#gretchen and dib friendship

[cosmicriff]

001 for Invader ZIM

Favorite character: Dib

Least Favorite character: Iggins

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): zadr, tagr, zagr, rapr, sakr

Character I find most attractive: adult dib from dwlod I mean what who said that

Character I would marry: *ahem*

Character I would be best friends with: I’d want to be friends with Gaz but idk if she’d like me

A random thought: Zim could’ve killed Dib immediately but he didn’t because they like the chase are you listening to me

An unpopular opinion: zadr

My canon OTP: uhhh one sided Gretchen/Dib? I don’t think there are canon ships

Non-canon OTP: bet

Most badass character: Gaz

Pairing I am not a fan of: Zim x Professor Membrane

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): all of them because the show never got a chance to finish. I'll say Dib though. He was way too babified in Florpus

Favourite friendship: the version of Gaz And Zim that lives in my head

Ask Meme

[sidetable-drawer]

Dib for the character thing

1: sexuality headcanon - Pan 2: otp - N/A, besides Red and Purple I don't really ship anyone in the show but Dib and Gretchen having a thing in high school is kind of adorable. 3: brotp - Zim when I'm in a ZADF (Zim and Dib Friendship) mood. I love them having a "Morning, Sam" "Morning, Ralph" dynamic. 4: notp - ZADR. Same when he's shipped with Tak, but with Zim it's one of the most popular ships in the fandom so there's even more of it. Like....Zim and Tak might have disguised as elementary school kids, but they're ADULTS. 5: first headcanon that pops into my head - Dib is autistic. 6: favorite line from this character - "Scared of BEEEEEEAAAAAANS, SPACEBOY!?" 7: one way in which I relate to this character - I was picked on a lot when I was his age. Also I wear glasses. 8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character - Can't think of anything. 9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? - Problematic Cinnamon Roll. Dib is precious but well, pretty much EVERY Jhonen Vasquez character is a problematic fave. Even GIR. GIR ate a baby once.

[twerkinirken]

I’m def Team Gretchen Deserves Better Then Dib and I actually think she could believe him if she had more character development, the tiny bit she got in the comics showed she was at best semi passionate and at worst open to the idea of conspiracy theories/the paranormal. She’s definitely canonly superstitious so that’s atleast a middle ground for them to form a friendship.

The tiny moments of focus we got given of her made me wish so much she was expanded upon.

But also let’s be real a teenager finally getting the chance to date their crush? They would 100% fake it til they make it when it comes to the crushes interests

I personally kinda hate how Zadr fics will have Dib date Gretchen, Zita, etc. And not mention how much he dislikes how blind they are to Zim, its shown that Dib doesn’t like people who believe Zim.

And Dib respects Zim in intelligence, its implied that he almost views him as equal (and shown with Zim as well)

I’m not saying that Dib wouldn’t get with anyone at his skool, but either he would have to change or they would have to.

[izzydrawsforfun]

are we gonna see gretchen in your au? she's my favorite character and I really wanna see her and her interactions with dib

Actually yes! I plan on showing a little bit of Gretchen in College AU akskakskaks I’m planning a few illustrations but basically:

- Even in high school she’s still a hopeless romantic for Dib, and just keeps her crush from a distance

- She’s grown to become a sweet woman, who enjoys creating and wearing colorful accessories such as necklaces and bracelets. (She’s like... Mabel Pines, but not so confident ;w;)

- She and Dib would constantly be put into embarrassing situations such as being locked on a closet or having fake Valentine’s Day cards and meat slices sent by others

- Gretchen invited Dib to prom and Dib accepted despite not wanting to go. Mostly because his dad was near him and encouraged him to go

- At prom they had a lot of fun and Dib realized how fun she actually is

- They talk for a while after prom. Dib apologizes for not treating Gretchen well and ignoring her during most of their Skool years, and Gretchen opens up about her feelings for Dib. She also explains that she always enjoyed seeing him so passionate about exposing Zim as an alien and that, even if she doesn’t believe in it, she still enjoyed his determination.

- They agree to become friends and share phone numbers!

- At the current canon of College AU, she’s a Vet student and works at a animal shelter. She’s always sending Dib some photos of the animals she takes care at the shelter, as well as photos of her own pet: a gecko named Mimi

And here’s a design concept for her:

She’s a cutie

[zadr-obsessed]

I have like an Au idea where after Zim and Dib become friends, they kinda calm down with the fighting, and they make friends with Zita, Gretchen and Keef, because friendship is great!

Dib: 16 y/o. He’s grown into a very tall and handsome guy. He’s sweet and smart. He still likes paranormal stuff but knows when and where it’s ok to talk about it. He and his dad are working in improving their relationship, it’s been going good, so far. Was there to cheer up Zim after his breakdown. Has a “secret” crush on Zim. Rich boy of the group, he has the munz.

Zim: ??? y/o. After coming to the realization that the tallest lied to him, he becomes ok with the idea of staying on earth. He starts wearing dresses, skirts and other girl clothes because “they are pretty” -Zim. He’s a T H O T. Loud and extra but people think it’s cute. So small. Has a “secret” crush on Dib. Baby of the group.

Zita: 16 y/o. Sweet and energetic girl. Has a different crush every day. Dib was her crush for a day, and that’s how they became friends. MEMES, VINES AND TIKTOKS! VSCO girl. Shows Zim the VSCO ways. The most popular of the group.

Gretchen: 16 y/o. Had a glow up on 9 grade. Best friends with Zita, gets dragged around by her. Very chill. Closet TikToker. Knows Zim is an alien, just says nothing. Mom friend.

Keef: 16 y/o. No longer obsessed with Zim. Very friendly and enthusiastic. A mad-lad; he will do anything. For example: Zita: “hey can you jump out the window for a video?” Keef: “sure! :D” Bisexual energy. YOLO. Daredevil of the the group.

Basically one day, Zita had a crush on Dib and so Gretchen and her sat with Zim and Dib at lunch. And to their surprise it was actually pretty fun. So they did the same the next day. And the next, Keef notices and sits with them as well. And before they know BUM they are friends. Zim and Dib are very confused but they just accept it. Dib actually convinces the group to go on a few paranormal hunts, so that’s fun!

I call it the teen gang Au

[strawberryxfieldz]

Do you like any other ships besides zadr? If so what are they? Sorry if that's too many questions, I'm new to this

No problem at all, I love answering questions!

I do! I love tagr a lot if not just as much as I love zadr! my girls deserve more love <3

I also like zagr, Zim and Skoodge (zasr?), za2r, Tak and Tenn (tatr???), Dib and Gretchen, Zita and Chammy (we see a bit of their friendship in the comics and I think it's pretty cute), Gronya and Sheather, aaand Jessica and Letty :)

[galaxina-the-pyro]

really wanna send a request with a ship with one of those prompts. but i’m not sure which ships you’re okay with and the ones you aren’t.

