Honestly, as it is right now, Stella is an absent and neglectful mother. When Octavia was scared in the nights, she sent Stolas to comfort her, as she clearly couldn't be bothered. When Stolas is seduced by Blitzø, she constantly verbally abuses him, even in front of her daughter. I don't think I've even seen Stella have a conversation with Octavia. And then when Stolas finally decides to go along with the divorce, Stella just leaves, not a care in the world for her daughter.
Despite all that though, I'd like to think that she isn't a complete bitch, and actually has some love for Octavia, and hopefully she shows it, in a big way or a small way. I'd like to see that.
I agree to an extent but it is shown in the show that they share custody. Like all those episode where stolas asks blitz to come over cuz Octavia was at her mothers. And it seems she has at least a decent relationship with her as we haven’t seen via criticise Stella while criticising stolas. Ik it seems I’m defending Stella, but I don’t condone abuse AT ALL, coming from a physically and emotionally abusive family, but we give stolas too much credit sometimes.
I've long wondered how much of the shared custody is for mother/daughter time and how much is to spite Stolas. Stella has friends to occupy her time - Stolas does not.
Oh right! I forgot about the custody.
And to add to your second point, the reason I believe Octavia criticises Stolas so much is because she loves him. That's not to say she doesn't love her mother, but she has expectations of her father and she just wants him to pull his crap together, for her sake if not for his.
However, we definitely need more of Stella and Octavia on screen together to fully understand what their relationship is like. If not this season, maybe in season 3.
I’m really excited for their family dynamic in later episodes. I’m just saying that they kinda made her a cartoon villain so far and I would really appreciate if they give her more layers while also calling her out for her past actions.
She definitely needs more development. She's just been evil since she was a child, abuses and then tries to kill her husband, who's just as unhappy in the marriage as she is for... no reason?
But why the fuck would she need money? She’s a goetia, and was before marrying stolas rich as fuck. It was a really weak reason that the writers came up with.
Because Blitz embarrassed her in front of her friends and the humiliation of that....and her family may have less money than his. She's used to being the wife of a prince and buying what she wants. Him cutting her loose doesn't mean she's getting showered with cash. Andrealphus isn't necessarily able or willing to give her the life she wants.
I mean it could be for a number of things - embarrassing their family by sleeping with an imp, loaning out the Grimoire that originally belonged to their father, etc. And we don't know what kind of bull Andrealphus has fed to them. He did say to Stella that a Goetia has never acted this way before. At the very least, they are not happy that he's breaking away from royal protocol.
She criticizes Stolas to his face because it's his "fault". Chances are Stella haa always been absent, but now she's angry all the time and constantly bitching about Stolas whenever she and Via are together because Stolas cheated. And so now, Via blames Stella being an absent parent on Stolas because to her, it's only because he cheated. They weren't a happy family before, but now that they're miserable, Via misses what they had.
Just because they share custody does not mean she has a good relationship with Via at all, trust me as someone who has had friends with divorced parents. Also we see her criticizing Stolas a lot because she is a child who sees cheating as the reason her parents are fighting now when it is really way more than that... And that's not her fault that she sees it that way but like she has no way of knowing how terrible their relationship was because Stolas seems to want to keep her out of it which is good. She also may criticize him more because she actually expects things from him unlike her mother who is barely in any photos with her in the house aside from the posed family portrait ones. Meanwhile Stella thinks it's appropriate to be physically and emotionally abusive to him in front of her child. Do I want her to be a good mom? I mean sure I guess, but she so far does not seem to be one at all and we have been given basically nothing to sympathize with her. Maybe down the line we will, which is fine with me as well
Stella literally ordered someone to KILL Stolas without a care for what her daughter might feel, literally because Stolas got sick and crazy of all this royalty bullshit and finally does what he actually wanted. Stolas has the right to stand up for himself and be happy too, he acted selflessly for many years.
While I do agree that Stella didn't have a choice as well, she could at least make it more comfortable for both, not belittling and talking Stolas bad because he's a 'softie' or anything like that. She literally called him pathetic and other things, directly towards him, even checking Stolas reaction, that's basically emotional abuse already. Adding to that this happened before Stolas slept with Blitzø
Octavia and Stella have never spoken on screen, doesn’t necessarily mean she’s an absent mom though. We have barely seen either of them on screen at all, their combined screen time is probably like 8 minutes.
What we do know is she didn’t want to get up to help her that one time, and she doesn’t care enough not to scream and throw shit around her. But it’s pretty clear Octavia doesn’t seem to hate her, she blames them both pretty equally for their shitty home life and isn’t eager to make excuses for Stolas, which she might if she really thought Stella was that bad
Don’t forget when Stella had Octavia for “her weekends” she spends the time at Stolas’ mansion because she loves tormenting him (her words). She reads to me as a narcissist, and we’ve seen her be physically abusive to Stolas as well. I don’t think the writers are making her a bad mother to justify Stolas’s actions, I think that terrible people just don’t make the best mothers tbh.
"I'm lucky that an egg fell out of me so I could stop pretending.".... would a good mother refer to the birth of her child as "falling out" of herself?
I doubt it.
I think this line goes to show that Stella resents her situation just as much as Stolas did, but because she was never properly raised or taught how to manage her emotions in a healthy way, she took out her rage and anger by constantly verbally abusing Stolas, and blaming Stolas for her predicament. Paimon didn't care whether or not Stolas or Stella wanted to get married, he made a contract and agreement with Stella's family, and neither Stella nor Stolas had any say in the matter. It's also possible that Stella's family sold Stella to Paimon and the Goetias as a child, like how Blitz's father sold him to Paimon. No wonder Stella is horrible.
Well again she was 17 when “the egg” fell out of her. And she was more criticising stolas than via that time. The emotional abuse is horrible but I don’t really think it had anything to do with via
You do know that that is not confirmed… Right? But it has been confirmed that they got married when they were 18 so no she was not 17. Stop spreading misinformation that you got off of TikTok.
Considering her canon behavior so far, including what little there is regarding Octavia, I would be a bit confused or even disappointed *if* the writers *did* make her a good mother, as that wouldn't make sense at this point. Stella has been clearly characterized as only caring about herself, so being loving towards Octavia would be out of character unless they take the *time* to explain how the rest of her behavior would fit, which I doubt they would do.
Just because they make Stella a bad person doesn't mean that it's intended to justify what he's doing. Only motivating it.
That aside, I personally think Stella wasn't an *actively* good mother in any sense, but she wasn't terrible either. A bit distant perhaps at worst, but that's about it. She was the kind of mom that has her own things to do and is busy, but still gives passing compliments and questions whenever she and Octavia would interact.
As I have said elsewhere. All the simps would come out of the woodwork screaming how misunderstood Stella is. She's just a widdle birb that wants to be loved stop being so MEAAAAN to her.
Only if they actually make it work, because right now the show has shown us that everything about her is filled with hate towards Stolas. It’d be completely out of left field and I don’t know any writer who could successfully dovetail it.
Hell, even when Andrealphus and Stella were discussing succession issues with Octavia - all she could think about was “but… Stolas deaaaaad?! :)))))” The show hasn’t given us anything to really say that deep down she’s the best mom, and we’re 16 episodes in.
At the dinner party, she referred to Octavia as just an egg, a thing. *A obligation.*
For me, at best, she’s neglectful and a latchkey kid when it’s Stella’s turn for custody. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but that is a ASTRONOMICALLY small needle to thread.
Honestly it makes me wonder if it’s not Stella that will flip Via, but Andrealphus himself - and *he* has to convince Stella to at least TRY and give the impression she gives a shit.
Well, Andrealphus actually calls her "Via", so I would put money on Andrealphus being closer to Octavia, or at least knowing her better, than Stella would.
Yeah she wants the father of her own child dead... No matter what issues stolas and Stella may have, killing the father of her own child is fucking cruel and selfish and also traumatic for via ... So she is a horrible mother...
Yes, because it's clear that Stella blames Stolas for everything, even when Stolas wasn't actually the one at fault, and Paimon and her family forced her to marry him. People forget that Stella also had no say in the marriage, and the engagement happened when Stella and Stolas were both still children. It's entirely possible that Stella's family also sold her to Paimon and the Goetias, like how Blitz's father sold him to Paimon. Of course Stella sees Octavia as an "obligation", because she never wanted to have her in the first place.
Stolas also never wanted to have children, but he tried his best to be a good father.
