#quilly's hellaverse theories

[quillyfied]

Alright, this is mostly a reaction post to Helluva Boss s2e8: Full Moon, but since I’ve watched the episode three times now and have been thinking about it for the better part of the day…more cerebral than a true reaction, I guess. And not chronological, either; this is divided into two sections, Plot and Feels. Please accept this wild spilling of my guts on this, my first episode since I found the show in February. (Obviously spoilers for Full Moon, but also for Hazbin Hotel.)

First things first: for anyone who hated the CHERUB/DHORKS plot this episode specifically because it distracted from the Stolitz trainwreck, you’re valid, but also, this is QUIET UNDERSTATED HUGE BACKGROUND PLOT CALLING, something that’s been building since s1e3: Spring Broken AT LEAST, and it’s MASSIVELY IMPORTANT, OKAY. I am losing my mind over all the foreshadowing and implications here, folks. And that little interaction between Collin and the rest of CHERUB, where they’re trying to justify their actions and he goes “I don’t think that’s how that works.” GET IT BC ACCORDING TO HAZBIN HOTEL NOBODY KNOWS HOW ANYONE GETS INTO HEAVEN. GET IT. GET IT.

ANYWAY.

My ongoing “IMP and Stolas are in deep legal shit” theory, which I need to condense into one post or tag or something to point at bc there’s too much evidence stacked up now to just summarize what I mean, gets not just more fodder in the form of DHORKS giving CHERUB mech suits that LOOK LIKE IMP, but Stolas outright saying Blitzo can now go about his business WITHOUT BREAKING DEMON LAW. We know that there’s a trial of sorts near the end of the season (or I’m guessing it’s at the end; I thought the fight sequence here was going to be during Mastermind so I’m already wrong on that count), we know Stolas appears to be in some real trouble, and now knowing that Blitzo and IMP are operating on Earth under Ozzie’s jurisdiction, there’s now more at stake for their shenanigans to drag Ozzie into some actual legal shit, not just general classist asshattery for dating an imp. From what we can tell from the trailer it seems like post-crystal IMP is at least trying to go more incognito, though all we have to go on is snapshots from Ghostfuckers, but IMP’s general indiscretion is going to backfire very badly on them, on Stolas, and now maybe even on Ozzie, and I am RABID FOR IT OKAY. CONSEQUENCES?? IN MY SILLY DARK MURDER COMEDY??? UNEXPECTED BUT PLEASE DO EXPLORE THEM.

Also, the sheer horror of DHORKS having a PRIEST ARMY?? The fact that they sent some kids through the portal, that they got EVISCERATED by EYED TENTACLES, and they AREN’T EVEN SURE HELL IS WHERE THEY WOUND UP?? JUST POUR THE FERTILIZER ON MY “ROO EXISTS ON A BOTTOM LEVEL OF REALITY SOMEWHERE AND IS GROWING MORE POWERFUL (PROBABLY THANKS TO THE EXTERMINATIONS)” THEORY, IT’S GROWING LIKE WEEDS. And beyond that, even if this scene doesn’t have more cosmic implications (it does look me in my eyes IT DOES), the basic surface-level plot issues that are going to come from a HUMAN ARMY looking to WIPE OUT HELL is bad enough. But this show isn’t Hazbin Hotel. The stakes aren’t going to wind up being that cosmic and fundamental to existence. If the priest army ever actually makes it to Hell, I’ll be very surprised. What will NOT surprise me is Blitzo facing consequences for his recklessness and everyone he dragged into it with him, because surprisingly real consequences for silly shenanigans has really started to become something I expect from this show as it grows, and I am being FED, alright. Also I’m going full Charlie Day with the corkboard now, I’m aware of that, but I need to get all of this out of the way so I can start to examine the blood spatter of my exploded heart thanks to Stolas and Blitzo.

Because Moxxie says that business is going well for them right now. IMP follows Blitzo to make sure he’s not going to fuck up their meal ticket. IMP is making a MESS of downtown Lust because CHERUBS ARE IN HELL. ANGELIC BEINGS ARE IN HELL. AND ALSO YEAH HOW IN HECK DOES CHERUB KNOW ABOUT EXORCISTS?? Thought they were supposed to be a secret in Heaven. So. Throws the timing of this into question, really. Unless Exorcists are a known category of angel, but their exact duties are unknown, which is likely tbh. But again ANGELS IN HELL AND NOT IN PRIDE GOING AFTER SINNERS, BUT IN LUST GOING AFTER HELLBORN. LIKE. THIS SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY BIG DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT ACTUALLY. Y’know. If it wasn’t just cherubs and imps and anybody actually cared outside of the massive property damage. The crystal is already registered to Blitzo at this point, even if he doesn’t have it yet…look I’m gonna be spinning my wheels about this for a while, let me have this.

(…why do they have Mothman in a demonic containment cell.)

(and something with a lot of tentacles)

(how many cryptids are in this place??? LET THEM OUT)

Now where in the several planes of reality did they get an extradimensional portal generator? Like, I know that of all things THIS is probably not gonna get explained and I’m okay with that, but I’m deeply curious about how they developed this technology. Still holding to my theory that Stolas’ summoning of himself might have had something to do with it, but for now it’s unclear.

Also the American-centrism of it all. The layers of fourth-wall sarcasm are STIFLING.

And Collin. I see your continued reluctance and horror. I hope you get your vindication. Though it is interesting that even though he’s clearly scared out of his mind, he does still manage to hurt Loona. He had a clear shot on Blitzo but hesitates. He is dragging his feet every inch he can muster in his Moxxie suit. He can’t even fly like the other two can. Collin is a sore thumb in about every way he can be during this episode. I want that payoff. I want it bad.

You know what else I want bad? An explanation of what Cherub Towne and Heaven in general is really like, if these dweebs don’t know what sex shops or a club is. Sex shop, I kinda get, given their and Vaggie’s reaction to BDMS gear, Heaven being prudish seems like a fair assumption to make. But. Heaven doesn’t have CLUBS? And Adam was OKAY WITH THAT?? Boggles the mind, I tell you. Boggles.

(…maybe it was just a budget issue but I do wonder at how none of the Cherubs had gold blood anywhere. Plenty of bruises, but Moxxie and Millie and Loona all got stabbed, shot, or bruised enough to show plenty of black blood. CHERUB got their asses kicked just as hard, but no gold blood? Could be time and budget issues. Could be…something else. I’ve got my eye on you, Helluva Boss.)

Because I think I’m more or less done now…and it’s time to get to the main event:

I have been purposely avoiding any footage or sound of the duet until this moment. And I am SO GLAD I DID, because When I See Him Tonight is a TREASURE, a MASTER CLASS in both recap and foreshadowing. Because it’s the summary of Everything Wrong Up Until This Point, and a blueprint for How It Will Go Wrong Shortly. Because, I want to point this out up front: nothing that happens in this episode between Blitzo and Stolas is a surprise. Nothing said, nothing done—none of this is a surprise. To us. The audience. The ones not just watching them both go through this, but chewing the plot down to the marrow for meaning, interpreting based on our understanding of the characters and world, extrapolating, iterating, writing so many of our own theories and fics about how this moment would go that the fact that it plays out pretty much true to the tone we were predicting makes it all the more satisfying. Or it does for me, anyway; let me not accidentally speak for more than just myself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s heartbreaking, but it’s such a RELIEF, honestly. It’s a necessary breaking down, burning away what wasn’t working and was actively hurting them both to start the hard work of rebuilding. THIS has been building since s1e1, THIS has been the emotional heart of the show, and watching it reach a breaking point is DELICIOUS.

The buildup is so perfect, too: Blitzo is having a good day. Blitzo NEVER has good days. Blitzo’s good days get dunked straight into the toilet, either because of his own actions or because the universe (or his subconscious) can’t let him have nice things. Juxtapose that with Stolas’ nerves, the knowing that he’s going to do something that will change the nature of their relationship, and while we know it’s necessary, Blitzo making the active choice to ignore the storm he can feel coming in favor of fixing it with sex (GREAT sex, mind, sex that he has every intention of making good for both of them; I want to stress very much that while Stolas and Blitzo are ill-equipped to talk to each other in emotionally vulnerable ways, their sexual compatibility appears to be solid as ever, so good for them)…it just makes Stolas’ anxiety (AND APPARENTLY NOT BEING ON HIS MEDS SOMEONE HELP THIS BIRD MAN) that much more sharp in comparison. It is a perfect teeing up of a golf shot that’s going straight through someone’s windows and causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

…and dear sweet Loona, who isn’t exactly wrong but isn’t exactly right either, pouring gasoline on this situation and activating Blitzo’s already-awakened anxiety about his and Stolas’ relationship is just. Mwah. Perfect. Cherry on top of this shit sundae. The last perfect condition to make this a supercell feels tornado. LET’S DO THIS.

(Side note but exactly how much money did Blitzo spend on his bag of tricks because YOWZA, does he go throwing around a sack about as big as the one he tossed down to his dad full of stolen stuff back in s2e1.)

HEY BLITZO AND FIZZ FRIENDSHIP HANG ON LET ME BASK. Especially at how effortlessly flirty and touchy they are with each other, that’s just a really nice touch for both of them (pun not intended). Also the fact that Blitzo is VERY CONFIDENT that Stolas is into the Dragon Driller 5000 raises some…questions. I will file them along with the questions I have about Stolas’ lack of reaction to getting his leg snapped and then stabbed in Western Energy.

(CLOACA MENTION)

Right off the bat the tension in this scene is unbearable. There’s the real-world tension of having waited for this moment for literal months. There’s the in-universe tension of Stolas being nervous about what he’s about to do. There’s the in-universe tension of Blitzo hoping things just go back to normal and being excited about that. There’s the dramatic irony of the audience knowing this is about to fall to shit and neither of these chuckleheads being fully aware of what exactly the other guy is about to do, compounding with the underlying cracks that they are BOTH feeling in their relationship and are BOTH very insecure about. But there’s a special sort of pain in seeing Blitzo so excited and trying so hard to get Stolas excited too and it just not working, because it’s the exact opposite of their usual dynamic. The script has flipped, for some reason.

For SOME reason. Ha. As if the miscommunication horse wasn’t galloping as fast as she could FROM THE START OF THE EPISODE.

I want to stress here that this mess of a situation that Blitzo and Stolas are in doesn’t have fault or blame in it. Or, rather, it’s a mutually-created tar pit of both of their mistakes and assumptions and hurts. They’re BOTH at fault, they are BOTH to blame, and in a way, neither of them are, either. This is the ugly truth of damage scraping damage: more often than not…it causes MORE damage. Blitzo and Stolas could be really good for each other, but they have to clear away the blockages first, and that can be really painful, especially when Blitzo’s self-hatred and Stolas’ self-hatred causes them both to misinterpret each other in the worst possible ways that reinforces those self-hatreds. The ways that this show hammers home how destructive self-hatred can be is COMING FOR MY ASS, OKAY. I FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT IT THAT I’M NOT SURE I CAN REALLY TALK ABOUT IT COHERENTLY.

Look, so many people are going to say it so much better, are going to analyze the ways that Stolas and Blitzo are talking past each other, but saying what they individually need to in order to start that necessary brush fire is what we all knew was coming. Stolitz isn’t going to get together this season, not with how much work they both need to put into themselves first. Blitzo has to want to be better for HIMSELF, not just for Stolas, not just for Loona, not just for all the friends he has and once had. Stolas has to learn who HE is, not as a parent or a husband or a lover, but as a person. The nuanced truth to “you can’t love someone until you love yourself” is “you accept the love you think you deserve,” and right now neither one of these poor bitches is in a place to accept the love they want to give each other. Blitzo isn’t even in a place to acknowledge that what HE feels is love, let alone that what STOLAS feels is love. He’s still in a world where his love spells disaster for everyone close to him. Reconciling with Fizz has started the hard work of dismantling that view of himself, but Blitzo isn’t ready yet, and he needs time to think and process. Stolas is so ready to begin his life at last that it doesn’t occur to him that Blitzo hasn’t been really hearing him or understanding his overtures and teasing (or that his overtures and teasing have often been classist AF, reinforcing Blitzo’s belief in Stolas’ view of him as a toy and not a person). I think given time, maybe what they’ve each been saying to each other in this scene will hit. But in the moment, oh my WORD it's a trash fire, the prophecy of the duet come to pass in glorious HD.

Side note to talk about how it looks like everything in Stolas’ house is covered, as if Stolas is leaving: HEY WTF??? Like on the one hand oh my LORD ABOVE, the parallels of Stolas covering himself up in portraits but leaving Via uncovered to Blitzo scribbling himself out of pictures. On the other hand, WHERE IS HE GOING?? Like. Drop cloths are used to keep the dust off of things when going on a trip, or leaving for a long time, or just not using that wing of the house anymore, but they’re walking through what is directly outside of Stolas’ room (and coming to stop at the very chandelier where they played as children, KILL ME). Why does it feel like Stolas was already leaving even before this rupture? Why is this teaming up with Loona’s observation that Stolas must be getting bored of Blitzo to punch me repeatedly in the gut? And does this have anything to do with the upcoming trial and what very much appears to be Andrealphus about to attack Blitzo and Stolas outside of his house? (I’m now doubting if it was Andrealphus’ house, or if he just froze over Stolas’ palace to take as his own, because the cobblestone pattern looks similar to what’s outside of Stolas’ place and Andrealphus’ Let It Go castle doesn’t appear to have the same in the brief shot we get of it I AM GOING INSANE.)

…I do love, though, how even though Blitzo is aggressive about it, he DOES want to keep talking it out, he just needs time to process. Stolas needs space to grieve, to be hurt without being seen. They’re both seeing it as the other guy just not taking them seriously, not wanting them around, how the FUCK can these two morons want the same thing but be so wrong about each other at the same time (I know, I know why, I watch the show, I’m just in despair right now). I don’t think Apology Tour is going to fix everything, not by a long shot, but if it can get these two to at least understand each other enough to realize that neither of them was actually being rejected…it’s a tall order, Viv, but I believe in your team. And this certainly explains why Stolas would have Bitch Supreme expressions at Blitzo approaching him after this, assuming Short Robe Stolas is in Apology Tour (I am on my hands and knees begging PLEASE); his feelings were mocked, the depths of his misconceptions were revealed, and his boundaries were pushed when he tried to escape. Though why Blitzo is coming for Stolas after this…can’t quite say, but it might have something to do with why IMP is on the run (unless that’s in early Ghostfuckers, which it could be, but hOW LONG IS THAT EPISODE GONNA BE, SAKES ALIVE). Because Blitzo was sexually rebuffed, given a consolation prize after being discarded, and subjected to way too much honesty without any time to prepare or process (or any immediate violence to keep his adrenaline up so he has no choice but to process, or whatever magic happened with Fizz), then dumped after spilling his vitriolic guts in an attempt to talk it out.

THEY. ARE. A. GOD. DAMNED. MESS.

And I am SO looking forward to the cleanup :P

#helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly's hellaverse theories #sort of #more covering a base than anything tbh

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E7 and S1E8

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Finishing up Season 1 of Helluva Boss with this post! As always, spoilers for the s2.5 trailer speculation and we all know the O in Blitzo is silent so let’s get on with it, assuming the severe weather that’s passing through now lets me! (Spoiler alert: it kind of did. Halfway. You'll see later on.)

Starting with s1e7:

This is not one of my favorite episodes, but it does have so much good character development and theory meat to chew on, so I will push through the secondhand embarrassment and sadness. Just for you, lovelies.

I wonder what the sigil Loona activates goes to; it’s too squiggly for Stolas’. But the focus on it also makes me think it’s foreshadowing. Just gonna file that away with my “IMP and Stolas are legally boned” theory. Maybe one of the cameras in the DHORKS facility managed to get a look at the page of the grimoire that gets them back to Hell. Hmm. The outline of the portal is also red flames, which feels…different? Heck. I haven’t been paying much attention. But I’m pretty sure I thought grimoire portals were more purple and sparkly. Maybe that’s just Stolas’ portals.

Blitzo inviting himself along to MnM’s dates is one of his more underrated unhinged behaviors, imo; would love to see it pop up in fics more (and the ones that play with it, you have my sword and my heart). But he’s SO EXCITED. It breaks my heart for him a little. Moxxie has every right to be mad about it and frankly he really should be; go find and celebrate your own boring as fuck monogamy, Blitzo :P

Alright, 1:56 we start seeing the elevators that get Hellborn folks around the rings of Hell—and whaddya know, it matches up with the ring models that pop up in the background of Hazbin Hotel. Gosh I hope these two shows still exist in the same universe. It just makes me a little happier to think about. Oh, look, an Exorcist angel on the back of the newspaper Blitzo is hiding behind. Classic. Though it seems the Loo Loo Land fire is still front-page news. Is Hell for Hellborn really that boring? Or is it an old newspaper? Well, either way, it’s most likely just an easter egg rather than an earnest thing so eh.

A delightful detail: even the dumpsters in Lust are neon-lit XD (or possibly UV reactive? Unclear).

STOLAS MY SAD BIRD SON.

(Also lol at how Stolas and Blitzo are both looking for an Alejandro :P)

This episode also is really good at highlighting all the painful underlying cracks in Stolas and Blitzo’s situation as it stands: Stolas’ naïve romantic obsession, Blitzo’s general assholery in using Stolas to get in to spy on his employees and ignoring Stolas once he gets what he wants, the way they can’t really carry on a conversation, the mismatched desires, and that’s all BEFORE Fizz makes his grand debut and the night goes straight to the toilet for them. I don’t blame folks who protested at this point that Blitzo doesn’t care much for Stolas, because it sure doesn’t seem like it. All Blitzo does in public is gripe about him and forbid him from diddling his holes, and in private he’s thorough but not really emotionally engaged. Yet, there’s still the fumbling to describe their relationship in the Harvest Moon Festival and the whole Truth Seekers hallucination that places Stolas pretty high on Blitzo’s emotional radar. Stolas’ feelings are pretty unambiguous, but his life situation is anything but, at least as far as pursuing any kind of relationship with Blitzo goes. Would Stolas like that? Yes, I think he would. But he’s still married and still figuring himself out. Second adolescence, I’ve heard it described. So much about Stolas feels…stunted. Juvenile. Like a man who’s finally discovering himself and letting himself be who he wants and is rather than who he’s expected to be. But more speculation on that front later, because this necessary but horrific train wreck has to play out first.

He's putting Gabriella’s streak in his feathers, KILL ME HE WANTS THE FANTASY TO BE REAL SO BADLY. You know what else this show does really well? Debunking the inexperienced hopeless romantic’s fantasies. Which isn’t painful at all and doesn’t at all hit way too close to home I’M FINE IT’S FINE.

“This is our first real date, after all!”

“Oh, yeah…I guess this is, huh.”

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGK

Like do you all GET IT? Do you FEEL how painfully mismatched that is?? It makes me want to break down crying, because for sheltered kids who lived out their escapism in books and TV and thought life was going to go a certain way because that’s the way it is in all the stories, this reality check, while necessary, is SO PAINFUL. Blitzo is no Romeo (Alejandro?), he’s no knight swooping in on a horse to sweep a prince off his feet, he’s not the daring rogue charging in at the last minute to save his beloved from a terrible fate (yet, I see u s2.5 trailer). Blitzo is just a guy. A royally messed up guy, but a guy nonetheless. And it’s that guy that is still so worth loving, once Stolas can wrestle the fantasies out of his system, and unfortunately this episode is the hard knock his brain needs. And it’s the tenderizing that Blitzo might unfortunately need to break down his own shell and examine what he really wants, the behaviors that he’s stuck in but doesn’t want to be. We haven’t even GOTTEN IN THE DOOR OF THE CLUB YET and I am a WRECK.

Can you IMAGINE being that bouncer, throwing out this sleazeball, only for him to show up half an hour later with a FUCKING PRINCE on his arm?? Blitzo’s game is insane.

Shoutout to the imp waiter who preps Blitzo’s chair with books, you’re doing great sweetie. (I wonder if it would be more condescending to produce booster seats for imps and smaller demons, or less.)

Double shoutout to Stolas’ little butler imp, whose name I don’t believe we know but I’ve heard Pringles enough times to become attached to it, who is rightfully having the night of his life (eat it Blitzo, your game might be insane but it’s got nothing on this guy). I’ve only seen screenshots of this, it always navigates away too fast for me to notice, but I hit the pause button jackpot tonight, folks. Also interesting that imps and other Hellborn are allowed to intermingle as much as they want, it’s just the upper crust that aren’t allowed to mix. Which tracks, but it still surprises me at the mixture of surprisingly realistic and almost mundane fantasy racism and classism that this show is choosing to play with, for a comedy.

This is just. So painful to watch. Mostly Stolas’ overcompensation for Blitzo’s full detachment. Well, not FULL detachment; he does respond to Stolas’ questions, at least. But the way Stolas is full-on twitching and vibrating trying to be a good date while Blitzo is a terrible stalker…lol look his way indeed lol lol lol. “What made you decide to ask me out after all this time?” “UUUUHHHH—” And the way Stolas’ face just FALLS, ARGH. (Don’t worry, Blitzo, your vindication is coming—only it also sucks and we’re all weeping, it’s fine it’s fine it’s FINE.)

FIZZAROLLI!! I don’t remember when the penny dropped about Fizz’s scarring but I know when it did, I was kinda horrified. And like most people, I didn’t really care for Fizz and Oz, just based on how characters I was already fully on board with were reacting to them. Having the full picture now, I’m tickled that this is their introduction, because once again it’s putting the entire audience on the back foot about them and it’s GLORIOUS. Because Blitzo with the Loo Loo Land Fizzbot? Priceless, hilarious. Blitzo with the actual source? OOF. Wow. You can taste the juicy backstory already. And Fizz doesn’t disappoint; he’s a joy to watch work, even if his entire jester schtick seems so incongruous with the exclusive Lust Ring club atmosphere (which honestly should have been my first clue that something was going On there but I was bingeing it all in one go or as close to one go as I could get, sue me).

He's such a bitch though. He’s SUCH a bitch. He and Ozzie are SUCH BITCHES. LET MOXXIE SING HIS STUPID SONG AND MOVE ON, YOU INSECURE OVERCOMPENSATING WAFFLEHEADS XD (and I see all of you cringing audience members, INCLUDING Blitzo and Stolas, BUMP OFF ALL OF YOU)

I do have to wonder the timeline on all of this, though. Like. Assumptions can be made that Blitzo adopted Loona about five years ago, maybe a little more. Sometime after that, Blitzo met Moxxie, and they started IMP, doing contracts on folks in Hell. And Millie joined after that, and she and Moxxie have been married for a year now but no clue on how long they dated before that. Hope that flashback of Blitzo and Millie meeting might give us some insight.

…listen, though. Moxxie goes overboard on the “I love yous” and I start to agree with his stupid audience. Uuuuugh hang on need to just. Crawl under a rock until we get past this one part.

Listen, Ozzie might look more like a shiny Haunter than a chicken, but designing the embodiment of Lust as a giant cock was the absolute funniest move anyone could ever make. Well played, Viv. Well played.

What is it with Alex Brightman and vocalizing the instrument solos? Because I’m here for it. Trumpet vs Guitar Solo, who would win?

Fizzarolli has a lapel flower that squirts piss. Of course he does. Weirdo. I love him.

It’s also interesting that this gig allows Fizzarolli and Asmodeus to basically be all over each other and it’s more or less fine. I mean, they’re fooling absolutely no one in-universe who’s been watching them for literally years, but for first-time real-world viewers…idk, I know I thought nothing of it when I first watched, mostly bc I was worried about Moxxie (and shortly Blitzo), but they read as Boss and Comedic Sidekick for folks who aren’t paying much attention and don’t really know what’s going on. I also find Fizz’s color scheme interesting; his eyes are almost more green than yellow and his teeth are often colored sort of greenish or bluish, I assume to make them stand out from his skin, but I wonder if these color abnormalities add to why Ozzie calls him Froggie.

BLITZO STANDS UP FOR AND PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE. Whether they want him to or not, but he does it, even knowing that Fizzarolli is not gonna be happy to see him. That’s BRAVE, okay!! Especially when Millie is more than capable of standing up for her and Moxxie both.

I said it before and I’ll say it again: Fizzarolli reacts pretty cool under pressure here for seeing Blitzo for the first time in fifteen years. Makes me wonder if they’d been hearing about each other on and off during that time (probably from Barb? But we don’t have confirmation that Fizz is still in contact with her either, do we?), so it’s less jarring, but WOW this confrontation with further context really stings. Even without the context, the way it plays out between the two of them speaks of bone-deep resentment on Fizz’s side, his razzing from earlier cranked up a notch. And the spotlight being red…hm. Interesting color choice.

“Last I checked, your love life is a pile of shit” Fizzarolli the last you checked, you two were teenagers and Blitzo was in love with you, how bad could it have been :P Though I do think Blitzo and Verosika’s relationship might have had a public element that would have been pretty easy to track, all things considered; even if they weren’t dating when she was actually famous, with how badly she got burned and how public her arm tattoo is, I’m sure she rants about it whenever the opportunity arises.

That little glance to Stolas, though. Speaks of embarrassment to me, not wanting Stolas to see what’s about to happen.

Verosika IN THE LUST RING telling everyone Blitzo didn’t return oral, though? Low blow :P But!! But but but!! This is the second very interesting thing that Verosika says that hints at their relationship being messy and deep: “a reckless heartbreaking freak.” Reckless and Heartbreaking are not words you apply to an ex who was just shitty in bed. Those are words you apply to an ex who left a trail of destruction in their wake far beyond the emotional damages of a breakup. An ex who left you in a financial lurch and with a ruined credit score and no car, perhaps.

And the way Stolas rises, like he’s about to jump to Blitzo’s defense—poetry. Y’know what else is gonna be poetry? His song in Apology Tour. I’ve been observing the discussion back and forth on if Stolas is going to be singing to the theme of “BlitzO Sucks,” or if he’s going to sing whatever defense he didn’t get to come to here in Ozzie’s, and here’s my two cents: Stolas is going to be singing about himself and his feelings. His heartbreak at the hands of Blitzo, but even that heartbreak is multi-faceted, many-leveled, and not insignificantly Stolas’ own fault. If the short sassy robe scene is during Apology Tour (I’ve seen compelling arguments for it being during Mastermind/whenever CHERUB attacks in the Lust Ring), Stolas is going to be hurt and angry and likely have every right to be, but from what we’ve seen…Stolas is also in love. And he isn’t blind to how Blitzo lashes out when he’s hurt, thanks to Ozzie’s. Verosika got the young Blitzo, the reckless and inexperienced one who trashed her bank account and her heart and kind of stalled her own growth and progress, too. Stolas is getting the more mature Blitzo AS he matures, which is a special treat. But the bottom line for my prediction for Apology Tour: it’s gonna start out as pointing out all the things Blitzo did wrong, then morph into the things about Blitzo that Stolas loves. Something to bring out those big doe eyes that Blitzo only very occasionally gets.

Anyway back to the roast at Ozzie’s.

“Are you sleepin’ with an imp?” MIND YOUR BUSINESS, WACKFORD.

I also love how Fizzarolli can’t seem to resist getting up in Blitzo’s face. Because. Y’know. They haven’t seen each other’s scarred-up faces up close for fifteen years. Yikes.

Ozzie pointing out Stolas’ family feels especially unfair when nobody knows the situation, especially between Stolas and Stella. But that’s Stella’s particular curse: all she has is her beauty and her status thanks to marrying Stolas. Which could make for a very compelling character, if she had any depth to her at all (note that “compelling” and “likeable” are not the same thing); she’s Stolas’ “smoking wife,” she’s “so lucky she’s attractive”. And Stolas? He doesn’t even get that much recognition; he’s known for when he starts to misbehave according to Goetia standards and that’s not a good place to be in. And good GRIEF, that man needs a divorce and a proper talk with his kid more than he needs to be dicked down, but that’s why we watch: they’re messy. Swapping physical intimacy in for emotional intimacy and bungling it so badly it’s gonna take like seven musical numbers to untangle is PRIME ENTERTAINMENT. But Ozzie is absolutely right: from the outside, Stolas’ affair with Blitzo is the perfect spirit of lust, the swapping of the stable family life for the more exciting sexual escapades with a lower-class unstable lover and destroying all of their lives in the process. That’s the consequences of sin at its best. No wonder he’s so elated over it. Especially since stirring up other drama keeps the heat off of Ozzie’s own worst-kept secret.

Now there it is, the controversial menu face-hiding moment, which Blitzo clearly sees as shame at being seen with him, and Stolas…little more unclear, but a charitable interpretation is shame at himself being perceived, at his dirty laundry being aired out in public. But consider that he CHOSE to be out in public with Blitzo, knowing that he’s a royal figure and being seen at a sex club with someone who is not only not his wife, but on the bottom of the social ladder, is going to cause a stir if he’s recognized. We know later that Stolas really doesn’t command much authority or garner much attention, but he IS known. Really, it’s understandable that he’s overwhelmed in that moment; it’s one thing to try and leap to Blitzo’s defense, but defending himself? Stolas doesn’t do that. He doesn’t rock the boat, he doesn’t cause stirs, he doesn’t get noticed. And being noticed for public infidelity? Kinda heavy, no matter what his feelings towards Blitzo are. Unfortunately, his reaction does have consequences. Damage scraping against damage. Wheeeee.

GET HIM MILLIE. I love you Fizz, but you deserved that one.

(Also, I totally missed Ozzie’s reaction to Fizz being smushed my first go-round; it’s fun to watch him flap about it and snuggle his Fizzy better.)

I also love how the rest of Moxxie’s song still gets applause, and really sets the mood for Stolas to attempt to repair the damage done. Unfortunately…it ain’t that simple. Especially with Blitzo, who just came face to face with the victims of his two biggest mistakes and got torn to shreds by both of them, THEN shunned by his new kinda-sorta fuckbuddy whom he might have feelings for shut up it’s transactional—

Anyway. Blitzo calling it a mistake and wanting to leave immediately? Surprised he waited until the song finished. But I do notice that Helluva Boss’s pacing tends to let things happen, THEN let characters react (Moxxie getting tranquilized and falling down, THEN Blitzo reacts; Fizz getting blown up a second time and surrounded by fire and failing to escape, THEN Blitzo reacts; it’s a little unusual but I’m not mad about it tbh), rather than showing more instantaneous reactions? I’m not sure how to put it, maybe that doesn’t actually make any sense. Anyway. Disastrous date nearly over.

Someone recently pointed out that Stolas teleported there, and Blitzo still takes the trouble to drive Stolas home despite everything, and I wish more than anything that we could see that conversation. Blitzo clearly wants Stolas out and gone so he can have his breakdown in peace, but he deliberately prolongs their proximity? Did Stolas ask? Did Blitzo offer? I need to KNOW, dammit. Because Blitzo comes incredibly close to crying while trying to extract himself from the situation and I need to know whose decision it was to let it get to that point.

Stolas is pushy and weird and condescending but my goodness does he try—and stop trying when a hard boundary is enforced. This poor guy. Gets settled in for a depression dinner, then gets asked on a date out of the blue by his pining-while-fucking crush, the date goes about as wrong as it can go and that’s before the public roasting, and his every attempt to fix it, smooth it over, or do damage control is shut down. No wonder Stolas immediately looks into Asmodean Crystals after this: his fantasy is shattered, and the reality he’s left with is sobering. This is good! It’s also really depressing and kinda hard to watch, despite being very, very necessary! More details later when he has his musical number!

Hang on have to have an emotional moment about how very emotional Blitzo sounds during this entire scene, because he’s on the brink of tears THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION. He’s trying so hard to hold it together in front of Stolas. But these aren’t emotions Stolas gets to see yet. He will soon though! Yippee!

And this night isn’t over, folks! Now we get to see Blitzo’s apartment, where he scribbles his face out of pictures of loved ones and flips through happier memories until he cries for real! What fun! The music playing over this scene has a name, I know, because it also plays when Stolas is in the hospital and realizing that Blitzo isn’t coming to see him and their relationship is probably even more fucked than he realized, but the name is “heartbreaking pretty twinkly tune” until I learn what it is because guess what it does to me!!!!

I love that it’s his mom and his sister that finally causes the dam to break. Because. Yeah, that’s the base root of his problems, huh? Makes sense. Even not knowing yet what happened, the weight behind how Blitzo reacts to seeing that picture is palpable. Blitzo doesn’t cry. Blitzo gets over it. Blitzo is always okay. Blitzo doesn’t do things like feelings or boundaries or appropriate behavior. But Blitzo sure as hell does cry when he’s at the end of his emotional rope and unexpectedly faced with memories of loved ones we haven’t met!

AND THE NIGHT IS STILL NOT OVER!!

Time to switch gears to s1e8, which despite the tonal whiplash is actually a perfect follow up to the emotional train wreck of an episode that is s1e7:

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I usually do these posts all in one sitting; however, it’s the day after I wrote the first half because the severe weather last night was actually pretty bad and I had to stop watching and writing because I was keeping an eye on the local news channel. But! Weather has passed, work day is over, and I’m ready to jump back in after reading what I wrote last night! I’m just pleased it turned out so coherent, despite how scattered my attention was.)

Aww, Loona! She’s so pretty! And so nervous! And I love her contact photo for Blitz, it’s just. So good. (And so on-brand for family; my contact photos for my siblings are also horrendous selfies they took of themselves when I left my phone unattended :P)

And Gluttony! A new ring of Hell!! Huzzah!! I love the look of it; almost Seussical, in a way, but also kinda…domed? Like a greenhouse? The honeycomb texture of the sky (????) certainly makes it look artificial. I want to see more of it immediately. And also, how much unexplored wilds are there in the different rings? Because that is PRIME fandom fodder. My kingdom for an atlas of Hell, Viv. (Also, very interesting that Wrath is the ring that produces the food, not Gluttony; makes me wonder what Gluttony’s major export is other than Beezlejuice.)

WE. DON’T. DESERVE. TEX. BEST BOY.

Also, love Loona for continuing to try this party thing out, despite it clearly not being her comfort zone. At least there’s one introvert out there who can do it. I LOVE the different looks of all the hellhounds, too, but the way so many of them look like dogs really makes me start to question if hellhounds parallel dogs in terms of pedigrees and breeding practices, too, which…eeeeugh. The social connotations of that being permissible and then possibly the grounds of a hellhound social hierarchy are really gross but also interesting. Like. Does the massive bitch (call it like you see it, Loona) come from an established hellhound facility nicer than the shelter Loona came from, or an actual family? How are hellhound families structured? They clearly have a pack mentality, and the fact that Beelzebub is known for throwing hellhound-centric (not exclusive, certainly, there are SO many imps at her party too, like wow, it’s just imps and hellhounds and I don’t see any other demons really, which is FASCINATING) parties but nobody says a word about it against her that we can tell is pretty great, actually. Kinda seems like in a way Bee might be trying to make the best of a shitty situation for hellhounds, at least, but we don’t really have enough information about her or the full social context for hellhounds to give her that kind of benefit of the doubt. Idk. I think Bee’s signature is on Loona’s adoption certificate (hellhounds originate from Gluttony? Or just the shelter Blitzo got Loona from?), but the context for that…I don’t know it. Maybe someone else does.

I saw all the hype on Tumblr when Ke$ha dropped as the voice of Bee, and I had some vague context for its importance to Viv, but I forgot about it when I was watching the show for the first time (which is funny bc I kept watching for her in Hazbin Hotel like a dweeb), so I will freely admit I very nearly teared up when I heard her voice and I was cheering like a maniac. Hell yeah, Ke$ha.

