#that if he maybe stopped throwing things at zim for no reason then zim might stop wildly overreacting

[sapphorror]

Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Tak are actually all horribly vindictive spiteful people to more or less equal degrees, but the interesting thing is that Zim and Gaz both exact vengeance in very specific, premeditated ways, which are often wildly out of proportion but once they feel like they've evened the score they will pretty much immediately forget about whatever pissed them off in the first place—whereas Dib and Tak are both ostensibly above being ruled by petty grudges, but very obviously boiling over with a constant resentment that sends them pouncing like rabid dogs at even the slightest opportunity or excuse to make the object of their ire suffer (and if they're both working towards their own self-serving end game that just HAPPENS to involve every terrible thing imaginable befalling their enemies, well... that'll just be a happy by-product of their personal success).

I don't I have any point to make here, I just like it when these freaks are all an overwhelming danger to society (and each other)

[janewatson]

Helluva Boss Trailer Analysis!

Yes, I watch this.  Yes, I like it.  No, I won’t argue with you about it.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s just say that I was up when the trailer dropped, and was still up for a bit after.  I’ve watched it so many times now, just absorbing everything, and now it’s time to break it down.

I’ve seen a few breakdowns already, but I noticed that there were a few things people hadn’t mentioned.  So I’m tossing my hat in the ring, let’s see if we can figure out what Vivziepop has in store for us!

I’ll be breaking down by scene, as well as go over voiceovers and predictions real quick, so prepare for a read after the cut!

Ok, first, had to laugh at Millie’s Peppermint Vodka Molotov Cocktail.  Creative, but what a waste of vodka :(  The background is of a beach, but she’s not in beach clothes (let’s face it, a bikini would probably kill Moxxie)

Moxxie is shooting at something while he’s swinging from a rope in a deserted theater.  Piano on the floor, and a sun pattern on the back wall

Blitzø (thanks for the copy/paste, Google) cleaving a blonde in half with a baseball bat.  Damn, he stronk!

Diss Summar’, with the little doodles!  So cute :3

Drunk/drugged/in shock Moxxie, poor Millie, and something big bursting out from the water behind.  Tied to first scene?

Stolas’ ‘Special Access’ bit from the Sneak Peeks, talking about the Harvest Moon festival in Wrath

Moxxie and Blitzø in a green lit room, looks like a two-way mirror on the wall.  Interrogation?

Correction to ‘Diss Season’ XD  Hopefully that means we’ll get an episode before spring, but if they need more time, that’s understandable

Glammed up Stolas at some kind of burlesque, owned by Asmodeus ‘Ozzie’, Prince of Hell’s Lust circle.  Wonder why he’s there...

CHERUBS!!!  Also from the Sneak Peeks, we know that this is a commercial, and that the TV showing said commercial gets blown up a few seconds later

Angry Blitzø, probably yelling at Moxxie, being scared shitless by a hellhound behind him.  I think this is a repo/impound/chop-shop guy who took IMP’s van, as in a later scene, they’re shown in a fence with other cars, especially because Blitzø yells ‘RUN’ at the end of the scene

Loona and Blitzø filming someone’s misery (again, probably Moxxie).  They’re in western outfits, but they’re probably still in Hell

Tentacle wrapping around drugged Moxxie and taking him, too fast for Millie to react and stop it.  Again, looks like it’s tied to the first and fifth scenes

Sassy Blitzø, probably talking to the repo-hellhound or punching-bag Moxxie.  Same setting as scene 11

Blitzø running to the window of what looks like a recording studio, with ‘VM’ spray painted on the doors next to him.  He looks distraught, but it’s not clear why

Recently choked-out Moxxie recovering, while being frame by a spiny-tailed Imp wearing what I assume is a serape, since it looks like they’re on the ranch Loona and Blitzø cheered a poor soul, scene 12

DEPRESSED BIRD DADDY.  WHY ARE YOU SAD???  IS IT GONNA MAKE ME SAD??? OH NO I’M NOT READY unless its a flashback, but stilllll

Perturbed Blitzø holding his special flintlock in a western-themed room.  Looks like he has his outfit from scene 12 on, probably the same episode, but whatever happened/is going to happen, it’s not good

Dressed-up Moxxie, who probably jumped bombed a performance, is upstaged by Robo Fizz and most likely a Robo Ozzie, given the designs on its’ head(s).  He looked uneasy even before the Robos popped up, so something else was going on first.

Scaley eye blinking and getting MAD, attached to the tentacle that kidnapped Moxxie?

50% off add for Spring Break victims, complete with coffee stain, and Blitzø‘s horse doodles.  I got a mental image of Moxxie scolding Blitzø for drawing at work, so he BS’d it into an ad.

Either Blitzø is a terrible driver, or they’re trying to speed away from someone.  Repo-hound, maybe?

HUMAN!!!  Almost definitely a human pop-star singing on a Coachella-esque stage!  I tried to fill in her name, but could only get ideas of what some letters were.  Her initials are most likely VM, from the recording studio scene, but the bottoms of some letters could be an E or L, K or R, so we’re left with V~(L/E)(K/R)OSI(K/R)A MA~~.  It also looks like she’s wearing heels, so she may be the person who threw Blitzø in a later scene

Moxxie about to be trampled by what can only be a horse, given his outfit.  Loona and Blitzø are probably filming XD

Shocked Stolas, standing up at table.  Same outfit as the burlesque, but he doesn’t looked surprised enough that it’s the part where Moxxie is upstaged, more something emotionally jarring.  Blitzø kissing someone else, maybe?

Blitzø pushing Moxxie out of the way and pinning him just outside a Hell portal in an alley, most likely Earth.  Blitzø looks mad, and rightly so, as he’s looking a little beat up himself.  Connected to the interrogation scene?

Happy Blitzø turns horrified outside some elevators with Moxxie.  Judging by the water cooler in the back, I think he’s about to slam into the recording studio.  Behind him, Moxxie gives no shits

Blitzø looking miffed, maybe at something Moxxie said.  Looks like the same scene with the repo-hound, as the setting itself looks like an impound lot, with the IMP van smack-dab in the middle of it.  I love that the license plate is IMP-666 though

Unhappy Blitzø (ok, let’s be honest, when IS he happy?)

Moxxie swinging Millie around in the deserted theater, passionately frenching each other

Blitzø getting pushed down by a horned, high-heeled... someone.  Again, might be the pop star from earlier, but there’s horns...  Maybe the pop star is human-passing, and has an alternate demonic form, like the Hazbin Hotel cast?

