Fanfic / A Loud Among Demons

Hell's about to get Loud.

A Loud Among Demons (formerly known as Hell's Loud) is a The Loud House/Helluva Boss crossover by TvFan2244 on fanfiction.net.

What happens when a normal human boy is cursed down below to the depths of Hell itself? A series of misadventures that test the limits of how much craziness one white haired kid named Lincoln Loud can take before snapping after being taken in by a band of demon assassins, all while trying to find a way home. Let's just hope he'll live long enough to make that dream a reality.

The chapters alternate between the show's episodes but now including Lincoln and original content. You can find it here on FanFiction.Net and on Archive of Our Own here.

---

Tropes in A Loud Among Demons:

• Actor Allusion: During Chapter 14, When Moxxie is trying to finalize his reservation at Ozzie's, the demon on his other end goes through a list of incorrect names that includes: Zim, Billy, Daggett, and Raz. All of these characters (including Moxxie) are voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz.
• Actually Pretty Funny: Lincoln finds Blitzo's swipes at Agents One and Two in "Truth Seekers" to be quite amusing.
• And I Must Scream: Mr. Stillman died and failed his part of a deal that granted him eternal life and now his soul is forever doomed to be in the empty space separate from Heaven and Hell, completely alone and suffer from eternal boredom without a way to escape or die. Don't worry, he deserves it to a T.
• Anger Born of Worry: Lincoln's reasoning as to why he didn't rat Blitzo out to the others for spying on Moxxie and Millie's anniversary in Chapter 15 fits this fairly well.
  Lincoln: Don't make it sound like some dastardly plan to make you look like a fool! You did that so well on your own! Even if I was, I could've just done that by telling Moxxie and Millie, and surprise! I didn't! Even after everything, I still didn't tell them what was going on! I didn't even tell Stolas and I was right there next to him!
  Blitzo: Well, why the fuck not?!
  Lincoln: Because you're my friend! I kept trying to get you to leave not because I didn't want you to ruin Moxxie and Millie's anniversary, it was also to stop you from not just hurting them, but hurting yourself! Remember what I said before? About how what you were doing would've been the last straw for them? I was afraid, Blitz. Afraid that they'd end up quitting on you and you'd-you'd just break apart over it! I.M.P itself would be no more and... I didn't want that! (begins to tear up) I already lost one family that I may never see again, I didn't want to lose another...!
• Affably Evil: Millie is nothing but sweet to Lincoln... but she makes it clear that she has no problem with assassination and can be very cold-blooded when the situation calls for it.
• Air-Vent Passageway: As it turns out, Lucy's Stealth Hi/Bye is the result of her sneaking around through the ducts.
• Alas, Poor Villain: While Lincoln does not like Lyle Lipton or C.H.E.R.U.B, he does pity them for being suicidal and banished from Heaven, respectively.
• Asshole Victim: In addition to canon assholes, this fanfic shows more guys who has it coming:
  • Mr. Stillman, a substitute teacher who just so happened to be a child sacrificing Satanist. He sacrificed a lot of innocent students and doomed them to eternal stay on Hell and tried to do the same to Lincoln. The author made Stillman as unsympathetic as possible. When he's gone through Trauma Conga Line and was killed by Blitzo, every viewer was cheering for I.M.P.
  • Mickey Rogers and his gang. They participated in bullfights in life. These jerks also caught and were going to kill Lincoln. When viewers learn that they were offed during a shootout with police officers and then completely wiped out from existence by I.M.P with angelic weapons (which they take from Mickey and his gang), no tears were shed for them.
  • Richard Manning. This freak used women by any means (blackmail, trickery, etc.). Then he tried to kill Lincoln and Loona. When he died the same way his last victim died, everyone cheers.
  • Lampshaded by Lincoln, who points out to C.H.E.R.U.B. that Lyle Lipton is a morally bankrupt scientist who is far from worth saving. Lisa lampshades this as well, wondering why the scientific community would bother to mourn him and Loopty Goopty.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Lincoln causes the cherubs to break out in a sweat when he asks them if the only reason Heaven wants Lipton alive is to take advantage of his inventions.
  Lincoln: Well what if the person doesn't want to be 'saved' in any way? I get what you're trying to do here, but is it really okay to force them to keep living? Again, why even bother with [Lyle]? Sure, he makes cool machines, but from what we've heard, he never really used them to help people.
  Keenie: Ah, but you see, by showing [Lyle] the worth of living, he'll be given the chance to use his creations for the betterment of mankind, ensuring his entrance into Heaven for all his good work.
  Lincoln: Will it though?
  Keenie: … E-Excuse me?
  Lincoln: Getting into Heaven sounds like a good thing, just about anyone would do whatever it takes to be good enough for it which is exactly the point, right? Lyle's work could be used to make people's lives better, so better that they'd be good enough for Heaven. As for Lyle, whatever good he'll do won't erase what he's done in the past and I don't think Heaven would tolerate it. But what he can offer is enough for people in Heaven to want him to stay alive. Or am I wrong?
• Arranged Marriage: Stolas confirms with Lincoln that his marriage with Stella was entirely arranged for the sake of appearance and reputation among the nobility, and while he wanted to put in the effort to make it work and tried to love his wife, Stella treated it from day one like it was nothing but a business transaction.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: This line of thought from Lincoln's hallucination:
  Since when did his family meet I.M.P?
  And since when was it okay to walkabout without disguises?
  And where did they get extra chairs?!
• Barred from the Afterlife: Stolas said in Chapter 2 that if a living human died after they made a Deal with the Devil and failed in the killing part of the deal (which is exactly what happened to Mr. Stillman), their soul is doomed to be forever lost in-between Heaven and Hell, unable to go to either of them and return to the mortal realm.
• The Bet: Much like in canon, the "Spring Broken" chapter involves a wager between I.M.P and Verosika's crew to see who can kill/seduce more humans during a Spring Break beach party. However, unlike canon, Blitzo would have had to hand Lincoln over to the succubus and her crew for a week if they lost.
• Better Off with the Bad Guys: Played with; Lincoln didn't really want to work for I.M.P, but since he was trapped in hell by a curse, he had no choice but to work with them if he wanted to survive. However, IMP and Lincoln become genuinely fond of one another, and when C.H.E.R.U.B offers to take him to Heaven, he refuses. Partly out of disgust with their failure to help a good person like him, but largely because he feels genuine loyalty to I.M.P who looked after him.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Lincoln is a mild-mannered kid, but he has no problem dropping a heavy clock on his psychotic, child-killing substitute teacher.
  • We get a second example of this during the C.H.E.R.U.B chapter, when the angels start bad mouthing his demon friends, Lincoln snaps and goes into a rage-induced super mode that causes his magical abilities to spike.
  • The third instance comes out during the harvest moon festival. After Striker taunts Lincoln by saying he will kill his friends in I.M.P and his family on earth, Lincoln lashes out in a comparable manner to the way he did towards the Cherubs and winds up stabbing Striker through the hand; giving Blitzo and Moxxie the opportunity to turn the fight around.
