HOW HELL RUINS IMPS

[@CharlesJThomas]

i said a lot of mean things but make no mistake, striker is my husband and i support all his endeavors

[@sketchs_art_corner]

So real for that

[@Snekfan88]

* lows down torch * okay :)

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

Are you blind? Have you suffered any head trauma?

[@CharlesJThomas]

maybe :(

[@Jackiedrewharbringer]

BASED

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

You'd think that someone who's experienced so much of the racism Hell's other denizens have towards Imps would be more sympathetic towards his fellow Imps, but Striker seems to be the worst kind of hypocrite. He seems to be just as racist towards other Imps as the rest of Hell is, and for all of Striker's genuine hatred of the rich and his desire to kill them, he still follows their orders without question and seems to have adopted a lot of their mannerisms as his own. You could easily argue that he has to follow their orders if he's to maintain his reputation so that he can eventually pay for the weapons he'll use to kill them, but it's also clear to me that Striker's only going to kill them because he hates them, not because they hurt his people. Fizz was right when he said Striker was no better then any of the royals he despises, and judging by how mad Striker was at that comment, I think he knows Fizz is right.

[@seeleunit2000]

That's the point. Striker is a self-hating Imp. This kind of thing can happen among minorities in a system that oppresses them.

[@noagaselga3345]

I mean... what if he hates them BECAUSE they hurt his people? During his speech to Stolas in Western Energy he talks in plural so it seemed like he was talking about how royals treat imps as a whole About what Fizzarolli said, it's just stupid. You can't compare a powerful group of people who oppress lower class people and a random guy who's mad at you because you are in a relationship with a royal (which is different from having to work for a royal as a one time thing and having to "follow their orders without a question" to get paid) and who overall thinks he's better than anyone. One is an active part of an oppressive system, the other isn't. He could be more sympathetic to other imps? Maybe, but it's stupid to say he's on the same level as royals (also let's keep in mind that Fizzarolli is actually privileged despite being an imp)

[@seeleunit2000]

Well, Stolas was condescending, classist, and spineless. He might feel something for Blitz, he still treated Blitz like an object and when Ozzy called him out at his club Stolas hid his face. Stolas can be flirty towards Blitz among the lower classes, I when it comes down to his peers he shrinks and says nothing. Blitz might have been trying to goad Stolas to admit he looks down on him, but Blitz isn't wrong because Stolas does. From how he treats him and the things he says to him. This whole sex for services situation was started by the owl and the owl ended on his own terms when Blitz didn't want that and the owl didn't respect his input. So, Stolas might feel something for Blitz, but he doesn't show any respect to him. I just wish the rest of the audience would get that

[@CharlesJThomas]

mostly agree with what's being said here. i'll probably make a video about everything stolas did wrong eventually, but it's hard to work out if the show intended all of stolas' flaws or if it they came about from miscommunication in the writing lol; especially seeing as the show hasn't acknowledged any of his mistakes yet... but viv *has* acknowledged them, so yeahhhh idk lmao i'm thinking the show will shine a light on things eventually

[@FlybyStardancer]

@CharlesJThomas⁠ They were absolutely lampshade hanging when Stolas said “I don’t look down on you!” while literally looking down on him. To me, that’s the writers telling us, “Hey, put a pin in this thought! We’re coming back to it.” @steeleunit2000 While Blitzø took Stolas hiding his face as Stolas being embarrassed to be seen with Blitzø, I don’t think that’s the case. If he had been embarrassed to be seen with Blitzø, why be so excited to be in a club on a date with him? Instead, look at the timing of hiding his face, he did it just after being shown an image of Stella and especially Octavia glaring at him. He probably had Stella’s abuse echoing in his head while feeling guilty at how his actions have impacted his daughter. Stolas is embarrassed at HIMSELF. (To be clear- Blitzø is entirely valid to think that Stolas was embarrassed to be seen with him given everything. They’ve both messed up. They both need to apologize and do better, and Stolas’ reckoning seems to be coming up- probably near to the season finale.)

