#thug lizard

[sonjavart]

prompt: can i get uhhhhhhhh fanart of my icon?

My skills in drawing animals are very limited. You know this about me. He a thug tho.

[otisbeerdraws]

Lizard thug from Ratchet and Clank on break📱🦎

For PythonBlue

[velnna]

The more I learn about your comic... The more I fall in love with it. Especially your bugs! Like can you explain more about them? I'm really curious about them (from the full bugs to the hybrids and anything else that comes to mind).

Anyway your art is wonderful and I adore seeing it on my dash. And you can info-dump too. If you want ofc.

Thank you!

The worldbuilding is a work in progress (as it always is, but the first chunk of the comic itself is pretty self-contained so we've been slowly tinkering at the rest of the world and creatures as we go without affecting it much), so we mostly have loose rules and ideas for the bugs as a species. Or anything in between for that matter.

For all intended purposes, bug people are all the same species and can usually cross-breed within mechanical constraints, as well as mix with the elves we threw into the mix. Genetics? Don't know her. We operate on Sims logic here.

A full bug has roughly a human lifespan, with some variation depending on the type of bug it's closer to and some type-specific quirks. The one we've explorer the most, as it pertains to Ashton and the latest batch out of the oven, is the ability that some types might have to undergo metamorphosis, usually at the expense of lifespan. This is Ashton btw

And this is Ashton pre-metamorphosis:

Something like this isn't super common tho! So despite me drawing a bunch of butterfly or moth people they generally don't get to that point and stay looking more like funky lizards with many arms

Bugs can have many arms or legs or eyes, funky colours, exoskeletal bits, antennae, or look pretty close to your average human/elf with hidden bug features. Dahlia for instance is a vaguely spidery bug but can easily hide a bunch of her eyes and secretes venom thru hidden glandes so you could mistake her for an elf

Meanwhile it'd be very hard to mistake someone like this guy for anything other than a horned bug

If u catch my drift.

Some bugs are small! Some are huge. Some are out there committing atrocities

Some dont look like bugs at all

They're generally not as physically strong as the average elf but more resilient in a cockroach kinda way. They can have a chaotic range of circulatory systems and internal organs that sometimes just make them really hard to kill and its also pretty hard to keep track of every variation of the species and their quirks.

That being said in a lot of places they're super common and coexist with elves just fine, mix up and it's also not super uncommon to have half breeds like our man Staeve (the ThUG edition). The closer you get to elf the longer you live and less "non human" traits you have. There's also a bunch of different types of regular ass elf and it all falls under the elf category unless we decide to name them something else down the line.

Then you've got a smaller category of super elves that have been isolated for so long they never blended with anything else, are more attuned to magic and in general have a sort of mythical status amongst everyone else. They also have the longest lifespan at around 250 ish years.

That's sort of the TL;DR for now! Ollie and I have started to put all the info we've got into a single repository and do want to start sharing it (probably as patreon posts for now) because comics are slow and the scope might not encompass that much of what we want to explore of this world. And the chaotic idea machine never stops

Here's a metamorphosis meme for ya

[acediaedeus]

I just know coming off of the battle high after a spar with Ichigo makes Grimmjow a little bit dumb, and he’s suddenly all loose, and relaxed. a cat readying for a nap after eating a mouse it caught for lunch.

so obviously this state of his leads to some interesting revelations. because the first time Ichigo witnesses this abrupt relaxation he immediately goes into panic mode, and hurries over to check on Grimmjow. but all Ichigo gets when he grasps his forearm to pull the fucker up and get him into the healing spring, is a half-lidded look full of reverence and satisfaction, which hits him like a freight train, and makes him go dumb too. because, sure, he’s witnessed his fair share of Grimmjow’s satisfied looks. but all of them were marred by blood splattered across Grimmjow’s everything, coating his sword, his hands, a lot of the times his teeth (asshole loves taking a bite out of him), they were pure battle and blood thirstiness. this? this is wholly uncharted territory. it’s soft, and contented, and all around nothing like what Grimmjow is. and then it hits Ichigo that maybe he doesn’t know what Grimmjow is like at all. and then, for the first time in his life, he finds himself jealous, of all things. because there definitely someone that does know this side of his favourite Arrancar (there isn’t).

also, let it not be forgotten, that Ichigo’s kind of an idiot, at least when it comes to things that aren’t beating up thugs and gods, or Shakespearean tragedies and dramas. so it should be no surprise that this also happens to him. that just like Grimmjow, he too, becomes just a tiny but dumber. but instead of a cat that got the mouse, he’s more akin to a lizard basking on a sun-warmed rock.

revelations come from this too. and although at the start of their arrangement Grimmjow isn’t even close to being so nice as to help the asshole up, and make sure he’s fine, that doesn’t stop Ichigo from propping himself up on his elbows and beaming an absolutely blinding smile at Grimmjow, before passing the fuck out. and because Grimmjow is still unsure of what’s to happen now, and also not at all accustomed or prepared for human interaction, he thinks the bastard’s good will ran out already, and this is some pathetic last resort attack on his senses. but Kurosaki’s not moving, very obviously sleeping (and isn’t that an insane power move? “hey look, I’m so sure you’re not anywhere near my level, that I’m going to sleep right in front of you, my enemy.” downright mocking, how dare he). he opens a Garganta, and ditches as fast as his sonído will allow, before his brain even starts trying to find any other explanations as to what THAT was. he tries not to think about it, and swears to, from now on, leave before Kurosaki attempts any bullshit.

but the next time it happens some stupid curiosity wins out, and he stays, and he watches as the Shinigami does the whole routine all over again, and… Grimmjow suddenly can’t breathe, can’t take his wide (surely from fear) eyes off of Kurosaki’s prone figure, his face bursts into flames, his mouth runs dry, and that useless dead heart in his chest beats out of rhythm. whatever he’s doing, whatever that attack is, it’s working, and Grimmjow better get away fast.

later, much later, Grimmjow will realise that the reaction he, at first, classified as a symptom of poisoning, was him falling in love with the way Kurosaki’s permanently scowling face stretches out in an expression of pure joy just for him to see.

[fatkish]

What if Spinner had a quirkless girlfriend who is similar to Esmeralda from Disney’s “hunchback of Notre Dame” She can handle herself pretty well in a fight, and despite what others may think she’s confident in her relationship with him.

Spinner x Esmeralda Reader HC’s

Spinner had been on an errand run to get food and had gotten spotted by heroes and was trying to escape when you pulled him into your house

You helped him hide from the heroes and cops and let him go once the coast was clear

When he asked you why you helped him, you told him that everyone falls on hard times and sometimes they just need a helping hand

He’s skeptical at first but eventually he leaves

When he sees you fighting a couple thugs in an alley he goes to help you but you’ve already kicked the thugs’s butts

He watches in amazement as you don’t even use a quirk to fight, you just rely on close combat skill

After the thugs run away from you, he walks up to you and asks how you managed to beat them without using a quirk

You then reveal that you don’t have a quirk

He’s amazed and compliments your fighting and skills to which you give him a kiss on the cheek before you leave

Cue sweet lizard boy’s heartbeat increasing

As time goes on, you both continue to run into each other and your kindness towards him continues to befuddle him

Eventually he just comes out and asks why you’re so kind to him

You tell him that it’s normal for a (boy/girl/person) to be kind to someone they like isn’t it

He’s stunned. You like him? Him?

You tell him that you think he’s cute and that beauty isn’t something that has a concrete definition. To you, he’s beautiful and you’d be interested in taking him out on a date, if he’s interested

Spinner stutters and shyly accepts your proposal

You two go out on dates to cafes, arcades, movies and whenever someone bothers you, you’ll shove straight facts in their faces and make them regret mistreating Spinner

He thinks he’s incredibly lucky and struggles to believe that you’re actually interested in him. He has difficulty understanding why you’re with him if you don’t seem to get anything out of dating him

The other league members are surprised when they find out you’re quirkless after seeing you kick butt so much without hesitation. They actually accept you and treat you as an equal.

You’re officially their number 1, go-to person for errands and stuff since your face isn’t known to the public as part of the league

Spinner is very protective of you and you both train together since you both don’t have combative quirks.

[tachimichishrine]

"sap"

⫭◦ପଓ◦⫬

tachihara machizou x fem! hirotsu's daughter! reader

warnings: nsfw ; shower sex ; oral (receiving); masturbation (m); cursing ; bondage; fluff to smut ; idk how to write warnings; unedited ill do that later

being a part of the black lizard had its fun, but some days were boring, like today; tachihara slumped his body against the wall as he stole glances at hirotsu, who seemed just as disinterested.

"cigarette?" the old man offered, placing one in his mouth and lighting it while gunshots rang out in the background. some small rival organization - even rival was a generous word - had "forgotten" to pay back the port mafia. one warning was given and they were told to go fuck themselves, so the black lizard battalion was called. apparently, this organization had some kind of powerful ability users as executives, but whoever they were, they didn't show up for the slaughter.

grunts, low level thugs and anyone else got caught in the crossfire. both mafia members watched the wall of suits fire off enough gunshots to fill up the night sky if bullets were stars.

"i still don't get why we gotta be here for this," tachihara grumbled, taking the offer and placing the plume of smoke to his lips. "seems like they just talk a whole lot of shit."

"it's never wrong to be cautious," the senior member retorted. he puckered his lips and made a ring of grey that floated listlessly in the atmosphere alongside the smell of blood. "the boss specifically warned me about a dangerous woman who could wipe out our troops in one shot."

lips curled around the cigarette, sucked on the nicotine and exhaled pure sarcasm. "yeah, well looks like she's a real pain in our asses."

a few moments passed in silence - or rather, with only white noise echoing in the abandoned warehouse, white noise being a steady stream of gunshots. it was music to both their ears - and surely enough, no one showed up. every thug had enough bullet holes in them to make the notion that a single one survived laughable. tachihara pressed his forearm to the wall and pushed himself off, stretching dramatically with a sigh.

before he could complain again about how lame this mission was, the wall exploded.

not so much an "explosion" as a deformation. it was pushed back, and tachihara barely had the time to react before a giant hole was pierced and a woman came out.

"well, fuck," she glanced at the sea of corpses on the ground, then back at tachihara with a playful smirk. "I guess you're the mafia shithead who I was just told I gotta put down. sucks that I got here late though; if you hadn't killed all my subordinates, I might've let you live, pretty boy."

she looked young, too young to be an executive. despite this, she walked with the kind of confidence that got his skin crawling in anticipation. finally, this night gets more interesting.

he pulled his guns out of their holsters and pointed them straight at her face, mimicking her expression. "you're shit out of luck, lady, 'cause I'm gonna-"

"[_____]?"

hirotsu, who had been briefly blown out of the way, came walking back in with a look of shock on his face. the redhead rolled his eyes; he didn't care whether or not the old man knew this lady, he was going to blow her brains out.

only, as his gaze reverted back onto her, she had the same expression as hirotsu did.

in fact, she was blushing, embarrassed like a schoolgirl who'd gotten caught.

"...dad?!"

what the fuck?

tachihara felt his hands lower a little as he took in the situation, and his eyes just kept darting to his superior, then to his enemy. shellshocked isn't the right word, they were looking at each other like neither had a clue what to say.

"shouldn't you be in school?!"

"dad, since when are you in the fucking mafia?!"

"language!"

the woman dropped her gun, groaning with her face in her hands, muttering to herself. "great, this is great. what the hell?! I knew you did shady business, but I didn't think-"

"is this where your university fund money has gone?" the mafioso's face was red too, from what could only be guessed to be anger mixed in with shame and shock.

"no, I'm still in class, I just... hey, don't distract me, old man. why didn't you tell me you were in the port mafia?"

"why didn't you tell me you were a gangster?!"

"because it's none of your business!"

tachihara's presence grew smaller and smaller as he watched the whole debate happen. it was awkward in a manner he couldn't describe, as he felt not only that he was intruding, but that this was definitely not something he should be listening to. he tucked his guns away, mostly out of respect for hirotsu and the fact that he wasn't about to shoot what appeared to be his daughter.

a few moments later they were hugging.

"sorry dad," she muttered as she pulled away from the embrace. "if I had known, I would've told you..."

"it's alright, but you shouldn't keep things like these from me, [_____]."

sighing, the woman chuckled nervously then promised she wouldn't. she crossed her arms and leaned her back against the deformed wall, then took a look around. she seemed to suddenly notice that tachihara was still there.

"well..." she looked at him then giggled a little, likely embarrassed about the whole situation. "I guess I'm not gonna kill you after all, huh?"

he didn't know what to say, because what is there to say? obviously, this conflict couldn't go anywhere further. thankfully, hirotsu intervened. "what will you tell your superiors?"

