Luster Abridged
Spoilers ahead. But, y'know, duh?
Arc 1:
June Fujiwara, a fifteen-year-old half Japanese-American, has just moved to Brockton Bay after the death of her mother to live with a cousin she’s never met, Masuyo. June is far too blatant about being transgender, and not even a week into her time in the Bay, she is nearly murdered by Rune of the E88 as an initiation target. The experience makes her trigger with ferrokinetic powers, and with a history of petty crime, she promptly makes several bad decisions that lead up to her fighting Lung and Oni Lee of the ABB. She narrowly scrapes by on luck, and despite having earned the ire of the Bay’s two biggest gangs, Faultline offers to take her on as a new member of her crew that June accepts.
Arc 2:
June, AKA ‘Meteor,’ begins to bond with the rest of Faultline’s Crew as they all prepare for a job in Providence—breaking Canary out of prisoner transport to Boston. The night before the job, Aisha Laborn, an acquaintance of June’s from her brief stint at the local school who is both older than in Worm canon and has already triggered with the power to copy other capes’ powers, joins the crew as ‘Shade.’ Things don’t go exactly according to plan, and an independent cape in Providence known as Boudicca leaves June with a badly broken arm.
Back in the Bay, Masuyo starts a fledgling relationship with her classmate, Sabah, and resolves to help June, who she knows has joined Faultline’s crew. Masuyo reaches out to the crew just in time to help them attempt infiltration of Bayside Hospital so Shade can copy Amy Dallon/Panacea’s power to heal June, but Rune arranges for the Protectorate to try and apprehend them. In the aftermath, June strikes a deal with Amy to make her biologically female, the crew drop Canary off in Montreal per their client’s instructions, and Boudicca joins the Brockton Bay Protectorate in the face of public pressure.
Arc 3:
FLC meet with Armsmaster and Gallant to smooth over the bumps from the hospital incident, then after June and Masuyo have a heart-to-heart, the Crew leaves for Philadelphia to look into a lead about the origins of Case-53s. Things go sideways when June and Elle, who are on their first date together, are captured by Octavia Thatcher/Charisma, a dangerous Master who is collecting capes to form her D&D group, ‘Octahedron,’ though the internet refers to them instead as The Eight.
In order to rescue the girls, Faultline and the rest of the crew partner up with the Clutch, a group of biological robots constructed by Brood, an old Tinker friend of Faultline’s. After a series of fights at the University of Pennsylvania, the girls are recovered by Faultline and the rest of the crew. It turns out the original Case-53 lead was a bust, but the captured Charisma presents a different opportunity, and Brood, together with Faultline and Shade (unbeknownst to the rest of the crew), exploit her to learn more about the organization known as Eden.
Arc 4:
Neither June nor Elle are doing well after being mastered, but the former is doing especially poorly. The crew attempts to return to a sense of normalcy, which is ruined when Lung torches the neighborhood around Palanquin. Rune, Victor, and Othala of the Empire attack June, Elle, and Aisha while they’re out in their cape identities, and Battery, Assault, and Boudicca of the Protectorate attempt to intervene. The girls manage to fend off the E88 and elude the Protectorate, but Aisha adamantly chases down the Empire capes and murders Othala, prompting June and Elle to leave her for Protectorate capture.
These events worsen June’s state of mind to the point that she begins dissociating. Elle and Gregor do their best to help her come to terms, and their hard work is put to the test when the ABB kidnap Masuyo and use her as a hostage to get June to join them. June and the rest of the crew, together with Sabah, successfully rescue Masuyo and assist the Protectorate with subduing Lung, but June is put into a precarious position and chooses to take hostages of her own to ensure she, Masuyo, and Sabah can escape.
Arc 5:
Two months have passed, and Faultline’s Crew recruits Emily, a new cape who triggered after the Teeth attack a New Year’s party she was attending. June isn’t keen on the idea of recruiting Emily and remains distant. When the Crew take Emily to the mall to get her new clothes, June reunites with Therese, who recently began her transition. When Uber and Leet attack the mall with artificially grown replica of a Silent Hill boss, June and Therese work together to subdue the creature, leading June to suspect Therese is Gallant. The two meet up again later, where Therese confirms her identity, that she knows June’s identity, and that she can control emotions with blasts.
Elsewhere in the city, Masuyo meets up with Sabah, who pressures Masuyo for an explanation about why she’s fallen in so deep with ‘criminals.’ Masuyo reveals she is in fact June’s half-sister and adamantly insists she would do anything for family. Octavia reveals she has been present for the conversation and burns Masuyo with boiling coffee before declaring she’s rounding up people who hate Fautline’s Crew. June is distressed by Masuyo’s hospitalization, and after Masuyo reveals they’re actually sisters, the Crew has to immediately leave for New York to hunt down a group called the Blinds at the behest of the mayor to take back blackmail they stole.
