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doof-doofblog · 3 years

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"If You Don't Get A Move On You're Going To Miss It!"

Monday 10th May 2021

Hello again folks! I'm back again with another post. I just want to recap on Thursday's and Friday's episode and applaud the phenomenal performance from Lorraine Stanley! Her portrayal of Karen Taylor has been absolutely stunning and powerful over the last few weeks during Bailey's disappearance and during the aftermath of her losing her job at the laundrette. I do also want to mention how the community and neighbours rallied round her to support their friend and neighbour in their time of need. I found completely touching and was overwhelmingly powerful.

But regarding this week, it's the week the majority of us have all been waiting for since Ben and Callum got engaged! This is the week of the highly anticipated Ballum wedding! Now the big question is, will Ben meet Callum at the alter after he's learnt the truth about him being a grass! (From what the new trailer is to go by, Ben does actually decide to marry Callum) - but oh my goodness, it looks like we're in for some super dramatic scenes this week! For those of you who haven't seen the trailer yet, where have you been? Gray is once manipulating Whitney in to believing that the Mitchell's (particularly Ben) are to blame for Kush's death.

But as Whitney’s grief gets the better of her, she takes it into her own hands to deal with the Mitchell's once and for all, taking a pair of keys, getting into a car and heading straight for them. As this is happening, Phil happens to have learnt the truth about Callum grassing up his family and is eager to have a confrontation with Callum himself, but as Kat tries her best to stop Phil from making a huge mistake - Phil, Callum, Ben and Kat all get caught in the headlights of Whitney's car - who will she hit? And will they be okay?! - I know a few are speculating that it could be Callum or Ben who gets hit, or even Whitney herself getting hurt, but honestly - my biggest fear is Phil getting hurt. Don't get me wrong I love all these characters to appear to be in the frame, but I would be immensely heartbroken if it was Phil to get hurt and possibly be killed off? Hopefully none of them will get killed off - but what are your predictions? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one!

So looking at Monday's episode and of course it's all about Ballum!!! But before we focus on the main event I'm going to mention Bailey. Sadly she is still sleeping rough after running away from home. The only company she has is her dog Banjo (who can I just say is the most adorable dog that EastEnders has had for a very long time!) It appears that the only bit of food she has available is a packet of biscuits and of course being a hungry puppo, Banjo longingly stares at Bailey for the biscuit she's about to eat. Bailey willingly gives Banjo the biscuit, but as she begins to gather her things together and move along, a bunch of youths rob her only bag of belongings. Being the hero, Banjo quickly chases after them as Bailey following along behind.

However, meanwhile on the Square as Keegan and Bernie continue to search for Bailey and begin to discuss their concerns about where they're going to find her. Bernie tries to keep positive, informing her brother that Bailey will be found and eventually their luck will change. Of course Keegan is doubtful, but of course we know that Bernadette has offered to be Stuart & Rainie's surrogate, so eventually she will come into some money for the family, but it'll be interesting once her family find out. I'm intrigued on how Keegan is going to react - considering that it was his wife who originally agreed to be their surrogate, now it's his sister!

As Bernie takes her leave, the next thing we see is little Banjo running towards the Square, however the poor little doggo is covered in blood. Keegan understandably relieved to see Banjo, but as soon as he sees the blood coming from the family pet, he begins to question where Bailey is. As Bailey continues her search for her beloved dog, she stumbles across an elderly man named Reg claiming to be a friend of her parents, Mitch and Dinah. Could Bailey perhaps be in danger or is this gentleman genuinely who he says he is?!

Elsewhere on the Square, Linda appears to be concerned for Nancy's whereabouts. She reveals that Nancy didn't come the previous evening, even though Mick seems more calmer about the situation, he tries to reassure Linda that Nancy had probably just stayed at a friend's house and would most likely be home by lunchtime, however unbeknown to them, poor Nancy had actually kipped in the gym overnight. It seems that things have gotten that bad between Nancy and her Mum, she could no longer bare to stay in the Vic overnight. As Sharon finds her as she opens up the gym, Nancy promises it's not going to be a long-term thing.

I guess Sharon kind of sympathises with Nancy as she too has felt the raff of Linda, but of course Sharon could be possibly using Nancy to get back into Linda's good books? She offers Nancy to use her shower back at her place and willingly gives her the keys to her apartment. Unfortunately, this is where Nancy once again passes ways with Zack and his awful flirtation. Sorry, but it is a bit cringe-worthy! Zack smooth talks his way with Nancy, claiming that once she's done in the shower he'll treat her to some breakfast!

I have to say I love Nancy's lack of enthusiasm, well I guess you could call it sarcasm also! Honestly though, how would you feel if Zack and Nancy were to become a new couple? I'm not sure how I'd feel about it, as much as I love Nancy, I haven't really made my mind up yet on Zack, I think we need to see a bit of him before I can make a decision. Anyway, they both end up in Ruby's club and Zack is once again flirtatious and eager to get a second date with Nancy, even though she even states that this is anything but a date! As she mentions how she's currently stuck in a ruckus with her Mum, she frets about not even being able to brush her teeth properly as she hasn't got a tooth brush, plus she wants to avoid going home to fetch her one and be confronted by her Mum yet again.

I think in an attempt to win Nancy round he promises that somehow, someway he will make all her problems disappear, but she scoffs at his claim and heads towards to the bar to grab some snacks. But while she's not looking Zack sneaks off and eventually finds himself in the Vic, nosing through all the Carter's belongings, is he simply just trying to find Nancy's toothbrush for her, or perhaps something else? Unfortunately his search doesn't last very long as he's walloped over the head with a frying pan by Linda! Almost like a scene from the Disney movie Tangled!

Right focusing on the main story at hand, as Callum and Stuart prepare themselves for the wedding, Callum voices his concern as to whether Ben will truly show up to their wedding. Stuart also voices his concern as to whether his brother should actually go, he can't bare to picture his young brother being left stood up at the alter. But the interesting thing is on the other side of the Square, as Kathy and Phil are discussing the wedding and the fact that Ben would be making a huge mistake if he didn't turn up, Ben is sat on the stairs in the hallway listening to their every word.

Kathy is all dressed up in her wonderful wedding outfit and of course little Lexi looks beautiful in her bridesmaid dress, rehearsing her steps for the wedding ceremony. Phil informs Kathy that Ben is adamant that the wedding is off, but Kathy urges the Father of their son to talk Ben round and make him see sense! Eventually as everyone gathers in the Vic waiting for Ben to show his face, Phil appears all dressed up his suit and breaks the news that Ben has gone missing, he's simply left his suit on his bed and disappeared, much to the family's shock.

While all this chaos appears to be happening in the middle of the Square, poor Callum and Stuart have made it to the register's office and are waiting anxiously for Ben's arrival! As they hear someone bursting through the doors, they look with hope and desperation, but it appears to be Jay. But as much as Callum is happy to see him, Jay gives him the devastating news that Ben has gone AWOL and no one can find him anywhere. Eager to make sure that his brother marries the man he loves, Stuart takes it upon himself to go back to the Square and find Ben and bring him to Callum.

Although it appears that Phil has managed to find Ben before he can. Phil eventually finds his son in the Arches working away on a car, almost as if he's trying to avoid the day itself and carry on as normal. Phil tries once again to reassure his son that marrying Callum would be the best thing he's ever done, even admitting that it took him a long time to come round - this moment really touched me - but also claiming that if Ben was to marry Callum today, it would Phil the proudest he has ever been of his son. I have to say those words really moved me, and to be honest I think it moved Ben - almost to the point where it nearly broke him and he almost revealed what Callum had done.

