#It was a bit of a reverse Sasha where he spent more and more time with them until he was basically living there

[bonefall]

Is Iceheart considered Firekin, like Cloudtail? He could be Leaf & Squirrel’s weird uncle & I love that for him

Iceheart is considered Firekin on an interesting technicality. It actually has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with Chelford

Chelford cats don't have dads like Clan cats; as a matriarchal culture, they track family through mothers. Uncles and grand-uncles usually fill the social role of "fathers", like Barley Senior and Barley Junior.

So IF Scourge and Firestar are patrilineal half-brothers, it's irrelevant. They don't know and don't care.

But, Firestar displayed radical honor, not killing Scourge when he had the right to on the battlefield. What was more, he entered negotiation with BloodClan, actually upholding what he could of Tigerstar's horrible deal. Such nobility awed Scourge.

Over time, they forged a deep respect. Firestar hosts Scourge in ThunderClan on his word that Iceheart abides by the Code while in Clan territory, and when Scourge lead BloodClan, he returned the same kindness.

You could call them adopted brothers, but technically it's more honor-based than familial, a shared value.

So yes this does mean that Leafpool and Squirrelflight had a really cool uncle.

[jomiddlemarch]

Though it to body first repair

“I think you must carry the entire weight of the world on your shoulders,” Alina said, resting her hands lightly on Aleksander’s broad back. He’d finally acquiesced to the bath after a solid hour of her cajoling after the solid hour he’d had to spend with Chief Healer Nevena following his return from the Fold, a journey Alina had tried, unsuccessfully, to keep him from undertaking. This wasn’t the first time he’d gone, bringing his darkness into the darkness, in a ritual that did not make sense to her but which she still somehow understood as a process of restoration and redemption. The volcra had killed fewer travelers since he’d begun and more nights had held only silence, instead of their piercing cries. But it cost him dearly, the passage through and the return, merzost spun and unspooled; he would not say how he got the wounds he carried back, but Nevena shook her head before she began healing him and was spent and trembling when she finished. Even so, he came to their chambers pale, his gait uneasy, and when he spoke, his voice was low and rough, as if he’d worn it out in prayer or trance-song.

Alina had plied him with honey. She stoked the fire in the hearth, lit candles beside their bed. She read aloud to him from the latest volume of The Princess and the Barbarian. And tonight, she had coaxed him into a bath, settling herself behind him, and laid her hands on his shoulder blades, where a volcra’s wings would sprout.

“Not the whole world,” Aleksander said. “Only the Grisha.”

“And their families. And anyone who comes to you seeking your help. Anyone you think you might owe a debt to, however far back you can construe your accountability,” Alina said. She pressed her hands more firmly against his skin, let him feel the light that seethed within her. He sighed, the breath a mixture of exhaustion and relief, the faintest hint of pleasure.

“I have much to answer for,” he said. She stroked her hands up and then down his back, then again, when he let his head drop down.

“I won’t tell you to stop, you know, Sasha,” she said. She might want to, did indeed want to, but she knew better, even without the conversations she’d had with Ivan, who accompanied Aleksander on his journeys, or the ones she had with Fedyor after he’d convinced his husband to go to bed instead of attending training with Master Botkin.

“I would tell you to, if the situation were reversed,” he admitted. She smiled and reached over to the low table that stood beside the bathtub, scooping up a dollop from the dish of creamy, golden unguent she’d left there, then coated both her palms with it. She began where the water crested below his ribs and let her hands move up and over his skin, feeling the terrible tension start to ebb.

“I know. We’d have a Saints-forsaken fight about it. And then I’d go and you’d wear a hole in my favorite carpet from Ketterdam pacing until I got back,” Alina said, her hands steady, the scent of the herbs the apothecary used eddying about in the steamy air. It smelled like a summer garden, so that she expected a bee to land on the lip of the tub, and like the kitchens during a feast, like the forest in the autumn, and somehow, like the moment he’d first cut her with his silver ring and the moment they’d cried out together consummating their marriage.

“I’d replace the carpet,” he said, some humor in his voice and then he made a sound between a sigh and a moan, a most luxurious tone that spoke of the easing of pain and the marvelous anticipating of exquisite pleasure. “What’s in that, what you’re using now? It feels—I’ve never—”

“That’s a secret,” she said, continuing the massage, now using the heel of her palm, then the very tips of her fingers. “A woman does like a bit of mystery.”

“I’ll get the Healer who made it to tell me,” he said, the threat a feint, as sweet as kiss.

“Good luck with that,” she replied. “I am the only Grisha involved in creating this. I went to an otkazat’sya for assistance. And don’t worry, I had Genya Tailor me and I wore a matron’s ordinary cloak over my kefta.”

“I’ll only enjoy it then,” he said. “There, oh, just there, milaya, that’s so good, don’t stop, don’t—”

“I won’t,” she said softly, letting one hand slip to his chest, pressing her thighs a little closer to his, resisting the urge to close the small distance between them, her breasts against his back, her cheek laid upon his nape. “As long as you want, Sasha, whatever you want—”

“The water will get cold,” he said. She shut her eyes, thought of the sun at a midsummer high noon, and around them the water became wonderfully warm and silky.

“As long as you want,” she repeated.

For @vesperass-anuna​ who asked for Darklina + back-rub and any other Darklina fans who need something very tender and fluffy right about now, but still using a gif from Season 2 because WE ARE NOT BOUND BY CANON!

[psi-spectacular]

decided to write some stuff ab my sashamilla fankid, Natalia!

Similarly to Lili, she grew up around the motherlobe. They live in an apartment all together, but she spent a lot of her time after school there since it was easier to keep an eye on her and its a bit hard to find a babysitter for a kid who can just. float away whenever she wants. She's always been very quiet and never really caused many problems, anyways.

Milla is a very loving and doting mother, she's very gentle and tries not to pressure her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She's the overprotective parent that has a hard time resisting spoiling her child. I mean... who could blame her?

On the other hand, Sasha's a bit more on the "let her play outside and figure out things herself" side of raising a child. She likes watching him work in his lab and he reads her classical books before bed. Its been ten years and he still hasnt processed the "oh my god that is my child i created life" feeling he's had forever.

She sees Raz as a big brother figure, she's known him since he was fourteen and she was a baby, and by extension she's an "honorary Aquato" (his words). When her parents are off on a mission she hangs out in his office instead of theirs.

She knows german and portugese, but she's more fluent in the former and english

Her bird, Mango, Is a sun conure. She's trained him to attack on command. His nicknames include "Maggie", "Mag-attack", and "Scheißvogel (affectionate)"

Her neutral mood is very positive, she's almost always been inhumanely relaxed and just. vibes. She enjoys "meditating" (sleeping) and reading.

Theres a very select things she really hates: People being overly negative, weird textures, and unclean spaces. She just hates when things are dirty, and can barely stand being around rooms where theres clothes or food everywhere.

She has a hard time describing a lot of her emotions because she genuinely just doesn't feel much besides "fine" or "happy". Not that she doesnt feel other emotions, its that those emotions are overwhelming and she has a hard time coming down if she feels sad or or angry or like she's hurt someone, which can lead to shutdowns or meltdowns.

She's hyperempathetic like her mother, and easily clocks in on and feels the emotions of others, which... isnt exactly pleasant. Though the reverse is also possible, letting her use her psychic powers to project her emotions onto others to help them calm down.

[daryl-dixon-daydreams]

Words: 5,073 (OH THIS ONE IS LONG!) Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader Reader pronouns: she/her Era: Alexandria Warnings: Language, mentions of abuse, violence, typical TWD stuff but nothing super dark in this one A/N: This is part of a series! Find the previous parts on the Masterlist! Summary: Hilltop and Alexandria start making plans to take on the Saviors. Y/N and Daryl head back to Alexandria for a brief visit to an unexpected visitor.

Your name: submit What is this?

The next morning, Daryl was awake first for a change. He could tell the sun was just coming up and he wanted nothing more than to linger in bed with you next to him until well after it rose. He tried his hardest to resist the urge to move and wake you up, but he just had to pull you in against him more tightly and sweep a few strands of hair off your face. You stirred beneath his arm and Daryl’s heart swelled as you reached out and pressed your hand flat against his chest and nuzzled into him until you were tucked into the crook of his neck. He could barely feel your steady breath on his skin. He rested his chin on the top of your head and smiled as you let out a content sleepy noise.

“Mmm.” You wrapped an arm around him and woke gently as he pressed a kiss into your hair and breathed you in. “What time is it?” you asked softly.

“’Bout dawn,” he drawled.

“Mmm,” you sighed again. “We have that meeting with everyone. We should get up soon,” you thought aloud.

“Mhm,” Daryl agreed. He ran his fingers through your silky hair. “How’d ya sleep?”

You drew back just slightly so you could look into his face. “No nightmares,” you said.

He nodded. “Good.”

“You?” you asked him, lightly resting your hand on the side of his face, your thumb tracing the edge of his jaw.

He nudged his nose up in a nod. “Good,” he said, a slight smile curving his lips. “Seems like—like I can actually sleep with ya right here.”

You smiled more widely at him. “Me too.”

After waking up slowly and lingering close to each other in bed just a little while longer, you both got ready for the day and grabbed some breakfast. You were standing outside the trailer and Daryl had just said something to make you laugh, tossing your hair back and giving in to it, when Rick came around the end of Maggie’s trailer. He was both surprised and not surprised to see Daryl’s arms around your lower back and the fond and tender looks you were giving each other were unmistakable. Rick cleared his throat and watched with amusement as the two of you broke apart and glanced over at him. He gave you both a knowing smile.

“Too late for hiding that, don’t you think? I suspect most of us had it figured out before you two did,” Rick said kindly. Your cheeks were blushing and Daryl’s ears were turning a bit red as you exchanged a look with each other. Rick looked between the two of you and nodded. “I’m really happy to see you two in one piece, and even better like this.”

Daryl nodded and met his friend’s eyes. “Thanks.”

“We’re all just in Maggie’s trailer,” he said. “You ready?” You both nodded and followed him inside.

Plans. You had plans. You were all making plans. The true fight, the big showdown, wouldn’t be for a while but it was agreed that preparations needed to start now in earnest. There were supplies that needed gathering. Thanks to your warning, Rick had managed to save a good portion of their guns and ammo before The Saviors swooped in and took the rest away. But it wasn’t enough. And they had to provide for Negan and his men’s collections in addition to building up stockpiles to keep the communities running once the war began in earnest; food, medical supplies, weapons, and more were needed.

Of course you had lots of ideas for how to hit The Saviors where it hurt the most. You knew how Negan thought and over the time you had spent in The Sanctuary, you’d learned a lot about how they operated. Rosita and you would put your heads together devising plenty of ways to hit them hard without any risk of casualties to yourselves. Guerilla warfare. But once it started, their response would be a heavy hammer blow and you all needed to be ready.

After many hours of talking and planning, the Alexandrians decided it was time to head back. Rick approached you and Daryl. “The Saviors don’t know we’ve got one of their walkies. What do you two think about coming back and helping with a few things down in our neck of the woods? Jesus has promised to radio us as soon as they hear any whiff of The Saviors coming our direction.”

You exchanged a glance with the archer and he looked back at you, uncertain. “What d’ya think?” he asked you.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, we can’t hide behind the walls of Hilltop forever.” You paused and chewed on your bottom lip thoughtfully. “We keep an ear to the walkie, keep moving. Don’t stay in Alexandria too long. Hell, we can’t really stay anywhere too long. But there are too many things that need doing for us to be on the sidelines. Besides, I would really like to see Aaron and Eric and put their minds at ease.”

Rick nodded. “Aaron was a bit of a mess after you left and as the time went on, he and Eric just feared the worst more and more. They’d love to hear the good news from you in person.”

Daryl considered your options for a moment and finally nodded. “Alright. But we’ll take my bike, stay off any main roads. We can cut through the countryside easy enough.”

Rick grasped his shoulder and gave him a grateful look. “Thank you. It’ll be nice to have you two home, even just for a short time.”

Daryl nodded. “We’ll see you there.”

The Alexandrians departed and you and Daryl threw together some gear and said goodbyes to Jesus, Maggie, Sasha, and Enid who were going to stay behind to help Hilltop prepare. You’d be back to help, but for now you needed to make the trip. It felt strange that you’d be going back home at all, but if you were careful you thought it’d be okay. You wanted to help the community get ready. You and Daryl had a long to-do list.

As you settled behind Daryl on his bike and wrapped your arms around him, you felt your stomach turn a little with nerves. Daryl was feeling the same thing. He wasn’t worried about himself as much as he was worried about Negan getting wind of where you were. You were feeling the same thing in reverse.

“Ya sure about this?” he asked you over his shoulder.

“No. Hard to be sure of anything right now.”

Daryl’s hand pressed over yours and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Some things I’m sure of,” he drawled.

You smiled and leaned against him, hugging him tightly. “Let’s go home.”

You were grateful that the trip back had been uneventful—long, but uneventful. By the time you were stashed away, carefully watching the Alexandria gates, you were exhausted and more than ready to be off the bike. After you were certain there wasn’t anything of concern going on, Daryl kicked the bike into gear again and rode up to the gate.

When the first gate slid back, Aaron was standing there wide-eyed on the other side, his expression desperate and fixed on the two of you.

You grinned at him, feeling tears burning in your eyes as you looked back at him over Daryl’s shoulder. “Are you gonna let us in or do I need to try and guess the password?” you quipped.