[@LadyLeomon]

While Stolas did indeed propose the whole “sex for borrowing my book” thing, thanks to the flashbacks we now know *Blitzø* started that by going back to Stolas’s castle with the sole intention of stealing it in the first place! He saw Stolas misunderstanding his intentions and used it! Whether or not he slept with Stolas out of pity (my favourite Demon Owl was pretty pathetic at that moment) or to cover his own ass because he still stole from a Royal (something he feared doing as a child), if he disappeared with the book after a round of bedsheet ballet he could easily pass it off as “you’ll have to invite me back if you want it back”. Remember we never actually saw Stolas’s reaction to his book being gone, just got right to “you sleep with me and you can borrow it”. Then Full Moon happened, and while Stolas has indeed been terrible to Blitzø he was the first of the two to acknowledge he effed up and took steps to make amends for it (Asmodean Crystal). He gave Blitzø the opportunity to get out of their arrangement, hoping he would stay because he caught feelings too. But Blitzø being Blitzø couldn’t see past his own sh*tty behaviour and took it the complete opposite way: as a rejection leading to Blitzø _wanting_ Stolas only now that he’s no longer chasing him (ironic given he spent months dodging him). Then Apology Tour happened … up until then we only knew of one of Blitzø’s exes (Verosika), but he has *so many* exes that he left broken-hearted that they commiserate with each other every year … Blitzø isn’t some innocent victim in all this, he’s just as sh*tty as Stolas but for slightly different reasons. They both suck!

[@LadyLeomon]

Also-also in regards to Ozzie’s? Blitzø only got in there because he used Stolas to get in, all because he wanted to stalk and torment Millie and Moxxie on their date night … sure it’s Hell and people are sh*tty, but why am I supposed to root for Blitzø in any of this???

[@MillionsSporks]

willfully ignorant reading of Stolas’ character, and this understanding of StoLitz as a whole completely ignores the complexity of Stolas’ own trauma he’s just escaped an abusive marriage, void of any semblance of affection and sex was a means to an end. for Stolas, Blitz liberated him not just sexually, but from his marriage. he appreciates Blitz as a person and adores him for qualities we see others in the show explicitly put off by. the focus of Asmodeus’ comments was not specifically about Blitz being an Imp (Fizzie is also an Imp? even though they were hiding their relationship it’s not like Ozzie ever talked down on Imps to do so), it was about how Stolas destroyed his family and reputation. when he hides behind his menu at Ozzie’s it’s not because he’s ashamed of *Blitz* , he’s ashamed of being an adulterer, ashamed of having broken his family apart. i’ve never seen it as him hiding from the room, but hiding from Blitz, because he doesn’t want to be *seen* like that by him. Stolas didn’t even KNOW that Blitz only slept with him for the grimoire, he naturally thought there was some mutual attraction here and didn’t think Blitz would dislike the arrangement. this is interesting to examine but you’re seeing all the wrong flaws in it. Stolas is extremely sheltered, has never been loved and has never had sex for pleasure. his understanding of and expectations for relationships come from romance novels and films and even erotica which he can be seen reading and watching throughout the show. Stolas is not intentionally demeaning Blitz, he literally just thinks that this is how you express desire. in private his flirting is genuinely awkward and cringe inducing because the sex stuff is clearly things he picked up from bad erotica from the transactional relationship to the bad hentai dialogue dirty talk to the flaws in his confessions, Stolas was trying to navigate how to express his attraction towards Blitz. and that was probably always going to be awkward and insensitive to Blitz given how clueless about it all he is like i feel like avid Stolas haters take the incessant and crude dirty talk to mean that Stolas knows what he’s doing and he absolutely does not after things blow up at Ozzie’s, Stolas could’ve just warped home but makes the conscious decision to endure the discomfort of Blitz’s van just to be with him. when he invites Blitz inside for a movie and cuddles (after Blitz initially misreads his intentions), Blitz lashes out at him and tells Stolas he already made it clear he just wants sex. and from Blitz’s POV this is understandable, but as the viewer we KNOW that Blitz and Stolas fundamentally misunderstand each other’s character. we’ve seen how Stolas was genuinely excited for their date that night and took the time to get ready, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Blitz is and has been misinterpreting Stolas’ intentions and what does Stolas do after Blitz says he’s “made it clear”? that Blitz wasn’t actually enjoying their arrangement? he stops. he puts a hold on their monthly trysts, gives him space, and the only time he even *flirts* with Blitz after Ozzie’s is in Seeing Stars and it’s to get him out of his nervous stupor so he can do the dumb reality show and they can get on with looking for Octavia. we even see him conflicted about whether to check on Blitz or not when they finally reunite with Loona and Octavia and Loona kicks him in the balls. but because Blitz already thinks he’s being used, he takes Stolas’ actions not as the attempts to show him that it wasn’t just the sex that they are, but as Stolas getting tired of him The Full Moon sees Stolas finally, properly communicate. and while the way he goes about it is still flawed and has romcom wafting off of it from every angle, Stolas acknowledges the ways in which his actions have hurt Blitz, that their arrangement was wrong and he wasn’t taking Blitz’s feelings into account in the things he’s said and done Blitz’s continuous downplaying of Stolas’ feelings and sexualization of the situation is predicated on his self-hating tendency of not allowing himself to believe he can be loved. especially not by Stolas. he won’t LET himself look at Stolas’ actions throughout the story in any other light because he’s scared of love, of being loved, and especially being loved so openly (because despite people thinking Stolas is ashamed of Blitz he has been *exteremely* vocal about his attraction to him, especially about the fact that they were on a date in Ozzie’s). Blitz has a perpetual inferiority complex and that leads to just as many problems and just as much miscommunication as Stolas behavior does

