentation of his Spawn self, while STILL sacrificing 7,006 souls to hell, a huge chunk of the fandom would suddenly stop caring about the morality of it.

Because the issue doesn't REALLLLY seem to be the ritual itself.

The issue is that ascension makes him impossible to keep romanticizing as secretly a good person.

But that’s the fault of the player for not paying attention because Astarion was never a good person.

Because if morality was truly the deciding factor, Spawn fans would not have been romancing him in the first place.

Wyll and Gale are RIGHT THERE.

Astarion, even at his softest, is still manipulative, selfish, violent, power-hungry, psychopathic, and just openly cruel at times.

Spawn just masks it better.

Ascended simply doesn’t bother anymore because, frankly, he no longer has to.

As Neil Newbon himself put it: Ascended is “mask off,” while Spawn still has his ON.

Spawn fans act like ascension magically turns him into a completely different person, like some kind of split-personality situation.

This isn’t Kingdom Hearts.

There’s no Roxas/Sora/Namine/Kairi identity split happening here.

Spawn and Ascended are the SAME man.

NOTHING Ascended Astarion says or does comes out of nowhere. Those traits were ALWAYS there.

Go pull up his Act 3 speech at the inn where he talks about the ritual, envies Cazador, and rants about power. Now pull up the speech he gives immediately after ascension.

The creepy cadence, the sinister tone, the hunger behind his words, and even the messed-up things he’s actually saying are identical—because it’s the SAME PERSON.

Ascension didn’t suddenly create a new Astarion.

It just stripped away the last of his restraint and let the mask fully drop.

Spawn literally says: “The problem with what Cazador did is that he did it to me.”

That is not the statement of a secretly noble man horrified by the evils of slavery. It’s the statement of someone angry he was the victim rather than the one holding the whip.

He also says: “I don’t mind being nice, of course, as long as I can bend people to my will.”

But apparently Spawn and Ascended are “completely different people.”

Even before ascension, he repeatedly talks about taking over Baldur’s Gate, controlling the Absolute, dominating others, and pursuing power at any cost. Once he ascends, he outright says he’ll create spawn slaves, block out the sun for them, and eventually conquer the world. In one ending, he literally follows through on this while smiling.

The game NEVER hides who he is.

Spawn Astarion encourages Dark Urge’s violence with visible excitement: “I say play it. Play it for all it’s worth. No one should be denied their true nature.”

Or: “You and I are alike. We both want to kill. It’s in our nature and I respect you for that.”

Once again the tone, body language, and even vocal delivery in that scene is identical in how he carries himself when he Ascends. Someone even put him in a modified version of his ascended epilogue outfit in this very cutscene, and my god does it bring it on home even more that this is the same guy that becomes an evil Lord.

The only difference is presentation.

Spawn wraps the ugliness in charm and vulnerability.

Ascended STOPS pretending.

That’s why the “he becomes a different person” argument falls apart.

His values didn’t change.

His priorities didn’t change.

His cruelty doesn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere.

The mask is just permanently off.

Even his treatment of companions follows this pattern.

Spawn can say deeply hurtful things yet later apologizes.

Ascended says the same kind of things but no longer feels obligated to soften them afterward.

The core personality remains the same; RESTRAINT is what changes.

And the game REPEATEDLY reinforces this.

If you become an illithid and compare Spawn's breakup to Ascended, both versions reject you for the same reason: He finds illithids revolting.

Spawn says it gently.

Ascended says it brutally.

Same belief.

Different filter.

Likewise, Ascended Astarion almost crying in front of the mirror after seeing himself for the first time in two centuries sounds EXACTLY like his spawn self. Him whining about the quality of the wine in the ascended epilogue? Spawn. Him sulking about not getting to throw the epilogue party? Again: Spawn. Because they are the SAME PERSON.

People take his tragic backstory and rewrite him into someone he never was, as if beneath the trauma there was secretly a Wyll waiting to emerge. But the game spends all three acts showing otherwise.

Astarion IS a tragic character.

He is sympathetic.

He is a abuse victim.

He is charming.

He is ALSO evil.

Those things are NOT mutually exclusive.

Even outside the game itself, WORD OF GOD from Neil Newbon and Stephen Rooney have consistently referred to Astarion as an evil person. Even the game’s own materials repeatedly describe him as evil and corrupt.

His arc was never about becoming a morally good person.

It was about freedom.

Freedom from Cazador.

Freedom from fear.

Freedom from powerlessness.

Freedom to allow himself to trust and love someone after 200 years of degradation.

That doesn’t magically make him morally good.

In the patchless original game this is where we leave each path before the credits.

Spawn's ending, in the vanilla game, is framed tragically. He flees from the sun in terror and humiliation while everyone else more or less awkwardly moves on with their lives. This version of freedom still leaves him trapped by vampirism.

Ascended’s vanilla ending, meanwhile, is framed as a triumph. He stands joyfully in sunlight that he can finally permanently enjoy, speaks happily about his future, the wine he can finally taste, his palace, and about marathoning a love-making session with his spouse.

The patches soften Spawn’s outcome because players reacted badly to how bleak it felt, but the original framing still says a lot about the intended emotional contrast between the two routes.

And honestly, the patches don’t really hide that one of these paths was very CLEARLY framed like a failed quest. They instead feel more like a retroactive Band-Aid meant to soften the blow for fans who can’t accept that the guy who spent all three acts manipulative, selfish, power-hungry, and openly cruel IS, at his core, an evil jerk.

Also, before all the revisionism and backtracking Larian has become known for when it comes to their most popular character, “I Want to Live” was outright referred to as Astarion’s theme. And honestly, the lyrics practically spell out his story, and his romance with redeemed Durge.

It’s pretty obvious Astarion was treated as the main male lead of the narrative. He was written first, has the most content in the game, and his storyline is deeply intertwined with the EMOTIONAL core of the plot (breaking chains/taking back one's life). That's why his ASCENSION feels like the culmination of his arc while redeemed Durge—who shares the same writing staff, was written as the other main lead, and arguably has the strongest narrative connection with him—comes across as ASTARION'S canon love interest.

Also, out of the three male leads it's telling that Astarion can ONLY marry you though ascension. Wyll can marry you. Gale can marry you. But Astarion only gets a marriage-coded eternal union through becoming the Vampire Ascendant, NOT by remaining a spawn.

The vampire bride ritual, the language of consorthood, the “forever” dynamic—it’s all there.

Spawn fans try to argue this somehow isn’t marriage-coded despite the turning night being BEAT-for-BEAT with the Forgotten Realms vampire bride lore. Even Astarion’s admittedly douchey lie about his bride “still being a spawn” comes directly from that lore. And the ascension route is also the ONLY one where he brings up a DOWRY and making Durge his CONSORT—two terms that have historically been tied to marriage for centuries. But apparently when it comes to his ascendence, those words suddenly stop meaning what they normally do.

Then there’s the “some heroes will eventually journey to kill Lord Astarion” argument.

Will they?

Because if the prophecy about him and his spouse surviving until Faerûn itself crumbles to stardust is meant to be believed, then clearly, they don’t succeed.

So evidently no righteous band of heroes are going to permanently do anything to him or his wife in the long run.

At the end of the day, Astarion’s story was never “good man corrupted by power.”

It was “damaged, ambitious, morally rotten man finally gaining the freedom and power to take his life back after centuries of abuse.”

Spawn and Ascended are NOT opposites.

Ascended Astarion is simply Spawn Astarion with nothing left to fear.

[z00zoo]

❤️❤️🌟❤️❤️🥳❤️🎊🎊 Helluva Boss Mission Zero Stolitz Office Sex Scene Analysis WOOO! ❤️❤️🎉🎉❤️❤️🎂❤️🎊🍰✨💫🌈

Hi!

So Mission Zero came out recently. I thought it was really great! I really enjoyed it. The writing, animation and art direction was all really fantastic. It's amazing to see the improvement over the original pilot and how far Spindlehorse has come.

Something that confused me about the episode though, was that I was really struggling to interpret Blitz’ motivations for having sex with Stolas, and his hesitancy in accepting the transactional sexual relationship with him.

I spent a lot of time rewatching the episode and trying to analyse it and come up with different interpretations.

My first interpretation was that Blitz doesn’t like Stolas very much, and was afraid of him because he's a prince and he stole his book. Blitz was just having sex with him to appease him and get him out of his office. Blitz wasn't thrilled at having to continue to have sex, but was willing to do it because he really wants the book.

But that interpretation didn’t make sense to me?

Because that situation would genuinely be dubiously consensual, and aren't these characters supposed to fall in love with each other? And also, in the show, Blitz is never scared of Stolas (except briefly in 201 when Blitz is caught trying to steal his book), and is never afraid of saying no or talking back to him.

Blitz: Ugh, look I just had a chemical peel, so you’ll have to find someone else's face to plant that feathered ass! (102) Blitz: I’m not fucking you tonight, ok? (107) Blitz: I can’t today (204)

Blitz never tries to appease Stolas in the show because of his authority as a Prince. Blitz is often really disrespectful and rude to him actually.

Blitz actively disrespects authority, and is very confrontational and fearless. He is impulsive and petty and vengeful, and often puts himself in non ideal situations because he couldn’t help but start a fight. He also does things without thinking about the consequences of his actions.

Blitz gets into fights like all of the time, in every episode! And isn’t Blitz’ ability to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and not care what other people think, a really important part of his character?

Millie: Until I met some knucklehead who never gave a fuck about what anyone said he could or couldn’t be. He made me believe he could be anything. (210)

Blitz just isn't the type of person who does things he doesn't want to do.

I was leaning towards the interpretation that Blitz was just having sex with him to appease him and for the book, until I was rewatching the episode and saw this shot and I was like, "Oh I think he’s in love with him."

This is a shot of Stolas from Blitz' pov. The music is very romantic and gentle. Stolas looks beautiful! He looks gorgeous. His voice is soft and soothing, almost parental. It’s a very intimate shot. It's the type of shot that you would use to communicate that someone is in love.

I then had the question of... Is Blitz afraid of Stolas because he’s a prince? Or because he's afraid of intimacy?

I then decided to rewatch the episode with the interpretation that Blitz actually likes Stolas, but is afraid of appearing to be into him and having a relationship with him because he is afraid of intimacy.

I don’t believe this is the only way to interpret this scene, or it is the ‘correct’ way to interpret this scene, but I will be making my arguments and hopefully you find them interesting and persuasive!

Let's go through Mission Zero!

Blitz: Satan fucking damnit I’m trying to plan a hit here, this better be go-AAAHHHH! Wha?!

Stolas: Hello Blitzy!

Blitz: Hey, Stolas, what are you doing here?

Stolas: You said you were busy at work so I decided to make work a little more… fun!

Blitz: Ok, wow, not how I expected my day to go. Look, your majesty, there are other people here, coworkers! And I don’t, I don’t want to make a scene, ok?

So of course Blitz is really shocked and surprised! He is quite nervous and uncomfortable and overwhelmed. He doesn’t really know how to navigate this situation! You could argue that he is also very flustered?

This episode does contain multiple moments that subtextually communicate that Blitz is uncomfortable with intimacy, such as when Millie and Moxxie flirting with eachother here and here.

Millie: Hey! He ain't no virgin. I should know. Blitz: All right, guys, come on!

And also here. Blitz is annoyed when Millie and Moxxie start having sex, derogatorily calling it ‘filth,’ but still takes out his phone to film them and enjoys watching them. He is then annoyed when he is pulled away from it.

Blitz: Oh fuck, here they go again. Loona, sweetheart, I need you to avert your eyes, this is a horny married couple and you don’t need to see this filth.

This subtextually communicates that Blitz finds intimacy uncomfortable and annoying, and puts up a front of disliking it, but he still enjoys it and wants to partake in it.

We know that this is a very consistent character trait of Blitz throughout the show.

I've seen the argument being made that Blitz sleeps with Stolas here to distract him from taking the book back. But I would like to argue against that, because the book holds no importance in the cinematography (until after Blitz sleeps with him.) There is this shot which focuses on the book, and you can briefly see Blitz looking at it (he could just be looking at the candles) but the book does not show up as anything important in the sequence again.

This is unlike the scene in the circus when Blitz is trying to steal Stolas' Grimoire. The cinematography is clearly focused on and places a lot of emphasis on the book. It’s very clear in this scene that Blitz is flirting with Stolas to get the book.

So, Blitz is likely not having sex with Stolas or nervous because of the book.

Also, after they finish having sex and Blitz is getting dressed, he has his back turned towards it. It's like he forgot about it.

