#and this little guy looks like a malignant force of chaos

[gamma-radio]

exCUSE ME!!!!

[imaginedisish]

Devil’s Advocate (Tenet) Neil x Reader

Chapter 1: Paper Planes

A/N: Hey guys!! Here is the first chapter of the fic, “Devil’s Advocate”!!! I’m excited about this, and writing it is getting me through a lot right now, so I hope you all enjoy it too! Here ya go :)

Summary: After a traumatic experience, you are forced back into the field with Neil, but the mission is personal and possibly too close for home for you to handle. Neil helps you through it, but you’re not sure if you can get the job done.

Warnings: Violence, guns, death, drowning, injuries, angst, cursing, and yes, luckily some fluff :)

Word Count: 4,405

The weight of your cold, dark black glock settles heavily into your right hand as you pick it up off the table to your left. You secure a pair of noise cancelling headphones around the top of your head. You load the gun and cock it. 

The headphones blast with music, helping you to concentrate on the man-shaped target in front of you.

Everyone’s a winner, we’re making our fame.

Bonafide hustler making my name.

 You extend your gun out in front of you as you shut your left eye tightly to aim. 

All I wanna do is…

BANG BANG BANG BANG 

And uh, and take your money. 

You lower the gun as the target pushes forward towards you. You can’t help but smile confidently as you look at the deep hole you made in center of the paper man. You reach to take it down, but a warm hand grabs onto your shoulder, squeezing you tightly, freezing you in place.

The hand twists your body slightly, just enough to make you turn around. You reach up to the top of your head and slip your off headphones, letting them rest around your neck. 

A charming, wild grin pulls at Neil’s lips as his gaze meets yours. “That was bloody incredible!” He shouts. There’s a bright flash of excitement in his eyes. His hands gesture towards the hole you made in the wall. You had aimed perfectly, shooting in the exact same spot each time you pulled the trigger. 

“Thanks,” You say back as your cheeks flush with heat despite the boost of confidence rushing through your veins from Neil’s praise. A compliment from Neil means a lot to you, even though you’ve known him for years. He was your closest friend and made sure to tell you the truth, even when it hurt. That honesty grounded you in the chaos of your life. He was a constant, a steadfast star in your sky. 

Neil chuckles a bit as his eyes look down to the headphones hanging around your neck. You don’t hear how loud your music still is. Your mind is too focused on the sound of Neil’s laugh. 

M.I.A Third World Democracy

Yeah I got more records than the KGB

So uh, no funny business!

“A bit loud, isn’t it?” Neil laughs again as he steps closer to you. He brings his hands to the back of your neck, his fingers brushing lightly against your skin as he grabs the headphones and slips them off of you. 

That smile, You think before mentally slapping yourself across the face. Snap the fuck out of it. 

Your feelings for him were always at the back of your throat, clawing for supremacy, climbing up to the tip of your tongue, threatening to force your mouth open to spill your guts. Somehow, even after all these years, you were able to hold back. Maybe it was because you didn’t need more than what you had with him. That was an absolute lie. Maybe it was because he never belonged to anyone else. There was no need to be jealous. Maybe it was because there was a certain, silent promise of belonging to each other despite the lack of an official relationship.

That was more like it. 

Neil puts the headphones back on the table as the next song plays. The absurdly loud riff of the guitar pulls you back into reality. 

Fell in love with a girl,

I fell in love once and I almost completely.

She’s in love with the world

But sometimes these feelings can be so misleading. 

Blushing again, you reach into your pocket and pull out your phone to press the pause button. The music stops and you smile shyly. A creeping sense of embarrassment crawls into your stomach. You were beyond happy that Neil was able to see you in your element, and usually his presence made you feel good, but his attention was overwhelming at times. Now, the confidence that settled in before had been sucked from your soul and replaced with a racing heart and a cluttered mind. 

You push thoughts of Neil to the back of your head. “So what’s up?” You ask, setting the gun on the table next to your headphones. You casually slip your hands into the pockets of your baggy jeans. You mentally acknowledge that you may be overdoing the whole ‘playing it cool’ thing in front of Neil, possibly even to the point that he might be able to see straight through your act. 

“Well,” Neil pauses. His hand moves to the back of his neck. “I’ve got some news,” Neil says finally, his smirk falling from his lips. Your heart skips a beat. He looks unbelievably nervous. His brows furrow cautiously, knowing his next words are going to achieve some sort of poor reaction from you. 

You gulp anxiously and nod. “W-what is it?” You stutter as you predict the words Neil is about to say. 

I can’t fucking do this, not yet. 

Neil steps closer to you and grabs your hand in his. The touch was familiar but still shocked you to your very core, your nerves tingly frantically under his fingers. 

Please don’t say it, please don’t fucking say it. 

Neil’s voice is quiet in anticipation of your panic. “The boss, he wants you back in the field…” Neil trails off, continuing on about something in London, something about him going with you. You feel your chest tightening. You’re not listening anymore. You’re too focused on what happened last time, too focused on the trauma, too focused on the tears, the shouts, the deaths. 

“NO!” You scream, your long, HDM hung heavily in your hand. The lifeless body of a new recruit crashes to the floor. 

You raise up your arm and cock the gun. You’re ready to aim and shoot, but two large men grab your hands. Your gun falls to the ground with a clatter. 

The man with the dark hair cackles cacophonously. He shakes his head, his piercing emerald eyes dissolving your soul as he picks a new body to hold roughly in his arms. A revolver presses tightly against the person’s head. You can’t tell exactly who it is, as there’s a burlap sack covering their face. There are 8 other people in a semi circle, each appearing the same as the last, tied up in a chair with a burlap sack hiding their identity. 

“What?” He shouted barbarically, his voice echoing against the silver, metal walls of the chamber. “You think your fucking screams can get you out of this?” He grinned maliciously, licking his lips as he cocked the gun. Tears roll down your cheeks. 

You are helpless. 

You are useless.

“(Y/N),” The voice of the person cries out, knowing that their fate is already sealed. It was a woman’s voice, and you felt a bit guilty as you prayed to God that it wasn’t Wheeler.

BANG! 

The lifeless body slumps into the chair. You whimper, stifling a sob in the back of your throat. 

The man with the dark hair moves onto his next victim. You struggle, trying to shake off the two men holding you back. You look around the room, searching for something, anything to get you out of this. 

The man’s face lights up with malignant excitement, sensing that his next kill would hurt you the most. 

Fuck, no no no no no, You think to yourself. You could recognize those stupid, posh little black dress shoes anywhere. You knew the curves of his body, the shape of his hands. Blood dripped down his neck from the cut on his forehead he had gotten earlier. 

Neil.

“Please,” You beg. “Don’t touch him. Just kill me instead.” 

The man with the dark hair only grins more widely now. “Darling,” He snarls. You cringe at his use of the nickname. Neil usually was the one to call you that. “Your begging only makes this more fun for me. In fact, it makes me want to kill you even less, just so you have to live with the image of everyone you care for dying in front of your very eyes for the rest of your life.” His cold words send shivers down your spine. 

He maneuvers differently around Neil, as he grabs the bottom of the burlap sack and removes it from his face. 

Neil’s blue gaze meets yours. You heart feels like it’s being stepped on as it sinks deeply to the bottom of your chest. You can barely breathe now. You huff, trying to keep your sanity, trying to find a way out of this fucking mess. 

“I figured you would want to watch the life drain from his pretty little face, (Y/N),” The man retorts. You shake your head violently. You look left to right, searching for some sort of weakness in the two large men that were keeping you in place. You notice a brace around the knee of the man on your right. 

Thank God for shorts, You think to yourself. 

The man with the dark hair raises the revolver to Neil’s right temple. 

“(Y/N),” Neil mutters. “I l-,”

Before Neil can get his last words out, you raise your right leg, bending it in and snapping it out at the back of the man’s knees, launching him forward. With your right hand now free, you sucker punch the man to your left square in the nose. You round house him in the stomach, sending him backwards. You grab your gun off the floor and aim it back to the man with the dark hair. 

The man chuckles evilly. “You shoot me, and I shoot him. It’s really as simple as that.” Your heart pounds in your chest. 

An idea suddenly dawns upon you. You shift subtly enough so that the man doesn’t catch on to your train of thought. The gun is already cocked, all you need to do is pull the trigger.

BANG! 

“Fuck!” The man cries out, stumbling forwards into the center of the semi circle as he releases Neil from his grasp. His gun falls to the floor. You turn away sharply at the realization that you blew his hand off. 

You run over to Neil first, quickly untying his hands and setting him free. He starts untying everyone else and you walk over the the man with the dark hair. You catch a quick glimpse of Wheeler, and sigh in relief that she’s safe. 

You breathe in hard and part your lips. “Don’t you dare ever fuck with me or my team again,” You pause, kicking the man in your ribs. There’s something extremely personal about your tone.  He grunts in response. “Now tell me where Edgar is keeping the weapons. And tell me where the fuck the lab is, you prick.” 

He chuckles, breathing shallowly. “Prick?” He pronounces the word articulately. “That’s no way to address your uncle.”

“Fucking answer my question ass hat!” You shout, aiming your gun at his head. With another swift kick to the stomach, he curls up in a ball, clutching at his core. You cock your gun again, ready to shoot. Neil rushes to your side, giving you a look that implored you to let him finish before you blew his brains out. 

“F-fine,” He stutters. “It’s in London.” He gives you a set of coordinates, and Neil takes them down. “I suppose I should tell your father that you’re calling him by his first name now, hm?” 

