- Pellissippi State Origins: Pax the Panther
- A Goose Invasion
- “The Water is Running!”
- The Sizzling Fourth Season of The White Lotus is Headed to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
By Draven Copeland, Editor-in-Chief
In recent weeks, scholars and students alike have been revisiting the many theorized origins of Pellissippi State Community College’s mascot and friend, Pax the Panther. Here to set the record straight is the most qualified individual on the subject: me. When conversing with other, slightly less qualified individuals on what they believed to be Pax’s creation story, I found a few different ideas.
According to Christian scholar Abraham Isaac on the subject of Pax the Panther, “On the sixth day, before God created dinosaurs to accompany Adam and Eve on Earth, He created Pax the Panther.” Designed in the image of the ultimate athlete (although sports would not be invented for many centuries to come), Pax resided in the mountains of Tanasai, the Cherokee village that eventually became the state of Tennessee.
The Cherokee Natives have a different take on the origin of Pax, however. According to an anonymous descendant of the original Cherokee tribe, “Pax is a direct descendant of the Divine Being; they were the first creature to appear on land, and will be the last to die on it.”
Whatever his true origin, Pax was unable to intervene when his homeland was colonized, as it was a canon event in our timeline.
Although they originally had dark brown fur like most panthers, Pax’s time in what would become Hardin Valley campus’ pond changed their tint to a light blue. At one time, the pond had been blessed by ancient holy persons, leading the waters to have the same chemical make-up as Mountain Dew Voltage; the high levels of Blue 1 permanently altered Pax’s appearance while the caffeine soaked into their bloodstream, giving them even greater athletic ability. As Canadian geese overthrew the land, the blessings faded, resulting in the water returning to normal.
In 1974, Pax realized their reason for existence when Pellissippi State Community College was founded. In fact, according to recently obtained documents, Pax built several large facilities with their bare paws in Hardin Valley, Blount County, Magnolia Avenue, and Strawberry Plains primarily for the practice of sports, yet hid away when these structures were claimed by the school.
Pax quickly understood that sports and education could be paired together after Peyton Manning finished his college career with 11,201 passing yards, and Pax allowed themself to be seen by humans for the very first time in history in order to be drawn as Pellissippi State’s school mascot. Despite the trade promise made to Pax (Pellissippi State was to incorporate a sports program in return for Pax’s image and likeness) the school’s administration did not hold up their end of the deal until 2023, as Pax did not stipulate the time in which the school was to do so.
Since learning about the Instant Transmission technique from watching Dragon Ball, Pax has been able to assist students on all campuses, sometimes being seen at multiple places at the same time. In the last two years, this ability has come in handy for Pax, as they have been at every sporting event they could possibly handle to cheer on our teams.
In a first-ever exclusive interview with Pax, they told this reporter that, “Because panthers are not allowed to play in college sports, I’m cursed to live my life on the sideline… but I find joy in seeing Pellissippi State students succeed.”
Pax told this reporter that as long as the secret of their origin is kept safe from the public eye, they won’t interfere with human affairs in any way other than to help their students, and… oh… shit.