Western-clad Blitzø pulling his flintlock on someone, most likely before scene 18.  Most definitely Hell, judging by the poster and previous scenes, but I’m digging the décor

Blitzø not getting a break at all during this trailer and being yeeted into a dumpster, which closes on him.  Gonna take a stab and say it’s outside the burlesque Stolas and Moxxie were in, from the colors and posters of Lust Ring, Personal Companion Robo-Fizz, and Angel Dust.

The next scene is of him climbing out of a dumpster to fall into another pile of trash.  He just doesn’t get a break, does he?  It doesn’t look like the dumpster outside the burlesque, but it is similar to the alley with the hell portal, where Blitzø pinned Moxxie.  Maybe not the same scene, but most likely same episode.

Editor being absolutely plastered, teasing all the fun stuff to come in 2021, since 2020 can go f*ck itself.

And that’s a really in-depth breakdown of all the scenes in the trailer!  Now, for the voiceovers.

First, Loona’s asking if anyone ‘Can feel that?’.  Interesting thing to ask, so we’ll have to wait and see what catastrophe happens

Millie gently yelling at Moxxie to ‘DON’T PANIC’

A calm voice announcing an elevator’s departure to the Lust circle of Hell, which is most likely where the burlesque and Robo scenes are.  As to who is going, it’s either Stolas or the IMP crew, or maybe both?

Horny Stolas cooing ‘Oh, Blitzy!’, followed by Loona’s ‘SHUT THE F*CK UP’ from the Loo Loo Land episode.  Finally, I have a high-res clip I can set as my ringtone!

Blitzø yelling  ‘Dammit, Moxxie, this is all your fault!’, which may or may not be true since he scapegoats Moxxie, who replies ‘How is this my fault???’

Pop star asking, ‘Y’all ready to get f*cked up and make some b*tchin’ bad choices?’.  It’s most likely her talking, since the her lips synch up with her scene, and it’s a new voice we haven’t heard before.

Moxxie’s cut off ‘M*THERF*CKER!!!’.  So happy I get to hear Invader Zim go off, poor boy needs it XD

Blitzø being Blitzø and trying to tone down a big deal, stating again that he doesn’t pry into their personal lives, even though he obvious does (see Helluva Boss Pilot for more)

Robo Fizz’s line from Loo Loo Land asking if anybody loved Blitzø.  I’m gonna be honest and say that line choked me up in Loo Loo Land, and so did Blitzø’s response, until ‘But I’m really good with guns now.  DANCE, B*TCH!’

Moxxie ending with ‘That is deeply unsettling’, again from Loo Loo Land.  Throwing shade on Helluva Boss haters, maybe? :3

All right, now, predictions!

Chaos in a theater, with focus maybe on Millie and Moxxie’s relationship, maybe an origin story?  It won’t be the only one, with the tentacle beach monster and drugged Moxxie bits, so we can expect a lot of story and character development from the two of them.

Farm episode!  Blitzø either drags them onto a farm, or there’s a client who invites them, but sh*t will happen.

Really excited to see what happens in the Lust ring, and for the return of Robo Fizz!  Baby boy only got a few minutes of screen time, but is currently my favorite character.

Repo episode of rescuing the IMP van, probably resulting in overall team building and character development.  I really want to see Loona tear a new one into that *sshole-looking hellhound, though.

Pop star episode!  Really excited to meet this new character, I wonder what her name is and how close I was XD  Either Blitzø and Moxxie break into her recording studio to meet her, or she’s a client, but we’ll see!

Trapped on Earth/Run in with Earth authorities episode?  That interrogation room didn’t exactly look Hellish, and they obvious meet some kind of resistance while on Earth that looked like it was gonna get messy...

Stolas episode!  Please please please be flashback and story, I loved Loo Loo Land but really want some more lore and development on his character and maybe relationship with Blitzø.  Bird obviously needs to work through some things, and I really want to watch him grow, ever since I saw him struggle to tell Octavia why he was cheating.  Him stuttering and ultimately being unable to find a reason why really hit home, and I’m glad it was something they included since in media, it’s always ‘Well, she’s really ugly’ or ‘I don’t love him anymore’.  He still has feelings for his wife, but wanted to f*ck Blitzø too.

Even without the trailer, we do know that we’re getting episodes focusing on CHERUB and a Harvest Moon festival, but still.  There’s so much content Vivzie and Co have been working hard to make, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.  Dark comedy aside, there’s so much story they can make just around these four characters, following their growth and happenings around Hell.  It’s such a cool premise and one that hasn’t been washed and worn so many times, like cop or murder shows, and I can see this going on for quite a bit.

Well, here’s to an exciting 2021!  Thank you for all your hard work, Vivizepop, keep it up!

[vampirepiggyhunterdefensesquad]

all’s fair (1/?)

Summary: Gaz decides that she’s going to win the school’s paintball war and enjoy the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet from Bloaty’s afterwards. However, there is a certain green nuisance who’s standing in her way. . .

Gaz never listened in class, so naturally she didn't bother listening when Mr. Elliot began rambling about a school-wide event. She merely squinted at the game device under her desk, buttons clicking ever so slightly as her fingers tapped with expert dexterity. Even the flyer that was dropped beside her got crumpled and shoved into her backpack as soon as it touched the desk.

That meant it was only when Dib began talking about it on the way home from school that Gaz heard about the paintball war.

"I mean, what's the point? We already know Zim's just going to find a way to cheat. And the worst part is, he hates pizza anyway! He's just crazy about winning all the time--"

"What's pizza got to do with it?" Gaz scoffed, listening despite herself.

"C'mon, Gaz, weren't you listening? That's the prize! You get a coupon for a free sit down, all you can eat family dinner!"

Her eyes widened for a moment before she snorted. "Like Dad would take the night off for us to go anyway."

"And Zim doesn't even HAVE a family!" Dib continued, squeezing his hands into fists. "But when Miss Bitters told us about the paintball war, he got all excited and asked a bunch of STUPID questions, and--"

"Paintball?"

Dib's eyes swiveled towards her. "Well, yeah. And Zim thinks he's somehow got a chance of winning!"

Gaz turned her attention back to her game as Dib continued his rant all the way home. Outwardly, she was in the same zone as before, but inside the cogs in her brain were turning. Dad liked charity events. He might make an exception to his "one evening a year" rule of thumb. And all-you-can-eat pizza was something that caught her attention. A whole evening of video games and free pizza. . .

So Gaz may have stayed up a bit longer than usual perched on the sofa, drawing, but that didn't have to do with anything.

Around eleven-forty the front door swung open and Professor Membrane finally arrived home.