  • Once again this is demonstrated during OZZIE'S where Lincoln tears into Blitzo for refusing to let Millie and Moxxie from spending their anniversary in peace, dragging him into it and using Stolas to enter the resturant, and later inflicts Mind Rape on Asmodeus of all demons for insulting Moxxie's love song while calling him out on his hypocrisy at the same time.
• Beyond Redemption: As part of his Armour-Piercing Question Lincoln asks the cherubs why they're trying to help Lipton since it is painfully obvious the man is an unashamedly terrible person and guaranteed to go to Hell no matter when he dies.
• Big Sister Instinct:
  • Loona starts becoming very protective of Lincoln.
    • While Loona ignores Blitzo's attempt to call her in "Harvest Moon Festival" like in canon, as soon as she hears Lincoln in pain, she quickly comes to his aid.
    • When they get lost in a monster-infested forest and he gets nervous, she tries to calm him down by complimenting him on his marksmanship.
    • She angrily curses Blitzo out when she finds out he brought Lincoln in on his attempt to spy on Moxxie and Millie.
  • Vortex feels this way about Lincoln, promising to hurt anyone who tries to hurt him.
  • Lynn attacks Chandler for badmouthing Lincoln, even knowing it could get her in trouble. All of the other Loud siblings are upset over Lincoln's disappearance.
• Black-and-White Insanity: Among the many flaws of C.H.E.R.U.B is their belief that I.M.P is bad simply because they are demons from Hell. They even assume the imps kidnapped Lincoln, when in fact they've been more helpful to him than any other supernatural faction. Lincoln also points out their seemingly "noble" quest to save Lyle from suicide is because they don't want to save his soul, they want what he has to offer.
• Black Bug Room: Lincoln drags Asmodeus into one of these to torment him for insulting Moxxie's love song.
• Black Eyes of Crazy: Lincoln gets a pair of these whenever he slips more into his more demonic tendencies, most notably when the D.H.O.R.K.S. push him to his limits and cause him to temporarily give into his dark impulses completely.
• Broken Pedestal: Lincoln is not exactly impressed with C.H.E.R.U.B for not helping him out of Hell or saving him or others like Mrs. Mayberry when they needed them. But his deep anger finally boils over when he sees how incompetent and selfish C.H.E.R.U.B is, and after they assume I.M.P has been mistreating him. He's so disgusted, he refuses to enter Heaven, even after C.H.E.R.U.B offers him a ticket to Heaven.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Vortex is a tough hellhound and bodyguard for Verosika, but he's incredibly kind and magnanimous when off the clock. He even gives Lincoln an Affectionate Gesture to the Head.
• Busman's Holiday/Contrived Coincidence: In "Beasts in The Woods" Moxxie said that wherever they go (even for a simple outing), there always an altercation with whoever or whatever they happen to come across. The training trip turned to fighting with Hell's beasts.
• Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Lincoln and Moxxie, those two are usually the ones to try (and fail) to rein in some of Blitzo's more impulsive actions and act as the Only Sane Man.
• Children Are Innocent: Downplayed, and increasingly so, with Lincoln. The narration at one point states that he's aware of the birds and the bees, but is otherwise foreign to the concept of pornography and understands that he's too young to be engaging in the violence and depravity his fellow inhabitants of Hell partake in. However, as the story goes on, Lincoln begins to grow desensitized to said depravity and even starts actively indulging in violence.
• Child Prodigy: The twelve-year-old Lincoln becomes this when he demonstrates his affinity for magic to Stolas, creating a massive magical tree when the demon royalty was only expecting a flower.
• Comically Missing the Point: Leni thinks Veroiska Mayday's song "Vacay To Bonetown" is about dog bones.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: Deconstructed. Lincoln's increasing ease with the chaotic madness of Hell is causing him to fear that he may lose touch with his own humanity.
• Conflicting Loyalty: As the story goes on, Lincoln finds himself increasingly torn between wanting to return to his old human family in Royal Woods and wanting to stay with his new demonic family he's found in hell; having an intense desire to keep both in his life.
• Cool Big Sis:
  • What Loona is becoming to Lincoln, at least of the adopted variant.
    "She already considered him to be a friend, but she was now starting to wonder if this is what it's like to have a little brother."
  • Octavia is also starting to fill this spot as well
    "Once again, (Stolas)' amazed by how friendly Octavia was acting, she really did seem like a big sister from his eyes and he won't deny that in another life, he'd be fine with that."
• Cooldown Hug: As part of her Character Development, Loona gives Lincoln a hug when he broods over the frightening possibility of never seeing his family again.
• The Corruption: After Lincoln told him and Octavia of his time against the cherubs, Stolas theorizes that being in Hell is causing this effect on Lincoln to make him adapt to it and enhance his magic ability simultaneously.
• Corruption of a Minor: A theme of the story is Lincoln slowly becoming increasingly desensitized to the violence and mayhem he witnesses, and even partaking in some of the mayhem himself.
• Covered in Kisses: Inflicted upon Lincoln by Verosika Mayday and her succubi crew
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: In "Spring Broken", Millie covers Lincoln's ears so he would not hear her asking Blitz about his sex life with Verosika. She later covers his eyes in "C.H.E.R.U.B" when the TV Blitz was using as target practice featured a female dancer on the channel.
• Cursed with Awesome: As a result of the circumstances that brought him to hell, Lincoln has gained an affinity for demonic magic through Stolas' grimoire which allows him to cast a wide variety of mystical and powerful spells. Unfortunately, a side effect of this is that he's becoming more demonic the longer he remains in hell, which is affecting both his body and mind in ways that Lincoln isn't exactly comfortable with.
• Cutting Corners: After taking note of how Loo Loo Land is just a cheap knock-off of the more popular Lu Lu World, Lincoln says that this place would make Flip think he's in Heaven rather than Hell.
• Cynic–Idealist Duo: Blitzo and Lincoln, respectively, most of the time. Lincoln wants to see the good in everybody and doesn't believe killing should be the first answer to the problems he and his co-workers come across. Blitzo, meanwhile, doesn't believe anyone is truly innocent and thinks that people should only looked after themselves rather than others. This was also Lincoln's dynamic with Loona at the beginning, until Loona started warming up to Lincoln even if she remains moody.
• Darker and Edgier: Zigzagged, due to the drastically different tones of both shows; while the violence, profanity, sexual depravity, and overall cynicism is not out of place for Helluva Boss, it's vastly different from the lighthearted and idealistic Loud House.
• A Day in the Limelight: The chapter "Home" focuses on Lincoln's friends and family, and how they are coping with Lincoln's disappearance.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Lincoln is in the process of performing this on Loona, who is slowly but surely warming up to the kid, particularly after the events of "Spring Broken":
  "Friends. That's right. Lincoln was her friend. That also made her feel a little better."
