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Helluva Boss Critical - Blog Posts
This episode wasn't actually so bad.
Despite the leaked story boards many months ago, the story seems to have changed for the better. Actually this feels like the best episode so far in season 2 imo. I'm actually glad we didn't get the Millie s*icide thing. Maybe they listened to the audience's critics on Millie.
Listening to poison is fine but I'm more concerned about how they found it since Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss is supposed to be for an 18+ audience.
Listen I know this sounds weird and probably outdated but I'm worried at how many kids know HH and HB. Like I saw a literal NINE YEAR OLD blaring Poison.
I don't care if this is me being an anti. It's just worrying how so many children are watching a show being made for adults.
It actually kinda says a lot to me that none of the helluva/hazbin stuff on YouTube is age restricted and that the so called warning at the beginning only says "for mature audiences" instead of outright saying it's not for kids.
It will always ultimately be a parents responsibility but like. If you genuinely do not want children engaging in your content, you need to actually directly discourage it and put an actual "NOT FOR KIDS" label on it. Because I can tell you a lot of 13 year olds sure feel like they're a "mature audience"
100% agree with this anon.
https://www.tumblr.com/static-impulse/754776841631432705/listen-i-know-this-sounds-weird-and-probably
This is a parental fail. Not a vivziepop one.
I agree with this but at the same time, the amount of children easily finding her content is pretty worrying. More kids should have a parental lock on their content these days but at the same time, if you know the show is NOT made for kids, why not age restrict some content? I know Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss already have warnings, but those are pretty easy to skip over. I mean personally for me, instead of saying "this is intended to mature audiences" maybe it could be "NOT MADE FOR CHILDREN" or "NOT MADE FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS" yk? To get the point across. I know this won't fix it but at least it's there. But honestly more kids should have a parental lock these days because at this point, it's just common sense to have one for your kid.
Listen I know this sounds weird and probably outdated but I'm worried at how many kids know HH and HB. Like I saw a literal NINE YEAR OLD blaring Poison.
I don't care if this is me being an anti. It's just worrying how so many children are watching a show being made for adults.
Sure thing but y'all know that characters are supposed to be flawed in general AND they're in literal Hell where everything is more violent and sexual as on earth?
I love Stolas as a character BECAUSE he is an insufferable and selfish dick who thinks he can never be in the wrong. It's a really common personality trait and I like seeing it in Media. Today's "Assholes" can't be "assholes" anymore, because they all need to be "misunderstood" and I like that despite the tragic backstory you can still clearly tell he's in the wrong more often than not and that his backstory isn't an excuse but a reason - which everyone has.
Blitz is my favorite character BECAUSE he is absolutely incapable of overcoming his bad traits but he tries sometimes and when he does he fails and fails and fails and becomes more annoying to other people. He's hurting everyone - sometimes even accidentally and he doesn't realize it. He wants to overcome his trauma in all the wrong ways which heavily backfires and is stopping him from forming proper relationships. The two people who really owe him something (outside of adoption) just tolerate his bad behavior and are now - after the last episode - finally getting some growth of blitz in return.
I don't really care for Loona but for a traumatized, abandoned, literal DOG who just got adopted last second and having her entire life living in misery AND with a father figure with a character like Blitz it is understanding for me why she portraits her "love" to him in such a Stonewall-Way and treats him rather awful. She lived in the streets and her new family are mentally ill assassins, where was she supposed to get a healthy way to cope and communicate with people from? She still cares for him tho - both literally and figuratively.
And the phrase "no one wants to see characters doing their job" is literally just an opinion. Not a fact. Just because they think it's boring doesn't mean it really is. Different tastes exist for a reason.
Warp That Aesop Sums Up So Much Of Our Frustrations About The Series
I just love Helluva Boss' Warp that aesop page because it sums up everything wrong with this series, especially on Stolas' end. Seriously, this hits the nail on the head about the messages of the show and how much they dick suck Stolas and his shittiness.
