#imp headcanons

> Many imps appear to exhibit dimorphism between male-presenting and female-presenting, such that imps appearing male tend to have white hair if they have any and horn stripes of equal thickness, while imps appearing female tend to have black hair if any and thin white horn stripes on thick black stripes.

However, exceptions are possible, though whether this is natural but uncommon variation, trans imps or intersex imps is unclear, and it may be all of the above. At least one example of an imp with grey hair and red horns can be found in the Helluva Boss pilot, for example. This imp also has little pointed ears, and what appear to be tiny wings, something I’ll get into in another point.

> Imps may (??) be demonic enough to respawn when killed, but it is plausible that without as much magical oomph as higher status demons, they could succumb to death by natural causes such as age or starvation, possibly illness.

However, if an imp were able to find a way to get themselves summoned and/or making deals (or whatever other means might be out there), they could increase the baseline of their available pool of magic.

Imps gaining enough magic might, like the imp pictured above, begin to grow wings. The initial stage, vestigial and quite small, represents the threshold of reaching sinner-average magic levels and no longer being as prone to death by natural causes. Unless an imp gains exceptional reserves, the wings are unlikely to grow much beyond this stage.

An imp having succubus/incubus/concubus heritage may well have a leg up on having wings, but not guaranteed. Cubi in general seem to be related to imps, like goblins and hobgoblins.

It is possible that gaining too much magic too quickly could have side effects, such as fevers or other ailments.

> Not all imps would necessarily follow traditions, and many may not, but it would make sense for there to be traditions, given that they’re a staple part of Hell.

> The wiki states that imps are often slaves or servants, so some of these traditions may relate to that.

> Babies might not be named until their horns grew in, at perhaps a year old - and it makes sense for those horns not to be there from the start, I mean owie. In older times, this tradition was because not as many babies made it to this point, just like on Earth. Generic nicknames like Baby and Sweetheart could still be used, however.

> Families of imps belonging to or in hereditary paid employment to a circus, for example, may have surnames based on that particular circus, with possible variations if different families were present at the same location. The same is true of imps associated with individuals or families of higher rank, whether enslaved or with a family history of employment.

> If an imp with one of these traditional names was sold or willingly switched employment, they may add a new surname based on this, but the old would usually be kept as a sort of record, if they followed that aspect of tradition.

> Format for basing surname on the name of another demon: -in suffix added to either forename or surname of relevant demon. If the imp’s association is to a family rather than an individual, the surname would most likely reflect the surname of the family. For example, if Stolas had a personal imp servant, their surname might be Stolin, but if the servant was a general family servant, they might be a Goetin.

Further examples: Magnin, Voxin, Velvin, Alastin, Valin.

In the case of multiple families of imps or simply multiple unrelated imps associated with the same family/individual/place, different amounts of the relevant name maybe used, for example an Alin and an Alastin. If the name is too short, such as Vox, name variation may add syllables, such as Voxin and Voxtrin.

> Format for basing surname on a place name: -han suffix added to the name, or abbreviation of the name of the place.

Examples: Looloohan and Loolhan, Radtowhan and Radiohan (if any were associated with the Radio Tower), Newshan and so on.

> At this point, it is no longer clear what the origins of the imp population in Hell are, but one leading theory is that they were created by Lucifer and/or other first fallen inhabitants of Hell in similar manners to the goats Razzle and Dazzle who used to be Charlie’s plush toys. Not all demons consider imps to be true demons, but technically they can be classed as a type of demon, being that they’re sapient beings who’re denizens of Hell.

Demon/Imp Headcanons

Now we’re talking!

All imps are demons, but not all demons are imps

Imps are known as being smaller, more mischievous demons, this causes them to seek out kids (one of the most mischievous beings known to man).

This being said, imps are great babysitters for all species. 

Demons feed on energy, but are known to eat physical food quite heavily. Banquets are often held in order to feed off the energy of others. 

Incubi are known as demons who pursue sexual energy. (the prefix of the name meaning on/lie on).

Succubi are known as demons who attract sexual energy ( the prefix meaning under)

Although incubi and succubi are perceived to be gendered terms, they are not.

