#the hunter assassin book

[leviathanverse]

B-brothers?

( This is a what if? in The Hunter Assassin book. What if there were three other dragons that were still captured and part of the family of Hantengu? What if there weren't just seven, but ten Forest dragons? And what if they nearly kill the one that saved them in front of the brothers and father? Only way to find out is to read the journey and danger that awaits.)

The cave was damp and cold, dragons inhabiting it and in a cuddle pile for warmth. Their father, Hantengu, got found and rescued as well as their overprotective uncle, Urami by the human that rescued them. Their uncle had sharper claws than their father, but still blunt and unable to cut into flesh. He also had shorter wings, just like Hantengu but a bit bigger to accommodate his impressive size.

The dark red dragon, always scowling even in his sleep, was the one with the warmest scales among the seven dragons. They were the only seven true Demon Forest Dragons left. If they were to be killed, then their species would go extinct. Entirely, wiped out from existence.

But tonight wasn't going to be the same as all the other nights. The night would end up being one of trauma and the death of their rescuer.

Unlike the other calm and peaceful nights.

Ears flicked, perking up at the sound of someone screaming and growls from far away. The youngest of the seven dragons lifted his head and stood up so quickly many would have sworn that he could have fallen over.

The other six were alerted and got up slowly. Their father hid behind their uncle, shaking and whimpering. The fear he had for what was going on out there in their forest made it impossible to NOT stop shaking.

The youngest dragon went bipedal, snarling as his tail swished aggressively from side to side. He wasn't happy with whatever was out there, hunting in THEIR territory.

It wasn't just him though. His brothers and uncle were also not happy. They were not happy with intruders in their territory. Urami took a step forward, only to back up when the oldest brother, Sekido, hissed at him.

Just as the youngest brother, Zohakuten, got ready to step out of the cave, a familiar human in black stumbled in the cave. Their mask was off, blood dripping from their mouth and they were covered in blood.

" Zohak-"

The dragon immediately ran to them just as they began to fall, nudging them with his paw as he made a soft whine. But he quickly growled when three strong scents hit his nose.

He snarled, standing over the human protectively. He waited for whatever came towards him to get the human. But he quickly grabbed the human by the back of their shirt between his teeth and jumped back. In time to dodge a white light that would have hit him and the human if he hadn't reacted fast enough.

His brothers and uncle snarled, father shaking as the fear grew worse. Everyone waited, waiting for whatever used that white fire power to come in the cave and attack them. Anything in its power to grab ahold of the human.

But it was quiet, as if the intruder had decided that it was not worth it to get the human.

The human that saved his brothers from being used in fighting rings or worse: skinned for their tough and strong skin and scales. He put the human down, his guard down. So was everyone else's guards down.

Big mistake.

Before anyone could react, a small ball rolled into the cave. Zohakuten didn't trust it, and was right to do so. Because in the next second, it exploded with light that blinded them all. Except Hantengu, as he was behind Urami.

They roared at the sudden blindness they got, bumping into each other as they stepped around, bipedal. Sekido was quick to recover, and saw a white dragon enter the cave, staring at the human with its white eyes.

He snarled and charged at the opponent on all fours, tackling the intruder while the intruder began fighting him as well. However, the white dragon didn't even try to do any damage on him. Mostly defending itself from the blows he was landing on it.

He managed to kick the intruder out of the cave, getting up quickly to charge at them. But stopped when he saw the size of them. They were small, smaller than Zohakuten but had wings bigger than him, Hantengu and Urami.

He observed, guard completely down before he got tackled by another dragon. He snarled, electricity building on his body before Karaku, the second oldest, attacked the other dragon. Urogi, third oldest, joined Karaku to attack the other dragon.

The new dragon was the same size as Karaku, if not a bit bigger. They had silver eyes, a silver crown of some sort with a dark blue and white kimono. Their wings were damaged, tears in their tailfins. Even one of their wings had half of it missing!

They opened their jaws and revealed something unexpected. Their tongue was pitchblack, so was the interior of their mouth.

It was terrifying, as no dragon he had ever seen in his entire life had a black mouth and tongue. Not one species. It almost seemed to... intimidate him, in some odd way. Even the saliva was black.

Karaku and Urogi froze, also somehow intimidated. They quickly brushed it off, however and circled the more injured and larger dragon. Like a pack of wolves circling a deer. Sekido snapped out of it too when the white dragon took off a veil that covered its mouth, a white light came from its jaws before it fired at him.

He was blinded, stumbling back. He was angry, electricity danced on his wings and tail. He was so going to rip this one apart, limb to limb. However, he recovered and went to attack when he saw Aizetsu ontop of them, claws threatening to tear open their throat.

He rumbled at Aizetsu, before sensing something was off. Zohakuten used his wood manipulation to trap the two dragons in roots, growling at them with rage. The silver eyed dragon hissed, tail swishing back and forth as a sign of agitation.

Urami was at the cave entrance, using his body to protect Hantengu who was behind him. He bared his teeth at the two intruders, the human in one of hid paws and still unconscious. The bleeding stopped, but it didn't mean that their wounds were minor. There was a large gash on their thigh.

They were not happy with the two intruders. Especially if they hurt the human that rescued all seven of them and possibly the two dragons. Zohakuten opened his wings, trying to intimidate the larger dragon. But they were not phased, which shocked him.

The white one, however, reacted. They screeched, trilled and swished their tail like a whip. The larger dragon only seemed get aggressive towards him.

Knowing this, Zohakuten approached the white dragon instead and stood in front of them. Now that he got a closer look at their futile attempts of trying to escape, he could see scars littering their face. Small, but noticeable when up close.

The dark blue dragon hissed at him, the temperatures around them dropped so suddenly. It wasn't winter yet, and the only explanation was one of the two dragons.

Sekido snarled at the larger one, which earned him a loud roar in return. The temperatures dropped even more, before Zohakuten folded his wings. He stopped putting fear into the white dragon.

He thought the smaller dragon would stop and be grateful, but he was wrong. A white ball was created in front of them, the very same ball that exploded and caused an explosion of very bright light.

He covered his eyes, and so did the others. Except the dark blue dragon. They were clearly disoriented and unfocused after the explotion of the bright light. Not having been able to cover their eyes with their tail or limbs.

The temperatures rose back to normal. Which meant that the dark blue dragon was the one to have caused the sudden drop in temperature. It was... interesting.

The white dragon still panicked, screeching before they began to fire the white light from their jaws at everyone. The brothers jumped back and distanced themselves from the white dragon.

It was a bit dangerous, as they didn't know what was the extent of the damage they could inflict. It wasn't like their scales were tough enough to block most of the damage, but it was more like HOW many wounds it could inflict with just one shot. Especially how long it would take them all to regenerate.

They didn't want to risk it. Especially with dragons that seemed to have been rescued by Y/n. If so, then why attack the one that saved them? Zohakuten snarled, slowly backing away towards Urami and his father. He had to protect the human, his family after years of not seeing them.

Aizetsu screeched when blood dropped onto him from above, the dark red liquid smelled like rotten meat. Dragon blood. No other blood smelled like rotten flesh. Not even animals. Their blood smelled sweet, but not as sweet as human blood. Human flesh was a delicacy, due to their sweet and succulent flesh.

Urogi looked up, and snarled when he saw a deep magenta coloured dragon in the tree where Aizetsu stood underneath. Their pupils were sharp and focused. They had massive wings, and was even larger than Urami! Their horns were larger, tail white with sharp spikes.

Zohakuten glared, opening his jaws and hissed, ears pinned. He wasn't happy. Not in the slightest. There were not only two but THREE intruders! He was going to show them who was the owner of this territory, who was the

He was about to charge at the one in the tree! When Aizetsu began to screech and roar in pain, clutching his chest where his heart would be. Everyone became on edge. Everyone except the white and silver eyed dragons.

Sekido shook his head and snarled too, Aizetsu still whining and roaring in pain. As if the blood of the magenta dragon did damage to him. Physically. Urogi was behind the dragon, and the intruder didn't seem to notice him until they got pinned by his brother.

They snarled under Urogi, who growled warningly in return. Zohakuten turned arounf and looked at the human in Urami's paws, and lowered his ears. He whined and approached the older dragon.

Urami looked at Zohakuten approach him, and motioned for him to go in the cave. Zohakuten could hear the other three dragons snarl at his brothers, who also snarled at them. He took the human in one paw and entered the cave Urami guarded the entrance of. Hantengu looked at his youngest son, and followed suit.

Karaku snarled at the white one now, who growled surprisingly loud for a dragon their size. It was weird coming from a small dragon. But it was also normal, in a way. Not something other dragons would see everyday.

