#the way I can hear this so perfectly in Zims voice

[messinwitheddie]

If you ever watch the movie *A bugs life* I can’t help but headcanon Lich’s voice as Hopper cuz he’s a bully and a boss man.😅 especially the last scene where the ants finally are fed up with him and face him for being a tyrant that he is.

That's awesome you have a voice you can hear for Lich. I haven't watched a Bugs Life in a long time, but I liked the movie as a little kid. I can see the parallels with the characters.

Originally, when I first came up with the concept of Lich's character (Can’t even remember what I originally named him. Maybe it was the same name. Can’t remember. Wow…

Either way, Lich's original backstory/ role in a fanfic [I won't name because I wrote it in middle school and it was AWFUL], was very different from what it is now. The plot of the fuc was a ripoff of the movie ,“Heavy Metal” so Ronnie James Dio or Alice Cooper were the two voices I usually associated him with. "The Mob Rules" and "The Black Widdow" are Lich's theme songs.

BUT Kevin Spacey's voice fits Lich very well, now that you pointed it out.

He is oozing with Hopper vibes.

If I had an obscene amount of money to spend, I would hire these voice actors/actresses/ singers (resurrect them from the grave if necessary) to play my ocs and/or Characters from Invader Zim that never officially were assigned hired voice actors.

At least most of my Irken ocs have voices picked out.

Pepperoncini: Sir Christopher Lee (?) Earle Hyman (?) Even those two would have to pitch their voices lower and more gravely. Cini's voice, especially in his later years, is very, VERY deep and ravaged by centuries of smoking pipe amber. I guess the contrast in his bright, lighthearted, bubbly personality amuses me.

I can’t think of a voice that perfectly matches the voice Cini has in my head. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I loosely based his personality on Phyllis Diller and Vincent Price, to give an idea of his mannerisms.

Spinch: Martha Kelly (so shy)

Hoola: Eric Bauza (His personality is based on Daffy Duck, though lacking in WB toon antics and the lisp.)

Mem: Bette Midler (first choice), possibly Kathy Bates or Meryl Streep

Some of Mem's swarm I have casted

Handoverfist aka Hof: Eugene Mirman

Ferocity: Betsy Sodaro

Skathe: Jenny Slate

Starboard: John Fiedler

Zee: Jillian Bell

Rook/ the Sage: Originally I imagined John Cleese playing Rook, at least in Rook's older years (because he was based on the Monty Python’s Holy Grail Tim the Enchanter) or Suzy Izzard.

But again, now that you pointed out the parallels, David Foley fits pretty well too.

Miyuki: I'm sure plenty of people would disagree with me, but I think Cher (or at least a younger Cher), Lynne Lipton (again, younger), or Cree Summer would make great choices for Miyuki.

Kii: Can't get Melissa Fahn's voice out of my head for her, but any suggestions are welcome. Maybe Doro Pesch.

Soxx: Percy Rodriguez (would have to bring him back from the dead)

Hitz: Richard Romanus

Spork: Lorenzo Music (I just do)

Commander Poki: Brooke Dillman (I love that woman's voice. Boss as shit.)

Frylady Soo-Garr: Kristin Chenoweth or Grey DeLisle. Either. Either or would pull off her vindictive personality perfectly.

Pielord Emis-Gee: Ron Funches

Brewmaster Shakkin: Christopher McCulloch

Yeet: Hong Chau (so spunky!)

Vroog: Billie Mae Richards or Maria Bamford for a living person to play her.

Irken Gir would be played by Rosearik Rikki Simons, just no synthesizers or anything.

This is not a complete list by far. If you’re curious about any of ocs that I didn’t list, you can ask about or make suggestions.

Hearing the voices helps develop the character for me

#invader zim #oc #fake voice cast #what is wrong with me???

[krizaland]

Z,,, Zim x insecure reader

As someone who’s always insecure, I really needed to write this. Thank you so much for your request!

Be warned: There is mentions of body image issues and low self esteem ahead.  I’ll admit I maaay have gotten a bit too personal in a few parts.

Here’s the song I used btw

You and Zim have been dating for over three months! It was a long and painful learning curve but you and Zim worked through it! Now you and Zim were a happy couple!

However, despite being a healthy couple, there were still bumps in the road.

While most problems could be worked out, there was one thing you and Zim could never agree on:

The way you looked.

