I want to talk about a kind of troubling reaction I've been seeing to both Apology Tour and Ghostfuckers among parts of the fandom. The person is usually a reaction youtuber but sometimes someone writing on tumblr or twitter. They say something along the lines of "oh, I'm glad Blitz is being forced to confront his crimes/traumas/pain. This is the only way he will finally heal."
That's not how healing works.
I know that reaction youtubers don't always have the most developed takes because they're . . . you know . . . reacting in the moment. But I think it's still worth talking about.
I'm going set aside the people who seem to believe that Blitz needs to be punished for his crimes, and address those who genuinely think that getting a tidal wave of his own trauma in his face is what he needs to heal.
There's an attitude in contemporary culture that traumas are something people need to confront. As in, put on a brave face and dive in like a big boy. I blame capitalism, rugged individualism, and all the pieces of media that tie up a character's arc neatly by having them confront their darkest fears and insecurities. It can put a nice bow on things, but it isn't really how healing from trauma works.
Apology Tour:
Blitz gets confronted by a shit ton of people who hate him, at least some of whom are his exes, who he feels he's personally damaged. The decor and party games are all about killing and torturing him. Verosika confronts him about how much he hurt her. Oh, and then he sees the love of his life, who he's just recently pushed away, making out with another guy- proof, in his eyes, that Stolas is happier without him. And this all reflects the underlying fears he already has about who he is as a person (shown to us by Truth Seekers).
So what was the takeaway? Blitz came to the conclusion that he doesn't always want to be like this (good, but like . . . worth this much pain?). He flops on his steering wheel (relatable). He stops trying to reach out to Stolas (uh oh . . . ). He spends A MONTH spiraling in his own misery and making a mess of all aspects of his life until he's dragged out of it by a caring friend.
The party doesn't empower Blitz to change. It knocks him down and fucking traumatizes him (seriously, images of Stolas from the party show up later in his trauma reel) too much for him to be able to do actually work toward said change. I suspect that if left to his own devices, he would have kept spiraling for quite a while longer. It's one thing to want to change, and another to try to do so alone in the aftermath of a pile-on.
Ghostfuckers
After Blitz drags himself out of his hole of cheesy ice cream and despair to "play sex ghosts" (escapism, again, still knocked down by Apology Tour), infester demon Rolando picks him out as an easy target and assaults him, yes, assaults, with horrific images of his worst traumas and fears.
Not to state the obvious, but Rolando isn't interested in helping Blitz heal. He's trying to kill the guy. He wants to engulf Blitz in his trauma to the extent where he's consumed by it and loses the will to fight back. And as some excellent posts by others have pointed out already, he very likely would have succumbed if not for Millie's support.
Millie helps Blitz get through the onslaught by telling him about what makes him great and how he's improved her life and showing him love and care. And by literally beating the fucking infester out of him. Because there's someone in him who's hurting him, who's re-traumatizing him against his will. She takes him away from the reel of horrible memories.
So . . . do I think that confronting traumas can play a role in healing? Sure. But only if it's consensually (which neither of these situations are) and when the person trying to heal is ready. And most likely in small doses. No one's going and successfully confronting every horrible thing that's ever happened to them in one go.
And in my humble opinion, it's not going to work (for anyone, but especially not for Blitz) alone and without a healthy dose of kindness and compassion (both external and internal).
Blitz has a long road ahead of him toward healing, and it's going to be hard work on his part but also require love and support from the people in his life.
In a wonderful moment near the end of Ghosfuckers, Blitz and Millie work together to get Blitz's wrecked van unstuck and push it back through the portal into Hell. I love it because it's so simple and it kind of tells us everything we need to know. This sweet and salty gremlin has a lot of work ahead of him, but he doesn't have to do it alone.
The fact that Blitz purposely takes the brunt of the fall, and still manages to cradle Stolas in his arms using only one hand, while the other carries a sword- impressive.
Like Blitz makes sure to carry Stolas in a way that guarantees he doesn't feel the impact or the rough landing.
The funny thing is Stolas was bracing himself for impact, only to be left surprised to have not felt a thing.
It's moments like these that really remind me that, yeah, Blitz is a professional at what he does. He may be an idiot, but his protective instincts are always on point. Goddamn.
