History Fanfic / SadisticTendencies

* AdaptationalJerkass: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed,]] as Andrealphus is still a rather snooty, unpleasant individual in canon. However, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes he still holds his sister dear...]] though, admittedly, to some [[BrotherSisterIncest rather creepy levels.]] Here, though, he's an outright social climber who [[IHaveNoSon disowns Stella]] after Stolas divorces her, thus ruining her reputation because he supposedly favored [[FantasticRacism an imp]] (The rumors seems to leave out the fact that Stolas divorced her because she tried to have him ''assassinated'' over said infidelity), just because he thinks being associated with her will ruin ''his'' status, as well.

* AttemptedHomewrecker: The fact that Moxxie is already HappilyMarried to Millie does precisely nothing to dissuade Striker from trying to claim I.M.P's gunslinger for himself. [[ManipulativeBastard He at first attempts to ruin their marriage]] by trying to cause cracks in their relationship when he comes by the I..M.P offices in chapter 22, and he does this by not only taunting [[ClingyJealousGirl Millie]] with his [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace lack of personal space in regards to Moxxie]] ''and'' Moxxie having his number (Something he added to Moxxie's phone after he stole it, mind you), but also [[VillainHasAPoint pointing out]] Millie's inaction in regards to speaking up for her hubby [[ButtMonkey when her friends and family badmouth him and treat him like garbage.]] Ultimately, though, [[NiceJobFixingItVillain his actions actually have the]] ''[[NiceJobFixingItVillain opposite]]'' [[NiceJobFixingItVillain effect]] once Moxxie hits his RageBreakingPoint, which leads to him and Millie having a heart-to-heart which ''improves'' their relationship... After which Striker goes full {{Yandere}} and decides to forego manipulating them in favor of just straight-up kidnapping Moxxie in chapter 30.

* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Sister]]: Chapter 29 mentions that Andrealphus, [[AdaptationalJerkass in contrast to canon,]] actually publicly disowned Stella as his sister due to the humiliation of her husband supposedly divorcing her [[FantasticRacism in favor of an imp…]] Something that she wasn’t present for, but was made aware of [[KickTheDog when he sent documents of the event to her afterwards.]] And it’s outright stated that he only did it because he thought the association would hurt his chances to climb in the ranks amongst the Goetian court.

** After Stolas divorces Stella for attempting to assassinate him, Stella's reputation is ruined (Though in the eyes of the public, it's not because she tried to have Stolas killed, but because he seemingly [[FantasticRacism preferred an imp as his lover]] over her), and Andrealphus then declares to the public that [[IHaveNoSon he no longer has any relation to her and doesn't consider her his sister anymore.]] Making it an official declaration is bad enough, and doing it just to save his own reputation even more so, but Stella also ''wasn't present'' for this and thus didn't know he'd done it until ''he sent her the official documents of his disownment of her'' afterwards.

[[folder: Tropes A to L]]

* AbhorrentAdmirer: The basis of the fic is Striker becoming one for Moxxie as he develops a VillainousCrush on him. While Moxxie feels ''some'' physical attraction towards Striker and ''does'' almost fall under his spell at one point, he’s still very much not OK with the attention he receives since Striker is a possessive, [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] creep who tries to convince him to be unfaithful to Millie [[NotGoodWithRejection and won’t take ”No” for an answer.]]

* AlternateUniverse: This fic diverges from canon from ''[[{{Recap/HelluvaBoss S1 E5 The Harvest Moon Festival}} The Harvest Moon Festival]]'' and onwards. Though the events of ''[[{{Recap/Helluva Boss S1 E7 OZZIES}} OZZIE'S]]'' [[InSpiteOfANail still occur here,]] it's slightly different thanks to Moxxie and Blitzo's relationship having been improved, which results in Moxxie and Millie inviting Stolas and Blitzo to a double date after discovering their attempts to spy on them.

* CallBack: In chapter 2, Blitzo and Loona show up uninvited at Moxxie and Millie’s apartment and ask Moxxie to make pancakes for breakfast. (To which Moxxie grumbles that his house isn’t a restaurant… But he obliges nonetheless, if only because of Millie) This gets called back to twice; The first time is when Loona grumbles that Moxxie owes her a dozen pancakes [[BigDamnHeroes after she saves him from getting kidnapped by Striker,]] and the second time is during the group’s last phone call during the Extermination, [[{{Tsundere}} when she tells Moxxie that he promised he’d make her more pancakes as a way to get him to promise to make it back in one piece.]]

** Loona is in full {{Tsundere}} mode, as usual. She simply can’t state outright that she's worried sick about Moxxie while he’s trapped in the Pride ring and [[ItsAllMyFault feels guilty about his kidnapping;]] She lashes out instead and claims [[BlamingTheVictim it's his own fault that it happened]]. (Blitzo isn't fooled, though, and can tell that she's just scared and sad.) She also can't just tell Moxxie that she wants him to survive the Extermination, choosing to instead yell at him over the phone [[CallBack that he promised he'd make her more pancakes.]]

* ContinuityCameo: [[WebAnimation/HazbinHotel Husk, Alastor and Cherri]] all appear briefly, with Husk and Cherri getting background mentions and Alastor interviewing Moxxie and Striker about why they’re in the Pride ring during Extermination Day. (And trying to get them to make a DealWithTheDevil, though both imps are smart enough to decline)
* ContrivedCoincidence: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed.]] During I.M.P and Striker’s hearing with Stolas in chapter 28, Moxxie mentions how ''awfully convenient'' it is for Striker that Sulfus, who’d been hired by Stella alongside Striker to kill Stolas [[NoHonorAmongThieves and then backstabbed his fellow mercenary,]] ''just so happened'' to be found dead later without a single trace of the angelic rifle he stole from Striker at the scene of the crime… Or anything else that ''would'' connect him to Striker, for that matter. His tone of voice and side-eyeing of Striker as he says it makes it clear that he suspects that the snake imp has something to do with Sulfus’s death… And while Striker dismisses it as a coincidence, as an earlier chapter showed, Moxxie is absolutely correct about that.

** Moxxie turns out to keep some cash hidden in the lining of one of his pant legs in the case of somebody stealing his wallet. This comes in handy when he and Striker need to get into a safe zone area when they’re trapped in the Pride ring during the Extermination.

* AFatherToHisMen: [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Blitzo]] does ''everything'' he can to help Moxxie (And Striker by proxy, not that he’s happy about it) stay at least somewhat safe while trapped in the Pride ring during the Extermination. He first tries to open a portal to get his employee to safety, [[SimpleSolutionWontWork and when that turns out to be impossible,]] he tries to pull as many strings as he can to find safe spaces to use.

* ForcedSleep: This is how Sulfus manages to get the drop on both Striker and Moxxie and take them to the Pride ring: While Striker is busy cornering and intimidating Moxxie, Sulfus uses a sleeping spell to make both of them pass out.

* IdiotBall: Despite Striker having repeatedly proven himself to be a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] [[{{Sadist}} sadist,]] Moxxie still lets his guard down around him after the Extermination due to their EnemyMine situation being fresh in his mind. This allows Striker to easily lure the smaller imp with him to his motel room under the pretense of returning his phone and offering I.M.P his assistance in tracking down ”a culprit” with another angelic weapon… when the ''real'' reason [[AttemptedRape is that he wants to have his way with him.]] [[LampshadeHanging Moxxie mentally kicks himself for how foolish he was to follow Striker so readily]] when the reality of the situation sinks in.

* InSpiteOfANail: Despite the AlternateUniverse nature of the fic, ''[[{{Recap/Helluva Boss S1 E7 OZZIES}} OZZIE'S]]'' still happens, [[DownplayedTrope though the circumstances are slightly different]] due to Moxxie’s improved relationship with Blitzo, which leads to him and Millie making it an unofficial couple’s night by inviting Blitzo and Stolas to their table.

** Loona blames herself ''hard'' when Moxxie is kidnapped and taken to the Pride ring during Extermination Day, since Blitzo had assigned her to protect him. She at first lashes out and says [[BlamingTheVictim it’s his own fault for being small and weak,]] but her internal thoughts make it clear that she doesn’t mean it; She’s just scared that Blitzo will blame her, too, and discard her as useless like so many of her previous caretakers did. Though Blitzo is quick to reassure his daughter that he doesn’t blame her in the slightest and will never, ever, abandon her, no matter what.

* LuredIntoATrap: Moxxie, thrice:

[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes M to Z]]

* ManBitesMan: In chapter 19, Moxxie manages to get Striker off him [[AttemptedRape as the latter tries to rape him]] by biting the snake imp in the neck so hard that he draws blood.

* NoHonorAmongThieves: Striker teams up with the mercenary Sulfus in order to [[LuredIntoATrap lure Moxxie into a trap]] and take the angelic rifle back from him… only for Sulfus to cast [[ForcedSleep a sleeping spell]] on them both once the rifle has been found and take them to the Pride ring during the Extermination, stealing the rifle in the process. He tells Striker before the latter passes out [[NothingPersonal that he’s just doing this to rid himself of a rival and ”get to the top of the game.”]] [[LaserGuidedKarma Striker later tracks him down and kills him for this.]]