[@alllittlethingzz]

I do think that striker does have a lot of insecurities about him feeling weak and beefing with royals too. He hates how fizz and blitz are with royals, even though he’s working one himself. So it makes him a hypocrite in a huge way.

[@CharlesJThomas]

exactlyyyy. it must be intentional too because it is mentioned in the show, they'll absolutely be doing something with it methinks

[@VictoryReviews]

Great analysis my dude The caste system in hell is interesting. A hierarchy wasn't always something i thought deeply about in relation to Helluva Boss but its an interesting angle to analyze that aspect of the show.

[@CharlesJThomas]

poggies thanks vic. not enough youtubers in the space talking about the larger world of the show imo, it has interesting politics

[@LadyLeomon]

I honestly think it’s weird that Earthborn Sinners are *above* Imps and Hellhounds, who are both natives to Hell … maybe because only Angelic Weapons can permanently kill a Sinner? Meanwhile Imps, Hellhounds and other Demons can die from old age 🤔🤔🤔

[@eggbean2241]

The problem is that I feel is this show won’t get to hard on royals. Because they are love interests to imps . But their oppressors to other imps. Ozzie and stolas don’t treat every imp as equals only their imp love interests. Their exception, not the rule on how they feel on imps. Lowkey think striker is right about royals but they made him a jerk so fans can still like their royal favs which happens a lot in media . Where they make a oppressed class have a justified idea but make them villains or unreasonable to get audience not on their side. Think killmorger , jet etc . I really hope they bring in a another imp who is a revolutionary in a better way than striker

[@CharlesJThomas]

looool i erm kinda agree heehee sometimes i worry that the show is (accidentally?) making the point of "not all royals" more than "the caste system is inherently, demonstrably harmful for hell and royals are complicit", especially with striker being there to invalidate the notion that royals are actually bad as you said the fact class/race divide is such a big theme tells me viv wants to address it properly, just hope she's willing to let scrunkly royals take the hit to their good guy points! we'll see whenever blitz gets to force stolas to reflect upon himself al a the way he himself was in apology tour

[@VictoryReviews]

The goat has returned

[@CharlesJThomas]

he's here but he's still mid unlike vicgoat reviews

[@sketchs_art_corner]

I’m so happy your posting, you videos always make me so happy 💛

[@CharlesJThomas]

i'm trying to at least haha, more to come soon mayhaps. Thanks Sketch

[@BeeRitual]

Fizzarolli is too defensive of royals, i think its his character flaw. due to his low self-esteem, he feels that Mammon gave him everything despite him not being good enough to deserve it. He was a quad amputee imp with scars and broken horns, his value was in the gutter, so when Mammon gave him a chance im sure fizz felt he didnt earn it, but that it was Mammons grace despite Fizz actually being the one who lined Mammons pockets. Which lead him to Ozzie and the perfect life he wants. When Fizz defends royals hes just defending Ozzie, who he loves. But Fizz needs to learn to seperate Ozzie and criticism of bad royals because the monarchy is opressive and abusive and shouls be critisized

[@JetLagRecords]

Charles J. Thomas, nice video my guy

[@CharlesJThomas]

appreciated, thanks!

