ros3

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

posting this wip before i go to bed cause i'm so so tired aughgah<333

[eekispyykes]

Mr Sparklepuff Feline Obituary 5.1.2020/Abridged

Mr Puffs 4-2002-  5-1-2020

by Michael Bench

Mr Puffs was an excellent friend and adventurous hiker. He loved to be outdoors. A ferocious mouser ; he did an arc'ing jump on mice and chipmunks from 2 clumps of brush away. The porch frankly stank from all his gifts. An amazing climber and very fast sprinter crossing a square acre in about 3.5sec. Some would ask why he was named as such and close friends know the whole story. A primary point was so people had a good vibe about him and would let him be. In the past two years  he had cancer of the face that spread. He had been treated with surgery to remove the tumor. At a shade over 18yo, he set to rest as every night he was shivvering in normal home temp and couldn't keep weight on; refusing to leave the couch; hating being put in pet clothes/infant flannel.

2017-2020 were tough years for him adjusting to a new stray friend we “adopted” from the wild. They were startingn to get along. It played into the stress.I feel bad about this. it split us up somewhat.  My younger cat was more forceful about claiming me. It weighs on me; Frankly it seemed like a few rape attempts also that difficulted the social cue of ‘normal cat spooning”.. Mr Puffs was able to get out on a van ride of Fogelsville,PA about three months ago. He also gave some love to his plush hedgehog toy. He gave it a consensual drilling every once a while or daily.

What you should know about Mr Puffs:

:My grilling deputy  and trout inspector

:Loved to play the mysterious thing under blanket or newspaper game

:Love to play the mysterious tapping fingers under the many basement stairs game

:Fine taste in music and loved being my karaoke fan. Love you buddy. Not very keen on Tv after Keenan Michael Keys left Animal  Planet's morning show.

:Enjoyed less usual faire like potatoes and adored bbq chicken pizza; he could handle medium wings. He WAS WARNED each time and kept him away from it till it was obvious he wanted it. Honey ham, turkey, .. and salami**. Mind you, he has never been overweight and was complimented by his first vet for muscle tone. It's his compliment to own.

:Enjoyed jumping apartment building gaps while in town: we had to rough it for a month in a storage facility after an unexpected eviction.. which we then would go for walks 1a-3a to get his exercise and water the landscape mulch at 11th street Fred Meyers. There's a little marsh back behind the store that became our little daytime haven.

:His Hiking career started in Eugene, OR. We would go night walking ,w/o a leash and whenever someone was coming he would detour off the sidewalk and into the nearest house’s bushes.. This was optimal because he would get back on the lit sidewalk and learn to keep course. This advanced to 5-7 mile hikes from U Oregon campus to Hendrix park and back. One trip such trip he was panting so he didn’t really want to run away anywhere or into traffic fortunately.. The sun had come out of the cloud cover and heated things up above the usual. We stopped at an icecream place on the way back on the edge of campus: Agate and 19th. Even though he was tired, he was a smart and collected guy. so he slinked to the back of the shop till I came back out..It was like escorting the supermodel of manly cats.  It was at this time I knew leashes or more distant locations were necessary.  

:While we were driving back to Pennsylvania, he decided to have a playfrenzy on the dashboard while I was in heavy traffic nearabouts of Nebraska/Rushmore on the interstate.

:Short story : Since he now had room in the yard to runaround Puffs tested his speed and momentum to get up tree trunks. Our front yard had a medium sized maple oak something. Mr Puffs ran up the tree and alarmed a family of nesting doves. The doves and Mr Puffs seemed to flee the tree foilage each in horizontal directions at about 8ft off the ground.  

:Other than a shoulder injury from a fight of somesort, he was very durable. His parent's owners had coined him 'Jaco” after the famous bass player.. A green -eyed Russian Blue tuxedo, angular white paws.  with little white hairs across his coat. At times I also referred to him as “Cactus Jack”. Massive front incisors like a miniature sabertooth. I pitied the rabbits who he caught which were still squealing.

:Another Short Story. I coaxed my mom to live a little and put that front addition on the house she always wanted. She got an enclosed porch. Theres an open porch on the back of the house also. When the framing was done.. I went out to the backyard to enjoy the night sky, I heard nothing. When I turned around I had two bright eyes scaring me  to the ground. From 9ft, the top of the roof porch he looked at me Apparently Puffs had climbed the 8ft of framing from the work table, crossed the rafters, crossed the whole house roof and decided to voyeur me on the other side of the house. I was very glad he didn't tempt the electric lines whose pole he had tried to climb other days.Stressing moments on me as well.

:Puffs became a pro at taking baths since 2017, and getting nails trimmed at the same time. The trim helped him jump (getting pad purchase)  and helped the furniture too.

:Another quick story. Cats can swim. I took him to go swimming in the creek and that went pretty good the first time. (Must always be on leash. And probably use partially inflated swimmy muscle). He was really comfortable in the water if it was shallow(2.5ft). The problem with the creek is its near a road so don't be near roads even with the leash on.  He was swimming a good crawl in about 4ft.  A fish mustve brushed his foot because he panicked and started jumping out of the water like a bass on a hook. I literally had to swing him in the air (with leash) and onto the shore into some leaves and grass. There's some fault in not being close enough to him to pick him up out of the water directly. He swam pretty good and at range.  To ease that trauma.. (nearly heart attack probably; that went sour) , I let him calm down. At a much shallower area no taller than his knees(5-6”) I set him into the stream without much resentment and just petted him to get him calm.  (He wasn't a lap cat before that either.) At that point the swimming  got shuttered for downhill walks and other casual stuff.

: On similar climbing points.. even till about 2015, he liked to jump the gap from the upright piano top (4ft) to the top of the entertainment center (7.5 ft) plus the hallway gap of  3.5 ft and he was really solid at it. Would stay up there for a while and then jump down onto the sofa table (3 ft tall).. He was always calculating a new feat. When that one item stopped being in his wheelhouse it was clear he was getting bothered/ annoyed and the stress of a cat territory issue wore him down.

If you were to be near him, you'd end up watching him. This statue of a male cat with really long tail. Not lemur-long but really long.. a gray panther. And, maybe you'd try to pet him since he looked inviting. Yet, you wouldn't get much petting done. He'd probably tolerate two brushes and then give your hand a carving with his claws, hiss at you and find a new place to observe the room,  That said, he would cruise the neighborhood looking which apartment I might've visited, slink in and check out how other people decorated. A very dignified personality, sometimes to the point of indignant.  He was  a cat you'd want to clone over and over because he was just that cool on himself. Cloning him was on the slate too until those type of businesses were closed with political force.. He actually inspired a jazz song  (currently in midi form) that I’ve yet to record. I was tore up about his first cancer surgery so I started writing. Hope that will be out soon enuff. I hope this can help you appreciate Mr Puffs. He was buried at a spot he chose. It was nearby a set of brush he would choose to hide in hours near the middle of  hikes.

.. he loved to hide.  Back in Oregon I'd take him  in the van with my mentally handicapped clients. He'd be set loose to get his relaxation in. By the time it was time to leave. he wanted to stay. He hid in bushes and culverts. I learned very quickly that such outings had to be local or I'd be driving back hours to go get him at night or worse. Once I knew that, we'd take rides on the bus to the edges of the bus line and just chill on hills overlooking boating lakes. Fern Ridge Reservoir had a nice pine overlook off Territorial hwy.  He really enjoyed outings and variety. Maybe thats what kept him interested as a matter of longevity. I want to end on that.  He showed me lessons in best intentions and good in the bad.. and murdering all my Egyptian spiny mice within hours of acquiring them and their replacements. Its not like I wouldn't have gotten him a feeder mouse but there were plenty stinking up the walkway as it was. I'm blessed to have spent that month sheltered in a renta-shed with him. It seems the alternative .. without having enough for a pet deposit elsewhere (that moment) was to lower my standards for the landlords daughter and by whatever 'influence' she had. 'evicted us for periodic renovations”. So, eventually we chose instead to leave and he got a brims of fieldmice, chipmunks and forest romping. I hope that was an appreciated choice. He liked city life too. Should you choose to tribute to Mr Puffs, I welcome it. He’d be the type of cat Dos Equis beer would be looking for if he actually drank it.

Hope you’re feeling better, Puffs; BFF 

[northcountry39]

QOTS Tarot Symbolism 3x08-3x11

Eyyy so I got way behind on these, and since I really want to wrap it up before the start of S4, here is a more general overview of the tarot card symbolism for the back end of S3 (eps 8-11). Will hopefully finish up the last two tomorrow - thanks for all your support for this series. It’s been fun!! 

Let’s get started with Episode 8 “El Carro” or “The Chariot.” Very fitting for an ep that is full of fast cars!

Episode 3x08 El Carro/The Chariot

This tarot card depicts a warrior riding a chariot and symbolizes victory, determination, and achieving your goals. The fact that he’s driving the chariot without reins shows that he’s achieving success through strength of will, and his standing position indicates that he’s all about action and moving forward.

