#<- Context given by my friend and I love it

[emmabirb8]

I've been an Invader Zim fan since 2011.

I was 15-16 at that time, and though I did thoroughly enjoy the show, I was not mature enough to really get it. Sure, it was funny, but I didn't pick up on the subtleties and style of humor beyond the surface level. I liked the wackiness and the characters, but I SURELY wasn't at a point of being able to deconstruct themes or analyze character motivations and narratives (like I very much enjoy doing now). I remember discovering an artist on DeviantArt who drew cute ZaGr stuff, so that was the pairing I liked too. I didn't think too deeply about much, and honestly, I don't think the majority of fans (if they were my age or younger, that is) did either. Everything was taken as dumb and silly for the most part, and that IS truthfully a major component of the show itself.

Getting back into Invader Zim within this past year though, I'm looking at it through a WILDLY different lens. I like Invader Zim for what it is and how it's intended to be perceived. I like that the show is meant to be dark, satirical, and tragic at the same time that it's silly, chaotic, and nonsensical. Almost everything that happens onscreen is written in to be funny above all else. (I've mentioned before that I've been watching Jhonen's Twitch streams for a while now, and I have a MUCH better understanding of his sense of humor bc of that. IZ makes way more sense if you can sorta see things from JV's perspective, lol.)

But at the same time, I also like Invader Zim for what it offers in terms of interpretation and what it can imply (intentionally or not). There is genuinely SO MUCH DEPTH to this dorky lil cartoon that a casual viewer wouldn't immediately pick up on. And a lot of that depth, I think, was not woven in purposely. The show itself was never meant to be taken so seriously. Nevertheless, I'm constantly fascinated by what IZ implies about good and evil, the nature of general society, and especially how it goes about demonstrating the devastating effects of social isolation and bullying. Meta for this series is always pretty damn *chef's kiss.* And what's even more interesting is how viewers manipulate canon to expand upon this world and these characters.

Given that I've come to understand Invader Zim better, I've also grown very fond of ZaDr. Now, while I wouldn't want to see this pairing happen in canon material, I love the potential it possesses in transformative contexts.

In reality, I get that these characters were intended to have a deep hatred for one another and a never-ending rivalry for the sake of comedy and not much else. It's an extraterrestrial perpetually throwing hands with a 12 year old because he's incompetent and his plans often fail. And that's funny. That's the point. But beyond that, canonically, these are two characters who are mirrors of each other; they're both treated like garbage by their respective peers, and they both crave acknowledgment, validation, and a sense of purpose. Throughout their story, they find they're only able to obtain these things from each other, so as a consequence of their similar personalities, they become utterly, unhingedly obsessed with each other (to a sometimes unhealthy degree). They are undeniably forever intertwined by design of how the show is set up.

And because of that, shipping of these characters was, frankly, inevitable in fandom spaces. I myself fell victim to their appeal too. (Sorry, Jhonen. 😅)

I'm not gonna go into any discourse surrounding this pairing because there's already PLENTY of that to go around online. Everyone has their own opinion on the subject, and that's fine. I respect that. Point is, even though I understand and appreciate what Zim and Dib are supposed to be in the context of the show, I also enjoy the idea of them as friends and romantic partners outside of and beyond the confines of canon.

And that's something that I think many fans who are biased toward ZaDr would also agree with! Actually, I'd say the majority of people who ship characters in ANY media would concur. We like the idea of seeing how specific relationships could develop over time and/or within different settings and circumstances. It's NOT always about wanting to see a relationship unfold on screen or in fan works strictly adhering to canon. It's about stretching canon, or in some cases, scratching canon entirely however you see fit! Who cares! It's fiction!

For me personally, I enjoy ZaDr because its attributes fall into so many trope categories that I've come to adore over the years (ones that I either wasn't aware of when I was younger, or that I didn't enjoy in the same intensity as I do now). Zim and Dib are, or could be, depending on context:

Codependent toxic soulmates

Human/non-human

Shared history

Classic enemies to lovers (or, as I often prefer it, enemies to friends to lovers)

Bicker couple

Battle couple, when put in the right setting for it

Violence as a love language

Smol and tol

The wild card paired with the rational one, the best part about this being that sometimes the more rational one is Dib, and sometimes it's Zim bc they're both a special flavor of insane

Make each other worse/stupider when together, tho oddly, they also kinda bring out the best in each other too

And, my personal favorites, the potential for hurt/comfort and angst with a happy ending, with the comfort and happiness aspects ultimately coming from each other

I like what these characters could be, to and for each other, apart from their roles in the show.