You’ve always felt less attractive than your peers. Whenever you looked in a mirror, all you could see were your countless imperfections.

You found yourself spending countless hours glaring at yourself, thinking of all the things you wished you could change about yourself.

“I wish my belly was flatter.”

“I wish my face was prettier”

“I look like an ugly blob!”

Those awful thoughts echoed in your mind as you pinched and pulled at your skin.

Eventually, you would leave the mirror and carry on with your day.

However, your internal insults didn’t stop there.

“I laugh too loud.”

“I talk too much.”

“Oh god! I hope I’m not making anyone uncomfortable! God why am I so stupid?!”

Most days, your internal struggles were bearable but there were somedays were your thoughts would get so bad you would burst into tears.

Zim, on the other hand, thought you were the most beautiful creature in the universe!

Zim had been to countless planets, and have seen countless stars but nothing compared to you!

Your face was so beautiful, Zim found himself getting lost in your eyes.

Zim couldn’t care less about how flat your belly was! Your body was so soft and warm, he could cuddle it forever!

Zim thought your laugh was amazing and unique! In fact, he loved your laughter so much that he would do just about anything to hear it again!

Zim was in awe of how many things you knew about! He could listen to you talk for hours! Your voice was more lovely than any song he’s ever heard.

You were amazing in every conceivable way! There was no other being who could ever compare to you!

Imagine his horror when he heard you insult yourself out loud!

You had just finished up in the restroom and had caught a glimpse of your face on the way out.

You sighed as you glared at your reflection.

Countless flaws and a pathetic expression was all you could see staring back at you.

“God, I’m so fucking ugly,” You groaned as you pulled at your face, “How could Zim possibly love someone this hideous-”

“Y/N?!”

You let out a squeak as the sound of Zim’s offended shriek woke you from your thoughts.

“Gah! Don’t worry I’ll come out now!”

And with that you trotted back to the couch, where a very angry Zim was waiting for you.

“I’m so sorry I took so long I-”

“You think that’s what I’m upset about?!” Zim growled as he folded his arms.

“W-Well I-”

Realizing he was making you nervous, Zim took a deep breath and softened his features.

“Y/N, why did you say such terrible things about yourself?”

You jerked your head back in shock!

“I-I’m sorry?”

“Y/N, you don’t need to apologize! Well..at least not to me anyway….But you heard me! Why did  you day such HORRIBLE things about yourself?!” Zim demanded.

“I….Well….I mean…It’s kinda true, like there are people out there who are so much prettier than me and I-”

“LIES!!! THERE IS NONE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN YOU!!! YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEING IN THE GALAXY! ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE IS TOO DUMB TO SEE IT!” Zim interjected as he snapped a finger in your face.

A bright blush spread across your cheeks as you backed away from Zim’s finger.

“Zim, that’s really sweet but-”

“BUT NOTHING! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! WHO DARED TO FILL YOUR AMAZING HEAD WITH SUCH FILTHY LIES!!” Zim roared as he stood up on the couch.

“No one! I’ve felt this way about myself for like, a long time!” You spluttered.

“Eh?! Well do you need your eyes checked?” Zim asked as he scratched his head.

“No I-”

“Then quit it! Why can’t you see that you’re amazing?! YOU are the only one who can make Zim smile! YOU are the only one who is always on my AMAZING mind! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WORTHY OF ZIM’S LOVE!” Zim declared dramatically as he pointed to you again.

Your eyes were as wide as saucers as you face glowed bright red.

“Ok, perhaps an…Earth song might help you understand…”Zim sighed as he rubbed his temples.

“Wait- What?!”

“I know the perfect song to sing too!” Zim chirped as he clapped his hands.

“COMPUTER! Cue romantic Earth karaoke song number 2011!”

“NOW PLAYING EARTH KARAOKE SONG NUMBER 2011!”

Zim cleared his throat as the music began.

“Oh your eyes, your eyes, make the stars look like they’re not shinning. Your hands, your hands, fit with mine perfectly without you trying. You’re so beautiful…And I’ll tell you everyday….” Zim pulled out a remote and pressed a button

BEEP!

The couch sank into the floor as the ground shook for a moment.

FWEE!

SQUEAK!

POP!

The floor morphed into a large, brightly colored stage!

Zim landed on his feet and continued to sing.