New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas
If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas:
1. Sprained Ankle
A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.
2. Rib Contusion
A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.
3. Concussions
This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.
I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.
4. Fractured Finger
A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.
5. Road Rash
Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.
6. Shoulder Dislocation
This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.
7. Deep Laceration
A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.
This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.
8. Burns
Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.
If you want to explore writing burns, read here.
9. Pulled Muscle
This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.
10. Tendonitis
Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.
This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)
Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!
Instagram Tiktok
Blitzø lizard crawling on his loved ones.
This is my favorite scene and NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT
Them, being SO ADORABLE, being my NEW FAVORITE DUO EVER
Blitzo admitting to her that the “I want to fuck everyone, and only fuck them, because emotions and caring for people is dangerous” persona he has is not true, that it’s falling apart. This seems like such a silly line but I think it goes so deep.
Blitzo’s always been wanted for sex and sex only, which is why I think he might have looked up at Millie like that after he admitted he doesn’t actually want to fuck her. He’s scared that if his one good use is gone, then people won’t want him anymore.
Luckily this is Millie, and this whole episode is the beginning of putting that insecurity to bed. So he feels more comfortable admitting this to her
This part is really showing his growth. His maturity in his relationship- knowing that if he really cares about someone he can’t sleep around. His maturity with his friends- leaving their relationship be and no longer pushing and crossing boundaries. He’s letting go of that persona, the one that in his eyes has kept him safe. He realizing he needs to be someone else to be happy.
And of course,
Blitzo admitting just how much he loves and cares about Stolas- TO SOMEONE ELSE. This is HUGE for him- he doesn’t do the feelings talk, not even with the people he has feelings for, let alone bystanders.
He’s realizing that he doesn’t want to be with anyone else- that Stolas is the only one. He really understands (you can hear it in his voice and see it in his face) how much he fucked up, which is also how much he will need to fix to get it back.
This scene was the perfect way to end this episode and I just think it’s absolute perfection
Blitzø showing his love VS Blitzø receiving love
We all know at this point that Blitzø loves his found family. He encourages them, he protects them, and is even outright physically affectionate at times. Blitzø acts the unlovable asshole, and even outright self-sabotages his relationships in certain cases, but he can’t hide the fact that he cares. And he cares more than anyone is willing to give him credit for. Himself especially.
Which makes his reactions to his found family returning his love in their own ways all the more heartbreaking. He questions it, he’s shocked by it, and doesn’t really know how to react to it. And that says more about his true character than any facade he hides behind.
One day, Blitz will see that he's not a nuisance to those around him who leaves nothing but suffering in his wake. One day, he will believe them when they say that they love him and that he saved them. One day, he will see that instead of being a burden, he has given them a community.
They're all, in their own ways, telling him, "Get loved, idiot. Get fucking cherished and adored, loser." And one day, he'll even realize that yes, he is worthy of such love and devotion.
foreshadowing and shit 🙂
Blitz answer her dad call
His phone number is saved as dad (with a few *s)
Alo can't tell me Via long winded dunk on Blitz; isn't a little similar to his on Stolas in the pilot
Blitz says let's go find our daughters, refering to Loona and Via.
(Yes I know English is a silly imprecise language, but I'm counting it).
And this moment had a big effect on Stolas
They have the same taste in music 🎶
Blitz uses the same pet name for Octavia, as he does for Loona
They have the same reaction to Stolas being overly PDA
They both Hate Fizzbot
And both think Stolas' damsel in distress act is bit much
They have a very similar sarcastic snarky wit
(She was having so much fun making Loo loo sweat)
And Stolas treats them in a similar way when they snark
He fires back with a minor piss take of his own. (Think one of the reasons Stolas wasn't as put of by Blitz's walls early on is because of understanding Via).
You can see how well this plays together when they back eachother up taking this mick out of Andy
Blaming @quillyfied for this one but she's in front of both of them saying this.
Summary:
She pushes an old shirt to the side and softly hoots in surprise at what she has found.
An old film camera.
Via blinks in astonishment and carefully lifts it out of the box. The heavy weight is expected but it still manages to surprise her somehow. This is a really old model, vintage even! Via has never seen one like this in person, only ever in magazines or in old movies.