I would never want to explore a dynamic between Zim and Dib that goes beyond "frenemies" territory in canon (because that doesn't fit what the show is, and I do appreciate the integrity of Jhonen's vision). The subtle foundation for them is there, it's just that it can't really work unless a few key details are changed or manipulated, and, well...

I sure as hell like exploring every bit of that expanded potential in fan works because it's fun to imagine the various directions things could go if they were different!

This isn't me, like... trying to defend my (or anyone else's) enjoyment of this particular ship or trying to convince people to like it. Or the show for that matter! To each their own, truly. And I'm obv aware of the controversy ZaDr often incites and why. Everyone has valid reasons for liking OR not liking it, and I accept differing viewpoints on it. It's a touchy, nuanced subject to be sure. But this isn't about that.

I don't really know what this is, actually, aside from a very long very weird essay, lol. I just wanted to process why and how all of this works for me with my changed perspective from when I was first introduced to Invader Zim in my teens up until now.

It's strange, looking back. I didn't get ZaDr years ago. But I do now, and so much of it, at least from my perspective, has to do with taking the crumbs present in canon (that are undeniably there, whether you choose to acknowledge them or not, and whether they're intentional or not) and absolutely running with them to the ends of your own wild imagination.

#invader zim #invader zim meta #zadr #iz zadr #zim #dib membrane #my posts #this is... A LOT but i just needed to work thru it for my own sanity lol #said it before and i'll say it again: pls utilize the tag blocking function however you need to bc i KNOW this can be very Yikes for some #but at the same time this is my blog and i'm gonna do what i want :P

[g-kat423]

If Alcina being a lesbian is so important to you why does she have an ex husband in your fic

I’m going to assume this is a genuine question without malicious intent so I will provide a real answer.

This could actually apply to 2 of my fics, but I’m guessing you’re talking about Something Sweet since it’s the one that I update more frequently.

Gonna plop this under a read more since it’s gotten long

Alright, so, the reason for her having an ex husband has been stated throughout the fic. She felt she had to be closeted and to meet certain expectations set for her both by society and by her parents. Sure, people are more accepting now, not that there isn’t still bigotry or pressure to conform, but with the fic taking place in 2022(I started it in 2022 and only a few months have passed in fic time and while I never explicitly stated the year, that’s what everything is based off of, giving Alcina a 1978 birth year and the reader 2001) that means Alcina got married in 2008. Idk if you were around during that time, but homophobia was rampant, being gay was a punchline. It’s not something you would talk about, there’s no way to know if your friends would actually stay your friends and not spread vicious rumors about you. Marriage equality in most states, not a thing. Again, bigots still exist, but it’s generally not this life ruining thing for people to find out you’re queer. Alcina would have come of age in the 90’s which would make that even worse.

That aside, I tend to explore themes of coming out later and families not being being accepting because it’s all I know. I tend to process my trauma through my writing. That and I’m sure it’s no secret that I’ve taken heavy inspiration from Carol only with a sugar baby twist. I also wanted her to have younger, biological children since I felt that would be fitting of a 44 year old divorcee rather than having adopted adult children like she does in canon. Sure, they could have been adopted or older, but there needed to be a reason for her to stay with Kurt for the amount of time that she did. I needed her connected to Karl in someway too. Heisenberg was originally supposed to have a twin brother so I went off of that and now Alcina has her annoying ex brother-in-law(who actually isn’t so bad in this universe, but Alcina won’t hear of it)

As for The Fall of the House of Dimitrescu. I’m sure no one is asking, but in that case Alcina was weak from her hereditary blood disease and didn’t have the energy to be defiant the same way she was as a child. Her father had lost his wife and he had no desire to continue caring for Alcina so he set her up with somebody who she reluctantly went along with. In that case, Alcina wasn’t even aware of her attraction to women yet, she just didn’t understand why she didn’t feel a spark with her soon to be husband. She also assumed it was normal for sex to be an unpleasant “wifely duty.” Once she finally made the connection and had an affair with a woman, turns out she liked sex quite a bit lmao.

Idk, all this aside, I know I’m not the only one who has given Alcina a husband in some context yet still fully believes shes a lesbian. I also have plenty of fics where she’s never had one. The first multichapter fic I wrote she literally left her home and privileged life behind to struggle until she made it as musician rather than marry a man. I don’t think it’s a crime to explore other possibilities. I have so many different headcanons for Alcina and all are universe dependent whether that be modern AU, the canon compliant timeline where she never marries, the canon compliant timeline where she does, and all the other in between stuff that diverges from canon. She’s one of my favorite characters of all time and I love fleshing her out.