“Yeah, I know, I know, when I complement you, you don’t believe me. And it’s so, it’s so sad that to think that you don’t see what I see. But any time you ask me if you look ok, I’ll say”

BEEP!

The base was engulfed in colorful lights as a picture of your face appeared on Zim’s TV.

“When I see your face, There’s not a thing that I would change! Because you’re amazing, Just the way you are!”

“And when you smile,” The monitor switched to show a picture of you smiling, “The whole world stops and stares for awhile! Cause, you are amazing! Just the way you are!”

You opened your mouth to speak but no words could come out. All you could do was stare at Zim with your mouth agape.

“Yeah! Your lips, your lips, I could kiss them all day if you’d let me! Your laugh your laugh, you hate it but I think it’s so sexy! You’re so beautiful….And I’ll tell you everyday!” Zim sang as he changed the picture on the monitor.

You let out a gasp as you covered your mouth!

On the monitor was a picture of you on prom night!

You were in your finest formal attire, you would be lying if you said you didn’t feel like royalty that night.

“Oh, you know, you know, you know, I’d never ask you to change. If perfect’s what you’re searching for then just stay the same. So don’t even bother asking if you look ok, you know I’ll say!”

Another picture of you appeared on the monitor, this time it was picture of the last selfie you sent him.

You had discovered the flower crown filter and you thought it was cute!

“When I see your face, There’s not a thing that I would change! Because you’re amazing, Just the way you are!”

“And when you smile”  The monitor switched to show a picture of you laughing, “The whole world stops and stares for awhile! Cause, you are amazing! Just the way you are!”

“The way you are… The way you are….”

ZWIP!

Stairs jutted out from the stage and Zim strutted towards you.

Before you knew what was happening, Zim took you by the hand and led you up on stage!

“Y/N you’re amazing, just the way you are!” Zim’s eyelids lowered as he took your hands in his.

Tears of joy spilled down your cheeks as Zim gazed into your eyes.

“When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change,” Zim gently dried your tears, “Cause you’re amazing…Just the way you are.”

You let out a chuckle as you leaned into Zim’s touch.

“And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile,” Zim’s voice was a soft whisper as he tilted your head to look at him, “Because you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

“Do you understand now, Y/N? You’re perfect,” Zim gently caressed your cheek, “You’re perfect in every way.”

More tears poured down your cheeks and trickled down Zim’s hand.

“Y/N? Are you alright? I wasn’t too strong was I?” Zim yelped as he tried to dry your tears..

“Yes, I’m fine Zim. You weren’t too strong at all. I just…..Wow….Do you….Do you really mean all that?” You sniffled.

Zim’s face twisted for a moment before he crashed his lips onto yours.

You let out a muffled squeak as Zim’s tongue begged for entry.

Your eyelids fluttered shut as you granted Zim access to your mouth.

The moment the gates opened, Zim’s tongue charged into your mouth and immediately begun to wrestle with yours.

A growly moan rumbled from Zim’s throat as he tasted every corner of your mouth.

You begun to moan as well as you savored the feeling of Zim’s lips on yours.

Eventually, you and Zim were forced to part for air.

Zim gazed into your eyes and licked his lips.

“Do you believe me now?”

#invader zim #invader zim x reader #Anonymous

[progressivestupidity]

IZ week 2020

so i wasn’t gonna do this because I didn’t think the prompts were very good for writing to, but I remembered the last day’s prompt was “role swap” so I decided to do something small and quick for it. this is all 7 days in one post. the first and last ones are drabbles and one of them is an au idea

@invader-zim-week​ here u go!!!

Day 1. Angst or Fluff 

Zim’s denial skills are god tier, but even they have their limits.

Drabble. I think this is the turning point for my eventual found family au

“When are you going to get it through your thick head that the Tallests aren’t coming?” Dib flings his arms out wide in his exasperation

“They’re just…!” Zim fumbles a bit, clenching and unclenching his fists. “The Armada is a million light years away! It takes time to travel that far, obviously. It took me six of your months to get here from Conventia and the Massive is further away from here now than that. They’ll come! You’ll see! And then you’ll be sorry!” Zim’s face is drawn tight. He’s tense all over, shoulders drawn up to his jaw, antennae pressed flat to his head, and normally Dib prides himself on reading Zim like an open book, but he’s too far gone in his own annoyance to see the warning signs.