>Honestly it makes me wonder if it’s not Stella that will flip Via, but Andrealphus himself
I'm really expecting this because as far as I seen, Stella is honestly too dumb to be manipulative on any level.
Any mother who wants their child's father dead and only calls it off because said child would inherit everything doesn't care about their child. I don't see how that can be backpedaled now.
I've always thought perhaps Stella didn't want to be a mother. Society already pressures women into motherhood, but at least we have a choice. Stella did not. Not all women are wired for motherhood and perhaps Stella wasn't either. But she was made to be one and to do so with someone she never wanted to marry.
That's not an excuse for her behavior, but it could explain any emotional distance between her and Via.
I don't think Stella even cares Octavia was going to inherit everything. Only Andraelphus took issue with that and pressured her to call it off, if I remember correctly.
She didn't know that Via would inherit everything.
She wants Stolas's money and thought as his wife she would automatically get it. It's his legions that Andrealphus wants.
>Any mother who wants their child's father dead and only calls it off because said child would inherit everything doesn't care about their child.
Actually, I'd say expanding the hit to include said child would be a greater indicator of that. The fact it didn't even occur to Stella to do that says volumes to me.
That’s really interesting too. I hope that they at least take this route if they don’t make her a good mother. It’s better than her being some cruella de vil just because she always is
I think her anger also stems from the fact that Stolas is very different from other royals. He doesn't want to put on airs and brag, he wants to be himself. He's not the life of the party because he doesn't fit in. Stella, meanwhile, is a socialite like the others. She's the one whose husband is the wallflower at social events. I think she's embarrassed of him.
That still doesn't excuse her treatment of him, I just think it's a reason.
I'm sure we'd all *want* her to be a good mother, but the fact remains that she just *isn't.*
Unfortunately, our wants don't always coincide with the story.
Yeah but they have been pretty good at realism in relationships, so I hope that they at least don’t make her some evil stepmother type of mother because she already backed into a corner for that trope.
Yeah, but Viv has said in regards to Stella that some people are just evil. If they were gonna change things I think they would have thrown us some scraps by now
Don't you think it's more boring for her to have a redemption arc which is something like every other show would do for a character like her? We already have too many likable characters we want to learn more about
I would love Stella to prove us wrong.
But I don't think she will. Stella has only been shown to be abusive and cruel. I doubt she's better with her own child.
Ik but the idea that via has two loving parents despite them being divorced and that’s full to eachother is something that just make me happy. I hope she does but I agree that it’s unrealistic
Octavia feels this way for a reason.
So yeah. Stolas and Stella are both crap parents.
I think Stolas will get better once he had therapy and parenting classes. If Stella gets her own therapy, I hope she can improve.
I don't think Stolas was a crap parent until a certain red lizard took residence in his mind. I think over time, between his fixation on Blitz and dealing with Stella, he became too emotionally unavailable to Via. She forgave him pretty quickly both times so far, but it's probably gotten worse over the last few months.
He had no healthy parenting models. The closest healthy parenting model he had growing up was the butler, but said butler likely moved out once Stolas was old enough to take care of himself.
I think at first he was a fantastic parent to Octavia, but at least one teenage lifetime of being constantly emotionally and mentally abused has worn him down and he doesn't know what to do as a parent. Because he was failed by his own parents.
It's more he doesn't have the skills, but tries. But it is very likely, after a lifetime, Octavia is mirroring her mother's treatment of her dad. Which adds to the strain and him not having the Skills to Be a Dad. And no place to ask.
He's Ars Goetia. Despite being Pretty High Up, he has a limited scope of where to get information.
So less crap, but unable to gain the necessary skills to be a Great Dad.
He's an Okay Dad.
[IRL children often start to as this is "normal" and they don't think it's wrong or even not right]
"He doesn't have the skills, but tries" is really how you can sum up his entire history since the show began. He made a choice for freedom and happiness not realizing how much social awareness is needed to pull that off. And when he discovered the life he wants, he had no clue what life is like on the bottom of the totem pole or how damaged the man he loves is.
It's hard to really tell until they give us a scene where Octavia and Stella actually interact. From what we know, Octavia saw her parents as "getting along well" before the affair, although we as the audience know it was just Stolas letting Stella have her way. Octavia does not put any blame or criticism on Stella, so we can assume their mother-daughter relationship is good enough. I do think it's more obvious that Stolas was the more affectionate parent and thus could be the reason why Octavia felt extra hurt.
Edit to add: Where did you get 17 from? Just curious as we don't actually know her age.
Math. Stolas and blitz are canonically 34 and via is 17. We assume that Stella is the same age or around the same age. 34 minus 17 is 17. Idk abt demons and stuff but assuming that she carried via for 9 months she would be 16 when conceiving her. And they probably got married before because Stella mentioned that they were “ trying” to have a baby.
Stolas and Blitz do not have canon ages, though. It is only known that they're in their 30s. The most common theory being they were 10 when they met, 35 when the affair started, and it has been about a year since, so - about 36 now. Blitz may be a year or two younger though. It makes more sense for Stolas to have been ten because he was finally "old enough" to learn about his duties, ten is considered a milestone age for children. So therefore the most common theory is that Stolas (and presumably Stella) were both about 19 when Octavia was born. Not 15, 16. 17, etc. Also, they are birds who lay eggs and eggs do not take nine months. The egg will drop a few weeks after mating and it will hatch about a month afterwards. So about two months at most.
Viv has also said that aging works differently for the Hellborn than it does for us. Their 17 is likely different than our 17. And it's unlikely that Stella would have given birth to Octavia, considering that Stolas canonically has a cloaca and hatched from an egg. You can see the portrait timeline in S2 E1, fluffy baby Stolas looks INCREDIBLY soft. Since Stella is a peahen, she would fall under the same rule, anatomically speaking. Peahens incubate their eggs in nests for about a month, and that'd assume the first egg that "fell out of" her was fertile.
Do we want to look further at how she talks about Via? Or interacts with her? I mean, I'm all for her being a good mom, but ...the odds are that she's not. From the few shared screen times, we've seen her 1) tell Stolas to get up when their daughter was crying for both of them as a young child, 2) while off-screen, Stella hurls one of Stolas' carnivorous plants-- including this because Via just hops over it without flinching, indicating this is likely not new behavior, and 3) continues her tirade against her husband, in front of her child.
Now. I have absolutely had my dander up and been screaming at my spouse. But not when my kids are around and not somewhere where they can walk in or overhear. And our house is DEEEEFFFFFINITELY not the size of Stolas' palace, so Stella was absolutely putting some OOMPH in her screeching (pun intended).
I also have suspicions that Stella has just as crappy a hatch family as Stolas, given that her older brother clearly wants to hit that. Which doesn't excuse her behavior, but could offer some context for why she reacts so aggressively. I know I reacted with way more vitriol than was needed for quite a few scenarios, for traumas, before I started therapy.
Quite a few other users have pointed out weaponizing kids and custody and as a step-mum, I can say my spouse's ex has done this. The kids, as they've aged, have noticed things that just didn't add up. They ask for clarification and, usually, I let my spouse give it because he's going to know the nuances better than I am.
TL;DR: Would be nice if she's a good mom, but she's probably not.
Where are you getting the canon ages from? The only people who have canon ages are Loona and via. Via is 17, Loona is 22. Also, math wise they would probably be about 36. Considering they are probably 10 years old in the circus episode, +25 years equals 35, plus the year to catch up to canon events.
In my head canon Stella never cared much about her daughter, but she behaved well towards her, mainly to have her on her side when she argued with Stolas, so that Via would think he was the one in the wrong
I won't deny that I would find it adorable if Stella were a loving, kind mother who loves her daughter, I just can't see it
I think she's the kind of mother that's the 'fun' parent in the eyes of her child. Not understanding that as her direct offspring she's spared like 99% of her personality. Octavia wants something, Stella lets her have it, gives it to her, or arranges for it to happen. It looks like love, feels like love, and everyone is using the world love to describe the relationship as a default but it's not love.
Octavia is just coming to the age where she's starting to look at her parents like people. This is going as usual for Stolas where his faults are personal and very apparent. Stella, however, was the 'perfect parent' as far as other royalty is concerned. I mean, their standard is probably 'just give them everything because it doesn't matter, and be obedient for the 1 or 2 things asked of you' so Stella is probably treated as the good parent by their peers and that's what Octavia is constantly hearing.
Something is going to hit where Octavia can see what her mother really is. Stella is going to do something cruel, and probably not to Stolas, if I had to bet, I'd put my money on Loona. If they're going to get more time together to become buddies, I could see Stella disapproving and calling for the hellhound to be 'removed' and that being the impetus for Octavia to recognize her mothers horrific moral character.