#ask #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #anon

[brainfilehasstoppedworking]

Shooketh Michi...digital and colored

#sam's talky talks #sammy's art corner #danganronpa #danganronpa ultra despair girls #takemichi yukimaru #Takaaki said he was adopting him and is holding up adoption papers #<- Context given by my friend and I love it

[guardian-angle22]

911: Lone Star | Carlos "I Don't Avoid" Reyes

#911 lone star #911lsedit #carlos reyes #tk strand #andrea reyes #full disclosure the andrea laughing gif is out of context. she doesnt laugh in response to that line. even tho she should have 100% #its more-so a representation of ME laughing uncontrollably while making this set #this set is me lovingly dragging his ass because that line was out of control hilarious given *gestures wildly above* #honestly there are probs some other ones I could have included somehow I just couldn't find a way to make them work smoothly #we love one (1) insanely repressed man who avoids all confrontation outside of his work and its carlos reyes #my gifs #911ls parallel #episode: s04e12 swipe left #episode: s02e02 2100° #episode: s02e04 friends with benefits #episode: s03e11 prince albert in a can #episode: s03e13 riddle of the sphynx #episode: s04e01 the new hotness

[haunted-xander]

Song of Oblivion

#ooough my poor cataclysmic bird daughter #she loved so much and destroy everything for it #she denounces existance because to exist is to suffer- and suffering is her enemy #not realizing that in doing so she breeds so much of the suffering she hates #several of the fallen stars only fell because her question spurred them into a self-absorbing path #and then... and then the one singular meteia that realize her folly... who could be convinced of lifes meaning #by seeing you continue ever onwards even with your dearest friends' deaths on your shoulder #by seeing how everyone accepts oblivion for another tomorrow- even if they had suffered so much. even if they wanted to die #no matter what they fought. they fought and died and kept marching forward even in death #they loved life enough to sacrifice it. how could she not accept that? #and the realization that the reason she came to the conclusion she did was because she was flawed- bc hermes was flawed #as hermes said- he gave her wings to fly but did not teach her how to tread the earth #she was given freedom to experience the feelings and emotions of the world- but not the groundwork to understand it #she could see. she could hear. but she could not comprehend #she has knowledge- but without context it gets misinterperated and warped #OUGH im going to scream. i miss her. #meteion #endsinger #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #art #my art #xanders art #digital art #fan art

[the-sky-the-stars-the-sea]

This is officially my new favorite video in existence

Edit: here are my favorite comments from instagram about this video because I really feel like they enhance the video:

#first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #firstkhao #khaofirst #i love them your honor #they’re so adorable #they deserve the world #also i have no context for us at all; i was given no information #That doesn’t stop me from enjoying this video though #i can’t stop watching it #only friends the series #firstkhaotung #first khaotung #the eclipse the series #they are so cute #i love them so much #the joys of being alive #this is my new favorite thing

[ryssbelle]

Had a 12 hour or so call with my friends and made some doodles of my fav moments

#my art #irl moments #i love my friends #comic #cartoon #all of these were made while we were on call #at one point all of us were streaming to each other #and only one of us was watching all the streams #i couldn't watch either cuz i was on my ipad and discord is fucky wucky #i know how to do split screen but again discord not cool #all of these will be given no context #they were so much fun tho #this was in early feb or late jan #the friend in the glasses was playing smite the whole time #and the one in the ponytail was switching between games she started with phasmaphobia then later moved onto sims #i cant remember if there were games in between #i was just drawing almost the whole time and streaming my art program #which is why thwy were yelling at me for my layer problem #and at some point i got tired and played gta then spiderman #at that point tho we were ALL tired #again that call lasted a long ass time #but i would do it again 1000 times cuz i love my friends #we actually had a 2 to 3 hour call today while once again playing 3 seperate games #or maybe it was 1 to 2 hours idk #anyway once again i love my friends and no i will not delete my 300 layers thank you very much

[magentagalaxies]

i really want to start making a table collecting statistics on the audience demographics i'll perform my aubrey material for (like what generation most of the audience is, whether i'm performing in a predominantly queer space, etc.) and how well the jokes land bc like. i need to collect more data points before i can properly present my findings but the results so far have been fascinating