“No, you won’t be getting the chance to,” You say. 

You pull the trigger. 

BANG!

You hear someone in the distance calling your name. 

Two slender, toned arms wrap around your back, resting on your waist as they pull you into an embrace. The smell of Neil’s musky, cinnamon and citrus cologne heightens your senses and brings you back down to Earth. 

Your breathing slows down a good deal as you press your face into Neil’s chest. His right hand comes up to the nape of your neck, and he begins to rake his long fingers through your hair. 

“Are you alright, (Y/N)?” Neil whispers in your ear. 

You swallow roughly. “No,” You say without even needing to think. “I’m not ready yet. I can’t leave Headquarters yet. I’m just not ready.” You feel tears begin to swell in your eyes and you bite down on your lip, hoping to keep them at bay. It had only been a month since you had killed your own uncle. He was a piece of shit, but that didn’t make the situation much easier to deal with. 

It had only been a week since you watched two of your friends die. That part may have been the hardest for you to swallow. 

Neil shakes his head and breaks away from you bit, just enough to get a good look at you. “You’re ready, (Y/N).” His voice is calm and reassuring. “And unfortunately, you don’t have a choice. We have to leave for the airport in,” Neil pauses, checking his silver watch, “45 minutes.” 

“W-what?” You gasp. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

“I just found out a few minutes ago,” Neil admits. “If I knew earlier, I would’ve told you.”

You nod, believing him entirely. “So we’re going to London? To the coordinates?” You ask, looking up into Neil’s ocean eyes. You could feel yourself beginning to drown in them, just as you always were. 

Neil simply nods back. He rests a hand on the center of your chest, feeling your heartbeat quicken with anxiety. “It’s just going to be you and I for a few days, and then everyone else will join when we confront…” He doesn’t same his name. He doesn’t want to make you panic again. But you know exactly who he means. 

Your father. Your heart hammers in your chest at the thought of him. 

“It’ll be okay,” Neil’s comforting tone relaxes you a bit. “I won’t leave your side for a second,” He adds. You sigh audibly in relief. 

You let a single tear slide down your cheek. “Thank you,” You whisper. 

Neil pulls you into his chest again. “Anything for you,” Neil responds. You shudder at his words. Sometimes you could swear that he didn’t only see you as his best friend, but something more. 

You let the ideas ruminate and run freely in your mind for a few seconds before shooing them away like pesky little children. 

You take a step back, allowing a small space to fill between the two of you. “I guess I should go pack now.” 

Neil instinctively closes the gap again. You can tell  that he’s worried you’ll break down, and you hate it, but his support feels nice. “Do you want me to go with you? I’ve been told I’m good company.” He grins and sends a wink in your direction.

The corner of your mouth turns up a bit into a half smile, and you let out a small giggle. He always had a way of making you smile, of making you feel good. 

“Nah,” You say, smiling fully now. “I’ll be alright by myself.”

Neil nods and smiles back. “Alright. I’ll meet you in the lobby at two o’clock,” Neil says. His smile turns into a smug smirk, and he turns his back to you. His dress shoes tap against the floor as he walks away. 

“Make sure to bring that silk pajama set you wore that time we went undercover in Monte Carlo,” He calls finally, wagging his pointer finger in the air. “I liked it.” 

You felt heat rising in your cheeks at his words. You almost tripped over the completely flat ground as Neil’s chuckle echoed down the hallway. 

————

You clutched the handle of your suitcase in your hands. You let it dangle in front of your legs, nervously bouncing it with your knees every few seconds. Your eyes searched the lobby for a head of fluffy blonde hair, but it was nowhere to be seen. You glance up to the analog clock above the front door. 

1:59. You were early. You were always early, for everything. Being late made you too anxious. You never wanted to miss a beat. 

The clock ticked 45 more times, and you counted each second. Finally, the sound of dress shoes echoed from down the hall. You looked past the reception desk to see Neil carrying a leather duffle bag in his right hand, and a bottle of water in his left. 

He smiled, releasing your butterflies from their cage inside your stomach as he finally reached your side. You open your mouth to say something, but Neil cuts you off.

“Don’t try to tell me I’m late,” Neil remarks sardonically, his eyes drifting off of you and onto the analog clock. “You’re just always early.” His smirk tugs at your heart, and you can’t help but smirk back. 

“I wasn’t going to say you were late!” You playfully smack his arm with your hand. “I was just going to tell you to be earlier next time.” 

Neil grins and shakes his head. He brings his hand up to the small of your back and brushes lightly. Outside the front doors, underneath the awning, a sleek, jet black town car pulls up. You feel your breath hitch in your throat at the realization that it was time.

This was it. 

Neil looks to you. “Are you ready?” His voice is reserved, almost as if he was scared to ask the question in the first place. 

You nod once. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” You swallow your fear and let Neil guide you out the doors. He grabs your duffle bag out of your hand, and opens the already popped trunk, carefully placing the luggage inside. You go to open the door, but Neil beats you to it. 

“I can open doors you know,” You say sarcastically, glaring disapprovingly in his direction. 

Neil doesn’t seem to care. “A thank you would be nice, love,” Neil says, shooting a charming smile in your direction. His hand is still holding the door open for you. You step inside the car and look up at Neil. 

“Thank you Neil,” You say mockingly. Neil smiles slyly and closes the door. 

The car ride to the airport is relatively uneventful. Neil gave you the run down. He told you your cover, where you were staying, and the overall gist of the mission. 

“So we’re married?” You ask, making sure you had heard that part of the plan right and hadn’t dreamt it up from a fantasy.

Neil smiles and nods. “We’re newlyweds, traveling the world together one city at a time.”  There’s a whimsy in his voice, almost as if he’s telling a fairytale. You can’t help but chuckle a bit, despite the anxiety growing in your stomach. 

The car turns onto an exit ramp, and suddenly the airport is in plain sight. You shiver a bit, feeling the air around you growing colder and colder. You check the temperature gauge at the front of the car, and notice that he hasn’t changed at all. You wrap your arms around your chest, rubbing up and down along your body, hoping to warm up. 

Neil’s smile fades away as he furrows his brows in concern. He wraps his right arm around your shoulders. You jump at the sudden warmth. 

“Are you alright?” He asks as he brings his other arm up to wrap around you completely. 

Your anxiety is begging you to tell him no. “Yeah, I’ll be okay,” You lie. Neil doesn’t buy it, and rightfully so. 

Neil squeezes you tightly. “I know you’re not okay, you don’t need to lie to me,” He whispers. “I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere.” 

Your eyes begin to well up, and a single tear rolls down your cheek. “Alright,” You sigh, wiping the tear away. You sniffle a bit, trying to clear your head in the process. The car rolls to a stop. “I’m ready whenever you are,” You say, trying to seem more confident than you actually were. 

You open the door and slip out. The chaos of the outside of the airport takes you aback, despite the fact you had been in an airport millions of times before. Neil steps out behind you, and goes over to the trunk. He takes the luggage out and steps towards to you. You stare up at the massive building, petrified to enter. 

Neil ticks his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “There’s not much time, (Y/N). We have to go inside now,” He says, his gaze staring into the side of your head. You refuse to meet his eyes, you’re too focused on the building, the mission, the future. 

After a few seconds, you nod to Neil and walk into the airport. You and Neil only have one duffle bag each, and thus you could skip checking in any bags. He guides you over to security, which happened to be a breeze. 

A short walk later, you approach the gate. There was a line of people waiting to enter, and you and Neil shuffled to the back of it. A few minutes later, a nice steward scanned your ticket. 

“Alright Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, you’ll be in row 2, seats A and B. Have a nice flight,” He smiles, and gestures for you to enter the bridge to the plane. 

Your heartbeat quickens as you take small steps. “N-Neil,” You stutter as you reach to center of the bridge. “I can’t do this. I really can’t do this. I mean it. I-I’m sorry I just can’t.” Panic is heavy in your voice. It feels as though the walls are closing in on you. 

Neil puts the luggage down and brings you to the side of the bridge. He pushes strands of your hair out of your eyes. “It’s going to be okay,” Neil reassures. “You can do this. I’m said I’m not going anywhere, and I meant that.” 

Neil picks the luggage back up, and guides you through the entrance of the plane and to your seat. You hesitantly sit down, quickly placing your hand on the armrest, wondering if there’s still time for you to run out of the door and back to headquarters. To your dismay, you watch the doors of the plane begin to shut. Neil wasn’t kidding before when he said there wasn’t much time. 

He stores the luggage in the overhead compartment, and takes his place next to you. He notices that you’re still shaking, and he places his hand on top of yours and brushes your skin lightly with his thumb. 

A comfortable silence rests gently between you and Neil as his hand remains on top of yours. Sometimes words aren’t necessary. You can get the idea of what someone means by their actions alone.

A few moments later, the captain makes an announcement, followed by a series of other voices sharing information. You're too wrapped up in your thoughts to pay attention to anything they have to say. Before you know it, the plane begins to move down the tarmac. It gains speed, and suddenly, you feel yourself being lifted in the air.

You shiver again, the anxiety becoming too much to handle. You try to ease into your seat in an attempt to calm down, but to no avail. You’re petrified and uncomfortable, a terrible duo of emotions to be faced with simultaneously.

Suddenly, you feel Neil’s warm hand leave yours. You watch in confusion as he lifts the armrest up, tucking it in between the seats. He lifts his arm, and wraps it around your shoulder, just like he had done in the car, and so many countless times before. You accept the invitation willingly, and snuggle into his side. 