Aizetsu stopped whining and roaring in pain after Urogi pinned the third dragon. So the blood did have something to do with Aizetsu's sudden pain. So the magenta one was the one they should avoid being drizzled in blood by? Got it.

Sekido approached the one under Urogi, and sniffed. He froze, pupils rounded and tail relaxed. His wings were relaxed next to his sides. He sniffed again, and made a soft growl.

The dragon snarled at him, ears pinned down with saliva connected from the top- and bottom jaw. They were defensive and aggressive, two reasons he understood completely.

Urogi looked at the dragon under him, and snarled. But was quickly silenced by Sekido's sudden hiss at him. He was confused at the sudden action of his older brother, but didn't bother to try to question it.

Sekido looked at the two trapped in the roots Zohakuten had manipulated. Could they...? He slowly approached them and sniffed them too. Same smell... just like them... He looked at the others and made a sharp, yet demanding trill.

Zohakuten poked his head out from the cave, and glared at the three dragons. Sekido snarled at him, approached Zohakuten and quietly growled something in his ears. Zohakuten's eyes widened as his pupils rounded.

The roots immediately let go of the two intruders, while Urogi also let go of the magenta one. The dark blue one stood protectively in front of the white one. The magenta dragon ran towards the two, jumping into a tree and onto a branch that was right above the two of them.

Sekido turned his attention to Urami and Hantengu, motioning for them to come to the group. He growled something in the group, and their eyes widened in shock and surprise. All except for Zohakuten.

They all turned to look at the three dragons, only to see that they had vanished. Where were they?! Where did they go?! They were going to reunite with their other brothers! So why run away from the cave that the three of them fought the seven of them? Well, five of them.

They had to find them, but first they had to wait for the next night. It was already starting to become day, and who knew where they were at this time or how far they had gotten?

-x-

He had panted, collapsing immediately after he had come to a stop. His two brothers were by his side, watching him in worry. Hyuko laid down next to him, one wing used to cover his back like a blanket. Junpei joined the pile, whimpering and hugging him tightly.

His injuries didn't heal. They would take years to properly heal after the torture and fights he had endured. His once beautiful tailfins were battered while his right wing was completely ripped in half. His left wing had a few holes in the membranes, but they would heal within a few days if he rested.

Hyuko nudged him, urging him to rest his body. He couldn't! But he was so tired, so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. He snorted before his eyes closed, his body finally relaxed as he succumbed to sleep.

Junpei hugged his now sleeping brother tighter as more worry bubbled inside his small chest. Hyuko stopped nudging Maronu, now focusing on him. He whimpered before being nudged by his other big brother.

Hyuko rumbled softly, grooming his head a little with his tongue. It was comforting, knowing that his big brother tried to calm him down with grooming. It was nice, but he didn't let his guard down. This forest was full of danger! What if a human jumped on them?! While big brother slept?!

He whimpered while Hyuko groomed him. He was scared, but he wasn't supposed to be! He was a dragon! A powerful beast that could kill millions in just a day! But his big brothers always brought him food because he was too young to hunt.

Hyuko stopped grooming him when he heard a loud snap. He immediately jumped, hiding behind Maronu from the branch that snapped. As if his big brother would wake up and protect him.

Hyuko stood up, using his body to protectively stand over them and hissed. His ears twitched, saliva dripped from his jaws as he hissed. He hissed even louder when the five dragons they fought came out of the bush.

The green one came forward while the others stayed back. His big brother hissed at him, and scratched his arms to draw blood. He was ready to fight to protect him and Maronu from them.

Until he smelled it. Their scent was similar to his and his brothers' smells. He chirped, causing his brother to look at him. He looked at his brother, growling softly as he cautiously made his way towards the other dragons.

Hyuko kept a close eye, snarling as he watched his younger brother approached the ones that protected that- that human! He growled and sniffed the air too, muscles tensed up as he caught their smell.

They smelled just like Manoru, Junpei and him. Were... were they their brothers? But why did they protect that human? Was it because they were saving it for last?

They had found their brothers... He was happy! Now they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by humans! Hyuko approached them too, rumbling lowly when Junpei flinched when they made a single movement.

They were reunited with their other family. It felt nice. Junpei greeted then, opening his little feathered wings and the feathered one did the same thing. Hyuko turned around and went back to Manoru. He stared at his brother and went bipedal to pick him up.

They found their brothers... They finally found the family they had been searching for, for years. Hyuko took a step towards their long lost brothers, before snarling. He smelled a human. The same human that released them from their prison.

They wanted to make them fight! He had to kill them! He had to protect his brothers! He took a step back, growling at the purple winged brother. He smelled the human's scent on him, he knew that he had eaten the human. He just didn't trust or know how the scent was still there.

He watched as his brother came back as soon as he also got a whiff of the human's scent. He knew that digestion had to take place and that such a small creature already had to be digested. Why were they protecting a human?!

He didn't trust his long lost brothers anymore. They were manipulated! They had to be! Why else would they protect a human?!

One of his brothers, the green one, dared to approach him and his two brothers. He snarled louder and lowered his upper torso to put his brother on the ground again and stand over him. His wings opened, revealing black membranes underneath the wings.

He didn't trust them anymore. Not one bit. The green brother rumbled at them, trying to coax them to calm down and that the human was harmless to them. That the human saved them from being used in fighting rings or worse.

He snarled, hissing as the spikes on his tail raised to show his anger. He was massive compared to everyone, his strength impressive. However, he didn't know about the one that held the human. He looked strong, despite his appearance.

He didn't trust anything now. He didn't trust anyone except for Junpei and Maronu. They wanted to protect the one species that gave them hell instead of protecting them! Maronu protected them! He did everything to make sure Junpei and him were protected! Made sure that they received minor injuries unlike him!

He won't let them get hurt again. Especially his protective brother.

-x-

It took them around more than three hours to convince their other brother that the human saved them. Three hours of them snarling and hissing at them. They had to convince them that not all humans were evil.

Zohakuten had regurgitated the human after the magenta dragon promised to not hurt them. To say that he didn't growl would be a lie. They still didn't believe them, and made themselves at home outside the cave.

It was better than them getting ready to fight again. It wasn't what they wanted though. They wanted to be with them, but the magenta one, who they knew as Hyuko, kept snarling at them. As if they were the enemy all along.

It didn't set well with Sekido. Nether he or Hantengu thought it sat well with them. Hantengu, with all his courage, went outside to meet the sons he didn't know his now dead mate had.

To say that Hyuko was a bit aggressive would be debatable. He was protective, and even had saliva drip from his jaws, teeth ready to draw his own blood and give him physical pain.

Hantengu gave a soft but shaky rumble, a friendly sound that he hoped his son would take as a truce. He looked at Junpei, maybe the youngest son compared to Zohakuten, and smiled.

Hyuko stopped snarling, but did not lower his guard. Hantengu felt hurt, but knew to respect Hyuko's boundaries. Especially with how he took on the roll of protector so quickly.

Whatever those humans did to them to make them think Y/n would hurt them must have been horrible. Even seeing their own saviour as one of them. They must have gone through so much, if Maronu's injuries were to go by.

Even when he slept, his muscles were still tense. It would take a long time to get them to trust Y/n. Maybe an entire year or three. Maybe more.

Hopefully they will warm up to the human.

Note: This took three days. And I am so tired. And fan art is more than welcome.

[urog1i]

SPOLIERS FOR THE HUNTER ASSASSIN!