Ben gets so overcome with emotion, tears are slowly falling from his eyes. He almost breaks as he informs his Dad that Callum had betrayed him, all of them! Phil looks to his son with confusion in his eyes. What does he mean, all of them? But Ben stops in his tracks and makes up the excuse that Callum actually cheated on him. Although it seems as though Phil doesn't believe this explanation, he takes it on the chin and leaves Ben to it. However, once he's back on the Square he comes face-to-face with Stuart ... now this is where everything goes completely wrong! Of course Stuart has no idea what's been happening on the Square, he's just concerned about his little brother waiting at the alter for the man he loves.

As they cross paths, Stuart pleads Phil to inform her where Ben has got to, but Phil seems eager to defend his son after the explanation he's been given, as soon as Phil mentions that he welcomed Callum into the family, Stuart completely gets the wrong end of the stick and reveals everything. Claiming that Callum never wanted to go undercover, claiming that all he did it for was for Ben, putting his career on the line for Ben, even if it meant going behind Phil's back and reporting everything to the police. But you can see from the look in Phil's face that this is all news to him and this is the first he's hearing about Callum's betrayal. Once Stuart realises his mistake he warns that if Phil ever lays a finger on Callum he will come back and kill him!

Returning to the Arches, Ben is once again alone with his thoughts, is he questioning himself whether he should marry Callum? But it seems like another visit from a little lady changes his mind. Lexi finds him in the Arches and comments that it's the same place she finds him every time when Ben decides to take some time on his own. Now this moment I absolutely loved, Lexi questions her Father about love, What does it mean? What's it all about? She claims that she doesn't believe in love, considering that her Mum has had 3 different boyfriends since she's been home and her Grandparents have been married "300 times!". Her exaggerations make Ben giggle, but he tries to reassure his daughter that she should believe in love, because it's the one thing in life that you can't describe the feeling of. It can hurt but it's also wonderful too to be in love. He claims that being with that one person who trusts you and believes in you is the best feeling in the world and with them by your side, you face the world together, forever. As he explains all this to his daughter, she then asks the very important question, "Then why aren't you marrying Callum?"

Listening to his own words and realising that it's been his daughter who's made him see sense, Ben rushes to the wedding reception. As the guests almost sit themselves up and get ready to leave as they believe Ben isn't showing up, Stuart arrives back at the wedding reception eager to inform his brother about what's happened on the Square between him and Phil. But before Stuart can begin to explain himself, both Lexi and Ben burst through the door just in time for the ceremony, to Callum's absolute happiness and relief.

Only unbeknown to them, back at home, Phil is seen listening to a voice message from Kathy, informing him that the wedding appears to be back on. Ben has arrived at the wedding reception and she urges him to get there before he misses his son getting married. As the voice message ends, Phil notices a picture of Callum on the shelf, all dressed up smartly in his police uniform. Reeling from the news he's learnt from Stuart, he smashes Callum's picture to pieces. What is Phil going to do now?

I know there's been a major event happen in this evening's episode of EastEnders, but unfortunately I am one episode behind, so I will review tonight's episode tomorrow instead. I know what's happened but I'm not to comment until tomorrow. Either way, I'm looking forward to witnessing what happens next. Thank you again for reading, I hope you've all enjoyed my post! I'll be back again tomorrow with everything regarding the Ballum wedding and much more! Enjoy the rest of your evening folks! Love you all xXx

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sablelab · 4 years

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Covert Operations - Chapter 129

SYNOPSIS: Fergus tests his friend’s theory about the calibrator and Madeline and Operations discuss Murtagh’s and later Fergus’ answers. After his interrogation, Fitzgibbons tells his buddy that he has nothing to worry about, but Fergus is still nervous on being summoned to the White room. However, an apparent equipment malfunction puts a spanner in the works.

Chapter 128 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

My THANKS to all the lovely readers following this story. Jamie has taken Claire to a little piece of paradise to heal and recover and this will be explored in several chapters to follow beginning this Friday. Meanwhile Section One is still ticking over and Fergus Claudel is now in Madeline’s sights as he will find out when he enters the White Room for his interrogation.

CHAPTER 129

Once Murtagh had left the White Room, Madeline contacted Operations in his office via a video link up to discuss what had happened during his questioning. They had already discussed the possibility of Murtagh and Fergus being the source passing Intel to Colum, but Operations had quickly dismissed that notion. He was convinced that they were opportunists not traitors. Nonetheless, she had needed to check this out and now after the senior operative’s interrogation she was of the same opinion. Still waters ran deep with Murtagh Fitzgibbons but his loyalty to the Section seemed steadfast. Madeline was interested in Operations’ take on proceedings and wanted to know if they were on the same page concerning Murtagh’s mindset. She waited for the visual linkup to become activated. When it did so, she asked her question. “Dougal? Did you follow the interrogation?” In his office, Operations sat back thoughtfully in his chair pondering what he had just witnessed in the White Room. His image appeared on screen and Madeline heard his reply. “Yes.” “What are your thoughts? I'd appreciate them.” “What about? Murtagh’s denial? His impending marriage? Or what he said about Colum?” Madeline heard the growing scepticism in Operations’ voice. “All three of course. I’d be thankful for your feedback and point of view.” He gave her a wry smile. “Do you think Murtagh is telling the truth?” Madeline watched him, her mind already turning over possible scenarios about the answers Murtagh had given in her own mind. “I've studied his file very carefully. Reviewed his evaluations; assessed his psychological profile in great detail in the past.” “And?” Madeline smiled and shook her head, as perplexed as Operations. “I don't know. I can only go on what I saw and heard in the White Room … and I’m sure he is.” “I agree.” “He denied that Bóinne Rivière is the mole. What do you think?” “Could be his hormones have clouded his judgement. But … It’s possible. She does have unlimited access to Med Lab.” “We need to follow that up.” “Does Murtagh know that she will be put into abeyance regardless if she is the mole? She has been earmarked for the Somalia mission.” “No. Besides … nobody asked him to marry someone with a weak performance record.” “How do you think he’ll react if he does?” Ever cold and calculating she replied, “He'll put it behind him, in time.” “We don't have time Madeline.” The urgency in Operations voice was evident and it gave her cause to think. Section’s head strategist’s thought processes were churning in how to deal with the situation about Bóinne and Murtagh. “Perhaps we should postpone any talk of her abeyance for a while until we sort out this mess with Colum then.” “I’ll consider it … but if she’s the mole I won’t hesitate to follow through.” After a moment Madeline offered another solution to their dilemma although it was farfetched. “We could cancel Murtagh too. If Bóinne is the plant surely he would know about it.” However, Operations quickly dismissed that idea. “I don't want to do that ... He was adamant that she had no involvement.” Madeline unemotionally voiced another reason … one that would impact on Section. If they indeed acted on her previous suggestion, it could have greater ramifications in the long run. “And if a ... key member … of the Tactical Team dies just after he's been questioned ... it will only complicate things further.” Operations nodded his head briefly, his expression affirming Madeline's insinuation. “That, too. Mr Lambert would certainly be breathing down our necks wanting to know the reasons why. Murtagh has been here as long as I can remember.” “Colum would take great delight in that happening,” she added in clarification. “Too true. We can’t let that come about Madeline. We need to find the culprit who is feeding Intel to him A.S.A.P. We also can’t afford for Colum to know we may suspect him of treachery.” Madeline wondered if the same could be said of Fergus when his turn came to be interrogated. “Perhaps Mr Claudel can shed some light on the matter.” “We have a small window of opportunity while Jamie and Claire are away to get to the bottom of this.” “Let me work on it.” Operations sighed and nodded his head, just relieved that Madeline would find who was responsible once and for all. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ After his harrowing experience with the calibrator, Fergus made his way back to his own station and waited for his fate. Sitting down at his desk, he raised his hand and brushed away some beads of sweat that had pooled on his forehead and upper lip. He was nervous about being summoned to the White Room and he feared what might occur there. He knew he needed to get a grip or else Madeline would hone in on his weakness as she was apt to do to her victims. If she was true to form, then he knew he was a goner. She would be able to see through his demeanour and nervousness and would be able to know he was lying. No matter what Murtagh had said to appease his anxiety Fergus was still worried. He would only feel better if he knew that his buddy was okay after his inquisition. Opening his drawer Fergus took out packet of his favourite Oreos and started to demolish them one by one. The sugar fix immediately began to have an effect and he began to calm down. However, he nearly choked on a biscuit and jump ten feet in the air when a hand suddenly touched him on the shoulder. “Hey Fergus …” Quickly turning around he knew right away who was standing there. A Cheshire sized grin appeared on his face at seeing Murtagh at his desk. Relief crossed his face a seeing his friend while his eyes examined him from head to toe. “You’re back!” he stated excitedly knowing that his friend had survived the investigation. “How did it go?” “Piece of cake.” “How was it really Murtagh?” Fergus asked lowering his voice so as not to attract attention. “Fine … I’m still here aren’t I?” He smiled at seeing his buddy’s apprehension. Murtagh showed him his hands. “See … I have no signs of torture and I’m all in one piece.” Fergus gave him a thorough appraisal before acknowledging the truth of his words. “I’ve never been happier to see you come back alive … well except for after the retrieval mission.” “Thanks amigo.” “Do you think they’ll want to see me?” “They’re got everyone under suspicion. The security breach is unresolved in Madeline’s opinion. They’re holding the general inquiry after all, but don’t worry … it’s not too bad.” “I’d like to believe you … I want to believe you … but I’m still scared.” “You survived Operations’ interrogation, didn’t you?” He answered cautiously. “Yes.” “And you were able to think on your feet?” He was still apprehensive not knowing where Murtagh was heading in his replies. “Yes … but …” However, before anything else could be said, a message was conveyed that got Fergus' attention. “Mr Claudel … Report to Madeline.” Nervously he looked up at Murtagh standing there. He took a deep breath, sighed and got ready to leave his station. “This is it then.” The older operative looked him square in the face. “Did you do what I told you?” “Yes.” He said nothing at first, just looked around Comm., before concentrating on his friend’s worried face. Murtagh knew what needed to be done. He gave Fergus the encouragement he required to face his demons in order to answer Madeline’s questions. He smiled reassuringly.