Allow me to make a list for some of the ships I like and what show they’re part of! And if the ship you have in mind isn’t on the list, just give me the ship name and the show it’s from and I’ll let you know if I’m comfortable writing for it or not. 😁

Phineas and Ferb

Phineas x Isabella [OTP]

Vanessa x Monty

Linda x Lawrence

Ferb x Ginger (or any of the other Fireside Girls)

Baljeet x Mishti

Buford x Gretchen

Ferb x Vanessa [either during the AYA timeframe, or with their ages tweaked so they’re at least closer in age if not the same age - or even a one-sided situation cuz those are always cute/funny/angsty]

Doofenshmirtz x Charlene [Pre-Show]

Candace x Jeremy

Perry x his job [jk, but seriously]

I also ship Doofenshmirtz hard with my OC, Alice Schnitzel, but I doubt you know anything about her, lol, also I’m probably gonna do these more likely than OTHER ships tbh (also I do not touch Perryshmirtz - we don’t talk about that ship around me 😳)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic x Sally [OTP]

Sonic x Galaxina [also OTP]

Tails x Cosmo

Knuckles x Rouge

Shadow x Rouge

Vector x Vanilla

Antoine x Bunnie

I probably have more than that but I don’t have any else that come to mind. XD

Invader Zim

Zim x Zita [OTP] (Note: I do not follow show canon and consider Zim to be a child)

Dib x Tak (Note: The above statement applies to here also)

Zim x Gaz

I don’t have as many ships for IZ as I previously thought…huh…(and no I do not do ZADR, I’m a ZADF kinda gal)

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Pinkie x Discord [OTP] (FIGHT ME)

Pinkie x Cheese Sandwich

Fluttershy x Discord

Fluttershy x Cheese Sandwich

Rainbow Dash x Soarin’

Applejack x King Sombra (thanks for that @ad-post-it)

Twilight Sparkle x Flash Sentry (Again, FIGHT ME)

Derpy x Flash Sentry

Spike x Sweetie Belle

Apple Bloom x Tender Taps

I DEFINITELY have more ships in this fandom than THAT. 😂 shipping is too easy in MLP.

Star vs the Forces of Evil

Star x Tom [OTP]

Marco x Kelly

Star x Marco

Eclipsa x Globgor

Milo Murphy’s Law

Milo x Amanda [OTP]

Melissa x Bradley [also OTP]

Melissa x Zack

Gravity Falls

Dipper x Pacifica [OTP]

AAAAAAAND THERE YOU HAVE IT! The list of ships I’m most likely gonna definitely say yes to writing for! Again, if your ship isn’t on this list, that doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t write for it - give it a try and see what happens! But if it’s NOT from any of the shows, chances are I might not know about it, so do me a favor and gimme some info on the couple, particularly what show/content they’re from so I can do research.

Thank you so much for considering asking me for a request! 🥰

[wannabecrypt-id]

📓 bring it in

I’m bending the rules. My way or the Highway. Technically I wrote the first 7 chapters, but I did it badly so I’ll probably never finish it, so I might as well finish explaining the plot to my short-lived fic, “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead”!

It features an Alien!Dib Membrane assigned on an observation mission to Urth, where he gets into a fight with an Irken vessel when entering orbit and, surprise surprise—! They both crash and badly damage their ships, stranding them both on Urth. A couple things happen they team up blah blah blah… BUT a couple weird things are going on:

1.) They attend an underground auction where alien ship parts are being sold (under the claim they’re abstract art pieces). There’s a girl named Gretchen who leads them to a storage closet full of alien artifacts. Gretchen tries to tase them, and trap them there, but they just steal what they want from her and escape. Dib even finds some technology his father invented.

2.) Later, when he fixes the communications on his ship, he calls his father to ask for help as he’s stranded. When he opens the call his father begins talking about very weird very specific events, and midway through Dib realizes this is a recorded conversation and goes through most of them. The recordings mention a science competition which Dib is later thrown into while he’s on a walk. While there, Dib is reminded to focus on real science by a human he’s never seen before.

3.) After that, when gathering more parts to fix the ship, Dib and Gir get cornered by a bunch of humans, including Gretchen, who are revealed to be aliens (minus Gretchen) apart of some Resistance, the Resisty. They claim that the Urth is already under someone’s rule, and accuses Dib of conspiring with the Urth’s colonizer. Dib is confused to find they aren’t talking about Zim or the Irken empire.

Basically, it’s revealed Professor Membrane put Urth under his rule awhile ago, but he disguised himself as a human so much of the Earthling populous is still unaware about alien life, but Professor Membrane is able to utilize Urth’s resources or do whatever he wants with it. But Urth is like. practically useless as a planet. A meaningless one to conquer. So what has Membrane been working on accomplishing with this planet? One big science brainwashing place for his darling son that he sent to visit under the guise of it being an observation mission.

Here’s an excerpt from my huge fic outline for this: “Zim begins screaming about murdering Dib’s father and claiming the planet rightfully as his own, and Dib is trying to defend his father while he feels heartbroken over his useless mission to brainwash him into liking real science and how wrong his was about his father.

Dib ends up throwing the first punch.”

Basically, Zim and Dib fight regarding Dib’s father and what to do with Urth. Their ships are fixed at this point, so after Zim heavily injures Dib, Dib fights back and escapes in his own. Zim doesn’t believe Dib’s ship is in working condition and that Dib would’ve died of blood loss by now so he takes off in his ship to look for Dib’s crashed ship and/or corpse.

So here’s a bit of plot I haven’t discussed: Dib somewhere in their bonding friendship talks revealed he was a clone of his father, and that their planet was on its way to making cloning its main way of producing offspring. Zim is super excited about this, because he knows how fragile Nilslerians are (Dib’s alien species I made up the name for) and without Dib’s knowledge creates a blood sample and begins plans to clone Dib.

When meeting with the Resisty, Dib, Gir, and them fought, leaving Dib heavily wounded. At this stage Zim had begun cloning Dib and made any final tests off the original while healing Dib, including a brain scan so he could take and edit his memories, etc.

Thus, when Dib ran away and Zim believed him to be dead, he edited Dib’s memories, and made Dib’s clone (who believes he’s the original dib) to replace him.

So basically the rest of the fic from here on out is Dib talking to his father, it not going well, and him joining the Resisty to fight against Irk and his father who both seem to steadily be teaming up with each other for devious reasons I hadn’t decided yet, and the contrast of that life against the clone dib, whose memories are altered, and is working with Zim under the Irken empire, and the differing of their views and lifestyles based on a couple minuscule differences.

There’s lots of existential crisis-ey stuff here, etc. And that’s where my plans end! I thought it was so clever at the time, and I still kind of like it but my motivation is gone. Thanks for the ask ;)

[saintheartwing]

Breaking Dawn, Pt. 2: Rage of the Forgotten Ones

Author's Note:

Regrettably, this time, I'm not accepting OCs for the story. Though you may spy a cameo here and there for certain...persons. ;)

Anyhow, on with the tale! And feel free to tell me what you like and dislike about it. :D

BREAKING DAWN, PART TWO RAGE OF THE FORGOTTEN ONES

If you're reading this, then again...thanks. I'm glad somebody bothered to check out my blog. I'm surprised you're checking it now, though. Shouldn't you be more concerned with the fact that hundreds of planet Earths are floating around in the sky above, defying all physics? Even the average ignorant idiot can tell: something is seriously wrong.

And I know you want to know how this happened. Maybe you heard about me. Remembered I was the "crazy kid" for a long time, that I had all of these "insane" theories about aliens and the supernatural, and now that this is happening, well, you turn to me for answers. I've got answers, alright...I've got answers.

It all ties back...to him. To an alien named Zim.

His species is called the Irken race. They're like reptile-esque bugs. Their bodies are organic shells, their REAL selves are attached to their backs in robotic backpacks called "PAKS'. They're generally proud, vain, narcissistic, selfish, dangerous, in a word...evil. I knew from the moment Zim entered my classroom in his pathetic disguise that fooled everyone but me that he was bad news, I swore to expose him.

But something happened over the years. Zim and I began to...

Well...

...I can't call it friendship. I really can't. It's like...we were rivals. And we always wanted to stay that way. To outdo each other. It was a "same time next week" kind of deal we had: he'd try to make some world-enslaving or world-destroying plot...I'd stop him. It was a great game we played. And I think we began to develop...well...a kind of respect...a kind of trust. We kinda mellowed, in a sense. Heck, we even applied to the same colleges. I guess that my life fell into a rhythm I intended to ride for the rest of my life.