It’s because he doesn’t see these red flags that Dib proceeds to stick his own foot in his mouth with his next words. “Maybe if you weren’t such an idiot and opened your eyes, you’d see the truth—that they dumped you here to get rid of you.”

“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?” Zim explodes, planting his tiny hands in Dib’s chest and shoving. The boy lands painfully on his ass. “I’m not stupid, Dib.” His name is spat like an insult. “I know they don’t care about me! Why do you think I try so hard?”

Dib gapes at Zim, looking up at him for once, stunned into silence. “I.” He swallows. “You know?”

“Of course, I know.” Zim’s voice is a low hiss and his eyes are narrowed to slits. “You don’t get banished and then just get over it. You don’t get put on trial to defend your life, forced to relive your worse mistakes, and get sentenced to death, only to be saved by freak miracle, and never acknowledge it happened.” Zim takes a deep breath and crosses his arms over his chest. Dib supposes he means for it to look intimidating, but it looks more like he’s holding himself together. “I’ve always known.”

“Why do you try so hard then? If you’ve always known there was no point?” Dib has to ask, has to know, has to hear the words from Zim’s own mouth.

Zim purses his lips and turns away. “There was always a point.” He falls silent for a moment, one antenna twitching up a bit in thought. “I just… I thought if I was just a little better, if I accomplished something important for once, that… I don’t know, that maybe I’d.” He pauses and grits his teeth. “Maybe if I actually managed to take over this filthy planet I’d be worth something for once.”

Day 2. Be Gay Do Crime (LGBTQA+ headcannons)

Dib is bi/pan/demi-ro, Gaz is lesbian, Zim is ace/demi-ro

Headcanons.

Dib seems like the kind of guy that would both take whatever kind of relationship he could get, but also appreciate it. Dib isn’t afraid to work for what he wants and isn’t afraid of things that are “not normal” so I see him being the type to not care about the gender of whoever he eventually decides to date. However, because Dib’s been burned in the past, he would need a deep and sincere emotional relationship to see someone as a potential romantic partner.

Gaz is just a big lesbian. Girls, man.

Zim is ace all the way baby!!! He’s just not interested, and sure, part of that is me projecting, but it just feels right for Zim to just… not care. He has no interest and doesn’t care for sexual attraction regardless of whether or not Irkens do/can/will have sex or not. On the other hand, Zim has expressed a softer side before and I can see him being able to maybe eventually develop romantic feelings for someone if he actually manages to get close enough to them for those kinds of feelings to even emerge. It would take a lot of time and a deep, meaningful friendship, but Zim has shown he’s capable of love. He just has to let himself feel it.

  Day 3. Fandom Appreciation

Found family fuck yeah

Headcanons.

I’m still in the process of thinking about how I wanna go about my found family au so here’s just some initial ideas

After ETF, Zim self isolates for a bit. The florpus hole was his Last Ditch Effort plan and had it succeeded, he knew he would have been destroyed too. He was okay with it. He had made peace with it. However, it failed, and now he’s forced to reflect on said failure

The Massive doesn’t escape the florpus. They’re gone, completely. If they the ship does manage to get out, it’s not in one piece

I initially couldn’t decide if The Trial should come Before ETF or After but I think im gonna say before so the Massive doesn’t have to come back lmao

Before too long, Zim jumps back into the planning/scheming swing of things, but his ideas are never more than petty crimes and being a huge annoyance

Dib gets really annoyed with him and they have a big argument

Zim finally admits to knowing of his own Defectiveness

Dib reluctantly feels bad for him and backs off a bit to let Zim have his space

Zim, however, sees this as a betrayal and redoubles his efforts to get his attention

Somewhere along the way, Skoodge comes back and Zim backs off of Dib a bit, having someone else to focus attention on

Dib eventually begins to offer Zim his hand in friendship (phrased as a truce at first) and they finally make steps towards getting along

They realize they actually really like being friends

Zim eventually realizes that he’s made a life for himself, outside of the Empire

Eventually Zim, Skoodge, GIR, Minimoose, Dib, and Gaz form their own little family and explore space and hunt cryptids

(I love cryptid hunter and space exploration aus holy shit)

Day 4. If IZ had a different setting/time period

Cyberpunk??? Sure

Potential idea maybe.