For a moment her heart drops because at a closer glance the camera looks broken. It's dirty and banged up and there are some weird markings all over the body. In some places the plastic looks almost like it has… melted?
She turns it in her hands and runs a finger over the lid of the film compartment. What looked like ordinary scratches are actually letters, deliberately carved into the surface, faded and barely legible.
T. B.
*********** Via finds an old film camera in Blitzø’s closet. While she takes pictures of her new family and tries to come to terms with her new normal, the camera holds secrets none of them could have ever imagined.
Okay so since Sinsmas I have been thinking a lot about Blitzø and IMP abilities.
So in Sinsmas we got to see Loona's demon form and Vivzie has hinted before about other demons having official forms other than Goeitias.
My theory is that Imps most likely have abilities dealing with fire; however, they have not been taught how to properly handle it. Like they have this hidden power, but they have no idea how to control it. This would make sense with them being the native demons to Wrath which has fire twisters and volcanos everywhere (This is mentioned in Harvest Moon by Moxie)
This ability would also make sense of the slur "Fire Toad" that Blitzø was called during Western Energy while he was in the sloth ring.
Okay so in Helluva boss lore the different rings of Hell seem to have different types of fire/fire colors.
Envy: unknown. Maybe black ish or kind of a like neon yellow/green. The yellow green color is what was shown in Ghost F**ckers during the Millie and Blitzø flashback scene. Kind of reminds me of pop lights.
Wrath: Seems to have more normal stereotypical fire colors. Like orangish red.
Sloth: is shown to have pinkish/purple colored fire. This is shown on the demons with the candles and on Belphegor
Pride: Pure Red and White fire.
Lust: blue fire. Seen in Ozzie's body. Also you see it at Ozzie's. In the Corners.
Gluttony: yellow goopy honey fire
Greed: bright green fire. Seems to be the only fire that causes hellborn demons physical harm. Was the fire at the circus during the explosion.
You can also see that horses are made of fire and their colorations show what ring the horse is from.
Lava-esk red/orange fire: from Wrath.
Green: from Greed, Purple/Blue: From Lust, Pink from Sloth
Okay so fire is a HUGE motif in this show especially surrounding Blitzø. This man is always setting shit on fire whether purposeful or accidental.
First episode Murder Family
Blitzø and Millie are literally set on fire and that's how we learn that earth flames have no effect on demons. Also I love the call back to this moment later on in Apology Tour. RIP BLITZØ PLUSHIE 😭
Then we get to see Blitzø accidentally set Loo Loo land on fire in the second episode
In spring breakers and cherubs you don't really see much fire motifs. The most you see is Millie light a molotov cocktail.
Then we jump to S1 Ep 5 Harvest Moon Festival:
This is our first sighting of Blitzø's lighter as he lights a cigarette
The lighter is later used as a metaphor for him by Loona when talking to Octavia in Season 2 Seeing Stars
The lighter is acting up at first but then eventually produces a strong flame. She uses this dads mess up and sometimes they don't always get it right but at least they are trying and that's what is important.
Then we see the lighter again in Mastermind, Loona saving a photo of IMP and then trying to light the files on fire. Blitzø has to help Loona to get it to light.
In Season 1 episode 6 Truth seekers we see the first hint of flame like motifs destroying his loved ones.
The season one finale Ozzie's also has the fire motif with Ozzie's blue flames standing over him in casting his judgement and shame with his past relationships.
(He looks so ashamed of himself and sad)
S2 Seeing Stars we of course have the previously mentioned lighter scene and then the beautiful Blitzø action hero moment.
Then in Oops we learn that he accidentally set his family's circus on fire by knocking over a birthday cake, said fire killed his mom, hurt Fizz and hurt himself.
later on in Oops he causes another explosion and sets the whole area on fire and has to Rescue Fizz
Then the fire is again referenced in GhostF**kers with the infester demon.
Blitzø's main trauma is that everything he touches gets destroyed or ruined.
Apology Tour: All 2 u song
There is this gorgeous moment when Stolas is singing about his frustration with Blitzø where it shows Stolas in flames. And Blitzø sees this and sees that he hurt Stolas. Metaphorically burns him.
