Imp

Imps are underlings of Denizens and are the most common and unchallenging enemies in Homestuck. They are described as cannon-fodder, and are visibly afraid of higher ranking creatures.

The imps' trickster behavior and harlequin-esque motif of its clothing in the kid's session are due to having inherited the physical and behavioral attributes of John's kernelsprite when it was brought to The Medium. Having been prototyped with the harlequin doll, the light and dark halves carried the 'information' of the doll to the spires on Prospit and Derse, respectively. The imps' appearances, as well as those of the other underlings, were altered as a result. After Rose's and Dave's prototyping and entrance to the Medium, Imps appeared possessing variable aspects of their prototypings, including Harlequin, Cat, Suit, Cthulhu, Princess, Beak, Wings, Sword and any combination of the prior. They are also noted to be stronger after the second prototyping. After Becsprite prototyping other varieties of imp have presented possessing Bec's dog cheeks and ears as well as his reality warping powers. In the troll's session, imps, just like all underlings, are prototyped with a number of monstrous permutations, taking attributes from the prototypings of 11 dead lusus and the frog from the blue Frog Temple.

Types of imps

The easiest way to get rid of the imps house/hive is to just tell them to get out. I'm not sure why you haven't thought of that.

Table of known Imp types

Original Planet	Imp	Grist	Description
L O W A S	Shale Imp		A variety of imp which appeared in John's house in Act 2. Shale Imps are responsible for John's Dad's kidnapping and are almost certainly the source of the oil-like sludge strewn throughout John's house, as the greater part of the creature is pitch-black and drips visibly during Strife with John. These Imps are linked to John's associated item, Oil. Their name is probably a reference to oil shale. John blames the Shale Imps for the defacing of his posters, but it turns out he had defaced them himself months ago in his sleep.
	Mercury Imp		Mercury Imps are a variation of imp that drops mercury. They have more health than Shale Imps, but less health than Cobalt Imps. It is unknown whether or not they are coated in toxic mercury.
	File:Cob impstance clown suit cathulu.gif Cobalt Imp		Cobalt Imps appeared at the start of Act 4, along with Mercury Imps. They are a dark blue colour and drop cobalt, as their name suggests.
L O L A R	Chalk Imp		Chalk Imps appear in Act 4. These imps are made of Rose's Associated Item, Chalk. They are first seen on Dave's computer screen in the Sburb window attacking Rose, something to which Dave didn't pay much attention. They appear to leave small piles of chalk behind them as they move.
	Marble Imp		This variety is first seen on the Land of Light and Rain when one attacks Rose. They appear as white with swirls of pink, with a marbled effect, as their name would suggest.
L O H A C	Amber Imp		Amber imps are encountered by Dave in the Land of Heat and Clockwork. They are based on his Associated Item, Amber.
	Rust Imp		A Rust Imp is first seen in Derse when Parcel Mistress appears to get Jade's parcel. More are seen getting killed by Dave in the Land of Heat and Clockwork.
L O F A F	File:Uranium Imp.png Uranium Imp		Uranium Imps are based on Jade's Associated Item, Uranium. They inherited reality-warping powers from Becsprite, which allow them to warp themselves and others around the Medium. Additionally they appear to be unusually tough for imps, barely taking damage from Fear No Anvil, one of John's strongest weapons. One of them made it 'nigh impossible to farm (Salamanders') goddamn mushrooms' and was encountered by John near mushroom farm in John: Enter village

Hivebent Imps

Several Imps of unknown grist types appear in Hivebent. The imps of LOPAH, LOTAF, LOSAZ, LOMAT, LOBAF, LOLCAT, LOQAM, LOTAM, and LOCAS have been seen. It should be noted that that LOQAM Imps appear to be dropping Quartz grist, and thus might be Quartz Imps, in line with the planet's name.

Karkat and Jack face some imps on LOPAH

Terezi with three times prototyped imps on LOTAF

Tavros with imps on LOSAZ

Vriska slide tackles an imp on LOMAT

Feferi threatens imps on LOBAF

Nepeta about to slash some imps on LOLCAT

Equius ignoring an imp on LOCAS

Aradiabot and Equius fighting Imps on LOQAM

Gamzee chilling with imps on LOTAM

Trivia

• When Jade and John were watching John's favorite movie, some imps were seen watching it with them.