Chapter one ;

There was a very normal dragon hunter assassin -

Chapter 32 :

M̴͓̭͔͚̻̎̀̂̌̽̋̑͌̈E̵̦͌̊̐̚Ẻ̵̖̣͚̉̿̑̇͌͌̚̚Ṫ̵͉̝̓͒̊͝I̷̙͍͋̽̒͠N̷͖̯͙͋̆̍̏̈́͠Ĝ̶̨̛̟͎̩̟͙̰̭͈̰̍͌̐͗͝ ̶̧͈̜͖̖̫̙͗̀̈́͊̊͋͋͆̑̿T̵̛͕̻̣̪̭̪̲̏̀̽́̀͠H̵̖̮̦̖̽͑̓͘̕͠͝Ë̷͔̪́͊̅͝͠ ̷͍̖̠͕̠̪̞͇͎̇͂̃̿̈́͆D̸͖͎̈́̋͐̓R̴̡̠͇̬̥̰̗̀̈́̿̎̌ͅÄ̸͉̗͕̼̳́͊̋Ĝ̶̛̛̛͔̇̆̈̅O̸̧̿̈́͑N̴̦̜̯̣̯͍̈͂̏̑̓̓̅͠ͅ ̴̤̹̀Q̶̣̪̬̩̻́̍̅̈̇̏Ŭ̴̯E̸̡̫͉̙̻̖͇̳̺͛̏̋͐Ę̵͎̮̩̠̔̂̐̇̔̂̐͘͝N̶̨̡̙̞̱̩̘̲͔͐͒̓̀͌̊́ ̸̱̽̚T̶̨̜̠́̕H̷̠̲͓͗͆̇̚͝A̵̡̱̜̣̩͌̊̀̿̆͑̕̕ͅT̷̖̅̄̄̃̔̈̆ ̵͈̫̭̙̑̀̚

Ẅ̶̗̼͈͓́̔̓͊͊̌̐̚A̵̧̝͉̤̙͍͙͐̈́̈́̃̊͌S̵̤͚̱̞̹͎̬̬̑͐̆̈́́͒͌͝ ̷̧̛̮̦̻̝͚̰̜̘̠̀̇̈́̐̍͛̎̕͝T̷̞̬͒̉͌̓͘Ḩ̴̧̩̺̜̹̲̀̆̇́̈̎̉̀Ò̴̟̟̜U̴̩̹͒G̷̭̩̽̎͑̂̍͝H̸͉̠̼̎̈́͂T̵̞͎̖̺̖͍͕͔̼͉͝ ̷̛̱͇̪̟̱͔̂̂̂̋̀̚̕̕T̴̡̺̲̮͉͎̺̤̰̆̆O̸͎̜̻̱̪̰̗͇̥͑̍̿̇̚͘̚ ̸̺͓̘̪̫̠̼̈́̀̚͠͝B̷͇͙̥͕͊̂Ě̴̲̒͑̇͐́̓̌ ̸͖̙̣̉̃̔͗E̷̡͎̠̙̲̩̓̔Ẍ̷͇̽̏̌̈́͋Ṭ̷̨̍̆͋Ị̵̢̧̛̖̘̹̪̗̮͇̌̆́͒̈́̀̒N̸̰̤̪̥̘͈̤͌̇ͅÇ̸̱̩̼̘͂̌T̸͓̔̉͒͌͝͠

[archerofunspeakablelove]

Yassen "not sentimental" Gregorovich, who drinks grenadine because Hunter introduced him to it, who threw away his grandfather's watch because Hunter told him to, who tried to prove he was a killer because he thought Hunter wanted him to be, who was happy about the scar Hunter gave him when saving his life, who wouldn't kill Alex because he is Hunter's son, because Hunter, because Hunter, because Hunter. But sure, Yassen, you're not sentimental. We totally believe you.

[deithe]

alex rider and his insane gaslighting assassin guardian angel yassen gregorovich

[theblackpanther]

Master Assassin Fennec Shand. Happy belated Star Wars Day! ;)

[paperback-rascal]

---

See more of my fix-it posts here -> [LINK] <-

My fanart masterlist -> [LINK] <-

===

STAR WARS: The Clone Wars/The Bad Batch © George Lucas/ Dave Filoni/ LucasFilm/ Disney

My personal headcanon is that Tech got Echoed AKA Empire used his knowledge/experience/memories to train CXs troopers - that's why clone assassins got so good at fighting the batch - they're flash trained based on Clone Force 99 tactics. Following that headcanon of mine... CX2 was, to a degree, Tech... just as he was Crosshair, Wrecker, Hunter and Echo or more precisely... what Tech knew about his brothers and their capabilities/fighting style.

But I also believe showrunners are aiming to have Tech rescued in a different show (or a tie-in comics or a book) to have another property tied tightly to Filoniverse... also to strengthen my theory - J. Corbett admitted that she loves Marvel's Winter Soldier movie - make of that what you will.

The ending of TBB s3, in my opinion, teases an idea of a show circling around rebellion in which Omega will be at least secondary/supporting character so I think they'll make her rescue her fallen brother in her own show as a minor plot point or at least a TBB cameo.

I don't care either way as long as CF99 will be properly reunited.

[kathydavie]

Book Review: R.J. Blain's Dirty Deeds 2

Book Review: R.J. Blain’s Dirty Deeds 2

An anthology of six stories in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre in which the gloves are off and simply surviving might just be the dirtiest, most difficult deed of all. The Series “101 Ways to Die” (Magical Romantic Comedies, 15.5) “Putting the Chic in Psychic” (Everyday Disasters, 1.5) “Liz and Eli Sitting” (Jane Yellowrock, 13.2) “Oak and Ink” (Souls of the Road, ) “Heart Stings”…

[vyriadurav]

(Edit: using this as a pinned post about all my books for now in lieu of another one. This was formerly for International Lesbian Day but now is a one stop shop for all my books) For starters, consider checking out

Catnip Amazon | Itch.io | Alternative Ebook Sellers | Audiobook For all his life, Sol has believed he's only worthy of affection as long as he's useful--and he intends to prove his ultimate use by restoring a colony on Venus as a new home for his friends and lovers. But upon arriving, he realizes there's more here than he bargained for. For one, the resident artificial intelligence wants to make friends with him. For another, the nanites want to completely change his body... and in the process reveal her true self. Stuck (or perhaps blessed?) with a new form, she must find out what it means to live, to be loved for who she is rather than her work. Catnip is a cozy space exploration novel about a trans woman's journey to find herself and what it means to be loved for who she is, with the help of her polycule and a lesbian AI. If Sci-fi isn't quite your speed, you can also check out

The Hatchling Amazon | Itch.io | Alternative Ebook Sellers

Sarric dreamed of dragons all his life; such flights of fancy captured his imagination at a young age and sustained him through the cruelty of the hunters that ruled the isolated mountain town of Rivermist. One day, a real dragon appears before him, dazzling him with her beauty and an answer to the unease that's afflicted him for as long as he remembers. He's eager to take what she offers--but the greedy hunters, driven by tales of treasure hoards, will do everything in their power to destroy her. The Hatchling is a fantasy about a trans woman's journey of accepting her identity and her new found family.

If you want something a little spicier, consider reading Wyrmheart Itch.io exclusive

A mage without home or family seeks to establish a legacy for herself so that her name might ring out through the ages.

An assassin is charged with striking at the heart of a draconic cult that surely hides some greater evil.

Wyrmheart is a story set in Maria Ying's Those Who Break Chains universe and tells the story of trans women making their way through life in this fantastical world.

You can also take a look at my Patreon where I am currently writing several things, but primarily

Forged in the Light of New Stars

Forged is a t4t lesbian isekai story about a closeted trans woman and a repressed, rotten egg (in the trans sense) who find themselves transported to a vibrant, magical world filled with advanced technology, mysteries to discover, and most importantly: a place where they can their truest selves. Follow Gwen as she strives to take control of her life, to be the woman she's always known she could be, and find true happiness.

Follow Brian as he struggles to cast off the chains that his family has bound him in, to undo the bigoted messages they poured into him constantly, and find out, deep down, who she truly is.

Watch them fall in love with each other and with the mystical world of Tellara and all the new friends they make along the way. See them uncover secrets about the connection between Earth and Tellara and their purpose as travelers between worlds. Magic, alchemy, and queerness collide in this otherworldly journey.

[mixelation]

oh yeah i wrote this last night

“No,” Shisui said, flatly. “Absolutely not.”

He still maintained his proper at ease pose, feet apart and arms folded behind his back. It was a stark contrast to his rather blatant words. 

“I recognize you have a very… strong interpersonal relationship,” Minato said carefully. “But like all our shinobi, Tori knows how to behave professionally when on missions.”

“With all due respect,” Shisui replied, “if she wasn’t a problem, you could hand her to any other captain.”

Minato’s lips thinned. He had wasted so many years believing Tori was the most personable member of Team 4, and now look what he and Kushina had allowed her to become. Now that he needed to temporarily pull a fuinjutsu master for ANBU, it was becoming clear she’d somehow ended up on the shit list of several key ANBU members. She was as bad as Itachi in terms of reputation, except she had to clout within ANBU to command respect. 

He could just put Kushina on this mission, but her personality was wildly unsuited for ANBU. Tori was theoretically a much better pick. She could be incredibly discreet when she wanted to be. 

Shisui’s dark eyes watched him, waiting for a reply. Unlike any member of Team 4, Shisui was not openly judging him for his decisions, or the fact that he’d just let Tori piss off half of ANBU and done nothing to intervene. 

“Uchiha Itachi recommended you,” Minato said finally. “He believes your skills would complement, and that despite your differences, you would be able to read each other well, despite never having run a mission together.”

