Yas Boot

## Summary

AJ is kind of the alpha when it comes to celebrating X-Marse.

## Plot

We open on X-Marse Eve just as the crew has finished enjoying a delicious meal prepared by Nermut including paste for AJ and oil for Bargie. Nermut says he learned to cook while working on his residency at the club, an apparent reference to the club he worked at in Holowood. C-53 compliments Nermut saying he found the batteries exceptional, and Nermut replies that he sourced them from the toaster, Gina. Bargie prompts Nermut to apologize to Gina, which he does, however Gina doesn’t reply since she currently has no batteries. Nermut says he will get her new batteries and then apologize to her after replacing them.

The crew begin to prepare for turning in so that they can be well rested for opening their X-Marse boots in the morning, resulting in a temper tantrum by AJ complete with throwing plates and other objects. C-53 tries to calm AJ down by telling him that he is scaring Tayleen, C-53's guest for X-Marse, but this only causes more rude behavior by AJ who asks why is there a complete stranger with them for the holiday. The rest of the crew reassures Tayleen that she is welcome, that they are happy to meet C-53's guest and Tayleen humbly receives the kind words and even offers to leave. C-53 tells her its fine that she stays and threatens AJ with losing his boot if his attitude doesn’t improve. AJ calms down somewhat and explains that this is his first X-Marse away from the C.L.I.N.T. conditioning center and says that there they always opened their boots on X-Marse Eve. Dar and the rest reassure AJ and C-53 even explains that Tayleen can't make it to her slime planet and is also away from home.  This distracts AJ who asks what the deal is with C-53 and Tayleen, who through giggling explain that they haven't defined their relationship yet, punctuated with Tayleen booping C-53's nose.

Pleck explains to AJ that X-Marse is about togetherness and that all are welcome. Bargie proposes that they let AJ open his boot tonight and Pleck offers that on Rangus 6 those under 10 were allowed to open their boot on X-Marse Eve, and seeing how AJ is only 5, he should be allowed to open his tonight. AJ asks if they are sure its ok, and Bargie says yes though Nermut says he should clearly wait until the next day which does not go over well with AJ. AJ hits Nermut requiring Nermut to crack his own neck back in place. AJ quickly apologizes saying how the holidays make him atypically aggro. C-53 hands AJ his boot finally resolving the drama.

Bargie explains that there is something in AJ's boot from everyone as AJ begins to open it. The first gift is a set of tactical knives from C-53 which AJ gleefully explains can be used to slice open someone from abdomen to sternum. Next up are choco-slorgs from Bargie. Bargie warns that she got them off the black market so AJ should watch out and only eat one, which AJ is aware of saying more than one will result in one's brain catching fire and then dying. When C-53 asks why would they make them like that Bargie and AJ explain that they are yummy and delicious. Tayleen's gift is next and is a wad of slime and AJ thanks Tayleen.

Dar's gift are pajamas or as AJ refers to the present: PJ's for AJ. The pajamas include a butt flap which Dar explains is a little X-Marse gift for herself so she can monitor AJ's butt gun situation. AJ is somewhat confused by his next gift, a planner from Nermut, but he is happier when he sees that it is a Bermut Nundaloy themed planner. AJ thinks the planner is cool, but admits he won't use it. Nermut says he can use it for planning which convinces AJ who jots down "lock and load" in the planner's pages. Pleck's gift for AJ is a festive X-Marse peppermint flavored pinky, which AJ licks and then substitutes for his one current good pinky.

The last gift, at the bottom of the boot is a recorded X-Marse greeting from Miss Janelle Fitzmeyer. The message begins with the crew commenting throughout how pleasant and thoughtful Miss Janelle is. Miss Janelle, calling AJ "my dearest 2884", says that even though she knows he has defected, there is a special place in her heart for all of her beloved C.L.I.N.T.s, and hopes that AJ has a wonderful year and show off his special talents. Miss Janelle's audio holiday letter then moves on to her previous year including revealing she has a new gentleman friend, Gary. The two of them enjoy dining at restaurants at the new outdoor mall where she recently enjoyed a to die for gilgateen salad. She has also enclosed homemade bebop and zuzu candies. She signs off with her signature "Kiss kiss. Hug hug."

The evening begins to wrap up and Nermut is concerned that AJ will be disappointed he wont have a boot to open in the morning, but AJ reassures Nermut that the best part of X-Marse is watching everyone else open their boots. And also, that with X-Marse being about survival, he is well prepared with his new tactical knives. As Tayleen thanks C-53 for the invitation and prepares to depart, the couple find themselves underneath the feather duster. Aware of the X-Marse tradition that this suggests, the two begin to deeply, passionately make out for a very long time in a way that makes it uncomfortable for anyone else to watch. The sounds of slime and electronics ensue.

### Blooper Reel

AJ heads off to bed and slices Tayleen in half. When asked why he gave AJ knives, C-53 offers "he loves knives". Tayleen however is unresponsive.

## Quotes

* "We clearly had no choice, you're going a bit crazy." - Bargie (about AJ)
* "Bargie, why didn’t you just give him one?" - Pleck. "Why don’t you shut up?" - Bargie
* "I think of everyone we've met who trains kill squads for a living, she's like, the best." - Nermut (about Janelle Fitzmeyer)
* "I love the slime. I'm a slime fan." - C-53 (about Tayleen)

## Trivia

* The episode title is a reference to the 1981 German film *Das Boot* as well as a joke on AJ's use of the slang term *yas*.
* There is no opening crawl narration nor ad breaks in this episode. However the opening music is a holiday inspired MTZ theme including sleigh bells.
* Bargie still struggles with pronouncing Nermut's name
* AJ's pinky, which he snapped off in Episode 314, still has not yet fully grown back.
* The crew is confused how Miss Janelle's recorded message got in AJ's boot, suggesting an unsolved mystery. Miss Janelle was also aware of Tayleen's presence at the holiday gathering.
* The Midnight Shadow frame apparently includes a nose and a tongue.
* Kissing under the feather duster is first revealed as a X-Marse holiday tradition
* Making her first voiced appearance is Tayleen, a slime creature from an unknown planet. Gina and Gary are first mentioned as off-screen characters.

## Credits

### Voice Actors

* Jeremy Bent as C-53
* Alden Ford as Pleck Decksetter
* Allie Kokesh as Dar
* Seth Lind as Nermut Bundaloy
* Winston Noel as AJ
* Moujan Zolfaghari as Bargie and Tayleen
* With a special appearance by Leslie Collins as Miss Janelle Fitzmeyer

### Production

* Recording, sound design and mix by Shane O’Connell
* Edited by Seth Lind
* Music composed by Brendan Ryan
* Additional music by Shane O’Connell
* Audio hosting by Simplecast
* Mission to Zyxx is a proud member of the Maximum Fun network.
* Thanks to our MaxFun supporters for freshening our X-Marse!

## References

1. ↑ Down With the Emperor!
2. ↑ Kitty's Pancake House