*** There’s also him [[DudeShesLikeInAComa almost kissing a sleeping Moxxie]] while hiding from Exorcists, and when the Extermination is over and the two of them await the rest of I.M.P, he once again wraps his tail around the smaller imp to pull him closer, Moxxie being too exhausted to notice. Both times, Striker is interrupted before he gets the chance to do anything else; [[{{WebAnimation/Hazbin Hotel}} Cherri]] setting off bombs nearby in the former case, and Millie arriving in the latter.
*** And then he takes it [[AttemptedRape one step further]] in chapter 19…

* NotGoodWithRejection: Striker refuses to accept that Moxxie [[HappilyMarried won’t cheat on Millie or leave her]] for him, and the more Moxxie resists him, the more his [[VillainousCrush obsession with him]] grows.

** When Moxxie calls Blitzo to tell him that he’s in the Pride ring during Extermination Day, Blitzo drops any goofiness or vulgarity almost completely; He first speaks with a flat infliction [[DudeNotFunny to reprimand his employee for making a tasteless joke,]] [[MyGodYouAreSerious but as the realization sets in that Moxxie is serious,]] he actually starts ''panicking'', bargaining and even ''begging'' Moxxie to tell him that it’s not true. Blitzo reacting in this way makes Moxxie feel even worse for ”screwing up.”
*** Likewise, GenkiGirl Millie becomes emotionless as she waits for her husband to call her while he’s trapped in the Pride ring. She doesn’t even fly into a rage or panic; She simply sits in one place, staring at her phone.

* SayingTooMuch: When talking about [[HolyHandGrenade angelic weapons,]] [[NoSympathy Striker taunts Moxxie about what a ”wimp” he is for being in so much pain from the blessed bullet that he was shot with,]] saying that his 9mm blessed ammunition would do more damage. Moxxie at first tries to snark at the cocky mercenary, [[SpottingTheThread but then he realizes that Striker was talking about]] ''[[SpottingTheThread pistol]]'' [[SpottingTheThread ammo when the weapon they took from him was a]] ''[[SpottingTheThread rifle]]''. This, in turn, makes him realize that Striker basically admitted to having more than one angelic weapon. Striker mentally kicks himself for letting this piece of info slip, as he underestimated just how observant Moxxie could be even when in pain, and Moxxie is understandably pissed at the reveal.

* SimpleSolutionWontWork: Upon hearing that Moxxie is trapped in the Pride ring, Blitzo’s first course of action is to get the Grimoire and try to open a portal… only to find that it’s empty, as all magic artefacts stop working during the Extermination. He then tries to call Stolas and ask him for help, only for the Prince to dismiss him and tell him [[NoSympathy that if Moxxie dies, he can just ”get a new weapons expert”.]]
* SmugSnake: True to canon and his rattlesnake-like appearance, [[{{Narcissist}} Striker]] is so full of himself that he constantly looks down on everyone around him, seeing them as nothing but pawns, and always believing that he’s the smartest person in the room. However, he’s ''so'' used to having all the cards, getting his way and believing that he’s too smart to fool that I.M.P actually manage to pull a KansasCityShuffle on him in chapter 27; Thus, Striker is shown to not be nearly as clever as he thinks he is.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: During their EnemyMine situation, Moxxie and Striker essentially take turns passing snide remarks at each other.

* SurvivalHorror: The Extermination Day arc [[WordOfGod is explicitly referred to as one by the author]] - The Exorcists are horrifying [[AngelicAbomination Angelic Abominations]] who slaughter anybody living in Hell, be they sinners or hellborn demons, if they’re not within a protective barrier [[spoiler: (And it’s revealed that not even that is a guaranteed safe zone during a WhamShot)]], and this goes on over the course of 24 hours. Moxxie and Striker find themselves right in the middle of the Extermination and have to [[EnemyMine work together]] in order to survive.
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] After Stolas proclaims that he’ll divorce Stella for trying to have him killed in chapter 28, Moxxie asks Millie if she sides with Stella on the issue. Millie bluntly responds that she doesn’t - [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse Infidelity is not a good enough reason to try to kill somebody]], especially not [[EvilIsPetty for such a petty reason]] as [[DisproportionateRetribution having an affair]] [[FantasticRacism with a lower caste]], alongside the other stunts that the swan princess has pulled. (Not to mention, Millie firmly believes that Stella should’ve tried to kill Stolas herself if she truly hated him that much) At the same time, though, she admits that, as much of a HateSink as Stella is, she can’t help but feel a smidgeon sorry for her; As she tried to have a royal that outranks her killed, there’ll probably be ''severe'' consequences coming her way and not just the divorce.
** Moxxie also admits to himself in chapter 29 after reading a gossip article about Stolas and Stella supposedly seeing each other on a balcony of the Goetia manor that he, in the end, ''almost'' feels sorry for Stella. ''Almost.''

* TimeSkip: There’s a fourth-month one between chapters 28 and 29.

*** After his AloneWithThePsycho moment with Striker during the Harvest Moon Festival, Moxxie finds himself involuntarily flinching and flashing back to that moment not only [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace whenever Striker invades his personal space,]] but also when he passes by the room where it happened.

---> ''The Pride ring! Welcome to the slaughter house, boys!'' ''[[{{OhCrap}} Extermination day is upon us.]]''
** In chapter 9, Millie has tensely been waiting for the hourly phone calls from Moxxie while he’s trapped in the Pride ring. And when he does finally call, he says this:

** Chapter 29 also reveals that Blitzo cranks up the SelfDeprecation in response to the gossip tabloids comparing his relationship with Stolas to the owl prince "sleeping with a dog".

* AdaptationalSympathy: Downplayed. While Stella is still largely as much of a selfish shrew here as she is in canon, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes she does genuinely love Octavia here.]] This is in stark contrast to her canon self, where her only reference to ''her own daughter'' is to [[KickTheDog dismissively refer to her as ”an egg that fell out of [her]”]] in a flashback.

* BrickJoke: While talking to Millie over the phone in chapter 8, Moxxie promises her that he’ll survive Extermination Day and that they’ll soon be sitting on the couch at her parents’ farm and watch TV, and he’ll finally tell Lin that the soap opera she loves to watch sucks. Eight chapters later, he does just that, much to Sallie May’s great amusement.

** Her and Blitzo's inability to be open and honest with their feelings is also {{deconstructed|Trope}}. Both she and Blitzo figure that Striker is up to no good with his offer of [[EnemyMine working together with him,]] both of them having noticed Striker’s [[VillainousCrush growing obsession]] with Moxxie. But instead of openly trying to support their gunslinger, [[NoSocialSkills they double down on their bullying of him.]] This leads to the poor man feeling even more alienated from his colleagues and culminates in him finally reaching his RageBreakingPoint, and Striker also notices all of this and plans to use it to further isolate and manipulate Moxxie.

** Chapter 24 ends with Millie visiting Striker in his motel room with unknown intentions, though it likely has to do [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend with her knowing about]] [[VillainousCrush his growing obsession with her husband]] [[AttemptedRape and how he tried to force himself on him.]]
* ClusterFBomb: Upon finding out that Moxxie is trapped in the Pride ring with Striker, Blitzo explodes into a furious, profanity-filled and vulgar rant. [[TakeOurWordForIt (Not that we get to hear more than a]] [[CurseCutShort ”THAT SON OF A-”)]] It goes on for several minutes, and he apparently never stops to catch his breath.


* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In chapter 27, upon Striker [[RefugeInAudacity revealing to Stolas that he’d been hired to kill him during the Harvest Moon Festival]] and that Blitzo and co. saved him, Stolas reacts with intense infatuation and starts flirting with Blitzo even more intensely, apparently caring more about the fact that Blitzo was trying to keep him safe than the fact that ''somebody wants him dead in the first place.'' Though it could possibly be justified as, being a member of Hell’s aristocracy, he’s probably had to deal with his fair share of assassination attempts in his life, and he does take the situation more seriously when Blitzo points out just how bad things could’ve gotten.

** Unfortunately for the snake-like cowboy, his plans hinge on the meeting not following proper protocol, so [[SpannerInTheWorks I.M.P ruin that for him]] by making the meeting a public hearing, meaning that it would be easy for anybody to find out who’s had an audience with the Prince even if no names are listed, and this would alert Stella to Striker not only being alive, but also trying to frame her brother; Thus, all of Striker’s lies would unravel once his words fell under the scrutiny of the royals. Furthermore, Stolas reveals in chapter 28 that Striker's weapons [[NoSell wouldn't've affected him anyway;]] Since they're modified weapons, they're not considered purely holy anymore, which means that the effect can be nullified with demonic counterspells, [[CrazyPrepared something Stolas cast on himself and his daughter long ago.]] So, even if I.M.P hadn't pulled a fast one on him, [[AllForNothing Striker's assassination attempts would've been unsuccessful anyway.]] [[{{Understatement}} Striker is]] [[{{Understatement}} not]] [[{{Understatement}} happy to find this out. At all.]]

* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Sister]]: Chapter 29 mentions that Andrealphus, in contrast to canon, actually publically disowned Stella as his sister due to the humiliation of her husband divorcing her [[FantasticRacism in favor of an imp…]] Something that she wasn’t present for, but was made aware of when documents of the event were sent to her. And it’s outright stated that he only did it [[KickTheDog because he thought the association would hurt his chances to climb in the ranks amongst the Goetian court.]]

* InSpiteOfANail: Despite the AlternateUniverse nature of the fic, ''[[{{Recap/Helluva Boss S1 E7 OZZIES}} OZZIE'S]] still happens, [[DownplayedTrope though the circumstances are slightly different]] due to Moxxie’s improved relationship with Blitzo, which leads to him and Millie making it an unofficial couple’s night by inviting Blitzo and Stolas to their table.

* TemptingFate: After Moxxie’s RageBreakingPoint, the assassination attempt on Stolas and the ensuing divorce, Moxxie notes in chapter 29 that Blitzo and Loona have [[TookALevelInKindness become nicer overall]], Millie has made more friends and he hasn’t had to deal with Striker or a bunch of other traumatic experiences in four months and thinks to himself that ”everything is fine and getting better”. Literally moments after he thinks that, a knock on the door to the I.M.P offices is about to prove him very, ''very'' wrong, as it turns out that Striker has returned.

* AdaptationalSympathy: Downplayed. While Stella is still largely as much of a selfish shrew here as she is in canon, [[EvenEvilHasLovesOnes she does genuinely love Octavia here.]] This is in stark contrast to her canon self, where her only reference to ''her own daughter'' is to [[KickTheDog dismissively refer to her as ”an egg that fell out of [her]”]] in a flashback.

'''NOTE: Due to the discovery that Archive Of Our Own was flooded with bots who copied texts form works without permission, the fic is only available to users with an account on the website.'''

* AdaptationalSympathy: Downplayed. While Stella is still largely as much of a selfish shrew here as she is in canon, she does genuinely love Octavia here. This is in stark contrast to her canon self, where her only reference to ''her own daughter'' is to dismissively refer to her as [[KickTheDog ”an egg that fell out of [her]”]] in a flashback.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Overall, the trope is [[PlayedWith played with]] to Hell and back:
** [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in chapter 5. Instead of keeping quiet about Striker stealing his phone and delivering the angelic rifle himself in exchange for getting it back, Moxxie tells the rest of I.M.P what Striker is planning, which results in Loona being assigned to guard him. Striker admits to himself that he’s a bit surprised [[GoodIsNotDumb that Moxxie isn’t naïve enough to fall for a]] ComeAlone. (Though this unfortunately doesn’t keep Moxxie from being LuredIntoATrap anyway)
** Played straight in chapter 21. While he still tries to warn Blitzo to take Striker seriously and that he’s dangerous, Moxxie refuses to tell the rest of I.M.P about Striker’s AttemptedRape of him, despite the snake imp proving himself to be just as untrustworthy and manipulative as ever. (Though chapter 24 reveals that he actually told Millie what happened, making her the only one who knows about it) This is in part due to Striker pushing his TraumaButton, making Moxxie feel even more like [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer he doesn’t truly belong,]] and in part due to his insecurities and fears [[DontYouDarePityMe regarding being looked down upon and ”coddled”,]] believing that his colleagues will think that he can’t handle himself if they were to find out. (The fact that it’s the ''third'' time he’s been LuredIntoATrap certainly doesn’t help, either) However, this is a problem because Striker [[EnemyMine has just offered I.M.P his assistance]] in tracking down a culprit who killed Sulfus with an angelic weapon... Which was Striker himself, but nobody but him knows that; He’s just using it as an opportunity [[VillainousCrush to get close to Moxxie again]] and get another chance to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate him]] and claim him for himself.
** Blitzo and Loona genuinely want to keep Moxxie safe from Striker, being very wary of the latter and figuring that he’s up to something. Unfortunately, the way they choose to do it [[NoSocialSkills is to double down on their usual insults and condescending dismissal of Moxxie]] while talking to Striker about his proposal. This only serves to frustrate and anger Moxxie and make him feel even ''more'' alienated and looked down upon… An observation that Striker is all too keen to make and plan to use to his advantage.
** Since Millie loves Moxxie with all her heart, she just wants to protect her hubby and keep him safe and happy. At the same time, she doesn’t want to seem overbearing or act like Moxxie can’t handle himself and fight his own battles. Unfortunately, this means that she doesn’t ''vocalize'' her support of Moxxie or tell her boss, colleague and family off for their treatment of him, choosing to simply hug him close instead. Again, Striker notices this and [[IShallTauntYou taunts Millie]] about Moxxie having Striker’s number (The latter having added it before returning Moxxie’s phone) and not-so-subtly implies his plans to take Moxxie away from her, [[ClingyJealousGirl which serves to royally piss her off]] and make the tension at I.M.P even worse.
*** Though this becomes [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] after Moxxie hits his RageBreakingPoint. After he and Millie have an argument, they both return to their apartment once they’ve cooled off, apologize to each other and have a mature heart-to-heart about what happened; Moxxie reveals [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer how isolated he feels]], how tired he is of feeling like he’s on his own against his boss, co-worker and in-laws [[NoRespectGuy and that he doesn’t want to go to work every day just to get yelled at and mistreated,]] and Millie accepts her role in the situation escalating and promises to be more openly supportive of him. She also encourages Moxxie to try and talk to Blitzo again in order to [[AvertedTrope avert this trope]] in the future, and this chapter reveals that Moxxie trusts Millie enough that he told her about Striker’s AttemptedRape of him right away.
** Chapter 25 sees Moxxie further strive to avert this trope: He arrives at the I.M.P offices to have a talk with both Blitzo and Loona about his outburst. While the readers aren't made privvy to what Moxxie and Blitzo's discussion was about (Except that it involved a lot of talking and voices almost being raised), his talk with Loona involves him apologizing for hurting her, but also making it ''crystal''-clear that he's not going to tolerate her [[TheSlacker slacker behavior]] and disrespectful treatment of him any longer. And ultimately, despite Striker's attempts at manipulating them, Moxxie's talk with Blitzo [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee results in I.M.P starting to put their]] ''[[UnspokenPlanGuarantee own]]'' [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee plans into motion...]]
** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in chapter 26. As part of his {{Gaslighting}} tactics, Striker tries to convince Moxxie that [[AttemptedRape what happened at the motel]] was a ”misunderstanding” and that the people he meets are prone to those since they ”can’t keep up with him." Moxxie, while caught off-guard by Striker’s comments that constantly flip between threatening and complimenting him, irritably points out that, if it happens ''that'' often, then ''Striker'' is the problem and thus the one who should learn to communicate better.

* SuppressedRage: After Striker tricks Moxxie into coming to a bar in chapter 3 [[HostageForMacGuffin in order to kidnap him to get his holy rifle back,]] [[EvilGloating he gloats to him about it]] [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace while invading his personal space as much as he can,]] pushing Moxxie’s TraumaButton in the process. Convinced that Moxxie has been scared into submission by this intimidation tactic, Striker believes that he’s shaking in fear as he’s lead away… When in truth, I.M.P’s sharpshooter isn’t so much scared anymore as he’s ''[[BerserkButton pissed beyond belief]]'' that Striker would underestimate him so much that he’d call him ”the easiest one to handle” to his face.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Overall, the trope is [[PlayedWith played with]] to Hell and back, so much so that it needs its own page for it.