"no idea. they just called me to ask me to return to base to protect all of these hopeless fuckers-"

"language."

her eyes rolled. "dad, I'm not 5, I can swear. pretty boy here agrees, don't you, red?"

it took tachihara a moment to realize she was talking about him. once again, his mouth opened but his boss was quicker to respond.

"do you throw yourself at all men like this, [_____]? I thought I raised you better than that."

ignoring his comment with a wave of her hand in the air as though swatting away a fly, she continued. "as I was saying, they just called me. I could technically tell them that I got here too late and the culprits were gone, but I don't think that would bode well with the news that they just lost 90% of their entry-level grunts."

slightly annoyed, the tuffs of grey hair nodded. "you're right, they won't. what's your plan, then?"

a shrug and a pursing of lips. "no clue. you sure I can't just kill red and bring his body to-"

"why don't you just join the port mafia?"

the suggestion came from the one who had barely spoken all night. of course, he didn't think hirotsu would actually let him be used as a scapegoat, but all this banter felt useless. "since your organization is dead in the water anyways. if you just leave, they'll kill you as their final act, but if you join the mafia, you'll have protection."

another shrug. "he's not wrong," she said, "plus, I could just work with you."

hirotsu wanted to protest, but logically, they were both right. despite not wanting his daughter to get involved, he had faith in the mafia like no other member, and was loyal to no ends.

and that's how hirotsu [_____] found herself a member of the black lizard.

her father hated it, of course. the only people who knew they were related was tachihara and gin, the latter picking up on it after a while of noticing them bickering like they had a past.

over time, tachihara got snippets of the story. it seems like at some point, the old man had some sort of relationship with a woman who didn't know he was in the port mafia. time progressed, and they drifted apart. 5 years later, he saw her again with a child's hand in her own.

it was the only time hirotsu had ever requested time off from the mafia.

it was awkward, his former lover telling him that she didn't think he needed to know about it because she wanted to raise the child herself. however, that's not the kind of man he was, let alone the kind of man he'd ever been. it started by asking her name, then he wanted to be properly introduced to her. after a few years, he would have coffee with his partially estranged daughter every other month. he often sent money, which was never used out of pride. when [_____] decided to pursue her studies, she found the stash of cash her mother had been hiding and decided she didn't care for pride. apparently, she was jumped when getting home after a long day of lectures, and her use of her ability got people talking. before she knew it, she was being recruited to the underground for enough money to set her for life.

it took several years for her relationship with hirotsu to improve, but there seemed to be some kind of mutual respect between father and daughter.

not in the mafia.

"dad, I'm not going to do something just because you-"

"I'm your superior, [_____], you can't give me attitude like a teenager. and don't call me dad in these settings."

tachihara thought it was funny. she seemed to like innocently getting on her dad's nerves, and she often used him to do it. she'd get bold some nights and flirt with him right in front of the old man's face. tachihara would feel guilty if he didn't think it was fucking hilarious.

on this particular evening, she didn't seem to have anything better to do than pester him and do her absolute best to get on his nerves.

"so you're saying you've never seen him drunk? not even once?" she giggled, sitting on the table as he tried to write his report for their last mission. her feet were swinging and the table would shake with every swing of her legs, and it was getting harder and harder to concentrate.

"no, look, can you just shut the fuck up for a second so I can write this?" he nearly snapped the pencil in half. her smirk only grew at the sight of him being frustrated. "do you really have nothing better to do with your time?"

"nahh." her chest vibrated with a playful chuckle. she tilted her head at him, then slammed her hand onto the pile of papers he was trying to fill in. "this is lame, paperwork isn't for our kind. c'mon, don't tell me this isn't boring you out of your mind, red. let's go do something else."

one fleeting thought of 'fuck it', and suddenly they were at a bar, downing shots like they were on a mission.

"I bet... you couldn't handle 3 more," she slurred, liquid swirling around dangerously close to the rim of the glass, threatening to spill over. somehow, her shit eating grin was unaffected by the liquor; if anything, she'd gotten worse. her fingers would settle on his thighs grip too tight and too far up, the tips of her shoes would play footsie with him, and she straight-up tried to kiss him a few times. she couldn't handle her drinks very well, and he had only now realized what a stupid decision it was to take her up on her offer.

"that's enough for the whole month, [_____]," he rolled his eyes with his signature scoff, and grabbed her wrist to push it away from where she was teasing at. "you need to go home."

"are you finally gonna take me home, pretty boy?" she tried to lean in again, and he scooted backwards. flirting with his boss' daughter for fun was one thing, but something about her demeanor tonight seemed serious. he just hoped she was too drunk to remember the blush dusting his cheekbones.

"I am going to call you a cab." he enunciated every word clearly so she understood it, but as soon as his hand reached into his pocket, she placed hers on top to stop him.

the look in her eyes looked completely sober.

"I'm serious," she whispered, and he could practically feel her gaze on his lips. her eyes darted back up to his own, but before she could say something else that would confuse him further, she seemed to realize her words and her entire face flushed a deeper colour.

she stammered something incomprehensible, threw way too much cash onto the table and walked (if you can call it that) outside. tachihara didn't know what to do, so he just watched her go. she'll probably be fine. probably.

he didn't know why his face felt so hot and his cheeks hurt from a subtle smile.

weeks later, and they'd made a tradition of skipping out on reports to go do something, anything except what they were supposed to do. walking along abandoned streets at night in hopes of picking up a fight, or going to a bar and picking someone for the other to take in a fistfight. a lot of it involved fighting. all of it, really. they'd show up to work the next day littered in matching bruises, and hirotsu's face would glow red and he'd have to excuse himself. giggling like children who knew exactly what they were doing.

tonight, tachihara got knocked out by a man twice his size, and it took her using her ability to get him to back off her partner in crime. she dragged him to her apartment to put some ice on it.

"that was really funny," she teased, tossing him a bag of assorted frozen items to place on his temple, which took the brunt of it. "I though you were really a goner for a second, there."

"ha, ha." the sarcasm was dry, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the thrill of seeing his life flash before his eyes. "I would've liked to see you try."

"an ambulance had to pick up the guy after I was done with him," she retorted, sitting on the sofa next to him with her feet up on the armrest. "actually, I've been meaning to ask you something."

a sigh in response. he took off the frozen bag from his skin and set it on the table, then looked at her. she winced.

"that's gonna need stitches, tachi," she remarked, then thought for a little bit. "I have glue somewhere, we can use that for now then have the port mafia medic fix it tomorrow, yeah?"

she didn't wait for a response, disappeared and reappeared after a string of curses thrown at herself for not being organized enough to know where she puts things. she had what was possibly medical glue but also possibly craft glue in her hands, and she glared at him. "lay down, dr. [_____] is here to save the day."

he quirked up a brow, then quickly relaxed his face after realizing the pain that was brought on by doing that. "weren't you drunk earlier tonight?"

"greatness knows not the bounds of liquor."

"what the fuck does that mean?"

she only giggled, then sat next to his head as she pinched together the skin and tried to apply the glue. her hands were shaking and it was clear she had no idea what she was doing, but tachihara prayed she was doing more good than harm. although, who knows.

"ow, ow, take it fucking easy," he grit his teeth together as she manhandled his injury. he could've sworn he saw her grinning at his pain.

"calm down princess, I'm done," she raised her hands in a sign of innocence, then took a closer look at her work.

tachihara watched in slow motion as her gaze moved further and further up his face.

"is... is your hair dyed?"

the room went dead silent. he had no idea what to respond, and for the first time since he joined the mafia, he felt stupid for letting his guard down. how did he forget to retouch his roots and then let someone get so close? how-

"you'd look really cute with black hair."

...what?

"that's your natural hair colour, right?" she kept going, raking her fingertips through his hair. "man, I feel lied to, I called you red for so long. why'd you dye it?"

"because I fuckin' felt like it," he grumbled out, having no other response. he felt such relief when she just giggled to his answer.

"fair enough. red was definitely the right colour, though. you'd look like shit if you went blonde."

he was so glad she let it go. he tried to sit upright, his head still throbbing from the pain, but she just looked at him curiously.

"I'll get you another mystery frozen item from the freezer," she laughed, getting up and rummaging through her kitchen. even with her face in the door of the fridge, she spoke, "I still haven't asked you my question from before, by the way. I just wanted to know how you got into the mafia."

out of one tight situation and into another.

he considered it; he considered it long and hard, way before she'd ever even asked the question. most of the time, if anyone asks, he'd just say it was none of their business. but he couldn't get away with that kind of response with her.

so, he told the truth.

"my... my brother joined the army during the great war. I just... I hated being compared to him by my family, so I wanted to get as far away as possible from his path, and ended up at the mafia. nothing much to it."

at least, part of the truth.

she pulled her face out of the fridge, looking at his expression for a moment. she tossed him another frozen bag and quickly sat back at his side.

"that sucks. was dying your hair also part of your rebellious phase?"

his nostrils flared at her teasing and he rolled his eyes, barely holding back a grin. "shut up."

laughing, she moved her body closer to his and put a hand on his delicately. "seriously, though, sorry to hear that your family didn't treat you right. I mean... I don't have that with my parents, but I know that it's tough being compared with someone else. but I don't know how that would apply to you. you're literally who I wanted to grow up to be."

he put down the ice pack because clearly it was affecting his hearing.

"like... I dunno. you're a badass who doesn't take shit from anybody. I mean, sure, you get your ass handed to you in bar fights and you don't have an ability, but so what? dad respects you, and so do I. not really sure how your brother compares to that."

this time, there wasn't anything to hide the stupid expression on his face. he just looked at her blankly like he'd never received a compliment in his life, which made her laugh even more.

"man, you really do have self-esteem issues, dontcha? if I had known you couldn't handle compliments, I would've said this ages ago. anyways," she got up, again, and stretched out her back, "don't worry about it, let's pretend that conversation ended there. so, are we dying your hair at your place or mine? because I don't have any dye and the store closes soon if we're gonna go buy some."

his mind could barely keep up with the way she was jumping from topic to topic. in the end, he just pushed his confession and her response to the back of his mind, and got up as well with a shrug. "my place, then. but you don't need to-"

"nonsense! I've been wanting to try to dye someone else's hair forever. plus, you're my partner in crime, I can't let anyone see that you're a big fat liar of a redhead."

her laugh felt so comforting to him. he felt like he was floating out of her apartment, out onto the street and all the way back to his own. his mind was just a blur (maybe it was from a concussion from the blow?) and in no time, he found himself sitting down with his head in between her thighs, gloved fingers massaging his scalp.

"okay, so the instructions say to rinse off and you're good!" she beamed, looking at her work proudly. "no need to thank me, by the way. despite my professional work, this one's on the house."

he chuckled, getting up and being careful not to get anything to touch the stained hair. "fine, then I won't thank you. I could've done this myself too, but you insisted, so if anything I should be charging you money."

shaking her head aggressively, she placed a finger on his lips while attempting to look solemn. "in that case, let us never speak of this again."

a few more minutes, and he was in the shower, the excess red streaming down from the water and making a puddle at his feet. she kept talking to him, loudly, from the other side of the door.

"how's it going so far?"

"it's almost all out, just be patient, damn," he laughed back, the final bits of red coming out of his hair until all the water that went through his hair came out clear. he turned off the faucet, and the stream stopped. he had barely dried his hair and wrapped a towel around his hips before he saw the door open.

"[_____], what the fuck-"

"sh, I want to see how it came out," she strolled right up to him and grabbed his face with one hand, tilting it in different directions to see all angles of his wet hair. as if he wasn't nearly naked right now. as if this was perfectly normal. "it looks good, but it's still wet so the colour doesn't show fully yet, right?"

he grabbed her hand and pulled it off of his face, looking at her seriously. "[_____], don't play dumb, you-"

"... saw an opportunity to see you shirtless, and I took it," she shot him a grin. then she suddenly seemed to get a little sad as she shook her head. "sorry, that isn't funny. um... I'll wait outside."

he watched her walk out just as quickly as she walked in. he slipped on his clothes quickly, then walked out to go find her standing at the entrance, putting on her shoes. ready to leave.

"hey, what are you..."

she cut him off, not even maintaining eye contact as she slipped her heel downwards and tied up the shoelaces. "look, tachi, I'm sorry. I just get excited sometimes and forget you don't feel the same way."

"what the fuck do you mean, don't feel the same way?"

now, her gaze met his. she looked confused. "I told you, weeks ago, that I was serious about the flirting. I even tried to kiss you, and kept dodging, so I got the message. it's fine, I get it. boss' daughter, or maybe I'm just not your type or whatever, but it's okay. I don't mind, I'm getting over it."