“Then you’ll be okay. Good Luck.” Fergus didn’t reply as he got up from his station. Looking stunned he just exited his work area like a dead man walking and left Murtagh with thoughts of how his friend would cope with his first investigation at the hands of Section One’s head strategist. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As he watched Fergus walk away, Murtagh put his hands up and rubbed his temples a little worried about how his friend would cope with Madeline’s questions. He hated seeing his buddy get so worked up about what his fate may be, but he had great confidence that he would come through it with flying colours. Murtagh’s brain was a minefield of questions but few answers and in seeing Fergus walk away so miserably to his unknown fate in the White Room gave him cause to ponder. Madeline could be ruthless in her manner and he wondered if Fergus could cope with the tactics used by Section’s interrogator. She had been forthright with him about the breach but particularly in her questioning about Bóinne. However, it appeared that Madeline was more interested to know about a mole operating in Section. This was the first he had known of such a thing and the fact that she had been suspicious of Bóinne made him think that something had really upset the apple cart with Section’s leaders. They were concerned that someone was passing Intel on to Colum Mackenzie... but why would Madeline suspect him of such a thing? It was beyond comprehension. He may have had disagreements about how things were run in Section but he was still loyal as he’d told her. When Madeline had brought up the hologram of Bóinne and him, he was more than surprised that they viewed her as the possible person responsible for being the mole. Perhaps that was why she had probed his connection to her. She didn’t suspect him per se but others close to him were targets and whatever this person may have done, had certainly ruffled the feathers of Operations and Madeline. What on earth Colum knew, or had done, was certainly riling them. Why would the leader of Oversight want medical Intel about Jamie and Claire? Just what was going on between the leader of Oversight and Section One? Madeline seemed very irate that he seemed to have more Intel on the two operatives than he should have. He was in a conundrum just thinking about where this was all going. It was all very perplexing. Whatever Colum Mackenzie knew was certainly a thorn in their side but he was intrigued at the same time. Why would Colum need Intel on Jamie and Claire? What reasons or motives would he have to know this Intel? And come to think of it why was he always showing up at Section unannounced? The more he thought about it, the more curious were his thoughts. The only thing he could think of was that Colum was merely concerned about the operatives’ health out of courtesy or he was worried about their return to the Rising Dragons’ mission if they were not 100% fit and well. He shook his head racking his brain for other scenarios but was coming up with nothing else. No doubt when he gave it more thought he would get to the bottom of why Madeline and Operations were concerned about a mole passing Intel on to Colum and why he needed the Intel in the first place. Something was certainly going on in Section since Jamie and Claire had started their downtime that was for sure. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Fergus’ technician, Marsali noticed that Murtagh Fitzgibbons seemed to be in a pensive mood when she saw him standing by the techie’s station watching his friend leave Comm. He hadn’t moved and he just stood there as if he was thinking about something. Having observed his actions, she came over to check on the older operative and lightly touched his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” She asked her voice laced with concern. Murtagh dropped his hands and looked at the young woman. “Yeah, I'm all right.” “What’s wrong? Is Fergus okay?” She asked worried for her co-worker. “Where’s he going with such a glum look?” He gave her a quick glance. “To see Madeline.” “Tearing him away from those computers is almost impossible,” she replied with a smile on her face, however, her smile faded as she continued, “There must be a good reason why Madeline wants to see him. Is it about the breach?” “Yes.” A look of anxiety suddenly flashed across her face. “Oh!” Marsali stood there for a moment longer deep in thought before she walked back to her computer. She sat down and turned back over to face Murtagh.

“He’s not in trouble, is he?” He watched Marsali’s movements and looked over at her and met her gaze too. There was an earnest expression on her face. Her concerned attitude about her colleague was gratifying and Murtagh appeased her with his reply.

“No … He’s got nothing to worry about.” “I sure hope so. You know how Fergus gets so intense about things.” “He'll be fine.”