#again i do not have enough performance experiences to make any definitive claims about who ''aubery's audience'' is #but i find it funny that any time i show my aubrey material one-on-one to a queer gen z person #they're always like ''i love it but straight people will definitely hate it or not get it'' #and i get the inclination to be like. ''i like this thing so people like me will like this thing'' #and cishet society seems so polarized w/r/t queer topics it's like. the assumption makes sense #however. whenever i've done an aubrey performance in front of an audience that's predominantly queer and gen z #i've actually received a primarily negative response!! and somehow straight people have never given me shit for my aubrey material #(''well straight allys don't count'' i told some of my aubrey jokes to a joe rogan dudebro and he enjoyed them) #(which yeah maybe could be a mark against my comedy but i like to think i opened his mind a bit at the very least) #i really want to test my aubrey monologues in front of a primarily gen x/boomer audience #bc so far i only have actual performance experience in front of gen z or millennials #and the older people i've told jokes to individually or shown videos of my stuff have really liked it #luckily paul has said a goal for when i'm in town this summer is to get me to perform my aubrey stuff in as many different places as possib #for both queer audiences and non-queer audiences so i can gauge reactions since i don't want to be confined to one demographic #so i'll get a lot of data points this summer #@ paul get me a performing slot at senior citizen pride lmao these are my people #(shoutout to paul going ''jess stop collecting the old homos!'' last time i was in town) #(and when i imitated him and was like ''old gay men are not your pokemon!'' bellini was like ''ok but they may be your audience'') #also one data point i really want to see the variation on is how my one specific joke plays in these different demographics #bc i have a joke that like. it's literally not even about AIDS and doesn't punch down at all #i literally say ''if you're gay and over the age of 50 you could violate the geneva convention and i'd still be like support our troops'' #like obviously being like ''you have been through hell so i will let you get away with literal war crimes you deserve ultimate immunity'' #BUT. in the line right before the quote i use the phrase ''AIDS generation'' not as a derogatory term but being like. #this horrible thing impacted the entire generation y'know? and bellini and scott and their friends call themselves that it's just the term #but when i said the phrase ''AIDS generation'' in front of my gen z audience i heard gasps and felt like they all hated me #and when i did the same line in front of millennials it wasn't quite as striking but their eyes did widen #like i was suddenly an ''edgy comedian''. but like this is a part of our history and it does inform the story i'm telling #the story i'm telling is comedic but it's grounded in this real world context #and i'm like. @ the audience who was offended: when was the last time any of y'all spoke to a gay man over the age of 50 #bc bellini loves that section of the monologue and was offended that people would even take offense to that phrase

[jewishfalin]

Does poor things get good or is it just uncomfortable born yesterday woman trope turned literal the whole way through

#we had to stop watching bc it was triggering but i would be open to giving it another chance at some point #however i am currently side eyeing the writer #like u could have just not given her a baby brain #why do men love to write women characters who are technically babies is my question #my opinion may change if i have more context abt the intent and process behind the film + lore etc but #yknow #just jumping in wasnt very fun #I was told it may be commentary on the absurdity of the born yesterday trope which im like hm okay fair #i will give it a shot again if my film friends watch it on discord w me

[honeydrop-sweetheart]

I recently heard one of the nicest things anyone has said about me. It was also the most fucked up context in which it was said. 😂

The other night, my local friends got together and hung out and we ended up getting very intoxicated. There were a few of us there, enough for there to be two conversations at once pretty easily. I tune in to the other conversation in time to hear my wife say "... I can do that, and I don't even have a prostate." Now, I surmise that my wife is bragging to one of our friends about being able to have anal orgasms.

It's worth noting at this point that my mother is part of our friend group.

My spouse realizes this eventually and flusters. "I'm so sorry, that's your child," she says, and then immediately somehow launches back into shoving her (pervert) foot into her (pervert) mouth as she stumbles to explain and/or justify, making things so much worse as she scrambles to make them better. At this point, my soul leaves my body/I begin cackling, so I can't quite relay how we got from that moment to this next part, but I do tune back in just in time to hear my wife tell my mother:

"I'm sorry. I don't think you've ever had a very caring and attentive partner. And almost anything can be fun with a very caring and attentive partner.... And you raised a very caring and attentive child."

😂💀😂

#unfortunately I am not kidding about any of this #I mean it was super validating given my general approach to life #and I loved hearing it #but the context is so so so fucking hilarious #and yes my mom is just sort of a peer/friend at this point - it's a bit long as an explanation but it's true #so the fact that this was going on just fucking slew me #soul left body and everything lol #methinks #lore

[chemiosmotic]

this might be personal but my mum told me once that she had a fwb who was like in love with her and was like "we should have orgasms together :)" and she was like (to me) No i only care about my orgasm?

#greatest example in my LIFE of 'you are the villain of the story you are telling' #its hilarious how shes like a direct genderswaped version of a certain playboy ideal #ESPECIALLY given that she then found a super loved butt ugly husband #j.txt #also i think its really mean to fuck a guy whos in love with you and you dont like. she broke his HEART #like from context its clear that his FRIENDS thought they were dating #she did not tell HIM that she did not care about his orgasms

[stars-self-ships]

Fortaime deserves the world.