The Crew hit a casino upon arrival, ostensibly to give them cover for why they’re in New York, but it’s ultimately revealed the casino’s owner has ties to Eden: He paid for the powers of Octavia, his niece. Feeling betrayed by Faultline having hidden things from her, June speaks with her therapist, then she and Elle go to Coney Island on a date. Things go swimmingly until Elena, AKA Heavensword the second in command of the Teeth, arrives with another cape, Delible, in tow. Elena has been tracking June for years because she claims she is June’s mother. Things go from bad to worse when a giant sword Endbringer as tall as a skyscraper begins to attack New York.
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The Cast
This list is intended as a reference for readers who need a refresh on Luster’s varied cast of characters. If you’re a new reader, then please be warned that there are spoilers below!
The Crew
Juniper ‘June’ Fujiwara/Meteor/Sixteen: The protagonist of Luster. After her mom’s death prior to the story beginning, June was moved to Brockton Bay, where she made public that she is trans and triggered after nearly being murdered by Rune. A ferrokinetic Shaker, June joined Faultline’s Crew within days of triggering. She is in a relationship with Elle, and the two of them were temporarily kidnapped by Charisma in Philadelphia. During Nothung’s attack on New York, June accidentally becomes the 16th ‘Butcher,’ though this has not been widely publicized.
Masuyo Reuter: A non-cape and previously June’s Guardian, Masuyo was in nursing school at Brockton Bay University prior to dropping out to become Gregor’s ‘go-fer’ so she could watch out for June. Though she previously held herself out as June’s cousin, she later reveals herself as June’s half-sister (father unknown). Her relationship with Sabah was short-lived—this may be because of Aisha’s interference.
Gregor ‘the Snail’: The first member of the Crew June meets, Gregor is a gentle soul, who has been exceedingly kind and empathetic to June’s struggles. A Case-53 like Newter, Gregor can throw chemicals with various effects that he creates inside himself. He and Newter have been paying Melanie to investigate the origin of Case-53s.
Newter: Newter is a laid-back young man who enjoys talking with people. A Case-53 like Gregor, Newter is excessively sweaty, and his sweat, saliva, and other bodily fluids induce a drug-like high in anyone who touches them. He and Gregor have been paying Melanie to investigate the origin of Case-53s.
Melanie Fitts/Faultline: The titular leader of Faultline’s Crew, Melanie is a competent leader and strategist, and despite seeming aloof, it’s obvious she cares about the wellbeing of the Crew’s members. Her power allows her to break down the molecular bonds of objects she touches, but she relies just as much—if not more—on tools and gadgets she keeps close at hand. Like Brood, she was forced to trigger. During Nothung’s attack, Faultline is killed and subsequently harvested by Charon.
Elizabeth ‘Elle’ Delaney/Labyrinth: A Shaker with incredible power to temporarily reshape reality around herself, Elle was the most recent recruit of Faultline’s crew before June. Elle’s power causes her lucidity to vary, necessitating the help of others when she is in a fugue. She is in a relationship with June, and the two of them were temporarily kidnapped by Charisma in Philadelphia.
Emily Torres/Spitfire: Emily was briefly homeless before being recruited just prior the Crew’s job in New York. Despite June’s initial hostility towards her, she made a serious effort to get along with the other girl and eventually won her over. Fireproof and able to spit liquid that bursts into fire upon leaving her mouth, Emily triggered after being attacked by the Teeth while attending a New Year’s Eve 2010 party her friend Mira brought her to.
Mischief: The Crew’s latest recruit and a previous member of the Blinds until they were wiped out, he was invited to join by Melanie during Nothung’s attack on New York. Mischief is a Case-53 who can break apart into and reform out of nearby rats, which he has the power to control.
Elena Anders/Heavensword: Less a member of the Crew and more a tag-along, Elena is June’s mother (not mom) and has been searching for her for fifteen years. During some portion of that time, Elena served as the second-in-command for the Teeth and helped Delible with her memory issues. Although June initially wanted nothing to do with her, her opinion seems to have shifted since the protagonist inherited the Collective. She is very adept with her ability to create metal out of thin air.
Pierce: Lead bouncer at Palanquin. He helped Masuyo get in contact with the Crew when she first showed up at Palanquin, demanding to see Meteor.
The Collective
Butcher/One: Butcher has the power to inflict agonizing pain at a distance and gets stronger and more durable the greater his desire to cause pain, a power fitting for such a cruel and sadistic man. Butcher’s cape name is the namesake for the collective in the eyes of the public.
Belial/Two: Though Belial’s power to see hearts, veins and arteries through walls may seem weak, he nevertheless managed to murder Butcher… as well as countless others. Belial is ever unflappable, even in life when most towered over his small, lithe frame. Belial told June he considers himself a teacher—but a teacher of what?