If this card turns up in a reading, it can indicate that you will win an upcoming battle and that you will be able to overcome any setbacks through hard work, aggressive action, and courage. 

This episode we see Teresa making some moves and laying a lot of the groundwork for the defeat of Pecas and takeover of la Comision in the following ep. And there are certainly bumps in the road - losing some of their product, KG’s capture, Tonto’s death and Lil T’s injuries, to name a few. But their strategic move in making a deal with Mayo at the end of the ep is setting them up nicely – as Teresa says, “when the time is right, we’ll kill them all.” Victory is ahead! 

From a relationship standpoint, this card emphasizes the need to work through rough patches with good communication. We see Teresa having some honest conversations with James (both in the car and in the bathroom later) as well as with Pote to help clear the air after everything that went down in the previous ep (wine cellar etc).

Episode 3x09 El Diablo/The Devil

The Devil card shows, well…the Devil! This one is interesting. It can appear when you are on the verge of a big breakthrough or upward movement, which is certainly the case for Teresa in her takeover of Phoenix. She’s also making a “deal with the devil” (however briefly) in working with Mayo to eliminate Pecas. 

The Devil can represent entrapment, too, and Teresa and the gang pull off a clever ploy that ends with their enemies all dead otherwise “trapped” in jail. Plus my main man KG is sadly languishing in captivity, imprisoned by Cortez and his goons.

Teresa is also flirting with the “dark side” in her ruthless elimination of her competition - this card can symbolize a conscious choice to embark on a darker path with confidence and courage, and I think there are shades of that here (in particular executing Pecas + her phone call with Mayo at the end).

Pleasure, lust, and raw sexuality are also associated with the Devil, and the final moments of the ep do get pretty steamy... ;) 

On that note, in terms of relationships, the Devil encourages you to break free of any anxieties and inner fears that might be standing in the way of achieving your desires. And throughout the ep, we see James and Teresa coming back together (we’ll run Phoenix how we want, we’ll do it together) and building towards that epic moment where they tear off each other’s clothes and...yes. 

Episode 3x10 La Muerte/Death

A skeleton riding a white horse, but not as ominous as it looks! Death is about new beginnings, change, and transformation - it symbolizes closing the door on a certain phase of your life and embracing new possibilities. Letting go of the past can be challenging, but it’s to make way for a richer and more fulfilling experience in the present.

I think this is really the essence of Teresa’s hallucination experience. While in El Santo dreamland, she makes the choice to leave the familiarity and security of her memories and fantasy what-might-have-beens with Guero to embrace the life she actually has. To keep going despite all the pain and hardship and uncertainty. Quote Queenpin: “Your life is painful and ugly, but it’s yours.” 

When El Santo tells Teresa that the darkness that he saw in her before had is gone, I think it’s referring at least in part to that weight being lifted. Rebirth is also kind of El Santo’s schtick, which fits well with the death card - the old version of yourself has to die so the new one can emerge and thrive. The past is behind you, and the future is up for grabs! 

Episode 3x11 Diez de Copas/Ten of Cups 

Oh boy. The Ten of Cups is the “happy family” card. It depicts a loving couple with their children, and it is all about joy, contentment, and being surrounded by loved ones. Which is how we open this ep - Teresa and her gang having a delightful family-style BBQ pool party with lots of laughs and tequila.

Sadly, this idyllic scene doesn’t last. When reversed, the Ten of Cups represents increased distance between you and your loved ones, poor communication, and breakup of familial or romantic relationships. By the end of the ep, James and Teresa have had a falling out over the mole situation, and we all know the sad way in which Teresa’s friendship with Kelly Anne ends. :(

This card can also mean you are deviating from your personal moral code. Ordering KA’s execution, for example, is not necessarily in keeping with Teresa’s earlier idealism of “a better way of doing business.” But doing what is necessary to survive AND staying true to your heart is certainly no simple matter. 

Thanks for reading! Last two eps coming soon. :) 

[distractionpie]

5.) “Quick! Pretend that we’re dating” with Winnix or Baberoe.

Both below:

Babe got dared to jump from the roof to the trampoline by Bill and he’s not going to listen to any ‘why would you think that was a good idea dumbass???’ remarks because there were a whole bunch of people there at the time and nobody tried to stop him so clearly it’s not that obvious that it was a terrible suggestion. Of course, when he promptly bounced right off the trampoline and onto the pavement, he smacked his head hard enough to be out cold for a few minutes and while none of the onlookers might have had the sense to stop him they do have the sense to call an ambulance so that he’ll get checked over.

Just as the ambulance is arriving he grabs Gene by the sleeve and says “Quick! Pretend that we’re dating!”

When Gene asks why Babe’s reasoning is that he doesn’t want to go in the ambulance on his own but that they’ll only let a significant other or relative in with him. Gene tries to explain that isn’t how it works but Babe is very insistent and kind of out of it from the head injury and having been drinking so Gene’s logic isn’t really penetrating.

So, Gene plays along. Kind of.

The problem is twofold.

One, Babe is a terrible actor who is really overdoing it.

Two, the paramedics know Gene and they’re pretty sure he doesn’t have a boyfriend.

And it only gets worse when they get to the hospital, because not only do the ER staff know Gene doesn’t have a boyfriend, but more than a few of them have heard him talking with Renee about his crush, and guess who happens to fit the description of Gene’s crush right down to the last freckle?

That’s right, the guy currently laying across a row of chairs with his head in Gene’s lap and making very loud declarations of his love.

Fortunately for Gene (or maybe not), Babe is sufficiently out of it not to get suspicious of the fact that Gene’s face has gone a funny shade of pink all over and that pretty much every staff member who comes through keeps giving them very significant and amused looks.

Nix might be the one to say it but it’s Dick’sfault the idea is in his head in the first place.

All that talk about maturity and how he shouldn’tlet the fact he’s grown to wonder what he ever saw in Kathy (he knows, he sawsomebody who shared enough of his flaws that they managed an understanding, buttwo damaged people who weren’t even trying to improve was hardly the foundationfor a family) show in front of the kid.

So, he says he’ll go to the birthday party and hedoesn’t cancel even when he finds out the new husband, the step-dad willbe coming along.

And Dick happens to be headed the same way on thesame day, so he agrees to give Nix a ride (they both know Nix is gonna end upresorting to liquid courage to get him through this, Dick doesn’t approve buthe supposes it’s a step up from Nix not going at all) and they’re pulling up infront of the party location and Kathy is there looking all ‘perfect couple’-ywith her new husband and it’s not that Nix isn’t over her or is jealous of himbut he knows these sorts of people and knows what they’re like and he has thesinking realisation that he’s going to be asked polite questions about what he’sdoing with his life and if he’s moved on and he might be content with his ownsituation but he knows that by their standards he’ll seem like a washed upfailure.

So he blurts it out. And while Dick is stillblinking in total confusion Nix leans over and kisses him.

Then he gets out of the car and doesn’t look back,and hopes that Dick’s face doesn’t give away that things between them aren’twhat Nix wants Kathy to think they are.

On the plus side, Kathy is looking so shocked thatNix is sure he’s going to be spared the condescending questions simply becausehe had ripped away her frame of reference for what to ask. On the other hand,he’s probably going to have to do a lot of damage control with Dick later.

[horrible-writer-rain]

Chapter 3: Relocation

"Мне жаль. Если бы я знал-" says Alister when he takes in my appearance. "Ты все равно сделал бы это как хороший солдат." I repy cutting him off. He sighs before motioning for us to leave. He leads us to an old model truck and opens the door for me. I hesitate looking from him to the truck. I didn't trust him. He had turned his back on me. Though afraid that he would yell at me I comply and get into the truck. Sitting next to him I was aware of how I looked. Anytime I could bathe I was beaten in the baths and I only had the clothes Gemma gave me to wear. I knew I smelled and that I need clean clothes. I take a deep breath inhaling the same calming scent that clung to Alister's own scent. I couldn't discern any of the individual scents other than it was a mix of spicy and eathy scents with a hint of musk and something sweet. It most likely belonged to a male.I felt a sense of dread the further we got from the orphanage, from my pack. I wondered if James had already contacted the others or if he knew I had no means of contacting him if I was in trouble. I didn't have an omni-tool and had no knowledge on how to use one. Hell, I didn't know how to operate half the shit we had especially tech wise. I lay my head against the window and watch as the bustling streets of Vancouver change to swathes of forest and fields. I don't realize I have past out until I feel a pair of arms wrap around me.