--> '''Blitzo:''' What?! For fuck’s sake, Moxxie! C’mon, why- ''*sees the disheveled state his employee is in*'' [[{{OhCrap}} Oh.]] ''*tone changes from annoyed to concerned*'' [[SincerityMode Woah, woah. Hold up. Are you OK?]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: Overall, the trope is [[PlayedWith played with]] to Hell and back:
** [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in chapter 5. Instead of keeping quiet about Striker stealing his phone and delivering the angelic rifle himself in exchange for getting it back, Moxxie tells the rest of I.M.P what Striker is planning, which results in Loona being assigned to guard him. Striker admits to himself that he’s a bit surprised [[GoodIsNotDumb that Moxxie isn’t naïve enough to fall for a]] ComeAlone. (Though this unfortunately doesn’t keep Moxxie from being LuredIntoATrap anyway)
** Played straight in chapter 21. While he still tries to warn Blitzo to take Striker seriously and that he’s dangerous, Moxxie refuses to tell the rest of I.M.P about Striker’s AttemptedRape of him, despite the snake imp proving himself to be just as untrustworthy and manipulative as ever. (Though chapter 24 reveals that he actually told Millie what happened, making her the only one who knows about it) This is in part due to Striker pushing his TraumaButton, making Moxxie feel even more like [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer he doesn’t truly belong,]] and in part due to his insecurities and fears [[DontYouDarePityMe regarding being looked down upon and ”coddled”,]] believing that his colleagues will think that he can’t handle himself if they were to find out. (The fact that it’s the ''third'' time he’s been LuredIntoATrap certainly doesn’t help, either) However, this is a problem because Striker [[EnemyMine has just offered I.M.P his assistance]] in tracking down a culprit who killed Sulfus with an angelic weapon... Which was Striker himself, but nobody but him knows that; He’s just using it as an opportunity [[VillainousCrush to get close to Moxxie again]] and get another chance to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate him]] and claim him for himself.
** Blitzo and Loona genuinely want to keep Moxxie safe from Striker, being very wary of the latter and figuring that he’s up to something. Unfortunately, the way they choose to do it [[NoSocialSkills is to double down on their usual insults and condescending dismissal of Moxxie]] while talking to Striker about his proposal. This only serves to frustrate and anger Moxxie and make him feel even ''more'' alienated and looked down upon… An observation that Striker is all too keen to make and plan to use to his advantage.
** Since Millie loves Moxxie with all her heart, she just wants to protect her hubby and keep him safe and happy. At the same time, she doesn’t want to seem overbearing or act like Moxxie can’t handle himself and fight his own battles. Unfortunately, this means that she doesn’t ''vocalize'' her support of Moxxie or tell her boss, colleague and family off for their treatment of him, choosing to simply hug him close instead. Again, Striker notices this and [[IShallTauntYou taunts Millie]] about Moxxie having Striker’s number (The latter having added it before returning Moxxie’s phone) and not-so-subtly implies his plans to take Moxxie away from her, [[ClingyJealousGirl which serves to royally piss her off]] and make the tension at I.M.P even worse.
*** Though this becomes [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] after Moxxie hits his RageBreakingPoint. After he and Millie have an argument, they both return to their apartment once they’ve cooled off, apologize to each other and have a mature heart-to-heart about what happened; Moxxie reveals [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer how isolated he feels]], how tired he is of feeling like he’s on his own against his boss, co-worker and in-laws [[NoRespectGuy and that he doesn’t want to go to work every day just to get yelled at and mistreated,]] and Millie accepts her role in the situation escalating and promises to be more openly supportive of him. She also encourages Moxxie to try and talk to Blitzo again in order to [[AvertedTrope avert this trope]] in the future, and this chapter reveals that Moxxie trusts Millie enough that he told her about Striker’s AttemptedRape of him right away.
** Chapter 25 sees Moxxie further strive to avert this trope: He arrives at the I.M.P offices to have a talk with both Blitzo and Loona about his outburst. While the readers aren't made privvy to what Moxxie and Blitzo's discussion was about (Except that it involved a lot of talking and voices almost being raised), his talk with Loona involves him apologizing for hurting her, but also making it ''crystal''-clear that he's not going to tolerate her [[TheSlacker slacker behavior]] and disrespectful treatment of him any longer. And ultimately, despite Striker's attempts at manipulating them, Moxxie's talk with Blitzo [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee results in I.M.P starting to put their]] ''[[UnspokenPlanGuarantee own]]'' [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee plans into motion...]]
** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in chapter 26. As part of his {{Gaslighting}} tactics, Striker tries to convince Moxxie that [[AttemptedRape what happened at the motel]] was a ”misunderstanding” and that the people he meets are prone to those since they ”can’t keep up with him." Moxxie, while caught off-guard by Striker’s comments that constantly flip between threatening and complimenting him, irritably points out that, if it happens ''that'' often, then ''Striker'' is the problem and thus the one who should learn to communicate better.

--> ''Of course he wasn’t important. Why would he believe that?''

--> '''Striker:''' You know what? I take it back. Hurts like a bitch!

--> '''Blitzo:''' Why are you so jumpy, though? Beating your baby wiener didn’t get you off? Want me to help?
--> '''Moxxie:''' [[NoJustNoReaction Refrain, sir.]]

--> '''Millie:''' Listen here, you slippery bastard. I know your type. You're every arrogant prick I hated back in Wrath! [[EntitledBastard You think you can just take anything you like just 'cause you want to.]] Well, none of your bullshit is gonna fly here this time, fucker! If you go after my baby again in any way or fuck us with the agreement, you are gonna be in a ''world'' of pain. Am I clear?!

* RecklessGunUsage: In chapter 28, Stolas explains that Striker’s angelic weapons [[NoSell would’ve had no effect on him]] due to the impure holy magic being nullified by Stolas's own precautionary demonic magic… Which he decides to demonstrate by, without warning, ''aiming at his own head and pulling the trigger.'' As he explained, he is indeed fine with the gun merely emitting harmless smoke, but the sight makes Blitzo [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness go almost catatonic out of pure horror,]] and then [[AngerBornOfWorry he loses it completely on Stolas.]] The Prince, for his part, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone is horrified]] [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome at how badly Blitzo was affected by his little ”demonstration”.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Chapter 28 has Stolas demonstrate his [[NoSell invulnerability]] to modified angelic weapons [[RecklessGunUsage by shooting himself in the head with Striker’s angelic gun.]] But because he did this without forewarning, Blitzo reacts ''[[RageBreakingPoint very]]'' [[RageBreakingPoint poorly]] [[AngerBornOfWorry to the sight of his lover’s reckless demonstration.]] Which goes to show that just because Blitzo is a ProfessionalKiller and used to blood and gore, and just because Stolas explained ''why'' he’d be fine before demonstrating it, doesn’t mean that Blitzo is any less horrified at the sight of a loved one trying to shoot themselves in the head. In fact, he’s so badly shaken by it that he has a FreakOut and needs a CooldownHug in order to calm down.

--> '''Moxxie''': [[ButtMonkey I expect all of fucking Hell to shit on me! It’s a given. A painful, predictable given!]] But when I came to work for you, you said that you wanted to prove that us imps are capable of doing the same things anyone else can! And that we could all be equals here. And I believed that! I trusted you! I stayed for that! ''Were you lying to me then?!''

--> '''Moxxie''': Did you just hire me to be this big loser that you can shit on freely every time you’re bored and she - ''*points to Loona*'' - [[BrattyTeenageDaughter is being a fucking ungrateful and entitled shitty brat?!]] […] We’re supposed to be co-workers! ''*voice cracks as he tears up*'' Yet you never treat me as such! ''*angry again*'' [[WhatTheHellHero I’m sick and tired of you constantly undermining every single fucking thing I do! You constantly insult and make fun of me! And worst of all, you can’t stop treating me like shit in front of others, too! Why did you do that today too, huh?! It’s humiliating! You embarrass me! Like I’m a big, pathetic fat fucking joke to you!]] What part of this is funny?! [[DudeNotFunny It’s not! It’s fucking not! I’m not in on it!]] And I’m not a damn toy! I’m not your cute little accessory and I’m not your fucking pet! […] ''*resigned*'' I don’t even know why I even try with this god-awful, shitty company anymore. When you clearly don’t want anything to do with me.

-->'''Striker''': Does he wanna kill me or fuck me? I can’t tell.

* CrazyPrepared: Moxxie turns out to keep some cash hidden in the lining of one of his pant legs in the case of somebody stealing his wallet. This comes in handy when he and Striker need to get into a safe zone area when they’re trapped in the Pride ring during the Extermination.

** For his part, Striker was banking on the meeting with Stolas being held in secret, which would let him set up a FrameUp and kill more nobles with I.M.P as his [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawns.]] So when Moxxie reveals in a casual (if repeated) comment that they decided to make the meeting official, thus meaning that ''all of them'' are listed as requesting an audience with the prince (Not by name, granted, but it wouldn’t be difficult to find out their identities), Striker is absolutely flabbergasted and ''furious'' that he's being forced to reveal the truth instead and making all of his plans go down the drain.

--> '''Blitzo''': Damn, Moxxie, way to go! Nice reflexes! Nothing less from my Employee Of The Month! Woo!

--> '''Striker''': If you run away from me again, I’ll throw you at the first fucking Exorcist I see.
--> '''Moxxie''': [[DeadpanSnarker We’re not exactly off to a great start if you’re gonna keep it up with the threats.]]

* EvilPlan: Striker’s plans are revealed in chapter 27 to not just involve isolating and claiming Moxxie for himself, but also to kill off even more demon royals. In order to achieve this, he plans to first use [[UnwittingPawn Sulfus’s]] interactions with Stella, the latter having been the one to hire him to take Striker to the Slaughterhouse [[YouHaveFailedMe for failing to kill Stolas the first time]], and edit the messages [[FrameUp to make it look like her brother Andrealphus was the one who hired Striker for the job.]] As this would most likely result in Andre’s exile, Striker then plans to appear once more to Stella, using her desperation to his advantage and offering her his services to get revenge for her brother, only to then rat her out to Paimon and get hired by him to kill both Stella and Andrealphus for orchestrating his son’s murder. And with both of them dead, he finally plans to infiltrate Stolas’s palace by disguising himself as a servant and kill him, too. In the end, he’d be left with a crapton of money, a legendary assassin status and Moxxie as his ”property”. Unfortunately for the snake-like cowboy, his plans hinge on the meeting not following proper protocol, so [[SpannerInTheWorks I.M.P ruin that for him]] by making the meeting a public hearing, meaning that it would be easy for anybody to find out who’s had an audience with the prince even if no names are listed, and this would alert Stella to Striker not only being alive, but also trying to frame her brother; Thus, all of Striker’s lies would unravel once his words fell under the scrutiny of the royals.