[@L.G.127]

Striker had so much potential and it's awful, but him being hypocrite it's actually on point especially if you saw his introduction

[@damainortiz]

At this point the imps are just the most unfortunate characters ever in the entire Hellaverse.

[@CharlesJThomas]

actual victims lol

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

@@CharlesJThomas I'd argue that Hellhounds have it worse off since they're said to be below even Imps in the hierarchy and, based on the flashback in Seeing Stars, at least some of the orphanages they get dumped in are basically people-sized pounds.

[@CharlesJThomas]

yeah what i don't get is that if bee is such a hellhound ally, why is she letting the pounds exist in the state they're in. wish we knew how much jurisdiction the deadly sins actually have

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

@@CharlesJThomas My personal guess is that she either isn't entirely aware of how bad some of those pounds are or isn't in control of all of said pounds. If any of the other sins have any say in how the pounds they control are run, I can only see Ozzie giving a darn about the health and safety of those kids.

[@damainortiz]

@@IanPendleton-gh6ox Basically like how Pebbles are considered lower than even Pearls in SU.

[@LibraLevin]

Glad you’re back! Hope you’re doing well!

[@CharlesJThomas]

doin good thanks, appreciate the support!

[@milkflavored]

First time coming across your channel and I just want to say, these thumbnails are lovely ❤

[@CharlesJThomas]

thank youuuu!!! i work super hard on em lol

[@jakubtrapp3509]

i had an idea What if imps are so fucked beacuse luci isnt in charge i khow he is the king of hell but if all of hell was lucis domain sinners would be everywhere luci made the princes rules of the rings as they are their domains leading them all to do whatever they want if hell was how luci wanted earth to be then i believe there would be no classes and living as happy of a live as they could

[@CharlesJThomas]

this is very interesting!!! i agree honestly, luci wouldn't want this and it makes me wonder how much other royals would actually listen to him

[@fishlady7930]

Striker makes me think of Uncle Rukus from Boondocks, being massively racist towards himself and how the system keeps it that way but willing to work with those above his status for means for himself. Like Striker with Stella he hates working for her but will double down on Fizz and Blitzo saying how low they have sunk being pretty much property to the higher demons, but bet if a royal showed interest in him would be different but in reality would be the same.

[@ogdoritolord5038]

damm been a while since I've scene this channel

[@CharlesJThomas]

i hope it's not an unwelcome surprise lol

[@Indie973]

It’s been a while

[@CharlesJThomas]

fr

[@bea2323]

I just subscribed! I'm surprised I haven't subbed before because you got some great videos!

[@CharlesJThomas]

haha i'm always a bit insecure about my videos after a bit of time has passed so happy when others still dig em! thanks for the kind comment

[@StellaMagic100]

I have to ask. Do the Overlords like Camilla, Zestial, Alastor, or the Vees count as royalty

[@CharlesJThomas]

they're more like billionaires in real world terms (even in hell's terms in some cases like the V's), so close to royalty but they're not quite there. That said, they're only like a rank below. The real difference is that royals are born royals and Hell belongs to them the moment they're born, while overlords are made

[@StellaMagic100]

@@CharlesJThomas I asked because of Striker’s hatred toward blue bloods and he never mentioned if he hated goetia, the sins, or any type of royalty. His gold tooth and hatred toward innuedos left me wondering if he was once one of Valentino’s victims?

[@CharlesJThomas]

ohhh i think i made a video about that theory years ago! while the idea is solid, i'm not so sure anymore because striker *has* said the term blue-blood once or twice and does specifically seem to have a gripe with goetias and other royals - especially since he was willing to work with moxxie's dad who is virtually overlord adjacent and he didn't seem to have a problem with him. would explain his anger at innuendos tho

[@simple-commentator-not-rea7345]

You mean, besides bad writing?