Minutes later, you’re fast asleep in Neil’s arms. 

———

An evil chuckle echoes against the concrete and spreads down to the grassy beach below. “There’s no saving him now, (Y/N)!” A man shouts from the top of an overpass. 

You look down and watch as a familiar figure waves their arms frantically underwater, trying to swim up to the surface, but they can’t. There’s a brick tied around each of their angles. Their dirty blonde hair floats freely in the water as they continue to sink to the bottom.

“N-Neil!” You shout, trying to step forward to dive in after him. But your stuck, tied against a chair, guarded by two large men. “Please, please stop this!”

The man laughs, ignoring your pleas. “This is what you get, (Y/N). You’re worthless, and you fucking know it. Don’t you ever forget it, darling.” 

You shake side to side. The chair tumbles over and you fall into the dark, black, cold water. Your nerves are shot by the shock of the frigidness, and you can’t move. 

“Neil!” You gargle, left to watch as he sinks to the bottom of the lake. “Neil!”

“(Y/N)?”

“Neil!”

“(Y/N)?” 

Your eyes shoot open and you practically jump out of your seat. Your seatbelt pushes you down, keeping held tightly. You’re trembling. You can’t breathe at all. 

“(Y/N),” Neil repeats. “It was just a nightmare, you’re okay.” He wraps his arms around you, bringing you tightly into his chest. 

You bury your face into his white shirt, sobbing softly. His right hand reaches up to the nape of your neck, his fingers gently combing through your hair. 

“I’m so sorry,” Neil whispers, his voice filled with kindness. “I’m so, so sorry, love.” 

You whimper into his chest as pain explodes in your heart. “What am I going to do?” You mutter. 

“Don’t worry about that,” Neil says, his kind tone persisting in each word he utters. “I’ve got you, it’ll be okay.”

It needed to be okay. You needed to be okay. You couldn’t risk any fuck ups, not this time. This was real. This was life or death. 

This was the end of the world. 

Or at least it could be. 

“I’m going to fucking kill him for what he’s done to you,” Neil states, the kindness in his voice is replaced with anger and frustration. “I’m going to kill Edgar, I swear.” 

You shake your head against his chest. “No…

“Leave that part up to me.”

>>> Chapter 2

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “This is War.”

This arc is going to be exciting, I hope you guys like it. 

“Commander, the Burg have broken through the defense Nexus and are making siege on the Gromm homeworld. We have sent ships to supplement them, but we won't be able to last much longer. How soon can you arrive.?”

“Immediately chairwoman. Give me the change to mobilize the fleet, and we will come  drop in to assist. Have some of your your cruisers sent in with shield generators. We would be more combat effective, if all our time was not spent in maneuvers.”

“It will be done commander.”

“One more thing, chairwoman.”

“Yes commander.” 

“Get me a forward report of battle progress, I want numbers, estimates, power outputs, weapons, anything you can give me, I want to know about it.”

“You will have it, Commander.”

The hologram disappeared, and Commander Vir pointed to one of the communications specialists, “You, get the fleet online, immediately.”

“Yes sir.” 

There was a moment of verbal silence as the room was filled with the distant clattering of feet thundering through the lower decks preparing for battle stations.

Four young soldiers sat in the corner of the room wide eyed and nervously watching the proceedings unfold as their insides churned. 

What a day to be a new recruit.

Bright blue light erupted around the room, and fifteen figures stepped out of the ether in various stages of wakefulness and or dress.

“Commander.” One of the men Said salluting, he was older maybe in his early to mid fifties though he looked better than a lot of men twice his age 

“Captain Eklend, Koslov, Ho, Silva, Bassi, you five are active?”

“Yes, Sir.” They chorused

“What this is about?”

“War, Captain, The Burg have perpetrated an act of war against the GA. You five are needed immediately with my ship on the front line. The rest of you, prepare yourselves for standby. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket.”

“An act of war!”

“Yes ,they are attempting to invade the Gromm homeworld.”

“What reason could they have-”

“Their reasons don’t matter for now. For the moment we focus on providing support to the Gromm and the GA. Have your crews ready as soon as possible, and initiate an instant warp. I know it will be rough on the coolant systems, but if you back charge that energy into the rail guns and cannons, that we should be able to arrive prepared. I want jets ready to provide in-atmosphere air support if necessary and as instantly as possible. Am I understood.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alert me as soon as you are ready, and make it quick. My people will have the coordinates to yours immediately “

“Yes, Commander/” Fifteen salutes, and fifteen holograms gone dark.

Commander Vir turned to the bridge crew, “Prepare for an instant warp, like I was saying before, make sure you back charge the rail guns with the excess energy put off by the core. We don’t want to smoke ourselves out with the heat.”

Turning, he took a seat in his chair, and despite his clothing, a star-wars T-shirt and a pair of heelies, no one would have assumed he was anything other than the commander. A door clattered behind them, and the small blue Drev from earlier burst through the door and ran across the deck to her seat.

“Sunny-”

“Yes! Preparing to back charge the railguns, commander. Loading bunker busting rounds, and loading flairs.”

“Good.” He barked.

With one hand he reached over and toggled the Comm switch.

His voice once relegated to this room, now echoed down the halls with a commanding echo, “Crew of the harbinger, this is your Commander speaking. At this moment the Burg have declared war on the GA and are attempting to overtake the Gromm planet for its strategic location within the GA. All of you are to report to your battle stations immediately and prepare for war. All vehicles, flying or otherwise, should be ready for takeoff. I want marines prepared to to insert by drop ship at a moment’s notice. All non military personnel are to return to their quarters, or a safe room away from the outer hull of the ship. Please make sure to go over any and all escape pod procedures in case of an emergency…..”

There was a moment of solemn silence.

“I understand that this is our first military engagement, I understand that you may be frightened, angry or even shocked, but I make a promise to you now, that I will do whatever I can to keep all of you and every last member of earth, and the GA safe. If you follow me in this goal I guarantee, there is no army, no species, no force save deity who can stop us. My fellow humans, and my brothers and sisters Drev,... let us show them what it means to wage war.”

He shut off the comm jaw set face staring forward.

With one hand, he reached up and pulled off the eyepatch revealing an inhuman mechanical replacement underneath.

“Commander, Captain  Kozlov is ready for warp.”

“As is Captain Bassi.”

“Captains Eklend, and Ho. Have reported in.”

“Captain Silva is ready, Commander.”

“Than we warp in five, four, three, two, one….”

***

The burg Commander stood at the head of her ship pincers clicking in great pleasure as she watched another one of the GA ships fall under her onslaught. 

Their shields were powerful, but their weapons were measly.

Their scientists had known this for a while. The GA were soft creatures born of government and economics and not of chaos like her people . They would rather, sit back and defend themselves like a wounded Curdling licking its wounds tan to stand and fight, and now they had insulted her people one last tie. 

Her previous successor, had failed in his mission, one that should have been easy considering their ability to exploit the GA’s soft and trusting laws, but he had lost his temper and given himself away before the end.

However, the time for stealth was long past, now it was a time for war. For the past few years, since their withdrawal from GA peace talks )she chittered her mandibles disgusted at the very thought they had once been willing to parlay with such disgusting creatures) they had traveled the galaxy in search of greater resources, stocking themselves for ward, creating alliances with other entities in the vastness of space.

The GA would fall for their insolence against the Burg,, and she would be the one to usher them into a greater future.

Who knows, perhaps she might even become queen.

The thought of sitting, fat and happy at the center of the hive made her insides wriggle with pleasure.

Another GA ship fell breaking into pieces and falling towards the glittering surface of the Gromm planet. The shards sparked and sizzled as they were deflected away from the planet’s defence nexus. 

It didn’t matter though, it wouldn’t be here for long.

She planned for that.

And that is when her alarms began going off. She whirled in a circle towards the group of grumbs at her back. They pulsed and oozed in time with the engines of the ship controlling the interior mechanisms with their bodies, which had been fuzed into the mechanisms. When this ship died, they would die with it.

“What is happening.”

“Your glory, ships have appeared from warp, and they ae firing on us.”

“WHO.” She demanded, “I must see!” They gurgled and mumbled as they got to work scrambling to do their best and find a suitable answer for her. The ship drifted around so the viewing platform faced outwards.

Ans that is when she saw them.

Two strange ships on the horizon, and as she watched, three more followed in quick succession, flashing into existence against the black backdrop of the  expanse. 

She would know those ships anywhere.

Hard, brutal and malignant like their pilots, “Slimy Maggots!” She spat grinding her pincers together.

“What is it, your glory?”

The sound that came through her teeth was nothing more than a warbling hiss “Humans.” 

The air around her pulsed with the wave of an incoming transmission. She accepted with an angry flick, her legs chittering back and forth across the ground. And then she saw it, that ugly hideous thing with its bulging bulbous eyes and sofy maggoty flesh, rubbery like a worm.

It blinked at her revealing that mouth full of toxic venom which had been such  a hindrance to her people.

She knew this human well, if not from personal contact, than form the hostires.

For to forget a grudge was to forget one’s honor.

“Disgusting human, have you come to join your fellows as their dust is sprinkled by the solar wind.”

“Let's drop the niceties shall we.” The human responded it’s voice a horrible throbbing humm inside her head, “Now that we are here, You have two options you will surrender to the GA and live, or you will fight and you will die poorly. Which shall it be, this is your first and final warning.”

She chittered her mandibles together in laughter.

“You are mistaken human. For it is YOU who will die poorly, and there is no surrender.