Also. Anyone complaining about her design. You’re entitled to your opinions. Your wrong, wrong opinions :P

Now, looking at Loona’s reaction during that whole glorious musical number: painfully awkward and shy around Tex, vacillating between disbelief and some begrudging awe at Bee, maybe kinda confused about why everyone around her is going this insane for what Bee is offering them. I don’t have a lot of experience with Loona’s set of issues, what with her being a foster kid who made it through the system on her own and all the anger and trouble connecting with others that comes with, but I’m gonna shoot my shot at trying to understand it anyway: she doesn’t trust Bee. Which is smart, given that Bee is a Deadly Sin, and another way that I find her similar to Blitzo in that she doesn’t respect authority in any way, nor is she charmed by outward displays of generosity, so she has a pretty good vantage point for seeing through any potential bullshit Bee might be trying to blow her way (like Blitzo seeing through Mammon’s shit but Fizz being blinded by hero worship). What’s also really funny is that Loona has NO IDEA who Bee is this entire musical number, so everything Bee is doing is just SUPER WEIRD to Loona without context. She’s primed and ready to see through another person’s veneer, especially the veneer of someone throwing a lot of flashy magic and candy around.

The problem? Bee is pretty genuine, but it’s easy to see how her mannerisms and phrasing could come across as fake, especially given Loona’s earlier confrontation with poodle bitch. ESPECIALLY since Loona has a big ole crush on Tex and yeah RIGHT is Loona any kind of competition with QUEEN BEE OF GLUTTONY (she is, but I don’t think she knows that). Loona can’t just snap her head off, not just because she’s a Sin, but because she’s someone important to Tex, who is important to Loona. It’s an unbearably awkward situation to be in—especially if Loona was serious about Bee being hot (listen my shipper brain is always gonna go for it, Loona/Bee/Tex WHEN), which adds another layer of complexity to this already pretty treacherous social terrain.

And poor Tex, being in the middle of this and not knowing what to do!! Guy just wants his new friend and his girlfriend to get along. Totally understandable. (Though, is it just me, or are there elements of Tex being maybe a little embarrassed by how Bee is in social situations?)

(Also, Bee relating this story about Satan and confirming that the Sins aren’t related—makes me want to take this and rub it in the faces of people who start to get weird about “but the Sins and the Goetia are like cousins” NAH Y’ALL THEY AREN’T EVEN RELATED TO EACH OTHER, THEY AREN’T RELATED TO THE GOETIA EITHER, unless that’s background context from other sources I’m missing, but if it ain’t in the show, I’m not fussing about it yet tbh.)

(The Sins being Charlie’s honorary aunts and uncles is canon, though, you’ll take that one from my cold dead hands.)

And after this whirlwind of an interaction, Bee sweeps off to be a good hostess, and…Loona tries to run for it, overwhelmed and embarrassed and more than a little out of her depth. And despite the fact that Blitzo is in the middle of his own emotional breakdown for the night, YER DAMN RIGHT HE PICKS UP THAT PHONE WHEN SHE CALLS. BLITZO IS A GOOD DAD ALRIGHT. Loona wouldn’t call him if she didn’t trust him and need him on some level. I’M FUCKING EMOTIONAL ABOUT THESE FATHER/DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS OKAY VIV HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, A DAUGHTER WITH A FATHER.

But the knowledge that Blitzo was a known figure in the party scene, well known enough that the Silent O hasn’t gotten around to the old crowd yet—how interesting! Verosika days, I wonder? Pre- and post-Verosika days?

Another way Loona and Blitzo are so alike: a little bit of positive reinforcement from the right person at the right time, and they just melt. And Loona using the puppy eyes: super effective, bless her for being willing to pull that out. (Though Blitzo was right on the money for not wanting to put more stress on himself for the night, as the rest of the episode will tell.)

Blitzo is sad. He’s vulnerable. He’s ABSOLUTELY IN THE RIGHT HEADSPACE TO GIVE A DEADLY SIN A RUN FOR HER KEGSTAND MONEY. Listen probably not good for his physical or mental health but I’m kinda really glad that he got the opportunity to not only humble a Sin, not only get crowd validation, but hear Loona freely admit to other people that that’s her dad. HE DESERVES IT OKAY. (I have deep wishes, if Blitzo ever winds up in court for what IMP stirs up on Earth, for Bee to show up as a character witness for him, because there is prophecy in the next episode about what Blitzo wants to do and be when he grows up, and having the respect of at least two out of seven Sins would certainly put him on the map for Most Famous Imp Ever.)

I do like how Bee and Tex immediately look concerned for him, though. They’re good people okay. Sometimes it’s nice to know that there are decent folks in Hell to get through a tough episode. Especially since Loona isn’t in a headspace to recognize that Blitzo isn’t okay—especially when it’s Bee telling her so. He’s always a mess, he’s always fine (she needs him to always be fine), and Bee better get off her territory already. And tbh, Bee has maybe a little bit of an overreaction (which is what I think Tex is more upset about, Bee flying off the handle than Loona snapping at her), but lest we forget: she’s still a Sin. A Sin who is trying to help and is getting some serious attitude out of seemingly nowhere in the process, but she’s in charge of this party, and she’s trying to be nice about it but if Loona doesn’t respond to niceness, maybe she’ll respond to a giant bitch. Which. She doesn’t. She responds to Tex being sad, because Loona cares about Tex in a way she doesn’t care about Bee (yet??? Unlikely but I can dream). And as much as I would LOVE to see Loona and Bee in an earnest fight…not like this, I don’t think. And not with Blitzo in need of support right now. Because ultimately, Bee and Tex aren’t wrong, Blitzo needs to be checked on. That’s just good party etiquette, even without the hosts of the party telling you to go check on your friends. Man just downed an entire barrel of Beezlejuice after having to be CONVINCED to stay at a party when he’s always trying to drag IMP to bars. Loona letting her jealousy get in the way of actually hearing what is being said to her is understandable, relatable.

And I love that Bee apologizes to Tex for throwing her weight around. Seems like a thing she doesn’t like doing. I personally do have a little trouble parsing if her apology is sincere or not, if this is a recurring problem or not, because there are hints that it might be, but until we get more of Bee and Tex, it’s gonna have to stay speculation, and I like living in a world where Bee and Tex are actually good together, y’know?

Anyway, time to check in on Blitzo, which. Phew. There’s nothing wrong with you, Dennis, your voice and design are both perfectly sexy. Also, I love both that there actually is an Alejandro (or a Monica?) present, that said person has a bite mark scar, AND that the frame I paused on has Loona literally punching their face in Disney Hades-style, this will feed me for weeks thank you.

Alright. Captions spell it Beelzejuice. I know it would most likely be spelled that way because Beelzebub. I know there’s a sign for it on the wall of the Hazbin Hotel bar, which I could go look up right now to get a second source for spelling. But Beezlejuice is more fun to say and I’m pretty sure Viv’s musical-obsessed ass did it on purpose. So I’m gonna stick with Beezlejuice. At least in my analyses; I might spell it correctly in my fics. Assuming I write any more.

ANYWAY. Loona being the responsible one is Excellent. Because she’s an adult, and while Blitzo is her dad in the ways that matter, she’s also more in a position to try and help him out too than an actual kid would be, and my good dude needs so much help right now. And look! Loona has friends now!! Tex’s plans worked, he’s too good for all of us and I hope we see more of him in the future (beyond just Apology Tour, where he's working and thus on the BlitzO Sucks squad).

Gonna get a little personal and also gross for a second, warning about vomit talk: I recently went through a medical procedure where the point of the meds I had to take to prep for it was to clean out my digestive system. The second dose made me throw up, which I haven’t done in years. It was two in the morning, and even as I was trying very hard not to spill my guts and then lost that battle, all I could think about was this scene, where Blitzo needs to hurl—he needs that cleanse, physically and spiritually (please note this isn’t an endorsement for purging, at least not physically). He goes through the physical cleanse (an inordinate amount of vomit, like wow), but I think he still hasn’t fully spilled his metaphorical guts in a way he needs to. He certainly bleeds off the valve a little, admitting to Loona that Fizz is right and he’s gonna die alone and wanting her and Millie and Moxxie and Stolas to all be there when he does. (“just a wrinkled old weathered waste” kinda hits me in the squishy emotional bits, a little too close to home) He later finds resolution with Fizz, tries with Barb but gets rejected, and really needs to with Stolas. But he’s an unstable volcanic mess of emotions ready to pop. Have I mentioned yet that I’m REALLY EXCITED for Full Moon?

Poodle Bitch’s name is Vikki? Or was that someone else? Heck.

This terrible night is over, everyone is home safe and sound (well…safe), and that’s a wrap on my season 1 theory posts! Thanks for being patient! Might get one more post out tonight; we’ll see. Gonna take a break and see what happens. Until then: later!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S2E7

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! And we are here, at the final episode of the first half of Helluva Boss season 2, and this is a very good episode, but might not have much to work with in terms of predicting how future episodes are gonna go (with one potentially Very Large exception). Just the Millie and Sallie May short to go (maybe) and then I’ll be done making these posts! At least until the new episodes release! :P

Here we go, s2e7!

Getting to see teen Blitzo and Fizz is such a treat. Getting to see Mammon is less of a treat (but still a treat, because he’s a gem of a villain). So significant too to see Blitzo seeing right through all of Mammon’s bullshit…while Fizz is completely taken in. Poor kid. It’s hard to acknowledge your heroes are shit sometimes.

Blitzo’s had a protective streak in him from the beginning, huh? I’ll bet money it comes from his relationship with his mom. Why do I feel like a Freudian psychologist saying that?? Anyway. Poor Fizz being freaked out by aggressive fans. It can be really hard to know how to deal with them, because on the one hand, thanks for liking my stuff, but on the other hand…please stop, you’re violating my boundaries and it’s uncomfortable at best. (I say as if I have any personal experience in this lol)

(…I could use a wait in line for you Fizzie, actually :P)

Fizzarolli having a Fizzarolli-sized vanity at Ozzie’s penthouse. I WANT THEM TO GET MARRIED ON THE SHOW OKAY.

Blitzo and Ozzie working together on Team Protect Fizz is the best premise for an episode. (Also, to add onto my “IMP and Stolas are going to get legally fucked” theory, it’s another long-standing dream of mine to also have Ozzie come in as a character witness for Blitzo, because having two Sins to have his back would be certainly something fame-inducing for an imp. And also Fizz would probably do the Eyes until Oz agreed.)

THE WAY BLITZO IS EATING HIS CEREAL WITH A GIANT CHEESY GRIN LIKE HE’S NEVER HAD A MENTAL ILLNESS IN HIS LIFE. MY FAVORITE LITTLE BIT.

File it right along with Ozzie’s goofy little grin when Blitzo says he’s in.

I also need to put Fizzarolli’s incredulous little eye-roll when Blitzo shows how deep in denial he is about Stolas next to Blitzo’s very incredulous glare at how Fizz lets Mammon treat him. LIFELONG FRIENDS ARE A GIFT AND A CURSE.

Glitz and Glam are really cool design-wise, and absolute trash fires personality-wise. They and Mammon deserve each other :P (Fugly imp LEMME AT ‘EM LEMME AT ‘EM)

So. The whole thing is a clown pageant. And they have to end…with a musical number? Ooookay. Listen I’m not exactly complaining, because Klown Bitch and Two Minute’s Notice are both BANGERS, but. Uh. Why??

Y’know, the spider motifs make sense, but why all the sunken ships? What does that have to do with anything clowny or greedy? Maybe sunken treasure? Is that a thing?

WOAH HEY. Think I finally saw a hellhound hybrid! Little kid hellhound with imp-striped ears. So. Huh. That answers my earlier question about if hellhounds also interbreed with other Hellborn demons. Nice.

I remember getting really surprised and then emotional at the sign language scene with the kid. Listen, the Hellaverse isn’t perfect. But it does do things like this scene that feel groundbreaking, and that’s not nothing. Normalizing so many things—queerness, disability, trauma, the messy side of personal growth—that’s not nothing, either. It’s kind of amazing that these shows get to exist, y’know? (And especially while so many other groundbreaking shows, especially queer shows, are getting the shaft. OFMD, my beloved, taken far too soon)

It feels significant that Fizz’s detractor here is the same one he encountered years before. Like. Fizz is famous, he’s going to have a lot of people who don’t like him, but the fact that the loudest negative voice in his ears outside of his own (and Mammon’s) is this same shitwipe who made him feel small and terrible even as a kid? That it’s JUST this guy? This one vocal but singular guy? Feels a bit like a metaphor.

Blitzo assessing the situation and finding it less important to make a violent bloody mess and more important to show Fizz that he has support—and then catch him when he starts to faint—good friending. No notes.

I also notice how much Fizz starts clutching the ruff when he’s really upset. Makes a lot of sense to see it gone in the s2.5 trailer. He looks so much happier out of full jester costume and in something that I sincerely hope I’m gonna see in stores one day (RAINBOW. PAINTS. ASYMMETRICAL RAINBOW PANTS. I WANT THEM).

(Hee. Someone messed up. Blitzo is in his regular assassin gear for the conversation where he calls Mammon a trash fire, then back to the black tie bodyguard outfit later. Sometimes…animation errors are funny.)

You know how we know Blitzo is a good friend? He knows when to call in the cavalry. And he and Ozzie are working as a team on this one, so it’s good that Blitzo tags him in. Because as much as Blitzo and Fizzarolli have history…they don’t have the same connection that Fizzarolli and Asmodeus do. Maybe they could have, but that train passed. Their connection is good, but still kinda fragile, has a giant fifteen-year gap in it. And in that gap…Ozzie filled in (not an intentional dirty joke but I will not be changing my wording). Ozzie saw Fizz at his best and was allowed to see Fizz at his most fragile, and their bond is powerful with mutual support and love for each other even at their most messy. It’s significant to me that before Ozzie walks in, Fizz almost has himself calmed down just by looking into a mirror gifted to him by Oz. When he’s about to blow his top in the last episode after Blitzo calls him a pampered attention whore, he looks down at his leash and is reminded that Oz loves him. Fizz pulled himself back up when he got injured, but having Asmodeus for a support pillar is nothing to sneeze at. Blitzo can’t be emotionally vulnerable unless his loved ones’ lives are on the line. Oz is different; he and Fizz have more open communication with each other than that. And they both need that.

Because when Fizz pulls off his jester cap? It’s the first time we the audience see the full extent of the damage Fizz still lives with. But it is NOT the first time Oz has seen it. And Oz is sure to tell Fizz that he loves him, crooked horns and all. (Gosh, Fizz going “I know you believe in me but it’s so hard to trust that sometimes” KILL ME)

Hang on have to sob my way through this musical number. Have I mentioned how sweet Fizz and Oz are?

I also notice that when Fizz and Oz kiss, they don’t do the tongue thing that nearly every other couple that kisses in the Hellaverse does. The scene is better for it, I think; it keeps it sweet.

(In this case. They might do the tongue thing in later episodes.)

…Blitzo you KNEW they were together already XD But I suppose it’s different getting the confirmation. Especially when you were the one on the receiving end of their joint lambasting for your audacity to go on a date with a demon prince a few months before and it might have thrown a giant emotional wrench into that developing relationship, thanks for that by the way. (No, really, thanks; it was brutal but started the much-needed process of these two morons finally starting to communicate more honestly.)

TIME FOR TWO MINUTE’S NOTICE PLEASE EXCUSE ME.

(Ozzie being Lucifer’s fire dancer makes sense with what he hands Fizzie for this musical number, y’know.)

(This music number is so much more triumphant for Fizz, knowing that both Oz and Blitzo are there backing him up and supporting him. I’m EMOTIONAL.)

(Also, listen, them not going for the obvious “fat sack of shit” and instead going “sad sack of shit” to insult Mammon is appreciated. Would be more appreciated if all the fat characters in the Hellaverse so far weren’t mostly villains or antagonists. There’s such amazing character design in this world, but we can’t have more main fat characters??)

Listen. Fizz knows that Ozzie is there to back him up. But can we admire the absolute adamantium spine on this imp for standing up to not just a Sin, but a Sin in his larger, more aggressive, more imposing form?? The same Sin that he’s been taking shit from for almost a decade? GO FIZZAROLLI GO. HOPE HE STARTS HIS OWN CIRCUS OR CLOWN PAGEANT SOMETIME SOON.

Hey! Wally Wackford! I missed him! Also a very tiny imp! Nice!

ALL OF HELL ALREADY KNEW IT AND IT’S GOING VIRAL. Nice way to take the wind out of Mammon’s sails. HOWEVER. The warning he leaves is pretty ominous. Especially given how gleeful he looks in the s2.5 trailer. It reminds me a lot of the warning that Stella gives Stolas, when she tells him “you have fallen from what little grace you had, and I know you’ll pay for it.” And it sure does appear to be that there’s a trial going on, and Satan telling someone they’re a disgrace, and there’s a good shot that he's talking to Asmodeus and the trial is for Stolas. Like. These aren’t empty threats. They’re gonna come to some sort of fruition. Because they are committing social sins by loving the lowest of the low. And that sucks and shouldn’t be, but it IS. I just can’t wait to see how they all handle the shitstorm that’s brewing.

AGAIN THO HOW DOES BEE GET TO HAVE VORTEX WITHOUT ANY KIND OF REPERCUSSIONS?? NO HIDING, NO MEDIA CIRCUS—WTF??

Oz does look kinda confused at Mammon’s warning, though. That’s something.

Blitzo, getting in the last word, classy as ever. Love that for him XD

Okay. I’m caught up. I’ve wrapped up all my theories, I’ve squealed about all the character interactions, I’ve analyzed the shows to death (so far). Probably gonna do the short, just because it’s there, but if there’s nothing there to really analyze…eh. Might leave it alone. Thanks so much for going with me on this journey! Can’t wait for the rest of season 2 and beyond!!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S2E6

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! I am so excited for these last two episodes of Helluva Boss that we have right now (still pre-Full Moon as of writing this) (no I didn’t just go panic check YouTube and the IMP twitter account just to make sure), because they are so effective at not just setting up the driving tension that’s going to be igniting in s2.5, but also in making me absolutely fall in love with two characters I did not care for much at their first introduction, and Viv really needs to stop doing that or I’m going to wind up loving every single Hellaverse character and I can’t HAVE that.

But first! It’s s2e6, here to give us so much good tasty backstory and development to feast upon!

Now, listen. I might be new to this fandom, but I’m old hat at fandom in general, so I can only imagine the ground-shattering shouts of vindication when in the first ten seconds of this episode it’s revealed that yes, the theories were correct, Ozzie and Fizzarolli are sleeping together. Not only are they sleeping together—they are IN SAPPY DISGUSTING LOVE. (Also, fun fact, you can kinda see Fizzarolli’s uncovered head just before it pans to the cuckoo clock (cockoo clock??) and it’s adorable.) Fizz manages Ozzie’s schedule, Ozzie cooks them breakfast—they’re precious.

And, said it before but I’ll state it here now: pretty sure this nooner with Stolas was rescheduled; unless Unhappy Campers takes place after this episode, which is possible but would be really weird, Blitzo was occupied for about a week, so Stolas’ recovery pushing back his meeting with Ozzie from three days to more of a week makes sense. Also lines up with Striker bragging about having a royal on the ropes “just last week.”

Huh. Paused on the newspaper that Fizz immediately balls up and there’s some interesting stuff in here (and no I’m not talking about the breast imp-lants): King of Ozz a Hypocrite being a headline is weird enough, but in some of the side text, it’s confirmed that the circus that Fizz and Blitzo grew up in was…kind of a big deal, actually, in being an all-imp circus. So much so that it isn’t called by name, but referred to as “the now-disbanded all-imp circus.” As in, the only one of its kind, everybody remembers that, right? Also went back a smidge to see the cover and “heart hoarded by an imp” and “royalty left reeling��� are some subheadings. Yikes. Kinda makes one wonder how Stolas and Blitzo escaped any kind of media storm after Ozzie’s, but I guess Stolas being boring and uninteresting to the denizens of Hell (who all have very poor taste anyway :P) carries even to what is absolutely some shocking gossip if it was happening to any other royal. But the newspaper was left on the counter and has a coffee ring on the opposite page from the article; Fizz goes through a lot of trouble to hide it, but it seems like Ozzie’s already seen it. The picture the article uses of them cuddling also looks like it was taken by invading a private space—maybe Oz’s personal box at Ozzie’s? Poor guys. They look adorable though. Oh gross looks like there’s some gold-digger allegations popping up in the text on the side too, but it’s hard to tell because half of the text is obscured by both Fizz’s thumb and being offscreen.

“You know I ain’t afraid of ropes!” …yeah but how about duct tape?

“But you haven’t been to the Greed ring alone since becoming Mam’s new big brand figure.” Okay, time out—we know as of next episode that Fizzarolli has won the clown pageant for the past ten years (five years post-accident, presumably). I really want to see some details on Fizzarolli’s past, because did he go from potentially living with Mammon to living with Ozzie? Or straight to Ozzie? I can see Mammon wanting to keep his brand baby close and guarded at all times, but I really wish we knew how long Fizz and Oz have known each other. Sigh.

Knowing that Alex Brightman and James Monroe Iglehart have known each other for a long time makes their performances together (though rarely actually together, to my understanding; voice recording is weird) so much more perfect. Fizz and Oz were already too damn cute for words. Now I love them MORE.

LITERALLY NOBODY BUT YOU TWO CHUCKLEHEADS MENTIONED LOVE. HOW ARE YOU SO BAD AT THIS. But I’m happy that they’re so happy they can’t really hide it. Dangerous, but so cute. How did it take forty-five seconds for me to go from being irritable at them to absolutely falling in love with them? Sorcery.

The way Oz is pinching his brow before we even see the Jizzlord Machine Fizz thinks is low-key should really have clued me in. I love that Fizz has become so big that he doesn’t have a concept of “discreet” or “low-profile” anymore, but also that’s really sad, because all of this is adding up to a super agoraphobic imp whose success is great but also really isolating. And it’s BECAUSE he’s an imp, I’m willing to bet. And because he’s an imp who’s working for two different Sins and sleeping with one of them. Phew. It’s nice to see him cutting loose and having fun but also…Fizz is just really out of touch. I kinda hope that changes for him in the future, because he’s so excited about going outside before the whole kidnapping thing.

It took me way too long to realize that the confetti is sperm-shaped. (Also a little disappointed that sperm also looks the same in Hell but I guess you can only reinvent the wheel so many times before you just want to get on with it and tell the story already.)

AND HERE WE GO, FIZZAROLLI AND BLITZO CONFRONTATION PART TWO! This time, in the streets, where brawling is acceptable!

The banter is fine, not exactly glittering but there is probably a little bit too much of a sharp edge between them to make it more fun and less hurt. Their arguing isn’t really fun for either one of them and it’s kind of obvious in how they both go for the throat pretty quickly to try and make the other one pissed off and leave. Fizz touching Blitzo’s pendant before shoving him away is kind of uncalled for (which makes me think Fizz knows exactly what Blitzo lost in that fire—just not the extent to which it damaged him). Blitzo calling Fizz a pampered attention whore is a low blow, so Fizz’s retaliation of “my horns were always bigger than yours…weren’t they?” is…phew. The look on his face, the darkening of the shadows around his eyes—even if this is your first time viewing and you have NO IDEA why these two hate each other so much now, the way Fizz looks when he says that and the way Blitzo turns his face away are really indicative of how much that comment hurt. And WITH CONTEXT??? It’s an especially vicious crotch-shot, knowing that it really was an accident and Blitzo really does regret that happening, but Fizzarolli still thinks he did it ON PURPOSE after being best friends their whole lives. I wonder how Fizz interprets Blitzo’s turning away, because he sure as fuck doesn’t think Blitzo is sorry for it. Ashamed, maybe, but not sorry.

I also gotta wonder what kind of day Blitzo was having that made him go at Fizz and tackle him like a freight train. He’s in Greed, for one thing, which isn’t his usual scene, and he’s fresh from being told by his twin sister that she never wants to see him even now that she’s gotten her life together. Blitzo is down to fight at any given moment, but brawling with Fizz in the street? Highly reactive even for him. Also makes me wonder how much they fought like that as kids, because Blitzo has no problem tackling him but later on is surprised that Fizz doesn’t really know how to fight. (And I have further thoughts on that, but let’s check in on the plot first.)

Seeing Striker doing a job interview with Crimson is such an expected team-up but it’s so good. All the ways the characters sort of interconnect is so much fun to track. Wonder if Striker sees the family resemblance between Moxxie and Crimson, because I imagine it would be an awkward conversation if it ever came up that Striker drools when he tries to choke the life out of Crimson’s son that he also wants dead now and is really homophobic towards.

Picking back up on my “Fizzarolli doesn’t know how to fight” train of thought: Blitzo does, though. Blitzo is very talented at killing people. He could dismantle and slaughter Fizzarolli at any time if he was being serious about it. But that’s not what their fighting is about. I imagine it’s something of a pressure release for both of them; they have a lot of baggage built up from fifteen years of dealing with the aftermath of the fire. They’re angry, but this is less about wishing each other serious harm and more like communicating how angry they are at each other (at themselves, at the situation, at all of it). While a crowd forms and they roll around getting reacquainted with each other’s bodies. In an angry way. :P They’re grinning at certain points in their fight, right up until the second Striker lassos them up to Crimson’s office.

(Side note but Striker calling Blitzo “Blitzy” being the only concession this episode makes to their history and especially what Striker just did to Stolas does make me sad, but this episode isn’t about Stolitz, it’s about Fizzarozzie and also Fizz and Blitzo reconnecting and healing that hurt between them. Stolas gets his moments but they are appropriately apart from Blitzo, even as his motivation in being there with Oz in the first place is Blitzo-driven. It’s fine. It’s all fine. We are exploring other characters right now.)

Ozzie being an engineer is such a fun thing to have him do, and it makes perfect sense with the sex toy industry. But I also love the idea that he gets to work on projects that aren’t sex toy related but still fun for him. Like Fizzarolli’s limbs. I am extrapolating pretty heavily here but I’m pretty sure even if it isn’t said, it’s shown that Oz designed them and maintains them. Big man needs a hobby, after all. (Also I love how it seems like he uses watch alarms to remind himself to do things? Big ADHD energy, he’s just like me for real :P)

YEAH THE FACT THAT HE HAS A GIANT PAINTING OF HIMSELF AND FIZZ IN HIS GODDAMNED OFFICE. THEY AREN’T IN THE SAME ZIP CODE AS DISCREET.

Stolas!! Looking healed up and nervous, poor guy. Asmodeus is much nicer to him when they aren’t making a ruckus in his club. I also like how he refers to Blitzo as feisty. Despite knowing exactly why Fizz hates him. Might just be being nice for Stolas’ sake, see what he wants before pissing him off. Idk. LOVE the way Ozzie’s face immediately falls when Stolas says he has feelings for Blitzo, though—man probably has meetings like this all the time, rich assholes begging him for love potions. Gosh it would be nice if Stolas and Oz could become a little friendlier; Stolas could use more friends and I think Oz could use some support from someone else who knows something about what he’s going through, being immortal high-profile royalty in love with an imp. I’m not making myself sad.

Okay the way Oz just SCARFS DOWN AN ENTIRE BOWL OF CANDY while Stolas is talking. I never noticed that before. Omg. But it does seem to me that Ozzie is surprised at the request—maybe even pleasantly so, since it isn’t for a love potion—before having to let him down easy. And I respect Oz so much for keeping the story a secret (even if he does call him BlitzO, which pretty much confirms that Fizz told him the story. I wonder if Fizzarolli told him before the night at Ozzie’s or not).

DING DONG TIME TO PLOT. I love that Crimson, that dramatic bitch, paused for effect to give Ozzie enough time to indeed ask if he has any idea who he’s fucking with. Showmanship; let it never be said that Crimson doesn’t have it. I do have to wonder if “weakest and most non-threatening of the Sins” refers to the fact that he has such an obvious weak point, or if Asmodeus really is the weakest power-wise. Because, uh. Beelzebub has a hellhound boyfriend. Yet nobody seems to be going after her through him. And so much more interesting that Crimson goes for Oz, not Mammon, to get ransom for Fizz. Maybe because Crimson knows better than to shit where he eats, so to speak. And Mammon might get a lot of money out of Fizz but he might not respond to a ransom demand the way Oz would.

Ozzie’s tea set is fire chicken themed. I love it.

Ozzie’s heart might bleed for Stolas…but Stolas has plenty of reason to return the favor now. Stolas doesn’t strike me as someone who’s up to date on all the gossip, so watching his expression as he learns how much Oz cares for Fizz is enlightening.

Now back to Blitzo and Fizz! Even when they hate each other, they’re still helping each other out and distracting each other from how bad this situation is. Not purposely, I don’t think, but they’re old friends. They have patterns that they follow, that are comfortable to fall back into. Probably not the first time they’ve been accused of gossiping like a couple of teen skanks :P AND IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST! But the way they can pretty much peel each other’s masks off with fairly little effort—it’s a much-needed conversation that they both had to have, and I’m excited to see Blitzo and Fizz continuing to hang out in s2.5. Mainly because if anyone in Hell is going to get Blitzo to admit to having feelings without them just sort of ripping out of him in the heat of the moment, it would be Fizzarolli. Look at how much he gets Blitzo talking about Stolas while they’re tied up. Heeee.

Here's the thing though, too…the way Blitzo says here “royal demons don’t give a shit about guys like us, they’re all the fucking same” and during maybe Full Moon is going to say “you fucks think you can do this every time, like you can just play with our feelings because we’re smaller and not as important”—Blitzo, who else hurt you?? Because the thing with Stolas hasn’t been exactly the best for him in a lot of ways, but this speaks of prior experience.

Aaaand enter the asshat. Hello, Striker. It’s interesting, but what Fizz says…well, it’s not wrong, but it’s certainly not right, either. “Neither of you filthbags know what you’re even talking about; if you think you’re superior to anyone, then you’re no better than any royal—” Well…the arguments are more nuanced than that. But maybe pointing out the flaws in Striker’s logic isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do when you’re tied up, Fizz. It’s also interesting that for the first time we’re starting to get somewhere with this messy social conversation. And maybe it isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility that Fizz’s ten-year isolation from being among other imps has warped his views, despite the fact that Fizz definitely still undergoes plenty of discrimination (and degrading new flavors of it, being famous and with a widely-available sex doll of himself out there causing thirstier freaks to follow him around. Hell, VALENTINO has one, though it’s custom and renamed). Fizz has access to privileges that Blitzo and Striker don’t; moving up the social ladder, even if it’s a superficial move, can still cause some striking opinion changes. Idk it just smacks of “why can’t we all just get along?” to me, which I know I said a lot as a teenager and young adult before I fully understood a lot of the hot button issues I was getting confused by and frustrated with and how that sentiment is not helpful, not realistic, and in many cases actively detrimental to actual nuanced discussion.

I’m not saying Striker and Blitzo are right and Fizz is wrong. I’m saying it’s more complicated than that, than what any one of them are saying. But all three sure do know that being an imp sucks and can be dangerous and it’s often the fault of the higher-ups.

(The way that Fizz and Blitzo still blush around each other, though. And keep winding up in each other’s space. And get progressively more comfortable with that. They were friends, once. Really good friends. Probably more than friends. It’ll be good for them to be in each other’s lives again.)

Hang on, have to have feelings about how Blitzo looks furious the second Striker puts his hands on Fizz.

Back to Stolas and Oz: he was already groaning about paperwork he had to do before meeting up with Stolas, but the fact that he’s in MORE PAPERWORK? Egregious. I love that Stolas didn’t leave, either; it’s unlikely that Asmodeus would have let him, given that he has no way to ensure Stolas’ silence, but it really speaks more about Stolas’ desire to be helpful and useful, at least to me. And look! Stolas IS helpful and useful! Because Oz REALLY needs to know what’s in these contracts!! (I love how the captions call Stolas’ giggle “excited chicken noises” when those are excited OWL noises, excuse you XD)

Can SOMEONE, ANYONE, talk to me about how when Blitzo cuts Fizz free, he frees his arms but leaves his legs and also his nipples taped over? Because it amuses me every time. (Also, I know Blitzo has been competent this entire time, but why is he so sexy and competent in this episode in particular, it is really distracting, send help. It wouldn’t be nearly so cool if his escape plan wasn’t so OFF THE WALLS INSANE, and if the emotional walls weren’t about to come down. I have a problem.)

I love how you can tell Blitzo has been formulating this plan since Striker used the boxes to lean over into their vicinity—and that with a quick glance around, Blitzo has a plan to not only get himself and Fizzarolli down, but to make sure he takes out as many enemies as he can in the process. BLITZO MIGHT BE A GENIUS. AND IT FUCKING WORKS, DAMN HIM. It’s the most loony toons ass shit I’ve ever seen. I’m in love with this plan.

I love the tiny details, too—Fizz still being grossed out by blood, Blitzo managing to score himself a drink out of the debacle, and then CRIMSON WALKING BY WITH CUCUMBER SLICES ON HIS EYES. Heck. Moxxie got his dramatics somewhere, alright.

And now! Now that some of the ice has broken! The banter between Blitzo and Fizz as they dance around danger is SPARKLING. There’s still unresolved tension that’s going to come busting out here very soon, but they’re more in sync now. So they’re actually ready for this conversation, actually ready to hear each other. Which is important, because there are some misconceptions on both sides to start working through and if they aren’t listening to each other, they’re never going to get through them.

I want to marinate on some of what Fizz says here—I looked up to you, I thought you were my best friend. “I looked up to you.” HHHHGK. Okay. What we know about Fizz—here and in the next episode—is that Fizz has a pretty chronic people-pleasing streak, especially for his heroes (Mammon, maybe Cash at one point). Blitzo and Fizz are the same age or very near it, so for Fizz to look up to him, Blitzo must have been looking out for him for a long time, taking the lead with his stronger opinions, protecting Fizz from some of his creepier fans. And Blitzo was already forming that self-hatred streak that turns into a full-on personality quirk after the fire, but he cared about Fizzarolli. CARES about Fizzarolli. It seems Blitzo has been to therapy enough to be able to accept that what happened at the circus was an accident, but he still blames himself for it—and when so many other people do as well, is it any wonder he can’t let go of blaming himself?

And then that turning point of the memory, Fizz reaching out for help and Blitzo turning his back—this makes me want to know what all happened in the aftermath, how much Fizz knows about who all died in the fire. If Cash was looking after Fizz and keeping Blitzo from seeing him (not looking forward to that at all, s2.5), it’s unlikely that Fizz doesn’t know that Blitzo and Barbie’s mother died. I just wonder if it has truly taken him this long to put two and two together—to see Blitzo’s tears, his scars, to know how much Blitzo loved his mother, and to suddenly understand what it must have been like for Blitzo to be living with the knowledge that he caused the accident that killed her and ruined Fizzarolli—or if Fizz has been operating under the assumption that Blitzo is a heartless waste of space for fifteen years and their entire friendship was a lie without thinking further into it. Because I’ll be honest, folks, until Fizzarolli finally sees Blitzo break, I don’t think Fizz allowed himself to think of the alternative, of how much Blitzo must have also been hurting this entire time. Fizz is certainly not to blame for not thinking of it, given everything he’s been through and how Blitzo just seemed to disappear from his life. It’s just a very shitty hand they were both dealt, and they handled it in ways that made it easier to process and try and move on with life.

Now let’s get the full picture from Blitzo, SHALL WE?

