The 2100 Los Angeles Rams season was about to begin. They were debuting a new starting quarterback, Eric Hudson, who is fresh off a record-setting career at UCLA, having also played high school football in LA. Today, they were playing host to the New England Patriots, who were the most successful team of the first two decades of the 21st century. Alas, this was to be the last NFL season before the new century started.
Hudson was very nervous about his first NFL start. Then again, a lot of rookies are.
The first half of his first game did not go well. He was sacked 5 times and threw four interceptions as the Patriots raced out to a 28-0 lead at halftime.
At this point, Eric felt like he was going to be a huge NFL draft bust. He couldn't be blamed for feeling that. A lot of highly-touted NFL draftees end up not living to expectations.
Meanwhile on the other side, co-Guardians Anne Boonchuy, Marcy Wu, and Sasha Waybright were watching the game. The Rams were their favorite NFL team in life, the team having returned to the city of Los Angeles in the year they all turned 10 after 21 seasons in St. Louis, Missouri.
Marcy remained a Rams fan even in the years she didn't live in Los Angeles. Anne and Sasha attended the parade to celebrate the Rams' victory in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, doing so separately as they were starting to disconnect around this time.
When Marcy returned to LA on Anne's 23rd birthday, the girls decided to live their lives together from there on out, attending subsequent Super Bowl victory parades for the Rams together.
In seeing Eric Hudson faltering during the first half of his first game, the co-Guardians were very alarmed, none more so than Sasha. Eric was a biological descendant of Sasha, who was the only one of the three open to artificial insemination as she was bisexual, whereas Anne and Marcy were lesbians.
"Eric is doing pretty bad out there. We have to do something to protect our family name", Sasha said.
"We've given guidance to several people over the three years we've been Guardians, but this must be the most important task yet", Marcy said.
Anne said, "we need to appear to him and give him hope to turn things around."
In the Rams' locker room at SoFi Stadium, Eric was having an existential crisis. He was thinking his NFL career was over, even though the head coach had not yet pulled him from the game. But soon, he wouldn't need to, because some very holy help was coming down to show him the way.
Eric saw Anne, Marcy, and Sasha in their 13-year-old bodies. He was shocked at what he had saw. He said, "great-grandmothers Anne, Marcy, and Sasha, what are you doing here, you're supposed to be dead."
Sasha said, "we are, and we now serve a new purpose in existence. We are the Guardians of all that was, is, and ever will be."
Anne said, "we saw your first half performance, and thought you needed our help."
Marcy said, "all three of us faced tough challenges when we were among the living, but we overcame them each time. Like when all of existence was threatened by King Andrias and the Core."
Eric said, "I read about all of that. Do you really think I could pull off a comeback?"
Sasha said, "yes you can Eric, overcoming adversity is the Boonchuy way."
Anne said, "we believe in you Eric, do the family name proud."
Marcy said, "go out there and win!"
With newfound confidence instilled, Eric's second half went much better than his first. He led the Rams to five touchdowns in the second half while the defense kept the Patriots from scoring.
Eric's effort to lead the Rams back from 28 points down at halftime did not go unnoticed in the national media. He won several weekly awards for the performance.