Imp



Imps are an enemy in Homestuck. They are creatures of the Dark Kingdom. They are the most commonly encountered, weakest enemy, being described as cannon-fodder. They are visibly afraid of higher ranking Dark Kingdom creatures, though several have been seen meandering nearby some Tar Basilisks.

The Imp's trickster behavior and harlequin-esque motif of its clothing might be due to having inherited the physical and behavioral attributes of John's kernelsprite when it was brought to The Medium. Having been prototyped with the harlequin doll, the light and dark halves carried the 'information' of the doll to the light and dark spires. The imps got their clothes when this occurred. After Rose's and Dave's prototyping and entrance to the Medium, Imps appeared possessing variable aspects of their prototyping as well as John's. These include Harlequin, Cat, Suit, Cthulhu, Princess, Beak, Wings, Sword and any combination of the prior. They are also noted to be stronger after the second prototyping. It seems safe to assume that other varieties of Imp will present themselves at later points, themed after the information Jade's Kernelsprite carries.

Imps were notable as the only enemy to physically prototype, other than the wearer of a Queen's ring, before the Lich appeared. They are still the enemy most changed by the prototypings. This may be because they are manufactured specifically to be foot soldiers by the Denizens.

Shale Imps
A variety of creature which appeared in John's house in Act 2 after it was sent to an alternate dimension by the Cruxite Apple. Shale Imps are the first to appear others appeared much later. Shale Imps are responsible for John's dad's kidnapping, and are almost certainly the source of the oil-like sludge strewn throughout John's house, as the greater part of the creature is pitch-black, and drips visibly during Strife with John. This may be linked to John's Associated Item, Oil. Their name is probably a reference to oil shale. During Strife with John, an imp visibly recoiled from a towel launched out of John's Sylladex, indicating a possible dependency on the muck that coats their bodies. The other known varieties of imps, Cobalt Imps and Mercury Imps, do not appear to have sludge coating their bodies, as they do not drip like the Shale Imps do.

John blames the imps for the defacing of his posters, but Rose postulates that John had scrawled the harlequins on his posters and repressed his memories of it long before the imps arrived. She shows screenshots that seem to prove that they were defaced already, but these contradict previous ones.

Cobalt Imps
Cobalt Imps appeared at the start of Act 4, along with Mercury Imps. They are a dark blue colour, and drop cobalt, as their name suggests.

Mercury Imps
Mercury Imps are a variation of imp that drops mercury. They have more health than Shale Imps, but less health than Cobalt Imps. It is unknown whether they are coated in toxic mercury or not.

Chalk Imps
Chalk Imps appear in Act 4. Much like Shale Imps were made of John's item, Oil, these imps are made of Rose's item. They are first seen on Dave's computer screen, in the Sburb window while he was installing the CD. They are attacking Rose, something Dave didn't seem to pay much attention to. They appear to leave small piles of chalk behind them as they move. Though they are, in coloration, the exact opposite of Shale Imps, it cannot be determined if they were deployed by the Light Kingdom, or if they have the appearance due to their location, The Land of Light and Rain. Given that they wear the colors of the Dark Kingdom, its more than likely the latter is the case.

Rust Imps
A Rust Imp is first seen in the Dark Kingdom when Parcel Mistress appears to get her parcel. More are seen getting killed by Dave in the Land of Heat and Clockwork. More can be seen in Terezi's medium world, prototyped with Karkat's sprite's features, wings and tails, possibly from Terezi's Lusus.

Marble Imps
This variety is first seen on the Land of Light and Rain when one first attacks Rose. They appear as white with swirls of pink, in a marble effect, hence their name. They also drop marble grist.

Amber Imps
Amber imps are encountered by Dave in the Land of Heat and Clockwork. They are based on his Associated Item, Amber.