Danger Zone/DZ/Three: DZ successfully killed Belial thanks to his danger sense and ability to get stronger when in trouble, but even he couldn’t fight off the entirety of the Teeth when he attacked them all in a desperate, and mistaken, bid to silence whichever of its members was putting voices in his head. Perhaps a bit too loud and boisterous at times.
Rotlimb/Four: Direct and vulgar, Rotlimb’s power to inflict festering wounds were what pushed DZ over the edge during his ill-fated assault on the Teeth, resulting in Rotlimb’s ascension. He’s still salty about how he died, albeit not nearly as badly as Toro.
MirrorriM/Ror/Five: Ror’s power could be used for combat—she just never did. Too bad she was the closest cape when the Simurgh dropped a building on Rotlimb. Originally a nerdy, anxious chatterbox, Ror now hardly if ever speaks.
Footloose/Six: The only way Footloose could be considered more of a party animal is if they had been an animalistic case-53. Maybe if they used that butt plug with the attached tail again…? Footloose’s cluster trigger gave them explosive teleportation, perfect spatial awareness in their teleportation range, and super strength when moving.
Klaus Anders/Alvíss/Seven: Klaus can perfectly reshape and make weightless to himself any metal he touches. He’s always preferred to use his power to make intricate, beautiful weapons and armor, but make no mistake—like his sister Elena, his upbringing prepared him for fighting. Elena says she is June’s mother and Klaus is June’s uncle, but the PRT believe he’s June’s father. Who is right?
Alchemist/Eight: A refined, thrill seeker, Alchemist had success after success as a lady thief who warned her targets in advance thanks to her ingenious use of her power to ‘transmute’ matter at range. In hindsight, even she admits it was unwise to target the Teeth.
Toro/Nine: Ror’s tenure was brief, and Footloose’s was tolerable, but Toro hated Klaus’ time at the head of the Teeth. When it became apparent Alchemist would be no better, he successfully challenged and killed her with his mastery over brain chemicals. Everything was great from then on until that cocksucking bitchsicle Edict came along and—!
Edict/Ten: Edict just can’t catch a break. It’s already difficult being a young, single mother, so she could have done without the debacle that was her career as the protectorate hero Tongue-Tie. She thought rebranding as Edict in the small town of Stafford, New Hampshire would give her a clean break, and it might have if the Teeth hadn’t come to town.
Caterpillar/Eleven: Caterpillar’s incredible strength when moving slowly is fitting for his calm, quiet personality and served him well as a small town villain. He likely never would have become inherited if the Collective hadn’t all but slit Edict’s throat for him. As it stands, he is one of the few voices of reason in the Collective.
Diamondback/Twelve: Clinical, relentless, and as unfeeling as her power, Diamondback hasn’t felt emotion since she triggered. Her body was insanely durable and incapable of feeling pain, and she murdered Caterpillar in a calculated plan to make herself strong enough to do whatever she deemed necessary.
Deimos/Thirteen: The sole Case-53 in the Collective, Deimos’s hulking reptilian form struck fear in everyone, which only made killing them easier. A cruel mass murderer, Deimos grew stronger the more he killed and could taste fear.
Quarrel/Fourteen: Though she originally hoped she could end the Teeth’s atrocities by killing their leader and committing suicide, Quarrel was convinced by Belial to abandon the second part of her plan. The strength of the Collective’s powers make her perfect accuracy all the scarier.
Sarah Livsey/Delible/Fifteen: Sarah is the only person to inherit who didn’t realize she had until after June accidentally killed her. She suffered from constant short-term memory loss, ‘resetting’ several times an hour. Whether or not this was related to her body constantly pulling itself back together is unclear.
Aisha’s Eight
Aisha Laborn/Shade: Originally June’s only friend outside of the Crew, Aisha revealed she is actually a cape herself shortly before the Crew’s job in Providence and joins them for a time. The exact mechanics of Aisha’s exact powers are unknown, but she is a powerful Trump/Changer, who mimics others’ powers and appearances. She feels betrayed by June and Elle, who left her to be picked up by the PRT after she used June’s powers to publicly murder Othala and attempt to murder Victor.
Tammi Herren/Rune: As a part of her initiation into the Empire Eighty-Eight, Tammi attempted to murder June and inadvertently caused the other girl to trigger. This failure colored the remainder of her tenure with the E88 until June and Elle successfully disabled her and left her for the PRT to collect. She had a brief stint as a probationary Ward until Aisha recruited her. Tammi’s power allows her to control objects she inscribes with symbols, though there are limits to how much she can control at once.
Sabah/Parian: Sabah’s control over lightweight materials gave her an edge in the world of being a successful fashion designer. A true rogue, she never wanted to be a part of the cape scene, but her fledgling relationship with June’s cousin Masuyo dragged her into it in the end.
Droste: A teleporter who makes circular portals that hang in the air. Droste has a southern drawl, but not much else is known about them.