Murtagh gave the technician a wry smile. Subconsciously he hoped that this would be true but he had no idea how Madeline would go about questioning his friend. Fergus had done what he’d told him to do so he would be fine … he just had to keep his cool. With much to consider, he moved away from the computer area and made his way towards Munitions to wait for his friend’s return from his inquisition. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ With a heavy burden on his shoulders, Fergus Claudel apprehensively made his way to the White Room. Concentrating on his fate he was unaware of the people around him. His head was lowered and he failed to see anyone who passed him by. Fergus was naturally nervous about a lot of things so they were not surprised about his demeanour this time. Operatives knew that he was distracted by something and given that he was heading towards the White Room they put two and two together. It was common knowledge that Madeline and Operations had instigated a general inquiry and they knew at some point in time that they too would need to face the music. That would explain why the techie was acting as if he was heading towards the gallows. Fergus knew he would need to suck up his fears though if he was to have any chance of appearing unfazed by what was ahead of him. However, Madeline always made him feel nervous and he knew he would need to bite the bullet on this occasion but he questioned whether he had the nerve to do so. He brought to mind his conversation with Murtagh. He only hoped that by doing what his buddy had told him with the calibrator would give him the courage that he needed to get through Madeline’s questions and come out the other side unscathed. However, it was Murtagh’s reminder about his meeting with Operations about the breach that was giving him more confidence the closer he got to the White Room. Operations had believed him and he’d backed up his claims to his satisfaction so Fergus hoped he could convince Madeline of the same conclusion. He thought about what his pal had said also that the session in the White Room was a piece of cake and he hadn’t been tortured. He desperately hoped it would be the same for him as well. If he was able to control his nerves then he was sure that he would be okay. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Section’s IT genius saw his destination come into view but he also saw Henry and Elizabeth waiting there for him to arrive. Nervously he walked up to them. Facing the steel door of the White Room, he was reluctant to enter, but was helped along in his decision by the twins who were there to escort him in if needs be. Noting Fergus’ hesitation, they moved to stand either side of him. However, before they could touch him, he shook them off.

“I know the drill,” he announced with gusto and with head held high he walked inside the room. Upon entering he sat himself down in the chair where he was restrained by the two operatives. He was a bit worried as he glanced quickly about the bright, empty room taking in his surroundings. It was cold, stark and foreboding. So this is what the White Room is like.

Now he knew what it was like for the terrorists who were interrogated here. The glaring white lights in the circular room were blinding, and Fergus felt a tension headache forming. Henry and Elizabeth stood to the side and he watched them through half closed eyes as they readied what Madeline might need for this session of questioning. He began to fidget a little as he sat in the chair nervous at what would unfold. Murtagh had said he hadn’t been tortured but nonetheless the pounding of his heart sounded thunderous in his head, while the hairs on the back of his neck rose up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a syringe which could only mean one thing … they were going to inject him with a truth serum. He became more agitated at this fact and silently prayed that what he’d endured with the calibrator would help him with this grilling. Fergus knew he was scared, but … he was not defeated. He would show courage under duress. Summoning all the nerve he had inside he took a deep breath and waited for Madeline to appear. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It felt like he’d been there for ages but it was only minutes before Fergus Claudel heard the heavy steel door open. The silence was shattered by the creaking hinges of the door and the sound of Madeline’s footsteps echoing in the room accompanied by her greeting.

“Hello, Mr Claudel.” As was her usual procedure, she circled the chair before beginning her questioning to put him off guard. It was working and had the desired effect. Fergus was well and truly shaking in his boots.

“Why am I here? I didn't do anything,” he blurted out. “That’s what I aim to find out Mr Claudel,” Madeline replied composedly. “I don’t know what it is that you want to know.” Madeline continued pacing slowly, circling Fergus as she spoke. She advanced on the chair intimidating him as she came closer and closer.

“Oh … but I think you do.” This reply made Fergus very worried. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Obeying orders, Elizabeth attached a small electrode to Fergus’ fingers then returned to the table to monitor his reactions to Madeline’s questioning. This was his first experience in the White Room and his nerves were in overdrive. “Please don't hurt me,” he implored. “I didn’t know I was going to be tortured.” “That’s not my intention … but you may or may not be … the decision will be entirely up to you. It will however, be at my discretion for Henry and Elizabeth to help with your questioning … if answers are not forthcoming.” The pupils in Fergus’s eyes had grown to the size of saucers as a result of Madeline’s statement. “Shall we begin?” All he could do was nod in acknowledgement. “Your name.” “Fergus Claudel.” “Your rating.” “Technical Operative, Level Two.” Madeline paced behind Henry and Elizabeth asking Fergus questions, while they oversaw and monitored the various readings. However, they were just getting a static line with his responses. “I'm not getting any kind of reading at all. Just noise.” Madeline looked down at Elizabeth and asked, “Is it the equipment?” “No. It's fine,” she responded after performing a quick status check on the apparatus and connections. Refocusing her attention back on Fergus, Madeline continued the questions. “Are you on active status?” “Yes.” Once again, Henry and Elizabeth got the same reaction … no significant reading. “No … Still not working,” they interrupted. “What's going on?” Madeline demanded as she turned and glared over at the two torture technicians. They in turn looked up at her. “A small percentage of operatives don't respond to testing. It seems that Fergus could be one of those.” Madeline walked over to the computer and pulled up Fergus' profile. It showed that he'd never been through this type of questioning before … that could explain the anomaly. “Try it again,” she instructed leaning over and hitting the button to reset Henry and Elizabeth's equipment. Again Henry shook his head and gave Madeline an apologetic shrug when he got the same reading. “Nope. ... It is possible there's been a change in body chemistry from being exposed to EMFs from his computer system.” “They can cause interference with the cell processes and functions,” Elizabeth added in clarification. Focusing her attention back on Section’s computer genius, it became obvious that dealing with all those computers for so long each day had obviously affected his metabolism with the unseen electromagnetic radiation waves which had in turn probably interfered with the machinery. It made sense.

“Very well. We’ll discontinue this experiment.” Elizabeth removed the various electrodes attached to Fergus while Henry packed up their equipment then waited for further instructions from Madeline. “You can go. If I need you again … I’ll call.”

They quietly left her alone with an extremely nervous Fergus who realized that, while he didn't fail the test, he obviously didn't pass it either. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He was extremely worried that the equipment malfunction and his responses had displeased Madeline and had put a spanner in the works to see if he was telling the truth. He wondered what she would do next and the fact that there seemed to be an awful long pause before Madeline stated her next question made him more alarmed. Her question when she asked it was one, he’d thought was done and dusted. “Why were you and Murtagh Fitzgibbons in a restricted area?” “I’ve already told you.” “I know what you told me; now tell me again. This time, the truth.” “I did tell you the truth.” He swallowed nervously. “I haven't done anything wrong. We were just on our way to the Common Area but took a wrong turn … that’s all.” “Why should I believe you now? What is it that you're not telling me?” “Nothing.” Fergus looked at Madeline face and knew immediately that he would have to elaborate more information to satisfy her, “Because I was trying to help him.” “Why?” “Because I had just seen him go through hell and I wanted to make things better. Murtagh was wound up about what had happened to Jamie and Claire and the retrieval mission and we had gone for a walk to clear his head.” “And you did this out of the goodness of your heart?” “Out of a thing called friendship.” “I see.”

Madeline circled the chair contemplating his reactions to her questions. She came to the conclusion that he didn’t seem to be holding anything back so questioned him on the commotion in Section.