#F/O #Platonic F/O #F/O Community #Self-Ship Community #「Fortaime: The Playful Protégé」 #I originally was going to save these screencaps for a larger post I'd have called 'Proof Fortaime is the perfect best friend' #But seeing how touching the scene these screencaps belong to was to me... I decided to post them exclusively #For a little context these screencaps come from a special 'heart-to-heart conversation' scene with Fortaime #Fortaime— after putting up a front— trusts you with the secret that he had a bad dream from the night before #A dream that was so bad that it nearly brought him to tears seeing as it had to do with past trauma #Once he says that he wants to fight for you... you're given a choice of actions #Those actions essentially being 'Give Fortaime time to mull over his thoughts' and 'Hug Fortaime' #I remember not even reading the first option when presented with a choice— I saw the word hug and LEAPT for it #And I'm really glad that I did because in all honesty this might be the most heartfelt scene in Winds of Change for me so far #I see a lot of myself in Fortaime and the more time I spend with him the more I appreciate having him there with me #Trust me when I say I want nothing more than to hug Fortaime and never ever let go. #He looks like the type that would be an enormous hugger... and after what he's been through? #He deserves my love and comfort. It's only right as a best friend to give it to him. 💖💖💖

[aeolianblues]

being around party people when you’re not one will make you feel like the lamest piece of shit ever

#Ooh Rue no one’s forcing y— I live with them #I do not try to either be cool or uncool I just #Am not in that circle #They are lovely people but listen. They have known each other for five years #And me for 3.5 months #I cannot even try with this #I am not in that circle #But walking home when they have a party #Walking through that front door and up to my room is a walk of SHAME #and the coolest thing I could possibly have done will not make that less embarrassing #You cannot be cool when people only see you in your normal/uncool context #And you pretty much see them a lot in their cool context. It’s not fair #(Then again I’ve asked them if they wanna join me for stuff often but they’re either busy or have exams #so we’ve never hung out at my places. So I’m always the uncool one.) #I literally— today’s been a wild day. I got given a whole ass vinyl by a guy because I was cool #But I can STILL walk home an hour later and just feel like such a fucking loser #And the reason why will be that I don’t know their friends #And please please it is not their fault! They are so sweet they couldn’t be sweeter. It just is the way it is #That’s that #bit my god I think I’ll sleep before they get home today (the party’s moved out so I just got home to drink bottles) #I don’t want to do this #Either way we all move out this weekend so it’s ending #My tryst with an in crowd are over probably #Will continue living my extremely not-a-party-kid life #Are people in this world party people or non? It always just feels like I’m falling behind #But then you go online and everyone’s like ‘man I just want to watch movies and go to bed’ #So what’s the truth

[fandom-with-no-hope]

Rp with my friend rant but. How are you supposed to feel when one of the Mc of the pokemon roleplay you've spent the past two years doing dies. What.

#It is currently. 2 am. Fukaku has been dead since. 2 hours. I have been crying. For two fucking hours #I get heavily invested in rps like. The characters are me fr. Okay? He died. Right in front of Orion. #For context they had a found family dynamic going on. Like. Orion didn't want this but ended up being like. A little sister yk yk #And Fukaku has been rather depressed lately he didn't even speak to his boyfriend and his little sister so Orion stayed with him #Like she spent and entire month going in his room talking with him even if he never replied. It was her safe space. #And they got attacked shit happened. And Fukaku's last words were 'I will always love the three of you' before he fucking. Killed himself. #I am so upset. I am so mad. #I will spend an entire week grieving or??? #But like. Istg. I knew he was feeling down. Orion tried everything she could. Of course she sucks at everything given her background #But Fukaku was genuinely her first friend. He was like a brother. And he d. Died right in front of her. #Oh the guilt. #AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE FACT THAT SHE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF HIS LITTLE SIS NOW #BECAUSE SHE WAS INJURED SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING YET #Ooouh upset. I am upset #Fukaku Tatsuno #Orion Chao #Amane Tatsuno #Found family trope my ass every goes wrong in this pokemon rp server #[.txt] #friends tag #Rp tag

[elizababie]

Happy STS!!

What recurring elements (character archetypes, themes, plotlines, worldbuilding etc.) appear over and over again in your writing, across multiple WIPs?

Happy STS, thanks for the ask <3!!!

Ooooooh boy, the Big Ones™ that haunt my WIPs (intentionally or not) are generational trauma and grief. No matter what my original concept was, 9/10 times it circles back around in SOME way to those two themes at the core.