Shamichoro: Shamichoro was a new cape in the ABB when Lung abducted Masuyo and used her as leverage to attempt forcing June into the organization. The ABB fell apart thanks to the events of that night, and Shamichoro disappeared with a chip on his shoulder. He creates and controls flying monsters of silk, and little else is known about him.
Riptide: A former independent hero in Providence who creates waves of water out of thin air that silence people struck by them, Riptide has a bone to pick with June after she broke his knees during the Crew’s recovery of Canary from PRT transport.
Burnscar: Viewed as ‘crazy’ by Rune, Burnscar can create fire from nothing and gets a glazed look in her eyes when she does so.
Unnamed potential recruit: Aisha and her partially assembled Eight have a new member in mind after Rune’s recruitment, though it is not mentioned who.
Brood’s Clutch
Grace/Brood/Zero: Grace is an old friend of Melanie, having met while searching for answers about why they were both forced to trigger. At some point in Grace’s past, her only child, Riley, was kidnapped in front of her by a man who called himself Adam. Since then, she has dedicated herself to finding her daughter using her power to create androids—her Clutch. She and her Clutch have helped out the Crew on a few occasions.
One: Grace’s first creation, One is a picture perfect recreation of Grace’s daughter Riley. Her younger siblings like Ariel have put her on a pedestal, and One in turn seems to care for them as well, going so far as to ensure Ariel suffered no pain while making a suicidal attempt to prevent Charisma from kidnapping June and Elle.
Ariel/Sixteen: One of the Clutch assigned to Philadelphia, she was publicly the owner of the Vermilion Flycatcher. Exuberant and over-the-top, she quickly became fond of the Crew during their stay in Philadelphia and ultimately died while trying to prevent Charisma from kidnapping June and Elle.
Sebastian/Seventeen: Ariel’s counterpart at the Flycatcher, he is snarky and sarcastic. His teasing rubbed June the wrong way, and he didn’t take it well when June insinuated he wasn’t alive.
Erica/Eighteen: The last of the Clutch in Philadelphia, June met her briefly at a restaurant safe house.
Seventy-Seven: An unborn android being worked on by Grace when Melanie and Aisha arrived to interrogate the captured Charisma.
The Triumvirate
Legend: An openly gay hero (possibly why June is a fan of him) who leads the New York Protectorate. He tries to mediate the confrontation between June, Amy, and Victoria that results in Amy’s death.
Dragon: A world-famous, reclusive Tinker whose specialty is copying and improving upon other Tinkers’ designs. She attempted to apprehend the Crew in Philadelphia and later expressed regret about it to June and Gregor. Adam plots her death prior to Nothung’s attack, and all signs point to Dragon’s death during said attack.
Alexandria: Although she has been named and described as a ‘flying, invincible powerhouse’ by June, little has been mentioned about her in the story so far.
The Eight/Octahedron
Octavia Thatcher/Charisma: Excitable, impetuous, and overly fixated on D&D, Charisma was the leader of the first ‘Eight,’ which she insisted on calling her ‘Octahedron.’ Charisma’s power was the embodiment of the ‘slippery slope,’ allowing her to master her targets into obeying minor commands with each obeyed command increasing her sway over the target. She showed no remorse whatsoever in abducting capes and forcing them to act out real-life ‘quests.’ She was captured by the Crew after the events in Philadelphia, and Melanie later asserted she put a bullet in Octavia’s head.
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Bard: A Breaker/Trump who could enter others and boost their strength, speed, healing, and possibly more. He wore Renaissance fair attire and carried around a lute he could hardly play at Charisma’s insistence.
Monk: Monk’s power seemed quite limited, effectively amounting to being very good at speedrunning. They knew they and the rest of the group had been mastered and tried to orchestrate an escape attempt with June prior to the events at the University of Pennsylvania. Melanie knocked them out using Newter’s spit and would have left them to fate but for June insisting they go back.
Stardust/Sorcerer: Stardust was a hero in Chicago who attempted to stop Octavia’s attack on the UIC library and was consequentially abducted. She has the power to take on the properties of something she’s touching (e.g., rock, water, metal, etc.), giving her a new appearance and extra abilities.
Wavelength/Paladin: Wavelength was a rogue in Toronto, a minor celebrity thanks to his power’s ability to heal physical wounds. His fame put a target on his back when Charisma decided he would a perfect Paladin.
Menagerie/Druid: Able to control nearby animals and change into any animal he controlled in the past day, Menagerie’s rogue career with the Philadelphia Zoo was a match made in heaven. Like Wavelength, his popularity online attracted the unwanted attention of Charisma.
Artificer: Little is known about Artificer beyond his power to cobble together solutions and contraptions mid-combat to turn the tide of a fight.
Fighter: June’s identity while she was Mastered into being a member of the Eight.
Dungeonmaster: Elle’s identity while she was Mastered into being a member of the Eight.