(Dammit. Don’t have an age for this birthday for Fizz. MY TIMELINE IS INCOMPLETE AND PROBABLY WRONG, CAN WE PLEASE GET SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILS??)

“There was SO MUCH going on, I was TRYING to get help” holy fuck, Blitzo. Yeah, when your entire life is going up in flames thanks to one careless mistake, it’s hard to know what to go for first. But. Blitzo DOES have his priorities in order, actually. His mother is the top priority. He’s not wrong for that. Just like Loona being his top priority in Western Energy. Only in Western Energy, he’s in a position to send help. He wasn’t in that position at the circus fire. You can read his lips after the firework hits his eye that he saw Fizz, he was trying to point Fizz out to anyone who could help, but his mother’s tent being on fire was more important. Fizz mattered. But so did Mom. Another impossible situation for Blitzo to try and navigate and he does the best he can.

But let’s break this down a little: Blitzo has the love letter and flower for Fizz, decides against giving it, pushes the guy carrying the cake…freaks out the hell horses…kaboom…mouthing “Fizz” to people…yeah, braceface…and then “Mom” and running off. Gosh, Brandon Rogers’ delivery for this is so perfect, so emotional, how the FUCK has he never done voice acting before because he’s NAILING IT. I am CRYING.

“You have no idea what I lost in that fire.” I mean…everything. His mother, but also his sister, his dad, his best friend, any kind of support system whatsoever that he might have had with the rest of the circus troupe—yeah, Fizz lost all four limbs and both horns and it’s a miracle he’s even alive, but it does seem like he had a little bit of support after the fact. Who the fuck did Blitzo have? I am in NO WAY saying that either Blitzo or Fizz had it worse than the other. Again, very shitty hand dealt to both of them, and for Fizzarolli to be where he is in life after that kind of tragedy is an astounding show of resilience and strength. And, frankly, for Blitzo to be where he is in life is impressive, too, as emotionally fucked up as he is. He’s still creating a family that he can rely on again—and reconnecting with Fizzarolli is part of that process. Blitzo and Barbie might never be okay again and sometimes that’s just how life works, but for Blitzo to be able to reconnect with Fizz after something like this got between them—and then Cash made it worse—that’s huge. That’s amazing.

Seeing it all come together for Fizz, though, finally understanding just how backwards he had Blitzo’s motivations and emotions—heck. Heeeeeck.

(I mean, fuck, if it’s taking being in a hostage situation for Blitzo and Fizz to talk and reconnect and more importantly for Blitzo to spill his emotional guts, WHAT KIND OF SHITSTORM IS IT GONNA TAKE FOR HIM TO BE HONEST WITH STOLAS???)

I love the moment they both realize that they were both lied to, but it does make me wonder how often this happened or how often they were told to stay away from each other. Because with the way Blitzo walks away from the party—not just chickening out, but actively upset, crying, shoving people out of his way—pretty sure it happened a lot, that people told him he was going to fuck up Fizzarolli’s future if he attached himself to Fizz like a barnacle for much longer. And I love too that Fizzarolli is honest: fifteen years of resentment is hard to work through, and forgiveness is going to be tough for Fizz to grant. But Fizz is the true optimist between the two of them, and the one who arguably has the better life now; it’s good that he can be honest and say that while it wasn’t easy, the fire didn’t break him.

Heeee, watching Fizz just point Blitzo at things instead of fighting, though. Perfect teamwork, no notes.

Almost as perfect as that knowing little grin that Blitzo is giving Fizz the entire time he’s trying to deflect about Ozzie. They see right through each other. It’s the annoying thing about lifelong friends.

AND LOOK AT BLITZO KEEPING HIMSELF BETWEEN FIZZAROLLI AND THE GOONS COMING AT THEM NOW. I AM WEEPING OKAY.

See—Striker doesn’t voice any complaints about Blitzo saying “don’t you dare talk sexy to ME” at his “break you like a fucking horse” comment (which was arguably pretty sexy, actually), but he absolutely DOES object to Fizz’s comment about getting hard later. It’s just very funny to see a hitman being picky like that while on the job, y’know?

“You’re still on the horse thing?” WHY IS THAT THE FUNNIEST THING THAT ANYONE HAS EVER SAID. LIFELONG FRIENDS. THEY’RE THE WORST.

If you will all excuse me, I need to go sing along with this musical number for a moment. Because it’s brilliant. (And I don’t know how I missed Fizz slipping a hand up under Blitzo’s jacket to get at his keychain while holding him. These two canNOT stop feeling each other up. It makes me laugh.)

My favorite part of the song is the building falling down after the fact, so I don’t know why they don’t include it in the official music video :P

LOOK HOW PROTECTIVE BLITZO IS NOW THAT HE HAS FIZZ BACK THOUGH. HE. PROTECTS. HIS. PEOPLE.

Y’know. Relatively. By blowing them up sometimes. But still!

…does…does Striker have a double-voice thing going?? Because he’s obviously hit his limit of the protagonists’ plot armor fucking him over, but even for a guy at the end of his rope, there’s something very sinister about his voice in particular. Just gonna. File that in with my “is Striker working for Roo somehow??” pseudo-theory.

Okay the fact that Blitzo uses FUCKING CIRCUS TRAINING to get Fizz out of there, though. Like. It’s known that Blitzo has it, but it’s never been so obvious as it is in this moment.

THE LOOK ON BLITZO’S FACE WHEN FIZZ HUGS HIM THOUGH. They both needed this so badly, but that look lives in my head rent-free and I WEEP.

Hang on have to keep crying over how cute Fizz and Oz’s reunion is.

And, uh. I have mixed feelings about Stolas’ “Get fucked, little one” here. Because. Yeah, fuck that guy, he’s Crimson’s lawyer and was absolutely drawing the process out longer than it needed to be. But. “Little one?” Did we have to go there? Couldn’t have stopped at “get fucked?”

Look at how proud Ozzie is of himself for getting to fuck up Blitzo’s day even just a little bit. It’s a little ill-timed now and Fizz fixes it, but Ozzie is a good partner, okay.

THE FACT THAT THE CAPTIONS TELL US THE QUIEVES ALL MADE IT BACK OKAY. HHHHHHHHHHHHH.

…the fact that they’re called “quieves.” Like I get it, immature humor is what the Hellaverse is all about and I do giggle at it, but. Like. The same way I give puns a cursory giggle.

Just noticed too that the symbol for the O in Helluva Boss is the same symbol that’s on one of the circus balls that little Fizz was balancing on.

A good cathartic episode. Good backstory, good interpersonal conflict resolution. Some minor predictions for the upcoming season, but mostly about how this episode was SO GOOD for Blitzo and his character development. Really feels like it’s laying the fuse for his upcoming arc, smoothing the way for what is still going to be a very fucking bumpy ride. (There’s a reason why so many human AUs that have Blitzo and Stolas getting together in a more normal way usually have Blitzo on good terms with Fizz and sometimes Barb. Gotta get some of that emotional baggage resolved and out of the way already :P)

Okay! One episode to go! I’m excited! (Might also do the short, since it exists and it’s about Millie and Sallie May and it’s adorable.)

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S2E5

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Now, like most people, Unhappy Campers is not a favorite episode of mine, but the more I’ve sat through and watched it (muscling through the secondhand embarrassment of Moxxie’s fucking whiny insecurity), the more I’ve found plenty of material to love. Shorter post than any other I’ll make for an episode in season 2, I’m willing to bet! By a very wide margin!!

Let’s go, Helluva Boss s2e5!

It is VERY unkind of Spindlehorse for them to start this episode, the one after Stolas gets very hurt, with Blitzo sneaking into a building in Sloth…only for it to be a rehabilitation center and not Stolas’ hospital room. RUDE, in fact.

Though Blitzo’s banter with the nurse is indeed priceless.

Even more priceless because it’s giving out highly valuable Blitzo backstory tidbits: the fact that the nurse calls him a deadbeat (when he’s been running a pretty successful business for five years, “successful” meaning that they haven’t been shut down and they do have an office they work out of; means “deadbeat” was his reputation for much longer before that, and couple it with how people at Bee’s party knew him from way back when and his propensity to tear it up at a party…painting a pretty clear picture of what Blitzo’s twenties were like), the fact that Barb checked out MONTHS ago, Blitzo’s panic at trying to get inside as quickly as he can only to be MONTHS LATE, the nurse getting real with him for a minute and trying to tell him to leave Barb alone because she’s got her life together now, the fact that THE NURSE KNOWS ABOUT THE SILENT O—SO MUCH TO CHEW ON, FOLKS. And Blitzo’s immediate disregard is also interesting. What bug crawled up his butt that he needs to find Barb right now immediately when he hasn’t checked in on her in months?

Can we talk about the great misfortune of this poor sinner to be water-themed when they couldn’t swim when they were alive? Clearly not afraid of water, if they went out in a boat by themself, but still, can’t swim and you come back as a cool aquatic demon? Ouch. Or possibly cool. Can they swim now? Or tolerate water? Does it matter?

I love that even as Blitzo is kicking Moxxie out of his office, he still retains the important details enough to know exactly what Moxxie is up to when they run into each other in the living world. Also: there are multiple corkboards in Blitzo’s office, with many strings and papers. We don’t get even passing details about them so I don’t think they’re all that important, but they do catch my attention.

Many people have complained that once again this is a Moxxie-centric episode, but frankly, it’s not; it’s Moxxie AND Millie-centric. Millie’s struggles this episode aren’t nearly as strident and whiny, but they’re just as real. (Also please note that even as I’m calling Moxxie whiny, it’s with greatest affection.) This episode is about their relationship and how even though they’re solid, they’re great—they aren’t perfect. And that’s okay. More than okay, that’s damn healthy.

Barb’s profile lists acrobatics, endurance, stealth, improv, and labor as her work experience skills. That’s a fascinating list, actually. Especially the acrobatics and improv. I also find it interesting that it’s a sinner that gets Blitzo in touch with someone who can lead him to Barb (as hinted by “if we ever get a contract on your children, we’ll make it quick and painless.” They don’t do contracts for Hellborn anymore. Gotta be a sinner. And a sinner who’s been there a while and maybe lived a full life beforehand. Though how a tip-off from a sinner leads Blitzo to Sloth is…interesting.)

Moxxie wants so hard to be a better leader and more organized killer than Blitzo. He just doesn’t realize that Blitzo’s disorganization and chaotic energy doesn’t detract from the fact that he’s really damn good at his job and in fact adds to it. Moxxie’s got control issues he needs to work on if he wants to get put in charge more often, frankly. And while he has good dramatic instincts…he isn’t ready to be Moxxine. Moxxine is the type of girl you are when you have ACTUAL confidence, not desperate blazing insecurity that you’re trying to cover up with a veneer of arrogance. Millerd is successful where Moxxine isn’t because Millerd (Millie) isn’t trying. It’s effortless charisma. Moxxine DRIPS with try-hard energy. And trying to further mask that with spotlight-hogging and self-centeredness just makes it backfire worse. It’s funny to watch Moxxie’s bad luck in action over and over and over this episode, but also, there’s a real reason why Moxxine fails in the field, and it has everything to do with Moxxie’s inability to listen to Millie and relinquish his perceived control of the situation. If Moxxine was even a little tiny bit genuine and not just asserting her own popularity despite her complete lack of convincing proof, she would have had a much easier time that week.

But I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself. Right now, Moxxie is excited and Millie is trying to be supportive, because even when she’s right, she knows it’s important to Moxxie that he gets to be in charge on this mission (and not least because they just dealt with his whole dad situation and he could use the confidence boost).

Though Millie does have what Blitzo has and Moxxie still hasn’t developed: killer instinct. She’s right on the money about their guy and has been the entire time. But she’s also a good friend and wife and she’s gonna do her best to support Moxxie. While expecting Moxxie to do the same for her, obviously. This isn’t gonna backfire.

Oh shit. Just paused to take a look at the “Missing” posters on the boathouse wall and just noticed that we can see Barb’s human disguise eye peering through the darkness, keeping watch. Nice. It’s got white sclera but it does still glow like imp eyes as it narrows. Almost seems like she can see Moxxie and Millie, too (she can’t, she’s surprised by Moxxie’s existence when he shows up at the end of the episode, but still).

…I know Moxxie is wearing a bra as Moxxine this entire week, but did he stuff it? Because his chest jiggles a little too much for just slapping a tube top over his regular chest. (blah blah blah flat tummy fat deposits science blah blah whatever)

It does NOT help that Moxxine’s voice is nails on a chalkboard but I can’t fault Richard Steven Horovitz from having fun when his vocal range can do THAT. Also: Moxxie is also a bit of a know-it-all showoff. He worked HARD on this backstory, dammit, but it doesn’t mean he knows how to make friends, and infodumping about himself like he’s sharing his new character at a dnd game is NOT how you approach the popular kids, dude.

The guy that Blitzo is interrogating for information about Barb looks…weirdly human. He isn’t, but he looks like a cameo character. Also very funny to me that he seems to work in a drug store (using that term very literally in this case) and has completely scarred-white hands. SOMEBODY wasn’t cooking with gloves.

Millie deserves this week, okay. And getting jealous of a partner who’s going through a good time when you’re going through a bad one is perfectly normal, so Moxxie getting upset is understandable. But just because he’s upset doesn’t give him the right to stomp on Millie’s good time, and I’m glad that they not only covered that in this episode, but showed Moxxie really apologizing and making up for his bad behavior. And it’s kinda heartbreaking that this might be the first time Millie has ever been valued for something outside of her natural killing ability (except for with Moxxie, who finds her assassin skills hot but that’s not why they got married), where she’s loved instead of feared.

Moxxie’s “not exactly low profile” comment is driven by jealousy, but he isn’t wrong. That’s right, folks, time once again for my steadily growing “IMP AND STOLAS ARE GOING TO HELL JAIL” theory! Because Millie does a good job of keeping her horns and tail covered, but her skin tone can’t be helped, and if there’s SOMEONE, like a SPECIALIZED DEMON-HUNTING HUMAN AGENCY, keeping tabs on stuff like this, Millie wouldn’t exactly slip through the radar. Especially since she’s not doing anything to change her face, and all of IMP’s faces are definitely known. Millerd trending as a week-long internet sensation and ending with what the humans think is an incestuous public sex romp is, uh…troubling. From an evidence standpoint. Not low-profile doesn’t really begin to cover it.

It is SO SAD that Moxxie and Millie are trying even though they both know a bigger fight is brewing. I mean, sad, but also…nice? It’s sad because dramatic irony, it’s not gonna work, but nice because even as they’re increasingly at odds with each other they’re still trying to support each other and talk through it rather than fighting. I just really like seeing more realistic relationship portrayals in media okay (and if not realistic, than at least…just better, y’know? Not resorting to tired comphet humor?).

…okay I’ve been hiding my face for WAY too many watchthroughs of this show, apparently even the first one, because HOW DID I MISS MOXXIE STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GODDAMN CAMPFIRE AND HALF MELTING OFF HIS MAKEUP AND FREAKING EVERYBODY THE EFF OUT?? Millie taking over with a sick banjo solo is practically damage control at that point.

“It’s just my time of the month!” “Honey…no.” UNDERRATED COMEDY. Period jokes are always funny, I don’t care who you are. (I do. They’re not. But this one is.)

Moxxie really is trying, too, but the fact that he keeps getting smacked down should clue him in at some point that the reason he’s having a hard time and Millie is having a good time is…maybe for a reason? Life doesn’t always work like that, and a lot of Moxxie’s problems that week aren’t his fault, but the fundamental issues are still there and haven’t been addressed or resolved: Moxxie needing control, Millie needing validation. And here we have the culmination of it all: Moxxie’s jealousy and frustration leading him to lash out, and Millie’s hurt finally getting her to take the kid gloves off and slap him with some cold hard reality. She isn’t mean about it, but it’s what he needs. And that prompts him to give her what she needs: some real, actual support, not just the screaming adoration of randos that are nice but don’t actually matter.

And a smash cut back to Blitzo threatening somebody ELSE in an alleyway—might be Lust? The dumpster isn’t lit up, but there are heart lights over the bars on the windows of whatever building they’re next to and puddles on the ground, so Lust is a good bet. Besides. Asmodean Crystal. Usually carried by Lust demons. Apparently in convenient butt plug shape that still somehow get lost up in the tailpipe.

…y’know. For how much he’s fucked up this episode. Moxxie knows how to make a grand romantic gesture when he needs to. Not just the public praise that nearly blows their cover, but ACTUALLY LISTENING TO MILLIE. That’s the real apology right there: letting go of his need to control. (Which is why Moxxie is a better person than his father will ever be, one of MANY MANY MANY reasons.)

…huh. Barbie calls him Blitz. I never picked up on that. So it’s just Verosika that calls him BlitzO and he doesn’t correct her on it. HOW VERY INTERESTING. (I mean kinda, Barb calls him BlitzO later in this same episode, but the fact that the first thing she calls him when she sees him in months, maybe even years, is his silent-O name is fascinating.)

…guys I’m too scared to google it, is H-8 a real thing or a Hell thing? There’s posters of it in the background of Hell at some point (forget where…might be in one of the upcoming episodes?), but. Uh. The fact that a drug that’s considered destructively addictive in HELL being called something that could be read as “hate” amuses me greatly, actually. Also “Fuck no, it’s just heroin.” “Oh thank Satan” is one of the funnier jokes in the show and we should all just admit that.

Putting Barb back in her demon form for her to go “Come on, BlitzO, haven’t you fucked my life up enough already?” is just…a low blow. Because the human disguise is great but her true form really hammers home that this is Blitzo’s twin sister, y’know? This is the same person with him on a poster declaring them the incredible imp twins. This is the same smiling little kid with him in a picture with his mom. How they got from there to here is…not something we know, but I hope we get to one day.

Putting Blitzo in the middle of Moxxie and Barb is just…messy and funny in a sad way, y’know? (And not just because Blitzo is the one that keeps getting hurt trying to stop them from hurting each other, right up until the moment when Barb is just strangling him as Moxxie advances on the target.) Because they need to finish the job to get paid and keep their business reputation up. But Barb having a stable job and staying out of rehab isn’t a small thing for her, either, so fucking that up would be a dick move. There’s no way to win for Blitzo here. Especially given that the game was rigged against him from the start: Barb doesn’t want to see him. Ever. EVER. And just like Fizz next episode, she touches him on the pendant that I think we are about to find out belonged to their mother, if we don’t know already. There’s more behind Barb and Blitzo’s fucked up relationship than we get to know here, but I also want to take Unhappy Campers and put it next to Oops and compare how while Blitzo doesn’t get to fix his relationship with Barb (and she’s definitely entitled to not wanting to fix it either, we don’t know everything that happened but I don’t think it’s just their mother’s death between them that’s rotten)…he DOES get to fix it with Fizz. Which is HUGE for him. And for Fizz, frankly!!

But more on that next episode! Right now we gotta cheer for Millie and her sick concert!

Only to look on in shock and horror as Millerd RealBoy and his weird gross sister Moxxine get it on in front of thousands of screaming people and their phones! (And they don’t show it, exactly, but the way clothes go flying…some stuff is about to get exposed and I do NOT mean their junk.)

Ah, that was fun. Still hoping that Millie gets something closer to a solo episode in the future (and the fact that she’s getting a solo episode with Blitzo and it’s the HALLOWEEN EPISODE?? HERE FOR IT READY FOR IT LET’S GOOOOOO—), but showing that even a “perfect” relationship like MnM’s still takes work is such a good thing to show, y’know?

ALRIGHT ENOUGH ABOUT THEM TIME FOR A DOUBLE SHOT OF FIZZAROLLI. LET’S GO FOLKS.

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S2E4

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Now, folks, I’m a gentle soul. I prefer comedies and romances to drama and angst. But. Every so often. Every now and then. I get a dark hunger for some whump (followed by comfort but lol this episode does not provide that service). And this episode? DELIVERS. HURT THE BELOVED BIRD MAN. HUMBLE HIM. WHEEEEE!

Anyway. S2E4 WESTERN ENERGY HERE WE COME.

“Where the poor pour for you” good GRIEF okay. Also I didn’t know imps came that tiny. Someone help them. And build a Zootopia-esque tiny town for them, if they don’t already have that.

I see divorce settlement negotiations are going well :P It’s so funny to see Stolas being openly petty and bitchy to Stella when Via isn’t caught in the immediate crossfire, because we see through flashbacks (so far) that he really, really didn’t talk back or question her much during their marriage (not never, just not much). This is “don’t you want to just go apeshit” at its most refined. And lol at Andrealphus trying to wrangle Stella; she’s many things but tame has never been one of them and if she wasn’t such an egregious abusive violent bastard it would be more impressive (and I have some Thoughts about her and places this personality trait of hers could go/mean if given proper development, but later in the episode).

Alright, Stolas’ notification that he has a meeting with Ozzie in three days. That puts a timeline on this thing that may become amended by Oops, because after what Stolas is about to go through, I’m not sure he’s able to keep that meeting; and Striker does say “had a royal on the ropes just last week,” and Fizzarolli schedules Stolas for a nooner, so maybe it did need to get rescheduled while Stolas recovered. Not for long, though; a week at most. I don’t know how long people are in the hospital for normally when they get the kind of treatment Stolas gets, but he spends three days to a week in recovery, then still has bandages by the time Full Moon rolls around (whenever it may be)—demonic resilience, even in the face of holy weapons. Also. Where the HECK does blessed rope come from?? (And on the subject of timing, Blitzo spends a week tracking his sister while Moxxie and Millie are working the camper job—does it take Stolas a full week to recover? The chronology is so tiresome to track sometimes.)

But anyway, back to Andrealphus and his stupid face and his transparent attempts at manipulation. He’s kinda bad at this when he doesn’t have any ammunition, but he IS related to Stella, so I wonder if they both compensate the lack of skillful manipulation with pure arrogance. And I do very much question if Stella is as stupid as Andrealphus clearly thinks and says she is, or if she just has different goals and motivations and isn’t inclined to share them. Reducing Stella to an empty-headed spoiled brat just feels wrong in a show (and, frankly, a universe) where nearly every character has SOME sort of hidden depths, even if they’re just hints.

Also: I notice that at this fancy tea place, it’s not just Goetians demons. I see other Hellborn there as well (the lady at the table Striker lands on looks like she’s a succubus shark with very lovely tail fins, good work on the genetic lottery, madam). Interestingly wide social strata. Also, just gonna go ahead and speculate about it here: it’s weird that every ring has localized demon strains, but Wrath’s imps and (I am assuming heavily here, since Bee is hound-shaped and also appears to be the beast tamer in Lucifer’s merry Hellish circus) Gluttony’s hellhounds are at the bottom of that heap. Succubi/incubi, sharks, baphomets, whatever Envy has (possessors, I’ve heard it said? Not in-show yet so idk but I’ll go with it for now), even sinners from Pride—why are they higher on the social ladder than imps and hellhounds? How did that come about?

Very interesting to me too that Striker is clearly not full-blooded imp (very sharky), but he identifies as an imp and also has some strong opinions on his own superiority to the rest of imp-kind. There is a parallel there to be drawn to the real world that I am unqualified to speak on and am going to back away slowly from, but it has been noticed. And it’s also noticed that Striker isn’t immune from the affliction of having deeper waters within, too. Dude has a backstory and I’d love to know it.

Striker is a damn good gunslinger, though, and that’s fun to watch.

Holy balls I finally found the frame with the higher-class demon (maybe lower-ranking Goetia? Given that she has pupils?) who has a purse imp. That is. Deeply uncomfortable, actually.

HA also found Striker’s wanted posters. “Preferably dead please” NICE

Such a change for how Blitzo answers the phone when Stolas calls this time, though. He might just be trying to keep calm and easy because Loona is so distressed, but I also like to think, given his reaction in a minute when he realizes how deep Stolas might actually be in it, that Blitzo might have cooled off slightly since Ozzie’s. They haven’t talked about their issues one jot, but time does tend to take the edge off certain wounds. Time, and having an adventure in the human world together involving their daughters, and maybe skipping a few full moons, it’s really unclear.

“What does he look like, your Highness?” “Hmm…sexy?” “That’s Striker, sir!” Never fails to make me laugh. Of COURSE that’s how they identify who’s got Stolas trussed up on the back of a horse XD Also, this episode is an important one not just for breaking everyone’s illusion about Stolas’ untouchable nature and power, but for breaking the last scrap of fantasy that Stolas is clinging to about the nature of his and Blitzo’s relationship. He isn’t taking this seriously yet, despite the blessed rope, and the fact that Stolas isn’t more worried makes me think he doesn’t know about the previous assassination attempt, because I think he’d be way more concerned if he remembered that this same guy tried to kill him with an angelic rifle. He might know. Because it would be just as in-character for Stolas to know but just shrug and move on because it’s not like anything happened, he’s fine, Striker didn’t get him and he hasn’t ever been seriously physically threatened before. This is another step in Stolas’ painful, painful growing up process. It hurts, but it’s shaping him into a demon who can maybe not just become better for Blitzo and for Octavia, but better for Hell in general. And by better, I mean more willing to look the social structure of it in the face and go “no, this sucks, actually.” Again, I don’t know that Helluva Boss proper is ever going to actually address and try to change these bigger social systems, because that’s a heavy and complicated topic, but providing fanon fodder to create those kinds of stories and fantasies for itself is not a worthless service either, actually.

And for folks who want to blame Blitzo for not coming himself, two things: one, Loona is and should be his priority and he isn’t wrong for that, especially given the suspicious difficulty in getting this necessary appointment (listen it COULD be Slothful negligence, but I think we all know there’s something a little more systemically classist, if not racist, about how it takes FIVE YEARS to get an appointment for a YEARLY SHOT that Loona NEEDS or she is vulnerable to a HORRIFIC DISEASE. If there are hellhound shelters, why aren’t there hellhound clinics with better supplies and this very important shot more readily available?). Two, Blitzo DOES start trying to get to Stolas. Look at the way he breaks the gear shift. Until Millie and Moxxie reassure Blitzo that they can handle this rescue mission, Blitzo is either gonna break the appointment to go handle it himself, or he’s gonna try to ram through this appointment as fast as possible to get to Stolas ASAP. He is trying. There’s so much going on. But Blitzo picks his priority, and he's absolutely right to do so. If Stolas and Blitzo ever discuss that, I doubt Stolas would ever blame him for it, even if he is still disappointed by Blitzo never showing up (necessary as it is to continue breaking these rosy glasses of his so he can more clearly see his reality).

It took me looking it up to finally realize that Striker has a different voice actor for this season. Dude does a good job; it’s close enough to Norman Reedus’ performance that I didn’t notice, but the deeper register does make him sound more dangerous. And sexy. Mustn’t forget sexy. I am fully in the camp that Stolas’ initial “Oh, shit” is because Striker giving off a sinister one-liner and crushing the phone is, in fact, hot. Not entirely negated by the fact that Stolas is finally being clued into the severity of his situation, either.

I genuinely have to wonder if cell phones in Hell are so cheaply replaced that you could probably get them from a vending machine, or if they have healing/regenerating capabilities somehow. That would be more interesting to get information on, actually, but it’s just a recurring gag, there will never be anything deeper there.

Blitzo checks in with MnM, but the fact that he both trusts them and can give them some quick instructions on where to start looking—he’s good at his job and he’s intelligent, okay, he’s SMART and I hope he KNOWS IT. His self-esteem might be in the toilet but I hope he at least knows how intelligent he is. And can we talk again about how Blitzo can spell out loud just fine? I thought maybe he just didn’t care to correct his texts (turned autocorrect off like a legend), but it’s his handwriting, too, that suffers from his horrendous spelling. Why is it that his writing spelling is bad but his spoken spelling is good? Continuity error? Funny bit? Actual medical reason?

Also. Why is titty-haver a recurring insult in this show? I can glean that it’s a flavor of sexism, but. Like. Never heard that one before. Why is it a go-to choice?? Just gonna file it along with “daddyfucker” and try to move on with my day, I guess.

Also, this scene is part of the reason why I spell it “Blitzo” and not “Blitz;” if Blitzo is constantly telling people the O is silent and Nurse Muffy here can’t find his name without that O at the end, then he clearly spells it with the O still (or he had to give his legal name when he made the appointment, but either way: the O is present even if it’s silent, and I’m still not going to hunt down that special character and train my devices to recognize it when we all know the O is silent, and this is the laziness molehill I’m dying on I guess). (I mean, besides, that slashed-O character is an actual character with an actual pronunciation, this is trying to use Cyrillic to spell out your edgy blog title with no regard for what the characters actually are or mean or sound like all over again XD)

I love that the “prick” comment is what causes Karen Fishbitch here to finally vocalize her displeasure instead of just throwing looks. That is so…White Middle Class Mom of her. To point out the most innocuous thing to get offended over. Ugh.

JOEL PEREZ DOES EXCELLENT IN THIS EPISODE OKAY. I didn’t realize he was the poncho-wearing singing imp AND the sleepy doctor but HE’S AMAZING OKAY.

Striker having a theme song that he has to beat off with a stick makes me giggle so hard. I feel like all this comedy is setting us up for something! Almost like it’s about to get really bad!

Cutting back to Blitzo, I love the little shows of optimism he still has now and then. He clearly offended this lady earlier, but he still tries to make conversation while they’re waiting. Just a decent thing to do. I do wanna talk briefly about the kid calling Blitzo a “fire-toad,” though, because that’s a new one. And given the very detailed shading on Blitzo’s frown, we know right away even before Karen says “it’s not polite to call them that to their face, honey” that what the kid just said was pretty offensive.

…and it DOES make me side-eye Ozzie calling Fizzarolli “Froggie,” just a little bit. It’s an adorable nickname. But if a slur for imps is fire-toad…it does give me some Questions. Might be a continuity error or just a terrible coincidence that I don’t think we’re gonna get any answers for (has this been brought up in a panel or anything?), and they’re different enough that I don’t think for a second Ozzie calls him that maliciously or even in a reclamation way. Fizz and Ozzie seem to have been together for long enough that if Fizz really didn’t like it, he wouldn’t tolerate it, so that’s what I’m gonna choose to trust for now.

“I am not from Wrath, bitch” THEN WHERE ARE YOU FROM. Pride is my guess, since that’s mostly where we see the circus, but watching this fish woman throw out racist comment after racist comment (and classist, too, get it all in there), it does make me wonder how many imps from other rings have to deal with the same exact thing. My guess is a lot. (And again begs the question that if imps are Wrath-native demons, how did they end up on the bottom of the totem pole? Especially when we now know Satan is a lava-bleeding brick shithouse with a hot voice??)

And gosh, look, homophobia from a bunch of biker cowboys now. This episode truly has it all!

(And, again, how hardy are imps?? Moxxie is stabbing that guy SO MANY TIMES in the background, good GRIEF—)

Nice to know that it isn’t just Blitzo who causes destruction everywhere he goes; all of IMP has that affliction :P

Stolas giving Striker so much sass is fun to watch, despite the classist undertones. “Your wife must really hate you.” “You have no idea” YEAH STOLAS GIVEN THAT THIS IS HIS SECOND MURDER ATTEMPT ON YOU SPECIFICALLY I THINK HE DOES KNOW. I would also really like to know where the giant statue with the unrealistically huge boner came from, actually. That’s a specific choice. I mean, all of his décor is, but Striker, why THAT??

The voice actor for Striker makes what I assume is a conscious decision with his voice when Striker snaps about how every ring can’t be some fancy city, when he talks about how some folks have everything they love taken away by royal demons. He’s angry, but there’s a note of…something…in his voice that I can’t find a word for. “Pleading” certainly isn’t it, “sad” maybe, “desperate” isn’t it but it’s in the neighborhood…I don’t know. It seems like he’s trying to get Stolas to understand Striker’s position, imps’ position in general. Which is odd given that he’s about to torture and kill him, and clearly doesn’t have any illusions about changing Stolas’ worldview in that time (or that it would even matter), but the slightly softer tone of voice is striking. Pun only a little bit intended. I don’t think that softness is for Stolas, but for his own loss. Which I want to know in all details now please yes. And even more than that, I want to know about the specific royal that fucked Striker over, and if they’re still out there. (Taking bets now that if it’s a royal we already know, it’s either Paimon, Andrealphus, or Vassago, simply because Vassago having a dark past element like that would be DELICIOUS.)

LET THE HURTING OF THE BIRD MAN BEGIN. I love that angelic steel has a sizzle to it when touching Stolas; really adds to the torture.

“All you royals ever do is try to talk over us!” Also specific and I don’t think to this particular situation. Striker doesn’t care that Stolas isn’t the one who fucked him over (presumably); Stolas being part of the class of demons that caused him so much hurt is enough. And this show is violent, but there’s something visceral about watching torture as opposed to Millie tearing through an entire crowd of sharks, something that hits different when watching Stolas’ blood spatter as Striker stomps on his stab wound. Stolas keeping up his fighting spirit and not begging or weeping is…complex, actually. Begging and weeping is a normal reaction, but one that audiences generally tend to read as weak (which is lame given that that’s how most of us would react tbh but we are talking about fiction I suppose), and since Stolas is meant to be a sympathetic character to us, it makes sense to skip that reaction for him. However. HOWEVER. There’s also context for why Stolas doesn’t react to physical pain in the way that Striker clearly wants him to.

The fact that he BARELY FLINCHES when he gets his FUCKING LEG SNAPPED? Hot, but also, “Blitzo handles me rougher than that in bed” I genuinely cannot tell if that’s taunting, or if he’s serious. It would not surprise me if he was serious, especially if higher-ranking demons have a healing factor (and I genuinely don’t remember if that’s fanon or canon, but the fact that Stolas and Blitzo both are surprised that Stolas can get hurt like this indicates to me that even if we don’t see a Goetia or a Sin instantly healing from a cut or anything that isn’t delivered by angelic steel, it’s a pretty solid theory to stand on). Then the stabbing into the broken leg, and “Blitzy’s knife is bigger, and hits so much deeper.” Again…making Striker angry on so many fronts and I respect the hell out of it: sexual overtones that will shortly be more explicitly shown to freak Striker out, lack of reaction to pain that Striker wants but isn’t getting, dismissing Striker entirely (and especially in favor of Blitzo, whom Striker has a little bit of a muddled past with)—this is a strong fucking reaction to torture that I fully believe only comes from prior conditioning. Now. Whether that means Stolas and Blitzo are into some very hardcore kink, Stolas is used to pain from other sources (Stella being the prime candidate), or some mixture of both…the implications of seeing a pampered prince not break under this kind of physical pressure are damn impressive for his character makeup and future arc. Physical pain is nothing to Stolas. Emotional pain, though…phew. He is not built for it. Which Striker attempts to hammer at too, starting with demeaning him, but Stolas is able to irritate him enough to buy himself some time. There’s the tear, which I believe is concession to the physical pain as well as the high emotions he’s operating under, but first round complete. Stolas is somehow holding his own despite being in a very bad place.

I also gotta question “you won’t be worth more than the tombstone you’ll be buried under” being met with “Blitzy says far dirtier things to me with much sharper objects at my throat.” Which. We don’t know if anything Stolas is saying is true (it might be), but Blitzo engaging in degradation/humiliation of that caliber and higher in bed begs some questions about Stolas’ social awareness. Questions that I’m content to let rest for now and see what the rest of season 2 brings, actually. I’ve already talked at length about how Stolas has his own internalized classism and racism that he needs to address, both for himself and for his relationship with Blitzo, so I’ll let it lie for now.

Still amazed that the same guy who voices Valentino of all bitches also voices this adorable sleepy little goat man doctor. THE RANGE. IT IS IMPRESSIVE.

