#This is further into Striker working in I.M.P.

[ckcomics]

How to Make a Cowboy Blush: Part 1

[jubileemon]

Striker having a more comedic tone in "Western Energy" is because we are seeing him in the privacy of his own home, where the only supposed witness (Stolas) to his less intimidating quirks is going to be dead anyway. Stella altered the hit dragged things out until M&M showed up. Suddenly, him gouging out Stolas' eyes makes a whole lot more sense.

He doesn't want anyone else describing what his home looks like and how he acts outside of his professional side in "Harvest Moon Festival". "Oops" further adds to this idea, as, when he's back out in the field, he's much more serious and threatening once again.

Striker wanting to get hired by Crimson makes sense considering what we saw of his home life two episodes ago. He's not even living in a house, just an old mine tunnel, meaning that he's most likely well below the poverty line. By working for a mobster, Crimson could easily keep the jobs flowing, and Striker would have a steady source of income.

Striker's sanity slippage makes a lot more sense when you look at his track record seen on the show. For someone who is shown to be and sells himself as the ace, he has lost to a washed up circus clown turned gunman, two Imps he'd written off as weak and the same clown turned gunman while another clown kept him distracted. These are people who, on paper, Striker could snap like twigs, and yet he just can't seem to win against them.

To add insult to injury, Striker keeps getting relentlessly mocked with kink humor and it's all chipping away at his cowboy machismo. No wonder he's becoming feral with rage.

Another reason why he loses to them is that I.M.P uses every trick both in and out of the book to get an advantage. He could do fine with against other serious opponents but against walking mental nutcases? He just keeps getting blindsided by their tactics and antics that no sane person would have done.

[sadhornydemons]

Rapid-Spoiler-Season-Speculation: Mastermind/Sinmas

Mastermind:

After a bout of angst filled episodes, I'm theorizing that this one might be the nice change of pace: fun, filler episode/calm before the storm.

Not to mention, a nice mixup of two villain groups.

The Cherubs mention they are waiting for I.M.P. to return to Earth, but the D.H.O.R.K.S. seem to have a portal to get to them faster?

Robot? Robot with a skull chest emblem? Well, if they already have a Loona Fursuit, I guess they could just be into making freaky shit now. Could they send it through the portal? In which case,

There's a massive battle going on in the Lust ring.

Blitz is missing from these scenes until this one where he appears to be at the Pride ring.

Where the crystal portal is finally shown, see previous example:

D.H.O.R.K.S. appear defeated (but still alive? Well, it's not like IMP kills humans for a living..oh, wait) and Blitz is grabbing the card off their desk.

End of screen captures/speculation for this one, but I feel like events have to be running gradually in the background of the last few episodes for the doo doo to really hit the fan in the last:

Sinmas:

First, let's talk voice actors. Harvey Guillén came in fairly recently, but has been confirmed to voice Vassago. Now, they can always work around voice work to be added later, but I'm really leaning towards his character not appearing until this last episode.

Jason LaShea voices Andrealphus, assuming this shot is from the finale:

I think it's likely that Andrealphus, being a minor character, only appears in one or two episodes. With that in mind, let's assume the following scenes, which share the same background images, also take place in Sinmas:

We see at least one Sin, confirmed members of the Ars Goetia, and several sporting crowns. Aka the higher ups & royalty of Hell. And Stolas is missing. Oh, but Andrealphus states he will summon him.

(Off topic, but does anyone in hell know/care that Stolas's ex wife tried to have him killed? Paparazzi mobbed his hospital when he was hurt, but no one followed up on that news story?)

Likely the same scene, "You are a disgrace." Unknown character states. Whom? Ozzie? Stolas? The demon who took the last blueberry muffin from the snack table?

"Where is Stolas, anyway?" Well, this is the only image of him that appears to be from the finale:

1) Is that a blessed weapon sword?) 2) Is that a Gabriella hair stripe or an 'I was frozen today!' Anna-inspired white stripe?)

Which matches up with this:

And either Stolas left the refrigerator open for 4 solid episodes resulting in his mansion freezing over or his in-laws are relatives of Elsa's and favor home renovations.

Okay, buckle up sluts, MASSIVE SPECULATION TIME:

What would cause Stolas to move out?

Or rather, what would force Stolas to move out?

Andrealphus wants his money and property, Stella just wants him dead, but she has to follow her brother's wishes. Andrealphus tells her, "I say we bid our time. And wait for the chance to gain the upper hand."

And they might had had it all along.

You know, I wanted to say that Blitz fully and unprompted, spelled out, in detailed terms, how he was using Stolas's item to gain access to the mortal world immediately upon meeting Striker, but in watching it again:

Striker seemed to already know? So, either, Stella knew and told him or he did his research (if the IMP commercial from the pilot is still canon, they basically broadcasted it). But Blitz does go a step further and literally job interviews the guy, likely giving him even more info in the process.

Stolas even states, more than once, that they're not suppose to be using the book and that it's 'less than legal' even in hell.

So far, Stella has only been attacking Stolas. Striker knows Octavia is Stolas's main weakness, but hearing all the 'Blitzy' mentions during torturing, maybe he'll relay that there's another way they can exploit him. After all, Stella just thinks of him as any interchangeable Imp.

Stolas stated before that he would not leave Octavia, so maybe this was the reason he returns to the palace? But not soon enough, considering...*

The voice over does not match the scene, but it is as follows:

"You never loved mother and you don't love me, you love HIM!"*

Back to the image, is Via a fast learner or does she have the Grimoire? During the Loo Loo Land flashback, Stolas, having studied the book for a decade at that point, still needed it to travel to other planets.

And IMP seemed to be using the crystal in the last episode..

And if that's not complicated enough, let's get back to the Hell High Council meeting,

It sounds like they're discussing Stolas, before Vassago asks, "Where is Stolas, anyway?" Before demanding that they summon him, "at once!" Fortunately, this parrot's suppose to be a good guy, since unfortunately it seems like Stolas is in real more trouble.

Is it the illegal spellbook loaning? The (still alive?) D.H.O.R.K.S. having him on film? Satan help him if someone also managed to record him twerking on stage at the Verosika Mayday show.

We'll have to wait and see, but Stolas appears to return to the mansion with Blitz afterwards.

< / End MASSIVE SPECULATION >

Well, that's what I came up with. We've got 6 more months to go, and as the episodes do FINALLY get aired things might become more clear.

[fizziepopangel]

Fizzie’s Top 10: Top 10 Favorite Helluva Boss Scenes & Why

Blitz blending his phone after Stolas starts talking dirty to him (pilot)

With Blitz being someone who often times is vulgar and always seems to have a dirty joke or one-liner for every situation, I love the idea of him being made that uncomfortable with something being said, especially something said by Stolas since the demon prince is usually written to be quite the opposite of Blitz, usually being quite eloquent and regal in the way he talks.I also think the look on the imp’s face during this scene was fucking priceless.

Blitz & Moxxie’s fight with Striker (The Harvest Moon Festival)

I think the fight scenes in Helluva Boss are usually really good in general, but I personally love this scene because I think the entire setup for Striker’s true intentions was really good and I loved seeing the more badass side of Moxxie for once.

Millie ‘pulling a shrek’ in her own way (Exes And Oohs)

I love watching people go feral for the ones they love, and Millie went absolutely fucking insane for that man. Like I love how hard she went for her man, especially because I love seeing strong female characters this way, especially when they’re not just strong, but strong too.

The I.M.P gangs fight & Stolas’ rescue scene (Truth Seekers)

This fight scene was literally one of my favorite scenes in so far in the series. Like literally *chef’s kiss*, love it. I love seeing each character being do their own thing and do it well, and I also love seeing Blitz just being his usual ‘I love my work family’ self + I loved seeing Stolas go feral for his man (much like I loved Millie doing it for Moxxie), especially since this is the only time we see him in this light, even going into his full demon form.