Brockton Bay Protectorate/Wards/PRT
Therese Stanfield/Gallant: June boldly living as her true self inspired the once closeted Therese to come out as trans, both in her private life and her career as Gallant. Though this tore a rift in her relationship with her ex, Victoria, she is committed to being happy moving forward. She considers June a friend and has tried her best to help the other girl wherever possible. She was forced to reveal her emotion blasts to June during the attack on Weymouth Shopping Center and subsequently also revealed her ability to see other people’s emotions as auras.
Renee Ainsley/Boudicca: Previously an independent hero in Providence, Boudicca’s very public injury of the new, non-brute cape Meteor landed her in hot water that ostensibly led to her joining the Protectorate for oversight. In truth, she joined because it was ordered by Eden, who gave her powers in a bottle sometime in the past. Her power to grow stronger when hit and tougher when hitting requires thinking on her feet. She has an aversion to bombs thanks to a bomb threat in her youth as well as the recent death of her mother in a bombing. She actively detests her villainous sibling, Loki.
Emily Piggot: The director of the Brockton Bay PRT, she runs a no nonsense ship.
Armsmaster: A nationally recognized Tinker, Armsmaster is the leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate.
Miss Militia: Armsmaster’s second-in-command, her power generated guns and bullets posed a problem for June, who was used to being able to neutralize metal weapons. She was involved in the incident at Bayside Hopsital.
Dauntless: Dauntless’ power to imbue items with power overtime might well make him a Hopebringer someday in the future. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t do much to stop June from stealing his metal boots during their brief fight at Bayside Hospital.
Assault: Irreverent and publicly allergic to being serious, Assault is a reformed villain with the power to redirect kinetic energy who has attempted to stop the Crew several times. He seems to genuinely believe June is a good person, albeit someone mixed up with the wrong crowd. He and Battery are apparently a couple despite their diametrically opposed personalities.
Battery: Far more serious than her partner Assault, Battery is a hard working hero who attempted to stop the Crew a couple of times. She can charge up power by remaining still or avoiding too much movement then expend that charge to move so fast she blurs, hurl furniture like tables, and even release a small burst of electromagnetic energy. She and Assault are apparently a couple despite their diametrically opposed personalities.
Velocity: Velocity is a Breaker whose Breaker state allows him to move at incredible speeds without destroying his own body in the process. He has yet to fight the Crew.
Sophia Hess/Shadow Stalker: A probationary Ward, Sophia’s power to push herself and objects she touches into a shadow, incorporeal state has been used for both good and ill intent. She stole Taylor’s mother’s flute from the girl’s locker, but June recovered and returned the instrument after Sophia tried to leave it in a dumpster.
Vista: The youngest Ward, Vista takes being a hero very seriously. She was running Console the day that Assault approached Flautist on the Boardwalk and was very excited at the possibility of recruiting another female Ward.
Douglas Wells: A member of PRT Special Operations who was assigned to managing Masuyo and June. He investigated Masuyo’s apartment after it was glassed by Bakuda. Uses a cane, at least in part due to the left side of his body being covered in burn scars.
New Wave
Amy Dallon/Panacea: The world famous healer and secret biokinetic, Amy offered to make June biologically female in exchange for Aisha copying Amy’s powers and using them to cure her of her infatuation for Victoria. It’s later revealed she did more than change June’s biological sex—she also made June a lesbian, unbeknownst to June. She confessed this and her love for June to her sister, Victoria, and she refused to fix the change. When this is later revealed to the Crew at the end of the battle against Nothung, June crushes Amy.
Victoria Dallon/Glory Girl: Amy’s sister and Therese’s ex, Victoria is tied by association to what has happened and what is currently happening to June. Although she initially appeared to be doing her best to support Therese’s transition, Amy’s confession resulted in Victoria becoming utterly convinced that Amy had also forcibly made Therese a trans girl. She snuck off to the fight against Nothung in order to find Amy, who had fled from home, and force her to revert the purported changes to Therese.
Empire Eighty-Eight (E88)
Max Anders/Kaiser: While Kaiser inherited his position of power as leader of the Empire from his father, Allfather, he’s held onto that position thanks to his cunning and his power to create metal objects from surfaces in the area.
Tammi Herren/Rune: See listing under Aisha’s Eight.
Victor: Victor is a man of many talents—all stolen courtesy of his power—who was responsible in part for Aisha’s trigger when he and someone with an illusion power caused Aisha to murder Brian. His power seems to have changed after Aisha’s failed attempt to murder him, which resulted in him being mute. He stole June’s ability to understand how to speak during the Empire attack on the ABB.
Brad Meadows/Hookwolf: A pit fighter and one of Kaiser’s lieutenants, he has the power to exude a shifting mass of hooks, blades, and other metal weapons while collapsing his body into a small core inside of the metal. Hookwolf took an interest in June when he heard she defeated Lung. They briefly fought during the Empire attack on the ABB.