“Is that a no than?”

She spat at the screen, “You will die screaming.”

“I said, is-that-a-no?”

“NO.”

“Very well.”

And then she …. She saw something, or she thought she saw something. 

A flash of light, like a fire ignited behind the slimy outer layer of the human Iris. It was both cold and hot burning and cold, chaotic and still. The longer she stared the hotter the little fire grew, until it felt as if she could feel tongues of flame licking at her shell,

“Do you have gods, burg.”

She wasn’t entirely sure where this was going but the mesmerizing nature of the eyes caused her to grow still, unable to be silent against the burning question.

“Yes.”

“Do you pray.”

“Only over the pyres of our dead.”

The human bared his teeth slimy coating of venom sparkling under the light.

“Then Pray.” 

[fuwafuwamedb]

The Rayshift Thefts (Cu Chulainn, Rin Tohsaka, Hakuno, Gilgamesh)

He couldn’t help it.

Sometimes, when his master wasn’t around, he found himself closing his eyes, thinking about that brunette. His other selves were in the midst of a good poker game with Gudako, laughing it up or simply grunting as Gudako made poor jokes. The whole place was cheery enough, filling the air with a collection of sounds that were hard for any servant to imagine before coming to this place.

A facility that summoned servants not to fight one another but to protect humanity.

“You’re remarkably easy to persuade to help us fight,” Gudako had once commented.

He’d laughed at the remark, asking if it should be difficult for him to agree to such terms. However, he’d just been avoiding the answer that had been in his mind.

His eyes still saw the brown hair, glinting in the light of that basement. He could still see the eyes that had finally held fear in them, the pain and the torment slipping away as he pulled Gae Bolg from the body of the priest that had been trying to destroy her life any further.

Sometimes it felt like he could feel her hands on him, lightly touching at his armor as all that mounting hope broke into pieces.

“I need to smoke.”

Cu glanced over at his other selves.

“Oi! Who needs a break?”

“I smoked before I came,” Caster him complained, glaring over at Gudako.

“I don’t smoke those flimsy twigs,” Alter growled.

“I’m going cold turkey,” Proto replied.

So just him.

Lancer shook his head at them, climbing to his feet and fixing the turtleneck he had on. Guess all this meant was that he was meant to be ponderin’ that cute brunette a little longer. He could imagine the knee high socks, the long coats and the tumblin’ dark hair that she tied up on the sides to keep out of her way.

Wandering through the facility, he looked out to the lakes in the distance, just below the mountains, noting how the blue color seemed to look like the depths of those intelligent eyes.

He was an obsessive old man, wasn’t he?

Confident women with brains and a lack of ambition for ruining a man were hard to come by. Too often, he’d ended up with women like that Medb or his master; women who had their own ambitions and were all too happy to mow you down just to get to their goals.

That Rin Tohsaka had been a rare gem.

“You look entertained.”

“Hmm?”

It looked like he wouldn’t be smoking alone, after all. Not that he could call the other company, but…

“You got a light, Gorgeous?”

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes at that, flicking a thing from his pocket and handing over the cigarette he’d had close at hand.

If nothing else, the other’s taste in good tobacco hadn’t changed at all. Cu found himself settling against the wall of the rayshift room, knowing full well that they’d have to run the damn fan in here when they were done.

Worth it though, he thought.

“Mutt, I’m bored. At least bark a little.”

“Woof woof, Goldie. I ain’t up for that shit. Entertain yourself.”

“Entertain myself?” The man’s eyes glinted. “Are you truly thinking yourself that cocky after all we’ve been through?”

“Oi, leave it.”

“I remember a certain man volunteering to look after the vessel candidate, insisting on twenty-four-hour surveillance.”

“I miss that woman.”

The words came out far too easily. He wasn’t sure how, wasn’t sure why, but there they were. They hung in the air between him and the archer, lingering like a storm cloud.

He remembered being stuck around the church. The memories were far too persistent, despite his best efforts otherwise. He could also remember her though, the small conversations, the blush could form as she misunderstood something or simply became too naïve to realize the truth of things.

“You miss a mongrel like that?”

“You never met her.”

The man clicked his tongue. “I met something close enough… This conversation bores me. Go get her if you are so lonesome, mutt. Who’s going to stop you?”

“Gudako?”

Gilgamesh laughed, smashing the butt of his cigarette against the wall and pouring himself some wine. “That fool? She lacked the courage to address many things in this place until they became unavoidable. A little mage hiding in your room will hardly be worth noting.”

“I don’t see you summoning anything here.”

“Me?”

“Is there nothing and no one that you miss?”

It was obvious that there wasn’t anyone. Why would there be? The great king of Heroes was not one for entertaining himself with women and liaisons other than sadistic trysts with malignant priests. He entertained himself with ideologies and the chaos of the inherently good becoming corrupt. A man like that-

Gilgamesh made a small hum.

“Should I allow you to assist me then? I suppose you do owe me for my forcing Kirei to treat you so well.”

“I ain’t interested.”

“No?”

The man was ruining his smoke break. Pulling the cigarette out, he went to kill it when the other spoke up.

“Not even for that Tohsaka fool?”

“Eh?”

He laughed, those red eyes meeting his own. “I’m talking about that little fool your lovesick for, you fool. You wish to go get her, but you don’t want to break any precious rules. Hate to have Gudako see you wet the floors or scratch up the furniture, right?”

“I ain’t givin’ up my place here just to catch a glimpse of the girl.”

“Control the command room when I fetch someone and I’ll control the room when you go to fetch your mongrel.”

“Who are you going to get?”

Gilgamesh eyes closed, his expression deflating until he looked about ready to leave. “I have other things to do. Decide quickly and cease your wasting of my time.”

“How do I know you won’t betray me?”

“Betray?”

He began to nod a second before that face was close, he could see something dark in that gaze, the smell of smoke hanging between them in the intimate space.

“What a strange word coming from someone who spread me before that useless priest and allowed his slop down my throat. Do not think I’ve forgotten a second of that. That or what else you helped him with.”

“You did the same, Goldie.”

“And now we both stand here, with the man dead and the sins of that time lingering only in memory. You want something. I want something. I see no reason why we should allow a little red headed fool tell us what is and is not to be done about our needs… do you?”

“So you’re saying that sexual shit-“

“My time is precious, don’t waste it further, Celt.”

“Fine.”

“Excellent.” Gilgamesh moved to the other room, tapping the glass with his knuckles as he settled into the command room seat. “You’ll fetch your woman first. Be quick. You know how loud this place is and I want who I want tonight as well.”

Be quick.

Funny words from someone who shifted him to the other side of the damn city. He found himself leaping from roof to roof, looking about the strangely offputting city of Fuyuki. Mid-Grail War, obviously, if he could take some damages here and there as any indication. Things had been changed, buildings torn apart and stores collapsed from what had to be a few good battles.

The woman’s own home was quiet, a lone woman lying in the center of the bed in a state of disarray. The bandages on her were numerous, her first aid kit was emptied out, a pile nearby showing that she’d bleed through enough already.

“…Rin.”

The woman jumped, spinning around only to gasp.

A stab wound.

She hadn’t had that. Cu Chulainn yanked at the bedding, bunching it in a rush as he found the woman struggling against him.

“Let me go!”

“Woman, you’re dying.” He grabbed her turtleneck from the floor as he made her hold that blanket to her chest. Her coat nearby was grabbed next, alongside her scarf and stockings.

“What are you doing?! How did you get-“

The shift back came the moment that he had the woman in his arms.

“You would find an idiot sporting a fatal injury, wouldn’t you?”

Gilgamesh stormed into the room, leaving Rin to jump again. Her body clung to him, looking around in shock.

“Kit’s on the chair. I’ve written down the instructions for my shift. Do not fail me. My little toy to keep the place distracted won’t last long and you’ve wasted my time again.”

“Right.”

He didn’t have time to argue, not with Rin like this. Getting her into the other room, he could see the chaos on the monitors. Gil’d unleashed a selection of Avicebron’s golems into the hallways, leaving the place to collect them and that fool Spartacus.

“What is this? Where am I?”

“Chaldea.” Cu typed in the shit on Gil’s paper, shifting him off before he grabbed the kit and looked to her. “Watch the monitors for when that golden guy has whatever he’s searching for. I need to treat your stomach wound.”

“I’ve tried healing it. Nothing’s been working…”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say I’ve had my fair share of these, as you know.”

“I don’t know who you are.”

She what?

Cu Chulainn stared up at her, watching that blue gaze try to understand what was happening. His clever Rin had been a shit liar, even worse at hiding feelings. She should have been raging, kicking and shouting ‘lancer!’ or ‘you idiot’ at him.

Instead, there was just a tired look of shock on her face, as though the world was ending but she still found herself running into that one last problem.

Where did that golden asshole send me?

It had been during the war, he knew that. The damage was obvious. Rin was the same. Right down to the hair style and the weight of her, she was the same.

“You’re a servant, I know that.”

“Shit, Rin.”

“How do you know my name?”

“What do you remember from the Holy Grail war?”

“The war… you mean that my sister won?”

Her sister-

He’d gotten an alternate time’s Rin.

That damned bastard, shipping him off to steal a Rin that didn’t know him. Whatever had happened to this one, she was clueless as to who he was. Who knew what had-

Cu paused.

“…Did anyone try to touch you?”

“W-What the hell is wrong with you!?!” The woman slammed her foot into his chest, sending her computer chair flying back as she did. The bandages he’d been applying fell loosely around her exposed waist. “WHY THE HELL WOULD SOMEONE DO THAT?!”

