#packmasters

[optimal-mentalhealth]

Please Tumblr, make this popular, I need real art of this please

[shut-the-burrow-door-pls]

Cuz the client said forget about due date so im messing around now (gonna do the work tomorrow tho), and suddenly remembered a comm my friend asked for, after that cuntboy get obliterated by nurgle-thing, so maybe its rats get their claws on twinky elf time

[art-of-mtg]

Wren's Run Packmaster (Lorwyn Promos) - Steve Prescott

More cards with art by Steve Prescott on Scryfall

[thecatfortress]

Clan Moulder Packmaster

[sallllltywater]

I don't know if people still remember that so called skaven-free color wheel thing, i regret that decision-choice, nothing can be free-clean of rats!!

*by sequence, from pink to purple

Grey seer as Masque of slaanesh, albino guard as The red duke, rat ogre as Khazrak the one-eye, stormfiend as Ironjawz

Packmaster as Green Knight, verminking as Nagash, master moulder as Kairos and eshin assassin as Elspeth Von Draken

[sympyl]

Picked up the old Isle of Blood Master Moulder/Packmaster kit and painted him. Is it anywhere near as cool as the new model? No. But also, I got him for 10 dollars.

[apocalypse-shuffle]

ALCIDE HERVEAUX (true blood)

—

“Formality” (Alcide Herveaux x Fem!Reader)

| Rikki left you with a task to fulfill: train Alcide how to fight your pack’s way. Unfortunately for you, though, the man is about as irritating as he is nice to look at.

| NSFW, enemies to lovers-ish, training, brief werewolf transformation, reader-insert is shorter than Alcide, UST, pre smut -werewolf!reader

| Pic source: True Blood (2008-2014)

| Happy Halloween Eve!! 🐾

| 1k+ words

“GOD-FUCKING-DAMNIT, ALCIDE!”

Your lungs ache with the force of your shout, throat already sore from just five minutes of arguing.

In all honesty you’ve just about had it. Had it with all of the yelling and name-calling that happened so often when you and this bullheaded-ass man were alone together that always ended with both of you bruised and frustrated.

Today was no different.

The pack barn was empty — everyone had cleared out once they heard you and Alcide start going at it. And to top it all of you can’t even remember what you’d actually been planning to do with him today, you just know that Alcide Herveaux is a pain in your ass and you do not plan on letting up your argument anytime soon.

You’ve been training him in place of Rikki for the fight against y’all’s current piece of shit packmaster, JD. Rikki and you had aligned with Alcide when he challenged JD because you could both see that he was leading the pack down a shitty path.

Rikki had been ready to challenge JD herself, with you as her second, before Alcide came along and y’all decided that since he’d already killed one of his past packmasters and managed to become packmaster of what was left of his own pack that hadn’t defected to the vamps under Cooter, he’d do.

Alcide was doing a good enough job with his pack in Jackson, after his old packmaster up and left when the vampires had indoctrinated the majority of his wolves, so you were willing to back him up in taking control and merging packs.

If only he’d focus less on fucking with you and more on training.

Rikki wasn’t training him because she was dealing with a runaway, a teenaged pup chasing V. So now the duty was on you to be Alcide’s second and prepare him for fighting against a coked up werewolf.

“What’s the matter, Boss, worried for me? I took on Marcus, I can take JD,” Alcide says, smirking.

One brow raised, you roll your eyes.

“Uh huh, I’m sure a werewolf two times as fast and bloodthirsty will be the exact same. Training at this point is just a formality,” your words drip heavily with sarcasm before you shift to come at him with a barrage of kicks.

Alcide takes the first hit like a pro and blocks the rest without much trouble. That is until you get close enough to knee him in the nards, wait until he’s keeling over to grab hold of his junk, then aim for the side of his neck on your next strike instead of his torso.

He doesn’t block your attack in time by a landslide and falls the rest of the way to the ground like a crumpled marionette a second later. You’d have more sympathy for a puppet.

Blinking down at him you watch him struggle on his knees. Kneeling with his hand on his throat, breath wheezing out as his body struggles to heal his esophagus. Supernatural or not, a hit to the throat was a hit to the throat.

Once Alcide gets his bearings he looks up at you with glowing yellow eyes and glares.

“For something so small you sure can hit hard,” he grunts out. He starts stripping out of his shirt.

Scoffing, you shrug; determined to take any injuries he got as seriously as he was your training.

This wasn’t a game and you needed him to start acting like it.

Quickly.

“Mhm.” You drum your fingers against the dark skin of your arm, lips pursed. “Next time throw your forearms up to block a kick to the head or neck, and don’t let yourself get so damn comfortable. You left your dick right open, I was practically invited. And if you're about to get hit in the head pretty much just fall back as much as possible. A hit to the temple or an uppercut will knock you out.”

And that’s all you give him in lieu of a more clever retort.

Alcide huffs out a breath as he stands, movements slow, “I’ll keep that in mind if JD’s crazy ass pulls out unknown judo skills. Come on, Y/n, he’s not coming at me with anything but wild punches, fang, and claw. So yeah, this is formality.”

You grit your teeth.

“Trained or not, JD is unstable with all that V in him. So formality or not, we’re training so you’re ready regardless of what he throws at you. But since you seem so set on it, we can train with fang and claw.”

You glare as Alcide chuckles, looking you up and down. You’re just about ready to screw it all at this point with his bullshit appeasement routine and walk out when he drops his pants and lunges.

“I’ll take you up on that,” he growls, his shift taking over in the midst of his final word.

Eyes widening, you just barely jump out of the way of the downward swipe of his claws. You don't have time to marvel at the juxtaposition of Alcide, Mississippi lumber man, being an arctic wolf before you’re bursting outside of the barn and into the woods.

A wolf-like snigger and the pounding of paws hitting the earth is what you hyper focus on as you run, throwing bits and pieces of clothing off as you go. You don’t bother trying to take off your socks as you toss your T-shirt overhead and rip the shorts from your body.

Fuck it, you’re not losing to Alcide of all wolves.

Alcide nips at your heels once playfully and you growl low in your throat, eyes flashing to life. The glow casts the land in front of you a faint yellow as you whizz by, speeding up and putting a couple feet of distance between you and the other wolf. Your own wolf pulls at your control as Alcide growls behind you in a goad; clearly you’re taking too long to engage for his liking.

Smirking, you speed up even more before jumping and grabbing a hold of a low hanging branch. You swing yourself up and perch atop, watching in amusement as Alcide blows past you and then skids. He kicks up dirt as he turns around with a high pitched yip. It has you laughing while you shed your underwear and socks, letting them fall to the ground below.

Your panties land directly on top of the other wolf’s head and you watch him struggle to paw them off long enough for him to start getting irritated and growl to himself before you push yourself off the branch and book it towards the swamp.

Hardly skipping a step, your shift takes place, and with the switch everything is so easy.

Your paws pound on the earth and your lungs fill with the essence of the swamp as you howl and charge straight for the water.

You’re maybe part of the way there, going so fast you’re well on your way to flying, when you’re veering left completely absent of your own accord.

Yelp caught in your throat you go crashing into the brush, the full brunt of Alcide’s arctic wolf ramming into your side and bowling you off your path.

With brief flashes of shimmering light you both transition back to “human”, your brown skin getting peppered with sticks and sand and flora without your wolf’s thicker skin and lush fur as a barrier.

Instead it’s the tight curls at the top of your head that snag against leaves and twigs as you tumble with Alcide’s skin sliding against yours, but you don’t even mind, a new weight falling from your shoulders bit by bit with every roll.

When you both come to a stop you’re splayed on top of him, hands locked around his tanned arms and both of your legs tangled.

He chuckles and it’s a boyish lilting thing, still gulping for air as he looks you up and down, a wave of desire rising in his warm brown irises.

It isn’t until then that you notice just how close you are to each other. You drop your head closer to him and gaze your own bright eyes into his. His bare chest, surprisingly not hairy, heaves up and down as he grins at you. You match his energy, breaths just as labored as Alcide’s.

His gaze is all wild and sharp. Filled with a wolf’s playfulness.