Yes exactly! It's good that she's getting a backstory, i'm not denying that! But on some level it feels pointless that they spent the entirety of season 2 gutting any semblance of character stella could have had beyond "Stolas's mean wife" unless HB starts treating stella like an actual complex character then it might end up feeling like a bandaid fix, like viv trying to go "S-see guys, she's more than just a scapegoat for stolas, I swear" Obviously we'll have to wait and see, but that's just how i look at it.
Viv saying that they’ll have Stella get some backstory for upcoming season three is just there because she’s being called out for the major flaw of not being able to write woman with there being a lot more damage done given she rendered Stella into a cartoonish gimmick who really isn’t a villain at all with her brother fully taking over the mantel of what Stella could have been (love or hate what they did with her in Circus either way). Look I think she could have worked in some way in theory but the point is there are damage already done given she’s just a plot device for Stolas than a character with it also applying to her daughter. She deserves better whether as an equal grey to Stolas or as a better written villain.
No really, it's like. First they try to go "Oh she-she's been evil from the start, and her behavior isn't cause of stolas's cheating" Nevermind does it raise questions like "Why does stolas let via around her" and that they (As of season 2) completely ignore her also being in an arranged marriage and having to give birth almost as soon as she became an adult (Note, I am not saying stellas ever been a "Good" person, frankly no one is in helluva besides octavia, it's just that I find her treatment by the show and the fandom at large as some mega evil is annoying.) And then, rather than make her a semi-threatening villian that drives the plot foward, they instead introduce Andrelphus literally out of no where and go "See he's the actual mastermind, stella is just so dumb!"
What actually is the point of stella anymore? Like, what would actually change about helluvas current plot line if stella just vanished from it? It sucks cause the pitch of her character can still work, hell, with enough dedication her current character could sort of be salvaged. But at this point I doubt the writers will suddenly start making her an actual character at this point.
Hear me out with this controversial opinion, Stella never had a chance to be an actual character whether love or hate what direction they decide to do with her after cough, Circus and later on.
Pick one
Viv seems to want to be both edgy and progressive, but it doesn't work that way. Like, ya gotta commit to one or the other.
You can't just make SA jokes then turn around and have episodes about how wrong SA is.
Like if you're so afraid of the backlash, then either get a sensitivity reader or stop being pretentious acting like you're this beacon of lgbt rep when your writing and how you talk about trans men in private shows the exact opposite.
There's no such thing as a "progressive edgelord". Stop acting like there is, Vivienne.
I am a HUGE Dog-Man fan, mainly because of my brother BUT YES! Absolutely yes, Petey the Cat is a WAY better representation of a neglectful father with a bad past trying his best to be a good father. Petey gets called out a lot unlike Stolas.
Petey is actively trying to change and trying to get better, his past actions haunt him but he's actively taking responsibility to move on and be better. He's currently impatient and easily irritable, his anger issues are still there but he's learning to be better overall.
I saw some anon mention Petey the cat being better parental figure than Stolas on here, and I fully agree on that... That and the fact that Petey the Cat is a well-written character in Stolas in every step of the way.
The one thing that Petey and Stolas have in common is that they both have had terrible abusive fathers and didn't have a childhood of their own, and both have been shown to be pretty neglectful towards their own kids (Petey with Lil' Petey in the beginning of Dogman & Stolas with Octavia). But here's the difference:
One gets called out from this and actually regrets his behaviour and his actions. He regrets how he abandoned his son because he didn't come out the way he wanted, and for his own villainy, and selfish needs. He fully owns up to his own mistakes and is actively trying to become a better person and a better father for Lil' Petey.... And the other is Helluva Boss Stolas Goetia.
The fact that a children's book can handle any serious subjects better than an ACTUAL adult animated series should make you consider the fact that you're doing something wrong in your story Viv, lol.
That’s even more embarrassing, a Children’s book does a better job at depicting a serious topic than Helluva Boss.
Because Stolas did all this to himself. He cheated on Stella to have sex with an imp. He's ungrateful to anyone who isn't Blitzo, even though they saved his ass a bunch of times. He abandoned his daughter three times just to either flirt with Blitzo or stick it to Stella or having himself sacrificed in front of the court just so he can have his power stripped and live with his booty call. He lost everything because he did all of this to himself.