Nikki/Othala: A Trump who grants powers to those she touches, Othala was primarily used by the Empire as a healer and as a means to empower Victor, her fiancé. After attempting to help her cousin, Rune, make an example out of June, she was killed by Aisha while out of costume.
Stormtiger: An aerokinetic, Stormtiger is a cape who’s worked with Hookwolf since before they joined the Empire together with Cricket. He and June fought briefly during the Empire attack on the ABB.
Cricket: An acoustokinetic with enhanced reflexes, Cricket is a cape who’s worked with Hookwolf since before they joined the Empire together with Stormtiger. Due to her slashed throat, she uses an artificial larynx to speak without her voice sounding strangled. She and June fought briefly during the Empire attack on the ABB.
Krieg: A Shaker with kinetic energy manipulation, he is one of Kaiser’s lieutenants. He’s affiliated with Gesellschaft. He and June fought briefly during the Empire attack on the ABB.
Azn Bad Boyz (ABB)
Lung: The leader of the ABB, he was obsessed with recruiting June into the ABB. Its unclear whether this is because she beat him and Oni Lee her first week as a cape or because he couldn’t stand the thought of an Asian cape in the city who wasn’t under his control. Beyond their first encounter, Lung later torched the neighborhood around Palanquin and tried to force June’s recruitment using Masuyo as a hostage.
Oni Lee: Oni Lee’s ability to teleport would be enough alone to make him difficult to fight, but the clones he leaves behind make him even more dangerous despite their few-second-long lifespan before turning to dust. He fought June together with Lung on her first week as a cape.
Bakuda: The terrorist bomber who held Cornell University hostage, Bakuda is a bomb Tinker capable of creating bombs that can collapse into a black hole or turn an entire chunk of a building to glass. Frustrated with Lung’s behavior regarding June, Bakuda tried to implant a bomb into her, just as she had Masuyo.
Shamichoro: See listing under Aisha’s Eight.
Philadelphia Protectorate/Wards/PRT
Chevalier: The leader of the Philadelphia Protectorate, Chevalier is an experienced hero who was part of the inaugural Wards. Chevalier’s power allows him to condense several objects—and their properties—into a single object, such as his signature cannon-blade. Chevalier was open to a truce between the Crew and the Protectorate during the library attack in Philadelphia, but after Octavia vanished and the signs pointed to the Crew taking her, he quickly organized a counterattack.
Sakura: Sakura is one of the heroes who both helped and hindered the Crew during the UPenn library attack. She performs ranged attacks and heals herself with shards of pink energy bearing a passing resemblance to sakura petals. Sakura can also survive a mortal blow, her body bursting apart into a whirlwind of her shards that will eventually reform into her healed body.
Zoom: Zoom is one of the heroes who both helped and hindered the Crew during the UPenn library attack. His power allows him to increase or decrease the size of himself and anything he touches.
Reconnoiter: A Tinker with a specialty for making Drones with weapon capability, Reconnoiter was present during the UPenn library attack but never fought herself, sending her drones in instead. After June easily dispatched her drones in Philadelphia, she created a new type of drone using all non-metal parts that she loaned to the Brockton Bay Protectorate to help them bring in June for questioning about Octavia.
Travers: The Director of the Philadelphia PRT. He was involved in the debriefing of Stardust after her recovery from Octavia.
Chicago Protectorate
Myrddin: The leader of the Chicago Protectorate, Myrddin’s power gives him access to pocket dimensions that he can use to create a variety of effects. He believes his power is actually magic and styles himself as a wizard.
Stardust/Sorcerer: See listing under The Eight/Octahedron.
Shuffle: A hero with some sort of teleportation power. He was on patrol with Stardust when she was abducted by Octavia. A fan of ‘hump day’ hot dogs.
Bearach: A hero with unknown powers. Was on console the day Stardust was abducted by Octavia.
Los Angeles Protectorate
Alexandria: See listing under The Triumvirate.
Tammi Herren/Rune: See listing under Aisha’s Eight.
LaTonia: A black Ward with unknown powers. Rune mentions her briefly.
Maria: A Hispanic Ward with unknown powers. Rune mentions her briefly.
New York Protectorate
Legend: See listing under The Triumvirate.
Cache: A member of the New York Protectorate with the power to shunt select areas into other dimensions. He attempts to apprehend the Crew when they attach the Queen’s Gambit, but June’s power interferes with his, preventing their capture.
Unnamed hero: When the Crew escape into sewers near the Queen’s Gambit, a lanky hero with the power to fly is waiting for them there. He is immediately knocked unconscious by Newter.
The Teeth
Spurt: A member of the Teeth who fires hard to see bolts that can cause violent explosions. He and Hemorrhagia attack the campsite where Emily was spending New Year’s Eve 2010, resulting in her Trigger.
Hemorrhagia: A member of the Teeth with limited control over blood, allowing her to use it to make weapons and to clot her own wounds. A lover of chili who just can’t catch a break. She and Spurt attack the campsite where Emily was spending New Year’s Eve 2010, resulting in her Trigger.