"holy fuck, [_____], you were drunk when you said that and I thought you were..."

he couldn't finish his thought. it was hard not to notice the hope in her eyes as she seemed to realize that he hadn't actually said no yet.

so, he said yes.

she kicked off her shoes hastily as his hands went to her waist and he pushed her back against the wall, lips eagerly devouring hers. her head slammed backwards, but her hips were pushed forwards to meet his own. her hands on his chest; one of his on her waist while the other secured itself at the base of her neck, pulling her in closer.

it was hot sweaty and fast, and they ended up back in the shower. he didn't expect her hands to roam the way they did, but she'd managed to have his entire chest coated in her touch before they even made it inside.

she murmured his name into his lips, and he responded by biting her lower lip harder. her fingertips were now on his back, his tight frame feeling warm and so right as it grinded on hers. her thigh went up to his side, and tachihara realized just how much she wanted him. fuck. he couldn't believe he waited so long for this for no reason.

he dropped down to his knees. as soon as she saw him look up, her thighs clenched together and he could feel them shaking in anticipation. he threw one leg over his shoulder and his breath barely hit her pussy before he was eating her out like a man starved.

and she was so damn loud. every flick of his tongue on her clit, every time he sucked on her lips, every thrust of his fingers inside of her, she seemed to get more vocal. at first, it was just curses, mumbling fuck like it was the only word left in her vocabulary. then his name. he'd never heard her say it like that before; she'd called him tachi sometimes, but never michizou. just the sound had him dragging his free hand from her ass down to his erection, palming himself as she kept moaning out for him. it was worse when she'd roll out the praises. fuck you feel so good... michizou, hngg... fuck keep doing it like that, you're so perfect... and she'd gasp as he sucked on her needy pussy and tell him how perfect he felt inside of her all over again.

he couldn't even handle getting her to climax before he lost control. his face was still buried between her legs, but he couldn't concentrate on the way her hips would grind on his face anymore. he needed relief and he needed it fast. she glanced down to find him pounding himself, and her hand at the back of his head gripped down on his hair and yanked him upwards. back on his feet, she brought his lips back to her own before briefly pulling away, spitting in her hand and taking his cock in it.

his forehead was pressed up against hers, but he was having trouble maintaining the kiss through broken moans and grunts. he'd try to bite his lower lip to muffle a whimper, but every time he did, she would just pump him harder until it was impossible to muffle the sounds he was making. every scream from his lips drove her pace to the next gear until he was coming undone under the soft drizzle of hot water droplets, washing down his cum from her stomach.

she took it slower, gentler as he felt so fucking raw from falling apart so fast under her touch. she let go of him and placed his cock between her thighs and pressed them together, letting him rock his hips and fuck them as she kisses him again. her lips get rougher, as she goes from peppering his jawline with love to nibbling on his earlobe to piercing his skin and leaving marks on his neck that won't go away anytime soon. he arcs his neck backwards, tilting his chin upwards to give her better access as she gets greedier and greedier, taste of his flesh intoxicating her.

"michizou..." she sighed into his skin, then brought his face back up to her level, one hand in his hair and the other positioned on his abdomen as her thighs are glistening from the hot water vapor of the shower, her arousal trickling down and the pre-cum already leaking out his tip. "fuck, michizou, your body... you're so gorgeous, I just want to wreck you until you forget your own fucking name." her words weren't particularly sultry or pretty, but the way she was murmuring it into another kiss got him hard all over again.

"baby, can we... bedroom..." the ask barely left her lips before his hands went onto her hips, lifting her up a little bit as they stumbled out of the shower, barely wiped themselves dry with the towels and connected their mouths again as he pulled her to his room. she backed him inside then pushed his shoulders, his back bouncing on the mattress as he realized this was the first time he was seeing her, fully bare in front of him, in his bedroom. just the sight of her perky tits and curves got saliva pooling under his tongue and eyes scanning her hungrily.

she turned her head around, looking in his room for a few moments before opening drawers and boxes like she was in a hurry to locate something. he shot her a look.

"[_____], what are you..."

she pulled out two belts from a drawer with a grin on her lips.

fuck.

she murmured something about not needing to do this if he didn't want to as she climbed on top of him and kissed him gently, but he just rutted his hips upwards in a desperate motion to show her just how much he wanted her.

in one motion, his wrists were tied together with the first belt and pinned above his head. in another, he was biting down on worn leather and a makeshift gag was soaking up all the drool he couldn't control. that was the point: he couldn't control anything. and it felt so fucking amazing.

she kept stealing glances at him as she checked to make sure he was still on board, and when he gave her a slow nod, she flipped him onto his stomach and secured his hips under her own, legs spread out over his ass.

with only her hips, she pushed him downwards so that his dick pushed up against the sheets and the mattress. she knew it wasn't enough to do anything but edge him until he went mad, and no matter how much the bed was shaking and the frame was creaking, it wouldn't be as good as what he felt fucking her thighs. but the view was so damn pretty: his face drowning messily in the sheets, mouth gagged and wrists tied together. she grabbed a handful of his wet hair and yanked him back as she grinded slowly on his ass, dripping lustfully onto him.

it was fun edging him, but the muffled whimpers signaled he was desperate. giving into his desires, she plunged her hand between his parted legs and gripped onto his cock which was humping the mattress. she just held him with a hard grip, and he did all the work for himself, thrusting his hips as well as he could while pinned down by her weight and restrained. tears were prickling at the corners of his eyes. he wanted to tell her how badly he needed her, but the damn gag was turning his pleas into muffled whimpers and moans.

she finally let him out from under her body and flipped him onto his back, but not before stealing in a smack on his ass, which was now coated in her pussy's tears.

"want me to fuck you, baby?" she murmured with a smirk, leaning down to let her lips brush up against the shell of his ear. "is that what you wanna say?"

he nodded hastily, no more shame as now the only thing he could feel was the need for her tight pussy around him. she loosened the gag, then slid it off of his mouth in order to kiss him again. "I wanna hear you. I wanna hear your pretty voice telling me how good I'm fucking your cock, yeah? can you do that for me, michi?"

he couldn't even respond as she lowered herself onto him and dragged a long moan from deep within his lungs, which were on fire. he could barely breathe, he could barely think. all he could do was what she told him and jut his hips upwards to hit her as deep as possible. all the control she had and she couldn't help but curl her toes and dig her fingernails into his shoulders as he screamed out her name and groaned with every thrust. his eyes squeezed shut as he let the feeling wash over him, but they didn't stay that way for long as they locked onto her tits, which were bouncing up and down with her on him, not to mention her face was hot and her hair was still wet from the shower.

it was too much, too fast, despite the slow build up she forced him to endure, suddenly he found himself choking as he tried to tell her that he was close. she was first; walls collapsed around him and she exhaled a thready verse of his name. she finally let him pull out at the last minute, and he came all over himself, stomach coated in the warm sticky liquid. her chest rose and fell with every heavy breath as she watched him, then unfastened the restraints around his wrists.

he wiped his stomach clean with one of the sheets and tossed it somewhere in the corner, a problem for tomorrow, then slipped under the rest of them.

she shot him a hesitant look. "do you want... can I stay?"

he grabbed her wrist and pulled her body onto his, then pressed a lazy kiss on her forehead. "always."

"sap," she teased, snuggling into his warmth and wrapping her arms around his waist. "my dad is gonna go fucking feral when he hears about this."

a gentle chuckle. "isn't that what you've been tryin' to do ever since day 1?"

"shut up, sap," she grumbled into his chest, eyes fluttering shut as she remembers his hair then fluffs it. she craned her neck upwards to get a better look, and smiled softly. "the dye turned out well."

"next time, I'll let the colour grow out," he whispered, dreamy amber eyes looking at her through low eyelids, "since you said it would look cute."

"sap!" she cried out again dramatically, then kissed him slowly again before looking at his face again. "I really did mean it, by the way. when I said that you're perfect to me."

he blushed; somehow, that was what brought the most colour to his face all night. still, he was without a response. he just slid his fingers up her back and pulled her closer. he buried his nose in the top of her head before he thought of a response. "sap."

"shut up."

they giggled and fell asleep in a world where everything was right.

[suchusoid]

Where are all the vigilantes

Has anyone else noticed the lack of viglantes in mha?(excluding the vigilantes spin off manga) Like, the only characters in the main series that count vigilantes are gentle, la brava, and stain. With the former two being thieves who want to be famous, and the latter being a goddamn serial killer. Izuku briefly acts as a vigilante but then goes right back to ua after his "friends" beat him down... oops I mean "Help" him. So I've decided to take matters into my own hands and create a vigilante oc myself. Everyone give a warm welcome to Hachurui Waniguchi.

alias: herpeton

Quirk: herpetile

Quirk description: herpetile gives the user the features and abilties of a wide assortment of amphibians and non avian reptiles. This can range from herculean strength(herpeton is about as strong as spider man and the lizard), and atomic grip, a speed of 830 mph, wall crawling, steel crushing jaws, venomous spines, highly enhanced senses, extra senses, walking on water, breathing underwater, a super long prehensile tongue, gliding, cat like reflexes, high jumping, super regeneration, extreme durability, protective mucous barrier, pheromone induced telepathy to towards any tetrapod, a long tail, sonic croaking, high pain tolerance, cloaking, and a flexible body.

Even with his smorgasbord of abilities, herpeton does have some weakness, such as the cold, pungent odors, electricity, and vibrational attacks like sound or shockwaves.

Backstory: Hachurui was shojis best since kindergarten and the two have been like brotgers ever since. Hachurui was the son of kyoryu and ogama waniguchi, who were famous mutant rights activists. Unfortunately, his life changed when an anti mutant mob led by the villain dreadknight. Hachurui managed to escape but his parents weren't so lucky. Fleeing to the big city, rui was feared for his animalistic appearance and quadrupedal locamotion. Eventually he switched walking on two legs more often and pulled his tail in like a turtle to appear at least somewhat human. One night he came across two thugs mugging an old man. Using his monsterous appearance he scared away the crooks and helped to old man home. Turns out this man was Icarus pipistrello, who belonged to a long line of quirkless vigilantes that have been serving up justice sinced before quirks even existed. Icarus adopted rui as his son and through his mentorship, became the terrific herpeton. Now he attends ua as a gen ed student with his more humanoid form, and in his spare time he takes his more animalistic form as the vigilante herpeton. But it seems a certain sidekick-turned-president-of-the-HPSC wants him out of the picture, lest he tear down the illusion of hero society he had worked so hard to maintain.

Well what do you guys think? I'm thinking of using this as a baseline for an au I've brainstormed. It will have changed from canon like bakugou never getting into ua, all for one being dead 6 years prior, all might already retiring at the start due to a crippling injury, sir nighteye being the head of the hpsc, the league of villains never forming, etc.

[dokk-fukuro]

Shrift [Fyodor Dostoevsky x f!Reader]

A/N: mentioned of female genitals, smut, slight degradation, orgasm denial, aphrodisiac, some sort of dubcon.

۞₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪۞

The instinct of self-preservation is only half of the requirements that are necessary to avoid problems. A sense of tact and banal politeness can also help prevent worse outcomes, but not for me, apparently, because I still don’t quite understand what I did to deserve the fate of being a prisoner in some damp basement. How long have I been here, what am I for, and who is my kidnapper? I don't know the answer to any of these questions. However, sometimes it is better not to think about such things, especially if the fantasy is rich. And yet, how could a thug from the Black Lizards unit be useful to someone? I only know how to kill. A kid picked up from the slums, taken from his parents who didn't care about me or my brothers. From us it was possible to blind anything, so they blinded. But none of us complain about it. Life in the mafia is not so bad, at least it's better than stealing and getting punished if we get caught.

Twilight reigns in the basement where I sit. Almost nothing is visible here, but even subtle sounds echo. All this time, it seems to me that I became a target simply by accident. Whether they torture me or not doesn't really matter. After all, my comrades most likely abandoned me, and none of them even look for me. In my mind, I apologize to Gin, who instilled in me the will to fight no matter what, to Higuchi and Akutagawa-san. I can't escape, they don't know where to look for me, so leaving me to my fate is the best decision they can make.

I hear someone's steps. It doesn't bother me, it doesn't confuse me. I was preparing for this moment. Now the one who will torment me will appear before me. In exchange for what? Not a single idea comes to mind what anyone might need from a Black Lizard fighter. We all know only what will be useful. We are not initiated into the details, and no one asks for more. Everyone is satisfied.

“It was not easy to drag you here, but the Master ordered.” I hear a voice. I raise my head to see the one in front of me. A pale, slender young man appears in the light of the lamp. It's hard to say for sure how old he is. His wide smile from ear to ear is a little unsettling and reminds me of the times Higuchi saw Akutagawa-san at the end of the corridor. She always frightened me much more than this freak with a bandaged head, who keeps looking at me with unblinking eyes. “And his wishes are my command. Tell me, darling, are your hands numb?”