So, is he nervous because Stolas is intimidating? He doesn't look intimidating at all! He looks like a harmless cute little kitten melting in your hands. Complete dork. Like a school girl with a crush. No thoughts, head empty. 🥰 I love him.

Compare that to this scene from Hazbin hotel ep 4 Masquerade. Valentino is very intimidating! He is moving towards Angel, invading his space, entrapping him, overpowering him, dominating the composition. He is aggressive, physically berating him, and threatening him.

Stolas never moves closer to him or horde his book, all he does is lie seductively on his desk lol. Infact, Blitz moves closer to him! I would argue that Blitz is uncomfortable here because... well this is extremely unexpected, but also because he is uncomfortable with intimacy and public displays of affection, not because Stolas is a prince or he's intimidating or because he's worried about the book. Something else that could be relevant here, is that Blitz has a hard time believing anyone could actually love him, that may play into Blitz' hesitancy here. Blitz: "You don't hate me?" (210)

Stolas: Mmmmmm, you didn’t mind making a scene the last time.

Blitz: oh yeah.

Flashback to ‘the last time.’

Now this moment is very interesting!

I think it is implied that Blitz cuddled with Stolas all night and only left when he had too. Blitz could have left right as Stolas went to sleep, he could have left earlier, but he decides to stay all night even though he was originally going to do this "real fast."

Also by how difficult it was for Blitz to remove himself from Stolas, it’s implied that he held Stolas very tightly.

In the original pilot, Blitz is characterised as being mischievous and cocky (ha) when he steals Stolas’ book. But in the remake, he is characterised as being very nervous. 

Is he nervous because he is stealing a magical artifact from a powerful prince? Or is he nervous because he really enjoyed that night with Stolas and formed a connection with him. But it terrified him because he's afraid of intimacy and getting too close to people, so now he’s trying to run away like he did with all his previous exes.

Moxxie: Why do you push your friends away? (106) But you don’t want to do things alone Blitzo! You tried the solo act, it didn’t work out so well! Yet you still shove away anyone who gets to close until they resent you for being a selfish shitty shit fuck! (106) Stolas: Are you afraid to love people Blitzy? (106)

Blitz: If by “crushes other people's feelings” you mean end shit before it gets serious than bingo! I’m doing everyone a favour, because relationships are boring! (209)

Relationships are not actually boring, he wants a relationship so bad! They just terrify him because he hates himself! Verosika: How do you think I felt? When the fun guy I was dating decided to just bail on me because I made the shitty mistake of saying ‘I love…’ Guh! (209) Blitz: Stolas, you are better off without me, kay? You deserve so mu- I don't even know why you want to be with me. (209)

We know that Blitz is terrified of getting too close to people because he imagines himself as some kind of poison who can only cause pain to other people. This comes from his childhood trauma of... well... killing his mum and almost murdering his best friend.

Millie: You’ll never stop fucking peoples lives up. When was the last time you loved someone without hurting them? (210) Blitz: Don’t touch me! I destroy everything, everyone. I make everyone's lives worse! (210)

Blitz: She’s still not mad about that is she?

Stolas: Extremely : (

Blitz: Yeesh, oof. I’m so sorry about that.

You can interpret this moment as Blitz appeasing Stolas. But you could also interpret it as Blitz genuinely feeling bad for him and sincerely apologising for causing Stolas to get caught cheating.

Stolas: Aw, how about you Pump me full of “Sorry” right on this Desk?

Blitz: Uh, I just cleaned that de- All right, you know what? Fine, you win, clothes off, let's go. Holes out, poles out, lets get this done in 5 seconds!

Can I tell you that this scene is hot as hell? It's genuinely really erotic and horny! The things I have seen people say, and the fanart I saw... This show is taking me further from god.

Like jesus christ Stolas, this scene made me blush so hard. I was so flustered! Which leads me to my next point. I think Blitz had sex with Stolas... just because he wanted too. Like, he's hot. 🤣 You could interpret this moment as, Blitz is like..  Problem: rich, powerful guy is in my office who wants to bone. Solution: have sex with him and then he’ll go away.  But Blitz doesn't try to do anything else. He could have left the room, he could have told him to go away, he could have given an excuse, he could have grabbed the book and dashed outta there, he could have killed him, idk. But he folded and slept with him so fast under zero pressure. Stolas only had to ask once.

Like in 10 seconds Blitz spread open Stolas’ legs, undid his pants, took of his belt, opened his jacket, climbed on top of Stolas, ran his hands down his thighs, up his body to his collar, pulled him close, grabbed his arm, flipped him over, held his arms behind his back and pulled his hair. That's way more extra than he needed to be. It's almost comedic how quickly they fuck LOL. 🤣

Throwing away the candle over his shoulder (even though it was still lit and a fire hazard) could be interpreted as symbolic for Blitz throwing away his inhibition and caving into his desires.

There's also an interesting moment where, at least to me, it looks like Stolas is about to kiss Blitz, and Blitz literally shoves Stolas’ face away from him. Having sex with him is fine, but kissing him would be too intimate for Blitz to feel comfortable with.

Only when Stolas can’t see him, does Blitz smile. To me, this communicates that Blitz doesn’t want Stolas to know how badly he’s into it. He only feels comfortable showing how much he enjoys having sex with Stolas and how much he wants him when he’s not looking. : (

Also the writers are showing that the dynamic of… Blitz is really rough and aggressive during sex because he is afraid of intimacy and being vulnerable and gentle with someone. To the point where, even while he is HAVING SEX with someone, he still has to put on a dominating, charismatic persona to be comfortable engaging in it. 

Blitz: Moxxie, I'm a fucking top! (helluva shorts ep 2) It reminds me of the classic Stolitz portrait from Ozzies.

To me this image communicates that Blitz really likes being with Stolas and wishes this were a real relationship, but he is afraid of intimacy. Only when Stolas is asleep does Blitz feel comfortable letting his guard down and expressing how much he enjoys being with him.

Stolas: [moans] Amazing… You are so much stronger than you look.

Blitz: Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure your bones are hollow so…

Blitz is vibing. He looks quite relaxed. He chose to cuddle with stolas and share a cigarette with him and stay with him after they had finished having sex, but I do notice he stops himself from fully reciprocating.

Blitz could be hugging him or nuzzling into him, or he could have just immediately left when Stolas came. But he chose to stay, share a cigarette with him and snuggle with him, but doesn’t allow himself to get too close and be too intimate with him.

When he notices Stolas is going to take away the book, then he rushes in to stop him.

Stolas: I’ll just be taking my grimoire and-

Blitz: Or - or… how about this. You could let me hold onto it for a little while. Please? There's this spell I have been wanting to try, and did I not just plow you on company time?

Blitz is like… oh shit, he's taking the book away! Quick, improvise some sort of excuse! "uhhhhhhh, you could… let me hold onto it for a little while!" He's clearly just coming up with this right on the spot.

Blitz knows that Stolas doesn’t know that he stole his grimoire. And Blitz doesn’t want to confess to stealing it, so he is trying to keep the lie going.

He is of course nervous because he does really want this book, and he is lying to and manipulating a powerful goetia!

An interesting thing to note, when he is flirting with Stolas here, his body language is open, he is leaning towards stolas. He feels comfortable enough to tug on his collar. I don’t think Blitz is afraid of stolas here, he seems pretty relaxed and confident in his presence, he's just nervous because he's trying to manipulate him.

Stolas: Oh! Well I suppose as long as you have it… we’ll be sure to see each other again! Now won’t we?

Reiterating what I said earlier: The music is very romantic and gentle. Stolas looks beautiful! He looks gorgeous. His voice is soft and soothing, almost parental. It’s a very intimate shot. It's the type of shot that you would use to communicate that someone is in love. They could have used any shot they wanted too. It could have been framed as a business exchange, or Stolas could have been intimidating, or they could have highlighted his power as a prince, or make him comedic... But they chose THAT shot. That's the thing that breaks Blitz’ composure here and makes him nervous. Not because Stolas is a prince, not because he doesn’t want to have sex with him, but because Blitz actually likes him and has feelings for him, and it terrifies him.

Maybe Blitz in this moment is like, "FUCK!!! I"M AFRAID OF INTIMACEY AND GETTING CLOSE TO PEOPLE!!! I GOTTA RUN!!!!" He turns to run away but finds that he can't because he needs the book. So now he can't avoid having a relationship with this guy. Verosika: How do you think I felt? When the fun guy I was dating decided to just bail on me because I made the shitty mistake of saying ‘I love…’ Guh! (209)

Blitz: I [sighs] yes we... I guess we will. And also the specific word choice of ‘to SEE each other again,’ not, ‘have sex with each other again.'

Like, sex isn’t the issue for Blitz. Blitz just had sex with Stolas twice and enjoyed it. Blitz frequently uses sex as a tool to get what he wants. For example Chaz in ep 203, and the bouncer to get into the club in 107.

Blitz: Millie, I have spent too much time, energy and holes into setting this up for us to entertain your bullshit! (210)

Blitz uses sex to escape from his emotions, such as in Ghostfuckers and Queen Bee.

Sex is the easiest thing for him to do, but intimacy, relationships, and feelings! To continue to SEE someone again. Those are the most difficult for him.

Blitz: Goddam son of a bitch.

And Blitz is resentful towards Stolas here because he managed to claw himself into Blitz’ heart, and now Blitz can’t run away from his feelings, and he now has to have a relationship with him.

And I think, my interpretation of the story, that is ultimately the thing that allowed Blitz to fall in love with Stolas. Blitz couldn’t easily leave the relationship with Stolas like he did all his other exes, because they were tethered by the book.

Also, with this interpretation, it gives this first episode and the last episode a strong narrative arc of Blitz overcoming his fear of intimacy and relationships. Going from only being able to be intimate with someone by being sexually aggressive, to being comfortable being attentive and gentle.

I would be very interested in hearing any of your guys' thoughts on this little essay. If you agree with me or disagree? I would love to discuss this further if anyone is interested. This scene still genuinely still really confuses me, and I'm struggling to interpret it. I don't even totally agree with this interpretation and I keep flipping between different readings. I'm driving myself insane, please help. If you disagree with this interpretation, that's fine too. I don't fully buy it myself, but I do think it is a justified and compelling interpretation of this scene that fits with the characters and narrative of the show. I would like to thank @artyphex for this TikTok, it helped me in this analysis! And thank you to @amalthea-13 for this post too, it was helpful. Thank you for making until the end! I know it was a lot haha! Hope you enjoyed this! Love you <3 -Zoe

[fantasywater]

I do like reading some Stolas/Stolitz analysis from fans sometimes and even agree on some points a bit, but still, as a critic answering this, I will, of course, be respectful.

"My first interpretation was that Blitz doesn’t like Stolas very much, and was afraid of him because he's a prince and he stole his book. Blitz was just having sex with him to appease him and get him out of his office. Blitz wasn't thrilled at having to continue to have sex, but was willing to do it because he really wanted the book.

Because that situation would genuinely be dubiously consensual, and aren't these characters supposed to fall in love with each other?

Or

Is Blitz afraid of Stolas because he’s a prince? Or because he's afraid of intimacy?"

Viv oddly seems to be trying to do both.

But it just CAN'T work because the first interpretation is coercion, which is a form of SA.

So even if she also wants it to be Blitz's intimacy issues in play, TOO, there is no coming back that the foundation of this ship is ALSO sexual abuse.

I also caught how she changed Blitz's getaway with the book as well, which flows even more into the coercion angle.

He was cocky and unapologetic in the original as he left with it.

Here, he is OBVIOUSLY scared.

They seriously made it look like he's thinking I need to get away from this PRINCE before he wakes up and hurts me.

Which also recontextualizes that the sex wasn't truly consensual in the Circus either.

To keep him sympathetic even more, they even changed his facial expression to make it seem like real remorse toward Stella instead of it being gloating like last time.

Then he seems genuinely remorseful for making a scene to Stolas later, too.

They CONTINUOUSLY made Blitz meek, nervous, and scared of Stolas in this episode.

Basically, they seem to have DELIBERATELY made Blitz sympathetic in this redone pilot while making Stolas look WORSE.

Stolas also appears in the villain rogue gallery, holding the grimoire. If the Full Moon deal was TRULY consensual to Blitz, WHY is Stolas there among the other antagonists holding that book in particular, which is the symbol of that deal?

Basically, if it was just intimacy issues and not ALSO supposed to look like Blitz was forcing himself to sleep with Stolas for the book despite his negative emotions toward him, then none of these CANON occurrences make sense.

-The QUID PRO QUO language in the bathtub scene.