Cyberpunk dystopian future

Aliens and humans intermingle, both on and off Earth

The Irken Empire has gotten bigger

Technology is advanced and cybernetics are widely known/produced

Idk man I don’t know a lot about cyberpunk, maybe this should be more for the aesthetic

Day 5. Aesthetic

Big shrug man idk

Headcanons, thoughts.

I’m a big fan of fashion Zim, and whenever I get the chance I give him clothes that are both cute and comfortable

Galaxy print leggings are a personal favorite of mine to give him

One time I wrote a little ficlet/oneshot where he wore a skirt. I should publish that some day

Uhhhhhh okay so. Dib has veeeeeery big early 2000s emo/punk vibes tbh

Scene kid GIR always makes me laugh

Gaz could pull off pastel goth like no one’s business

I’ve been here long enough to witness emo/scene hair wig Zim and his eventual fall lmfao

Pretty much everyone that redesigned them back in the day gave Zim emo kid hair that fall perfectly over one eye it was WILD

 Day 6. What if IZ was a different Genre?

Uhhhh does “fantasy instead of scifi” count?

Potential idea maybe. (oops it ended up being a fantasy/modern magic au haha ooooops)

Instead of being an alien, I had the idea of, maybeeeeee Irkens are like. Elves maybe, or perhaps some kind of fae. (I don’t know much about fae, oops)

Okay bear with me here, this is all coming together in real time.

The Irkens (which is what I’m gonna call their clan or faction or subrace or whatever) still want to be the rulers or something over the humans/other mystical beings. This world of magic is hidden from humans and they live blissfully unaware. There are invaders all over the place, using magic and glamors to trick humans into thinking they’re also humans. Zim is one such invader and just to happens to end up in Dib’s town, whereupon he enrolls in Dib’s school, pretending to be a transfer student.

I have no idea why or how the Irkens invade or what methods they use, but since my biggest experience with elves is through DND, I’m going to say they’re functionally similar to certain DND elf races.

So anyway, Zim ends up in Dib’s class and Zim’s glamor just Doesn’t Work on Dib for whatever reason (maybe Dib passed his Wisdom saving throw while literally everyone else failed, idk) and so Dib can immediately see Zim for what he is.

Dib is still into paranormal type stuff, though in his world, he’s less about cryptids and aliens and more about the magical species/world(s) that he KNOWS exists. His big goal in his au is similar to canon in that he wants to expose it all for recognition and love from his father.

Zim, meanwhile, he just wants to prove himself, just like canon. I can’t decide how I want the Irken hierarchy to go in this au—that’s something to think about later, when I have more time—but whatever it is, Zim is either a) not very good at it, b) not suited for it, c) ridiculed for not fitting in to it, or d) a combination of any or all of these things. (or secret option e) he rejects it but has no where else to go. On the other hand, it maybe be none of these things.)

GIR is here too though he’s probably not a robot. Maybe he’s another kind of magical being, or, hell, maybe he’s just Zim’s little brother. I’d be okay with that.

Gaz can also see through glamors but she just doesn’t care. Tak shows up at some point to get revenge, and Skoodge also shows up at some point to stay with Zim and be his friend.

Zim is bad at blending in at first, but he eventually Does get better, since he’s not totally isolated from other Irkens here and he also doesn’t Look like an alien.

(I’m thinkin’ elves in this au look Mostly human but with a few differences. Since I’m biased and this is MY fantasy world, damnit, elves are just. Really Pretty. Ethereal and elegant and graceful (for the most part—there are always exceptions) and they’re also great at magic. Maybe Zim isn’t all that great at magic, I dunno. I’ll figure something out.)

This ended up being less of a genre change and more of a whole ass au, lol oops

Day 7. Role swap

Chanting: human zim au human zim au human zim au human zi

Drabble. This is for an ongoing species swap au that i’ve had in development for the last few years. i haven’t posted anything for it yet, but I’ve thought about it a lot

Dib freezes as Zim points the plastic water gun at his head. Zim’s eyes are narrowed, lips pursed, and he adjusts his grip almost nervously. Behind him, Gir is holding a bucket full of water balloons and a pair of neon green star shaped sunglasses. It’d be cute if Dib wasn’t aware of how painful Earth water is to his Irken skin.

Zim finally lowers his gun slightly. “I want some answers, alien.” He looks Dib over with critical eyes. “Who are you really, and why are you here?” He reaches back and Gir hands him a water balloon with a big smile. “And you better tell the truth or I’ll bust this over your big head.”