• Demographic-Dissonant Crossover: The Loud House is a light-hearted show about a boy and his loving but dysfunctional family. Helluva Boss is a coarse adult show about a group of murderous assassins.
• Desperately Craves Affection: As a result of her parents ignoring her in favor of their feud, Octavia is desperate for any company. She drags Lincoln to Earth in "Seeing Stars" to have some company while looking for stars.
• Dirty Kid: While sneaking around D.H.O.R.K.S' base under the effects of the truth gas, Lincoln admits he'd feel a lot better in this situation if Verosika was there to hug him to her chest and how much he enjoyed it when she and her female posse all kissed him.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Mr. Stillman's tactics are like that of real-life predators; become a respected authority figure that can get close to children, act like their best friend to gain their trust, and lure them to your home with a promise of special favors.
• Don't Go in the Woods: Played with. On the one hand, it's played straight when I.M.P's training session in the woods goes south when they're attacked by a pack of feral monsters infesting the campgrounds; but on the other hand, it's parodied by the existence of 'the serial killer woods' which is implied to be utilized as a sort of private hunting grounds for sinners who were serial killers in life and openly advertised as such.
• Downer Beginning: The fic starts with Lincoln being lured in by a serial killer and Dragged Off to Hell as a result of a botched Satanic ritual.
• Dramatic Irony: In The Loud House, Lincoln is the biggest Butt-Monkey (if not The Chew Toy) in the entire show (on Cosmic Plaything levels), but here (in Vivieverse, that happens in Hell of all places) he's Immune to Slapstick and lives pretty well. And if something bad happens to him, it's Played for Drama.
• Dragged Off to Hell: Lincoln's curse effectively traps him in Hell, and while he can travel to the surface, he'll end up stuck back in Hell after a short amount of time.
• Drugs Are Bad: Lincoln tries to get Blitzo to stop his drinking, to no avail.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • I.M.P employees draw the line at hurting innocent children... provided they weren't hired to kill them. While they were already going to kill Stillman for money, Moxxie and Millie are pissed at what he was gonna do to Lincoln. Even Loona is mad when she thinks Blitzo kidnapped the boy.
  • Blitzo couldn't care less about Lincoln, but he feels the boy being stuck in Hell for something not his fault is a bit too cruel, and while callous, isn't exactly uncaring about what missions are exposing the boy to. Other demons, like Loona and Stolas, are also horrified by Lincoln's situation.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Lisa Loud is obsessed with science and sometimes experiments on her family but even she thinks Lyle Lipton and Loopty Goopty (two crazy immoral inventors) are monsters.
    Lincoln: Hang on. Lyle-Loopty Robotics? My little sister, Lisa, once told me that you were the most immoral, hazardous, avaricious, and disgraceful excuses of inventors in the history of technology. A great shame to the science community itself and a blight upon the world that it would be a much better place if you weren't in it.
    (Everybody stares at him in shock over his unusual display of bluntness)
    Lincoln: Those were her words, not mine.
  • Lincoln is a kind boy who sees good in any person and feels pity even for people who tried to kill him and worse (like a crazy satanist teacher or a cannibal family) but even he doesn't feel bad for Lyle and Loopty and thinks they aren’t worth saving and can't be redeemed in any way. He also has little patience for C.H.E.R.U.B. due to their failure to actually protect decent people like him.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • Blitzo and Loona are incredulous to the fact that Lincoln isn't an evil, misbehaving brat. Though Loona is starting to realize that it's true.
  • Played With regarding C.H.E.R.U.B, who are technically the "good guys", but are seriously flawed due to their arrogance and selfishness and see I.M.P as much worse than they actually are. They don't believe a human kid would willingly associate with demons unless he was kidnapped by them.
• Evil Costume Switch: After ending up under I.M.P.'s employ, Lincoln swaps out his polo shirt for a suit like Blitzo and Moxxie's. In Chapter 10, Octavia buys Lincoln casual clothing to fit in better while in Hell.
• Evil Feels Good:
  • Lincoln admits to feeling no small amount of exhilaration and blood-lust from stabbing Striker.
  • This is taken further in the aftermath of "Truth Seekers", where Lincoln is becoming increasingly concerned by how good it feels to lash out and hurt those who tried to hurt his demon family.
• Evil Is Petty: Striker states to Lincoln that after he's done with him, he plans to kill the rest of I.M.P and after offing Stolas, use his Grimoire to go to Earth to kill the rest of Lincoln's family just to spite the boy.
• Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Zigzagged. Millie and Moxxie are functionally Lincoln's adopted parents, and while they would love Lincoln to be part of the assassination business, they do not want him to give in fully to hate and bloodlust, and are quick to talk him down whenever he goes too far.
• Evil Teacher:
  • Mr. Stillman, a substitute teacher who just so happened to be a child sacrificing Satanist. Don't worry, he got what was coming to him.
  • Subverted with Mrs. Mayberry. While she did kill her adulterous husband and has become far more aggressive, she still retains her soft spot for children and offers Lincoln advice on how to survive in Hell.
• Family of Choice: Somewhat downplayed as Lincoln wasn't adopted by I.M.P so much as he was hired as an unpaid intern, and he still very much wants to get home to his biological family. But they do somewhat treat him like family as Moxxie and Millie dote over him like they're his actual parents and Blitzo and Loona grew more attached to him over the course of the story.
• Fire-Forged Friends: After being nearly sacrificed in a ritual by an evil teacher and then nearly killed by a gang of bull demons, both of which ended in I.M.P saving him, as well as going on numerous jobs with I.M.P; Lincoln grew loyal to the imps and considered them to be his friends.
• Fish out of Water: Lincoln fits this trope to a T as his innocent and kind nature starkly contrasts with the chaotic nature of Hell that leaves him feeling fairly out of place and uncomfortable on more than one occasion.
• Foil: Thanks to Loona's comparisons, Lincoln and Eddie from the pilot; Lincoln is a nice kind-hearted child who didn't deserve to be stuck in Hell and is nothing but polite and kind to I.M.P, including Loona, and even aids them as their chief tactician. In stark contrast, Eddie was a foul-mouthed brat who went out of his way to mock and insult the imps and Loona. Even their situations contrast with each other: Lincoln was saved by I.M.P because Mr. Stillman was their target and was sent to Hell despite being alive due to the ritual being incomplete while Eddie was accidentally shot by Moxxie, brought to Hell by I.M.P to recover and after the aforementioned belittlement he inflicted was subsequently killed when Loona found out he was their target after all.
• Freudian Slip: Lincoln accidentally calls Millie and Moxxie "Mom and Dad" in Chapter 12. Millie is over the moon, and Moxxie...doesn't mind it.
• A Friend in Need: After narrowly escaping from the cannibals that captured the rest of I.M.P, Lincoln could turn tail and run, thus leaving the imps to their fate; but winds up going back for them to show his gratitude for taking him in when he wound up in Hell.
• Friend to All Children:
  • Moxxie and Millie are this, being the most welcoming of Lincoln.