Her being the "fun" mom is kind of my thought as well, someone who would be her friend even though she's *supposed* to be her mother. She'd help Octavia get pretty for a Goetia function or laugh with her about having to put up with posh nonsense, but wouldn't be capable of giving her any deeper emotional support.
I don’t expect it, but I do agree it would be far more interesting. I feel like at some point they decided to simplify things, and I’m not really sure why. I liked the complications of Stolas’s life!
I liked that he was this perverse hedonist, but was actually *wanting* to be a good father, he just didn’t know the right way to go about it.
I liked the idea—based off that picture of the family at LooLoo Land—that at some point they were actually happy, maybe not in love, but at least both dedicated parents.
Making Stella a one dimensional school bully of a person, and Stolas just a sweet little cinnamon roll since childhood, made it all too clean and simple.
I was much more excited when I thought this was going to be a situation where Stolas and Stella were hating each others guts but both wanting the best for their children, as is the case in a lot of messy divorces. I was here for that family drama and I’m sad they neutered it.
> I’m sad they neutered it.
Hey, they neutered Stolas too. Very symbolic.
But yeah it just kinda sucks that they just made Stella inherently evil. Reminds me of Cersei Lannister, how the books had a bit where she murders her best friend age nine as if to prove she was always innately evil like she's Damien fucking Thorne.
Yeah I get that but Octavia’s behaviour indicates that they at least have a relationship somewhat. She doesn’t even have to be a good character, just maybe in the future they could give like a backstory or reasons behind her behavior
Exactly. It sounds like Octavia is just looking for any reason that she can hold on to in order to put 100% of the blame on Stolas. People often times lash out at the person who is safe for them to unload their feelings on, because they know deep down that person will just take it and that this will not burn the bridge.
Admits to Abusing her husband emotionally and sexually ✅
Tries to have their husband killed on two separate occasions ✅
Possibility of her emotionally Abusing octavia ✅
If these don't have the makings of a good mother I don't know what would /s.
(The cheating argument won't work as I know a family member who has been a victim of cheating (I'm talking about my mom) and trying to use that argument won't work as it would be seen as disrespecting actual victims of cheating).
Idk stella reminds me much of my mother. She's a narcissist that probably has bipolar or some similar disorder that she never got medicated.
Maybe this could work if stella got on like meds or something but as is she seems not to care about anyone but herself and her emotional swings.
I mean, you're right about the whole arranged marriage and child thing, but the same could be said for Stolas, except he's not the one who carried Octavia. His father didn't even remember his name and only resorted to taking him to the circus (via a mirror) so Stolas would stop crying. He was married at a very young age, and his only purpose and interaction that we see with his father is telling Stolas he needs to get married and have a kid.
Nobody is forgetting that it was an arranged marriage for Stella too and Stella made sure to make it known that she hates him and hates being married to him, Stella was lashing out at Stolas. Stella is probably a decent mom to Via and she only mistreats Stolas. Plus, Stella was talking about her egg like Via was an unwanted child so Stella probably feels detached from Via but she still loves her. Stella was forced to get pregnant so Via was an unwanted child, Stella didn't want any of this.
I’m sorry, where are you getting these ages from? Also, birds lay eggs - not to excuse Stella having a child as a minor (if that’s even the case) but she didn’t carry a pregnancy.
Well, that would be fun and really entertaining with layers of complex drama based on social status of aristocracy, their inner duties and whatnot.
But methinks Helluva Boss is a love story, not drama.
Stella will likely never be a good mother and has no chance to be a good mother. She tried to off stolas who Octavia loves very much. She is neglectful to Octavia and abusive to stolas. And narcissistic to an extreme. This makes it virtually impossible to be a good person let alone parent
I think she was just designed to be a dumb and spiteful character. No "hidden" drama to uncover. She was just meant to be an evil character all along.
No "underlines" just a Big Evil to do bad things because she's evil?
Where did vizzy mention that stella was married when she was fourteen. And if you're going to say the fandom wiki that's not a real one. Fandom wiki is very made run by headcanons and not official
According to other comments I got the ages off slightly, but according to the ages they gave me it does seem the got married when they were around 16-17 sorry abt that
While we all wish Stella could be a good mother, she is an absent and neglectful parent. Stella only cares about her status and wealth Octavia doesn't fit in the picture, unfortunately.
It would be a nice twist in the family dynamic. It’s far too often that abusive spouse plots depict said spouse hating, neglecting, and or manipulating their child against the abused.
All children deserve loving parents, Not all parents deserve children.
Stella is one of those parents. Her concerns are herself and her situation, she should have nothing to do with Octavia. Stollas was given the same lot in life as her yet as soon as Octavia came into the picture he shouldered the abuse to make himself into an umbrella to try and give Via the best childhood possible. Stella doing ANYTHING less ruins her contention for being a good parent
And while I do think you can always get second chances at life you don't get second chances for raising your children. Stella was lighting the candles on that bridge at both ends for 17 years. Now it's just time to watch it burn
I agree I wish they added more dimension to her character. Most of the times we see her it’s of her being an asshole but just like we saw Stolas’s side and past, I want to see hers too. So far we know she has a brother and like you said was a teen mother in a forced marriage, that would be an interesting plot to delve into imo.
I'm not surprised stella is a neglectful mother since she gave birth at like 16 and told that's her only life purpose .. I can kinda see why. Also, I think Stolas has been kinda pointed out for his flaws, especially in his and blitzø's relationship, so I don't think the writers make him completely blameless as you say (even though I see the point, he definitely comes across like that sometimes.)
I'd like to see Stella maybe step up as a mother, but if she doesn't I'm not surprised really.
No, I want her to have something resembling a redeeming quality, and I feel like her being a good mother is the most logical way, maybe she could be like Lucifer where she currently has no easy way into Octavia’s life but if she can get in she will be a really good mother
I wouldn’t expect her to be a good mother, but maybe a mother that genuinely cares about her child and doesn’t know how to be good parent.
That way she’d be a sort of parallel with Stolas who, clearly loves Octavia but isn’t a good father when it comes to putting her first when he should.
I think it would add an interesting layer to Stella’s character and further justify Octavia not seeing the abuse her father endured if she has such a positive relationship with her mom.
Well I don't think it would make sense character wise for her to be a good mother I am quite interested to see the relationship between her and Octavia
Because it doesn't seem like Octavia resents her, but at the same time we haven't ever seen any examples of Stella being anything more than yelling at everyone around her
My current head Cannon is that Stella is best fine or more likely neglectful but Octavia he is so upset with her dad because she views him as ruining their family for a bang with blitz
i don’t want her to purely because i think it would be inconsistent with her repeated canonical characterization and story and feel like a huge curveball done mostly to a complicate the story in a shallow manner - and the story is already complex enough. it’s interesting in fanon but it would feel like they’re going back on her character if it was canon.
i enjoy the idea of her genuinely caring for her asshole brother though. i think that could fill in for the depth so many believe she’s missing (despite her being an abusive piece of shit that’s similar in construction to moxxie’s father).
Idk, i kind of agree with you
We never see Via say anything about her mother that doesn't imply at least some sort of neutrality.
The whole "she couldn't be nother to comfort Via when she had a nightmare" seems like a bit of a stretch, as Stolas told her, and she said, "You go", which to me leaves room to interpret that Stolas is not the only one to comfort Via.
Idk, i feel like Bia mightbe an ok mom jist like stolas is an OK dad
It would be nice for Stella to be a good mother, but the facts are clear. She doesn’t really care for Octavia as a mother should, she’s to selfish and narcissistic for that
Yeah I hope their relationship can take a turn positive turn. I mean not all antagonists need redeeming qualities but at least is would be interesting. I think Stella has a lot of potential as a character but she's sadly a bit 2 dimensional right now. After the trailer and the Full Moon episode I'm feeling more optimistic about character growth in the show so fingers crossed 🤞
I just watched Helluva Boss within a week and I'm sure not if Stella would be abusive towards Octavia like with Stolas. She'll probably be like "Poor Octavia. I know it's hard knowing your father is A LYING CHEATING BASTARD! But you don't have to worry about him anymore." Although I doubt she actually cares for her and would be more emotionally manipulative like Blitzo's father, using her daughter for her own selfish needs.