He could tell Shisui was fighting hard to not react, like a good ANBU. 

“Perhaps Itachi should captain this mission then,” Shisui said finally. “They have an excellent mission record together.”

“You know I can’t assign them together,” Minato replied. 

In theory, he could, because he could do whatever he wanted as Hokage. But now that they were dating, he didn’t want to throw them together into a high-stakes mission until after they’d had some trainings on workplace romances and run a few easier missions together, if they wanted to explore that. Romantic feelings and missions could be a disaster for both the mission and the relationship. 

(Kushina would be so upset if they broke up.)

Shisui took a deep breath. 

“If you force this,” Shisui said, steely eyed, “I will consider resigning from ANBU.”

Wow, Minato thought. He hadn’t thought they’d disliked each other this much. 

“I will take your opinion into consideration,” Minato said, and then dismissed him. 

Minato distracted himself with some more mission assignments for an hour, but he inevitably came back around to the Tori problem. 

The unfortunate truth of the situation was that he did have to build an ANBU team around her, rather than carefully pull the best agents from a range of different candidates. 

The mission was a rare invitation from the Water Country Daimyo. He wanted a certain political enemy eliminated, but all three of Kiri’s own attempts to assassinate the mark had failed, because the mark had somehow turned his home into a maze of fuinjutsu barriers and traps. So the Daimyo wanted Konoha to infiltrate, kill only the mark and his two partners, and also not leave any evidence a foreign ninja had done this so he didn’t have to explain anything to the Mizukage. 

The fuuinjutsu requirement, along with baseline ANBU requirements, meant literally only Kushina and Tori could reliably do this, and Kushina was horrible at being subtle. 

Could he maybe move the mission out of ANBU and widen his pool of other teammates…? No, it really had to be ANBU. 

What if he just did the mission?

Kakashi walked into the office to find Minato with both hands in his hair, glaring at the current ANBU roster. ANBU Jaguar would be perfect for this, actually, except Tori had brought Jaguar to Book Club the time Bounty Hunter Kakuzu had inexplicably shown up. 

“Have you also been speaking to genin?” Kakashi asked, dropping a folder onto Minato’s desk. 

Minato stared up at him helplessly. That was right; he’d asked for the newest Jounin Sensei to turn in their six month report on their genin teams in a tad early so they could discuss entering them in the Chunin Exams this round. 

Team 7 must have really done a whammy on Kakashi if he was the first to turn his in. 

“ANBU is sort of like speaking to children,” Minato said, and Kakashi dropped into a seat across from him to listen to him whine. 

“Just make Itachi deal with her,” Kakashi said when Minato finished. “Or are you afraid their relationship will turn them into a vortex of toxic behavior likes of which ANBU has never seen?”

“Something like that,” Minato replied. He absently picked up a pen and jotted down a note to himself to tell them they had to do workplace romance training so he never had to deal with this again. 

Then Minato said, “I really thought Shisui was a good fit. They’re not friendly, but they’re civil at Book Club.”

“Ah, it’s because Shisui is intimately aware she’s a manipulative little monster,” Kakashi said. He settled back further in his chair and crossed his legs. “He used to get weird about having to work with Itachi too.”

Minato sighed and tapped his fingers on the desk. He should have a conversation with Tori about being more pleasant. Except if he used that wording both she and, more importantly, Kushina would yell at him about being anti-feminist because… something something women were expected to be kind and gentle where men weren’t. 

He just wanted her to not use her teammates as psych experiments… 

“Hey,” Minato said, eyeing Kakashi up and down. “Do you want a break from your genin?”

Kakashi, currently fiddling with a pen, froze. 

“It’ll only be a couple weeks,” Minato said. “I’ll stick them with someone else and tell them it’s an evaluation for candidacy to the Chunin Exam.”

Kakshi looked less than convinced. 

“I of course enjoy my cute little ninja sibling,” Kakashi said very slowly. “But only in my personal time. When there’s other people to point her at.”

Minato could force the issue and just assign Kakashi to the mission. But he was trying so hard to get people to get along on their own. That was his philosophy as Hokage. 

Of course, sometimes people just didn’t want to get along, and then he had to use other tactics. 

“I’ll get you Jiraiya’s current manuscript,” Minato offered. “And just think: it’ll be really, really funny.”

Kakashi looked more considering. 

xXx

Tori stared down at the mask on the desk. Her eyes rose, meeting MInato’s. They had a certain dewey quality to them that almost made him feel bad.

“Why would you do this to me?” Tori asked, sounding betrayed. 

“Wow,” Kakashi said, putting a hand on a hip. He was a nostalgic sight, in full ANBU uniform again. “Usually people are overjoyed to work with me.”

Tori made a face like she didn’t believe this. 

“It’s just like any other mission,” Minato assured her. “Just with a couple extra rules.”

Tori reached hesitantly for the mask.

“If you make me ANBU Songbird,” she said, turning it over in her hands, “I am going missing-nin.”

“So,” Minato said blandly, “a stricter behavior code is part of your temporary ANBU assignment–”

“Maa, it’s a Nightingale,” Kakashi interrupted, completely undermining Minato lecture on how he should technically give Tori several demerits and send her off to a psych eval for her joke. “Which I believe is a songbird. Suborder Passeri, right?”

Kakashi had definitely looked this up beforehand, specifically for this. 

“Why would you do this to me?” Tori repeated. 

“I was being sensitive,” Minato defended. “You went on for a very long time about your ancestor Nightingale, and it was available.”

Tori stared at him, clearly confused. 

“The statistician?” he tried. 

“Florence Nightingale?” Tori said, sounding mildly scandalized. “She’s not my ancestor!”

Minato could have sworn Deidara had referred to this Nightingale person as “one of Tori’s people” to explain the strange given name. Maybe he hadn’t meant she was part of Tori’s family after all…?

“No one gets to choose their own mask,” Minato said, backtracking. “I try to allow people to turn down temp ANBU assignments, but we really don’t have anyone else with the required skillset.”

Tori scowled down at the mask some more. Minato would at least hear her out, if she decided to give an actual argument for not wanting to run an ANBU mission, but she didn’t offer one up. 

“Maa, I’ll try to fill the rest of the team with people you haven’t personally harassed,” Kakashi said. “Although that’s not a long list…”

Tori held the mask up to her face experimentally, then pulled it away. 

“Do you sterilize these between uses?” she asked. 

“Yes, of course,” Minato said. “But, um, that one’s been in storage for years. I’d clean it again.”

“Don’t worry, my cute little sister,” Kakashi drawled, “I will teach you in the way of mask hygiene.”

Tori shot Minato another pained, betrayed look. 

“He means that as your captain, he’ll brief you on how this works,” Minato said. He almost reassured Tori that Kakashi really was one of their best. But she already knew that. 

Kakashi swung an arm around her shoulder and walked her out, listing tips for cleaning her mask and borrowed armor as he went. 

Minato watched them go with conflicting emotions. Kakashi and Tori… made each other behave worse, in public. It was heartwarming when he looked at them as young people he’d mentored: their mutual interests brought each other out of their shells and they enjoyed each other’s company. It was also kind of a nightmare when he thought of them as soldiers under his command. He trusted both of them to reel it in once the mission started, but Tori’s orientation would almost definitely end with more names on the list of ANBU Tori had personally harassed. 

Ah well. It would be character building for whoever they ended up harassing.

[dollyyun]

𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 (𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐍)

♪ 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 ♪

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

𝐎𝐓𝟕 (series;poly/reverse harem)

➤ ONE OF THE GIRLS - (wherein Hwang Stella's life is tangled in a predicament involving her clandestine identity as a racer, her seemingly daily life as the official heir to the Hwang Empire, and seven guys with whom she has a complex history with.)

➤ ETERNAL CURSE - (wherein the princess, who is a clandestine assassin, has been commanded to eliminate the seven vampire princes.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 (series;poly/reverse harem)

➤ DEVIL'S KNIGHTS' PREY - (wherein you caught the attention of devil's knights leaders, resulting in consequences you thought which you expected, but little did you know that there were more to it.)

