Helluva Sideblog

Helluva Boss as textposts part 50/?

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

Artist : あかりちゃん (pixiv / twitter)

🎶 What if I read this all wrong

🎶 What if we just don’t belong

🎶 Cause I don’t think it meant a thing at all…

This turned into a proper meta post, so I feel it deserves a title:

Early Stolitz, rocky expectations, and how Ozzie's changed everything.

(An analysis of Blitz's side of things.)

1. What Blitz thought Stolas wanted.

Let's start at the end of the Season 1 Stolitz arc: Ozzie's.

At the beginning of that fateful night, Blitz has exactly one goal in mind: to stalk M&M on their anniversary date.

Truth Seekers is the first big break in the pattern for a LOT of reasons, and I think it reframes things for both of them whether they realize it immediately or not.

1. Blitzø

So for Blitz this is the first time he sees Stolas as useful. I mean, in Loo Loo land we (the audience) see Stolas turn an imp to stone with his gaze, but Blitz is off doing his chaos gremlin thing and has no idea. Stolas is a ditzy rich guy who has zero common sense and very few thoughts that aren't about how best to get "Blitzy's" dick in him. Technically, yes, Blitz knows he's got crazy magic and power (he was ready to run when he thought Stolas was mad about the book rather than just horny as usual) but it's not a side he's ever seen. You know. Right up until Truth Tellers.

Stolas isn't useless. He's powerful as shit, competent, and badass. This is not the useless sexy twink, this is someone who could squish Blitz like a bug if he so chose. And Blitz is clearly into it BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF THIS

Too bad he was also just punched in the face with his intimacy isues around Stolas as well.

And then they have sex not on the full moon and like, it's still a little transactional (a reward for saving Blitz) but only a little. Blitz clearly didn't have to, and they're clearly just doing It because it's fun and they enjoy fucking each other. I don't think that's their first kiss (mostly because I think if it were, Stolas especially would be freaking out) but it's probably the first time they've kissed like, not during sex and in front of other people.

Blitz probably is getting more than a few feelings at this point but he's sure as fuck gonna pretend otherwise since yeah he is DEFINITELY afraid to love. Instead he's going to go stalk the one relationship he likes to live vicariously through because that's the only way he can get close to feeling romance. But when that doesn't immediately work out, well, he is business-associates-with-benefits with a demon prince who, it turns out, may actually be useful.

2. Stolas

Stolas pre-Truth Seekers definitely doesn't take Blitz's business very seriously. Which makes sense: Stolas' own job, while apparently very important, is clearly something he can do over the course of one night a month and still have time for passionate fornication when he's done. It probably doesn't pay because it doesn't need to: he's just rich. He doesn't need to do real work and all his needs (the physical ones, anyway) are taken care of. Blitz's job is clearly very important to Blitz, but it probably still just feels like a fun lark rather than an actual thing with stakes.

But it turns out these little imps are actually getting into trouble up there and in danger what the fuck. And yeah, if they get in trouble, he gets in trouble, and also, he definitely likes Blitz a lot more than Blitz realizes and doesn't want to see him hurt. I don't think Stolas fully understands his own feelings at this point because he's never had a chance to experience relationships like this before. This is his own "he can be hurt??" moment.

And here, he doesn't make a completely frivolous assumption about Blitz's motivations. Like, he could have gone "Ohhh Blitzy!! You didn't have to get yourself captured for my attention!! But the danger does add some spice, doesn't it???" Except no, this was REAL danger and Blitz is not as indestructible as Stolas is and he could have been actually for real hurt or killed.

He doesn't even assume this will end in sex. He does ask if he gets a reward (and gets it!) but his words are more resigned, like he thinks Blitz will put him off as usual. Blitz might even have been more relaxed than normal, not worried that his continued access to the mortal realm depended on his performance. I think it's what started Stolas realizing that there was something not quite fulfilling about his relationship with Blitz.

So when Blitz asked him on a date, it seemed like maybe Blitz had had the same realization, maybe they could have something real, something more than just (admittedly mind-blowing) sex.

Hello, Bliiiitzyyyy ~ 🕯️🦉🕯️

A conversation with some friends over on discord sparked this, so here's some analysis.