...but before all that happened, there was...a period that I think back on with shame. It was kind of like the turning point. When we looked back on what we did, something changed in us. I think we kinda were forced to change.

See...I wasn't the only one who knew Zim was an alien. My sister knew, but she didn't really care much. Zim had another Irken living at his home, named Skoodge, but Skoodge wasn't really too much of a threat. He wasn't actually too bad, as far as Irkens went. But I did tell my classmate Gretchen about Zim, and I think she wanted to believe me.

And then there was Nick.

Nice kid from down south. Slightly annoying accent. Little bit dumb. Okay, maybe more than a little bit.

But friendly. Helpful. And Zim had experimented on him before. Made him REAAAALLY happy with this strange device he stuck in his head. Twice. I asked him for help, knowing he knew the truth.

I TRIED to train him. I really did. I tried to help him get smart and savvy the way I was. We planned...we calculated...a few missions went by, we did well.

He wasn't my friend, but...but he was a good comrade. Yes...a comrade. And that day, on March 23rd, six years ago...Zim did the worst thing he'd ever done.

And he did it to Nick.

...I own that. Because he was my soldier. My comrade.

...my fault.

I don't know if he...remembers it all. I kept wondering "Was he afraid? Was he begging for me to save him in his head? Was he crying all the while as Zim..."

Now I know how he felt. I'm feeling that way too. Because someone showed up at our front door. They forced a very dangerous, very powerful ring on me. A ring that can turn the imagination into reality. Chosen for me because I can overcome great fear.

And yet...

All I want to do now...

Is SCREAM.

At first...it was a spiritual experience. Exhilarating. Almost transcendental. He felt invincible. He felt...like he could face anything. Anyone. Dib Membrane wasn't afraid of anything or anyone, and he knew, in that first few moments he KNEW he could have taken on the entire world and WON. For those first few moments...the ring upon his finger showed him a world just in front of his fingertips, a world of potential.

And then...then it was not HIS will that controlled the power. It felt like he was being tugged around by slimy strings, his flesh was not his own...he was lost in his own spirit...and he knew what was at fault.

"Get this thing OFF me!" Dib yelled out, yanking on the white ring on his finger as best he could, gasping as the Irken with the golden eyes looked on in pitiless amusement. Two sets of antennae, one teal, one black slightly raised in amusement with gloved hands and a blue vest across his chest, with dark blue pants and boots of black...black to match the gloves...black to match his heart. "GET IT OFF!"

"It's no use." The Irken with the golden eyes said, waving his hand in the air. "I was the first one to touch the Exemplar Ring you wear on your hand. It might be powered by your Will, it might think you're using it, but really...it's MY will that matters now. It might as well be on my hand. And you're going to do everything I tell you to do. You won't have a choice." The Irken said.

Dib's sister bellowed angrily, punching the ground below and seething, frothing at the mouth. Unlike Dib, who was dressed in a fine outfit of black and green, she was all red and black, with a form that looked vaguely machine-like in its design, a fury dripping off her facial features as the Irken snapped his fingers and she panted slightly, slowly calming down.

"You...fix us...NOW." Dib snarled angrily, summoning up all his willpower, leveling the ring on his finger squarely at the Irken. "You FREAK."

"The NAME...is Zerinim Two Jookiba." The Irken with two sets of antenneas said, putting one gloved hand on his chest before growling fervently, a burning red fiery blaze of energy forming in his hands, sizzling like he was holding a miniature sun in his palms. "But don't call me "Two" like my closest loved ones do. Call me...MASTER."

He immediately launched the wave of energy squarely at Dib and Gaz, knocking them to the ground, Gaz taking a blow to the head, unconsciousness settling in as Dib felt the thing's grip on him relaxing, and now the many sledgehammers he kept imagining should be beating into this thing actually manifested in a bright green glow, energy constructs that struck at Two over and over as Dib kept the manifestation up, intent on one thing and one thing alone...

MAKING...HIM...PAY.

"I'm gonna make you sorry you ever came to my planet!" Dib yelled out, stepping closer and closer to Two as the Irken held his gloved hands forth, a sonic blast of red construct energy knocking Dib back as Two snapped his fingers, a surge of power rising from his form as a bow popped into his gloved hands. Dib jumped back up, quickly firing off blasts of energy from his ring like a cowboy desperately firing his pistols at an oncoming posse, but Two calmly stood still, the blasts missing him as he notched an arrow of burning red.

It launched through the air, impaling Dib through his left side and he screeched in pain, falling to the ground as his grip on his body faded, and he swam in and out of consciousness, struggling to stay awake, Two chuckling coldly as he approached the human and his sister.

"Ahhhhh, I NEEDED that. I'm in a such good mood right now...now you go home and power down and get some rest. Dream peacefully...it'll be the last happy sleep you ever have, I'm afraid." The Irken said, kneeling by Dib and lifting his head with one claw. It wasn't a mocking tone...it just said it. A statement of fact. Nothing personal. "You've got a busy day tomorrow, after all." He added with a slight smile, clapping his hands as Dib and Gaz found themselves returning to their normal clothes, getting back up and returning inside the house of their own accord, the will of their master, the being named Two, echoing in their minds...

Mercifully, Dib could feel his wounds healing. But this was cold comfort. All Dib could think about...was what this thing was going to do the world he loved.

...

...

...

...as Dib rested in his bed, snuggling up beneath the covers, shivering slightly, he grit his teeth and grounded them together. He was mad. He was furious. He couldn't even fall asleep without feeling like that...that thingwith the double set of antennas was watching him. It had loosed it's control over them...just barely. It was allowing them to rest, but that was cold comfort considering Dib knew the thing would be up to no good.

What would it do to his world? What would it make himdo to his world? What would it make him do to the people he loved?

Simply trying to imagine talking to his father or anybody else about what had happened was giving him a headache...no doubt another part of that being, "Two", inflicting his will on him. What would happen if he actually tried to tell his father what had occurred, get him to simply analyze the ring that he was unable to take off? Would it be some "Battle Royale" kind of deal? Would a collar manifest around his neck and take his head off?

Gaz. What was Gaz thinking, Dib wondered as his eyelids slowly beginning to drop, genuine sleep mercifully setting in. Was she scared? Was she indignant about being used? Or was she just...angry?

Well, as it turned out, Gaz was none of those things. She had long since fallen deep asleep to dream of a world that shaped and shifted by her will, brought to life by a giant red pen, floating upon a rubber piggy and laughed giddily at the new world she was making. She liked seeing things in red...yes, yes, she wanted to paint everything in red...

She knew this power would help her do it. She was aware it was bringing out her most violent desires and attitudes. But she knew she could channel it. She just had to wait for her chance.

She could take control of this. She could prove stronger than the thing on her finger.

"That idiot thinks he has me. But I've beaten worse things before." Her dream-self said as she raised a chainsaw high, cutting through a swath of imaginary Twos. "AND YOU'LL FALL, JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM!"

...

...

...

..."Oh great. Two is here. Help me put my clothes back on."

"Why did you ask me to bring HER along? I could understand Lilo, but…"

"I want her to understand what we're…willing to do to break her. Lilo, do you know HOW the Minor Arcana was formed? How the…application process is undertaken?"

"..."

"Well, in exchange for very, VERY large amounts of power and the ability to remain eternally young…you've got to kill family. Close family. One member, to be precise."

"Samael approached me and told me that if I wanted into the Minor Arcana…if I wanted the ability to be immune to control and to control reality, I'd have to kill a family member."