“Did you have anything to do with the Breach?” With confidence he answered succinctly. “The Breach was a false alarm. I gave Operations the evidence that proved so and he was satisfied with my findings.” “Yes of course.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Madeline was impressed with how the young computer whizz had not been fazed by her questions but had remained steadfast despite his obvious nervousness. Collecting her thoughts, she knew she had been harsh on Fergus but she needed to be 100% sure that he was not in any way responsible. His answers were totally consistent with what he had told Operations, however, Madeline still needed to question him on the fact that there may be a spy in Section. If he proved to her satisfaction that it was not him, perhaps he could find out who it was that was feeding Colum Intel on an all too regular basis. “What is your relationship with Colum Mackenzie?” Fergus was surprised by this query. He looked at Madeline baffled by this line of questioning as it was completely out of left field. “I don’t have a relationship other than he is the head of Oversight.” “What would you say if I knew you were passing Intel to him on a regular basis?” Appalled that Madeline would insinuate such a thing, Fergus reacted strongly, “What! That’s lie! I would never do anything to compromise Section.” “Never forget what we do here. I don't need hard data to draw a picture but I do need to know where my operatives stand at all times … including you Fergus.” Protesting loudly, he replied. “I'm here for the Section!” “I hope so,” she replied studying his face intently and seeing the reaction she wanted. Then without further ado, Madeline stepped behind the chair and released his restraints. “Congratulations, you passed with flying colours.” Fergus was dumbfounded. “I don't get it.” He was perplexed at Madeline’s replies and actions, but he suddenly knew that this inquisition was nothing about the breach itself but was a test of his loyalty to Section One. He sat in the chair and waited to be dismissed, however, Madeline continued on a different tack … one that took him by surprise. “We believe that Section’s been compromised.” “Who did this?” “We don't know yet. Someone inside. It appears that the mole may have been on site.” “Inside Section?” How do you know this?” “Someone’s been passing Intel to Colum. We need you to find out who it is.” Fergus realised that his presence in the White Room was to gauge if he was aware that there was a mole in Section and if he had any knowledge about who may be passing on this Intel to Colum. Oversight’s head must know more than Operations and Madeline wanted him to. As Section’s head computer technician, it was apparent that he had the skills to find out how and where Colum had access to Section One. Madeline and Operations would want nothing less from him. It was obvious that they suspected that a mole had infiltrated Section One without their knowledge and Fergus knew that they wouldn’t rest until the mole was found. “I'll do whatever I can. I'll do whatever you want,” he replied with assurance. “Good. We know what you are and are not capable of; hence Operations and I need you to do something.” Fergus looked at her with reticence and asked, “What?” “We need to you scan Medical for any listening devices or hidden surveillance cameras … but with the upmost discretion. Everyone who works in Med Lab is under suspicion so you’ll need to put a dossier together on all who may have been working there over the last two weeks. Someone’s tipped off Colum. We need to find out whom that person is and we need to solve this problem A.S.A.P.” “I’ll start right away.” “It has to appear as business as usual. That's the only way we can flush out the mole.” Fergus’ mind was at sixes and sevens knowing that he would need to profile Murtagh’s girlfriend Bóinne and Dr Foster. He looked at Madeline hoping that she didn’t see the uncertainty in his eyes of what he’d been ordered to do.

“I understand. Is that all?” “Check out Hayes and Lesley as well,” she continued with a determined resolve. Fergus got up, getting ready to leave. Unfortunately, Madeline wasn’t finished with him. “Oh … there is one other thing … I will expect some progress on this matter quickly. Is that clear?” “Yes, of course.” “Good …That will be all.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ At the end of a long day, Madeline entered the Perch were Operations was waiting for a briefing of the situation with Murtagh, Fergus and several others that she had interviewed over the course of the day. They had already spoken earlier about Murtagh’s connection to their inquiry but he needed the final results of Madeline’s findings before they made any decisions about how to proceed further. Operations had given prior instructions that they weren’t to be disturbed when Madeline arrived due to the sensitivity of the data. The less any others knew about this the better. It was crucial that they kept their cards close to their chest for fear of alerting anyone who may be involved in disclosing any more information to Colum. Operations looked up when he heard Madeline’s footfalls. “I’ve been expecting you.” She came in and stood beside him. He offered Madeline a drink and asked, “How did the session go with Fergus?” “Interesting,” was her overt reply. Operations raised an eyebrow at her answer. “I gather that his interview went well then?” “Yes.” “And the others?” “Questionable,” was her succinct but ambiguous reply. “Sit down Madeline,” he gestured towards the table where some food had been laid out. “What are your impressions? Update me.” “Fergus is loyal to Section.” “That’s a relief … I wouldn’t have wanted to cancel him … He’s too important to the smooth running of things here.” “I agree … but there were some other interesting observations.” “Any problems?” Madeline took a small sip of her coffee then looked up at Operations. “Could be.” Placing the drink on the table she picked up the computer remote to activate a holograph that soon appeared, and proceeded to relay her findings about her sessions in the White Room. “The inquiry was ... inconclusive with respect ... to three Operatives ...” She pulled up holograph photographs of the three named Operatives.

“Hayes and Lesley … and Bóinne Rivière.” Operations was surprised by Madeline’s findings and to see the nurse’s name appear on the list as well. He now understood what his second in command was alluding to. There could be a problem with Murtagh if it was found that she was the mole. “Why them? You obviously have a theory.” Bóinne works in Med Lab and had firsthand knowledge of Jamie and Claire’s conditions and Gavin Hayes and Keith Lesley were in the vicinity of the breach.” “It makes sense. In the meantime, we have to assume … our mole had help from the highest level.” “Precisely.” He looked at her with intense scrutiny. “Who?” “Only one person comes to mind who may know our systems intimately.” Madeline changed the holograph and the three views of the named Operatives changed to a picture of Oversight’s leader. There was no need for a reply. The picture of Colum Mackenzie said a thousand words. “I know why he is doing this.” Operations remarked acrimoniously. “Revenge...” “Makes sense … we have long suspected his motives but if we are to find proof then that is a completely different story.” Operations wondered why Colum would turn a personal vendetta into something more sinister and try to destroy them at Section by keeping tabs on them.

Was his motive more than revenge? Was he planning a coup … or was he impressing Mr Lambert at Centre by stating that he was the better man to run Section One and Oversight and join them under one umbrella? Whatever his reasons they would need to be on top of this quickly before Colum poked his nose into the Rising Dragons’ mission as well. He’d certainly shown that he would if One couldn’t bring the triad to heel. “If I'm right, one of these three Operatives ...” The holograph had switched back to views of Gavin Hayes, Keith Lesley and Bóinne Rivière. “... is working with Colum and could be the one who is passing on Intel to him.” Looking at Operations she stated categorically, “We need to find out which one.” Section One’s leader nodded his acquiesce at her findings, but he needed to know what her plans were.” What about Fergus?” “He is not the mole, but I’m sure he could find out who is.” “So he'll cooperate?” “Yes. We should have some results in due course. Fergus’ loyalty is steadfast and I trust him to be able to find the mole. He'll confirm if there is any extra surveillance in Med Lab and then we’ll know for sure.” This was very pleasing news. “Good. Nothing would make me happier than to have Colum cease meddling in our affairs once and for all.” “I agree. We need to have an end to this and the sooner the better.” Operations cast a look Madeline’s way. “And if Colum is the one who planted any devices here in Section for his own gains then Mr Lambert will be informed. He’ll be reprimanded … demoted …” “There is another option.” “Cancellation?” The gleam in his eye was noticeable. “Yes.” “Keep me posted Madeline. We want this sorted out before the Rising Dragons’ mission resumes.” “Of course, Dougal.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~to be continued on Friday 26th June when we continue where we left with Jamie and Claire in their little bubble in paradise.

#Jamieandclairefanfic #jamieandclairecrossover #jamieandclaireau #the lallybroch library #outlander fanfiction #LFNoutlander #covert operations

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rimmers-swimming-certificate · 4 years

Text

Red Dwarf fanfic - Comatose (6/?)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

Lister was halfway through a movie when Kryten entered his quarters with an empty laundry basket tucked under one arm. His other hand clutched a full-looking teapot with steam rising slowly fro the spout. The mechanoid stopped completely still in the doorway and stared at Lister.

Lister, laying in his bunk, head propped up on one hand, smiled at him. “Alright, Kryten?”

Kryten didn’t reply. He remained where he was, staring at Lister as though transfixed.

Lister’s smile turned into a confused frown. He glanced behind him, checking there was nothing there that might have captured the mechanoid’s interest. Finding just the usual wall, he turned back. “Uh, Kryten?”