Finally pausing to get a good look at Andrealphus’ Elsa Palace and…it really looks like it’s in a remote location of Pride, looking at the harsh landscape. I suppose Andrealphus just had to…Let It Go when he had this place built? :P (Let’s be real it was probably gifted to him.) Andrealphus’ existence as Stella’s brother raises SO MANY MORE questions for me, too. For a start, they’re two different birds, which I guess is okay since Paimon isn’t a bird at all and still produced Stolas (and Via is an owl rather than a swan, despite having some similar features). For another, Andrealphus has no pupils, like Stolas, and I wonder if the presence of pupils in a Goetia means something. Paimon had them, but he also has a malleable form. Stella has them, as does Octavia, but in the s2.5 trailer when we get shots of other non-bird Goetia members as well as Vassago, none of them have pupils, just solid red eyes like Stolas. In the book the Ars Goetia, Andrealphus is a marquis, ranked lower than Stolas (who is a prince); we can also assume Andrealphus is lower-ranked than Stolas because of Andrealphus listing off all of Stolas’ assets that they (he) would lose access to if Stolas were to be killed (rather than, say, stripped of and given somewhere else, since Via clearly isn’t ready to take her father’s place yet). Andrealphus having a very obvious and physical ability, though—that feels important, especially since Stella shows no such capacity.

Out of lack of ability…or lack of training? The Goetia being patriarchal is a huge possibility, though it hasn’t been outright stated yet (and it could just be coincidence based on the fact that there are way more male characters in the Hellaverse for some reason).

I love that they were just at a fancy tea place, and here Stella and Andrealphus are, drinking MORE TEA at his palace.

I’m gonna say this about Andrealphus’ treatment of Stella: while he does have absolutely flaming (icing??) homosexual energy…the things he says and the way he says them to Stella does come off as very uncomfortably close to incestuous. The more I think on it, the more I wonder if it’s Andrealphus mimicking an older family member or friend who treated Stella in a similar way to assuage her ego and keep her in line, since her temper has clearly been a problem since she was a child. “Silly minx,” “fiery vixen,” tipping her chin with a finger MULTIPLE times—absolutely YIKES behavior, especially from a clearly slimy and manipulative older brother. I suppose they could be adopted, or half-siblings, or even just with a significant age gap; we don’t know how old Andrealphus is compared to Stella. But even if his mannerisms towards her aren’t meant to imply something THAT gross, they’re still horrifically infantilizing and belittling. I don’t want to live in a world where Andrealphus is bringing a sexual element into interactions with his sister, so I will henceforth try to ignore it, but I won’t lie to you folks and say I don’t feel the discomfort or feel the vibe. (Also seems problematic to me to have a big brother character with gay-coded flamboyance also have incestuous tendencies, but the incest might be completely unintentional and just how it unfortunately came out looking. Maybe they’ll fix that in the future. Or maybe they won’t.)

Now, about Stella: she doesn’t seem afraid of Andrealphus, in fact bringing him up to Stolas as someone whose words she takes seriously. She listens to him, is guided by him, but there are some tiny hints and clues that suggest to me that Andrealphus is pretty good at corralling her, if he can’t contain her entirely. He’s fawning over her, gentle and indirect with his wording as he tries to guide Stella into a less rash course of action, until she seems to miss his point completely and then he snaps at her. Now. Does Stella actually miss his point? Or does she just not care? It seems even Andrealphus is taken aback by his own realization that Stolas’ stuff will all pass to Via. And it does not escape my notice that he calls her Via, not Octavia. Stella is unaffected by this assertion, happily living in her dream land where she doesn’t have to deal with Stolas anymore (and therefore gets to be a sexy widow and not a sexy divorcee, which might have a better social reflecting on her anyway, especially if she’s possibly going to get put back on the marriage market or even just search for a more suitable partner herself). She doesn’t care that Via will get all of his stuff. Does this mean she’s stupid and just didn’t realize it? I don’t think so. I think she’s secure in her knowledge that Via inheriting won’t budge her equilibrium. I don’t think Stella WANTS Stolas’ responsibilities and legions and powers. Andrealphus might, but Stella doesn’t. She likes to swan (lol) around being rich and pretty and throwing parties and not having an unsightly blight on her reputation like a boring husband who cheated on her with an imp and then divorced her.

Now. Andrealphus neglects to do something in this conversation that I find fascinating and may be more deeply indicative of how Stella feels about her daughter. At no point does Andrealphus admit the possibility of either manipulating/controlling Via once she gets Stolas’ position, or killing Via and inheriting that way. I don’t think this is because ANDREALPHUS gives two shits about his niece. I think it’s because STELLA might have one or two shits to give about her daughter—and Stella giving shits about something usually means screeching violence from her when threatened or insulted. I may be proved wrong in the upcoming episodes, but I think that with every horrible wretched action and word out of Stella’s mouth, it is suitably complex of her to still care in some capacity about Octavia. We DO NOT KNOW what their relationship is like, if Stella is neglectful or pushy or kind or cruel. We DO know Octavia cares about her mother, cares that Stolas doesn’t love Stella and is taking more time to fight back against her (though Via probably doesn’t see it as fighting back, just plain fighting, because I don’t think she fully understands how terrible Stella has been to him). Andrealphus not suggesting anything untoward happening to Via hints to me that he knows that would not be a productive route to take when trying to talk to Stella.

And Stella is the product of her upbringing just like Stolas: she’s been told all her life that she’s attractive and that’s her most useful quality, that she’s rich and that makes her better than everyone else, that her prettiness and richness are valuable, and hey maybe she’s stupid but at least she’s hot! Her temper is violent, and the fact that she goes to murder as a solution rather than trying to take him for everything he has in the divorce says something about her, too. If Via gets all of Stolas’ things, Stella is still going to be taken care of; she clearly expects her daughter to continue to care for her and maintain her, and if Via can’t or won’t, Andrealphus will. Wanting Stolas dead is about her pride, because how DARE he also be stuck in this boring as fuck and unhappy marriage and then try to get out of it? There is so much about Stella’s behavior that could hint at the ways she was belittled and molded into a seriously unhealthy shape by outside forces. It was her arranged marriage, too, it was her life decided for her from childhood too, it was her utility to produce an heir too. This doesn’t excuse her abuse, but guess what, abusers are also people and have complex motivations and often dark and hurtful pasts and those are important to examine too. Not because Stella’s actions aren’t her fault, but because when you have a female character in a show with a high ratio of non-female characters and she is the only living mother who gets any kind of regular screen time, you want her to have a little goddamn depth, dammit.

Exploring an abusive marriage where the wife is the abusive one is something that isn’t done enough in fiction, IMO; I don’t want apologetics for her, I want explanations. I want reasons. I want her to either be shown to be incapable of feeling conflict because of how badly she’s been screwed over and in turn has embraced her own awful behavior as a deeply maladaptive coping mechanism, or to go through some damn emotional conflict that won’t erase her mistreatment and abuse but will show that she isn’t a one-note harpy wife. Maybe she’s like this because she was made this way (and is too terrible a person to fix it which is absolutely on her but I think there’s blame to share for how she turned out this way in the first place). MAYBE I WANT STELLA TO STAB ANDREALPHUS THROUGH THE HEART WITH AN ANGELIC SPEAR WHEN HE GOES TO ATTACK STOLAS AND BLITZO LATER IN S2.5. MAYBE I WANT THAT.

ANYWAY.

“This kind of situation is extremely unique. A Goetia has never behaved like this before.” Alright I’m calling bullshit, but as I have said before, I do think the Goetia family is more than capable of covering up their scandals. Stolas being an odd duck (owl?) within his own family and thus his drama blowing up without anyone knowing it was coming because nobody bothers to check in on boring stuffy old Stolas (…still want to point out that he’s very young, especially for an immortal demon) is more likely, though.

And here we go, back to the Torturing Stolas channel, where Striker is getting tired of playing with his food and finally finds the ultimate weak point to press: Via. The fact that it makes Stolas go vengeful instead of tearful is another pillar to the STOLAS LOVES HIS DAUGHTER fact of the show. And the knife going all the way through this time makes me wonder if it’s going to have some long-term problems for him. He does have the arm bandage longer than any other bandage that we see, after all, even the broken and stabbed-up leg. I also really want to know what Stolas’ last words were trying to be. “Blitzo…will…” Blitzo will what? Come for him? Avenge him? And I love that Stolas wants his last words to be about Blitzo, not because he doesn’t love and isn’t thinking of Via, but because at this point, he’s already sworn to defend her (even if he really, really can’t), and keeping her out of the conversation is safer for her. Blitzo can handle himself. Via can’t, not against Striker. And Stolas already showed his hand by reacting so vehemently to Striker just mentioning her, so I have no doubt that if and when Striker comes back for Stolas or Blitzo in the future, Via is going to be playing some sort of role in that endeavor.

And not to drive home the point that Striker is poor AF despite being a highly successful assassin, but. Look at his flip phone. Look at the cute little charm on the flip phone. This dangerous violent man has a PHONE CHARM. What a DORK.

I also love that Stolas is so indignant at the idea of “we still need him alive to get some affairs in order.” He might just be reacting to Stella’s voice in general, now that he’s very clear that this whole thing was her doing, but. The AUDACITY of this bitch.

Who wants to bet Striker never got paid for this?

Now. The attempted eye-gouging. I’ve seen it floating around that “if you’re gonna threaten to blind a character, don’t be a coward and do it,” but. Come on. Let’s be a little practical, y’all: if they took any of Stolas’ eyes, they’d have to update the merch :P

THE FACT THAT THE IMP VAN BLASTS LA CUCARACHA. HELL YES.

Splicing the very real life-or-death battle with Striker with the still dangerous but more comedic battle of getting Loona her shot is such a good storytelling choice, actually. Cutting some of the tension while also making it that much more potent, especially as Moxxie and Millie start losing—cutting away from them right as they’re getting their asses handed to them to watch Blitzo getting HIS ass handed to him but in a less high-stakes way is maddening in the best way. Also: Striker’s face when the radio changes to something pop. Beautiful XD Damn this is a good fight scene though. Really showcases how skilled Striker is, because taking on Moxxie and Millie at the same time when they have very focused intent to kill is impressive.

…aaaaand Striker’s immediate discomfort at Moxxie’s unexpected sexual overtones wins me over again. The only sexual harassment I will allow: flustering the villain so the heroes can wreck his shit :P (Please know I am joking.) Tbh Striker has no room to talk, he is LITERALLY FUCKING DROOLING as he strangles Moxxie. This is clearly already kinda kinky for him. He just doesn’t want Moxxie to be into it (very “evil dentist from Little Shop of Horrors” of him).

I genuinely want to know how Striker keeps getting out of these situations. By all rights he should have been impaled on his own stone boner. Sigh. (And I cannot WAIT to see him come back after being burned alive; gonna be messy as HELL.)

Now here’s my question: how in the unholy heck are there so many reporters and paparazzi at the hospital already? I’m assuming Moxxie and Millie called ahead to make sure the hospital could get him taken care of ASAP as soon as they arrived, but what gossip mongers were crouched in wait for that? (Also, the doctors being plague doctor aesthetic: good stuff, very good stuff.) (IF STOLAS KEEPS CALLING THEM LITTLER ONES OR LITTLE CREATURES AFTER THIS ISNTEAD OF BY THEIR NAMES I’M RIOTING.)

And. The tail shot. And the surprise and vulnerability in Blitzo’s face and voice when he says “He can get hurt?”

BUCKLE UP BUTTERCUP YOU’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT ALL THE WAYS HE CAN GET HURT IN THE NEXT HALF OF THE SEASON.

I need a minute I am WEAK.

Nooooo twinkly pretty heartbreaking tune how DARE you make this moment where Stolas’ final hope of his fantasies playing out, even just this one time, dies even more tragic. It’s so SAD, IT’S SO SAD. IT’S SO NECESSARY BUT IT’S SO SAD. Let’s make it worse: there’s a game you can play with picking flower petals off a flower and you say “they love me, they love me not.” Whichever you say at the last petal is the universe’s answer to the question of whether or not your beloved loves you. (Please keep in mind this is horseshit as far as reflecting reality goes but it’s a pretty sort of ritual to play sometimes.) Stolas is in a hospital room surrounded by so many flowers they cover the floor. A petal falls…he loves me. Stolas gets a text from Blitzo, hoping he gets “bivver swoon.” Stolas smiles. Responds with thanks, and invites Blitzo to come see him at the hospital. Blitzo types…and never responds. A petal falls as Stolas’ smile fades. He loves me not. Stolas sets his phone down. He rolls over, and another petal falls on his phone. He loves me. Stolas nestles into his hospital bed in contemplation. A fourth petal falls…he loves me not. (Though we don’t know where that petal winds up, and it’s a “he loves me” petal that lands on his phone, so maybe????)

I’m FINE.

I’m so fine that I am going to now move on to the next episode and I don’t have to wait for my misty eyes to clear AT ALL.

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

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Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S2E3

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Second on this freight train I’m trying to keep rolling for tonight is a VERY good episode, Exes and Oohs! Not as much to chew on here as far as predicting future episodes and character arcs goes, but good at filling in some very disturbing gaps for Moxxie, so let’s go! (Spoiler alert: last one for tonight, I take way too long even when there's not as much theorizing to be done.)

S2E3, coming in hot!

Oooh, great, starting off strong with the fat jokes again. And reminding us that Moxxie is desperately insecure. Wheeeeee.

…why does Blitzo have a stone bust of himself?

Y’know what, stupid question, I rescind that.

Also, I wish more than anything that we got clear shots of the whiteboard, because of COURSE I want to know the Secret Lore of Blitzo’s horse OCs. Because I just paused before the helicopter rips their wall out and a corner of the whiteboard says “ALL ARE TRANS <3” and I kind of love that actually. GIVE US THE LORE SPINDLEHORSE.

I love that this episode gives us some information that’s either plotholes that the creation team very neatly sidesteps with a lucky technicality, or else was planned from the beginning and they gave themselves those technicalities for when folks brought it up. Moxxie says he was born in Wrath. Animation team says: he was! But he grew up in Greed! Which. Okay. Either y’all forgot you had him from Wrath (and had Fizzarolli introduce him as a little imp from the Wrath ring at Ozzie’s), or this really has been planned from the beginning and Moxxie is a hair away from being a liar. Which. Given his dad. I don’t blame him for that at all, actually.

(King Slut the Horse OC is bisexual, versatile, AND transphobic?? Despite also being trans?? The NERVE.)

How often do you think porn falls from the sky in Hell? Bc my bet would be Often.

So there’s loan sharks in Helluva Boss and in Hazbin Hotel. However, the sharks in HB are Hellborn and have horns, and the sharks in HH are sinners with no horns. There are sinners with horns, unfortunately, but do you know how much it would help my ability to tell sinners and Hellborn in Pride apart pre-bleeding if sinners just didn’t get horns????

So according to the wiki, imps originate from Wrath because they were created by Satan, but these Greed imps look pretty different in the horn region; the male banding isn’t as prominent (ALL ARE TRANS???), and a lot of them look the same but I think that’s just animation shortcuts. But it does open up an interesting discussion: Hellborn can interbreed, it seems, and imps can be found in just about every corner of Hell, but is there some divergent evolutionary traits from ring to ring? Especially when imps start breeding with other Hellborn demons? (…sidenote, but can hellhounds breed with anyone but hellhounds? Because that’s one hybrid I haven’t really noticed and I’m curious now.) (Yes I am now thinking about furry sharks shut up)

And here we get to meet Crimson, who either has very interesting eye scarring or very cool eye tattoos. Could go either way, in his line of work.

Do y’all think Moxxie and Millie eloped? Since we find out later this episode that Blitzo knew Moxxie after he adopted Loona but before they founded IMP (and presumably knew Millie afterwards, but it’s possible Blitzo could have known her before and gotten in touch when he had a job for her; we’ll hopefully find out later this season!!), but he doesn’t really remember their anniversary despite it only being one year ago, it makes me think Blitzo wasn’t there. And when Millie introduces Moxxie to her family it’s “you remember my husband,” as if they’d only met maybe once or twice before. And obviously Moxxie didn’t have any of his family members present. So. Did they have ANYONE there? Or just the two of them and the registrar? Bigger question: how common is bigamy in Hell???

The looks Crimson gets on his face when he’s faced with Blitzo and Millie’s separate aggression episodes really makes me laugh. Like. Wow he really had a script for how this was gonna go and they are not following it, huh?

…so Chaz. He exists. And provides some very funny comic relief, don’t get me wrong, but HECK he’s awful XD Also makes me curious about Millie’s backstory, which I am SURE WE ARE GETTING AT SOME POINT, because I doubt Chaz spent any time in Wrath and we know Millie left Wrath and was doing some sort of work before IMP (additional question: y’all think maybe Millie left Wrath because her violent skillset wasn’t as valuable there? More common among the neighbors, less high clientele willing to pay for bodyguarding or assassination?).

“Are you fucking kidding me? There’s someone who’s fucked BOTH of you?” And I’m sure we all heard the unspoken “AND IT ISN’T ME???” at the end of that sentence, Blitzo :P He has some wires crossed up there (down there?), but even his willingness to sleep with Chaz just to get that much closer to Moxxie and Millie is sweet, in the right light. The right, very, very generous light.

“Something about him that was magnetic” it’s the repression, Moxxie. Yours specifically.

HA Chaz’s painting of nude Moxxie has an arrow pointing to his junk and says “smaller than mine” WHY IS THAT FUNNY (hang on distracted by the cute little heart-shaped loops in Moxxie’s sock garters, please tell me that’s still part of his wardrobe). Also…yeah, at least as of five-ish years ago, Moxxie has no scars. That is very impressive, actually. MOXXIE IS GOOD AT HIS JOB OKAY.

Kinda hate how Chaz’s first reaction was to try and help, but once the gunshots started…nah. It turned out for the absolute best, got Moxxie out from under his dad and working with Blitzo instead (and eventually with Millie), but poor Moxxie. With his sad puppy sounds. I saw a theory somewhere that Millie is the one “babysitting” Loona (oh my WORD Blitzo she’s an adult you can’t just hire a babysitter for an adult—) and tbh I kinda like it; I’d always assumed Blitzo met Moxxie first but now I’m really starting to think that he met Millie first, actually. Also, the way Moxxie is heartbroken but he’s absolutely grinning at Blitzo like he’s the best thing Moxxie has ever seen—I love it and I want to cry. The friendship is so mutual.

So much of this episode wouldn’t have happened if Millie got to kill Chaz here, but it would have been SO FUNNY to see Crimson’s reaction. They should have let her do it.

The way Blitzo is keeping an eye on Moxxie here, though—Millie is keeping her sights on the threat, and of course she’s aware of Moxxie’s discomfort, but the way Blitzo is slowly putting the pieces together on his own is fabulous. Love how intelligent he is, despite how he can’t exit cars or windows without going face-first.

(…y’think that’s why Stolas is gonna teleport Blitzo outside in Full Moon? Both to get him out of that space quickly, and to make sure he goes safely? Probably not but I’m gonna cling to it anyway.)

Y’know. Crimson is very committed to the whole fish aesthetic. The plants in the house are coral, there are shark teeth everywhere, the motifs on the wallpaper are fish bones and kinda crab-shaped in places. Why???

…the Homestuck in me is seeing the hook through the tail of one of Crimson’s goons and it’s shaped JUST RIGHT to make me go “Kanaya??? Where is she????”

No, really, though, how did Chaz managed to pull one over on CRIMSON with a rented suit and a shitty car? You don’t stay a mafia don in Greed without being intelligent, I assume, and viciously so. However. The answer may be simpler than I thought when I first started typing: Chaz would be the perfect candidate to get Moxxie back into line, as far as Crimson is aware. Doesn’t matter if Chaz actually has money or not, because the goal is Moxxie’s compliance. He’s been gone for around five years, almost right after he was inducted into the family, and if Moxxie’s skills have grown since then, I can only imagine what they used to be (when he isn’t…y’know…fumbling grenades and panicking). Moxxie’s utility is less important than his relationship to Crimson and Crimson’s need to have every aspect of his life firmly in his control, however. If it was really about the money, Crimson could have married Chaz and then killed him to inherit it. Not that he would, since he’s a homophobic asswipe on top of being a controlling abusive father, but he COULD, if having Moxxie back wasn’t also so important.

(I love how Blitzo swaps it around to “horseless friend-fucker” because IT’S EVEN MORE TRUE)

The fact that Moxxie still has HOLDINGS in the organization…I wonder if Moxxie even knew that? Pretty sure he did. Pretty sure he might even care a little bit, if he can be outraged that Chaz is being brought into the family on a whim (not knowing about the marriage bit yet, of course). Looking at a post-IMP future, Moxxie replacing Crimson as a mob boss might be a pretty badass future for him, so long as he still has Millie and the ability to live his life how he wants.

The way Moxxie reacts…has Crimson ever hit him before? Somehow, I don’t think he has. I don’t think he NEEDED to; Moxxie was already plenty scared of him. Threats worked. Moxxie probably never stepped a toe out of line before he got arrested and then just never came back.

There is something so screamingly funny about a homophobic mob boss who is so desperate to have his son back under his thumb that not only does he manipulate the kid’s boss into showing up with said kid and kid’s wife in tow, not only does he kidnap his kid when stuff doesn’t go his way, but he ACTIVELY AND WILLINGLY places FUCKING DILDOS ALL THROUGHOUT HIS HOUSE AND YARD. Who does that? WHO DOES THAT??? WHY DOES HE DO THAT? THAT IS SUCH A STEP TOO FAR THAT HE DID NOT NEED TO DO AND IT IS SO FUNNY. (And so performative, too—not actually supportive, just aggressively seeming that way in a way that’s still really threatening.)

(I’m also only slightly disappointed that dicks in Hell are the same as dicks on Earth. Can’t all be tentabulges and nooks, I suppose :P)

Okay, and here’s the bit where so many people—even me at first—thought Moxxie was forced to kill his own mother. He isn’t, but I understand why people think that. Moxxie’s parents fight, Crimson shoves Mom in a closet of some kind (or just out of the room? Hard to say, but it looks like he’s locking her away), there’s a scene of Moxxie and Crimson alone at the dinner table, and then the boat scene. But even if you ignore that the tail pattern and horn pattern and height of the imp in the boat with Moxxie and Crimson is all wrong—and I WILL be posting screenshots bc I’m tired of arguing this—if Moxxie had killed his mother, there wouldn’t have been a separating scene of dinner without Mom to break up the action between Crimson fighting with her, and Moxxie helping with his first kill on the boat. Moxxie didn’t kill his mom. Crimson killed Moxxie’s mom. And then once her meddling and keeping Moxxie out of Crimson’s early training was over, Crimson took Moxxie to the place where he dumped her body and let Moxxie see Crimson’s handiwork. Which is still dark as fuck, but not as dark as Moxxie as a child being forced to kill his mother that he loved. We can all rest easy that at least Moxxie isn’t as fucked up as Blitzo :P

Moxxie’s mom’s horn and tail patterns (make sure to tap to view them to get the full picture):

The victim’s horn and tail patterns (same, get the full view):

Hhhhhgk Moxxie and Millie are so soft for each other and it makes me so weak. Not only that, but there’s such genuine TRUST there, which is so…stupidly refreshing, still, for an adult comedy show.

(The amount of times I’ve gotten Chaz’s stupid song stuck in my head should be a crime, actually. I am COMPLAINING.)

Moxxie crying so silently, though—pretty sure he learned that way too young and it hurts me.

Despite all that’s happening, though, Moxxie finding his backbone is highly gratifying, especially knowing how insecure and whiny he can be in the office at IMP. But just like Blitzo, when it matters, he digs down and finds a steel core and sets the rest of his bullshit aside to get the job done. It’s why they’re so in sync, why Blitzo says he’s hard on Moxxie but the two of them fight together really well when the chips are down. Also why I kinda think Blitzo might give Moxxie the company if he ever decides to retire, but eh. He’d probably give it to Moxxie and Millie both because they’re truly the best team-up.

(How upsetting is it to try and go to sleep with your shitty ex and your boss boning loudly on the other side of the wall though)

Using “down to clown” to BLITZO, though. The former clown. What the fuck. WHAT the fuck.

And despite Blitzo absolutely doing the sleazy thing and sleeping with Chaz…he’s also on the clock, just a bit. (Also also, knowing that bone motifs are a Mammon thing feels weird, but it does make me cackle to see the bone suit look showing up in s2.5 on Mammon himself.) And Blitzo spending the rest of the episode in his undies and in Chaz’s coat isn’t hot and at some times cute, shut up. (Not because it’s Chaz’s, but because it’s so massive on him.) AND THE FACT THAT CHAZ WROTE IT THE FUCK DOWN. IDIOT. But he DID get the drop on Blitzo, so maybe he’s not quite that stupid.

(The silent argument Chaz and Crimson have about which side of the table to be on. Just wonderful little details that I love about this show.)

It is CRIMINAL, in fact, that Moxxie gives such a good speech and threat, and then gets tasered and duct taped into submission. Listen. LISTEN. You’ll pry Millie’s incoming badassery out of my cold dead hands. But I hope sometime soon Moxxie gets to fuck up Crimson’s whole day on his own. Because he DESERVES IT.

The fact that the priest just doesn’t know what’s going on but is very suspicious of it. Good on you, Father Jaws or whatever your name is.

Blitzo flipping through radio stations BEFORE he puts his seat belt on. Too relatable. ALSO: all of the Helluva Boss music needs to be put somewhere where I can buy it, and if this Crashing a Fucking Wedding song isn’t on it, it will be WORTHLESS to me. I love this song so much.

“Buckle up, Millie! We’re doing a Shrek!” HOW TO TELL YOUR SHOW WAS MADE BY MILLENNIALS.

Ripping a person’s heart out with her teeth is the hottest thing Millie has ever done and it’s a CRIME her back was to the wedding altar when she did it. Also using Blitzo as a knife. Just. I love this scene so much. So bloody and violent, which normally isn’t my thing, but it feels so damn cathartic. Just. BEAUTIFUL.

Blitzo’s happy little dragon clown face when he hugs Moxxie and Millie is so symmetrically pleasing to my eyes. I don’t know why I like it so much. But it’s the same shape of his face when he leaps out of the water possessed in the Ghostfuckers part of the s2.5 trailer so BUCKLE UP ME I GUESS

I love that Crimson is going to be a recurring problem, but I am actually kinda sad Chaz won’t be.

Alright! That was fun! But the next episode is Western Energy, and it’s late, so gonna save that one for tomorrow and get fresh eyes on it. Because hOLY HELL.

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S2E1

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! We’re on the first half of season 2 for Helluva Boss, and the episodes have gotten longer this season, so I think I’m going to try just taking it an episode at a time like I did with Hazbin Hotel; them being longer means more stuff to chew on, after all!

Let’s do this, s2e1:

BABY STOLAS! BABY BLITZO AND BABY FIZZ! BABIES!!!

Thanks to Game Grumps, I know who Sam and Max are now, so the fact that Stolas has a little imp plush that looks like Max makes me giggle because I get that reference.

Alright moment to shout out the quality of the animation going up pretty drastically; it was already pretty dang good so the fact that it’s even BETTER makes me happy. Shoutout too to the butler; he’s very good at his job.

Paimon’s entire existence has…interesting implications. For a start, he doesn’t even have a solid form; I’m only convinced he looks like a bird because he’s spending time with one of his bird sons. And the fact that he has enough kids that he doesn’t KNOW which kid he’s interacting with until reminded…raises questions. Like. What’s Paimon’s rank? How many spouses does he have, to churn out so many kids he can’t keep them straight (or won’t keep them straight, more like)? What responsibilities does he have to the Goetia family? How long has he been a Goetia babymaker, apparently? Where’s Stolas’ mother? Or…additional parent? (I’m not entirely unconvinced that Paimon isn’t just spawning them from his own essence independently tbh, his form is malleable and takes on many different animal aspects.) How many siblings does Stolas have? Do all Goetia get purposes, or just high-ranking ones (because lord knows it seems like Stella and Andrealphus don’t have anything better to do than scheme for more power)? Does Stolas have Goetia siblings that aren’t birds, since Paimon himself isn’t truly a bird? QUESTIONS. I HAVE THEM. Okay, Paimon specifically says “which SON is this?” so…uh…does he even count his daughters? Does he HAVE daughters? (And children that are neither?) Is the Goetia family patriarchal and sexist?? Is that why Stella is the way she is? DAMN YOU VIV AND BRANDON PUT MORE GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE MAIN CAST. Anyway. Ahem.

Stolas is so excited, look at him. Look at his widdle face. Look at his big excited eyes. NOW LOOK AT HOW CRUSHED HE IS TO FIND OUT THE SECOND HALF OF THE DEAL. One: proof Stella was always like that, and Two: what do you want to bet the portrait was taken/painted after she was told about her engagement as well? Also I question the choice of sending along a picture of a kid strangling cute animals but this is a comedy show, I guess. Oof. Y’know what’s not a comedy? How Stolas does stop crying fairly quickly, but remains visibly miserable for nearly the entire duration of the circus.

I wonder who had the idea of assaulting the crowd with clowns first, Mammon or Cash.

BLITZO AND FIZZ BLITZO AND FIZZ BLITZO AND FIIIIIIIZZ. BABIES. SWEET BABIES.

Alright, pretty sure THIS was when it finally occurred to me what must have happened to make Fizz all white instead of red: seeing him as a kid without any white on him at all. Still didn’t know what happened, exactly, but it’s really chilling when that realization finally happens, that the white is scar tissue (and such extensive scarring, too). Also who voiced all these kids, they’re amazing and adorable.

Listen. LISTEN. Turning Stolitz into a version of childhood friends to lovers is the number one way to make me love them even more. Do you know how INSANE I am for childhood pining?? The answer is very. And I love that Stolas notices BLITZO. Even at this tender age, Blitzo is different, especially from Fizzarolli; Fizz is dressed better, looks the part better, can do the tricks, has the upper hand. But Blitzo is fearless and he’s creative and Stolas is just the right kind of sheltered and twisted to be into Blitzo’s kinda violent sense of humor. The ways that they are PERFECT for each other KILL ME.

Also the way that Fizzarolli swoops in to save the show and says “Hey everybody!” just like he does at Ozzie’s. Hhhhhhhhhhhh. (Also how did I never notice before that his horn stripes are mismatched just like his jester hats later)

I notice that Paimon doesn’t specify that he’s purchasing Blitzo for the day. There very much is no timetable discussed here. And the fact that Cash just DOES IT, would have sold Fizz for more but knows parting with Blitzo for chump change will pay out just as much in the end. Fucker. Then that asshole has the gall to ban Blitzo from seeing Fizz in the hospital later??? ARGH. Is this man still alive? Can we see someone punching his lights out just once?

Also, Cash’s voice. Can we talk about that? Who did that?? Why???

Listen these two asshat dads just did a bad, but also…was there really a need to vaporize half a tent to teleport out of there, Paimon?

I’ve said it already but let me say it again: whoever voiced the kids did PERFECT. Fizzarolli’s cute little giggles and Blitzo’s absolutely unhinged energy and Stolas’ little bitty hoity-toity accent. Aaaaaugh. Shows usually don’t give us this, it’s such a blessing. (Also why didn’t we get Barb tho)

(Maybe a continuity error, but the fact that Blitzo uses ketchup to represent blood instead of something darker…y’know…kinda unusual, for a Hellborn imp. But whatever, it’s adorable and I’m enjoying myself.)

I also love that Blitzo’s first reaction to being told he’s spending the day with a prince is “ew.” I hate that his first reaction to being told to steal is “what if I get caught” because that means this isn’t the first time Cash has made him do something like this. And if he’s worried about getting caught, that means it either almost happened or did happen in the past. Let Someone Punch Cash Buckzo 2k25. Surprisingly, though, for a shitty dad, the fact that Cash uses coercion and puppydog eyes to get his way with Blitzo instead of violence is actually refreshing. Though. Blitzo is already fully aware that his dad is a piece of shit, so helping him out…eh. Helping Mama, though? Yeah, that’s the correct button to push. I hope we actually get to meet an accurate version of her in Ghostfuckers and not a screwy nightmare version, because the way Blitzo in the future falls to pieces at her picture and the way even baby Blitzo wants to do everything to help her out means she meant a lot to him. And Blitzo doesn’t seem to trust or care easily even as a little kid.

STOLAS BOWS TO BLITZO EVEN WAY BACK WHEN. This information will never not destroy me, given how often Stolas does it to Blitzo in the present. Especially since Paimon immediately punishes him for it. And he still does it. Though, also interesting: Blitzo can see Paimon moving for Stolas before Stolas can, so Blitzo’s focus shifts there; his expression when Stolas gets hit is pretty shocked, too, an expression he only gets when the situation gets really dire for him. Hmm.

“I’m so good at daddying!” GO FUCK YOURSELF. Let Someone Punch Paimon Goetia 2k25.

Because Stolas is a kid who apologizes to his dad when his dad hits him, and he apologizes to Blitzo when Blitzo calls all of his books boring, he’s so sweet and so lonely someone help him.

Blitzo is already quite the little conman, though. That saddens me but also it’s nice to watch his budding strategic brain at work already.

Okay, here we go: “Is this an imp game?” That’s a fairly innocent question, especially from a kid, but it’s also a question that’s already loaded with class distinction. He might as well have asked “is this a commoner game,” because the tenor is the same. Stolas as a child gets a pass from me for his classism, because he literally does not know any better; even his imp butler constantly scolds him for behavior that is unbecoming for a Goetia. This isolation doesn’t improve even after meeting Blitzo again as adults, but I’ll talk more about that later, because there’s another layer to Stolas’ bigotry to examine and right now I’m in cute happy kid land.

Nooooo twinkly heartbreaking pretty tune, why are you heeeere, you make this sweet moment so much more bittersweet with your presence. Also if we get a reprise of this chandelier scene I might actually pass away.

Blitzo climbing a tree while Stolas reads a book. They’re so perfect. Y’know??

Alright, this little scene by the tree here: very packed with meaning, and foreshadowing too, I’d wager. I do notice that we don’t go much into Stolas’ duties with the grimoire as an adult (it would be cool AF to get into prophecy work one of these episodes), but the fact that Blitzo remembers all of this enough to plan a heist for it twenty-five years later is impressive (especially given what he goes through just ten short years later) (…wait a second…does that throw a wrench in my math…? Later, finish this tangent first). Stolas is excited, but unsure; it’s what he’s supposed to do, but there’s already something inside of him that feels discordant with that (with that, or with his impending marriage? Maybe both, since the two are likely intertwined given that they were introduced to him at the same time).

Blitzo, on the other hand, is gonna run his own circus (after a fashion lol) and be the most famous imp ever (YEAH I’M PRETTY SURE HE WILL BE ACTUALLY, he’s already making a name for himself and has interacted with one Deadly Sin so far, soon to be a second and a third later this season half. Plus there’s my ever-looming “IMP and Stolas Get in Legal Trouble” theory) and have an office (you go bb). The hiring of Stolas just feels like the next logical step, especially now that we have a pretty good indication that Stolas is about to be possibly stripped of his title and powers (if that’s what the trial/gathering in Pride and the altercation with Andrealphus means, anyway).

Happy childhood laughter…TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER.