Thank the gods.

“HEY-“

“You don’t know how glad I am to hear that, lass. Come here and let me tend that damn wound before ya die on me. I didn’t save your ass in one life just to lose your alternate life like this.”

“…Alternate?”

He motioned her over, watching her hesitate a moment before listening.

It took a minute, ultimately ruining the outfit she was in. He pulled his shirt off and shoved it over her to give her something clean to wear.

“…I don’t get you.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

He ruffled her hair a moment before checking the monitors again.

Most the golems were rounded up now. It looked like time was almost up.

Gilgamesh meanwhile was moving through a school building, slipping into a room and pulling a slumbering woman out of bed. It looked like he had what he wanted, judging by his waving of one arm.

Cu slammed the shift button and glanced back to Rin.

“What am I supposed to do here?”

He hadn’t thought that far.

Embarrassing as it was, he had no clue how to handle things from here. He’d expected to have his own Rin, the one that had yelled at him and demanded his aid in fighting that red archer. He’d expected swearings and stompings and a collection of colorful insults to fill his evening. It’d have been long enough for him to think of a reason to keep her around other than that he liked her.

This Rin was just sweet.

It was like gaining a bird with a broken wing. No matter how powerful, they still couldn’t fly. He’d have to nurse her back to health and figure shit out on the fly.

“Are they still gathering those beasts?” Gilgamesh asked, hauling the woman into the room over his shoulder.

“Last few.”

“Then move it. I won’t be caught this early just because you want to play nursemaid with the woman you missed.”

“Missed?” Rin stared at him next, earning a scoff.

“Figure your own fool out on your own, mongrel. I have things to do.”

Things was currently holding onto his shoulders, her face pressing against his neck. Whoever the woman was, it was clear she was entirely asleep, lost in a warm and comforting dream that would burst the moment she woke up to the asshole archer.

“You mind trusting me a while longer?” Cu asked the woman in his shirt, offering his back to her.

“…Since you helped me not die, fine.” Rin shifted, her body wrapping around his carefully before he grabbed her soiled clothes and the first aid kit from the floor. Her head leaned over his shoulder. “I want an explanation of what’s going on when we get to wherever we’re going.”

Yeah, he’d figured that she would.

Shame he didn’t have one for her.

[yehfihaideewani]

Episode 138: Prayers and Pleading

Zoya pleads that she tried so hard to marry Arshad and you understand that she did so because her worst fear of upsetting her father as he does not understand her has come true. Hence why she was avoiding her true feelings, why she did not want to realise them and suppressed them within herself despite Roshnaq and Noor’s encouragement. 

“Arshad hum aap se kabhi pyaar nahi kar payenge kyun ke humaare dil mein woh jagaa Aditya ne le li hai” (Arshad, I will never be able to love you because Aditya has taken that place in my heart). The use of the word never hints to the eternal bond that is between Adi and Zoya, the thread forever connecting these two souls. Whether she married Arshad or not she would never have been able to love him because of the ever-lasting love between her and Aditya. 

“Humein pataa hi nahi chalaa jisko hum dosti samajh rahe the woh assal main pyaar tha” (I didn’t even realise what I thought to friendship was indeed love.) The fact that Zoya admitted in several episodes that she did not have friends contributes to her never being able to tell the difference between love and friendship as she had no friendship to compare to her relationship with Yash so she could spot the differences between these two types of relationships. Secondly, Yash was her only reference for a relationship but because that love brought her insurmountable pain she didn’t want to realise her feelings either thinking it would bring her pain. 

Amina (Arshad’s mom) curses Zoya and Adi stands protectively in front of Zoya alluding to the fact that he will be her shield if these curses ever do affect Zoya. With Amina’s words echoing in the room, it is suggested her curses will have an impact in that Adi and Zoya may have to face many hurdles but with Sohail (Arshad’s dad) parting words in anger that Zoya is beyond being forgiven by them as she has hurt them so much that maybe God will forgive you. This indicates that God may reduce the impact of the curses because Zoya is earnestly sorry with her whole heart because she did not mean for this to happen. 

Zoya is staring at her father and Adi clasps her hand in his. He is being her support and strength and always standing by her repeatedly. No matter how many times she needs him. They look down at their clasped hands and then at each other as Zoya thanks Adi with her eyes and tilting her head slightly. They look at each other amidst despair, but also with hope and a renewed feeling. It shows that they are sharing an intimate moment despite being in the middle of all this chaos, they are sharing a secret glance in between all the turmoil. Adi says her name but she sobs and mouths “Abbu” (Father). Its her way of communicating to Adi that they will have time to talk later in private about their feelings but presently they need to talk to Waseem and convince him. 

Adi and Zoya stand united against Waseem’s anger.  Adi emotionally pleads with Waseem that he is saying all these things against Zoya in anger but he doesn’t mean them and that Zoya will break if her father doesn’t stand by her. And with one sharp look from Waseem, Adi and Zoya’s interwined hands fly apart. 

Zoya calls him “Abu” (Father). But Waseem angrily retorts that she has maligned his reputation. This reflects what Waseem thinks of the father-daughter dynamic. He sees it as his authority and power as father that Zoya should adhere to. He screams that he kept asking her if she wanted to marry Arshad, but what he fails to recognise is that the way he asked her was forceful and emotionally manipulative forcing Zoya to say yes every time. His disconcert doesn;t seem to be with her but because he believes that she doesn’t pick a guy that is right for her and this is only because the guy that Zoya picks doesn’t fit Waseem’s idea or schema of what the right guy is for her. Waseem proceeds to emotionally blackmail and guilt trip Zoya by saying that he always stood by her when she broke down but accuses her of always choosing her own happiness and not following through on his decision for her. The problem here is that he completely disregards that Zoya is her own person and has every right to pick her own happiness without anyone rebuking her for her decision. She replies that she is willing to forsake Adi and her love by never marrying anyone if her father says so out of respect for him. This alludes that even when they separated hands it was due to Waseem and thus them being separated temporarily or a problem in their union and marriage will be due to Waseem. 

For a man that was always selfish, always concerned about himself who gave little thought about everyone else’s emotions, Adi falls to the ground in front of Waseem in complete submission. It comes as such a drastic shock at the suddenness of the action and yet it simply and powerfully exudes how far Adi has come and how much further he is willing to go for his Zoya. Adi pleads and begs in front of Waseem completely disregarding his own self-respect all for Zoya knowing full well that Waseem hates him. In seeing his emotional admissions and complete disregard for himself, you can’t help but feel a sense of pain for him. Adi’s selflessness shines through as he says “Pehli dafaa jo dil dukhayaa tha aap ka, aaj tak sazaa de rahi hai apne aap ko” (The first time when she hurt you, she is punishing herself until today because of that) by not accepting her feelings for Adi until her marriage ceremony had started. He admits that he knows Waseem does not like him at all but he vows “Lekin aap itna toh jaante hain na ke main Zoya ko kabhi takleef nahi ponchahunga. Sir main aapse vadaa karta hoon main Zoya ke saath kabhi farayb nahi karoonga, kabhi dhoka nahi doonga. Dunya ki har khushi doonga Sir. Har khushi deni ki mumkin koshish karoonga” (But you know this much at least that I will never hurt Zoya. Sir, I vow to you I will never deceive Zoya, I will never cheat her. I will give her the all the world’s happiness Sir. I will try my absolute best to give her every happiness.) He delivers his vows bent in submission in front of her father in a broken tone showing just how emotional he gets when it comes to Zoya. And because of he is kneeling it almost feels like he is kneeling in prayer with God as his witness as he says his marriage vows. He reasons why he deserves to be with Zoya “Main jantaa hoon ek rishte ke tootne ka, ek shaadi ke tootne ka, ek dil ke tootne ka dard kya hota hai. Main aap se vadaa karta hoon Zoya ka dil kabhi naho todoon ga. Iss rishte ko zindagi bhar, saathon janam hamesha nibhaunga Sir please” (I know when a relationships breaks down,  when a marriage breaks down, when a heart breaks, what he pain is like. I vow to you that I will never break Zoya’s heart. I will maintain this relationship throughout life, for all seven lives Sir please). Adi is an adult and so is Zoya. He could have eloped with her. And yet he chose to try and placate her father by explaining to him how he is worthy of his daughter. He chose to stay and with permission marry Zoya as best as he could.

However this does not work. Roshnaq gathers Adi and Zoya and picks them up from the ground asking them to stop crying. The significance of this scene is that Roshnaq doesn’t challenge or speak up against Waseem. But she does this time because she believes her daughter is right “Unn ko aap ke rishte ki sachayi nahi nazar aa rahi” (He (Waseem) cannot see the truth in your relationship). This indicates that that Roshnaq sees how Adi and Zoya’s relationship wasn’t formed in love. It was formed in mirrored pain, pain that only the other could understand and after having their spirits and souls broken they learnt to get up and live again because of the other. They learned to breathe again despite their unbearable pain. They learned to smile and find the small joys in life again. They learned how to better themselves. They learned how to love themselves and others again. Roshnaq asserts firmly to Waseem that “Sach toh yeh hai ke yeh iss ki zindagi ka sab se pehla aur sahi faisla hai” (The truth is that this is her (Zoya) life’s first and best decision.) This suggests that running away when she married Yash was most probably Yash’s decision. But this decision to not marry Arshad and choose Aditya for herself, Roshaq can see the depth and purity of Zoya’s choice. Roshnaq sees how they live only for the other “Aap dono ek dusre ka khayal rakhiye ga, har dukh aur har takleef se ek dusre ki hifaazat karye ga” (You two take care of each other, keep each other safe from every pain, from every woe.). This also shows how Adi and Zoya’s relationship is different from her and Yash’s by placing responsibility on Zoya too to take care of Adi and maintain this relationship. “Allah, tal’aa hamesha aap dono ko apne karam se nawaaze aur iss maa ki duaaein aap dono ke saath hamesha rahein. Hamesha khush raho” (May Allah (God) always shower His benevolence on you both and this mother’s prayers are always with you. Be happy always). This pure and emotional prayer that left Roshnaq’s mouth felt so simple yet so heavy that it almost insinuates that Roshnaq’s prayer for Adi and Zoya will protect them from Amina’s (Arshad’s mom) curse and will keep them forever intact. The episode ended with Zoya and Adi being thrown out of the Siddiqui house by Waseem.