"No, please tell me you didn't…didn't kill them…Kila, Zim, you…you didn't?"

"No, of course I couldn't, I…I love my parents. I…I chose Green, my sister from the past."

"If Kila and Zim ARE your parents, the ones I know so well, then they would have been horrified at the idea of you working for the person who made them suffer so much! They wouldn't have raised you to be so cruel!"

"They didn't raise me to be cruel, but we never could stay in one place long…do you know how some kids move around city after city, state after state, never really making friends, or worse, constantly leaving the friends they DO have? For me…it was TEN TIMES WORSE. I had to move from world to world and whenever we got REMOTELY settled into the hotel or other temporarily dwelling, we had to leave! Working for Samael meant he wouldn't hunt my parents anymore and…It's not like I know Green. She's my sister and I understand mentally that the whole thing is…sad."

"..."

"I OUGHT to know her. I should have spent my childhood with my big sister being there, we should have blown stuff up in the backyard together or played gorka-ball or "Toss the GIR"…we should have been siblings but…but we weren't. Aren't. It IS sad, but…I just don't really know her, and so I don't have many qualms about killing her, though MIYU had NO qualms in killing MALIK! And to get to her mother, she killed her dad too!"

"Azazel has yet to kill Nick, his dear, beloved Grandfather. So perhaps he'll kill his originator instead, he was so close to Nick, In his reality, his "Pee-Paw" was so PROUD of him…he even gave him his-"

"..."

"As for Frequency, lobotomizing Sari, whom he cared for greatly, was his act. Samael was happy to allow him to do the act, it allowed Miyu to replace Sari, who had refused to kill her parents and had taken Samael's gift of immortality. Such a pity…she would have gained Miyu's incomparable battle skills but instead she lost most of her brain."

"And now let us come to the point. You are not going to be rescued. You are going to be tortured here by us, one at a time, and when TWO finishes with you, I…will begin."

"Question: Who shall start?"

"I'll be the first...my power will be good for torturing you-"

With that, Dib awoke from the strange dream. It had felt real. FAR too real. And that person...Two. It had definitely been him. What was going on? Were Two's memories of the past somehow crisscrossing with his slave's head? Possible, he supposed. The Irken could control him from his head, but that meant his mind was open, at least when asleep, to Dib's own...

How strange...

"How odd..." Dib mumbled as he scratched his head, sweeping his legs out of his bed and onto the floor as he made his way to his bureau to get his usual attire out. Dark jacket? Check. Blue t-shirt with a "Meh" face on it? Check. Dark pants? Also check. Glasses...shoes...belt for said pants...check, check, check-

"...is the ring still on my finger?" Dib mumbled, looking down at his hand.

Check.

"...crap." He muttered. "You JERK." He growled, turning his head to look out the window at a cheerily grinning Two, who pushed the window open, letting in the sunshine to the dark blue walls of Dib's cluttered-up bedroom.

"Nice place, it really is...except for the smell." Two admitted as he looked around the bedroom. Indeed, over the years Dib had gotten slightly more advanced equipment from his father for birthday presents...yes, Birthday. Dib's father refused to celebrate Christmas due to his undying hatred of Santa Claus, so he always wasted that day searching for signs of Santa. And beating up Santa's Helpers in the street.

Yeah, it was weird.

A sophisticated computer system on a desk with what appeared to be three dozen drawers, many of them stuffed full of papers on Bigfeet, ghosts and aliens...a pile of laundry in the corner, all dark clothes, blue t-shirts...and several dozen paranormal posters littered the walls, including one of a flying saucer. And not just ANY flying saucer. "Is that from the X-Files series?" Two found himself asking, an intrigued expression coming to his features.

"Yes, the original one. I got it off of Ebay. Cost me two month's allowance too." Dib added, not taking his eyes off the alien scumbag. He wanted to jump through the air and do a karate kick to his head, hey, years of fighting with Zim meant he'd picked up a couple of tricks. But no, no, it was like he was rooted to the spot, and he knew EXACTLY why.

He tried to yank the ring off anew...hopeless. Two chuckled slightly as he snapped his fingers. "I used to watch the show when I was younger. Ahhhh, memories. Moving from dimension to dimension it's still nice to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Wait until I tell you about the second movie."

"Second movie?" Dib remarked, blinking stupidly.

"Oh, right, you don't know. Guess this world will never see it once I'm...well..." He chuckled coldly. "Once WE'RE finished. Go on, my little puppet. Eat breakfast. Say goodbye to your father with your sister. Then we begin, and I think I'll start by doing you a favor, and doing what all children dream of doing at one point or another...burning down your school."

"Why would you want to do that?" Dib growled angrily, fingers clenching almost like claws, eyes alit with fury. "What could you POSSIBLY gain from-"

"Do I look like a Bond Villain, my boy? I'm not TELLING you." The Irken chuckled. "But I'm in a good mood, so being the nice person I am, here's the deal. You get until Lunch Period's over. Then I'll take full control...and have you and your sister burn down the school and everyone and everything in it."

The Irken was suddenly up in Dib's face, smiling coldly, one hand gripping his chin, the other tapping Dib's ring. "You have until then to convince the others to get out, and don't bother trying to use your ring to convince them, I'll put it under a lock that won't open until it is finally time to BURN, baby, BURN." The Irken laughed. "Hey, you've been failing to get your classmates to listen for years. Maybe today's the day they'll finally listen!"

"You don't have to do this." Dib said, trying another tack, remembering the dream. Normally he wouldn't EVER negotiate with an alien, not even try, but...this was different. "You don't need to hurt anyone."

"But I do." Two whispered, raising his gloved claws up and clenching them. "...I DO."

Letting off cold-hearted laughter, the Irken jumped back out of the window, strolling off. Dib cursed under his breath. This was one of the few times an alien was out in the open! NO disguise! Why, WHY was nobody outside? Or LOOKING outside? What had their attention? Were they all still ASLEEP?

"So then he shot her, it was weird." The newest arrival on the "Okrah" show said to the titular host, Gaz munching on some cereal as the tall and weirdly surreal Prof. Membrane adjusted the goggles over his eyes, looking at the screen.

"This PULP is what the people are interested in?" He inquired.

"Yeeeeep." Gaz said nonchalantly through a mouthful of "Choco Frosted Sugar Bombs".

"And it's on every morning from 8 to 9? Without fail?"

"Yeeeeeeeeep."

"...what next, dancing panda bears?" Prof. Membrane mused sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he poured himself some coffee. He was getting better at this, he TRIED to be there during the day for breakfast if nothing else. And to think, it only took him a little over 10 years to actually start being somewhat of a good father figure.

"Mornin', Dad." Dib said, entering the kitchen and going to the fridge before shrinking away. Every time he tried to open the fridge, weird things happened. Last time he was SURE he'd heard a sneeze, and the mayonnaise had started yelling "The ketchup did it! The ketchup!" And ANOTHER time his father had left an experiment in there. Something had been living in the fridge.

"...is...the thing still in there?" Dib asked Prof. Membrane, inching away from the fridge and reaching for the knife drawer by the sink, pulling out a large carving knife as Gaz watched with interest.

"No, I'm fairly certain I moved him to the freezer." Prof. Membrane said, shaking his head back and forth. Smiling in relief, Dib wiped his brow and opened up the fridge...and was then forced to hack back several dozen tentacles before slamming the fridge shut. "Or maybe I forgot. Who keeps track?" Prof. Membrane added a moment later, putting a gloved finger to where his lip might have been...it was hard to tell, the white labcoat that he wore had a loooong collar that reached up high. You couldn't even see his nose!

"I'll just make some toast."