His hand moved self consciously to the large letter ‘H’ on his forehead. It was the only thing in the whole situation that was different, and it had taken him a while to get used to seeing it on Rimmer, so it stood to reason that the others would find it strange on him.

“Kryten, what’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Finally, Kryten blinked. “No sir. Stare mode cancel. I’m sorry, it’s just so good to have you back, Mr Lister. For the past six months, I’ve been trapped on the ship alone, with only Mr Rimmer and Mr Cat for company.”

Lister shrugged unsympathetically. “Yeah, been there,” he said.

Kryten walked busily across the room, placed the teapot on the table and the laundry basket on the floor next to it. “So, sir, I trust you’re well? How are you adjusting to your hologramatic status?

Lister gave the question serious consideration as he took a swig of his hologramatic lager. The drink was nothing like lager, not really. It wasn’t even like having a drink. There was no feeling of quenching his thirst, because he had no thirst to quench. The drink didn’t feel cold, but it didn’t feel warm either. It was somehow completely without temperature. There was no fizz either, and he was reasonably certain that the taste he was detecting was constructed entirely from his own memory and expectation of the flavour, rather than from the drink itself.

“Sir?” Kryten asked

Lister shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, it’s…” he shrugged again, struggling to put it into words. “It’s not been very long,” he said. I’ve done nearly this long before, when me and Rimmer swapped bodies.”

Of course that had been different. There had been a time limit on that arrangement. They had agreed to swap for two weeks, although in fact it had lasted much less time. This was completely open ended; he had no idea how long it might last, or when it might be over.

Kryten nodded. “I imagine this is a little different to that, sir.”

“Well, yeah. For a start I’ve got you looking after my body instead of Rimmer, so that’s definitely better.”

“But sir, you’re in a coma.”

Lister nodded. “Even so. The whole thing’s not great though. I think it’d be easier to put up with if I knew how long it was going to be for.”

“Of course.” Kryten opened one of Lister’s clothes drawers as he spoke. “And I wish I could give you that information sir. I really do.”

He knew Kryten didn’t know. He took another sip of pointless lager, just for something to occupy his hands. Vaguely, he wondered whether Holly would be capable of simulating a pack of cigarettes for him.

“I’d forgotten what a pain in the arse it is to not be able to do anything for yourself. You want to pick something up? Nope, gotta ask the skutters to do it for you. Want to push that button? Too bad, ask the Cat. And this stuff?” He raised the can of holographic lager in the air. “It’s like vaguely beer flavoured nothingness. I don’t even know why I keep drinking it.”

He took one final swig, then tossed the half-empty can across the room in the direction of the bin. It spun through the air for a second, then disappeared just before it hit its target.

“I see,” said Kryten. “Sir, I don’t know whether you’re aware of this, but historically, new holograms were given a minimum six weeks of weekly therapy sessions by the Space Corps, as well as company mandated rehabilitation.”

Lister frowned. “Why?”

“Well, sir, it was found that holograms were prone to depression and bouts of existential crisis. Of course, much of that was linked to the knowledge that they -- the person that they were -- was dead. That is not the case for you, of course. Still, I would expect there to be a certain adjustment period. A significant portion of the rehabilitation involved learning ways of doing things without the ability to touch, as well as coping with the emotional impact of that.”

Now that Lister thought about it, that all made perfect sense. “I don’t suppose you have any of those therapy sessions built into your programming, do you?” he asked.

Kryten shook his head. “Me, sir? No, I’m afraid not. You might find some relevant literature in the ship’s databanks, but, as loathe as I am to say it, most likely the best person for you to speak to would be Mr. Rimmer.”

“I don’t think so,” Lister said, immediately.

“No. Honestly, even thinking that suggestion felt ridiculous,” Kryten admitted. “But unfortunately, he is the closest thing we have to an expert on the subject.”

“He’s also a complete smeg head,” Lister countered. Rimmer would probably love it if he went to him for help. After all, Lister hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to make things easy for Rimmer when he had first been switched on.

“Granted, sir,” Kryten agreed. “He did, however, visit you almost every day when you were in the medi-bay. He does appear to care. Although honestly I doubt he would make an effective therapist.”

No kidding. Literally anybody that had ever been born would make a better therapist. With the possible exception of Cat.

“Although, frankly, given the circumstances, it’s a miracle that Mr. Rimmer is still sane.”

Lister scoffed. “Kryten, Rimmer was never sane to begin with.” He had been teetering on the edge long before he had even died. Although, maybe that only proved Kryten’s point. “So how’d he do it then? How’d he manage to not go any crazier?”

Kryten appeared to think about the question as he reached into Lister’s drawer, pulled out a handful of neatly folded t-shirts, screwed them up, and dumped them in the laundry basket.

“I suppose the only way to be certain would be to ask him. I do have my own theories though. Perhaps Mr Rimmer’s personality, deficient though it is, is actually suited to being a hologram. I mean, he is stand-offish to the extreme and cowardly to the point where not being able to be touched, and therefore not be hurt, may actually be considered beneficial. Also, while admittedly I didn’t know him in life, I don’t imagine him to be the kind to be touchy-feely with his friends.”

“What friends?” Lister asked, then sighed. “I didn’t know any of this stuff.”

“No reason you should, sir.”

But there was. He had been bunking with a hologram for five years, and what had he done? Nothing useful, that was for sure. He had repeatedly told Rimmer to stop whinging about being dead; actually point blank told him that he wouldn’t touch things for him, because he’d seen what Rimmer liked to touch; and occasionally threatened to switch him off in favour of someone better.

Honestly, if Rimmer did want to gloat about Lister’s current situation, he would probably be justified.

From another cupboard, Kryten removed a packet of biscuits, took one out, crushed it between his hands and dropped the pile of crumbs into the laundry basket with the clothes.

Lister watched him, bemused. The mechanoid picked up the teapot he had brought into the room and tilted it, ready to pour the contents into the basket. “Kryten,” Lister asked. “What the smeg are you doing?”

Kryten looked from the basket of screwed up, crumb-covered clothes, to the teapot in his hand, and finally back to Lister. He appeared to consider the question carefully. “Laundry,” he said.

Lister frowned. “I’m no expert or anything, but even I know that’s not how you do laundry. Not unless we’ve landed in the backwards world again.”

“I...I...I…” Kryten opened and closed his mouth in a compulsive way that made Lister think he was about to have a serious malfunction.

“Kryten…”

“You just don’t understand what it’s been like, sir. You were unconscious, you didn’t need me to do your washing because you simply weren’t generating the same amount of mess that you usually did. Add to that, I only had half the number of dishes to wash, and absolutely no detritus to pick up after you, and I was quite literally going out of my head with boredom!”

Lister frowned. “So why didn’t you just find something else to do?”

“I didn’t want to do anything else! It was laundry day and I had nothing to launder, so I went into your quarters one day, emptied out your drawer and… well, it was such a relief to get back a bit of normality. Since then, I’ve been doing two loads a week.”

“Right,” Lister shook his head in bafflement. “But couldn’t you just do the Cat’s laundry instead?”

“He wouldn’t let me. He said he didn’t trust me with his suits.”

“Look, why don’t you just put those back, and watch the end of the film with me?” Lister suggested. “Or I can get Holly to rewind it to the start, I don’t mind watching it again.”

Kryten shook his head, still brandishing the teapot above the basket. “I can’t, sir. I need to get these clothes dirty so that I can get them nice and clean for you.”

Lister sighed. “Whatever makes you happy, I guess,” he said, but as he spoke he noticed a yellow t-shirt among the biscuit crumb-covered pile. His eyes widened in panic and he leapt down from the bunk to grab the basket out of Kryten’s hands.