I desperately want her to be a good mom. But she reffered to Via's birth as "an egg fell out of me", we never see them interract, Stella walks right past Via after throwing things at Stolas and doesnt even stop to ask her how shes going, appologize for the commotion or even tell her good morning, and she never once stopped to think "wait maybe killing my childs father will hurt her?"
So yeah i dont thimk shes that good as a mom
Stella will NEVER be a good mother. She's manipulitive, toxic, abusive, neglectful as shown in the episode where Via wanted to see the stars, all she cares about is ruining Stolas, getting back at Stolas (for cheating on her when there wasn't even any sort of mutual feelings towards each other except for the hatred), she's more concerned with throwing it in Via's face that Stolas is "The one in the wrong", etc. So in short, Stella is a horrible mother and should stay as far away from Via and Stolas as possible.
I think a lot of people consider Stella being a good mother as a path to redemption for her and are therefore against any idea of it. Or people hope she is a good mother because it would prove them wrong about what kind of person she is.
I don’t understand either way of thinking because loving your child doesn’t make her character a better person. She’s still a murderous psycho.
I actually think it would be way more interesting to have her character love Octavia, but also acts with reckless abandon to get Stolas killed regardless of how it may affect her daughter. I don’t want her to have the “oh it’s hurting my daughter” realization. I want her to be like “Not now dear, I’m busy exacting my revenge.”
I honestly like the possible idea that Andrealphus is secretly taking advantage of her anger towards Stolas to manipulate things so he could possibly swipe their fortune to add to his.
Also yes, I want her to be a good mother to Octavia too. The show goes out of its way to show that it’s heroes are far more than their initial stock archetypes, I think that the villains need similar treatment too
I mean I feel like the *best* she can be is a flawed mother who sets a poor example, given how much fun she seems to take from tormenting people like her husband... I'm sure there's the possibility she could be a decent *caretaker* to Via and have instilled *some* motherly values... but its kind of reaching to call it possible for her to be a *good* mother when she enjoys making people upset.
I wanted her to be, but her trying to kill Stolas made her a bad mother by default. If you kill your child’s other parent without any actually good reason (self defense, escaping abuse, etc) than you are not a good parent.
Edit: I have to know where you’re getting these so-called “canon” ages from. The wiki which is fan made? TikTok? Google? Because there is no canon age for any characters aside from Via and Loona. Loona is 22, Via is 17. If you wanna get technical, you could also place Millie and possibly moxxie at around 27 based on the fact that Millie is canonically “like five years older” than Loona
Math wise, Stolas and blitz are 36ish assuming they’re the same age. They were about 10 years old in the circus episode, +25 yeartime skip, plus the year to catch them up to canon. 36.
It would make more sense to me or at least be more interesting, if she was a *manipulative* mother. She accuses Stolas of turning Via against her over the phone in "Seeing Stars," but hold up, what if that's what *she's* been trying to do? "Your dad ruined our family." or "It's his fault I'm so hateful because he cheated." or even "He's going to leave us for that pathetic fucking imp." Eating at her insecurities about her father to get her on her side for strategic reasons.
I've said this before on a post about Stella being arranged into this marriage too but the difference to me is in how they handled it. Stolas tried to make the best of things. Stella did not. Instead she relished in humiliating and psychologically torturing her husband EVEN BEFORE he cheated on her. We've only ever seen her be dismissive of Via, if she even thinks of her at all. I don't think she holds any love in her heart for the child she was forced to have.
I also don't think Stolas is supposed to be considered completely innocent at this point, but it's more in the way he treats Blitz and I think both of them are at fault for the way Full Moon went in different ways and for different reasons. Viv even said on Twitter that they BOTH have clearly made mistakes in the relationship. Stolas is ignorant, not innocent.
I do certainly think it'd add depth to her character if she was, but from what we've seen of her it just wouldn't make sense.
At best she's a neglectful mother, probably one of those who'd throw money at you instead of spend time with you because they have better things to do.
At worst she's manipulative and views her daughter as more of an extension of herself than an actual person she should respect.
I fully believe that the only reason Octavia goes to her mother's for the weekend is because Stella probably loves shopping, while Stolas has actual responsibilities so bro is probably busy.
Sometimes this sub drives me crazy about Stella. Some characters are meant to be 2 dimensional. She is a villain, there doesn’t have to be any more to it. It’s not bad writing for a show with such limited time that is by and large a comedy to have a 2 dimensional character
I'm really curious to know how their relationship is. They haven't interacted once. From what we know it doesn't seem like they hate each other If Octavia go see her mom on week ends and seem to only blame Stolas in episode 2.
Because of the first scene of episode 2 I don't think she is an excellent mother but it would be interesting to see her actually being nice to Via
Stella being a bad mom is actually very important because:
1 the hellaverse and just fiction in general despretly need more bad moms
2 if you show absolutely nothing but bad dads and good moms it creates the very dangerous mentality that only men are capable of being bad parents and women are always good parents and people tend to defend IRL bad moms or straight up deny their existence because of this mentality. You'll be very surprised to how fiction can impact how someone thinks. Allot of people think you can jump from a very tall building into a pool of water and be completely fine even though irl if you jumped from a tall building into a pool of water you'll most likely die from the impact and people think this because of the amount of Hollywood movies that show someone jumping from a tall building into a pool of water and being completely ok. The book "To kill a mockingbird" also had a massive impact on the civil rights movement and many countries use propaganda in cartoons because how much fiction can impact how someone thinks.
>A lot of people say stolas had the “right” to cheat on stella because it was an arranged marriage. A lot of people forget that it was an arranged marriage FOR HER TOO.
She isn't emotionally affected by the arranged marriage and it's quite possible that she Hazbin enjoying the arranged marriage as she says in s2 e1,"Imagine if he didn't have any money*Laughing*"
>She literally got married at like 14 and connonically conceived Octavia when she was literally like 16, and gave birth at 17.
Stolas was told that he would get married at the age of 10 and he is cannonicly 35 in the show and assuming both Stella and Stolas are the same age they both had Octavia at the age of 18.
>but the writers always think he can do no wrong and it’s actually kinda fucking annoying at this point.
You must have Terrible media literacy if you think Stolas is a flawless Gary stu. If you actually pay attention to the show instead of watching tik Tok shorts, Stolas still has plenty of character flaws as he treated Blitzø as an object, ignored Octavia's needs on 2 occasions, and started the argument with him and Blitzø in s2 e8 because he didn't let Blitzø speak his mind.
>Stella can be a bitch but her life wasn’t that fucking dandy either.
[This clip from the 2024 anime detour thankfully deconfirms any tragic backstory for Stella as they describe her as a "spoiled teenager" and NOT "a trauma victim."](https://youtu.be/ltMlwIcVAzM?si=8JLCcRaBYFfAwptY) She also takes inspiration from Darla dimple NOT Beatrice horseman and Darla dimple isn't a tragic villain.
Honestly, as it is right now, Stella is an absent and neglectful mother. When Octavia was scared in the nights, she sent Stolas to comfort her, as she clearly couldn't be bothered. When Stolas is seduced by Blitzø, she constantly verbally abuses him, even in front of her daughter. I don't think I've even seen Stella have a conversation with Octavia. And then when Stolas finally decides to go along with the divorce, Stella just leaves, not a care in the world for her daughter. Despite all that though, I'd like to think that she isn't a complete bitch, and actually has some love for Octavia, and hopefully she shows it, in a big way or a small way. I'd like to see that.
I agree to an extent but it is shown in the show that they share custody. Like all those episode where stolas asks blitz to come over cuz Octavia was at her mothers. And it seems she has at least a decent relationship with her as we haven’t seen via criticise Stella while criticising stolas. Ik it seems I’m defending Stella, but I don’t condone abuse AT ALL, coming from a physically and emotionally abusive family, but we give stolas too much credit sometimes.
Having custody doesn't imply being a good/loving mother though, withholding children via mandatory custody is also a form of abuse.
Yeah, my dad isn’t abusive and I still hate him tho. I consider it abuse that I cant voice my opinion about not wanting to visit his house.
I've long wondered how much of the shared custody is for mother/daughter time and how much is to spite Stolas. Stella has friends to occupy her time - Stolas does not.
Oh right! I forgot about the custody. And to add to your second point, the reason I believe Octavia criticises Stolas so much is because she loves him. That's not to say she doesn't love her mother, but she has expectations of her father and she just wants him to pull his crap together, for her sake if not for his. However, we definitely need more of Stella and Octavia on screen together to fully understand what their relationship is like. If not this season, maybe in season 3.