Loona putting Blitz to bed (Queen bee)

This scene is so important to Loona and Blitz’s father-daughter relationship! Like it truly showed a softer side of Loona, which we almost never get to see, and we got to see a more vulnerable side of their relationship.

Stella admitting that she just likes being an abusive person & Stolas standing up for himself (The Circus)

This is one of the best Stella scenes in my opinion because I love that she openly admits she just likes being an evil bitch. She really just likes being the cause of her husband’s suffering. Like there’s no big backstory that builds up to why she is the way she is, she was that way prior to him cheating on her, and now she just uses the cheating as a way to add to her tormenting of the man. I love when villains are written that way. And a female villain like that, to me is even better. I also really like that it pushes the narrative that the abuse was worse when the two were alone (as abusive relationships tend to be), because while we see Stella put her husband down, throw things at him, wish death upon him, publicly humiliate him, and even hire an assassin to off him, this is the only time we actually see her raise her hand to him herself; something that she was far too comfortable doing for it to have been the first time. I also love how shocked she seems to be when Stolas finally decides that he won't be made into her personal punching bag because not only is it a big moment character-wise for him, but it really solidifies Stella's hatred since you can see on her face that this is the first time that he's truly stood up to her and something about that does not sit well with her.

Blitz’s flashback to when he adopted Loona (Seeing Stars)

Despite it being Blitz’s flashback, me liking this scene had so much more to do with it furthering Loona’s backstory than anything it had to do with Blitz. I love how it explained her current attitude and behavior and showed more genuine emotional responses for the hellhound outside of just pure rage. It also shows just how far Loona has come when you compare where she seemed to be when Blitz took her in vs where she is now in the series.

Moxxie’s gas station fight (Western Energy)

Moxie’s badassery genuinely showed here. No help needed, and I love that for him.

M&M & Striker’s fight (Western Energy)

I loved seeing M&M work together for this fight, rather than Millie just playing the part of her husband’s savior as she normally does. And I like that they were fairly evenly matched for the most part….. And I’m not gonna lie, Striker’s face when Moxxie made things a little *cough cough* harder during the fight lives rent free in my mind. I even got a sticker of his face at that moment because of how much I loved that.

Blitz seeing that Stolas had gotten hurt (Western Energy)

I love, love, LOVE  this scene because i love those little moments when we see Blitz truly care about someone in his life. And we see that in this scene because this is the first time we see him genuinely see Stolas even near his level, seeing him as someone who he can and may lose at some point in time. It’s the first time we see a glimpse of how much Blitz cares about the prince…. And I think it’s the first time it really hits the imp too.

Bonus:

House of Asmodeus song (Ozzie’s)

The entire I.M.P jingle and video (pilot)

Striker’s theme song & his outburst at the tiny imps (Western Energy)

Truth gas hallucinations (Truth Seekers)

The songs in this series just hit different if I’m being honest. House of Asmodeus is playing on loop as I write this because it’s just that good. So these are my favorite song scenes in the series so far.

[ravenwitch45]

Do you think paimon could become the main antagnost of the show. Stella is to pathetic and unthreatening to remain the shoes big bad and Andrelophuse is Lowe in rank and power compared to Stolas. Paimon works well as a main antagonist because he is involved heavily in both Blizt and Stolases backstory, he is more powerful than stolas, and he is the root cause, in one way or another, of most of the shows plot beats. Given Stolas has slept with a peasant, divorced from a family Paimon seems to have been trying to court as allies without his permission, and worst of all allowed humans to gain evidence for the existence of deamons ; paimon may want to disown/kill stolas to prevent the further " embrassement " of his Nobel house.

I mean Paimon may end up being the big villain, honestly I'm sick of Stella and I want Andrealphus to be more then the walking issue his sister was so theres an open spot for a big bad, the problem I see is well...

He doesn't really care about Stolas, all he wanted was for Stolas to continue the line and learn how to use his grimoire, which he did, Paimon doesn't even mention Stella's name when he reveals the engagement, which if she was part of a good family he wanted his son to be a part of you'd think he'd mention it.

The difference between him and Stella is that while she gave Stolas tons of negative attention, Paimon gives barely any on the right things, Stolas's feelings for example. The man couldn't even bother himself to go to the Circus himself, I don't think he'd have the energy to enact "revenge'" on a son who did everything he was asked

Admittedly yes he seems powerful but one we don't know if he is stronger then Stolas, and two it wouldn't even matter. I.M.P has Striker's rifle, one shot would do him in. The only reason Stella isn't pushing up daisy's is they don't know she's Striker's employer. If he's not more subtle, which frankly seems beyond him then he's screwed. I honestly think a lot more interesting things could be done aside from Paimon being another villian.

You bring up good points yes, he'd have a motive, and he's been a part of Stolas and Blitzo's past since forever, he's the reason they properly met. But I personally don't want him as THE VILLAIN. The idea could work though, don't get it twisted. Feel free to daydream or even write about the idea if you want.

Thanks for the ask

[trashcanfanfics]

Hey there, I’m the anon who requested the pro assassin hcs. Just read your street racing hcs for the I.M.P guys, was wondering if you could do some follow up hcs for how they react to the readers car being sabotaged and they just barely survive their car exploding and get out of intensive care with first degree burn scars? Loving your work so far, keep it up!

Thank you!! I'll be happy to do this for you!!

Blitz:

*He saw your car explode and immediately tried to run over, but people were rushing to get away, pushing him further from you

*He shot in the air with his gun to get people away from him so he can try to find you

*Sees your body lying on the ground a bit away from your car, your helmet still on

*Rushes to you in a panic, he's sobbing

*Sees you're breathing and runs back to the van he drove there in with you in his arms

*The hospital staff take you and refuse to let him see you until hours later

*Once you're awake, you see Blitz just cry in relief, hes so happy you're okay

*When he finds out that your car was sabotaged, he's pissed

*Does a whole investigation and just kills all the suspects, he doesn't give a fuck

*Even if they didn't do it, they still have motives to hurt you so they might in the future is his logic and excuse

*Helps you apply any and every cream you need for your burns

*Thank Lucifer for leather, without your driver's suit and helmet (even though the helmet gave you a few facial cuts from the glass/plastic shield) you would have been a marshmellow in a campfire

Loona:

*Already knows something's wrong when your car sounds funny starting up

*Tries to rush to you to save you in time and ends up on the very edge of the blast

*Isn't hurt that much and gets right back up to get to you

*Finds your body and is immediately taking you to the hospital

*The doctors try to tell her to wait but she just barks and growls at them until they let her through

*Is there the entire time and when you wake up she's whimpering and holding onto you

*Goes back to the scene (that hasn't been cleaned up because this is Hell and no one gives a shit) to sniff out the person who did this

*Once she finds them, she shreds them to pieces, making sure they aren't recognizable to even God Himself

*Is surprisingly tender with you during your healing process

*Lots of cuddles with her ear against your heartbeat just to let her know you're there and okay

Millie:

*Your car exploded and she was on that, digging through the burning wreckage to find you (she's fire resistant don't worry, she just burned her hands on the hot metal)

*Finds your body away from the car bits and runs to you, nearly tripping as she reaches you

*Drags you up onto her back to run to the car she drove to the race in and takes you straight to the hospital

*Drops you off to let the doctors fix you while she goes to find out who did this

*When she does find them, well, you saw how she went crazy on Striker

*Goes back to the hospital to see you awake and kisses you all over your face saying how she loves you and she was so worried

*Gives you pain meds and creams for your burns, is very good and gentle with you

*You lecture her when she puts cream on your burns but not hers

Moxxie:

*Oh no, he's screaming, hyperventilating, and rushing towards where he saw your body land

*Drags you away from the burning heap that is now your car while sobbing

*He throws you into his car and speeds off to the hospital, having a panic attack

*Practically throws you at the doctors screaming "pLEASE HELP THEM!"