A recent article came out about the mistreatment and pay of Spindlehorse employees, please spread this around.
Woah bro it's like the red dragon from Bible dude. It's like that thing from the Bible. You know, the bible. Ignore that the red dragon is supposed to have seven heads, seven crowns and ten horns and also that it's supposed to be a sign of the apocalypse in Revelation. It's some kid's dragon OC in a Yu-Gi-Oh outfit now.
It's a Bible thing. We're so smart and good at character design mhm.
You know,the worldbuilding for hazbin and helluva are interesting but at the same time,I feel a bit bored by it. Sorry,it's just it has potential and all of that but hell is just like a nighttown that you can go there and suffered no consequences. And I know helluva is a spinoff to hazbin hotel except it's just destroys the both meanings of it. Especially since hazbin is about redeeming sinners while helluva boss is just don't get mad at me but just soap opera between an elitist with a peasant. I thought helluva boss is gonna be us seeing the IMP doing their missions and encountered many different challenges on navigating a business not seeing a dramatic retelling yaoi festizhization love story of stolas and blitzo. And with hazbin,it's just I wanna see hazbin having different customers and guests and how they interact with the hotel not a literal fight with heaven of all things. What's next? Do I need to get into getting myself info a lore Livestream of Viv telling us? No,I want subtle storytelling not an Italian soap opera,ah man. Ah,now because of this I have to entertain myself with fans making fanmade comics of both helluva and hazbin hotel and I'm not complaining because let's face it,fans does it better than the creator Viv does.
Vivziepop so quickly strays from her original concepts, and it makes both shows difficult to watch. The last Helluva Boss episode that includes I.M.P. going to Earth on a mission to kill someone is episode 5, ‘Unhappy Campers,’ and that was only Millie and Moxxie. The last time the whole team went was episode 4 of season 1! Helluva Boss is now just a show about Viv’s twinks and kinks. I genuinely think I’ve seen enough of Stolas for a lifetime. There’s so much potential with a show like this, and I would have loved to see Helluva Boss explore both Hell and the Human World, but it does neither. There are so many ways this show could be executed to explore the worlds and character dynamics, but we barely even know anything about how these characters interact with each other.
Hazbin Hotel does the same thing. We have the possibility to explore Hell and Heaven, but we don’t. Hazbin Hotel is also supposed to be more about the women characters, but we know very little about Charlie, Vaggie, Niffty, or any of the other women; we instead get episodes about Husk, Alastor, Lucifer, Angel, Vox, and Val. Hazbin was supposed to be about new people coming to the hotel to learn about redemption. The only person we actually get is Sir Pentious, who doesn’t even change or learn anything about virtue and redemption. We also kind of get Cherri, but she isn’t even part of the hotel. 8 whole episodes for two official people in the hotel. I’d rather we see people coming to the hotel and learning about redemption for an entire season instead of the drama we see go down with Adam and Heaven.
Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss just move WAY too quickly. I think it’s even difficult for fans to write fanfics and comics about these characters because they have nothing to go off of. Almost none of the characters have personalities, and we don’t know how they interact with each other. However, I do think that Viv’s Hell is an interesting world. I just wish it was explored more. We’ve only see a few of the rings, met a few of the sins, and seen very little of Hell at all. I have no hope that Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss will be better shows, the only hope I have is that in 30 years, someone reboots these shows, and actually makes them good.
Helluva Boss Hitmen
I've had a recent realization about Stella and Striker
I am 100% a Stella defender. She's flawed, but she deserves better than having Stolas in her life. But whenever I defend her, people always bring up the time she hired Striker to kill Stolas.