"SUPER-Toast?" Prof. Membrane asked expectantly.

"...er, I was thinking cinna-" Dib began to say, before he saw his father's slowly drooping expression. "SUPER-Cinnamon Toast." He quickly changed his mind, nodding enthusiastically.

"EXCELLENT choice, my son!" Prof. Membrane agreed, clapping Dib on the shoulder and moving to the cupboard to get the cinnamon sugar for his boy. "I can only spare 110 more seconds but I'd be HAPPY to get your cinnamon toast started!"

"...thanks, Dad." Dib said quietly. "I...I really appreciate it. And...appreciate you." He murmured.

"What will that thing make me do to the ones I love?"He thought sadly to himself, sitting in the chair next to Gaz as she quietly looked over at him, a faint flicker of genuine regret passing over her face for an instant.

...

...

...

...the Beautiful Angel clutched his mother's paw, looking down at her closed eyes. She looked so...worn and tired. So sad...so lost...so forgotten. She was a sad little doll that had been tossed into a closet to be forgotten about. She lay there in the ornately-draped bed inside of the crystalline palace that hovered high above the clouds, hidden from all sight not by ignorance on behalf of humanity, but by carefully-constructed machinations, creations of Zerinim Two, and of the robot that calmly watched, her face solemn before she turned her red-helmed head away from the sight of her beloved kneeling by his dying mother.

"C'mon...just a few more days, momma." He whispered, his golden/amber eyes gazing down upon his beloved mother. "...just a few more days and maybe we can end all of this...get our world back...and bring all of us back to normal."

"Is she...any better? Any worse?"

The Angel looked up. Zerinim Two's face was normally a window...behind his eyes you could tell he was barely suppressing a furious rage within. Now that window was cracked, but not showing rage...but deep, deep concern and sadness...

Personal loss...one of the greatest causes of rage in the world.

"No. And...and I've been talking with her and...she kept asking about the plan." The Angel went on, sighing as he stood up, brushing his thick slightly-light-brown locks of hair back. "You know that this base Earth is very...unstable. It's got the seeds of potential for all the other stories, but if this plan works, I'm worried what'll happen to the other-"

"Who GIVES a rat's ass?" Two snapped angrily, cutting his hand in the air to shut him up. "Azzy, these people are awful. AW-FUL. I might have been petty and selfish but when it came down to it, I ALWAYS put doing what was right for the ones I loved and for the world I loved at the forefront! Do you think ANY of the so-called "cornerstones" of this Base Earth would?"

"...I don't know." The Beautiful Angel admitted softly, honestly. "...I'd like to believe that some of them would."

"I'm sorry that "some of them" isn't enough." Two spoke quietly, folding his arms. "You know...I saw into Dib's mind when I controlled him. He has a family. He has a father. He has a sister. And his life's been slowly getting better for the past five years. Zim getting more considerate, Gaz becoming more tolerant, his father's actually eating BREAKFAST with them!"

That made the woman in the bed chuckle slightly. "Brekkie? N-no kiddin'? Ame kef, never thought he'd actually..." Her chuckling dissolved into pained coughs as she held her paw over her mouth and Two gently patted her forehead. "I'm...sorry I'm so friggin' useless now."

"It'll be alright, maneem." Two whimpered, kneeling by his mother and kissing her paw as a blue-furred being entered, Two rubbing his eyes as he left the room. The blue-furred being took off his cap, letting his hair fall down as he nervously chewed his lip, gazing at his aunt.

"...are we really gonna go through with this? I want the world back but..." He sighed. "...what he's making Dib do isn't...it isn't right."

"I want you to have this." The Beautiful Angel said, giving the blue-furred bounty hunter a pad of paper he had in a pack slung around his shoulder. "It's notes that mother took. I've read it five dozen times..." He trailed off, taking his mother's paw again.

The blue-furred being chewed his lip again, walking out of the room as he went to stand on a balcony, reading the journal as the robot stepped out on the balcony to join him.

"I shall be meeting with MY personal inductees today." She said in her emotionless tone, holding up the rings she would be using. "They shall join my Corps and I will then bring the two up here so that they may understand why we do what we do. I think he would go along with it anyway...a chance to destroy this world? Have "fun"? How could he say "no"?"

"Will you bother to tell him that once enough of this world's been destroyed by the Cornerstones, he'll get folded into the historical fabric?" The bounty hunter wanted to know.

"That's on a "need-to-know" basis." The robot said, a flicker of amusement passing over her metallic features as she sauntered back into the crystalline palace, leaving the bounty hunter alone on the balcony as he reached into his pocket, pulling out two small rings of his own. One was shining slightly, a chosen partner found, but the other...it's light was dull.

"...why isn't it lit up? What's it missing? WHO is it missing? I might have been the first to get ahold of these, but...can't do this alone..." He murmured, putting them back in his pocket, his paw going over the journal to his side, over an entry stained by teardrops.

...

...

...

...Dib nervously gripped his pants pockets as he looked out the window of the bus, sitting in the back with Gaz as she looked over at him. "Any ideas?" She asked sarcastically.

"...I thought about offering twenty bucks to everyone to leave school right after lunch...but my allowance isn't THAT high." Dib admitted, pulling out his wallet and opening it, a tiny moth fluttering out as Gaz rolled her eyes.

"And just TELLING them the truth won't help either, will it?" She asked. "They'd never believe you. Well, they might if you tried to use that thing in front of them, but-"

"It's not working." Dib mumbled, shaking his fist angrily, the ring uselessly dull. "I'm trying and trying...but he meant it...he shut it off. And after lunch, it turns on...and I turn into a living weapon. He'll drive me like I'm a BATTLEBOT."

Gaz looked around the bus, eyes narrowing darkly. "...Dib...what's wrong with this picture?" She asked quietly, dangerously.

Dib looked up from his lap, glancing around.

"Notice anything...missing?"

Suddenly it hit him. Zim. Skoodge. Gretchen. Nick. All four of them were gone. How strange...how very, very strange...

The bus came to a stop as everyone headed into the school, their new guidance counselor greeting the children at the door. He saw Dib's clearly sullen expression and his gentle green eyes softened. A hand reached out, placed squarely on Dib's right shoulder. "Dib, is something the matter?" Mr. Thildari inquired, one eyebrow raised high over a head with perfectly-combed grey hair.

"...nothing you could help with, sir." Dib told him as Gaz headed inside. "You've been more help than the last guidance counselor I had, but...you can't help me with this."

"Aww, why not try me?" Mr. Thildari asked, moving Dib inside and sitting him down at a bench by a water fountain. "First period bell doesn't ring for a whole seven..." He checked his watch. "...six whole minutes!"

"...I need to get everyone out of the school before lunch. And I mean EVERYONE. Even that creepy janitor." Dib told the guidance counselor, leaning back in the chair, Two's smirk lingering in his mind. "Or else something terrible is going to happen."

"Dib, did a friend of yours say they're going to blow up the school?" The guidance counselor wanted to know, his darkened skin paling slightly.

Dib's eyes went wide.

There it was...

...hope. Why hadn't he seen it before? It was such a simple solution.

"Yes, yes." Dib said fervently. "...except he's not really a friend, he...he said he was going to blow the whole school sky-high after lunch period, Mr. Thildari." Dib informed the guidance counselor, shaking him by his shoulders, back and forth, back and forth.

The guidance counselor looked deep into Dib's eyes, mouth becoming a taut line as if "reading" him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before closing his green eyes and letting out a soft, long sigh. "I believe you." He told Dib. "I'll inform the principal and vice principal about this, and I'll have everyone escorted out of the building until the police can search the grounds."