*Pacing the waiting room and running his hands through his hair, mumbling to himself

*You wake up and he practically teleports to your room

*He's all over you, crying and clinging to you

*You have to tell him that there's only a few cuts, bruises and burns thanks to his extensive safety measures

*Through the entire healing process, he won't let you do anything and is always by your side

*Also needs lots of cuddles

[sirdust]

okay! so! moxxie’s role in ep5. this was an interesting one for him.

the main arc for moxxie in this episode, to boil it down, concerns power. particularly physical power vs. his actual strengths, which lie in his prowess with weaponry and knowledge of said weaponry. millie and her family are physically-oriented farmpeople, as is much of wrath, but even though moxxie is also a wrath native, he’s a total nerd.

this is established early on when he starts infodumping about an aspect of war that the other imps have no interest in--again, the weaponry--and he actually mentions the incorporation of angelic weapons into hell’s warfare. this is a really nice piece of foreshadowing for what happens later with striker, and it’s notable that moxxie’s understanding of this weaponry is what allows us to understand the gravity of what striker is about to do. he’s the one who exposits to the audience what the angelic gun is and it is then that we are able to infer the danger the characters are truly in.

backtracking a bit, it’s also noteworthy that the games in the festival are physical challenges that moxxie can’t hope to keep up with. (there is the song that striker sings, but that isn’t actually part of the competition and is really just salt in the wound.) blitz likes striker because striker can keep up with him physically. however, even though he invites him to work for i.m.p, he has no intention of replacing moxxie and does value moxxie’s more intellectual contributions to the team. but since moxxie has been bottling up his emotions this entire time, he takes it personally anyways and runs off.

leading into the scene where striker nearly kills moxxie, this is really the moment where that theme of physical power comes into play. both characters are unarmed and the choreography is intensely physical here, tying back into the theme of raw power and moxxie’s lack of it. the usage of framing here is super good too; the scene feels claustrophobic and intense and there’s nowhere to run.

while it’s played for a gag, the fact moxxie only realizes he can use his gun in this situation after losing the fight focuses this further. he’s been so caught up in trying to match the ways that striker and blitz are strong throughout this entire episode, compounded by the fact that his wife is the company powerhouse and wrath imps are SUPPOSED to be strong in this way, that he’d completely forgotten his own natural advantages.

the fact that the episode ends with moxxie and blitz working together ties everything up neatly. blitz probably wouldn’t have joined striker, but he was clearly getting to him to some extent and moxxie needed to show up to diffuse the situation. a balance between brains and brawn (and potentially principles as well, since moxxie is the closest thing the main cast has to a moral compass) is necessary for the team to operate, and i’m thinking that’s gonna be the main arc of blitz and moxxie’s relationship. (i would like to see millie more involved in all of this, of course, but maybe that’ll be s2 if we don’t get it in the final few episodes).

[ladyanaconda]

Helluva Boss Vol 2: Loo Loo Land

Striker awoke with a start, panting heavily. His heart pounded so fast that he thought it would burst out of his chest at any moment now. The imp sighed as he ran a hand through his ash white hair.

He had that nightmare again. He didn't cry, as he had no more tears to shed and it wouldn't being her back but the wound was still raw. He'd tell himself that he did what she asked of him: to save their son. However, the guilt was still there.

Striker went to the kitchen for a glass of water. As he looked through the window, he noticed it was raining. There were no thunders tonight but still, he better go check on Jake just in case.

Something pulled on his pants. Speak of the devil! Striker looked down and found the infant next to his leg, his little hand grasping his pants. How Jake managed to crawl all the way down from his nursery was a mystery to Striker.

"What's up, kiddo?" Striker asked, not really expecting an answer. Jake reached out his hands, asking to be picked up. Sighing, he bent down to pick up his son. " Can't sleep either, huh? That makes two of us, my boy," he said gently as he walked up the stairs. "How about we keep each other company for a while? It'll be less lonely that way."

Striker sat on his bed and placed Jake on his lap. He entertained the little one with the rattling of his tail for a while until Jake lost interest and snuggled into his father's chest, yawning. Striker knew what the little one needed. Jake protested via whimpers as he was tucked back into his nearly started to wail if not for the familiar sound of a guitar's strings and his father's voice as the cradle was rocked from side to side.

Come stop your crying

It will be alright

Just take my hand

Hold it tight

I will protect you

From all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

For one so small

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forevermore

You'll be in my heart

No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart

Always

Always…

Jake had long been lulled into sleep by the end of the song. Smiling, Striker kissed the little one's forehead.

"Good night."

*HB*

"M and M, J and S, get in here! We're going to Loo Loo Land!"

Striker frowned under his hat, annoyed at having his nap interrupted. "Isn't that the rip-off of Lucifer's far more popular LuLu World?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right, Strike! Stolas is paying us extra cash for making sure he and his daughter are still breathing by the end of the day."

Striker covered his face with his hat again. "Sorry, Blitz, my contract only includes assassination jobs."

"Look at it this way: you're going to 'assassinate' whoever tries to lay a hand on Stolas and his daughter."

The cowboy frowned. "Why us? Doesn't that blueblood have a whole legion of guards at his disposal?"

"Come on, dad! I want to go to Loo Loo Land!" Jake pleaded, taking his father's hat. "I've never been to a theme park!"

"Yeah, Strike, it'll be fun!" Millie wrapped an arm around the cowboy's shoulder. "You won't find a cheaper theme park in all of Hell, plus it's a good opportunity for you and Jake to spend some quality time together!"

Striker would have protested further, but Jake (and Blitzo) were giving him the 'puppy eyes' face. At last, he murmured. "Ugh. Fine."

They picked up the owl Goetias in I.M.P.'s van and went straight to the theme park in the Greed ring. As always, Striker and Jake rode Bombproof to avoid an overcrowding inside the vehicle, especially with two bluebloods inside.

Striker'd seen a few tv commercials about Loo Loo Land, but something he'd learned over the years is that no intentional rip-off of anything was worth wasting money on. He was soon proven right once they arrived at the place. Most of the attractions within Loo Loo Land were either broken, cracked, or disheveled-looking. And judging by the look on Octavia's face, she didn't like it here either. Jake, on the other hand…

"Cool! Look, dad, there's a carousel! Can we go? No, wait, I wanna try the roller coaster first! Whoa, is that a dragon? I must pet it!" the impling was running around the place, awing over the rides and booths with wide eyes.

"Blitz better add another zero to my next paycheck." Striker murmured under his breath.

"Woow! I haven't been to this place since I was a tot! It hasn't changed a bit- oh, LOOK!" Millie pulled Moxxie and Jake into a hug and gestured to an old dinosaur-like animatronic. "It's Big Woobly!"

"That is… deeply upsetting," Moxxie whispered.

"Oh, come on! It's fun! You've never been here?"

"No, theme parks always disturbed me. Especially the mascots."

"I agree with Moxxie." Millie, Jake, and Moxxie himself gave Striker a baffled look. "As incredible as it sounds."

"Well, hey there!" Striker was caught off guard as Moxxie suddenly jumped into his arms with a frightened yelp as a guy in an old cartoonish apple costume appeared out of nowhere. The only reason he didn't drop Moxxie was that he too was disturbed by the awful, smelly costume. "I'm Loo Loo! Welcome to Loo Loo Land! If ya'll get hurt, just try and sue us!"

Striker quickly wrapped his tail around Jake's waist and lifted him up before he could get too close to 'Loo Loo'.