I inhale sharply finding that I can easily discern the scents that clung to Alister. The earthy scents were rosewood, white pine, and a hint of sandalwood and evergreen. The spicy scents were patchouli and cardamon. The musk identified the scent belonged to a male and the hint of something sweet was maple. I could also smell ezo. They were a biotic. I could feel his biotics buzzing slightly, though unruly they were comforting like Ivan's. If his scent was only sandalwood, cardamon and musk then I would believe it. His scent was complex and I find myself nuzzling closer to the person. Rosewood, patchouli and maple were the predominant scents that clung to him. I'm too exhausted to open my eyes and in pain to protest. I hear mumbling and then I feel myself be moved before the heady and warm scent floods my senses stronger. They must have pushed my head into the crook of their neck where their scents the strongest. I hiss lowly when they start walking my ribs and broken shoulder barking in protest. They stop before I feel a dark energy field surround me and I feel weightless. I start to panic until I realize that he was trying to ease my discomfort. Though, I miss his scent immediately. I feel my body be layed on something soft and the dark energy recedes leaving me cold. I smell the male's scent again but this time fainter as though its clung to some type of fabric. I once again here the murmurs of people talking but I allow myself to relax and fall further into unconsciousness.

{So, pretty much her body and mind decided that she was safe to sleep. Plus, the scent and biotics of the male or rather Kaidan has a calming effect on her. This will be elaborated on later. Most likely in the ME 3 portion of the book/series}

Kaidan's pov~

I had decided to pay a visit to my mother figuring my dad was still on duty. "Ma?" I call out into the foyer and hear a muffled response from my mother. I make my way to the kitchen to find my mother cleaning. "What's wrong?" I ask noting that she was stress cleaning. "A girl is going to be staying with us for a little while until her father can get to her."she says scrubbing at the already pristine stove. "If that's all then why are you stressing?" I ask her confused. "She's a transgenetic and a biotic. I'm worried on the state of her condition when she gets here. Alister dropped her off at a Vancouver orphanage at the Alliance's orders. You've seen first hand how they treat biotics. Its 10 times worse for trangenetics." she says turning towards me. "My father did what?" I ask in calm outrage. He should have known what it was like for biotics. Hell, he had seen how we were treated in BAat and how I was treated after and according to my mother it was going to be 10 times worse. "I think I still have some medical supplies in the spare office. Do you mind getting them for me? I want to be prepared." she asks and I nod.I make my way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the spare office. I see her medical kit from when she was working for the Alliance in the genetic division and grab it. I wasn't sure how good this stuff would work being roughly 20 years old but it would have to do for now. "Here, though do you know what she is?" I ask referring to her genetic make-up. "All I know form her age and biotics is that she's in the Gene X-5 group." she tells me and I nod. "She had completely human features except when Alister pulled me from her. I was allowing her to scent me. She most likely has either Turian, Drell, or Krogan DNA. She could have all three but without seeing her file I wouldn't know. Most GX-5's were crossbreeds of most if not all the species to some extent." she tells me and I nod. "If she has human features than how did you know she was a trangenetic?" I ask intrigued. My mom's work had always fascinated me although a cruel program. I was around 13 when news spread of a riot on Algentix-Ceres Space Station. It told of some of the horrors the kids went through. Though what was released was already happening at BAat so, I didn't pay any mind to it. It was years later that I learned from my mother that it was way worse for them than at jump zero.

She had left after being exposed to element zero through one of her pregnant mother's. The mother didn't want to give her child up and had attempted to flee hurting herself in the process and exposing my mom, who was pregnant with me at the time, along with others to high levels of ezo."She had 2 uniquely colored eyes and a unique shade of hair. The eyes gave it away when I met her though her dark red violet biotics gave her away to Alister and the Alliance nurses. She freaked when one of the staff tried to subdue her with his biotics. He had an L-3 implant so, its no wonder her reaction was so severe. She's only compatible with L1 and L2 amped biotics or most likely Asari and Krogan as well." she tells me. "Why did her features change when dad pulled you away from her?" I ask trying to think of a reason why and coming up with nothing. "Scents are important to any transgenic especially the females. She most likely detected in my scent something that identified me as a mother. She was trying to protect me. Scents are unique to each of us and to trangenetics its how they identify each other as well as their familial unit. They have a pack mentality. The "mothers" and females are most fiercly protected as well as the youngest."she says and I nod. "You have some of these traits as well." she says and I stiffen. "I know you Kaidan. I gave birth to you. You have the pack mentality and have a slightly enhanced sens of smell and hearing." she says and I relax slightly. It was true I did share traits with transgenetics. "How long have you known?" I ask her and her brows furrow in thought. "When Ivan died. He was your pack along side your other group of friend at jump zero. Though, you two were closer. He was a transgenetic. The Gene X-3 group." she tells me and I nod. "He has a sister. She was in the Gene X-5 group as well. His mom was forced into the program again after producing a pure-blood." she tells me and I nod again. Ivan had told me about his little sister in BAat. How he wanted to get her out of there once he enlisted. He wanted to protect her and look out for her so, she wouldn't go through what he did. He succeed though only when she was nine and that was because he had connections within the Alliance as well as some political members. He was a few months older than me. His mom was the one that accidentally exposed my mother to ezo. My mom had talked about how she had profusely apologized when she found out she had exposed me and mom to ezo.

"So, I'm dying to know what I smell like." she tells me pulling me out of my thoughts. "Marigold, and dirt with a hint of something Jasmine. Dad and you share evergreen. I'm guessing my scent has a hint of it too because were a familial unit? Dad smells like gun oil and apples. They predominate his scent. I've only ever smelled evergreen and Jasmine because I have had my face to your scent gland." I tell her and she nods. "I think the girl could faintly pick up on the jasmine. Jasmine, sage and Fennel have been said to be associated with motherhood by transgenetics for non transgenetics. . Transgenetics secreate a phermone that signifies that they have had offspring. Mated pairs share a paticular scent unique to the trangenetic, in the case that only one partner is transgenetic, or the "Male" in the group or pair, in case of both being transgenetics." she says and I nod. "That's a lot of information you just spouted out at me mom." I tell her and she laughs. "I know but I figured you should know." she tells me before sitting at the table. "Can you tell me more?" I ask her and she nods motioning for me to sit. I sit and she explains to me the hierarchy of the Transgenetics along with some of their behavior and a more in depth explanation on why scents are so important to them.

I perk up at the sound of my dad's truck. I get up and head outside. "She's asleep and I know I can't get near her. She only slept because she's exhausted." my dad says opening her door. I nod my head at him before approaching the sleeping girl. My breath catches as I see her spit lip and swollen black eye. I knew it wasn't the extent of her injuries but these were pretty bad. I pick her up bridal style. I can feel her biotics reaching out to mine. I feel and hear her inhale sharply before nuzzling into me. "She trusts you." my father grumbles out walking forward. I knew he wanted the girl to trust him but it was most likely my biotics because her's were reacting to mine calmly and they seemed to calm mine down. My mother has a look on her face I can't quite make out in the fading light. I feel the urge to have her nuzzling my scent gland rather than where my shoulder meets my arm so, pretty much my armpit. I obey and a rumble leaves me when she nuzzles into it. I stare at my mom with wide eyes. "What did I just do?" I ask her as she comes near me. "You, in a way, purred." she tells me in a chuckle. I start to walk but stop when she hisses. I wrap her in a biotic field and lift her lightly. Enough so she can't feel my movements as I walk but not enough for her to not be nuzzling into my neck.

I try scenting her but I can't pick out her individual scent its a muddle of mixed scents that all belong to males. Was she raped by them? I tense and inhale again but find no scent of blood or semen. I relax slightly but I know she was at least beaten by someone or someones. A deeper rumble leaves me. "That was a growl." my mom says before I can even think of asking her what that was. Why was she pulling these reactions out of me. "Your reacting like any transgenetic male would with a wounded transgenetic female. Its instinctual." she says as she leads me upstairs into my bedroom. She helps me lay her down. "Why my room?" I ask. "She recognizes you as a transgenetic." she says and I nod. It was comforting to her. I go to leave but a whimper leaves her and I stop mid-step growling at my mother. "I'm trying to help her. Go and help your father with dinner." she tells me and I don't move. For some reason I can't leave her like this. "Fine, help me undress her so I can assess the damage better and her legs were cut up by glass and wood splinters. Then, sit your ass down and be quite." she snaps at me and I respond with a growl. What the fuck is going on?

A/N~ Longest chapter so far? Seems like it. I didn't want to stop but figured I would stop here and post what I have. Why is he acting like this if he hasn't before?

Translations:

Russian-

Мнежаль. Если бы я знал.=I'm sorry. If i knew.

Тывсе равно сделал бы это как хороший солдат=You would still do it like a good soldier

[dpinoycosmonaut]

THE KATIPUNAN SERIES: A POST-MORTEM

by Reuel Hermoso / January 01, 2019

          And finally, it has come home to roost – again – on the south end of Katipunan Avenue.

         The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles are, for the second time in as many seasons, the champions of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.  They successfully quelled the challenge posed by the upstart University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons by handily beating down the pretenders to the throne in two straight games in their best-of-three series early in December.  No need for a Game 3 to settle the matter, as we predicted.