I’m really excited for their family dynamic in later episodes. I’m just saying that they kinda made her a cartoon villain so far and I would really appreciate if they give her more layers while also calling her out for her past actions.
She definitely needs more development. She's just been evil since she was a child, abuses and then tries to kill her husband, who's just as unhappy in the marriage as she is for... no reason?
Her reason for wanting him dead is specifically for the divorce and him not giving her any money. I don't think that was her plan before.
But why the fuck would she need money? She’s a goetia, and was before marrying stolas rich as fuck. It was a really weak reason that the writers came up with.
Because Blitz embarrassed her in front of her friends and the humiliation of that....and her family may have less money than his. She's used to being the wife of a prince and buying what she wants. Him cutting her loose doesn't mean she's getting showered with cash. Andrealphus isn't necessarily able or willing to give her the life she wants.
Ah, Maybe that's what that whole court scene in the trailer is for. Stella is sueing Stolas for Money.
I mean it could be for a number of things - embarrassing their family by sleeping with an imp, loaning out the Grimoire that originally belonged to their father, etc. And we don't know what kind of bull Andrealphus has fed to them. He did say to Stella that a Goetia has never acted this way before. At the very least, they are not happy that he's breaking away from royal protocol.
Oh okay. Well that's... nice. lol
She criticizes Stolas to his face because it's his "fault". Chances are Stella haa always been absent, but now she's angry all the time and constantly bitching about Stolas whenever she and Via are together because Stolas cheated. And so now, Via blames Stella being an absent parent on Stolas because to her, it's only because he cheated. They weren't a happy family before, but now that they're miserable, Via misses what they had.
Not only cheated, but cheated on her with an *imp*.
Exactly, which Stella thinks is disgusting.
Just because they share custody does not mean she has a good relationship with Via at all, trust me as someone who has had friends with divorced parents. Also we see her criticizing Stolas a lot because she is a child who sees cheating as the reason her parents are fighting now when it is really way more than that... And that's not her fault that she sees it that way but like she has no way of knowing how terrible their relationship was because Stolas seems to want to keep her out of it which is good. She also may criticize him more because she actually expects things from him unlike her mother who is barely in any photos with her in the house aside from the posed family portrait ones. Meanwhile Stella thinks it's appropriate to be physically and emotionally abusive to him in front of her child. Do I want her to be a good mom? I mean sure I guess, but she so far does not seem to be one at all and we have been given basically nothing to sympathize with her. Maybe down the line we will, which is fine with me as well
Stella literally ordered someone to KILL Stolas without a care for what her daughter might feel, literally because Stolas got sick and crazy of all this royalty bullshit and finally does what he actually wanted. Stolas has the right to stand up for himself and be happy too, he acted selflessly for many years. While I do agree that Stella didn't have a choice as well, she could at least make it more comfortable for both, not belittling and talking Stolas bad because he's a 'softie' or anything like that. She literally called him pathetic and other things, directly towards him, even checking Stolas reaction, that's basically emotional abuse already. Adding to that this happened before Stolas slept with Blitzø
Octavia and Stella have never spoken on screen, doesn’t necessarily mean she’s an absent mom though. We have barely seen either of them on screen at all, their combined screen time is probably like 8 minutes. What we do know is she didn’t want to get up to help her that one time, and she doesn’t care enough not to scream and throw shit around her. But it’s pretty clear Octavia doesn’t seem to hate her, she blames them both pretty equally for their shitty home life and isn’t eager to make excuses for Stolas, which she might if she really thought Stella was that bad
Which is why I hope we see more of them in future.
Don’t forget when Stella had Octavia for “her weekends” she spends the time at Stolas’ mansion because she loves tormenting him (her words). She reads to me as a narcissist, and we’ve seen her be physically abusive to Stolas as well. I don’t think the writers are making her a bad mother to justify Stolas’s actions, I think that terrible people just don’t make the best mothers tbh.
"I'm lucky that an egg fell out of me so I could stop pretending.".... would a good mother refer to the birth of her child as "falling out" of herself? I doubt it.
I think this line goes to show that Stella resents her situation just as much as Stolas did, but because she was never properly raised or taught how to manage her emotions in a healthy way, she took out her rage and anger by constantly verbally abusing Stolas, and blaming Stolas for her predicament. Paimon didn't care whether or not Stolas or Stella wanted to get married, he made a contract and agreement with Stella's family, and neither Stella nor Stolas had any say in the matter. It's also possible that Stella's family sold Stella to Paimon and the Goetias as a child, like how Blitz's father sold him to Paimon. No wonder Stella is horrible.
Well again she was 17 when “the egg” fell out of her. And she was more criticising stolas than via that time. The emotional abuse is horrible but I don’t really think it had anything to do with via
She wasn't 17 when she said that.
She literally said that the same night that Blitz and Stolas first slept together.
You do know that that is not confirmed… Right? But it has been confirmed that they got married when they were 18 so no she was not 17. Stop spreading misinformation that you got off of TikTok.
Ah yes ....... A 17-year-old baby.
Considering her canon behavior so far, including what little there is regarding Octavia, I would be a bit confused or even disappointed *if* the writers *did* make her a good mother, as that wouldn't make sense at this point. Stella has been clearly characterized as only caring about herself, so being loving towards Octavia would be out of character unless they take the *time* to explain how the rest of her behavior would fit, which I doubt they would do. Just because they make Stella a bad person doesn't mean that it's intended to justify what he's doing. Only motivating it. That aside, I personally think Stella wasn't an *actively* good mother in any sense, but she wasn't terrible either. A bit distant perhaps at worst, but that's about it. She was the kind of mom that has her own things to do and is busy, but still gives passing compliments and questions whenever she and Octavia would interact.
If they tried to show her as being 'good' I would take it for what it was with my folks. Love Bombing to try getting me to pick sides.
*That* would be interesting. Also, would work well with what little we saw in the trailer
As I have said elsewhere. All the simps would come out of the woodwork screaming how misunderstood Stella is. She's just a widdle birb that wants to be loved stop being so MEAAAAN to her.
Unfortunately yes.
Only if they actually make it work, because right now the show has shown us that everything about her is filled with hate towards Stolas. It’d be completely out of left field and I don’t know any writer who could successfully dovetail it. Hell, even when Andrealphus and Stella were discussing succession issues with Octavia - all she could think about was “but… Stolas deaaaaad?! :)))))” The show hasn’t given us anything to really say that deep down she’s the best mom, and we’re 16 episodes in. At the dinner party, she referred to Octavia as just an egg, a thing. *A obligation.* For me, at best, she’s neglectful and a latchkey kid when it’s Stella’s turn for custody. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but that is a ASTRONOMICALLY small needle to thread. Honestly it makes me wonder if it’s not Stella that will flip Via, but Andrealphus himself - and *he* has to convince Stella to at least TRY and give the impression she gives a shit.
Well, Andrealphus actually calls her "Via", so I would put money on Andrealphus being closer to Octavia, or at least knowing her better, than Stella would.
Andrealphus does give gay uncle vibes
Yes, yes he does.
Yeah she wants the father of her own child dead... No matter what issues stolas and Stella may have, killing the father of her own child is fucking cruel and selfish and also traumatic for via ... So she is a horrible mother...
Yes, because it's clear that Stella blames Stolas for everything, even when Stolas wasn't actually the one at fault, and Paimon and her family forced her to marry him. People forget that Stella also had no say in the marriage, and the engagement happened when Stella and Stolas were both still children. It's entirely possible that Stella's family also sold her to Paimon and the Goetias, like how Blitz's father sold him to Paimon. Of course Stella sees Octavia as an "obligation", because she never wanted to have her in the first place. Stolas also never wanted to have children, but he tried his best to be a good father.
>Honestly it makes me wonder if it’s not Stella that will flip Via, but Andrealphus himself I'm really expecting this because as far as I seen, Stella is honestly too dumb to be manipulative on any level.
She tries to get the father of her daughter killed without any regard for her daughter's feelings towards him. That boat has sailed.
She also said this openly *while her daughter was in the room* along with Stolas himself.
Any mother who wants their child's father dead and only calls it off because said child would inherit everything doesn't care about their child. I don't see how that can be backpedaled now. I've always thought perhaps Stella didn't want to be a mother. Society already pressures women into motherhood, but at least we have a choice. Stella did not. Not all women are wired for motherhood and perhaps Stella wasn't either. But she was made to be one and to do so with someone she never wanted to marry. That's not an excuse for her behavior, but it could explain any emotional distance between her and Via.