Aaron scrambled to pull the second part of the gate open and Daryl pulled inside, stopping immediately when the back of the bike cleared the gate. You were hardly off the motorcycle before Aaron barreled into you and hugged you tighter than he ever had, lifting you up off your feet a little.

“Oh, thank God. Oh my God,” he was murmuring, squeezing his eyes shut tight and trying to ground himself in the reality that you were back and you were apparently in one piece.

“I’m okay,” you managed into his shoulder. “I missed you too,” you laughed, as he squeezed you again.

At length he pulled back, his hands on your shoulders, and he surveyed you. “I want you to know how mad I am that you just left without telling me what you were doing!”

You smiled sheepishly. “You would have tried to stop me,” you said. “But—I know. I’m sorry.”

That was good enough for Aaron. He was just so relieved, there was no room to be mad. “You’re not hurt?” he asked. “You look too skinny,” he said quickly.

You shook your head. “I’m fine,” you said through your smile.

Aaron finally let himself breathe a sigh of relief and he felt like the rigid grip his muscles had on his bones finally released. He turned and glanced over at Daryl. You moved beside the archer and looked up at him. There was a softness in your eyes and Daryl seemed to have the same in his.

“What the hell happened?” Aaron pressed. “Rick and the others—they said you two were okay but that’s it. They didn’t say anything else. What—how?”

Your lips parted to answer but your voice seemed to stall out. Daryl noticed and his hand instinctively floated to land on the small of your back.

“She got me out,” he said, nodding. “It was all her.”

Aaron stared at the intimate way Daryl’s hand was resting on your lower back and Aaron’s eyes met yours again. You saw the knowing excitement and happiness growing in them. You bit your bottom-lip and shrugged, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a wide smile. Aaron’s face brightened in a grin too as he looked at the two of you and nodded.

“Daryl—” he said, looking at the broad-shouldered archer. “I’m going to hug you,” he said plainly.

“Wait—wh—” Daryl started, but there was no stopping Aaron. He hugged Daryl tightly in much the same way he had embraced you (but far more briefly as he certainly knew he was making him uncomfortable). You burst out with a laugh as Aaron drew back. “Hey,” you said, touching his shoulder to get his attention again as he straightened up. “How is Eric?”

“Better now that we’ll know you’re both okay. We were really starting to think—” his face grew serious again and he gulped. Aaron turned and finished locking up the gate. “You better stop in and see him. And I’ll come by your place later when I’m off watch?” You nodded in agreement. “If you’re willing, I want to hear what happened after—” he broke off and shut his eyes for a moment. “—after,” he said finally.

You nodded. “Well… it’s kind of a lot to explain but we can start. I can try.”

Aaron nodded. “Alright, go see Eric and then get settled,” he said, taking a moment to stare at the pair of you and smiling again. “About time, you two,” he said.

You felt your cheeks burn and looked away toward the ground. “Alright. Be quiet…” you joked. “See you later.”

Daryl nodded to Aaron and helped you climb back on his bike. You rode it to Aaron and Eric’s house and Daryl pulled it into the space in their garage that had been vacant for way too long. As you were gathering your gear and Daryl was tossing the tarp over it, the door into the house opened and Eric peered out, his eyes going wide too as he saw you both there.

“Surprise,” you said, smiling at him.

“Oh my God. Oh my God!” He rushed to you and grasped you in a tight hug and you squeezed him back. “What the hell?! How—” he was stuttering, looking between the two of you. “Don’t get too excited,” you said. “We can’t stay here in Alexandria long. The Saviors are definitely looking for us.”

“I don’t even care. I’m just so happy you both are okay. And that you’re standing right here in front of me! We were so worried! You were just gone and Daryl—Aaron said you were shot. It felt so long that we hadn’t heard anything and we—” he broke off, overjoyed that you were both okay.

“It was long,” Daryl said, nodding.

Daryl was watching the reunion with one corner of his mouth quirked up. You chatted briefly with Eric before you turned to look at Daryl and he gave you a nod.

“Aaron is coming by my place later to hear the gist of what happened,” you said. “You’re welcome to come if you want of course.”

Eric nodded. “Alright. We’ll stop by.”

“See ya,” Daryl drawled. The two of you turned and started the walk back to your house. The archer felt your eyes on his face and he glanced over.

You were looking at him with concern and you laced your fingers with his. “I’m sorry Carol isn’t here,” you said softly.

You knew. You always knew what he was thinking. He nodded. “Ya. Me too.”

“But I’m sure she’s safe,” you said. Daryl only squeezed your hand in his.

“We’ll just drop my gear off at my house and then go see everyone,” you said. “And you can get settled.” His eyes snapped over to your face.

“Ya think I’m stayin’ somewhere that isn’t right next to ya? Ya tryin’a get rid of me?” he said, one corner of his mouth flicking upwards.

You gave him a perceptive look. “No! I just—I didn’t want to assume—”

“Ya can assume that if I ever wanna spend a night away from ya, something is seriously wrong with me,” he said.

You stared at him for a long moment before you lifted up onto your toes and kissed him. Daryl wanted to deepen it, but you had already set your heels back down and were giving him a small smile. You tugged him toward your house.

You’d been inside barely two minutes when there was a knock on the door. You looked over your shoulder at Daryl, your brow knit with worry. Daryl glanced down the hall to the front door and he saw Rick standing there. “S’Rick. Want me to get it?”

You nodded, setting down the stuff you had been taking out of your bag.

You heard the men’s voices exchanging a few words, tones deep but the sound muddled by the time it drifted to you. Daryl came into the living room with Rick in tow. The deputy had his hands on his hips. You straightened up and Daryl came to lean up against the couch beside you, his arm draping behind your back and his hand landing lightly on your waist.

Rick’s expression was serious. “Something you need to see,” Rick said.

Your heart started to pound. “What is it?”

Rick on gave you a brief glance and shook his head, shrugging. “Someone is here.”

_ _ _ _ _ _

Moments later, you and Daryl were behind Rick as he unlocked the door to the makeshift jail built into the lower level of one of the buildings. You both exchanged a worried look and slipped inside after him.

You felt your apprehension growing with every step down those stairs. When you rounded the corner, you were so surprised by who was in the cell that you faltered mid-step.

Beside you, Daryl’s entire body tensed and he, too, froze.

Rick was standing beside door to the cell, the keys clinking faintly in his hand.

Dwight. Dwight was in the cell.

A long moment of silence stretched. Daryl’s chest was heaving with anger as he stared daggers at the man who had been in charge of the vast majority of his torment.

You were the first one to break the stillness. You walked slowly, purposefully up to the bars of the cell and stared in at him. Your jaw clenched. There was a look of vague surprise on Dwight’s face as he stared back at you and shifted his weight anxiously from one foot to the other. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” you growled.

He took in a steadying breath. “Because I’m your best shot to beat Negan,” he said vehemently.

You glanced at Rick. “Rick, open his cell,” you said.

The key was fitted into the lock and the door swung open. Daryl was still frozen back by the doorway, but as soon as you stepped into the cell, closer to Dwight, Daryl was right beside you. You could practically feel the waves of anger radiating off him.

“You’re with them?” Dwight asked you in surprise.

You scowled at him. “Yeah. I’m with them.”

He scoffed. “Well, that explains a lot…” he murmured. “I was wondering why you would come back. It didn’t make sense that—”

You wound your arm back and punched Dwight hard across the face before he could even finish his sentence. He stumbled back and landed on his ass on the cot against the wall behind him.

“Son of a—” you swore, clasping your hand with the other.

Daryl grabbed your wrist gently and looked at your hand, his brow furrowed low over his eyes.

“It’s fine,” you said, pulling away. You looked back at Dwight as he climbed to his feet.

You could now see that Dwight had other bruises on his face. “What happened to your face, Dwight? Negan not too happy that your prisoner escaped? And, no. I’m not talking about the scars. Or the one I just gave you.”

Dwight’s eyes left your face and landed on Daryl for a brief moment, but he seemed to quail beneath the archer’s glare.

“Why the fuck are you here?” you demanded. “Just trying to play both sides? See what works out the best for you in the end?”

“I’m here because I hate him. And I want him gone,” Dwight said. “I want all of them gone.”

“Why the hell should we believe any goddamn thing ya say after what ya’ve done?” Daryl demanded. His voice rolled out in a low growl.

“Because everything I was doing, I was doing for someone else and now she’s out,” Dwight said.

“Ya killed one of us. With MY goddamn bow! Ya expect us to just forget about that?! And then you went back to him, ya went back to kneel, because all ya are is a coward!” Daryl roared.

“I already told you—I wasn’t aiming for her…”

Daryl broke from your side and threw Dwight up against the wall so hard it knocked the wind out of him. He was shaking with rage, barely stopping himself from plunging his now-drawn knife into Dwight’s neck.

“Daryl,” you said gently. “Easy.”

The archer didn’t move. His hand was shaking on the knife hilt. You moved toward him slowly, and gently rested your hand on his arm. He softened a little under your touch but he didn’t withdraw from Dwight, who was still trying to regain his breath. You slipped carefully between him and Dwight and the archer lowered his knife immediately. You pressed your hands to his chest and he caved beneath your touch, stepping back. You caught his blue eyes and gave him a look of understanding. “I know. But let’s at least hear him out,” you said.

Daryl’s chest was still heaving with anger but he moved farther back again, pacing a little across the cell from Dwight. You turned back to the diminished man behind you. “Sherry got out?” you asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. In all the chaos after Daryl and you were gone, she got out.”

“And you expect us to just believe that now you’re a changed man? You already went back to him once, what’s stopping you from doing it again?” You surveyed him and shook your head. “No, I don’t buy it.”

“Hey—we’re the same! The only differences is that Negan had no interest in sleeping with me!” Dwight said, grabbing your arm as you started to turn away.

Daryl was on him again instantly, slamming his back into the wall, his knife point millimeters from Dwight’s chest. “Ya lay a hand on her again and ya lose it,” he growled, shaking with rage.

Your face was burning with anger at Dwight’s accusation.

“Daryl—” Rick’s voice came this time from the doorway into the cell.

The archer was practically snarling at Dwight. “Ya don’t get to talk about her. At all. Got it?” he spat, before drawing back again with great effort.

You stepped forward again and looked at Dwight squarely in the face. “We are not the same. I would never do the things you’ve done. Never.”

Dwight straightened up from his place against the wall. “You say that but until you’re in that situation—”

Now you were angry again. “I was in that situation!” you roared back at him. “You don’t think Negan asked me to be one of his soldiers? Hell, he wanted me to be his fucking lieutenant! It was practically the first question he asked me! But I would never do the things that he or you have done to another person. I took the route that only hurt me. So, no. You don’t get any excuses. There are other ways. Daryl tried to give you and Sherry another way and what did you do? You screwed him!”

Dwight hung his head now in guilt and shame. He shook it a little. “I’m a piece of shit. I know that. And I can’t take back what I’ve done, but I’m here to try to make it right the best I can. You have to believe me. Why else would I risk coming here? You think I don’t know you all want me dead? I know that!”

“I’ve heard enough,” you said, turning away again.

But this time Daryl touched your shoulder gently. You looked up and met his blue eyes and saw that the rage that had burned in them seemed to have been replaced by something else. “He’s got a point. We could have killed him on sight, but he risked it.”

“I’m telling you the truth. I want Negan and all his asshole’s dead,” Dwight said again. “I want to help. And you can kill me at the end of it all if you want, I swear. I know I deserve it. But I want Negan gone.”

“I can’t forgive what he did to you. Or what he did to Denise,” you said softly. You glanced back at Dwight before looking back at Daryl. “But I trust you. If you think this is really what he says it is…”

Daryl looked back at Dwight who was rubbing the welt on the side of his chin you had given him with your punch. He nodded. “I do.” He looked back at Dwight. “But at the end of all of this, if I get my hands on you again, you’re dead,” he growled.

_ _ _ _ _ _

That night, after filling in Aaron and Eric on what had happened since you’d left and visiting with everyone in Rick’s house, you and Daryl were finally back at your house alone, and both of you were hungry for that time to yourselves.

“Lemme see it,” Daryl said. He’d caught you cradling your right hand, the one you had punched Dwight with.

“It’s fine,” you lied. You’d been so angry, your form hadn’t been the best and there was a good possibility that you’d fractured something.

Daryl inspected the bruising already forming and frowned. He laid it gently in his palm and glanced up at you. “Ya shouldn’t have done that. Ya shoulda let me,” he said.

“You might have killed him,” you said, avoiding his blue eyes.

He hummed a noise of acknowledgement. “Maybe,” he said, before going to your fridge and digging some ice out of the freezer. He wrapped it a dish cloth and brought it back over to you, setting it across your hand. “Thanks,” you said.

You felt Daryl’s eyes on your face and glanced up to catch them. You could sense that something was on his mind and he seemed to be on the edge of speaking it. “Hmm?” you prompted.

He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth for a moment. “I wanna—I’m ready to tell ya somethin’,” he said.

You nodded and settled more deeply into the couch beside him. “Okay.”

He stared down at his hands for a moment. “My parents—they were both drunks. My mom passed out one night with a lit cigarette in her hand. Burnt the whole house down. She died in the fire.”

Your brow drew down low over your eyes as you looked at him. “Oh my God. Daryl, I’m so sorry.” Your uninjured hand landed lightly on his knee, and he relished the feeling of it there. It sent tingles up his leg even through the fabric of his pants.