Demons are not innately evil. They can also feed off of positive energies as well.

Demons can age regularly if they want. Aging means very little to demons. Many demons can alter their physical appearance to appear any age.

Depending on their species and bloodline, demons can live to be anywhere from 150 to eternity.

Many demon customs do not act on a binary male and female scale. They act on a dominant and submissive scale.

Not all demons have horns. However, horns have an important place in demon culture.

Larger horns are often regarded as a sign of power. Demons with more than one set of horns are significantly stronger than most demons.

Hi there! I’m always happy to answer questions about ToD. :)

I didn’t change any of the characters’ ages from those given or implied in the original Hakuouki games [ages were later set out in the bonus material for Hakuouki Shinkai - Kyoto WInds/Edo Blossoms).  Hakuouki (and ToD) uses the following ages for the main characters (as of late 1863, or early 1864; these are mostly approximate historical ages):

Heisuke, Saito (b. 1844):19Okita (b. 1842 - historically either 1842 *or* 1844): 21Harada (b.1840), Nagakura (b. 1839): 24, 25Hijikata (b. 1835): 29 (he was only 34 when he died!)

The Oni ages are/were much more debatable; however, the ToD ages are reasonably consistent with what is known:

Kazama: 27-28 (ToD would have him born approx. 1837)[Note:  a lot of people headcanon that Oni are (much) longer-lived, and that Kazama, in particular, could be 50, or 70, or 100+; personally, I don’t have any problem with that, and what was “canon” was difficult to figure out when many fics were first written; as it turns out, late twenties is what the story creators had in mind]Amagiri: late thirties (about 10 years older than Kazama)Kimigiku: mid-thirties (ToD age may be slightly older than canon age?)Shiranui: mid-to-late twentiesSenhime: ~ 16 (but note that the lore of ToD, as explored in later chapters, accounts for why her skill and knowledge base is so high)Chizuru: 16

Answering a question on the Namor forum: Okay, lets do this, class. You have a 6 issue mini-series, the goal is to have a dramatic and impactful return of Dorma to 616 and the world of the Sub-Mariner. What do you do?

My reply is going off current continuity where Namor is sitting in a jail cell and combining my own fanfic ideas:

Issue 1 - Namor is in jail, a few panels, or maybe a page to set up history, summary of back story/current situation to get new readers up to speed, his thoughts on his past life, his love for Dorma, his people, his friends like Vashti, his regret over how things ended all those years ago with a teen Attuma, nothing too lore heavy or complex. It ends with a splash page ACTION moment of a loyal set of Atlantean royal guards lead by Andromeda to break him out of jail while explaining that Atlantis needs him. Namor's thought bubble/narration box would be "of course Atlantis needs me, and I will forever answer her call" he stands up and breaks the handcuffs holding him, proving that he could have gotten out at any time if he wanted, a prison guard tries to stop him and Namor makes him back down with a glare as he leaves with his guard following into the waiting Atlantean ship. He takes the seat at the helm and Andromeda gets him up to speed as they race towards Atlantis. The Black Tide has returned and they've been causing havoc in the seas for weeks. Atlantis is in shambles politically and literally. Namor arrives in Atlantis and there's a few panels of him thinking about how many times his people and city have been hurt, before he asks where the council members are, many of them are dead, his cousins Seth and Dara have been trying to hold the line but both are unable to run the kingdom efficiently and mount a offensive against the Black Tide. Namor asks about Vashti and is told he's been kidnapped by Attuma several months ago. He's angry no one came to get him before but ultimately blames himself for having a pity party and trying to placate the humans. He says they are going to get his Vizier back and leads a team to Attuma's last known location via their spy network, it's a trap of course, that Attuma has baited for Namor which Vashti tries to warn them about before Attuma's people emerge, lots of action/fighting, a showdown between Namor and Attuma ends with Namor holding his trident to Attuma's neck who smiles his shark smile and holds up his hands, yielding, Namor is confused, thinking it's another trap but Attuma releases Vashti to Namor to prove his intentions were to ensure that Namor wasn't a weak king because the task ahead needs strength and if he had found Namor lacking then he would have killed him here and now. What is the task? The Stone has been activated, it's warping the waters around it in a vortex of black magic and no one knows what to do to fix it, monsters are emerging from it, and something big is coming. Ends on a cliff hanger.