--> '''Blitzo''': What?! For fuck’s sake, Moxxie! C’mon, why- ''*sees the disheveled state his employee is in*'' [[{{OhCrap}} Oh.]] ''*tone changes from annoyed to concerned*'' [[SincerityMode Woah, woah. Hold up. Are you OK?]]

--> '''Striker''': [[BlatantLies Oops. My hand slipped.]]
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*glares*'' [[DeadpanSnarker Of course it did.]]

--> '''Moxxie''': ''*in disbelief*'' The signal… from the princess? It’s… It’s over? ''*overjoyed*'' [[BigYes YES!]] IT’S OVER! HAHA! ''[[PrecisionFStrike FUCK]]'' ''YOU, HEAVEN! IN YOUR FACE!''

--> '''Random sinner''': What he said!

** During the Exermination, Moxxie’s condition to agree to an EnemyMine situation with Striker is for the latter to give up on assassinating Stolas. Striker brings this up during their audience with the prince in chapter 27 and says that [[IGaveMyWord he’s a man of his word,]] but his internal monologue regarding [[EvilPlan his plans]] make it crystal-clear [[BlatantLies that he isn’t;]] He’s just using the opportunity to further infiltrate the royal family and get the chance to off Stolas, Stella ''and'' Andrealphus instead of just Stolas.

--> '''Millie''': [Blitzo and Loona] do care for ya.
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*laughs bitterly*'' Do they? ’Cause I’m not so sure. [[JerkassToOne Loona has been nothing but a huge bitch to me.]] Even worse lately. As if the mere sight of me angers her. And Blitzo, I mean he’s still our boss, but-
--> '''Millie''': Moxxie, sweetheart, I know I say this from time to time, but this whole employer/employee thing is probably something only you truly try to keep up so strict at this point.
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*frowns*'' Why shouldn’t I? [[BeingPersonalIsntProfessional It’s still work.]] If anything, it’s happening again [[BadBoss and Blitzo is acting like every damn asshole in Hell!]] […] I don’t see any damn difference with him now than any other shitty boss we had to deal with. What if he’s just that, Mills?
--> '''Millie''': In any other case, I’d agree. But Moxxie, he’s not like that. And he’s our friend. […] I trust that he cares about you. Much more than a simple employee. And I know I’m right [[AFatherToHisMen because he tried so very hard to help you]] when you were at the Extermination. He cares so much about you, baby! He’s just… well…
--> '''Moxxie''': He’s an idiot.
--> '''Millie''': ''[[ActuallyPrettyFunny *laughs*]]'' Yup. That. [[NoSocialSkills Social skills of a twelve-year old, that man.]]

--> '''Striker''': You know what? I take it back. Hurts like a bitch!

--> '''Moxxie''': [[LampshadeHanging And what exactly is in this for me?]] It’s either you or the angels that kill me? [[SarcasmMode Great fucking choice. Thank you]] ''[[SarcasmMode soooo]]'' [[SarcasmMode much for offering. So many options!]]

--> ''Shit. No. It didn’t matter. Right or wrong. Justified or not. He’d hurt her. He shouldn’t have hurt her! And he hated that he had.''

--> '''Blitzo''': Why are you so jumpy, though? Beating your baby wiener didn’t get you off? Want me to help?

--> '''Moxxie''': [[NoJustNoReaction Refrain, sir.]]

--> ''Striker was taken aback. He watched [Moxxie] move away stunned. Sitting surprised with this new revelation. He’d been certain he’d seen it up until now. During the Pain Games, at least. Accompanying the jealousy and anger. He’d seen others, too. Fear, panic.'' ''[[WhenSheSmiles A few smiles in between. Always looking radiantly brighter than they had any right to be.]]'' ''
But now with this clear juxtaposition to compare, he was certain about it. This… was Moxxie’s hatred. At this moment and none prior, he truly despised him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out'' ''[[{{Understatement}} that he’d pushed the wrong button.]]''

--> '''Moxxie''': Are you… drooling?
--> '''Striker''': [[BlatantLies Gettin’ hungry.]]

** After Moxxie [[RageBreakingPoint viciously]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech chews them out over their shitty treatment of him]] and he and Millie leave in a huff after having an argument, Blitzo tries to make light of it by cracking another sexual joke. When Loona [[DudeNotFunny calls him out on it,]] she sees [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness that Blitzo is so shaken by what happened that he’s close to tears;]] She apologizes when she sees this while calling him ”Dad” and then gives him a gentle shoulder hug to comfort him.

--> '''Striker''': ''*angrily*'' Quit being a bitch. Just-
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*raises gun higher*'' I said no!
--> '''Striker''': [[NotGoodWithRejection What’s the big idea?]]
--> '''Moxxie''': I’m not fucking cheating on my damn wife, OK?!

* RageBreakingPoint: After everything that’s happened to him, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer from the years of being treated like crap by everyone around him]] to the Extermination, Striker’s attempted kidnapping [[AttemptedRape and rape of him]] and Blitzo and Loona’s escalated bullying of him, Moxxie’s stress levels are through the roof. But it’s when Blitzo starts talking down to him about ”catching up with the adults eventually” just because he needs some time to decide whether [[EnemyMine teaming up with Striker]] is a good idea or not (Since there’s a ''lot'' at stake for Moxxie personally) that I.M.P’s gunslinger finally ''snaps''; Sick of feeling useless, scared and weak, treated like a nuisance or a dumb toddler and worrying about everyone’s safety [[UngratefulBastard and getting nothing but scorn in return,]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech he lets his colleagues have it.]]
--> '''Moxxie''': '''''[[SuddenlyShouting I AM NOT A CHILD!]]''''' Are we not the same species?! Am I missing something here?! Do you really see me as nothing but a braindead, helpless infant?!
--> '''Blitzo''': ''*shocked*'' Moxxie, c-calm down. [[JustJokingJustification I’m just kidding, OK?]] [[BlatantLies It’s… it’s like a compliment, OK?]]
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*even angrier*'' It’s not! I tell you so many fucking times that it’s not! You never listen! [[TookALevelInJerkass And you’ve been a total ass to me even worse lately!]] I don’t know what’s up with this shit, [[TheDogBitesBack but I’m done with it!]] Fucking done!

--> '''Loona''': ''*stunned*'' What… just happened?
--> '''Blitzo''': Uhm… Well. Maybe they don’t bang tonight, but they sure knew how to go out with one, huh?
--> '''Loona''': [[DudeNotFunny For fuck’s sake, Blitzo!]]
--> '''Blitzo''': ''*on the verge of tears*'' Loonie, if you start yelling at me too, I’m gonna bitch-cry so hard, it’s going to be really embarrassing for you, alright?

--> '''Millie:''' Listen here, you slippery bastard. I know your type. You're every arrogant prick I hated back in Wrath! You think you can just take anything you like just 'cause you want to. Well, none of your bullshit is gonna fly here this time, fucker! If you go after my baby again in any way or fuck us with the agreement, you are gonna be in a ''world'' of pain. Am I clear?!

--> '''Blitzo''': That was so fucking wholesome, Mox!

--> '''Millie''': If you survive and he doesn’t, [[{{IllKillYou}} there ain’t a place in Hell, Heaven or Earth where I won’t find you and tear you to pieces.]] Do you understand?

*** In chapter 19, the phrase [[ArmorPiercingQuestion ”What’s wrong with you?!”]] is revealed to be another one for Moxxie: It turns out that [[DarkAndTroubledPast he’s had to deal with being looked down upon and mistreated]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer for not being ”normal”]] for his ''entire life'', and getting the question sent his way is a surefire way of getting him to actually ''hate'' somebody with every fiber of his being.
*** Chapter 27 introduces yet another one: Anything that reminds him of the Exorcists [[ShellShockedVeteran after surviving the Extermination.]] While the group are making their way to the room where Stolas is waiting for them, Moxxie suddenly sees the shadow of something large with wings and immediately goes on high alert - He doesn’t relax until he discovers that the shadow belonged to one of Stolas’s winged servants.
*** He then glances behind him and notices, to his surprise, that ''Striker'' also had a reaction to it, having stiffened up, moved in front of Moxxie and placed his hand on the knife on his belt. This shows that Striker, [[NervesOfSteel as much as he can play it cool,]] [[ShellShockedVeteran was also at least somewhat traumatized by the experience.]]

* UnwittingPawn: Striker turns out to have planned for Sulfus to be this in chapter 27. Sulfus is revealed to have gotten hired by Stella to get rid of Striker via a Slaughterhouse [[YouHaveFailedMe for screwing up the first hit job,]] and since Sulfus was dumb enough to take no precautions whenever he interacted with her, Striker plans to erase Stella’s name from the texts and replace them with her brother, Andrealphus, [[FrameUp making it look like he’s the one who ordered the hit on Stolas.]]
** He also assumes that I.M.P will be the same way, being his ”oblivious chaperones” in his quest to kill the Goetias by letting him get an audience with the prince… [[SubvertedTrope until Moxxie reveals via a casual comment about the meeting being official,]] thus meaning that Striker ''can’t'' pull off his FrameUp plan since he’d be found out very easily and forcing him to tell the truth instead, [[SpannerInTheWorks that I.M.P has managed to completely turn the tables on him.]] While he keeps his polite smile around Stolas, Striker is ''fuming'' over the fact that a group of ”simpletons” managed to outsmart him.