-The continuous TEXTBOOK sexual harassment Stolas portrayed toward Blitz in season one, and kind of in the panic attack scene in season two, even though Blitz had TOLD him by this point how his sexual advances were making him feel.

-Before the last few episodes of season two, EVERY chance she got, she made her animators draw Blitz uncomfortable and pissed around HIS LOVE INTEREST or made him hostile about Stolas to others.

-Or she makes Blitz give in to sex out of obligation/pity, not true desire (Truthseekers, The Circus)

-That Stolas' panic button always existed, yet it now has a darker connotation than it did before the redone pilot.

-The damning prisoner imagery.

-The damning callout in front of the palace steps.

-How DISTRAUGHT Blitz looks in the photos on Stolas's phone.

-"It's YOUR night."

-His angry rant to Fizz about Stolas.

- Being GLAD he got to skip sessions of sex with Stolas—He says this to Moxxie.

-"If he's here as a prisoner, what kind of monster does that make me?"

- Viv made Stolas call HIMSELF a MONSTER because he came to the CORRECT conclusion that Blitz's callout sounded like Stolas was abusing him. WHY make THAT the first and only interpretation Stolas jumps to?

-The begging in tears, "Stolas, I need this book. I'll do ANYTHING."

-The damning callout after the crystal, and especially such lines as "EVERYTHING you put me through" and "Treat me like one of your butler imps." As well as making Blitz square up to fight. "LET'S GO." The whole scene was framed like a take-back-my-power moment.

-The callout in the garden, but especially "I can give loads of apologies, and I will to everyone, but you." I don't owe YOU, dick."

-The damning mirror pieces in All To You, but ESPECIALLY the one that looks like a post-SA scene. Even the kiss piece shows Stolas's face is relaxed, but Blitz's face is furrowed like he's FORCING himself.

Viv has even said that every piece of animation is done painstakingly on PURPOSE. So she MEANT for Blitz to look violated in those mirror images, in Mission Zero, and in pretty much every piece of animation he has had with his LOVE INTEREST until Mastermind.

None of the above makes SENSE unless SHE thinks Stolas SA'ed Blitz too.

What she is doing, though, is basing it on whether malicious intent was present or not.

Viv on the toxicity of the ship: "Context and intent matter in sensitive things like this."

Basically, since Stolas's actions (essentially forcing prostitution and Blitz's compartmentalization of it for his livelihood) toward the guy he supposedly loves weren't done out of malice, THAT is more important to her.

Does this look like true consent to you?

It has always been quite clear that if Blitz could have had the book WITHOUT sleeping with Stolas, that's the true deal he would have preferred.

Brandon (co-writer and Blitz voice actor) even went on a pissed video tirade that pretty much co-signs what critics say about this ship.

He also once said that Angel Dust and Blitz share the same trauma.

I had a nice debate with another Stolas fan recently, and I posed this statement there, too.

Do you think it's odd that she INTENTIONALLY keeps animating Blitz's discomfort with Stolas when it would be the easiest thing in the world to NOT do that?

This is especially since Stolitz is supposed to be endgame, i.e., she should be trying her hardest to make us want them to be together, but when she has the chance to actually show Blitz liking Stolas without the deal being in play (The Circus, Mission Zero), we're RIPE for that, she instead CHOOSES to show hostility.

So it's not so much how she writes Stolas as a thirsty owl; it's how she writes BLITZ'S REACTION to him that's the problem.

EVERY TIME she has the opportunity to write and ANIMATE Blitz liking Stolas, she CHOOSES disgust, fear, hate, annoyance, and being uncomfortable, and it's too CONSISTENT for her not to be doing this on purpose.

This is a CHOICE, and a weird one, considering they are who we are supposed to want to see together riding into hell's sunset and having fanbabies and shit.

Blitz is animated to just straight-up hate having sex with Stolas in this episode.

WHY do that?

Wouldn't having her animators make him enjoy it with a cheeky grin have been better, but she instead makes them go out of their way to animate Blitz's horrible discomfort as he crawls on top of Stolas.

They even animate him SMASHING Stolas's head on the desk, and only THEN does he smile.

It looked like hate sex.

That was a CHOICE.

What I'm getting at is that WE wouldn't be calling it coercion if Viv didn't have her animators SHOW Blitz 99% of the time looking so angry and upset when it comes to Stolas.

In the episode, in particular, having a fearful and pissed Blitz forcing himself to have sex with Stolas and looking suspiciously like he is dissociating right after (the dazed smoking and the sad expressions when trying to find his boots) is not something that should have been animated for a ship we should be rooting for.

The CHOICES she keeps making with Blitz's REACTIONS toward Stolas don't make sense, considering we are supposed to want their happy ending.

The call that Stolas and Blitz's dynamic is coercion is loud and unrelenting, so why DOUBLE DOWN on making it look like that?

That's an issue even Stolitz fans should be concerned about.

I mean, even you all should be tired of your OTP being portrayed as toxic, right?

You all could have gotten SOFT moments in those two episodes that the deal didn't exist in, and yet Viv DOUBLED DOWN on animating and writing what LOOKS and sounds very much like sexual abuse when again the easiest option was to NOT do that.

Again, she DELIBERATELY adds FUEL to coercion allegations when the easiest and less divisive way to do those scenes was simply to SHOW Blitz ENJOYING himself.

You all would have gotten what you wanted, and we critics wouldn't be on Sexual Abuse 2 Electric Boogaloo.

There is a difference between giving soft moments that still stay canon compliant for where these characters are at in the story and making a CHOICE to double down on showing something that she KNEW could still be widely interpreted as sexual abuse when that very issue has dogged the dynamic of these two characters for ages.

She CHOSE the latter when the easiest and safest writing decision in the world should have been the former. That is all I'm saying.

I will give her this, though.

If her intent was to BOOST Blitz's callouts in Ozzie's, and especially in the Full Moon, then her repeatedly making Stolas look horrible does WORK.

However, as I stated, she seems to want Stolitz TOO, and that's where her negative characterizations of Stolas AND Blitz's pissed reactions to him bite her in the butt.

So instead of toning down Blitz's HATE of his LOVE INTEREST, she just DOUBLES DOWN on Stolas being horrible and Blitz's hostility toward him and still goes, "Still ship them and buy my merch, teehee."

[orionhelluvarant]

Stol!tzø is unshippable disaster 💀

Vivziepop is a shipper (this ain't a secret for anyone, I guess). I'm a shipper too (as you could grasp from my main blog). And I must admit: Viv's shipping strategy highly amazes me!

She had been rejecting almost every opportunity to build the ground for her ultimate OTP (aka Stol!tzø) before they've moved in together. Any sign of tenderness and mutuality was brushed off, as harshly as possible. Especially if we're talking about the attraction on Blitzø's part. Like...

We've learnt that Blitzø and Stolass first met in childhood. Aw, that probably was so cute... Sike! Paymon BOUGHT Blitzø for his son's birthday. Wow, it doesn't look like the slavery allusion at all, does it? /s

Maybe they got along very quickly? Actually, when Blitzø first saw Stolass he looked at the prince like he was some kind of freak and found his hobbies boring (can't blame him for that though).

Perhaps, they had more meetings later? Not really, that play date was the one and done case apparently! Just because Stolass wanted that, while Blitzø was FORCED to be there.

But maybe they both sought reunion with each other? No, Blitzø has came to Stolass' mansion exclusively for the grimoire and was caught by guards.

Then maybe they had a good conversation? Actually, Stolass showed some interest at first and got worried when Blitzø told what his current job is, but eventually they both went to the horny jail.

Well, maybe - fucking MAYBE! - they both wanted to bang at least? Nope, only Stolass wanted it! Blitzø did it out of pity and unintentional guilt-tripping. Moreover, the latter never was enthusiastic about having sex with the owl until the "Full Moon" episode!

Maybe, the deal was mutual and well-planned? No, Stolass called when Blitzø (injured) was fighting for his life and said that now ain't the right time, and his """consent""" sounded like: "Fine! Whatever..."

Maybe there were some missed, off-screen scenes where they met outside the sex deal, like at the Harvest Moon Festival (but without public harassment, derogatory nicknames and the other crap, please)? No, their message exchange suggests that Stolass gives Blitzø time off and the latter gladly accepts it. And that's it.

Literally the only evidence of Blitzø's interest is the photo he took after his first night with Stolass. And even here this dude looks pretty exhausted.

By the way, I won't buy the "Blitzø's a tsundere" argument because it doesn't make any sense.

Now what about Stolass' side?

Stolass has saved IMP from D.H.O.R.K.S. Hm, a noble act of selflessness? How sweet of hi... Nah, forget it, he asked for reward immediately and accepted sex as such.

Maybe, Stolass gave Blitzø any gifts because he's rich so he could afford it (termination of the deal doesn't count since Stolass' the one who started it in the first place; plus, he has terminated it not because the deal was wrong and unfair but because otherwise Blitzø wouldn't agree to romantic interactions)? Apparently, he didn't.

Hold on! Did Blitzø directly ask, "Why would you want to be with me?" Well, at least Stolass will explain this for us out loud, right? Nah, he said some rom-com nonsense (aka his wet dreams) and not a single word about Blitzø.

Maybe, Stolass knew about Blitzø's love for horses, which is one of the most notable traits of his character? He had no clue! (And that's weird since Blitzø told him about this when they were kids and Stolass bragged about his good memory but nevermind...)

Then maybe after learning about Blitzø's interest, Stolass at least found it cute/adorable?.. Well...

This is just a plushie, stop holding it like it's a used condom, you hypocritical prude!

Oh, Spindlehorse has redone the pilot! Maybe they're up to make the pairing less problematic? In fact, judging by the other critics' reviews, nothing has changed: Stolass still harasses Blitzø, Blitzø is still extremely uncomfortable, they still don't have any chemistry and the stans still find a thousand excuses for this. Classic. (I didn't watch the new pilot. Perhaps, for the sake of objectivity, I should've taken a look at it myself. But I don't hate myself enough to put up with the rapist bird's presence.)

These two don't even had tender moments or pleasant conversations. AT ALL! Something like this only started in Sinsmas, after they'd already sworn that "only death can rend [their] love apart"! Yet the ultimate manifestations of their infinite """LOVE""" up to this moment were...

Are you not convinced? Oh! Well, then Fizzarolli will explain to you that Blitzø's just an idiot who are simply prejudiced against poor little Stolass because not all rich people are bad! 🥺

So it doesn't matter that he took advantage of your financial situation to make the sex deal with you. Doesn't matter that he used to make you feel uncomfortable and disrespect your boundaries. Doesn't matter that he has never apologized for his behavior. None of this matters because now he:

calls you;

asks how your day was;

comments on your photos;

laughs at your jokes.

So this is love until death! Definitely! (Nope.)

Honestly, even if we're gonna ignore the insignificance of these evidences, it doesn't seem like Stolass craves genuine, long-term relationship. It seems like he is Blitzø's crazy dedicated fangirl who has build a perfect fantasy about Blitzø in his head but has actually no idea what kind of person he really is. However, it's not like Stolass' willing to get to know him anyway.

Fucking seriously! Stol!tzø are presented as some kind of ✨soulmates✨ - inseparable lovers who are destined for each other. But why? Why would they want to be together? What do they see in each other? Do they have things in common? Maybe they share some hobbies, interests, worldviews? Anything?!

Well, they fuck. They love their daughters. They fuck. They both have daddy issues (who in the Hellaverse doesn't, lol?). They fuck. They have self-esteem issues, I guess (although with Stolass you can't actually tell this). Erm, did I mention they fuck? And they share a cigarette afterwards! Y-yeah, that's very important!

Basically the only thing that has been connecting Stol!tzø is coercive sex. And traumas.

Due to all of that nonsense, Stol!tzø feels like a rarepair to me, without actually being a rarepair! I mean, the fans literally have to build and think out the chemistry instead of the writers, and some of them actually succeed... Shit! Even I like to do this kind of thing too since the major part of my OTPs are rarepairs. Some of them do have huge potential after all! But Stol!tzø is clearly not the case for me.

Personally, if I shipped Stol!tzø, I'd be furious about their canon interactions. Because it's... Sigh! It's such a disaster that makes you think: "Gosh, even if these two idiots solved their problems to be together... would that even be worth it?" Yes, relationships have their challenges, sure. But when the challenges began BEFORE the relationship itself? When they usually aren't explored or addressed properly? When they aren't balanced by something positive? I don't now, man.

And the most ironic part of this? Stol!tzø didn't have to be like this! They could've had a less problematic backstory. Or a longer friendship. Or something in common. Or (at least) sex that both of them clearly enjoy. But they have none of this.