What i’m just realizing now, thinking about it, is that one hyper-specific element I use WAY more often than I realized is imagery surrounding drowning, specifically drowning after falling through a frozen lake.

bonus: all three in one scene beneath the cut

#i think this is the first real Jowan Vahara content i’m posting here and i just #need you all to know that you should not sympathize with my nasty little wet rat man #in context he is a man you hate so much you accidentally love him #but also mock terribly at every given opportunity #that scene needs to be edited sooooo bad but it’s from 2019 and it physically pains me to think about fixing it 💀 #writing #STS #we can’t talk about how many of these names are directly lifted from dragon age btw #in my defense when my friend and i wrote the story these characters STARTED in we were like 15 #now at 23 i just think it’s funny to have to go ‘yeah so Jowan—NOT THAT ONE’

[allisonreader]

She was surprised by what she saw when she woke up. Her childhood bedroom instead of her hospital bed with Jesse hovering nearby.

Her hands weren’t the aged ones that she was used to seeing but the firm smooth hands of her youth. This wasn’t what she had been expecting. Perhaps she hadn’t passed yet and was just dreaming…

Except it felt so real at the moment. Or could this be her perception of heaven to begin with? She really didn’t know.

Maybe if she closed her eyes for a few moments things would make more sense again.

She drifted off without meaning to. The next thing she knew was that she could feel someone sitting on the edge of her bed.

Jesse.

A cool cloth was place on her forehead. That didn’t make sense.

She slowly opened up her eyes only to find Nanna the one sitting on the edge of bed.

"Nanna?"

"Yes my dear. How are you feeling? Are you feeling a little bit better?"

"I- I don’t know… I had the strangest dream-"

"You’re still rather flush. You’ve been very sick my dear. A horrible way to spend your sixteenth birthday."

"Sixteen?"

"As of this past Wednesday. Your grandfather is rather upset at me that I won’t risk his health so that he could come in and wish you a happy birthday. I told him you were delirious enough to not notice and would understand once you were better. As well as that you’d be much happier knowing that he was keeping healthy. I know that you wouldn’t want him to get sick because of you. We’ll hold a party only once you’re feeling better and well rested."

Nanna rubbed her cheek.

"Do you think that you can try to eat something?"

She nodded carefully. Her mind spinning. Sixteen. How was she sixteen again?

She should be about Nanna’s age give or take a few years. If she was truly sixteen then Jesse hadn’t even officially started racing yet.

They hadn’t even met yet.

She still had school to finish.

Ruth would be alive at the moment… and had Nanna mentioned her grandfather? It was a lot to take in.

She hoped Jesse was doing alright. She wished she could see him. But if she was truly as sick as Nanna claimed, then she better focus on getting better first.

Would Jesse know her? Or would they be as strangers?

"Here you go Emily. Broth and a piece of toast. Hopefully that will sit well enough in your stomach."

"Where’s daddy?"

"At the offices. In a few weeks he’ll be going down to Georgia to see some of the tracks there."

"Do you think if I’ve recovered enough by then? Daddy would allow me to accompany him?"

"I think you’ll have to ask him, but I can’t see why not. Your grandfather might put up a bit of a fuss about it, but you can ignore him. I’ll be able to keep my husband busy."

"Nanna!"

"Mm, I dare say that you’re starting to sound much better my dear."

oOo

It was very odd being 16 again. Seeing Alex galavanting around and taking Bea to events again.

She wondered if things could change or if they had changed. She certainly didn’t remember having been so sick around her 16th birthday before.

She also couldn’t remember exactly which year her grandfather had passed. Certainly it was before this point? She shouldn’t complain about that though. Time with him was well spent.

Going to Georgia was something she was immensely looking forward to.

Hopefully she could at least catch a glimpse of Jesse.

She missed him so much. If things could change, then maybe they could meet so much earlier this time. Be together longer, maybe do something for Ruth…

Would he even know her?

xXx

He didn’t know what was going on. He was back in Georgia.

Feeling better than he had in decades. All his aches and pains were gone. His scars were gone and maybe most importantly, Ruth was alive. Seemingly less sick than she had been before at this time.

He didn’t understand how, but he was going to take it. Especially since both of their parents were alive?

The how was foreign to him. They weren’t even home currently.

Henry was home from college at the moment apparently and spending as much time with Joan he could get.

Things were topsy-turvy in what he knew.

He wasn’t even sure he should try racing, but it should hopefully put him in the path of Emily as long as that hadn’t changed.

He was going to risk it. Seeing the love of his life would be worth the risk of racing.

One that payed off better than expected. She was at the race with her father. Looking so very young, but then he’d look much the same.

Unlike his first race last time, this time he was pretty confident that he could do decent if not win the race again, if his skills had transferred along with his knowledge. He wasn’t the rookie he’d seem to be. He had his years of racing under his belt and the years as Lightning's crew chief as knowledge as well.

He wondered again since he was here, could Emily have also taken a similar journey. Only speaking with her would give him that answer.