--> ''The Pride ring! Welcome to the slaughter house, boys!'' ''[[{{OhCrap}} Extermination day is upon us.]]''

--> '''Moxxie''': [[spoiler: I’m sorry, I don’t think- I can’t call anymore! We can’t stay still! ''They changed their patterns!'']]

--> '''Striker''': Your missus is something else.
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*beams with pride*'' Isn’t she?
* YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe: This is Moxxie’s reaction [[spoiler: when the Exorcists turn out to be able to use a CombinationAttack to strike buildings down with blessings, after they’ve seemingly ''already'' managed to change the rules by successfully [[BarrierBustingBlow breaking some of the protective barriers:]]
]]
--> '''Moxxie''': [[spoiler: Blessings from above?! ''[[SarcasmMode Yeah, sure! Why the]]'' '''''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]''''' ''[[SarcasmMode not?!]]'']]

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In chapter 28, upon Striker [[RefugeInAudacity revealing to Stolas that he’d been hired to kill him during the Harvest Moon Festival]] and that Blitzo and co. saved him, Stolas reacts with intense infatuation and starts flirting with Blitzo even more intensely, apparently caring more about the fact that Blitzo was trying to keep him safe than the fact that ''somebody wants him dead in the first place.'' Though it could possibly be justified as, being a member of Hell’s aristocracy, he’s probably had to deal with his fair share of assassination attempts in his life, and he does take the situation more seriously when Blitzo points out just how bad things could’ve gotten.

** When I.M.P meet up with Stolas in chapter 28, all of them are caught off-guard [[RefugeInAudacity by Striker actually revealing to Stolas’s face that he’d been hired to assassinate him during the Harvest Moon Festival.]] What leaves I.M.P even more gobsmacked is Stolas’s [[ComicallyMissingThePoint infatuated reaction to Striker revealing the lengths that Blitzo and the others went to in order to keep him safe.]]

** In chapter 28, [[ShellShockedVeteran Moxxie has a PTSD episode]] upon seeing the shadow of a winged creature in Stolas’s mansion, believing it to be an Exorcist. When he snaps out of it once he realizes that it's just one of Stolas's servants and notices that Striker also had a reaction, he relaxes a little bit upon noticing him… before catching himself and remembering that, no, he’s not in the middle of the Extermination anymore, the EnemyMine situation with Striker is completely different and he doesn’t want to be anywhere near the other imp since he’s a [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]], [[{{Gaslighting}} gaslighting]] creep who won't leave him alone.

* EvilPlan: Striker’s plans are revealed in chapter 28 to not just involve isolating and claiming Moxxie for himself, but also to kill off even more demon royals. In order to achieve this, he plans to first use [[UnwittingPawn Sulfus’s]] interactions with Stella, the latter having been the one to hire him to take Striker to the Slaughterhouse [[YouHaveFailedMe for failing to kill Stolas the first time]], and edit the messages [[FrameUp to make it look like her brother Andrealphus was the one who hired Striker for the job.]] As this would most likely result in Andre’s exile, Striker then plans to appear once more to Stella, using her desperation to his advantage and offering her his services to get revenge for her brother, only to then rat her out to Paimon and get hired by him to kill both Stella and Andrealphus for orchestrating his son’s murder. And with both of them dead, he finally plans to infiltrate Stolas’s palace by disguising himself as a servant and kill him, too. In the end, he’d be left with a crapton of money, a legendary assassin status and Moxxie as his ”property”. Unfortunately for the snake-like cowboy, his plans hinge on the meeting not following proper protocol, so [[SpannerInTheWorks I.M.P ruin that for him]] by making the meeting a public hearing, meaning that it would be easy for anybody to find out who’s had an audience with the prince even if no names are listed, and this would alert Stella to Striker not only being alive, but also trying to frame her brother; Thus, all of Striker’s lies would unravel once his words fell under the scrutiny of the royals.

** During the Exermination, Moxxie’s condition to agree to an EnemyMine situation with Striker is for the latter to give up on assassinating Stolas. Striker brings this up during their audience with the prince in chapter 28 and says that [[IGaveMyWord he’s a man of his word,]] but his internal monologue regarding [[EvilPlan his plans]] make it crystal-clear [[BlatantLies that he isn’t;]] He’s just using the opportunity to further infiltrate the royal family and get the chance to off Stolas, Stella ''and'' Andrealphus instead of just Stolas.

* KansasCityShuffle: I.M.P manage to pull a fast one on Striker in chapter 28. Throughout the chapter, Striker is so focused on I.M.P’s more obvious attempts to keep him away from Moxxie, as well as Blitzo’s insincere flattery of the cowboy, that they manage to trap him in a situation where he’s forced to tell the truth regarding who hired him to kill Stolas instead of going through with his original FrameUp plan: All of Striker’s plans for the meeting and everything that happens afterwards hinge on it being held in secret, so I.M.P throw a wrench into all of them by ''making the meeting an official affair'', something Striker ''never'' thought they’d actually do. Suffice to say, Striker is ''not'' happy that they managed to trick him.

* ObliviousToHatred: Due to a combination of being busy flirting with Blitzo and [[LockedOutOfTheLoop unaware of the fact that Striker tried to assassinate him]], at least until Striker [[RefugeInAudacity flat-out admits it]] just moments later, and thus doesn’t know just how much Striker hates demon royalty, Stolas doesn’t notice the DeathGlare that the snake imp gives him when they meet in chapter 28.

** Striker reacts like this in chapter 28 when Moxxie casually mentions (twice in a row) that their meeting with Stolas is a public hearing. Since Striker had been planning to do a FrameUp in order to get the chance to kill not just Stolas, but also Stella and Andrealphus, he’d been banking on Blitzo using his status as Stolas’s lover to make the meeting non-official and thus remain anonymous; By making it an official meeting, they’ve been registered as visitors, which means that Striker now ''has'' to tell the truth or else he’ll be found out very easily, which makes all of his plans fall apart in one fell swoop. [[SmugSnake All because he underestimated]] [[SpannerInTheWorks I.M.P.]]

** Considering his [[NoSympathy rather heartless response]] when Blitzo asked him for help during the Extermination, Stolas coming by to curse Moxxie’s [[GoodHurtsEvil blessed bullet wound]] in order to heal it could also be seen as this. He also warmly greets all of Blitzo's employees when they get an audience with him in chapter 28, asking Moxxie specifically if he's fully healed and expressing relief that all of them are safe and unharmed.

** In chapter 28, Striker actually flat-out reveals to Stolas, in the politest tone he can muster, that he’d been hired to assassinate him during the Harvest Moon Festival. [[DidntSeeThatComing Everyone in the room are completely caught off-guard by this.]]

* SmugSnake: True to canon and his rattlesnake-like appearance, [[{{Narcissist}} Striker]] is so full of himself that he constantly looks down on everyone around him, seeing them as nothing but pawns, and always believing that he’s the smartest person in the room. However, he’s ''so'' used to having all the cards, getting his way and believing that he’s too smart to fool that I.M.P actually manage to pull a KansasCityShuffle on him in chapter 28. Thus, Striker is shown to not be nearly as clever as he thinks he is.

*** Chapter 28 introduces yet another one: Anything that reminds him of the Exorcists [[ShellShockedVeteran after surviving the Extermination.]] While the group are making their way to the room where Stolas is waiting for them, Moxxie suddenly sees the shadow of something large with wings and immediately goes on high alert - He doesn’t relax until he discovers that the shadow belonged to one of Stolas’s winged servants.

* UnwittingPawn: Striker turns out to have planned for Sulfus to be this in chapter 28. Sulfus is revealed to have gotten hired by Stella to get rid of Striker via a Slaughterhouse [[YouHaveFailedMe for screwing up the first hit job,]] and since Sulfus was dumb enough to take no precautions whenever he interacted with her, Striker plans to erase Stella’s name from the texts and replace them with her brother, Andrealphus, [[FrameUp making it look like he’s the one who ordered the hit on Stolas.]]

!!Sadistic Tendencies contains examples of the following tropes:

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: After Moxxie refuses Striker’s advances in chapter 19 on the basis that he’s HappilyMarried, (That, [[AttemptedRape and Striker had just tried to force himself on him)]] [[NotGoodWithRejection a very pissed-off Striker]] lays into him for [[NobleDemon his morals,]] culminating in Striker yelling: ''"What’s wrong with you?!"'' The question causes Moxxie to [[TraumaButton seize up,]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast his mind getting filled with the many, many traumatic memories he associates with that phrase,]] before entering a [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness highly uncharacteristic level]] of TranquilFury.

* DoubleTake: Moxxie ends up doing one when Striker casually announces that he’s off to get laid while staying at a safe zone.