He nodded vaguely but went on. There was more to tell. “That left just me and my older brother Merle with my dad. Problem was he was a mean drunk. He’d beat the shit out of ya if he thought ya looked at him wrong, and he’d do it with anything he could get his hands on. And then Merle couldn’t take it anymore, and he ran off. Things got—got worse for me.” He paused and tried to fight back the mix of emotions that was welling up in his chest. “I’ve got—I’ve got scars from it. Actual scars. Ugly ones and… I didn’t know if I could tell ya or how to. I guess, like ya said about what happened to you, it’s just easier not to tell anyone but… then ya came along and now I—I want to be everything with you. I wanna know all of you and I want ya to know all of me. Even the ugly parts.” He gulped at the tightness between his lungs, some part of him still conditioned to expect rejection at the unveiling of this intimate, vulnerable, damaged part of him. “I haven’t really told anyone before. But I wanted you to know, to explain why—why some things are hard for me.”

When Daryl finally managed to look up at you, he easily saw the tears glistening in your eyes. You shook your head and clasped his face between your hands, your thumbs smoothing over the stubble on his jaw, your injured hand and the pain it was causing completely forgotten. “How could anyone ever treat you that way? I’m so, so sorry. All you’ve been through…” you said, shaking your head a little vaguely. “And you’re still just—you’re always looking for the good. Daryl, you haven’t deserved any of this. Not Dwight, not Negan, not your dad… none of it. You’re good through and through. Best man I’ve ever known.” You looped your arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, your heart breaking as you thought about what had been done to him. Daryl’s arms flew around you and pressed you against him. He breathed in the familiar scent of your hair. You shut your eyes and focused on the feeling of this strong man wrapping you up. He was almost ready to break down just hearing you tell him he didn’t deserve any of it. He’d been broken down to believe he had.

“We’ve all got scars,” you said, pulling back from him and lightly stroking his hair away from his face. “Physical or otherwise. You know mine already.”

He gulped. “These are a bit worse than most,” he said, avoiding your eyes.

“Hey,” you said gently, lifting his chin so he’d look at you again. “I care about you. All of you. No matter what.”

Daryl’s heart swelled with gratitude for you in that moment and he leaned in and kissed you, softly at first but building with heat as you deepened it and kissed him back. His fingers wandered down the silky skin on your arms and one of his hands came to rest in the small of your back, sending goosebumps rising on your skin. You sank into him, your hands landing lightly on his sides, gentle but constant. The archer was still bewildered by your touch. Part of him was expecting to wake up from this dream any moment and find himself back in that cell in The Sanctuary.

Daryl’s lips softened on yours and he pulled back just enough to drink in the sight of you. You clasped his face in one hand, your hand landing on his strong jaw again. “It really means a lot to me that you felt like you could tell me that. I know it isn’t easy letting someone else see those parts of you. Hell, I was terrified to tell anyone about Negan and the Saviors right up until I told you.”

Daryl’s eyes flitted between yours. He nudged his nose up in a nod that way he always did. “You’re the first person who has ever made me feel… completely safe. And completely accepted… just as I am.” You grabbed him and kissed him again, loving the way his hands always went to you like they were drawn, magnetic. Daryl’s fingers found the ends of your hair.

“You’re my safe place, too,” you told him, and Daryl felt that swell of protective care and yearning he always did when he looked at you.

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Of Dust and Ashes

Sorry it’s a few days late. We got a new kitten day before post day and she cuddles. I can’t write and cuddle a kitten AND I will *not* refuse a kitten. Plus, between house viewings for my sister and taking my daughter to hang out with her cousins, my weekend got hijacked. But there IS good news. I’ve got a laptop! So pace should increase and my hope is to be back to a weekly update schedule by Christmas. 

Chapter warnings: Nondetailed talk of death of disabled, elderly, children, toddlers, infants and animals.

Masterlist 

Chapter 33: Town

Clint watched the boy in the rear view mirror. He was long, lanky and far too skinny. With what surely were still trembling hands, the boy gathered what was left to him and walked away, dragging his feet with each step. Part of Clint was angry with himself for giving away valuable supplies to someone he knew was going to more likely than not be dead before spring thaw. It was wasteful in a world that one couldn’t afford to be wasteful in.

What would Dee have done? What would she have said? Would she have given the boy food? Would she have invited him to join them? Would she have hated him if he turned the boy away empty handed?

Clint sighed and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Instead, he focused on the positive things. He was alive. Dee was alive and Trust would likely be alright. The sun was shining bright in the sky. It was a beautiful day with only the slightest bite of bitter cold to the air.

Sun filtered through naked tree branches and danced over the glossy green needles of the pine. Something large and brown caught his eye in the distance. It was on the side of the road as the small town gave way to the rural fields that separated the smaller village where Sasha’s clinic sat.

“Are you serious?” Clint couldn’t believe his eyes.

Standing on the side of the road, eating at bushes was a large bull moose. He was standing tall and proud. Clint kept far enough away, not wanting to startle the beast as he grabbed his gun and rolled down the driver’s side window. Icy air rolled inside, purging the heat from the truck faster than he thought possible.

After throwing the heat on full blast, Clint leaned out the window and took aim. The moose wasn’t scared. The beast paid the truck no mind as he raised his massive head and made his way up out of the ditch and onto the road.

Clint waited until he was halfway across before taking the shot. He needed this. They needed this. The sound of the gun echoed through the forest. Birds took flight, startled from where they sat. In the center of the road, the moose went down. Legs kicked twice before going still.

“Fuck yeah.” Clint breathed to himself as he pulled the truck closer. “I don’t know what you’re doing here buddy, but boy am I thankful for seeing you.”

Moose were not common in Missouri. Sure, he’d seen one on occasion wander into the state but they kept more toward the northern border. Whether it was the wacky weather or the simple lack of humans to interfere allowing them to expand their territory, he was thankful.

A deer or elk could feed him and Dee for a week or so. A turkey for a few days. A bull moose would feed them for the month easily while still supplementing the clinic.

After grabbing a large hunting knife out of the glove box, he set to work. It was hard and gory work, but he did it as fast as he could. The contents of the body spilled on the ground around him. Removing the antlers was another task in itself. They were large and at one point he smacked himself in the face with them. Trust would enjoy gnawing on hooves and antlers.

With the innards and head removed, the carcass was a bit lighter. Still, it was a struggle to move it into the truck bed. He had thought of bagging up the innards and taking those with him as well. In the past, he had used innards to bait traps and even fish.

Now, it probably wouldn’t work to trap any predators or scavengers. The simple fact is there was too much dead meat laying around for some moose innards to really be of a notice. In the fall, the meat will have spoiled or been eaten and the scavengers would be hungry. The hunting would be good in the fall.

Clint washed his hands and arms in the powdered snow at the side of the road. Now he was a little less miffed about having given away supplies to the boy. There were large smears of red marring the fresh white of the snow. The layer of fresh snow covering the highway was thinner. The sun baked and melted the exposed ground far better than the forest floor and snow always seemed to melt faster on asphalt.

The warmth from the carcass and the blood worked to melt down the snow on the road. In a few places, the black of the asphalt peeked through where blood soaked away the snow.

Clint knew all it would take was a large blizzard and the road could easily become lost to travelers. Part of him wondered how folks up farther north, into Canada were coping. Was their government more cohesive than America’s? Did they manage to get power restored before people froze to death in the bitter winter?

It would be worth exploring. And unlike many, his truck could tame some unplowed roads and heavy snow drifts. Would Dee be up for it? Exploring and checking on the world? Did he want to? Was it a good idea?

He shelved the thoughts for now as he brought the truck back to life. What mattered right now was that he had a whole moose and a solid meat supply for the near future.

When he approached the turn off for the Clinic, he drove by instead. While he wanted nothing more than to get back and start butchering the moose, he wanted to cover his tracks. The sheer lack of traffic left many roads covered in a undisturbed layer of snow and he needed to disturb it. As it was, almost all the tracks on the road were his. It made it rather obvious that someone was stationed in the clinic.

He drove up the road and pulled into a side street. He followed roads, turning at times and backtracking, beating down snow and making it look more used than it was. He pulled into pristine driveways only to pull out and repeat the process. Occasionally, he would get out and try the doors. Some would be unlocked.

Inside unlocked houses he found pasta, flour and grains that had been left behind when the occupants had turned to dust. There were piles of settled dust around armchairs and dining tables. Sometimes, there were bodies rather than dust. Children who could not fend for themselves and were too young to open doors or think to leave the house.

Toddlers trapped in houses with a toddler proof door. Babies in cribs. Dogs and cats without a way out. Wheelchair bound bodies who perhaps knew better than to try. Elderly without the strength to travel a great ways.

The snap had intended to remove half the life from the universe but it had caused so much more loss of life than that. Clint ignored the frozen bodies, often in varying states of decay based on simply how long they had managed to hold on.

He made note of houses with generators, woodstoves and fireplaces. Later he would come back and drain fuel from generators. Wood stacks sitting out were added to the truck. He didn’t have to worry about heat or power at the farmhouse but Sasha did and would greatly benefit from these supplies.

He had no intention of giving it all to her however. If they made extended trips away from the farmhouse, they would need wood and fuel both. Plus, it was a valuable resource for trading for as long as a barter economy lasted.

He spent over an hour making tracks in the snow and gathering supplies from houses and cabins. Occasionally, eyes 45would peek out at him from windows when he pulled up to a house. On one occasion, a man came out waving a gun.

“I’m armed!” He hollered as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Neat.” Clint answered as he reversed down the driveway only to pull in again. “I’m not going to bother you.”

“What are you doing?” Curiosity won out over caution for the man.

“Making tracks.” Clint answered as he pulled in once again, from a slightly different angle.

“Why?”

“So it looks like a lot of people live here and to hide which houses actually have people.”

“Why?” What was the man, two?

“So people who don’t mean y’all well can’t look at the snow and pinpoint what houses people are still living in to steal supplies.”

“You’re stealing supplies.” The man pointed out as Clint got out of the truck. The man didn’t look ready to follow through with his threats and Clint honestly didn’t fear him.

“From abandoned houses. Need some flour or sugar? Pasta? I hit jackpot in a house down the block.”

“Sarah May’s house.”

“Sure. The woman was dead inside so she’s not using it. There was some water too.”

“Oh. Okay.” The man dumbly caught the box of pasta Clint tossed his way.

“Here, help me make tracks. You should probably start doing this too. I’m not always going to be in the area to cover it. How many of you are in the town?”

“A handful of us.”

“Cool.” Clint handed him a few cans of pasta sauce. “Got a bag?”

“Yeah, I’ll get one.” The man was clearly still very confused on what was happening. Clint didn’t mind parting with supplies now that he had the moose in the back. He could afford it. Plus, these people lived near the Clinic. It would be good to have a relationship with them, even if it was just in passing. Strangers get shot.

It was nearing sunset when he had finally called it a day. Randy, the man who braved going outside had helped him, walking paths between houses and shoveling walkways from houses to the road. Clint didn’t promise Randy much beyond a share of the supplies they found. They waved and smiled at a few faces peering out windows but no one else braved going outside.

Clint left boxes of pasta, flour, sugar and a few cans of food on doorsteps of houses that had faces in the windows. Far more houses were empty than had faces and very few had been broken into. The benefit of being rural was simply the fact that most of these people had emergency rations and could hole up and survive for a while.

How many of them would make it to spring planting, he had no idea.

“Are you with the government?” Randy finally braved asking.

“Nope. But they are working on setting things something close to right again.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Because I’ve got a friend who’s living near here. And I don’t want people coming and killing her for her supplies.”

“People are doing that?” Randy clearly hadn’t ventured out of this small rural neighborhood.

“Yeah.” Clint answered. “A lot of people are, to be honest. Others are gathering people up and using them as slaves, calling themselves Kings.”

“The government is allowing that?”

“Not really. They’ve retaken control of the east coast and are moving West but it takes time. Half the population just up and vanished. Add in casualties from accidents and stuff- they had to pull bodies from all over to have enough to take back the East Coast. They can only push west so fast, keeping in mind supplies, troops and how much power they can maintain. It’s slow but they are coming.”

“I thought they would never come.” Randy admitted. Clint could understand that. It’d been nearly five months since it had happened. In many ways it felt like yesterday. At the same time it felt like several lifetimes ago.

“They will. Just keep hanging on, gathering supplies and staying warm. If you run out of food or water, you won’t make it long.”

“If I run out of water, I’ll melt down the snow like Cathy down the road has been. Haven’t seen her recently but I haven’t been even looking’ outside much. Only reason I looked today was the sound of the truck.”

“I wouldn’t drink snow water.” Clint said. “There’s ash and dust in it. If you have to, filter it as best you can. I don’t know what drinking the ash that the people turned into will do.”

“Good point.” Clint started the truck and threw it into reverse.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Will- Will you be coming back?”

“With supplies for you?” Clint asked but didn’t give him time to answer. “Probably not. But I may come back to drive around again. I don’t know. Kinda just winging it.”

“I didn’t mean to make you think I wanted to use you for supplies.” Randy stammered. “I just- It’s nice to have interaction with a friendly face. Someone human and real.”

“I know.” Clint said and backed out. There wasn’t really anything left he needed to say.

The drive back to the clinic was as uneventful as the drive out had been. He drove by it a few times, turning around on different driveways and pull offs, making the road look more traveled before finely pulling in. Dee was sure to be worried about him by now.

The sun was hanging low in the sky as the truck rumbled to a stop in front of the secluded clinic, lighting the sky aflame with oranges, pinks and reds. The temperature was quickly dropping from a balmy twenty as the darkness of night encroached. Thick trees surrounded the clinic, shielding it away from eyes and making it seem like its own world.