[placetobenation]

As many of you are aware, WWE Network is pretty packed with all sorts of content. And as you may also know, we here at Place to Be Nation love long term, in depth projects. So, as part of this initiative, members of the PTBN Staff are choosing programs at random and after watching each program, they will share their thoughts, notes and recommendations with our readers. So, settle in and enjoy this epic ride through wrestling history!

Roddy Piper’s Greatest Hits

Run Time: 98 Minutes

Why Jacob Why???: 

BECAUSE JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHICH SHOW I’M GONNA PICK, I CHANGE THE ANSWERS

I figured if we were going to go on this Network voyage, there’s no better way than to start with one of the earlier tapes, especially one focused on such an icon. Along with that, I knew this would give us a nice mix of matches, promos, and random segments, even if they all center around one guy.

Best Segment

Breaking down barriers since 1984!

Aaron George:  Bob Orton going for a checkup on his much maligned arm. I hold no pretensions that Doc Stevens is in any way a licensed physician, but when he was introduced as the resident TNT Doctor I was already in stitches. Straight man Vince is incredulous that Orton’s arm hasn’t healed yet and Piper’s conviction in the face of Bob’s “Your arm is fine” diagnosis is wonderful.  Special points to the “doctor” too who incredulously wondered aloud that the arm should be stronger by now.

Brian Bayless: The Piper’s Pit segment with Jimmy Snuka is one of the most memorable segments in wrestling history and with good reason. This never dragged and was explosive and shocking as anything shown on WWF TV at that point.

Jacob Williams: I have to go with the Mid City Health Club meditation session, just for the pure goofiness. I’m a sucker for these early to mid 80s campy vignettes. I love it all–from Ace as the PR rep to Orndorff’s hot pants,  to Piper hissing at Gene.  Everyone takes the entire premise so serious, and it makes it that much better. To top it off, they beat up some random guy on the street, which actually feels real and gritty. The entire crew just completely sells themselves as some weirdo transgressive tough guys.

Calum McDougall: Tuesday Night Titans with Piper and Bob Orton visiting the doctor. I though the middle of the tape dragged on a bit due to the lack of matches, but this was the highlight of the long talking segment section of the tape. Piper’s mannerisms from the start were outstanding, giving Orton nervous glances throughout and his interactions with the doctor and Vince were fantastic.He had an answer for everything that was thrown at him, and when all else failed he just started quacking at the doctor to end the segment. Excellent stuff.

Dave Hall: Piper’s Pit with special guest: Roddy Piper. This segment was hilarious.  I really loved the smooth editing that made it seem like a genuine interview.  Piper’s comments were awesome, and very ahead of their time.  It was full of one liners from start to finish, from “I had Andre on.  I brought him a Johnny brush to brush his teeth”, to “When I shoot a gun, someone gets pregnant”.  It seems only fitting that Piper’s greatest guest would be himself, and he really pushed boundaries with this segment.  Piper at his very best.

Best Match

You did WHAT to Andre the giant???

Aaron George: The problem with this set is there isn’t a match that has anything resembling a proper finish. The one that stood out for me was Piper and Dr. Death against Andre The Giant and Snuka. It was super interesting to not only watch Andre carry the babyface segments of a tag match, but then to see him beaten bloody by Piper and experience him in legitimate peril was tons of fun. The image of Roddy Piper sitting on the top turnbuckle covered in Andre’s 1.7 BAC blood is a perfect snapshot of the character. Sure Andre comes back later and they do the fuck finish but for every second Hot Rod is in the ring the crowd is LIVID!

Brian Bayless: The final match on the card, Piper & Orton vs. Snuka & Tonga Kid, was a lot of fun. The crowd went crazy and it was a chaotic match with lots of brawling.

Jacob Williams: This was tough because the Hogan match had so much heat, but I have to go with the Andre tag. It told a better story, and the reaction when Andre comes out with the bandage is breathtaking. Piper looks like such a warrior with the Giant’s blood smeared on him. I wasn’t very hyper aware of this feud between Piper and Andre. This was excellent.

Calum McDougall:  Piper & David Schultz vs. Andre The Giant and Jimmy Snuka. I thought this match was a lot of fun. It was good to see and Andre match when he could still go at a good level, and I lost it when he did a drop down. Admittedly, it’s not the most athletic of maneuvers but it was amazing to see Andre do it given that most of the matches of his I’ve seen are post-WrestleMania III, when he’s really broken down. I loved the ending with the bloodbath, then transitioning into the handicap match only for Andre to come back out. The heat that was on Piper and Schultz was unreal, and the visual of Hot Rod sitting on the top rope covered almost head to toe in Andre’s blood was the best shot of the whole video.

Dave Hall:  Roddy Piper vs The Tonga Kid. There are lots of really great matches on this presentation, and one could argue that the Piper vs Hogan match at War to Settle the Score could be the best, but I really enjoyed the Piper vs Tonga Kid match.  This match surprised me with it’s quick offense and the heat that it had.  Piper calling for the time out and then selling a ton for Tonga Kid really made it seem that Tonga Kid was a genuine threat to win.  The interference from Jimmy Snuka and Bob Orton did not detract from the match, and really added to the heat.  A really enjoyable match.

Most Cringeworthy Moment

Explain your actions you fat, bald-headed little oaf.

Aaron George:  Any time Hot Rod spouts off “Just when they think they’ve got all the answers, I change the questions.” It never made any sense in context to what he was doing and it’s just lame. I know we’re supposed to revere it as a classic Piper line but to me it always sounded forced and was a weak spot in an otherwise strong promo game.

Brian Bayless: Gene Okerlund, who did the introduction to this video, listed Piper as 6’3 and 252 lbs. Even in pro wrestling where size is exaggerated it was ridiculous.

Jacob Williams: Frank Williams attempted to speak into a microphone, and it was a complete disaster.

Calum McDougall: Piper’s Pit with Jimmy Snuka. Well, this hasn’t aged well has it? I completely understand that this is a legendary and memorable segment, given that its between two Hall of Famers. Snuka was one of the most popular men in the company at the time, and Piper was quite possibly the most hated man in the WWF. In 1985, it’s a licence to print money. In 2018 however, its uncomfortable viewing, with Pipers taunting in the run up to the coconut shot, right up until the end where he is whipping Snuka within an inch of his life. It’s easy to see why the would only show the coconut attack in more recent clips. It was a different time, but this is certainly not a 2018 segment.

Dave Hall: Everything involving Mean Gene Okerlund. With so much quality stuff on this presentation, I was really disappointed with Mean Gene’s introduction, and his linking statements throughout.  The intro was really cringe worthy, as he bagged out Piper and almost made it feel like anyone who had “purchased the video” was a loser for doing so.  His negativity is understandable, but after seeing how enjoyable the whole thing was, it ended up looking really stupid.

Funniest Line/Moment

Have you ever heard of a Kiss song called Love Gun?

Aaron George:  During an episode of TNT Vince grills Roddy as to why he didn’t let Jimmy Snuka speak before cracking the coconut on his head; Hot Rod loses it and screams something to the effect of “I DID BUT HE JUST SAT THERE LIKE A BUMBLING IDIOT LIKE THIS GUY!!!” He then points to a dour Lord Alfred Hayes, sitting there with his hands crossed, decked out in a pompadour suit refusing to say a word at the obvious truths Piper was spewing; a look of sadness overcomes his face quickly hidden behind a false smile and a shame-filled stiff upper lip.

Brian Bayless: Piper quacking as the doctor on TNT said that Bob Orton’s arm was fine cracked me up. Also, Orton beating up a guy on the street after Okerlund was kicked out of Piper & Paul Orndorff’s private training session for their WrestleMania match was classic.

Jacob Williams:Piper hissing at the camera out of nowhere, and the ensuing shot of him hissing, is comedy gold.

Calum McDougall: Roddy quacking at the doctor at the end of the TNT segment above. Excellent stuff.

Dave Hall: In a tape full of actual greatest hits and moments, and multiple one-liners from Piper, the funniest line for me was when Piper looked at the cameras and said “When I shoot a gun, someone gets pregnant.” I laughed out loud and even replayed the line just to hear it again.

Highlights

Forgiveness or massive concussion?