"Hey, dad, let go!" the impling protested.

"Stay away from that predator, kiddo." Striker finally dropped Moxxie to the ground.

"I have a question."

"Well, ask away, little girlie!" the mascot made a poor attempt at goofy laughter.

Octavia sneered. "Is it true this park is just a really shameless spin-off or Lucifer's far more popular Lu Lu World? This place reeks of insecure corporate shame."

Striker held tightly unto Jake until they left the creepy mascot behind. Being new to this place, he decided to follow Millie and Moxxie around for a while.

"You really love this place, huh?" Moxxie asked casually.

Millie nodded eagerly. "I love this place! My parents would bring me and my siblings here when they could swing it. Money-wise."

"Dad, look!" Jake ran towards a gift shop and pressed his face against the window, eyeing a plush dragon like the one on the Petting Zoo. "Can I have one?"

Striker only had to look at the price, 400 souls, to reply. "Absolutely not."

"Whyy?"

"400 souls for a doll you'll end up throwing away? Don't you wanna throw away all of my salary, since you're on it?"

Jake pouted, arms crossed. "Meanie."

"He does have a point. I mean, that much for a novelty cup you use one time?" Moxxie added, pointing at said cup worth 29 souls.

"Cause it's Loo Loo Land!" Millie chirped.

"Listen to your hoe, Mox." Blitzo seemingly had no trouble with loading up on the theme park's merch. "Hey, Strike, how 'bout you and I take the first watch while M and M have a little fun with Jakey?"

"Can I, dad? Please, please, please!"

Striker sighed. "Fine. Just stay close to Millie and Moxxie and listen to whatever they tell-"

"Um, Striker, I have to interrupt your fatherly monologue, but they already left." Blitzo was right. Millie, Moxie, and Jake were gone already.

Striker merely sighed and loaded his rifle.

*HB*

Jake still couldn't understand why his father had never brought him to Loo Loo Land before. This place was incredible! The rides, the junk food, kicking the guy in the Loo Loo costume; for some reason, he couldn't resist the urge every time he saw the apple costume. And of course, Moxie simply had to ruin everything. His wimpy stomach couldn't handle The Lawsuit ride and he ended up vomiting unto the people in the front car, Jake included. They had to get him new clothes in the nearest gift shop.

"You're so lucky my dad wasn't here or he would have fed you to that," Jake pointed at the dragon peeking over the Petting zoo fence.

"Okay, guys, how about we take a look around the smaller rides?" Millie suggested.

"You mean the kids area? That's where the Petting Zoo is! Can we go there to see the dragon?"

"I don't care as long as I don't have to get on top of it," Moxxie murmured, his hand still clutching his stomach. Jake squealed happily.

There were lots of animals at the Petting Zoo. Jake recognized some from Wrath, most notably some Hellhorses with green fire to reflect Greed. He had seen how Bombproof's fire color change from orange to red each time they entered Pride, and it had changed to a minty green when they entered Greed. There were other animals he had only seen in books too, but his attention was entirely focused on the giant red, black and white wyvern. Known as Hellvern, it is native to Greed and is often used as a 'guardian dog' of sorts by Overlords.

Jake felt a shiver down his spine as the giant dragon stared down at him curiously. Taking a deep breath, he stroked the animal's snout. Once he realized his hand was attached to his body, Jake began to laugh and jump.

"I touched the dragon, I touched the dragon!" he cried out happily. "Just wait until I tell dad!"

"Oh, I bet he'll be very proud of you!" Millie smirked, ruffling the impling's hair. "

Afterward, they took a break from the rides and wandered around the snack and game booths. Jake and Millie ate big cones of ice cream bugs and fried butter sticks. Moxxie chose not to consume any 'junk food of questionable origin'.

"This place is amazing! Man, I wish I'd come here sooner!" Jake said happily as he looked around the game booths.

"So Striker has never brought here? He would have loved the rides for sure!" Millie pointed out.

"Nah, dad's never been too fond of machines. He'd rather do things the old-fashioned way."

Moxxie scoffed. "Yeah, why would he come to work on a horse otherwise?"

"Well, at least we don't waste time on looking for a parking spot."

"Touché, kid."

"Hey, now that we're on it, I don't think we've ever met your mom."

Jake stopped in his tracks. His… mom? It's the first time someone's brought that up. Dad has never talked about her and there are no photos of her in the house. But surely he had one, right? Everyone has one.

"Hello, hello! Step right up and win a thing!"

Millie's excited cry distracted Jake from his thoughts. "Oh, look, Moxxie! A thing!" The 'thing' in question was a purple stuffed penguin-like creature with imp horns and pink overalls.

"Oh, you like that thing?"

"Yesss! I don't really know what that thing is but I want that thing!"

Moxxie smirked. "Finally, something I can handle." he placed a soul bill on the counter. "Okay! One game, please!"

Unsurprisingly, the cork but the target. To Jake's surprise, however, the target barely moved. Moxxie didn't seem to mind since he had hit the bullseye.

"Strike one, little man!"

Moxie's smugness faded instantly. "But I hit it!"

"Hmm, I don't know what to tell ya, buddy. The target, see?" the vendor pointed at said target "It didn't go down, so yeah, no go, bro."

Growling, Moxie placed another bill on the counter and fired another cork at the bullseye, but again it didn't move. Annoyed, Moxxie slapped the pistol. "The Heaven's wrong with this thing?!"

"Oh. Man, a real shame, I tell ya." the carnie made crying gestures in a mocking manner, prompting Moxxie to slam yet another bill on the counter.

*HB*

As incredible as it may sound, Striker envied his son. Jake was probably having a great time at the admittedly cool-looking rides while he is stuck babysitting a blueblood. He couldn't say he was completely bored, though. Turns out the pervert was right when he said there'd be lots of people going after him. Striker even ended up making a bet with Blitzo over who could shoot more people by the end of the day. Up to now, Striker was winning.

The cowboy casually spotted Octavia, who by then looked like she'd snap at any second now. He couldn't blame her, the show's musical number was rather bizarre.

"How come that pervert hasn't noticed his daughter is not enjoying himself at all?" he asked Blitzo casually.

"Not our business, Strike. We're their bodyguards, not their family therapists. Speaking of which," Blitzo shot an assassin in the back before he could stab Stolas. Blitzo smirked. "That makes it four on my count, Striker."

"Let's save that for later, Blitz. Looks like the mare's finally kicked." Striker motioned to Octavia as she fled the tent, Stolas following closely behind.

"You should find Jakey. It's Millie and Moxxie's watch, anyway, they can go keep an eye on Stolas."

Striker nodded gratefully and left the circus tent. Surprisingly, it didn't take him too long to find Jake, Moxxie, and Millie. They were at a shooting game booth. Judging by the enraged look in Moxxie's face and the 600 souls in the vendor's hands, the wimp just got scammed.

"Hey, dad! You won't believe what I did, I petted a dragon!"

Striker chuckled and petted the boy's head. "I'm glad you had a great time, kiddo."

"Hey, you, cowboy! You look like ye might be better at shooting this sad little fella."

Striker frowned. He knew from experience that these booths were rigged to scam customers out of their money at the vendor's leisure. He had a better idea. Smirking, Striker pulled out his pistol and handed it to Jake.

"Show them what you got, kiddo."

The impling's face lit up. He pointed the barrel of the weapon at the carnie to give him a fright before shooting all of the targets with flawless precision in quick succession. The bullets went right through the targets, leaving big holes. The carne was reduced to a trembling, frightened mess.

"H-Hey, take it easy, p-pal…" he stuttered nervously as Jake pointed the gun at him again.

"That's my boy!" Striker laughed, patting Jake's shoulder.