Because it was miss Medrano's choice to write them this way.

Yes, it was her choice all along. I refuse to believe that everything I've listed happens to be accidents. There were too many. It does look like a strategy. And well, Vivziepop has her own… individual idea about shipping, I suppose...

[fantasywater]

This was brilliantly said.

I've often wondered this myself, and like you said, Stolitz fans should be pissed at what they are actually getting in the show with this ship.

She INTENTIONALLY keeps animating Blitz's discomfort with Stolas when it would be the easiest thing in the world to NOT do that?

This is especially since Stolitz is supposed to be endgame, i.e., she should be trying her hardest to make us want them to be together, but when she has the chance to actually show Blitz liking Stolas (The Circus, Mission Zero), we're RIPE for that,she instead CHOOSES hostility instead.

So it's not so much how she writes Stolas as a thirsty owl; it's how she writes BLITZ'S REACTION to him that's the problem.

EVERY TIME she has the opportunity to write and ANIMATE Blitz liking Stolas, she CHOOSES disgust, fear, hate, annoyance, and being uncomfortable, and it's too CONSISTENT for her not to be doing this on PURPOSE.

This is a CHOICE, and a weird one, considering they are who we are supposed to want to see together riding into hell's sunset and having fanbabies and shit.

Same with Stolas; she writes him liking sex with Blitz but NOT Blitz as a person, and apparently that's enough for her.

The Stolitz fans are clearly going by the heavily romantically inclined merch and their own headcanons via fanfictions and animatics because the CANON is showing a toxic abomination of a ship that SHOULDN'T be together.

I would even think Viv is writing them like this on purpose, but ONLY so it can be justified that they go their separate ways later, but then she HERSELF thinks they are cute and has said as much.

Brandon (Blitz's voice actor and co-writer of the show) also cosigns this weird interpretation by PROUDLY wearing a romantic hoodie of Stolitz after LvL-UP this year, yet also knowing that Mission Zero was coming out months later.

Not to mention ALL the numerous romantic Stolitz merch that SHE has always had the final authorization for.

"Blitz has ALWAYS loved Stolas, and Sinmas was him finally letting it out." -Brandon

"Hellava is a love story." -Viv

When the very CREATOR is saying and showing that CLEAR sexual harassment and sexual abuse are JUST roadblocks in the way of star-crossed lovers instead of monstrous actions that should doom these characters from being together, then the fans are just following HER lead.

When she is also deliberately showing these two don't have ANYTHING in common but STILL is saying ship them and buy my merch, then who is the actual issue?

She has also said she was excited to revisit their earlier dynamic for Mission Zero because she loves where this ship has grown to now. That issue is that growth was nonexistent until Mastermind's lobotomy.

She is also constantly favoring things that condone the ship as this beautiful slow burn while condemning any that say it is horrendously badly written and toxic.

When she has them suddenly declare their love for each other in the penultimate episode after TWO seasons of Blitz's sexual abuse, Stolas's wanton harassment, and their mutual disrespect for each other, there's a severe disconnect going on somewhere in her brain.

So when this KEEPS happening, even though what she's actually showing in canon is vile, then the ultimate problem is Viv.

"Context and intent matter in sensitive things like this,"—Viv talking about the rape of her main character by his love interest.

So if you look at Stolas and Blitz's dynamic through the LENS of a RAPE FETISH, then every bit of it starts to make complete sense.

Basically, Viv HERSELF would have to CHANGE for the Stolitz dynamic to finally be treated for what it actually is.

[fantasywater]

can’t help but notice all the excuses defenders give Stolas could apply just as well to Blitz.

defenders say “Blitz secretly wants Stolas”? you can easily apply that argument to Stolas in The Circus and way more so than Blitz - Stolas engineers the situation so they can be alone, expresses interest first, actually sounds interested on the ‘Blitz - what are you doing/what are we doing?’ lines, then he gets incredibly into it and actually yells “yes” at one point.

defenders say “Stolas didn’t know his behavior was unwelcome when tugging on Blitz’s face multiple times, flirting with him and demanding sex in Mission Zero”? you can easily apply that argument to Blitz flrting and tugging on Stolas’ bathrobe in Apology Tour, especially since he has a whole season’s worth of Stolas wanting nothing but sex to make him think Stolas would be receptive. and if Stolas can’t be expected to listen when someone tells him point blank they don’t like it (since Blitz is just as clear and harsh as Stolas), why should Blitz?

I hope it’s obvious I don’t like either of these defenses or think they’re particularly good, and I’m not disagreeing with people who dislike what Blitz does in The Circus since it is deserving of criticism.

my point here is that there’s a very obvious double standard where Blitz looks repulsed in unwilling in s1 (and isn’t like that around Striker, Fizz, Moxxie, etc.) and it gets ignored/excused but defenders respect Stolas’ verbal and non verbal cues to the extent some of them insist Stella SA’d him because he was checked out during sex neither of them wanted to have in a scene we never even got to see (the same ones who invent any number of excuses for Stolas never consider Stella might have been lying/exaggerating to make him look bad, either).

there’s a double standard where Blitz can have Stolas sexually harass him, ignore visual, audio & verbal cues that Blitz was not free to give consent to the deal (a deal which was inherently coercive) and have any number of excuses invented for Stolas that he’s just not “self-aware” enough to have basic decency, whereas the imp who’s motivated strongly by providing for his family and escaping and unfair class system has all his intentions attributed to malice. then if Blitz makes an unwelcome pass at Stolas, it’s called coercion by some despite the total lack of power Blitz has over Stolas

idk, I just find it very telling that it’s the royal bird who appears sensitive on the surface despite the lack of empathy he has underneath and is the one who commits much more consistent quid pro quo coercion for the entire first season (and only stops not really because it’s wrong but because Blitz isn’t giving him what he needs anymore) is the one who gets all the excuses made for him. whereas the impoverished imp who actually does show some care for his family and loved ones doesn’t get the same luxury from the remaining fans of the show

but more than that, I wish the fanbase could just be consistent. it’s like they can understand consent encompasses more than just SA that looks like Verosika and co. jumping on Moxxie one minute, then they do everything they can to deny it the next even though leveraging economic factors as Stolas does with Blitz’s business is literally one of the most pernicious ways to commit SA

sorry this is long winded; I hope it’s somewhat clear what I’m getting at

This is nicely said.

However, I can't really come for the fans as hard because, to be fair, it's not them that's the ultimate problem.

Viv is.

When the very CREATOR is saying and showing that CLEAR sexual harassment and sexual abuse are JUST roadblocks in the way of star-crossed lovers instead of monstrous actions that should doom these characters from being together, then the fans are just following HER lead.

"Context and intent matter in sensitive things like this," after all—Viv talking about the rape of her main character by his love interest.

So if you look at Stolas and Blitz's dynamic through the lens of a rape fetish, then every bit of it starts to make complete sense.

Basically, Viv HERSELF would have to change for the Stolitz dynamic to finally be treated for what it actually is.

[fizzyrodeo-critical-acc]

i'm seeing people lash out at vivienne's response... am i missing some sarcasm here? the account that calls the sex scene uncomfortable labels ITSELF as a fat fetish account. so it's not vivienne randomly being fatphobic.. is it??

also vivienne is speaking against danidraws (surprisingly, as dd is one of the vivienne stans i'm familiar with seeing defend the woman) saying that maybe the account (that titled itself as a fat fetish account, again) is right in that the sex scene is supposed to be uncomfortable...

which is what the ENTIRE critical fanbase has been saying about stolitz since their relationship first started being portrayed in a more mutual/romantic light. but now that vivienne is saying it, we're mad?

edit: also, this post doesn't mean i'm suddenly a vivziepop stan or that i love her show and think both she and it can do not wrong. i just wonder if this is actually something to be upset about or if it just the overly-critical side of the critical fanbase doing their thing.

[fantasywater]

I also saw that as her AGREEING with the fat fetish account.

Here's the problem, though:

NO critic should EVER let her get away with this new schtick.

She has consistently called us all manner of crazy and has repeatedly gaslit her own fanbase on the true nature of Stolitz too.

So if this is the start of her trying to pretend like she ALWAYS outwardly acknowledged that—yeah, Blitz was uncomfortable, and that means Stolitz is rapey, and she then in turn NOW makes Stolas villainous in season three because of it—then I hope everyone kept track of every victim-blaming thing she and her staff have ever said (on Bluesky, Twitter, CONs, and Streams, etc.) to show the REAL her and not the one she's trying to twist to become because her rape fetish has gotten too hot for her to handle.

Because the REAL Viv has CONTINUOUSLY shown (Zoophobia comic, Helluva, Hazbin) she enjoys toxic boy love tropes (rape fetish ground zero) and that they're just sooo funny and hot to her.

So in regard to Helluva, she has CONSISTENTLY been downplaying coercion as just a miscommunication trope for YEARS.

So CONVENIENTLY, when the "she's romanticizing rape" accusation has gotten TOO loud to ignore, that's when she starts slyly liking a post that says, "Oh, yep, that sex scene between her main ship is supposed to be uncomfortable."

So, uh, it's rape then, Viv.

THAT'S what you're finally verbally agreeing with.

Yet this is also her and has been for a LONG time.

Some recent examples:

"WARNING: continued miscommunication while two people with trauma are upset with each other, drunk shenanigans, random old people, Halloween parties, Stolas still not quite being self-aware enough at times, and Blitz being Blitz (gasp)." —Apology Tour description.

"Context and intent matter in sensitive things like this"—the sensitive matter in question is someone calling her out for downplaying the rape of her main character.

Brandon (Blitz's voice actor and co-writer of the show) PROUDLY wearing a romantic hoodie of Stolitz after LvL-UP this year, yet also knowing that Mission Zero was coming out months later.

Not to mention ALL the numerous romantic Stolitz merch that SHE has always had the final authorization for.

"Blitz has ALWAYS loved Stolas, and Sinmas was him finally letting it out." -Brandon

"Hellava is a love story." -Viv

ALL the victim-blaming for his own assault that SHE has FAVORED throughout the years and again even recently. (Thanks to doodler16 for the screenshots.)

Basically, this woman has a rape kink and truly believes not having malicious intent matters when portraying it.

Case in point:

[fantasywater]

Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words.

A callout, a creator's rebuttal, and the actual reality of what she keeps putting in her shows.

Intent: Toxic Boy Love Tropes a.k.a. This is what's funny and hot to her.

To get Stolitz less toxic in Mission Zero, just add....

Honorable Mentions:

[fantasywater]

hey! might be able to help with the helluva stuff you're looking for

Could this be the A03 analysis you're looking for? it has a whole separate section on Stolas: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61686592

I definitely also remember her saying Stol!tz still had a ways to go - the only thing I can guess is that it was a con panel q&A and someone clipped that part, probably

hope this helps!

(also major yikes if she really said s3 is from Stolas' POV. Season two is already from Stolas' POV, Viv!! it opens with a flashback to his childhood where he's the starring character, not Blitz. he gets more songs than Blitz and their duet favors his perspective for the tempo change whereas Blitz is relegated to inserting lines in between his parts like it's a call and response. his storyline drives way more of the plot. I could go on but I'll stop before I get ranty)

THANK YOU!

This is EXACTLY what I was talking about.

It tore this show's character writing and world-building to shreds and did it beautifully.

A very well-written piece.

Yeah, it definitely was said at a convention.

I even remember seeing the video, so I know it exists.

I just want to find it again, but I haven't been able to. :(

Yea, her saying Stolas is the p.o.v. of season three was laughable to me because he already is.

The true main character of this series is Stolas.

Blitz is just the protagonist.

[fantasywater]

I'm trying to find miscellaneous video proof of some helluva related things Viv has said.

Does anyone have that video she did a little before Mastermind dropped where she apologized to Stolitz fans (the people she's REALLY writing this show for) that they will still have a long wait for their ship?

Also, does anyone have that AO3 callout analysis about how Viv writes the characters someone wrote?

It was such a well-written takedown of everyone, but especially of how Stolas is written.

I forgot to bookmark it and now can't find it at all anymore.

Other things I'm trying to find video or text proof for:

-Apparently she said season three is from Stolas's p.o.v.

- Helluva is a love story.

- She is writing Hellava for herself.

These are all apparently very recent things that were said.

So if anyone has what I'm searching for, could you send it to my inbox or put it in a reply?

Thanks

[amalthea-13]

I've been wanting to ask this question to a Stolas fan, and I do sometimes read your post.

They're well-written, and I sometimes agree with parts of them.

So I promise to be respectful with this question.