🗝️ DEAL WITH THEM - (-wherein you and your best friends accidentally summon a sex demon, but instead of a demon, you get the four princes of hell.- fantasy, blood, violence, smuts)

🗝️ SWEET BUT PSYCHO - (-wherein you become the hunter and begin your preying on the four renowned nerds on campus just for your pure sick and twisted pleasure, but little do you know that a certain bunch of individuals are the same twisted as you.- a touch of psychological thriller, blood, violence, murder, smuts)

🗝️ HALAZIA - (-wherein you are given an important mission to save your fellow highest ranking hunters, from the organisation you worked for, who are being mind controlled by the very establishment that threatens to spread its blight and rule the world and beyond.- sci-fi, dystopian, enemies to lovers, violence, angst, smuts)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 (series;solos)

🗝️ THE SINGLE DADS TROPE (different tropes, fluffs, angst, smuts)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆

🗝️ MY BOY ONLY BREAKS HIS FAVOURITE TOYS (unstable relationship, toxicity, heavy angst, smut)

🗝️ THE ARCHER (grimreaper!heeseung, mentions of suicide, possible self-harming, soulmates au, angst, smut)

🗝️ PARADISE (-inspired by chase atlantic's paradise, hee is madly in love with fem!reader, friends to lovers, a touch of unrequited love, slight angst, fluffs)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐉𝐀𝐘

🗝️ I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART (popstar x rockstar, ex-lovers to strangers to lovers, angst, smut)

🗝️ OLDER (6 years age gap, older brother's best friend, cold ceo!jay, fem!reader is famous beauty influencer, angst, smut)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐉𝐀𝐊𝐄

🗝️ BUT DADDY, I LOVE HIM (fantasy royal au, villain!jake, forbidden love, smut, romeo-juliet kinda theme)

🗝️ HOW YOU GET THE GIRL (college au, slight angst, pinning, childhood best friends to lovers)

🗝️ MY DEAREST (-inspired by shatter me book series, sci-fi, dystopian, enemies to lovers, smut)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

🗝️ GUILTY AS SIN (friends with benefits, smut, unrequited love, angst, confession under the rain)

🗝️ SLOW DOWN (racer!hoon & racer!reader, rivals to lovers, smut)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐖𝐎𝐍

🗝️ SO HIGH SCHOOL (spider-man!won, best friends to lovers, fluffs, suggestive-mild smut(?))

[leviathanverse]

Au belongs to @mylou-doodlesworld.

Warning: Some chapters contain foul language and might make some people uncomfortable. There will be blood, death and there are mentions of panic attacks, being eaten alive- which does happen but none of the good characters die- and flashbacks in this book.

If any of these make you uncomfortable, then I ask you to leave this book alone, unless you want to skip the parts that are heavily uncomfortable for you.

Other than that, enjoy!

Here <-•-> Next

Au belongs to me.

Warning: Swearing, blood, being torn from limb to limb, death, angst, fearplay, injury, animalistic behaviours and mentions of being crushed alive.

If any of these warnings make you uncomfortable, then please leave. Or you can skip the parts that make you uncomfortable.

Other then that, enjoy!

Here <-•-> Next

Masterlist

[docgold13]

Introduction

There are many, many super villains in the realms of fiction, comic books, cartoons and movies.  When encountering such villains, these costumed cads and dangerous dastards, it is of the utmost importance that one know the precise type of malefactor is at hand.  While no two villains are exactly alike, as a whole these scoundrels can be roughly categorized into a systemic taxonomy; a classification based upon the qualities of threat, capability and ambition.

This taxonomy is sequential in respect to the level of danger, commitment and aspiration.  It begins at a first rung with the lowly Goons, moving quickly to the dangerous Enforcers, then the mercurial Rogues, followed by the calculating Lieutenants and finally the Nemeses… the most dangerous villains of them all.  

Goons

First let us look at the Goons.  These are the minions, the henchmen and stooges who use their powers to do the bidding of a more sinister and scheming master. 

Goons can be quite formidable, possessing a great deal of raw strength and power.  Yet their lack of foresight, aspiration and direction leave them in the position of playing the role of pawns.  

Whether it be the result of laziness, naïveté, psychological difficulty or some manner of deficiency, Goons are easily manipulated.  They are frequently duped or cajoled into doing the bidding of others.  Sometimes they will perceive themselves as being equals with those they serve.  In truth, however, these misguided flunkies are almost always viewed as disposable... as mere vassals who will be sacrificed or simply discarded on a whim.  

Criminal organizations will frequently have numerous henchmen who are nameless and interchangeable.  What distinguishes a super villain Goon from the more garden variety lackey is their physical power and capacity for destruction.  They possess all the raw ability to be a more substantial menace but none of the imagination, presentation or drive. They simply lack the je ne sais quoi needed to be a more fully actualized embodiment of super villainy. 

And yet this does not make the Goon any less dangerous.   Indeed the Goon’s fragile ego coupled with their destructive capability can lead to threats on par with a natural disaster.  

Conversely, the Goon can sometimes be the most likely type of super villain to be turned, moved toward the path of heroism.  Most Goons just want to be seen and valued, to garner a place where they feel they belong.  More sophisticated villains will take advantage of this unmet need, offering the Goon a sense of purpose.   If a hero can convince a Goon that they are being manipulated and offer a more authentic sense of validation, the goon may very well switch sides and become heroic.  

For the most part, however, Goons are rather satisfied with their lot.  They are often simple souls with simple needs.  Being a Goon affords a sense of direction and license to be destructive bullies.  

The Enforcers

When the raw power of a super villain Goon is coupled with a heightened degree of shrewdness, confidence, avarice and capability, the end product is often The Enforcer. 

These are the mercenaries, assassins and bounty hunters… the guns-for-hire who are brought in for a specific task (commonly the elimination of a hero).  These villains are not interested in taking over the world, garnering power and influence, they just want to get paid.

Said payment is most often money... but prestige, thrills and a bolstering of one’s ego are also a commonly accepted currency.  Sometimes Enforcers will be pitted against a specific hero and the simple opportunity to best that hero, to show themselves as the superior entity, is motivation enough to take on the job.  They can be like big game hunters, in desperate search of a new and bigger trophy to add to their ever-growing collection.

Some enforcers may be motivated by mere boredom.  They tend to be thrill-seekers and super villainy is an irresistible rollercoaster that acts to quell the tedium.  It is not uncommon for there to be a degree of sadism to the enforcer... even psychopathy.  Their passion is doling out pain and destruction; they revel in being feared.  They are dangerous and unpredictable and will endeavor to succeed at any and all costs.  They are not to be taken lightly.  

It is not unheard of for Enforcers to have underlings of their own, aides or minions who will assist in their schemes.  Or they may work in conjunction with Goons.  Yet their values are strictly mercenary.  Their morals and philosophy are entirely for hire.  Some Enforcers may adhere to their own, personalized code of conduct... yet it is a strictly idiosyncratic (and often malleable) matter. 

Phrased simply, they are not individuals to be trusted; an Enforcer will turn on their employer the moment that it better suits their interests. Beware, my friends, Enforcers are danger incarnate...

Rogues

Rogues are outsiders, individuals who just do not fit in with the common and traditional conventionalities of a given society.  They are misfits, freaks, square pegs in a world of round holes.  Yet they also have power; they are capable, smart, ruthless and shrewd.  They do not fit in, but they do not need to; they can force their worlds to accommodate to them.  

Rogues are outlaws.  They take what they want when they want it.  Rarely is there an overarching agenda.  Rogues do not crave power, they do not want to rule the world.  They just enjoy a good time, desire the finer things and will take all that they feel they are owed. 

Many factors can go into the making of a Rogue.  Circumstances of their upbringing, their appearance, deprivations of different kinds, accidents… all maters that have put the Rogue in a place of alienation from society writ large.  In some regards they are victims, perhaps not always innocent victims, but victims nonetheless… and victims with agency.  For they have power and the capability to extract whatever vengeance or retribution they feel they deserve.

Not all Rogues are victims of misfortune.  Some merely possess a sense of entitlement and a desire for adventure.  Morality, for better or worse, is just not a central feature in the make up of the Rouge.  They see the world around them as a harsh and unforgiving realm and they will take what they want, do as they please, simply because they can.  They are not motivated by hate, avarice nor a diminished sense of self esteem.  They are supremely independent and the needs, feelings and wellbeing of others are not matters of any great concern.  

The super villain Rogue has much in common with the archetype of the Trickster from myths and fable.  Tricksters are breakers of boundaries who enjoy disrupting societal principles and norms.  These are often supernatural beings whose playful antics act to mock authority and question assumption.  Rogues are similar.  They too seek to disrupt authority, upset balance and turn social decorum unto its head.

Whereas many Tricksters of lore aim to teach lessons regarding the hubris of mankind, Rogues tend to be much more self-serving in their conduct.  Rogues are not agents of chaos, they just want to express their freedom and garner wealth and renown.

While Rogues often prefer to work on their own, they are by no means entirely above joining forces with other villains in working toward a mutually desired goal.  Although it is rare, a Rogue may even allow themselves to be employed by a Nemesis, a more diabolical cad whose overarching desires very much do not align with their own.  In these situations, the Rogue’s hand is either forced or they are simply biding their time for the ideal opportunity to engaged a well-planned and self-serving betrayal.  

