Jacob Black

*Quileute Alpha Wolf*

* Overview
* Sheet
* 'Ships
* Logs

 What a marshmallow. You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit.

— Jacob Black

Jacob Black is a member of the Quileute tribe in La Push, WA. Publicly, he's just a normal teenager who grew up with only a passing interest in the native traditions of his people. Few know that he is also a skin-changer, a powerful shapeshifter capable of taking on the form of an enormous direwolf, and is committed to a sacred trust, handed down by his people for generations: Protect the land and its people from supernatural threats, especially vampires.

## Personality

Jacob exhibits the easy confidence of someone who has come into his own power and learned his own worth, making him often come across as brash and cocky, though he also has the instincts and cunning to know a real threat when he encounters one. He can be hot-headed, wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he is a man fundamentally driven by his caring for others. This was at one time fixated on Bella, but between her rejection of him and his increased time spent among the pack, his fellow wolves have become in truth his family, the ones he is most loyal to and loves the most. He has the heart of a warrior, the spirit of a leader, and the drive to protect those who are most vulnerable to the dangers of the supernatural world.

## Description

Short black hair crowns his head, cut neatly but still managing to look wild and a bit spiky. Dark lashes frame deep, dark brown eyes, and his features are strikingly handsome, if still on the boyish side. His skin is a rich reddish bronze, and he has the fresh-faced look of someone in his late teens, but there's an edge of confidence and maturity about him that goes beyond his apparent youth. His frame is tightly muscled, broad and strong yet trim and agile.

He tends toward sleeveless tee shirts when he wears shirts at all, revealing a tribal tattoo on his right shoulder. When he goes without a shirt, as he frequently does, he reveals a torso that looks like it belongs on body builder. This guy must never miss chest-and-abs day at the gym. Khaki cargo shorts or jeans usually do for pants, and he seems to favor laceless hiking boots for footwear.

## SIGNATURE ABILITY

### Born Alpha

Jacob was born to be an alpha wolf-shifter. This isn't quite the same thing as being an alpha werewolf, but it does grant him some special abilities, as noted in his powers. Beyond that, it also means that at times he can suddenly display leaps in ability as a shifter. For instance, he manifested his status as an alpha and broke away from his old pack, despite having previously submitted to the authority of Sam Uley. In times of great need or duress, Jacob can "leap ahead" and discover new control and mastery over aspects of himself as a shifter, which might otherwise be extremely difficult or impossible for him to accomplish. This does not grant him any special powers, in and of itself, but it does allow him to, under the right circumstances, learn new powers quickly that he might otherwise learn under other circumstances or with greater time. He also tends to pick up on the ability to use and control his powers very, very quickly in such cases. His bloodline is also unusual in that he's closer than most other shifters to other forms of werewolves, most specifically the Children of the Moon, which adds to his flexibility in terms of what abilities he can learn.

## SKILLS

Jacob Black's athleticism is greatly bolstered by his wolven nature, but even without it, he would still be an extremely gifted athlete. He can run, jump, climb, swim, lift, tumble, and otherwise perform all of the notable athletic feats at a very high level of expertise.

Jacob has honed his skills as a driver, most particularly as a rider of motorcycles, on the winding and often wet roads of upstate Washington. As a result of this and his keen reflexes, he's very capable on the road.

Jacob lacks the expertise of a truly experienced fighter, but he has the instincts and reflexes of a champion. The only snag is, this is true in his wolven form. When forced to fight in a human form, he tends to only operate at Novice level.

Jacob isn't especially book-inclined, and even the oral histories of his people, while interesting to him, appeal less to him than action. Still, he is somewhat well-informed on the supernatural world in a limited way, even if much of it pertains to his own immediate backyard--and, of course, with hunting vampires.

Jacob is capable of building and repairing any non-computerized automobiles, particularly motorcycles. He is skilled enough that he could easily work as a mechanic if he needed to.

Even in human form, Jacob would do well in the wilds. Of course, in wolf shape, he is quite the dangerous predator, capable of existing entirely as a wild animal for indefinite periods as he so chooses. When in familiar territory and in wolf form, he effectively functions at Expert level. In strange territory as a human, he is reduced to Novice level.

## POWERS

While Jacob is extremely loath to employ this ability, he is the Born Alpha of his pack. That means that, as a pack leader, he can compel his pack members to obey orders, even against their will. Despite having this power, he is unlikely ever to use it for compulsion. Instead, it allows him to demonstrate his power as an alpha via voice. As a Born Alpha, Jacob is even sometimes able to exert dominance over other alphas. (Exerting dominance does not force them to obey him, necessarily, so much as it lets him assert his status.) The effectiveness of this ability depends on that Alpha's willpower and inner strength. To a limited degree, Jacob may also dominate non-werewolves who lack sufficient mental defenses, much in the way certain werewolves can dominate the will of some humans or animals. This is usually sufficient to give them a single command that would not go completely against their nature, so for instance, he could not (and would not, anyhow) instruct someone to injure or kill themselves.