“You’re a pain in my ass, Herveaux,” you pant, pupils blown wide with lust as you glance down at his mouth.

You have been working hard, you muse. A reward would be nice.

He licks his lips.

“You love it.”

“Occasionally,” you counter, a growl rumbling in your chest, and then you’re both crashing into each other again (just a little to the left this time).

The kiss is all vigor. Teeth clacking together and tongues battling for dominance, another race all on its own. Alcide eventually makes you lose ground and gets you on your back. You both break apart to gasp for breath.

“You gonna let me fuck you?”

His hand goes to squeeze around the side of your neck and you find yourself baring it for him, a tiny whimper pushing past your lips.

“Take a break?” You blink up at him, eyes soft, but hold a finger up so he doesn’t move on you just yet. “—So long as you get it together when we’re done.”

─────

Your airy voice and soft noises make his wolf tremble with the urge to claim. To mate. Alcide pauses to take a deep breath, ease the way his beast rattles, but it doesn’t do a damn thing but make his cock twitch and fatten. The other werewolf smells like straight arousal.

Brimstone and something earthy, inherently woody and unquestionably you, fills his nose and whatever inclination he had to pace himself firmly slips to the back of his mind.

“Yeah, Babydoll, let’s take a break. I’ll be as good as I can be afterwards.”

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!!

Mind any typos, I will get to them later. And, yeah, I did give a little nod to Monster Squad (1987) with that ‘nards’ bit.

There’s also a high possibility I might rewrite/repost this later with more story due to the time constraints of trying to get this out today not allowing for as much expansion as I would’ve wanted, but yeah.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it!

[oldnumberseven]

the beast you've made of me

When Alcide Herveaux takes over as Shreveport’s new packmaster, werebitches lay themselves down at his feet—except for one, who’s hell-bent on running away from the animal he brings out in her. 

Inspired by ‘Howl’ by Florence and the Machine + Black Swan and Mirror!lander from The Boys

AO3

Tags/themes: MDNI/18+. NSFW. true blood, packmaster!Alcide/fem OC, evil twin, horror, swearing, size difference, non-negotiated predator/prey kink (but still consensual), dom Alcide, bratty OC, unprotected explicit smut (use protection irl please), multiple orgasms, aftercare

Word Count: 6.7k

Author’s note: well, this was an idea I had for Kinktober that I didn’t finish on time and then it turned into something completely different. Thank you very much to the True Blood discord community for beta-ing this and @blindmagdalena for pred/prey reference material inspo. I’ve never done a one shot before and I tried a new writing style, so this was hella hard for me. But enjoy! There’s not enough Alcide stuff out there. 

Credits: I made the opening banner, but I found the images and gifs on Google. If they are yours, please let me know and I’ll add credit! Divider by thecouncilmakes.

Henrietta skidded to a stop in her driveway, her truck tires screeching as loose gravel flew in every direction. Her heart was pounding—boom, boom!—but she didn’t stop to catch her breath. Instead, she sprinted towards her house to throw a few belongings into a suitcase. 

She had to get away. Before it was too late.

Her clammy, shaking hands dove into her drawers and pulled out whatever was at the top. A pair of nice jeans, an old sports bra, mismatched socks, a black hoodie, a lacy pair of panties; she wasn’t thinking clearly. Everything was a blur until she looked up and caught herself in the mirror attached to the top of her wooden dresser. 

She paused for the first time since the fight, taking in her reflection. A few bits of long brown hair had escaped her bun; her hazel eyes were full of fear. Then the lights flickered. And the Henrietta staring back at her started moving independently, her full lips curling into a sinister smirk. Her blood ran cold when she recognized the wolf inside her. 

The bloodthirsty beast she’d been running from. 

It would always be a part of her; her parents were weres and had passed their supernatural genetics onto her. Yet, she hated her feral urges and had repressed them ever since she was a teenager. They terrified her and threatened her illusion of control, her dream of having a quiet existence. Henrietta only registered with Shreveport’s pack after she moved there from her hometown of Houston because she’d heard how much lone wolves provoked the old packmaster, Marcus. His successor, JD, was no different. She went to gatherings because the rules dictated it (not because she wanted to) and kept to the edges to stay out of the spotlight. 

She shifted during the full moon when she had no choice, but when she occasionally caught the other side of her in the mirror, it was easy to walk away and forget it existed.  

But not tonight. 

“You really think you can keep me in, darlin’?” 

It was the first time she’d ever heard the wolf speak. Her Southern drawl was thick as molasses with each vowel lengthened. 

“Go a-away,” Henrietta stuttered. “I don’t want you here.” 

“Oh, but I think you do,” her twin chuckled. She placed her hands on the dresser and hunched forward, tilting her head. 

“No. I don’t.”  

“Yes. You do. Because I’ll make sure you get him.”  

The wolf’s eyes flashed and Henrietta jumped out of her skin, her arm smacking against the wood in front of her. She inhaled sharply, cradled her hand to her chest and looked away from the mirror as she tried to fight the scenes from earlier in the night flashing through her brain. JD calling a mandatory meeting she couldn’t ignore, stringing up a vampire, pouring his blood into cups so the pack could drink, Alcide appearing out of nowhere to challenge him for a second time, the way he’d kicked the absolute shit out of JD, blood everywhere until he finally snapped his neck, his eyes glowing— 

Henrietta shuddered; her reflection’s smirk returned. 

“I don’t want Alcide.” 

“Liar, liaaaaaar!” came the sing-song reply. “You’ve had a crush ever since you laid eyes on that sweet fella. Although he wasn’t that sweet tonight. And you loved that.” 

It was true. Watching her kindred spirit go from a lone wolf to a dominant packmaster had ignited something deeper within Henrietta. The goosebumps spreading across her skin, the way her heart jumped to her throat … that wasn’t fear. That was an intense, carnal need. She wanted him to claim her as his werebitch, throw her down, ravage the fuck out of her—

“Stop it.” She didn’t know if she was talking to herself or the wolf. 

“You want him.” The face in the mirror grinned like a madwoman. “Accept it.”  

Henrietta crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. 

“He wouldn’t want you,” she challenged. “He’s different.” 

The wolf threw her head back, let out a barking laugh and replied, “Yeah? And how’s that ‘normal girl’ routine working for you so far, hmm?”  

Henrietta gulped, not wanting to admit that he’d barely ever spoken to her. 

“Newsflash, honey. Alcide likes feisty. Debbie, Rikki too, lord. And let’s face it, all them other bitches swarming him after the fight are stronger than you. You need me. Cuz I’ll show him a damn good time.” Her twin snapped her pointy teeth and let out a low, hungry growl to drive her point home. 

Henrietta immediately turned away. Although the beast had her face, it was nothing like her meek, human secretary side. No, it was unruly and violent. A hairy, grotesque killer and the opposite of feminine. Alcide couldn’t want that. No one wanted that. 

Still, she came back to the mirror. Because after seeing his raw and unfiltered side tonight, maybe she was wrong. Maybe he did want the wolf. JD had a thing for weak, scrawny little things, not Alcide. He protected them, but he didn’t sleep with them. And God, now that she had stopped lying to herself, she desperately wanted to sleep with him. 

“Yeah, that’s right, look at me,” the mirror encouraged. “Look at me.” 

As much as Henrietta wanted to keep packing, she couldn’t. Her gaze was glued to the reflective glass, hypnotized by the thing she’d long kept in a cage. The side of her she refused to accept. 

“Come on, Hen.” A taunt her brother used when she was being a little chicken shit. “Let me out. Let him see the real you. The one you’re meant to be.” 

The offer was tempting beyond belief. No more hiding, no more dual personalities; the secretary and wolf would be one. Instinctually, Henrietta’s hand reached out toward her reflection, longing for it to be her reality. But the fantasy cracked when her fingers touched the glass and her human senses kicked in. Her vacant stare quickly morphed into a fearful look. 

No. No! The wolf had to stay locked away. For good. 

Her twin lunged forward, but Henrietta’s panicked reflexes were faster. Her hand gripped the side of the mirror, and with a forceful grunt, she ripped it from the dresser and threw it to the ground to destroy the connection. It shattered upon impact, shards of glass scattering across the floor. Yet, she caught the wolf’s hungry eyes in one of the pieces and could hear a threatening laugh bouncing around the room. 