Dib inwardly cheered for joy as Mr. Thildari stood up and headed for the staff wing, punching the air as he headed off to class. He won. He'd WON.

Or at least...so he thought.

"I should have KNOWN you'd cheat." Two muttered furiously, sitting in a tree outside of school, his fists clenching tightly as red energy swirled off his body like sparks off a fire as his own ring swirled around him like a tiny fly, buzzing, buzzing.

"Calling in help like that, you great big cheater...well, you're about to find out that I'm just as petty and immature as you, Dib Membrane..." The Irken chuckled darkly. "I suppose the saying's true. If you want something done right..."

He hopped down from the tree, making his way towards the school as red energy seeped off his body, his footprints leaving behind burning indents within the ground as he chuckled coldly.

"You have to do it yourself."

[socksandbuttons]

Day 4 where.... I could not decide what prompt i wanted to do lol But  Day 4 from @fallen-gabrielle‘s Fusiontober list. The iconic Urban Ranger Set and literally the only one i care about. Edd was my choice as a guide in the game, hes Fun. Candy Hunting you’d think Numbuh 5 would be somewhat involved. Day 4 from instagrams ZImtober2020, Friendship! I was considering Zadf or Dib and Tak but the image of Gaz and Gretchen chillin’ and talking about life, maybe video games Gaz is working on. Tak wants to join in for Tea. Just let her in. Its totes fine. (Theyd probably get along if Tak wasn’t so bent on destroying Dib. If it was just Zim it’d be all good.)

[dappercritter]

An Awful Announcement:

Taller Tales of Terror, my Invader Zim fanfic is cancelled.

First of all, yes, I am talking about that one Zim fic I’ve been talking about on and off in the tags of certain reblogs since I got on here.

So, now that we got that out of the way, let me just say, believe me, I am as disappointed as you are. (As evidenced by my choice of image above.)

This was not an easy decision to make, but I feel that it had to be made. Taller Tales of Terror was originally going to be my very first fanfic that I ever wrote, since the IZ fandom was the first major fandom I joined on Tumblr--besides the kaiju community. I had been brainstorming ideas for what would have been a miniseries worth of stories exploring the characters lives in high school in the proper Invader Zim style for the better part of two years now. I even completed a story outline for the first “episode” and planned out the series!

But in the past few months, I started running into problems. Things weren’t lining-up with the canon. There were plot holes and little inconsistencies that came from forgotting various details from the TV show that kept adding up until I started to question if my plot could hold (Irken-searing) water. As I tried to iron these kinks in the story, I made a realization that really challenged my vision: did the plot still have the same feel as the cartoon that I hoped it would have?

Confused? Well, it’s hard to explain without discussing the canned plot at length, but the long and the short of it is that I was mixing my tastes in Zim. On the one hand, I wanted to do a proper “high school sequel AU” fanfic in the style of the cartoon with all the bizarre, sarcastic horror comedy insanity that came with it. Buuut, I also wanted to make something with a bit more poignancy, some friendship, and most of all, I wanted to have ZAGR content. A real romantic friendship between Zim and Gaz, with canon characterizations, plausible relationship development, and all that cute stuff! And I’d pair up Dib and Gretchen, and Tak with Tenn, while I was at it because, hey, I think they’re cute. I realized that as cute as that might be, it would still clash with the strange tone I wanted so badly to replicate. Morever, I realized that not only had the love and friendship in high school angle of Invader Zim fanfiction had been done many, many times already. That and I still don’t think people would be comfortable with me writing ZAGR content--including myself, if I’m being honest.

Anyways, I realized that my plans for the fic were starting to fall apart as self-doubt and inconsistency creeped in. As I started working on other writing projects, I slowly realized just how much my enthusiasm had fallen for my original fanfiction project. After consulting some of my closest friends on the matter and receiving their earnest (and most appreciated) opinions, I finally made the decision to give up the ghost and let it go.

But don’t feel too bad, my fellow pig-smellies! I will still be contributing to the Zim fandom in the form of fanarts and reblogs, and Invader Zim will always have an influence on my original works to come. I might even post my plans for the series on my blog if there’s enough interest! Best of all, I have another series in mind for another fandom that revolves around another ship--one to surpass ZAGR...

[dib-shit]

Gretchen: You know, hanging out with you was really nice. We should continue this friendship futher!

Dib: Yeah, it'd be nice to have a friend!

Gretchen: And you went the whole day without talking about Zi-

Dib: And we could hunt down Zim together and prove once and for all he's an alien!!!1!!

Gretchen:

[elitespacefreak]

For the character thing: Gretchen! ❤

MY GIRL. YES. BLESS YOU FOR ASKING.

•favorite thing about themI love that she’s not conventionally pretty. Even though they’re middle schoolers, Jessica and her friends are pretty, but Gretchen is the awkward romantic and honestly I can relate.

•least favorite thing about themThat she doesn’t get much screen time. It’s middle school, there’s drama, I would’ve loved to see some of that. Like she somehow gets Dib to go with her to a school dance but she’s heartbroken when Zim ruins the whole night for her because Dib runs off to go save the world. I wanted more story with her in it.

•favorite lineHonestly I can so clearly hear her in the lice episode where the countess has her by the arm and she whines “can I go now???” Like there was so much sass and I was oddly proud of her for that?

•brOTPOkay hear me out. I love her and Zim getting real close because of their relationships with Dib. They both care about him and I think he could act as a catalyst for their friendship. Gretchen absolutely helps Zim acclimate to Earth and keep up with his demographic. Zim helps her win over Dib’s heart. They are Squad Goals™️.

•OTPI’m a shameless DibxGretchen shipper. They are my favorite power couple, they just would age so well together.

•nOTPUuuuuhhhhhhhh…. anyone who’s not Dib?? I guess?

•random headcanonShe won’t go to college on Professor Membrane’s money so she becomes the classiest stripper ever and pays her own way through college. Dib is very proud and supportive.

•unpopular opinionI don’t think she’s annoying, I think she is an accurately portrayed hopeless romantic for her age.

•song i associate with themRich Boy by Galantis. You know Dib would want to spoil her but she’d just want to go out and spend time with him.

•favorite picture of themMy phone won’t let me copy and paste one here but in the tale of bitters comic issue there’s a pic of her lookin real menacing saying “oh I’ll tell u how” and it’s really cute to me~

[zadr-obsessed]

The gang loves to take pictures. But the goal is to make it weirder everytime.

Gaz is often the one taking the picture

IRL, me and my friends do this, we call the “foto droga”. It is great! Y’all should try it!

INSPIRATION:

SKETCH:

[plac3h0lder]

Later Chapter Summary (Don't have to post, just review and please give me your honest opinion)

Warning: This chapter summary contains blood, suicide mentions, HIV references, and angst. If you are uncomfortable reading this, it is understandable and I do not want to offend anyone

—————————————————————————-

On an rainy April evening, Dib is home alone (Dad is working over hours and Gaz is off at Zim’s house since they are dating). He is geniunely happy, watching TV and eating Chinese take out. He then hears the doorbell ringing and he answers it. It is Fox, crying and shaking her head in denial. She then begs Dib “Please tell me you don’t have it”. He is confused and asks what she means. She then tells him that Jessica told her that he has HIV and is angered at him for not telling her in the beginning. He then tries to tell her that Jessica is lying, but Fox screams at him for being dishonest, breaks up with him, and tells him that she hates him (she feels shocked afterwards). 

After Fox leaves, Dib goes upstairs and starts writing a suicide note to his father and sister and other friends. Afterwards, he runs hot water in his bathtub and takes off his coat. He takes out a pair of scissors from his drawers and starts cutting himself with a smile on his face.