Issue 2 - We are at the Stone, a huge shadow emerges and Attuma and Namor prepare to face it together, not a happy team up they still insult and snark at each other but they need to face this threat, the shadow comes out and it's Ambrose, the old giant monster goldfish pet of Dorma. Both are stunned bc the creature disappeared decades ago. It indicates that Namor and Attuma should follow him into the vortex, and Namor leaves orders with Vashti to return with Andromeda and help Seth and Dara restabilize Atlantis, and give aid, and Attuma agrees to let his warriors go along to protect everyone from the Black Tide's return. Attuma and Namor buddy road trip into the black darkness of the vortex. Action scenes as they fight twisted sea monsters/people and navigate the other side of the veil they have stepped through. Throughout we get Attuma’s backstory/history of what happened to him after the Chasm people died, basically a way to mix in his other origin of being born into slavery, except he was taken as a teen into slave camps of the whatever sea people, like idk Lemurians or someone else, he spends years getting stronger until he causes a revolt and his loyal followers are the people he liberated from the camps. Attuma of course lays all the blame on the Atlanteans and Namor, and tells him once they finish this task then he will be marching on Atlantis while dragging Namor’s corpse with him as a trophy to show Atlantis their half breed false king is dead and now Attuma is the ruler. There is a presence of Great Power in this vortex world, that they are drawn to. Ends with a cliff hanger of them being confronted by the presence.

Issue 3 - Opens with a action scene as they fight the Great Power which takes the form of a shadow demonic woman, as they do they are given flashes of their pasts, their wrong deeds, their regrets, their happy memories become twisted into nightmares, their souls darken with hate and power, their bodies begin to transform like the other people/creatures who live in the Stone Vortex, cool art of the transformations as they descend into madness and evil caused by the stone/great presence. Through the haze of this corruption, Namor recognizes Dorma is the Great Power and he pulls on memories of happiness with her, their times growing up, their time spent loving each other, fighting side by side as partners, he clings to the memories even as Shadow!Dorma tries to twist them into bad memories, he shows her his mind/memories of her death, and how badly it affected him, how lost he was after she died, how he grieved for her. Namor opens his heart & mind to Dorma knowing that if he cannot reach her then she will corrupt him as Attuma’s corruption is nearly complete. Namor shares his deep love for Dorma who finally breaks free of the Stone’s influence and remembers herself, her past, she recalls all the power of the stone. Namor and Attuma shift back to normal as a swirling vortex of power and lights rotate around Dorma who’s eyes go black as she commands all the power of the stone to be stored inside herself and locks the power away. All is quiet as the vortex world is gone and they are back in the ocean having been transported into the throne room of Atlantis, where Attuma and Namor are kneeling before a newly resurrected Dorma who radiants with power, her eyes are black, and the rest of the court watches in awe at the return of their beloved queen. Namor stands and reaches for her, saying her name “Dorma… you’ve returned.” comic ends there with a to be continued cliff hanger.

Issue 4 - Dorma's issue, it begins with Dorma as a child being raised in Atlantis’s court, her seeing Namor being an outcast and befriending him, her teachings of magic, her history, her father is her only surviving family, basically this issue is a love letter to Dorma and cements her past, her death, and explains how the interaction with the stone when she was a teen created an unbreakable link between it and her soul, how the power was so great she didn't know how to use and she just figured that after the events of King in Black she lost her magic powers but it was just dormant and after Llyra murdered her, her soul was snapped back like a rubber band into the Stone where it was trapped for all these years, how she spent years learning it’s dark magic, and being lost to the darkness until Namor reminded her of who she was and the comic ends with her back in the present, with Namor reaching out to her. She has returned, the stone and her magic resurrecting her body, but she has used much of her power and she does not have the full access as she did in the shadow vortex, which means she has magic but it’s limited bc of her resurrection. Namor and Dorma have a very heavy moment of their reunion where they hug but just before they kiss the news of the Black Tide’s return causes panic in the throne room. Ends on a cliff hanger.