Do you think it's odd that she INTENTIONALLY keeps animating Blitz's discomfort with Stolas when it would be the easiest thing in the world to NOT do that?

This is especially since Stolitz is supposed to be endgame, i.e., she should be trying her hardest to make us want them to be together, but when she has the chance to actually show Blitz liking Stolas (The Circus, Mission Zero), we're RIPE for that, she instead CHOOSES hostility instead.

So it's not so much how she writes Stolas as a thirsty owl; it's how she writes BLITZ'S REACTION to him that's the problem.

EVERY TIME she has the opportunity to write and ANIMATE Blitz liking Stolas, she CHOOSES disgust, fear, hate, annoyance, and being uncomfortable, and it's too CONSISTENT for her not to be doing this on purpose.

This is a CHOICE, and a weird one, considering they are who we are supposed to want to see together riding into hell's sunset and having fanbabies and shit.

Blitz is animated to just straight-up hate having sex with Stolas in this episode.

WHY do that?

Wouldn't having her animators make him enjoy it with a cheeky grin have been better, but she instead makes them go out of their way to animate Blitz's horrible discomfort as he crawls on top of Stolas.

They even animate him SMASHING Stolas's head on the deck, and only THEN does he smile.

It looked like hate sex.

That was a CHOICE.

What I'm getting at is that WE wouldn't be calling it coercion if ViV didn't have her animators SHOW Blitz looking so upset and angry when it comes to Stolas.

Also, why animate him pulling away from them spooning so fast and all while making a weird, disgusting-sounding noise as he does it?

Even I, a critic, would have loved a softer approach to the spooning and desk sex.

I genuinely would have thought it was cute, and that would push home that the sex deal IS the only reason why Blitz is hostile to Stolas.

That without it, Blitz IS gentle with him.

And like I said, Circus and Mission Zero were the prime episodes to show this since the deal didn't exist yet.

But every time she tries to fix Stolitz, she makes it WORSE.

Having a fearful and pissed Blitz forcing himself to have sex with Stolas and looking suspiciously like he is dissociating right after is not something that should have been animated for a ship we should be rooting for.

The CHOICES she keeps making with Blitz's REACTIONS toward Stolas don't make sense considering we are supposed to want their happy ending.

So I'm curious about what a Stolas fan thinks of all this.

I will give her this, though.

IF her intent was to BOOST Blitz's callouts in Ozzie's, and especially in the Full Moon, then her repeatedly making Stolas look horrible does WORK.

However, she seems to want Stolitz TOO, and that's where her negative characterizations of Stolas and Blitz's pissed reactions to him bite her in the butt.

So instead of toning down Blitz's HATE of his LOVE INTEREST, she just DOUBLES DOWN on Stolas being horrible and Blitz's hostility toward him and still goes, "Still ship them and buy my merch teehee."

Anyway, thanks for entertaining my question.

Blitz and How He is Animated

Introduction

Hello All! It is I, Your Lovely Host, Amalthea Staargazer, the Number 1 Stolas Defender of Tumblr and Informal Expert on all things related to Stolas!

Firstly to our lovely asker, I appreciate the civility. While I usually come off quite aggressive, it's only when people insult me or outright insult my intelligence.

Moving on, I do want to start the opening with another reminder to my lovely audience; "Vivienne is not the only writer on the team."

Now I know, many of you are going to harp on how that "doesn't matter" and that she's the "executive producer" and all that jazz, but Vivienne outsources a lot of her creative team within her social circle.

For example, Stolitz being a Center Point for the story was Brandon's idea, not Vivienne's. He is the main reason this storyline changed from the pilot up until now.

Another example, Blitz being obsessed with horses was a biproduct of Viv and her friend watching Spirit via a video call and Viv saying "oh Blitz would relate to this movie", and thus Blitz the Horse Girl was born because her friend, the artistic director, sat and fleshed out the idea with her.

These are just a handful of examples, but to gloss over or ignore them is disingenuous. It is not solely Viv working on this anymore. It isn't just her and a few friends. There are full departments being dedicated to Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel now. There actually was a new writer (if I'm remembering correctly) for Mission Zero itself. So while that detail may not be important to anyone else, it's important to me. The "critic" space of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss both give Viv all the blame when there are other people on the team. To give her soul responsibility instead of asking why the Spindlehorse team or the Hellaverse Squad (what i refer to anyone working on HH/HB) chose to write things this way, a lot of people immediately point solely to Vivienne for things.

This is completely divorced from my opinion of the woman, but to blame a single person for an entire studio making a potential decision does not seem right to me, therefore I will be referring to any and all decisions made as "Hellaverse Squad Decisions" and not solely Vivienne's decision, because again, words do have meaning.

As I have always argued on this blog, I care about facts and canon. If you cannot pull a source or a direct thing to your claim, you may as well not talk to me. This isn't solely directed at you, dear asker, but to the general audience of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel who navigate critic spaces.

However I believe this intro has gone on long enough, lets get into the question of; "Why is Blitz animated like that?!"

The Circus

The Circus as an episode sets the tone for how Stolitz met. As I noted in this post , every sexual interaction prior to them being in the bed is taken by Blitz slowly devolving the situation into something else outside of two old friends meeting up and catching up.

The reason I note this is because within the episode the only times Blitz is "scared" is when he purposely puts himself in a dangerous situation a.k.a. sneaking into a demon prince's home. This happens between 14:15 and 14:35 of the episode. Through this his facial expression simply shows he is scared of not just being caught, but of whatever consequences Stolas can enforce due to his ranking in the hierarchy of hell.

We are made aware of the social imbalance between the two via how at 14:35 Stolas calls Blitz "imp" to look normal in front of all the other Goetia. Blitz has every reason to be scared here because he has not seen Stolas for 20 years, he doesn't know how he'll react to his home being infiltrated even if by an "old friend".

At 14:52 Blitz looks notably anxious while trying to come up with a lie for Stolas or something to explain his presence.

At 14:56 he is nervous when Stolas mentions he knows why he is there.

The mood shifts at 15:07 as Stolas teases and says Blitz is there to "ravish" him, followed by a "ew" from Blitz as Stolas continues to tease into 15;16 where Blitz is shocked Stolas remembers him so fondly.

From 17:18-17:38 the only reason Blitz is annoyed is due to Stolas being overly affectionate and being incredibly poor at dirty talk. Blitz has always had a thing against PDA and overly big displays of care or affection as we see in Ghostfuckers, even when Millie just tries to comfort him, he is incredibly averse to it due to his own trauma with closeness. The idea of "softness" and "affection" is foreign to Blitz, especially with an abusive father.

Now these are all the instances of discomfort or fear, all being justified for the Circus itself, however, we get more into what you're talking about in Mission Zero.

Mission Zero

For Mission Zero I have like- 3 pages of notes so bare with me as I try to summarize as much as possible.

At 2:23 Blitz is uncomfortable seeing the PDA Team M+M have with one another (holding hands), and he just looks away dismissively. From 2:51-3:00 Blitz is a tad uncomfortable having his sex life discussed in the work place by both Millie and Loona. Again at 3:37-3:49 he shows major dismissive vibes to Millie and Moxxie's growing affection toward one another.

As we can see, Blitz has a problem/discomfort with PDA, even when it is not in regards to Stolas, this explaining his prior discomfort with Stolas's shitty dirty talk in The Circus. As I noted above, it just isn't something Blitz is comfortable with due to how he views himself and his background.

4:10-4:47 Blitz is anxious and nervous as Loona tells him he has a call from Stolas, Stolas tells him he can "see through him" and Blitz at this point is shitting bricks because Stolas is being menacing and shit. At 4:47 specifically Blitz is anxious due to the fact he is trying to fumble for a lie or reason to keep Stolas off him for stealing from him.

5:09-5:25 he is uncomfortable as Stolas goes on and on about wanting to be ravished and believing Blitz wanted to continue their escapade.

At 5:30 he shuts down another round of Team M+M PDA. Now we get to the real meat and potatoes.

From 6:48-7:00 Blitz looks uncomfortable, and it is not because of Stolas coming on strong, it's because he is trying to diffuse the situation while keeping the book, even saying his coworkers around to maybe get Stolas to head on home. However, Stolas's reasoning of "you didn't mind making a scene last time", does stick, as the owl says, he does have good memory.

Now at 7:13 we get a flash back to the Circus and this is where I can say you are mischaracterizing the "disgust" sounds. If you rewatch the scene, Blitz's arm is pinned under Stolas, both arms actually, and as he pulls away he grunts under Stolas's dead weight. That's why he grunted, not out of discomfort or disgust or anything like that. The only reason Blitz is trying to quickly leave is 1, he's actively stealing the book, and 2, Stolas's family could walk in at any moment.

At 7:39 Blitz is grossed out when hit with the wax from Stolas's candle and that he just cleaned his desk. Blitz goes to get on Stolas, wanting to wrap it up quick. Why is that? Because the I.M.P. crew were having a meeting prior to that.

At 7:43 as he's about to pin down Stolas, imo, you can see a visible growing smirk on Blitz's face as Stolas is saying "take me". That's what I observed.

At 8:12, Blitz is just smoking with Stolas, he isn't "disassociated" by any means. I don't know where that claim is coming from. Disassociation is defined as; "the separation of whole segments of the personality (as in dissociative identity disorder) or of discrete mental processes (as in schizophrenia) from the mainstream of consciousness or of behavior" (Merriam Webster Dictionary), Blitz is just chilling and smoking man.

At 8:17 Blitz rolls his eyes then smiles as Stolas compliments him.

8:24 Blitz turns to see Stolas taking the book and panics. From 8:29-8:59 he quickly tries to keep the book and is anxious while actively lying to Stolas's face.

Now in this entire litany of thoughts, we can note that yes, some of the discomfort is brought on by Stolas, but it is all due to Blitz lying to Stolas earlier on and making it seem as if he was genuinely interested in him. However, I digress.

Now onto the actual questions and statements you made;

Do I Think It's Weird the Hellaverse Squad keeps animating Blitz's Discomfort with Stolas when they could just, not?

For me, personally, this does NOT speak for all Stolas Fans, so do note that; no. I don't find it "odd" because in both The Circus and Mission Zero we are given both perspective. Blitz believes it is all about sex and he found a fuckfest that matches his freak, Stolas thinks its a romantic escapade.

The only times discomfort is even an issue is when

1.) PDA is involved from either Stolas or the M+M's.

2.) Stolas is at the time big and scary due to societal stuff (The Circus)

3.) People are openly discussing Blitz's sexual affairs.

4.) Stolas or anyone shows genuine love or interest in Blitz.

The main one here is #1 and #4. Blitz cannot fathom the idea that he is worth loving. He cannot even conceptualize that Stolas really means it when he likes him.

Blitz sees Stolas as nothing more than a sexual object. Let's all not forget that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are two separate things. When Stolas acts "off script" and is overly affectionate and loving, it completely contradicts the idea Blitz has in his head.

Just like when Stolas sees Blitz's genuine pain in Ozzie's it completely contradicts his idea of how things were going.

The "discomfort" the "anxiety, and everything else is fueled by the fact these two are never on the same page. This consistent conflation with reality and fiction in their heads is what causes the discomfort for Blitz. It's actually important the Hellaverse Squad shows that discomfort so the viewers understand what is going on in his head. The whole show but don't tell type shit.

Now you as a viewer may interpret that differently, but as stated before on this blog, that doesn't change the canon of the show. As of right now, Blitz is solely attracted to Stolas sexually, not romantically. Hence why he is notably uncomfortable at affection.

We are meant to be rooting for these two because we know Stolas's true intentions and understand Blitz's hurt. The sex that happens between them should not be the sole driving factor.

You and many others note Blitz "hates sex", but nothing has ever proven that claim. Does anyone remember Blitz making out with Dennis for the fun of it? Does anyone remember Blitz talkin about "don't talk dirty to me" when it came to someone talking about horses and Fizz went "you're still into the horses thing!? Or the fact that Blitz was still sexually attracted to Fizz and trying to kiss him? Or the fact Blitz spies on and films the M+M's having pork seshs?

Are we all talking about the same guy here who has a mini "three way" with figures of Millie and Moxxie in his office? Are we talking about the same fella who claimed proudly he "wasn't a day hooker"? Are we talking about the Blitz who actively has a kink/fetish for horse related shit!?

Like I'm sorry, I'm really sorry if this all seems rather cynical on my part, but out of EVERYONE, Blitz loves sex the most. I don't care how you chop, change, or rearrange the question, that man is a horn dog.

Claiming Coercion Solely on Blitz's Facial Expressions

Alrighty, this claim is incredibly frustrating for me, but I will keep it cute.