         Banking on 10 years of finals experience since the institutionalization of the Final Four format in 1993 – and successfully clinching the title seven times in that span – the Blue Eagles showed the Fighting Maroons and the rest of the UAAP why they deserve to continue being the basketball kings of the UAAP hill for a second year in a row.  With a lockdown defense that was merciless in picking the ball from the opponents’ hands – whether in the backcourt even before a play could be set up or in the post when the shot is methodically denied so that the ball ends up in a Blue Eagle’s hands – and with an offensive juggernaut that runs roughshod over any opponent, the Blue Eagles were like the Roman legion laying Germania or Judea to waste during their finals battle with the Maroons.

         Without going into too much detail of the play-by-play of the two finals games, let’s look instead at the numbers, and validate our analysis in particular plays we saw in those two games.

         Game 1 held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City was pretty much a nip-and-tuck affair.  As my resident breakfast-table analyst Pocholo Hermoso of the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School aptly put it, UP played good offense and defense for three and one-fourth quarters.  The problem is, the game is played for four full quarters, and it was in the end game where the Blue Eagles shed their neighborly image and let loose a clampdown that saw the Maroons’ chief gunners Paul Desiderio and Juan Gomez de Liaño, affectionately referred to within and outside UP as Juan GDL (his brother would be Javi GDL), turn in their lowest outputs for the season with just five and 17 points, respectively.  Juan averaged in the mid-20s so clearly a defensive master plan was prepared for him especially.  

         The result was a 9-2 blast by the Blue Eagles in the clutch, and an 88-79 decision in favor of the boys in blue-and-white and a virtual twice-to-beat advantage for the crown.  Point guard Matt Nieto erupted with a career-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting, of which nine were scored in the final canto – truly a clutch performance that finally quelled the Maroons’ sporadic uprisings throughout the course of the game.  Jun Manzo, UP’s energy bunny in the backcourt, was the lone bright spot for the Maroons with 19 points as Bright Akhuetie himself was sidelined for most of the game after a positional shove by Ateneo big man Angelo Kouame inadvertently caused the UP big to hyperextend his left knee, although he was able to return to the game late in the final quarter.

         Manzo was the one single Maroon that consistently played the thorn on the Blue Eagles’ side throughout the game, attacking Ateneo’s inside D and pulling up from the outside to wreak havoc on the Eagles’ perimeter D.  Some tactical adjustments by coach Tab Baldwin where defensive specialist Gian Mamuyac was put on Manzo provided a solid denial defense on the UP guard, limiting his touches in the fourth and helping suppress UP’s scoring to only 18 markers in that crucial stretch.  Ateneo, meanwhile, had 25 markers anchored on three shots by Matt Nieto from trifecta country that took the wind out of the Maroons’ lungs for good.

         Despite the Game 1 loss, the Maroons and their tireless fan base were far from discouraged, taking their fight to social media in a flurry of exchanges from both sides of Katipunan.  The exchanges led to a level of acrimony that reached such a scale hitherto unseen between the students and alumni of both universities.  For most Ateneans, the real guys to pile on in the UAAP were the La Sallites, their nemeses for so many UAAP battles (and even back in the NCAA), so they were quite unused to seeing this kind of antagonism coming from the north side of Katipunan, especially since students from both universities would often mingle in common areas along the avenue, such as the UP Town Center, the Regis Center, and a whole host of eateries and drinking holes in the Loyola Heights area. Their alumni never talked about basketball rivalries between them; usually it’s the Ateneans who talked about their latest episodes in the UAAP wars, with the UP alumni nodding or shaking their heads but always in agreement, and saying very little.

         So this year’s sideline antics were quite new and bewildering to many on the blue side – as was the matchup itself.  Some UP folks like celebrities Gretchen Fullido and Rikki Flores-Reyes, former courtside reporters for the Maroons, proffered explanations on Mico Halili’s “The Score” on ABS-CBN Sports+Action channel, practically begging their Katipunan neighbors and anyone else who cared to listen to understand that they haven’t been in the finals for 32 years, and thus the level and type of emotion can sometimes get out of hand.  This explanation, however, doesn’t wash when one considers that in 2014, the National University Bulldogs also reached the finals – and won it! – after 60 long years, but their community did not seem to be as curmudgeonly as UP’s was.  Of course, we could ask their opponents for the top prize, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws and their supporters, if they did feel some heat from the Bulldog fan base.

         But regardless of what the sideshows were churning out, it was clear that the Blue Eagles had gained the upperhand, and would be ready to finish off the Maroons in Game 2.  Below-the-radar betting pundits gave UP a plus 19.5 heading into the December 5 game, meaning a bettor betting on UP to win needs to have his team win by 20 points for him to take home the jackpot.  In local parlance, UP was dejado (not favored) while Ateneo was llamado (favored to win).  Nonetheless, the Fighting Maroon fan base would not be deterred from showing up in Game 2 in the similarly large numbers that came throughout UP’s two Final Four games and in Game 1.  The crowds in both Game 1 at the MOA Arena and Game 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum were decidedly at least 60 percent Maroon.  They came to show their love and devotion, nothing less than full support, for their boys, and this was evident in both games in the championship series.

         But, as the Ateneans in the gallery liked to say: “Outnumbered, but never outfought!” and this was unmistakable in terms of the cheering.  It did help Barangay Loyola Heights (as the Ateneo crowd is often called) that, as the opening canto was halfway through, their boys did not disappoint them, thus the cheering and heckling from the blue side of the coliseum was as loud and lusty as that coming from the Diliman Republic.  

         The Fighting Maroons won the opening jump ball, and commenced hostilities on a Paul Desiderio three-point jumper.  For the first few minutes, it was a nip-and-tuck affair similar to Game 1, with Jarrel Lim also throwing in a bucket, and it seemed for a while that UP was ready to take this down the wire, this time with a different and happy ending.  But no sooner had Paul’s trey sunk when it was quickly followed by a Thirdy Ravena layup, the first two in an avalanche of points and all-around performance for the ages that would forever write Ravena’s name large and wide in the annals of UAAP and Ateneo basketball history.  Thirdy’s monster 38 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field, including 100 percent from the free-throw line (7-of-7), which went with five rebounds, six assists and three steals, all came together excellently for a virtuoso feat that may take some time to be matched.  Desiderio himself put on a steady, heady show, scoring 15 points – clearly showing his resolve to make up for the clampdown that the Ateneo D had handcuffed him with in Game 1.  

          On the other hand, the tragic hero in UP’s failed drive to bag Game 1 with 19 points on  8-of-11 shooting, Manzo, was practically nowhere to be seen in Game 2 as he went 0-of-2 from the floor.  Juan GDL as always, was dependable, coming off the bench and pouring in 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, scoring inside and from medium range (going 5-of-9 on two pointers) as well as from beyond the arc (3-of-5 shooting).  In the low blocks, Bright Akhuetie, who was hobbled not so much by his injury from Game 1 – he was able to return to the game in the second half of Game 1’s final quarter – paced all of UP’s starters with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

Figure 1. Scoring development and comparative stats, Ateneo vs. UP, UAAP 81 Men’s Basketball Finals

         Just how dominating were the Blue Eagles in Game 2?  Let’s look at the data (Figure1) provided by Genius Sports and archived at https://www.fibalivestats.com/u/UAAP/1061917/bs.html , which we provide here.  Check out, in particular, the scoring development of the game, which plots how the game progressed based on the scores accumulated by either team.  Period 1 (P1 in the chart above, or the first quarter) was the only time when UP led in the game – the rest of the way it was all Ateneo.  UP had its chances, especially with Juan not letting up and trying his darnedest to lift his team, along with Paul, in the dying minutes of the game, when everything had been settled except the final score.  With great effort, Juan and Paul were able to help bring the Eagles’ final winning margin below 20 points – 99-81 – on a Gelo Vito runner in the shaded lane.

         If one looks at the data (Figure 2) though, while the Blue Eagles were clearly ahead in some departments, the Fighting Marrons weren’t that far behind or were even better than their neighbors in other areas.  In regular field goal shooting, the Blue Eagles’ 58 percent (on 30-of-51 clip) is decidedly better with a 14 percent margin versus the Fighting Maroons’ 44 percent (on 23-of-52 shooting).  But from beyond the arc, the Diliman boys had the edge, although not by much statistically (depending on your margin of error).  Ateneo shot more three-balls – 24 of them – but made only 33 percent of them, while UP shot less with 19 attempts, sinking seven trifectas in all.

Figure 2. Other comparative stats (rebounds, assists, etc.), UP vs. Ateneo, UAAP 81 Men’s Basketball Finals

         However, it was from the free-throw line that UP could have made the final score a bit more decent; the Fighting Maroons were given 25 free throws, of which 11 they bricked out, for a 56 percent success rate.  The Blue Eagles were given just 17 attempts from the charity stripe and missed only two for a whopping 88 percent success rate.  Free throws, as anyone who has played the game knows, are a surefire way to get your shooting going, especially when you’ve been throwing bricks from the field.  Sinking your charities places your mindset in a proper frame, enabling you to finally score, whether in the post, the wings, or the backcourt.  That UP missed so many chances to get back in the game was telling, and it was clear all game long – all series long – who was really at home in a finals setting, and who was the outsider who had busted in.