I have thoughts about this. First off, it's Hell, and hiring an assassin to kill your cheating, bitchy husband seems pretty standard. But why is hiring an assassin seen as a bad thing? And why is Striker even a villain? Striker is a hitman and an assassin, and that's seen as horrible and immoral. However, our main fucking characters are also hitmen. (Hitmen, NOT assassins, I see so many people confusing the two 😭) Why is it evil for Striker to be a hitman and assassin? Why is it evil for Stella to hire this hitman/assassin? And why is it NOT evil for the main characters to literally be hitmen? Why is it bad when Striker does it, but not when Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie do it? And why is it evil for Stella to hire an assassin, when our main characters' careers and incomes rely on people like her hiring assassins and hitmen?
This also just shows a larger issue in the Vivziepop fandom, which is "It's bad for others but not for the main characters." Things are shown as being evil and immoral (murder, abuse, assassinations, SA, etc.) SOMETIMES, but when it's supposed to be comical, or when it's done by a main character, suddenly it's fine
I’m sorry about all these anons you’ve been getting telling you to “stop whining and enjoy the show” (which translates to “shut up and go criticize my obsession somewhere else where I can’t see it”) they don’t seem to realize that this actually is fun for us as people who care about writing.
Exactly. I think Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss have really interesting worlds to explore, and I love thinking about what could have been done with the story
I also find it really funny, but also mildly infuriating, whenever people tell me they don't want to see my opinions. Because it's literally MY account. Like, these people are coming onto my blog and being mad about my posts? Just block me if you REALLY don't want to see my account, it's really that simple
Like, I'm just having a good time. I'm literally just chilling making silly little posts and it really seems to anger people
Just gonna let yall know what kind of person chai is
TW: Pedophilia and Zoophilia
It’s pretty funny that Brandon loves blitzstrike while everyone else bad mouths striker and how evil he is he says “Okay but hes kinda hot though. Would” or that one time. “Hey Ed is the statue accurate?” Ed replies “why don’t you find out”
My favourite. The latest one. “Did you see that scene where (we) had (our) faces right up close to each other? I watch that every day.”
Tension is undeniable. Morgana and Viv gotta stop fighting the gay cowboy thoughts. They’re brokeback mountain core.
BlitzStrike is an unstoppable force and even Brandon knows it. The only question is who's going to be the one to bottom with no lube and an ass full of beans.
The Show and Fandom’s reaction to:
Stella: She’s a horrible, awful person! Who cares if she was brought up in the same environment and circumstances as Stolas. Some people are just born evil. If you try to give her any depth, you’re an abuser apologist! You don’t care about male domestic violence.
Loona: HAHA FUNNY! It’s slapstick. She came from a harsh environment. Blitz shouldn’t have criticized her. Can’t you take a joke?!
Same Blitzsnake anon, can you pls draw more Blitzsnake?
Eepy lil' fellas!!!!!
(Not sure if you can tell but I gave Blitz Snakebites lol)
Hi, can you please draw Sir Pentious x Blitz? I'm starting to crackship them because I stopped respecting the show a long time ago and I wanna see my new favorites smooch. Also fuck you VivziePop Sir Pentious deserves to be in a better show. Save him from Hazbin.
AYYYYY QUE LINDO!!!! (I hope you like, this is a good ship👍👍👍👍)
Agreed, Sir Penstious definitely deserves better...
So it's about time I rewrote Hazbin Hotel, so here are the main 5 of my rewrite. If people are curious about this AU/rewrite my asks are open.
One of the main things that annoys me in Helluva Boss (among the other problems of the show) is that they make Striker and his ideas look ridiculous but he actually got a fucking point.
His whole point is literally just being a low class person who wants equal rights. He's right- the rich and powerful abuse the poor, the system is rigged against his people, it's not fair.
Yeah Ozzie and Stolas are good, it doesn't mean they're not part of the problem of social hierarchies. They're not actively trying to change things, they're letting the problem still happen- even if they have a soft spot for Blitz and Fizz.
The system still sucks. And it's working against imps.
But he's a joke of a villain, his ideas not taken seriously and not explored beyond the first episode he appeared in.
He's not treated seriously as a character.
He's wrong in his ways of execution, but I admit- the man has a point.