"Ah! Girl-child! Why are you still awake? You know that children require at least NINE HOURS of sleep in order to be well rested for the morning!"

Gaz ignored this. "Dad. If I won a paintball war my school put on for charity or whatever, and got us a coupon for a free sit-down dinner. You'd come, right?"

"Why, daughter, you know how busy I am with REAL SCIENCE!!" Membrane reached into the air, gesturing proudly and widely. "But I also deeply respect the art of PAINTBALL WARS! Why, as a boy, it was my favorite hobby."

"It was?"

"Of course!! Second to SCIENCE, of course." Membrane walked to the stairs, patting Gaz on the head lightly as he passed her. "I might take an interest in seeing this paintball war! When will it occur?"

Gaz, who had definitely not spent a chunk of time memorizing the information on the crumpled flyer from her bag, said "It's on Friday after school. We have a half day, so right after lunch."

"FRIDAY?" Membrane turned dramatically, clapping his hands to his head. "Why, Friday is the day we're organizing the data we've been collecting these past few weeks! It's merely busywork, and hardly science at all. I will certainly be able to visit your school that afternoon! And if you or your brother are able to win, I see no reason why we cannot have the dinner that evening!”

Gaz's mouth fell open. She hadn't expected it to be this easy. Family dinner, at her favorite restaurant, as long as she was able to destroy her opponents? This was the most perfect situation she'd ever encountered. Maybe the universe didn't hate her after all. . .

As Membrane thumped up the stairs in his big boots, Gaz couldn't keep the smile off her face. She dropped her sketchbook on the table and headed up to her room-- Dad was right, after all. She needed sleep if she was going to be in peak form come Friday.

 . . . . 

"So, uh, who are you and what have you done with Gaz?" Dib asked tentatively.

Gaz shoveled another spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "What do you mean."

"I MEAN, you just laughed at one of my jokes. And said, and I quote, 'nice'."

"What, I'm not allowed to think you said something funny, once in a blue moon?" She rolled her eyes. "Great, Dib."

"Come on, you know what I meant! Did something happen? Was your brain erased by a ghost??"

He reached out to poke her forehead. Gaz swatted his hand away viciously. "Quit it! There's no ghosts, Dib. Is it so hard to believe I could be in a good mood?"

Dib nodded. "Yes."

"Ugh." She tossed her half-eaten bowl in the sink and snagged her backpack, tugging it on and heading for the door.

"Wait, Gaz, don't leave!" he rectified quickly, "I can't let you out of my sight! Zim knows who's a threat to his 'victory' or whatever and I'm pretty sure I saw him looking at you at recess! He's probably planning to--"

Gaz whirled around, effectively cutting him off with her scowl. "You know what, Dib?" she spat. "I don't really care what Zim does. This week, I don't give a crap about him. He can do whatever he wants, but he's not winning that paintball battle. He's not even a threat."

She stomped out the door. Dib took another bite out of his banana.

"I thought you didn't care about paintball!" he called after her, but she was already gone.

Dib wasn't the only one who was worried by Gaz's improved mood. Several schoolchildren ducked for cover upon seeing her smile. One jock jumped into an open locker when they made eye contact in the hallway.

Mr. Elliot was the only one stupid enough to be delighted. "Gazlene! Great to see such a happy expression on your face. Did something happen?"

"I'm going to destroy all of you," she replied, with a tinge of cheerfulness to her usually dour tone.

Her teacher's smile became forced. "Great! Good to hear it. Does anyone have any questions on number four?"

Well, that wasn't exactly true. There was one other person who seemed to be immune to Gaz's slight mood shift. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice it at all.

Zim.

The stupid alien hadn't talked to her or even looked at her, so far as she could remember, since that time he tried waving his ugly pus-filled pimple at her. She'd ignored him then, and when he approached her in the hallway rush between science and english class, she ignored him again.

"Hey. Dib-sister. Hey. Hey."

Her game was out, as was her custom for classroom changes, and her ears were off.

Zim prodded her shoulder, normally a death sentence. But Gaz wasn't feeling particularly volatile at the moment. . . Perhaps she'd hit him a few extra times with some paintballs. Maybe, if she was lucky, he'd writhe in agony as the liquid hit his weird green skin.

"Hey! Dib-sister! Dib-sister! Little Gaz!

Gaz's very slight smile curdled and she whirled around. "Excuse me?"

Zim's put out expression disappeared, replaced by a little smirk.

"Little-Gaz," re repeated. "I take it you have heard about the BATTLE that will take place at the end of the school week."

"I have nothing to say to you, Zim." Gaz met his eyes levelly, expression dark. "Get out of my way so I can get to class."

"Oh, but I have some things to say to you," he sneered, crossing his arms. "You see, I believe you are one of the few humans who might stand a chance against me."

Gaz didn't dignify him with a response, instead walking around him towards her classroom.

"Hey!" he said, offended. She didn't stop walking, so he trailed behind her. Really couldn't take a hint. . .

"I have a proposition for you, HUMAN!! HEY! LISTEN TO ME!!!!"

Gaz flipped him off casually as she swung the door to her classroom shut in his face.

And that was that.

. . . Or, it should have been.

At lunch, Zim attempted to approach their table, but Dib had chucked a glob of baked beans from his tray and managed to hit him right in the forehead, sending Zim screeching out of the cafeteria. Gaz snickered as Dib laughed, and it wasn't horrible.

After school, Zim trailed them, following Dib and Gaz's trek home at about a ten foot distance. Dib had wanted to throw some books at him, but Gaz just grabbed Dib's wrist and yanked them off the sidewalk onto a side path through the park. Sure enough, Zim had gotten lost and might still have been wandering around when the Membrane siblings arrived safe and sound even quicker than normal.

"We should do this more often!" Dib had cheered when they slammed the door shut, delighted at their victory.

"Whatever," Gaz said. "He was being annoying." But a tiny smile flickered on her lips.

"So, Gaz--"

"Don't get used to it," she said firmly. "I still think your cryptid hunting junk is stupid."

Dib slumped over on his chair, disappointment clear on his face. He didn't speak, so Gaz rolled her eyes and headed up to her room. It may have been kinda fun to get rid of Zim, but the fact that he kept trying to talk to her was obnoxious. She didn't do him the respect of hearing him out, but she knew what he wanted: to form an alliance so that he could betray her in the end and claim victory for himself. Pathetic. Zim wanted to talk to her, was paying attention to her, and it was just to feed his stupid ego. Typical.