[@CharlesJThomas]

yes!!!1!!111!

[@trinstonmichaels7062]

The show was way to complicated for the writers there was just no way for them to do a good job.

[@blatherskitenoir]

Main issue with this video: the two main subjects, Blitz and Striker, are both *half-imp* hybrids. Blitz is half succubus, and it appears Striker is half shark. Which means most of this doesn't actually apply to them. Striker's "we're better than them" speech was appealing to Blitz as a fellow hybrid outsider. I do agree that most of Striker's rage comes from him viewing imps as inferior, but it's stemming from that being the half of him that held him back.

[@CharlesJThomas]

nahhh it doesn't invalidate anything said here imo even if blitz is half succubus (which is very importantly a popular *theory*, based almost entirely on his mother's appearance and not concrete/confirmed canon) he still sees himself as an unworthy imp-- which is explicitly stated by him in apology tour so that means even if it's true, he must not know. i doubt it's true though, seeing as blitz grew up in poverty (weird for a succubus to work at a run down circus instead of providing for her children the usual way). he's never stumbled upon any innate succubus powers either, so, effectively, he'd just be a powerless imp anyway you can check out my most recent striker short about why his hybridism actually helps my theory if you're interested: kzbin.infoJ-q4POGphTk?feature=shared

[@artistanthony1007]

The show doesn't make the world feel classist, you rarely see that and those like Stella just appear in the minority, if classism was common then Loona and Blitz shouldnt have healthcare or Imps be allowed in Bee's party building, Ozzie's club and around one of Mammon's places.

[@CharlesJThomas]

well, it is classist; viv has said herself it's one of her favourite aspects of the show think about. as shown in the video, blitz has very explicitly demonstrated how he feels about being an imp; classism is the whole point of striker's character. and while you may not feel it, it's absolutely there even without subtext; stolas' dad trying to pay blitz's dad for his son (which he agrees to); the fact the whole point of ozzie's was to have that scene where blitz and stolas are called out for being an imp and a royal together. as for hellhounds, have you seen the pounds they're kept in? i dont rly kno how u could miss any of this tbh

[@milkflavored]

Whoa, I think you need to watch the show again. I get why might think the world doesn't feel classist on a cursory watch, but how often do we follow I.M.P. in their every day lives around Hell? Most of the time they're on missions in the human world, or we're following Blitz, who mostly interacts with Stolas -- and he's shown us plenty of examples through his own actions, or the Goetia by extension. Did you miss the part where Blitz told Stolas it took him FIVE YEARS to get a hospital appointment? Or how the woman voiced by Viv treated Blitz in the hospital lobby? When Stolas is kidnapped in Western Energy, Stolas Stella and Andrealphus are literally at a placed called "Richest Cup: Where the poor pour for you!" Anything to do with Paimon? The fact that people assumed Fizz was a goldigger and only with Ozzie for money, despite already being famous? Besides our main cast, we basically never seen imps in roles that aren't service/labor, performance or crime. I.M.P. live in the most run down area, and it's considered an accomplishment that Blitz was able to start his own business, which is also in a run down area. The hellhounds on the show are constantly introduced by what they are before their names are used. Why would imps not be allowed in any of the Sins areas, if they're paying money (Mammon), if they're providing a service (Ozzie) or a performance (Ozzie), if they prove to be entertaining (Bee) or provide the energy they feed off of (Bee)? It's not like.. literal Jim Crow for IMPs -- money is still a thing. So is polite condescension. They live in a (hellish) society. I got all this from watching the show. Not reading the wiki, or youtube or twitter.

[@francescopiani1122]

And there is problably no heaven for them... The angels are unfaced by theyr misery

[@artisticbeautybyhanako6801]

I wanted to hate it cause I dont want Stolitz to be irreparable, but damn, that was actually good EDIT: for the record, this comment was supposed to be posted under a different video that came before this one on my Playlist, but I can't delete now that I got creator acknowledgement

[@angelav4401]

12:30 My personal theory is that Striker didn't actually commission this statue for himself. He seems embarrassed about it, doesn't directly address it, then throws his hat onto the d*ck part after as if to hide it. I think it's possible that Striker has an unwanted blueblood admirer who have the statue to him as a gift.