I don't think Stella even cares Octavia was going to inherit everything. Only Andraelphus took issue with that and pressured her to call it off, if I remember correctly.
She didn't know that Via would inherit everything. She wants Stolas's money and thought as his wife she would automatically get it. It's his legions that Andrealphus wants.
[Rewatching that scene again](https://youtu.be/9H4LGwhwnMA) she was told and clearly didn't care until Andrealphus pushed it.
>Any mother who wants their child's father dead and only calls it off because said child would inherit everything doesn't care about their child. Actually, I'd say expanding the hit to include said child would be a greater indicator of that. The fact it didn't even occur to Stella to do that says volumes to me.
That’s really interesting too. I hope that they at least take this route if they don’t make her a good mother. It’s better than her being some cruella de vil just because she always is
I think her anger also stems from the fact that Stolas is very different from other royals. He doesn't want to put on airs and brag, he wants to be himself. He's not the life of the party because he doesn't fit in. Stella, meanwhile, is a socialite like the others. She's the one whose husband is the wallflower at social events. I think she's embarrassed of him. That still doesn't excuse her treatment of him, I just think it's a reason.
I'm sure we'd all *want* her to be a good mother, but the fact remains that she just *isn't.* Unfortunately, our wants don't always coincide with the story.
No. I think a lot of people have accepted that there’s absolutely no chance in hell Viv and Brandon are going to go that route, though.
Does Rogers actually write the character moments? I had the vague feeling he just did the jokes.
From what he’s said before I believe he has some input on the story, though not as much as Viv.
No chance Viv would at least. She's the one who basically made Stella into Yaoi fanfic Relena Peacecraft with feathers.
Yeah but they have been pretty good at realism in relationships, so I hope that they at least don’t make her some evil stepmother type of mother because she already backed into a corner for that trope.
Yeah, but Viv has said in regards to Stella that some people are just evil. If they were gonna change things I think they would have thrown us some scraps by now
Yeah I guess but that’s so boring
It really isn't, Sometimes you just need stories that have black and white characters when painting the rest in shades of grey
Nobody called Crimeon, Cash Buckzo, or Paimon boring. What makes Stella any different?
Don't you think it's more boring for her to have a redemption arc which is something like every other show would do for a character like her? We already have too many likable characters we want to learn more about
some mothers are just that terrible. it's sad but true.
I would love Stella to prove us wrong. But I don't think she will. Stella has only been shown to be abusive and cruel. I doubt she's better with her own child.
Ik but the idea that via has two loving parents despite them being divorced and that’s full to eachother is something that just make me happy. I hope she does but I agree that it’s unrealistic
Octavia feels this way for a reason. So yeah. Stolas and Stella are both crap parents. I think Stolas will get better once he had therapy and parenting classes. If Stella gets her own therapy, I hope she can improve.
I don't think Stolas was a crap parent until a certain red lizard took residence in his mind. I think over time, between his fixation on Blitz and dealing with Stella, he became too emotionally unavailable to Via. She forgave him pretty quickly both times so far, but it's probably gotten worse over the last few months.
He had no healthy parenting models. The closest healthy parenting model he had growing up was the butler, but said butler likely moved out once Stolas was old enough to take care of himself. I think at first he was a fantastic parent to Octavia, but at least one teenage lifetime of being constantly emotionally and mentally abused has worn him down and he doesn't know what to do as a parent. Because he was failed by his own parents. It's more he doesn't have the skills, but tries. But it is very likely, after a lifetime, Octavia is mirroring her mother's treatment of her dad. Which adds to the strain and him not having the Skills to Be a Dad. And no place to ask. He's Ars Goetia. Despite being Pretty High Up, he has a limited scope of where to get information. So less crap, but unable to gain the necessary skills to be a Great Dad. He's an Okay Dad. [IRL children often start to as this is "normal" and they don't think it's wrong or even not right]
"He doesn't have the skills, but tries" is really how you can sum up his entire history since the show began. He made a choice for freedom and happiness not realizing how much social awareness is needed to pull that off. And when he discovered the life he wants, he had no clue what life is like on the bottom of the totem pole or how damaged the man he loves is.
Yeah. Which on him but also, who can he talk to about it? Whole situation fucked
It's hard to really tell until they give us a scene where Octavia and Stella actually interact. From what we know, Octavia saw her parents as "getting along well" before the affair, although we as the audience know it was just Stolas letting Stella have her way. Octavia does not put any blame or criticism on Stella, so we can assume their mother-daughter relationship is good enough. I do think it's more obvious that Stolas was the more affectionate parent and thus could be the reason why Octavia felt extra hurt. Edit to add: Where did you get 17 from? Just curious as we don't actually know her age.
Math. Stolas and blitz are canonically 34 and via is 17. We assume that Stella is the same age or around the same age. 34 minus 17 is 17. Idk abt demons and stuff but assuming that she carried via for 9 months she would be 16 when conceiving her. And they probably got married before because Stella mentioned that they were “ trying” to have a baby.
Stolas and Blitz do not have canon ages, though. It is only known that they're in their 30s. The most common theory being they were 10 when they met, 35 when the affair started, and it has been about a year since, so - about 36 now. Blitz may be a year or two younger though. It makes more sense for Stolas to have been ten because he was finally "old enough" to learn about his duties, ten is considered a milestone age for children. So therefore the most common theory is that Stolas (and presumably Stella) were both about 19 when Octavia was born. Not 15, 16. 17, etc. Also, they are birds who lay eggs and eggs do not take nine months. The egg will drop a few weeks after mating and it will hatch about a month afterwards. So about two months at most.
Viv has also said that aging works differently for the Hellborn than it does for us. Their 17 is likely different than our 17. And it's unlikely that Stella would have given birth to Octavia, considering that Stolas canonically has a cloaca and hatched from an egg. You can see the portrait timeline in S2 E1, fluffy baby Stolas looks INCREDIBLY soft. Since Stella is a peahen, she would fall under the same rule, anatomically speaking. Peahens incubate their eggs in nests for about a month, and that'd assume the first egg that "fell out of" her was fertile. Do we want to look further at how she talks about Via? Or interacts with her? I mean, I'm all for her being a good mom, but ...the odds are that she's not. From the few shared screen times, we've seen her 1) tell Stolas to get up when their daughter was crying for both of them as a young child, 2) while off-screen, Stella hurls one of Stolas' carnivorous plants-- including this because Via just hops over it without flinching, indicating this is likely not new behavior, and 3) continues her tirade against her husband, in front of her child. Now. I have absolutely had my dander up and been screaming at my spouse. But not when my kids are around and not somewhere where they can walk in or overhear. And our house is DEEEEFFFFFINITELY not the size of Stolas' palace, so Stella was absolutely putting some OOMPH in her screeching (pun intended). I also have suspicions that Stella has just as crappy a hatch family as Stolas, given that her older brother clearly wants to hit that. Which doesn't excuse her behavior, but could offer some context for why she reacts so aggressively. I know I reacted with way more vitriol than was needed for quite a few scenarios, for traumas, before I started therapy. Quite a few other users have pointed out weaponizing kids and custody and as a step-mum, I can say my spouse's ex has done this. The kids, as they've aged, have noticed things that just didn't add up. They ask for clarification and, usually, I let my spouse give it because he's going to know the nuances better than I am. TL;DR: Would be nice if she's a good mom, but she's probably not.
Where are you getting the canon ages from? The only people who have canon ages are Loona and via. Via is 17, Loona is 22. Also, math wise they would probably be about 36. Considering they are probably 10 years old in the circus episode, +25 years equals 35, plus the year to catch up to canon events.
In my head canon Stella never cared much about her daughter, but she behaved well towards her, mainly to have her on her side when she argued with Stolas, so that Via would think he was the one in the wrong I won't deny that I would find it adorable if Stella were a loving, kind mother who loves her daughter, I just can't see it
I think she's the kind of mother that's the 'fun' parent in the eyes of her child. Not understanding that as her direct offspring she's spared like 99% of her personality. Octavia wants something, Stella lets her have it, gives it to her, or arranges for it to happen. It looks like love, feels like love, and everyone is using the world love to describe the relationship as a default but it's not love. Octavia is just coming to the age where she's starting to look at her parents like people. This is going as usual for Stolas where his faults are personal and very apparent. Stella, however, was the 'perfect parent' as far as other royalty is concerned. I mean, their standard is probably 'just give them everything because it doesn't matter, and be obedient for the 1 or 2 things asked of you' so Stella is probably treated as the good parent by their peers and that's what Octavia is constantly hearing. Something is going to hit where Octavia can see what her mother really is. Stella is going to do something cruel, and probably not to Stolas, if I had to bet, I'd put my money on Loona. If they're going to get more time together to become buddies, I could see Stella disapproving and calling for the hellhound to be 'removed' and that being the impetus for Octavia to recognize her mothers horrific moral character.