Alastair: The bartender at The Jaw, a bar run by the Teeth.
The Blinds
Tint: The leader of the Blinds and the only member of the gang with a known appearance, having a seemingly normal body with patches of matte black skin. He cannot be seen or heard by anyone who is not directly at him. When Mischief confirms his death during Nothung’s attack on New York, Elena refers to Tint as a good friend.
Cistern: A Blaster/Mover who projects high pressure water that he can manipulate mid-stream. Possibly dead as a result of Nothung’s attack on New York.
Claymore: Has the power to create bombs out of nearby materials that are deadlier the more time he takes to make them. Possibly dead as a result of Nothung’s attack on New York.
Unnamed Teleporter: When June was still part of a group of thieves in New York, they encountered the Blinds a few times and had difficulty dealing with a teleporter that assisted the gang. Possibly dead as a result of Nothung’s attack on New York.
The W’s
Watson: A Thinker of a different sort, Watson empowers select people near him with incredible intelligence and problem solving skills at the cost of a proclivity for rambling, expository monologues. He works together with Watcher as part of a Rogue detective agency.
Watcher: As Watson’s partner in their detective agency, Watcher may come across as a talkative Thinker, but his power is something else altogether. Delible speculated that his power is ‘either an incredible offense or an equally strong defense. Something that would serve as a guarantee of safety when interacting with the Teeth.’
Winslow High School
Emma Barnes: A girl seen bullying Taylor Hebert at Winslow.
Principal Blackwell: The principal of Winslow High School. On June’s first day of school, she seemed to make a genuine effort to help June understand just how dangerous it is to be openly transgender in Brockton Bay.
Unnamed Secretary: She explains who the E88 are to June on the girl’s first day of school, warning her she should be wary. June is quite rude to her.
Eden
Eve: The first member of Eden to be named, little is known about Eve beyond she is Adam’s cohort and that she works with Cain. After Faultline’s Crew freed Canary from her prisoner transport, she speculated that Eve may have hired them to do it.
Adam: The world’s first and greatest hero, he single-handedly fought off Behemoth during the Endbringer’s first appearance. He’s been described as ‘famously elusive,’ and he is not a member of the Triumvirate.
Cain: Although named by Eve, nobody has claimed the name ‘Cain’ on-screen in Luster so far. Possibly an alias for Taylor Hebert.
Taylor Hebert/Flautist: Apparently aligned with Eden, Taylor helped Eve make ‘a change’ during Nothung’s attack on New York. She’s also really good at playing the flute.
The Endbringers
Leviathan: Last attack was ‘a few months’ prior to October 2010.
Behemoth: Last attack was August 2010.
Simurgh: Last attack unknown. Purportedly dead.
Khonsu: Last attack was October 2010.
Charon: Last attack was January 21, 2011. Charon is an ‘incorporeal, vaguely reaperesque specter’ that is known to appear at some, but not, all of the other Endbringers’ attacks. It harvests the bodies (and supposedly the souls) of capes that fall to its brethren.
Rukh: Last attack unknown. Details unknown. Created by Adam (unbeknownst to the public).
Nothung: Last attack was January 21, 2011. A gigantic sword larger than skyscrapers with a single, tremendous eye. It appears from the sky and pierces down into the ground before periodically releasing energy waves that have a variety of effects related to the nightmares of those touched by the waves.
Unaffiliated
Alexia Kubo/Riko Fujiwara: June’s and Masuyo’s mom, she was known only as Riko until Watson and Watcher exposited she given that name as part of PRT witness protection. ‘Riko’ was clearly abusive and agoraphobic, keeping June locked away in their New York apartment until June was old enough to go to school. She was previously in a relationship with Elena until around the time Klaus became the seventh member of the collective. After ‘Riko’ dies of a drug overdose, June is moved to Brockton Bay.
Reagan Ainsley/Loki: Boudicca’s sibling, Loki is a sadistic sociopath who can infect someone they touch with fear that is spreadable by contact until Loki restarts the cycle with someone else. They can also create illusions for anyone infected by their fear as well as a single person not affected by their fear that they can see. Loki fought the Crew in Providence and also attacked the medical site during Nothung’s attack, resulting in June’s inheritance.
Dr. Drovanch: June and Elle’s therapist as arranged by Melanie. June notes at one point that Dr. Drovanch is agender and seems understanding of June’s discomfort with being misgendered.
Paige Mcabee/Canary: A moderately famous Rogue who sings under the stage name ‘Bad Canary.’ Her power makes her a fantastic singer but also makes people who hear her singing highly suggestible and not just to Canary. She was jailed after an accident caused by her power, but the Crew broke her out during prisoner transport from Providence to Boston and dropped her off in Montreal. Canary believes Eve paid them to do this.