Silly human. It’s going to take more than that.  

No! The beast was still free! Henrietta yelped, her back hitting the wall behind her. She took a few raspy, bewildered breaths and didn’t stay put for long. She grabbed her suitcase, even though she wasn’t done packing, and ran back to her truck. 

She had to leave. Now. 

She yanked the driver’s side door open and hopped into the front seat, quickly turning the keys in the ignition. She avoided the rearview mirror at all costs and backed out of the driveway, peeling out of her property. The truck was soon flying down the dark country roads and her nerves were shot as she pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. She aimed to hightail it south to Highway 20 and flicked her left turn signal in anticipation. 

Tick! Tick! Tick! 

But when Henrietta came to the stop sign, her foot stayed on the gas and she rolled through the intersection. Wait, huh? No. No, no. She was going back to Texas. She was leaving! Her brain screamed at her to turn, but her hands didn’t move, keeping her straight. 

Tick! Tick! Tick! 

It was like she’d been drugged; she could sense everything that was happening even though she wasn’t in control of her body. The slow country ballad playing on the radio drowned out her internal screams. 

Tick! Tick! Tick!

It wasn’t until Henrietta saw a sign for Caddo Lake that she realized what was happening. She was retracing her route from earlier that evening, the one she took to comply with JD’s mandatory meeting request. A place where the rest of the pack would likely still be running wild with their new packmaster. 

Alcide. 

It was like she awoke from a nightmare with a sudden jolt; the secretary was finally driving again. Her right foot slammed on the brake—causing the truck to swerve out of control—and she prayed for her life when it threw her back into her seat and drifted to the side of the road. When she finally came to a stop, her forgotten left turn signal was still on, mocking her alongside the wolf’s laugh. 

Tick! Tick! Tick!

Henrietta flipped the signal off and gulped down deep oxygen pulls to calm herself down. Tears pricked the edge of her eyes. The truck’s cabin quickly became too small, too confined, and she turned off the engine and spilled out into the night air to combat her claustrophobia. Her legs took her in circles; she walked in the middle of the road and her escape plan fell to the wayside. 

But when a loud, piercing howl echoed through the woods, she froze, her eyes growing wide. Instinctively, she looked at the truck’s side mirror and caught the wolf’s stare.  

That wasn’t me, darlin’. Looks like you’ve got company. 

It had to be someone from the pack; they must have heard her almost crash. Henrietta bolted back to the truck to flee, yet when her fingers curled under the door handle and desperately pulled, nothing moved. 

“Come on, come on!” 

She whined as she fiddled with the handle again, but deep down, she knew she’d left the keys in the ignition and the truck’s automatic locks had kicked in the moment she’d shut the door behind her. Stupid, stupid! Why did she have to be so paranoid and keep that setting on? It’s not like anyone would steal the decaying heap of scrap metal. 

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. Her eyes nervously darted around until they landed on something moving further up the road: a white blur coming closer and closer. It didn’t take long for her to recognize the threat. 

It was him. There was no mistaking his unique pelt. 

Even though her inner voice was yelling for her to do something, anything, Henrietta remained frozen on the spot as Alcide caught up to her and slowed to a jaunty trot. Her hands shook; her stomach churned; she couldn’t breathe. More memories from the fight emerged, distracting her even further—Ain’t no such thing as too much V, That’s enough JD!, punches flying, Alcide’s vicious and powerful grunts, the way she started to lose her composure, the soft mewls that involuntarily tumbled out of her mouth, her body quivering with impatient longing … 

… which swiftly returned when he transformed into his naked human form and began closing the distance between them with a swagger that only a packmaster could carry. Her blood sang for him and only him and she began to ache between her legs, something that felt wrong alongside her shock and dread. Her dilated eyes drifted over his chiseled physique and the wolf let out a ravenous, wanton howl. 

Well, well, well. Look at the dick on this one. All the better to fuck me with— 

“Henrietta,” he interrupted. “What are you doing here?” 

The right answer, of course, was the truth. When Alcide laid down the new laws (respect the pack, no more V, no more harming the innocent) and said if someone didn’t like it, they had 24 hours to leave or face him, she’d chosen to run. Not because she disagreed with his stance but because she couldn’t face him. What he brought out in her. Yet, here she was, desperately wanting to drag her nails down his back. 

But Henrietta couldn’t find the words to tell him; she was too rooted in her fear, her conflicting hunger for him. And so, she watched Alcide make his own inferences and determine that if she’d left and come back, then she wanted a fight. A challenge to his new rule. Something he couldn’t have. 

He took a menacing step towards her, his monstrous body eclipsing her just over five feet tall frame. Henrietta inhaled a sharp breath in response. She didn’t want to fight him and he, in turn, seemed poised to kill her to protect the pack. Her eyes widened in terror. A tight knot formed in her stomach, pushing aside her desire. She moved backward when he took another step and hit the side of her truck, finding nowhere to go. 

“Go on,” he growled. “Make your move.” 

And with a flash, those damn yellow eyes were back, threatening to tear her apart. 

The wolf panted, salivated, whined, scratched, growled and yearned to be free. To meet Alcide’s beast now that he was so fucking close. And the secretary almost let herself go. Yet, just like during the pack fight, her human fear still had an iron grip on the wolf’s cage to keep it shut. She couldn’t let herself dissolve into madness. She needed to exert control to keep herself on track, hold herself back from running over the cliff into the unknown. 

She still panicked, suddenly mobile. Because when it came to fight or flight, Henrietta had a long history of running instead of standing her ground. She didn’t have the size, courage or strength to win. Alcide’s arms stretched out to grab her, but her dainty body did her a favor for once. She managed to duck out of the way and dart around the truck to sprint off into the woods behind it, her heart thumping against her rib cage and threatening to explode. 

You stupid fucking human! You think you can win against him?

The wolf had a point. In a blink of an eye, Alcide had transformed back into an animal and was hot on her tail, gaining more ground every second. Her two feet were no match for his four paws. But Henrietta kept running and running and running, from him and the beast within her. She couldn’t give in; it would be a betrayal of the entire life she’d built. 

Sweat poured down her face as she kept up the pace despite her stamina hitting a plateau. She knew she couldn’t outrun him forever and her eyes searched for some sort of advantage. A ditch she could lure him into. A tree she could climb. Oh God, anything to get away from him! 

Yet, Alcide reminded her he was no simple animal; he was a werewolf, specifically one who’d taken V earlier. He’d already killed once tonight and showed he’d do it again in service of his pack when he let out a deep snarl and snapped his teeth just shy of her calf. Henrietta’s surprised yelp echoed through the swampland trees. 

LET ME OUT, BITCH! OR YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!  

No! NO! She didn’t want to die! She wanted to live, get away from Louisiana and start again. Blend into the background and stay human. Human! She couldn’t submit! When Alcide lunged for her again though, the wolf slammed against the cage bars to save her life and the secretary’s grip couldn’t hold her back anymore. 

Her animal broke free. 

Henrietta’s primal instincts took full control. She became airborne and burst out of her clothes, her bones cracking and reforming themselves. She fluidly landed with four legs and hit the ground running with a sick thrill, rejoicing as her innermost wants and desires rose to the surface and stayed there with no resistance in sight. 

FUUUUUUCK! It had been decades since she’d transformed outside the full moon. She felt feral, whole. Giddy and relieved to be free from that ever-present nausea that gurgled around in her stomach when she was trapped in her human form. She wanted to stop and let out a roaring howl that could shake the entire state. 

But she didn’t have time to revel in her newly found wild edge; Alcide was still hot on her tracks, unfazed by her transformation. No matter. Now that the secretary had been banished to the backseat where she belonged, the wolf could handle him. 

She learned from her earlier size advantage by the truck and sharply cut to the left, catching him by surprise. He slammed into a tree and left a hefty dent in the trunk before racing to catch up with her. The two wolves scampered through the backwoods and her movements became more agile and playful as she dodged his advances, even shaking her rump a few times to entice him. And once, his resolve seemed to weaken in response to her wiles before he snapped back in and kept up the grueling hunt. 