Firstly, lets all define what the hell coercion is. I highly recommend looking at my mutual, @eyebulb 's post on the subject in regards to Stolitz, because many of you, and I mean many, like to misuse terminology. This isn't meant to be a malicious correction on my part, but it just is a genuine annoyance.

The word "Coerced" is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as; "to compel to an act or choice, to achieve by force or threat, to restrain or dominate by force". These are all definitions linked to what it means to "coerce" someone. Coercion always has mal intent behind it. It's never an accident, or a mistake, it is a calculated thing an individual does to get what they want from a nonconsenting party.

Cornell University defines coercion as; "(2) The term “coercion” means— (A) threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; (B) any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or (C) the abuse or threatened abuse of law or the legal process."

These are real words, with real connotation and meaning behind them and I'm sorry, but it is utterly asinine to claim that because Blitz looks "uncomfortable" that people keep screaming "coercion" from the top of their lungs! The thing is that everyone ignores Blitz's glaringly obvious attempts at coercion as @awkwardandeccentric shows in their post, pointing out the First Five Minutes of Apology Tour!

During Apology Tour Blitz tries to utilize and weaponize guilt against Stolas to get sex from him, trying to coerce Stolas into a sexual interaction that he does not want. This is actual coercive behaviors and everything from the Circus to Mission Zero has actively been Blitz's Fault.

The only reason Blitz continues to experience this discomfort is to his own doing as I detail in my last post regarding these two episodes. To call "coercion" purely because of Blitz's facial expression and your own personal interpretations is- asinine. Within my five pages of notes for both episodes, there is never a moment when Blitz's discomfort is linked to coercive behaviors on Stolas's part, they only occur only due to Blitz's own decision making, that's on him.

What Is Blitz Actually Afraid Of?

"Having a fearful and pissed Blitz-" What the actual hell would Blitz actually be afraid of? Now I know I sound insane asking that question, but- what is he actually afraid of? What is it that keeps Blitz at his current distance from Stolas?

@iwannaplaybg3butimbroke makes a compelling argument in their post that Blitz isn't actually scared of Stolas. I personally don't believe after Mission Zero that Blitz is "afraid" of Stolas. Stolas has never threatened him, everything is on his terms and his level of comfort, Stolas is kind to him, I mean besides status, what is there to be scared of? What is actually scary about Stolas?

The actual crux of the problem isn't sex, nor is it Stolas's "power" over Blitz. It's stated to us in Blitz's Bad Trip!

It's stated by Moxxie within Blitz's Bad Trip as;

Moxxie (hallucination): I believe your subconscious is trying to tell you that you simply cannot fathom proper intimacy, but... also crave it as well. It's rather unfortunate, sir, considering it's often how you treat those who stand by you... such as myself.

Blitz is afraid of his own damn feelings. He is deathly afraid of proper intimacy, something Stolas offers openly. Do you all not think it is weird how Blitz absolutely hates PDA but is openly incredibly vulgar? However if Stolas is vulgar and honest about what he wants from Blitz it freaks him out?

Blitz's "disgusted" faces are rooted in his own self loathing. It is nothing that Stolas has done, but everything to do with Blitz's own fear of getting close to someone and hurting them. We see this repeated in Ghostfuckers and also shown in Blitz's fear of dying alone;

Blitzo: No, no, don't touch me! I destroy everything, everyo- I-I make everyone's lives worse.

We hear it again in Apology Tour;

Blitzo: [whips his tail around in anger and seething] Oh, you think I can't apologize?! [sniffles as Stolas walks away] For what?! You want me to be like- Oh, sorry, this entire time I assumed the worst because I was convinced a prince could never love someone like me and I've let my self hatred stop me from apologizing to anyone I could ever care about! [Blitzo breaks down slightly as he describes what he thinks Stolas wants of him]

These are all lines Blitz himself utters and if it isn't himself, it's a hallucination of his own feelings. The thing Blitz is afraid of isn't a class imbalance or the idea Stolas will hurt him, he is scared of proper intimacy.

We see this in Ghostfuckers, Blitz avoids his feelings and to drown it out his drug of choice is sex everytime. Sex is easy for Blitz, but proper, emotional intimacy?

That's not in the cards for him.

But as he said, he doesn't want to be this way, not forever.

Conclusion

I may have talked your ear off, but you get my point. No, I don't think it's weird they animate him feeling "discomfort", it's actually integral to knowing what makes Blitz uncomfortable. It signals us, the audience, that he doesn't understand proper intimacy and that it scares him.

His expressions do not mean coercion is actively happening, and to claim such is asinine.

My hands are on fire bc I've been writing for a good few hours, probably 5 hours dedicated to this essay throughout the day. All I have to say is remember my views are mines and mines alone, I do not represent all Stolas Fans and I want that noted.

Thank you for the ask.

Toodles,

Amalthea Staargazer Word Count: 3,010

[fantasywater]

Thank you for replying to me.

I agree with some of what you wrote, and I do ALSO think that at the end of the day Blitz put himself in this situation.

Steal a magical book from a prince of hell or find some other means to access earth, like we know already existed because of what he said in Harvest Moon?

Of course, Risky Blitz chose the option with "complications."

Not to mention we know from the long-haired Millie flashback and from what he said to Moxxie's dad that he was killing in hell before.

So EARTH access is what's new.

He has always had a job in hell.

He didn't NEED the fancy magic book.

Yet even so, that doesn't mean the full moon deal should have happened.

Also stop blaming the CREATOR, DIRECTOR, and SHOWRUNNER of the show? Tell me something: if I start my own business and hire staff, do they get to do anything without my final say-so?

I'm sorry, but Viv Medrano is always going to be blamed for the writing, animation, and character issues of Helluva and Hazbin because the buck stops with her.

They are HER shows.

So if Blitz is animated and written to be CONSISTENTLY hostile to his own LOVE INTEREST, then SHE (the CREATOR) is the one allowing that to happen.

Basically with the Circus and Zero, WHY add fuel to the fire?

The call that Stolas and Blitz's dynamic is coercion is loud and unrelenting, so why DOUBLE DOWN on making it look like that?

That's the issue even Stolitz fans should have.

You all could have gotten SOFT moments in those two episodes that the deal didn't exist in, and yet Viv DOUBLED DOWN on animating and writing what LOOKS and sounds very much like sexual abuse when again the easiest option was to NOT do that.

Don't add FUEL.

As for the smoking scene, he looked zoned out, and the expression on his face as he got up and got his boots was sad-like.

Those are NOT the expressions of a man that just had a sexual encounter he liked, nor was his initial crawl on top of Stolas.

Again, she DELIBERATELY adds fuel to coercion allegations when the easiest and less divisive way to do those scenes was simply to SHOW Blitz ENJOYING himself.

You all would have gotten what you wanted, and us critics wouldn't be on Sexual Abuse 2 Electric Boogaloo.

Stolas has gone from a once-upon-a-time divisive but still robust fan favorite to the MOST hated character in Helluva, and that ABSOLUTELY has something to do with her NOT toning down Blitz's REACTIONS to him.

Viv's INTENT of Stolas as a character and of the Ship—and how he's actually been PERCEIVED by the audience—shows there is DISCONNECT there, and that is a FAULT of her writing.

The loud cry that Blitz is interpretable as an unwilling participant wouldn't be there if SO MUCH animation and dialogue in the show weren't pointing toward that.

Honestly, some of the very episodes that show a very hostile Blitz toward his LOVE INTEREST even have HER writing credit on them as the major one.

His expressions might not mean coercion is actively happening, but that's what it HEAVILY looks like because of the CONTEXT it's happening in, which is sexual.

If Stolitz is not coercion, then the creator NEEDED to stop doubling down on making it look suspiciously like it.

Even you Stolitz fans should be tired of this toxic shit between the two and be disappointed that Viv couldn't even give you all soft moments in Mission Zero but instead just restarted the discourse on whether Blitz is being sexually abused.

Again, thanks for answering my post, and I appreciate your "term paper essays" because I too have a tendency to write them myself.

[amalthea-13]

I actually am not the fondest of Stolitz rn. I wanna make that clear. I have been critical of the writing of Blitz and how he is dehumanizing Stolas back on my Tiktok when Mastermind dropped. I personally don't get how anyone- sees "coercion" or "sexual abuse" in these two interactions, just being for real.

Both of these words have clear definitions and criteria to them, and this is why I don't interact with critics, bc genuinely I don't see what ya'll see.

Mission Zero also was NOT the time for "soft stolitz moments" it was to establish the relationship for Season 1, a S1 Blitz who is afraid of intimacy and only sees Stolas as a means to his end or an object.

Again, the "disassociation" claim, isn't sticking with me either. Blitz is notably nonchalant when it comes to Stolas, and just bc he's zoned out, probably tired from giving the entire time, doesn't mean we preemptively slap the word "disassociation" onto it.

Would I like the writing for Stolitz to be better? Absolutely, but this episode isn't a romantic Stolitz episode, its the Pilot, it sets the tone for the Stolitz of Season 1, not Season 2-3.

It recontextualizes the relationship, not make it completely new. If Blitz was snuggling up on Stolas I woulda been looking at him sideways.

I want to like Stolitz, I really do, but Blitz owes Stolas an apology and I'm majorly unpopular for that opinion since my Mastermind saga.

I am in this for Stolas, not Blitz.

[fantasywater]

You're not fond of Stolitz? Well, we twin there lol.

I personally think they both owe each other an apology.

The toxicity was off the charts.

They dehumanized each other.

But that horrible deal was Stolas's baby, and that's why I come for him more.

I too would have been going, "W.T.F. is this? if this Blitz was like he was in Mastermind and Sinmas toward Stolas.

No, what I meant by soft is just not hostile.

Have him wake up spooning Stolas, but let us LINGER on that for a few seconds, then SOFTLY pull away.

This gives us a hint that Blitz secretly likes the intimacy without giving the game away too much yet.

The whole crawling on Stolas scene should have had a Blitz with a sexy smirk because the expression he had throughout the whole thing was YIKES and was not helping the coercion allegations AT ALL.

With a healthy and consenting smirk, he is showing he is all aboard what's happening (the freaky sex) even if he doesn't particularly like Stolas as a person yet.

This would tie in quite nicely with the Circus marathon session that happened beforehand too.

He likes the sex.

Just not PRINCE Stolas.

Not yet.

The smoking scenes' expressions and boot-getting looked bad and just added fuel that shouldn't have been there.

How he acted in Harvest Moon (so still an early enough episode dynamic) in bed would have been more okay. He was still kind of apathetic, but it never looked like he wanted to fall into a hole away from Stolas like this scene looked.

Also, they could have also toned down him being so uncomfortable as hell around Stolas too. Blitz being scared like that, especially when every interaction with Stolas was sexual, was also not helping with the allegations.

There is a difference between giving soft moments that still stay canon compliant for where these characters are at in the story or making a CHOICE to double down on showing something that she KNEW could be widely interpreted as the sexual abuse that has dogged the dynamic of these two characters for ages.

She CHOSE the latter when the easiest and safest writing decision in the world should have been the former. That is all I'm saying.

Well, I'm off to bed. It's been great talking to you. Thanks again.

[amalthea-13]

I've been wanting to ask this question to a Stolas fan, and I do sometimes read your post.

They're well-written, and I sometimes agree with parts of them.

So I promise to be respectful with this question.

Do you think it's odd that she INTENTIONALLY keeps animating Blitz's discomfort with Stolas when it would be the easiest thing in the world to NOT do that?

This is especially since Stolitz is supposed to be endgame, i.e., she should be trying her hardest to make us want them to be together, but when she has the chance to actually show Blitz liking Stolas (The Circus, Mission Zero), we're RIPE for that, she instead CHOOSES hostility instead.

So it's not so much how she writes Stolas as a thirsty owl; it's how she writes BLITZ'S REACTION to him that's the problem.

EVERY TIME she has the opportunity to write and ANIMATE Blitz liking Stolas, she CHOOSES disgust, fear, hate, annoyance, and being uncomfortable, and it's too CONSISTENT for her not to be doing this on purpose.

This is a CHOICE, and a weird one, considering they are who we are supposed to want to see together riding into hell's sunset and having fanbabies and shit.

Blitz is animated to just straight-up hate having sex with Stolas in this episode.

WHY do that?

Wouldn't having her animators make him enjoy it with a cheeky grin have been better, but she instead makes them go out of their way to animate Blitz's horrible discomfort as he crawls on top of Stolas.

They even animate him SMASHING Stolas's head on the deck, and only THEN does he smile.

It looked like hate sex.

That was a CHOICE.