I frown, trying to guess who put me in the basement and why. And only at the moment when this someone voiced, I realize that I can’t lift a finger. The blood has drained from the limbs, so they almost don't feel like my own. For the first time I wanted to cry like a little girl, ask questions, burst into three streams of tears, but I suppress these desires in myself. This shouldn’t be in my nature, otherwise shame on me as a fighter of the Black Lizards.

"What do you need me for?" Still, I can't resist asking a question. The young man in front of me squints contentedly, as if he had been waiting for this moment. True, he definitely does not like that his question is ignored. I get punched in the stomach, knocking all the air out of my lungs.

"I think I asked a question. It's impolite of you to leave it unanswered," he reminds me, but before he clearly wants to hit me again, I hear someone else's steps. Someone in front of me abruptly stops and clears the passage, standing near me. Clearing my throat, I raise my head to see the one in front of me. Pale, black-haired, with a snow-white cap on his head. His purple eyes are dead, as if there is no sign of life behind them. Even in Akutagawa-san's eyes, I didn't see that. He has a little life in them.

Silence reigns. No one says a word and it honestly pisses me off, which is pretty amazing. After an indefinite time of silence around, I hear someone's voices, and now, when silence is around again, I want to scream. Why was everyone silent? The silence feels like torture.

There is a stir on my right as a young man with a bandaged head moves away, leaving me alone with the man who entered after him. Compared to me, he is tall, which is even a little uncomfortable. Even Akutagawa-san, who is also taller than me, doesn't push as hard as a stranger does. His gloved hand grabs my lower jaw and squeezes it hard.

And it begins to dawn on me who is in front of me. In the meantime, I heard Kouyou-sama raging about Ace, saying that he allows himself too much. To be frank, no one liked him much. I didn't like seeing him around from time to time. Head of the Port Mafia Executive Committee. His ever-sly squint and smirk, as if he won the lottery from this life, strained. I wonder if this asshole is still alive? Most likely not. And now the one that Ace was holding back in his prison is holding me in the basement. Fyodor Dostoevsky.

“And you are not one of the talkative ones,” it only dawns on me at this moment that he has been addressing me all this time. I purse my lips and... I hear clicks above my head. Hands fall, located along the body, and rushing blood pricks unpleasantly in them. I still can't move a finger, so trying to grab the hand that's still holding my face fails miserably. But why would he release me? Even more, why does he need me?

Through simple deductions, the only completely rational thought comes to mind. I can be used as one of the possible leverage. Dostoevsky is not so stupid, and probably already knows enough about me to use it. The brothers will definitely not be able to ignore my sudden disappearance, so it will only benefit him if those whom he challenges arrive in his lair. And, it seems, with this conclusion I fall into the very “ten”. At least that's what Fyodor's grin indicates. Can he read minds? Or is my thought process so obvious to him? Most likely the second.

“You are not so stupid if you managed to figure out part of my plan so quickly,” comes to my ears in confirmation of my guess. A closer look seems to eat away my soul by the teaspoon. Under the gaze of dark purple eyes is so uncomfortable that I want to scream. I can hardly restrain myself, for which I get laughter in response. Quiet, slightly husky. The whole situation seems to amuse him.

He doesn’t say anything to me anymore, he just leads me like I’m on a leash. On the other hand, it will be better if I obey, although I have nothing to lose anymore. However, it still surprises me that no one is going to force any information out of me. Although, knowing who Fyodor Dostoevsky is, this is also not surprising. He doesn't need to torture anyone to get what he wants. He, like a rat, can penetrate anywhere, get the right information and go unnoticed. It remains only to hope that my brothers will be smart enough not to be provoked and not to be led by their emotions. This will lead to fatal errors. The mere failure to comply with the order for all of them can be very costly, to say nothing of the fact that one of my older brothers may well question the correctness of the decision taken by our leadership. If only they had enough brains...

The corridors seem the same. Only the people in them are different, so it makes no sense for me to remember the path. I walk in complete silence with Fyodor. He doesn't give any explanation, he doesn't say anything. On the other hand, it's even better. Around the next turn, the same young man with a bandaged head is waiting for us again. His thin lips curve into an ear-to-ear smile. All I hear is “So she’s ready,” but I don’t attach much importance to this, although my mind is hysterically rushing about in search of explanations. What am I ready for, what will they do with me? For the first time I am so scared that I am ready to call for help. I'm being handed over to that strange person, but I... don't mind.

There is darkness before my eyes, I can’t see where I’m going, I listen to every rustle, as if my life depends on it. However, there is some truth in this. Any of my wrong actions can entail such consequences that death seems to me the most humane solution. In front of me, someone hums a simple tune, leading me by the hand. Disorientation in space leads to the fact that I seem to almost collide with something, but I am abruptly pulled to the side with the words: “What a careless creature.” It sounds with tenderness and even some pity. I'm still not asking questions. I obviously do not need it on foreign territory. Here I am destined to play by the rules dictated by the one who runs everything. And this is Fyodor.

It looks like we're going outside. At least fresh air without a hint of dampness gives an opaque hint of it. Behind me, someone chuckles nastily, fixes my wrists, and a stabbing pain pierces my shoulder. It's like a syringe. Apparently, they decided to poison me or stuff me with something that would force me to kill my own people, and then carry myself away after them. They push me in the back and I fall onto the metal floor. Something closes behind me. The sound is similar to the doors of a truck or minivan. The rattling of the ground beneath me makes me think I've been pushed into a car and taken somewhere.

Where are we going? “I need to keep my mouth shut. How many more times do I have to repeat myself in order to remember once and for all? In answer to my question, I hear laughter. Nobody gives me a clear answer. “You will find out everything yourself,” and I begin to like it less and less. As well as the fact that I get hot, my breathing becomes heavier, and my body begins to tremble. Is this the effect of poison? Not likely. More like the effect of some kind of drug. And, what is most disgusting, the way the car is driving on obvious off-road makes the situation worse. Any bump, any unevenness in the road makes the car shake, sending vibration along my body, and the inability to see anything in front of me only aggravates the situation.

The silence around is alarming, and only somewhere in the distance is heard how someone plays the cello. Hope I'm not mistaken. But for some reason even this does not calm me; on the contrary, I start to get even more nervous, and every step becomes only more difficult to take. All sounds, smells, even a slight change in air flow - everything is felt many times brighter. I bite my lips, feeling the heat build up between my legs. I need at least some touch, at least a minimal amount of friction... no, it only makes the situation worse.

Someone else's touch on the shoulder makes me stop and breathe out noisily. I can’t think clearly, I can’t concentrate on at least one thought. My hands are behind my back, the handcuffs are unpleasantly pressing on my wrists, my clothes also seem to fetter my body. And it dawns on me what they did to me. But for some reason I'm not even horrified by the realization that I somehow don't care. My mind has been drugged, my body yearns for someone else's touch, but I don't care if it's because of what I've been injected with. Desires override common sense.

The melody gets louder and then cuts off. I hear the rustle of clothes, as someone rises from his seat. Steps. One, two, three. I shake a little when the sensation of someone else's warmth gets too close to me. Touching my hair feels good. I purse my lips, it is not clear why, I can obviously be easily read, like an open book. The door behind closes. Clicks behind the back.

“No, no, don’t take off the blindfold, it’s not time yet,” yes, he definitely sees right through me, so I let him do whatever he wants with me. Hands rest on my shoulders, and I exhale noisily. A smile is heard. “It seems that Ivan went too far with the dose. But that's even better. You're so receptive and it's so dirty. I will cleanse your body and soul from sins. Come with me.”

It's Fyodor by the voice. He languidly draws syllables, his speech is viscous like syrup, just as cloying, the touch of his gloved hands - I'm still sure that he wears them - slow, studying, and I almost squirm in his hands in impatience. Anything, please, but let this agony end. The desire, which already painfully reduces the inner side of the thighs, does not come to naught, but is only fueled by someone's touches. It is unbearable!

He takes me by the hand and leads me somewhere. Apparently, I was too immersed in the concentration on other people's touches that I notice the coolness of the air only moments later, when Dostoevsky pushes me, and I fall on the bed. It's cold, it sends goosebumps all over my body, and I can't hold my breath on the verge of a moan.

Rustling of fabric. I can't figure out if it's because I'm fidgeting in the cool bed, or if Fyodor is undressing, but his hand is touching my bare thigh. My parted lips tremble; the touches are so weightless, there are so few of them, that in this agony I am ready to beg for more. I almost suffocate, my head is spinning, and the ghostly touches, which already seem like a dirty joke of a naughty imagination, do not stop. My body is being explored with hands, as if studying reactions to touch here and there. When a hand comes to a stop on my neck and squeezes it, I let out a moan, unable to control myself.

“Your sinful desire is so strong that it’s disgusting to touch you. I have not yet begun to caress you, and your face is already twisted in sweet agony. Such a vicious one,” Fyodor clicks his tongue and laughs huskly. His hand unclenched and grabbed my chest, squeezing noticeably. “But I can't do anything about myself. You poison my mind with your desire, you should be ashamed.”

His words, like poison, penetrate the skin, spread through the veins, igniting the flame only stronger. I should be embarrassed, that's a fact. I should be ashamed that I can't control myself, can't just find the strength to push him away, pull off the blindfold, and just run away. However, even if I try, it is unlikely that it will go unpunished, and then I will have to guess: he will beat me, or someone else will do it. But in this case, I definitely won’t leave alive.

My mental tossings do not go unnoticed, that's for sure, because again I hear laughter in my ear, and a whine escapes my lips. I can't take it anymore! That's too much! His voice sends goosebumps down my spine, turns on a drugged mind, and the pain from the force with which he pinches my nipple brings me back to reality. I am in a stalemate, completely naked on the bed in the arms of Fyodor Dostoevsky, who does with me whatever he wants, as if I were a toy to satisfy his desires. Exactly his desire! And somehow I don't mind at all.

The palm that tormented my breast descends lower to my parted legs, stroking and squeezing the inside of my thigh, slapping it as dry, hot lips attack my neck, leaving painful kisses that will bloom in hickeys. I can't hold back any longer. I arch my back, long moans and pleas to touch my pussy, to stop this torture, break from my lips. I can’t take this anymore!

His hand circles around my labia, parting them a little, but his fingers don't push any further. Where Dostoevsky touched me with his palm, it was burning hot, as if it was still there, but I hear rustling and something falling on the bed, and now another slap on the thigh feels more painful, it is more sonorous. The brunet took off his glove. And now he is attacking my body with double fury. I can even feel the teeth digging into my skin, but all I can do is moan and move towards him. More. I want more!

Once again, my breath tightens in my chest as I feel two fingers pierce inside me with that characteristic wet sound. Shame washed over me from the bottom of my stomach to my head, but I had to accept it while Fyodor sucked and almost gnawed into my chest. I don’t even think to bring my legs together. I just spread them wider. He laughs and gives me the order to remove the blindfold, because he wants to see my face in moments of sinful pleasure.

“Such a pleading look. You're so pathetic underneath me But this is not enough, you must understand.” Dostoevsky continues to move his fingers inside me, pulling out moans from my chest. I tighten around his fingers, look at his body. Sickly pale skin, as if he had anemia, without a hint of scars. The brunet is subtle, but with all this he has incredible strength. The look of his dark, purple eyes literally devours me, and the wide pupils give him only more gloominess.

He drops kisses on the places where he left marks. There will definitely be bruises, and then his dry lips cover my bitten ones, while the knot in the bottom of my stomach pulls, dissolving in languor. I'm about to come, but everything is cut off, his fingers leave my body, leaving me on the edge. I'm almost ready to cry.

"Please, Dostoevsky." I can barely manage to squeeze out as soon as the distance between our lips increases. He pretends not to understand what I want from him, and for some reason I am ashamed to say this out loud. The brunet touches my body, squeezes the nipple with his fingers, squeezes my chest, rubs his erection on my thigh, but doesn’t bring me to orgasm. “Please, fuck me. I want to cum.”

Fyodor laughs hoarsely. He clearly has more composure than I do, although judging by the way his body trembles, he's on edge too.

“What a pervert you are. You want to feel the dick inside you so much that you’re ready to beg.” It doesn’t matter what happens to me later, if I feel good now. With one movement, Dostoevsky fills me to the accompaniment of my loud moan. He doesn't give me a minute to get used to it, he starts to move, groaning gutturally, my lower stomach feels nice as I feel the young man pushing deeper and deeper into me. Fyodor stares into my eyes as his pace gets faster and rougher, his hands clutching painfully at my hips, digging their nails into my skin, my legs pinned against my chest as he ram unceremoniously into my body, making me scream.