* EnemyMine: Moxxie and Striker are forced to team up in order to survive Extermination Day. Moxxie, naturally, isn’t too thrilled about the arrangement and refuses at first, especially since Striker tried to invoke [[LeonineContract a rather one-sided deal]] from their truce - He only agrees to it in the end because he realizes that it’s safer for them both, but he forces the mercenary to promise that he’ll give up on assassinating Stolas afterwards. (With the knowledge that Striker [[ILied might go back on his word,]] but Moxxie bluntly makes it known that those are his terms, take it or leave it)

* ILied: After Moxxie is LuredIntoATrap and cornered by Striker and Sulfus at a hotel in Wrath in chapter 5, he points out that Striker said that he was going to call him when the rifle-phone exchange was going to take place. Striker justifies the trap by saying that Moxxie broke the deal first by bringing the rest of I.M.P along, but considering that he’d brought in an accomplice already, it’s made pretty clear that he never actually had any intention of keeping his word.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After Moxxie [[RageBreakingPoint finally loses his patience with his co-workers’ shitty treatment of him]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and blows up on them]] in chapter 24, Blitzo gets a harsh reality check on how his lack of social skills have affected Moxxie and almost panics when he realizes that the latter might actually leave him for good, just like the other people in his life that he’s pushed away. What seems to hit him the hardest is two things: The first one is Moxxie asking him [[ArmorPiercingQuestion if he was lying to him when he said that they’d all be equals at I.M.P,]] because [[NoRespectGuy nothing in how he’s treated Moxxie despite apparently considering him his ”star employee” seems to suggest that he actually thinks so.]] The second one is Moxxie and Millie actually having a fight over Moxxie’s rage, which Blitzo finds extremely distressing because he’s scared that he’ll have indirectly ruined ''their'' relationship as well with his behavior.

* NoSympathy: [[KickTheDog In a rather callous fashion,]] Stolas doesn’t see what the big deal is when Blitzo calls him and asks him to help Moxxie stay safe during the Extermination, reasoning that Blitzo can ”get a new [weapons expert]” if Moxxie dies. Suffice to say, [[WhatTheHellHero Blitzo is incensed at this response,]] and it leads to some tension in their relationship.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Moxxie calls Blitzo to tell him that he’s in the Pride ring during Extermination Day, Blitzo drops any goofiness or vulgarity almost completely; He first speaks with a flat infliction [[DudeNotFunny to reprimand his employee for making a tasteless joke,]] [[MyGodYouAreSerious but as the realization sets in that Moxxie is serious,]] he actually starts ''panicking'', bargaining and even ''begging'' Moxxie to tell him that it’s not true. Blitzo reacting in this way makes Moxxie feel even worse for ”screwing up.”
** Likewise, GenkiGirl Millie becomes emotionless as she waits for her husband to call her while he’s trapped in the Pride ring. She doesn’t even fly into a rage or panic; She simply sits in one place, staring at her phone.

* PetTheDog: While he and Striker are fleeing through a cellar [[spoiler: at a safe zone [[BarrierBustingBlow when the Exorcists have broken the barrier,]]]] Moxxie doesn’t hesitate to shoot at the sinners that are following them since they’re quite hostile towards him… But when he sees one woman genuinely pleading for her life, he finds himself sympathizing with her and lowers his gun, planning to let her escape as well. [[spoiler: [[ShaggyDogStory Unfortunately, she’s killed by the Exorcists anyway, right in front of him.]]]]
** Considering his [[NoSympathy rather heartless response]] when Blitzo asked him for help during the Extermination, Stolas coming by to curse Moxxie’s [[GoodHurtsEvil blessed bullet wound]] in order to heal it could also be seen as this.

--> '''Striker''': ''*angrily*'' Quit being a bitch. Just-


* RefugeInAudacity: [[BigDamnHeroes After Loona saves Moxxie from getting kidnapped by Striker]] in chapter 3, Striker snarls that Moxxie getting rescued at the last second is ”getting old.” Moxxie responds with aiming and firing his gun at the mercenary… which turns out to be out of bullets, revealing that Moxxie was bluffing through his teeth throughout their entire alleyway confrontation. He even makes a showing of twirling his empty gun with a [[GrinOfAudacity shit-eating grin]] on his face.

--> '''Loona''': ''*stunned*'' What… just happened?

--> '''Blitzo''': Uhm… Well. Maybe they don’t bang tonight, but they sure knew how to go out with one, huh?


* {{Sadist}}: What else can you call somebody who jerks off to the fantasy of torturing and raping somebody? And even as he develops a VillainousCrush on Moxxie, [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence it’s still interspersed with thoughts about torturing him and ”claiming absolutely everything”,]] his instincts ''screaming'' at him to assault Moxxie as soon as he sees even a ''slight'' opening. He even has to hold himself back at one point despite [[AttemptedRape having attempted to rape Moxxie]] just moments prior, but only because Moxxie would’ve been reduced to an EmptyShell at that moment, which Striker doesn’t want since he’s grown to enjoy the other imp being a [[{{Determinator}} ”feisty spitfire.”]]

* SchmuckBait: In chapter 5, Moxxie notices that somebody has entered his hotel room when he sees that his carpet has been rearranged, and in order to keep the rifle from being stolen before he hands it over to Striker, he sneaks in on his own instead of fetching Loona… and discovers that ”Striker” is merely standing in one spot at the room’s desk. It slowly dawns on the assassin that rearranging the carpet only to ''not'' hide afterwards doesn’t make sense, but he unfortunately notices the inconsistencies too late; [[LuredIntoATrap The imp at the desk turns out to be a stranger while the]] ''[[LuredIntoATrap real]]'' [[LuredIntoATrap Striker climbs through a window and attacks Moxxie from behind.]]

* TraumaButton: After his AloneWithThePsycho moment with Striker during the Harvest Moon Festival, Moxxie finds himself involuntarily flinching and flashing back to that moment not only [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace whenever Striker invades his personal space,]] but also when he passes by the room where it happened.
** In chapter 19, the phrase [[ArmorPiercingQuestion ”What’s wrong with you?!”]] is revealed to be another one for Moxxie: It turns out that [[DarkAndTroubledPast he’s had to deal with being looked down upon and mistreated]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer for not being ”normal”]] for his ''entire life'', and getting the question sent his way is a surefire way of getting him to actually ''hate'' somebody with every fiber of his being.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: The first chapter has Striker, frustrated at his failed mission at the Harvest Moon Festival, deciding to have a wank as "stress relief." He first envisions Blitzo in order to get aroused, as he was genuinely impressed with the latter's strength and skill, but it ultimately doesn't do it for him [[InstantTurnOff due to remembering how I.M.P foiled his assassination attempt on Stolas]]. [[{{Sadist}} Fantasizing about torturing and sexually assaulting Moxxie, however, does the trick just fine.]]

** This is something that Striker [[LampshadeHanging muses on]] while observing the smaller imp as he sleeps in chapter 8. For as much danger as Moxxie was in both during the Harvest Moon Festival and at the bar in chapter 3, and considering just how outclassed he often ends up being when it comes to physical strength and size, he’s ''never once'' begged for his life or let the ”fire” within him go out.[[note]]While imps in general give off a ”brimstone scent”, Moxxie’s is apparently weaker than others unless he’s determined to achieve a goal or ''really'' angry[[/note]] Heck, even when he’s ''tortured and raped'' in Striker’s [[ADateWithRosiePalms erotic fantasy]] in chapter 1, the fantasy ends with him giving the mercenary a defiant GrinOfAudacity.

* {{Sadist}}: Well, it’s right there in the title, and the very first chapter re-establishes Striker as one. What else can you call somebody who [[ADateWithRosiePalms jerks off]] to the fantasy of torturing and raping somebody? And even as he develops a VillainousCrush on Moxxie, [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence it’s still interspersed with thoughts about torturing him and ”claiming absolutely everything”,]] his instincts ''screaming'' at him to assault Moxxie as soon as he sees even a ''slight'' opening. He even has to hold himself back at one point despite [[AttemptedRape having attempted to rape Moxxie]] just moments prior, but only because Moxxie would’ve been reduced to an EmptyShell at that moment, which Striker doesn’t want since he’s grown to enjoy the other imp being a [[{{Determinator}} ”feisty spitfire.”]]

[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/31334192/chapters/77479046 Sadistic Tendencies]] is a ''{{WebAnimation/Helluva Boss}}'' fanfic by SilverWolfDemonGirl. It’s hosted on {{Website/Archive Of Our Own}}.

* ItsAllMyFault: Loona blames herself ''hard'' when Moxxie is kidnapped and taken to the Pride ring during Extermination Day, since Blitzo had assigned her to protect him. She at first lashes out and says [[BlamingTheVictim it’s his own fault for being small and weak,]] but her internal thoughts make it clear that she doesn’t mean it; She’s just scared that Blitzo will blame her, too, and discard her as useless like so many of her previous caretakers did. Though Blitzo is quick to reassure his daughter that he doesn’t blame her in the slightest and will never, ever, abandon her, no matter what.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Striker is understandably ''not'' happy about Sulfus [[NoHonorAmongThieves backstabbing him]] and taking him to the Pride ring to die during the yearly Extermination. The unsurprising result is that, after Striker survives the ordeal, he tracks his former partner down and murders him, taking back the angelic rifle he stole while he’s at it.