But she was careful not to get too far away. Henrietta wanted to be caught. 

She could tell Alcide was getting frustrated and intentionally slowed, letting him get deliciously close before she faked getting clipped by a passing log and tumbled to the ground, her limbs flying in all directions. She made sure to land on her back to show her belly, a sign of submission in female wolves. Alcide took the bait and immediately pounced. His paws landed on her shoulders, pinning her to the ground, and when he moved to take a bite out of her neck, Henrietta switched back to her human body in full surrender. 

All part of the game. If she stayed a wolf, he’d likely be swept up in his animalistic tendencies and kill her. She knew she could play to his human side if she showed a little pale skin. 

The ploy worked; Alcide paused, his teeth bared and chest heaving with heavy breaths. Even though he’d relented, a deep growl rumbled from his throat to show her who was still in charge. 

The secretary threatened to come back to life now that Henrietta was in her human form, but the wolf took revenge and threw her into the cage that had housed her for years. Locked her away so she couldn’t interfere. Not this time. Not when she had Alcide right where she wanted him. Instead, Henrietta focused on the large white wolf bearing over her, his yellow eyes dilated almost black. She took in his natural musk full of spice and earth and shuddered as her toes began to curl. She wanted him to possess her, she was dripping wet already, holy shit— 

Alcide took in a deep sniff, the smell of her arousal assaulting him now that her fear had fully melted away. He tilted his head in surprise and returned to his own human body, although he still caged her against the ground with his hands. 

“You’re enjoying this,” he remarked quizzically. She let out a barking laugh. 

“Why, of course I am, darlin’!” Her eyes never broke contact with his as she tilted her chin up with glee and swiped her nails across his torso to give him hefty scratch marks. Still acting like unwilling prey to turn him on. 

Alcide recoiled momentarily in confusion, never seeing this side of her before. But when she licked her lips and gave him a ‘you better fuck me right now, you filthy animal’ look, he understood and decided to give in to one of the rewards of being a packmaster, as she’d hoped he might. He did have a thing for crazy bitches, after all. In one swift motion, he grabbed her hands and kept them over her head, a smirk not far behind. 

“Stay still.” 

There was no way in hell she would when his knees were flush up against the outside of her thighs. Their skin contact was so intoxicating; Henrietta craved more of it, hot with anticipation. Fuck, his enormous manhood was just hanging there too, waiting for her to do something. She canted her hips upwards, lightly brushing against it before Alcide responded with force, clamping his legs to keep her from moving.   

His mouth hovered right next to her ear and an amused tut escaped his lips. “Does your master need to teach you a lesson? To behave? ”  

This was her dream. An absolutely smoking hot packmaster—someone she’d been salivating over for months—was naked as the day he was born and so was she, trapped underneath him with nowhere to go. Oh, the fun they were going to have. The secretary only had simple vanilla sex and the wolf knew this would be anything but. 

“Go ahead and try, big boy.” 

The resistance spurred him on and Henrietta cried out in surprise when he broke the tender skin of her neck to mark his territory. The pressure from his mouth was sharp, strong and sensual. Better than she could have imagined. She let out a husky moan when Alcide’s tongue licked a perverted line up to her earlobe and caught it between his teeth with a tug. 

“You’ll do as I say,” he commanded, inhaling her scent. 

“Make me,” she taunted right back. 

His onslaught became relentless and unyielding; his bite moved back down her neck and left marks on her shoulder, collar bone and finally, her breast. Henrietta’s back arched (fuck, fuck, fuck —that felt gooooooood ) and he forcefully gathered both of her wrists into his left hand before his right pushed her ribcage back to the ground. 

“I said stay still.” 

Fine. Fine! She could do that for now; she needed him to keep going. Because a debauched desire was building inside her the more they played their game and fuck, it needed a release. His mouth found her chest again and caught one of her nipples between his lips as a reward for her submission … until she couldn’t help but disobey and keen for things to go faster. It was simply too fun to antagonize him. 

“Be quiet. Or I’ll make you,” he said gruffly, his commanding packmaster tone returning and driving her crazy. It spurred her to resist again. She wriggled against his hold and her ragged breaths became louder and louder as he turned his attention to her other breast. She pushed him even further with a soft “fuck!” and Alcide finally abandoned his task, capturing her mouth with his to force her to be quiet. 

Henrietta greedily savored his heated kiss, his dominating tongue smothering her cries; she lost herself in his flavor as he devoured her whole. Mmmmmmm. But when his teeth hastily scraped against her tongue, she sprang into action and rushed upwards, biting down on his bottom lip hard. He began to pull back and she refused to let go, a hungry growl escaping as she continued to tug. 

Alcide’s hand grabbed her jaw and a surge of that familiar need jolted through her. She relented, letting go of his lip and nestling back onto the ground. Henrietta expected him to withhold as punishment for her outburst but was surprised by his next move.  

“I’ll have to try something more drastic. To make you obey.” 

He let go of her chin, forcefully shoved her knees apart and buried his face in her cunt with a snarl. 

Henrietta gasped—an incredulous smile bursting across her face—and her eyes began to roll back into her head, her lashes fluttering as his tongue flicked against her clit. Her body jerked in response to one particularly furious swirl and Alcide’s dominant hands dug into her hip bones to keep her rooted to the spot. His reminder that while she had more freedom, he was still in control. She had to behave for him. Of course, that made her writhe even further, but his grip was too strong and her own hands clenched the dirt beneath her as she held on for dear life. Each lick, each lap fed her hunger while simultaneously making her crave more. 

And without a warning or announcement, he gave her more; two of his fingers pushed inside her and Henrietta bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a moan. An explosive pulse ripped through her, quickly followed by another one that was just as w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l. Alcide’s mouth still teased her clit while he snuck in a third and worked her open as he pumped in and out. Crooking his fingers to find that spot that made her quiver. 

More pulses shot through her until she couldn’t hold back any longer and her body gave way. A flash of white light streaked across her eyelids as she came and she sighed, melting into the earth shortly afterwards. She didn’t get a moment to bask in the afterglow and drink in the luxurious heat spreading across her skin, though. 

“Again,” Alcide ordered. 

He pounced, quickly moving up her body and using one of his hands to thrust his hard cock into her entrance. Despite the earlier work with his fingers, it still felt like he was splitting her in two. A delightful shock that rendered her speechless. She gulped as she adjusted to his size and his face—her slick still clinging to his beard—hovered over hers. He licked the edges of his canines; he knew she was struggling to fight back with each snap of his hips. 

The pleasure started breaking her will, just as he’d planned. 

But Henrietta wasn’t quite done resisting yet. The squelching sounds of him fucking her raw without protection (something the secretary would never do) turned her on to no end, stimulating her animalistic breeding kink. The thought of potentially carrying her packmaster’s baby lit a fire within her and she let out wild grunts as she took him and matched his pace. Fuck, fuck! She gripped his shoulders, dug her nails into his skin and raked her hands downwards to scratch him again as he slammed into her over and over and over. 

Alcide hissed when she drew blood and roughly threw her right leg up towards her shoulder to find a deeper fit. It was borderline painful at first, but Henrietta still pushed back against each slide in and out, which melted the tension away and brought her closer to the brink. He resumed his thunderous pace and she whined as the heat between them consumed her, finally burning away her defiance. It didn’t take long for her to tumble over the edge; her release was ardent and fierce, the kind that knocked the wind out of her sails. 

Even though he’d won, broken her … she still didn’t get a chance to catch her breath. 

“Again.” 

Her eyes widened when Alcide’s strong hands lifted her and flipped her over to her hands and knees with ease; her size was nothing compared to his. She barely caught her balance before he lined his cock up and pounded into her from behind. Doggy style. And he wasn’t gentle either. His fingers gripped her hips (surely leaving some bruises) and his movements went into a vigorous overdrive. FUUUUUUUCK! Henrietta wasn’t prepared to keep going after such earth shattering orgasms and floated on the edge of ecstasy and overstimulation, stars beginning to dance in her field of vision. It was so much, almost too much— 

“You. Will. Obey. Your. Pack. Master!” Alcide barked, each word punctuated by one of his punishing thrusts. 