It is the Rogue’s refusal to adhere to societal principles and the law that often brings them into conflict with heroes.  And the sympathetic qualities of the Rogue can sometimes cause a hero to question their own beliefs and moral alignment.  The Rogue represents a defiance toward the status quo of a given society... that existing state of affairs that maintains social and financial stratification.  The status quo is never an entirely fair system, it will always benefit some at the expense of others,...and it can be tempting to forcefully push back against the inequities that exist therein.  Indeed there have been many a hero who has fallen under the sway of a charismatic Rogue when made to see said inequities.

 And yet Rogues tend to be quite selfish.  They have been wronged and use it as an excuse to do whatever they please and put their own needs above all others.  In so doing they may end up hurting others in the same fashion they themselves had been hurt.  These Rogue could be heroes, yet frequently lack the sense of selflessness that truly makes a hero heroic.

Under the right circumstances, however, the Rogue can find themselves in the role of the antihero... acting as a protagonist despite lacking the traditional qualities most often associated with heroism.  This is most often the case when the Rogue’s goals put them into opposition with another villain, particularly a villain much more vile than themselves.

Although some Rogues may fit into the role of an antihero, it does not necessarily make them any less dangerous.  The primary characteristic of a Rogue is a rejection of the normative confines of a society.  And this can include the confines of morality.  The Rogue will resort to murder and mayhem if they deem it a necessity.  So beware, my friends, beware.      

The Lieutenants

In some regards, Lieutenants are the villainous analog to the hero’s sidekick.  They are the primary right-hand operatives of the arch villain… an amalgamation of a partner, field commander, conciliary and moll.  They are neither a Nemesis nor a Goon, but something in between.  

Quite often the Lieutenant will be a good deal more competent, pragmatic and even more intelligent compared to the villain they serve.  They could easily be a leader in their own right, yet lack the megalomania that is at the heart of a true Nemesis.  What these lieutenants do possess, however, is a deeply seated need to belong... to have a parental-like figure that offers direction and purpose.   Some even love the villains they serve and remain at their side for this reason alone.  

Lieutenants crave power and respect, they feel a poignant need for validation and this will often lead them to battle against the heroes with vigorous intensity.  They can be the most dangerous kind of villain of them all in that they are highly motivated and intelligent as well as desperate to succeed; almost like a child who will do anything to win the approval of a parent.  

The neurotic nature of the Lieutenant’s motivation frequently leaves them a good deal less sadistic and malevolent compared to the Nemeses they serve.  They are not bloodthirsty or callous; many may even have care for the innocent lives that a dastardly plot might harm.  And yet the need for approval acts to outweigh any moral qualms they may possess. That being said, it is not entirely unheard of that a Lieutenant will turn on their leader if the destructive stakes become far too high.  

Somewhat akin to the Goon (or even the Rogue), the Lieutenant possesses the potential to turn to the side of good, to be redeemed and become something of a hero.  The Lieutenant is highly capable and shrewd, but not above manipulation.  Often times they will find themselves in the service of a master who does not have their best interests in mind. 

Discovering that they are not as valued by their leader as they may have thought can help the Lieutenant rediscover their sense of honor... a clearer picture of right and wrong.  Herein there becomes an increased likelihood that the Lieutenant will turn and aide the heroes... possibly even become a hero themselves.  

Of course this is not to say that every Lieutenant possesses a staunch code of honor or secret heart of gold.  Some are just as rotten and despicable as the cads they serve.  They have pled fidelity to their masters and many see the orders they have been issued as on par with a godly and righteous decree.

At the same time that many Lieutenants are unquestioningly loyal, others can be duplicitous.  Again, it is not uncommon that a Lieutenant will actually be more competent compared to those they serve.  And some possess the ambition to usurp their masters, concocting fiendish schemes to depose their leader, take control and ostensively matriculate to the position of the Nemesis.

This particular dynamic is quite often at play with the ‘secret lieutenant.’  This is something of a subcategory reserved for those second-in-commands who are initially believed to be the primary villain… only for it to be later revealed that there is an entity even more diabolical above them.  

Nemeses often cherish their anonymity, preferring to remain a more secretive threat from behind the proverbial curtain.  To this extent they need a Lieutenant to stand in as their vassal.  It is not uncommon for these proxies to be misidentified as the primary Nemesis.  And more often than not, these secret Lieutenants become accustomed to the power they wield... harboring resentment toward the shadowy overlords that they secretly serve.  Sometimes they will take action to achieve their ambitions… yet it rarely works in their favor and a Lieutenant’s efforts to usurp their masters will frequently have deadly consequences.  

There are reasons after all, that Lieutenants and Lieutenants and Nemeses are Nemeses.  The qualities that make for a true Nemesis are as insidious as they are dangerous.  They are not so easily overtaken nor replaced.

Nemeses

This brings us to the are the baddest of the bad… the arch foes, the megalomaniacal would-be conquerers whose devilish schemes put us all in grave peril.  The pinnacle of villainy; the foil to all things good, selfless, noble and heroic.  The Nemesis!

The primary feature to the Nemesis is their motivation.  They have a keen notion of how things should be and will stop at nothing toward imposing their will so to bring their goals to fruition.  Such goals may be power, conquest, revenge or the acquisition of fabulous wealth (or all of the above).  Regardless, the Nemesis believes that fulfilling this goal is a righteous purpose, that it is a destiny ordained unto them by some manner of a divine source.  

Most Nemeses do not see themselves as evil.  They are the heroes of their own stories and believe themselves to be in the right.  Furthermore, any who oppose them represent an effrontery that need be eliminated with extreme prejudice.  Theirs is a glorious purpose and nothing nor no one may be allowed to obstruct their destiny.  

With such lofty ambitions, it is frequently necessary for these Nemeses to create elaborate organizations… secret and sinister syndicates composed of various operatives, agents, minions and flunkies.  The Nemesis can be extremely charismatic ideologues and they usually have little difficulty in recruiting scores of cronies and henchmen willing to lay down their lives in the service of a master.  Whist some Nemeses have to resort to paying their underlings or at least putting forth the promise that the toiling will result in power and riches, most are simply able to amass a loyal following through their magnetic charm alone.

The true qualities of the Nemesis often comes into greater focus in juxtaposition to their arch enemy.  The primary foe of the Nemesis acts to define them, highlighting their traits in contrast to their opposite.  The more good and pure the hero the more twisted and evil their nemesis. One acts to complete the other like two sides of a scale equally balanced.

Indeed it is not unusual for a Nemesis to become obsessed with their arch foe... so much so that many Nemeses may even hesitate at the opportunity to finally vanquish said foe.  They can come to feel actualized by the conflict and may fear a loss of identity were their enemy to be truly eliminated. 

Many heroes will have multiple arch enemies, but Nemeses themselves are more exclusive, monogamous in who they see as their principle foe.  Furthermore, they can be quite jealous when it comes to the attention of their arch enemies.  So much so that it is not unheard of for a Nemesis to lend a hand to their foe in doing away with a third party interloper.     

Not every Nemesis is cut from the same cloth.  Some can be mere mustache-twirlers… finks who commit evil deeds for the mere sake of it.  The more memorable and fully actualized Nemesis, however, is complex and nuanced.  There is an element of the inscrutable that can provoke fascination.  They are like elaborately colored serpents who elicit equal measures of fear and curiosity.  

Despite their despicable acts, the Nemesis can frequently be found to be a rather sympathetic figure.   Similar to the Rogue, the Nemesis is rejecting of the societal status quo.  They believe they know better, that imposing their will can bring about much needed change.  Considering the various inequities and injustices entailed in any society, the promise of change can be very alluring.  Tearing something down is always easier than creating something new; and the Nemesis excels at the former whilst offering mere promises of the latter. 

Add to this the flamboyant charm and sleek aesthetics of so many super villains and it can all come across as quite alluring.  And this attraction can be greatly magnified in those feeling even the least bit alienated by the confines and restrictions of a societal equilibrium.

Most all Nemeses are idealists.  Their ideals are twisted and egocentric, but they are idealists nonetheless.  In their heart of hearts, these cads honestly believe that the imposition of their self-serving values will bring about their notion of a better world.  Even the ones who claim to be nihilists, who say they just want to see the world burn, harbor the desire to harness power and refashion it all in the cast of their megalomania.

The Nemesis is an enjoyable character only to the extent that they do not win, that their schemes remain unfulfilled.  And if said plot is at least partially accomplished, the fun part is their histrionic efforts to put down resistance and maintain their tenuous grip on power.  