"Now I think," Moxxie sneered as he leaned unto the counter. "That you owe us a thing."

Something crashed through the roof of the shooting gallery and on top of the carnie. The group leaned in to take a look.

"Sir?" Moxxie asked.

Striker sighed once he turned around and found the theme park literally on fire. "Really, Blitz? I leave you alone for a second and you screw the damn place up?"

"Oh, hey guys!" Blitzo seemingly didn't hear him as he drew his pistol. "You should probably go, uh, make sure Stolas is okay. I got some… unfinished business to take care of."

The group dispersed, with Millie quickly grabbing her plush thing. Strike quickly picked Jake up and moved out of the way as Blitzo fired at the burning robot; the thing caught the bullet in its mouth and curled up to roll towards Blitzo in a fiery charge. Blitzo jumped out of the way just as the robot hit the booth and it exploded in an inferno of green flames.

"Um, Dad, should we lend Blitzo a hand?"

"I suppose so lest he ends up blowing the whole place up with us inside."

Jake smirked as he spotted the dragon from before on the loose. "I got an idea!"

Striker knew what the boy was thinking. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea, though; he's dealt with wild hogs, hellhorses, and many fauna, but never a fully-grown Hellvern. Then again, he's always liked challenges. He had Jake climbed onto his back and cling to his neck.

"Hang on tight, my boy, this will be one hell of a ride!"

Grabbing a discarded rope and tying it into a lasso, Striker expertly threw it over the dragon's neck and pulled, tightening around its neck. When the animal reared back and spread its wings, Striker took advantage of the momentum to pull himself onto the Hellvern's back.

"Easy, there! I'm your new master now!" the cowboy shouted over the Hellvern's angry shrieks, pulling the ropes tightly in the manner of reins. It wasn't that hard, as the Hellvern had already been tamed. Otherwise, it was like riding a giant version of Bombproof.

"Woohoo! Can we keep the Hellvern, dad?!"

"I already got enough with a Hellhorse, kiddo!"

Striker led the animal through the green inferno, eyeing the crazy robot going after Blitzo. Millie and Moxxie were shooting it, but it was far too fast for bullets. Striker couldn't contain an excited 'yeehaw' cry as he whipped the Hellvern forward and it snatched Robo Fizz right before it could run Blitzo over; the animal threw Robo Fizz into the air before eating it whole.

"Got a new mount, Striker?! Can I keep Bombproof?!"

"In your dreams, Blitz!"

They barely made it out of Loo Loo Land before it was consumed by flames, then made a run for it before anyone could identify them as the people who destroyed the place. Mammon would look for heads to roll before the day's end, after all.

*HB*

"Best… Day… Ever…" Jake laughed in-between exhausted pants as they got home that night.

Striker fell on top of the couch, groaning in exhaustion. "We're taking the rest of the week off, kiddo. If Blitz calls, tell him Bombproof has a cold or something like that, but I'm not moving from this couch."

Jake joined his father and snuggled against him. "Thanks for taking me to Loo Loo Land, daddy."

"I'd say 'anytime' if the park hadn't been reduced to ashes." Striker chuckled, eyes closed as he wrapped an arm around his son.

As Jake snuggled into his father's arm, he thought about what Millie had said back at Loo Loo Land about.. "Hey, dad?"

"Mmm?"

"Can I ask you something? "

"What?"

"Well…" Jake took a deep breath. "Do I have a mom? I mean, Millie has one, Moxie too, Blitzo… Even Stolas's daughter has a mom. I've never seen any pictures and you've never told me about her…"

Jake trailed off as he heard snoring. Dad had already fallen asleep. He must be really exhausted, Jake thought. I can ask him some other time. I'll let him rest for now.

…

Striker didn't open his eyes until he was certain that Jake had fallen asleep; then he carefully cradled his son in his arms and carried him upstairs all the way to his room. He carefully tucked Jake in as quietly as possible; Jake shifted a bit, but otherwise didn't look like he'd wake up anytime soon. Striker smiled as he stroked his son's hair.

It's not that he didn't want Jake to know about his mother. He wanted to tell his son about the wild-spirited, strong-willed woman that stole his heart. He really did. But he just couldn't find the words to explain what had happened to her. Just even remembering her was like adding lemon and salt to an open wound. Striker would tell Jake about his mother eventually, just not now.

The cowboy carefully placed the stuffed dragon he had grabbed from the shooting gallery in Jake's grasp, carefully leaning in to kiss the boy's head.

"Good night."

*HB*

Well, seems there's been a hint about Jake's mother. What do you think happened to her? I might go into details later on.

[luki-fanfic]

Helluva Boss 5: The Harvest Moon Festival

Huh, Helluva Boss usually drops by mid month. Wonder why this episode is taking so long to put toget-

*Episode airs*

0_0

Oh. That’s why.

I’ll admit it, my interest in HB was waning. Episode 3 and 4 honestly didn’t do much to keep me interested. Spring Broken had a lot of plot and writing issues, and I felt the concept could have been better executed. C.H.E.R.U.B was more solid, but did have some issues, and just wasn’t that fun to watch.

Harvest Moon on the other hand? Oh boy, now there’s an episode. I am, if you’ll pardon the pun, back on this horse. World building, the action scenes, incredible animation, relationship development of the bad kind, more worlds, interesting characters! It gives us so much to work with.

Spoilers abound, so read carefully.

That said, I will start this with my biggest complaint – and it’s one I’ve had for several episodes, but this one really rammed it home due to the ‘sneak peak’ clip we had of the opening. In the black and white boards, the swearing was limited, and honestly the writing was pretty witty. Then we got the finished product – certain lines were missing, and several words had been replaced with random swearing. Considering what the scene was, it felt like the finished product was a step down – I really wish the scriptwriters would realise random swearing isn’t always funny, and they’ve given proof that their writing is snappy as is.

Anyway...onto the actual episode. We learn that I.M.P seems to be building up their business as Blitzø has 15 clients looking for a kill. Considering he had to do a sale to get a multiple kill, and the other episodes show him basically going out straight after getting the job, they’re clearly building up a name for themselves.

This is further shown with the arrival of Striker, who compliments his decision to go into business for himself, since most Imps don’t. This is new information, since we’ve seen Wally attempt to start his own business – although clearly it wasn’t going well – but if Striker is to be believed, most companies in Hell, even Imp City, don’t have Imps as the owners. Maybe it’s a financial capital thing, maybe it’s partially Hell’s racism, or maybe Imps just generally prefer to follow, which Striker seems to allude later. It’s hard to say with the information we’ve got at this point, but it does put I.M.P in a slightly different light – and probably explains why Blitzø is fairly incompetent when it comes to running the whole thing. He has literally no one to ask or use as an example, and the society he lives in generally assumes he’s going to fail by the nature of him being an Imp.

In fact, even though Blitzø owns I.M.P, he is still completely dependent on Stolas and his Grimoire. Without it, I.M.P is screwed – the reason they’re even at the Harvest Festival is because they can’t work. And that’s what Striker tells him in the final act. Their society has made sure that he can never truly be successful on his own merit, no matter how hard he tries.

I’ve seen some debate on whether what Striker told Blitzø was true or just an attempt to let his guard down. It’s hard to say, because Striker says and does some very conflicting things, but I’m going to believe it was genuine. Why?

He lets Millie and Moxxie live to have leverage over him. He does insult Blitzø to their faces, but why would he need leverage once his job was done?

When Moxxie learns the truth, he doesn’t even try to talk him round, just kill him. Millie is also tossed to the side – possibly because neither of them are ‘superior.' Blitzø gets a full on speech about their superiority and how much he respects him, even if he’s hiding a knife in his tail for if he can’t talk him round.