         Looking at the other figures, again, we can see how UP’s numbers weren’t so bad.  Of course, rebounds would expectedly go the way of Ateneo – 51 vs. 33 – with 15 of the Blue Eagles’ total boards coming from the offensive end.  Of the Fighting Maroons’ 33 caroms, 10 were cleaned off the offensive glass.  But in other departments, UP was able to go toe-to-toe with Ateneo – it moved the ball quite well (tied at 16 assists apiece), picked more pockets (8-7 in steals), had less turnovers (16-11), and even scored more in transition (16 fastbreak points vs. Ateneo’s 15).  More importantly, the Fighting Maroons’ second and even third units were decidedly better than that of the Blue Eagles’, with bench scoring at 45 markers against Ateneo’s 38.

         So how did the game end up being such a lopsided affair?  Off hand, I don’t think an 18-point winning margin is so lopsided.  By making key plays on both ends of the floor, the Maroons could have brought themselves within striking distance and perhaps even upset the fancied Blue Eagles with a Game 2 win to force a Game 3 rubber match.  The scoring by quarters would seem to indicate that this was possible – Q1 at 25-13, Q2 at 48-37, and Q3 at 70-56 – all in Ateneo’s favor.  But these are not out-of-reach leads by any stretch of the imagination.  The Blue Eagles might have dominated the game from start to finish, but the Maroons were in it, and might have even had the satisfaction of at least dragging their Katipunan neighbors to a do-or-die had they indulged in less ball watching or being wowed by Ateneo’s dazzling plays, and just put their heads down and got the job done.

         That said, there’s really something about the Blue Eagles’ brand of basketball.  The passing as well as the extra pass for better shot options, the movement without the ball, misdirection and decoys, and little to no one-on-one plays – in other words, a total team effort on the offensive end – was truly a sight to behold.  On the defensive end, lockdown team defense that sets up timely shows – not overcommitting but pesky enough to disturb the point guard’s table-setting chores – on set screens, jamming the pick-and-roll on switches and double screens, disrupting the passing lanes, denying the driving lanes, active hands, and having arguably the best rim protector in the league in Kouame, among others, forced UP to one-and-done possessions – usually empty – and scoring on the break.

         Credit this to having a mentor like Tab Baldwin on board.  Appointed head coach of the Ateneo men’s basketball team in December 2015, he led his young wards to a finals appearance in just his first year (Season 79) of coaching the Blue Eagles in 2016.  And though they fell short on that first attempt, bowing to the De La Salle University Green Archers in two games, the fact that they reached the finals in just his first year of coaching the team was no mean feat.  More than that, they were able to wrest the crown from the Green Archers the following season, and now have successfully defended their title, earning the first back-to-back in UAAP men’s basketball since the last back-to-back in 2009 won by, uh, Ateneo also, that time under coach Norman Black.

         Coach Tab has indicated that he has no plans to leave Ateneo anytime soon, so that thought may probably send shivers up the spines of the other members of the UAAP.  But there’s no secret to his formula, and all the plays he’s designed have already been scouted effectively.  Adamson University coach Franz Pumaren revealed all he had to do was watch endless rounds of videos of Blue Eagle plays under coach Tab, particularly when the Ateneans represented the Philippines in the last Jones Cup tournament in Taipei this year.

         So, folks, coach Tab has no magic wand that he can wave and get the game to go Ateneo’s way.  However, it will take a lot of hard work, endless rounds of watching tapes, and endless cups of coffee, to win against the Blue Eagles.  But it can be done.  Ateneo’s rivals just have to believe in themselves, and buckle down to work.

         Good luck.

[therearemonstersinthedark]

Book 2: Luciferous

Chapter 3: Diamond Eyes

A Guardians of the Galaxy Fanwork

Pairings: Peter Quill / Gamora (one-sided), Peter Quill & Nebula

Genre: Adventure, general

Word Count: 5k

Rating: T to be safe, mild gore in later chapters

Links: Fanfiction.net || Ao3

Summary: Peter finally gets the muzzle off of Rocket, but there are more terrible discoveries to be made.

Author’s Notes: Title is from ‘Diamond Eyes’ by Shinedown

Chapter 3: Diamond Eyes

Prove that he could control Nebula, Gamora and Rocket? Peter had no clue how he was supposed to do that. Mostly because, well, he actually couldn't. Begging, bartering, and shaming them into doing what was necessary was more accurate, but that probably wasn't the kind of thing the Nova Corps had in mind. And since coming to this alternate universe, he was pretty sure Nebula had been the one giving him orders more that the other way around.

Still, Marlowe's suggestion made sense. It was their best chance, as long as he could get the others to play along for now. The trick would be convincing them without making it obvious, since he was to be under supervision during his visits. Plus, even if he had been able to outline his plan plainly, he had no clue how Rocket would take to it, even for the sake of his eventual freedom. The best place Peter could think to start was to finally remove that d'asted muzzle, and prove to Rocket that he was here to help him.

As soon as breakfast was finished and cleared away, Peter made his intentions about removing the muzzle as quickly as possible clear. Marlowe left to request the controller which, it turned out, was in the Nova Corps's possession much to Peter's chagrin. She had dismissed his protest that they wouldn't need it with a hard look that reminded him of the last Nova Prime.

"Until you prove that he's not a danger to the crew he will be treated as such," she had said as she cleared her tray away. "He's classified as one of the most dangerous weapons in the known galaxies, and while I want to believe you and sincerely hope you're right about your friends wanting to leave Thanos, we still don't know if this is somehow a trap set up to sneak his agents inside."

She had vanished with her tray and dishes before Peter could turn the ball of rage in his gut into an articulate protest at having Rocket so casually referred to as a weapon.

Once the rest of the group finished clearing their own trays away, Dey escorted Peter and Cosmo back towards the confinement quarters. Kraglin had declined to join them, heading instead back to the Eclector.

Peter was still stiff, and Cosmo was heavily favoring his left side, so by the time they made it to their destination, Marlowe was already waiting for them in the hallway outside. She had the small black square held up in one hand for him to see, but when Peter reached out for it she pulled it away.

"I'm under strict orders not to give it to you," she explained in lieu of an apology.

"Can I at least have your word you won't use it?" Peter asked. It would do him no favors if Marlowe panicked and used it while Peter was struggling to build some sort of trust with Rocket.

Cosmo will be here, Cosmo added before Marlowe could answer. If anything happens, please allow Cosmo to use powers before resorting to controller.

"Only a moment," Marlowe promised. Despite her harsh tone, Peter thought she looked a little relieved at the thought of not having to use it.

While they'd been talking Dey had opened the door to the Containment Chambers and they entered as a group now. Inside, not much had changed since his visit the night before. Gamora and Nebula were still on their own sides of the room, but this time Gamora was busy doing push ups in the open space next to her bed. Nebula, having apparently exhausted the small number of books they'd been supplied, was on the floor as well. Where Gamora was busy exercising, Nebula lay on her back in the space next to her own bed with her feet propped up against the wall, counting tiles in the ceiling.

At their entrance, Nebula rolled to her feet with an ease and grace that made it clear she had healed from the worst of her injuries. Gamora paused in her push ups long enough to regard the new arrivals, then continued on, her lips moving silently as she kept count.

"Hey guys," Peter offered with a wave. "You look... good."

Nebula, not one for small talk or niceties in the best of circumstances, crossed her arms and cut straight to the point.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nova Prime Saal agreed to let me remove Rocket's muzzle," Peter explained.

At his words, Gamora stopped her workout entirely and rose to her feet as well. She didn't say anything, but Peter could see an expression he knew quite well on her face, and knew that, had they not been joined by the Nova Corpsmen, she would be informing Peter that this was the most idiotic idea she'd ever heard. Nebula seemed to agree with her sister's line of thought, but was obviously much less surprised by Peter's decision. She just offered him a noncommittal twitch of her lips as he made his way to Rocket's door which Dey was in the process of opening.

Rocket was still in the closest thing to a dark corner one could hope to find in a room made mostly out of glass walls. He'd been curled up again with his back to the room -or maybe he just hadn't moved since Peter had seen him last- but at the sound of the door opening he whipped around to face the intruders with alarming speed. There was nothing surprising about Rocket's feeling towards what must be, to him, just his newest captors. What was disconcerting to Peter was to see that Rocket hadn't stood at their entrance, but had remained with his belly to the ground in a sort of half-crouch that made him look more like a wild animal than Peter had ever seen him. The scene wasn't helped by the way his tail and the small amount of hair visible along his neck had puffed out, and a muffled but definite growl was rumbling from deep in his throat.

"Hey Rocket," Peter said, crouching down and holding both hands out to prove he had nothing in them. "Don't worry. I'm just here to take that thing off your face, Okay?"

Rocket's only response was to hunker further back into his corner.

Suddenly Peter was having second thoughts about how this would go. He'd kind of figured that as soon as he explained what he was here for, Rocket would be glad to be rid of the muzzle. Now he wasn't so sure Rocket could even be convinced to hear him out. Marlowe and Dey were being helpful so far, but he knew that everything they saw would be reported back to their superiors. If he couldn't convince Rocket to be at least somewhat civil, it would seriously hurt his chances of getting his friends let out of here any time soon.