(Alright, doing my math now: so Blitzo and Fizz haven’t seen each other in fifteen years. Presumably, I’ve been working under the assumption that they haven’t seen each other since the accident, and that the two of them and Stolas are the same age. But. There’s some…inconsistencies, if that’s true. I don’t think we get a number for what age Fizzarolli is turning on the explosive birthday, but he looks young; I think Blitzo still has his braces (which hurts me in a way I don’t know that I can articulate; that just feels so young and vulnerable still, for Blitzo to not only lose his mom but be blamed and also blame himself for losing his mom, blowing up his best friend, and burning down the circus). If we assume they’re ten on Stolas’ birthday, then twenty-five years later, they’re thirty-five. Fifteen years before that is twenty. That’s too old, or feels too old, anyway. Octavia was two years old the last time Blitzo and Fizz saw each other, since she’s seventeen; Stolas already being a father while Blitzo is in braces and the two of them being the same age feels like a stretch (though it COULD happen; adult braces are a thing). So either Stolas is older than the other two by at least a couple of years, or Blitzo and Fizz saw each other sometime after the accident. Which is possible, and certainly makes more sense as to why Fizz didn’t have some sort of trauma-induced explosion at Blitzo at Ozzie’s if that was the first time they’d seen each other since the accident. The math on this is all screwy; does anybody have a better resource on this?? Fizz and Blitzo being younger than Stolas would make sense…in fact, it’s the only thing that makes sense if the accident happened fifteen years ago. In order for Stolas to be 18 when Octavia is born, he has to be ten at this birthday at minimum. For Fizzarolli and Blitzo to still be teenagers ten years later, if we assume the accident was the last time they saw each other, they have to be 6-8 years old at most. And an eight-year-old and a ten-year-old can get along much better than a ten-year-old and a six-year-old (I work childcare, I know these things). So Stolas can be 35 while Blitzo and Fizz are 33. Wow. So many of my assumptions challenged by math. What a fun exercise these posts are.)

ANYWAY HALFWAY THROUGH THE EPISODE, one episode per post is looking more and more likely.

The differences in Stolas waking up as an adult versus a child are so stark. He groans instead of cheering, he drags himself around instead of bouncing. His hair just sort of falls into place after a brief tousle. And the Happy Pills, the most damning evidence of all. Because, uh. People who are happy with their lives don’t take antidepressants (or, rather, people who are happy with their lives don’t START taking antidepressants; people can be happy with their lives once stabilized on antidepressants). That is stupidly obvious but also, incredibly sad. And as I know I’ve mentioned before, to be a young immortal already on antidepressants because his life is so unfulfilling and miserable is upsetting.

I do wonder at how this episode would have gone if Stolas had seen Blitzo at the window at that point, though. Probably not much different.

Here’s another sad thing: Via looks so content in her sleep when Stolas checks on her before going to face Stella. I really, really hope we get an unfiltered look at Via and Stella’s relationship without Stolas, because Via’s reaction to their separation is not one of a kid who was fully aware of how unhappy her parents were together (how she wasn’t, I have no idea, because Stella doesn’t exactly hide her disdain in any way, shape, or form). Via does it without screaming but she does also blame Stolas for breaking their family, and does it the entire time we the audience know her. And in the s2.5 trailer, Via still blames Stolas for it, saying “You never loved Mother.” The fact that THAT is such a sticking point for her makes me think Stolas (and maybe Stella but I doubt it) was successful in creating a fantasy for Via where her parents were content enough, maybe even happy (at the very least, they didn’t hate each other, which was enough for Via even if she was already aware that they didn’t love each other).

We don’t know how Stella talks to Via. We don’t know how Stella talks about STOLAS to Via. We know how she talks about Stolas to her friends, to equals, but we have yet to see how Stella and Via treat each other at all, even in the new normal of screaming and throwing things. Via clearly doesn’t like that Stolas screams at her mother, even if it’s framed in the context of what Via really doesn’t like being Stolas forgetting about Via in favor of fighting with Stella or flirting with Blitzo. It is pretty damn well implied that Via thinks Stolas deserves to be screamed at and have his stuff thrown around for sleeping with someone else. “Maybe [I liked Loo Loo Land] back when my parents didn’t hate each other. And my dad didn’t flirt with some weird red dickhead all the time. I just want to go home. But home doesn’t even feel like home anymore. You ruined it.” “He’d rather spend his time just screaming at my mum.” “You never loved Mother, you don’t love me, you love HIM.” If anyone in this damn marriage is going to be accused of turning Via against one or the other, it had better be Stella turning her against Stolas, because the foundation work is already there (and the fucking messy part is that it’s partially Stolas’ own fault; he wanted to play happy families because it’s what was expected, and when he reached his breaking point, he had an affair and then flaunted that affair without talking about any of the other messy parts of himself that made it unbearable to exist in their previous life anymore. Via’s world is burning down around her, and Fuck You Dad for that).

(Disclaimer that I don’t think Stolas exactly deserves BLAME for it, because it’s an impossible and deeply unhappy situation created by others’ expectations being forced onto him, but we’re talking about Via’s point of view and she very explicitly blames her father for how miserable and tumultuous her home life is now, and she isn’t entirely wrong, even if she doesn’t have the whole picture. Hell, WE don’t have the whole picture; we don’t know if Stella going to strike Stolas is a recurring offense, or if this was the first time, but the casual way she goes about it and how surprised she was that Stolas caught her arm does make me think it happened before. And Via has NO IDEA about that if it happened, I’d bet money on it. For fuck’s sake, Stella SCREAMINGLY plans Stolas’ ASSASSINATION at the goddamned DINNER TABLE with Via RIGHT FUCKING THERE and Via has NO IDEA. Here’s something I want to see: Via getting the unvarnished truth about what her parents’ marriage was like, every messy detail, INCLUDING that her mother tried to kill her father TWICE now. Does he deserve that much, Via? Because I don’t think you think he does, even if you’re having a hard time accepting that the home life you knew was a lie. Heck. The home life she knew was a lie. No wonder she’s so messed up.)

ANYWAY.

Ugh seeing Stolas TRY to be friendly to Stella only to have his presence dismissed is just. AAAAUGH. How does Via not see this?? Stella isn’t exactly subtle! Though I suppose Via can be aware that her mother is a raging bitchface bitch while also harboring resentment towards her father for disrupting their equilibrium. Loona was right when she said it’s not as simple as that and this shit gets messy. It likely wouldn’t be this messy if Via didn’t love her mother, though. Which means there’s likely something there TO love, or at least care about. That’s a delicate path to tread, because children are conditioned to care about their parents even when those parents aren’t worth caring about, and we just don’t know what Via and Stella’s relationship is like enough to guess at how deeply Via is hurt on her mother’s behalf, and how much she knows about how her mother feels about her father. It feels incomprehensible that Via wouldn’t know, but keep in mind that we see Stella through Stolas’ eyes, not Via’s; to Stolas, she is unequivocally cruel and insulting and she hasn’t made any moves to hide it from him. Has she made moves to hide it from Via, though? We DON’T KNOW. Via isn’t at the “Not Divorced” party. She isn’t listening to her mother loudly and publicly trash Stolas in every way possible. It could very well be that in front of Via, Stella is better-behaved, and so Stella’s shows of rage post-affair are justified to Via. I’ve gone on this tangent for way too long but I’m just so enraged by it right now, and hoping that Via and Stella both get their screentime dues in s2.5 (or if not both, then definitely Via, because she matters more lol).

Good grief, though, back to the main event, which is Stolas meeting Blitzo for the first time in two and a half decades and that fantasy romantic streak coming in hard and heavy. “I will handle him accordingly” with the blush and the eyebrows EXCUSE YOU SIR.

The captions for Blitzo’s reaction to Stolas declaring “you were here to ravish me, weren’t you” is “Ew.” Which is hysterical, given that’s exactly what he said when he was a kid and forced to hang out with him, and incredibly sad because nobody wanting Stolas is the THEME OF HIS FUCKING LIFE. But Blitzo is a consummate performer and conman (he learned from the best, or at least the good enough); going along with Stolas’ ravishment fantasy is the easiest way to get what he wants, so he’ll do it. Blitzo, I will posit with my whole chest, doesn’t give two shits about Stolas very nearly this entire scene. He’s willing to work the connection, to lay it on thick, but he isn’t emotionally invested one jot until Stolas brings up how much it means to him that they’re friends. THAT, Blitzo can’t ignore, not at this point in his life, when he’s trashed just about every relationship he’s ever had. Having someone who looks at him like he hung the moon probably isn’t something even he can fully resist, especially not when he needs something from them and maybe it’ll go more smoothly after the fact if he rails Stolas into the mattress and leaves him with a positive impression even as Blitzo steals from him and illegally uses his grimoire to commit murder.

But there’s also a moment where things sort of clunk into place here—not a good place, but the place where their relationship starts that for me explains why Stolas thinks constantly calling Blitzo little and his plaything is cute, maybe even something Blitzo wants him to do (and heck, he might, in the bedroom, but we aren’t allowed in there to find out; however, context clues would imply that even in the bedroom, Blitzo probably doesn’t like being condescended to)—and that’s when Stolas thinks Blitzo wants him to be a loud, chatty, submissive bottom. Blitzo doesn’t exactly do anything to disabuse him of this notion, just sort of tolerates everything Stolas spits up at him, and with how sheltered and also up in his own ass Stolas is, I still genuinely don’t think he understands on a basic fundamental level that anything he says is a problem. How can he, when the guy he’s been demeaning won’t tell him that he’s being demeaned and literally no one else in his life could possibly offer him that context? (I will admit that if Stolas tried looking past his upbringing and seeing the world around him, he’d pick it up real quick, but that’s the thing, Stolas isn’t there yet. He hasn’t been broken down that far yet. I think he will be, though.)

Alright, stopping my own blathering enough to actually watch this scene, and can I say how impressive it is that Blitzo remembers the little eyes up top when he’s blindfolding Stolas? Mainly because I forget them constantly? Also tying Stolas up in the first place is hysterical, but I guess Blitzo doesn’t actually need to restrain him, just distract him for long enough for him to get out of there. Right before his own feels get hooked into this and he commits to “real fast.” Which is his downfall, really, but also the start of one of the most important and fulfilling relationships of his adult life. Also the most tempestuous and aggravating and dangerous. Blitzo doesn’t show his emotions, not anymore; they’re too dangerous for himself and others. But. There’s that selfie of himself and Stolas, quite possibly taken on this very night, where he looks so content, even happy, snuggled up to Stolas. Keep that in mind, because as we all know, a picture Blitzo takes while Stolas is asleep is just one piece of the puzzle.

The rest of the pieces are incoming, with Stolas’ own camera roll.

…sidenote, do y’all think Stella’s had affairs? Possibly a kinky threesome with the two friends she’s constantly talking to?

Aaaaand, here we are, fresh out of Ozzie’s, with Stolas still in his fancy suit and hungover from absinthe (which is a very strong alcohol, for those who aren’t aware; there’s a reason the serving imps brought it out with a tiny glass. Goetia resilience on display there). And his theme song is about to get words, oh nooooooo. Stolas goes through his third morning routine, doesn’t even fix himself up, just downs more Happy Pills than seem to be his recommended dose, then starts scrolling through his camera roll. In every picture of Blitzo, he looks bored at best, annoyed at worst. And this is the moment, the breaking point—the fantasy has finally fallen away. Stolas might be in love, but they aren’t together. This isn’t a relationship. It’s a comfortable lie, something unbalanced and slowly killing them both just as surely as Stolas’ marriage was killing him.

And that’s why it’s so significant to me to look at the timeline here; it’s easy to forget that these events are happening so quickly, what with the lengthy release schedule, but this is the morning after Ozzie’s, and now Stolas is looking into Asmodean Crystals, looking to give Blitzo an out, because he understands now—or, at least, he understands better than he did before. He noticed the grimoire missing right before Blitzo bit him all that time ago on their first night together; he certainly noticed it missing afterwards. He let Blitzo keep it, maybe had one or two conversations about it, and then the series practically opens up with Stolas proposing they start sleeping together so they can both get the grimoire and sexual gratification from each other. Maybe because Stolas was fluttery and happy about finally being with his first-ever crush and friend, he thought it was the only way he could keep Blitzo close (because why would Blitzo stay with him otherwise if Stolas didn’t have anything more to offer than himself?). Blitzo agrees for his business, but he didn’t have to even start—didn’t even have to agree to the deal, either, could have asked Stolas if they could talk about it later because he was in the middle of getting shot and kept putting him off. Blitzo doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do (or so he projects). Stolas has had an entire life of doing what he didn’t want to do.

Only now here they are, in a tangled web of their own joint making that’s going to break some things before they can set it straight. But Stolas taking the first steps to even out the score? HUGE. Significant, because he’s the one with the most power, literally and figuratively. Stolas didn’t have to do this. He could have kept Blitzo on a leash if he wanted to. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t WANT that kind of relationship with Blitzo. He doesn’t just desire Blitzo, he loves him, wants what’s best for him and wants Blitzo to have what Blitzo wants as well as needs. Stolas wouldn’t have given him so many outs from their full moon rendezvous if he didn’t care about Blitzo having a choice. This is just the next logical step to Stolas escaping his own fantasies and coming into the real world.

(I have a feeling Stolas Sings here has some thematic elements tying it to Just Look My Way, but I refuse to watch that music video more than the two or three times I did when I first discovered it back in February; I want it to punch me in the mouth in its full context, so I’ll just take mental note of what I’m seeing in this particular musical number so I can make the comparison later.)

“It’s annoying to hear you screeching your silly woes all the time” says the woman incapable of lowering her voice when talking about how boring and stuffy her husband is and mocking him to everyone she knows.

Unreliable narrators are a fact of life; we’re all unreliable narrators in our own ways. But when Stolas says he tried so many years to make it comfortable for both of them to have this family, for Octavia to grow up with a normal life, there’s evidence to back him up, to show that he isn’t just talking out his ass. Stolas waking up to Via’s crying and informing Stella of it, only for Stella to push it off onto him. Stolas attempting to greet his wife in the morning as he gets himself coffee, only for her to turn her back to him and ignore him and keep trash-talking him on the phone. Via’s simmering anger at the turn her life has taken now that her parents are actively hostile towards each other and not just barely tolerating each other for her sake. And Stolas says he didn’t hurt Stella, which is sort of true; he didn’t betray her trust. What he did was hurt her reputation, make her a laughingstock and a figure of pity. Stolas Goetia’s beautiful wife, so pretty but apparently not enough for her aberrant husband, who fucked an imp of all creatures. We never see anybody else judging Stella for it (or, like, talking about it at all?), but the way she acts, you’d think she’d been shunned from every noble tea party in the entire Pride ring and had her shoes spit on. Image is everything for her, but her reaction is certainly winning her no favors, either (and even her ass of a brother knows it).

Fascinating, too, at how Stolas’ firmness implies that Stella’s been dragging her feet at the divorce when it’s been months since Stolas first slept with Blitzo right after their “not divorced” party. Not out of any desire to make the marriage work, but just to torture Stolas. Just to hold that over his head. Bitch.

Alright, the body language here really does imply that Stella’s hit him before. I was already comfortable living with that assertion, but studying the animation now…yeah, absolutely not the first time she’s gotten in his face, raised her hand to him, threatened him with what the rest of the Goetia family will think and ESPECIALLY her brother (whom I’m willing to bet Stolas only tolerated because he was trying to appease Stella). And Stella might actually be stupid, might actually not care enough to regulate her reactions and behaviors towards Stolas in front of Octavia, but I don’t think she’s dumb enough to hit him in front of her. …not yet, anyway. Rile her up enough and she might. But again, we don’t know what Stella and Via’s relationship is like. But we DO know what Octavia and Stolas’ relationship is like, and I doubt Via would let it go if her dad was seriously hurt. (Which makes me really wonder if Stolas ever told Via he was in the hospital. I can see him hiding it from her to try and keep the peace.)

Stella’s choice of words here is interesting, too. “Traitorous embarrassment.” Is she just referring to the fact that he cheated…or that he cheated with an imp specifically? “And I know you’ll pay for it” because she’s so self-assured that the other Goetia family members will back her over him? It’s possible, but the only other Goetia we know of now is Andrealphus, who of course sides with Stella anyway. For all we know, they’re in the minority, but Andrealphus does make it a point to say that no Goetia has ever acted as Stolas has before (which…if the family is that big and old…I doubt it. But I don’t doubt the family’s ability to cover up a scandal before it reaches the proportions that Stolas and Stella’s divorce is about to reach).

But Stolas managed to stand up for himself, for his OWN sake, and that’s not a victory to be taken lightly for a man in an abusive marriage. But it doesn’t assuage the other matter weighing on his heart and soul. It’s fine. Full Moon is coming.

…Paimon and Cash had the same voice actor? Okay…that somehow makes more sense, why Cash’s voice sounds like that.

…yeah, these season 2 episodes are gonna have to be done on their own. Especially since every single one of them is an absolute banger. But that means this one is done! And we get to jump into Via’s head next episode and maybe relieve some of this tension I’m constantly living with trying to understand how Stella can be such a raging horrible person and yet Via still defends her! (To a point; there is a pattern where Via gets angry about something only to reveal she’s actually upset about something else, but! Next episode!!)

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E5 and S1E6

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Here we have the episode that convinced me to just watch one more…and the episode that finally got me hooked. And boy am I glad it did, because otherwise I’d be a complete emotional wreck over another favorite and worthy series getting canceled after a phenomenal second season (THANKS HBO MAX OR WHATEVER YOU ARE NOW). Instead, I get to transfer that emotional intensity to something else that’s also gonna rip my heart out at some point during this, the month of my birth! Yay me!

Anyway, here’s e5 of Helluva Boss:

The casual ease and intimacy that Blitzo and Stolas have at this point makes me very happy, because lord knows they aren’t really there emotionally but at least the foundation is there. I do have a few questions. All of them are about Blitzo’s little vest.

Hang on just. Need a moment to compose myself over Stolas being adorable.

(In between whiplash of him being very infantilizing towards Blitzo, but as will become more clear in a later episode…I really don’t think he knows what he’s doing when he talks like that. He might think it’s cute. The fact that Blitzo clearly doesn’t like it should maybe lead him to reevaluate his definition of cutesy talk for them, but also maybe someone should…tell him?? Outright? Bluntly? Idk.)

I love how normal (comparatively) Millie’s family is compared to the outright train wreck everybody else’s families are. Maybe stable is more the correct word? Either way, it’s a nice change. Would be super nice if Millie’s family could be about Millie and not about Moxxie’s inadequacy issues but eh. I have hope for Millie getting her fair shake (or a more fair shake than she’s currently got) later on.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize Striker is part shark demon. Like. MANY watchthroughs. It’s obvious now but WOW.

It’s interesting to me how Striker is pretty obviously cultivating a chemistry with Blitzo this entire episode, but future episodes hinge on taking advantage of his discomfort with being sexualized. So he’s okay when he’s the one doing it, but not it being done to him. Which is normal and fair, but it does make me wonder if it’s because he holds some modicum of respect for Blitzo and zero for Moxxie and Fizz. And it’s a chemistry that continues into future encounters, at least on some level (his lack of protest at Blitzo telling him “don’t you dare talk sexy to me,” mostly). The sex would be hot, but at this point, it would definitely end with one or more throats torn out, so maybe it’s for the best their UST remains U.

The thing about this episode is, too, that Moxxie being good at guns (like INSANELY good, the fact that that man doesn’t have a visible scar on him might mean he’s a cupcake but also could be a damn good testament to his skills) is such a valuable skill and he knows it’s valuable, but…hard to remember that value when you’re a fish being told to climb a tree, yknow? (I could also complain about the types of guns Moxxie uses and the kickback generated by them and how solid he’d have to be to make the kind of insane shots he does with them, but this is a cartoon about imps in Hell; I’ll leave it be.) Like. If they let him, he probably could have gotten the hog through the eye or in a sensitive underbelly area, but forcing him to do it their way, a way he isn’t prepped for…problems, man. At least Blitzo is being supportive. Because he’s entertained beyond reason and wants this to continue but still :P

Y’know, if the audience hadn’t picked up by now that calling imps little is rude…the way Striker does it to Moxxie in this episode should be pretty obvious about it. I mean, it’s also obvious in the Spring Broken episode when one of the succubi calls Moxxie “widdle” and he asks her not to condescend to him, but it’s piling onto the mounting evidence, at least. And (maybe) unlike Stolas, Striker knows exactly what he’s doing when he calls Moxxie little. (SERIOUSLY Stolas calls an entire town of imps “tiny” to their very unimpressed faces, it’s getting harder to believe that he’s not being deliberately demeaning about it. I still stand by careless cluelessness, but good GRIEF dude.)

Striker kicking away a screaming fan…yeah, he doesn’t like being hit on at all. Seems very much like he’s only into it when he’s initiating. Plus he’s pretty discriminatory towards smaller run of the mill imps, so. There’s that.

This episode was released three years ago, but it’s nice to hear Carmine brought up in Helluva Boss; really makes HB and Hazbin Hotel feel more connected and the Hellaverse as a whole feel more cohesive.

At some point we need to discuss how hardy imps are, because Millie stabs Striker five times and he’s still strong enough to take them both out and go toe to toe with Blitzo later. Not to mention all the near-death brushes Striker has in later episodes. Also, I didn’t notice until just now, but it looks like Striker breaks Millie’s arm so the bones are sticking through? Holy hell I’ve watched this series so many times and I never saw that until just now. Heck. Anyway, Millie being incapacitated by a very broken arm AND a bear trap makes more sense than just the bear trap. There are bones sticking through that woman’s skin. Sturdy bitch indeed.

(It’s funny to me now that the full family name is the Ars Goetia, after the demonology book, because what “ars goetia” actually means is something closer to “the art of witchcraft.” Still badass, still very funny to me that the name of the most powerful demon family in Hell is akin to “the art of cooking.” Also funny to me: that I’ve had a shirt with Stolas’ sigil and the classical illustration of him for years before watching this show.)

Hang on gotta watch the Striker and Blitzo confrontation, because Striker framing it like a seduction is a very specific tactic he doesn’t use on anyone else. And the lighting for this scene is so interesting too—it’s like the reverse of Stolas’ rescue in the next episode, both color-wise and situation-wise (Blitzo has red sclera with white irises in this episode, and white sclera with red irises in the next; Blitzo is saving Stolas this episode, and Stolas saves Blitzo next episode). Also…“slaying Overlords.” That’s a specific sort of enticement. Makes me wonder how much Overlords are actually a problem for imps (comparatively; they’re lowest on the hellish food chain everywhere, but Overlords only have reach in one specific ring because they’re souped-up sinners), or if Striker is specifically talking about Overlords because Blitzo is living in Pride right now and deals with sinners a lot. Also, notice the roots and eyes motif on the walls of the room as Striker approaches. Could just be ambience. Could be a clue as to who Striker is ultimately loyal to, or could be working for one day (would Roo even want anything to do with imps? Does she care? Is all evil under her purview, or just dark enough acts of it?).

It also strikes me how much this encounter gets to Blitzo; he’s loyal to the core to Moxxie and Millie, and has some loyalties to Stolas even if it doesn’t run as deep yet, but Striker shows up in his hallucination next episode for a reason. Blitzo is gulping and looking shaky during the entire pitch for a reason. Striker really got to him here. And I think he really did consider it. If Striker hadn’t attacked Moxxie and Millie first…who knows?

(I wonder if Stolas knows about this attempt on his life. He doesn’t seem to, tbh.)

(Daddyfucker is such a specific insult, Blitzo, what on earth XD)

This might be one of my favorite lines of Moxxie’s, just based on delivery alone. He’s never sounded so mobster in his entire life.

I do have to wonder if Loona and Blitzo had a discussion about when he’s calling because he’s an idiot or when he’s calling because he really needs the help, because Loona doesn’t hesitate to close the portal next episode when he tells her to. Which might be progress? Hard to say. A whistle isn’t exactly good for conveying urgency.

Stella planning Stolas’ death, and not quietly, at the dinner table while Via has her headphones on and Stolas isn’t paying a lick of attention is hilarious and also sad. Idk. I still think Stella can be horrible while also having more depth of character. I’d like to see that one day.

Alright enough of this honkytonk, time to move on to the main event!!

EPISODE SIX: TRUTH SEEKERS, HERE WE GOOO!

Yes this is my favorite episode shut up.

Alright, the fact that DHORKS has so much footage of IMP’s exploits on Earth is really adding fuel to the fire of my “IMP is in serious legal trouble and soon” theory. Also I very much want to know when the boba and horse paddock incident happened.

Blitzo protects his people. I remember watching the first time and being intrigued by how serious Blitzo was being, how he orders the portal closed and then takes off with Moxxie without even insulting him. Dude cares. And has the constitution of an ox (WHY exactly was he strapped nipple-first to a car battery??).

This entire interrogation scene is priceless. Every second, sheer gold. “I’m a Virgo” took me out at the knees the first time. I’m pretty sure that was the second I realized I was in it for the long haul. Everything after that was just icing on the cake.

And also: Loona and Millie episode one day please yes?

“Truth Bomb” was about the moment my feral little goblin brain sunk her teeth in and refused to let go for love or money. Because while the first five episodes were entertaining, they felt empty right up until this moment, when my blindness was revealed to me and the careful foundation-laying was rewarded with these beautiful, weird truth serum hallucinations. Nonstop slapstick violence and carnage and dirty jokes? Eh. The emotionally constipated protagonist is forced to be truthful with himself and his employee whom he argues with constantly? YES PLEASE. And they are APOLOGIZING for their hurtful opinions when normally they would not?? YEEEEESSSSS. LET’S PEEL THESE BOYS’ BRAINS AND HEARTS OPEN AND SEE WHAT’S INSIDE. I WISH TO FEAST.

“Because you, my precious little bitch-boy, are tripping balls” is a scene snippet I have shown two separate people without explanation or context, and their laughter fuels me. Also, if we have Word of God that the boys never entered each other’s hallucinations, nobody tell me, because I’m living in “no really they were in each other’s hallucinations” land until the day I die. I love that Moxxie’s, while adorable, is still fairly surface-level, because Blitzo’s is a multi-layered mindfuck that I’m still trying to wrap my head around.

But I can sure try! First things first: funny rubberhose clown Blitzo. Blitzo grew up in a circus and that came with its fair share of traumas even before he set the thing on fire, but seeing himself as a failed clown is part of the core of his identity. He has four flying goo monsters. One of them is Moxxie, who materializes as a doodle of himself (notably, one of Blitzo’s doodles) and switches back and forth between himself and his doodle form as he berates Blitzo in overly formal language. His color is red. This is the second time we’re shown Blitzo’s hearing shorting out when Moxxie starts monologuing; the first was in Spring Broken. Moxxie being a goo monster at all might be to justify his presence in the hallucination since he’s also in the real world room with Blitzo, but he’s part of a group of people that Blitzo seems to feel guilty about in some capacity. Moxxie monologues…and the rest of Blitzo’s guilt pack is circling. Uh-oh.

(Moxxie’s song and his monologue in Blitzo’s hallucination flow pretty seamlessly into each other, which is another reason why y’all will pry “no they’re really in each other’s hallucinations” out of my cold dead hands.)

The brown goo monster is Striker, who highlights that Blitzo doesn’t want to do things alone even though (he thinks) he can. Striker is an interesting choice of person to include in all of this, but remember how a few paragraphs ago I said Striker really got to him? I mean he REALLY got to him. Showing up in his subconscious as a manifestation of his own insecurity about working alone kind of got to him. Striker’s offer was a partnership, and the attraction between them means it could have been both a lucrative one and a fulfilling one—sexually if not emotionally. Blitzo is crushingly lonely. Turning Striker down was the right call for the safety of his existing connections but I imagine it was still hard on some level. Case in point: Striker being here in the first place.

Then there’s Fizzarolli as the grey/black ooze, looking just as rubberhose as Blitzo but, like, more so, thanks to the coloring and the jester theme. And what he contributes to the conversation (“You tried the solo act; it didn’t turn out so well”) made me wonder if it was real Fizz or roboFizz, since Blitzo had a contentious history with the Loo Loo Land Fizzbot. I think it’s the OG Fizz, though, because there’s obviously way more unresolved trauma with the real thing than the robot. And Fizz throwing Blitzo around makes sense, even if it hasn’t happened in real life yet (side note that Fizz handles seeing Blitzo for the first time in fifteen years way better than most people would have, actually; the second time is closer to what I would expect, but that’s the difference of having the power of a microphone and a stage, I guess).

And the last goo monster, pretty in pink Verosika, whose presence here indicates that yeah, Blitzo is still really messed up by that relationship and how badly he handled it, and her words being how he pushes away those who try to care about him until they resent him is the core of their embittered relationship now. Yeah, she hates him so much because she cared so much and he left and used her in a pretty bad way. Again, I am positive that Verosika isn’t innocent in the mess they made, but just based on the information we have, Blitzo feels guilty about it, and he has a reason to be.

Now, the more esoteric part of the hallucination: the staircase. Covered in black goo that is being purified by golden feathers, ascending to Stolas, who is regal and commanding…fairly straightforward so far? Stolas is a royal, so staircase, ascending the social ladder. The goo: Blitzo’s self-worth issues. The golden feathers: Stolas’ love? Blitzo’s love? Their situation in general? Unclear. But the way the feathers clean up the goo…makes me think it’s their relationship, not just one or the other’s feelings. I’m gonna try to stick with that interpretation and see where it goes. So Blitzo sees Stolas, and instead of making a run for it like he seems to be trying to do in real life all the time…he starts crawling towards him. The feathers turn into shackles that in turn clear Blitzo not just of the goo, but of the clownification, until he’s himself, just…with a chain. The use of chains and shackles in the Hellaverse has specific connotations depending on the show; I don’t think these metaphorical chains mean the same thing the Overlord contract chains do, but they could be on a similar wavelength. Blitzo wants Stolas, but feels unable to accept him and any feelings either of them might be having without some form of coercion. He likes it, but he’s conflicted about it. He wants, but he shouldn’t. The deal between them is convenient, because it gets them both what they want, but even a relationship with Stolas (uneven as it is right now) can’t save Blitzo from himself and his issues. It can get him the intimacy he craves with the distance he thinks he needs, but it’s unbalanced. Even at this point Blitzo knows it (and of course he’d be more conscious of the class differences between himself and Stolas; he’s the one on the bottom of the food chain, after all).

Alright Moxxie changing into a ballgown is one metaphor that’s lost on me, I’ll freely admit that.

Okay, now the scary part: Moxxie and Stolas melt away into golden goo, and then these characters’ actual voices start singing and shouting that he’s going to die alone, because up until this point it’s been Blitzo’s own voice (or, rather, Brandon Rogers) filling in for them (maybe even for Moxxie? I just realized that I really have no idea). Which makes that so much more tragic, actually, that for the most hurtful bits of this hallucination, it isn’t Blitzo’s own voice reflecting back at him, but the actual voices of the others he’s hurt. Now the goo and the feathers are a tornado with Blitzo caught in the middle, and the bit that I’m still struggling to understand somewhat: the golden feathers latch onto him, tie together his hands, seal his mouth shut, cover him from head to toe, until he finally rips free enough to start screaming. If the feathers still represent Blitzo and Stolas’ relationship…hmm. As their relationship is now, I can see it being one to start him on the path to healing (cleaning up the goo, turning him from clown BlitzO back to Blitzo as we know him), but its unbalanced and unhealthy nature is going to smother him unless he finds the strength to call for help, to fix it somehow? Is this anything? What exactly the feathers represent eludes me, but I think they’re open to multiple interpretations, really. The bottom line is that they go from helping to hurting. Much like the arrangement between Blitzo and Stolas. Blitzo is more than aware of how their arrangement helps and hurts him; he’s less aware of how it is for Stolas, because they don’t ever talk. (HEY FULL MOON CAN YOU FIX THAT)

Also that staticky scream is a Mood and I get it in my own head when I’m really frustrated and can’t do anything about it. Weirdly, it helps.

Anyway. “The world is your anus, so peg it with honesty” might be the greatest lyric ever sung. Bless.

This moment of pure emotional honesty between Blitzo and Moxxie, sober and in the waking world, is exactly the kind of thing I go a little rabid for. I love that this kind of thing is what Helluva Boss chooses to cut in with the comedy, because if Blitzo truly thought Moxxie was just a talentless baby-dicked troll, the show wouldn’t be compelling. There would be no depth to it. There’s context to why Blitzo is the way he is and says the things he says beyond shock comedic value. This was exactly the rug-pull I was looking for when I started the show. I love comedies, but I love comedies with heart. This right here? This is the heart. Blitzo and his loved ones and his failures and his triumphs. Blitzo and his merry pack of strays that he collects like a crazy cat lady (no seriously he adopted Loona from a shelter after everyone else had given up on her, he met Moxxie in jail after Moxxie’s lover abandoned him, and I’m willing to bet Blitzo poached Millie from a crappy job, but we’ll just have to wait and see!).

“You know my name. Use it.” Hhhggggg my hearrrrrt

AND WE AIN’T DONE YET, FOLKS. But first let’s settle in with some gratuitous violence.

The difference in how Blitzo treats Moxxie and how he treats Millie is pretty stark, too; he goes from hardass to team dad in an instant. And then straight to Team Daddy but do NOT tell him that, his ego is big enough. But to Blitzo, Moxxie has growing to do; Millie is already pretty secure and pretty skilled. We know that isn’t entirely true, but it’s nice to see Blitzo being supportive to his friends, alright.

I like how the lockdown button is just labeled “Red Button.” Yup. It sure is.

Do Hell’s cellphones not have flashlights? Like it would have ruined Stolas’ badass moment here but it’s just a quibble I have.

Damn this moment is so scary and so cool. And the orchestral version of Stolas’ song is so hauntingly appropriate.

BUT, to interrupt it with my ongoing “IMP is in deep legal doodoo” theory: Stolas summoning himself is probably how DHORKS (ps do we know what that acronym stands for???) makes their portal to get CHERUB to Hell. Which is why there’s a trial and Stolas is important in it. Because. Y’know. This whole. Thing. They have his sigil, they have footage of him, and in the long run I’m gonna go ahead and theorize that IMP and Blitzo are gonna be small fry compared to cooking Stolas’ goose, so to speak, because Stolas has at least two pissed off and relatively powerful enemies who could bend this turn of events to their advantage and take him down, and imps don’t matter. They’re collateral damage in the quest to ruin, disgrace, and maybe even end Stolas. But that doesn’t mean what IMP did doesn’t matter to the rest of Hell’s ruling class. Andrealphus and Stella are angling to take out Stolas, but in doing so, I’m pretty sure exposing IMP’s actions to the Sins is going to have some much more dangerous repercussions. (Or, to Satan, rather; Ozzie already knows and does not care, and in fact provides a way for IMP to continue on legally.)

“Luckily for you, most don’t believe the word of the demon-obsessed lunatics.” Until they get footage, funding, and a trio of vengeful cherubs. Just. Y’know. Gonna throw that out there. The fact that there are CONSEQUENCES is a fun one to play with and I’m here for it.

Okay and also THE SHOT OF STOLAS IS THE LAST ONE THAT STAYS UP AND IT STAYS UP THE LONGEST AND IT TURNS RED INSTEAD OF GREEN. STOLAS IS GOING TO BIRD JAIL FOLKS. WHOOPSIES.

Just gonna. Live in this Stolitz makeout session for a minute. Bask in it. Really take in all the details. Hee. Who knows when we’re gonna see another one! Ha! Ha ha! Ha!