In the window, he could see Dee’s anxious face looking out and was soon joined by the other two. The wave of relief that passed over her when their eyes connected was visible even from this distance. As he killed the engine and set about unloading the cooler and frozen meat, they were surely inside clearing the door.

A body crashed into his back as he leaned into the truck to grab a tomato plant. Arms wrapped around him and clutched him. Rather than grab the plant, he wrapped his arms around himself, holding her arms to him.

“I was scared.” Dee whispered into his back. Her voice was soft and weak with the relief of a fear unrealized. It instantly made him regret the time he spent covering his tracks and gathering supplies. He should have come back first and let her know what he was doing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” Clint turned in her arms, wrapping his own around her and holding her tightly to him.

“Where were you?”

“Driving around, covering tracks. It was obvious that someone was coming and going from back here. I didn’t want to lead someone to us.”

“Makes sense” She mumbled into his chest.

“I should have come and told you first.”

“Lovebirds, did you get Trust a cone? He’s been going at his stitches.” Sasha called as she marched up to the truck.

They couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t normal for them to have witnesses to their quiet moments. The tenderness between them usually was private. The intrusion into their moment was enough to snap them back to reality.

“So what did you bring us?” Dee asked.

“First- Cones for Trust. There’s some medications in the bag but I couldn’t find any books that looked useful.”

Sasha took the offered bag from him. “It’s better than nothing.”

“I’ve got some rice, flour, sugar, pasta and canned food too.” Clint added. Sasha nodded and headed inside the house with her bag.

“This is a lot.” Dee said, looking at the pile of bags on the floorboards of the cab.

“It’s not all for her. “Help me unload and we’ll lock what’s going back to the house inside.”

“You don’t trust them?” Dee whispered.

“With food? I don’t trust anyone with food. We’ll leave them more than enough and can even teach them some ways to cook it. But we’re not going to suffer to support them when they won’t put the effort into supporting themselves. I went out. I got the food. I put myself at risk while they sat here safe and sound.”

“I was sitting here safe and sound too though.”

“You’re different. You’re a part of my team. You’re you.”

“And that makes it different?”

“No, I guess not. The fact that I love you makes it different.”

Dee rolled her eyes, the tension leaving her shoulders and a smile creeping up her face. “I love you, too.” she admitted, grabbing boxes and bags of flour, sugar and pasta out.”

“We’ll save about a quarter of the dry stuff for us.” Clint directed.

“Trust is fine. Gave him something for the pain and put the cone on. He should be resting and completing the world’s saddest act.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” Dee laughed as Clint shifted, leaning back against the truck’s window, hiding the view into the backseat.

“Start taking things in while we unload.” Clint directed.

“Did you find any formula?” Sasha asked as she bent down and plucked up as many boxes and bags as she could carry.

“I’ve got a few partially used cans and a few unopened ones. Found them in some abandoned houses.”

“Great- the more the better. I’m not sure Rachel’s going to be able to breastfeed nearly enough.”

“She can’t make enough milk?” Clint asked.

“In theory, she could. But it’s complicated. Her heart has to be in it, she has to give it her all and even then. Women’s minds have gotten in the way of their bodies’ doing what is natural for as long as men have been disappointing women.” Dee couldn’t help but laugh at Sasha’s words. It was true and it sucked.

“Ouch.” Clint said, plopping a bag of flour onto the pile in Sasha’s arms.