With another deafening scream and a sharp, deep thrust inside, everything subsides. Dostoevsky freezes, looking at me. Disheveled, out of breath, with a maniacal smirk on his face.

“We are not done with your shrift, sinner. I will fill you again and again until you repent.”

[quotidianish]

“Where’s Winter?” he whispered, nudging Ostrich with his elbow. She sat up and looked around with blurry confusion.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “He was here a moment ago.”

Qibli twisted in a frantic circle and spotted a shadow flitting through the pear orchard. He couldn’t shout for Winter lest he alert the whole compound. Qibli groaned internally.

  “Stay here,” he whispered to Ostrich. “Stay as hidden as you can. We’ll be right back.”

She nodded, strutting back into the shadows.

  Qibli hurried after the Icewing prince and realized that he was aiming for the courtyard, separated from the orchard with a wall. It was enormous, surrounded with buildings and a partial bailey, blocking his view of the inside. The bricks were painted in a turquoise and amber mosaic of snakes and lizards chasing one another endlessly.

  Before even seeing where Winter was headed, Qibli knew all too well what he was planning to do. The courtyard was noisy with birds and other pest-like creatures, alongside the distinct growl of a dragon.

Arrrrgh, Winter, you obsessed ninny.

  He caught up as Winter was tinkering with the lock of the metal gate. It stretched up to an arch at the doorway, where the mud had begun to crumble, smelling of spoiled food, live pigs, and dates. 

“Are you serious?” he said, and Winter jumped a mile, which was almost hilarious enough to make this side excursion worthwhile.

  “Shhhhh!” Winter hissed.

“What are you thinking?” Qibli whispered.

  “I’m thinking your horrifying grandfather will make this poor dragon into tomorrow’s buffet,” Winter whispered back. “Unless I save it.”

“Right now?” Qibli asked. “In the middle of our own precarious escape?”

  “Well, I’m not planning on coming back!” Winter said, tugging on the lock again. “Hey, you’re a street thug. Can you pick this lock for me?”

  “An Outclaw is not the same thing as a criminal,” Qibli protested. “Oh, fine, move over.” He studied the lock for a moment, unsheathing his kirpan and inserting it into the mechanism, wiggling it around until he heard a click.

  “Now what?” he asked Winter as he nudged at the gate, careful not to open it too wide so the hinges wouldn’t creak. “We shove it in a bag and carry it off into the desert with us? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this, but dragons aren’t exactly travel-sized.”

  “We’ll just let it out,” Winter said, pacing past him into the moonlit quadrangle. “It’s smart enough to fend for itself after that.”

   Qibli decided not to point out that it hadn’t been smart enough not to get caught in the first place.

  Winter crouched beside a large chain, bound against the beige dragon’s hind leg and anchored into the ground with weights. Despite having thrashed helplessly a moment ago, this time it peered curiously down at them.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Winter said softly. He looked around for the small alcohol lamp by the window they’d seen earlier, and carefully reached for its shackle. Upon bringing the flame close to the brass chains, the heat thawed through the metal like snow. They both stepped back and waited.

  Slowly, the levitation-esque creature raised its head, tearing its obsidian black eyes from the two humans and towards the night sky. A plume of smoke shot through the air as it flapped its enormous wings once, then twice, then lifting itself off the ground, sending a whirlwind of sand flying into Qibli’s face, before swiftly gliding away to freedom.

[aarcanechaoss]

Part One: Glass Balloon

Masterlist | Part Two

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa didn’t mourn.

Warnings: Hinted AkuHigu, death, blood, angst

Note: This is sad but I had a vision and needed to write it iykyk

Her ears were ringing. A violent and shrill trilling from the bullets raining down on them.

No.

On her- their target had been aiming right passed Akutagawa and straight at her.

A garbling sound left her mouth, pain searing through her torso as she stumbled backwards.

Ichiyo Higuchi had been shot.

She had been shot and was stumbling back towards the edge of the cargo ship the Port Mafia had sent them to stall. The pain was numbing and searing all at once, it was all she could feel even with the ringing in her ears and the blood now dripping from her lips.

All she could see was a hazy vision of Akutagawa’s back as he turned slowly and the men who had shot at them being sliced apart.

“Higuchi!” She barely heard Tachihara’s voice over the ringing as she swayed and he was so very far away. Her gun dropped beside her as she placed a hand against her stomach.  

Hot, wet, sticky- blood, her blood. That’s what she felt against her hand, that’s what she saw when she raised a shaking pale hand into view.

And then she fell.

And fell-

And fell.

She was cold now, cold and tired even with the tightening in her lungs, the burning pain in her chest and stomach and… everything.

It was dark now and all she could think about was her sister and the Black Lizard… and how disappointed they’d be with her as she died.

~~*~~

Akutagawa dodged bullet after bullet, Rashoumon slicing through each thug he saw and blocking every bullet he physically couldn’t dodge.

It took no time at all before every single thug was dead, cut into ribbons by his ability and- a thud behind him, the sound of metal clattering to the ground. With his defences still up he turned, slow, prepared to take out one last insolent-

“Higuchi!” Tachihara screamed… the man screamed for the woman behind Akutagawa and so he swung around as quick as he could.

Oh.

Fuck.

He’d dodged every bullet… but not all of them had been aimed at him.

Higuchi was swaying, stumbling back… back. Akutagawa felt his breath catch and not the kind that was followed by a painful coughing fit.

Blood spat from her mouth and his eyes widened before dropping down, down to where her hand had pressed against her stomach, where multiple bullet’s had hit.

She stumbled back again as she raised her hand and he watched as Tachihara bound forward- he was so far away, he wouldn’t catch her… only then did the Mad Dog of the Port Mafia surge forward.

He was too late.

She was falling.

She was over the side and in the water before Rashoumon could reach her.

A laugh behind him had Akutagawa spinning on his heel, Rashoumon flaring around him. The leader, the only one left alive was laughing because he couldn’t save her. He couldn’t even dive in after her because of his illness- fucker.

Rashoumon surged forward, grasping the ringleader in a tight hold.

“Kill me Mad Dog- kill me like I killed the Bitch.” He laughed, some psychotic and wretched laugh that grated on his ears. “Come on! I killed a Higuchi- me, I bested her.”

He didn’t understand what that meant, didn’t know if he wanted too or not. What Akutagawa wanted was to rip him to shreds and to take his time with it.

So no, he wouldn’t kill him yet but Mori will certainly make sure he never saw the light of day again. And so Akutagawa knocked the insolent fool out and dropped him on the floor as hard as he could.

Akutagawa took slow steps towards the edge where she had fallen, to where Tachihara was kneeling wide eyed and… crying. Tachihara was crying.

Akutagawa didn’t understand why. People died in their line of work all the time so why did… why did this one hurt.

Gin and Hirotsu rounded the corner with Black Lizard grunts following suit and prepping to clear the sight. Quiet, he and Tachihara were so quiet.

“Where is Higuchi?” Hirotsu asked and for once Akutagawa didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to speak the words into existence.

“Brother?” It was Gin this time, quiet but wary. “Where is she?”

“She fell… he-” Tachihara slowly turned to face Gin and Hirotsu the pointed to the man Akutagawa had knocked out. “He shot her and she fell.”

Akutagawa’s breath caught again. He hadn’t been fast enough, he hadn’t even seen the bullets aimed for her- somehow it was his fault. Gin’s hand wrapped around his wrist, worry clear in her eyes.

“He-” This time it was Akutagawa who nodded towards the unconscious ringleader. “-said he’d bested a Higuchi… whatever that means.”

~~*~~

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa didn’t mourn.

He’d never done so before and he wouldn’t start now as he stared at the empty desk across the room. No one had the heart to clear her desk, no one wanted to just yet.

He didn’t understand why.

Emotions weren’t exactly his strong suit but he’s sure he could figure out why there was a dull pain in his chest when he thought of her.

Two days. She’d been dead for two days and her body still hadn’t been found.

A funeral, they needed to plan a funeral.

That hadn’t really hit him until yesterday when he saw Ozaki guide a young girl who looked startlingly like Ichiyo- Higuchi, startlingly like Higuchi- into her office and Tachihara had followed not far behind.

He didn’t understand that either.

Thoughts of Higuchi plagued him as he and the Weretiger staked out a warehouse, waiting for Dazai or Edogawa’s signal.

Higuchi should have been with them. Ichiyo- he blinked away the thought. He’d never called her by her first name before and there was no reason to now, not when she was dead, not when her body was somewhere in the depths of the port.

“Akutagawa?” Nakajima was looking at him with concern. He hated that and proved so by scowling right back at him.

“What Weretiger?”

“I heard about Higuchi. I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Stupid empathic weakling.

“She was your friend wasn’t she? There’s no shame in missing her.”

“I don’t miss her.” Akutagawa snapped before grumbling and turning his head away from the white haired man. “She was a nuisance.”

He could practically feel the eyebrow raise from the Weretiger.

“Ah yes I too find the woman I stare at when I think no one is watching a nuisance.” There was absolutely an eyeroll that followed that for sure. Sarcasm was what Nakajima did best some days… and that pissed him off.

“I didn’t stare…” Right?

“And I’m not a Weretiger.” Akutagawa could only shoot the man a glare followed by his middle finger.

“Shut up.”

“Just saying there’s nothing wrong with admitting you miss her. She was nice, I liked her.”

“I don’t miss her.” He said again, this time he doesn’t even think he believes himself.

“Nice heart to heart boys but we have action inside- get going.” Dazai’s voice for once grated on Akutagawa’s ears. “Camera is in a shit spot- about a dozen thugs went in and now it’s dead quiet in there.”

Soft singing echoed through the large space. The Mad Dog would almost think it was an elaborate prank had it not been for the stench of blood in the air.

Hurrying both he and the Weretiger followed the singing, a song that struck Akutagawa as familiar…

“When my heart just burst like a glass balloon

I let it fly too high and it shattered too soon

I was the wrong damn girl in the wrong damn room

I broke my glass balloon

I let go of my glass balloon…”

Something made Akutagawa stall, something in his chest tightening as they rounded the corner, a woman was… dancing. She was dancing through the corpses.

The woman had dark hair from the lighting of the warehouse, dark and decrepit just as most thugs and nuisances liked it. Even with the terrible lighting he could see the blood stain on her crisp white shirt.

“They call him Hermit the Frog

He's looking for a dog

Did you find your bitch in me?

Oh, you're abominable, socially

You're just a little bit too much like me…”

She turned, moonlight striking her pale face and he froze.

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa actually froze.

“Akutagawa?” Atushi had been right behind him, he had yet to see what he could. “What’s wro-ng…”

He could see it too. Akutagawa wasn’t going insane.

“What’s happening?” Edogawa asked- though Akutagawa could vaguely hear the sound of chewing. “Why’d you go so quiet?”

“Not dead are you?” Dazai questioned next.

There was this strange glow around her as her hand grasped at a barely conscious man’s chin (he hadn’t even noticed that there was someone alive). A raspy laugh fell from her lips as the man turned… grey? No. His face turned gaunt, blood dripping from his mouth as she let him go, as his body slumped to the floor.

Drained, she’d drained that man.

“Atsushi? Akutagawa!” Dazai whined over the line.

But she turned again, like she had heard his breath hitch and her eyes locked on his.

It was impossible.

His mind was racing, his chest tightening, breath catching as a cough surged through him. Nakajima was easing him to the ground in a second as the woman seemed to knock from her haze.

She swayed on her feet, blinking furiously like her vision was only just coming back, like she was fighting off something in her head. Another cough surged forward, this time it hurt, this time he thought his heart just might stop as Ichiyo Higuchi stared back at him.

[stephdragonness]

Redesign my Ratchet and clank Sona.

Redesign my #ratchetandclank Sona. Thugs-4-less lizard/Hybrid, She moves around with Jobs so does mix of work over the years. Thief, Assistant, Smuggler, personal service.. what ever pays well.(more info on FA/DA) (🩷👽Squishy Dr Nefarious- Progs twins - the Smuggler…others )

make lil sketch comic meeting nef on impression.

[ashes-2-ashes57cba]

The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 13: Infested

edited by @ryleeeeeenn warnings: entomophobia (the fear of bugs/insects), dislocated thumb (intentional)

“Cid better pay us extra for that mission,” Echo complained as the group exited the ship. Specter scoffed.

“Don’t count on it,” she mumbled.

“Eh. It wasn’t so bad,” Wrecker shrugged.

“She failed to mention the drop zone would be swarming with gundarks,” Echo argued.

“I would prefer gundarks to the Yalbec. At least the gundarks only want to kill you and not mate with you,” Specter shivered, recalling the mission before they were dispatched to Anaxes. 