She couldn’t even put two words together in her head, still too enthralled by the way he completely filled her, left her empty, then overwhelmed her cunt once more. Repeating the cycle again and again and again. The complete surrender to him was sublime, she didn’t want him to stop. It was like an out-of-body experience, disassociating from the wolf, the secretary, the entire world …  

Yet, he didn’t care how cockdrunk she was. “Answer. Me.” 

A mixture of whimpers and sobs poured out of her lips instead of the words he wanted to hear. Still not good enough. He gripped her flesh tighter and jackhammered into her with even more force. 

“Say it!” 

Her eyes flashed yellow before he tore her to absolute pieces and forced both of her releases. 

“Y-yes!” she finally submitted. 

Her rapturous climax followed, a muted wheeze eking past her lips. 

Alcide let out a victorious, booming howl and emptied himself inside her seconds later. 

She went from the highest high to the lowest low; Henrietta’s weak limbs turned to jelly and slumped towards the ground as she dropped and crashed at the bottom. Her mental cage was nowhere in sight (obliterated by her third release) and her wolf and human sides existed within the same space of her brain. She went around in circles, feeling extremely fulfilled but also confused about why she got such mind-numbing pleasure from it all. She didn’t notice Alcide starting to adjust back to himself. She was dizzy and exhausted and— 

“Hey, hey,” he cut in, his voice much more tender now that he’d shed his role. “Are you alright?” 

She collapsed into a pile, unable to hold herself up anymore; the ground was cold and hard against her body. Alcide settled down beside her, swept her into his arms and softly pressed her against his chest. Henrietta thought to recoil from such a gesture—ashamed of what had happened—but his scent and warmth soothed her. She took in a shuddering, deep breath and melted into him, pressing her face against his skin and closing her eyes in an attempt to settle her mind. 

“Did I … cross a boundary?” 

The secretary took her turn. “No. I’ve just … never done that before.” Then the wolf. “I loved every second of it.” 

He pulled her closer and his chest rumbled with a chuckle. 

“Then I suppose we’ll have to use a safe word next time. To make sure nothing goes too far.” 

Henrietta’s brows shot up in surprise, pushing aside any thoughts of how, yes, they should have discussed the ground rules of their game before playing. Next time? There was going to be a next time? One side of her couldn’t believe it; the other desperately craved another round. Her body involuntarily shivered and a wave of chills flooded down her spine. It was cold but also refreshing and arousing. 

“And I’m sure there’s more we could adjust. But for now,” Alcide continued, “let’s get you home.” 

Right. Home. She was thankful he was still with it enough to make the right decision for them both, seeing as they shouldn’t spend the rest of the night naked in the middle of the swampland. The game was finished, the fantasy slowly evaporating. It was time to get back to the real world, as much as she hated to admit it. But how exactly she would adjust to her old reality was a mystery. How could she when everything had changed, her two personalities now side by side without a barrier? 

Alcide released his hold to stand and her arms immediately reached out to keep touching him. He was her anchor and she wasn’t ready to let go just yet. He shot her a smile and extended his hand to pull her to her feet. Seconds later, she was standing beside him and he didn’t let go of her as he started to walk back towards the road. Henrietta’s legs and thought patterns were unfocused and wobbly (not entirely adjusted from her drop), but Alcide patiently remained by her side to guide her. 

The dirt finally turned into concrete; her truck sat yards away, just where they’d left it. As her packmaster walked towards it, the first dose of the real world hit. 

Her voice was breathy and meek. “It’s locked. With the keys inside.” Shit, what were they going to do? She was in no state to shift and run miles home. 

Alcide wasn’t concerned. He looked back at her with a mischievous grin. “I’ll repay you, I promise.” 

Before she could ask what he was talking about, his balled up fist smashed through the back window and she jumped in shock as the glass sprayed across the second row seat. Alcide reached inside, curled his arm forward and pushed a button on the driver’s side door, unlocking the rest of the truck with ease before brushing any remnants on the front seat out into the road. Careful not to cut his bare skin before he slipped into the truck. 

“You coming or what?” he teased over his shoulder. 

It took her a second to process what had just happened, but Henrietta sheepishly saddled up to the passenger side, opened her door and joined him. Once her flesh hit the upholstery, she was starkly reminded that her clothes were torn to shreds somewhere in the woods and they’d both have to stay naked the entire ride home. She attempted to cover herself with her arms—what if someone saw them or God forbid, they got pulled over?—and Alcide didn’t seem to share her shame as he twisted the keys in the ignition and the engine hummed with life. 

”Alright, tell me where to head.” 

“Ummm,” she faltered. His hand on her thigh was too distracting. “Make a u-turn and go back the other way.” 

They retraced her steps from earlier in the night and Henrietta still felt dizzy as she bounced between her selves; the wolf loved that his hand never moved from its position and the secretary was hard at work to remember how to direct him to her house. It was unfamiliar to be so uninhibited and when Alcide started to hum along with the radio and tap her leg to the beat, she stared at him incredulously. How was he so in control of himself? 

Her uneasiness accelerated when the second reality shock hit as they pulled into her driveway. Her lights were still on and she knew the door was open; she hadn’t cared about any of those details as she rushed to leave earlier that night. 

“Don’t tell me you’re locked out of your house, too,” he joked. She shook her head. “Good. Come on, then.” 

His fingers lingered on her shoulder blades as he led her to the front porch. Henrietta was thankful for his steady demeanor and that her property was rather secluded, not wanting to explain herself to any nosy neighbors. Like a true gentleman, he held the door open and motioned for her to enter first. Henrietta obliged but froze when she looked at the mess she’d left.  

“Sorry” was the only thing that tumbled out of her mouth. Otherwise, she turned mute, mortified at the state of her place. 

“Sit,” he coaxed, gesturing to her couch. 

He didn’t need any dominance in his voice to get her to cooperate; she plopped onto it while he wandered into the kitchen. She sat in silence, her exhaustion hitting her like a freight train and she sank into the pillows, feeling small. Barely hearing sounds in the other room—the opening of cabinets, rustle of dishware, whoosh of water from the tap, hum of the refrigerator, thuds of a knife hitting a cutting board and footsteps that continued back into the living room. Alcide returned with a full glass of water and snack plate, placing them on the coffee table and settling beside her. He reached over, grabbed a blanket off the other side of the couch and wrapped it around them. 

“Eat.” 

Henrietta didn’t want to leave his embrace at first. His warm skin just felt right against hers, but the collection of crackers, apple slices and cheese (man, how did he know that was her true weakness?) was tempting enough to get her to move. She leaned forward and took a sip from the glass before compiling a layered combination of food that she popped into her mouth. 

And as she leaned back into his chest, her body and mind finally began to relax. Muscles unclenched, anxious thoughts faded into the background. Her heart rate slowed for the first time since the pack fight. She realized she hadn’t actually had dinner that night and the snack satisfied a hunger she didn’t know she’d been suffering from. Moreover, the juicy, tangy and savory flavors hitting all at once fed something deeper within her. 

Why did it matter that she was human sometimes, a wolf another? Why did they have to be separate when they could coexist and bring about something more enjoyable together? Wasn’t that better than keeping them locked away from one another? 

Wasn’t that natural?  

It was the first time in her life she’d ever seriously considered the possibility. If Alcide could do it, so could she.

Alcide’s fingers brushed up and down against her shoulder and she closed her eyes and sighed contently as a profound release left her body. Her brain was still fuzzy—but now in a satisfied and pleased way—and she rolled her head back onto her shoulders and reached out for more food. The secretary said she needed the sustenance and the wolf agreed. This time, she grabbed a bigger portion and offered some to her packmaster, who accepted it with a chuckle and shoved the pile into his mouth. 

His laughter was contagious and Henrietta felt herself following suit with a giggle of her own. She comically stretched her arms in the air and draped herself over his lap, staring up at him while he toyed with her rat's nest hair. 

“Thank you,” she said. “For taking care of me.” 