As soon as Sasha turned away, he opened the truck door and unloaded everything he was willing to give up before Sasha had a chance to come back out. Sasha returned with Rachel just as they tossed a blanket over what they intended to keep for themselves on the floor and shut the door.

~~~~~<3

@winterisakiller​, @tnystrk-exe​, @nonsensicalobsessions​, @alcoholic-muffin​, @coyotesongwriting​, @usedtobegoodfriend96​, @theoneanna​, @alexakeyloveloki​, @toozmanykids​, @j-u-s-t-4​, @missaphrodite23​, @tinchentitri​, @bambamwolf87​, @queenoftheunderdark​, @xoxabs88xox​, @carissime72​, @myoxisbroken​, @wegingerangelica​, @faemapfae​, @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​

[tnp-10leftau]

allegiances - po3

yes i made this immediately after the last one, don’t judge me. this has all of the cats who’re born at the end of tnp/in between arcs, and some other stuff!

THUNDERCLAN

graystripe

family: willowpelt (mother, deceased), whitestorm (father, deceased), sorreltail (sister), darkstripe (half-brother, deceased), rainwhisker (brother, deceased), sootfur (brother, deceased), feathertail (daughter, deceased), stormfur (son, deceased), blossomkit (daughter), briarkit (daughter (mtf)), bumblekit (son)

mates: silverstream (riverclan, deceased), millie (former kittypet, expecting his kits, qpp)

rank: leader

ashfur

family: brindleface (mother, deceased), redtail (father, deceased), runningwind (father, deceased), whitestorm (sire, deceased), ferncloud (sister, deceased), tulipkit (brother, deceased), elderkit (brother, deceased), sandstorm (sister, deceased), cloudtail (foster brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: deputy

cinderpelt

family: frostfur (mother, deceased), lionheart (father, deceased), brightheart (sister, deceased), brackenfur (brother, deceased), thornclaw (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: medicine cat

sorreltail

family: willowpelt (mother, deceased), whitestorm (father, deceased), rainwhisker (brother, deceased), sootfur (brother, deceased), graystripe (brother), darkstripe (half-brother, deceased), rainkit (jayfeather) (son, not born), hawkkit (lionblaze) (son, not born), hollykit (hollyleaf) (daughter, not born)

mate: mothwing, had a former crush on brackenfur

rank: queen

now expecting kits, thunderclan’s eagerly anticipating her bundles of joy.

daisy

family: creampuff (mother, status unknown), sterling (father, status unknown), floss (sister), hazelkit (hazeltail) (daughter), berrykit (berrynose) (son), mousekit (mousewhisker) (son), dovekit (dovewing) (foster daughter), ivykit (ivypool) (foster daughter)

mate: smoky (barncat, former)

rank: queen (and nursery helper)

born to two kittypets, daisy was taken from her parents soon after birth, nearly separated from her sister floss, until they were adopted by kind nofurs and allowed to roam around the barn, where daisy met smoky, who she mated with. in fear of her kits getting taken away, she fled and heard rumors of the clans, joining thunderclan once found by sorreltail. with help from queens of all the clans, she managed to raise her kits to apprentice age.

hazelkit

family: daisy (mother), smoky (father), berrykit (brother), mousekit (brother)

mate: none

rank: kit (six moons, soon to be apprenticed)

hazelkit was born to daisy and smoky in the horseplace before being taken away due to her mother’s fear of losing her kits. a sweet and quiet she-kit, hazelkit anticipates her apprenticeship, hoping she’ll be apprenticed to sorreltail... though she knows that won’t happen with sorreltail expecting kits.

berrykit

family: daisy (mother), smoky (father), berrykit (brother), mousekit (brother)

mate: none

rank: kit (six moons old, soon to be apprenticed)

born to daisy and smoky at the horseplace before being taken to thunderclan, berrykist is the opposite of his sister. stubborn and loud, a bit of a jerk, but underneath that, he does care for his family and clan. and he does have an interest in medicine.

mousekit

family: daisy (mother), smoky (father), berrykit (brother), hazelkit (sister)

mate: none

rank: kit (six moons, soon to be apprenticed)

born at the horseplace and soon taken to thunderclan, mousekit is a little unsure about himself. however, he’s sympathetic and supportive, and quite playful and loyal. despite this, he’s scornful and stubborn, much like his brother. he eagerly anticipates being a warrior, even if his mentor’s in another clan!

millie

family: blossom (mother, status unknown), pine (father, status unknown), briarkit (briarlight) (daughter (mtf)), blossomkit (blossomfall) (daughter), bumblekit (bumblestripe) (son)

mate: graystripe (thunderclan, qpp)

rank: queen

the first while of millie’s life was spent peacefully as a kittypet. until one day, the twolegs next-door arrived with a strange tom, a former wild cat who they named stripes, but who claimed to have been named graystripe. an oddball, he was, but millie found herself intrigued. graystripe was determined to find his clan, so they set off, becoming queer-platonic partners on the way. they met up with two shadowclan cats - russetfur and runningnose - in ravenpaw and barley’s barn, and made their way home with them. due to expecting graystripe’s kits, millie was unable to have extensive warrior training, but she’s good as is, and loves her kits.

briarkit

family: millie (mother), graystripe (father), blossomkit (sister), bumblekit (brother)

mate: none (has a crush on dovekit)

rank: kit (five moons old)

for the first couple moons of briarkit’s life, she was raised as a tom, and hated it. the clan accepted her as trans mtf when she voiced this, and she was happy that she belonged. her mother started giving her extra attention, but briarkit insisted that millie pay more attention to blossomkit. her mother reluctantly agreed, and briarkit can’t help but feel... off.

blossomkit

family: millie (mother), graystripe (father), briarkit (sister), bumblekit (brother)

mate: none

rank: kit (five moons old)

blossomkit always cared for her siblings, but when her mother started giving briarkit extra attention, she was upset. sure, millie did start giving attention evenly to them, but the attention she gave blossomkit still felt... off. but it doesn’t matter; she’ll be the best warrior she can! she’s sure of it!

bumblekit

family: millie (mother), graystripe (father), briarkit (sister), blossomkit (sister)

mate: none

rank: kit (five moons old)

himbo. himbostripe. polite and caring despite not being the smartest, bumblekit was always cared for by his father, possibly due to his (apparent) resemblance to silverstream, graystripe’s first mate. he never felt the same strange vibes vibe check from their mother’s equal attention as his sisters, but he supposes it doesn’t matter.

dovekit

family: unknown parents, daisy (foster mother), ivykit (sister)

mate: none (likes briarkit)

rank: kit (three moons old)

found abandoned in twolegplace alongside her sister ivykit, dovekit is halfway to her apprenticeship and is excited to be an apprentice. overall calm and collected, she’s quite a sweet she-kit, though she can be a little annoying at times, and is quite sensitive. and her eyes always seem to change color (/j, here she has central heterochromia which gives her golden pupils, and total heterochromia(?) which gives her green and blue eyes).

ivykit

family: unknown parents, daisy (foster mother), dovekit (sister)

mate: none

rank: kit (three moons old)

abandoned by her birth parents and halfway to her apprenticeship, ivykit is headstrong, brash and determined, getting jealous easily. she wants to be the best warrior her clan has ever seen... but there’s a strange aura around her. she also has heterochromia, but the sides are the reverse of dovekit’s.

SHADOWCLAN

russetfur

family: cinnamon (mother, status unknown), hal (father, deceased), boulder (fraternal brother, deceased), raggedstar (half-brother, deceased), scorchwind (half-brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: leader

apprentice: toadpaw

runningnose

family: lizardstripe (mother, deceased), mudclaw (father, deceased), tangleburr (sister, deceased), deerfoot (brother, deceased), brokenstar (foster brother, deceased)

mate: nightstar (shadowclan, qpp)

rank: medicine cat

toadpaw

family: tallpoppy (mother, deceased), dawnflower (foster mother, riverclan), undisclosed father, applekit (sister, deceased), marshkit (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: apprentice

now apprenticed to russetfur, toadpaw is even more determined to make his family up in starclan proud!

WINDCLAN

ashfoot

family: wrenflight (mother, deceased), stagleap (father, deceased), morningflower (sister, deceased), onewhisker (brother, deceased), crowfeather (son, deceased), eaglekit (son, deceased), downkit (son, deceased), hillkit (daughter, deceased)

mate: deadfoot (windclan, deceased)

rank: leader

barkface

family: brackenwing (mother, deceased), redclaw (father, deceased), shrewclaw (brother, deceased), thistlepaw (adopted daughter)

mate: none, had a crush on tallstar

rank: medicine cat

thistleshade

family: whitetail (mother, deceased), onewhisker (father, deceased), weaselpaw (brother, deceased), barkface (adopted father)

mate: none

now having a warrior name, thistleshade is eager to do her clan well.

RIVERCLAN

mothwing

family: sasha (mother, status unknown), tigerstar (father, deceased), tadpole (brother, deceased), hawkfrost (brother, deceased), brambleclaw (half-brother, deceased), tawnypelt (half-sister, deceased)

mate: sorreltail, formerly was dating leafpaw of thunderclan

rank: medicine cat and leader

dawnflower

family: mosspelt (mother, deceased), frogleap (father, deceased), willowkit (half-sister, deceased), minnowkit (daughter, deceased), tumblekit (daughter, deceased), pebblekit (son, deceased), toadkit (took care of him)

mate: swallowtail (riverclan, deceased), unknown mate (the father of her kits)

rank: queen (nursery helper)

loudbelly

family: ottersplash (mother, deceased), timberfur (father, deceased), sedgecreek (sister, deceased), reedtail (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: elder

despite feeling guilty for retiring to the elders’ den, loudbelly knows that he couldn’t serve his clan as a warrior for much longer. this is for the best.

[folie-lex]

Crazy (unlikely) theory with respect to “The Mole” in Queen of the South 3.11

DISCLAIMER first:

I think we’re at a place where yes all signs point to Kelly Anne (foreshadowing, the episode promo, eppy stills, her overall character development etc), and I’m basically operating under the assumption that it is her, and I’m walking into this week’s episode execting to not at all be surprised by the revealton that that is so.

The only “twist” they can throw my way at this point is pivot an make it be Lil T who they have also set up for a bit, but not nearly as much.  She’s a more secondary option IMO.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw his out into the world, just because I’ve had a slow weekend, and I’ve had time to mull things over and do some rewatching and research, and some things kinda came together... So.... here it is....

A crazy out of the box, optimistic, HIGHLY unlikely theory:

What if nobody is the mole?

Hear me out....

The episode title is “Diez De Copas”. Looking up the tarot card, keeping in theme  when it comes to the episode titles of the season:

“The divinatory message is evident in this image, in that it represents fortunate marriage, contentment of the heart, and the perfection of human love and friendship. It can also refer to the town or country where the querent lives. This is one of the most positive cards in the entire Tarot deck  (...) Other divinatory meanings include a peaceful environment”

SIDENOTE: As I said I did my homework so I will mention that reversed it means “quarreling, violence, and a troubled heart (...)  a disrupted routine, and selfish exploitation”. But I think we all know how that interpetation plays out as a possibility on the show. So I’m not touching on that. This whole thing is about exploring a different option.

Now if we do take the upright interpretation of the card, then that could very well mean that there isn’t a mole, and that the lot of the team is still loyal to Teresa.

“But,” you’ll say “they lost their supply and we have indications that there is a hole in the operation: There’s a tracker in Guero’s necklace. Devon found them. Kelly Anne has been a mess. Lilt T is apologising for messing up.”

Firstly they got a hit and lost their supply because SOMEONE betrayed El Santo! Teresa’s inner operation is running rather smoothly.

But as to the the indicators that the traitor is among Teresa’s people, well... lets take a minute here:

- I think we’re all so caught up over pointing fingers at the ladies, but I thnk it’s important for the record for something to be said about it NOT being either Kelly Anne or Lilt T.

One could claim that Devon is exploiting Kelly Anne’s growing addiction and knowing who she really is to blackmail her. BUT would she really help him out? Especially after the waterboarding? When she knows she can turn to Teresa & Co at any time? Granted addiction is a terrible beast and she is going through a trauma, so it’s not like it’s not a believeable situation, but I do think it is a bit contrived for this character. And well... maybe it’s the show having spoiled me a bit, but they don’t really do contrived on QotS

Lil T doesn’t even KNOW Devon. They’ve legit never actually crossed paths... how would that connection even happen? Someone at the Afterbuzz mentioned that she called Evelyn from her phone and maybe that’s how they found her... and that’s possible I guess, but I dunno... As I’ve said before: after the whole butting heads with James and trust talk in 3.05 and then putting her through that ordeal with Pecas, only to turn her traitor just seems redundant. And if it was foreshadowing instead, IMO it wasn’t very good.

- THE TRACKER: Honestly, I think the tracker could have been put on Teresa by James, but not on Devon’s behalf.  Just for himself to be able to find her in case something happened. He said in 3.07 “Last time you went off on your own you ended up in a cell in Mexico.” Clearly he worries about losing her again, and even voices as much in 3.10. I can see him being proactive, and paranoid, and invasive (like he can be), and seeing how attached she’s gotten to Guero’s medalion thinking that it would be good place to hide the tracker and be able to find her as a contingency if she goes missing again. In truth, Teresa assumes the tracker she found was what led Devon to El Santo’s. But we don’t have much of an indication that that is indeed the case. When the ambush happened, the soldiers were using drones and heat signals, not tracking a transmiter.

- DEVON FOUND THEM: Devon said he had “another way” to get to El Santo. He didn’t specifically say it was through Teresa again. A man as methodic and careful as Devon, trying to get to get to El Santo via Teresa for a second time after how poorly his first attempt went down, feels a bit sloppy... and desperate... and more vendeta driven that smart. I actually think there’s a decent chance he had a whole other connect in that dinner party... And I think that was Sasha. We spent way too much time with her to have her be this one off.... She mentioned “getting in the wrong plane” as her starting point of getting involved with El Santo.... And, remind me, who has an aviation company again? Also lets not forget that the CIA got to the coke making compound. Which means whoever snitched knew about and where the compound was. If the mole is Kelly Anne or Lil T how did they get that info? They weren’t involved in that part of the story at all last season, and I doubt it’s information Teresa would have devulged. James is the only other person from Teresa’s crew who knows about it, and I mean.... It’s NOT JAMES! So... It’s more likely someone else who was in deep with El Santo must have given that information up. Also Sasha was super shady throwing people under the bus left and right, trying to get out of there ASAP (possibly before the ambush she knew was coming...). And I think El Dentista telling Teresa he knew who the “traitor” was but never actually getting to reveal it to her was a rather telling scene... If he knew it was her, or someone tangenial to her, he would have been more accusatory and hostile towards her, not just scared. Also he noticed Teresa was talking with Sasha earlier durintg dinner... That could have been build up...

... Just some things to consider... It would just be interesting to have this “hunt for a mole” only to figure out there never really was one... Granted, I don’t expect it to be true... As I said: This is just a crazy out of the box unlikely (and optimisic) theory... 

#look I’m not naive #I know this is most likely NOT how it’s gonna play out  #Kelly Anne is sooooo the mole #maaaaaaaybe Lil T for the surprise element #but I just wanted to put this out there... #just get some thoughts that have been eating at me since Thursday written down #plus it was fun to nitpick and deep-dive fanhawk... #haven’t done that in a while....

[kprciffdw]

Ratchet and Kim Possible Chronicles: The Solanian Revolution-Part 19

After returning, they headed back for the bridge, where they watched a news report of the Biobliterator attack. It was a very discouraging news feed indeed. Sasha: "Unbelievable! Everyone's acting as though Nefarious has already won." Kim: "I know, right? Your dad seems to be so aloof about the situation and is pretty much ready to give up. This is so idiotic." Ratchet: "I'm not so sure about that, Kim; although, we can't give up. We have to find and stop that Biobliterator soon or we're all going to be robots."

He then noticed Clank glance at him and the others. Ratchet: "Uh, not that there's anything wrong with that…" Kim: "It's not being a robot that's the problem; it's being forced into turning to one that's the real issue." Ron: "Yeah, I mean we like robots and all that stuff, but we just wouldn't be the same if we got turned into them. There are lots of great things about being organics as much as there are great things about robots. You wouldn't like us better if we weren't organic, would you? And let's face it, is Skidd any better the way he is now?" Clank: "You make a lot of valid points, Ron. And no, I would not like you better as robots. I like all of you just the way you are." Kim: "Thanks, Clank. Same to you; you wouldn't be the same if you weren't a robot, either."

He smiled at her. Sasha: "Wait a second, didn't Qwark say he was trying to find something back on that cruiser?" Kim: "Yeah, he did. He went back because he said that he found "something important". I wonder what it was that he went back for." Ratchet: "I wonder that, too. The cruiser fell towards Planet Zeldrin. Let's go check out that crash site. We may be able to find what Qwark was looking for." Kim: "OK."

The group left the bridge.