Two more episodes to go in season 1 and then it’s on to season 2! Which might go back down to having one post per episode, since they’re longer; we’ll see how it goes. But thanks for sticking around for my deranged shouting and come back later for more!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E3 and S1E4

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Moving forward with Helluva Boss this evening, visiting s1e3 and s1e4. I’m on a timetable now, wanting to get these done before the new episode comes out, but since we don’t know when that will be…just gonna have to hope for the best!

Now, jumping into s1e3:

There’s a detail from last episode that I did forget to mention: in a letter that Fizzbot holds up saying Loo Loo Land isn’t copyright infringement, Mammon calls Lucifer “my friend and ruler,” so I guess my speculation on whether or not Lucifer was King of all of Hell or just of Pride in one of my Hazbin Hotel analysis posts can be put to rest! Lucifer is King of all of Hell and not just Pride, I can move on with my life.

Blitzo singing along to dad rock and forgetting half the words: the greatest Mood.

Blitzo and Verosika’s banter is…enlightening. Lots of little tidbits to pick up on. I am SO excited for the opportunity to get to know more details in Apology Tour (PLEASE), because while it’s grade-A vile bickering, it’s the venom and bitterness that drenches their every interaction that really shows that when things were good for them…they were probably really good. As my Hellaverse friend sagely told me, you don’t hate someone that much unless you loved them that much first. Verosika’s BlitzO tattoo isn’t obvious yet, but notice that she’s the only person in the entire show (except maybe Barbie?) whom Blitzo doesn’t correct on the silent O. His choice of opening salvo is petty and gross, just as we expect, but Verosika’s is biting and weird: “and I should have known you’d be here when I heard the Amber Alerts.” Some people have taken that to mean that maybe Blitzo wanted kids when they were together (which could be supported by his adoption of Loona and how he calls Octavia “sweetie” in the second episode, though outside of that there really isn’t much to go on for building a theory about Blitzo wanting explicitly to be a father), and this could also just be a very crass and demeaning joke about Blitzo’s character (calling him a child kidnapper at best, a pedophile at worst), but. I dunno. It’s the first unusual thing Verosika says, but not the last. The second happens at Ozzie’s so we’ll wait until then to get into it more, but here’s the point I’m driving at: Verosika was way more hurt by their breakup than Blitzo was, and she’s still hurt by it. I may posit, given that one of the upcoming episodes is literally named “Apology Tour,” that Verosika lacks closure from their train wreck of a relationship and Blitzo might need to apologize just as much as she needs to hear the apology. Not to say Blitzo is entirely at fault, because I’m sure she gave as good as she got, but she knows about Blitzo’s sister when none of the rest of IMP, not even Loona, seem to know about her (which is funny because there’s a giant poster of her in the office; it was there in the pilot episode so congrats folks this was always the plan, to bait people in with what I’m told is Invader Zim energy and then wallop us all with feels), she gets away with calling Blitzo by his full/former name, and she was clearly someone important enough to him that he still has pictures of from when they were together on his phone. He does feel BAD about how it went down, even if he won’t even admit it to himself.

And how did it all go down? Let’s listen in: “run off, leaving someone else to pay for the hotel room, steal their car and run three rings to Wrath and max HER credit cards on shitty horse-riding lessons.” Ouch. Let’s look at the layout of Hell, which we don’t know yet but will soon: Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth. Three rings away from Wrath? Lust. Not surprising, seeing as how Verosika is a succubus, but think about it. A relationship that is likely on the rocks (or, knowing Blitzo, maybe getting too serious and he’s uncomfortable either way), so they take a night in Lust at a hotel (maybe after a performance for Verosika?), and maybe whatever Blitzo was doing (I have seen here and there that he was doing bodyguard work for Verosika but I don’t know about that tbh, I’m willing to bet the flashback we get from s2.5 involving Millie and Blitzo fighting might give us some insight there but it’s likely Blitzo was either still working at Loo Loo Land or had just left it) would have allowed him to pay for the hotel room or at least help pay, and Verosika wakes up with him gone along with her car and her wallet. After she got a tattoo of the guy’s name on her arm. Verosika’s behavior towards him might lend some viewers to believe she deserved that, but I’m not so sure, actually; I don’t think she’d be so hurt and Blitzo would feel guilty about it if she fully deserved that kind of treatment. Yes, yes, this is Hell, everyone is shitty, but there’s something about that scenario that goes beyond shitty into just…ouch. Couple that with her Beezlejuice addiction and all of Blitzo’s fucking trauma…match made in Hell would be too cliché here, right? I’m probably better than that?

I’m not. Match made in Hell, indeed.

Dammit. The HR joke makes me laugh every time.

“I wasted so much time with a bag of holes like that.” So this was a relatively lengthy relationship, then. Making the whole…leaving and stealing thing…worse, actually. It feels less shitty somehow if it was a fling or a hookup, but something that dramatic probably only happens after a longer commitment and WOW I want to know all the details of that train wreck PLEASE VIV AND BRANDON PLEASE.

Side note that I have finally noticed the stickers on the back of the van, that’s ADORABLE Blitzo you absolute SAP.

Also Tex is too good for all of us. Appreciate him. Appreciate the HECK out of him.

(Blitzo protecting his employees because he cares about them, nbd, I’m sure this affliction won’t get any worse for him at all.)

(Blitzo having the exact same thought process I have when I realize I use the same notable words too close together and already posted something, it’s FINE)

There’s something about how the banter flows with Blitzo and Moxxie sometimes that makes me wonder if they improvise this stuff, at least in the writing stages, because “Why don’t YOU take an art class?” “Why don’t YOU see how EXPENSIVE they are?” kills me dead every single time. It’s just. It’s such beautifully comedic escalation into further absurdity. This show is poetry sometimes.

So I think it’s been confirmed that the scenes in the 2.5 trailer in a fancy Pride room with the Goetia and the Sins is a trial; there are little hints here and there that some sort of unrest is building, that Blitzo and IMP going topside is causing wider-spread issues that are slow-burning but there. I think this is the first episode where we lay the foundation work, beyond the actual first episode where Stolas reminds them that their use of his grimoire is technically illegal: not only is it illegal, but they’re supposed to be in human disguises on top of that. And they’re not supposed to be obvious about what they’re doing. Or causing giant fish monsters to grow out of the ocean and attack humans. It also makes me wonder if the killing of humans themselves is also illegal, but somehow I doubt that; I think they’re just supposed to not be obvious about it. Pretty sure this will be popping up more in future episodes, which I’ll list as they appear, but I think it’s a good bet that what IMP is doing is not just piddlingly illegal, but actually a big hecking deal.

Also a first showing of Blitzo’s surprisingly strategic and smart mind: they aren’t supposed to be seen, and loose shots will cause a panic. Sensible. Absolutely correct to use Loona as bait to lure away their targets. It becomes more and more obvious the longer the show goes on, but the ways Blitzo’s bizarre brain is actually kind of a genius at strategy and violence to get to his preferred outcome are both entertaining and gratifying to see. Until his care for Loona completely overrides his sense, but, y’know. Can’t win ‘em all, can’t fault Blitzo for being worried about her (especially when she has a YEARLY SHOT that she can get only EVERY FIVE YEARS, that feels AWFULLY POINTED, HEIRARCHY OF HELL).

And, yeah, Verosika has SO much room to be talking, when she’s throwing a flask of Beezlejuice into a crowd of humans, and from my understanding, that stuff is toxic to humans. The thing falling into the ocean and mutating a fish isn’t as discreet as humans dying from ODing on a hellish liquor, but it does seem more like giving them a fighting chance. Additional question: succubi and incubi (unsure if there’s a difference in the Hellaverse or not) in lore, to my memory, get something out of encouraging sexual appetites in humans and killing them for it, dragging their souls to Hell; at the very least, they feed off the sexual energy until they kill their host. What exactly is the succubi’s purpose in the Hellaverse? Because it doesn’t seem to be killing humans. And they’re adept at inspiring lust, but to what end? Probably doesn’t really matter, but I’m curious anyway. Wonder if it’s ever going to be explained (because much like the Envy demon who will be showing up in Ghostfuckers, I assume there is an actual reason for them doing what they do, and I wanna know why hanging around and messing with humans is so beneficial to them. Can’t be for their souls; all sinners go to Pride and they have their own issues to be dealing with, and it seems only sinners can own and barter souls anyway).

Listen, I know Blitzo isn’t nearly that awkward around other people, but something about Loona being so nervous around people and stumbling and being adorable (to us, at least) just screams “yeah this is Blitzo’s kid” to me, somehow. IDK why. Maybe the yearning for connection while being kinda hopeless at making any. Especially with each other. Though in a way, Blitzo managed to do exactly what he wanted: he made a stable, safe place for Loona. She relies on him, she cares about him, and while she’s closer to him than almost anyone else, she does have very much a kid’s view of their parent: he’s always fine, he’ll be okay. It was just a dumb fight. He’ll get over it. He’ll be there for her when she needs him (and often when she doesn’t). THAT’S FAMILY BAYBEEEEE.

(Heeee Drunk Possum Moxxie :D :D :D)

“Would be a shame if anyone found out y’all were behind a giant monster fish in the human world.” “Oh Satan! You’d all be so FUCKED!” …yeah that trial ain’t gonna be a good thing, is it, fam. My gut feeling that IMP, or at least Blitzo, is gonna be on trial for everything he’s doing in the human world continues to gain traction in my own head.

“Let’s get you some friends, girl.” TEX IS TOO GOOD FOR US.

Listen I’m more sensitive these days to fat jokes but sometimes…sometimes the fat jokes are just really funny. “Let’s go park our FAT FUCKIN CAR in our FAT FUCKIN SPACE” dammit why is that funny. Why am I laughing. (Maybe because it isn’t using fat in a derogatory way, more a victorious to neutral descriptive way? I don’t know.)

The fact that the chorus of the song that Blitzo is singing in the credits goes into the tune of HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH BY BELINDA CARLISLE ABSOLUTELY *KILLS* ME. MURDERS ME DEAD. OMG.

So, in my first journey through these episodes, the showing of care between Blitzo and Loona helped me get through this. But the next episode…that one was kinda hard for me to plow through. It’s easier now, so let’s go!

To episode 4!

First things first: heeee Cherub Towne and Imp City. My brain does love its symmetry.

Second things second: wow Collin gets thrown into all the crap situations, huh? I’m so excited to see them again in s2.5 (I KNEW CHERUB AND DHORKS WOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER OKAY I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. I’M NOT GONNA STOP SCREAMING ABOUT THAT), because even this early, Collin deserves better and already seems kind of at odds with his teammates.

Also interesting how Hell seems to get Heaven’s commercials. Makes me wonder if anybody in Heaven gets Hell’s, and what that might mean if any of them saw the Hazbin Hotel commercial. (Ooh. Wouldn’t that be fun, if the commercial actually does something in Hazbin Hotel s2? Like…alert a certain spider-shaped winner that her twin brother is alive in Hell and attempting redemption? HMMM.)

I’ve been pondering what to call Blitzo’s gun, since I don’t know gun types. “Flintlock” is what I kept seeing most, but that puzzled me, since flintlocks are single-shot firearms that need loaded a specific way and the show doesn’t do that. EXCEPT IT DOES. RIGHT HERE. IN THIS EPISODE. Which makes me kinda happy, because “flintlock” is a badass and kinda sexy word.

Also, Wally Wackford as a recurring background character makes me happy.

Aaaaaand the advent of the Fat Jokes About Moxxie That Make Literally No Sense Because LOOK AT HIM Train. Lovely.

Y’know, on the subject of Moxxie, actually, which I was maybe saving for a later episode but screw it I’m thinking about it now because of the frame I paused the episode on to write the previous paragraph: he doesn’t have any scars. His freckles are there (and freckles and tattoos are also white on imps, though there is every possibility that Moxxie and his mother weren’t freckled, but…scarred…specifically…), but no other white patches on him. I find that fascinating.

OKAY HERE WE GO, 1:41 INTO THE EPISODE: a nice long shot of the poster of Blitzo and Barbie Wire, the Amazing Imp Twins. Clearly made before the accident. What precisely their show was meant to be, I couldn’t say, because Blitzo is the one in clown attire and Barb just looks sort of normal, but it looks like early concept art anyway so we’ll let them have it. Millie later pops up in this empty space, but the fact that we get such a long uninterrupted view of the background makes it clear that this is important information we the audience are supposed to pick up on. HB does this often, actually, and it makes the rewatch rewards SO GOOD.

“I am eccentric and must therefore do eccentric shit!” Mood.

You heard it here first, folks: Moxxie finds eternal torment hot.

Okay, here’s another building block for my “IMP is in deep legal shit” theory; the “three tacky stalkers about to attempt a Murder” scene. Where there are many pictures taken of them. And their disguises are…okay. Humans don’t typically see the imps and immediately think “devils” (see “possum”), but that’s still photographic evidence that at least one earthly agency and any hellish law enforcement could use against them. Which just makes me question the whole “human disguises” rigamarole, how Loona got one, and how far we can plausibly stretch “IMP doesn’t get any” before it becomes ridiculous past the point of humor or belief.

Blitzo losing his cat sock puppet in a holy explosion: the most poignant story of loss in this entire show.

Okay actually who sent CHERUB to save Lyle Lipton? I know they say “on behalf of all the people benefitted by your amazing technological advances” but…like…who???? Who was the poor naïve person who sent CHERUB to go stop that man from committing suicide? Unless it was more calculated than that, but I doubt it.

“Commit die” should be what took off instead of “unaliving.” Only children’s show animated Deadpool gets to say that word. Heck.

“He’s classier than that!” NO ONE IS CLASSIER THAN A KATANA, COLLIN.

The costumes that IMP is wearing all episode are incredible, though. I know Blitzo’s first one is a character by Brandon Rogers, though I’d love to know who/what Moxxie and Millie were supposed to be (more characters by him?). The second round is pretty obvious: it’s Cats. Which is only funnier given the movie abomination. I know nothing about it but Blitzo as Rum Tum Tugger feels appropriate on a vibes level. But the third round…WHO ARE THEY. WHERE ARE THEY FROM. THEY SEEM SO SPECIFIC BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. IS IT HEATHERS? IS IT MEAN GIRLS? IS IT HAIRSPRAY? WHAT IS IT.

So imps seem about as mortal as living humans, if a little hardier, and it doesn’t seem as though cherubs come packing angelic steel (…Heavenly classism?), so getting threatened by some golden crossbows seems about as dangerous as anything else; it does make me wonder if cherubs have the same mortality rates as imps, though.

Keenie showing her own bloodlust and rage issues and Cletus going along with it feels…foreshadowy, now that we know they’re coming back for sure. Saying it once again: Collin is not gonna be on board with them and how far they’re willing to go for vengeance (though admittedly getting locked out of Heaven because their fight with IMP caused them to accidentally kill the mark is a pretty good reason to go looking for vengeance; however, a human agency outfitting and working with angels to invade Hell is NOT gonna look good for IMP if and when the law comes calling).

Nice to know that Helluva Boss is just as clueless for what gets someone into Heaven/Hell as Hazbin Hotel, only it matters so much less and their guesses for getting into Hell are much more on the mark, I think :P

Also, is this the only episode where the credits aren’t bloodstained? I haven’t been paying enough attention.

And that’s the end of this batch of episodes! Next batch coming soon!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #quilly writing #helluva boss spoilers #since trailer discussion

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Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E1 and S1E2

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Going this time into Helluva Boss, which shouldn’t be as long as my Hazbin Hotel analyses so I’ll probably be putting two episodes into each post, because HB is very much more about the interpersonal drama and setting than about HH’s cosmic-scale conflicts. However, HB does provide some very interesting context for HH, if they still exist in the same universe, and also interpersonal stuff is fun, so we’ll see how it goes. (Plus—trailer for the second half of season 2 means speculation! Whee! Obviously spoilers for that are here!)

(Also disclaimer that I’m not going through the rigamarole of finding that special slashed-O character so I’m spelling his name Blitzo and we all know the O is silent now, right? Right.)

Starting with Helluva Boss s1e1:

So one of my good friends got me into Hazbin Hotel, but she didn’t mention Helluva Boss to me because she didn’t think I would like it. She was almost right. I liked the style, the characters were fun, but the constant slapstick violence and edgy humor were really off-putting (as in, if that’s all the show was going to be, it wasn’t for me). It wasn’t until episode 5 that I stopped actively wanting to click away (Blitzo/Striker/Moxxie fight was real good okay), and episode 6 got me hooked like a very stupid fish (CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT). However, there’s still a lot to chew on in these early episodes.

Like the alarm lights under Blitzo’s desk. One of them says “client giving birth” and I am DESPERATE to know the story behind that one (or, like, read the fanfic inspired by it). Another says “ghost” (which, given that they’re in Hell, is hysterical, but also…season 2.5, Blitzo and Millie appear to investigate a haunted house. What is their policy on ghosts, exactly?). The rest seem pretty standard to me. Yes, even the “Stolas” one.

One of the things about this show (and Hazbin but let’s stick with where we’re at) that makes me particularly feral is all the background details. For instance: the very subtle signs that Martha and her family aren’t quite right. Lots of guns in the background, subtle bone décor, a literal child’s head mounted on the wall. Classic. Love that human spine lamp, Martha, do you have an Etsy?

Moxxie making little dog noises as his imp sounds is forever the cutest thing actually. Kinda wish I knew what it was that makes Millie’s chittering sounds, because she is equally adorable, just more unrecognizable.

Hazbin Hotel sometimes makes one question why children end up in Hell. Helluva Boss is here to say, “This. This is why. This is why kids end up in Hell sometimes.” Though there is still a huge question of nature vs. nurture in that argument (plus, y’know, since nobody knows what gets a soul into Heaven, they don’t know what gets a soul into Hell, either, but I digress).

This introduction to Stolas (for those of us who didn’t watch the pilot first) definitely shows a different sort of person than the Stolas we get later, which seems to be a favorite thing of Viv’s to do and a thing I’d be more upset about if it wasn’t so effective. Having watched so many times now, I’m starting to finally pick up on the music choices, and hearing Stolas’ song even this early really changes the tone of things, knowing the lyrics that get applied to it later (lol let’s watch Stolas set up the very thing that causes him so much grief later, this won’t end badly and my heart isn’t currently breaking at all).

Alright, diverting to Cosmic Plot for a bit: there are a lot of twig shapes hanging in the trees that look like eyes, and the beam that Millie and Blitzo are tied to has root and eye motifs carved into it. Martha invokes Satan first (in saying they’re going to return his filthy creatures, which is sort of correct, if the lore that imps descend from/were created by Satan is still true), but then says, “may the Root of Evil be honored as we continue thy work.” So, uh. Hey, Roo, the underlying Big Bad of the entire Hellaverse probably, nice to see the roots (pun really not intended, in fact done everything to be avoided, but no other word works dammit) of it being laid out early and in a way that rewards multiple viewings.

Speaking of multiple viewings: Blitzo pulling Moxxie close and threatening him with “if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I’ll fuck you AND your wife” really loses its teeth when you consider how much Blitzo loves insinuating himself into their lives and would be on cloud nine if they agreed to a threesome :P just. Blitzo there’s better ways to proposition people. Come on. “Jelly sandwiches all night” THERE’S a proposition, that’s how it’s done XD (gosh if they ever release the uncut version of whatever the heck Bryce was saying in the booth I think we’ll all pass away)

Moxxie electing to call the cops on Ralph (and subsequently get all three of them torpedo’d straight down to Hell anyway) is a strange choice, knowing he was raised in a mafia family, but even stranger is him thinking that the human authorities would deal with them fairly. Really drives home that despite their proximity, creatures of Hell really don’t get how Earth works. Or that Moxxie is a cream puff. Either way—

Y’know. I really, REALLY wonder how IMP doesn’t come under fire more from previous targets who wind up in Hell, and I am REALLY looking forward to the episode where it finally happens (sidenote to wonder if Martha and her family wound up in Hell at all, or…wherever Roo is).

On to Episode 2!

After introducing Stolas the way they did (aka as an aloof noble with a crush on Blitzo who is really condescending and also horny), the best thing they could possibly do was show that he’s a doting (if increasingly out of touch) father in a rancid marriage. Like. How dare you take this silly little guy and give him real feelings and real problems. How DARE you.

Which all gets worse if you consider how YOUNG Stolas was when he became a father; people calling him middle-aged have it wrong. Thirty-five at least is NOT middle-aged. That is a man still in his prime, not counting the fact that he’s an immortal demon prince. He’s practically a BABY. He had to have been not quite twenty by the time Via was laid and hatched, and HE LOVES HIS LITTLE GIRL SO MUCH—

(Also, the term for a young owl is “owlet,” but then I saw Bryce Pinkham spell it “owlette” in an Instagram post and now I understand where the different spellings in fanfic come from now. It’s more endearing knowing the voice actor is doing it. Even if it’s still wrong :P unless the script is deliberately going for “owlette” as in a female owl; even more permissible, if still annoying.)

“Now all my stories have been told except for one.” Okay. Okay. Hang on a second. Just gotta—hang on a second here. Stolas’ lullaby is a little morbid alongside it being sweet, because he’s essentially telling his daughter “even if I’m dead, you’ll be okay,” which has. So many layers to unpack. Helluva Boss seems to have as one of its major themes self-hatred and the ways it fucks up not only the person who has it, but their relationships, too. Stolas has zero self-worth, or very close to it. Telling his daughter that it doesn’t matter what happens to him is training her for her future as his precautionary heir—because her Goetia-given purpose in life is to take over his duties in case of his death—but it’s also him saying “I’m not that important, you’ll be alright without me.” Which is NOT his call to make. It’s also very sad that he says all of his stories have already been told but one—the story of his death—when he can’t be more than twenty-five at most (trying to do math, which is not one of my strong suits—if we assume 10 was when he met Blitzo, then 25 years later reconnected at 35, and Via is 17 when he’s 35…he would have had to have had her at 18…and if she’s no more than 5 or 6 in this sequence…he would be…23, oh my WORD). I’ve been suicidal and depressed at twenty-three, but I didn’t have a kid and a loveless marriage during it; I can only imagine the necessity of his Happy Pills, to be at the very beginning of a long eternal life and looking at it all with such desolation.

There’s such desperate hope in the lullaby, too; Stolas thinks it’s all over for him, and one day it’ll be over for all of creation, but despite it all, his little girl is still going to be okay. He’s in tears at the sight of her falling asleep thanks to his comforting. He loves her so much. He wants her to be okay when he isn’t anymore. And while that’s sweet, it’s also coming back to bite him in later seasons, because she ISN’T okay and HE isn’t okay either; his attempts to find himself and chase what he wants are the asteroid breaking up under their feet, only he isn’t holding her safe and close this time. Not for lack of trying, but it’s hard to be there for a struggling kid when you yourself are struggling—and worse, when his struggling is what is causing her to struggle too. I think Octavia appreciates the sentiment that he believes she’ll be okay, but what she NEEDS is for him to fight for them BOTH to be okay, and to know that she’s worth being okay for (“being okay” being the metaphor for “living” in this case).

And then cut from this tender scene to Octavia’s new normal: parents screaming, the cracks in their marriage becoming full-on breaks, and Stolas’ obliviousness and new obsession coming in to drag her away to a place she didn’t even really enjoy as a kid, it seems.

(The timeline of this seems weird; in the first episode, Stolas says it’s been quite some time that Blitzo’s been using the book, but this particular fight between Stella and Stolas appears to be fresh, the morning after the first time Stolas and Blitzo sleep together. Unless it’s been months and Stella is still raging like it’s only been hours, which is plausible for her, but I don’t see Stolas continuing to rehash the same steps of that argument like that. Maybe just some writing inconsistencies. I can live with it.)

Sidenote to say I need a Blitzo and Octavia bonding episode like I need air (and I KNOW what Brandon Rogers has said about Octavia and I genuinely don’t know if he was serious or not but he can SUCK IT UP).

“I’ll pay you~!” “Pay me what?” “Money~!” That might be the first time I’ve ever really heard the tildes in someone else’s voice XD Their HEIGHT DIFFERENCE, good GRIEF.

Also, Moxxie’s catchphrase. It’s adorable. It’s so incongruous with the setting. Why does he say that? Will we ever know?

LOL Fizzarolli appearing this early was something I completely forgot my first go-round. It makes me wonder if that particular Fizzbot is different from the others, because it seems to have way more personality and memories. (And can we spare a moment of sadness for knowing that around a decade ago this is where Blitzo was working, still as a clown, as close to Fizz as he could get while still stroking his massive self-hatred? LOL)

Man, the amount of references shoved in here that can only really be appreciated later—Mammon’s Loo Loo Land, Fizzbot shipped from Big Ozzie’s Factory, the fact that he calls them implings, which is only something I’ve ever heard Mammon say—GOLDEN.

I also want that Thing, Millie.

Stolas’ sense of humor turning out weird and kinda dark in a way that means he finds Blitzo trying to be funny actually humorous makes a weird amount of sense, for how sheltered and stifled he was.

“Looks like the kiddies are still running away from you” paired with Verosika’s “and I should have known you’d be here when I heard the Amber Alerts” has a synergy that I don’t know that I’m prepared to examine, actually. The soft-hearted sucker in me thinks maybe Blitzo has a soft spot for kids that his exes (and the robot version of his former best friend) have been poking at for so long it’s gone callused, which could be supported by his choice to adopt Loona and his desperation for any kind of family or connection, but. Idk. This show does go some really skeevy places with its humor sometimes that isn’t really meant to be more than skin-deep.

“Does anybody love you, BlitzO?” “No. But I’m really good with guns now” THAT’S IT THAT’S THE SHOW IT’S NOT GETTING ANY DEEPER I’M NOT WEEPING OVER BLITZO “NOT WANTING TO BE THIS WAY. NOT FOREVER.”

Wow. On-fire Fizzbot coming to take Blitzo down. This isn’t at all a manifestation of his issues that he’s steadfastly ignoring and instead siccing a dragon on. “OH, what a mouth.” SURE, BLITZO. SURE.

Thing I’m also waiting for: Stolas to actually acknowledge Moxxie and Millie. I mean. They do save his life later. Put that on your growth chart, Stolas my dude, not being a total jackass to all other imps that aren’t Blitzo (and even with Blitzo still being SUPER condescending, my hecking heck).

I wonder if Via hears all the things we the audience hear in the stuff that Stolas can’t say—your mother’s always been (mean, maybe), I haven’t been (happy), we weren’t in (love). Because, while Stolas not loving Stella is definitely one of Via’s issues still (given the s2.5 trailer), the bigger issue that Via has always had is Stolas leaving and not being there for her anymore. Which got its roots somewhere, not just from a childhood nightmare. But depression and self-hatred also do that, convince a person their loved ones are better off without them. And with the life situation Stolas is in, it’s not surprising that the more independent his daughter got, the less she saw of him, because he figured the less she needed him (the less she wanted him around). Holy CRAP it’s sad. And drilling right into my own vault of issues lol it’s fine.

(And the proof that Stolas doesn’t need Blitzo, he can protect himself and Via just fine; it’s the companionship he’s aching for, the love story he’s writing in the margins of what’s actually happening. The comfortable lie he’s telling himself and Blitzo is helping him prop up just like Blitzo’s own version. ARGH.)

“Slutty toy clown” OKAY BLITZO.

Alright, calling this post there bc it’s starting to get long. Unsurprisingly, I can go on for a while about just about anything. Future posts coming, and we’ll see how the two-episode per post thing goes when the episodes start getting longer. Toodles!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #since we're talking about the trailer too

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Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E8

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Last episode of Hazbin time, and after this I’ll start on Helluva Boss (which shouldn’t be nearly as long but I am a windbag so who knows). Let’s go!!

Hazbin Hotel s1e8, here we go:

And here we go again with Vox and his complete reasonable obsession with Alastor and anyone who associates with him, love that for Vox, truly. Best life: he’s living it. But it’s also kinda scary how comprehensive a view Vox has of everyone and everything; we know this already, but watching him watching the Hotel just sort of feels…more violating. Because of audience bonding with the characters, really, but still. There’s a reason why the Vees are a terrifying force to be reckoned with and its real-world reflections make me too sad and full of impotent rage to manage so let’s move on.

Charlie wishing her mom could see this! Sweet! Valid! Somehow super sad knowing where her mom is but not knowing why!!

Well. Vaggie straight-up calls them all “sinners.” So for me that pretty handily puts the “are cannibals sinners” debate to bed. For a while, at least; I’m still gonna be double-checking the blood spatter when the battle starts.

Yeah Pentious giving the grand toast to not dying, I’m not. I’m not emotional. I’m fine.

So this little scene with Alastor and Niffty…intriguing. Seems to show a softer side of Alastor, one where he hangs up the scheming for one minute and admits he’s been enjoying himself, enjoying these people (for their interpersonal drama entertainment value if nothing else). It’s funny and it’s sweet and definitely shows why Niffty sticks with Alastor on the off chance he doesn’t own her soul. And it also has me not completely convinced that when Alastor gets the chance to accomplish his goals by betraying everyone at the Hotel, he isn’t going to feel some level of conflict about it. Getting a character who believes so completely in their own infallibility to crack: the ultimate Good Narrative Food.

(nope hang on angel and husk are flirting pause the analysis have to go squeal about it—)

(I’m a veteran of the Good Omens (TV) fandom and got pulled into watching a snake and reptile care youtube, I know about snake hemipenes, why is the mention that Pentious might have them taking me out at the kneecaps)

Lute being Too Much for Adam never ceases to make me laugh. Or remember that she definitely deserves to be a main villain, at least for a little while. (Alright her name is Lute because “lieutenant” but for the longest time I thought her name was Lute as in “guitar-like instrument” because Adam WOULD, that weirdo; I choose to believe it’s both tbh.) Lute is someone who is way more a foil for Vaggie than anyone else right now, and the absolute struggle in her future is making me excited. ALL ABOARD THE STRUGGLE BUS, LUTE.

I’m sorry I just paused to make another note of something but it’s flown OUT OF MY ENTIRE HEAD because I just realized HUSK AND ANGEL ARE BOTH CRACKING THEIR KNUCKLES AT THE SAME TIME AS THE EXORCISTS APPROACH. WHAT WAS I SAYING??

Right. Vaggie. Got her new wings, and it’s interesting to me that she immediately hides them. Even more interesting to me that she CAN immediately hide them; none of the angels ever seem to, if they even can. That seems a little more…demonic in nature. Because Lucifer certainly can. Sera and Emily change their forms slightly, but the wings stay out at all times (mainly bc it seems Heaven is specifically formed around being able to get around with them on, especially the courtroom). Just one more way that Vaggie is embracing her new life, I suppose.

And here come the Vees, safe in whatever bunker they’ve got, and once again I can’t stress enough how Vox seems to be the only one with any interest in the proceedings. The other two are treating it like Vox dragged them to a sports event that he’s super into and they’re just along for moral support at best. The utter boredom of it all is something I can’t fathom. But I’ll try: this means nothing to them. The Hotel means nothing. The Extermination means nothing because they can just hide from it while the rest of Hell gets slaughtered. They’re cold-blooded ruthless manipulators who might be about to give Lucifer a run for his money if they aren’t stopped. I look forward to season 2 very much. Because on a grand scale, the Vees mean NOTHING. Their games are PETTY SQUABBLES. They don’t rank on the cosmic horror scale because the fight is so much bigger than they are. But they can sure throw wrenches into things!

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO THE PRODUCT OF MY MANY THEORIES ABOUT OVERLORD MECHANICS AND ALASTOR SPECIFICALLY: the shield moment. They seem to be expecting it to happen, so Alastor knew he could do it, but it’s my firm belief that he couldn’t until he made the deal with Charlie. He figured out that he can get powerups just from making deals themselves, or else has been doing it better than anyone else if it’s a known thing, and Charlie isn’t a slouch in the power department. So that’s my theory: Alastor is only able to go toe-to-toe with Adam at all because he’s borrowing a little taste of Charlie’s power from their deal. He’s already plenty powerful, and maybe he could do the shield the whole time, but I do think the deal with Charlie was made at a very opportune time, and Alastor probably only agreed to take on Adam solo because of his overconfidence in himself now boosted with having some of Charlie’s power. I only really have a gut feeling to provide as a source for this, because the only one who proves up to facing Adam is Lucifer; Alastor made a good call, possibly recruiting more of Charlie’s power more directly in a deal when he did, but Charlie isn’t a match for Adam, either, so Alastor very much couldn’t be. He has the speed and the skill to definitely give Adam a bad time, but he can’t withstand the power. Charlie doesn’t have the skill, but she could have the power in time. Lucifer…well, he’s an unfair powerhouse, deus ex machina in a top hat and resolving daddy issues, and we love that for him.

Anyway. Shield. Angels finding out in a very nasty way they can be killed. Adam being his usual misogynistic self. And then Adam deciding he’s over it and obliterating the shield in one punch.

I get the feeling that Adam really doesn’t do much during Exterminations beyond laugh and make tasteless jokes while occasionally smiting demons that get too close or look fun to squash. Because he just effortlessly whips out these shows of power that nobody seems to be able to account for, which makes me think it’s because nobody has ever seen Adam actually try and fight in earnest before. Following the theme of the show, they’re hopelessly outmatched (outgunned outmanned outnumbered outplanned I’M SORRY), and manage to pull a win out of their asses anyway thanks to the power of Love (and pulling Lucifer out of his millennia-long funk for at least half an hour), which Adam very clearly doesn’t have. But. Who needs Love when you have whatever terrifying powerup the higher-ups saw fit to give him?

“A mortal soul is no match for me, edgelord.” Okay. Okay. Here we go. So…Adam isn’t a mortal soul…despite being the first human soul in Heaven. He wields divine light and has a divine axe. Lilith isn’t a mortal soul despite being the original first woman, rules as Queen of Hell when she’s at home, and has an inspiring voice and song to grow Hell’s strength. It’s safe to say that someone else granted them these powerups (Sera/the Seraphim for Adam, Lucifer for Lilith). So…let’s look at Alastor again, just for a sec. He demonstrates ability far beyond what we see any other Overlord or demon do, seems to know his way around deals and loopholes like the slipperiest lawyer in existence, and his rise to infamy was meteoric. It’s a popular theory that instead of Lilith, the person holding the other end of Alastor’s leash is Roo, especially given the repeating eye motif that he has in his magic, but I wonder if Roo isn’t giving him a power-up already, and the deal where he’s caged is something else. If the two are separate in some way.

“You should know better than anyone what a soul can accomplish when they take charge of their own fate.” Now THAT…throws a very different spin on the theory, actually. If Adam and Lilith weren’t gifted their abilities, but took them, Lilith drawing from Hell and Adam from Heaven. If nobody gave either of them anything at all, but they found ways to elevate themselves. Or…made deals, perhaps? Either way, Alastor seems well on his way to becoming something Else just like they are, but. He isn’t there yet. Hence the need to make a deal with Charlie and stick close to her and her budding power. Hence why Alastor couldn’t take on Adam yet.

Y’know. I haven’t mentioned or noticed Alastor’s shadow much. But it certainly is a huge part of his power. Just like the microphone staff, which is broken now oh nooooo. But back to the shadow—the combination of the shadow plus the voodoo aspect of Alastor’s powers are a bit too much Dr. Facilier for comfort (which is hysterical given that Keith David is right there voicing Husk), but the tentacles add a nice touch. Although all of that, plus the deer aspect, plus the possible cannibalism and serial murder, plus the radio—does it seem like Alastor might have too much going on? Because I’m wondering how much of that is his, and how much is alternative powerups from other deals. He made his name as an Overlord killer, after all—and as an Overlord himself, owning souls grants power. I’m certain that whatever supply he’s high on, it’s the only way he was able to survive being first hit by pure holy light, and then cut down by Adam like that. So it must be working for him—but not well enough.