"It's not a trick, buddy." Peter lowered his voice a bit. "I just need you to hold still and let me take this-"

Peter had been slowly scooting forward as he spoke, and was almost within reach of the muzzle when he noticed something that froze him in place. So far, he'd only really seen Rocket twice in this universe. Once on Half-world, where the bright lights and deep shadows had caused strange reflections in his friend's eyes, and once on Traxxon III where the atmosphere had tainted everything in the same ruddy glow. He hadn't questioned it at the time, but now, under the cool clear lights up the Nova Corps ships, Rocket's eyes somehow appeared to be stained red, as though the rest of him had been rescued, but his eyes still reflected the harsh lights of the battlefield.

For a second he thought that Rocket might have suffered a similar injury to the one that had caused Peter's own left eye to be flooded with blood, but while only the white's of Peter's eyes were stained, this red was inside of the iris and too uniform to be from any injury. Even more concerning was that the red seemed to have spilled over his pupil as well. It was still markedly darker than his Iris, but the pupil wasn't a pure black. Was Rocket blind? That didn't make any sense. He had been aiming as clearly as ever. The faint scar still fading on Drax's neck was proof enough of that. But even as Peter assured himself of this, he noticed that the eyes staring back at him did look just a little bit unfocused, and the pupils were oddly wide for how bright it was in here.

While Peter contemplated whether or not he was just imagining that unfocused look, the eyes suddenly changed. Changed was all Peter could think to describe it as his brain had no way to account for the way that one moment the eyes staring back at him had been a deep ruby and the next, like the shutter of a camera lens, they were taken over with a blue tint.

Peter gave a startled yelp and fell back on his butt.

"What was that!?" he gasped when he had blinked a few times and the eyes staring back at him remained that strange new shade of brown over-laid with blue.

"They're just his lenses," Nebula's voice supplied from close behind him, muffled just slightly through the thick glass.

"His what?"

"Lenses," Nebula repeated, like she thought he must have misheard the word. "Like your mask. So he can see better in the dark and detect security lines."

Peter turned his head slowly to stare up at Nebula who had moved over to stand next to the wall that split the rooms.

"They're inside his eyes!" he gasped.

"Yes." Nebula scrunched her eyebrows together and tilted her head as she stared down at him.

"Inside," Peter stressed, when she just stared at him like he was the strange one.

"It's more efficient." Nebula shrugged down at him, then, seeming to take pity on him, or maybe just thinking he was actually too dumb to understand what she meant, she reached up with one hand and ran it along the implant under her left eye. At her touch, the seams of the implant lit up with a soft teal glow, and a faint holo-screen formed over her eye.

"A Prototype," she explained, quiet enough that it was probably not intended for Dey and Marlowe to hear. "One of Half-world's earlier attempts at implanted ocular augmentations. They were trying to adapt it to my existing implants. 'Rocket''s are a later model, built into his eyes more directly."

"It's just internalized lighting and a modified lens that can change its crystalline structure to affect how it refracts and absorbs light. It should be a direct translation, so I doubt he had to have any internalized adapters to help process the information."

Peter blinked up at her as he tried to sort through the slew of words. He understood them all separately, but together they made no sense, or at least he really didn't want to make sense of them. Not for the first time, he wondered how deep the changes in his best friend would run.

While they'd been talking, the steady hum of Rocket's growls had begun to fade, but when Peter turned back to study his friend's eyes with this new knowledge, the volume rose again.

"You should wait until-"

"No." Peter cut her off harshly. Then, softer he added. "No, I'm removing that muzzle. Now." The reminder of just how terribly Rocket had been treated in this universe had just reaffirmed his need to get rid of the hold Thanos had over him. The muzzle, then the collar, then whatever damage had been done to his friend's mind.

With slow deliberate movements Peter rolled back into his crouch and reached for the muzzle once more. The growling grew even louder, but Rocket had run out of space to retreat. As his fingers brushed against the smooth metal surface Peter was all too aware of how close he was to the raccoonoid's nails. He'd felt them enough times when being used as a vantage-point for his shorter companion during battles, and had to mend enough tears in his tough leather jackets to learn to respect the damage they could do even when he was being intentionally gentle. Peter really didn't want to know what they could do if Rocket decided to stop being gentle with them.

But Rocket, either having finally understood what Peter was doing, or frozen in indecision, didn't lash out and Peter's fingers made it to the straps of the muzzle undamaged. The eyes staring back at him were stretched so wide Peter could see the ring of white around the edges, and flickered back and forth between the red, blue, and normal brown hues in a nonsensical and dizzying fashion. Peter forced himself to stop looking at those flickering eyes and focus instead on the muzzle, working his fingers slowly down the strap.

Here he discovered another terrible surprise. As his fingers followed the metal strip across Rocket's cheeks, and under his eyes, he lost track of the strap in the mess of longer fur along his jaw. A memory rose of crawling across the battlefield and grasping the straps there only to lose them just like he was now. He had thought he was just too dizzy, his fingers too numb and unresponsive when he had lost those straps in the long fur. There was no similar excuse here, and yet, the straps slipped from his fingers every time, vanishing among the fluff. Hesitantly, Peter scooted just a bit closer and reached around Rocket's head, hoping maybe he could find the strap back there and either find the clasp from the other direction, or try to pull it over his head. But there was no strap.

With a new sinking suspicion Peter brought his trembling fingers back to the straps and carefully traced the edges and felt his stomach dip when he found the edges. At first they felt like they connected to nothing, but a very gentle experimental tug revealed that the muzzle straps were somehow anchored directly to Rocket's skull. At the movement, Rocket's growling grew louder again and a faint but definite trembling was taking over his body with the effort.

Pulling his hands back, Peter took another glance over his shoulder. Nebula was leaning with her shoulder against the wall now, and was staring down at him with an unreadable expression. He had so many questions that none of them came out and he was just left staring up at her in a silent plea for help.

Nebula sucked in one long slow breath before exhaling through her nose and seeming to give up on whatever warning she was trying to communicate.

"You need the controller. It's a code."

"What's the code?" Peter asked, finding his voice.

"I don't know. I never worked with him much, and they probably changed the codes after I defected to be safe." As she spoke, her gaze flickered subtly towards Gamora who was watching but had remained silent so far.

"Gamora?" he asked, leaning so he could see more clearly.

"I know the codes," Gamora admitted, stepping towards the door of her cell where she could be nearest the Nova Corpsmen. It took a moment to explain how the buttons worked and what order to use them in. Gamora's explanation was curt and almost robotic as she spoke to Marlowe through the prison wall, and Marlowe's responses were icy and businesslike at best. Cosmo and Dey watched on in mute interest.

"I think we've got it," Marlowe finally said.

Rocket's growls which had been a steady backdrop to everything had faded back into a nearly inaudible tone while they had been focusing on the remote. His eyes were still huge and wavering slightly like they couldn't quite decide where exactly Peter was, and his limbs were all tense, his nails trying to dig into the tile floor. As Peter reached for the straps once more, sliding a pair of little switches that Gamora had mentioned, the raccoon remained oddly calm. Peter took this as a good sign, maybe he was finally calming down and realizing what they were here to do.

"You're going to get bit." Nebula's warning was low, but it still made Peter, who had been focused intently on Rocket, jump and Rocket flinched in response. Feeling his patience running out for her needling, he gave the muzzle another little tug and was overjoyed to feel it move this time. "He's-"

"He's not going to-SON OF A FLARKING BITCH!" Peter howled. With lightning speed, almost before the muzzle had been slid entirely off his face, Rocket had snapped down on Peter's arm. He hadn't bit and held, thankfully, but, like a furious snake, had struck him at least three times before Peter was able to yank himself away and leap back. Peter stared in horror at Rocket, who was still pressed into the corner like a wild animal, his lips peeled back and Peter's blood flecked across his lips.

"What-?" Peter gaped. There was a weird foamy drool at the corners of Rocket's mouth which dribbled onto the floor below and smeared into his fur as he struggled to somehow work himself even further into the darkness, nails leaving little grooves in the flooring as he scrabbled uselessly backwards. "What's wrong with him?"

"It's the withdrawal," Nebula answered, still leaning casually against the wall that was directly across from him now. "I doubt he even knows where he is or what's going on."

"Withdrawl?" Peter asked, willing his breathing to slow back down.

"Another tool my father uses to control his... favorite people. A potent drug that doesn't have a strong effect on the mind when used, but it's highly addictive. Going through withdrawal is like being lit on fire from the inside out. It eats away your mind and your will so even if you do try to escape, it'll drive you back before you're even aware you've done it."

"And you couldn't tell me this earlier?" Peter snapped. Any trace of humor and patience dropped from her face and Nebula narrowed her eyes dangerously. Peter pressed his lips together and dropped his eyes in an almost immediate apology. She had been trying to warn him, he just hadn't wanted to listen. It probably wouldn't have stopped him if he had known.