He doesn't come close to being my favorite character from the show, the amount the show made him look ridiculous made me dislike him.
Liked him in the first episode but after it he was just an eh. But he has a fucking point.
Super late to the party. But Hot Take, Beelzebub Should've been a Wolf.
Okay before you ignore this post, please read all of this. It has been bugging me since S1ep8 came out and the whole "controversy". This post is more like me just speaking my thoughts and hearing other peoples opinions. Also, this is not me fixing her design saying that they should change it.
Think of it me just babbling on about stuff.
I'm not gonna lie I never liked Bee's design. I find it under whelming and never really fit with the shows vibe. Honestly I think they could've done more with her design than what they went with in the show.
I think they really missed making her a wolf or a wolf/bee hybrid.
Wolves are a way better symbol of gluttony than foxes. Wolves have historically been seen as gluttonous animals due to their always eating livestock. There's a good article explaining this in greater detail. They also symbolize wrath, and we have seen Bees get angry, so I think it would be a perfect fit.
Also, if you ever watch a nature documentary about them hunting and eating praying animals, it's pretty gruesome. I'm not saying we need to see that happening; I'm just saying how that behavior would fit well with the whole gluttony symbolism.
Also, another thing about wolves is that they are social animals! They hunt in packs and they love to play with each other! Just look up Wolves playing, trust me its really adorable! Like it just fits for the whole party girl vibe and it also fits with here character. As she does care about people. Wolves do take there pack's livelihood very seriously. Also, it would fit well with bees because there also social animals. Like it would make more sense
Another reasons Bee should of been a wolf is that wolves can be really cute.
And can be really scary.
I know people like Bees full demon form. But it never felt intimadting for me. Like imagine wolf Bee full demon form snarling and growling. On top of that with all the bug features, Bee would look fucking scary. Thats just me tho.
Not to mention, dogs are descendent from wolves. So it be a cool detail that Bee made hellhounds and who happens to be part wolf. I know that sounds a bit to realistic but I think it would a neat detail.
Oh and would also really go full circle with Vivs Die Young music video, with Jay Jay. Idk I just find it more sweet.
So yeah, that it.
Thanks for listening to my ted talk.
okay so i just finished helluva boss (but not the shorts which i don’t think i’ll watch)…
and i enjoyed it for the most part. it’s a fun little show and i think that’s how people ought to treat it. i’ve a few thoughts below the cut. i’ve read a lot of glazing and a lot of hate and tbh i think i’m somewhere in the middle which seems like a rare thing in this fandom lmao
my favorite characters were fizz and moxxie & millie (tho the camp episode was so boring oh my goddd) and also ozzie however his design drives me up a wall why does he look like that. however his VA is sooo good
why do they say fuck so much
it feels like a show made for edgy high schoolers idk like it’s fun but it’s 90% sex jokes, ‘witty’ one-liners, and ship content
they interact with issues shallowly—like classism in hell and possibly racism (? if imps are a separate race ? idk)—and tbh i think they should stick to shallow examinations. social commentary is not their strong suit. things won’t hold together if they try to go deeper with this; it’s not a serious show and it should not be taking itself seriously. it works best when it’s interpersonal
i have a big issue w how viv/the writers/character designers portray fat ppl. i rly didn’t get the fat jokes about moxxie in that one ep like was it supposed to be a running gag? the character designs make everyone thin as a toothpick except for mammon who also happens to be the one sin they portray as being the worst and most disgusting. even bee who literally *is* gluttony is disgusted by mammon in that one scene where he’s chowing down in the courtroom. like what sense does that make.