Gaz could feel her good mood start to seep away, but a few rounds of VPH made her feel a bit better. Soon, she'd be dooming people in real life, with no cares about whether anyone saw her. In fact, they might even be cheering.

And then, pizza.

[chaoartwork]

Multivoid: Chapter 3

A fanfiction revolving around 2K, Palindrome and the alternate Zims in the aftermath of the Battlevoid arc.

Based on Invader Zim comic issues 46-49.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Merged?!” Palindrome’s Dib exclaimed, “What do you do you mean the entire timelines merged?!”

“I’m not sure how it happened myself,” Palindrome was now lying on a couch the computer pulled into the lab so the Irken hybrid can lay down and continue recovering, “but whatever happened after the dissipation, the entirety of the alternate timelines, the timelines in which the Zims responded to the Irken signal and entered the Zimvoid, all merged to become a much bigger universe in one timeline.”

“And...how do you know that that all of the merged timelines here are the ones that are the Zims that lived in the Zimvoid.”

 “My guess for that is because according to the computer, there are two thousand, one hundred and sixty-eight Earths in our universe right now. The population of the Zimvoid was two-thousand one hundred and sixty-nine Zims. One cutting out because Zib’s timeline no longer has an Earth and-“

Palindrome pauses when something came into his head.

“Wait. A new Zim entered the Zimvoid the day the war and dissipation occurred. So that would add up to two thousand one hundred and seventy Zims in the Zimvoid in total. Why is there one timeline missing then....?”

“Maybe the most recent Zim didn’t count because he was the most recent visitor?”

“Hm. Maybe. Then again, if it’s the Styrofoam Zim that is missing, then maybe his timeline didn’t get affected by the Zapper. Maybe...hm...that’s strange. But anyways, I’m very certain the timelines that have merged are the ones that interacted with the Zimvoid.”

“And...you said there are more timelines than that. What happened to the others?”

“That I don’t know. Hopefully they didn’t get affected by this,” he looks at the map. “But I think there is too many on our hands to worry about the other timelines. We need to first figure out what happened that caused all of us to merge like this. Given that we have come back, maybe the Zimvoid citizens have returned to their normal status as well. And....maybe 2K is looking for me too.”

He stayed quiet.

“Computer. Can you identify which planet is 2K’s?”

“2K?”

“Yes.”

“Uh. Sir. I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“2K. Number 2000. The baby version of me. Which planet is his?”

“Processing....boop beep boop.”

Soft whirring sounds are heard. Then it stops.

“Uh, sir, I find no information about a planet that belong to this 2K.”

Palindrome groans. Dib looks,

“Is it starting again?”

“No no, I’m not having another one! It’s just...” he sighs and mumbles to himself.

He pondered. He looks back up at the computer.

“Computer. Is there a way to send a signal to the other Earths?”

“Checking......accessible!”

“Perfect!” Palindrome smiled this time, “If so, I want you to send a signal with a clue. It should be something that only 2K can know.”

“Yes master. What clue message would you want me to send?”  

Palindrome thought about it.

“Hm. Try maybe....’Pal’.”

“Very well. Clue message sending...”

“Pal?” The human asked in confusion.

“Yeah. 2K was the only one who often called me by that. Mostly when nobody is around. He was always too nervous on showing that we were very close friends , which is practical for a Zim to do. Zims are not suppose to be friends with anyone.”

“Even their own self?” His Dib was my confused.

“Clue messages is sent, Master!” The computer announced.

“Good,” Palindrome said. He sighs worriedly, “please respond, buddy.”

——————————————————————

Meanwhile, a Zim was seen in his lab continuing to experiment on the styroams. He was waiting impatiently until his antennae shot up in interest when the analyzing machine  made a beeping sound.

“YES! finally! Yeesh, that took forever. Now then,” he went over to the controls and typed something, “to see the results!”

 The result pops out on screen. Zim looks closely at it, humming while rubbing his chin.

“Let’s see. It says here that the packing peanuts are mostly made out of some natural Urth stuff such as wheat and corn starch. Because of this, they will not kill filthy....humans....when they...eat them-DOOKIE! I’m still not close!”

Gir, who was distracted by standing on top of Minimoose and maintaining balance gasped and looked at his master smiling,

“Oooo! Did you figure it out?”

Zim inhales...

“No...” he growled, “I didn’t. It seems everytime I try to figure out their secret deadly weapon, I ALWAYS have to go back to phase one! And to think I was getting excited on finally getting to phase two. Hmph!”

Gir gazed at his master. He then pondered.

“Hmmmm...OOOO! I THINK I KNOW WHAT THE PACKING PEANUTS DO!”

“Gir,” Zim sighed, “I’m not in a mood for another giant pizza story.”

Gir gives out a whimpers and looks at him sadly. Zim glances at him. Knowing he might throw another tantrum, he gives in.

“Fine. Go ahead.”

“OKIE!” Gir happily chirped and hopped out of Minimoose, “get this! We use to be popcorns. But then a packing peanut comes in and thought ‘Hey! I’ll turn them into packing peanuts too’! Then he makes all the other popcorn eat packing peanuts! And that is the story on how we all became packing peanuts!”

Gir happily stick his tongue out.

Zim looks at him in complete confusion.

“....You know, now I wonder if I prefer to listen to the giant pizza story again.”

Another beeping is soundly heard from the computer,

“You got Irken clue message!”

Zim turned in confusion,

“Irken clue message? Where did that come from?”

“Well um...sir. I don’t know how to describe it. But it appears that it came from-“

“Eh!” He smiles carelessly, “no matter! I’ll figure it out later. Now then, show me what this ‘clue’ thingy is.”

“Um. Right away, sir.”

The clue message appeared on the screen, with only a very short word written in Irken. Zim’s eyes furrowed in confusion,

“Who the heck is ‘Pal’? In fact, what kind of idiot would have a stupid name like that.”

“Uh, sir? I don’t think that’s suppose to be a name. My analyzation indicates that it is a very casual word that is used on planet Earth.”

“Oh! Wait, it is? Funny, I thought it was a name for a moment. Anyhow! Computer, explain to me what this word ‘pal’ means.”

“The word “pal” is a word people use to someone whom they are close to. Mostly to a friend. The word is basically another word for ‘best friend’.”

“Best friend, huh? Hm.....” he pondered about it.

 He could have sworn he has used this word before. Maybe with Skoodge maybe? Then, again, he doesn’t really consider too much of him as a “best friend” any more. Especially when he turned his back on him by conquering a planet first. So why does that word feels familiar? It had to do with something. Something about....

His antennae raised up and smiled in excitement.