Despite having this power, Jacob has sworn never to use it on members of his own pack.

A Quileute wolf-shifter has a natural body temperature of about 110°F. This allows them to endure extremes of temperature, staving off cold and tolerating heat, far better than a normal human. The elevated body temperature also makes it harder for them to become sick, as the germs and pathogens adapted to human hosts generally do not tolerate their body heat. Of course, this comes with the drawback that their body heat is high enough to cause alarm if they are ever checked over by a human doctor.

Thanks to intimate contact with his mate, Jason, Jacob has picked up some of the qualities of the Children of the Moon. This strain of lycanthropy prevents him from aging beyond the physical age of twenty or so. His regeneration prevents any damage to his cells, routinely restoring them, making him functionally immortal. He requires respiration in order to remain active, but he cannot die from lack of it. Likewise, if frozen or even burnt to a charred state, he will become active again when the effect ends and he is able to heal. Along with immortality comes a flawless memory, allowing him to easily retain all that he learns over his potentially long years.

Jacob's Enhanced-level regeneration allows him to recover from nearly any wound. He heals so fast that broken bones knit faster than they can be set, which can be a complication, but even if he is seriously injured to the point that a human might be crippled, he can bounce back quickly, though at times he still requires proper medical care. In addition, each time he shifts his body regenerates itself on the cellular level. This does not instantly heal injuries, but it does effectively "reboot" his aging process. (This refers to the cellular decay of growing old, not the process of growing into a mature adult. He effectively remains in the peak condition of an eighteen-year-old.)

When in wolf form, Jacob can communicate with any other wolves in his pack via telepathy. In fact, he cannot avoid doing so. In wolf form, he shares his thoughts and memories freely with the pack, even if he might prefer to hide them. As a born pack alpha, Jacob is also able to communicate with other alphas, even if they're a different type of shifter. No other psychic or magical powers have been demonstrated that are able to disrupt this connection, though he must be in wolf form to access it.

The senses of a Quileute wolf-shifter are enhanced far beyond the ability of any average human. They can hear things like a person's heartbeat and tell if they are nervous and possibly lying and clearly hear the murmur of a quiet conversation several rooms away. They can see over long distances and also possesses excellent night vision. Through scent, they can track a person, even if the trail is days old; they can also isolate specific individual scents in a larger group.

While in his wolf form, Jacob is able to draw upon the Quileutes' ancestral power of astral projection. In his case, modified by his werewolf traits, he is able to physically vanish from perception, fading partly into the Ways. While in this state, he is completely undetectable to physical senses of any acuity. However, supernatural senses that can perceive the Otherworld at even Basic level have a chance, if a small one, to detect him. Enhanced senses of this type would have a fairly even chance. This ability does not actually allow him to traverse the Ways or to increase his travel speed, though it does allow him to evade detection and to pass through unwarded solid objects.

In wolf-form, Jacob possesses the following traits: Enhanced-level Strength sufficient to crush stone in his jaws, Enhanced-level Agility, Enhanced-level Toughness and stamina sufficient to resist most mundane forms of trauma, Enhanced-level Senses akin to those of a wolf that enable him to track by scent and hear over great distances, Enhanced-level Claws/Fangs that allow him to tear through most conventional materials, and Enhanced-level Travel Speed, allowing him to run at over one hundred miles per hour.

## ADVANTAGES

As potentially cheesy as it is to note, Jacob is widely regarded as highly attractive in a conventional masculine sense. Between having naturally handsome features and being in extremely fine shape, he certainly holds a certain appeal.

Jacob can rely on the other members of his current pack through thick and thin. They are his brothers, more than any other family, and they look out for one another.

The Quileute tribe values its protectors, and Jacob is one of them. As such, as much as he works to protect the tribe, the tribe works to protect him. It is an ancient relationship, built on blood and mutual need. Also worthy of note, Jacob's father is an important figure in the tribal leadership.

## WEAKNESSES

Jacob's brand of shifter carries a curious trait: At some point in their lives, they will meet someone upon whom they will imprint. This person will then become the central figure in their lives, surpassing all others, and the shifter will do or become anything that person needs them to do or be. As of July 2013, Jacob has imprinted on Jason Christopher Lupus. As a result, Jacob will now do anything to see to Jason's best interests, including self-sacrifice.

Jacob is loyal to a fault. Now, this carries all of the usual drawbacks, such as it being possible to use his loved ones against him, but it also means that he's got a bit of a blind spot where they're concerned. He'll endure no end of abuse and ill treatment, just because he cares for someone, and he's been demonstrably fairly thick-headed about knowing when to let go in the past.

To a human nose, Jacob actually smells quite nicely of woods and pine. However, to most vampires, he carries the "reek" of lupine shifter, which they often call a "dog smell" or worse. This makes it easy for those with enhanced senses to track him via scent.