which gets me to my real question that consistently bugged me throughout the whole series: what is the standard of morals in hell? the sins are personifications of their domains, so why are most of them decent folks? does this imply that people are sent to hell based on very conservative christian views—like is that the moral standard in this universe (i haven’t seen hh if this is explained)? like there genuinely weren’t a lot of indications for me for why a sin was a sin. ozzie emphasized lust being consensual; bee was concerned for blitz overindulging; but then verosika and her friends sexually assault moxxie and it’s implicitly brushed off as funny and not a big deal because oh well it is hell after all. idk it just felt inconsistent to me and i’m not sure why everyone and everything was so sanitized if this is supposed to be a terrible place
i liked the backstory episodes those were fun
i feel like they babygirlified stolas by making stella so unlikeable. it feels like the show runners were begging for us to sympathize with him when i thought he was a plenty decent character on his own and they could have made him much more morally complex by letting stella be an actual character. i was hoping there would be a little more ambiguity to it (rather than ‘yay stolas is finally divorcing that bitch’) because i genuinely was a little confused by why octavia was so mad at him at the end of s2 when the show covers his bases—she saw that stella wasn’t letting him call? idk i feel like the conflict should’ve come around the stars episode not the end one it just didn’t make sense to me. her struggle with the divorce made sense in s1 but by s2 they’d made stella such the clear-cut villain that it seemed like she never had a happy family to mourn the loss of. it felt forced that they transferred the conflict she seemed to be set up for having with her mother to stolas just to give him something to be upset about.
i’m not a big fan of stolitz im gonna be honest. idk why they like each other. they went from stolas essentially being a funny thirsty character to making their relationship the main plot line. it felt forced on blitz’s end especially like he went from not caring about him to ‘no actually he’s just too insecure to admit his feelings’ to madly in love?? within the space of a few episodes? there was also the problematic classist overtones as well but i think giving them an overtly toxic situationship would’ve been better and more fitting to the fact that they’re in hell than airbrushing things away so they can be an uwu yaoi pairing.
i enjoyed some of the songs especiallyyy the asmodeus one is s1 that was groovy as hell
i love fizz and ozzie they’re really cute :)
some of the designs got on my nerves (like ozzie and striker etc) but some of them were pretty cool (like fizz and stolas!)
in closing, i think the show is fine and a pretty fun watch it just shouldn’t take itself too seriously because then it breaks down.
I think “Mastermind” could have been a stronger episode if the trial focused on the fact that Stolas’ incompetence has led to humans discovering the existence of Heaven and Hell.
In the past, there have been alluded to consequences about I.M.P creating a commotion up top and not being careful, so why not have that finally come back to bite everyone in “Mastermind”? But, what do I mean by saying it’s the fault of Stolas, you may ask? After all, it was I.M.P who did their business without being properly careful, right?
That’s still technically on Stolas.
Alright, consider the other two times we see Hell-born doing a job up top, that being Barbie-Wire and the succubi. Both parties not only had a way to get there, but a human disguise as well. Presumably, Barbie-Wire and the succubi were given both Asmodean crystals and human disguised by their employers, because you know they’re supposed to be discreet and all. We could also assume they all got some form of training on how to act, too. Why am I bringing this up though?
It’s because Stolas irresponsibly let I.M.P have access to the living world without training or human disguises!
A high-ranking Goetia prince gave access to his grimoire, and that was all he did, presumably with an assumption they would be careful. And then in the D.H.O.R.K.S episode, he just leaves the two head agents alive! Two humans who have knowledge about Hell being a thing are just hand-waved away by him, simply stating that nobody would believe them. No wiping their minds or anything, they’re just left there!
Which comes back to bite everyone because those two had actual evidence that was believed, and now they’re working to open a portal to Hell. Even after that episode and “Seeing Stars”, Stolas doesn’t give them human disguises, even after Blitzø had asked about getting some earlier.
Tl;Dr of it all is that Stolas is responsible for I.M.P’s actions up top and them not being properly careful. Mostly because he didn’t give them the resources needed other than the book.
Ok, but how would Andrealphus know all about this?
That…actually comes with a bit of a rewrite. So imagine if Andrealphus, after Stella won’t get anything from the divorce, sends out an imp to spy and regularly report back to him about Stolas (and eventually I.M.P’s) actions through one of his tail feathers. In this rewrite, Andrealphus has the ability to see things through his tail feathers, making the fact that he’s a peacock matter in the narrative.