What I'm getting at is that WE wouldn't be calling it coercion if ViV didn't have her animators SHOW Blitz looking so upset and angry when it comes to Stolas.

Also, why animate him pulling away from them spooning so fast and all while making a weird, disgusting-sounding noise as he does it?

Even I, a critic, would have loved a softer approach to the spooning and desk sex.

I genuinely would have thought it was cute, and that would push home that the sex deal IS the only reason why Blitz is hostile to Stolas.

That without it, Blitz IS gentle with him.

And like I said, Circus and Mission Zero were the prime episodes to show this since the deal didn't exist yet.

But every time she tries to fix Stolitz, she makes it WORSE.

Having a fearful and pissed Blitz forcing himself to have sex with Stolas and looking suspiciously like he is dissociating right after is not something that should have been animated for a ship we should be rooting for.

The CHOICES she keeps making with Blitz's REACTIONS toward Stolas don't make sense considering we are supposed to want their happy ending.

So I'm curious about what a Stolas fan thinks of all this.

I will give her this, though.

IF her intent was to BOOST Blitz's callouts in Ozzie's, and especially in the Full Moon, then her repeatedly making Stolas look horrible does WORK.

However, she seems to want Stolitz TOO, and that's where her negative characterizations of Stolas and Blitz's pissed reactions to him bite her in the butt.

So instead of toning down Blitz's HATE of his LOVE INTEREST, she just DOUBLES DOWN on Stolas being horrible and Blitz's hostility toward him and still goes, "Still ship them and buy my merch teehee."

Anyway, thanks for entertaining my question.

Blitz and How He is Animated

Introduction

Hello All! It is I, Your Lovely Host, Amalthea Staargazer, the Number 1 Stolas Defender of Tumblr and Informal Expert on all things related to Stolas!

Firstly to our lovely asker, I appreciate the civility. While I usually come off quite aggressive, it's only when people insult me or outright insult my intelligence.

Moving on, I do want to start the opening with another reminder to my lovely audience; "Vivienne is not the only writer on the team."

Now I know, many of you are going to harp on how that "doesn't matter" and that she's the "executive producer" and all that jazz, but Vivienne outsources a lot of her creative team within her social circle.

For example, Stolitz being a Center Point for the story was Brandon's idea, not Vivienne's. He is the main reason this storyline changed from the pilot up until now.

Another example, Blitz being obsessed with horses was a biproduct of Viv and her friend watching Spirit via a video call and Viv saying "oh Blitz would relate to this movie", and thus Blitz the Horse Girl was born because her friend, the artistic director, sat and fleshed out the idea with her.

These are just a handful of examples, but to gloss over or ignore them is disingenuous. It is not solely Viv working on this anymore. It isn't just her and a few friends. There are full departments being dedicated to Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel now. There actually was a new writer (if I'm remembering correctly) for Mission Zero itself. So while that detail may not be important to anyone else, it's important to me. The "critic" space of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss both give Viv all the blame when there are other people on the team. To give her soul responsibility instead of asking why the Spindlehorse team or the Hellaverse Squad (what i refer to anyone working on HH/HB) chose to write things this way, a lot of people immediately point solely to Vivienne for things.

This is completely divorced from my opinion of the woman, but to blame a single person for an entire studio making a potential decision does not seem right to me, therefore I will be referring to any and all decisions made as "Hellaverse Squad Decisions" and not solely Vivienne's decision, because again, words do have meaning.

As I have always argued on this blog, I care about facts and canon. If you cannot pull a source or a direct thing to your claim, you may as well not talk to me. This isn't solely directed at you, dear asker, but to the general audience of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel who navigate critic spaces.

However I believe this intro has gone on long enough, lets get into the question of; "Why is Blitz animated like that?!"

The Circus

The Circus as an episode sets the tone for how Stolitz met. As I noted in this post , every sexual interaction prior to them being in the bed is taken by Blitz slowly devolving the situation into something else outside of two old friends meeting up and catching up.

The reason I note this is because within the episode the only times Blitz is "scared" is when he purposely puts himself in a dangerous situation a.k.a. sneaking into a demon prince's home. This happens between 14:15 and 14:35 of the episode. Through this his facial expression simply shows he is scared of not just being caught, but of whatever consequences Stolas can enforce due to his ranking in the hierarchy of hell.

We are made aware of the social imbalance between the two via how at 14:35 Stolas calls Blitz "imp" to look normal in front of all the other Goetia. Blitz has every reason to be scared here because he has not seen Stolas for 20 years, he doesn't know how he'll react to his home being infiltrated even if by an "old friend".

At 14:52 Blitz looks notably anxious while trying to come up with a lie for Stolas or something to explain his presence.

At 14:56 he is nervous when Stolas mentions he knows why he is there.

The mood shifts at 15:07 as Stolas teases and says Blitz is there to "ravish" him, followed by a "ew" from Blitz as Stolas continues to tease into 15;16 where Blitz is shocked Stolas remembers him so fondly.

From 17:18-17:38 the only reason Blitz is annoyed is due to Stolas being overly affectionate and being incredibly poor at dirty talk. Blitz has always had a thing against PDA and overly big displays of care or affection as we see in Ghostfuckers, even when Millie just tries to comfort him, he is incredibly averse to it due to his own trauma with closeness. The idea of "softness" and "affection" is foreign to Blitz, especially with an abusive father.

Now these are all the instances of discomfort or fear, all being justified for the Circus itself, however, we get more into what you're talking about in Mission Zero.

Mission Zero

For Mission Zero I have like- 3 pages of notes so bare with me as I try to summarize as much as possible.

At 2:23 Blitz is uncomfortable seeing the PDA Team M+M have with one another (holding hands), and he just looks away dismissively. From 2:51-3:00 Blitz is a tad uncomfortable having his sex life discussed in the work place by both Millie and Loona. Again at 3:37-3:49 he shows major dismissive vibes to Millie and Moxxie's growing affection toward one another.

As we can see, Blitz has a problem/discomfort with PDA, even when it is not in regards to Stolas, this explaining his prior discomfort with Stolas's shitty dirty talk in The Circus. As I noted above, it just isn't something Blitz is comfortable with due to how he views himself and his background.

4:10-4:47 Blitz is anxious and nervous as Loona tells him he has a call from Stolas, Stolas tells him he can "see through him" and Blitz at this point is shitting bricks because Stolas is being menacing and shit. At 4:47 specifically Blitz is anxious due to the fact he is trying to fumble for a lie or reason to keep Stolas off him for stealing from him.

5:09-5:25 he is uncomfortable as Stolas goes on and on about wanting to be ravished and believing Blitz wanted to continue their escapade.

At 5:30 he shuts down another round of Team M+M PDA. Now we get to the real meat and potatoes.

From 6:48-7:00 Blitz looks uncomfortable, and it is not because of Stolas coming on strong, it's because he is trying to diffuse the situation while keeping the book, even saying his coworkers around to maybe get Stolas to head on home. However, Stolas's reasoning of "you didn't mind making a scene last time", does stick, as the owl says, he does have good memory.

Now at 7:13 we get a flash back to the Circus and this is where I can say you are mischaracterizing the "disgust" sounds. If you rewatch the scene, Blitz's arm is pinned under Stolas, both arms actually, and as he pulls away he grunts under Stolas's dead weight. That's why he grunted, not out of discomfort or disgust or anything like that. The only reason Blitz is trying to quickly leave is 1, he's actively stealing the book, and 2, Stolas's family could walk in at any moment.

At 7:39 Blitz is grossed out when hit with the wax from Stolas's candle and that he just cleaned his desk. Blitz goes to get on Stolas, wanting to wrap it up quick. Why is that? Because the I.M.P. crew were having a meeting prior to that.

At 7:43 as he's about to pin down Stolas, imo, you can see a visible growing smirk on Blitz's face as Stolas is saying "take me". That's what I observed.

At 8:12, Blitz is just smoking with Stolas, he isn't "disassociated" by any means. I don't know where that claim is coming from. Disassociation is defined as; "the separation of whole segments of the personality (as in dissociative identity disorder) or of discrete mental processes (as in schizophrenia) from the mainstream of consciousness or of behavior" (Merriam Webster Dictionary), Blitz is just chilling and smoking man.

At 8:17 Blitz rolls his eyes then smiles as Stolas compliments him.

8:24 Blitz turns to see Stolas taking the book and panics. From 8:29-8:59 he quickly tries to keep the book and is anxious while actively lying to Stolas's face.

Now in this entire litany of thoughts, we can note that yes, some of the discomfort is brought on by Stolas, but it is all due to Blitz lying to Stolas earlier on and making it seem as if he was genuinely interested in him. However, I digress.

Now onto the actual questions and statements you made;

Do I Think It's Weird the Hellaverse Squad keeps animating Blitz's Discomfort with Stolas when they could just, not?

For me, personally, this does NOT speak for all Stolas Fans, so do note that; no. I don't find it "odd" because in both The Circus and Mission Zero we are given both perspective. Blitz believes it is all about sex and he found a fuckfest that matches his freak, Stolas thinks its a romantic escapade.

The only times discomfort is even an issue is when

1.) PDA is involved from either Stolas or the M+M's.

2.) Stolas is at the time big and scary due to societal stuff (The Circus)

3.) People are openly discussing Blitz's sexual affairs.

4.) Stolas or anyone shows genuine love or interest in Blitz.

The main one here is #1 and #4. Blitz cannot fathom the idea that he is worth loving. He cannot even conceptualize that Stolas really means it when he likes him.

Blitz sees Stolas as nothing more than a sexual object. Let's all not forget that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are two separate things. When Stolas acts "off script" and is overly affectionate and loving, it completely contradicts the idea Blitz has in his head.

Just like when Stolas sees Blitz's genuine pain in Ozzie's it completely contradicts his idea of how things were going.

The "discomfort" the "anxiety, and everything else is fueled by the fact these two are never on the same page. This consistent conflation with reality and fiction in their heads is what causes the discomfort for Blitz. It's actually important the Hellaverse Squad shows that discomfort so the viewers understand what is going on in his head. The whole show but don't tell type shit.

Now you as a viewer may interpret that differently, but as stated before on this blog, that doesn't change the canon of the show. As of right now, Blitz is solely attracted to Stolas sexually, not romantically. Hence why he is notably uncomfortable at affection.

We are meant to be rooting for these two because we know Stolas's true intentions and understand Blitz's hurt. The sex that happens between them should not be the sole driving factor.

You and many others note Blitz "hates sex", but nothing has ever proven that claim. Does anyone remember Blitz making out with Dennis for the fun of it? Does anyone remember Blitz talkin about "don't talk dirty to me" when it came to someone talking about horses and Fizz went "you're still into the horses thing!? Or the fact that Blitz was still sexually attracted to Fizz and trying to kiss him? Or the fact Blitz spies on and films the M+M's having pork seshs?

Are we all talking about the same guy here who has a mini "three way" with figures of Millie and Moxxie in his office? Are we talking about the same fella who claimed proudly he "wasn't a day hooker"? Are we talking about the Blitz who actively has a kink/fetish for horse related shit!?

Like I'm sorry, I'm really sorry if this all seems rather cynical on my part, but out of EVERYONE, Blitz loves sex the most. I don't care how you chop, change, or rearrange the question, that man is a horn dog.

Claiming Coercion Solely on Blitz's Facial Expressions

Alrighty, this claim is incredibly frustrating for me, but I will keep it cute.

Firstly, lets all define what the hell coercion is. I highly recommend looking at my mutual, @eyebulb 's post on the subject in regards to Stolitz, because many of you, and I mean many, like to misuse terminology. This isn't meant to be a malicious correction on my part, but it just is a genuine annoyance.

The word "Coerced" is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as; "to compel to an act or choice, to achieve by force or threat, to restrain or dominate by force". These are all definitions linked to what it means to "coerce" someone. Coercion always has mal intent behind it. It's never an accident, or a mistake, it is a calculated thing an individual does to get what they want from a nonconsenting party.

Cornell University defines coercion as; "(2) The term “coercion” means— (A) threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; (B) any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or (C) the abuse or threatened abuse of law or the legal process."

These are real words, with real connotation and meaning behind them and I'm sorry, but it is utterly asinine to claim that because Blitz looks "uncomfortable" that people keep screaming "coercion" from the top of their lungs! The thing is that everyone ignores Blitz's glaringly obvious attempts at coercion as @awkwardandeccentric shows in their post, pointing out the First Five Minutes of Apology Tour!

During Apology Tour Blitz tries to utilize and weaponize guilt against Stolas to get sex from him, trying to coerce Stolas into a sexual interaction that he does not want. This is actual coercive behaviors and everything from the Circus to Mission Zero has actively been Blitz's Fault.