In more ways than he realized. 

He smiled down at her before grabbing some water and taking a couple sips himself. “My pleasure.” 

Henrietta closed her eyes and melted into her surroundings. Each breath was easy and enjoyable instead of shallow and panicked. She felt happy, a strange feeling compared to how she’d left the house. But she didn’t question it. Instead, she welcomed the euphoria … until her nose twitched and caught a rather unpleasant scent. One eyelid lifted as she inhaled more and realized it was coming from her; she was covered in stale sweat and swamp earth. Not to mention the aftermath of hot, nasty sex.  

“Ummm … would you mind if I took a shower?” the secretary asked shyly. “I think I need it.” 

“You and me both.” He quirked a brow. “Can I join?” 

The wolf pounced at the opportunity. “Only if you can fit, big boy.” 

Alcide surprised her by gathering her in his arms and carrying her over to the bathroom; Henrietta squeaked with delight and kicked her legs. He nudged the door open, put her on the ground and finally understood her earlier comment. Her place only had a small stall shower that didn’t afford much room. But they still made it work, taking turns under the spray and lathering each other up with soap suds to wash off. 

Neither of them were in the right place to resume their earlier fucking, but that didn’t stop them from still exploring each other’s bodies. Their touch was slower and tender, nothing compared to the rawness during their game. Each kiss was featherlight and sentimental. It warmed Henrietta’s heart, completing the rise from the abyss she’d landed in after both their releases. 

“I’ll let you finish up,” he said, smoothing her wet hair back and kissing her forehead before leaving the shower and closing the door behind him.   

Henrietta took a moment to stand underneath the hot barrage of water (a poor substitute for Alcide’s warm body) and soak in the happy feeling that just wouldn’t go away. She sighed as the corners of her mouth lifted. Yet, every part of her pulled her to wash off the remaining soap, leave the shower, wrap a fluffy towel around her and find her packmaster. She couldn’t bear to be away from him for too long. 

When she found him in her bedroom, he was just finishing up sweeping the remnants of her broken dresser mirror into a dustpan. He turned to reciprocate her satisfied stare, water droplets running down the V of his abs and colliding with her small bath towel slung around his hips. Henrietta felt the carnal fire return; the secretary howled and the wolf blushed.  

Oh yes. There would definitely be a next time.

[optimal-mentalhealth]

Please make wolfpack popular

[besiegedhunter]

Siracusa, Zaaro and Authority.

It's Siracusa season once again! Fittingly I want to talk about the theme of authority within Il Siracusano's story, particularly how Zaaro embodies it, why it makes him the main boss of Il Siracusano and various characters relationship with authority. As well as where future events set in Siracusa, following the Signore dei Lupi, could take it.

A disclaimer though: I'm not a professional analysis writer, nor am I knowledgeable on this subject but I do want to talk about this nonetheless.

This post includes content from Terra: A Journey but without further ado:

Beast Lord

If you look at the Nations within Arknights, you can point out a specific aspect of that Nation as the major driving force for the stories taking place there. Whether it's the Seaborn in Iberia, Demons in Sami, Yan's Sui, Leithanien's Witch King. For Siracusa the first thought may be the mafia but with Zaaro being the main boss, accompanying Lappland going forwards and Red's story beginning at the end of Il Siracusano being purely about them, I'd say it's the Signore dei Lupi that are at the heart of Siracusa's story.

So what are the Signore dei Lupi? They're a group of Beast Lords, supernatural immortal animal spirits, and specifically the Lords of Wolves, inhabiting Siracusa's wilderness. They engage in a never ending game where each Signori trains one Lupo to be their Fang, their Assassin, and have them kill each other. The last Fang remaining's Signori then becomes the Packmaster and the cycle continues.

Zaaro is one of the Signore dei Lupi but I'll get back to him in a bit. Firstly I want to just state that of all the Nations in Arknights, Siracusa is the only Nation who revolves around the Beast Lords and appears to be where we're learning the most about them, through the Signore dei Lupi.

So, let's contextualize what a 'Beast Lord' exactly is and tie them to 'authority' because it seems obvious how they could, right? They are Lords, however to quote Lunacub's files and likely Kal'tsit:

"They sometimes call themselves the aristocrats of beasts, though they rule over nothing, that much I can guarantee."

And sure enough, if you look at the Beast Lords present in game they don't appear to rule over anything particularly. But I want to offer two theories. The first I want to say is likely possible for all the Beast Lords but we've only seen illustrated by the Signore dei Lupi and it comes from this passage in IS-10 just before Zaaro's bossfight:

In it Zaaro exerts his 'authority' over the cast of Il Siracusano. All the named characters present are Lupos, so it's likely something that the Beast Lords can do to anything considered 'kin' with them.

The second is illustrated in Terra: A Journey:

The Signore dei Lupi led to an unnaturally high amount of wolf packs in Siracusa's wilderness, implying that the Beast Lords have a part to play within the ecosystem and subsequently that because to my knowledge, Siracusa is the only Nation to have such an irregular Ecosystem via the Beast Lords, the Signori are doing something wrong.

So, authority is inherent to the Signore dei Lupi per being Beast Lords and regarding the ecosystem and Lupos it could be said that they've been taking their authority for granted and abusing it.

Now look at Siracusa. It revolves around family beliefs, whether that's an actual family or a business, a school, etc. It's emphasized by Siracusa's main race being Lupos and it's the same for the Signori being Wolves.

And as the Signori mirror the family beliefs of Siracusa, the authority that the Signori represent and which they abuse is also shared about those family systems within Siracusa. It's all in the components of Siracusa, how it's the one nation to look at the Beast Lords, to delve into their authority, Siracusa is commentating on how authority is wielded within these systems.

Now, to narrow it down to Zaaro and Il Siracusano. He embodies authority in the context of the event. Not just as a Beast Lord but by integrating himself into the Bellone Family and desire to wield the 'Power' of a mafia to attain his goals, he embodies it even more than any other Beast Lord.

And the relationships he has with different characters reflect this.

Vigil

It was his Azione Solo which inspired me to think about Zaaro through this lens with these lines from his Azione Solo:

If you look at Vigil, his entire story is about how he's influenced by different people. Whether it's Penance whose influence is deemed bad by Demetri, who he himself tries superseding his methods and telling him what is best for his family or his Dad who leaves him out of his plans, decides what he should do and expects him to be just a pawn in his plans.

Zaaro, the embodiment of authority, is this unavoidable truth for Vigil that he and everyone are just pawns for people like Bernado, Alberto or Sicily. His story goes on to have him make his own choices and resolve the situation with his own methods. He walks a different path from Demetri, stands up to his Father, faces down Sicily and withstands Zaaro trying to exert his authority over him.

It's a similar story for other characters. Rubio defies the authority that the mafia has over Siracusa. As a result, Penance who's been an enforcer of it's authority through the law gathered people to fight against it and Danbrown, who wanted free from the authority of the mafia, of his family in the Saluzzo famiglia, confronts Alberto.

Bernado himself as an interesting story. He saw how insignificant the mafia really was when he had left it and the city. He realized that the authority the mafia held over Siracusa was not as insurmountable as people thought and put in his plan to destroy Siracusa's authority.

But to do it he becomes the utmost authority in Siracusa besides Signora Sicily. He uses the mafia but at the same time he uses Zaaro, because they represent the same thing. And in the end, when he pulls off his plan to destroy the mafia, he takes his own life as well, betraying Zaaro and destroying any chance that he could win the Signori's plan.

He might've been an authority figure to Vigil and Demetri and everyone in Siracusa and abused that authority but he hated this authority all the same. For Zaaro, this embodiment of authority, he was his greatest pawn and he wanted nothing more than to spite him and the mafia all the same.

It's for these reasons that Bernado isn't the final boss, because he, like everyone, was a puppet of the authority of Siracusa that is the mafia. But as much as he and Lappland, want to destroy it, it's not really something you can destroy. But Zaaro embodies the same authority and he can be stood against and fought, even if he is invincible himself.

Emperor

So as stated, if Zaaro and Beast Lords represent authority and in Siracusa and Il Siracusano especially, what does that mean for Emperor as a Beast Lord himself?