So through his spy (sent after the events of “Western Energy”) Andrealphus learns that Stolas gave the grimoire away to be used. But not only that, the spy sees the fight with the cherubs, as well as them leaving via portal that doesn’t look like a standard one used often in Hell, and it doesn’t look like something Heaven would use either. So the spy brings back their findings, which Andrealphus brings to the Sins. An investigation is then launched (presumably during the time period between “Apology Tour” and “Ghostf**kers”), and a lot of damning evidence is found by the agents that were sent (presumably by Satan).
So, that’s when the trial is set up, and both I.M.P and Stolas are brought in. Several things are properly brought to light, Stolas is found guilty (but I.M.P got off scott-free, a rarity in Hell), and he’s striped of his title, legions, everything. Satan states that it’s a fitting punishment, since he can’t be trusted with his former position and the responsibility that vmcomes with it. And Octavia’s still 17, so Andrealphus temporarily serves as a regent until the day of her 18th birthday. Meanwhile, the Sins go to talk about just how bad the damage is, and what they can do to fix it.
Maybe one of them suggests bringing Lucifer in, but that’s shot down by Satan, alluding to how Lucifer hasn’t gotten involved in the state of affairs in Hell for a while now.
…So that’s my vague idea for a rewrite that I think makes a better episode. What do y’all think?
…You know what could’ve been cool? If Vassago had ACTUALLY looked like a pirate, and if he were Octavia’s mentor.
Like, for a character who supposedly should look like one, Vassago does NOT look like a pirate. Which is disappointing, Viv really could have gone all in and made that guy a pirate stereotype. Like, where’s the peg leg, the eyepatch? Where’s the frilly cravat? Where’s the pirate hook? Where’s the oversized captain’s coat and pirate hat with long, elaborate feathers? Heck, you could have made one of those feathers be from Andrealphus, and Vassago put it in his hat because he LOATHES Andrealphus, and beat his a** once. And he makes sure to wear it because Andrealphus HATES it.
Actually, why is Vassago a red macaw? Why not a green parrot, I feel like when you think ‘pirate’ you picture a parrot, especially a green one. I don’t know, sounds like a missed opportunity. And hey, you still could have put stars on his outfit.
As for being Octavia’s mentor, maybe Vassago could have taken pity on the fact that until recently, she’s never had formal lessons in her potential duties regarding astrology. And yeah, Vassago might not occupy the exact same space, but it is said that he can divine and tell summoners of past and future events apparently. And you can use the stars to do the latter, so he could at least reach her something in that.
Really, if we’re going with the Goetias being nobility, Octavia SHOULD have a couple private tutors to guide her in potential duties and proper etiquette. Since she’s the spare and all, honestly now that I think about it did either Stolas or Stella get her something like an etiquette teacher? She’s going to need one since she’s slated to take over Stolas’ position in (assumedly) less than a year. I think Stolas started recently teaching her through the book (she probably should have started a couple years ago), but he can’t do that anymore, so…
Anyway, like I said, could be cool if Vassago took pity on the girl (since Vassago is apparently good-natured) and started overviewing her lessons on her duties in astrology. Or maybe, she’s having trouble navigating through the Goetia social expectations and stuff and he decides to not leave her to the sharks. Idk, might have been better than just having him be a Stolas hype man, despite the fact that Stolas not having any friends other than Blitzø that one time is supposed to be important. And yet here’s a guy who definitely seems to like him somewhat, could Stolas not have been friends with him?
I really do think Beelzebub had the potential to be the most sinister of the Sins. She's the Sin of Gluttony and she encourages people to overindulge and act upon their vices (unless they're Mammon apparently) because she revels in excess, but what if there was a darker side to her?
Amongst the dregs of Hell, Bee is considered a blessing. A kind woman who will help those in need to find happiness and is always willing to lend a helping hand to the hapless nobodies. However, things are not always what they seem with her. In reality, she's a master manipulator and the biggest enabler in Hell. How she 'helps' people is by encouraging them to act upon their vices, not so subtly goading them into developing addictions. She always has a bountiful supply of products to feed into these addictions. Addictions they cannot financially support.