* {{Gaslighting}}: The next time he meets Moxxie after the Extermination, Striker starts trying to get him to doubt how certain events unfolded during the Harvest Moon Festival, like saying that he never called him ”pathetic” and Moxxie only remembered that because he heard it when he was on the cusp of passing out. [[ManipulativeBastard All to ensure that Moxxie becomes easier to string along and claim for himself, of course.]]

--> '''Millie''': Moxxie, sweetheart, I know I say this from time to time, but this whole employer/employee thing thing is probably probably something only you truly try to keep up so strict at this point.
--> '''Moxxie''': ''*frowns*'' Why shouldn’t I? [[ConsummateProfessional It’s still work.]] If anything, it’s happening again [[BadBoss and Blitzo is acting like every damn asshole in Hell!]] […] I don’t see any damn difference with him now than any other shitty boss we had to deal with. What if he’s just that, Mills?

* KickTheDog: At one of the safe zones, Striker ends up having sex with a girl who then beckons him to stay with her for some more ”fun”. He seems to play along at first… only to then roughly [[VillainousFaceHold grab her face,]] gloat that she ”wasn’t even that good”, throw her to the floor and trash talk her some more, calling her a [[CountryMatters cunt]] for good measure and bringing her to tears. Sure, she ''was'' trying to get him to ditch Moxxie, but still; She didn’t deserve ''that.''

* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Striker tends to invade Moxxie’s personal space a lot, both to intimidate him and due to the mercenary’s growing VillainousCrush. At the bar in chapter 3, he wraps [[PrehensileTail his tail]] around Moxxie’s leg to keep him from running away and scoots as close as possible to him. There’s also him [[DudeShesLikeInAComa almost kissing a sleeping Moxxie]] while hiding from Exorcists, and when the Extermination is over and the two of them await the rest of I.M.P, he once again wraps his tail around the smaller imp to pull him closer, Moxxie being too exhausted to notice. Both times, Striker is interrupted before he gets the chance to do anything else; [[{{WebAnimation/Hazbin Hotel}} Cherri]] setting off bombs nearby in the former case, and Millie arriving in the latter. And then he takes it [[AttemptedRape one step further]] in chapter 19…

* PoorCommunicationKills: [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in chapter 5. Instead of keeping quiet about Striker stealing his phone and delivering the angelic rifle himself in exchange for getting it back, Moxxie tells the rest of I.M.P what Striker is planning, which results in Loona being assigned to guard him. Striker admits to himself that he’s a bit surprised [[GoodIsNotDumb that Moxxie isn’t naïve enough to fall for a]] ComeAlone. (Though this unfortunately doesn’t keep Moxxie from being LuredIntoATrap anyway)

*** Chapter 25 sees Moxxie further strive to avert this trope: He arrives at the I.M.P offices to have a talk with both Blitzo and Loona about his outburst. While the readers aren't made privvy to what Moxxie and Blitzo's discussion was about (Except that it involved a lot of talking and voices almost being raised), his talk with Loona involves him apologizing for hurting her, but also making it ''crystal''-clear that he's not going to tolerate her [[TheSlacker slacker behavior]] and disrespectful treatment of him any longer. And ultimately, despite Striker's attempts at manipulating them, Moxxie's talk with Blitzo [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee results in I.M.P starting to put their]] ''[[UnspokenPlanGuarantee own]]'' [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee plans into motion...]]

* NoSocialSkills: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed.]] Blitzo and Loona are apparently so socially inept [[InsaneTrollLogic that they think doubling down on their horrible treatment of Moxxie is going to solve anything regarding the situation with Striker.]] (The fact that ''everyone'' is on edge probably doesn’t help, either, and it’s mentioned that Loona feels uncomfortable and stressed [[TheNoseKnows by the strange smells that come from both Striker and Moxxie, which seems to reflect on their emotions,]] though she has no clue what they mean) [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome The end result]] is that the stressed-out and alienated Moxxie [[RageBreakingPoint blows up on them once he finally has enough of it,]] leaving them gobsmacked and shaken. Millie even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it during her heart-to-heart with Moxxie afterwards, acknowledging that Blitzo has ”the social skills of a twelve-year old.”

[[/folder]]

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Upon finding out the outrageous hourly prices for access to a safe zone, Moxxie reveals that [[CrazyPrepared he has some hidden cash on him]] since Sulfus stole his wallet. Striker immediately comes to the conclusion that Moxxie is planning on spending it all on himself and starts planning on how to get back at him, so he’s completely floored when Moxxie instead pays for ''both'' of them to get access for a shorter amount of time. Sure, [[IGaveMyWord Moxxie was just keeping his word]] [[EnemyMine as per their agreement,]] so it wasn’t ''just'' out of the goodness of his heart. But considering just how surprised Striker is that the other imp ''wouldn’t'' backstab him like that, it suggests that Striker himself would’ve done it in a heartbeat had the roles been reversed and the circumstances different.
** He also can’t fathom why [[NobleDemon a literal demon would have a moral compass,]] dismissing Moxxie not wanting to cheat on his wife as nothing but a bad excuse. This also means that he believes that Moxxie and Millie’s relationship will be easy to destroy after witnessing the tension at I.M.P earlier, Blitzo and Loona's bullying of Moxxie as well as Millie not vocally standing up for her husband. [[SarcasmMode Because it’s not like a]] HappilyMarried [[SarcasmMode couple would be able to actually be open with and]] ''[[SarcasmMode talk]]'' [[SarcasmMode to each other or anything.]]

--> '''Moxxie''': ''*in disbelief*'' The signal… from the princess? It’s… It’s over? '''*overjoyed*'' [[BigYes YES!]] IT’S OVER! HAHA! ''[[PrecisionFStrike FUCK]]'' ''YOU, HEAVEN! IN YOUR FACE!''


* TheCameo: [[{{WebAnimation/HazbinHotel}} Husk, Alastor and Cherri]] all appear briefly, with Husk and Cherri getting background mentions and Alastor interviewing Moxxie and Striker about why they’re in the Pride ring during Extermination Day. (And trying to get them to make a DealWithTheDevil, though both imps are smart enough to decline)
* CannotSpitItOut: Loona is in full {{Tsundere}} mode, as usual. She simply can’t state outright that she’s worried sick about Moxxie while he’s trapped in the Pride ring and [[ItsAllMyFault feels guilty about his kidnapping;]] She lashes out instead and claims [[BlamingTheVictim it’s his own fault that it happened.]] (Blitzo isn’t fooled, though, and can tell that she’s just scared and sad) She also can’t just tell Moxxie that she wants him to survive the Extermination, choosing to instead yell at him over the phone [[CallBack that he promised he’d make her more pancakes.]]
** Hers and Blitzo’s inability to be open and honest with their feelings is also [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed.]] Both she and Blitzo figure that Striker is up to no good with his offer of [[EnemyMine working together with him,]] both of them having noticed Striker’s [[VillainousCrush growing obsession]] with Moxxie. But instead of openly trying to support their gunslinger, [[NoSocialSkills they double down on their bullying of him.]] This leads to the poor man feeling even more alienated from his colleagues and culminates in him finally reaching his RageBreakingPoint, and Striker also notices all of this and plans to use it to further isolate and manipulate Moxxie.
* CatapultNightmare: Chapter 2 sees Moxxie catapulting awake [[PastExperienceNightmare after his nightmare about almost being killed by Striker.]]

--> '''Striker''': Does he wanna kill me or fuck me? I can’t tell.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: The first chapter has Striker, frustrated at his failed mission at the Harvest Moon Festival, deciding to have a wank as ”stress relief.” He first envisions Blitzo in order to get aroused, as he was genuinely impressed with the latter’s strength and skill, but it ultimately doesn’t do it for him [[InstantTurnOff due to remembering how I.M.P foiled his assassination attempt on Stolas.]] [[{{Sadist}} Fantasizing about torturing and sexually assaulting Moxxie, however, does the trick just fine.]]
* DeadlyEuphemism: This fic introduces the term ”missing imp.” [[FantasticRacism Since imps regularly go missing without anybody caring about it,]] the term has two meanings; One is the literal one, and one is an idiom called ”make you a missing imp”… [[ImpliedDeathThreat which means: ”I’ll kill you” or ”you’re going to die”.]]
* DeerInTheHeadlights: Moxxie ends up freezing in fear when he finds himself facing an Exorcist right outside the slaughter house he just escaped from. He would’ve been killed [[VillainousRescue had Striker not arrived and pulled him out of the way.]]
** He also blue-screens hard out of sheer ''confusion'' in chapter 19 when Striker, after cornering him at a motel, makes ''bedroom eyes'' at him, [[ForcefulKiss forcefully kisses him]] [[AttemptedRape and starts feeling him up and undressing him.]] At one point, he almost finds himself giving in to the advances, mentally noting that Striker ''is'' hunky and handsome and good at kissing… But he snaps out of his aroused stupor once he remembers his marriage to Millie, [[HappilyMarried which he doesn’t want to endanger for anything in the world.]]

* Cliffhanger: Chapter 24 ends with Millie visiting Striker in his motel room with unknown intentions, though it likely has to do [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend with her knowing about]] [[VillainousCrush his growing obsession with her husband]] [[AttemptedRape and how he tried to force himself on him.]]