  • Mrs. Mayberry retains her soft spot for children and tries to offer Lincoln advice about how to survive in Hell.
• From Bad to Worse: During Chapter 15, Lincoln and Verosika regularly lampshade that Blitzo has a "talent" to create a stupid bad idea, don't listen to others and follow it and eventually make it worse and worse, Digging Himself Deeper. And "Ozzie's" is a prime example of it.
• God's Hands Are Tied: Deconstructed: not being helped by Heaven has made Lincoln quite bitter and resentful toward them. And when it becomes clear that C.H.E.R.U.B could've easily helped Lincoln in the past, but instead choose to waste their resources on awful people like Lyle Lipton who had more to bring to the table, Lincoln is so disgusted, he renounces Heaven itself.
• Graceful Loser: When Loona had beaten Lincoln in arcade games in Chapter 8, he was impressed and just asked how she is so good at games.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Loona is starting to show a couple of hints of this towards Octavia in terms of being Lincoln's adoptive big sister.
• Guardian Angel: Lincoln is less than impressed by the guardian angel type service that C.H.E.R.U.B provides since they failed to save him from Stillman or prevent Ms. Mayberry from damning herself or stopping the cannibal family. Pointing out that they only seem to want to help those that can bring something to Heaven's table.
• Hate Sink: In-Universe, Striker is so damn awful, Lincoln has no hesitation about stabbing the bastard through the arm. Lincoln's hatred for him runs so deep, it brings out more of his demon powers, and Lincoln uses the image of Striker during target practice.
• Hero of Another Story: The client who hired I.M.P. to kill Mr. Stillman pretty much sets the story in motion.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Mickey Rogers and his gang were wiped out from existence by I.M.P with angelic spears which they took from Mickey and his lackeys' hands.
• Horrible Camping Trip: Downplayed. It wasn't so much a camping trip as a picnic in the woods, but having to fight their way through a pack of vicious monsters to escape the campgrounds certainly echoes this trope for I.M.P.
• Horrifying the Horror: Lincoln manages to do this to Asmodeus, the demon king of lust. After getting angry at Asmodeus for insulting and berating Moxxie for singing a love song, Lincoln forces his way into the lust king's mind and drags him into a nightmarish hallucination where he calls Asmodeus a hypocrite, makes a visage of Fizzaroli vanish in front of him, and attacks him with a projection of his demonic form. Asmodeus was so disturbed by the experience that he instinctively trembled when Lincoln walked past him, sensing the same spiteful presence from before.
• Humans Are Flawed: Lincoln's philosophy; he believes that the people around him, demons and humans alike, have some level of innocence in them but still acknowledges that not everybody is capable of it.
• Humanity Is Infectious: Being around Lincoln, a human non-sinner with a genuine Nice Guy attitude, is gradually rubbing off on I.M.P, especially Loona. They start out wanting to toughen Lincoln up and end up wanting to protect his kind nature.
• Immortality Immorality: Mr. Stillman maintained his youth by killing kids and condemning their souls to Hell.
• Incompetence, Inc.: The D.H.O.R.K.S agents admit to Lincoln that since nobody takes their branch of government seriously, they're poorly funded ^note which is why only Agents One and Two have useful weapons and gadgets instead of ninja weaponry... aside from it looking cool, and are staffed by the washouts from other agencies.
• Innocent Means Naïve: Subverted. Lincoln might be a good kid undeserving of Hell, but he's not blind to everything that goes on around him with his co-workers. This is really highlighted during his interactions with Striker; while Lincoln couldn't quite place it, he could sense that there was something off about the farmhand. Suspicions that were later proven correct.
• Innocence Lost: While Lincoln remains idealistic and decent, being exposed to the horrors of Hell gradually chips away his naïve views.
  • Seeing Blitzo expose the brutal realities of life in order to get Lyle to kill himself tears away further at his idealism. It all comes to a head when the utter hypocrisy and selfishness of C.H.E.R.U.B causes him to snap so badly, he begins to show serious demonic traits and abilities.
  • The Harvest Moon chapter pushes this further by giving Lincoln his first taste of blood when he stabs Striker in the hand after he threatens his loved ones.
  • "Truth Seekers" pushes Lincoln deep into this; D.H.O.R.K's truth gas causes his demonic side to fully take over and go on a rampage throughout the organization's base, with the kid even going as far as to attempt to sadistically murder Agents One and Two for trying to hurt his family. Thankfully, Stolas stops him before he can go through with it.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: In the second chapter, Millie tries to reassure the freaked-out Lincoln that Hell isn't all that bad... which is immediately contradicted by the sounds of explosions, gunfire, people screaming in terror, and rampant profanity.
• Interclass Friendship:
  • Lincoln and Octavia, the former being an unpaid intern for an assassination company run by imps while the latter is the daughter of Hell royalty. Stolas doesn't hesitate to playfully tease his daughter because of this. And this friendship is strong enough that he's worried for Stolas' life when Striker attempts to end it because Octavia would lose her father.
  • In "Fun and Troubles in Hell", Lincoln proposes the idea of such a friendship to Loona between her and Octavia because they're similar; the two of them both have a sibling-esque relationship with Lincoln, both have similar fashion tastes and have a snarky attitude but solid relationship with their father figures. Loona appreciates the idea of a new friend but, after mentally deconstructing the vast differences in their respective upbringings, gives it a "hard pass".
  • In "Seeing Stars" Loona's aversion to Octavia starts to crumble following her tracking the missing Princess down, with the two having a real conversation commiserating about their embarrassing dads come "The Music Episode".
• Interspecies Friendship: Lincoln and pretty much EVERYONE he makes friends with within Hell.
• Interspecies Romance: A one-sided example between Verosika Mayday and Lincoln, the latter is a human while the former is a succubus that is EXTREMELY interested in him.
• Ironic Hell: In trying to avoid his eternal damnation, Mr. Stillman has ended up trapped in a place suffering a worse fate than if he'd actually gone to Hell in the first place.
• Irony: Episode "C.H.E.R.U.B" was made as the silliest episode in the canon show (even more so than the pilot) by its creators on purpose. The fanfic's chapter C.H.E.R.U.B is the most important, influential, and serious chapter for the plot so far (Lincoln's Character Development and the first chapter to show off his powers).
• It Gets Easier: The horrors of Hell are gradually tearing away at Lincoln's childishness and making him increasingly desensitized to violence. He eventually straight up stabs the especially loathsome Striker and is exhilarated by the bloodlust. However, this is deconstructed in Chapter 12, where Lincoln confesses that he's terrified of becoming a hateful monster and learning to enjoy bloodlust. Thankfully, Millie and Moxxie tell him he doesn't have to be a killer if he doesn't want to.
• It's All My Fault: Leni wonders if she's driven Lincoln away by being a bad sister.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Stella is a mean bitch, but even Stolas admits that she is right about the fact that he wasn't a good husband.
  • When Lincoln tries to defend C.H.E.R.U.B against Blitzo's contempt, he's speechless when Blitzo points out Heaven hasn't done much to help Lincoln.