On their way back to the ship, the Kimmunicator went off. Kim pulled it out. Kim: "Yeah, Wade?" Wade: "Kim, I just wanted to let you know that I've updated the holo-Tyhrranoid so that it'll take on a robotic form since all of the Tyhrranoids in the galaxy have been turned into robots." Kim: "All of them?" Ron: "Not just the ones in Metropolis?" Wade: "Yes. I've been wondering why Dr. Nefarious would recruit them into his army considering that he hates organic anything, but I guess he had been planning to turn them into robots from the very beginning." Kim: "Yeah…that would make perfect sense." Wade: "Another thing. I have been doing some analyzing of those crystals that you sent to me. You know, the crystals that were created by Lilo and Stitch's experiment?" Ratchet: "Oh, right, that! I almost forgot about that! That was actually a while back." Wade: "Well, I was able to find that they contain some unusual properties that somehow repel Dr. Nefarious' Biobliterator." Ratchet: "Huh, really? How about that?" Wade: "I've already built a device from them that will make anyone completely immune to the weapon. I'm already wearing one now. I've also build many more of them, Mr. and Mrs. Possible and the twins are already wearing a few of them. I'll send you guys a few of them right now."

Wade's vendor appeared again. Transporting from it were 3 small devices. Ratchet, Kim and Ron grabbed each one and attached them to themselves. Wade: "I've sent out Lilo and Stitch to deliver these devices to the few organic crew members. They should be arriving there shortly. I've also had them well as many of their other experiments sent out to deliver them all over the galaxy." Ratchet: "Huh, that's really nice of them. It's good to hear that they're really helping out with the cause." Ron: "Wow, way to go, Lilo and Stitch!" Kim: "All of this sounds great, but I wouldn't rely on this thing for too long." Wade: "Me, neither, they will protect the people from that weapon, but I know Dr. Nefarious will find out about this sooner or later and he will find a way to counteract them. If anything, this should at least buy you guys some time." Ratchet: "Any help from you will always be greatly appreciated, Wade. Don't ever think otherwise." Wade: "Well, for the moment, I've been working with Al to reverse the robotification process. We've obviously been having to use Skidd as a test subject to reverse the process since it's the only way to get him back to normal." Ratchet: "Let us know if you made any progress." Kim: "We're heading over to a planet where that star cruiser that blew up fell towards. If Qwark really did find anything important, we should find out what it is. It might be able to help us out a lot." Wade: "Gotcha. Let's keep each other posted on our current situations." Kim: "Sure thing, Wade."

She put the Kimmunicator away. Ratchet: "Hm, I was wondering how Lilo and Stitch were doing. We haven't seen them in a while. Glad to hear that they're doing OK." Kim: "So am I, Ratchet, so am I."

They reached the ship, got into it and flew off.

They arrived at the crash site. As soon as they landed and got out, they looked out at the wreckage. Ron: "Whoa…just look at this. I didn't think we would find anything like this." Kim: "I know, it's astonishing how well the cruiser held together…somewhat." Ratchet: "Come on, whatever Qwark went back for could still be here."

They rushed off towards the wreckage. They searched the entire place for anything that may look important or even out of place. They were met with a lot of robots that seem to have survived the crash, but they did not survive the group's assaults as they fought their way through.

They kept searching the entire area until they found something that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. They went over towards it to check it out. Ratchet: "Hey, it's an escape pod! It must have come from the star cruiser." Ron: "It did? But didn't they say they didn't detect an escape pod as this cruiser fell to this planet?" Kim: "Hm…perhaps so…it could be that this thing came out of the cruiser after it fell through the atmosphere. That must be why they never picked up on this one." Ron: "Hm, that would make sense." Ratchet: "And look! Footprints! Someone else made it off this ship alive." Kim: "Hm…they look an awful lot like Qwark's." Clank: "We may have just missed whoever was in there."

Clank picked up a small device. Clank: "This pocket cra-che-tizer is still warm." Ratchet, Kim, Ron: "Ew!" Clank: "And a call was recently made using the pod's emergency communicator. There is a recording." Kim: "Let's see it, Clank." On the recording was Qwark wearing a disturbing disguise, making a call to a cab driver. Ron: "That recording was…all kinds of disturbing for too many reasons." Ratchet: "I should have known." Kim: "So Qwark IS still alive. Hm, somehow, I'm not really surprised." Ron: "Oh, I'm plenty surprised for the both of us, KP, from watching that…recording." Clank: "But why did he not report back to the Phoenix?" Ratchet: "Because he wants us to think he's dead." Kim: "Yeah, that sounds a lot like him. Guess he's not so stupid, after all." Ratchet: "I don't like this, guys. Until we know what Qwark is up to, we should keep this quiet. If the Q-Force finds out that he ran out on us, they might lose hope." Kim: "No problem. I don't like talking about that guy, anyway. Huh? Hey, guys! Look! The monkey seemed to have found something!"

They looked over towards the monkey who was holding up a flat object. Ratchet: "Hey, you're right, Kim. What is that?" Clank: "Hm…it appears to be a data disk. Qwark must have taken it from the star cruiser." Ratchet: "That must be what he went back for!" Kim: "Hm...it does look important. Let's take it back with us so we can have it decoded."

Clank grabbed that data disk from the monkey, they then headed back to the ship then left to return to the Phoenix.

They arrived back on the Phoenix. Immediately after landing, they rushed back to their quarters as fast as they could. There, they saw Al who was chatting with Wade while examining Skidd. Skidd was placed inside Qwark's "living area". Both Al and Wade were having a very complex conversation to say the least. Ratchet: "Uh…hey, Al. I…didn't expect to…see you chatting with Wade." Al: "Well, I am currently working with Wade to reverse the robotification process." Wade: "We seem to have come up with something that could work but Al and I…we're…still working on the details." Kim: "I can see you have Skidd placed in Qwark's…uh…previous…housing area…" Skidd: "Dude. Dude. Dude. What a trip." Ron: "Don't worry, Skidd, we'll have you back to your old self as soon as we can." Ratchet: "So, Al, we recovered a data disk from Nefarious' cruiser."

Ratchet tossed the disk towards Al. Kim: "Do you think you can decode it?" Al: "Ah, but of course, Miss Possible."

He placed the disc into a handheld device that he was using at that time, he spent a little bit of time looking at it. Al: "It's an omega-class asymmetric encryption. Finally, a challenge worthy of my skills! Oh, by the way, we found something interesting in Qwark's quarters." Kim: "You mean in there? Well, whatever it is, I'm not going to touch it." Al: "It's a Qwark vid-comic." Ron: "Another one?" Al: "Yes, specifically, it is episode 5 of the Dr. Nefarious series."

He tossed the vid-comic over to Ratchet. Al: "But, as far as everyone knows, only 4 issues were ever published. Not even my pals in the Qwark Cadets fan club have ever heard of this issue and they're real serious uberfans, if you know what I mean." Kim: "Yeah…that would be…putting it lightly." Ron: "Well, what are you waiting for, Ratchet? Turn that thing on and let's check it out." Ratchet: "I'm already on it, Ron."

Ratchet got on to playing the vid-comic. It turned out to be a secret chapter of the series. It revealed that Qwark was caught off guard and was nearly done in by Nefarious. After the incident, he hid himself away in a place known as the Thran Asteroid and was revealed to be afraid of Nefarious. Ratchet: "I should have known Qwark was full of it." Kim: "Yes, from what we have heard on that vid-comic, he never intended on facing off against Dr. Nefarious again." Clank: "But why would he lie to us?" Skidd: "Dude, Qwark is Bogus. Bogus. Bogus." Kim: "That may be the smartest thing I've heard from Skidd yet." Ratchet: "You can ask him yourself when we see him. According to the vid-comic, Qwark has a secret hideout on the Thran Asteroid Belt. I've got a hunch he's there right now." Kim: "Then that's where we need to go."

The monkey screeched a bit. Clank: "He says he wants to come with us." Ron: "Oh, no way! We're not dragging along that freakish…" Kim: "Wait a minute. Clank, you can understand what the monkey is saying?" Clank: "Oh, just enough to get by."

The monkey screeched a bit more. Clank: "He has especially spoken a lot about you, Ron. He thinks it's funny that you are afraid of monkeys."

The monkey screeched then laughed. Ron, however, was annoyed. Ron: "Hey, at least I've stuck with the team throughout this entire incident rather than cowering on the sidelines like his pal, or even worse, possibly working with our enemies such as Dr. Nefarious." Skidd: "Major Bogus." Kim: "Ron, you don't believe that, do you?" Ratchet: "Actually, I think Ron may be on to something. He teamed up with Drek, didn't he? And I know I don't have to remind you about the Protopet business." Kim: "Oh, it was the Protopet incident that really got to me."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket and let out a raspberry. Rufus: "Protopet!" Kim: "Well, we can't be too sure just yet, but let's find out for ourselves."

They got themselves up and rushed to the ship, then flew out of the Phoenix.

[whereintheworldisbella]

Spelunking in Russia

-- Disclaimer -- This story is from summer 2014. I wrote the beginning shortly after it happened, and never penned the rest until just now, six years later. So sadly I can’t remember a lot of the small details, but I try to recount the story to the best of my recollection. Here goes nothing...

Hi all, sorry it's been so long since my last post, but I promise this story's worth the wait.

So last week was the final week for the students on the 4-week program. To celebrate, we all went to a bar on Friday night and I tried a vodka milkshake.  I'm not sure if I liked it..I think I would have preferred just the milkshake.

Then I walked home with some friends and was finally out late enough that I got to see the city "at night" - I say this in quotes because at 1 or 2 AM the sky still wasn't completely dark. St. Petersburg at night is absolutely beautiful.

When Marie and I got home (Marie is the other student who lives with the same host family as I do), we went into the kitchen for water and a snack. Alexey, the father of the 3 small girls who all live with us, comes into the kitchen and prepares himself a meal (remember, this is about 2, 2:30 in the morning). He starts talking to us pretty quickly (well, normally I guess, but to us it seems fast) and we nod along, even though we don't understand what he's saying.

Then his father-in-law, Sasha (a diminutive for Alexander), comes into the kitchen and asks us if we understand. We admit that we don't and he gets annoyed that we didn't say anything, but to be honest it's late and we're pretty tired. Sasha explains that Alexey and Julia (his wife) met in a cave. "Ahhhh" we say, as if that explains the entire 5 minutes of talking we just heard. Then Alexey, speaking slower, goes on to explain something to us. All I am able to distinguish is: "forest," "photographs," "festival," "you will get dirty." He asks us if we want to come with him. Marie passes but I, feeling adventurous, say I would like to.

The next day (well, technically later on the same day), on Saturday, I finish my homework and wait for Alexey to return. **Now writing in retrospect, 6 years later, based off memory.** I’m clad out in a new pair of hiking pants and some sneakers. When Alexey returns he looks at me and asks if that’s what I’m going in, because it looks too nice to get dirty. I feel self-conscious and say it’s fine. He packs some bags and we head down the old staircase to his old jeep and take off.

The car ride is bumpy to say the least. As a typical driver in St. Petersburg, Alexey zooms in and out of traffic in his very used, very noisy jeep, the safety of which is questionable. At one point the car stalls. Russian music plays on the radio as this stranger that I’ve known all but a few interactions drives me toward the outskirts of the city and beyond, out into the country where the roads are narrow, without shoulders. Since he doesn’t speak English and I barely know Russian, we don’t hold a conversation.

After about 45 minutes or an hour, he pulls over the car and informs me that we’ve arrived. I look around. All I see are fields and forests. Still, I’ve been to a huge music festival in Denmark before that’s held in the middle of farms, so I go with it. I get out the car to help him unload the trunk but he just changes shoes and says to get back into the car, that he’ll go another way. Confused, I get back into the car and Alexey starts driving off the road and into the forest. There’s no road, but Alexey weaves between trees, as he did in traffic, the car bouncing so violently that I picture the screws falling out and the whole car just going to pieces.

By this point, I start to get a little worried. Why did this man take me out to the middle of nowhere? Surely I can’t be in any danger because the school program know him, right? I mean, they are letting me live with him and his family. Yet I can’t help wondering…

Then he stops suddenly - trees are blocking the way. He backs up, driving just as fast in reverse as he was going forward, weaving through the trees backward. Stops. Forward again. Then we’re there, and I see a bonfire and some tents. Relief washes over me. We set up a small orange 2-person tent a bit away from the others and Alexey tells me to follow him through the woods. Despite the signs of other people, I don’t see anyone.

We leave our stuff in the tent and walk a few minutes until we get to a crater in the ground with a small hole at the bottom, like a tunnel. We’re close to the roadway - I hear a truck go by. Alexey starts speaking quickly in Russian. He hands me a flashlight, motions to the tunnel in the crater and says “You go first.”

I’m starting to suspect that there’s no music festival, after all.

I climb down, turn the flashlight on, and enter the cave. Alexey follows behind me. The space is small, dark, and damp, and every time a truck passes on the road the earth trembles. Alexey motions for me to follow and we venture further into the cave, at some points squeezing through narrow spaces to get into the next “room.” I feel extremely claustrophobic. Some water drips on my head, or is it slime from bats? I don’t like caves one bit, I conclude.

Alexey starts speaking to me. I think he’s explaining different types of rocks, but I have no clue what he’s saying. I try asking what the caves are used for. I think he mentions something about bunkers in the wartime. Makes sense, I think.

Then, much to my relief, Alexey motions back to the single entrance and we exit the cave. Nearby is another crater - in fact, they’re everywhere. Now I hear voices. We enter another hole and it’s like some sort of art exhibit, or the private meeting place of a secret society. Candles are lit, figures are drawn on the cave walls, and a small group of Russian boys and men are drinking and talking in the cave. Alexey greets them and introduces me.

I’m embarrassed when he says I’m American and they all are suddenly fascinated. They start asking me questions, practicing their broken english, and laughing. I have a sinking feeling that they’re laughing at me and slinging some insults. I try my best to respond, and not feel self-conscious. I spout my rehearsed intro about myself and why I’m in Russia - to learn the language because I think it’s a pretty language. They offer me alcohol but I decline.

When we get outside, we head to the tents, where others have now gathered, among them women and children. I start speaking with them and we eat dinner (I think some sort of hot dogs and beans? Though I can’t say I remember). We talk about Russian novels, and poems, and music. I’m embarrassed that I don’t know more but they’re impressed with what I do know, and I feel a bond. Vodka is passed around. Then someone breaks out their guitar and the whole camp - about 10 of us maybe - starts singing together.

We stay that way for a while, until the sun finally disappears and night falls. I get to know a young mother (Irina) and her young son, and another girl from Moscow, Natasha, who’s about my age (I will go on to visit them each again, twice, during my stay in Russia. I’m still friends with them on Facebook and Vkontaktya).

I feel much more at ease now that I have made some female friends. Then someone picks up a shovel, yells “Davai!”, and heads off into the darkness. Everyone follows with flashlights, still singing and strumming the guitar. We get to another crater and two men jump in and start shoveling, one of them now shirtless. The music continues and the shovelers swap out. I think they’re trying to find an entrance to another cave. (I don’t remember if they actually did, but I don’t think so.)

It seems like hours pass like this before people start heading back to camp for bed. It was starting to get light again, but because it was summer (white nights), it was still the middle of the night. Alexey and I made our way to the small, orange tent and, exhausted, fell asleep. I slept in my clothes, next to my host-brother, and though we each had our own sleeping bag, I felt quite weird about the situation. Anyway, he snored, and the next thing I knew it was morning.

We ate some kasha or bagels and cheese (I think) for breakfast and packed up. I guess the cave exploring was over (thank God). I swapped telephone numbers with Irina and Natasha, and made plans to go to the beach along the Baltic with them later that day. Then Alexey and I drove back home.

The beach we went to was close to Irina’s dacha, out in the country. We had to take a train and then stand on a hot and overcrowded marshutka to get there. Many locals spent their summers at their dachas, or traveled there on weekends, which was the case for my host-family. On the train I could see travelers hauling bags of freshly picked mushrooms and berries from the countryside back into the city.

By this point, my Russian improved a lot and I was able to have pretty meaningful conversations with Irina and Natasha about the differences between the US and Russia, especially around finances. Sadly, Natasha had to return to Moscow the next day, and although we met up when I visited Moscow one weekend with the school program, we haven’t kept in touch. I feel like we would have become friends if she lived in St. Petersburg.