Issue 5 - Namor, Dorma, and Attuma are once again reunited in battle, a call back to their time together from King in Black. Dorma tells Namor her magic is spent but she picks up a sword and is still ready to fight, Namor picks up his trident, and Attuma has his own sword. They are joined by Attuma’s people, Andromeda and the castle guard, Lord’s Seth and Dara, and… Warlord Krang. He steps forward and takes Dorma’s hand, kissing the back of it, slimy as a eel and with a glint of hunger for power in his eyes he compliments Dorma, saying he’s missed her, and how he would lay his life down for her, pledging to be her guard and friend. Namor is not impressed but he has to deal with that later. Dorma is suspicious but accepts his sword arm for now. This will play into later issues/comics where Krang is loyal only to Dorma, and slowly tries to influence her to betray Namor & get with him, but for now he fights alongside them as they go to face the Black Tide. Big showdown page. As the sorceress Sycorax uses her powers to make dead sea people’s skeletons rise and fight against the heroes, each character, Namor, Dorma, Attuma, Seth & Dara, Krang, and Andromeda have close up fight shots as they battle the Black Tide. Andromeda saves AttumaÂ’s life, citing that she only did that because she needs him to help save Namor and not because she thinks of him as her father in a kindly manner, the tension between father and daughter is there but Attuma compliments her strength and says if she had been born a son she would have led his own armies. She is hurt by the rejection even though she thought she was over it but she turns her back on Attuma and gets back into the fight. Cliff hanger on Namor facing the Black Tide’s leader Kharsa.

Issue 6 - The Black Tide wants the Stone that is currently laying dormant in the center of the throne room (later it would be revealed the stone cannot be moved from its place and it becomes a constant reminder and a centerpiece of the throne room, suspended floating in a force field that no one can touch) and they want Lady Dorma because she now the key to controlling the Stone. Namor says they’ll never touch her and he would die to save Dorma because he cannot lose her again. Fight scenes, Fight scenes, and then Dorma is stabbed in the stomach, Namor screams Nooooo, thinking he has lost her after only just finding her again, he gathers her in his arms, and she touches his face, saying that she’s always loved him but she wasn’t ready to die just yet, she had so much to live for, she “dies” her eyes closing and Namor grieves again, but then her eyes shoot open, black power with cool effects fill them and she heals herself, and she cannot control herself, as she directs all her power towards her enemies, but even as she drives away the Black Tide who fear her power and flee, she still cannot stop her destruction, she is floating with a lot of power around her, and she could kill everyone around her if she isn’t stopped. Attuma screams at Namor to kill her, but Namor refuses, instead he throws himself at Dorma’s power, it eats away at his flesh as he swims closer to her, and he yells out for her to remember herself, she sees the harm she is doing to Namor and remembers him and herself. She cries out as she shuts down the power and collapses. As she recovers she states she cannot trust the power within herself but will work towards controlling it. Wrap up the story with Namor, Dorma, and Attuma saying their farewells, Attuma promising Namor that their temporary truce is over and the next time he sees them he will kill him. Dorma is welcomed back by Vashti, Seth, and Dara, and other court members, while Andromeda stands next to Namor and comments on her return, asking Namor if it’s really her, and he says it is. Namor thanks her for being a friend and for for keeping her duties as the captain of his guard, and comments on Attuma, she says that her father will never change no matter how much she might wish for it and she’s given up trying to get his acceptance. Andromeda then asks him if he will kill Dorma if she loses control again and he says nothing. Ends with Namor joining Dorma in the center of the court and taking her hand to lead her up towards his throne where they will take their place as the ocean's rulers, a wide shot on the court, celebrations ensue, and then a pan away to one of the court members slipping away, turning a corner, and transforming into Empress Llyra, she holds up a mirror and speaks into it, saying that her plans are just beginning. The shadow figure in the reflection laughs. Ends with the promise of Court intrigue and drama, Namor and Dorma slowly re establishing their romance, and dark high fantasy adventures.