When Gaz comes home later on that night, she notices that it’s too quiet and investigates the house. She then goes upstairs and find Dib in his bloody bathtub with open slits from his arms. Her heart drops and she calls an ambulance to come and pick him up. While the ambulance drives Dib to the hospital, Gaz goes to her father’s office and attempts to see him. She blocks off his workers and security and angrily confronts her father about what happened. Professor Membrane brushes the incident off (he doesn’t really like Dib anymore due to him being Bisexual and has once even sent him to conversion camp) and orders for Gaz to leave now. When she does leave, Gaz sees a stone and throws it at a window, screaming that he never cared about her and Dib. She then runs to the hospital with tears running down her face.

The next day, Fox notices that Dib is absent and later on overhears Gaz talking to Zim, Keef, Tak, Gretchen, and Zita that they will visit him at the hospital after school. She then shows up at the hospital with a vase full of roses and asks what happened to Dib. Gaz explains everything to Fox, but then she blames her for making Dib’s last minutes of his life miserable (Spoiler: Don’t worry. He will survive). Fox then tries to tell them that she never meant what she said to Dib, but Gaz shuts her down by saying that she can’t take her words back and that she has done nothing but made their lives more miserable when she came into their lives. Everyone agrees with her (Including Tak and Zita and Keef) and walks away from Fox, looking at her with anger.

Fox then drops the vase of roses and smiles blankly. She walks out of the hospital with the same expression, but when she gets to the isolated part of town (where her base is located at), she deactivates her disguise and goes to the bathroom in tears. She looks at her reflection in disgust and punches the mirror, making her fist bleed. She then gets a baseball bat and starts smashing everything in sight, screaming that she is sorry to Dib. After her meltdown, she packs a bag, gets Snowflake, and burns down the base. She then collapse to the ground in tears, saying that she is sorry for everything and that she wishes to go back and take back everything she has said to him. 

—————————————————————————–

(A/N: Please forgive my cruddy writing on summaries. I can write stories way better than summaries. So, what is your HONEST opinion?)

//... HONEST opinion? Well.. If you’re asking for my critique, I’ll give it.

I will be going off the actual canon to the show/comics. If i were to go off my blog, that’d be INCREDIBLY WEIRD/CREEPY because there’s a bit of ME in all of my Muses, so I’ll stray from that.

I’m not big on the idea of Dib and or/Fox having a sexual relationship as implied. Considering Dib is still canonly a child, it makes me very uncomfortable. If this is in an older!AU, go ahead, but i still feel... Personally bad about it. But hey, this is just my opinion. I also don’t see Dib being the type of person to be into that stuff whatsoever. (I would highly recommend removing any kind of sexual activity from any story you write/become involved in if you’re a minor. Not my life, not my call, but even so, it’s illegal and i just want the best for you.)

Next. Considering Fox is an Irken, i don’t see why she would be concerned with HIV or any kind of human disease seeing as how Irkens versus humans both have very different illnesses and cures. Not to mention that Irkens canonly don’t have any kind of genitalia, i also don’t really see how any kind of sexual activity could be possible. But, whatever you headcanon, i suppose.

Next. For Dib to give literally everything up because he lost one person seems a little?.. Off. He still has his career, Gaz, entertainment and full life ahead of himself. To be so unbelievably dedicated to one person that he tried to kill himself seems incredibly OOC and just plainly unrealistic and like an unbalanced thing for him to do.

Next. I feel like Professor Membrane would care a lot, a lot more for his children than that considering they’re all he has to give for the future. Without them, he can collapse under his own castle in a matter of seconds. There wouldn’t be hope for the future generations of science, nor would there be anything to look forward too after he gave up his position. Not only this, but the fact that Dib’s bi.. I just don’t feel like he as a father would care? He doesn’t care too much that he’s into the paranormal, he doesn’t try to convert his mind to real science, he just heavily encourages it.

Next. If Dib were to create a relationship with an Irken, call me crazy or ship-delusional, but i feel like if it were remotely ANY IRKEN, it’d be with Zim. Reasons are, they’ve known one another. They literally need one another to be satisfied. This is shown and displayed more than once in both the show and the comic. The other reason is that Dib may have hopes that he could change Zims mind about the earth dominating thing. Even if it’s not a relationship, it could be a friendship. I don’t see him just saying ‘okay I’ll date you’ to some female Irken who just shows up into his life.

Next... The overall story.

Listen, buddy. ..This.. Entire thing.. Is just a mess, i feel?.. Don’t let me discourage you, if you like it you keep writing it, and don’t you DARE let my words get in the way of that. But, for me, it’s.. WAAAY too edgy. I get that angst is a lovely topic and should be appreciated, but, this gives me a vibe that yells ‘I’m trying to be serious and sharp as a razor blade.’

That’s.. Not really a vibe you want your stories to give people. It sounds like all the ‘high tech’ computer gaming gear in the form of an IZ fic. An angst story doesn’t need to include every single tragedy that could ever occur to be angsty or sad. In fact, the simpler, smaller stories are usually the more deepening. I mean... If i wrote both of these on an article title, which would sound more emotional?

‘Kid attempts to runaway eight times after incredible school bullying and parental neglect.’

‘Kid gets abused and neglected after family hears of their eighteen suicide attempts after public embarrassment. Family gets together before the child ends it in front of their entire family at thanksgiving dinner, causing them to blame themselves and each other.’

One seems straight to the point and realistic, other seems over done and jumbled. You don’t need a severely depressing story to make the readers severely depressed. It just kind of makes them sigh, roll their eyes and claim it’s cheesy. When people read angst and sad fics, they just want a snack. And it’s your job to make sure you don’t use too much baking soda.

For you, hun, if you’d like to make this a public story, I’d suggest fixing it up and using a bit of references. There are many mary sue-ish focuses here and there, very unlikely events, everything moves too fast, I’m sorry. But, this is my honest opinion.

However! If you’re writing this for fun, please continue to do as you do! Write for you, don’t let anyone else control that! But.. If you want to make it public, you know...

Just.. Tone down on the baking soda, okay?

[dib-shit]

“What if they were all Friends!” Invader Zim AU

This is a headcannon/fic idea that’s been in my head for a very very long time and I want to at least put out something for, even if just a long drabble.

I really really like the idea of Zim and Dib developing a sort of squad with the others. Like when they hit high school, things start changing for the better overall. This is what I was thinking of when I made the Eric Andre “what if they were all friends” post (hence the title, which I want to change at some point).

tl;dr throughout high school, Dib, Zim, Gaz, Gretchen, Tak, Skoodge, Tenn, and Keef all become sorta friends and do dumb shit together. Tak and Tenn have been in a relationship, Dib and Gretchen eventually start a relationship too, and it’s complicated between Skoodge and Zim for a while. Zim finds out the truth about his mission (of course), Dib finds out he is a clone, Tak gets rejected from the empire, and they all bond through that. 

I’m totally open to talking about this and answering any asks that are sent btw lol

Freshman year: things are mostly the same between Zim and Dib, but Gretchen starts making an effort to talk to Dib every now and then. She wants him to feel like he’s not alone, even if she’s not sure if she believes him about anything. Skoodge occasionally is out and about with Zim, but doesn’t go to Skool. Keef and Gretchen have been good friends for a couple of years at this point. Keef for sure still has a crush on Zim but knows it’s not mutual and has learned to be more respectful of personal space (he also doesn’t know Zim is an alien so of course thinks Zim is the same age as the other students).