Well, as this was the first event we see Emperor interacting with other Beast Lords and where Beast Lords as a concept was introduced, we get a lot of contextualization actually for him, in part from the characterization of the Signori:

The Signori are characterized as being extremely prideful in their "purpose" of creating a Packmaster through their game and here they project that same duty onto Emperor, believing him to have left his purpose behind.

But really this is a bad argument from the Signori. They let Siracusa's ecosystem fall into disarray, they made their game up so it's not their duty and as that last image shows: they're tiring of the game.

It can be argued though that this is the point: the Signori uphold this game, conflating it with duty when it's just to give them the feeling of being rulers when it's purely something they constructed themselves. That people in positions of power disguise their ego and desire as duty.

But I think there is an element of truth in what they say about Emperor. A Beast Lord's territory lets say would be important and leaving it is putting one's identity behind. His path from the Tundra, to Leithanien, to Columbia and wherever else, appears to be him looking for his place in the world.

And it's here when the real contrast between Zaaro and Emperor begin, with the introduction of Texas.

As stated, Zaaro embodies the authority of Siracusa. The Signori as a whole represent the family values and violence. They are manifestations of Siracusa or rather Siracusa formed in their image, forming their beliefs on the Signori.

And Texas's story is about how she grew up, being instilled with all the violence and abuse of Siracusa. She grew tired and resentful of it, tried to get away but she is Siracusan, no matter how much she tries to ignore that fact.

When Zaaro appears in the beginning of the event, he represents everything that she tries to ignore about herself as he is Siracusa made flesh. Everything that we see happen when Texas is brought back to Siracusa is just illustrating what this beast named Zaaro is. What this beast named Siracusa is.

But when Zaaro got Texas out of Siracusa after her family's fall, she left to Columbia and it was there that Emperor found her, alone, having lost everything. Emperor saw this and he devoted everything to giving her a place she belonged, like what he was searching for. He created Penguin Logistics, a place she could work and live and he hired all the PenLog members who'd end up as her friends.

If Zaaro is the abusive home that she left but had created her, then Emperor is the healthy home environment and while her boss, Emperor has only ever wanted the best for her unlike Zaaro who only saw a pawn.

This is the point of Zaaro and Emperor's relationship, this contrast on the sort of home Texas has. It's why she doesn't have an Bernado or Alberto in her story, because this takes it's place.

And it gives more meaning to Zaaro being the final boss for her event. For while Rubio's speech made her realize that Siracusa has a chance, that the authority that is the mafia, that is Zaaro is strong, it can still be defied. Why like Vigil and Penance, who've been affected by Bernado and the very systems of Siracusa, she joins to fight against the authority that is Zaaro.

But it's not them who beats Zaaro in the end. It's Emperor who was this Beast Lord like him but who gave Texas a healthy home that stopped Zaaro, the embodiment of Siracusa's abuse and abusive authority in the end.

And as we know, Texas does not stay in Siracusa. She's not Nearl of Gavial who go to their homes to continue making a change. She is as much a member of PenLog as she ever was and throughout the event her friends have been helping and supporting her.

And I find it interesting that he's with the other Signore dei Lupi. They're just there to remind Zaaro that he's lost and his vengeance is pointless. They don't care for the symbolism of Il Siracusano's cast fighting against him or Emperor stepping in.

And yet, Zaaro's actions were born from him growing tired of the game. Agnese, Lunacub's Signori, is trying to leave despite still being in the running because she tires and she looks to Emperor as a role model. She's the one who states that the Signori laugh at him but she herself understands his actions.

She wants to do for Lunacub as Emperor has for Texas. She's not the good Signori however. She isolated Lunacub from society to train her to kill. She harmed her. But she's looking to Emperor's example and taking responsibility for her harm to provide Lunacub a happier, healthier life.

And as Texas's file says: "At the same time, the game that the Signori dei Lupi have played for many years has come to the surface. This round is coming to an end, and the impact it will have on Siracusa is yet unknown."

The Signori must change and at least in this moment the Signori stand beside Emperor who represents a healthy home, against Zaaro who represents what they as the Signori represent.

But the thing is, I don't think that Zaaro is going to always embody the abuse of Siracusa. He might continue representing Siracusa but he's changing as well.

Lappland

We'll put a pin in that thought just for now because we don't follow Zaaro's story, we follow our Operators and as Il Siracusano came to and end we see that while we'll be seeing Zaaro's story continue, it'll be from Lappland's point of view. So what's her situation?

If most of the characters in the story are building up to their rebellion against Siracusa and it's authority, Lappland was already there. Her story goes that when she was little she disliked how she was being raised to be the new head of the Saluzzo family and her Father, Alberto, didn't show her any love and so she rebels against him.

Alberto outside of Zaaro is perhaps the most obvious authority figure who abuses his power, moreso honestly. His relationship with Lappland demonstrates it the most as he doesn't just neglect her but physically abuses her and her Azione Solo demonstrates how he destroys what brings Lappland happiness and how she felt caged by him.

She, like Texas, realizes that this treatment is at the heart of Siracusa. She calls herself the "perfect Siracusan" because of how violent and remorseless she is and her end goal of destroying Siracusa is clear recognition of the abuse Siracusa has and her answer to it.

But at the same time, when she loses to Texas during the Texas family purge and watches her leave Siracusa her worldview is tested. She thought Siracusa a swamp that was inescapable but Texas left and it goes well with Texas's own feelings. As said: Texas ignores and does not accept that she is Siracusan. Lappland fully embraces her Siracusan side, event when Alberto kicks her out, and she wants solely for Texas to return, to face her Siracusan side and prove that a Siracusan is everything that she is, that Zaaro represents. That it's inescapable.

And when Texas returns, she's resigned to be Siracusan but that's not where her story goes. After Giovanna's assassination attempt and the Rossati turning on her, when things look bleakest, Texas feels at her lowest and probably most resigned to the nature of Siracusa. But Rubio does his speech.

Texas realizes that Siracusa is everything that Zaaro represents, it is all this abuse of power, but that they can make a change and fight against that authority. It's in this moment that Texas proves Lappland wrong, that she is Siracusan and can accept it but she can be so without embracing it fully like Lappland and becoming like Zaaro.

She tells Lappland as such and it's turned on her. For as much as Lappland despises Siracusa and her Dad, she has been so defined by it that she embraced it. She remained as trapped as her Musbeast in her Azione Solo. Waiting to see if Texas could leave and she does. She proves that Lappland can't escape Siracusa but she doesn't need to let it define her or stay shackled to it.

And it's then that she faces her Dad, the biggest authority figure in her life and cuts ties with him. For as much as she has rebelled, she's never been able to accept that it's really possible to accept what Siracusa has done and strive forwards in spite of it. This is her first rebellion that meant something, that actually stood as a defiance against Siracusa and it's authority over her.

And so, while she's always been rebelling against Siracusa, against her Dad, against Sicily, this is the first one that truly mattered and it's why fighting Zaaro when she does isn't a repeat of all her past rebellions. It's only now that she can look at Siracusa and not see an insurmountable swamp but as something she can fight back against.

But as she says, she's going to destroy Siracusa. That's her goal. I think that it will be a more personal Siracusa to her, the Siracusa that created her as opposed to all of Siracusa but even still, she's not put her past behind and is moving forwards like the others.

She's still got to fight Siracusa, she's still got to walk alongside it for a bit longer, maybe even as Zaaro says and essentially for her whole life. And that's why she fights Zaaro again, fight Siracusa like she always had, but now she can walk alongside it in understanding of what it is. Siracusa doesn't control her anymore, it cannot destroy her.

And I think that in walking alongside Lappland that Zaaro is going to make some realizations himself about the nature of Siracusa and the Signore dei Lupi.

But that is it for Zaaro and mostly for Il Siracusano. We'll have to see where Lappland and Zaaro's stories go in the next Siracusa event but for now that is it. That is why there is so much meaning behind Zaaro's role in Il Siracusano, what his bossfight means when on the surface he just wants to kill Vigil out of spite.