“I got it! The reason why I am familiar with that word is because it’s the answer I’ve been looking for the whole time! This MUST be the key to the solution! Compuuterrrr!”

“Ugh, what is it now?”

“Respond to the unknown messenger with these following words!”

——————————————-

They were waiting for quite a while. Maybe several minutes to be exact. Palindrome decided to spend his time by letting his computer search a specific signal. While still lying on his couch and holding Miniwhale, he asked the computer,

“Anything?”

“Apparently, I cannot find the signal to the Irken Armada. Why this is the case is unknown.”

Palindrome softly groaned in frustration.

“Great. Now I can’t even communicate my Tallests. I can just hope that nothing has happened to them. Especially in a situation like this.”

He sighed and fully relaxed his body again. His eyes however remained gazing at the monitor, waiting for the response of his lost friend. Miniwhale looked up at his master, softly whimpering in concern.

 The boy looked at him. His eyes furrowed.

“You’re different now.”

“Different,” Palindrome looks at him in confusion, “in what way?”

“Well since you came back, you seem less....Zim. I mean back when we met you were always excited to try to defeat me and do any schemes that can help you conquer the planet. When you became a fish, you did get a little quieter and less motivated into those things, which I let it step aside since it wasn’t that much of a change. But since you have come back after all those months, you’re different. You seem more....calmer and cautious. Especially more...nurturing to say the least. I don’t think I ever seen you comfort Miniwhale without getting bothered that I was around. And you now seem much more focused on finding this baby version of yourself instead of continuing your Earth conquer schemes or figuring out how to bring our universe back to normal. But you’re definitely not like that. Not like your suppose to. You’re now becoming the complete opposite, you know? It just...you know, feels like I’m speaking to a different person.”

  Palindrome blinked. He looks in a bit of offense,

“What are you talking about? I’ve always been Zim. I mean if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have battled against that Zib.”

“That doesn’t count. He was HALF a Dib. Not to mention that you and your friend teamed up with another Dib.”

“Please, it’s not like we had any other choice. It’s either we remain stacked in a stupid prison or we-“

“Signal was responded from one of the Earth’s clones.”

Palindrome instantly turned to the screen with emotional hope.

2K!

 He was about to get off the bed.

“Oh no you don’t!” his Dib stopped, “the very last thing I need is to carry your heavy fish body back on that bed.”

“Fine, fine!” He shoved him away and quickly looked back at the moniter, “tell me, computer. Is there any response from him. Anything at all so I know he’s alright.”

“Well, Uh. It’s only two words-“

“I don’t care!” He narrowed, “show me the message!”

His enemy looked at him in confusion. He has never seen the Irken act this desperate before.

 “Ok ok, yeesh. Here’s the message.”

The two words appeared on the monitor in Irken language. Palindrome read it and grew extremely confused.

“Wh. What?”

“What does it say?” His Dib asked.

“Uh....” his eyes furrowed, “it says...’Packing Peanuts’.”

“Packing peanuts? Was that something 2K was into?”

“What?” Palindrome looked at him as if he was absurd, “no no no, 2K was never into those things. Neither did any other Zims from what I know of. What kind idiot would want to think about-“

He cut short, his face going blank.

The human child looked more confused.

“Zim, what is it?”

“....Actually. There was one Zim in particular that I did not mention in my story. Remember how I said earlier that there was a Zim who came in on the day of the incident? Well, 2K and I only came across the same one while we were escorting the Dib....no, his Dib to encounter Number 1. He was the brand new member of Elites who was able to surpass the greatest gladiator thanks to his Dib enemy’s ‘help’ if you can call it that.”

The fish hybrid looked back at him.

“This was a dumb one, but in his timeline, he accidentally ate packing styrofoams instead of popcorns.”

 “Accidentally eating styrofoams? How does that make him a variation to the others?”

“Nothing special really. Just an ordinary but really dumb and crazy Zim,” he crossed his arms in irritation, “I even tried to see if maybe I can give him a chance on helping us stop Zib, but....he was really no use. All he did while we were prisoned was just muttering about random nonsense.”

“Uh...” His Dib’s eyes furrowed, “thats the dumbest thing I ever heard.”

“Tell me about it....”

The fish stayed quiet. He softly looked at the monitor,

“But if it is the Styrofoam Zim that sent that message, then why did he answer? That is something that only 2K would able to respond to. Then again, that guy may have just decided to randomly respond to a clue.”

He ponders. But he shook his head and groaned in frustration,

“Whatever, I don’t even wanna try getting him on our side again. He won’t listen either way.”

He looks back up at the screen.

“Computer, I would like you t....”

The room went quiet.

“..Sir, were you about to say something?”  

“....Why, yes. I would like you to delete....”

However, every time he wanted to make the command on deleting the response that hold the location of the messenger, something was telling him not to do so. Maybe because he actually deep down wanted to give this Zim another chance? Maybe because he could know on what what happened to his friend? Maybe...it could be him? No, it can’t be him, he would never say something dumb like that, so it would leave with him feeling it could be both of the previous two theories. There was no telling when 2K would ever start responding. As far as he know, maybe his communication signal is having trouble working or he is stuck in his own planet for whatever reason. He didn’t want to think of the worse. He just needs to keep thinking that he is ok.

 Nevertheless, just waiting in his planet for who knows how long is not gonna help. After all, 2K would have responded by now. If he is going to confront Zib, he needs to first find 2K. And before finding 2K, he needs help. The Zim that just answered could be the key to something. He doubts it in his mind. But for whatever reason, he feels a sensation that it might be the case. He just has to try.

“Sir?”

Palindrome was quiet for a while. Then became determined, making his decision.

“Set the estimation on how long it will take to get to this Zim’s planet.”

“Right away, sir. Calculating...”

Beeping sounds were heard. Then it stopped with it replying,

“By light speed, it should take approximately a day.”

“Perfect. We’ll get ready.”

“Wait,” His Dib became confused, “I thought you said this Zim would be no help.”

“Maybe so. But he might be useful somehow in helping me find 2K.”

“Really? What about that ‘Zib’ guy? Maybe he might know?”

“Listen. One thing for certain is that he is responsible for this mess,” he digs into his PAK’s storage for something, “and with him now saying that he can find a way to fix this new merged universe, we can’t just go over and face him alone. After all, he. Hold be setting a trap for us. And we need to be ready in order to avoid it.”

“We? Woah!” He is caught off guard in surprise when Palindrome threw something small  towards him and catches it. He opened his palm to see what appears to be a tiny chip.

“What’s this?”