• Just the Way You Are: Lincoln fears he can't be a proper employee for I.M.P if he can't indulge in extreme violence. Millie and Moxxie assure him that he's helpful and useful as he is and that he doesn't have to be bloodthirsty.
• Karmic Death:
  • Mr. Stillman, a serial killer who was cornered in his basement by I.M.P and shot repeatedly before being crushed under a grandfather clock pushed over by Lincoln, the very child he had kidnapped as a sacrifice.
  • Richard Manning, I.M.P's target in Chapter 8, was killed by I.M.P (accidentally) the very same way Kole, his last victim, and I.M.P's client, died: tried to escape in the car then hitting a gas station and got caught in the resulting explosion.
• Karmic Misfire: In a sense: Lincoln and Mr. Stillman's victims end up stuck in Hell for something that wasn't their fault. Even Blitzo realizes this is unfair.
• Killer Rabbit: Exposure to the truth gas causes Lincoln's demonic power to emerge, and it turns out the ones who thought he was a rabbit demon weren't entirely wrong (though the antlers make it resemble a demonic Jackalope more than a full-on rabbit).
• The Kindnapper: Octavia more or less drags Lincoln to Earth because she's desperate for any companionship.
• Knight of Cerebus: A child-murdering Satanist wouldn't be out of place in Helluva Boss, but when one is added to the setting of The Loud House, things take a very dark turn in ways that normally wouldn’t be allowed in a Nickelodeon kids' cartoon. Enter Mr. Stillman. His plan to use Lincoln in a sacrificial ritual is what kicks off the whole story.
• Lampshade Hanging: The author often comments sarcastically about tropes. Of all the characters, Loona spends the most amount of time in this department.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
  • Done in this exchange during "Spring Broken":
    All five of them silently gazed at those reading the story in judgment, anger, and annoyance. Lincoln realizes he hasn't talked to them in a long time.
  • Loona notes in Chapter 9 that Loopty Goopty sounds almost like Blitz, a nod to the fact that they share the same voice actor in the original show.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: Lampshaded by Loona after Blitzo suggests they do that to deal with a pack of hell beasts:
  Blitzo: Okay there has to be some more evolved demons around here running things, alright? We find them, we find a way out of this shit show. I think it's better for us to split up. Cover more ground.
  Loona: Split up? Are you fucking for real Blitz? You're spitting nothing but cliches right now and those can get us killed, so why not think of a better plan?
• Likes Older Women: Downplayed. While under the effects of the truth bomb, Lincoln openly admits that he likes Verosika Mayday and his hallucination has him fantasizing about her dating him. So it's sort of liking a specific older woman.
• Love at First Punch: The hellhound that harasses Loona when she's spending time with Lincoln and Vortex. Kicking him in the face only encouraged his efforts further.
• Love Is a Weakness: Blitzo notices that Lincoln's presence is having a negative effect on Moxxie and Millie's ability to do their jobs as they treasure his innocence and don't want to overexpose him to all the corrupting influences of their job and environment.
• Magnetic Hero:
  • Lincoln endears himself to everyone he meets with his genuine kindness and ability to think creatively. Even Loona treats him in a slightly less vituperative manner and Millie's family welcomes him with open arms.
  • While it's a bit of a stretch to call Vortex a "hero", he otherwise fits this trope, being incredibly popular at the nightclub he goes to by balancing toughness with kindness.
• Mama Bear: Millie immediately takes a liking to Lincoln and has fully embraced being the boy's mother to a violently overprotective degree. To where she worries his visit to Stolas' mansion will make him want to live with the Goetia's, instead of at I.M.P with her and Moxxie. Her protective tendencies are best displayed by her reaction to Verosika and her crew taking an interest in Lincoln.
  Millie: The thought of him with those damn jezebels is enough to make me want to chainsaw them to bits and USE THE REMAINS AS PIE SEASONINGS!
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": Cletus and the rest of the fallen cherubs have three in quick succession; The first is from when Lincoln guesses that Heaven only sends them to save people that can benefit it at which they all start sweating. Then them being kicked out from Heaven like in canon, and the third is that they weren't able to tell their fellow cherubs about Lincoln before such.
• May–December Romance: One-sided; while it's never stated how old Verosika is, it's pretty obvious that she is much older than Lincoln is and has a developing crush on him. Though considering how demons age much slower than humans, she might just be willing to wait.
• Mean Boss: Blitzo loves to bully Moxxie for his shortcomings, and revels in the fact that he can keep Lincoln as an unpaid intern. However, he can be generous when his employees prove their worth and start throwing Lincoln some bones.
• The Men in Black: Subverted with D.H.O.R.K.S, who are actually viewed poorly by other agencies, and are where problem employees are dumped.
• Mind Rape: How Lincoln gets back at Asmodeus for insulting Moxxie and attempting to ruin the imp's wedding anniversary; first showing him a vision of Fizzaroli disappearing before attacking him with a mental projection of his true demonic form.
• Mistaken Identity: Thanks to his disguise, Lincoln is mistaken for a demon by C.H.E.R.U.B, though they're shocked to find out that he's human and believe that I.M.P is at fault. This also applies to him normally when in Hell, as unless they know of his situation like I.M.P, Stolas, and Octavia or through senses like Verosika and her posse, thanks to his white hair, most demons like Mrs. Mayberry mistake him for a rabbit demon.
• Morality Pet: Lincoln is becoming one to I.M.P., but he's had the biggest impact on Loona, who gradually becomes kinder and more mature as she starts coming around to Lincoln.
• My Beloved Smother: Lincoln can sometimes get embarrassed by Millie's overprotectiveness, especially when she did so in front of Octavia.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Loona does feel a small amount of remorse for letting her spite cloud her judgment, resulting in Octavia absconding with Lincoln to Earth.
• Never My Fault: Blitzo muses that his usual clientele, and sinners, in general, will usually deny that they belong in Hell. Kole is a subversion when she fully admits she was a terrible person.
• Never Split the Party: The rest of I.M.P's response to Blitzo's suggestion of splitting up.
• No Guy Wants to Be Chased: Lincoln's response to Verosika and her fellow succubi showering him in affection.
• Noodle Incident: When trying to think of any "dirty secrets" he may have during Chapter 3, Lincoln remarks that he once broke his dad's trophy by accident.
• Not So Above It All: Lincoln might not like how aggressively the succubi are making their feelings for him known, but he does admit that they are all attractive and must remind himself to think innocent thoughts.
• Nominal Hero:
  • I.M.P saving Lincoln from the crazed teacher wasn't done out of heroics, but because he was their target.
  • C.H.E.R.U.B saves people only because God says so and saves only those who can bring something to God's table.