When he has Blitzø on the ground at his mercy, he doesn’t mock him. Instead, he tells him he genuinely thought they’d be a good team. He had the advantage, but doesn’t take the chance to continue the insult.

Like most Imps, Striker seems to dislike the demon royalty, but at the end of the day, is also working for one (and can I say that twist was brilliantly well done? It made SO much sense but I honestly didn’t see it coming). What is his end goal? Is he envious that Blitzø has some kind of power of Stolas while he has to be obedient? Is he aiming to kill Stella once Stolas is down? Maybe opening an assassination business to take out anything Overlord and above? We just don’t know.

And with that, we’ll step off this train of thought to speak about something else very important in this episode. Stolas. Specifically his relationship with Blitzø, and precisely how wrong it is.

I admit it, I future-shipped them, especially thanks to the Instagram (which become a bit of a bait and switch when the insta-accounts were declared ‘non-canon’). I acknowledged that the relationship was problematic and needed some serious work on both sides before it could really be a functioning relationship, but this episode hammered home exactly how much needs to happen in a way the other episodes didn’t. The pilot and Murder Family treated Stolas as a gag, and then Loo Loo Land made us all care about him and his actions. But Harvest Moon showed the other side of it, and I'm not sure the ship can realistically recover.

Stolas considers Imps as inferior, to a ridiculous degree, and Blitzø is no exception. He has absolutely no respect for Blitzø, and holds all the power in the relationship. We saw this a little in the previous episodes, but they were either alone, or Blitzø was working for him, and surrounded by people aware of the relationship. His actions could be somewhat explained away.

In Harvest Moon, Stolas proves he treats Blitzø this way even in public. Blitzø has very obvious issues regarding his name, so Stolas persistently using a nickname and treating him the way he does around people who aren’t aware, says a lot about how much Stolas doesn’t care about Blitzø’s opinions. Even if Blitzø does have some feelings for him – which I do suspect due to his panicked attempt to explain it as transactional. If he didn’t care, he would probably find it easier to explain. At the same time though, he’d be happier if he could get the book without the monthly visits, because what he has with Stolas isn’t a relationship, no matter what Stolas tries to pretend. Any feelings Blitzø develops puts him even further under his control.

Part of me wonders if the relationship evolved between the pilot and the first episode in planning, and that’s why we have such a disconnect between the Insta relationship and the canon one. I’m really hoping the series addresses it in the future.

Finally, lets talk about that final reveal. Stella has hired a hitman to kill Stolas – even armed him with two angel-tech guns.

(Which, also finally gives us confirmation that Imps/Hellhounds/Succubi can die from conventional weapons, but the higher ranked native demons need angel weaponry to off them).

Stella is also confident enough to scream it over the dinner table. Stolas either doesn’t care, or isn’t paying attention – if he doesn’t care, if definitely puts his motives regarding the original invite up in the air, but if he isn’t paying attention? Then it’s another point in the anti-Stolas tab.

That said, this scenario does ask a question. Why don’t these two divorce? Stolas is clearly not in love any more, and living together clearly isn’t doing Octavia’s mental health any favours if she’s literally hiding behind her music rather than interact with her parents. He should be the first to offer a divorce, but he hasn’t brought it up. And if he hasn’t, maybe the reason Stella hasn’t is because they can’t?

It’s generally assumed that the two of them have an arranged marriage, and that Stella’s anger at his relationship with Blitzø is due to his status more than the cheating. But then wouldn’t it make more sense to hire a hitman to kill Blitzø rather than Stolas? Choosing to kill Stolas, even if it would hurt Octavia, suggests it’s the only option left to her.

I’m guessing we’ll (finally) get some Stella development next time Striker appears, and get an idea of what makes her tick. But for now, I suspect the two of them regularly had lovers on the side, but kept it discreet until this point. Stolas refusing to keep his relationship with Blitzø quiet is causing untold damage to their name and status. Stella wants rid of a man who not only doesn’t love her (if he ever did), but is constantly humiliating her for not hiding his much lower class lover (which we know by this episode he doesn’t even attempt), and since the rules of Hell for demons of their status doesn’t allow divorce (or perhaps their arrangement doesn’t), assassination it is.

Hell, maybe the plan was to kill Stolas, and frame Blitzø for it. Striker clearly knew about their relationship before they met (which should have been a red flag now that I thing about it), so Stella probably mentioned him. It would also put the recruiting on another level, if Striker actually did get Blitzø involved at the final moment and teamed up.

Oh, and as a final amendment? If that angel-gun that Striker left behind is not now in the hands of I.M.P and becomes a key piece when Asmodeus, Mammon and the real Fizzarolli show up? I will be very disappointed.

[fizziepopangel]

A Fizziepop Take: Let’s talk about a true bad bitch, an imp who wants it harder a.k.a Moxxie

So if I were to rank my favorite Helluva Boss characters in order from favorite to least favorite, Moxie would be ranked mid level at best…. But I’m not gonna pretend that I haven’t noticed his slow rising badassery lately, and I wanna talk about it so, since we all know what’s coming next, let’s get into it!

Ok, so like I said, Mox isn’t one of my least favorite characters, but I’m not even sure he’d be one of my top 5. I’ve always found Moxxie a bit a pompous, overly moral, spineless little creature who added very little to the show outside of furthering the badassery of others by being the teams designated damsel in distress, and I know it’s not the character’s fault, Moxxie had no say in how he was written, but much like a lot of other fans, I hated that he was less of a character and more of a prop in the show up for a while… But after “The Harvest Moon Festival” episode that takes place on Millie’s family farm, we see a tiny spark of a more confident, less ‘save me’ type of Moxxie. Now, we see this when he’s comparing and competing with Striker because it’s the first time Moxxie feels truly threatened by something. Maybe Moxxie is threatened by Striker because they seem almost intellectually (and musically) matched but Striker holds a physical power that Moxxie feels he may never have, or maybe Striker reminds Moxxie just a little too much of Crimson in the way he carries himself and the way he sees Moxxie, I’m not entirely sure, but I am sure that on some level it scared Moxxie the first time he saw it…. But we also see a bit more of a confident Moxxie when he stands up to Millie’s parents when they talk down to her about having been bested by Striker, even earning his first bit of approval from her father. While Moxxie’s personality doesn’t change very much throughout this episode, these are just the first couple of glimpses we get of Moxxie being bolder, more confident, and overall not being a frail, spineless pussy (I’m paraphrasing here), which is a complaint I’ve seen a lot from the fandom.

Now, I think “Truth Seekers” & “Exes and Oohs” are also both really good episodes for Moxxie because one is extremely Mox-centric and the was a big one on honesty, which was something we as an audience didn’t truly see Moxxie struggle with until then.

Kicking off with “Truth Seekers”, we see the struggle Moxxie and blitz have with their friendship, and I think that both imps actually do grow a lot after a little bit of truth gas knocks them into a ‘I’m tripping absolute balls’ musical number, they both do get a lot more honest with themselves and each other…. And it also has one of my favorite scenes for every character, that being the big fight scene with the I.M.P gang and the D.H.O.R.K.S, which does also show a more vicious side of Moxxie that we don’t normally see, even though he is a paid assassin. 

Now if we fast forward a few episodes ahead to “Exes And Oohs”, which is our first Moxxie-centric episode, we finally get a bit of backstory on Moxxie and we kinda learn where his attitude came from. I actually do think this helps give his character some more depth since we do see where his softer type of morality originated within those flashes of his past, and it does begin to make more sense why he would fight so hard to keep that softer side of himself at the forefront of who he is even the line of work he’s found himself in. In this episode, I think we also see a little bit more of that fire from Moxxie that we see in his first encounter with Striker despite Millie being the one with a bigger fight scene because before he’s bound, gagged, and nearly forced into an extremely arranged marriage, he does actually find the rage and courage he needs to stand up for himself when it comes to what’s going on with his father and Chaz, even taking it as far as to threaten Crimson to get his point across….. Granted, he does still end up in a wedding dress with his mouth taped shut in front of a priest and has to be be rescued by his absolutely badass wife, but we have to give the poor guy some props for having tried in the first place since we know that the Moxxie we see in the pilot episode wouldn’t have had that same fire in him.