This time when he heard his low odds of winning he just chuckled to himself. One day he might be the sure bet if he decided to race again. Which he just might have to.

Maybe he’d be able to avoid that race he wrecked in and have a longer racing career. Have a career to rival Weathers's maybe.

This race had to happen first.

He had forgotten over the years that Scott had loaned him a helmet this first race. It went about as well as it went the first time, though it was a bit less of a close race than it had been the first time.

If he had his Hornet, he’d have done better. It was enough to catch the attention of Edward Piston again though.

He and Emily had come up to him again much like last time, except this time he knew who Edward was from the beginning and he was much more interested in looking over a young Emily.

It would be rude to just stare at her, as much as he wanted to.

She didn’t seem to have quite the same problem and seemed to drink him in greedily. Her hands folded in front of her, one finger tapping her ring finger. He took that to mean that she was his wife, if he wasn’t misreading her.

He gave a similar motion and he saw her smile brighten.

He made sure to properly introduce himself and she made mention that she hoped to see him race again.

Well now he’d have to race, for her. Something he was more than willing to do. He had so much that he wanted to tell her.

That he had caused quite the stir in going back to Piston Cup. That here, in this slightly different world, both his parents were alive and Ruth didn’t seem as sick.

That would all have to wait until they had the chance to talk more in private.

xXx

Her Jesse was here. He recognized her.

She felt like she was floating on a cloud. Life could hardly be better. She couldn’t wait to see him again. Hopefully it wouldn’t take a year to do so.

She would do as much as her dad would allow her to with Piston Cup. She wanted to be as close to Jesse as she could be.

Maybe she should try racing this time.

She could probably get Nanna and her grandfather to persuade her dad to let her drive. That would probably surprise Jesse.

It would certainly be worth the look on his face. Even if she had to wait two years to do so.

She’d have to start working on that now to break him down. Maybe she’d start with telling her grandparents that she wanted to learn to drive first. They might be able to convince her dad easier than her.

"Nanna, I want to learn to drive."

"I think that’s a grand idea my dear. Isn’t that George? It’s very independent of her."

"It is. It reminds me of when you learned to drive there for a bit."

"It was a good skill at the time."

"Nanna? You know how to drive!?"

"I don’t know if you can call what I did driving dear. At least not by today’s standards. Automobiles were still quite novel when I tried to learn. It was a fun experiment, but I didn’t much care for the focus that was needed. I’d rather let others do my driving for me."

"That- almost seems out of character Nanna…"

"You would think that. Your grandmother would rather be able to talk and take in the scenery than have to focus on the road in front of her."

"There are more pleasant things to do than drive. But I see no reason that you shouldn’t learn if you want to Emily dear."

"We’ll talk to your father. I’m sure that’s your biggest concern."

"It is, thank you."

oOo

They did it.

Her grandparents managed to convince her dad to allow her to learn to drive.

Her biggest question now was how much did she remember from what Jesse taught her. Was she going to look too much like she knew what she was doing? Or would she be starting from scratch? She’d only know once she got behind the wheel.

Relearning to drive was easier than she remembered learning to be in the first place.

The teacher her father got for her was decent, but couldn’t compare to getting lessons from Jesse.

She missed him. Did he get his Hornet yet?

She should start writing him everything that she wanted to tell him. That way she wouldn’t forget anything that she wanted to tell him. Like how hard she was working to become a racer. Though she wanted that to be more of a surprise.

What was he doing now? Was he okay?

She begged her dad to let her come on any trips that might bring her near Jesse. And of course there were still the family trips to Radiator Springs as well.

Seeing Flo and some of the others so young again was refreshing. She was sure that she didn’t come off quite as spoiled or naive about life this time, though she was still quite sheltered at the moment, but she had lived a lot more life than she looked like she had.

She didn’t get the chance to see Jesse before he started racing again. But she certainly made sure that she was at as many races as she could be.

Using Alex as an excuse to get as close to Jesse as she could. One of the first times she went down she “got lost” just so she could run into Jesse.

"Excuse me? I think I got a little turned around. I was looking for my brother."

Jesse quickly turned to face her, trying to control the grin on his face at her blatant to him lie.

"Who’s your brother? I’m new to this myself, but maybe I can help."

"Alexander Piston."

"Miss Piston, it’s a pleasure to meet you again."

"Oh! You’re Mr. Hudson, from last year when daddy gave you his card. I am glad to see that you’ve decided to race this year."

They continued their conversation like that until they were away from the bustle and could speak frankly.

"I’ve missed you so much Em."

"I’ve missed you too."

"I wish I could kiss you, but if anyone saw us…"

"I know. Do you think we can write each other? I want to know everything that’s happened since I last saw you."