He remembered at the last moment that he couldn’t. Instead, he waved a hand at the yellow t-shirt in the middle of the pile. “Hang on a minute, what’s that?”

“A pile of laundry, sir. We just discussed it, remember? Perhaps I need to do some additional tests to ensure you didn’t sustain brain damage in the accident.”

“No, what’s that,” Lister tried to clarify. He pointed at the yellow t-shirt again, knowing that he only owned two t-shirts of that particular colour and hoping that this one wasn’t the one he thought it was.

Kryten put down the teapot to free up his hand, then pulled the shirt out from the centre of the pile and held it up for Lister to see. “A t-shirt, sir.”

Lister looked at it, and his heart sank. “Smeg,” he said.

You could barely see the stain anymore. He moved his head a little closer and squinted. He could just about make out the mark where the blob of vindaloo had dripped from an overloaded piece of naan three million years ago, but it had faded almost to the point of disappearing.

“Kryten, how many times have you washed this t-shirt?” he asked.

The mechanoid looked at it, doing a quick calculation. “Between the beginning of your coma and now? Approximately twenty times.”

“You’ve nearly got the stain out,” Lister told him.

Kryten looked at it. “Which one, sir?”

“That one,” Lister pointed at a barely-there stain on the left side of the t-shirt. “There was a stain there from where I dropped curry on it. It was the first time Kochanski spoke to me, and I was so surprised I dropped curry and it made a stain in the shape of a heart. That was the first time I knew that we were meant to be together.” And now it was gone.

Kryten looked at the t-shirt again, a guilty look appearing on his face. “Oh sir, I’m sorry! I had no idea that stain had sentimental value. I didn’t rotate the wash, I just kept taking the clothing from the top of your drawer. If I’d dug down a little deeper, maybe this wouldn’t have happened! Although, frankly, I was a little afraid of what I might find in there.”

Lister sighed. “Forget it. Just, don’t wash that one anymore, okay? Leave it alone, it’s clean enough.”

The mechanoid put down the basket of ‘dirty’ washing, shook off the crumbs and carefully folded the yellow t-shirt and put it back in the drawer where he had found it, then picked up the remaining t-shirts and left quietly.

Lister watched him go, and sighed to himself, then turned to address the middle of the room. “Holly, give me another beer, will you?”

(next)

#red dwarf #red dwarf fanfic #dave lister #david lister #kryten #lister's getting a bit down #poor guy #my fic

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 6 years

Text

Asobi Asobase 1 | Planet With 1 | Hanebado! 2 | Holmes of Kyoto 1 | Phantom in the Twilight 1

Asobi Asobase 1

These girls…have no noses? Gwah?!

…They really went in on the “purity” themes, with the OP and the flowers, didn’t they? It gives off a “sugar, spice and everything nice” vibe.

I’ve had my eyebrow furrowed in disinterest here. The artstyle not only very nearly lacks noses, but Olivia (I think that was the girl’s name from promo material) has such a disgustingly smug face that I can’t laugh at it. It seems mean-spirited and not fun at all.

My gosh, bob girl has such a sadistic streak…

These faces are clearly trying to make me laugh, but all I get for them is a “You tried” feeling. Sorry, must be the yuri vibes. Plus the extra boob jiggle which you really could’ve done without.

You can tell that Olivia wasn’t speaking a lick of sense there. The subbers must’ve had fun trying to convert it to English. *sigh* If only I were part of that team, I’d be having more fun with it than I am just watching it…I’m clearly not having fun here, obviously.

The pigtailed girl stealing the ham made me laugh, but only in a very weak way.

This pen thing? C’mon, they have that in Western-type societies like mine too, y’know.

The artstyle is like Nichijou a few times. Lemme guess, Nichijou isn’t for me…

Asobihito (asobibito…?) =/= Pleasure Seekers. The former translates literally to “playing people”, i.e. “people who play”. “Pleasure seeker” is that in a more general sense…then again, English doesn’t have an equivalent term that doesn’t vaguely sound like someone’s taking advantage of other people.

The sensei finally got me to laugh properly! But hey, it’s just because she’s so dang perky when she shouldn’t be…

The bob girl says “eigo kenkyuu kai” (English study club), but then Honda (pigtails) goes “Eiken?”, which from the translation I’d presume is short for “eigo (no) shiken” (English test).

Ohmygosh, they unabashedly put a Louis Vuitton suitcase into this show! How did they get away with that??? *stifles laughter*

I feel like these girls are trying to just be mean to each other more often than not. Catfights aren’t fun, yo.

The SFX and the visuals make this very clear this is a show for boys. Boys who like to fantasise about girls having fun like this.

Oh dear…did they just…they did! (flat tone) What. *face furrowed in worry, shakes head* A Detective Conan parody…

This comedy is probably a tad too…Western…for my liking…

Uh…I don’t know what to think about that ED…I feel like most of the budget went into the ED, for some reason.

Nihon no Asobi wo Asobase means “Let’s Play Japanese Games!”. It has no “please” involved whatsoever. Also…is that a poop emoji with hands and feet in the corner? (LOL)

Okay, you got me show. You made me laugh a grand total of…twice. That’s a terrible track record, y’know! Also, the real daruma otoshi is like this.

Well, that last segment made me feel like I was watching Potter Puppet Pals. Only it was for an anime I didn’t really care about and it wasn’t particularly funny after the novelty and creativity of it all wore off (and that wore off very fast!). That’s a drop. Also, can we not with the boob jokes???

Planet With 1

Hmm…a low ranker due to Ume potentially being pulled…I wonder how this’ll go.

Thank you for that, show!!! Such a cool, flashy opening!

I keep reading that the boy’s name is Ginko in first episode impressions, but Ginko, according to the ANN spotlight I read, was the maid girl. This boy is Souya. Okay, got it.

That’s one biiiiiiiiig cat, man…

Ohmygosh, I’m going to run out of air from how much I’m laughing! The cat’s eating this cabbage raw! What the heck??? (LOLOLOL)

Youhei Suzuki? Why does that name seem familiar…?

If you’ve been around anime long enough, you’ll get megane (glasses) =/= megami (goddess). Plus, what is it with men and eating lots of meat? Does eating meat affirm one’s masculinity or something?

Is it just me, or am I getting Star Driver vibes from this show? There was a guy in the OP who looked like Souya’s dad, y’know.

I think Souya was doing trigonometry (you can see cos theta on the board). I don’t envy him there.

It’s the kanji for “peace”, but it’s missing a stroke…that’s why it’s spelt “peas” and not “peace”.

There seems to be quite a bit of CGI in this show, huh?

Was that…Ume?! Yes!!!!!!!

Isn’t Sensei trying to peek up the skirt from the girl from Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer? That’s the second pervert today…ick.

Sensei doesn’t even move his mouth??!!!!!!!!!! (LOL)

Benika is the redhead. Beni = crimson, so that should be no trouble at all.

That guy’s book appears to be upside down…? Is it possible he could read a book like that, if he’s constantly holding it that way?

It’s amazing how much anime protagonists can do while pretending to be in the toilet…

Torai in a tiger mecha. I see, I see…

LOL, more ingestion business…just like Hisone and Masotan.

…Why is the protagonist’s motivation meat, of all the things?

Yay, it really was Ume! Thank you, Planet With! Now I’m definitely staying! Even if Ume gets dropped afterwards, there’s enough to keep me here otherwise such as how it feels pleasantly old-school while putting a new spin on a bunch of things, such as how Souya – who should be the bad guy in any other story – is the good guy here.