Rubicon: An independent hero in Providence who tried to stop the Crew from freeing Canary. He is a Mover who can run on walls and leave burning circles in his wake that disappear when he stops moving or touches them.
Jess: An acquaintance of June’s from New York, they worked together as part of a group of thieves operating in southern Brooklyn. A very fit freerunner, June begged him to have sex with her once before she moved to Brockton Bay. Knew June as ‘Jay.’
Rodriguez: The man who organized the group of thieves in southern Brooklyn that June and Jess were part of.
Alexander Waters: The owner of the Queen’s Gambit, a casino in New York. Alexander is Octavia’s uncle, and he paid Eden ten million dollars for her powers, a fact that is reveal during the Crew’s raid on his casino just prior to Nothung’s attack.
Mrs. Ainsley: Mother of Boudicca and Loki and previously a British ambassador. Perished during a bombing on November 4th, 2010, the day Lung tried to forcibly recruit June by having Bakuda implant a bomb in Masuyo.
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The AU
This list is intended as a reference for readers who need a refresh on Luster’s AU elements. If you’re a new reader, then I suggest letting the AU elements come up organically. All the entries below are based on what June and/or the reader (based on interludes from outside June’s POV) know.
Cauldron? What, like a witch’s? Cauldron has never been mentioned. Instead, an organization by the name of Eden is apparently responsible for Case-53s and selling powers in a bottle.
Adam & Eve. Apples need not apply. Some shady characters by the name of Adam and Eve seem to be orchestrating things behind the scene. While Eve seems lesser known, her counterpart Adam is widely known as the reclusive first cape—and also arguably the strongest.
Aged up. Elle and Aisha are older in Luster than their canon counterparts. Both girls are fifteen, putting them at the same age as June.
Wait, could they do that before? In canon Worm, Elle is never seen creating anything ‘living,’ and her mental state seems to only vary over time; Luster’s Elle, however, has shown she can create ‘living’ creatures, and her mental state is additionally impacted by her mood. Likewise, canon Emily is pointedly susceptible to being burned, but Luster’s Emily is fireproof.
Sticks and stones may break my bones… but only if I don’t break them into pieces with my superpowers first. Faultline was apparently forced to trigger instead of it happening naturally. That sounds horrible…
You go, girl! Therese Stansfield has openly begun transitioning in both her private life and her career as Gallant. I mean really, who’s to say Gallant isn’t canonically trans? Poor thing got all murdered by moist rage lizard before her egg could crack. What’s that—‘Ward,’ you say? Why yes, she was a ward!
End-Bring It On! More Endbringers exist than in canon (additional ones named so far are Rukh, Nothung, and Charon), and some have reportedly been killed. The Simurgh is confirmed dead, but the story makes a point to specifically state the Simurgh is “the first slain Endbringer.”
Go A-dam, Go A-dam, Go!! In addition to being the first cape, Adam apparently fought off Behemoth single-handedly on its first appearance. Maybe that’s why he glows green?
Eido-what-now? Eidolon does not exist. Now you don’t have to worry about whether you’re pronouncing his name correctly (I sure wasn’t).
Flute solo, go! Taylor Hebert seems to have a different power. That, or she’s just really, really good at playing the flute—and making it disappear. Seems like a cool magic trick.
Triumvirotating lineup. The Triumvirate may have been around for a while as a concept, but its roster has changed over time and even once included a villain. ‘The Triumvirate’ is just another name for the Hopebringers, capes who either killed or were instrumental in fighting back an Endbringer, of which there have never been more than three. Huh. What’re the odds of that?
Mr. Anderson! Oh wait, it’s just ‘Anders’? Elena, the self-professed mother (not mom, thank you!) of June, has the last name Anders. That sounds sorta familiar, doesn’t it? Also, why is this in the AU section? Is the author totally obviously hinting at some twist on canon? OooOoOoo!
Slaughterhouse Nine? Is that, like, your band name? The Slaughterhouse Nine don’t exist. Which isn’t to say canonical members of the Nine don’t exist—Burnscar’s shacking up with Aisha and her crew.
THEY TOOK MY BABY! Riley’s mom survived Riley being abducted (not by the Nine though; see above!) and has sworn to get her baby back at all costs. Like Faultline, she says she was forced to trigger. She now goes by Brood or, as her Clutch call her, Zero.
Those are the rules! … That I just made up. Kaiser cares about the ‘unwritten rules.’ This totally and definitely is not because the author is a scrub who got that backwards in her head, put it in the story, and didn’t figure it out until waaaaay later. Because that would be embarrassing.
Undercoil—The Friendly RPG Where Nobody Has To Die… Except for Sarah, Apparently. Coil doesn’t exist, and the Undersiders never formed. That doesn’t mean none of them are running around though.
Probably other stuff because the author is a loser. This list might (read: definitely) be updated in the future when I have abrupt, ‘Oh right, that’s totally AU, huh?’ moments in the future. Just an FYI.