it's a transactional fucking, you see

Stolas, on the other hand, has lived his life as a pessimist. Again, we're talking locus of control here. For most of his life, the world has happened to Stolas rather than him feeling like he has any ability to affect the outcome of his life. Fun side effect of 1) growing up in a cultlike environment and 2) being a literal agent of Fate for your day job I guess.

But what Stolas does believe in, almost to the point of absurdity, is love. Despite the ridiculous situation he and Blitz manage to maneuver themselves into, he tries so hard to put his trust in Blitz and hold onto the belief that they can be something more than just transactional fuckbuddies. And even after he has no more hope for a relationship, he still believes in the power of that love itself: so much so that it leads him to stake his life on it.

Because the thing is this: Blitz's refusal to accept arbitrary limitations inspires Stolas and sets him free from the boundaries he had accepted up until now that were slowly suffocating him. And Stolas's unconditional love proves Blitz so wrong and opens him up to the possibility that he really could have love in his life without being destroyed by it.

this is what happens when you cheap out and waterproof the tent with gasoline so you have enough money to buy booze and cigarettes. and overcrowd the tents. and improperly store fireworks. and allow open flames to be carried around carelessly. it was not Blitzo's job to manage any of those things.

the fire was going to happen. if it wasn't that day from the candle it would have been the next day from a cigarette. or the next week from a firework malfunction. or the next week from the hay and manure in the stables

the fire was an inevitable* tragedy that would have happened with or without Blitzo. but he still would have gotten the blame no matter what. he would have gotten the blame if he hadn't even been there that day.

Blitz isn’t like that at all. He initiates selfies with his loved ones, grinning and putting his arm around them and having the time of his life. He prints them out, finds a nice frame and dedicates time to hang them from the wall of his apartment—all for himself, because there’s no reason anyone would have asked him to. He spends time on this.

And then, when he’s alone, he gets the Self Harm Itch. The urge to scribble himself out because he needs to do SOMETHING. He doesn’t cut the pictures, or throw them away, to remove himself entirely. He needs them up there, and WANTS to be there with them. But in those moments, he can’t believe he’s worthy of it, can’t stand to see his own face. And then he’s left with the consequences.

My special baby girl in his best fit 💜

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.

Thank you for the @, and the very thorough breakdown/meta! You're 100% right! Blitz has a brain that moves fast and is always buzzing with ideas. Stolas is a chronic overthinker who tries to connect/find logic in things. They definitely share a base level sense of humor in the crude/violent/unexpected, and I think Blitz's way of going on tangents or forming complex ideas (like the worm horse backstory) meshes with Stolas' need to over-process information. Stolas' mind absolutely needs details, Blitz's mind absolutely needs ways to go off and express everything happening in it.

And that they both are dumbass that'll try to break uncomfortable tension with an overly sexual half joke at the wrong moment.😆

Stolitz having the exact same sense of humour will always makes me happy. Because it shows how compatible they are together.

They even have the exact same thought process of how to annoy and bug the shit out of someone. 😆

I really can't wait to see them team up together with that.

They do use sexual half-jokes/full jokes in similar ways- to break tension and to make their enemies (and friends RIP Moxxie) uncomfortable.

I feel like if they team up for pulling one of these "jokes" on someone in the future, it will turn into flirting SO FAST, and they'll just end up making out sloppy and making everyone even more uncomfortable.