“It’s not the first time Cid has left out key details,” Tech commented as they walked through the streets of Ord Mantell City. Specter noticed a few characters—people she didn’t recognize—scattered near the parlor; she could tell that Hunter noticed as well when he kept glancing at the helmeted figures. Omega stayed close to him. He and Specter shared a look before they entered the parlor, which, oddly enough, was full of patrons and more of the helmeted figures.

“When did this place get so popular?” Echo wondered.

“And who are they?” Tech asked.

“Not our problem. Let’s find Cid,” Hunter urged, nodding towards her office. However, a thug stopped them from moving past the doorway into the hall.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, bumping into Hunter’s chest. The thug sized each of them up, taking a noticeably longer look at Specter. Before she had the opportunity to make a snarky comment, Hunter punched him and threw him against the wall. The Batch walked past the downed man and into Cid’s office, where they were met with blasters raised at them; the Bad Batch raised their blasters too, Specter opted for her bigger rifle.

“It’s rude to barge into one’s office unannounced,” a man’s voice said, sitting behind the desk. He was a tall, green-skinned Devaronian, holding a pet, some sort of lizard, in his arms.

“This isn’t your office,” Hunter said through bared teeth. Two more guards appeared behind the group from the hall. Wrecker and Echo turned to point their blasters at them. Specter shifted her stance, standing protectively in front of Omega. The Devaronian scoffed.

“Guess again,” he mused, sitting up and placing the lizard on the desk.

“Ruby?” Omega wondered, recognizing the creature. 

“She’s my prized pet,” the man said, petting her affectionately.

“What are you doing with her?”

“I paid. Cid delivered,” he explained, feeding the lizard a treat.

“Uh huh. That’s nice. And where is Cid?” Specter cut in. The man glanced at her before shrugging.

“Cid’s out.” He stood up and walked around to the front of the desk. “This parlor and Ord Mantell are now my territory. But if you’re looking for work, I might have use for you,” he offered, letting his guards lower their weapons and sending a pointed smile at Specter. A sort of growl rose up in her throat.

“We’ll think about it,” Hunter said, putting away his blaster. The others did the same, except for Specter, who merely lowered her rifle, still eyeing the Devaronian.

“You do that,” he said with a smirk.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We’re getting off Ord Mantell,” Hunter said as soon as they were clear of the parlor and its new thugs. “Tech and Specter, prep the ship. The rest of us will gather supplies.”

“But what about Cid?” Omega asked. “What did he mean when he said she was ‘out’?”

“Given his tone, it is a plausible assumption that Cid was either forced out or taken out,” Tech said.

“Well, we have to find and help her,” Omega urged, running to the front of the group and stopping them from entering the docking bay. 

“Do we have to?” Specter complained. The little girl scowled and crossed her arms. The clearing of a throat caught their attention.

“Nice to see one of you cares,” Cid said, leaning against the entryway of the Marauder. “Inside. Now,” she ordered. The group glanced at each other but went nonetheless.

“We need to get in the habit of locking down the ship when we’re gone,” Specter muttered.

“So you boys met Roland,” Cid said, pacing back and forth in the main hold. Behind her, Bolo and Ketch were playing Sabacc on top of Gonky. “He’s a former client and the son of crime boss Isa Durand. Roland’s trying to make a name for himself by joining up with the Pykes.”

“What’s he doing on Ord Mantell? This is quite the stretch for Pyke territory if I’m correct,” Specter asked.

“The port’s connected to multiple hyperspace routes, ideal for smuggling. My parlor’s right in the middle of the action. Roland saw the value in it and took it,” Cid explained. “But we’re taking it back.”

“We?” Hunter repeated, gesturing between Cid and himself. 

“If I lose, you lose. Don’t forget how good I’ve been at keeping secrets,” she reminded. 

“I believe she’s threatening us,” Tech observed. 

“You’re quick,” Cid shot back. 

“When we needed help, we came to Cid, remember?” Omega said, turning to stand in front of the Trandoshan and face the group. “Now she needs help. We can’t just walk away.” Cid smiled and nodded.

“You tell ‘em, Tiny,” she encouraged. Hunter sighed, shaking his head.

“So what’s your plan?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“My sources tell me that a buyer is meeting Roland tonight to acquire a shipment of spice he’s storing in my back office,” Cid explained as they walked away from the ship.

“You want to disrupt his supply chain by stealing the shipment and thereby sabotaging the deal,” Tech said matter-of-factly.

“Very good, Goggles,” Cid teased. “When the Pykes come to collect, Roland won’t be able to pay, and he’ll be their problem.” Specter rolled her eyes at the Trandoshan’s devious plan, but couldn’t help but feel anxiety churn in her stomach; if Cid could think of a plan like that against someone she considered an enemy, she didn’t want to know what contingency plan the woman had in mind if the Batch somehow got on her bad side. 

Specter blinked hard, letting her eyes and helmet viewscreen adjust to the sudden darkness of the underground. Her flashlight, along with the others’, provided enough brightness for them to see rusted walls, leading out to a cavern. 

“Where are we?” Hunter asked.

“Ord Mantell’s old mining tunnels. These rails run underneath the city. It’s how we’re sneaking into my parlor to steal the spice,” Cid explained.

“Well, why don’t we just walk in there and take it?” Wrecker asked. “We can handle those guards.”

“No one can know we’re involved. Roland is one thing, but the Pykes aren’t an enemy you want to make. We’ll use these carts to transport the crates of spice.” Cid walked onto one of the carts.

“They’re not in the best shape, but I can get the motors operational,” Tech observed.

“No. Motors are too loud. This is a stealth mission. You boys are good at that, right?” The Batch looked at each other, unsure if they should give Cid the truthful answer. “What about you, Shorty?” the Trandosshan turned toward Specter, who stood at the back of the group, holding herself and glancing around the cavern. “They tell me you’re the best spy they got, and I can see you fidgeting. I didn’t think you were capable of being scared of the dark,” she sassed.

“Hey, I am not scared of the dark… just of the critters that lurk in it,” Specter admitted, pushing past and stepping onto the cart with Tech, Cid, and Omega. Cid scoffed and started cranking the cart forward with Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo following behind. Omega and Tech shone their lights at the tunnel around them while Specter crouched down a little by Tech. 

While Wrecker was afraid of heights, Specter’s irrational fear was of bugs and similar creatures; she was always embarrassed to admit it, but even Geonosians were at the very edge of her limit. She shivered at a phantom sensation down her spine. A few quiet minutes passed before they slowed to a stop, reaching a door that blocked off the next section of the tunnel. 

“Now, listen up,” Cid turned to the group. “When we pass through those doors, not a peep out of anyone. We don’t want to wake the hive.” Specter latched onto the railing at the word, feeling herself grow pale at the thought.

“The what?” Echo questioned.

“The caverns have a slight infestation problem,” Cid shrugged, turning to face the doors.

“We’re not afraid of a few bugs,” Wrecker chuckled confidently.

“Uh, Wrecker,” Hunter nudged him, nodding towards a squirming Specter. “You gonna be alright, Spec?”

“H- hive,” was all she was able to say. 

“Well, it won’t be a problem if everyone keeps their traps shut,” Cid advised. “Big Guy, get the door.” Wrecker sighed and shuffled along the narrow ledge, grabbing onto the door latch and prying it open. Omega placed a hand on Specter’s, giving her a reassuring smile. She nodded in thanks and took a few deep breaths before they entered the cavern. 

Distant sunlight shone from a gap in the ground far above them. Specter watched as Tech and Omega looked down and around the cart while Cid moved them along. Tech gestured for Specter not to look down, who nodded in reply. She glanced behind her; Hunter and Echo observed their surroundings as well.

She flinched at the sound of flapping. 

“What was that?” Wrecker whispered, noticing as well. He brought out his flashlight, but Specter watched in horror as his clumsy hands let it slip out of his grip. She followed the light as it sank down into the darkness of the hive below them. Her knees buckled. 

“What did I say?” Cid said with a gasp.

“It was an accident,” Wrecker scoffed. They all kept their lights trained on the hive, listening to the creatures rumble and screech… before falling silent.

“I’m going to kill you,” Specter hissed in his direction.

“Keep moving,” Hunter ordered the group. 

They wasted no time in moving through the caverns, arriving, finally, at their destination.

“We’re here,” Cid announced, stepping out of the cart. The others followed suit, Wrecker and Specter bent over panting, relieved to be out. “This ladder leads into my back office. Up you go,” the Trandoshan ordered, nodding up to the access port.

“Without eyes on the office, how do we know Roland is not inside?” Tech questioned.

“I’ve got that covered,” Cid reassured, pulling out her comm and sending a signal. 

“Let me guess,” Specter said, finally standing up and rolling her shoulders, “Bolo and Ketch are on distraction duty?”

“Very good. Now, care to explain why you’ve got the heebie-jeebies for bugs?” the Trandoshan bit back. 

“No, as a matter of fact, I don’t care to tell you anything,” Specter hissed, crossing her arms. She would keep that card close to her chest. Cid went to reply before Bolo gave the-

“All clear,” through the comm. Specter brushed past Cid and followed behind Tech up into the office.

Tech pushed the hatch open, revealing a dim and cluttered office. Specter followed him out and did a sweep of the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

“Ugh. And I thought Wrecker was a slob,” Echo commented, shining his light on the critters eating some fruit Cid had just lying around. 

“Can the commentary. Roland won’t be gone for long,” Cid reminded through the comm.

“Wrecker may be messy, but if I may remind you of Tech’s bunk back on Kamino?” Specter added, ignoring the Trandoshan. Echo sighed and nodded in agreement. She never found his space comfortable and could never fathom how Tech was able to get any sleep with the clutter he accumulated. 

“Honestly, Tech, how do you find anything in this mess?” Specter watched, slightly disgusted, as her teammates rooted around his piles for the tools he needed. 

“I know where everything is. Call it organized chaos.”

“Emphasis on ‘chaos’,” Crosshair muttered next to her. “You know, I’m convinced the long-necks must have pulled him out of a scrap heap.”

“No, they probably used his tube for data-chip disposal,” she countered.

“I heard that.”

She couldn’t help but smile and suppress a giggle at the memory; it felt so long ago now. It seemed like their recent string of missions were intent on forcing her to relive the struggles of her past—Crosshair on Bracca, Ryloth, and now the hive beneath Ord Mantell—while still having to deal with their present situations. 

While she was busy reminiscing, Tech had found the six crates of spice and dragged them with Hunter towards Wrecker at the hatch.

“Out of time, boys. Get the last two crates,” Cid announced. 

“I’ll seal the door,” Echo said, running to the port before Roland returned. Specter helped maneuver the last of the crates down and out, holding the hatch open for Echo. He eventually joined her and ran with her to the carts, where the others were latching down the crates.

“That’s secure enough. Let’s go,” Cid urged. The crew made their way through the caverns again, but not before they were spotted by Roland’s men.

“We’ve got incoming!” Wrecker shouted, firing a few shots as they quickly gained on them.

“Wrecker! Are you crazy? She said ‘no blasters’!” Specter panicked, shoving his weapon down.

“Tell that to them!” he argued. She turned just in time to watch Hunter suddenly stop his cart, ramming into one that quickly approached, knocking the guards out to fall into the darkness. He jumped in, set the cart to reverse, and hopped out to start catching up to her, Cid, Omega, and Tech.

“If those laser brains woke the hive, we’re all dead,” Cid hissed. Specter placed a hand on Omega’s shoulder, gazing with her into the hive. Discontent screeching and chittering filled the air.

“What’s that sound?” the girl questioned. Specter’s grip on her shoulder tightened. 

“Cid, I don’t like this. And I mean more than usual,” she said. The Trandosshan let Tech continue to move the cart while she looked alongside the girls. A second later, the walls rumbled as the bugs shot up from the hive and began to swarm. Specter yelped and nearly fell back into the cart.

“Power up the engines!” Cid shouted. They wasted no time and sped off through the cavern, shooting and swatting away any bug that came too close for comfort.

“We’ve got more coming!” Wrecker announced. Specter felt her stomach churn.

“Don’t say that,” she pleaded. She yelped as one flew straight toward her, Tech stepped in and shone his light at it, which was enough to make it fly away. “Oh, well that works!”

“They’re avoiding the light. Use your torches!” Tech suggested to the others. Specter quickly followed, waving her flashlight to repel any approaching bugs, rapidly swearing to herself. She caught sight of one braving the light and heading towards the group.

“Omega, get down!” she shouted to the girl. She obeyed and dropped to her knees, covering her head. The creature changed course and went to attack the pile of spice blocks. Some fell out of the cart and crashed into the ground below. 

“Not the spice!” Cid cried, watching the shimmering substance scatter.

“Forget the spice,” Echo growled as he, Hunter, and Wrecker abandoned their cart and joined the others. “Let’s go!”