And who does she mainly target? Hellhounds and Imps! The lowest of the low, basically slaves! She builds a false sense of security and friendship with these poor Demons, pretending to understand what they're going through and making the friendless think they have someone who cares in this scary violent world. She preys upon the weak and vulnerable.
Due to her position and status, Bee has never had to worry about money issues. Her customer base however, they tend to reach the point where they can't support their addictions. Almost instantly, Bee will turn upon them, throwing herself a big pity parade about how betrayed she feels, threatening to cut off her customer. Unable to turn away from their addictions, they will beg for another form of payment, which is exactly what Bee has been waiting for. Her 'friends' will sell their souls if it means being able to feed their addictions, which Bee happily accepts.
At that point, Bee has won. She's earned another sucker's soul, where they will join her army of slaves to produce more of her delightful products, which will inevitably be used to lure in more unsuspecting victims.
Her influence is so strong that she has customers in practically every corner of Hell, all on her payroll. All suckered in by her kind facade and promises of numbing the pain.
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Thoughts?
Stolas being homeless lives rent free in my head. I’ve been lowkey thinking about an old anon ask I got about Satan transforming Stolas into an imp.
It could’ve been a full circle moment where Stolas finally recognizes his faults but it is just too late. He is stripped of his power and status, transformed into the very thing he has lusted over, fetishized, and belittled.
Stolas loses his daughter in the process as she wants nothing to do with him, giving him several chances in previous episodes. Andrealphus and Stella are thriving.
Stolas, desperately goes to the only person he knows: Blitzø. He begs and pleads to Blitzø, wanting shelter and that he has no where left but Blitzø not only denies him but pretends he doesn’t know who Stolas is. In the end, Stolas is homeless and no one (including his father, higher rank goetias, and the deadly sins) wants to associate with a deadbeat degenerate.
Stolas is forced to survive the wrath of Hell alone.
Agent 1 and 2 was done so dirty and wrong.Including the cherubs.
They were competent antagonists to now dumb and annoying waste of characters in the show.
I know the Cherubs were annoying even in their first appearance but man.The concept of angels being fallen by an accident,self defense and stuck in a moral dilemma(damn if you do,damn if you don't situation where the IMP keeps pestering them when they only want to help)is so intriguing (them killing the old man in accident out of self defense from the IMP).Their potential is wasted to make heaven appear bad or dumb in hell(full moon).
The DHORKS could be interesting.I am excited for characters especially humans that can beef up with the supernatural.but instead it was a "secret" organization funded by something? Then when they show proof of demons, the government and church?(With the priests soldiers arming the gun in that scene).the way they show their operations seems like another lesser evil.As the Agents react nothing to the girls being killed in the hell's portal as a joke.
They became annoying instead of actual antagonists to the IMP .The way they are so defeated easily and their loss as a joke for slapstick humor is making their plot in their episodes useless.If anything they are not really an obstacle as IMP even mocks their easy defeat.just another plot device.
Don't forget how their team up sounds cool but disappointing.It could be their revenge or rather avenging themselves as the IMP did them wrong multiple times.But instead we get Cletus and Keenie acting blood thirsty angels while there is one genuine guy known as Collin being too innocent.Cletus and Kleenie reaction is justified tbh but the episode made them seems like another character being racist to hellborns litterally fighting them to death.Blitz insult them on his apology tour makes blitz apology a bit insincere.because again they are easily defeated.not even a temporary win like with striker so what is the point of them taking up screen time?what is the point of the agents being dramatic about demon hunting and the existence of DHORKS when humans are so dumb and let demons roam.What is the point of the CHERUBS existing to sabotage IMP when many times,IMP sabotage itself?.I feel like they are just here so we can laugh at them like how blitz makes fun of them in apology tour.
Cool detail I found.Both CHERUBS and DHORKS kill the IMP's client in accident.sounds like a doomed narrative.as if god is intervening their closeness to success into failure.tbf they are doomed as an antagonist already.even IMPs beefing themselves has more thematic conflict than these two.