He Means Well, But... 👀 (Patreon)

Does this count as a comfort stolitz comic? I'd say so 😂

So I've had a lot of thoughts about Vassago now that it's confirmed that he's Stolas' love interest from his youth and now a potential partner for Stolas! It stung a little, huh? 😅 My honest thoughts? I was fearful for this! But not in the ways you'd think! You'd think I'm a stolitz diehard, but I'm actually a huge multishipper! It surprises folk, but I do love Stolassago... only in the realms of impossibility. Because we know stolitz is endgame (that's just the natural progression of the show's direction), it feels like... we're just setting up this poor boy for failure. He seems so sweet and passionate (and maybe a little thoughtless) but we're gonna watch this guy's heart break... and that thought feels a little bitter to me. I really hope the show handles it well and in a satisfactory way, because it's going to feel quite painful to watch this kind of angst 🥲

However! With that said, what I am really excited for is the purpose of his involvement with Stolas! I thought it was implied that Vassago has classic traits of a high-society upper-class guy from how he treated Blitz in the "play along, little one" scene! If that's going to be an aspect of his character, I can see how that would be a tool for Stolas to become more aware of the power imbalance that he once benefited from when he was a prince, and start the process of unlearning his prejudices. I love political/social commentary about this kind of thing, so I'm already swimming with thoughts about it!

So... about that dinner that they're going to... do you think there'll be a few moments where Vassago says something that makes Stolas go "...huh?", because here's ANOTHER thought I have: I don't doubt that Stolas had feelings for Vassago in youth, but was he in love with him? He was so young and scared to run away and elope with Vassago to "paradise", but it seemed as though he was terrified of losing himself in the relationship. In the song Crimson Sky, doesn't it seem like lyrics like "I could lose my soul" and "I can't seem to find my voice" imply that he was afraid of Vassago overpowering him? Would he have ended up being co-dependent on him and lose his identity completely? There's an imbalance there right from the start and that's why Stolas couldn't fall for the romance completely. The saddest part of all this? It's not Stolas or Vassago's fault. Sometimes two people just aren't the right fit. Stolassago to me is so tragic, it's been painful to think about this 🥲

That's why in this comic I've drawn, I wanted Vassago to come across as well-meaning and still so loving and passionate... but Stolas is more grounded and on a journey of self-awareness. Vassago would be a great vessel to expand his awareness! If this is the direction that the show is going, I'm preparing my heart!!

So those are my thoughts so far on Vassago! I think he's going to be a pitiful but passionate kind of guy with moments of ignorance that I think will frustrate me (it took me a while to accept that he may say some shit that might piss me off, but I don't want my own personal feelings to make my art come across malicious so I truly gave this some honest thought and confronted my feelings head on!)

What do you guys think of Vassago? I'd love for folk to share their feelings on him, and also let me know how this comic makes you feel as stolitz fans 🤭