There is something so comedically horrific about how Adam just…vaporizes Pentious, war machine and all. It seems to be a pretty effective death; however, I do have to wonder how it would affect Pentious’ ability to be redeemed if it was angelic steel that got him instead of holy light. Either way, confirming that there are multiple ways to kill demons, angelic steel is just the most straightforward, and wow he’s just wholly gone now, huh? Not even any debris or a body or anything.

(Putting this theory up while I’m thinking about it: concerning Charlie’s deal with Alastor, and specifically the “one favor where you harm no one” bit, a part of me thinks that Alastor is going to have Charlie stand aside and let him kill someone…just to prove that they can be redeemed. Whether that’s Alastor’s purpose or not in killing is up for constant debate in my head, but I do want it made very clear that Pentious wasn’t redeemed until he died. Demonic redemption might require double death; maybe the souls are re-judged on double death anyway. Who knows??)

HEY, BLOOD THEORY CONFIRMATION: Dazzle (gosh I hope I got that right) bleeds black. He’s Hellborn. There IS differentiation in blood colors given in this show. NICE.

So why the ENTIRE HELL does Charlie bleed RED?

It’s subtle, it could be written off as her horns, but it’s there in certain shots; she’s bleeding from the head after Adam throws her into the hotel sign, definite drips that aren’t her horns at all, or bloodstains from possibly being close to cannibals who died. And it’s red. Why is it red? Why does she bleed red like sinners, Viv? WHY DOES SHE BLEED RED, VIV?

Because here’s the only thing I can think of: that means one, she DOES have a soul (an immortal soul, like Adam says, mechanic not metaphor), because two, she might be something close to half-human, or at least half-sinner, or half-whatever the actual hell Lilith is. This makes her powerful, but also incredibly vulnerable, just the same as sinners are with their souls. And it puts her more on their level; she isn’t some above-it-all royal that’s something entire Other from the sinners, she’s sort of partially one of them. (Not to say she doesn’t still have her royal privilege and so forth and et cetera let’s move on.)

Alright Vaggie hiding away her wings is kinda worth it for the badass blink-and-you-miss-it tearing open of the back of her battle uniform to let them out. And, uh, can we give Jessica Vosk ALL the credit for that absolutely unhinged Lute scream as she TEARS HER OWN ARM OFF??

(Also, to the legend who wrote the Lute’s Arm/Vaggie’s Eye fanfic: I didn’t read it but I think of you often.)

But: Lute and Vaggie setting up to be tragic narrative foils, most likely complete with Lute spiraling as she completely loses any sense of self or direction while her world crumbles around her and Vaggie going from suspicious to pitying. When the truth about how fucked up the Exorcist legion is comes out, I’m sure there’s going to be signs about how they were both hurt pretty deeply by being a part of it but handled it differently, Vaggie by being lucky enough to find a support group after she was kicked out and Lute struggling with carrying on the legacy alone. Also, calling it now, if Emily doesn’t Fall, then Lute is definitely gonna try to kill her at least once. Anyway. That’s probably super endgame stuff.

LUCIFER, DEUS EX MACHINA! Or. Uh. Diaboli ex machina? Eh who cares LOOK AT HIM GO. It’s such a fun fight, watching him zing around Adam and shapeshift and be all creative and zany. Right up until it matters—and then he’s all business. Fiery, deadly business. Also how did he get his voice to do that (the “you’re in my house now, bitch” part, not the “go home” part). But it’s such an important moment for witnessing that dreamer that Heaven cast out, the creative powerhouse that just wanted to make something nice, something meaningful. Adam can’t fight him because Lucifer isn’t really fighting. He’s playing. Right up until Adam threatens Charlie again. She’s the only thing worth fighting for to him, after all.

So very interesting to me too that when Lucifer is in his demon aspect, the snake on his hat becomes a halo. (Also, unlike the other Sins, he doesn’t get any taller. Bless him.)

Now. Let’s address the elephant—or, rather, the very small cyclops—in the room. Niffty killing Adam. It’s certainly a twist. It’s the biggest, weirdest twist I’ve ever seen. It kind of doesn’t make any narrative sense. It boggles the brain that Niffty, the littlest demon in the group, the bit side character, gets to kill Adam, the big bad of the season. But in a way…that’s kind of perfect? It DOESN’T make any narrative sense. LIFE doesn’t make narrative sense. Not everything is going to fit into a perfect metaphor. Although, if I tried…Niffty took out the biggest cockroach of all :P Alright I’ll be honest I don’t know. I’d love to read other people’s thoughts on why it happened like this. Because it’s not like I don’t enjoy it as a narrative choice, it’s just so jarring and my English major brain hasn’t made it make sense yet.

Such an unexpectedly tender character moment to have Adam’s dying smile be for Lute, though. Yeah, she’s gonna be REAL hecked up next season. And not because she’s way more homicidal than Adam somehow.

(Also, back to my blood color theory: cannibals bleed red. They’re sinners. Stop the debates, it’s canon and I can prove it now. Kinda. Still got the whole. Charlie bleeding red thing throwing a wrench into my everything.)

And we see some of the littler pieces to finish off a lot of my theories—the Vees’ ultimate plan to seize control of Hell going off pretty well despite the Hotel surviving (not that it mattered to them either way, the plan was to throw the other Overlords off their game and take their stuff, not mess with the Hotel at all); Husk and Niffty going about their days but looking surprised with the rest of the group when Alastor shows back up (and still uncertain if they knew he was alive or dead and if they even would know if he died tbh). But let’s take one last little peep at Alastor before I close the book on him for now.

Y’know. They really do make it unclear if it’s Alastor Altruist, or Alastor, altruist.

But more than that, it’s the first time he acknowledges his deal and the fact that his powers are limited—which is why he might use non-soul deals with others anyway, to get around his soul deal constraints. And if he’s LIMITED and he went to bat against Adam and held his own pretty well, maybe I need to rethink my own assessment of his strength and how he’s leashed (unless, of course, the theories are right and it’s a deal with Lilith keeping him constrained from using his powers except in her service, so he really was at maximum potential in that fight and just isn’t strong enough yet). But he’s confident (as he always is) that once he’s out of his deal, he’ll be where he wants to be, pulling strings and manipulating fates and probably strong enough to replace Lucifer (and wouldn’t it be twisty if Alastor used his favor with Charlie to let him kill and replace her father as King of Hell? Wild. Anyway—). But until then, he’s showing back up at the hotel after it’s been rebuilt, sans staff, and while fanon has latched onto the idea of his wound containing angelic essence that’s slowly killing him…I’m not so sure if canon is going to go that route, but his missing staff is probably way more significant than the wound, and I’m curious about that.

Now forget about these losers, let’s go check out the last two scenes and put proper bows on my last two theories.

First: Pentious, redeemed, showing up before the Seraphim and NOT at the heavenly gates. Convenient for keeping something this reality-shaking a secret! I still don’t know that I’m fully convinced that Sir Pentious is truly the first sinner to be redeemed; I still kinda think he’s just the first one that Sera and Emily noticed, but I’m looking forward to exploring that mystery more next season. Maybe with Molly as an actual character this time? The folks who keep drawing and writing about Molly and Pentious being friends, you’re legends, keep doing that; it will sustain me if I am disappointed.

Second: Lute and Lilith on a beach in Heaven, presumably. Alright, wording: “Adam is dead. Your deal is done, and I’m in charge now.” There is. So much to unpack in that. Starting with “Your deal is done.” Lilith…made a deal…with Adam? Adam made a deal with Lilith? Or Lilith made a deal with someone else, like the Seraphim, and Adam happened to be a condition? The most likely explanation is that Lilith made a deal with Adam, but for what and why remains to be seen. It sure looks like Lilith made a deal with her ex-husband to relax in Heaven and let Hell rot, but things really aren’t as they seem in this show; appearances are constantly deceiving. I’ve heard the popular theory that Lilith and Eve share a body (very, very weird implications if so), and it’s shown in some family portraits that Lilith can banish her horns just like Lucifer can his wings (or Charlie her horns, for that matter), but not showing Lilith’s eyes, keeping her shrouded in mystery—is that to conceal her identity as swapping between herself and Eve, is it just to build mystery about Lilith herself (who again is NEVER HECKING MENTIONED EXCEPT BY CHARLIE AND ADAM), is it for lolz? What the heck could Lilith and Adam have possibly traded for, anyway? Letting Lilith crash in Heaven in exchange for…what? The Exterminations have surely been going on for longer than seven years. Lilith could be imprisoned, but Lute’s behavior and language doesn’t convey that at all. Like, AT ALL.

Additional question: does Lute even have the power to take Adam’s place? Or will she get the power as she assumes command?

Anyway, moving forward in this scene, Lute later says “Your brat is threatening the very foundation of Heaven.” Interesting, showing that Lute is just as fearful of a Hellish uprising as Sera is and what that means for the safety of Heaven and the souls they’re protecting. “And if you want to stay here” And if you want to stay here. IF YOU WANT TO STAY HERE. Lilith is definitely there because she wants to be. Or at least Lute believes she wants to be. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if both Lilith and Lucifer are exhausted with their existences, but it is such a contradictory thing, for Charlie to believe so wholeheartedly that her mother is off doing something important, that she loved Hell and cared about its denizens, only to show Lilith on a beach needing to be threatened with leaving it to get up and deal with Charlie. But, then, Charlie also believed her father didn’t want to see her and didn’t really care about her. It’s possible that Charlie is wrong about her mother. But we have so few clues and it’s easy to assume the worst when this is how Lilith is truly introduced.

One thing I keep noticing and keep forgetting to go back and check for: Lilith’s necklace. There really aren’t very many details that don’t have some sort of thought put into them, and her necklace while laying out on a beach is…eye-catching, at least to me. It’s simple, but I just wonder if it’s present in any of the portraits, because I keep forgetting to check for it. Maybe if I write it down, I’ll remember to keep an eye out next time.

I’m sure that there are theories and threads that I didn’t finish, because I have word-vomited something like 24,000 words of theories and reactions and maddened questions; now that I have it all out of my system, maybe I’ll make organized, reasonable posts where the theories are actually separated and presented as cohesive wholes rather than themes carrying across episodes. But I have to get through my Helluva Boss analyses first!

Thanks so much for sticking around and sticking it out, and if any of this made sense, then I’m glad! Later!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #hazbin hotel #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E7

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Had to take a break this week bc prep for my medical procedure today kicked my entire butt, but I’m back for the final two episodes! Wahoo!

Penultimately, Hazbin Hotel s1e7:

Hello, Alastor, my beloved creep. Gotta hand it to the man, he knows when to time his entrances. A consummate performer to the bone. But he’s also really cementing his skills as a deal-maker in this scene, which comes with a certain level of manipulation and understanding how people tick. Charlie wouldn’t have been open to making a deal with him until she was at the end of her rope, like she is now; as naïve and sweet as she is, she isn’t blind to who and what Alastor is. And right now, she isn’t even being sweet. She rightfully calls Alastor on his behavior, who is SOUNDING nice in tone but isn’t actually BEING nice in words, before giving in to Alastor’s prodding and unearthing the root of her issue, which is her own perceived failure and incompetence. (Side note to cackle at how Alastor creeps into the corner of the screen when Charlie mentions “the cruelest Overlord in Hell” like yes babe we all know it’s you now keep that ego in check.) She’s stressed, she’s overwhelmed, she’s been made brutally aware of the depths of her own hubris and how badly her overconfidence could backfire on everything and everyone she loves. In a word: she’s vulnerable. Vulnerable people in Hell make deals. Alastor couldn’t have picked a better moment if he’d designed it himself.

Putting himself forward as the mentor in this moment is another careful, deliberate form of pressure that Alastor as a deal-maker is using in this game. He’s been building that relationship all season, but actually utilizing himself in that role rather than indulging Charlie while sniping at the rest of the cast is new for him. In his way, I believe he’s being very genuine with Charlie when he’s teaching her about smiles. She wears her heart on her sleeve; she could stand to “talk less, smile more” (wrong musical oops), both for her own benefit but also for her utility as a tool in Alastor’s arsenal. He’s also being very careful—he’s touching her more, which as a touchy person Charlie is usually more receptive to (but notice she’s pushing him away every time he does it), he’s being playful, he’s frankly acting his ass off and working their connection like his life depends on it (it does let’s be real). They’re in a perfect sweet spot of Charlie being desperate and her trust in him, while not absolute, still being strong enough for her to be receptive to his advice. It’s a delicate moment; Charlie still requires convincing, reassurance. She’s still very aware of who Alastor is when she asks if he’s actually asking for her soul, when she tells him she won’t hurt anyone for him. But Alastor didn’t get to his position by being an amateur in the game. He wouldn’t ask if he didn’t have something of equal or greater value to offer, and the means to save her friends and stand up to Heaven is one of the bigger aces up his sleeves. Charlie doesn’t want or need personal power. She isn’t swayed by promises of greater influence, she doesn’t care about riches. She cares about people—HER people, the sinners that she’s determined to protect after her parents couldn’t (or wouldn’t, depending on which parent and which point in the story we’re at).

There’s an old cliché about love making people weak that’s paradoxically both true and false. Loving others does open us up to having more vulnerable spots, more weak points that could be exploited by evil forces. But it also makes us stronger and more willing to go above and beyond for our communities. The Hellaverse loves this interplay—Helluva Boss is making a right old meal out of it, but it’s also the core of Hazbin Hotel. Charlie’s power comes from her love for the unlovable. It’s also her greatest weakness, even moreso than her relentless determination to believe in the best in people. Idealists tend to be easy to manipulate, but they���re also most likely to pull an unlikely win out of absolutely nowhere. Alastor never really explicitly says how he feels about Charlie—because why would we ever get anything genuine out of him—but reading between the lines presents such an interesting setup. He’s not working with Charlie because he believes in her or her vision; his only stated reason for being there is “entertainment.” And yet, he dismisses Mimzy because she causes problems for him, he pulled in two souls he owns to work there too, he’s putting his powers towards fixing the place up and protecting it when needed, he’s there every single day. The hotel itself probably means nothing to him, but Charlie herself is who he’s attaching himself to. More insight on this later in the episode because I keep trying to get ahead of myself when there’s real, actual meat in front of me to chew on.

SO. THE DEAL. The deal with Charlie. The deal specifically struck with Charlie to help Charlie, Charlie’s deal.

First interesting tidbit: Charlie HAS a soul. Which. Hmm. She’s Hellborn, in that she was born in Hell, but her father is a fallen angel and her mother is a sinner (or at least a human who defied Heaven) turned something Else. What this means for Charlie taxonomically is unclear, but she at least believes she has a soul—though, again, whether as mechanic or metaphor is not specified yet. Hellborn don’t really have souls (and presumably neither do Heavenborn), according to the wiki; when they die, they become part of the landscape of Hell. But souls in HH have utility. They’re a resource. They imply movement up and down the Heaven/Hell divide and power in interpersonal dealings. Charlie might have an actual soul courtesy of Lilith, but what she actually has courtesy of both of her parents is power, power that she herself doesn’t wield much and hasn’t developed fully yet.

Next interesting tidbit: Alastor has been shown making deals for things that are not souls—favors, mostly, but we can also guess from his freaky skill set that even if he doesn’t gain a soul from a deal, he does still gain some sort of power from the exchange. He isn’t stupid enough to go after Charlie’s soul directly, but a favor—a very broadly-worded favor, in fact, which I’ll get to in a minute—a favor from a member of the royal family of Hell is enough to give Alastor a palpable, worrisome boost. Vox was right to be worried about this happening—and he and the Vees were also absolutely right in giving up on trying to stop it and focusing their endeavors on their continued mass takeover of Hell (see the ways in which I shout incoherently about Velvette manipulating an entire room of Overlords into leaving themselves even more scattered and vulnerable for the bonus Extermination back in my Episode 3 analysis).

Next tidbit: the wording. “One favor at a time of my choosing where you harm no one.” Deal-making is a slippery business, and the wording of this is both ominous and vague. “Favor” could mean anything, especially in Hell, where magic is a thing. “At a time of my choosing” so holding onto the power pretty tightly as well as not locking either of them into anything specific (because Alastor could very easily choose to never cash in. He won’t, but he could, and it’s that complacency that lulls people into a false sense of security, especially the longer the bill takes to come due). “Where you harm no one” but notice how that doesn’t mean the same thing as no one getting hurt. My theory: the favor is going to involve letting Alastor harm someone without Charlie’s interference, though who is beyond me right now. Overall, it’s vague, and it’s almost comforting in that vagueness. Charlie can imagine whatever she wants into that promise, and while she’s right to be cautious, she still doesn’t let it stop her from making the deal, because Alastor’s knowledge is more important to her.

And this is how Alastor becomes powerful enough to even give Adam a run for his money, but I’ll talk more about that next episode.

The Egg Bois being unreliable empty-headed little darlings might be the funniest possible way to sidestep “we had this information months ago” problem, actually. And it also puts the gravity of the knowledge into perspective, if Carmilla’s power ballad didn’t ram that point home hard enough. Angels being killable is nonsense on par with outlandish conspiracy theories. And it’s about to be common knowledge real soon.

(To those folks who look at Rosie and think she’s a fallen angel because she has a feathered neck: I beg of you to look up 1910s American fancy dress for women. That’s the collar of her dress, folks. They went up that high.)

Alastor’s connections with Mimzy and Rosie paint some interesting shades onto the portrait of who he is. Backstory from the wiki indicates he trusts and gets along better with women over men (insofar as he trusts anyone), but tossing that to the curb, they’re the only two people he seems to have any kind of positive bond with from his past. Mimzy’s attachment is probably one more of familiarity, since he’s the one bailing her out of trouble over and over, but Rosie is not just an equal, but older than him and someone he trusts enough to both ask outrageous favors from and accept leads on business deals. He allows Rosie to touch him far more than he allows Mimzy (and thus WAY more than anyone else), and he treats her with not just courtesy but directness. He doesn’t double-speak or insinuate his way around her; he doesn’t give her false pleasantries. How Alastor treats Rosie speaks of mutual trust and if not friendship, then as close to it as he gets. And Rosie returns that investment, which, as the most emotionally intelligent character on the show and certainly the one who may understand Alastor most, may show hints of how far Alastor’s true loyalty to another person can go when the relationship is mutually beneficial. I have no doubt that there is still a limit to that trust, but the threshold being so high is impressive for not just sinners, but Overlords. Once again, highlighting that the Vees’ alliance, while formidable, isn’t built to last, because the Vees themselves don’t trust each other.

Alright, Vaggie and Carmilla detour! First things first: Vaggie’s a soldier. Her being a former Exorcist (though…that’s me, putting “former” in there. No other character does. She’s an Exorcist. Which implies more and more that Exorcists are themselves a class of angel rather than an occupation, but still, don’t know if they’re Heavenborn or recruited winners) makes more and more sense in hindsight. And my Hellaverse friend was very gleeful in telling me how validating it was to hear Carmilla Carmine lay out the reasons, because it echoes all the angel!Vaggie theories going around about her before the show dropped, which is fair, because it took me by surprise on my first watchthrough and hearing it explained so deadpan made me feel sheepish. BUT. GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF AGAIN. The point: Vaggie attempting to wield Charlie’s power really drives home two things: one, that Vaggie falls back on the rigid structure of army life when uncomfortable (which we saw already in e3); and two, that Hell does not give two solitary rugged shits about the royal family. Which is fair for Pride; why would the prideful care about authority above their own, especially when it hides away making ducks or disappears entirely or opens delusional hotels and doesn’t actually do any significant ruling at all?

But it’s important that Vaggie herself gets a stark slap in the face on that front, because she doesn’t understand Hell and its sinners any more than Charlie does; her encouragement to Charlie to “command a little more authority” in e4 only causes Angel to get more hurt, because neither of them truly understood both the situation and the general way souls and soul contracts seem to work. They aren’t sinners, and it’s now very debatable if Vaggie was ever human, either. So her tutelage under Carmilla Carmine (very neatly mirroring Charlie and Alastor’s relationship, by the way) is less about teaching Vaggie how to kill angels and more about teaching Vaggie how to survive in Hell in general. They had a solid parallel in e3 that’s now paying off, and there may also be something to be said about real-world Latina woman generational solidarity that I am nowhere near equipped or qualified to discuss, but the point is this: Vaggie is now getting her grow-up moment the same as Charlie, and putting them side by side while Charlie and Vaggie aren’t glued to each other’s sides is damn good storytelling, actually.

So. Carmilla is destroying all of Vaggie’s arguments as to why she should help. What she’s doing is the same as what she does when she starts actively fighting Vaggie: she’s stripping Vaggie of her posturing (stiff and formal), her reliance on empty structures (Charlie’s social standing), and even her anger (fear, helplessness, shame, self-hatred) to get to the real reason of why Vaggie really needs Carmilla’s help, because it’s that reason that Vaggie needs to harness. And that reason, put forth in a musical number that still gives me chills every time? Love. Real, hard, messy, excruciating, liberating love. Vaggie has been filling the hole that Heaven left in her life with Charlie, and it’s been working for her, but all the other things, most significantly her anger—she doesn’t need them anymore. She doesn’t need to swap Adam and Heaven with Princess Charlie and Hell, she needs to swap them with Charlie her girlfriend and the sinners she cares about.

(Side note to talk about how at first, Carmilla’s hair is up while she’s fighting Vaggie, until Vaggie complains about not being used to fighting with long hair. Next frame, Carmilla’s hair is down. I feel robbed for not getting that animation of the hair coming down, but I’ll live somehow. Because the fact that they did it in the first place is such a small but cool detail and I love it.)

NOW BACK TO CHARLIE: her journey from shattered confidence to enthusiastic leader is multilayered and handled beautifully, really; with Alastor and Rosie standing in as parental/mentor figures she hasn’t had in a long time, their confidence in her is one thing, but it’s the support that drives home once again that community and bonds matter. And not only that, the fact that Charlie has been trying all season (and all pilot too, non-canon as it is now) to sing-and-dance her way through her problems and NOW of all times when it should actually WORK is when she CAN’T, because her heart and head are both all scrambled, is delicious. And another support to the theme that self-improvement AND being true to yourself aren’t mutually exclusive things but instead mutually beneficial—I’d go so far as to say mutually vital. Living in a violent, chaotic, meaningless, hurtful world changes the people living in it, to the point where they become something unrecognizable to even themselves just to survive. Hazbin Hotel has a very literal way of showing that (see everyone’s demon forms). It also spends a lot of time on very carefully building the theme that even at rock-bottom, change for the better is not only possible, but a good thing, even if it makes life harder and messier in a lot of ways. It also improves it, to the point where this ragtag group of assholes are ready to fight and die for each other by the end of the season. Charlie never needed to change her core personality; she just needed to grow up a little, to see the nuance in the world around her. She’s still getting there, but she’s TRYING. My goodness is she trying.

Alright, flashing back to Vaggie and Carmilla for a bit: the explanation Carmilla gives for angelic steel’s abilities against angels and demons alike makes sense, but it does still itch at my brain with ‘BUT HOW LONG HAVE THE EXTERMINATIONS BEEN GOING ON THO’ questions. However, I’ll pull myself away from that corkboard of madness to shriek about another question: where does angelic steel even come from? And how could it be that with an entire army of angels training with angelic steel, nobody got cut or hurt with it before? Or did they just assume it could hurt but not kill? Listen I think I’m digging into the cracks of the writing and not actually chasing a rational thread here but I said I was getting Weird about this show and I meant it, I’m gnawing on a marrowless bone here and desperately hoping it still yields sustenance. XD

ANYWAY.

I fully missed Vaggie getting her wings ripped out the first several times I watched HH (I blame my squeamish nature; probably looked away too long from the eyeball thing), but her getting her wings BACK is certainly hard to miss. And they’re different from her original wings, too, which really solidifies that she’s left Heaven behind and is fully committed to being here in Hell with Charlie. Not just Heaven, but the hurt and the rage her casting out left her with, too, the mistrust, the baggage. She’ll still be dealing with it, but she’s starting to move on from it, to embrace who she is now, to hate herself less. Folks who say the wing scene is meaningless are missing the point—it isn’t about the wings. It’s about Vaggie and her outlook on life. That’s what the whole song was about, redirecting herself from a vengeance-based view to a love-based view and using that as her foundation to fight on. This show has such good storytelling it makes me feral.

Also lol miss “no more weapons” turning a full 180 to “we’re gonna need more weapons.”

Just gonna tuck the significance of Rosie, one of Alastor’s closest allies, being the one to say, “Words are cheap, but actions, they speak the truth.” Just gonna. Just gonna hold onto that one. Just gonna hold that close and use that as the measuring stick against which I measure the Radio Demon in upcoming seasons. Like it’s a major show theme too but also specifically for the morally dubious cannibalistic deer man, I’m gonna be keeping my eye on him with that tidbit in mind.

I said it before in a very rambly way but let me be more concise: Charlie learning to trust in herself and it actually working out the way she wants it to for once is probably why this episode makes me so teary upon multiple viewings. Like. Vaggie learning to ditch her baggage that was holding her back also makes me cry a little too but Charlie learning that she’s always been enough is. I need a minute. Go watch some cannibals tap dance for a bit.

Very interesting wording, before we get to the obvious Alastor plotting undertones: “I guess I’ve always known my destiny could never be postponed.” Charlie is full of such interesting contradictions. She’s born to be a leader, wants to help and serve by leading, and yet she doesn’t like wielding any kind of authority or power over other people. Which frankly is what makes a good leader half the time, the humility to remember that you aren’t better than the people you’re guiding, but I am so desperately curious to know more about Lilith so we can compare Charlie’s style to hers. I’ve seen so many—SO MANY—interpretations of Lilith at this point, and all of them valid, and we know that Charlie looks up to her mother and wants to make her proud and cares about Hell because Lilith did, but keep in mind that Charlie very much wears rose-tinted glasses when it comes to the people around her. Interpretations where Lilith is a proto-Charlie who cared so much about Hell and helping its people are intriguing (especially against all the interpretations where Lilith is just evil, like come on folks have some nuance and originality here, because if we’re gonna demonize (lol) Lilith for running off to Heaven for seven years, you had BEST NOT be giving Lucifer a break for his THOUSANDS of years of possible negligence to his kingdom just because he’s apocalyptically depressed. They’re both entitled to a bad decisions due to burnout and trauma, but check your internalized misogyny; just because Lucifer’s depression is front and center and actively joked about doesn’t mean Lilith isn’t struggling with something too) (I am talking to myself too, folks, don’t worry, I know what I’ve said in past posts has slanted more Lucifer-friendly than Lilith-friendly but again…we just DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT LILITH. WE KNOW NOTHING. NOBODY BUT ADAM AND CHARLIE EVER TALKS ABOUT HER. EXCUSE ME I NEED TO FROTH FOR A SECOND), but Charlie and Lilith being carbon copies of each other is probably not the truth. The Hellaverse likes to deal with the complexities of messy relationships, and I would bet money on Charlie and Lilith’s relationship being MESSY. And if it wasn’t before, it sure is about to be.

Where was I? Right. Charlie. Coming to accept her responsibilities as the upcoming leader of Hell, rather than putting off her title and her authority because using them to get things feels mean and wrong to her. Yeah, they absolutely can be mean and wrong when used improperly, but Charlie has been learning so much about leading this season. And the fact that she’s admitting that there was a part of her that didn’t want the position is so fascinating. Because she knows from both of her parents that there is bureaucracy and unpleasant tasks and sometimes being not-so-nice involved in being a leader, especially a leader of a chaotic, violent, traumatized, emotionally unstable place like Hell. And she’s ACCEPTING IT. SHE’S ACCEPTING IT INSTEAD OF THINKING SHE CAN AVOID IT BY FIXING EVERYONE ELSE’S PROBLEMS. DO YOU GET THAT.

Which leads me to Alastor’s surprisingly revealing (for him) comment in the song: “She’s filled with potential that I could guide.” Like. Yeah, dude. This is the sticking point, for me, against the theory of Lilith making a deal with Alastor and ordering him to look after Charlie (for success or failure, take your pick): while I believe he could still make this comment if this were true, it rings far more true to me that Alastor latched onto Charlie as a way to circumvent his deal rather than fulfill it. Charlie is practically a non-entity in Hell, but at least more approachable and far easier to manipulate than Lucifer would be (and present, which rules out Lilith). She underestimates herself, but she has undeniable power even if she doesn’t realize it or is uncomfortable with it—which makes her prime pickings for Alastor, not even counting the abandonment issues, the desperate need for validation, the need to fix everything around her and Alastor being a walking bag of Nope…and then for Rosie to follow that up with “I concur!” just in case anyone forgot she is also an Overlord, albeit a strangely genuine one. And then the joint line: “Stick with her, you’ll be on the winning side.” Definitely more of a follower-type line than a shadow-leader-type line, but I’ll let Alastor have it; his actions, after all, speak to a dedication to Charlie that perhaps he isn’t quite prepared to deal with. But next episode.

Small moment to also feel emotional that the boys all stayed; and not only that, that they were preparing to stay even if Charlie, Vaggie, and Alastor didn’t come back. They CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER DAMMIT.

Alright, I’m off to make dinner and then! The finale! And final thoughts that I’ve been dragging out over the entire season!!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #hazbin hotel #quilly writing

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Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E6

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Took a brief dinner intermission, now time to dig in, because this episode introduces so much to feast upon I’m probably gonna choke on it!

Hazbin Hotel s1e6, locked and loaded!

One of the stickers on Charlie’s luggage says “Pride” and it isn’t bedecked in rainbows, so I think that’s a pretty good indication too that Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are still in the same universe. Or at least it’s a nod to when they were. The thing is it shows up twice, now that I’m paying attention, and is a piece of background that follows them around—it’s on Charlie’s guitar case and another piece of luggage that’s in Charlie’s room, in the hotel lobby, and in their room in Heaven. That feels more significant.

(Also please tell me at least one other person hears the music playing when they first approach the gates of Heaven and hears “alien invasion” rather than “heavenly host.”)

I have heard it said that Saint Peter has “Kenergy” and I couldn’t agree more.

Interesting too that while Emily is completely sincere in her welcome and energy, Sera is…not. She’s polite, she smiles, but there’s always an edge underneath her that comes out more fully when talking to Adam in private, and keeping in mind that Sera has been here since before the Beginning and was the one who had to approve things like Lucifer’s Fall and the Exterminations…idk, introducing her with a line like “You are gifted to be here” really makes sense in that context.

OKAY SO MOLLY: according to my friend who has been a Hellaverse fan for years, Molly was originally meant to be in Hell with Angel. Cool story! Makes it especially interesting that for a background cameo, she stands out so much from the other winners. Maybe it’s her color scheme, maybe it’s the shape of her, but she stands out to the point where even if you don’t know who she is, she is hard to ignore. Everyone’s eyes move to follow Charlie and Emily when Emily starts picking up the song after Peter’s “and everyone is hot” line, but when Molly’s eyes are that huge, it’s much easier to notice when she does it. Combining her very obvious placement with this tidbit of background lore that appears to have changed (or did it?), it makes me question even more if Sir Pentious was the first sinner to be redeemed…or if he was just the first one that Sera noticed. She would have no reason to have seen another sinner in her eternal life, and we don’t know what happens to souls when they first show up; maybe teleporting in front of Sera and Emily is normal (I doubt it, since it’s much more likely that they show up in front of the golden gates to be shown in by Peter…which begs the question of why Pentious showed up there other than for narrative convenience). Either way…it’s a thought I’ll be keeping in mind going forward, because the idea of Molly being like Sir Pentious and being a sinner turned winner is very interesting to me.

Sera’s one rule might have been that only the Exorcists could know about the Exterminations…but with Adam’s loud mouth? I do have to wonder if it’s a badly-kept Heavenly secret. And there’s still the question of who the Exorcists are in the Heavenly hierarchy, if they’re Heavenborn or winners or what. (Y’all don’t know how desperately I want a mini-series about Heaven. Just regular life in Heaven. Slice of life stuff. Helluva Boss energy rather than Hazbin Hotel energy.)

Sera’s motivations in this episode are so incredibly interesting to me personally, and her language is worth digging into. “You failed to control the demons’ unrest” okay…so mass murder them once a year so they don’t have the numbers or the strength to rise up, expect it to break their spirits and submit to Heaven’s authority, got it. “I never would have agreed to your yearly activities if I thought it would bring trouble to our doorstep” So Sera has a clear distaste for the Exterminations, but she allows it anyway, all for the sake of keeping Hell out of Heaven’s hair. Or…perhaps something else? “Keeping Heaven safe was my only reason for allowing it.” Hmm. Hang onto this tidbit, might be more important later. “I want you to do whatever you need to in order to stop this problem from getting any worse.” Lady you have the Princess of Hell in here whose plan really boils down to “can you stop killing my people please,” YOU could stop the problem from getting worse if you cared to open up your mind a little.

The thing is, though…there are many reasons why someone can be closed-minded, but the root of it is usually fear. Sera considers protecting Heaven enough of a priority to agree to a yearly genocide that she doesn’t particularly like the idea of. She wants to keep the genocide a secret, because she knows very well how the rest of Heaven will react to being even tangentially responsible for a widespread act of bloodshed and carnage even if it is against sinners (those are the winners’ families too, y’know; look at Angel and Molly). She has all the makings of a leader with good intentions that lets those good intentions lead her to committing war crimes in the name of preserving what she considers to be good and worthy. Getting the shape of her now; let’s move on.

Alright, detour for a second: cannibals. What the actual heck are they? I know none of us know and have theories and blah blah blah, but…everything points to them being sinners, as far as I understand it, even the kids (which, the fact that there are kid sinners…hecked up, dude), but then again, I keep not paying attention in the last episode when several of them are getting killed and potentially showing incriminating gore splatter, so maybe the evidence is there, I just haven’t seen it. But to my understanding, Overlords can only be sinners because only sinners have any use for souls and soul contracts, and an Exorcist wouldn’t be chasing down a kid if it wasn’t a sinner in the first place. Which makes me wonder if there are any Hellborn at all in Pentagram City. We know they exist in Pride at large, assuming once again that HH/HB are in the same universe, because Imp City is in Pride and is the home of IMP, where they specifically cater to sinners (and recently dead ones, too), so sinners have to be able to travel between the cities in Pride. Does this mean that the Exterminations are ring-wide, or are they just centered on Pentagram City because that’s the seat of power? If there’s overcrowding in Hell (Pride), is Pride just that inhospitable a landscape where they can’t build more, or are the Exterminations effective in culling their numbers while still not really making a dent in the overcrowding problem? (Is there actually an overcrowding problem or is that just what Heaven says they’re doing when the real reason is a lot scarier?)

Here we go, the only person to acknowledge Lilith’s existence outside of Charlie, and it’s Adam! And he’s super gross about it! Womp womp! But I suppose he’d be more likely to mention Lilith over Lucifer, since. Y’know. Married to her and all. And apparently making recent deals with her. Maybe. I have a whole Thing about it but it occurred to me to wait until I get to that part of the finale, but. Just wanted to acknowledge that there is one singular person who knows who Lilith is and mentions her and he isn’t even from Hell at all, he’s her shitty ex-husband who comes down to cut her kingdom down to size once a year.

Also, can we admire the audacity Charlie has to approach Heaven—HEAVEN—with her business plan without any indication that the damn thing actually works? That’s the point, that’s the whole point of this episode, but I just. Wow. WOW. She believes in it so hard but she still can’t PROVE it. The fact that she happens to be RIGHT is almost like a huge cosmic coincidence, like she made it happen by believing in it hard enough (and wouldn’t that be a kick in the head?). PRINCESS. OF. PRIDE.