[@CharlesJThomas]

oh wow that'd be a mindblowing reveal lol, i'm digging it

[@ssupeye]

maybe blitz hate being touched and sexually harassed by stolas cus they're in public and stolas's daughter octavia can literally hear them. and oh i don't know blitz is trying to do his work protecting stolas and octavia and not flirt with the owl

[@CharlesJThomas]

both blitz and stolas are/were written as creepy s*xpests, and it's meant to be weird he isn't comfortable with stolas specifically. he spies on m&m making out at their own home canonically. in the same episode he tells stolas not to touch him, he uses moxxie and millie puppets to f himself and that's not to say both of them being creepy makes it okay, but that this show is a comedy, and the way the show frames these things are as jokes-- not meant to be taken literally, outside of certain aspects it makes a big deal out of instead of brushing off; like for example: blitz not liking being condescended to by a royal, like i say in this video if you were meant to treat it as real sa and gasp in horror, it wouldn't be a comedy show. if you're confused by this, idk how you like the show? bc stolas is meant to be a character we like and root for not that i blame people for disliking that he's creepy, it's definitely offputting! but, if you were meant to take it seriously, and he was *still* being portrayed as a good guy like he is, the show would be condoning some nasty stuff i hate the v's in hazbin for similar reasons. but they're not meant to be the heroes of the story, and what they do *is* portrayed as serious; case in point: the valentino and angel storyline. hazbin frames it as something wrong, by treating it as if it were real instead of brushing it off seconds later what you're saying makes sense irl but it's a fictional show, and this is a writing analysis; i'm just going by what the show says. i mean, blitz explicitly tells stolas in apology tour that his main problem is that he doesn't understand how he could love an imp. it's why he gets jealous, instead of being thankful he's moved onto someone else. if you have a problem, take it up with vivzie because this *is* what she intended

[@LadyLeomon]

Respectfully, I think you’re mistaken on a few things: While Stolas did indeed propose the whole “sex for borrowing my book” thing, thanks to the flashbacks we now know *Blitzø* started that by going back to Stolas’s castle with the sole intention of stealing it in the first place! He saw Stolas misunderstanding his intentions and used it! Whether or not he slept with Stolas out of pity (my favourite Demon Owl was pretty pathetic at that moment) or to cover his own ass because he still stole from a Royal (something he feared doing as a child), if he disappeared with the book after a round of bedsheet ballet he could easily pass it off as “you’ll have to invite me back if you want it back”. Remember we never actually saw Stolas’s reaction to his book being gone, just got right to “you sleep with me and you can borrow it”. Then Full Moon happened, and while Stolas has indeed been terrible to Blitzø he was the first of the two to acknowledge he effed up and took steps to make amends for it (Asmodean Crystal). He gave Blitzø the opportunity to get out of their arrangement, hoping he would stay because he caught feelings too. But Blitzø being Blitzø couldn’t see past his own sh*tty behaviour and took it the complete opposite way: as a rejection leading to Blitzø _wanting_ Stolas only now that he’s no longer chasing him (ironic given he spent months dodging him). Then Apology Tour happened … up until then we only knew of one of Blitzø’s exes (Verosika), but he has *so many* exes that he left broken-hearted that they commiserate with each other every year … Blitzø isn’t some innocent victim in all this, he’s just as sh*tty as Stolas but for slightly different reasons. Both of them suck, because neither has ever known a healthy relationship and both have had hardships thrust on them (Blitzø - Cash forcing his son to steal, favourite Fizzarolli then blaming Blitzø for the death of his mother/Stolas having an equally _emotionally_ abusive father who forced him to marry somehow he hated to sire an heir, the only ray of light in Stolas’s life seems to be Octavia and even then he’s been a bad father to her due to his lusting after Blitzø)! Both of them suck. Do I still want them together? … Kind of? As they are right now, no way in HELL should they be together. Blitzø made a start (thanks to Verosika), but Stolas still needs to own his shortcomings especially with Octavia.