“I dare you not to drop it.” He squinted, “this thing is very very valuable and it’s lucky to have survived the crash. And if you do anything to it, I’ll make sure I imprison you for life.”

“I don’t understand though,” he looked up and huge confusion and asked again, “what is it?”

 The Irken hybrid blinked before quietly looking at the chip on his enemy’s hand.

“Before I depart, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do first on my return the moment I got stranded in the Zimvoid. And there’s no way I’m going to do this long mission without him.”

[hiya-im-mary]

Invader Zim: Irksome Conquest

Chapter 1,Part 2:Lessened Rivalry

“Quick!!! Throw The Sphere!”

“But…I Thought You Wanted These For Safe Keeping!”

“Mary,You HAVE To Trust Me On This!”

“Uhhh…Oka-AH”

She Tripped Before She Could Intentionally Throw The Sphere,As It Bounced Around Many Places,Mary Appeared There As Well! One Moment, In Front Of A Tree,Then On Top Of Someone’s Roof,Hanging Upside Down From A Lamp Post. She Could Feel Herself Getting Dizzy.

Eventually,The Sphere Finally Ended Up Where It Was Intended! On The Windshield Of The Space Ship,Mary Soon Appearing On Said Windshield,In Front Of Zim,To The Irken’s Fright.

“MARY- WHY ARE YOU ON THE WINDSHIELD-“

“Sorry-“

“WHY-“

“I WAS GONNA-“

“WHYYYY-“

“I’LL EXPLAIN,I PROMISE!”

“No, Y!!!”

“…What Do You-“

Mary,Despite Being Pushed Againts The Windshield By The Wind Pushing Back On Her,She Turned Around…The “Y” Of The Logo For A Convenience Store Strangely Spelled As “Shyopp” Was About To Collide With The Alien Ship!

Mary Quickly Did Her Best To Scamper Onto The Top Of The Ship,And When She Did,She Only Heard The Sound Of Crashing,As Some Debris Flew Over Her Head. Zim Crashed Through The “Shyopp”

She Couldn’t Really See Anything…That Was Because Her Face Was Covered By Bag Of Chips…Barf Flavoured Chips? The Town Had Very Strange Was Of Marketing Things.

“DON’T THINK YOU’LL…Ugh-“

Dib Crawled Onto The Ship,Mary Helping Him Up

“It’s Over Zim! You Better- GAH-“

Dib Almost Came Into Contact With A Tree Branch

“Zim Would Suggest Watching Your Unnaturally Big Head. If I Didn’t Want You To Get Hurt. But I Do,So-”

Zim Tried To Intentionally Get Dib To Hit The Branches Above Him,Laughing Loudly As Dib Kept Getting Hit By Branches. Mary Tried To Push Him Down,Stopping The Branches From Hitting Him

“Are You…Okay?” Mary Questioned Out Of Concern,The Wind Still Blowing Against Them Both. Dib Had A Few Sticks In His Hair.

“That Doesn’t Matter! We Just Gotta Get Zim Out Of That Thing And Take It Back!“

“But Why? You Know Zim Doesn’t Do REALLY Bad Things Anymore!”

Mary Was Right On That. At Most He Probably Robbed A Convenience Store For Stuff Only Gir Would Eat. Dib Stayed Silent For A Bit. Yeah,Zim Was Chaotic,And Did…Some Damage To The Town…Okay,Well Maybe More Than That. But At LEAST Taking Over The World Wasn’t On His Mind. Not That Much Anyway. Ever Since Mary Somehow Became Friends With Zim,Dib Had Interacted With The Alien A Bit More,And Not Getting Into A Fight. He Was A Bit More Toned Down Then Before. He Wasn’t Pulling Out People’s Eyes To Control Them,Or Placing Unnatural Creatures In People’s Chest Cavities To Burst Out Of Later On…

Was Zim Even Aware Of This? No Matter.

“I Just- Can You Try…Convincing Him To Stop The Ship?”

Dib Asked,Trying His Best Not To Slip Off The Ship. Mary Tilted Her Head,But Soon After Nodded. She Crawled Down Onto The Windshield,Just Enough To Be Visible To Zim,But Not Block Him

“Zim…Can You Please- Stop This???”

She Sounded Awkward,Trying Not To Fall Down. This WAS Fun,But It Was Dangerous !

“You Don’t Do Taking Over The World Stuff Anymore,Remember?”

Zim Looked On At Mary Trying To Hold On.

“That Much. Besides! If That Is The Case,The Dib Wouldn’t Mind Me Getting My Ship Back!”

“You Could’ve Asked Though!”

“Could I?”

Mary Looked At Dib. He Looked Away Awkwardly. He Also Happened To Be Attempting To Open A Door On Top Of The Ship,Trying To Get Himself Inside It

“Okay,You Might Be Right About That! Hehe…”

“But Maybe You Can Stop Now? You Passed Your Home Already!”

“Zim Is Simply Having A “Joy Ride” As Humans Call Them-AGH-“

Zim Was Cut Off By Dib. He Managed To Get Into The Ship,And Was Now Messing Around With The Buttons Inside.”

“DIB!!! GET OUT OF MY SHIP THIS INSTAN-“

“HOW DO YOU STOP THIS THING?!”

“WHY WOULD I TELL YOU?!”

“BECAUSE WE’RE GONNA HIT A WALL,YOU-“

“WHAT-“

They All Looked On To See A Wall. Right On The Road?! It Was Labeled “Useless Road Block For Useless Reasons” And They Would Hit That Road Block If The Ship Didn’t Stop

“OH,SHMEEP SMORP,FINE!”

Zim Rushed To Press A Few Buttons To Stop The Ship…And It Actually Stopped! It Was Dangerously Close To The Wall…But It Stopped!

“WEEEHEHEHE!!! FUN!!!” Gir Yelled. He Probably Was The Only Person Who Found This Enjoyable The Whole Way Through. Maybe Mini Moose Did? It’s Hard To Tell With Them

“…Remind Me Not To Let You Drive Irken Ships With Us Inside Again.”

“…Zim Makes No Promises.”

< Previous

[sunstained]

There’s No Such Thing as Fairyland.

 Chapter Two: The Door at the End of the Hall 

He’d walked back to the house in the rain. It had decided it hadn’t wanted to hold out until he’d gotten back, and to be frank Dib wasn’t exactly surprised. He’d had a streak of bad luck since getting out of the site. He supposed, all things considered, he shouldn’t have been complaining. He did just get released from a sentence of lifetime containment. All things considered, things were looking pretty up compared to what they had been.