• No Sympathy: Blitzo has no concern for the horrible lives his clients endured on Earth since their tales are usually all about how they don't deserve to be there and it's a rare case when they're actually telling the truth.^note Like the client for the Stillman job, who was damned via having his soul corrupted by the Satanist ritual. His main concern is whether he can profit from their anger. And thanks to Loopty and Lyle being Beyond Redemption, even Lincoln can't bring himself to sympathize with them being in Hell.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Lincoln figures out that Stolas and Blitzo are more alike than they thought: Both being denizens of Hell desperate for the love of any kind only for their own lifestyles and mannerisms to mostly prevent that (For Stolas, it's his incredibly strained marriage with Stella that only got worse when he started sleeping with Blitzo and for Blitzo, it's his past as an unpopular circus clown, his failed relationship with Verosika, his obsessive need to get involved in the personal lives of his employees and his excessive coddling of Loona). Stolas ends up realizing that his use of pet names and excessive flirting doesn't make things better for Blitzo either.
• One-Winged Angel: Lincoln is heavily implied to have one of these in the form of a demonic jackalope with wings and razor-sharp teeth, but Stolas talks him down before he can fully unleash it.
• Only Sane Man:
  • Moxxie is this, as in canon; he understands that I.M.P. can't provide Lincoln with the stable upbringing he needs, and they need to treat him very gently. While he tries to provide Lincoln with a nurturing environment, unlike Millie, he doesn't pretend that he and his wife can take the place of Lincoln's parents.
  • Lincoln also counts, perhaps even moreso than Moxxie; he's the only one in all of Hell who has morals and a clear mind. Plus, he's the only one who thinks the battle between I.M.P. and C.H.E.R.U.B by showing reasons to live or die is stupid and mad even by I.M.P's standards (like in canon, even Moxxie participates in this voluntarily), and points out they just need to kill Lyle.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • When Lincoln understands C.H.E.R.U.B's true colors, he rages out at them and shows his hidden powers. He was mad at their selfish behavior and wish to save only those people from whom Heaven can benefit. And when he learns of Striker's true intentions and after threatening to kill Lincoln's family back on Earth by using Stolas' grimoire, he drops a Precision F-Strike on Striker before stabbing him.
  • When Loona drops her phone after hearing Lincoln's cry for help, you know how much she's come to cherish Lincoln.
  • As a result of succumbing to the truth bomb, Lincoln's demonic instincts take control and turn him into a far more serious individual who shows no qualms about killing the agents who threatened I.M.P.
  • Lincoln's disappearance has affected Luan and Luna that they can't tell a joke or play music respectively.
• Original Flavor: The fic captures the dark and gritty humor of Helluva Boss quite well.
• Orphanage of Fear: Loona grew up in one and isn't the nicest person as a result.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: As Lincoln lampshades in the fourth chapter, a mere hood over his head is apparently enough for others to not realize that he's a human.
• Parental Substitute: Millie and Moxxie are slowly becoming this to Lincoln. While Moxxie is slow to realize he is starting to think of Lincoln as his son, Millie has zero problems explicitly referring to herself as the human boy's mother. Eventually, Lincoln calls the two "Mom and Dad", much to Millie's joy.
  Blitzo: I thought you of all people would understand, what with that whole dad thing you got going on with the intern.
  Moxxie: What? What on earth are you talking about?
  Blitzo: Don't play your usual slow act. Like with your dom wife acting like the kid's new mommy, you followed suit in being his new pops.
  Millie: I am his mommy, thank you very much.
• Percussive Therapy: Lynn punches a dummy to cope with her anger over Lincoln's disappearance.
• Pet the Dog: After Lincoln devised a plan to take down a mob of angry demons after Blitzo rigged a boxing match in his favor, the head of I.M.P. decides to repay the favor by using some of his ill-gotten gains to purchase some furnishings for Lincoln's room at headquarters.
• Positive Friend Influence: Being a genuinely decent person, Lincoln has a knack for bringing out the decency in the other demons he meets; either because they recognize that he doesn't deserve to be there, or because they are won over by his kindness.
• Power Crutch: Lincoln has access to dozens of spells out of Stolas' Grimoire but needs to have the book in his hands to cast any of them. The "Truth Seekers" chapter averts this trope when Lincoln gains the ability to cast spells without using the grimoire at all.
• The Power of Hate: What Lincoln's demonic side is implied to run on.
• Power Makes Your Voice Deep: What happens to Lincoln's octave when he gives into his demon half.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: "Teacher" is notable for being the first chapter in the story to take a canon plotline (Season 2's "The Circus") and make drastic changes to it. The original episode was mostly a Whole Episode Flashback revealing Stolas' childhood, how he first met Blitzo, and his Arranged Marriage with Stella. However, to accommodate the fact that focusing on the flashback meant Lincoln would have to be sidelined if not completely absent, the story changes the episode to where Lincoln decides to check up on Stolas following the events of "OZZIE's", with the latter explaining his backstory to Lincoln instead. It's also thanks to Lincoln that Stolas finally builds up the courage to divorce his abusive wife.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Face's former boss. A boss in Hell made it a rule that his gang does not mess with overlords or members of Hell's royalty since those demons could easily wipe them out. Face, on the other hand, is not that pragmatic.
• Precision F-Strike:
  • A very mild case in the first chapter, where Lincoln exclaims "What the hell?" when he realizes he's been transported to... well, Hell.
  • Played far straighter later when Lincoln ends up dropping the F-bomb for the first time after Striker pushed the poor kid a little too far with his taunts and threats.
• Properly Paranoid: Lincoln thinks something off with Striker in a bad way. He is absolutely right: Striker is an assassin who was hired to kill Stolas.
• Rage Against the Heavens: The gist of Lincoln's tirade against C.H.E.R.U.B is their failure to help people who are genuinely in need of their guidance while helping rotten individuals like Lyle Lipton for selfish reasons and finishes by rejecting their offer of going to Heaven.
• Rage Breaking Point:
  • Lincoln becomes horribly exasperated with C.H.E.R.U.B and their ineptitude and selfishness, but he snaps at them after they assume I.M.P was mistreating him.
  • Loona herself goes crazy after seeing Lincoln badly bruised at Striker's hands, and gives a vicious mauling.
  • Lincoln goes into this mode again when he realizes that Blitzo is planning to use Stolas as a means of spying on Millie and Moxxie, finally getting fed up with his boss's perpetually negative behavior.
• Raised by Orcs: Downplayed as Lincoln was raised by his human family for most of his life, then adopted by I.M.P on the verge of his teenage years; but there's no denying that his new family is much more violent and morally grey than the one he was born into, attitudes that have been gradually rubbing off on him.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Principal Ramirez, who sympathizes with Lynn's misery over Lincoln missing, but makes it clear this does not give her a right to lash out and attack people.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • After C.H.E.R.U.B pushes Lincoln past his Rage Breaking Point after learning he's human and assuming I.M.P was at fault, he verbally tears into the trio (and, by extension, Heaven) for their actions.