Conversely, Nemeses who too closely parrot real life horrors become unenjoyable entities for the audience.  There are plenty of villains who are racists, who commit sexual assault and/or who adhere to repugnant philosophies.  These baddies do not fully qualify as super villains.  They are just regular villains.  Super villains, like superheroes, are figures of fantasy... they are meant to be fun.  A true super villain, a real nemesis, may toe the line of real-life horror but should not overstep it.  

Not all Nemeses pose the same level of peril.  The Nemesis covets a world bent to their whim, yet not all possess the faculties needed to constitute a true threat.  Many nemeses are capable, shrewd and cunning; whilst others can be plagued by hubris, myopathy and just plain incompetence.  And others still can demonstrate great prowess in one instance and then great blundering in the next.  The same passion and unwavering drive that fuels the Nemesis can also lead them to make costly, foolhardy decisions.  Nevertheless, a buffoonish villain can be just as captivating and fun as one who is sophisticated and poised.  

Of course any summation of the Nemesis, or super villains in general, would be incomplete without addressing the matter of how frequently villainous characters have been used in stories as thinly veiled stand-ins for the queer community.  

This is done through a kind of coding… subtle and not-so-subtle hints that the villain is something other than heterosexual.  Male villains are often presented as effeminate or flamboyant, female villains as masculine and butch.  This is meant to have the effect of making the Nemesis appear more deviant and dangerous.  As well as make their ultimate defeat by the hero somehow more satisfying, reinforcing the erroneous notion that being queer is in some way morally wrong.  

This queer-coding of the villain is not always consciously intended to be homophobic/heterosexist, but it often has that effect; and perpetuates harmful stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community that can lead to real-world discrimination and violence.

There can be a strange and entirely artificial conversion of machiavellian manipulation and the disrupting of traditional notions of gender.  This is the idea that those who are transgender, women who act masculine or men who act feminine, are somehow engaging in a sinister chicanery.  That they are temping and coercing the innocent and vulnerable into embracing deviancy.      

This is not the only way in which the Nemesis has been used as a means to present social-political agendas.  Near countless forms of bigotry and prejudice have been repackaged in the form of a sinister Nemesis.  The ‘yellow peril’ style villain depict people of Asian descent as cold, calculating and soulless; whereas the savage ‘witchdoctor warlord’ presents Black and Brown people as primitive, superstitious and godless; and the hook-nosed ‘miserly masterminds’ puts forward Jewish people as conniving, greedy and unscrupulous.      

Ironically, as time has gone by, this politicizing of the villain has only acted to make the Nemesis even more intriguing and appealing.  In that the Nemesis embodies all that is debaucherous, forbidden and deviant, the hero becomes more and more forced into role of the foil.  The hero must be pious, chased and entirely pure of heart.  They become flawless and such perfection in the realm of fantasy and wish-fulfillment is rather boring.  As the hero becomes more two-dimensional and un-relatable so too is their arch Nemesis made more alluring and empathetic.  

Indeed this has led to heroes gradually become more like villains in an effort to keep them interesting.  The sterling white hat of the traditional hero has been traded in for something a slightly grittier shade of gray.  Heroes have become more grim and steely, brooding neurotics fueled by past trauma.  This may seem like standard fare in the here and now, but it is a base dynamic heavily borrowed from the villainous Nemesis.  ...imitation, as they say, is the most since form of flattery.  

Thus concludes our brief summation of villainous taxonomy.   Does every super villain fit perfectly into one of these five categories?  Likely not… but as close a fit as necessary.  And certainly there can be movement between the levels: Goons who matriculate to Enforcers, Rouges who go on to become Nemeses.  By and large, however, these are fixed positions and most all super villains can be seen as occupying one of these taxonomical genres.     

[grim-ghosty]

Ok so a few questions for your branch bounty hunter au. If branch is a seasoned bh does he use all his rewards for survival or is he saving his money? Does he ever search for his brothers? What would his brothers think how would they react? Would he just kill velvet and veneer if he found out about what they did? Would he ever get his colors back, would it be because of poppy or his brothers or something else? Sorry if this is a lot really like your au concept ❤️👌👍

Thank you for the questions, and it isn’t too much at all. I love it when people ask me about my au!

Branch isn't a seasonal Bounty Hunter. He does it full-time when he needs something. When he is injured or sick, he will take a brake. There are also times he disappears for weeks and comes back like nothing happened.

Yes, he uses the things he gets from Bounty Hunting to survive. The things that he gets are metals like steel, iron, copper, cobalt, etc. He gets foods he can’t get in the wild or is difficult/dangerous to get. He also gets medical supplies or books with information he needs.

My headcanon is that trolls don’t have money. They instead use a favor system and trading. That’s why Bounty Hunting exists, so subgenre trolls and mixed-genre trolls can get stuff from different tribes. I headcanon that subgenre and mixed-genre trolls aren't thought of kindly by other trolls, so having Bounty Hunting as something they can do really helps those communities. (Bruce and Brandy’s restaurant uses money because Vacationers use money)

He doesn’t search for his brothers because he feels like they don’t want him. He thinks it was his fault for them leaving, that he was the problem. He doesn’t want to ruin them again like he ruins everything else.

He does know where some of his brothers are, but that is a spoiler, so that is all you're getting.

When the brothers come together to save Floyd, they don’t know that he used to be a Bounty Hunter. (He retires after the events of world tour) John only heard about Branch being alive because of The Rock Apocalypse. Bruce lives on an island and never leaves, so he doesn’t know. Clay lives in an isolated community. Floyd was doing his solo career and being a vocal coach, and with being busy, he had no time to listen to the news.

There is also the fact that the Bounty Hunters don't really go by their names, they have titles, and the only one that uses their name is Chaz. Branch's title is The Grey Hunter. (he didn't pick it)

Branch doesn’t tell them about his past until months later, after rescuing Floyd, which is also a spoiler.

Branch doesn't like killing people, even if he has done it in the past. He did a couple of assassination bounties, and he didn’t like it, but he couldn’t pass on what they were willing to offer. So, no, he wouldn’t kill Velvet and Veneer.

Yes, he will get his colors back at the end of world tour because of Poppy, but his colors are temperamental and fragile.

[oh-three]

TBB S3E7:

TBB S3E7:

There's the Teth trailer shot.

Ahhh, Mr. Assassin's looking a bit worse for wear.

Ayyy, escape route!

Lmaooo, Rex relying on Echo for backup, as if our guy's not booked on getting Gregor. Really does have a full schedule, doesn't he?

Glad to see that Wolffe's still in there. And being his usual self.

Ooh, the assassin's got no comms.

LMAO, the assassin just fucking jumped down there, like, "hey, I'm not letting you finish what I was told to do."

Rex, your flashlight 😭

SMART MOVE, CROSS.

They're gonna get shot down, aren't they.

"Don't worry, she only bites half of the time." 🤣

Yepppppp, and there's that. Saw that one coming. No way it was that easy.

Me trying to decide if it's Rex or the Batch that has a habit of crashing, or whether it's just them being together:

Wolffe really does hate the assassin right about now. Which, fair, he's literally doing things the exact opposite of them. That would be annoying for anybody.

"You're as bad as Hunter." / "Oh, I'm much worse." LMAO. Cross is in full dad mode and fully aware of it, and now he's turned it into a whole thing. I love him. These boys can't not compete about anything.

Howzer reluctantly admitting that this Crosshair is different from the Crosshair that he blames for getting his squad killed. 👏

"The operative's gone rogue." Saw that coming, too. I want to say it's further confirmation toward it being Tech, but that voice was definitely a modulated reg's.

Wolffe, your team sucks.

Nemeccccc 😭

"I'll draw his fire. Get to the rendezvous." Brainwashed sniper vs malfunctioning sniper 😬

WHOA, WHAT THE HELL.

LOOK, I KNEW THIS SEEMED LIKE A BIT OF A SACRIFICE PLAY, BUT I WAS NOT EXPECTING HIM TO THROW THEM INTO THE FUCKING WATERFALL.

Oh, thank god, he survived that. We're still short a couple of Cross trailer shots.

Howzer saving Cross from going over the second waterfall and actually drowning (holy fuck, a drowning attempt in Star Wars) despite his reservations toward him. 😭

"Wolffe?" / "Rex?" Ayyy, mutual shock.

Wolffe just putting his blasters away and going, "I thought you were dead." 😭

WOLFFE, FAIR TRIALS DON'T EXIST FOR CLONES IN THE EMPIRE.

"As your brother, I'm asking you to do the right thing." 😭

TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH, ECHO.