He shut the door behind him, dragging his soaked suitcase behind him. His hair stuck up in all wild directions, soaked through like the rest of him. The house was so quiet that you could hear the pitter patter of water drops hitting the floor as he left a trail behind him.

Kass was in the kitchen, pouring something suspicious into the cup of coffee he’d picked up at the last gas station. It was probably lukewarm by now, but that didn’t stop him from downing it in record time. He had a headache and a half, and wasn’t exactly looking forward to having to unpack. Thank God the house was already furnished.

Dib frowned. “I almost fell down a well.” He said, the slightest tone of spite in his voice. Kass didn’t respond, and Dib’s frown deepened. “I could’ve died.”

Kass set the Styrofoam coffee cup on the barren counter, his own tired expression much more menacing than anything Dib could even hope to express. “That’s nice, mate,” he said, pushing himself up from the lips of the counter. “Do us all a favor and try harder next time, ay?”

The boy simmered as Kass pushed past him into the hall, cheeks burning so hot that the water droplets almost evaporated right then and there. “Y-you know, mate,” he mocked, “if we’re going to be partners now, you might want to act a little more professionally.”

Kass stopped dead in his tracks, shoulders rigid and slightly hunched over as he took a slow, deep breath. The moment seemed to drag on forever before he adjusted his glasses and turned back to Dib. There was a terrifying sort of serenity on his face that Dib couldn’t remember ever having seen. “Let’s get something straight. You are not my ‘partner.’ You are not my ‘buddy.’ You’re not even my insurance. You’re an experiment. You’re here because I got bored, and decided to see how much I could get away with. If I even get a whiff that this is going bad, you’re more expendable than the lowest D-class employee and I will not hesitate to drop you down that damn well myself. Are we clear?”

He understood perfectly well. “Crystal,” he ground out, finding it hard to get words out at all. He didn’t like that grin that Kass had, and even worse was the fact that he was suddenly faced with a new outlook on his position here.

“Brilliant. Now, I expect you’ve got some half-baked urban legend to chase after, don’t you?” There was a funny look on his face, like he seemed to remember something that he almost cared about, and reached into the inner pocket of his coat. “Here – take Mothman Junior out with you. Maybe whatever creepy crawlie is out there will take him instead of you. Infinitely more palatable, anyway.” He said, tossing a bundle towards Dib. It was a poorly wrapped newspaper lump, damp and smelling vaguely of cigarette smoke. Dib caught it clumsily, giving it a confused look as Kass stalked off to begin set up.

The newspaper was damp and, in some places, the ink ran. It was overall pretty gross, but it had been in Kass’ pocket, so there wasn’t much else to expect. He carefully undid the wrapping, peeling back the first layer of newspaper to find a note stuck to the inside, messy crawling on a rain-splotched post-it note that was still mostly legible.

“Hey, Bro:

Look what Bonnie pulled from hyperdimensional storage. Look familiar?

               -Simon”

Dib gave a low groan. He couldn’t say he was too excited to hear that Simon and Bonnie apparently had a way into their house. It was bad enough that that Simon kid was such a creep, but now he was a creep who might as well have had a front door key.

He quickly peeled back the second layer of newpaper, and his breath caught.

Unseeing black buttons peered up at him from behind small plastic glasses. It was surprisingly well made for a doll that had been stitched by the claws of his unrelenting alien enemy. The stitching was immaculate, and somehow, ZiM had even gotten the doll’s hair to stand up into a scythe shape like Dib’s did. It must have taken ZiM hours or even days to craft this little doll, only to have lost it to some hyperspace storage trunk when they’d both—

Dib shook himself out of his train of thought, refusing. He had better things to focus on, after all. The doll in his hands wasn’t possible – it wasn’t even in this dimension, let alone in Bonnie’s hyperdimensional storage. He gave a quick look up at Kass’ retreating coattails, acutely aware that he’d broken into a cold sweat with the little thing in his hands clutched tight. How long has Kass had it? How had Simon and Bonnie gotten a hold of it? What was Bonnie doing with hyperdimensional storage? He swallowed thickly, running after Kass with the little doll held close to his chest. He wasn’t letting this thing out of his sight, but he needed information.

The attic was a fairly simple set up, up a short set of descending stairs and into a wide, sloping space that gave Kass barely enough headroom to stand upright. He hauled a box up there with him, another among many who’d already taken residence up in the attic, and began to unpack.

The computer equipment, being unbelievably fragile, was one of the few things packed with care. In each separate box, amid bubble wrap and packing peanuts and crushed-up newspaper was one monitor, and in another box one of three sleek black computer towers. They arrived unscathed, which is more than either resident could say for some of their other belongings.

“Hey!” he called, scrambling up the creaky ladder. To anyone else it might have looked clumsy, but sometimes when Dib was in a rush it was just harder to get his limbs to work right. Definitely not clumsy, though. “When you’re done setting up the equipment, is it okay if I—I mean, I’m going to – I know, I’ll be out of your hair in a minute, but I was just hoping – I mean planning to—“ for some reason none of the words were coming out right. Nothing felt right. Not after the little chat they’d had in the hall. It was hard to tell where they stood.

No, that was a lie. It was very easy to tell where they stood, and where they stood was that Kass didn’t like him. The man stood up from under the desk he was working under, his brow furrowed and a familiar sneer turning down the corners of his mouth. “If you’re not going to manage a half-intelligible string of words, you’re wasting my time. Spit it out or get out, before I throw you down the steps myself.”

“I was just hoping, you know… when you’re done up here, I need to do some… important paranormal research.”

“Pissing off everyone on some god-forsaken internet forum for the paranormal doesn’t count as ‘important paranormal research.’”

Dib clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to say anything – there was, as far as he could tell, a fifty-fifty chance that Kass wouldn’t care one way or the other if he used the equipment once it was set up. They’d talked about it enough, prior to the drive. He’d seemed open enough to the idea of Dib doing his research in the attic – but then again he’d also led Dib to believe that they were going to be partners. It was hard to see where the chips would fall now.

“Look. Just give me some damn peace for ten minutes while I try to get this piece of crap modem set up, and they can fuck around online for however long your delusional ass desires, okay? As long as it keeps you off my ass while I do some actual work, I genuinely could not care less what you do.”

“Deal!” There was a enthused conviction in his voice, and he clutched the doll closer for a moment, watching Kass struggle with the myriad of wires and components. A beat passed.

Then two.

Dib stood there, watching Kass.

“So… what do you want me to—“

“Christ on a bike, just get out!” he shouted, chucking one of the empty boxes. Dib ducked just in time, half-watching the box roll down the stairs that led up here, half keeping an eye on Kass to make sure he wouldn’t throw anything else.