"Will he be okay?" Peter asked, trying to move away from the awkward silence.

Some of the tension in Nebula's body relaxed, but he could tell she was still upset with him.

"The withdrawal is a tricky process, more so with this drug than most. For now, it's best to let him be. He can injure himself fighting if you insist on harassing him. In a day or so when he's over the worst of it, if he gets over the worst of it, he'll be more aware of what's going on and need lots of water and food. Right now anything you gave him would be more likely to cause harm than good."

"If he gets over it?" Peter's heart was slowing to a more normal rate.

"It's very hard on the body. Not everyone survives it," Nebula said, her gaze sliding from Peter down to where Rocket was still hissing in the corner. "My father used it as a sort of right of passage when his children transitioned from training to assassin. If you were strong enough to survive it, you graduated and were granted the title 'assassin.' You're friend Rocket isn't considered one of his children, so he never went through the process."

Peter wondered if this meant that Nebula and Gamora had gone through this. Maybe not this universe's Gamora, who had been controlled through other methods, but probably Nebula, and maybe his own Gamora. Now wasn't the time to ask, though, so Peter resolved to hold his questions until after all of this was over and they could have some privacy.

With the reminder of their chaperons, Peter turned to steal a glance at Dey and Marlowe. The pair were looking a bit uncomfortable, the unmistakable tint of unwanted sympathy just visible under their more trained expressions. With a jolt, Peter wondered if Nebula's speech was for more than just his own benefit. It was the most words Peter had heard her say since coming here, and unlike her hissed warnings, she'd said it loud enough for everyone to hear every word clearly, even if she'd only been looking at Peter while she spoke. It was easy to forget, with how awkward she was with her own emotions, that she was still a very skilled assassin, and could be very good at manipulating people if she wanted to.

-x-

After the muzzle had been removed and the assassins had confirmed that the best medicine they could give Rocket right now was peace and quiet, the visitors dispersed. Marlowe left to return the controller, and probably to report on what she had learned, and Cosmo, Peter, and Dey left to stop by the medical bay to tend to his bites. His arm wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Whether through deliberate thought, or just random chance, Rocket had attacked the wrist that was already covered in a hard cast. The cast had been reduced to splintered threads, a terrifying testament to how powerful those jaws were, but it had buffered the worst of the bites. Another small blessing was that Rocket hadn't had the presence of mind to rip or tear, so the dozen or so places where his teeth had made contact were just perfect round punctures that went straight in and straight out. He'd have some serious bruising, and Dey insisted on giving him a shot of antibiotics after scrubbing his arm with near-boiling water to be safe, but the damage could have been a lot worse.

"Our medical equipment isn't what it used to be on Xandar," Dey said, as he inspected Peter's broken finger with a small scanner, "but it's still one of the best in the known galaxies. Your finger's making good progress, so I'm just going to splint it and give you a soft wrap. It wasn't a big break, and you should be out of the wrap in a few days."

"That's good," Peter breathed as Dey pulled out the supplies to start wrapping his hand. He had just regained use of that hand again, and wasn't looking forward to another bout of letting other people steer his ship and fumbling with other mundane tasks. "Thanks for helping me remove the muzzle by the way."

"You're welcome," Dey said with a quirk to his lips as he worked over Peter's arm with steady hands. "To be honest, we were all hoping you would be able to do it when you woke up." At Peter's surprised look, Dey gave a smile that was comforting as much as it was apologetic. "As far as we could tell, he couldn't eat or drink with that thing on, and regardless of how the trial goes, we couldn't just let him waste away of neglect. We were trying to figure out how to get it removed without risking the crew's safety or his escape when Drax suggested you would want to do it when you were awake. Seeing how it went, I'm glad we did.

"I'm sorry," he continued. "I know it must feel like we're trying to trick you at every corner, but we're just doing our best to figure this all out. The thought of Thanos being able to turn back time is not a pleasant one, and I think it has everyone on edge."

"I know," Peter snorted. "Believe me, I know."

"It's like everything changed when you came on board. For the first time in a long time, we have hope, and at the same time, it feels more hopeless than ever." Dey finished his work on Peter's wrap as he spoke, giving it a final pat to ensure it was all laying flat and released his arm.

Cosmo, who was lounging on a pile of pillows that had been set on the floor for him, raised his head to join in the conversation.

Cosmo understands that this comes as big change, and change is never easy, even more so in large groups such as this, but time is being wasted here. We should be focusing on fixing future, not dredging up mistakes of the past which are already regretted. Why dig up old bones and wear your teeth out chewing on them when there is bigger prey to hunt?

Dey blinked down at the dog, as though sorting through the dogs words for his meaning before answering.

"You should bring that up at the trial," He finally said.

Has there been any news on when that might be?

"Nothing worth sharing." Dey sighed. When Peter and Cosmo both stared back in silence he added. "I'm not lying to you, I swear. Most of the Upper Council wants to have it as soon as possible. Get it over with and decide what to do with your friends before they figure out how to break out or something. Saal, Nova Prime I mean, and a couple of the council members feel like we still don't have enough information to make a proper decision, so I really don't know. If there was any way to verify what you're saying, that might be helpful..."

As Dey trailed to an end he looked up at Peter hopefully.

Peter chewed his lip and fiddled with his new arm wrap. Even if he wasn't so disturbed by the Infinity Stone as of late and was willing to come in contact with it, he didn't think the Guardians were in any condition to be using it. Gamora was still only neutral about him, at best, and Rocket was out of his mind at the moment with no way of telling where he'd land in terms of loyalty once he woke up. With just Drax and maybe Groot he might survive the experience, but he really didn't want to find out the hard way.

As he considered his possibilities a new thought came to him. It started as a just a blip in the darkness, so faint and flickering that it seemed to vanish when he focused on it too hard.

"You said they needed proof of my story...?" Peter ventured, speaking out loud in hopes of coaxing the thought to grow.

"Yes." Dey perked up slightly. "Do you have any?"

Cosmo had also perked up, staring intently as Peter through those bright thoughtful eyes as though he could see the thought forming as well.

"I don't think I can give you proof of wielding the stone just yet. It would be too dangerous, but... What if I could prove the part about my heritage? What if I could prove I'm half-Celestial and that they're not all extinct?"

"How would you do that?" Dey asked. "We know your DNA is different, but with nothing to compare it against..."

"But what if I could give you something to compare it against? What if I could show you the last living Celestial? Would that prove enough of my story for now?" The words were rushing out of him as the plan unfolded before him. He could find Ego and with the help of the Nova Corps retrieve Mantis without having to wait for all this trial nonsense first. It would be dangerous, but if it came to a fight he'd have a much better chance of saving Mantis with the help of the Nova Corps than he and his friends would alone, especially now that they didn't even have a ship. And after seeing Ego use his powers, the Nova Corps wouldn't be able to deny what he was. With that as a sort of proof of his heritage and potential power he was sure they'd be a lot more eager for his help, and he'd have a lot more influence over the release of his teammates.

Plus, in the worst case scenario that the trial somehow went horribly wrong and he and his friends needed to make a fast exit, it would be nice to have retrieved Mantis first.

"That might work," Dey murmured. A nervous look crossed his face, mingling with the excitement, as he seemed to realize what meeting a Celestial might mean.

"How soon can I get a meeting with the Nova Prime?" Peter hopped off the bed with a renewed energy.

Dey glanced at a small screen on his wrist with a thoughtful look.

"I'll talk to Marlowe. She's been working as Saal's assistant now, since she knows the job better than anyone, so she has a better idea than I do of his schedule. I think he'll make time for something like this though. Where can I find you later?"

We will go back and join comrades Drax and Groot in barracks. Cosmo answered for them both. We will leave word if we move before you find us.

End

[flauntpage]

McAdoo a Better Job – Ten Takeaways from Eagles 34, Saquon Barkley 13

I laughed out loud when Giants fans began booing their team down 14-3 in the second quarter last night.

Why?

Because these were probably the same fans who threw a childish fit when Ben McAdoo benched Eli Manning for Geno Smith last season, whining to the high heavens because it brought an end to Eli’s streak of 210 consecutive starts for the Giants, who were 2-9 at the time and going nowhere quickly.

McAdoo lost the war and got himself fired. Manning is still calling the shots, yet the Giants continue to suck, and last night they fell to 1-5 with a 21-point home loss to a division rival.

I guess McAdoo knew what he was doing after all. Maybe New York fans were full of themselves, sentimentally clinging to a fading veteran when they had their shot at one of five franchise quarterbacks on the draft board back in April. Instead they went for a stud running back who will unfortunately waste the early portion of his career playing for a God-awful team.

It’s surely ironic, but also deserved. I bet a lot of those fans that cried about Eli’s demotion probably also booed him last night. You reap what you sow, and the Giants stubbornly sowed the seeds of future ass kickings, which are now bearing fruit. The G-Men now inherit from the Browns the role of NFL slump buster, the team you beat up on to get your season straightened out. They played that role to perfection last night, allowing the Eagles to find their groove with a comfortable divisional win that sees them pull back to .500 with a 3-3 record.