Ayyy, Wolffe telling the men to stand down because he can see the truth in Rex's words, and he can't keep going forward without at least looking into it.

"But, sir, they're traitors." / "Perhaps. But they're clones. We owe them that." The way they all just accept to respect their fellow clones despite the sides of the newfound war they're in 😭

THE ASSASSIN LIVED. HE'S GOT PLOT ARMOR. TECH, IS THAT YOU.

"Rex, you can't win this fight. The Empire is too strong." 😭

Dark-toned Omega theme.

Fuckkk, I want to watch another episode. Is it next week yet.

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Autistic Anime Boys Round 1 Matchups!

Side A

L Lawliet (Death Note) VS Muichirou Tokito (Demon Slayer)

Gohan (Dragon Ball Z) VS Kiibo/K1-B0 Idabashi (Danganronpa)

Haruka Sakurai (Milgram) VS Seishirou Nagi (Blue Lock)

Satoru Gojou (Jujutsu Kaisen) VS Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Umetarou Nozaki (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun) VS Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club)

Gin Gagamaru (Blue Lock) VS Taisei Yoshida (Assassination Classroom)

Itona Horibe (Assassination Classroom) VS Souichi Tanuma (Those Snow White Notes)

Light Yagami (Death Note) VS Tenma Matsukaze (Inazuma Eleven)

Shouto Todoroki (My Hero Academia) VS Sunny (Omori)

Broly (Dragon Ball Super) VS Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Yu Narukami/Souji Seta (Persona 4) VS Sechs (XBlaze)

Kiyotaka Ishimaru (Danganronpa) VS Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Nate River/Near (Death Note) VS Kyouya Ootori (Ouran High School Host Club)

Mash Burnedead (Mashle: Magic and Muscles) VS Noiz (DRAMAtical Murder)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Kabuto Yakushi (Naruto)

Lan Wangji (Mo Dao Zu Shi) VS Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)

James (Pokémon) VS Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Yuusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5) VS Tsubasa Yuunagi (Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure)

Hitoshi-san (Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls) VS Illumi Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

Mikazuki Augus (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) VS Wakatoshi Ushijima (Haikyuu!!)

Homare Arisugawa (A3!) VS Kamille Bidan (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)

Subaru Mikazuki (My Roommate is a Cat) VS Atsushi Murasakibara (Kuroko no Basket)

Tanaka (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless) VS Natural Harmonia Gropius (Pokémon)

Haru (Tsuritama) VS Giorno Giovanna (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland) VS Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

Touma Akechi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Trafalgar D. Water Law (One Piece)

Lotte “Roy” Carmine (BlazBlue) VS Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)

Nahoya “Smiley” Kawata (Tokyo Revengers) VS Senkuu Ishigami (Dr. Stone)

Ash Ketchum (Pokémon) VS Mafuyu Satou (Given)

Alhaitham (Genshin Impact) VS Shichirou Balam (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Shintarou Kisaragi (Kagerou Project) VS Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

Toshinari Seki (Tonari no Seki-kun) VS Takashi Natsume (Natsume’s Book of Friends)

Side B

Haruka Nanase (Free!) VS Tsukasa Tenma (Project Sekai)

Takeo Gouda (My Love Story!!) VS Karna (Fate)

Shintarou Midorima (Kuroko no Basket) VS Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) VS Junpei Tenmyouji (Zero Escape)

Sig (Puyo Puyo) VS Kanata Shinkai (Ensemble Stars)

Kyoujurou Rengoku (Demon Slayer) VS Yugi Mutou (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Legoshi (Beastars) VS Gaien "Enkidu" Enkidou (Under Night In-birth)

Doppo Kunikida (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Hiroshi Odokawa (Odd Taxi)

Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Katsuya Serizawa (Mob Psycho 100)

Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa) VS Haruhito Yano (Odd Taxi)

Yotasuke Takahashi (Blue Period) VS Manjirou "Mikey" Sano (Tokyo Revengers)

Kyouya Onodera (Talentless Nana) VS Misumi Ikaruga (A3!)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) VS Shu Itsuki (Ensemble Stars)

Meguru Bachira (Blue Lock) VS Ren Mihashi (Big Windup!)

Ranpo Edogawa (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Kaito (Vocaloid)

Zero (Puyo Puyo) VS Masayoshi Hazama (Samurai Flamenco)

Genos (One Punch Man) VS Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Vivia Twilight (Master Detective Archives: Raincode) VS Sora Harukawa (Ensemble Stars)

Satori Tendou (Haikyuu!!) VS Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic X)

Houtarou Oreki (Hyouka) VS Kabane Kusaka (Kemono Jihen)

Ghiaccio (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) VS Tenya Iida (My Hero Academia)

Malleus Draconia (Twisted Wonderland) VS Tetsuya Kuroko (Kuroko no Basket)

Kensuke Aida (Neon Genesis Evangelion) VS Goku (Dragon Ball)

Shinichi Kudou/Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan) VS Toya Aoyagi (Project Sekai)

Rei Suwa (Buddy Daddies) VS Gin Ibushi (Your Turn to Die)

Jade Leech (Twisted Wonderland) VS Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3)

Xiao (Genshin Impact) VS Loid Forger (Spy x Family)

Souya "Angry" Kawata (Tokyo Revengers) VS Sabro Sabnock (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Apollo Justice (Ace Attorney) VS Tobio Kageyama (Haikyuu!!)

Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter) VS Saitama (One Punch Man)

Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear) VS Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 the Infinity)

Subaru Natsuki (Re: Zero) VS Yusei Fudo (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds)

[0pin0n-custard]

The Unofficial Star Wars Limb Olympics!

Who has chopped off the most limbs? Let’s find out (books and TV show dismemberments not included.)

Honorable Mentions:

While Mace Windu did not chop off any limbs, he did successfully decapitate one (1) Mandalorian.

Chewbacca never dismembered anyone onscreen, however he is a Wookiee. Wookiees are well known for ripping people’s arms out of their sockets. Lord only knows how many limbs were lost to his hand.

6th Place: Yan Dooku

Nothing too impressive. In Attack of the Clones, the Count was the first to cut off one (1) of Padawan Anakin Skywalker’s arms.

Total: One (1) Limb

5th Place: Yoda

In Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Grand Master Yoda cut off one (1) clone trooper’s arm at the ruins of the Jedi Temple. What gave him the edge over Yan Dooku was that Yoda also decapitated two (2) clone troopers initially after Order 66 was broadcasted.

Total: One (1) Limb

4th Place: Ben Solo

Following in his namesake’s footsteps, he cut a Sith in half. In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren removed two (2) of Emperor Snoke’s legs.

Total: Two (2) Limbs

Bronze Medal: Luke Skywalker

In true Disaster Lineage fashion, Luke Skywalker was very successful at removing limbs. His first time occurred on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, when he cut off one (1) of a Wampa’s arms in self defense.

Obi Wan did teach Luke well, because in Return of the Jedi, he sliced one (1) of Darth Vader’s cybernetic arms off. The fact that these dismemberments occurred on separate occasions is what gave Luke a higher placement than Ben Solo.

Total: Two (2) Limbs

Silver Medal: Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

After losing his arm to Yan Dooku [see 6th Place], Anakin must have realized what an effective battle strategy dismemberment was.

In Revenge of the Sith, he returned the favor to Dooku two-fold by cutting off both (2) of the Sith’s hands (followed promptly by beheading him.)

In an effort to save Sheev Palpatine, Anakin chopped one (1) of Mace Windu’s hands off.

Many years later, in The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader welcomed Luke Skywalker into the family by cutting off one (1) of his hands.

Total: Four (4) Limbs

Gold Medal: Obi Wan Kenobi

A surprise to no one, Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi has the highest limb count by a landslide.

He started his journey off in The Phantom Menace by foolishly believing that chopping a humanoid in half would kill them. He removed both (2) of Darth Maul’s legs.

Ten years later, following one of Padme Amidala’s many assassination attempts, Obi Wan disarmed the bounty hunter Zam Wessel by cutting off one (1) of her hands.

In the arena on Geonosis, he sliced two (2) of an ackley’s arms off.

In Revenge of the Sith, Obi Wan faced off against General Grevious and a droid army on Utapau. He decapitated one of Grievous’ guards and cut off two (2) of the General’s hands.

In the battle against his former Padawan on Mustafar, Kenobi set a limb record by cutting off both (2) of Anakin’s legs and his remaining (1) flesh arm.

His final dismemberment took place in A New Hope at the Mos Eisley Cantina. Once again, he disarmed someone in the literal sense; he cut off one (1) of Ponda Baba’s arms.

Total: Eleven (11) Fucking Limbs