"I’d like that. …. After you passed Em, I did end up getting dragged back into Piston Cup by a kid. Had a rocky start with him, but he was a good kid. You would have loved him… Sally sure did."

"She found her one then."

"Yep, a trouble maker for sure."

"Sounds familiar."

"We should probably get back before people start to wonder where we went."

"I know. I don’t want to though. How has Ruth been?"

"Great. She doesn’t seem as sick, Henry’s actually in college and playing baseball, and my parents are still alive."

"Oh Jesse that’s great news to hear. I’m so happy for you. My grandfather is still alive. It’s brilliant for Nanna. She’s even more vibrant with him living."

"Sounds like good news across the board."

She just nodded as they started back towards where Alex was.

"Perhaps I will see you around Miss Piston."

"Thank you Mr. Hudson for helping me find my brother. Good luck in the race today."

"Thank you." She couldn’t help but watch him walk away.

"Who was that Emily?" Alex asked.

"Oh, he is just a new racer who helped me find my way over here."

"Dad shouldn’t let you be down here."

She just rolled her eyes.

"I’m careful. I happen to find all of this extremely interesting. Maybe one day I’ll be out there racing as well."

"It’s a man’s sport Emily."

"I don’t see why women couldn’t race too."

"Dad won’t let you."

"Nanna and granddad got him to let me starting to learn to drive. I bet if he saw another woman racing he’d let me."

"He won’t let that happen."

"I guess we’ll have to wait and see."

oOo

They did start writing each other and trying to catch sight of each other as much as possible at the races.

That first year she had even managed to sit with Jesse’s mom and Ruth which was thrilling for her. To get to know the woman who would have been her mother-in-law and to get to know Ruth, Jesse’s twin who he loved so much.

This time she made sure that they properly introduced themselves. She and Ruth quickly became friends after sitting with each other a couple of times.

So she had started exchanging letters with Ruth as well.

Becoming friends with her was one of the best things that could have happened. She’d never had someone she could talk to like she could to Ruth, at least, not at this age before. She’d miss sitting with her once she started racing.

xXx

He was getting a little anxious that he hadn’t seen Emily yet. She had written that she would be at this race, but she hadn’t stopped by yet.

"Hey Hud, have you heard the latest news?"

" 'Bout what?"

"Sounds like Miss Piston is trying her hand at racing this season."

"What!?"

"It looks like there’s going to be two of them out there."

"I’d hold off judgment of Miss Piston for now. She might surprise you. Besides, she’s nothing like her brother."

He got raised eyebrows at that.

"How’d d'you know that?"

"We’ve spoken before."

"She’s a kid isn’t she?"

"I dunno…" he wasn’t going to admit that he knew exactly how old Emily was right now, nor the fact that he knew her birthday. That she was only about 18 right now and that he’s three years older than her. Now he really wanted to see her. Was she truly going to race?

"Can’t believe her father is actually letting her race. His precious little princess."

He held back an eye roll. Yes she grew up spoiled, but she wasn’t a brat like her brother, at least not currently. He couldn’t speak for before they met. He just wanted to see her.

oOo

All her nerves were firing at once. This was going to be a completely new experience for her.

Her grandparents promised they’d be in the crowd cheering her on.

She was confident in her driving skills. She didn’t know if she’d be winning any races soon, but at least she thought that she could still could compete against the others.

As long as she could beat her brother one day, that would be good enough.

Hopefully she’d be able to break into one of the groups of the racers, preferably Jesse’s so that they could actually spend time together.

Well, now was the time to get moving and maybe see Jesse before they started. She’d like to at least walk by and give Jesse a wave. He was expecting her today.

As she passed Jesse and everyone one around him, she gave them a wave that was much more confident than she felt. Though Jesse’s wave back did warm her to her toes.

She missed him so much. She was so tired of being parted from him. Maybe they could have a whirlwind romance this time and get married before the end of the year.

Not that it actually would be a whirlwind to them.

It would just be getting back into their marriage. Maybe this time with everything that had changed they’d be able to have kids this time. Not that she didn’t love him even though they hadn’t before.

It didn’t mean she still didn’t want them. Anything was possible, right?

#this is very much one of those extremely self indulgent pieces of writing that probably only makes sense fully to a handful of people #mostly myself and my friend as well as anyone who has happened to read my friend's story this is based around #my friend wrote one of my favourite pixar cars fanfics called Hard Enough Left #it's given me so much inspiration over the last few years #it's also not like I don't think that this can't be read without knowing all the context #but much of the significance might get lost with certain things and parts #this is a piece of my writing that I can read over and over again though #I love it so much which is always nice for your own writing #salt and light