Aaron George:  Every single match had CRAZY crowd heat. Piper was clearly a master of the chaos filled match. His frenetic energy was incredible and if Michael Cole was calling his matches he would no-doubt be screaming lunatic fringe every ninety seconds. The promos were quite good and even something as hokey a concept as interviewing oneself is pulled off well by the Hot Scot. The meditation promo was great and had Piper and Orton not visited the doctor would have walked away with best segment. Every time Piper read a letter from someone’s family “i.e. Hogan’s mother writing him pleading to stop beating up her son,” was spectacular. Gloria Steinman was at the War To Settle The Score! I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the AMAZING Coliseum Video opening declaring that for 5000 years this bullshit has been going on, all the while the precursor to Hercules’ music blasts as we get shots of jobbers being murdered. Love T getting the shit beat out of him and adore Paul Orndorff screaming at Arnold Skaaland.

Brian Bayless: The matches featured all had a ton of crowd heat and the segments that focused on Andre the Giant, Jimmy Snuka,and Hulk Hogan were great. Plus, we saw the classic Pit segments with Jimmy Snuka and Frankie Williams.

Jacob Williams: It’s hard narrow it down when so much of this is made up such legendary matches and moments. I absolutely loved any interaction between Piper and Andre. Andre’s innate charisma compliments Piper’s manic energy well. Piper busting Andre open to show that he could back up his big mouth, then Andre stumbling back the ring with crude head bandage, was all so great.

Calum McDougall:  

*Andre’s performance in the opening tag team match, as I said before, it was good to see a match before he starts to break down

* The red hot crowd when Snuka is on offence when the opening match transitions to handicap, what they’d do for a sustained reaction like that nowadays.

* The bagpipe entrance for the War to Settle The Score match, although I am legally obligated to say this.

Dave Hall: This whole tape is a bunch of genuine highlights.  There is so much good stuff on here I don’t know where to start.  Two things that did really stand out for me: the Piper’s Pit with Andre the Giant, and watching Andre lift Piper in the air by his shirt.  Piper looked genuinely worried at that moment.  Then we saw Andre totally sell an assault from Piper, including bleeding.  It made Piper look like a total badass. I had never seen the War to Settle the Score before, and really enjoyed it.  The Piper’s Pits were all great, and the Tonga Kid and Jimmy Snuka stuff was really entertaining.

Lowlights

Why no one care about my eyes no mo?

Aaron George:  It would have been nice to have a match that had a proper finish, but I get the impression Piper didn’t have many of those. I don’t like Real American being dubbed over Eye of The Tiger but it doesn’t bother me nearly as much as Hulk Hogan slumming it with noted fat sloppy pig Lou Albano. Why on Earth does a guy named Frank Williams struggle so heartily with the English language?

Brian Bayless: For some reason there was an episode of Piper’s Pit that had Samu as the Tonga Kid. Samu had noticeably less charisma than the original Tonga Kid. The segment with Piper interviewing himself started off amusing enough but did run out of steam by the end.

Jacob Williams:Piper interviewing himself overstays its welcome a bit. The stuff with Samu was fine, but it didn’t match the intensity or epic feel of the other feuds covered on this tape.

Calum McDougall: 

* The awful dub over of Real American. You could tell that the crowd was going crazy for the Hulkster but the dub job silences them, which took something off this match for me.

* Mean Gene and Lord Alfred Hayes on commentary, I didn’t enjoy this team at all.

* Tonga Kid mocking Piper’s kilt. (It’s not a skirt!!!!)

Dave Hall: In a tape filled with so much great stuff, I found the “Piper’s Workout” clips preparing for WrestleMania to be a little dull and drag a bit.  Piper did very little in these segments, and Gene came off as a goof.  This really could have been left off, especially as the WrestleMania main event is not covered on this presentation. The other lowlight to me was the layout of the presentation.  They cover the Andre segments early 1984), jump to the War to Settle the Score (1985), and then go back to the Snuka/Tonga Kid stuff (1984 again).  I think it would have been better if they had run the events and matches chronologically, and finished with the War to Settle the Score.

Wild Card BABY!!!

I’M YOUR MAN!!!

Liar Of The Night:  Forgive me for a fucking second if I can’t picture Mr. T rocking out to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.  If Mr. T can name ONE other Cyndi Lauper song I will eat a shit sandwich.  He enjoys her music… PUH – LEASE – I wonder how many takes it took to get that line out. – AG

Best Tidbit: According to Piper, the coconut he used to hit Snuka was not gimmicked and Snuka himself was unaware he was going to be getting hit with anything of the fruits on the table. Piper even claimed that Snuka tried to go after him that night at the hotel. The segment was filmed on 3/28/84 in St. Louis but did not air until the 6/9/84 edition of “Championship Wrestling.” – BB

Excellence in Medical Practice Award: This one goes to Doc Stevens.  No matter how much Piper yells and quacks at him, he never strays from calmly delivering his diagnosis. – JW

What’s The Point Award:  Piper’s Pit with guest Roddy Piper. This should have been really good, and for 1985 technology this was impressive. But it didn’t go anywhere, was too long for me and by the end I was just baffled at the whole thing. A good idea on paper which just fell short on execution for me. – CM

Most Nosey:   Gene Okerlund. If guys are meditating and hissing at you while sitting on the dirtiest floor I’ve ever seen stop asking questions at take your bald headed ass out of the Mid City Gym FOR MEN. He interrupts Orndorff as he attempts a sexy deadlift, he stops Piper from transitioning to snake. Get outta there you oaf! The guy who asked if Gene needed help deserved to get his ass beat. – AG

The Sympathy Award: On a tape with some of the biggest names in the history of wrestling—Piper, Hogan, Andre—we get a cameo from Frank Williams. Piper can destroy nearly anyone on the mic, so when he goes against poor Frank Williams in the Pit, I kind of just felt bad. Williams can barely utter a coherent sentence, and Piper just humiliates him. – JW

Again! What’s the point???: As I just mentioned, I felt that without any coverage of the WrestleMania main event there was little point in showing the workout video of Piper and Orndorff.  It just added nothing to the presentation.

Most Random: Lou Thesz as special referee. When Mean Gene threw to this match and mentioned there was a special referee the last person I expected to see was Lou Thesz! Even more surprising is that they actually acknowledge him as a former World Champion. I’m assuming this is because Thesz was well known in the Minneapolis area where this match happened and they know him as a legendary champion (rightfully so) but this was a head scratcher nonetheless. – CM

Final Thoughts

Aaron George:  This was a fun set but don’t go into it looking for some classic matches. Because of the lack of variety in the programming of it I found myself struggling to get through it. Still there’s some classic MOMENTS, and after watching you couldn’t ever argue that Piper wasn’t one thousand percent effective in the ring. RATING: 6/10

Brian Bayless: Piper was arguably the best heel in all of wrestling from 1984-85 and this tape did a great job of capturing everything that made him great. Sure, the matches themselves were not masterpieces but you saw a lot of crowds going wild to go along with many memorable segments and interviews. One of the best Coliseum Home Video releases you can get. RATING: 8/10

Jacob Williams: Every match on here felt so epic and meaningful. You had guys who were insanely over coupled with crowds that are just buying into absolutely everything that’s happening. I know there wasn’t much variety, but it was amazing to watch a snapshot of a guy firing on all cylinders in his prime right as the WWF was catching fire. RATING: 8/10

Calum McDougall: The tape started off hot, with opening tag and the Hogan MTV match but it took a nosedive with the long section in the middle. That being said, I still thought it was a decent video, due to the good stuff being great. RATING:4/10

Dave Hall: What a way to start the reboot of the Network Adventure.  This was awesome.  Knowing the history of the Colliseum Home Video stuff, I was really worried there would be a lot of crap mixed in with some good stuff.  But this was great moment after great moment.  The matches all had heat and moved well, and really showcased Piper’s ability in the ring to make his opponent look good.  The Piper’s Pit were all memorable ones, you have the classic Bob Orton and Piper visiting the doctor, which was really fun, and then you have Piper interviewing himself which was simply brilliant.  While Mean Gene may have mocked the title at the start of the presentation, never has the phrase “Greatest Hits” ever been more warranted. RATING: 10/10

And we are out! Where will the Network Adventure travel to? Which Coliseum will be conquered next? Which of these assholes will quit the project in an indignant rage??? Find out in TWO WEEKS!

Reg?

[flauntpage]

Reprieve! Reprieve! Flyers Still Alive After Some Memorable Performances.

I don’t know about you, but I still can’t figure out the Flyers.

How do you get embarrassed in two home playoff games (and three of the first four) and then go on the road, into the home arena of the two-time defending champions, in an elimination game, and win?

And not only that, they did it with a lopsided special teams disparity against them, and came out on the plus side of that ledger. They did it with a new starting goalie, who gave up two bad goals, but also made several big saves – including one in the final minute – to protect the win. They did it with a much-maligned depth forward being thrust into a position where he was destined to fail – and he played the game of his career. They did it with their most important player in this series, somehow playing with an injury he shouldn’t be playing with, one that noticeably limits his skating and is definitely limiting his minutes, scoring the game-winning goal.

In other words, they did it against all odds.

The Flyers won Game 5 4-2, forcing a Game 6 back in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon. And although the Flyers will tell you they did it by playing their best game of the series, it wasn’t.

But, it was good enough. And enough things went right for them at the right times and in the right places to stay alive in this first round series.

And I’ve finally come to the realization, after 87 games, that this is what the Flyers do.

They thrive in the chaos that surrounds the line of demarcation between good and bad play.

There is very little wiggle room there – tread one step to far on the bad side of that line, and you either get blown out by a good team, or somehow lose to a team you should definitely beat.

Tread one step beyond in the other direction, and you pull off playoff miracles like Game 5, or win games you have no business in winning.

So, yes, I now understand why Flyers fans have a bit of a complex.