TLDR; It's not just because Stolas finds Blitz cute/hot and likes his enthusiasm, though that definitely helps. It's because on a certain logical level, they're on the same wavelength, and Stolas GETS Blitz's jokes. It comes down to Stolas appreciating Blitz's creativity, and as @caldella said when we talked about this, Stolas is flexible. He enjoys when Blitz comes up with something original and unexpected because he's great at understanding the jokes and rolling with them.

Let's look at the first time we see Stolas genuinely laughing at one of Blitz's jokes, in "The Circus." about how Blitz's sense of humor meshes well with how Stolas thinks logically about the world.

Stolas DOES get stars in his eyes as soon as he sees Blitz. But he doesn't laugh until the moment he "gets" the joke.

I'm going to start by pointing out here that while Blitz's jokes read as low bar (blood, guts, dark shit) there's logic behind them, and we SEE this logical process happen as he speaks. His eyes light up when he has an idea. And then it's an explanation, informed by Blitz growing up around horses and being fascinated by them, for how one might end up looking like his worm horse.

While Blitz tells the joke, before the punchline, Stolas just watches and listens, and then it clicks, and he finds it hilarious. He even explains why.

The joke builds on something Stolas already knows, since he's a sponge for knowledge and a reader, and he loves learning. It goes to a kind of dark, gross, unexpected place, but in a way that logically WORKS for Stolas. Stolas has an ability that (sadly) no one else present has, including, presumably, those who know horses well, to follow it.

This isn't a one-off.

In "Seeing Stars," Blitz doesn't get any genuine laughs, including from Stolas when he follows the script.

But when he starts elaborating and going somewhere crass/original, THEN Stolas finds it funny, even if no one else does.

Notice how each note in Blitz's joke follows the previous one. You can argue that his joke is in bad taste, but you can't say that it doesn't make sense.

Logical process = heavy lady rolls out of bed -> she falls and shatters her skull, bleeds a lot, pees herself.

So in Stolas's mind: "oh, I didn't expect that, and it's dark and subversive, and it makes sense! That COULD happen, medically speaking, when someone falls! (Stolas has read medical textbooks from the human realm too, just because.) It's so funny!

And the studio audience.. well they just don't appreciate a good dark joke, do they? So fuck them.

Stolas's expression at the end: I'm so proud of my lizard man for coming up with that, and for getting over his stage fright! Go Blitz! 🥹

Now, does flexibility mean that Stolas sometimes just go along with whatever Blitz is saying, even if it doesn't work with his sense of logic? Sure, he sometimes does this because he likes Blitz, but he will question and contradict Blitz when he doesn't "get it."

After each of these moments, he ultimately goes along and tries to understand, but we can't say that he's smitten to the point of not thinking for himself or caring about the content of what is being said.

So . . . "Sinsmas" in light of all of this . . .

Stolas stays reserved and thoughtful until . . .

And this really moves me because . . . yes it's funny because it's a double entendre, and Stolas laughs because he understands how Blitz got there, and they're both in on 1) the logic behind the joke and 2) how it's sexual in a way that relieves some tension in the current situation.

But also, it means (I think for Stolas, and definitely for the audience) that Blitz appreciates that Stolas is sort of uniquely suited for him in a way that not many people are.

And that's so beautiful, in the way that realizing that person you like is on your neurospicy wavelength always is. You're not alone because I get you.

I see myself and some of my friends, in him.

And I'm not talking about the privileged part.

The part that constantly feels out of place, enchanted by the small things that most don't care about, socially awkward, unaware of how actions come off to people and constantly feeling too much and not enough.

I'm not seeing a privileged jerk who's malicious by nature.

I'm seeing someone who's going through a process of self discovery after spending so much time as a numb husk; who's going to inevitably screw up, yet also come out of it stronger and happier.

Which is something that hits close to home.

I've been through similar things; not the same and not on such worrying levels, mind you, but, whenever he shirks from confrontation, I can't blame him. I've done the same. Years of insecurity, low self esteem and fear of social scorn can do this to someone.

Or maybe I really am autistic, and I'm seeing him as a fellow on the spectrum. That could be it too.

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

Artist : チョボ豆 (pixiv / twitter)