    Lincoln: You three talk of saving people and that God would never resist a soul in need. Then where were you for me, huh?! I was kidnapped and nearly became a sacrifice for a psycho teacher! No cherub was there to save me, but [I.M.P] did! No one in Heaven thought to stop a woman named Ms. Mayberry from killing her cheating husband, or herself, or stop a family of killers, or save people from a giant fish monster! As long as they bring something to God's table, they're good enough for Heaven, is that it?! Well, you know what?! I think I'll take my chances with Hell!
  • Lincoln just gets better at this as the story goes on. Such as the one he gives Blitzo when he sees his boss lead Stolas on just so he'd be able to stalk Millie and Moxxie's anniversary date.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Lincoln's eyes glow red whenever he gets upset, such as when the cherubs push him past his Rage Breaking Point.
• Refusing Paradise: When C.H.E.R.U.B offers Lincoln a ticket to Heaven, he refuses, partly out of disgust with their selfishness and out of loyalty to I.M.P for taking him in.
• Revolvers Are for Amateurs: In Chapter 12, Moxxie decides that Lincoln's starting pistol should be a revolver, on account of its safety and low recoil.
• Rouge Angles of Satin: Well it's expected that a fanfiction will have some slip ups, there's still quite several glaring writing errors throughout the story, ranging from simple grammar (some words missing apostrophes or sentences lacking end quotes) to spelling (saying 'is' in place of 'if').
• Royal Favorite: Both Stolas and Octavia have taken a shine to Lincoln with the former even offering to teach Lincoln how to utilize the grimoire to its full potential.
• The Shadow Knows: When Lincoln is about to fully unfetter his demonic instincts to kill agents one and two, his shadow morphs to resemble a demonic jackalope that serves as a representation of his Dark side.
• Samaritan Relationship Starter: Verosika's adoration for Lincoln is kicked into high gear after he rescues her and her crew from the police out of the goodness of his heart.
• Sanity Has Advantages: Lincoln has one thing that makes up for his lack of physical prowess besides magic training: his lack of aggressive bloodlust allows him to think more rationally than his peers, giving him greater tactical ability. His genuine kindness is quite a bit of fresh air and makes other demons genuinely like him.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Why Verosika ends up falling for Lincoln; he’s one of the only people she’s met that treats her as a person rather than an object.
• Shout-Out:
  • After Lincoln gets a TV in his room, he sees a musical showcase featuring a certain Hell Princess.
  • When splitting up to track down a target in a mall, Millie's description of what she'd to anyone who tried to hurt Lincoln leads to a rather familiar exchange:
    Millie: If you can't hit hard enough, find the bluntest object around, then call for me and I'll come running to just straight up rip their skulls out of their heads and beat them to death with those skulls!
    Lincoln: … That doesn't seem physically possible, Millie
  • During Chapter 14, When Moxxie is trying to finalize his reservation at Ozzie's, the demon on his other end goes through a list of incorrect names that includes: Zim, Billy, Daggett, and Raz. It's also Actor Allusion as all these characters (including Moxxie) voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz.
  • Chapter 18 had Lincoln and Octavia make a pit stop at Thai Go and interacting with Mrs. Boonchuy.
  • Also in Chapter 18, when Loona went to go find the two, she pushed aside a certain angry and vengeful person and broke one of his car windows prompting said person to swear revenge.
• Slimeball: Richard Manning. While playing the Honey Trap, Loona wretches at having to deal with his sleaziness.
• Spell Book: All of Lincoln's magical abilities are derived from him utilizing the spells within Stolas' grimoire, which shows an unusual amount of skill in casting.
• The Stations of the Canon: Aside from the original chapters, the story's versions of canon episodes happen mostly like they did originally, with only slight alterations due to Lincoln's inclusion, such as him helping Verosika and her posse with the cops in "Spring Broken", stabbing Striker in the hand in "Harvest Moon Festival", or participating in the fight sequence (without killing the agents he fights) in "Truth Seekers". Author TvFan2244 chooses to wait until an episode airs to not contradict canon. However, he admitted in the author's notes for Chapter 17 that he now plans on skipping episodes he feels are irrelevant to avoid having to rehash the entire series and also to keep the whole plotline of Lincoln struggling to return home from dragging on. Chapter 17, in particular, is also the first non-original chapter to largely overhaul a canon plotline (in this case, "The Circus"). Also, after the alternate "OZZIE's", the following chapter featured a subplot over the fallout from Blitzo's irresponsible behavior, with Lincoln trying to get Blitzo to open up about his emotional problems.
• Stepford Smiler: Luna tries to put on a brave face for her bandmates and girlfriend, but she eventually can't and admits she misses her brother.
• Stranger in a Familiar Land: Lincoln is worried this might end up occurring to him down the road. The transformation he's been experiencing because of living in hell possibly rendering him an entirely different person by the time he makes it back home.
• Succubus in Love: Due to Lincoln's kind and innocent nature, Verosika starts developing actual romantic feelings for him very quickly with the rest of the succubi in the crew becoming just as interested.
• Sucky School: The soul-crushingly boring experience of middle school is one thing Lincoln doesn't miss about his old life. Besides, human schools don't teach magic.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Lucy and Lisa are both aloof and cold, but even they can't stop mourning Lincoln's disappearance.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Lincoln is heavily implied to be developing one of these after the events of "C.H.E.R.U.B.” One that is primarily driven by rage and hatred. Subverted in "Truth Seekers" when it comes out thanks to the truth gas, but he's not possessed. He loses the ability to lie to himself, and thus loses his inhibitions. Becoming more powerful as a result, but still refrains from taking anybody's life. Lincoln does come dangerously close to killing Agents One and Two, however, but thankfully Stolas talks him down.
• Super Mode: Lincoln winds up with one of these in the closing fight against D.H.O.R.K.S. Being able to easily cast powerful spells without using the grimoire and wiping out entire hordes of agents.
• Sweet and Sour Grapes: Lincoln would rather go to Heaven rather than stay in Hell. But when he finally meets angelic beings who could help him and even offer him a ticket to Heaven, Lincoln refuses out of sheer contempt for their hypocrisy and incompetence, and out of loyalty to I.M.P. who actually helped him in his hour of need.
• Tarot Motifs: When Lucy and her fellow goths decide to do a séance to find Lincoln, their ritual produces four cards. The first one is of a jackalope being sheltered by a pack of wolves, the second is of a boy split between goodness and the forces of darkness, the third is a Hell card, and a card of eternal happiness.
• Tears of Joy: Lucy cries them when the tarot cards reveal that Lincoln is still alive and well.
• Tempting Fate: A rare positive example of this trope. In Chapter 12, one of the employees at one of Hell's campgrounds complains about the recent monster infestation getting all of their guests killed which is seriously cutting into their pay, wishing that some competent demons would just roll in and take care of the pest problem. Right then, the immediate murder professionals arrive on the scene.
• Token Good Teammate:
  • As in canon, Moxxie has the most scruples of his co-workers. He refuses to hurt Lincoln while he's being held captive by Mr. Stillman, even when it would make their jobs easier, much to Blitzo's annoyance. He's also the one who tries to help Lincoln the most.