This all brings us to the badassery we see in “Western Energy”, where Moxxie has two fight scenes and he absolutely crushes both of them, figuratively speaking. I wanna start off with the biggest fight, which was M&M vs. Striker in Striker’s humble little western, mineshaft-y home/lair thingy. Now, first of all, this is home of one of my favorite lines said by Moxxie in this series so far (“You cowboy piece of shit!” Moxxie to Striker during the fight), but I also loved the fact that we see Moxxie and Striker being almost evenly matched in this fight when they go up against each other….. But if we’re honest, I think the most badass Moxxie fight scene was actually his gas station fight. I loved that this was a solo fight, I loved that it was Moxxie vs multiple other imps, I love how he beats the absolute dogshit out of the imp that came up to him, and I absolutely loved the fact that in the midst of all of this, the man still manages to gas up that van and when he’s done demolishing these imps in this fight, he just nonchalantly leans up against the van and scrolls through his phone as if nothing happened with this other imp beside him, slowly being strangled to death by the gas line that Moxxie wrapped around his neck. Now, you have to admit that that is one of the most badass things we’ve seen from this rather mild mannered, anxious little imp.

All of this to say that I genuinely am really excited to see the direction that Moxxie’s character development has been going. I’m not sure whether it was something Vivsie had planned this entire time or if it’s something she’s taken into account from fans (I honestly don’t think it is though since I honestly do feel she’s too strong willed to change her vision just cause people disagree with how she’s doing something on her show), but I’m loving the small, slow burn change we’ve been seeing in Moxxie’s character as of recent episodes. I hope it’s not something that just abruptly stops because I think Moxxie could add a lot more value to the show if he were as well developed and deep as the other characters seem to be within the Helluva Boss universe and i would love to see what the little dude could add to the show if he had more chances to be his own character rather than being a constant prop to further someone else’s badassery in their storyline.

[ladyanaconda]

Helluva Dad Vol. 5: Mom

Hey, guys! We'll start getting more info on Striker's wife and Jake's mother from here on out, though they'll mostly be tidbits. It might be a while before we fully learn what happened to her.

*HB*

The next morning, Jake awoke with a throbbing migraine. His body and joints were sore to the point he didn't want to move, but the acidic, bitter taste of vomit sent him on a beeline straight to the bathroom.

"Good, you're awake." His father was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. It's almost like he had been waiting for him.

"D-Dad…?" Jake threw up into the toilet again.

"You feel like shit, right? That's what happens when you drink a little too much."

"D-Drink..? What are you…?" Jake brought a hand to his head. "Ow, my head…"

"You and Moxxie got thrown inside a beer barrel during yesterday's job. Evidently, you two drank too much."

Jake shrank a bit. "Am I in trouble, dad?"

Striker's frown softened. After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Nah, it wasn't really yer fault this time 'round, pup." He watched as Jake threw up for the third time. "'Sides, I think the hangover is punishment enough. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Carefully, Striker undressed Jake and lifted him unto the warm bath he had previously prepared for this moment. Once Jake was fully clean and refreshed, Striker carried him back to his room to dress him in his pajamas and tuck him back in bed.

"Are you going to work, dad?"

"I'm leavin' ya alone in this condition, my boy. I took an absence for the weekend while you recover." Striker ruffled his son's hair. "Chill out, Blitzo and the others can survive without us for a few days."

Jake shivered. "I'm cold." Striker touched his forehead.

"Yer boiling hot, kiddo. You'll need lots of water to make up for the shit yer body is going through right now."

Striker left the room and returned sometime later with a tray, which he placed on the bedside table. Jake glanced sideways to see its contents: A cup of tea with a strong smell and a bowl of soup. Striker picked the cup and held it close to his son's lips.

"Drink." Jake took a small sip. His face scrunched up at the bitter taste.

"What's this?" He asked, sticking out his tongue.

"Ginger root tea. It ain't tasty, but it's good for hangovers."

It took Jake a considerable amount of willpower to actually drink the whole thing, forcing himself to swallow the bitter beverage despite the urge to spit it back into the cup. It left an awful bitter taste in his mouth, but his stomach had settled down somewhat and he wasn't as thirsty anymore. The soup, a plain and simple chicken broth, was more enjoyable. Jake couldn't help but feel like a baby, though. Dad would even tease him with the 'little plane' as he carefully gave him spoonfuls of soup.

"How're ya feelin', kiddo?" Striker once he was done with the meal.

"Tired and sore, but at least I'm not nauseous anymore."

Striker spent all morning dabbing Jake's forehead with a humid cloth to break the fever. Jake felt a little better by midday, though his head and body still ached. He didn't want to be stuck in bed all day, though.

"Dad, I'm bored," he complained.

"What are you complainin' about, boy? I'm doing all the work here." Striker said simply.

"Do I have to stay in bed all day? What if I want to pee?"

"Don't exaggerate, yer not disabled. But if you want to get better soon, you need to rest."

Jake shifted under the covers. "How long do hangovers last?"

"A day or so, dependin' on how much alcohol you consume and your age. In yer case, you should be as good as new by tomorrow if you rest properly."

With no other choice, Jake closed his eyes and did his best to fall asleep. Surprisingly, he managed to drift off after twenty minutes, in part because he was tired.

With Jake asleep for the time being, Striker took some time to himself and to do the chores around the house. The first thing he did was go to the closet near the doorway and open it; Blitzo, tied up and gagged, dropped out. The piece of cloth used to silence him slipped off his mouth.

"Come on, Striker! You didn't have to put me in there!" he protested.

"What did ya expect when I caught you about to sneak into my kid's room at three A.M. like a pedophile?" Striker murmured as he cut him free.

"I wasn't going to miss Jakey's first hangover! You only get to witness those moments once, you know."

"I'd thank you if you kept yer volume down, Jake is sleepin'."

Blitzo slipped a few envelopes from his pocket. "Oh, by the way, you got mail. Why didn't you tell me you got job offers? I.M.P. could get more clients!"

"Really? Now yer goin' to check my mail too?" Striker snatched all the envelopes from Blitzo's hands before he could pry any further. "Good thing I don't have a diary or you'd read it."

"Can you make one? Moxxie's diary is boring me and Loonie hid hers where I can't find it." Blitzo seemed to remember something. "If you'll excuse me, I have to change the bird's water!"

Striker didn't dignify Blitzo with a reply and instead focused on checking his mail. A few killing job offers, this month's light, and water fees, and… His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the seal on the envelope. Striker set the other envelopes aside for the time being and opened that letter.

"Ah, that's so much better!" Blitzo stepped out of the visitor's bathroom, a small piece of toilet paper stuck to his foot. "Maybe I shouldn't drink that much lemonade next time…" He trailed off when he noticed Striker's expression had darkened. "Strike? Are you okay?"

"I need to go out. Keep an eye on Jake while I'm gone."

Striker didn't give Blitzo an explanation or time to protest as he picked up his jacket and hat and walked out the door, whistling for Bombproof to come for him. Wordlessly, he climbed unto the saddle, clicked his tongue, and rode away in a quick canter.

*HB*

Jake woke up to a purring sound right above him. Shifting a bit under the covers, he opened his eyes and found none other than Blitzo's face inches away from his.

"Hi, Blitz." the impling said simply.

"Any interesting dreams?"

