hound/handler

warning:

this post discusses fictional depictions of rape and abuse.

link to the web novel here!

warhound is the origin of a lesbian relationship dynamic referred to as hound/handler. i was curious about it after seeing depictions of hound/handler dynamics over the past year or so. the hound character is a brainwashed mech pilot and the handler controls them and is responsible for the brainwashing.

the writing itself was admittedly a very mixed bag for me. can absolutely feel how this has influenced soooo many works and inspired a new subgenre of mechsploitation erotic fiction, there's a ton of tropes that i can appreciate the eroticism of (brainwashing, mind control, identity play, torture, being unpersoned and remade as a human weapon) but the unfortunate fact is that the two major sexual activities of the chapter (grinding on a boot and sucking on the barrel of a gun) were such turnoffs for me personally that i did not feel sexually interested in the work. i was, however, still intrigued by the scenes and the writing itself because of how it demonstrated the extreme brainwashing and identity play and i felt like that was really fun to see explored. this is a concept with so much potential that i feel like the author has captured beautifully.... its Just Really Really Cool Stuff going on here. to me this is what i want to read more of in the landscape of creative erotic writing, i want to see more people exploring a handful of focused tropes and kinks in an interesting setting with stakes at hand and characters that compel us to see what they're going to do next. i want to be fascinated by what they do even when i have no sexual interest in the kinks explored. i want character motivations that feel powerful and to see everyone pushed to extremes and for some crazy mindbending drama to happen. i want the worst things possible to happen to the protagonist because the journey along the way there is interesting!!!! the consequences are interesting and dramatic! let's explore them and watch everything fall apart and be changed forever.

i liked warhound because it wasn't scared to explore this bad end, the horrible aftermath of everything going wrong. i want to watch the disaster unfold and see things get worse, so i kept reading and enjoyed it.

ive seen the origin story lots of times. instead of that, lets explore the bad end instead of focusing on how we got here. warhound is fun because it doesnt close the curtains right before we get to the uncomfortable parts. it leaps into them from the point of view of the hound who has been tortured into unrecognizability from her original psyche.

a load-bearing facet of why this is erotic and interesting (to me) in the first place is that the purpose of the brainwashing isnt to make the protagonist into a primarily sexual object or a sex slave. the purpose is to make her into a weapon of war, and the sex is both a side effect and major element of the brainwashing's reinforcement. all of this is done to serve a greater cause than animalistic sexual instincts: war and imperialism. the sex is what the hound is forced to latch onto as her greatest source of pleasure, and she is tortured into forgetting everything else except for what matters to her handler. she falls in love with her torturer utterly and completely, and sex is a tool to rewire her brain however the handler likes. this stands out compared to the trope of brainwashing sex being used as a means towards more sex. the hound has a purpose, a very dangerous and significant one that heavily influences the ongoing war around her. even more, the handler doesn't see herself as engaging in sex with the hound, because she doesn't want to have sex with a dog. it is unpersoning taken to an extreme level and the hound is ultimately grateful for it because she is made to be grateful for it.

all at once the tortured victim is one of the most powerful characters in the setting and the most helpless. she is empowered in her destructive capability as the experienced pilot of a killing machine, and then weakened by how she is pitifully subservient to her handler. she is valued, always, as a weapon and a loyal pet, and lives outside of human norms as an example of a possibly sustainable broken psyche. the hound is so violently powerful but is still fundamentally incapable of consenting. her brainwashing excuses her of shame for her humiliating and degrading actions because she did not choose her actions. her actions have rather been chosen for her, by someone who loves her and prizes her and cares deeply for her as one would value a beloved tool. there is a very, very clear separation between the hound, the handler, and everyone else. the hound is lower than all others, and the handler stands above them all. the handler is more than a person, she is a goddess who gives orders and praise and permission and forgiveness for the animalistic nature of the hound she has domesticated. what an intoxicating and addicting power trip, and what a delight it is for the hound to be Hers.

evil lesbians are really cool and i like them a lot and seeing them manipulate other lesbians is awesome. yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

other reviews of warhound that i think are worth reading:

"Joining the war on fucked up porn on the side of the fucked up porn, or, why WARHOUND is good, actually" by írissiel (CloudDreamer)

"Dogs From Hell: A Review Of WARHOUND: Volume One" by Agonist

"My Brain is Soup - How WARHOUND Broke Me" by itisthisagain

itch.io page for the game here!

pressure cooker is a kinetic yuri visual novel. it was one of my favorite submissions i read for the toxic yuri vn jam 2025

violence in fictional sexual scenarios is something that can really up the ante to me because of the adrenaline and intensity of physical combat. i understand it as a very far lean into the physicality part of kink as opposed to the mental aspect. there's also so much anger involved that i think is really fun to witness in interesting characters.

some of my favorite yuri works feature violence because of how i can immediately get excited at the intensity of it. it feels like the same reasons i am drawn to action scenes in any sort of media, and my hobbyist level interest in martial arts (specifically shaolin kung fu, because it is very dance-like to me!). you get to see characters react to pain and the threat of losing and the thrill of revenge or taking out long-held frustrations that have been bubbling to the surface. plus you get to see awesome displays of power.... and maybe blood! kyaa

here was my comment on it that i wrote immediately after playing:

LOVE the visual presentation here. really great concept.

i appreciate stories that jump right into the conflict like pressure cooker does. there's the immediate tension and frustration, and the setup is really easy to immediately understand so it works well. the hatred between these two is palpable, and their personalities (especially regarding how they act in a crisis under stress) are evident really quickly. i also really like how i can feel that theyve been bottling up a lot of resentment towards each other for a long time.

theres fantastic artwork in this. i wasnt expecting the expressions to get so intense.

holy shit, the buildup with the fight and them rolling around on the floor was awesome. i loved seeing the line used again against nicole. i also really loved seeing her give in. that was incredible how quickly she changed her tone. i honestly love both of their personalities and how they handled this.

GREAT ENDING.

thank you so much for making this, so so so so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm really looking forward to future yuri works by perpetuareality!! ^^