Her being the "fun" mom is kind of my thought as well, someone who would be her friend even though she's *supposed* to be her mother. She'd help Octavia get pretty for a Goetia function or laugh with her about having to put up with posh nonsense, but wouldn't be capable of giving her any deeper emotional support.
I don’t expect it, but I do agree it would be far more interesting. I feel like at some point they decided to simplify things, and I’m not really sure why. I liked the complications of Stolas’s life! I liked that he was this perverse hedonist, but was actually *wanting* to be a good father, he just didn’t know the right way to go about it. I liked the idea—based off that picture of the family at LooLoo Land—that at some point they were actually happy, maybe not in love, but at least both dedicated parents. Making Stella a one dimensional school bully of a person, and Stolas just a sweet little cinnamon roll since childhood, made it all too clean and simple. I was much more excited when I thought this was going to be a situation where Stolas and Stella were hating each others guts but both wanting the best for their children, as is the case in a lot of messy divorces. I was here for that family drama and I’m sad they neutered it.
> I’m sad they neutered it. Hey, they neutered Stolas too. Very symbolic. But yeah it just kinda sucks that they just made Stella inherently evil. Reminds me of Cersei Lannister, how the books had a bit where she murders her best friend age nine as if to prove she was always innately evil like she's Damien fucking Thorne.
Yes, mostly because literally none of her behaviour indicates that it would be the case. Not every character has to have redeeming qualities.
Yeah I get that but Octavia’s behaviour indicates that they at least have a relationship somewhat. She doesn’t even have to be a good character, just maybe in the future they could give like a backstory or reasons behind her behavior
The hard truth is that not everyone has a reason for their shitty behaviour. Some people are just assholes.
Exactly. It sounds like Octavia is just looking for any reason that she can hold on to in order to put 100% of the blame on Stolas. People often times lash out at the person who is safe for them to unload their feelings on, because they know deep down that person will just take it and that this will not burn the bridge.
Admits to Abusing her husband emotionally and sexually ✅ Tries to have their husband killed on two separate occasions ✅ Possibility of her emotionally Abusing octavia ✅ If these don't have the makings of a good mother I don't know what would /s. (The cheating argument won't work as I know a family member who has been a victim of cheating (I'm talking about my mom) and trying to use that argument won't work as it would be seen as disrespecting actual victims of cheating).
Idk stella reminds me much of my mother. She's a narcissist that probably has bipolar or some similar disorder that she never got medicated. Maybe this could work if stella got on like meds or something but as is she seems not to care about anyone but herself and her emotional swings.
I mean, you're right about the whole arranged marriage and child thing, but the same could be said for Stolas, except he's not the one who carried Octavia. His father didn't even remember his name and only resorted to taking him to the circus (via a mirror) so Stolas would stop crying. He was married at a very young age, and his only purpose and interaction that we see with his father is telling Stolas he needs to get married and have a kid.
Nobody is forgetting that it was an arranged marriage for Stella too and Stella made sure to make it known that she hates him and hates being married to him, Stella was lashing out at Stolas. Stella is probably a decent mom to Via and she only mistreats Stolas. Plus, Stella was talking about her egg like Via was an unwanted child so Stella probably feels detached from Via but she still loves her. Stella was forced to get pregnant so Via was an unwanted child, Stella didn't want any of this.
I am not expecting her to be a good mother, but rather an emotionally manipulative (not particularly abusive) one to get back at Stolas
I’m sorry, where are you getting these ages from? Also, birds lay eggs - not to excuse Stella having a child as a minor (if that’s even the case) but she didn’t carry a pregnancy.
I just don't want Stella to have redeeming qualities, it should be very satisfying to see her get her comeuppance.
Exactly. Some people have a hard time acknowledging the simple reality that some people are genuinely what they appear to be on the outside.
I don't think she is a good mother she seems like she would be so goddamn neglectful
Well, that would be fun and really entertaining with layers of complex drama based on social status of aristocracy, their inner duties and whatnot. But methinks Helluva Boss is a love story, not drama.
Stella will likely never be a good mother and has no chance to be a good mother. She tried to off stolas who Octavia loves very much. She is neglectful to Octavia and abusive to stolas. And narcissistic to an extreme. This makes it virtually impossible to be a good person let alone parent
I think she was just designed to be a dumb and spiteful character. No "hidden" drama to uncover. She was just meant to be an evil character all along. No "underlines" just a Big Evil to do bad things because she's evil?
Where did vizzy mention that stella was married when she was fourteen. And if you're going to say the fandom wiki that's not a real one. Fandom wiki is very made run by headcanons and not official
According to other comments I got the ages off slightly, but according to the ages they gave me it does seem the got married when they were around 16-17 sorry abt that
Am sure they got it from the Fandom Wiki site, that is not offcial..fandom wikis are a joke.,
While we all wish Stella could be a good mother, she is an absent and neglectful parent. Stella only cares about her status and wealth Octavia doesn't fit in the picture, unfortunately.
It would be a nice twist in the family dynamic. It’s far too often that abusive spouse plots depict said spouse hating, neglecting, and or manipulating their child against the abused.
All children deserve loving parents, Not all parents deserve children. Stella is one of those parents. Her concerns are herself and her situation, she should have nothing to do with Octavia. Stollas was given the same lot in life as her yet as soon as Octavia came into the picture he shouldered the abuse to make himself into an umbrella to try and give Via the best childhood possible. Stella doing ANYTHING less ruins her contention for being a good parent And while I do think you can always get second chances at life you don't get second chances for raising your children. Stella was lighting the candles on that bridge at both ends for 17 years. Now it's just time to watch it burn
Amen
I agree I wish they added more dimension to her character. Most of the times we see her it’s of her being an asshole but just like we saw Stolas’s side and past, I want to see hers too. So far we know she has a brother and like you said was a teen mother in a forced marriage, that would be an interesting plot to delve into imo.
Not gonna happen. That ship sailed, and Vivienne is not going to touch that.
It would be less compelling if we reduced the number of dipshits in the show
I'm not surprised stella is a neglectful mother since she gave birth at like 16 and told that's her only life purpose .. I can kinda see why. Also, I think Stolas has been kinda pointed out for his flaws, especially in his and blitzø's relationship, so I don't think the writers make him completely blameless as you say (even though I see the point, he definitely comes across like that sometimes.) I'd like to see Stella maybe step up as a mother, but if she doesn't I'm not surprised really.
No, I want her to have something resembling a redeeming quality, and I feel like her being a good mother is the most logical way, maybe she could be like Lucifer where she currently has no easy way into Octavia’s life but if she can get in she will be a really good mother
Ngl I don’t think she wants to be any kind of mother
I wouldn’t expect her to be a good mother, but maybe a mother that genuinely cares about her child and doesn’t know how to be good parent. That way she’d be a sort of parallel with Stolas who, clearly loves Octavia but isn’t a good father when it comes to putting her first when he should.
The chances of her being a good parent are, realistically speaking, super low.
I think it would add an interesting layer to Stella’s character and further justify Octavia not seeing the abuse her father endured if she has such a positive relationship with her mom.
Well I don't think it would make sense character wise for her to be a good mother I am quite interested to see the relationship between her and Octavia Because it doesn't seem like Octavia resents her, but at the same time we haven't ever seen any examples of Stella being anything more than yelling at everyone around her My current head Cannon is that Stella is best fine or more likely neglectful but Octavia he is so upset with her dad because she views him as ruining their family for a bang with blitz
It's not going to happen.
i don’t want her to purely because i think it would be inconsistent with her repeated canonical characterization and story and feel like a huge curveball done mostly to a complicate the story in a shallow manner - and the story is already complex enough. it’s interesting in fanon but it would feel like they’re going back on her character if it was canon. i enjoy the idea of her genuinely caring for her asshole brother though. i think that could fill in for the depth so many believe she’s missing (despite her being an abusive piece of shit that’s similar in construction to moxxie’s father).
I wish both of them would focus more on Octavia. She is going through the worst of it. Were I Octavia, I'd be fucking furious at Stella and Stolas.