Who’s the man behind the old guy in the ED? That shadow thing is a dog, by the way - I saw it in the ANN spotlight.

Hanebado 2

It’s all an uphill climb…or a slip into the depths…for Hanebado right now.

There’s a box where the hyphen should’ve been…

To quote Google, a shutout is an N. American term: “a play, game, or inning in which the opposition is prevented from scoring.”

Nagisa’s strength appears to be the smash. It seems probably enough, considering her body type doesn’t seem to be made for speed. (…What? Why are you looking at me weirdly? Analysing these guys is just like analysing fighters in an RPG or something.)

Why are all these girls driven by only the sport or the guys??? People, girls need varied motivations.

The elder Isehara? There are two? Are they twins?

Comedic violence against an almost-pervert…it’s getting to the point where I’m getting a bit tired of that in anime…

Just because people have talent doesn’t necessarily mean that they like doing what they’re good at, Elena…

So Isehara (one of them) is in blue. Hopefully I remember that.

I didn’t really understand why Yu was with these girls…and then something came out of one of their mouths that made me realise these were quitters from the badminton team last episode.

There was something really silly about how Yu chucked the packet and didn’t get it in. She’s not really made for badminton smashes, is she?

Interesting use of a chalk style for a flashback.

Tachibana is clearly trash talking Nagisa to get on her nerves. It’ll mess up her judgement…hmm. Machiavellian tactics. I see.

Cross court drive. Just remember this is a link about squash, so substitute out “ball” for “shuttlecock”.

Just for reference, here’s a guide to a jump smash. It’s a difficult offensive move, so it’s perfect for Nagisa, who works hard to achieve her level of skill.

The picture of the embarrased guy (one of the ED photos) is pretty funny. He’s kind of cute, to boot, haha. Update: I’m not sure if that’s Nagisa or one of the boys...if it was Nagisa...oops.

The ED’s artstyle reminds me of Grimgar. That’s a compliment.

The feather imagery is because hane can mean “feather” or “wing”.

Holmes of Kyoto 1

This one could either be good…or bad like a bunch of other seasonals. Let’s find out…

They’re a bit heavy-handed with the “tell, don’t show”, but that flashback was integrated well.

The actual Holmes is known for occasionally trying to get Watson to try and do some deducing of his own (such as how there was a character early on who’d been overseas – I think he was in a war or something - and Watson was able to deduce that from looking at him, that was how he was able to introduce himself as a doctor IIRC), so having Yagashira (I think that was his name from the promo material) try to get Aoi to look at antiques is a good analogy. Detective Conan also had some of those moments, so this almost feels nostalgic…Update: The thing I was alluding to was how Holmes deduced Watson had been to “the Afghanistan” (sic) in A Study in Scarlet, but that doesn’t match what I’m thinking of.

Welp, this certainly ain’t a show where you’re meant to deduce it along with the detective. They didn’t even have the man mention to the audience he’d come from Osaka…

Chalcanthite.

“[G]ot my goat”? They sure are making some slang out of the Kyoto dialect, huh? Update: I don’t recognise the line that Kiyotaka uses, meaning it might really be Kyoto dialect. (Just for your confirmation.)

Salt…? What is this, an exorcism?

The Japanese word for “boiled egg seasoning” seems to have the word for “salt” in it, which explains what’s going on.

Okay, lemme try and guess how Holmes got those deductions: “You’re a student at Ohki High School.” – the uniform…?/”You originally came from east Japan.” – dialect/”It’s been about 6 months since you moved to Kyoto.” - the time of acclimatisation between getting used to Kyoto or not, or maybe her clothes…?/”You came to this shop because there’s something you want appraised, but it’s not something that belongs to you.” – how she’s holding that bag and has been too hesitant to approach Holmes – if she owned it, she would be less careful with it. Either that, or he can see into the bag. Update: I originally guessed “time of acclimatisation” for the 6 months section, but switched it out before learning that was the correct answer, so I’ve got it in bold there. I did get that thing about hesitance right though, so it’s in italics.

Wait…”when you think of ‘Aoi’”…? Aoi is a type of flower, right? Update: I was right. Aoi is the Japanese name of hollyhock, and turns out there’s a festival named for it celebrated by the shrine Holmes mentions! I’m completely useless against Detective Conan cases, but I can actually guess some of this stuff! Yay me!

H-How old is Holmes…? Stab in the dark says “24”, but lessee…Okay, he’s 22. Close enough.

“Holmes doesn’t speak with an accent. I wonder where he’s from?” – Dangit, I was wondering that too. They got Kaito Ishikawa to voice him, and that guy doesn’t have a Kyoto accent (I know from listening to him when I was trying to guess the clues earlier). Lessee…he has parents who come from Tokyo?

Hakuin Ekaku…is a real dude. Update: Zenga.

Are train tickets really that expensive…?

Oh dear…have I ever seen a grandpa lust after girls of 16??? Don’t think so.

“Us Kyoto boys…are awful nasty.” – *clutches chest in mock pain* Ahhhh! My poor kokoro!

I know I’ll probably regret just watching for the bishie and the guessing game I can make out of this, but…okay, that’s another potential keeper. If it gets any worse on the guessing game front though, it might have to go into the drop pile though.

Phantom in the Twilight 1

This is the last debut before “Dude of Red: Red Guy” (or whatever Moe Sucks called Lord of Vermilion)…hopefully it’ll be good!

Is it just me or are these guys’ eyes creepy...? Also, this is not Rokuhoudou. It’s blatantly trying to be Rokuhoudou…I miss Tokitaka already…*sigh*

Peperoncino.

I like how the girl’s wearing shorts. Unfortunately, they’re those booty shorts that seem to be all the rage these days instead of something more modest, but hey, what can you do? *shrug* Shorts are comfy and easy to wear, as they say.

Okay, if blind guy isn’t a jiangshi I’m going to love this show a lot more. But seriously, if this is going to be the second coming of Anime Twilight, then I’m out of here…

There’s one dude in the OP that looks like he walked out of Joker Game…but with altered eyebrows! What the heck?!

Is it just me, or did they not sub the titlecard?

Is it just me, or is the yuri being hammered on too strongly here?

The Chinese restaurant’s sign says something…about a small lobster?

Sha Rijan…Shinyao…Oh no, don’t tell me! I’m watching a Chinese coproduction?! Well, at least the girl is mighty relatable. She only seems part Chinese.

Luke reminds me of Impey from Code:Realise. Not that it bothers me, it’s just that Van Helsing was my favourite from that.

Huh? Didn’t Shinyao say all their money was inside the luggage? Ton probably had some money on her for that taxi, but still…Update: Could be Uber or just paying by credit/debit card but they never say.

Why are these three dudes like a military squad, anyway? It’s a tad unsettling…

Two of the characters Ton’s written on the board in the ED are jiayou, which is pretty much Chinese’s equivalent to ganbaru.

Shinyao and Ton go back a long way, huh?

What’s up with the chibis? They remind me of the Winx Club or Bratz or something…or even worse, the puppet show from Asobi Asobase! Actually, no, they remind me of one of those online dress-up games more…I’m cringing, man.

Well, that seemed a little misfired but otherwise up my alley! The boys may not be as hot as I’d hoped, but still, the show is otherwise quite fabulous.

Update: Music Girls is performing pretty terribly against these other shows, so that’s on hold.

#simulcast commentary #phantom in the twilight #holmes of kyoto #Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes #Asobi Asobase #Planet With #Hanebado!#Workshop of Fun #Chesarka watches Planet With #Chesarka watches PitT

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