The only reason Blitz continues to experience this discomfort is to his own doing as I detail in my last post regarding these two episodes. To call "coercion" purely because of Blitz's facial expression and your own personal interpretations is- asinine. Within my five pages of notes for both episodes, there is never a moment when Blitz's discomfort is linked to coercive behaviors on Stolas's part, they only occur only due to Blitz's own decision making, that's on him.

What Is Blitz Actually Afraid Of?

"Having a fearful and pissed Blitz-" What the actual hell would Blitz actually be afraid of? Now I know I sound insane asking that question, but- what is he actually afraid of? What is it that keeps Blitz at his current distance from Stolas?

@iwannaplaybg3butimbroke makes a compelling argument in their post that Blitz isn't actually scared of Stolas. I personally don't believe after Mission Zero that Blitz is "afraid" of Stolas. Stolas has never threatened him, everything is on his terms and his level of comfort, Stolas is kind to him, I mean besides status, what is there to be scared of? What is actually scary about Stolas?

The actual crux of the problem isn't sex, nor is it Stolas's "power" over Blitz. It's stated to us in Blitz's Bad Trip!

It's stated by Moxxie within Blitz's Bad Trip as;

Moxxie (hallucination): I believe your subconscious is trying to tell you that you simply cannot fathom proper intimacy, but... also crave it as well. It's rather unfortunate, sir, considering it's often how you treat those who stand by you... such as myself.

Blitz is afraid of his own damn feelings. He is deathly afraid of proper intimacy, something Stolas offers openly. Do you all not think it is weird how Blitz absolutely hates PDA but is openly incredibly vulgar? However if Stolas is vulgar and honest about what he wants from Blitz it freaks him out?

Blitz's "disgusted" faces are rooted in his own self loathing. It is nothing that Stolas has done, but everything to do with Blitz's own fear of getting close to someone and hurting them. We see this repeated in Ghostfuckers and also shown in Blitz's fear of dying alone;

Blitzo: No, no, don't touch me! I destroy everything, everyo- I-I make everyone's lives worse.

We hear it again in Apology Tour;

Blitzo: [whips his tail around in anger and seething] Oh, you think I can't apologize?! [sniffles as Stolas walks away] For what?! You want me to be like- Oh, sorry, this entire time I assumed the worst because I was convinced a prince could never love someone like me and I've let my self hatred stop me from apologizing to anyone I could ever care about! [Blitzo breaks down slightly as he describes what he thinks Stolas wants of him]

These are all lines Blitz himself utters and if it isn't himself, it's a hallucination of his own feelings. The thing Blitz is afraid of isn't a class imbalance or the idea Stolas will hurt him, he is scared of proper intimacy.

We see this in Ghostfuckers, Blitz avoids his feelings and to drown it out his drug of choice is sex everytime. Sex is easy for Blitz, but proper, emotional intimacy?

That's not in the cards for him.

But as he said, he doesn't want to be this way, not forever.

Conclusion

I may have talked your ear off, but you get my point. No, I don't think it's weird they animate him feeling "discomfort", it's actually integral to knowing what makes Blitz uncomfortable. It signals us, the audience, that he doesn't understand proper intimacy and that it scares him.

His expressions do not mean coercion is actively happening, and to claim such is asinine.

My hands are on fire bc I've been writing for a good few hours, probably 5 hours dedicated to this essay throughout the day. All I have to say is remember my views are mines and mines alone, I do not represent all Stolas Fans and I want that noted.

Thank you for the ask.

Toodles,

Amalthea Staargazer Word Count: 3,010

[fantasywater]

Thank you for replying to me.

I agree with some of what you wrote, and I do ALSO think that at the end of the day Blitz put himself in this situation.

Steal a magical book from a prince of hell or find some other means to access earth, like we know already existed because of what he said in Harvest Moon?

Of course, Risky Blitz chose the option with "complications."

Not to mention we know from the long-haired Millie flashback and from what he said to Moxxie's dad that he was killing in hell before.

So EARTH access is what's new.

He has always had a job in hell.

He didn't NEED the fancy magic book.

Yet even so, that doesn't mean the full moon deal should have happened.

Also stop blaming the CREATOR, DIRECTOR, and SHOWRUNNER of the show? Tell me something: if I start my own business and hire staff, do they get to do anything without my final say-so?

I'm sorry, but Viv Medrano is always going to be blamed for the writing, animation, and character issues of Helluva and Hazbin because the buck stops with her.

They are HER shows.

So if Blitz is animated and written to be CONSISTENTLY hostile to his own LOVE INTEREST, then SHE (the CREATOR) is the one allowing that to happen.

Basically with the Circus and Zero, WHY add fuel to the fire?

The call that Stolas and Blitz's dynamic is coercion is loud and unrelenting, so why DOUBLE DOWN on making it look like that?

That's the issue even Stolitz fans should have.

You all could have gotten SOFT moments in those two episodes that the deal didn't exist in, and yet Viv DOUBLED DOWN on animating and writing what LOOKS and sounds very much like sexual abuse when again the easiest option was to NOT do that.

Don't add FUEL.

As for the smoking scene, he looked zoned out, and the expression on his face as he got up and got his boots was sad-like.

Those are NOT the expressions of a man that just had a sexual encounter he liked, nor was his initial crawl on top of Stolas.

Again, she DELIBERATELY adds fuel to coercion allegations when the easiest and less divisive way to do those scenes was simply to SHOW Blitz ENJOYING himself.

You all would have gotten what you wanted, and us critics wouldn't be on Sexual Abuse 2 Electric Boogaloo.

Stolas has gone from a once-upon-a-time divisive but still robust fan favorite to the MOST hated character in Helluva, and that ABSOLUTELY has something to do with her NOT toning down Blitz's REACTIONS to him.

Viv's INTENT of Stolas as a character and of the Ship—and how he's actually been PERCEIVED by the audience—shows there is DISCONNECT there, and that is a FAULT of her writing.

The loud cry that Blitz is interpretable as an unwilling participant wouldn't be there if SO MUCH animation and dialogue in the show weren't pointing toward that.

Honestly, some of the very episodes that show a very hostile Blitz toward his LOVE INTEREST even have HER writing credit on them as the major one.

His expressions might not mean coercion is actively happening, but that's what it HEAVILY looks like because of the CONTEXT it's happening in, which is sexual.

If Stolitz is not coercion, then the creator NEEDED to stop doubling down on making it look suspiciously like it.

Even you Stolitz fans should be tired of this toxic shit between the two and be disappointed that Viv couldn't even give you all soft moments in Mission Zero but instead just restarted the discourse on whether Blitz is being sexually abused.

Again, thanks for answering my post, and I appreciate your "term paper essays" because I too have a tendency to write them myself.

[fantasywater]

Just something to think about.

While the fandom enjoys the horny Stolitz in the new Mission Zero, remember Stolas was still very much a married man, and his daughter was breaking apart because of his actions toward her mother and what that did to the stability of Via's home life.

You even see the family portrait haunt the narrative at the balloon scene.

That same portrait is also in full view when he first cheated in the Circus and again when he tried to get his affair partner to move in during the Full Moon episode.

I just find it telling that chronologically we go from an actually somber (different from the original pilot, where he gloated) Blitz apologizing to a freshly cheated-on wife to then Stolas in the same scene relishing throwing it in her face and screaming divorce.

Then Octavia finds out at some point and breaks.

Then literally the very next day, this still-married father calls Blitz to fuck him again, even deciding to do it again on his marital bed, but when that doesn't work, he then decides to turn up at the workplace.

Where he then proceeds to blame Blitz for getting him caught cheating on the mother of his child, gets fucked again by forcing the issue, and then leaves by mentioning the staff he abuses missing him instead of his daughter.

THIS is the person we're supposed to sympathize with and the ship we're supposed to root for.

[fantasywater]

This photo is really laughable and misleading because how the way the antagonists look like how they are going to be important to the plot but in reality this is what they are like

Stella gets dumb down to an loud obnoxious brat who has a peanut for a brain and needs her twink brother to be the smart one because viv thinks women are stupid

verosika is just the bitchy ex girlfriend and 90% of the shit she does is sing look sexy and talks about how much she hates blitzo

Striker who was once a interesting threatening villain got the lobotomize treatment and now suddenly he fw the higher ups people because nobody isn’t allowed to hate rich people in this show

Stella brother (I can’t be bothered to spell out his name) only exists because viv wants to make it obvious that she has a twink fetish for the 50th time

d.o.r.k.s and the cherubs are just… non existent up until the near ending of season two where they work together in the most corny way possible

stolas being there is just going to pissed off the new fans because we all know damn well the show is going to baby him

crimson is just.. I don’t know he just pops up if viv needs to write something for moxxie

AND WHY THE FUCK IS WALLY IS HERE HE IS NOT EVEN A BAD PERSON????

I know we have two more seasons, and therefore she could still do something great with everyone up there, but yeah lol, this poster as it stands right now is hilarious.

I do love that they made Stolas the biggest antagonist there because, truthfully, he IS.

I also just find it extra funny that Stella is the next biggest because two seasons in, that's a damn lie.

And I rolled my eyes at the new girl because yes, we definitely need one more when she hasn't done anything with the ones we have.

Unless she's a red herring and is really Octavia, then they might be onto something...

Although I'm conflicted that they might turn a neglected child into a villain, and especially because the catalyst is because of toxic yaoi reasons, i.e., Stolitz.

[fantasywater]

https://www.tumblr.com/fantasywater/794509299706691584/holy-shitnow-theyre-accusing-blitz-of-raping

ugh, can the fandom just not with this "well he started it!!1!" routine with Blitz and Stolas?

consent is not "you said yes once so now you have to say yes forever and it's your fault if the other party acts like it's more than what is was"

consent is a case by case basis. and Blitzo was clearly not giving an enthusiastic yes in Mission Zero, he was giving a "let's get this over with as fast as possible because you won't leave me alone otherwise"

and he wasn't giving an enthusiastic yes in murder family. I'd go as far saying he didn't give a single enthusiastic yes for the entirety of Season One

the closest he ever gets to looking like he's even slightly into it in s1 is Truth Seekers but even then it's a "well I suppose since you asked for a thank you..."

the only time we see him initiate - or try to - is full moon and apology tour. and full moon is because he thinks he has to in order to keep the book (it might as well be learned helplessness at that point), and apology tour is because the writers stockholm syndrome'd him into feeling insecure about the "break up"; it comes completely out of nowhere given his attitude to Stolas previously

so romance. much wow

I can't even really chastise the Stolitz fans' abuse apologia because, honestly, to be fair to them, they are just following Viv Medrano's lead.

Her CLEAR rape fetish is in BOTH shows, and it's too numerous for it to not be done on purpose.

Toxicity IS the point with her.

So for Helluva, there is no plausible deniability anymore.

Blitz is animated to just straight-up hate having sex with Stolas in this episode.

Every time she tries to fix Stolitz, she makes it WORSE.

But that is by design.

Having a fearful and pissed Blitz forcing himself to have sex with Stolas and looking like he is dissociating right after is fine with her because his abuser, Stolas, didn't MEAN to do this horrible thing.

And that is because INTENT matters more to her than harm done, and that's why we ultimately have Blitz and Stolas dance and almost kiss in the moonlight to close season two.

This is an abuser and his victim, but THAT'S the last scene we see of them.

Does the coercion Stolas has done to Blitz go away, and should it?

No.

But does that matter to Medrano?

Well, "My heart, my light" is the answer to that.

[fantasywater]

Holy shit...now they're accusing Blitz of raping Stolas to defend the damn bird and Blitz "liked it"

This fandom is horrible

To be fair to them, they are just following Viv's lead.

Viv HERSELF thinks only INTENT should matter more than harm done.

I always suspected that's how she saw Stolas, and she confirmed it to a Bluesky user a few months back.

She's NOT saying Stolas didn't rape Blitz.

because dialogue and scenes from the show itself (some that she even wrote by herself) scream that this was indeed the case.

No, what she is doing INSTEAD is saying Stolas didn't MEAN to sexually abuse Blitz, so it's still fine if they still get together.

Mastermind and Sinmas are even a testament to that.

"You're my heart; you're my light."

Let me dance with my once-upon-a-time captor in the moonlight.

Abuse apologia is on full display, wrapped in a bow by MERDRANO herself, and as long as she stays the showrunner, that's how it will stay.

Also let's not forget her co-writer Brandon saying recently that Blitz ALWAYS loved Stolas.

If Mission Zero is love, then what is hate to them?