"Not really. Where's dad?"

"He had to go out for some errand and asked me to look after you while he's gone. We're going to have so much fun!" Blitzo rubbed his hands together. "Do you have any horse movies?"

Jake sat up. "Running Free and Black Beauty."

"Which version?"

"1994."

Blitzo's eyes lit up. "I love that one! Let's watch it!" Jake didn't quite understand why Blitzo was so obsessed with horses, but he didn't really mind. He, too, loved horses ever since he could remember. From what dad said, he'd learned how to ride before he could even walk.

Jake felt more alert and less sore, so he could walk downstairs to the living room. Blitzo made some popcorn and they spent the next hour and a half watching Black Beauty. Blitzo cried a couple of times whenever a horse got hurt, but he completely lost it when Beauty saw Ginger's dead body being carried away.

"Why, Ginger?! Whyyy?!"

"Have you read the novel? It's got more content that wasn't put in the film." Jake pointed out.

"Black Beauty is a novel?"

"No way, you didn't know?!"

"Jakey, the only things I read are Moxxie's diary and the Hellquine magazine."

Time went by. Blitzo sniffed around the house until he came across an old photo album. To Jake's chagrin, it contained baby pictures of him.

"Aww, you were so cute! Who would have thought your old man could take decent photos? Oh, look, you're with Striker and Bombproof on this one!" Jake groaned, trying in vain to hide in the cushions. "Oh, shit, what a big dick you had!"

"Okay, that's enough humiliation for a day!"

Jake tried to pull the album away from Blitzo, cheeks red. They fought over the album until something slipped out and fell down to the floor. Blitzo picked it up.

"Hey, this one wasn't in any of the pages." Blitzo couldn't contain a wolf-whistle. "What a lovely lady!"

Curious, Jake leaned in to take a look at the photo: a tall woman with dark red skin and gold-green eyes sat on top of a fence, running a hand through her long black hair as it was blown back by the wind.

"Is this your mommy, Jakey?"

Jake pondered on it, eyes fixed on the photograph. He's never seen that woman before, be it in a photo or in person. He looked through the album but found no more pictures of the woman. If this was his mother, why are there no signs of her anywhere?

The door swung open at that moment. "Blitz, I'm home."

"Hey, Strike, who's this pretty lady?"

Jake felt a shiver down his spine as he saw his father stop in his tracks, face pale. He knew what was coming. The shock became anger. But it wasn't like those other times dad had grown mad at Blitzo; this time, there was a darkness in his eyes as he stomped towards Blitzo, tail rattling, and wordlessly snatched the photo from his grasp.

"Where did you find it?!" he shouted, making Blitzo realize he had unintentionally reopened an old wound.

"It slipped from that album…" he stuttered, pointing at the forgotten tome.

"Why can't you keep yer bloody nose away from my privacy, Blitzo?!"

"D-Dad, calm down, he didn't mean to-!"

"Stay out of this, boy!" Striker hissed, startling Jake into stepping back.

"Whoa, whoa, there's no need to yell at Jakey! It's me you're pissed at, remember?"

Striker clenched his fists. "Get out."

"Wait, what?"

"Get yer shitty ass out of my house!" Striker didn't even wait for Blitzo to reply; he simply pushed him towards and shoved him out of the door, slamming it shut; Striker panted heavily for breath as he leaned against it.

"Dad, that was uncalled for!" Jake quickly regretted having spoken when his father shot him a frown. The rings around his pupils were thick, another sign that he was pissed.

"How many times have I told you not to look through my things without permission?!" he growled.

"I was curious, dad…!"

"That's no excuse, boy! You wouldn't like me to go look into your own stuff, would you?!"

"B-But dad…"

"I don't want to hear it, boy." Striker pointed to the stairs. "Go to your room, I don't want to see you for the rest of the night!"

Jake was close to tears now. "Daddy…"

"NOW!"

Jake didn't dare to talk back to his father this time. He ran up the stairs and into his room, tears in his eyes. The impling climbed into his bed, hid under the blankets and cried himself to sleep.

*HB*

He hadn't meant to yell at Jake. It's not him he's mad at, but… Seeing her photo in Blitzo's grasp and hearing him ask so casually as if he'd done nothing wrong really pissed him off... That, plus the rather unpleasant encounter from earlier… Great, now he'd have to apologize to Blitz when things calm down.

Striker couldn't sleep that night. There were too many things on his head, and he had to think of what he'd do now that Jake had seen the photo. There's no way he can weasel out of it now, the boy was too smart for that. And deep down, Striker wanted to tell his son about the wonderful woman who was his mother, the woman that he'd…

Striker closed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to push the painful memory away.

He waited until the next morning until he was certain he had calm down to go upstairs to his son's room with a jam and peanut butter sandwich, Jake's favorite treat. Striker tentatively knocked on the door.

"Jake?"

There was no reply. Slowly, he opened the door and walked in. Jake was still on his bed, hidden under the covers. He had seen him shifting just before he peeked in, so he knew he wasn't really sleeping, but it was evident that Jake didn't want to talk to him either. Striker sat down on the edge of his son's bed, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"I… I brought you a sandwich in case you were hungry." He was met with silence again. "I know you're not really sleepin', kiddo." His suspicions were confirmed when Jake opened his eyes, but his back was still turned and he still did not speak. Sighing, Striker placed the place on the bedside table and ran a hand through his white locks. "Jake, I… I'm sorry for yellin' at you. I had a… complicated day and seein' that photo in Blitzo's grasp reopened an old wound, so I… I took it out on you."

"Who's that woman?" Jake asked curtly. Striker took a deep breath.

"...Her name was Jane. She's your mother."

Jake sat up on the bed this time. "That's mom?"

"Yes…" Striker slipped the photo out of his pocket, smiling forlornly as he stared at it. "She was a wild-spirited, passionate woman, my killin' partner, and the love of my life. We'd travel and take killin' jobs throughout the seven rings together."

Jake stared at the photo. The question that had been bugging him since Millie brought up the topic on Loo Loo Land left his lips. "What happened to her?"

Striker's smile vanished. That's the one, inevitable question that he didn't want to answer. But he had to tell him something, anything.

"...She got ill and passed away shortly after you were born," he told Jake. It's a half-truth, close enough to what actually caused her death. "You were just a baby, so it's normal for you to not remember her." Jake looked like he'd cry again at any moment now. Striker smiled sadly and wiped a lone tear trickling down his cheek. "But she left me the greatest gift she could give me: you, son."

Jake sniffled and threw himself into his father's embrace. "I wish I could have met her."

"She'd be proud of her little man, no doubt. You remind me of her quite a lot, my boy."

"Really?"

"You have her same spirit, the same fire in yer eyes, her determination." Striker smirked. "And her knack at gettin' in trouble, I may add."

"Hey!"

Striker laughed and pulled his son closer to playfully ruffle his hair. Sadly, the sweet moment was brought to an end as he caught a pair of yellow eyes peering through the window. With an annoyed grunt, Striker went to the window and tapped loudly on it, startling Blitzo into losing his balance and falling back with the stair.

*HB*

Blitzo should have started a stalking company, since he's so good at it XD-

Before I forget, I'd like to let you know that Helluva Dad has a TV tropes page now! Yaaay!

[fannishcodex]

#Striker's an honorary Texan. It's official law since yesterday

#doubly amuses me since I've seen several claim that there's Latin/Hispanic in him

#As a Hispanic Texan. I approve.

#I.M.P. AU

#This is further into Striker working in I.M.P.

#At the very least Moxxie appreciates that he has something to laugh at Mr. Macho over

#Is there a set timeline order with these?

#Not really. Unless stated otherwise

#When the accent comes in strong

How to Make a Cowboy Blush: Part 1