And again, a callback to episode two: when the stakes are higher and the battleground is much more real, Charlie doesn’t go for Sir Pentious to prove that her hotel can work; she goes to Angel, because even though the work he’s been putting in hasn’t been flashy and catering to her initial kindergarten snowflake version of help, it’s been quiet and real and hard-won. Charlie is right to put her faith in Angel, and she sees him and everything he’s doing to improve himself. He’s the perfect candidate for her to make her point. And it’s a beautiful turning of the pilot on its head, because whereas there, Angel embarrasses Charlie and disproves her entire plan, here…he proves her right. He has her back and doesn’t even know it. I am emotional about it.

oKAY HERE IT IS THE BOMBSHELL THE ONE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR AND NOT THE ONE YOU ALL HAVE PROBABLY BEEN THINKING: Adam was the first human soul in Heaven. It’s been established that while the Hellaverse’s version of Heaven and Hell follows the basic Christian map, it differs in some important key areas. Those familiar with the Biblical story of Genesis might remember a little tale about two brothers named Cain and Abel. The cliffnotes: Cain kills Abel. Abel is the first human who dies according to the Bible. So, with this singular piece of information—Adam was the first human soul in Heaven—we have a few possibilities here. Either Cain and Abel didn’t happen, Adam died before Abel did, or…maybe Abel isn’t in Heaven. And I am fairly certain that the last possibility is the one that excites me most, even if I think the first is the most likely.

But this also leads me to the other topic I’ve been dancing all around throughout these episodes: Adam, Lilith, Alastor, and the nature of their respective afterlives. There’s still one important episode to get through before I can tie all the pieces together, but I can start to weave a lot of them together right now. Adam is explicitly a human soul. The First Human Soul. Lilith was also a human soul. They should be a winner and a sinner, but they aren’t. It’s unknown if Lilith ever even died. So. What the unholy hell happened to them? Does something happen to a human who enters Hell without dying first? Did Lucifer do something to her to help her as they were being cast into Hell? Lilith has, without question, the biggest horns in both Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. If someone points out some bigger ones to me that I missed, I’ll be embarrassed, but for now I’m sticking to this point: Lilith got honkin’ horns. Big mommy gorers. Really scarily impressive headgear. Like, proportionally, what are her neck muscles even like?? But more importantly: what she is taxonomically is really unclear, just like Adam. It would appear that as the first creations of Heaven, it’s possible Heaven and Hell respectively changed them. Perhaps Sera gave Adam a promotion and Lucifer, in making Lilith queen, gave her a leg up. They’re something else, something apart from run of the mill angels and demons.

So is Alastor, it would appear, but more on him at the finale when I tie this all up.

Anyway, back to the other regular bombshell: the first indications that no one has any idea what the rules are for getting into Heaven or sent to Hell. I am sincerely wondering what Adam thinks he did in life to “stick it to the Man” and I would love to hear him talk about it, actually.

And for another thing—if he wasn’t so opposed to what Charlie is trying to do, he would be the exact soul to understand what Charlie means about getting a drink with friends at the end of a hard day. What, Adam, you’ve never gone and gotten smashed with your Exorcist buddies at the end of a hard day of Exterminating? Would have been such a sweet gotcha but also ruined the dramatic tension so I get it but meh. I can dream. The Exorcists probably lift more fingers than he does during any given Extermination Day anyway.

(Side note to grumble about the fatphobia; the character designs are so good and varied, Viv, you’re telling me you couldn’t fit more than two fat main-ish characters in the Hellaverse and they’re both pretty shitty people? Anyway. ANYWAY. To be fair, it took me a while to realize that Adam is supposed to be fat; he has a very A-line frame, which is. Y’know. Appropriate. But the “letting yourself go” thing Lucifer says…ugh. Come on. Though I do appreciate that there were no fat jokes about Mammon in the Mid-Season Mammon Special, bc it would have been so easy to slip one in there but they didn’t. That shouldn’t be where the bar is but the bar is…well, not even in Hell, we have to go lower, because of the fat jokes about Moxxie who is visibly not even a little chunky. I get that it’s edgy shock comedy but. Sigh.)

Additional side note to appreciate Joel Perez and wonder if the background stuff he says as Val before Niffty shows up was ad libbed, because “yeah I’m here all the time, they know me” at a sex club called CONSENT just about KILLS ME. THE IRONY. SO MANY LEVELS.

Side note to my side note that I don’t know if that’s actually irony or if I’m so used to that word being applied to funny coincidences that it has lost all meaning.

Anyway I hope Niffty gets to terrorize Valentino more in upcoming seasons. Also the public nature of this standoff between Val and Angel is something I wish they had more time to go into the repercussions of. Angel pulling against the chain, Angel standing up to his abuser for the sake of his friends—I LOVE IT OKAY. HE’S A GOOD MAN.

And there it is, the quiet part said out loud: NOBODY KNOWS WHAT GETS A SOUL INTO HEAVEN. Still the best twist I’ve ever seen in my entire life. And the most maddening piece of worldbuilding to date, because it’s great, it’s flawless, it sets up so many questions and conflicts, but wtf do you MEAN nobody knows?? Well. Clearly somebody must. They know when a soul passes divine judgement (how?), when a soul shows up in Heaven, but who set that mechanism into place? Who does the judging? Who wrote the program? The obvious answer should be God, but God isn’t here, at least not yet. I think it’s entirely possible the Seraphim were following a plan of Creation that they didn’t understand, they just trusted blindly and punished Lucifer for deviating from. It’s a popular view of Heaven in pop culture, tbh. And I just relistened—the souls arrive, and then they pass divine judgement. Is it possible for a soul to arrive and NOT pass divine judgement? Probably not, one would think arriving meant they passed, but…the problem with the fast-paced nature of Hazbin as opposed to Helluva Boss is that stuff like this doesn’t have TIME to get explained, if it would in the first place. It’s just dweebs like me who overanalyze everything and who are stuck gnawing on every scrap we can get our teeth around who maybe ask questions like this. Sigh.

“It is our job to ensure these souls are safe.” Wait for iiiit.

“It’s not as simple as you think. Not everything is spelled in ink.” Wait for iiiiiiiit.

“I’m sure you wish it could be so, but there’s a lot that you don’t know.” Waaaiiiit foooor iiiiit….

(Side note that this song still gives me massive chills, I adore it, but WAIT FOR IT—)

“They were uprising, Emily! It is my position as the head Seraphim to protect our people at all costs! […] Heaven needs us, Emily. […] We can’t doubt ourselves or worry about the fates of demons when we have our own souls to protect.” THERE IT IS. Okay. This isn’t exactly new information, but to hear it from Sera—Sera is TERRIFIED. That’s what strikes me about her. She’s not angry, she’s frightened. She has contempt for Hell, but there is something she is so scared of that she will allow something she clearly abhors because it’s a necessary cost for protecting Heaven. This is what makes me think that either Lilith really was plotting an uprising against Heaven…or something else was. Something else was taking advantage of Hell’s strength, growing as it grew, gaining…root, perhaps? (Roo. It’s Roo. I’m talking about the Root of Evil.) And it also strikes me as significant that Sera is concerned with protecting SOULS. If Heavenborn are like Hellborn, they don’t HAVE souls (except as a metaphor for a sense of self, not as an actual worldbuilding mechanic). We’ve seen that souls can be double-dead. We’ve seen that they can be sold, and told they can be mangled (because I’m not convinced that Alastor’s unlucky Overlords died—I think he shredded them and stuffed them into his radio waves somehow and that’s just where they live now, but that ties into the whole argument of if sinners can regenerate or if anything but angelic steel can kill them). Can something else happen to souls? Is it possible that maybe Roo or something like her can consume souls? Gain their power? Threaten Heaven itself the more she consumes, the more she grows?

Are they afraid of the potential of Roo? Or did she do something to earn that terror? Because the way Sera is acting…my money is on something happening early on or even before Creation, something that the head Seraphim knew about but maybe Lucifer didn’t. That sure seems to be a recurring theme, not telling your sparkly-eyed young dreamers all the risks before they take them and then punishing them when their mistakes get a little too big to handle. Hmm. Hmm hmm hmm. Interesting.

Now I’m gonna detour to talk about Emily: it’s a popular theory that Emily is going to Fall, and there is definitely foreshadowing aplenty. But seeing how the other angels in that courtroom seemed to react to Emily, how a good number seemed inclined to agree with her…I’m not so sure now. Conflict in Heaven is unavoidable, because the secret Sera didn’t want getting out is out there now, but will Emily and those who agree with her be cast out…or something else? A War in Heaven is never mentioned in the Hellaverse, another way it diverges from a lot of Genesis-based theology; we don’t know if the Sins in Helluva Boss are Hellborn or Fallen angels like Lucifer, and there’s no mention of any angel falling except for Lucifer in Hazbin Hotel. Could Emily be the one to lead a War in Heaven? Whether that ends with her Falling or not, it’s an incredibly intriguing concept, actually, bringing to the fore the very fears that Sera has been working so hard against. Because if War comes to Heaven, I’m sure certain agents of chaos (Roo) won’t be far behind.

A lot of looking down the road, for me, seems to be forming a shape where Heaven and Hell work together to take care of their souls, hanging onto the ones who like Hell and passing on the ones who put in the work to deserve Heaven. But that still feels too simplistic, too tidy. Combining the two into a singular afterlife is a theory I saw once, which feels slightly more on the mark but I’m not sure. There’s just so much we don’t know—and the fact that there is so much more to the story that Sera knows but refuses to tell Emily or Charlie tells me that it’s finding out the deeper, darker lore that is going to make predicting what will happen with Heaven and Hell easier. Gotta know where you were to know where you’re going and all.

And that is the end of my theorizing for this episode; the next episode probably won’t have much, but the finale is going to be a doozy for wrapping up a lot of my theories about afterlives, Overlords, deals, magic, a lot of it. And I’ll get it done some other day because it takes me over two hours to get through these episodes when I’m pausing to word vomit like this!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #hazbin hotel #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E5

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Gonna knock out another two episodes of Hazbin Hotel today and then the last two at some point later this week, and then it’ll be on to Helluva Boss (which will probably be shorter posts overall, because HH is the cosmic-scale conflict show and HB is the interpersonal conflict show, but knock on wood and all).

Time to jump into Hazbin Hotel s1e5!

Charlie starting to understand that the concept of redemption is nowhere near as easy as she thought it would be is such a wonderful, simple, universal, maddening element of coming-of-age stories, where naivete is replaced with experience. And, following that formula, Charlie’s desire to help people with THEIR problems means she can’t ignore HER problems. Ain’t it funny? Her commitment to the idea that she is Right About This can get a little grating, even a little embarrassing to watch (at least for me); I think for me it smacks of well-meaning but ignorant privilege (and being in possession of that and having gone through a lot of growing pains just to see that I have it in the first place, let alone try to grow from it…listen I don’t really believe in “cringe” the way it’s commonly used but I sure do feel it while watching Charlie in a visceral, personal way). But her determination to stop suffering in tangible ways is still an honorable impulse, and her strength of character can only improve by being challenged and knocked down from paths that won’t work.

Charlie’s wording for how the Exterminations came to be is another interesting angle to add to the puzzle. Even Miss Sunshine and Rainbows doesn’t sugar-coat it (except with the original sugar-coating I think she originally heard the story with), saying Lucifer let it happen, that he said, “go ahead and kill everyone.” Up until this point, Lucifer hasn’t been seen in-show except in the first episode’s bedtime story version of backstory. He’s mentioned as a powerful figure, usually in relation to Charlie (or rather, in Charlie’s relationship to him, “Lucifer’s brat,” “Lucifer’s little bitch,” etc.), but he isn’t seen. All we have is Charlie’s unwillingness to reach out to him, a hint of Daddy Issues, and a vision of a dreamer who gets his ideas ignored and makes a mistake that creates Hell. And now with this, the image that we get of Lucifer seems cold, passive, and distant. And, heck, to Charlie, that’s exactly what he is. To EVERYONE, that’s how he seems to be.

So you can imagine the sheer shock and delight that gripped my heart to find out that Lucifer is the picture definition of Just A Little Guy.

(My friend who got me into the Hellaverse and was very much into the fan scene of Hazbin Hotel has told me that she’s having a hard time reconciling fanon, which was all they had for about five years, with what we now get as canon, and it’s interesting because I can see the roots of the ideas that formed that version of Lucifer, because it’s how Charlie sees Lucifer: aloof, distant, caring but not personal. Because. Well. That’s what depression on a powerful man looks like. Mr. Darcy and Lucifer could swap notes.)

(Also, there’s a red bodysuit on a dummy hanging in Lucifer’s room and I want to know what it is and where in Hell Lucifer would wear it.)

(Also also, I want his tea set. It’s so much fun. What the heck.)

Alright, Lucifer: this guy. This adorable, wacky, deeply broken little man. This guy who is supposed to be the scariest, most powerful being in Hell…and whom Alastor IMMEDIATELY picks a fight with. Part of this I personally see as Alastor’s natural arrogance; he’s uncomfortable not being the person in the room with the most power and control, so re-establishing that is important. Doubly important to him, I believe, is keeping his influence over Charlie, which Lucifer could most definitely threaten. Lucifer too isn’t used to having his authority challenged, not by some random sinner, and Lucifer does not like sinners. Like, full stop, doesn’t care about them, agreed to the Exterminations against them (likely as a trade to keep his family safe, which is an understandable trade and certainly one more up Lucifer’s alley, letting it happen rather than enacting it himself), doesn’t want Charlie to put herself on the line for them. And so having one belittle and threaten him and his standing with Charlie makes for an absolutely delectable tension, from which we get a very fun musical number.

(And look maybe it’s my very stupid Homestuck brain but the kismessitude is off the CHARTS, they are perversely loving poking at each other and it is FUN TO WATCH OKAY.)

Also, watching Alastor manipulate his way through the first half of this episode makes the catharsis of Lucifer’s genuine affection later (once he and Charlie hash out more of the bullcrap first) so much better, and it reinforces a running theme through the show (both shows actually): that the false or shallow stuff (Words, to use Rosie’s later advice) can entertain or help only so far before it falls apart, and the real stuff (Actions) is hard work but often the more truthful, stable stuff long-term. And “stuff” really is a catch-all term here: Alastor’s simpering false affection versus Lucifer’s genuine deeper fatherly love, Valentino’s version of love versus the Hotel’s version of love, Blitzo and Stolas’ full moon agreement versus the underlying feelings they have for each other, Sir Pentious’ first day “progress” versus his real, actual redemption after he sacrifices himself for people he was fully planning to shoot six months ago, Crimson’s playing nice towards Moxxie versus Blitzo’s actual trust in and care towards Moxxie. Real love, real support, real relationships, real progress: they’re messy, they’re hard, they’re not going to be storybook perfect, or as easy as sharing feelings and doing a couple of trust falls. I’m out in left field here again but this principle is so foundational to both of these shows; it’s 100% why I believe that if and when Alastor’s moment to turn on the Hotel and Charlie comes, it’s going to be such a satisfying and probably heart-wrenching moment, because even the detached sadistic Radio Demon might not be immune from making valuable connections that would bother him to lose. His game of manipulation and guiding Charlie towards a particular goal of his might get its hooks into him in ways he doesn’t expect—when the care he professes to have for Charlie turns into real care rather than a way to snipe at Lucifer.

ANYWAY.

Nice to see the theater that the hotel façade is always broadcasting, though not sure if it counts as real since it’s during a musical number. And to bring back the last point about fake vs. real feelings: Lucifer himself undergoes a transformation this episode, too. Alastor is laying it on thick, but Lucifer is as well, he’s just painfully sincere about it and that makes it worse. He doesn’t know how to emotionally connect to Charlie, but he wants to smother her with affection and gifts and favors, since that’s about all he has to offer. It doesn’t occur to him until Charlie snaps at him that what she really wants and needs from him is…him. Himself. And being horrifically depressed and isolated doesn’t do much for a person, especially a person who screwed up in about the worst way a being can and as punishment got kicked out of his home, forced into a place he doesn’t like (and maybe can never escape), and made to watch the fruits (lol) of his labor churn out thousands of years of pain and suffering. Lucifer doesn’t GET that all Charlie needs is HIM. Why would she need HIM?? She can need the stuff he can get her, she can need favors from him, but HIM??? His support, his love, his encouragement? Madness. Nobody needs Lucifer. Lucifer is a sad sack hiding away in his ducky room, nobody needs that. I’m not projecting. This is fine.

SO. Next important building block into the “so blood colors in Hazbin Hotel specifically, what’s that about” discussion: Lucifer doing the Vivziepop crazy-eyes-with-drippy-mouth deranged expression. His bloody mouth drippies? They’re gold. Lucifer is still an angel. He’s a Fallen angel, but we don’t really know what that means in this context, because Vaggie is also an angel who lives in Hell but is never referred to as Fallen, but Lucifer still self-identifies as an angel, never as a demon. He still has the wings, he still has the powers, he still has the golden blood, APPARENTLY. But he also has the demonic form, the fire powers, the authority of a king of Hell. So, okay, he bleeds golden. Angels do that. Sinners were once human; they bleed red. We don’t seem to meet another Hellborn demon who runs into trouble in Hazbin Hotel, but in Helluva Boss, Hellborn demons bleed black. And if we’re running on the assumption that HH and HB still exist in the same universe, the black blood for Hellborn demons should hold true for HH, right? Keep this thought in mind, it’ll become important at the finale.

MIMZY! With her Mammon tattoo that drives me up the wall because sinners can’t leave Pride so why does she have that!!!!

Her version of Alastor’s backstory is, again, sort of unreliable, but it’s probably pretty close to the truth (just not the WHOLE truth, but there are some things that will probably never be discussed because they’re not important to the story but I’m just curious about them…like exactly how long it took for Alastor to start gaining clout, how he managed to take down powerful Overlords all on his own, if he’s always been freaky-powerful and different or if he became that way, what he knows and if he exploited Hellish loopholes or just read the proverbial instruction manual, if any of the Overlords he destroyed signed their souls to him first, etc. etc. etc.). And it serves the purpose of filling in some context for Alastor and why even after a seven-year absence he seems feared and respected still (by certain folks, anyway). But knowing all of this, and knowing Husk used to be an Overlord too…it raises a lot of the same questions from last episode, with interest after Husk goes to try and talk to him about Mimzy.

A short play-by-play: Husk interrupts Alastor’s now-silent pissing contest with Lucifer to bring up a concern with him. Alastor dismisses and belittles Husk. Husk lashes out with an incredibly dangerous piece of knowledge. Alastor wastes no time in putting Husk back in his place. They part ways, Alastor superior and Husk cowed.

Now let’s dig in a little deeper: Husk goes to Alastor to warn him about Mimzy out of concern. That’s interesting. Concern for Alastor? Concern for the hotel and its residents? Both? Alastor’s self-inflated ego is both his strength and his weakness; it’s entirely fair of Husk to bring up that Alastor has been missing for a little while, and to point out that nobody knows WHY—the implication being, with Alastor’s absence, fear of his abilities will have dwindled some (and Mimzy did just get done saying that he hasn’t gone on an Overlord-killing spree in a while, though what “a while” means is unclear). And given that seven years was enough time for the Vees to rise in power and get a chokehold on Hell like they have, Husk’s concerns are entirely valid, even reasonable.

Alastor’s reaction is beautifully in-character: an assertion and confidence in his own abilities, and a subtle reminder to Husk of his position in their relationship and what and who Alastor is to him (yes, calling him a pet is “subtle;” the overt way happens shortly). Alastor doesn’t want Husk’s concern; just his compliance. Alastor is aware that Husk still has value as an underling, but he isn’t so irreplaceable that Alastor wouldn’t destroy him for impertinence in a heartbeat. Here’s the next thought, though: does Alastor not like the impertinence…or is he afraid?

Because here’s my next huge batch of questions: how does Husk know that Alastor is on a leash? How is it that Husk isn’t an Overlord anymore and instead is owned by one, but Alastor is himself not in possession of his own soul (maybe) and yet retains his powers, his souls, his standing? Is Alastor on the hook for his whole soul, or something else? Alastor as a deal-maker has shown that he deals in way more things than just souls; while souls seem to be the most powerful currency, they aren’t the only currency—or the only things that grant power. But it isn’t like most owned souls go around with a collar and leash with “return to owner” tags on them. Does Husk know because as a former Overlord he can recognize some of the signs in Alastor somehow? Is there some sort of mutual sense connection between them? Alastor owns Husk, but Husk only allowed himself to be owned to save his power. What does that mean? Do Alastor and Husk have a typical Overlord/owned soul relationship, or is there something different about their contract?

Any way you dice it, Husk overstepped a line that Alastor did not want crossed (oh the irony), and Alastor’s immediate reaction to challenges to his authority is to assert that authority with a show of force. Up until now, that show of force has just been creepy static Alastor, but with Husk, he has something more visceral. Husk’s contract with Alastor as represented by the ropes in Loser is airtight, inescapable and neat and complete. Likewise, Alastor’s chain on Husk is far more tangible than Valentino’s on Angel, more inescapable. And Husk, very rightly, is scared witless of his boss and what Alastor could do to him. Husk was an Overlord; he knows the feeling now of being on both ends of the leash, what a person can do with a soul they own. Alastor cannot afford to be challenged by someone he could destroy with a thought. More than that, Husk needs to be reminded of his place and that his place includes silence about what he knows. It’s framed as Alastor punishing and threatening Husk for the backtalk, but I think it’s a little deeper than that; I think it’s also him ensuring Husk doesn’t go spreading it around that Alastor is also on the hook with somebody else.

I wonder if it keeps Husk up at night, to know that the demon he sold (lost?) his own soul to did the exact same thing, that there is something bigger and scarier and more powerful than Alastor out there and what might happen to Husk if Alastor gets destroyed.

Aaaanyway.

Back to Lucifer, who is in the middle of trying to parent his child away from making very similar mistakes that he himself made without being open about it, like a parent does. The problem being, Charlie isn’t a child anymore. And her doing things like challenging Heaven and taking sinners under her metaphorical wings is going to have consequences much bigger than she’s aware of because she hasn’t been told the whole truth, the whole story. But even in his roundabout way, Lucifer IS telling Charlie pieces of the story—“You build something nice” Was that Lucifer trying to make the best out of a bad situation? He gets to Hell, he tries to make the best of it, he fixes up Hell to be this neat and fun circus. Woohoo! “You invite them in” So the first sinners show up, Lucifer has Hell all ready for them, and… “And they just bring violence and chaos to your doorstep.” It didn’t work out very well, did it? Humans create environments that are what they’re comfortable in, which means recreating what they know and understand; it’s what makes recovery for abuse victims so difficult, what makes PTSD recovery so difficult, what makes actually growing and overcoming our issues and bad coping mechanisms so difficult. And with a ruler who doesn’t understand humans, already knows that to get to Hell they had to do something wrong, and gets his assumptions proven right when sinners return to the behaviors they know and understand best…yeah, not so much a surprise that “it doesn’t matter how well-intentioned you are, they're always going to disappoint you” is what flies out of Lucifer’s mouth next, huh?

Lucifer is what Charlie could become if she lets herself become jaded and closed-off. Because some of the most miserable sad sacks in existence are the failed dreamers.

But hark!

“How come he can have faith in me but my own father can’t?”

Lucifer’s wake-up call, and the subsequent musical number where two very important sides are shared: Lucifer’s failed attempts at realizing his own visions for creation (and the way he puts it…it sounds like he tried to help sinners too, at first, but got too hurt in the process to continue; maybe he’s just referring to giving humans free will in the first place, but there seems to me to be little hints that even after getting to Hell he was still trying to help humanity and he failed), and Charlie’s core drives and goals (ignited by seeing her own dad’s creativity, still alive even after being pretty well mangled, not that she knew that as a kid; Charlie being aware of Lucifer’s intentions to help when he gave Eve the apple is probably a safe bet given the storybook, but her childhood innocence keeping her shielded from how badly that failure fucked him up also shielded her from his cynicism and despair and helped her cultivate real determination to make her ideas work). Lucifer failed, but he can help Charlie succeed—and even if she doesn’t, what she really needs from him is just the support. She does need him—and he can be there for her. He can be scared for her, want to protect her, but he can also set aside the impulse to hide her away to be who she actually needs, which is someone who steps up to help her and cheers her on.

He can be for Charlie what he couldn’t be for Lilith, in other words. Because what he needs to DO for Charlie is ultimately to let her go. To let her make her own decisions, and step in only when she needs him. Not to smother her, not to hide from her, just to be there on her terms. It’s visibly difficult for Lucifer to submit to Charlie’s request for a meeting with Heaven. But he does it. Because it’s what she needs (in more ways than he knows tbh).

There’s a million other little details I’m glossing over—Alastor throwing Mimzy out (and the implications that Alastor doesn’t want trouble like that coming to the Hotel constantly—either because he doesn’t WANT to be fending demons off like that, or maybe he CAN’T?), Husk’s little look of satisfaction as she leaves (yeah Alastor gave him absolute hell earlier but he was right, and Alastor did get rid of her, so in a way, didn’t Husk win?), Sir Pentious’ TV Guide magazine as the three onlookers swap between the two dramas unfolding before them (perfect gag, love it), wondering if Lucifer knew what Vaggie was (unlikely but you never know; maybe he just figured it wasn’t a secret so he didn’t say anything), Alastor’s twitching smile when Lucifer first enters the hotel and throws himself at Charlie, the “It’s A Boy” banner hanging in the background of the hotel—but I’m pretty sure I hit all the marks I wanted to make. There was a lot of meat to chew over in this episode.

And there’s gonna be even more next episode!

#quilly's hellaverse theories #hazbin hotel #quilly writing

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Hazbin Hotel S1E2

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse!

Here we are at Hazbin Hotel, s1e2 (and it's much shorter than s1e1, thank goodness):

Sir Pentious. My darling. My dearest. What a dweeb. What a maroon. This isn’t a theory, it’s a fact: I love him.

Okay, here we go, the ultra-dangerous Vees that I think get underestimated in their own ways. For a start, they’re a collective of three Overlords actively working together, which isn’t something the show seems to suggest is normal for Overlords up until this point. It’s also interesting to me that Valentino is the most universally hated, to the point where certain folks woobify Vox and Velvette into being his unfortunate victims, but. I think that’s giving Val way too much credit, and certainly not giving Velvette and Vox enough. As the tweet that Viv cackled over goes, Val is Karen to the other two’s Regina and Gretchen. And I don’t know who takes Regina George’s spot, Vox or Velvette, and I’m sure they’d fight pretty viciously for it, but all three of them are terrible and especially terrible together. How calculating and smart Velvette is will be expounded on more later, but Vox can literally hypnotize thousands of people when given the right tools, and I know we collectively aren’t ignoring how horrific the television industry can be in real life. So imagine that culture in Hell, run by a guy with a psychosexual obsession with a deer man who rejected him and a tempestuous situationship with Valentino of all people. Yikes.

Anyway, to the more important bit: the first hint that sinners can be killed and regenerated. Valentino is wrecking Velvette’s department and tore up her best model. And the show can’t wait for that unlucky bitch to pull herself back together. Could be a glib reference to how the model is useless to Velvette double-dead and how dare she die on the job. Could be more literal and sinners can regenerate from deaths that aren’t inflicted by angelic steel, it just takes some time depending on the method of death. This is too VAGUE, I need CONCRETE EXAMPLES AND REFERENCES.

Like okay to get back to the “all the Vees are terrible” argument, VELVETTE LITERALLY SELLS A DATE RAPE DRUG DISTILLED FROM VALENTINO’S VENOM. VOX TAKES ADVANTAGE OF HELL’S PANIC OVER THE EXTERMINATION TO SELL HIS BRAND AND THEN OFFERS TO FETCH A GROUP OF UNLUCKY EMPLOYEES FOR VAL TO SHOOT. Granted, his orders to his assistant seem promising, with wanting to get in touch with Carmilla about actually developing angelic security, but there appears to be no follow-through and Vox is more than happy to sit safely in his tower and peep on everyone else while the Extermination is happening, so. Y’know. Screw that guy. Anyway.

Moment of adoration for Joel Perez and his voice acting. The RANGE. The DRAMA. The FABULOSITY. Valentino is absolutely a scumbag but what a great performance.

I need to know DESPERATELY if the minions that Alastor summons are constructs of his own power, or other, less notable souls that he owns. Husk retaining his own form could be because he used to be an Overlord himself. Niffty…unsure if Alastor actually owns her soul, but it’s a good bet, and Alastor seems to like her most anyway. Valentino has moth demons that look like him manning his doors when Vox comes to see him, but it could be a uniform; Vox and Velvette both have people working for them (that they may or may not own, but it’s another good bet that they do) that have distinct looks. Which means that if Alastor’s little minions aren’t souls he owns in their own uniform, but manifestations of his own power that do his bidding, then that’s another difference that sets Alastor apart from other Overlords that’s worth exploring.

Also I keep forgetting about his shadow and I’m very curious to know if it has unique properties other than letting him teleport around. Alastor changing his form so often also seems something unique to him. The mouth-droolies that are probably blood (unless it’s Valentino and then it’s his venom) seems to just be a quirk of Viv’s art style, since Vox, Alastor, Valentino, and Lucifer all do it when they need to seem more deranged, but Alastor changing his entire look to be bigger and scarier is something we see Stolas and the Sins do in Helluva Boss, not Overlords in Hazbin Hotel. The Goetia family and the Sins are on a different level than Overlords in Hell’s power structure, but Alastor himself seems to be something else on top of that. Perhaps he’s becoming something closer to Adam and Lilith, though again, more on what I think is up with them on a later episode.

The funny thing about the Vees is that alone, any one of them wouldn’t be too much of a threat, but together, they are absolutely dangerous, and that’s fascinating. It’s the dark side version of working together making people stronger and better. But although Vox’s obsession with Alastor isn’t shared by the other Vees, they don’t fight him when he insists they have to keep an eye on the situation with him and Charlie. I don’t believe for a second that any sinner in Hell cares about the authority of the royal family outside of how the royal family can destroy them power-wise, but it’s interesting to me how even when they don’t care about Charlie as an authority figure, they do care when she spends time with other potentially powerful figures. This is a hint of Charlie as a dormant untapped power source. Most of Hell doesn’t care about who she is or what she does, brushing her off as a sort of ornamental figure. Except for Alastor. Who very correctly has singled her out as a future powerhouse, though what he intends to direct that powerhouse towards (and if it was even his idea in the first place) remains to be seen.

Moment of silence for Valentino bedazzling a gun with glue and rhinestones during a meeting with his business partners, that is good background comedy.

Alastor has a different job title every time he’s referred to in his capacity to the hotel and I find that greatly amusing. Also telling as to the quality of management at first. Because, come on, the whole premise of the hotel is based on a wild hair that Charlie has, and the sequence with Sir Pentious pretending to fit into the hotel model is a blinding spotlight into the flaws of Charlie’s thinking. The behaviors that she’s attempting to get Pentious and by extension Angel Dust to model are a very rudimentary and I’d go so far as to say childish understanding of what sin versus virtue is. But as is revealed later—it’s all they have to go on. They can see the state of Hell and make assumptions about what landed them there, but Adam himself is a glaring contradiction to the assumptions, top to bottom. It makes the whole Sir Pentious farce seem even more shallow, which is a brilliant narrative choice to laying the groundwork for Angel’s character arc, because the shallowness of it all is what hurts him.

And, most importantly: while Charlie dismisses Angel in this episode to focus on her shiny new toy, it’s Angel that she relies on to prove her point to Heaven later, a sharp counterpoint of real change to the very obvious fake change in Sir Pentious in this particular episode. (Before. Y’know. The real change Sir Pentious undergoes at the end of the episode. And then again at the end of the season. But Sir Pentious, while in Hell and obviously with his own issues, also isn’t quite as complex or deep a person as Angel Dust is. Perhaps he didn’t have as far to go to make a real change in himself. Until the nature of the rules for who goes where when they die becomes less arbitrary, we can only make educated guesses.)

But back to Charlie and how she’s the absolute perfect princess for the Pride ring: she is sparkly and sweet and naïve, but she is so sure that she’s right that she pulls the entire cast into this madcap adventure with her to try and redeem sinners without actually knowing what it means. She is so sure she’s right that she, a Hellborn demon, is determined to talk to Heaven—HEAVEN, and not just Heaven, but THE ANGELS WHO RUN HEAVEN AND AS FAR AS SHE KNOWS ACTIVELY CELEBRATE HER PEOPLE’S EXTERMINATION—and just knows she can get them on her side if she pitches it well enough.

If Charlie wasn’t so earnest, and self-aware by the end of the season as well, it would make her unlikeable, smug instead of sincere. But, like the magical casting of Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet that makes him an earnest and likeable character instead of a self-obsessed smug asshole, it’s that core of absolute genuine care in her that saves her from being a terror. She’s learning, and she is going through her own coming of age and understanding the world around her. Not to mention that she has an immense amount of pressure on her that her parents seem to have succeeded in shielding her from until she starts actively pushing at the boundaries of her world and taking on more and more of that weight. Charlie doesn’t have to put herself out there for sinners. Lucifer tells her that. Adam tells her that. Lilith never did, as far as we can tell, but her absence is pretty telling on that front. She could let the status quo continue and live in her own happy little dream world with nothing to trouble or vex her.

But that isn’t Charlie Morningstar. She’s a dreamer with fierce independence. And while her Hazbin Hotel redemption plan is RIFE with hubris, it’s also indicative of her strength of character, and it’s admirable to watch.

In HB, the Sins that we’ve seen so far have had elements of understanding their power—I saw one post describe it as embodying their opposite Virtue as well as their Sin. Beelzebub is the Sin of Gluttony, but she is cautious about others around her indulging too much to the point of harm (Temperance). Asmodeus is the Sin of Lust, but he rejects lust by force and accepts real love in his life that’s more than just sexual chemistry (Chastity). Lucifer is most certainly the Sin of Pride, but the argument could be made of his humbling, not just at Heaven’s hands, but by breaking down his own misconceptions and worldview keeping him and Charlie from connecting and listening to her and choosing to believe in her (Humility). Charlie is heir to Pride, at the very least; she’s well on her way to accepting the slice of humble pie that comes with it.

The ring model of Hell in the background of the entire “It Starts With Sorry” sequence really makes me question if HH Hell isn’t in the same universe as HB Hell, because it’s not just a one-and-done cameo piece; it shows up several times, a fixture of the background that gets at least two different angles. So here’s another theory I’ve been cooking up: HH Hell has two moon-like objects, one that looks obviously Heavenly, one that looks obviously Hellish. I’m wondering if the Hellish moon is either Lucifer’s palace (prison), or the rest of Hell. Admittedly, that theory doesn’t work with HB, what with Blitzo setting up his business specifically to cater to sinners and thus the Pride ring is clearly connected to the rest of Hell and not its own floating sky-entity, but then again, the ring model of Hell isn’t exactly literal, from what I read in the wiki; if they can road trip to Sloth, maybe they can take a magic elevator to Pride because it’s a moon and not a ring. Who knows. I certainly don’t. And it’s not like an atlas of Hell is ever going to be released, despite how very much I would love one.

Not as much to discuss re: my overarching theories about the nature of Hell and its power structures in this one, but the next episode most certainly does, so I will keep this consistent and in its own post.

#quilly's hellaverse theories #hazbin hotel #quilly writing