Dib grimaces and watches the balloon. “My name Dib, and I’m a scientist. I’m an Irken, from Irk, and I’m here to learn more about life on this planet.” He holds his hands up, hoping to placate the human gesture for surrender. “I’m not here to harm you or anyone else, promise.”

Zim huffs. “Yeah right. I bet you just came here to laugh at the locals.” He puts on a mocking voice and waves the gun and balloon as he speaks. “‘Stupid, stinking humans. They can’t even travel beyond their own moon, yet. What morons. I bet they descended from pigs with how horrible and stupid they are.’” He jams the gun against Dib’s chest. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Dib bites his lower lip and looks away. He can’t deny he hasn’t thought something similar since arriving on Earth, but Zim didn’t have to be so crude and blunt about it.

The two are at a standoff for almost a minute before Zim blows out a long sigh and steps back. He turns to put the balloon back in the bucket, gives Gir a pat on the head, and shoots Dib one last glare. “Stay away from me, Dib. I have enough problems to deal with without having to worry about whether or not it’s safe for my brother to go to school or if I need to watch my back while walking my dog.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you,” Dib says, a little put out.

Zim scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. I know better than to believe it.” He turns and tries to smile at Gir but it comes out a little twisted and sad. “C’mon Gir. Let’s go home and get Minimoose and take him to that dog park you like so much.”

Gir gasps and lets out a cheer. “Can we go get ice cream afterwards?”

Zim gives a little laugh, smile turning a bit more genuine. “Yeah, sounds good.”

As they walk away Dib can’t help but wonder why he ever thought Zim was an Irken himself.

#izweek2020 #invader zim #invader zim week #zim #dib #role swap #species swap #iz fantasy au #to be named later #i had nooooo idea how to write about the aesthetics prompt #it really isnt a good writing prompt #tho it's given some FANTASTIC art #i wasnt gonna do this at all bc the prompts arent very writer friendly #but i wrote the angst thing and then i wanted to write some stuff for the role swap #and now here we are #enjoy!!! #mine #kiera writes fics

[doodle-doodie-doo]