I could say that we'll learn more about Demetri's relationship with authority and Siracusa in the next event. Why the Bellone family was so important or the ways of Siracusa. I also think it's interesting how Signora Sicily shows no surprise, reverence or respect towards Zaaro because she has overcome Siracusa's authority of the mafia once and so what is Zaaro to her?

But instead I want to talk about another instance of the same 'authority' that Zaaro tried and failed to exert over the Il Siracusano cast.

Projekt Red

The 'authority' that Zaaro tires to exert over the cast in IS-10 is the exact same that phenomenon that causes Lupos to be afraid of Projekt Red. It actually makes Lappland's Trust 2 more interesting. In it she says that Red would certainly kill her in a fight but that she wants to fight her and is confused as to why.

As the core of it is authority, it's essentially "what if Lappland faced Zaaro's authority before she was ready?" she still wants to rebel but she's afraid of it. Perhaps afraid that it's pointless, she'd still be trapped, because Texas hadn't returned yet. All the cast of Siracusano was able to stand against Zaaro but besides Demetri maybe all of them had resolved themselves to fight Siracusa and the authorities over them.

But Red. It's difficult, even for myself as the self proclaimed expert on her, to say exactly what her story, themes and beliefs are. I believe though that it's possible that she ties into this theme of authority herself and not just because of her ability to exert her authority over Lupos.

Consider this:

This shot is from the second concept trailer. Their story has been entwined since that long ago and if Red is supposed to be connected to 'authority',

Isn't it perfect that her arch nemesis is called 'Crownslayer' ?

And it does seem that their story could be following such beats. Red is almost certainly going to be proven the strongest of the Fangs as the only one besides an unnamed one left. Grandma is going to become the Packmaster and lead the Signore dei Lupi.

And Grandma... god... I feel that she could be the purest example of an abusive figure of authority. Moreso than Alberto. Certainly more than Zaaro.

I've talked about how Lunacub contrasts Red's situation and Agnese taking responsibility for the harm she's inflicted to Lunacub is one such way because Grandma would never. She is illustrated to be the most cruel Signori, teaching Red no useful skills outside of killing and Red's module shows how Grandma cares only for Red's use to her and how Red broke because of Grandma's upraising.

A lot of Red's problems, like her speech, education, cutting things close to her, can be followed right to Grandma. Red also has no recognized the harm that Grandma has inflicted upon her, choosing Grandma over Rhodes and even Kal'tsit couldn't help Red because of how deeply ingrained Grandma's indoctrination was.

Her story will follow Grandma's abuse of her and how she recognizes Grandma's abuse and gathers the strength to overcome her and it'll be interesting to see how she reacts to the sort of authority that Zaaro and her can exert because of Grandma's hold on her life and her facing her down like the Zaaro bossfight.

Likely we'll see her and maybe Crownslayer in the next Siracusa event so we'll see then.

I may have more thoughts but they're not rising to the surface at the moment so that is the post! I thank you for reading this far, I hope it was interesting and I'm excited to see what future Siracusa events add to it!

[burningblake]

I love the 'token of the packmaster' amulet because you'll be chilling randomly across thedas and suddenly these big ass wolves will appear and chill with you and whimper like little doggies (i especially enjoy having solas wear it and pretend the wolves... just like him 👀)

[tathracynart]

Monster Hunter Wilds sparked my speculative biology brain into overdrive, leading me to design this wonderfully awful apocalypse creature. Inspired by Bearded Vultures and the Hooded Pitohui, Adostafor is an obligate bone-eater, a lethal packmaster, and a devastating disruption to any ecosystem.

Detailed monster profile below

Elder Dragon: Adostafor, the Singing Bone-Bringer

Element: Poison

Weakness: Water

Adostafor was initially classified as a Flying Wyvern, due to its appearance and the subtle nature of its abilities. It wasn't until researchers had several months' worth of ecological data that they came to realize what Adostafor is capable of. Adostafor secretes a powerful neurotoxin from its feathers that it scatters around its territory. The toxin makes its way into the systems of all the native wildlife, building up over time and across generations to leave the entire ecosystem devastated. It is also capable of parthenogenesis - Adostafor lays eggs that, if left unfertilized, hatch into smaller bipedal monsters called Osciprey. Osciprey are aggressive carnivores who hunt down and strip the flesh from their prey, leaving the bones for Adostafor to consume at its leisure. Adostafor can perform an empowering song that strengthens itself and its minions, in a remarkable similarity to the Hunting Horn used by many hunters. This song can be heard for miles, and is also used by Adostafor and Osciprey to communicate and coordinate.

Between its pack, its poisons, and its song, Adostafor can rapidly establish itself as the uncontested master of any given territory, slowly driving its native lifeforms to extinction. Once it does, it will live off their bones for years until it runs out, at which point it will abandon the dead biome and seek out a new territory.

[boltlightning]

first lines tag game

tagged by the wonderful @aloveforjaneausten; thank you sm!!!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your latest fanfics (or up to if you have less!) & tag 10 people.

i did this last year so there's an extra few data points too :~) i'm excepting drabbles since those are operating on a different sort of standard

Elizabeth lingered too long in the bath—a rare occurrence, but one she could not regret. (ever punctual; potc)

A country ball could not compare to the royal jubilees raging in London, but Miss Elizabeth Swann much prefers the company. (domestic virtues; potc)

At first light, the Black Pearl prepares for departure from Tortuga harbor. (deadfall chapter 6; potc/temeraire)

His first life, he drowns. (life, restored; potc/destiny)

It is only a matter of seconds from the station doors to the car. (sure footing; miss fisher's murder mysteries)

Detective Inspector Jack Robinson always knocks on the front door. (the inspector for you, miss; mfmm)

Moonlight slinks into the cabin from the window, the glass panes hinged open at James’ insistence. (this silent history; potc)

“Honestly,” Elizabeth scoffs, waving the letter around, “the absolute audacity!” (to start your day; potc)

The rift is eerily beautiful, churning and sparking amidst the flat, dull ruins of the Dales—until it spits out a revenant. (token of the packmaster; dragon age)

James Norrington, the Caribbean’s unluckiest man, feels that in his ten-year absence, someone should have relieved him of the title. (so hunts the shrike chapter 1; potc)

i think i have finally found a way to hop right into a fic without being too literal, nor subjecting the viewer to languid scenery right off the bat. but there's always work to be done!!

i'm not gonna tag all those people but hey! if you're reading this and you write stuff then i'm tagging

🫵 YOU.

even if we've never spoken. yeah. you. you're tagged. i'll read em.

[skyblock-things]

ITS BEEN A MONTH I AM SO SO SO SO SOOOO SORRY HERES PART 2 TO THE SLAYER UPDATE THING AND MY INTREPRETATIONS OF EM

Spider is Tarantula Broofather, Hooded dude is Atoned Horror, Skull thing is Inferno Demonlord, Vampire is Riftstalker Bloodfiend, Wolf is Sven Packmaster, Third Eye Monster Guy is Voidgloom Seraph (forgot his halo)

[tales-of-iron]

Lucky #3

I have lost 2 hounds since I reached this planet. I am in no position to complain. Marco is up to 8 now. He's always been a packmaster though. I couldn't keep up with that many. The stimulus alone would have me seizing in my console. I keep 3. I figured 2 could handle this deployment, so I left Val on ice. So...I'm fucked.

The depot always has bodies. Eager little brains just ready to get shackled to a handler and shot out into the field with enough chems in thier blood to slag steel. There's always someone willing to die for you. Few are willing to live for you is the problem. But it'll do until i can get Val defrosted and planetside.

I checked out the Depot's listings earlier today. Managed to find a brain with some synchronicity to mine. It's rough but the neural patterning should hold for a while. Worst comes to worst, I'll run it in tandem Val and have her gut it once she drops.

It should be delivered soon. I sprung for the sealed tank delivery this time. Should help with the recovery after their done splicing. I need some feet on the ground. No matter how green.

-VH

[ratboysposts]

Rat Ogres much-kill. Tough-strong, but hard to control; only the Packmasters can use them well-good.

Three glorious Rat-Ogres of Clan Moulder. Ready to serve-kill Yes-yes!