So I have been packless for a bit now (boo hoo) and have also been less active (also boo hoo) so I need to work on getting all my characters active - but I want to decide fairly early on who to work towards being an alpha because I will need them to be MORE active than all the other characters. Doing 10 posts a week for sixteen characters for a month just because I can't decide who to use sounds pretty hellish to me! So I'm narrowing down my options.

Option 1: The Sociopath

Seth is option 1. Seth is a sociopath, but this is not obvious from an outside perspective. His pack wouldn't be outwardly evil, in fact many of his members would probably be quite innocent of his true nature. The darkness of the pack would be of a very secretive nature. Those of his members who might be considered evil would be expected to be smart about it, because he wouldn't tolerate exposure because of an inept pack wolf.

Option 2: The Mafioso

Enrico has had it rough. Not all that long ago he was a leader in his cosca, but fell in love with the wrong woman. A series of mistakes and bad decisions later and most of his brothers in the cosca were dead and the rest were out for his blood. He'll be going by a new name in an attempt to keep his true identity a secret from the ones who hunt him, but he needs to pick up the pieces of his life and move on. He wouldn't seek to recreate the cosca in this pack - that part of his history is by necessity dead and buried for him. It would be a hard neutral/soft dark pack, similar to the cosca in that it is centered around the idea of the group as a family, and loyalty will be strictly enforced. Still wary of being hunted, the pack would value secrecy, and other packs would be kept at arms length. Old habits die hard, though, and he may start to slide back towards his mafia ways, with extortion, espionage, murder, and other dark dealings definitely on the table.

Option 3: The Vikings

Plan A: I could bring Yfir back with Katja, who we all know and love, or hate, or love to hate. It would be pretty much the same as before, and since Katja has history with many of the packs/pack leaders it would be pretty easy to slide back in. She also already has the required number of posts so unlike the other two options it would just be a matter of getting her active enough and gathering the gems. She is getting up there in years and a life full of battles is leaving its toll on her, though. We're pretty familiar by now with Yfir under Katja, so I think I'll skip the exposition here and move on.

Plan B would be to shelf Yfir for now and bring it back in an IC year and a half with another character - Katja's grandson Finnolfr. He's more aggressive and ambitious in nature than Katja and under his reign the viking pack would range a bit darker than when Katja had it, in that he would actively seek out situations that could end in violence, while Katja tends to mind her own business. Finnolfr would be a much more longterm plan, since Alfrun isn't even two until spring, and then he would need to be a year old before he could be alpha. This option allows for a possible temporary pack between now and then from one of the other options. If Plan B is picked I'll do another poll to see what you guys think of the temporary pack (though almost an ooc year is a long time for a pack anyway so that's not all that temporary)

...I really like all of these options?? ;_;

But if I can only pick one, my vote is for Option 2. A mafia-esque pack just really appeals to me and I would love to plot one of my characters with you if you need help filling out roles to get the ball rolling. ;)

I feel like Mercy could get behind the mafia pack, but she is obviously a loose cannon so we couls see how that goes. XD A darker-esque and secret pack would be really fun to have again, and it's not a evil for the sake of evil thing.

Dude tea ermagherd I love all the ideas but I'm going with the mafia pack xD it's between this and Finn but for now I'm #TeamMafia

Just to be more clear in case it changes your mind - although Enrico is a former mafioso, he isnt going to be recreating the mafia. He broke trust with the cosca so he doesnt believe that it would be dishonest and dishonorable for him to have anything to do with it. It would probably be set up more like an outlaw's guild than the mafia.

Ugh, Tea I love all of these!

Seth sounds very interesting and I would love to thread Rœkia with him some time. A secret underbelly to the pack could be really fun.

Enrico would be interesting but I kind of feel a pack for him is a bit to high-profile and I worry about Vincenzo since I can't keep it a secret from him forever and he's definitely the kind to charge in guns blazing at the first sight of Enrico. But hey, drama! xD I am down to work out plots if this is the route you want to go.

I love me some vikings, you know this for sure! I definitely would love to see Naudir back in a structured pack so Katja is very tempting to me just because of the expediency. However, Vikings Plan B gets my vote. I like the slow-burn to it and the rise of a new leader. I adore Katja but she is getting on in years and I think Finnolfr sounds like an interesting character and alpha plus playing Naudir as an aunt has me majorly excited! I guess I like the idea of a sort of temporary pack, like Katja starting up Yfir again but with a plan to begin training the next leader and Finnolfr taking over when he's ready, maybe after getting put through a test or task. Some epic hero stuff or something idk but I am down to plot!

Last call for opinions!

Now that I'm back I'm going to start weighing my options and get going on posts, so I'll be closing this out in the next couple of days to start working on a more solid plan for whichever idea I end up going with.

PS - if you are curious about the pack ideas and want to help me flesh them out and come to a decision, or sound out a plot you would like me to consider for one or another of the pack ideas, skype me, I'm almost always around.