*Imprintee/Mate*
When Jake met Jason Christopher, his entire world was changed. Defying what was previously assumed about Quileute shifters, that they only imprinted on baseline female humans, Jacob found himself imprinted on a male werewolf of a different sub-species. He speculates that this may be because--inasmuch as any reason is really needed--that Jason has so much to teach the pack that some instinct in Jacob knew Jason must be joined to them. Or, perhaps, it was some other unknown conditions being met at the proper time and place. Who can say? Regardless, having imprinted on Jason, Jacob would do anything for him. Their relationship has continued to develop, and they now freely call one another "mate."

*Packmate/Best Friend*
Embry has been Jacob's best friend since forever, and the two have long shared many hobbies. Even before they were packmates, they often spent long hours together working on cars or motorcycles. Once Jacob began to obsess over Bella Swan, Embry was always there for him, even though Jacob tended to neglect him. The only time they were really separate was after Embry shifted, but once Jake went through his first shift, they were once again close.

*Packmate/Friend*

*Packmate/Friend*

Logs featuring Jacob Black:

* 2015.07.24 - A Meeting at Lament's End
* 2015.07.26 - Quick Cut: Coming Out, But Not Like You're Thinking--I'm a Wolf
* 2015.08.06 - Quick Cut: Buying Trucks and Making Plans, Money Is No Object
* 2015.08.21 - Jacob Unveils Jason's New Truck--Jason Takes Jacob to a Movie
* 2017.05.01 - Field Trip
* 2017.05.07 - Rainy Day Boy-Watching
* 2017.05.02 - Dreams vs. Songs: Somewhere I Belong--I Will Not Bow
* 2017.05.02 - Hardware Store Prophets
* 2018.08.14 - The Storm Gathers
* 2018.08.21 - Werewolf War Council II
* 2018.08.22 - The Shattered Mirror
* 2018.08.23 - Restoring K9's
* 2018.08.24 - An Alliance of Alphas
* 2018.08.25 - Existential Dread: Epilogue
* 2019.01.18 - Waking Up at Rowanwood: Jason and Jacob
* 2019.01.19 - The Siege of Rowanwood: 1
* 2019.01.19 - The Siege of Rowanwood: 2
* 2019.01.19 - The Siege of Rowanwood: 3
* 2019.01.20 - Battle Aftermath 1: Tending the Wounded
* 2019.01.21 - Battle Aftermath 3: Fireside Resolve, a Battle for Survival
* 2019.01.21 - The Apocalypse, Day Two: Cookies for Breakfast Is Okay, But Only During the Apocalypse
* 2019.01.22 - The Council of the Vale
* 2019.01.26 - The Apocalypse, Day Three: Seattle Expedition Preparation
* 2019.01.26 - Through the Eye of the Needle
* 2019.01.29 - The Newborn Army
* 2019.02.10 - Into the Mists
* 2019.02.11 - Curious Goods
* 2019.02.12 - Reflecting by the Black Lodge I
* 2019.02.18 - Cutscene: Into the Black Lodge--Alpha and Omega
* 2019.02.26 - Cutscene: Into the Black Lodge--Looking Glass
* 2019.02.27 - The End of the Apocalypse

Old Logs featuring Jacob Black:

* 2015.08.16 - Ballroom Blitz
* 2015.08.16 - Sympathy for the Devil
* 2015.08.17 - Spoiler Alert: the Cat is a Spy
* 2015.08.18 - Quick Cut: Premature Celebratory Breakfast
* 2015.08.18 - Werewolf Training Day: First Level
* 2015.08.18 - Werewoves' Hot Tub Love Story (Not an Indie Band)
* 2015.08.24 - It Was All a Dream
* 2015.08.25 - Gathering: A Prince's Rage
* 2015.08.26 - The New K9s
* 2015.08.30 - Stargazing
* 2015.09.01 - A Coming Out Story--Or, On The Implicit Homoeroticism of Werewolves--Or, Does Imprinting Even Work That Way?
* 2015.09.05 - Gathering: Another New Arrival in La Push
* 2015.09.06 - Gathering: Failure
* 2015.09.12 - Arriving in La Push--Or, Werewolf Strip-Search--Or, Your Mom!
* 2015.09.16 - Tucson's Not in Arizona Anymore
* 2015.09.19 - Under The Watchman
* 2015.09.18 - Brock Comes to La Push
* 2015.09.20 - Gathering: Awakening the Watchman
* 2015.09.20 - Gathering: The Calm Before the Storm
* 2015.09.21 - Gathering: An Alpha Now
* 2015.09.26 - Gathering: A Family Reunion, Courtesy of the Winter Queen
* 2015.09.27 - Gathering: A Pre-Open Party at K9's
* 2015.09.27 - Gathering: Cutscene, Wolves in the Night
* 2015.09.26 - Gathering: Inter-Pack Bonding in a Hot Tub
* 2015.09.26 - Gathering: Morning Run and Family Lunch
* 2015.09.27 - Gathering: A Little Sting
* 2015.09.27 - Gathering: Rescue Mission
* 2015.09.27 - Gathering: The Showdown
* 2015.08.17 - Eat and Get Gas
* 2015.08.16 - Fish and Skype