Irina did live in St. Petersburg, in the outskirts, and I did visit her for dinner one evening. Because I was super late, I didn’t have time to buy any food or housewarming gift. I know is considered rude to show up empty-handed, and I tried to explain that I didn’t want to be more late than I was already, and apologized many times, but honestly I was too embarrassed to hold close contact with her after.

Overall, spelunking in Russia was the craziest thing I did there. I was uncomfortable the entire time, but I’m so glad I impulsively decided to go. I can’t say that anything tangible came out of if (lasting friendships, hard skills, or even photos because I was too nervous to take any), but this memory sure does make for one hell of a story, and I’ll never forget it.

[placetobenation]

SmackDown on Fox Episode #51 SmackDown Episode # 1,100 Orlando, FL – The Thunderdome (Amway Center) 9/18/20

We open the show by going straight into the Thunderdome where The Miz and John Morrison are already in the ring for an edition of The Dirt Sheet. 

Miz and Morrison say tonight they will expose many of SmackDown’s secrets such as the real reason as to why Bayley attacked Sasha, why WWE management is trying to erase Sami Zayn from history, and the family secrets of the Samoan family that Jey Uso has tried to keep buried, but before they get to all of that they have to talk about the biggest story which is Mandy Rose’s sudden departure from SmackDown and soon to come arrival on Raw. 

Miz wants to shut down all the rumors and gossip that he had Mandy moved to Raw in order to play mind games with Otis or just to get revenge on him, Miz says he is a former Money in the Bank winner so he knows the pressure that comes with holding that briefcase so he decided to get Mandy on Raw so that Otis can focus on cashing in that contract instead of being occupied with Mandy Rose. Miz says Otis should thank him and although he understands that Otis is heartbroken right now he will get over it, it seems like Mandy already has gotten over it given what he has heard from some of his buddies over on Raw. Miz and Morrison then joke about the guys on Raw wanting to do more than just smell that rose and also mentions Dolph Ziggler being on Raw, this is enough to bring out Otis. 

Otis runs in and takes Miz down with a double leg and then starts firing away with right hands before he has to throw Morrison off of him and then he takes both men down and throws Morrison out of the ring. Miz tries to escape but runs into Tucker who throws him back into the ring where Otis hits him with an exploder. Tucker throws Morrison back in and Otis hits him with an exploder over the top rope. Otis hits Miz with an avalanche in the corner and then follows up with the Caterpillar elbow drop and then he hits the Vader Bomb. Otis looks like he is going to leave but he turns around and runs back in the ring where he strips Miz down to his briefs and the segment ends with Miz running off trying to cover himself while Morrison runs behind him. 

We come back from a commercial break to Miz and Morirson in the back flustered over what just happens, Kayla Braxton comes up and asks if they regret agravating Otis but Miz says this is all apart of his plan and then he grabs his phone and makes a call and asks the person on the other end if it was enough and then gives a thumbs up as Miz and Morrison walk off. 

As much as I and everyone else love Otis I have to question why this feud with Miz and Morrison needs to be featured in the 20-minute show opening segment as there are several other storylines going on that I would much rather see featured in the opening segment of the show. I’m not sure how I feel about Miz insinuating that Mandy is going to be passed around the Raw locker room like a hot potato that was a bit much and not really needed. I also didn’t see the need for Otis to strip Miz down to his underwear other than to get a laugh out of a couple of people in the back like Vince and Bruce Prichard. Overall I didn’t really care for this segment and thought the time could’ve been better spent on something else. 

Lucha House Party make their way to the ring and on their way we get an inset promo where Kalisto and Dorado argue over who should give Metalik advice for his match. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura come to the ring and we get ain inset promo from them as well where they talk about being on fire. 

I don’t know why but seeing Kalisto wearing street clothes was a bit strange especially the hat as it was weird to see the hat sitting up on top of his mask. 

Match #1: Cesaro w/ Shinsuke Nakamura vs Gran Metalik w/ Lucha House Party Metalik side steps a charging Cesaro and tries to pick up a quick win with a schoolboy but Cesaro is able to kick out. Metalik takes Cesaro down with a flying headscissors and then walks the rope only to be distracted by his partners arguing on the outside and giving him different words of advice and this gives Cesaro enough time to get to his feet and he catches Metalik with a big slam when Metalik jumps off the ropes. Cesaro takes control as he hits Metalik with an uppercut in the corner and then he whips Metalik into the corner but Metalik is able to get his boot up and then he catches Cesaro with a diving hurricanrana, but Cesaro is able to regain control moments later when he reverses a whip into the ropes and takes Metalik down with a clothesline. 

Cesaro grounds Metalik as he applies a kneeling armbar with a neck crank, but Metalik quickly gets back to his feet and fights out of the hold only to be sent into the corner where he avoids another charge from Cesaro and then he charges in himself and gets backdropped out to the apron where he hits Cesaro with an overhead kick. Kalisto and Dorado jump up on the apron like a couple of idiots as they are still arguing about who has the best advice but by this point the referee is tired of them arguing and ejects them both from ringside and they continue to argue on their way to the back. Cesaro knocks Metalik off the apron and then goes out and throws him back in the ring and then he gets distracts himself by taunting Dorado and Kalisto who still haven’t walked behind the curtain and this gives Metalik enough time to climb up to the top and take Cesaro out with a dive to the outside and this sends us to a commercial break. 

We come back to Metalik working his way out of a chinlock and then landing on his feet when Cesaro goes for a back suplex and then Metalik lands a side kick only to run into a big boot which gets a 2 count for Cesaro. Cesaro tries to ground Metalik once again with a chinlock but Metalik fights out so Cesaro nails him with an uppercut and then sits him up on the top rope and Cesaro joins Metalik up top and they jockey for position until Metalik steps back and is standing on the top of the ringpost and then he takes Cesaro down with a super hurricanrana for a very close 2 count. Metalik goes up top looking for his moonsault but Cesaro gets his feet up which causes Metalik to stumble back into the corner where Cesaro hits him with a big running uppercut and then Cesaro hits Metalik with a jumping Neutralizer to pick up the win.  Winner: Cesaro via Pinfall   Match Rating: **½ 

Kalisto and Lince Dorado looked like complete idiots in this match with the constant arguing to the point where they jump on the apron when their team member was in control of the match, I have no interest in this Lucha House Party inner turmoil story that is playing out as I would much rather just keep the three of them together as a team seeing as the SmackDown tag team division is scarce so why break up one of the few teams that is on the show, it makes no sense. 

After the match we go to a backstage interview with Jey Uso who says that Paul Heyman told him that last week was just a big miscommunication but tonight will be different. Jey says Reigns has been throwing his weight around ever since they were little but they are not little anymore but that is at Clash of Champions and then he welcomes Sheamus and Corbin to the Uso Penetintiary and this sends us to a commercial. 

We come back to a promo from Riddle where he explains why he says “Bro” all the time, he says that it can convey any emotion or thought. Riddle goes through various emotions while saying Bro to explain what he was talking about.

How did Riddle go from being a featured part of the show a few weeks ago to now being relegated to cutting this ridiculous promo that did nothing to make anyone interested in seeing him. If your going to have a talent like Riddle up on one of the two main shows then use him in a way that can showcase his what he is best at (which is everything between the ropes) if not then keep him down in NXT because he is too special to be wasted doing corny shit like this. 

It’s now time for the first edition of A Moment of Bliss inside the WWE Thunderdome. 

Alexa introduces her guest who is usually sitting beside her as her co-host but after her big win last week she had to have her on as her guest. Alexa then introduces Nikki and Nikki comes out hyped up as usual.

Alexa congratulates Nikki on her big win but then asks Nikki what her plan of action is for facing Bayley at Night of Champions considering she has had numerous opportunities against Bayley over the past few months and she has always come out on the losing end, so why is this time going to be any different? Nikki says that this time she won’t have to worry about Sasha Banks interfering and thus she will able to have her full focus on Bayley and then Nikki vows to walk out of Clash of Champions as SmackDown Women’s Champion. 

Nikki then says she has a question for Alexa which is what is going on with her, but Alexa doesn’t know what she is talking about. Nikki says that last week during the fatal four way out of all the moves she could have hit her with she hit her with a Sister Abigail and then just walked off in a trance. Alexa is stumbling over her words as she tries to explain that she herself doesn’t fully understand what is going on and before Alexa can go into further detail she is interrupted by Lacey Evans. 

Lacey calls Alexa and Nikki a couple of nasties and then mocks Alexa for having feelings and then she tells Nikki that she should be thanking Alexa for throwing her off her game last week because that’s the only reason she won the match. Lacey then talks about how Nikki is too nice and that’s why she will never beat Bayley and then she pulls out her handkerchief to use it but before she can Nikki grabs it and blows her nose in it and then throws it back at Lacey, but it falls to the ground so Lacey goes to pick it up but as she does Nikki attacks her and this sends us to break.

I liked the fire and passion that Nikki showed when talking about why her match against Bayley at Clash of Champions is going to be different than all the other times she has challenged for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, unfortunately for Nikki I do believe this one will end the same way except this time it will be Alexa that costs her the match instead of Sasha. I like how they are dragging out Alexa explaining in more detail as to why she has been acting differently. I thought the Lacey promo was fine but there was a moment where it felt like she was being a little over the top at times like when she was laughing at Alexa having feelings. 

We come back from break and go right into the next match. Match #2: Nikki Cross w/ Alexa Bliss vs Lacey Evans Alexa Bliss is on commentary during this match. Nikki charges at Lacey, but Lacey runs out of the ring and uses some hand sanitizer that she has with her and cleans her hands real good but an impatient NIkki hits her with a baseball slide. Nikki goes out to get Lacey and throw her back in the ring, but Lacey sends Nikki into the ring instead and then sweeps her leg and looks to hit the slingshot elbow drop but Nikki rolls out of the way. Nikki jumps on Lacey’s back but Lacey is able to break it by backing Nikki into the corner, Lacey charges at Nikki but receives a back elbow and then Nikki comes off the middle rope with a crossbody for a 2 count. Nikki hits a short arm clothesline and then rolls Lacey up with an Oklahoma roll but Lacey is able to kick out. 

Nikki looks for another short-arm clothesline, but Lacey catches the arm and takes Nikki down with an arm wringer, and then she drives her knee into the back of Nikki’s arm. Lacey roughs Nikki up in the corner and then wraps her arm over the top rope and pulls on it. Nikki tries to fight back but Lacey hits with a shot to the ribs and then stomps on the arm in the corner. Lacey gives Nikki a big kick into the corner and then hits her with the elevated bronco buster for a 2 count. Lacey locks in a seated cobra clutch but Nikki is able to get to her feet and elbow out of it only to be taken right back down when Lacey puts her knee on Nikki’s arm and drives it into the mat and then she pulls on the arm, even more, looking to hyperextend it, Nikki eventually is able to roll toward Lacey which puts her shoulders to the mat but Lacey kicks out which also releases the hold. Lacey takes Nikki down with a clothesline and then talks some trash which allows Nikki to get in a desperation headbutt to Lacey’s gut only for Lacey to come right back and slam Nikki to the mat and go back to work on her arm as she drives her knees into the arm and then just punches away at the arm. Lacey hits Nikki with another arm wringer when she tries to get to her feet and then Lacey hits her with a standing moonsault for a 2 count. 

Lacey goes out and grabs her hand sanitizer and looks to squirt it into Nikki’s mouth at first but ends up squirting it on Nikki’s face and makes sure to rub it in and for some reason this is not considered a disqualification as the match continues. Nikki hits Lacey with a couple of elbow shots to the gut and then slams her to the mat by her hair. Nikki hits Lacey with an avalanche in the corner and then hits a flurry of forearms to the chest of Lacey in the corner until the referee makes her back up, Nikki then hits Lacey with a monkey flip. Nikki stomps over to Lacey who tries to drop toe hold Nikki into the middle turnbuckle but Nikki blocks it and then she hits Lacey with a tornado DDT which she rolls through into a rope draped version of The Purge and that is enough to finish off the Sassy Southern Belle. Winner: Nikki Cross via Pinfall   Match Rating: ** 

After the match Lacey crawls over to the commentary table and is screaming at Alexa and while screaming she mentions The Fiend and this puts Alexa back into her trance as she gets up from the table and walks over to Lacey and then gives her a Sister Abigail before walking off in a trance just like last week. 

Outside of the spot with the hand sanitizer I found the match to be underwhelming and all of the time spent working over the arm of Nikki was for nothing as it didn’t play into the finish of the match at all. Alexa hitting the Sister Abigail on Lacey after the match was nice but didn’t do anything to further the story as it was basically a rehash of what she did last week to Nikki, except for the fact that this time she didn’t enter the trance until Lacey mentioned The Fiend, so I guess that’s furthering the story a little bit but I was expecting more after what happened last week.  

We see Sasha Banks who is in a neck brace getting mic’d up for her interview which is coming up next after the break. 

We come back and go to a video package narrated by Paul Heyman which highlights the legacy of the Anoa’i family in WWE, the video was used as a way to further hype up the match between Reigns and Uso at Clash of Champions.

This was a really well done video package to show off the legacy in which both Jey and Reigns come from and why we should care about their match at Clash of Champions.   

We then go live via satellite to Sasha Banks who is at the Performance Center for an interview.

Sasha is asked the extent of her injuries and after a brief pause she says she is still here isn’t she? Sasha is then asked her thoughts on what Bayley said last week when she was giving her reasoning for attacking Sasha, Sasha repeats what Bayley said about her being useless and then says she heard everything Bayley said last week and she is overcome with emotion about it, especially since she is at the PC where they trained everyday and talked about all the things they wanted to accomplish in WWE and this summer being at the PC they showed they world that they could take over the whole damn company and then says all of their accomplishments they did together. Sasha tries to continue but the more she talks the more she is overcome with emotion to the point where she has to gather herself before continuing. 

Sasha says that last week Bayley mentioned how Bayley thought that Sasha saw her as an idiot and naive and she was damn right because Bayley is an idiot and naive becaue she is nothing without Sasha. Sasha says that since she is useless to Bayley one day she will take the one thing that Bayley loves which is the SmackDown Women’s Championship. All of a sudden out of nowhere Bayley attacks Sasha with a chair and then rips her neckbrace off before placing Sasha’s head in the chair like she did two weeks ago, but thankfully before she could do any more damage people inside the PC run in to stop her and this sends us to a commercial. 

We come back to Sasha still being checked on at the PC before we go back inside the Thunderdome for the next match of the night. 

I loved everything about this segment as Sasha was fantastic and conveyed the exact emotion that she needed to without it coming off as corny or forced and I especially liked when she had to stop for a moment in order to regain her composure as that put over the emotion she was feeling even more. I liked how Sasha used her being at the PC as a way of bringing more emotion into the interview as she was probably reminded that entire day while getting ready for the interview of all the good days they had when they were starting their careers in WWE. I was not expecting Bayley to attack Sasha again but I’m glad she did because I want this match between the two of them to be held off as long as possible because they could definitely stretch it out until WrestleMania if they want, but as I said last week that probably won’t happen and we’ll just see them face off in a Hell in a Cell match next month, however, with that being said at least they would have a match that would be worthy of being inside the Cell which is not the case for most of the Hell in a Cell matches on that PPV. This segment by far was my favorite thing that happened on SmackDown this week and I have to give a big kudos to both Sasha and Bayley for delivering fantastic performances.  Before the match Zayn argues with Greg Hamilton about not announcing him as Intercontinental Champion but Styles gets fed up of waiting for Zayn so he attacks him at ringside and then throws him into the ring to officially start the match. 