Game 5 gave you moments of both the good and bad side of that line, but there ended up being more good than bad, and now we have a Game 6. Welcome to the Flyers own version of chaos theory.

Let’s break it down:

1. Willis Reed

For those younger fans who have no idea who Willis Reed is, you can learn about his legend here, but for those of you that do, the Flyers version of Reed in Game 5 was Sean Couturier.

Couturier has an injury with which he should not be playing. Yet he did on Friday. Without getting into specifics – out of respect for Couturier – everyone knows it’s an injury somewhere below the hip, but the reality is, this kind of injury usually keeps players out of lineups in sports for weeks, not days.

And yet, there he was.

He played almost 17 minutes, which is pretty incredible, considering. He wasn’t on the top line, because he was going to be a step slow. He didn’t have his usual burst. He had a couple moments where you can see the sharp pain was affecting him.

And yet he kept on playing.

This is why hockey players are considered warriors by many. The guy has no business being on the ice, and yet, he’s still out there, doing anything he can to help his team win.

He was positionally sound, as he so often is, and he played on all five of the Flyers shorthanded situations (more on that in a bit). He didn’t get power play time, which I found curious – I understand he was on a bit of a minutes restriction, but I’d rather your best players play at the times you have the best opportunity to score and take a couple five-on-five shifts off to make up the difference – but, the Flyers only had one early power play chance the entire game, so that ultimately didn’t matter much.

But the biggest moment was the reason the Flyers are still in this series:

SEAN COUTURIER PUTS THE FLYERS IN FRONT WITH JUST OVER A MINUTE LEFT! pic.twitter.com/GUN2uoE8ej

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

Just before this, Ivan Provorov took a nasty spill into the boards and hurt something in the upper body (looked like a shoulder, but I won’t speculate on severity). And Couturier went max effort just to keep the puck in at the blue line.

He got a fortunate redirect off of Brian Doumelin’s shin pad, but when you’re playing balls to the wall like Couturier was all game, you get those breaks.

This was the latest go-ahead goal in Flyers playoff history since Eric Lindros stunned the crowd at Madison Square Garden in Game 4 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals with a go-ahead goal with seven seconds remaining.

It was indicative of the boost that Couturier’s mere presence in the lineup provided. He wasn’t 100 percent – but he gave more than that. He was the epitome of a team-first player in Game 5, and his team thrived off that.

If there was a player that provided a boost when it was necessary, it was Couturier. The Flyers aren’t coming home Sunday for another game if not for him.

2. Ollie McClellan

You all have seen the movie Hoosiers, right? Right? If not… stop reading, and go find it now. But assuming 99 percent of you have, we had our very own Ollie McClellan situation in Game 5.

Michal Neuvirth started this game. He’s been riding the pine (primarily because of injury) almost as long as Ollie did.

It had been two months since Neuvirth played a full game and I’d venture to say that’s about how long it was in between the game where Ollie had to come off the bench and play with three teammates after Coach Norman Dale wouldn’t put Rade Butcher back in the game because he was a gunner and wouldn’t pass the ball four times, choosing to finish the game with four players and the time Ollie had to sub in during the regional final.

And like Ollie, made two critical errors, before saving his team’s bacon.

If Neuvirth played his best game, the Penguins wouldn’t have scored. Both goals were pretty awful – especially under the microscope of a playoff game.

I mean you can’t let this:

Bryan Rust fights his way free of Read and beats Neuvirth on the wraparound. pic.twitter.com/nlh7I4EEbe

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

Or this:

Guentzel beats Neuvirth through his five-hole. pic.twitter.com/EJpn01Vk2C

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

… happen.

They’re both goals that should be stopped by the goalie. Nothing flukey. No screens. They weren’t bombs. They weren’t snipes. They were easy stops – and Neuvirth didn’t deliver.

After Jake Guentzel’s goal, like when Ollie dribbled the ball off his leg out of bounds, you kind of felt like the game was slipping away.

But, then Neuvirth had his Ollie moment.  Not sure if, during a timeout, somebody grabbed his gloved hand and said a prayer like Strap Purl did with Ollie before the foul shots (although Dave Hakstol and the Preacher Purl have some similar expressions:

      So… maybe….

But, anyway, after Couturier’s goal, Neuvirth saved the game by stoning Sidney Crosby – yes, the best player in this series by far – with an incredible glove save:

CROSBY IS ROBBED BY THE GLOVE OF NEUVIRTH! pic.twitter.com/MAkmmUHYHn

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

That’s the kind of save that no goalie – not Brian Elliott, not Petr Mrazek and not Neuvirth, has really provided in this series until that moment.

But oh, what a moment.

If Crosby scores there, we’re likely headed to overtime. And, with Pittsburgh smelling blood at that point, we’re probably starting the post mortem this morning.

But we’re not. Because Neuvirth made the stop when he needed to do so.

I still don’t have great confidence in Neuvirth. He’s so hot and cold. He’s also incredible fragile. But with Elliott just not healthy enough and Mrazek turning out to be a bad acquisition, this may be the goaltending prayer the Flyers need to cling onto.

If Neuvirth can get hot – he can steal Game 6 – and then all bets are off on Wednesday.

If he can’t, Sunday could be ugly – or at the least disappointing.

Either way, Neuvirth bought the Flyers season at least another 48 hours.

3. Gene Kranz

After two lackluster games at home in Game 3 and Game 4, the Flyers captain told the gathered media at practice that the team would be back home for Game 6.

It was a bold predicition, at a dire moment, much like this:

Ed Harris as NASA flight director Gene Kranz has a lot of Claude Giroux in him – from the ginger look, to the quiet confidence in the face of extreme adversity.

Because, there was Giroux, making a playoff guarantee, after he, himself, had not scored a goal in his previous 11 playoff games.

But, like the prescient flight director, Giroux’s confidence shined through in his performance. For he gave the Flyers an early lead with this:

CLAUDE GIROUX PLAYOFF SEX BOMB pic.twitter.com/0rkPI57M2J

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 20, 2018

Let the refs know that he didn’t like the disparity in penalty calls between his team and the favorite sons in Pittsburgh:

Giroux is giving it to the ref after the coincidental minors. pic.twitter.com/rPkCSu0kKu

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

Took this licking, and kept on ticking:

Jamie Oleksiak runs into Claude Giroux. pic.twitter.com/P3XM1a5DUC

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

And then reminded every one of his teammates as they came off the ice, just how big their effort was:

Giroux loves the clutch effort from Couturier pic.twitter.com/YMEFZbACOW

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

It was a great response from a great player in the face of criticism that he hasn’t yet shown up in the playoffs. If Giroux can get going, things could get really interesting really quickly.

4. Teen Wolf

I mean, who else can you compare Val Filppula too?

Before Game 5, Filppula was Scott Howard. A non-descript, regular guy on the team who did next to nothing to make his team better.

But then, out of nowhere, he arrived on the top line of the Flyers last night in his hairy glory, fangs out, and posted his best game as a Flyer.

One completely unexpected shorthanded goal, two more assists for a three-point effort.

It was a decision that no one – and I really mean no one – thought would work. Dave Hakstol had to be completely out of his mind to put Filppula on the top line between Giroux and Jake Voracek.

The entire hockey world was flabbergasted when they heard that decision… and yet….

Filppula ties it shorthanded! pic.twitter.com/yBmcQUXgtH

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) April 21, 2018

The cliche is always “Next man up” in sports, but this time, it was true. Filppula stepped into the spot the Flyers needed to fill with Couturier being managed because of his injury, and, holy smokes, he came through.

It was the first time the “veteran presence” response we always get from the coach rolled a seven on the craps table.

I’m not sure this can work over the course of three games (or however long this team survives) but for one game, it was the right button pushed by the coach.

5. Maximus

Provorov was a gladiator. He played 30:07 and the game didn’t go into overtime. He was on the ice for more than half the game – and he was sensational.

If the Flyers somehow do pull out this series, he could be the most unheralded MVP of a series in the history of the sport.

He is really the only reliable defensive defenseman the Flyers are putting on the ice. Andrew MacDonald has been OK this series, but other than that… that’s it. Provorov is being asked to do everything – and he does it well.

But… this happened:

That doesn’t look good.

The Flyers said they will update his injury today, but I guarantee that update is:

Upper body injury; day-to-day/game-time decision.

Some reporters said “he looked good” walking to the bus last night (he didn’t talk after the game because he was getting treatment) but really guys, how the hell can you tell how he looks by him walking to the bus in his suit when the injury is likely in the vicinity of his shoulder?

Knowing Provorov, he will take the same warrior mentality as Couturier and play, but if he is dinged up, that can’t bode well for the Flyers, since they count on him for so, so, so much.

In conclusion, this was a good game for the Flyers. It was a gutty win. It wasn’t great hockey, but it was good hockey. We finally had a game that felt like a playoff game. It was a little more physical (although I think the guy counting hits in Pittsburgh was having double vision – there weren’t THAT many).

But, Pittsburgh had bad games from Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. Evgeni Malkin was dominant, but didn’t score. If he keeps playing like that, he’s eventually going to get his, and Crosby is Crosby.

So, expect a better all-around effort from the Penguins too.

I’m not a believer. I don’t see them coming back in this series. And, I kind of felt this series would go six games from the jump (thus my prediction on the Snow the Goalie Podcast), but I’ve been wrong about the Flyers before, and they do seem to find a way, especially when everyone counts them out, so you never know….

Reprieve! Reprieve! Flyers Still Alive After Some Memorable Performances. published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/