1) Carson Wentz

He made game-changing plays last night, plays that we didn’t see from him in week three or week four.

Starting with the first touchdown, he escaped the pocket, rolled to his right, and fired across his body for a score on a 3rd and 7.

Another play that stood out to me was the third down in the second half where he again moved to his right, held the play, and then spotted Nelson Agholor down the field to pick up a huge chunk of yards move the chains.

The franchise quarterback just looked a lot more like himself last night and started to show shades of 2017 Carson in completing 26 of 36 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. He picked out eight different targets and really connected with top receiver Alshon Jeffery, who caught two of those scores and eight of his 12 targets for 74 yards.

It’s now 11 career games with a 100+ passer rating for Carson, which is already 6th-most in Eagles history. He’s thrown 133 consecutive passes without an interception, which is the 3rd longest streak of his career, a streak he’ll break in week six if he throws three more without a pick.

That’s good stuff for a third year, 25-year-old quarterback coming off an ACL injury.

2) Play calling

Much better than it was four days ago.

The early lead allowed the Eagles to settle in with their running game and control the clock a bit, which in turn also allowed the defense to really get after Manning and force the Giants into a one-dimensional dink and dunk type of crap attack.

38 called pass plays to 29 runs is a really nice mix, a 57-43 ratio. That’s just about perfect, and it’s what the Eagles typically finished with last year, usually 60-40 pass/run for the middle chunk of the season when they were just ripping teams apart.

Wendell Smallwood ran the ball 18 times and Corey Clement 11 times, so they got through relatively unscathed without having to risk Clement too much in his return from injury. Clement was on a “pitch count,” so to speak, and was limited coming into this game.

I particularly thought this was a really nice play call, sort of a tunnel/bubble wide receiver screen for Jeffery, but at the goal line:

One of the easiest touchdowns of Alshon Jeffery's career pic.twitter.com/f2yzlt7KCd

— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) October 12, 2018

Really poor effort from the Giants there, but nice design from Doug, and actually stolen from the New England Patriots and inserted into the Eagles playbook this week. 

3) Situational football and auxiliary wins

They really struggled in this department on Sunday, and let me dump that in here for reference.

versus Vikings:

lost time of possession, 33 minutes to 27 minutes

-1 turnover margin

2 for 9 on third down (22.2% conversion rate)

allowed Minnesota to go 4-9 on third down (36.4%)

lost 28 yards on three sacks

2 for 5 success rate in red zone

8 penalties for 52 yards

allowed a defensive touchdown

versus Giants:

won time of possession, 32.5 minutes to 27.5 minutes

+1 turnover margin

9-16 on third down (56.3%)

allowed New York to go 4-14 on third down (28.6%)

lost 7 yards on 1 sack

4 for 6 success rate in red zone

4 penalties for 25 yards

no special teams or defensive touchdowns allowed

Literally every single one of those areas was improved upon last night, and these are the kinds of things that win you football games. Wentz was especially fantastic on third down, a carryover of the situational football smarts we saw from him last season.

4) The offensive line

They certainly picked it up after a poor week five, allowing just one sack and five quarterback hits, three of which took place during the first two drives.

Jason Peters, however, cannot stay on the field, and it might be time to just let JP ride off into the sunset as the Eagles hand the left tackle reins to Big V and Jordan Mailata:

Sources are telling me Jason Peters May have a torn right biceps but it’s the kind he can still play with…. MRI will tell more tomorrow

— Derrick Gunn (@RealDGunnNBCS) October 12, 2018

The biggest positive is that Lane Johnson made it through the game with the bum ankle and now gets to rest up for nine full days. Isaac Seumalo also did fine at left guard and laid a nice block on Corey Clement’s touchdown run, with Clement just following the left side of the line into the end zone:

Obviously Johnson needs to stay healthy going forward. Last night was a positive step for the line, but if Peters can’t play with the bicep, you’ve got Big V on the left, and if Johnson misses time, you have to pull Seumalo over to right tackle and put Stefen Wisniewski back at left guard. I don’t know how far this team goes with a pair of backup tackles on the field, one of whom is not even a tackle.

5) I’m on a boat

The Giants are 4-19 since taking this photo:

You also saw Odell Beckham Jr. hit the locker room early before halftime. He lied and said it had to do with “hydration.” Maybe he’s thirsty for a new quarterback.

There was another situation where he started yelling at a fan, not a New York Giants supporter, but an actual mechanical fan on the sidelines:

Odell Beckham Jr getting closer to the fans tonight pic.twitter.com/pxVuaiJneg

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) October 12, 2018

After the game, I appreciated Martellus Bennett telling Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to “shut the fuck up” –

Man these commentators have taken 150 shots at Odell tonight. Shut the fuck up. Talk about the game stop trying to vilify every single thing he does. The giants are a bad team and it's not because of him. Criticize how bad eli is playing.

�� Martellus Bennett (@MartysaurusRex) October 12, 2018

That’s a  take. Can’t say I disagree, but OBJ is just a shitty leader overall. He’s not the problem, but he says and does stupid things that don’t help his case.

And if it feels like no one is talking about the Eagles this morning, you sensed that correctly, because 99% of what I’m hearing is focused on how bad the Giants are. Hell, that was the first four paragraphs of this story, plus the headline.

That’s not to take anything from the Eagles, not at all, but New York truly is a raging dumpster fire at this point.

I made this terrible image last night of the Cowboys and Giants as dumpster fires in a modified Spider Man meme:

Not my best work. I put about five seconds into building this, same amount of time the Giants spent building their offensive line.

6) Jalen Mills

The first play in which he stood out was when he whiffed on Barkley’s big run in the first quarter, the 46 yarder that set up the field goal. Mills was 12 yards deep on the play, lined up almost behind safety Malcolm Jenkins if you can believe it.

In the second quarter, he gave up the 39-yard pass to Cody Latimer, which was the only completion he allowed that went more than ten yards.

Again he was pretty good in the red zone, keyed by that pass break up on OBJ in the corner. He finished with two PBUs and actually led the Eagles with 10 tackles.

I’ll go through the film later today and next week, but it looked like Jim Schwartz had his corners playing a little more press coverage in this game, which you can afford to do when you’re playing with a lead. The defensive line also did a really nice job of getting to Manning, which took some pressure off the secondary. The only really bad thing I saw from the defense overall was Nigel Bradham and Rasul Douglas getting cooked on the Saquon Barkley touchdown run.

7) Refereeing

It was alright.

They missed a helmet-to-helmet collision on the third drive, when Clement was stuffed near the goal line. Officials also didn’t flag Sidney Jones when he got his feet tied up with a receiver in the end zone on the Giants’ second drive. Seemed like a good no-call to me, because I don’t think Jones had his hand on the opponent.

I swear I also saw a facemask on DeAndre Carter’s third or fourth punt return, the one where he broke a tackle and picked up an extra yard or two.

Michael Bennett, on the roughing the passer, I mean, whatever. It’s the weight rule, you know? He didn’t try to break his fall, and that now gets you a whistle in the modern day NFL:

".@eagles DE Michael Bennett used his body weight to land on the quarterback while making the tackle with no attempt to go to the side." -AL #PHIvsNYG pic.twitter.com/itXnEap6U6

— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) October 12, 2018

The penalty called against the Giants for bringing down Wentz was much worse, because it was basically a grab and takedown, like a Judo throw on the football field.

Good camera angle also on the Smallwood fumble that was overturned. I think we made it through this game relatively unscathed from an officiating perspective. It also helps when you’re beating the tar out of the other team.

8) Doug’s best call?

Kicking the field goal before halftime made a lot of sense. At that point New York was pretty much cooked, so take the points there and don’t give them anything that might provide the slightest momentum change or glimmer of hope.

I also think the decision to hurry up to the line and run the ball after the iffy Zach Ertz first down catch in the third quarter was really smart. No Giants challenge there because the Birds kept it moving.

9) Doug’s worst call?

I don’t think he had any poor calls. I’m not sure what the hell that was with the 3rd and 5 run/pass option in the fourth quarter that Wentz threw to Ertz behind the line of scrimmage. Looks like they sort of jumbled the hand off and the timing was botched.

Doug looked pretty dialed in. The glasses were a pretty sharp look. I think he has a little bit of Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg going on here:

Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

10) Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Again I thought they were fine. Buck has a little bit of a sardonic side to him that pops up if you pay attention closely. I think he’s more wily and clever than most people realize.

I think the takeaway from the broadcast was those weird Tide commercials featuring the broadcast crew. What was the deal with that?

Remember when Tide was cool because people were eating the pods? I miss those days

— Brian J. Haddad (@BrianJHaddad) October 12, 2018

Agree with Sludge. I actually would prefer Tide pod eating to watching another one of those commercials.

The Aladdin trailer was also interesting. Goofy commercial night overall. I’d prefer a Joe Cordell advertisement or maybe Barbera’s on the Boulevard moving forward.

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