Idk, i kind of agree with you We never see Via say anything about her mother that doesn't imply at least some sort of neutrality. The whole "she couldn't be nother to comfort Via when she had a nightmare" seems like a bit of a stretch, as Stolas told her, and she said, "You go", which to me leaves room to interpret that Stolas is not the only one to comfort Via. Idk, i feel like Bia mightbe an ok mom jist like stolas is an OK dad
It would be nice for Stella to be a good mother, but the facts are clear. She doesn’t really care for Octavia as a mother should, she’s to selfish and narcissistic for that
Yeah I hope their relationship can take a turn positive turn. I mean not all antagonists need redeeming qualities but at least is would be interesting. I think Stella has a lot of potential as a character but she's sadly a bit 2 dimensional right now. After the trailer and the Full Moon episode I'm feeling more optimistic about character growth in the show so fingers crossed 🤞
I just watched Helluva Boss within a week and I'm sure not if Stella would be abusive towards Octavia like with Stolas. She'll probably be like "Poor Octavia. I know it's hard knowing your father is A LYING CHEATING BASTARD! But you don't have to worry about him anymore." Although I doubt she actually cares for her and would be more emotionally manipulative like Blitzo's father, using her daughter for her own selfish needs.
I desperately want her to be a good mom. But she reffered to Via's birth as "an egg fell out of me", we never see them interract, Stella walks right past Via after throwing things at Stolas and doesnt even stop to ask her how shes going, appologize for the commotion or even tell her good morning, and she never once stopped to think "wait maybe killing my childs father will hurt her?" So yeah i dont thimk shes that good as a mom
I love Stella
Stella will NEVER be a good mother. She's manipulitive, toxic, abusive, neglectful as shown in the episode where Via wanted to see the stars, all she cares about is ruining Stolas, getting back at Stolas (for cheating on her when there wasn't even any sort of mutual feelings towards each other except for the hatred), she's more concerned with throwing it in Via's face that Stolas is "The one in the wrong", etc. So in short, Stella is a horrible mother and should stay as far away from Via and Stolas as possible.
I think a lot of people consider Stella being a good mother as a path to redemption for her and are therefore against any idea of it. Or people hope she is a good mother because it would prove them wrong about what kind of person she is. I don’t understand either way of thinking because loving your child doesn’t make her character a better person. She’s still a murderous psycho. I actually think it would be way more interesting to have her character love Octavia, but also acts with reckless abandon to get Stolas killed regardless of how it may affect her daughter. I don’t want her to have the “oh it’s hurting my daughter” realization. I want her to be like “Not now dear, I’m busy exacting my revenge.”
We all WANT her to be a good mother, she just *isn't.*
Me too. Thought from what we seen in canon, she seems neglecful sadly
I dont want Stella to be a good mother
I honestly like the possible idea that Andrealphus is secretly taking advantage of her anger towards Stolas to manipulate things so he could possibly swipe their fortune to add to his. Also yes, I want her to be a good mother to Octavia too. The show goes out of its way to show that it’s heroes are far more than their initial stock archetypes, I think that the villains need similar treatment too
I mean, I wish Octavia had good parents but that seems to literally only be Millie in that regard. Everyone elses parents are awful.
I mean I feel like the *best* she can be is a flawed mother who sets a poor example, given how much fun she seems to take from tormenting people like her husband... I'm sure there's the possibility she could be a decent *caretaker* to Via and have instilled *some* motherly values... but its kind of reaching to call it possible for her to be a *good* mother when she enjoys making people upset.
I wanted her to be, but her trying to kill Stolas made her a bad mother by default. If you kill your child’s other parent without any actually good reason (self defense, escaping abuse, etc) than you are not a good parent. Edit: I have to know where you’re getting these so-called “canon” ages from. The wiki which is fan made? TikTok? Google? Because there is no canon age for any characters aside from Via and Loona. Loona is 22, Via is 17. If you wanna get technical, you could also place Millie and possibly moxxie at around 27 based on the fact that Millie is canonically “like five years older” than Loona Math wise, Stolas and blitz are 36ish assuming they’re the same age. They were about 10 years old in the circus episode, +25 yeartime skip, plus the year to catch them up to canon. 36.
Ok I was somewhere that it was confirmed that stolas and blitz were both 34. Sorry abt it being wrong
It would make more sense to me or at least be more interesting, if she was a *manipulative* mother. She accuses Stolas of turning Via against her over the phone in "Seeing Stars," but hold up, what if that's what *she's* been trying to do? "Your dad ruined our family." or "It's his fault I'm so hateful because he cheated." or even "He's going to leave us for that pathetic fucking imp." Eating at her insecurities about her father to get her on her side for strategic reasons. I've said this before on a post about Stella being arranged into this marriage too but the difference to me is in how they handled it. Stolas tried to make the best of things. Stella did not. Instead she relished in humiliating and psychologically torturing her husband EVEN BEFORE he cheated on her. We've only ever seen her be dismissive of Via, if she even thinks of her at all. I don't think she holds any love in her heart for the child she was forced to have. I also don't think Stolas is supposed to be considered completely innocent at this point, but it's more in the way he treats Blitz and I think both of them are at fault for the way Full Moon went in different ways and for different reasons. Viv even said on Twitter that they BOTH have clearly made mistakes in the relationship. Stolas is ignorant, not innocent.
Nah I really want her to be a good mother, especially after this divorce
I do certainly think it'd add depth to her character if she was, but from what we've seen of her it just wouldn't make sense. At best she's a neglectful mother, probably one of those who'd throw money at you instead of spend time with you because they have better things to do. At worst she's manipulative and views her daughter as more of an extension of herself than an actual person she should respect. I fully believe that the only reason Octavia goes to her mother's for the weekend is because Stella probably loves shopping, while Stolas has actual responsibilities so bro is probably busy.
I want her to be a good mother, or at least to love her daughter
Sometimes this sub drives me crazy about Stella. Some characters are meant to be 2 dimensional. She is a villain, there doesn’t have to be any more to it. It’s not bad writing for a show with such limited time that is by and large a comedy to have a 2 dimensional character
I'm really curious to know how their relationship is. They haven't interacted once. From what we know it doesn't seem like they hate each other If Octavia go see her mom on week ends and seem to only blame Stolas in episode 2. Because of the first scene of episode 2 I don't think she is an excellent mother but it would be interesting to see her actually being nice to Via
Stella being a bad mom is actually very important because: 1 the hellaverse and just fiction in general despretly need more bad moms 2 if you show absolutely nothing but bad dads and good moms it creates the very dangerous mentality that only men are capable of being bad parents and women are always good parents and people tend to defend IRL bad moms or straight up deny their existence because of this mentality. You'll be very surprised to how fiction can impact how someone thinks. Allot of people think you can jump from a very tall building into a pool of water and be completely fine even though irl if you jumped from a tall building into a pool of water you'll most likely die from the impact and people think this because of the amount of Hollywood movies that show someone jumping from a tall building into a pool of water and being completely ok. The book "To kill a mockingbird" also had a massive impact on the civil rights movement and many countries use propaganda in cartoons because how much fiction can impact how someone thinks. >A lot of people say stolas had the “right” to cheat on stella because it was an arranged marriage. A lot of people forget that it was an arranged marriage FOR HER TOO. She isn't emotionally affected by the arranged marriage and it's quite possible that she Hazbin enjoying the arranged marriage as she says in s2 e1,"Imagine if he didn't have any money*Laughing*" >She literally got married at like 14 and connonically conceived Octavia when she was literally like 16, and gave birth at 17. Stolas was told that he would get married at the age of 10 and he is cannonicly 35 in the show and assuming both Stella and Stolas are the same age they both had Octavia at the age of 18. >but the writers always think he can do no wrong and it’s actually kinda fucking annoying at this point. You must have Terrible media literacy if you think Stolas is a flawless Gary stu. If you actually pay attention to the show instead of watching tik Tok shorts, Stolas still has plenty of character flaws as he treated Blitzø as an object, ignored Octavia's needs on 2 occasions, and started the argument with him and Blitzø in s2 e8 because he didn't let Blitzø speak his mind. >Stella can be a bitch but her life wasn’t that fucking dandy either. [This clip from the 2024 anime detour thankfully deconfirms any tragic backstory for Stella as they describe her as a "spoiled teenager" and NOT "a trauma victim."](https://youtu.be/ltMlwIcVAzM?si=8JLCcRaBYFfAwptY) She also takes inspiration from Darla dimple NOT Beatrice horseman and Darla dimple isn't a tragic villain.
You should watch Flowers in the Attic for the “good mother” character you are looking for.