“Wrecker, seal them in,” Hunter ordered. Specter steeled herself and joined in the final push, unleashing rapid-fire on the creatures; slowly but surely they moved back and Wrecker finally got the door closed, squishing the last bug. His shoulders slouched in relief. 

“Well, at least we got rid of the spice, right?” Omega broke the silence. Specter wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“There’s that. But most importantly, no more bugs!” she cheered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Specter had never felt so happy to be in broad daylight; the chills and phantom sensations had worn off after a few minutes in the sun. Now the only problem left was whatever waited for them back at the parlor.

“Are you sure your parlor’s safe?” Omega questioned, walking next to the Trandoshan.

“Bolo and Ketch said the Pykes already came for Roland. I told you, they don’t take kindly to unpaid debts,” Cid explained as they neared her storefront. 

“What about meddling strangers?” Specter muttered to the boys. Echo grimaced.

“Perhaps it is best we devise a quick exit plan?” Tech added, looking towards Hunter. 

They entered the parlor and were met with the sight of all of Roland’s guards dead and scattered around the floor. Specter brought Omega close to her, placing a comforting hand on the girl’s head. 

“See? My plan worked like a charm,” Cid said, merely stepping over the bodies in her way. “Even better than expected.”

From around the corner, a cuffed Roland and the Pyke leaders entered the room. 

“That’s her,” Roland pointed at Cid, “she’s the one you want.” He stepped aside as the Pyke leader stepped forward and assessed the group. 

“It has come to my attention that you have stolen our shipment of spice,” he said. “Return it to us, and we will consider this issue resolved.”

“Not sure what he’s been telling you, but we don’t have any spice,” Cid shrugged. Specter scowled in her direction, knowing the Pykes would be smarter than to just take her word.

“Kill them all,” the leader ordered. Specter hated being right sometimes.

“Wait,” Hunter interjected, standing in front of Specter and Omega. “We don’t have the spice on us, but we know where it is,” he explained. 

“My patience is wearing thin. If you know where the spice is, then you should have no problem retrieving it. Until you do, the child stays here,” the leader said. Immediately, the Batch drew their weapons and took aim.

“Not happening,” Hunter growled. They would not let her be taken from them again. 

“You misunderstand. This is not a negotiation,” the Pyke argued. Cid looked between the two groups.

“If I may,” she excused, looking to ease the tension and turning to the Batch, “you all don’t realize who you’re dealing with. If you don’t lower your blasters, we’re all gonna wish we were dead. Let me handle this.” Specter sighed and bowed her head, gently pushing Hunter’s blaster down.

“Let me stay with Omega. I’m sure they’ll welcome one more hostage,” she offered, glaring at the Pykes and Roland. The boys and Omega protested until Hunter motioned for them to quiet down.

“Specter, are you absolutely sure?” he asked her, gazing fiercely into her eyes. 

“I’m sure. I can keep Omega safe even with cuffs. And on the plus side, I don’t have to deal with the bugs!” she promised, trying to add a reassuring smile. 

“Actually, they are insects, not bugs,” Tech added. Specter’s smile dropped into another glare. Hunter sighed but nodded nonetheless. Omega reached up for her hand, giving a small squeeze. Cid patted her shoulder before turning back to the Pykes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We can’t leave Omega and Specter with them,” Wrecker protested. Hunter wanted to argue and say that they both would be fine, but he couldn’t help but worry for them.

“We don’t have a choice, but we know where the spice is,” Cid continued leading the group back to the Marauder. “We’ll return it, the kid will be fine, and we’ll get Shorty back.”

“The ptero-creatures we encountered in the cavern are Irlings,” Tech read off his data-pad. “They are nocturnal insects with visual sensitivity to thermal registers. Our best chance is to strike before nightfall.”

“Muscles and I will rappel down into the cavern and locate the crates,” Cid mapped out. “I got the kid into this mess, and I’ll get her out.” Echo watched as Hunter turned to look back the way they came. 

“She’ll be fine, Hunter,” Echo said after the others had boarded.

“I was thinking more about-”

“Specter. I know. That’s how I know she’ll be fine, and so will Omega,” Echo reassured. “Those two are special. They’ll be able to adjust and keep their cool.”

“I know. But maybe I should have stayed with Omega,” Hunter sighed.

“No.” Echo’s refusal caught him off guard. “Given the circumstances, I think she’s exactly where she needs to be, and so are you. You need to trust her and trust yourself.” Hunter looked at him now, smiling in appreciation.

“You’re right. Come on, let’s get this job done.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Specter carefully watched as the guards walked away, making sure they didn’t see as she started to fiddle with the binders behind her back.

“Don’t try it,” Roland said, noticing Omega eyeing the pliers. “They’ll kill you. If your friends don’t return the spice, we’re all dead,” he warned. “That’s what happens when you meddle in other people’s business.”

“Us?” Omega questioned incredulously. “You’re the one who took Cid’s parlor from her.”

“‘You take what you want’. Isn’t that what you Durands always say?” Specter interjected, still assessing her cuffs. 

“How did you-?”

“I did my research, and I’m a fast reader,” she interrupted Roland, glaring at him now. He scoffed and leaned back onto the table.

“Yes. It’s a tactic my mother has perfected.”

“Aww, so you’re a ‘mama’s boy’,” Specter teased, adjusting her hands. 

“So, she’s a criminal too?” Omega asked. Roland deflated.

“Ugh. You make it sound so undignified,” he complained before ruefully chuckling. “If she saw me now…”

Specter almost felt bad, but his entitlement got them into this mess, so she’d save her pity for someone else. Perhaps for his mother, for having an incompetent and foolish son.

No, that’s too mean, Specter shook her head. Roland’s pet—Ruby—came around, chittering and purring as it climbed happily into Omega’s lap. He sighed.

“Ruby doesn’t take a liking to many people.”

“Don’t worry, Ruby. We’ll get out of this,” Omega whispered, petting her scales. Specter knew she was trying to hide it, but Omega still looked like a scared young girl; she knew she couldn’t make any promises that they would get out alive, but she trusted Hunter and her team.

“What about you?” Roland asked her, angling himself to face Specter now. “What are you doing with them?” They all hushed and waited for the guard to pass. 

“What’s it to you?” she bit back.

“I just thought that with your skill-”

“My skill? You hardly know me!”

“Just,” Roland gestured for her to hear him out, “I can offer you a position; one with real security compared to… all this.”

“How cute,” she tilted her head. Omega looked nervously between them. “I’m sure mummy will be so happy to see you’ve brought a girl home after such a fantastic failure,” Specter sarcastically remarked in a sing-song voice before suddenly leaning close. 

“Listen very carefully; I am a soldier. I’ve fought and killed, and if it’s to protect my kid, my team, or myself, I will gladly do it again. That includes, but is not limited to, you. Don’t think that just because the Pykes are the ones holding us hostage that you are out of the water. You’re still sinking, and I dearly hope you can swim,” she threatened. Roland turned a paler shade of green, watching as she brought her uncuffed hands up.

“You got that, Roland?” Omega asked with a smirk. He went to bare his teeth at the girl’s remark, but Specter’s threat still rang loud and clear: he refrained and simply sat back. The girls turned their backs to him. “How’d you get out of the cuffs? Can you get me out?” 

“Not unless you want to dislocate your thumb,” Specter grimaced. “This is just a precaution, hun. I don’t want to take any chances, even if they do get what they want.” She quickly sat back and hid her hands behind her back, acting as though she was still cuffed when a guard came around. Specter made sure not to squirm under his scrutinous gaze. The trio stayed quiet until the Pykes returned, several minutes later.

“It seems that Cid and your team were successful in retrieving my property. Get up,” the leader ordered. Omega sighed with relief, but Specter would only be satisfied once the deal came through. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last lights of day painted the skies by the time the group made it to the port; Specter let out a breath and let herself relax when the Marauder touched down and the rest of the team stepped out to unload the crates. A guard unlocked Omega’s binders and went to unlock Specter’s, but she revealed she had already slipped out, much to his dismay. She held Omega close to her and watched as Hunter helped unload another crate. He spared them a glance to see if they were alright—Specter nodded in confirmation and reassurance.

They watched as one of the Pyke guards inspected the cargo, nodding to his leader and handing him a pack.

“Since the spice has been returned, the matter between us is resolved. But not with you,” he pulled out a blade and turned to aim it at Roland. Ruby squealed in Omega’s arms as a guard pushed her and Specter back toward their group. Hunter placed a hand on Omega’s shoulder while Specter went to stand by Wrecker.

The Pyke leader motioned for Roland to kneel before a box, forcing his head down and raising the blade, ready to strike.

“Don’t!” Omega cried out, stepping forward. “He made a mistake. That’s all.”

“She’s right,” Cid went to join her. “Kill him, and you’ll be starting a war with Isa Durand. Do you want that heat right now? Call this a bad deal and walk away,” she advised. 

“We do not accept bad deals,” the Pyke said. Roland struggled under his grip. Specter gasped as the blade went down and cut off a horn and he cried out in pain, falling back and clutching his head. “Our business is finished.” And just like that, the Pykes walked away with their spice. Omega approached Roland as he sat up.

“Are you okay?” she asked, stern but concerned. 

“It’s a small price to pay,” he sighed, defeated. Hunter and Specter went to stand by the girl as she handed Ruby back to her rightful owner. He gave Specter one last look; her eyes narrowed just a bit, the silver fleck within them turned to hardened steel. “I’ll be going now.” He, too, turned and left. 

“Come on, boys. First round’s on me,” Cid offered, breaking the silence. 

“You owe us way more than that,” Wrecker scoffed before he, Tech, and Echo raced back to the parlor. 

“Don’t push your luck,” Cid teased, following the three. Hunter, again, placed a hand on Omega’s shoulder.

“Why did you… stick up for him? After what he did?” he asked. Specter was curious to hear her answer too.

“I don’t know,” Omega admitted with a shake of her head. “Ruby likes him. Maybe he’s not all bad.” Hunter smiled and let her go follow the others before turning to Specter.

“And what about you? What’s your take on him?” 

She hesitated to answer, thinking of how she could possibly explain. Roland was an interesting character, unlike anyone she had met before.

“I think that maybe Omega’s right.” Hunter cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to explain. “‘Maybe he’s not all bad’. He’s seeking approval; he wants somewhere to belong,” she said before scoffing to herself. “You know he offered me a… a position.”

“What?”

“Oh, don’t you worry. My place is here, I’m exactly where I need to be,” she smiled at him now. “Come on, let’s not let the boys drink up the entire bar.”

[fuck-yeah-iheartmedia]

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[purplekoop]

FINALLY back in business with days 4 AND 5 of updating the Darkworld Showdown cast, and this gal's a big enough deal to warrant two whole pieces: The insatiable fighter turned unstoppable beast, Nea!

When the Darkworld's eternal night began, and Japan was the first to discover a solution to the new energy crisis: Neon Energy, a mysterious new type of liquid power source. While it was potent enough to light cities with ease, its potential risks were never fully tested, making it controversial even as the only choice. Nea didn't pay much mind to any of this. She was just a simple street punk frequenting the back alleys of Tokyo, always itching for any excuse to get into a fight. While she wasn't physically imposing, she made up for it with her astonishing tenacity. Things changed though after one fateful fight. While loitering with her pet lizard, a group of thugs she once trounced came back for another round, but this time with a plan to play dirty. They caught her off guard, and threw her off a ledge... crashing into a massive cell of neon energy. Her body miraculously absorbed and bonded with the energy, rapidly turning her into a massive monster rivaling the nearby skyscrapers. After getting swift and effortless vengeance on her attackers, she went on a rampage through the city, relishing in her newfound might. This was short lived though, as the Japanese military quickly reach the scene and managed to subdue her with a precision chemical weapon. She was then taken in to be studied while sedated, before she was eventually returned to an almost normal state by specialized restraints that rapidly drain the neon energy her body now constantly produces. While she was meant to remain in captivity for further research, she managed to find a way to escape, and is now back to roaming her usual stomping grounds, now with even more tricks to make sure she's not going out like a chump again.

In her base form, Nea is a very well-rounded fighter that should feel familiar to just about any fighting game fan, with a fundamentally solid martial arts fighting style, though a bit smaller and more nimble than the archetypical characters of that style, letting her play balanced or aggressive as desired. Her first three specials are easy to understand. Her neutral special Neon Blast has her gather neon energy into her hands, then shoot it out as a simple straight-flying fireball, which can either be slow and weak or fast and strong depending on how long the button is held. Her side special, Lizard Kick, has her lunge forward feet-first with a dropkick propelled by a neon blast, which on impact with an enemy bounces her up for a followup attack. And her up special, Rising Claw, is a simple but effective multihitting uppercut with a swiping claw.