Cause, darlin', you're the thief
But you were mine to earn
What if I came on too strong?
What if I read this all wrong?
What if we just don't belong?
All this "What if? What if? What if?
What if? What if? What if?
Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?" Makes me BURN
In Mastermind it really shows this with him being surrounded by flames when he is about to die. There is also this lovely quote in the song by Stolas
"Does this fool deserve this flame?"
"Let his name light a fire in the hearts of his Race"
"You're my light"
I like the motif of Blitzø continuously being almost punished by the flame and his own flames. Flames hurt people they burn. They are dangerous and out of control. People often refer to love or lovers as a flame or a fire that burns.
Also Stolas literally refers to him as his light. Blitzø is a light to those around him. He inspires other Imps to go outside of their social ranking. He inspires others to break the mold. He lit the way for a new path for Moxie, Millie, Loona and Stolas
The lighter motif continues. Yes it is faulty and inconsistent but it still tries and it works.
And then we get to Sinsmas
HOW OFTEN IS THIS MAN LITERALLY SETTING SHIT ON FIRE!??
It is established that Blitzø is really good at cooking. This isn't the sims where someone is new to the cooking skill and sets their kitchen on fire 😂. It would be different if he couldn't cook. But he can cook.
Also while talking about accidentally setting shit on fire. Fire shows up out of nowhere on Blitzø! Homeboy wasn't even cooking this time! 👀
Then this after the whole Octavia fight with Stolas. This man LITERALLY ATE COALS TO BECOME A HEATED BLANKET TO COMFORT THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE!
. . .So at this point I'm like. . .Can IMPS control Fire???? Or at least be Conductors of fire??? I have so many questions.
Like it's obvious that Blitzø doesn't have control over fire because of him using a lighter to light things also the sheer amount of times he has accidentally set shit on fire. But all I can think is the lighter motif of Blitzø and how at first the lighter is erratic, but then it eventually works.
I imagine that Imps have abilities but part of the class divide made it where they lost knowledge of their abilities. Or that their abilities are extremely erratic and difficult to control. Which makes sense because their birth sin is Wrath.
1. Fire as a Symbol of Destruction and Rebirth:
The circus, what happened to Fizz. Literally the destruction of Stola's old life and status.
2. Fire as a Metaphor for Passion and Desire:
Homie all of Stolitz
3. Fire as a Symbol of Purification and Renewal:
Renewal of ones self. Blitzø redemption arc
Think of how Millie was on a bad road but Blitzø helped her get on the right track.
Blitzø game Moxie a new life out of jail.
He also gave a new path to Loona.
4. Fire as a Representation of Creativity and Inspiration:
Giving Stolas inspiration to choose his own path.
Inspiring other Imps to question society norms.
If you have anything else to add please let me know. Thank you Vivzie and helluva boss team for all of your fun metaphors you put in your work.
How do you build the confidence to be part of the hellaverse fandom? I adore your art and love seeing how you and other artists are just being unapologetically yourselves and having fun. I'm too anxious to ever actually interact other than liking things and anonymous messages of support...how do you do it? I want to join and have fun but I'm so intimidated by the toxic aspects of the fandom. Sorry to ramble but I wanted to know if you had any advice!
This question hit me in the feels! 🥺❤️
Okay there is a long answer to this but I think I’ll be able to keep it short and I can only talk about my experience;
- if you live in a societal context where the institutions in power insist that you hate yourself, then you probably will get some feeling of confidence as a side effect of fighting against everyone just to like who you are. Not everyone survives this endeavor, so it’s a pretty big deal to those who do. Due to the nature of the shows, I think hellaverse has the tendency to attract fans who have gone through this in some way with society. (I’ve dealt with real bullshit for a long ass time, so navigating a fandom is not so intimidating for me 💖)
-most everyone (irl and online) is a total fucking sweetie pie, which makes me feel happy to chitchat online or express my appreciations~
-block assholes liberally 🚫
Be free, have fun~
My attention span is sporadic at the best of times or downright obsessive the rest of it. There is no in between. Once the obsession hits, there’s nothing else I’m gonna be talking, reading or writing about. So enjoy it while it lasts, cuz the obsession changes randomly. And regularly.
91 posts