  • Lincoln also qualifies as this since he tends to shy away from murder, unlike his coworkers, and goes out of his way to do some good more often than not.
• Token Human: Because he's technically not dead, Lincoln remains a human when he gets transported to Hell.
• Took a Level in Badass: Lincoln starts out as a meek and sheltered kid unprepared for the violence of Hell. But gradually he starts not only becoming more astute in magic thanks to Stolas' training, but becomes increasingly more assertive and willing to lash out, telling off the members of C.H.E.R.U.B for their failures, and even stabbing Striker when he tries going after I.M.P.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: While Lincoln doesn't become evil or bloodthirsty, he grows less and less hesitant to use violence or call people out for their stupidity.
• Took a Level in Kindness:
  • Loona gradually begins showing more genuine openness and kindness to Lincoln. Lincoln even thinks of her as a second Lori, albeit with worse manners and a filthy mouth.
  • Somewhat played with regarding Millie's family. While most of their appearances in the canon have them acting as Obnoxious In-Laws towards Moxxie, it is implied that they do care a lot about Millie; in the fic, several scenes are included to further develop their more positive aspects and focus on their family bonds as they dote over Lincoln as if he was their own blood.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Blitzo goes hard on this trope when it comes to Lincoln, actively encouraging him to engage in bad behavior whenever possible.
  Blitzo: (to Lincoln) If anything seemed like it could make a lot of dough on the black market, don't hesitate to steal it. Make horrible decisions sport!
• Trapped in Another World: Zigzagged; after nearly being sacrificed by an evil substitute teacher, Lincoln's soul became bound to Hell. While he isn't exactly trapped there as he can go back and forth between Earth and Hell whenever he wants with Stolas' grimoire, he can never leave permanently, and staying on Earth for too long will result in him being forcefully transported back to Hell.
• Unwanted Assistance: Octavia may be a Goetia Princess, but she finds her servants' constant pampering of her to be more stifling than helpful and tells them to scram.
• Unwanted Harem: Lincoln is not happy to find out that all the female members of Verosika's crew, including the aforementioned pop star herself, are attracted to him. "Truth Seekers", however, indicated that he may actually enjoy it more than he lets on.
• Villain Ball: Lincoln lampshaded this when he thought that I.M.P, while usually likes to kill their targets as easy and quickly as possible, decided to play with Cherubs by showing Lyle reasons to live or die and how stupid and impractical this is.
• Villain Has a Point: The events of Chapter 12 happened because Lincoln realizes that Striker's words about how he's weak without the Grimoire is true.
• Villains Never Lie: Blitzo and the others are completely honest with Lincoln, making no bones about the fact that they are assassins for hire, and any good they do on the job is secondary to getting a paycheck from it.
• Villainous Rescue: Lincoln was only saved from ritual murder because I.M.P. were doing a hit job on Mr. Stillman. While they were horrified by what Stillman was trying to do to Lincoln, they admit saving him was secondary to getting paid.
• Villain Respect:
  • Blitzo and the others are impressed when Lincoln helps them take down his deranged teacher, and make him their chief tactician following the defeat of the cannibal family.
  • Stolas is also impressed when Lincoln's spellcasting abilities exceed his expectations.
  • Downplayed in that Vortex is a Punch-Clock Villain, but the hellhound does give props to Lincoln for managing to avoid Verosika and her fellow succubi since the bet was made, and even is impressed when Lincoln dealt with the cops later.
  • Blitzo is impressed when Lincoln stands up to the cherubs, since it's the first time he sees the violent side of Lincoln.
• Villain Takes an Interest: While Blitzo initially helped Lincoln out of pity, he does start throwing Lincoln more bones when his penchant for magic and strategic planning become more apparent.
• Villains Want Mercy: After Lincoln dropped a grandfather clock and rendered Mr. Stillman paralyzed afterwards, the substitute teacher begs Blitzo not to kill him. It only gave Blitzo more pleasure in killing the bastard.
• Violence Really Is the Answer: Played With; Lincoln desires to see the good in everybody, but his encounters with Martha and Lyle got him realizing that there are in fact people in the world not worth saving. So, while Lincoln refuses to kill out of a moral conscious, he becomes less reluctant to use violence against other people if it comes down to it.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: Not quite girlfriend, but Ronnie Anne is just as upset and impatient over Lincoln's disappearance as his friends and family are.
• Virgin Power: 'Pure unspoiled chastity' is like candy to a succubus, meaning Lincoln is considered just as irresistible to Verosika and her crew as a succubus would normally be considered to everybody else. This is best displayed in "OZZIE's", where virtually every succubus in Lust tries to flirt with Lincoln.
• Voice of the Legion: What Lincoln sounds like when his demon half takes control.
• What Is This Feeling?: Verosika is stunned when Lincoln praises her for saving his life. While she's used to humans praising her, it's usually about her looks rather than something to be thanked over.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Lincoln asks why Blitzo and the other imps don't just simply kill Lyle like they're supposed to before Blitzo states that it's more fun to screw with the cherubs' attempts than to do so.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: After seeing a certain hotel owner's commercial, Lincoln starts to take this approach to the demons around him, believing that there is some good in them and that they aren't as bad as they seem.
• Would Hurt a Child: Many of the antagonists I.M.P. come across have no qualms about wanting to harm or even kill Lincoln. Mr. Stillman, Lincoln's substitute teacher for starters, lures the kid into his house for a sacrificial ritual to maintain his youth, kicking off the events of the story. It's implied he was doing this for well over 50 years to boot.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Played for Drama. Lincoln gets disturbed when he's praised by the denizens of Hell for indulging in violence and fears that he may lose his humanity.
• You Are Not Alone: After the fiasco during the events of "OZZIE's", Lincoln tries to assure Blitzo there are people he can talk to about his problems, but Blitzo just brushes Lincoln off, much to the latter's disappointment.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Loona's reaction to Lincoln not having any real baggage or history of misdeeds in his life.
  Lincoln Loud: "How exactly would you know for sure? Is it that hard to believe that there are humans with normal secrets, not horrible ones?"
  Loona: "Right, and I bet you don't peep at your neighbor's window when she's changing?"
  Lincoln: "What?! No!"
  Loona: "Seriously? Huh. Okay, but I bet your room's filled with cigarettes you stole from some store. Really? Not even like broke some school windows, set fire to trash cans, nothing?"
  Lincoln: "Well, I once broke my dad's trophy by accident."
  Loona: "Oh, come on, kid! You're making yourself even more out of place here than before!"
  Lincoln: "So, it's a bad thing I don't have some dirty little secret?"
  Loona: "It'd make you less...nice!"
• Your Heart's Desire: If Lincoln's hallucination because of the truth gas is anything to go by, his greatest desire is to be able to keep both his human family and demonic friends.
• You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: Due to the curse and his presence in Hell causing some sort of negative effect on his soul, Lincoln becomes more violent whenever he gets angry, with his eyes even turning red. And if he gets really pissed off, his Superpowered Evil Side activates.

---