However, Nea's signature mechanic is her Neon Meter. By taking damage, her restraints are partially weakened, allowing Nea to build an excess of neon energy. This can be done more efficiently with her down special, Bracer Guard, where she uses her gauntlets to reduce damage and nullify hitstun and knockback from a single hit, while gaining significantly more Neon Meter from the damage. However, using this move with a full Neon Meter will still nullify hitstun and knockback, but increase the damage rather than reduce it.

Neon Meter can be spent to turn your three other normal special moves into EX variants by pressing both attack and special when performing them. EX Neon Blast replaces the fireball with a mouth laser, which has limited range but hits multiple times and overpowers other projectiles. EX Lizard Kick sends Nea farther and has significantly more knockback on hit, making it a less viable combo starter but a potent stock ender. EX Rising Claw increases the height traveled and condenses the multihit into a single lethal hit, most powerful if it hits an enemy right at the start, while also giving Nea a few frames of invincibility at the start of the move. Each of these costs 20% of the Neon Meter to use individually.

Her Guard Special is where things get wild with Beast Surge. With any less than a full Neon Meter, it simply produces a simple shockwave around Nea that does modest damage and knockback at the cost of 25% of your Neon Meter, being even weaker without that much. However, when used with a full meter, Nea enters Kaiju Form, finally regaining some of her true power.

In Kaiju Form, Nea is the indisputably most massive member of the cast, over double the size of the otherwise largest characters in the cast. She's also appropriately the heaviest by an equally significant margin in this state, and even has passive light armor that makes her not even flinch from jabs or weak projectiles. This does come at a cost to her mobility though, going from one of the fastest to one of the slowest in the cast. Her moves also become slower across the board, but are predictably huge in both reach and damage. Her specials also graduate from EX to DX, becoming even stronger variants automatically, though at the cost of increased startup time. DX Neon Blast has greater range and can be angled up or down, DX Lizard Kick plows right through enemies, and DX Rising Claw is even more lethal. Bracer Guard is replaced with Tremor Stomp while in this form, which has Nea stomp the ground so hard it launches anyone on the same platform stunned a set distance up for an easy combo, even if they were submerged. Performing the move in the air has her quickly plummet until she reaches the ground, and either version will strongly spike enemies hit by the stomp itself. Good things can't last forever though, and neither does Kaiju Form. The Neon Meter becomes your timer for how long you have left before returning to normal. Getting hit drains it faster relative to the amount of damage, and using any of your specials will cost about 10% of it instantly. Losing a stock, predictably, reverts you back to your base form outright. You can also end the form early manually by using Beast Surge again.

In her normal form, Nea is a solid fighter who's easy to understand, has above average mobility, and has some excellent combo game when mastered, but is left a bit wanting in terms of durability and kill power. The latter can be resolved with her EX moves, though those have their cost, the most notable of which is postponing when you can enter your most powerful state. Kaiju Form is incredibly strong, but is relatively blunt in its usefulness. While intimidating, a savvy opponent can endure it with either a solid defense, or exploiting your new massive size to damage you enough to end it early. While not total combo fodder, Kaiju Form is still mortal, and can even be KO'd outright in the right circumstance. As such, you can have a solid gameplan by preferring more frequent EX moves rather than saving up for Kaiju Form. As a result though, Nea's defensive options are weaker than the rest of the cast due to her Guard Special primarily being subpar without its main function of swapping forms. So it's up to her individual player then: play an honest fight with a weaker but otherwise solid fundamental set of skills, or play the long game and give them something they have no choice but to respect or perish against.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH THAT'S NEA. Certainly an ambitious character who in art process, story, and gameplay description, is the biggest hurdle I expect to clear this month. Fitting in more ways than one, huh. It took a while, but I'm shockingly pleased with how her updated art came out. I was worried for a while it would be too many elements, especially in her base form, but it felt like just the right detail density in the end even if it doesn't quite get across her shoto fighting style. Her big mode was also a struggle to get right in terms of anatomy and posing, but I think I really captured it in the end. Plus, detailing was for once the easy part, since all I had to do was copy the base form's details, though I cheated and simplified some of her tech details with the excuse of the larger scale. It was fun though to take those specific elements and scale them accordingly, shrinking the tech and having the monster elements be a little more developed.

As one more bonus before I either pass out or work on the next one (the month is still young), here's the currently up-to-date cast lineup with both Nea forms included!

At this point, we're about halfway through the cast I have planned to have drawn this month, though I had a head start with Astrel, Diabla, SB, and Mugie already done. really really hoping I can pick someone simpler than Nea to do next...

[howlingday]

Thinking back on the idea of RWBY and rogue galleries in general, which comic book rogues do you think would be interesting to see Team RWBY (and JNPR/ORNJ) go against?

Obviously some villains would be flat out ridiculous (Superman's, Hulk's, etc.), but others, like the Spiderman or Batman villains, seem like they have potential...

Both rogue galleries are accustomed to teenage heroics yet are still susceptible to being defeated by them.

Some members are flat out crazy (Joker, Electro, etc.) and will probably get trounced without mercy while others are WAY more sympathetic in spite of their villainy (Curt Connors, Clayface, Mr. Freeze, etc.) adding a "human" twist that RWBY isn't exactly used to.

I mean can you imagine Blake, a faunus, trying to call the Lizard or Clayface monsters despite them not wanting their horrendous appearance?

Or Weiss trying to stop Mr. Freeze plunging beacon into the Ice Age despite the fact that all he wants to do is save his wife who brings warmth to his lonely existence?

What do you think?

When it comes to RWBYs own rogues gallery, it's not hard to find a set point on who fits who best.

For example, starting from the beginning, there's Vale's criminal underworld run by Roman Torchwick. I'd consider this

GANG-LEVEL

Street thugs, ne'er-do-wells, and general human scum who will lie, cheat, and steal, doing whatever it takes to survive. These are villains on the same level as most of Gotham's worst of the worst; Joker, Penguin, Scarecrow, Riddler, ordinary humans with slightly above average physical skills. But, it should be noted that these are also villains who have tricks up their sleeves. Tricks like, well, a trick cane... or Joker Venom.

But after the Fall of Beacon, we reached a new level of threat that gives us a broader perspective. These are the villains who have went beyond the ordinary and into the extraordinary, bringing with them a dangerous arsenal of weapons, skills, and super-powers that make them a threat to even the most skilled fighters. In honor of this, I choose to classify them as

HUNTSMAN-LEVEL

Superhumans, supervillains, and super pains in our backsides, these are the kinds of baddies that definitely make a Death Battle list. Villains like Tyrian Callows, Adam Taurus, Arthur Watts from RWBY get put up against super-criminals like The Scorpion, Shredder, and Doctor Doom. These would be tough fights for RWBY and would require help from the other side to assist. I'm thinking entire stories with them as the big bad guys. There's some kind of superhuman skill they have that makes them more than just a threat, but a super threat.

Speaking of Big Bads, going beyond the scope further are the enemies that are way too much for RWBY and would actually the fun of writing these universe together. Yeah, I'm talking

EXTINCTION-LEVEL

Thanos, Darkseid, Salem; you know them, you fear them, and there's a reason for both. These are the final bosses of their own franchises, and the reason for that is pretty clear. Planets? Dusted. Galaxies? Peanuts. Life? Meaningless. Resistance? Futile. However, my biggest problem with these villains for RWBY is they're too big. Like, these guys just blink, and the worst thing that could happen to our heroes is just the start. So, yeah, don't expect me to write anything serious with these players anytime soon.

---------------------------------------------------

Now, as for sympathetic VS merciless, it kinda depends on the situation they're in.

For example, Basil Karlo, Clayface, was a famous actor who desperately wants to regain his original appearance. Sympathetic. However, I can also see Weiss freezing him without hesitation because he's trying to kill a doctor who can't fix him.

Dr. Kurt Connors would be similar with Blake, as you said, but I feel she would also feel no hesitation in putting him down. She might draw some parallels between him, and another seemingly passionate man driven over the edge into becoming a monster.

Honestly, these are both interesting scenarios, and I'd like to do more with them if I get the chance (COUGH, COUGH, 70 ASKS) but we'll just have to wait and see until then.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the food for thought!

[hopeaterart]

Aaaaand I'm done for busts of other characters in TMNT: From the Hidden City because I didn't feel like drawing fullbody refs! In order from left to right (and under the cut because this is long), we have:

Slash, the leader of the Animal 5, an amateur garage band/vigilante group in the Hidden City. He's a tortoise yokai, and somewhat hostile to the Turtles at first since they seemingly came out of nowhere during the Tournament. Nonetheless, his heart is in the good place.

Mona Lisa, a member of the Animal 5. She's a salamander/axolotl-like alien, and her temper (which matches Raph's easily) doesn't undermine her intelligence. She and Raph quickly bond over how much they have in common once the initial hostilities are gone.

Leatherhead, a member of the Animal 5. Unlike the others, he's a mutant, mutated from a baby alligator that was splashed in Mutagen the night the Turtles were made. Unlike the Turtles, he didn't get the luck of a caring parent when he somehow escaped back in New York, and was forced into horrible things by his captor. Nonetheless, he was eventually able to find his way back to the Hidden City. Despite his scary appearance, he's a sweetheart.

Mondo Gecko, a member of the Animal 5. He's a lizard yokai and an otherwise regular civilian in the Hidden City, content with living a simple life. He got in the Battle Nexus on a bet and for a chance at the prize money, but found a talent for fighting along the way. He's the more relaxed member of the Animal 5, and was the one who came up with being a band to cover their vigilante activities.

Miyamoto Usagi, an apprentice member of the Hidden City's old guard. He's very dedicated to his training, and his peers describe him as incredibly mature and talented for his age. The only person who's been able to get underneath his mask is Leo, who's earnestness and kind heart are able to drag out Usagi's own inner child. He has a strange power that allows him to peer in other universes, and often uses it to ask advice from a certain older, more experienced version of himself.

Shinigami, a sorceress who was born in the Foot. She's Karai's most trusted associate and long-time girlfriend. Compared to said girlfriend, she's much more laidback and casual, and more willing to have fun on missions. She's still very much loyal to her. Some could argue she's more loyal to Karai than she is to the Clan... her magic allows her to hypnotize people and transform into a cat.

Jennika, a member of the Animal 5 and a frog yokai. She's actually a spy for the Foot, having been recruited during the Battle Nexus by Karai. She keeps them updated of what's happening in the Hidden City, but slowly comes to questions herself as the story progresses. She fights like a boxer, and can secrete poison.

Koya, a bird Yokai and a recent addition to the Foot. She was recruited during the Battle Nexus by Karai, and is part of her squad as a scout, archer, and air fighter. She's quick to attack and dislikes hesitation, conflating it with cowardice. Once Karai leaves the Foot, she very quickly realizes how insane everyone in it truly is without a buffer (Karai), but she believes that leaving now wouldn't do any good.

Bepop and Rocksteady, two thugs who were mutated by Draxum during his test runs of the second iteration of mutagen. They were hired by the Foot as muscle before Donnie could administer the retromutagen, and they often serve as comedic relief to Karai. The both of them are also complete idiots.

Goro and Blaze, Karai's mentors and technically her adoptive fathers. When Shredder isn't around, they run the Foot Clan to the best of their abilities. Goro knows bits of magic, and Blaze possesses enough brute strength to level a building.

Kirby O'Neil, April's father. He's a comic writer and illustrator, and created a relatively obscure comic that's just popular enough to pay the bills. Even so, he has an additional dayjob as an editor for a journal so he can make sure his daughter doesn't miss of anything. He's a hardworking man who often worries for his daughter, but can clearly see that she's at her happiest being friends with four green weirdos. His necklace is a gift from his late wife...

Lou Jitsu, Splinter's former identity. Martial Arts master. Even better at improvising with things such as ladders and fish. Movie star and celebrity. Bisexual icon. Once yelled out 'Hot Soup' instead of 'Hatsu' during the heat of a fight and it became his catchphrase. Has had it enough with the casual racism and homophobia of the early 2000 that he ran off to another dimension to marry his girlfriend. Certified monsterfucker.

Dr. Honeycutt, a technical war criminal from another galaxy. Regretful of his past as a weapon maker, he escaped to Earth where he was found by the Hamato clan. He is a friendly being, who's regret over making weapons have made him take a vow of pacifism he swore not to break.

And the Crying Titan, also known as Venus. She crashed onto Earth a few millenias ago, and is responsible for a bunch of things. From creating Yokai-kind (accident) to giving the founders of the Hamato clan their powers (willing). Baron Draxum was her student, and his mourning of her death at the hands of a nascent Foot Clan quite literally resulted in him creating the Hidden City.

If you have questions about any of them, or the plot of TMNT: From the Hidden City, don't hesitate to send me an ask!