“Okay, okay!” he chirped, quickly following the box.

The house, for the most part was empty. Kass had furnished the house a long time ago – or had had someone else do it, he was never sure which – but the interior of the house was so bare-bones it still felt cold and uninviting. Which was, perhaps, the point. The house wasn’t supposed to be inviting.

But now that there were actual, real people living in it, it didn’t just feel uninviting, it felt downright depressing.

Dib was of a more scientific mind, of course, and didn’t have time for such silly things like interior design. But he still kind of wished that there would be at least one or two things on the walls or the shelves or the countertops.

Room after room after room was like this, and soon Dib was pretty sure he found himself looking in the same room twice, or even three times. They were so synonymous that it was almost impossible to tell which he’d already been in. If it hadn’t been for the particularly funny-shaped tree branch waving at him from outside the window in one of the bedrooms, he might not have noticed at all.

The halls were just as dreary, barren off-white walls interspersed only with stiff, off-white doors. His boots left little imprints in the carpet, brand-new and never walked on before. Anyone who has ever been in a new home before knows the impersonal detachment that comes with the atmosphere inside one. Anyone who has walked the halls of a new home before knows the eerie feeling of there not being a flaw in sight.

But even those who have not been in a new home before, even if they’ve never felt the almost otherworldly glow of off-white surrounding them like a sterilized hospital wing, knows that the door at the end of the hall isn’t supposed to be sealed with wallpaper.

Dib stopped, giving it a curious look. How many times had he passed that door? How many times had Kass passed it? Did Kass know what was in that room? Why was an entire room sealed off? What was Kass hiding? Each question came like a firecracker, loud and violent in his mind, and Dib never did do well to let his questions go unanswered. Immediately, he turned back to the attic, clambering up the stairs like a shot. “Kass!”

There was a low groan heard from underneath the desk and an ungodly pile of wires. “What.” It wasn’t an enthusiastic answer so much as it was a deadpanned curiosity of why Dib was still talking to him.

Dib ignored his tone. “The door at the end of the hall. Why’s it all sealed up? What’s back there?”

“I don’t have a goddamn clue what you’re talking about.” He said after a moment, returning his concentration to the wires.

“There’s a door,” Dib tried again, “at the end of the hall. It’s all sealed with wallpaper, you can see it! What’s in that room, why’d you have it sealed off?”

“Listen,” Kass said, hauling himself out from under the desk. There was a bundle of wired in one hand, and a screwdriver in the other, and neither looked very inviting with the look he had on his face. “I don’t have time for your goddamn ridiculous games right now, okay? Boss is expecting a call in two hours and I can’t get this piece of shit system to work right to save my life. And if I can’t call in, you will get the shit end of the stick. Capiche?”

“But—the door—“

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, here!” Kass snatched a box cutter off the desk and tossed it to him. Dib thanked his lucky stars it was closed. “Go wild. Try not to fuck up the house, yeah?”

The plan was: uncover the door at the end of the hall, and find out what was on the other side. Which, all things considered, was easier said than done. Largely because Dib couldn’t actually reach the top of the door. It was a tedious thing, to build a teetering, tottering tower of cardboard boxes on which to stand so he could cut a neat line round the doorframe, peeling back the wallpaper as he went. It was a messy ordeal, the wallpaper sticky and peeling unevenly, but he was nothing if not persistent.

He kicked the last box away, and stood before the product of his work – the door was finally uncovered, plain and boring as any other that lined the empty hallways. This was the moment of truth. The pinnacle of all he’d worked for over the last three hours. His hand closed over the doorknob, and turned.

“Oh come on!”

The door was locked.

He took a deep breath, brow furrowed as he tried to remember where Kass had tossed the last door key. They were unimpressive, flat little silver things that didn’t quite feel right in your hand. But it fit, and with a click, he took a deep breath, opening the door.

He’d imagined all sorts of bizarre, paranormal things hidden behind the door that Kass had sealed up. It had only been a few hours, but Dib had come up with at least seven different scenarios, all of which ended with Kass commending him for being a heroic, level-headed paranormal investigator.

He threw the door open. He’d been prepared for an impressive array of equipment, or some terrible menagerie of paranormal monsters. He’d been prepared for some extradimensional rift torn through reality, or the wreckage of some miniature alien space craft. He’d even been prepared for something more mundane, like a collection of old files that had been transferred to the computer system in recent years. But what stood before him left him absolutely speechless, at a loss for words and unable to comprehend exactly what he was looking at.

Before him, was a blank, empty room.

His first thought was that it had to be a trick. It had to! It was a clever cloaking system that prevented trespassers from seeing what was really in the sealed-off room. Why else would it be sealed-off? And with the technology that the Foundation had at their disposal, it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility, either. But the further he moved into the room, the more he found that there was nothing hidden. There was no place to hide anything. It was just a barren room, exactly like the others.

He swallowed a rising embarrassment. He hoped against hope that Kass didn’t care enough to bring it up later – he wasn’t looking forward to having to explain that the sealed-off room was just that. Nothing but a plain, boring, sealed-off room.

Nothing interesting or paranormal or even vaguely magical about it.

[emeraldspiral]

#the universe was never supposed to accommodate this many lunatics gathering in one place#let alone coming into direct conflict with each other#anyway i think tak is probably the scariest of the four not just due to her competence#but because she shares dibs deeply insidious insatiable anger AND whatever irken brainworm it is that makes zim so creatively awful#also i made this joke on twitter once already but dib must be so desensitized to the OTT retribution at this point#got it from gaz his whole life and then when zim showed up it NEVER occurs to him#that if he maybe stopped throwing things at zim for no reason then zim might stop wildly overreacting#its just a given to him that sometimes your life gets ruined over stupid bullshit#you cant let that hold you back

Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Tak are actually all horribly vindictive spiteful people to more or less equal degrees, but the interesting thing is that Zim and Gaz both exact vengeance in very specific, premeditated ways, which are often wildly out of proportion but once they feel like they've evened the score they will pretty much immediately forget about whatever pissed them off in the first place—whereas Dib and Tak are both ostensibly above being ruled by petty grudges, but very obviously boiling over with a constant resentment that sends them pouncing like rabid dogs at even the slightest opportunity or excuse to make the object of their ire suffer (and if they're both working towards their own self-serving end game that just HAPPENS to involve every terrible thing imaginable befalling their enemies, well... that'll just be a happy by-product of their personal success).

I don't I have any point to make here, I just like it when these freaks are all an overwhelming danger to society (and each other)