Match #3: AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn Styles hits Zayn with a leaping forearm in the corner and follows that up with the ushigoroshi which gets a 2 count. Styles sets up for the Styles Clash but Zayn is able to escape and roll out of the ring for a breather but Styles goes out after him and throws him right back in and then catches him with a backbreaker for another 2 count. Zayn rolls out of the ring once again and just like before Styles goes out and rolls him back in, but this time Zayn catches Styles when he tries to get back in the ring and starts putting the boots to him before he hits Styles with a DDT for a 2 count. 

Zayn locks Styles in a chinlock but Styles gets to his feet and backs Zayn into the corner where he hits him with a couple of back elbows and then Styles charges in but gets backdropped onto the apron and is then sent face first into the opposite turnbuckle, Zayn looks to hit Styles with the Helluva Kick on the apron but Styles avoids it and gets back into the ring where he hits Zayn with a clothesline that sends him falling off the apron and onto the floor. Styles dives out of the ring onto Zayn with a plancha forearm and this sends us to a commercial break. 

We come back to Zayn in control as he sits Styles up on the top rope and looks to hit a superplex but Styles slips between Zayn’s legs and trips him up sending Zayn face-first into the top turnbuckle. Zayn recovers quickly as he charges at Styles in the opposite corner but Styles gets his feet up and goes to the outside where he looks to hit the Phenomenal Forearm but Zayn ducks and Styles is able to roll through only to run into a stun gun from Zayn. Zayn looks to hit a vertical suplex but Styles reverses it and hits Zayn with a neckbreaker for a 2 count. 

Styles goes to pick Zayn up but Zayn hits him with a jawbreaker and then we get a forearm exchange in the middle of the ring which Zayn gets the best of momentarily until Styles comes back with the Styles rush but Zayn catches him with a big boot only for Styles to come back with a Pele kick and now both men are down. Both men slowly get up and Styles looks to hit a suplex but Zayn floats over into a rear waistlock but Styles escapes with a back elbow and tries to run to the ropes, but Zayn hangs onto his tights and pulls him back so that he can hit Styles with a blue thunder powerbomb for a 2 count. 

Zayn picks up Styles and Styles looks to lock in a Calf Crusher but Zayn rolls through and then gets kicked in the head. Styles looks to clothesline Zayn in the corner but Zayn catches him with an exploder into the corner. Zayn waits for Styles to get to his feet as he looks to hit him with the Helluva Kick but when he runs in Styles tries to counter but Zayn blocks that and rolls Styles up in a schoolboy but referee Jessika Carr stops her count because she sees that Zayn is holding Styles’ tights so Zayn argues with her about it and then Styles catches Zayn with a schoolboy and he pulls Zayn’s tights but the referee doesn’t see it and counts Zayn’s shoulders to the mat 1-2-3. Winner: AJ Styles via Pinfall   Match Rating: ***¼ 

After the match, Zayn argues with the referee over her counting while Styles had his tights and then goes back to yelling at Greg Hamilton as he wants to be announced as still Intercontinental Champion. Jeff Hardy runs down to the ring and attacks Zayn sending him into the barricade and then goes under the ring and at first, pulls out a table but thinks better of it and then grabs a ladder. Hardy takes both Zayn and Styles out with the ladder on the outside and then he throws Zayn back into the ring and hits him with the Twist of Fate and then sets up the ladder and climbs it, but before he can do anything Zayn rolls out of the ring. 

Hardy gets on the mic and says he is tired of this crap and wants to end this once and for all as he wants to determine the undisputed Intercontinental Champion in a triple threat Ladder Match. 

This was a really good match and it’s good to see Zayn back in the ring as it’s been a while since we have seen him have a match this good. It was pretty predictable that this was going to end with the three men facing off in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship but just because it’s predictable doesn’t mean that I’m not looking forward to it as all three of these men excel in ladder matches and I’m sure they will do everything they can to make it the best match on the card at Clash of Champions. 

We then go to the back where Heavy Machinery is hanging out when a man walks up and serves Otis some papers, Tucker pulls out the papers and reveals to Otis that he is being sued and this sends us to commercial. 

We come back to Heavy Machinery and Tucker informs Otis on exactly what he is being sued for and there is a whole list of things including Money in the Bank negligence and violating the first amendment rights of The Dirt Sheet. Tucker tells Otis that it says he has a week to either give up his Money in the Bank briefcase or the case goes to court and this has Otis very distressed as he tells Tucker he is in trouble. 

As if the opening segment of the show wasn’t enough for this storyline we now have Otis getting sued for ridiculous things such as Money in the Bank negligence. The only way they could get me to care about any of this is if they bring back Joseph Park as a lawyer. If it were me I would have Otis counter-sue for contract tampering and have that be the reason as to why Mandy gets to come back to SmackDown. 

We go to the back where Sheamus and Corbin are talking about their match when they security guard from last week shows up (Sheamus is happy to see him as he helped Sheamus lure Big E into the ambush) and tells Sheamus his car is getting towed, Sheamus runs out and screams at the attendant who has his back turned at first but when he turns around it is Big E and he goes after Sheamus but he is able to get away. Big E then turns his attention to the security guard who helped Sheamus and beats the crap out of him before setting him up on a car and despite the referees trying to get him to stop Big E hits the security guard with a belly to belly suplex onto the windshield, but that isn’t enough as he grabs the guy and throws him into the trunk as Adam Pearce tells Big E that he needs to leave and this sends us to break. 

I really liked how this was done with Big E getting his revenge on the security guard once Sheamus ran off as he wasn’t going to let the security guard get away when he was the one that lured Big E into the ambush last week. I liked how Big E was serious during most of this but was also able to throw in a little bit of comedy as well. I look forward to when Big E gets his hands on Sheamus.  

We come back from commercial to another vignette of the mystery woman and this week we get a slight glimpse of her face before the vignette ends. 

Now that it seems like the mystery woman is Carmella I have to be honest that I’m not looking forward to it because I like her F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Mella is Money character so much that her being portrayed as anything but that just doesn’t seem right, perhaps she will make me change my mind once she actually returns but as for now, I’m not impressed.  

The Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman make their way to the ring and then Reigns gets on the mic and says he came out first because he doesn’t want there to be any confusion that this is his yard, his island, his ring, and his WWE and if anyone wants it they have to come and take it from him. 

Jey Uso makes his way to the ring as we go to commercial.  Match #4: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso w/ Paul Heyman vs Sheamus & King Corbin (Samoan Street Fight) Reigns and Uso dominate early as Reigns takes down Sheamus with a clothesline and then he clotheslines Corbin over the top rope to the floor. Uso runs off the barricade and takes out Corbin at ringside or at least I think that’s what happened because the camera totally missed it (thanks a lot Kevin Dunn). Sheamus pulls Reigns out of the ring and they trade punches until Reigns backdrops Sheamus over the barricade and when Sheamus gets back to his feet Uso puts him right back down with a superkick. Corbin throws a chair at Reigns’ head and then he hits Uso with a Deep Six on the floor.

Corbin throws Reigns in the ring and slides a chair in as well but when Corbin bends over to pick up the chair he is kicked by Reigns and then Reigns grabs the chair and hits Corbin with it several times in the back. Reigns goes out and grabs a table from under the ring but ends up getting hit with a running knee by Sheamus. Corbin and Sheamus double team Reigns at ringside and then throw him over the announce table. Corbin and Sheamus slide the table into the ring and then turn their attention to Uso, but Uso tries to fight back as he hits Sheamus with an enziguri and then goes up top but the heels trip him up and then they double powerbomb him through the table. Sheamus goes for the cover but somehow Uso is able to kick out. 

Corbin goes out to make sure Reigns is still laid out but he walks right into an office chair being thrown by Reigns. Sheamus goes out and hits Reigns with a blow to the head taking him back down, Sheamus clears off the announce table and looks to hit Reigns with a White Noise through the table, but Reigns slips out the back and then hits Sheamus with a low blow and then looks to put Sheamus through the table with a Samoan drop but when he hits it the table doesn’t break. Reigns sends Corbin into the ring post and then he hits Sheamus with a Spear through the barricade. 

Corbin runs over and slams Reigns face-first into the steps and then rolls him back into the ring, Uso tries for a tope suicida but Corbin catches him and sends him into the timekeeper area. Corbin reaches out to grab his scepter but Uso clocks him with the Universal Championship which causes Corbin to stumble backward into a Spear from Reigns and then Uso finishes things off with an Uso Splash for the win. Winners: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso via Pinfall   Match Rating: ***

After the match, Uso grabs the Universal Championship and acts like he is going to lift it into the air, but he tosses it over to Reigns instead. Uso and Reigns hug and both are all smiles and then Uso leaves the ring and as he is going up the ramp we cut back to the ring where Reigns is giving Uso a death glare and that is how SmackDown comes to a close.  

I was not expecting the Samoan Street Fight to be as much fun as it was but it was a blast to watch and that spot where Reigns chucked the office chair at Corbin was really great. I loved the post-match where Reigns kept being all nice to Uso to his face even though Uso had the gall to put his hands on Reigns’ Universal Championship but when Uso turned his back he gave him a go to hell lock. This match and post-match made me look forward to seeing Reigns vs Uso even more. This was a mixed bag of an episode as the stuff that was good was really good like the Sasha Banks and Bayley segment, everything involving Roman Reigns and Jey Uso, and the AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn match, however, the rest of the show was not that great especially everything involving The Miz, John Morrison, & Heavy Machinery as a terrible storyline such as that one shouldn’t be taking up so much time. That’s it for me this week I’ll be back next week with the go-home show for Clash of Champions.

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Trending Topics: Dale Tallon seeks to undo progress Panthers made without him

Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon has made some questionable decisions this offseason. (J Pat Carter/AP)

You knew it was trouble the second it was announced.

Dale Tallon was back in charge of all personnel decisions after a year of being, ahem, promoted, and all the smart, younger hockey guys who worked to improve a team with a decent framework were out.

The way the Florida Panthers have been run the past few years has been tumultuous to say the least, with new ownership and a vascillating commitment to whatever they deem the best way forward in any given week.

The Panthers made the playoffs in 2015-16 — despite subpar underlying numbers — on the strength of their PDO and a whole lot of three-point games. They were a talented team, no doubt, but one with numerous procedural deficiencies. They spent the following summer after losing in six games to the so-so Islanders evaluating what was wrong with them and working to address it.

Shawn Thornton retired. They signed Keith Yandle. Dmitry Kulikov got shipped to Buffalo for Mark Pysyk. James Reimer signed on a pretty reasonable long-term deal. Jonathan Marchessault came in on a bargain contract. Jason Demers was another relative bargain given what he brings to your second pairing.

These are all good things that make your team better on paper. But Florida went from 103 points and first in their division to 81 and a mile out of the playoffs. Panthers management was certainly expecting a step back in terms of the win total, but this was more than a little beyond the pale. Lots of people lost their jobs as a result.

That brought Tallon back into the fold as everyday GM, and his singular focus this offseason has been to undo all the progress his predecessors (who were also the guys who took over from him in the first place) made. This doesn’t need to be relitigated too much, but let’s start with the obvious fact that the Panthers took their CF% from 20th to 11th in a single offseason and played a far more up-tempo brand of hockey that’s generally more conducive to success in the game as it’s played today.

Moreover, while the power play didn’t take a step forward for reasons we’ll get to in just a second, the penalty kill improved markedly, jumping to 85.3 percent from the previous 79.5 percent.

However, a few problems presented themselves that hindered their results. First and foremost, Jonathan Huberdeau and Sasha Barkov, two-thirds of the team’s top line, missed big chunks of the season. Then Roberto Luongo went from a .922 save percentage (well above the league average despite his advanced age) to .just .915 (right at it probably because of that advanced age). Reimer was very good at .920, and Reto Berra was predictably awful as a short-use stopgap, but the team’s decline from .921 to .915 overall did some serious damage to the goal differential.

But wins are wins and hockey lifers are stuck in their ways, so Tallon sees the only rational solution he could put forward here as a means of getting back to the kind of success the team had two seasons ago as, “undoing everything the Computer Boys did, or would have done.” That includes the following personnel decisions which, taken as a whole, actively make the team worse:

Jussi Jokinen got bought out despite huge possession numbers two years in a row (over 53 percent both years), a perfectly fine contract ($4 million), and a shootout skill that all but ensures you get a few extra points every year (close to a 40 percent success rate).

He made no attempt to re-sign Jaromir Jagr despite his status as a clear top-line player at his position.

He not only let Vegas take Marchessault, a 30-goal scorer on a sub-$1 million contract, in the expansion draft, he actively traded Reilly Smith, a youngish possession driver whose normal strong goalscoring record was undone by a shooting percent of 6.7 last season, to entice them to do so. As if they needed the enticement.

Most recently, he traded Demers, who’s a good second-pairing guy, to Arizona for forward Jamie McGinn, who is just bad in any circumstance. And he retained salary to make that trade happen. (Confirmed by local media: He first tried to trade Demers to Vancouver for Erik Gudbranson, who’s arguably even worse at what he does than McGinn, but Demers rejected the trade.)

This is irresponsibility of the highest order. The Panthers roster had its problems, but none of them were the guys Tallon either actively or passively let go. Then you look at the guys he brought in, apart from McGinn, who is bad. Michael Haley, who sucks. Radim Vrbata, who fills some sort of second-line role but he’s certainly no Jagr. And that’s it.

The message here is clear enough based on the talent swapped in and out: Tallon thinks the team succeeded two years ago on “effort” and “being hard to play against,” and absolutely not on “a PDO of 102.2.” The hiring of Bob Boughner, known in his playing days as a real hard-nosed kind of a player, seems to confirm this thinking.

(That two of his big pickups this summer were Arizona Coyotes, who have been decidedly not hard for anyone to play against for a good long time doesn’t really help Tallon win the argument, or more hockey games.)

The good news is Tallon has a good, young core to fall back on. Basically all their good forwards are under 25 and therefore still set to improve (if they can stay healthy) and the blue line of Ekblad, Yandle, Pysyk, Petrovic, Matheson, and one more guy seems pretty solid. If Luongo bounces back, great, and if not, Reimer looks like he can carry the load a ways.

However, forward depth seems to be a major issue. Who puts the puck in the net once the top line comes off the ice? And moreover, what do Huberdeau and Barkov look like away from Jagr, who has a bit of a talent for making already-good young forwards suddenly look like great young forwards? These are major questions with no clear answers.

The Panthers are now a team that has suddenly and markedly rejected “process,” because “process” didn’t work for a single injury-riddled season, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Tallon were also acting out because he felt a little hard done by with the whole Computer Boys thing. Don’t see why he’d want to take it out on his roster.

Whether the Panthers will return to their winning ways or continue to mire in the NHL’s non-playoff doldrums as they did for much of Tallon’s initial reign — he took over in 2010 and played just 13 playoff games in seven seasons — is obviously consequential, but now they’re going to win or lose on Tallon’s terms.

At least when they lost last season, you could see the process behind what they were doing. If they lose again this season — which seems more likely than not — they have no apparent process to go on, save for whatever idea occurs to Tallon next June. If things go sideways because Tallon threw a summer-long temper tantrum, where do you go from there? If you accept that as the cost of doing business, how far back are you resetting the odometer on this new, worse process?

They don’t say, “Trust the process but only for one season,” because the process takes time and occasionally, mitigating circumstances will slow or even reverse your apparent progress. Patience is a virtue for a reason.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

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