Sophomore year: Dib and Gretchen almost have a sort of friendship going on. Zim and Dib still constantly piss each other off but it’s become more of a game for the both of them. At this point Dib has given up trying to expose Zim just tries to keep him from destroying everything. Gaz is in Highschool now too and mostly tries to ignore the others but will occasionally step in if things go to far. Gretchen has a lot of internal conflict as she starts noticing little things that point to Dib not being crazy after all. She keeps quiet in order to avoid the two of them getting bullied more (also why they aren’t super open about the friendship). A certain event results in Gretchen very clearly seeing Zim without his disguise and telling Dib she kinda figured Zim was an alien for a while now. She stops caring about the bullying risk and they finally develop a proper friendship.

Summer after Sophomore year: Dib and Gretchen hang out a lot, and Dib starts to get to know Keef better (now that he knows how to behave a bit better). Gaz gets to know Gretchen a little bit when she visits the Membrane’s house. Some time around here is when Zim gets the “your mission is a fraud™” message that happens in every fic. He stays in all the time as Skoodge runs the errands. He runs into Gretchen at one point when trying to get to the library, and they visit there every now and then. Dib at some point goes through his Dad’s old research and comes across the fact that he’s a clone, and so is Gaz. Gaz has known for a while, and tries to calm Down down when he gets upset. Both of them have very low thoughts of Professor Membrane now, and they start building a better sibling relationship upon realizing they basically only have each other. 

Dib goes to check on Zim, and starts to piece together what happened. Dib starts to assume Zim has given up and tries to leave him alone, knowing that getting brutal truth sucks ass. But then Zim just shows up with this massive machine that actually has the ability to destroy the planet (along with himself, Skoodge, and Gir). Skoodge can’t get to him, with Zim thinking Skoodge betrayed him with the whole mission fraud thing. Dib manages to get to the top where Zim is, and talk some sense into him. He tells Zim it doesn’t matter what the Tallests think, it matters what Zim thinks of himself. Some really corny sappy stuff about 

“hey man, I just finally realized my dad is shit and I’m a failed clone cuz I’m not what he wanted me to be. I know what it’s like. I don’t think you actually want to do this. You’re going to end up killing yourself and those you care about, even if you won’t admit it. Skoodge cares about you. Pretty sure Gir cares. And I also don’t want to see you die you price of shit. I’ve always thought you were a threat, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

Anyway, Zim comes down, and everyone is relieved. Since then, Zim and Dib don’t really fight anymore, and don’t really talk until Skool comes back.

Junior Year: Skoodge is now a student so that Zim has some emotional support (but he won’t admit that’s the reason) when at Skool. Things are quiet for a while until a really old plan Zim had to destroy the Skool (involving the boiler room) starts activating. Zim at first doesn’t care, after some convincing he joins Dib in an effort to stop it. Gretchen and Skoodge get the idea to start getting them to work together more, and they do just that. They form a “team” to deal with dumb shit that happens frequently (which was usually left to Dib to take care of). Zim and Dib fight a lot, but not like before, and they at least tolerate each other’s presence. Gaz sits with them at lunch but mostly keeps to herself.

Eventually, Tak crashes back on Earth, and using a new disguise she tries to navigate living in the city. She has very little supplies and Mimi is still damaged. All she has is herself and her pak, and her damaged safety pod from her former ship. (She likely spent time on foodcourtia to gain monies to fix her pod enough to get back to Earth). Gaz meets her at the mall, and figures pretty quickly it’s Tak. They bond over a mutual dislike of Dib and Zim, and eventually Tak explains that she isn’t here to take over again, she needs somewhere to stay away from the empire. Gaz helps her out, with everyone else thinking Tak is her new friend from another school or something. After getting her a place to stay and a job, Tak trusts Gaz enough to tell her about Tenn (a story for another post), and that she really misses her. Gaz sympathizes and tells her that she knows where her ship is, but she’ll have to reveal herself to the others.

When Tak is reintroduced to the “team” Dib and Zim are immediately ready for a fight, but Gaz manages to diffuse the situation, explaining that Tak is sorta in the same boat as Zim now: rejects of the empire. After some arguing, Dib eventually agrees to give Tak her ship back, and she tells him she can help him build his own in the future.

Whenever she’s not working, she’s in the ship, adjusting the long-distance communication in an attempt to reach Tenn. But it’s just static. Gaz is the only who knows that she’s trying to reach Tenn. But over time, Tak starts trying to get her mind off of it by getting involved with the team’s shenanigans.

At some point, Dib starts coming to terms with the fact that he might like Gretchen as more than a friend but is afraid to tell her thanks to his reputation. But some sorta… Event or something (idk) leads Gretchen to finally tell him that she likes him. After the initial shock (even though it should have been obvious), Dib tells her the feeling is mutual. And there we have the only straight pairing in this whole thing. Gretchen tries to make an effort to bond with Tak, giving her tips on human culture and little things she thinks she’ll like (mostly consisting of cats and the black/purple combo).

Summer before Senior year: Tak starts getting something from her communicator. It takes her a while to adjust enough to understand, but when she finally gets the sweet spot she starts crying. It’s Tenn’s voice. Tak quickly realizes it’s a recording on loop, voicing some sort of code. Dib and Gaz offer to help with the code, but Tak says only she and Tenn use it, so it’s only meant for her. The code translates to an SOS message, then gives her coordinates. The message then goes on to say that if Tak finds this, she loves her and that she’s sorry she failed. The date of the recording is a few years old by this point. Tak immediately starts packing up a bunch of supplies, and raids Gaz’s room for weapons and gear (with permission). Dib asks her what’s going on and Tak frantically only responds with “she might be alive. I’m going to get her.” While Tak is prepping her ship, Gaz explains to Dib about Tenn. Dib runs out to the ship and tells Tak that he’s coming with her to help. There’s some arguing, but he goes, and Gaz stays behind as ground control.

Long story short, Tak is a badass and they break into the prison on Meekrob and get Tenn. Tak runs towards her and they both start crying and hugging each other very tightly. Tenn says she thought Tak had died, and that she was so happy she finally got the transmission. Tak is also relieved that Tenn is alive and that they’re together again. Then they get the fuck out of there and head back to Earth, while Tak helps Tenn start putting together a human disguise.

Senior Year: Tak and Tenn aren’t bothering going to Skool, they get jobs and live in an apartment together. But they do frequent the library and try to learn about human culture. Zim is struggling with emotions now that he knows about Tak and Tenn. Skoodge on the other hand, is able to come to terms with it a little quicker since he’s known for a while now that he liked Zim. Keef has been involved with the group every now and then, but still knows nothing about like, half of them being Irken. Gretchen convinces everyone to let her tell him (mostly by saying he’ll probably finally get over his crush on Zim that way). It takes a bit of talking to get Keef to understand that Dib was right the whole time, and he is perfectly fine with it. But then Gretchen has to clarify to him that Zim is like, 150 something years old at least, and none of them know how Irken age/years translates to human age/years. Zim doesn’t even know his exact years anymore, he just neglected to keep track of time. So none of them know if the Irkens are around their age or what.*

Keef’s just like

Anyway now Keef is part of the squad. Yay.

*The confusion comes from a number of factors. Different planets have different lengths of years/days, Irkens and Humans likely have very different interpretations/handling of age, and Zim’s behavior does not help at all. The other Irkens sort of know their age, but still don’t know how it translates to human age.

I myself don’t really know how I think of their ages (i.e if they are adults or not), which is why I just avoid human/Irken romance just to be on the safe side. 

I know this was really long, but believe me when I say this is really just the surface. There’s a lot of stuff in between, like the Tallests’ having a secret relationship, stuff in the past for everyone, and possibly stuff after Senior year.

Totally open to talking about this too, like I’d be happy to answer asks if any are sent lol.

Thank you for reading!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