Ranting about how Gaz, taster of pork is my fave iz ep bc >:(((

iI wanted to make this rant for a while now so why the hell not, I’ve also been wanting to rant about this ep and why its my all time favorite...because why the hell not... __________ This episode is way above the others for me, nothing can beat this. Ever sense I started watching Invader Zim I wanted an ep like this, and when I first watched it I knew it was going to be my fave and god I was so so exited, where do I start?  I hear some people don’t like this episode because how much Dib abuse is in it, for someone who kins Dib and whenever I see Dib get hurt in the show (which is like every single fucking ep) I feel horrible for him, but in this ep I did not, and I actually found it pretty funny, I laughed. From the start I knew Gaz and Dib where going to be my favorites and the more the show went on the more and more I loved these two and wanted to just see these two on screen, honestly I was starting to get tired of a lot of ep’s just being Dib vs Zim, I really wanted something else, not ONLY in this ep just about Dib and Gaz, how its done is done so so PERFECTLY.  _____________ I don’t want to point out every single part why I like it so much (probably will, anyways) starting off, Dib is fucking adorable in the start, thats perfect for me, LOVE THAT SHIT. That fucking....squeal he did?? yes. Ill take that shit. thank u..... And Gaz just walking in bitching about how Dib ate her food and hes just fucking too focused on his hard drives or whatever, its fucking perfect. Dib just being a fanboy in the start and Gaz bitching about whatever to him is perfect for me,   I think this was the first time we saw Gaz’s room and I love how it’s filled with stuffed animals, that is so perfect for her character you have NO IDEA. And I love what I’m assuming is dragon pajamas, what I love most of all is Gaz calling in her stuff animals to throw Dib out her room, the idea of Gaz having these creepy dolls that come to life is one of the best concepts for her character and I wish people would do more with that. I like how Dib just isn’t down right scared of Gaz all the time, like he is still willing to be selfish about himself, giving her the shadow hog curse and lying ABOUT IT LMAO WHAT AN ASSHOLE. Dib then starts to act fucking dumb af, like “OH NO I DIDNT DO CRAP GAZ 0W0W0W0W0W0W0W0W0W0W00″ But Gaz b like: nah hoe Dib’s still being an ass, then the ep JUST GETS FUCKING BETTER.  One of my alltime favorite things about this ep is that you can slowly see Dib get more and more scared, and Gaz more and more upset, you can tell something really bad is going to happen to Dib at the end, but you don’t know what, and it’s even more scary because its Gaz...THAT IS JUST, SUCH ASMAZING WRITING, I REALLY ADORE SHIT LIKE THAT, GOD.  I love how Gaz dosen’t start getting angry too early, I like how you see her eat every single food and creepy music is just being played, she’s also not eating all the food too fast, you can just FELL SHIT BOUTTA HAPPEN SOON 4 REAL  one of my favorite fucking animation clips from this ep is just when Gaz is eating and just spitting it all in Dib’s face while he’s reading his book trying to fix this curse, you can start to feel Dib, and how much he is starting to panic, its amazing,.  _______  AND THEN THE FUCKING, MASHED PATATO PART HHABSJDGEK THAT PART HAD ME DYING, AND WHEN GAZ OPENED HER EYES WHILE DOING IT IT WAS SO FUCKING CURSED, AND THEN GAZ JUST GIVES UP AND THROWS THE FOOD AT SOME RANDOM ASS AND DIB IS LIKE “NOOO NOT ZITA” ITS SO FUCKING DUMB AND PERFECT I LOVE IT.  I forgot to add this but I love Gaz’s voice through out this and how she is acting, she’s not too too scary (at the start at least) like how shes acting and her voice tone and everything, which makes it even more scary for some reason, like its not overdone, u fucking SCARED LIKE U CAN TELL SOME SHIT BOUTTA GO DOWN.  side note I love how Gaz’s teacher is nothing like mrs. Bitters, its so funny.  ALSO??? ALSO???? I LOVE THE LITTLE MOMENT WHERE GAZ AND DIB IS HOLDING HANDS WHILE WALKING HOME, LOVE THAT, LOVE THAT SOOO MUCH, SO CUTE WTF. also I LOVE THE PIG GIRL THING. Just seeing art for that in that ep is so cool, AND WHEN GAZ IS IN THAT LITTLE PIGGY OUTFIT SO SO CUTE, I’m telling you, Gaz’s animal is Pigs, like Dib’s animal is moths. It fits too well. It’s so so cool to see something crazy and insane happening to Gaz for a change and not Dib and Zim. And its still just as funny, if not, even MORE FUNNY.  and i adore the PART WHERE DIB IS JUST TALKING TO A RANDOM HOBO LIKE ITS SO FUCKING RANDOM AND POINTLESS IM WATCHING THE EP RN AND I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT IT JUST EXISTS LMAOO  aND it is super super cute when Dib was talking to Zim, just, that part was so perfect, you can tell that Dib really does care. AND HERE COMES THE BEST PART AND THE IDEA FOR MY DEMON GAZ AU WHERE LIKE, GAZ SEEMS LIKE SHE HAS THESE EVIL POWERS, JHONEN CAN SAY “NO SHE DONT HOE” BUT IM LIKE “YEET TEET S I R” THAT, YES YES HELL YES THAT WAS SO SO PERFECT WHAT THE FUCK??  and___ _______ oh my god. oh. my. fucking. god. Like the most funny part of tHE EP IS THE PART WE WHERE WAITING FOR, DO YALL KNOW HOW FUCKING FUNNY IT WAS??? OK, OK.  A LISTEN.  WHEN GAZ FINALLY COMES OUT HER CAGE THINNG, U KNOW DIB BOUTTA GET BLASTED, AND GAZ JUST BEATS THE EVER LOVING SHIT OUT HIM, but get this, HE SOUNDS LIKE A SQUEAKY TOY. YES, YES, YES, ALL MY YES, 100/10, 100/10. 100/10.  thtt SHITR....HAD ME DEAD, FUCKING DEAD.  AND THE PART WHERE THEY WHERE IN BEAVER COSTUMES WHERE SO SO ADORBALE, THEY ARE SO CUTE, I LOVE THEM, Dib and Gaz where so so on point in this ep. ________ the shadow hog place,,,,,OH MY FUCKING GOD, HOW, HOW CAN YOU GET MORE PERFECT??? THE PIGS AND EVERYTHING JUST, EVERYTHING LOOKS AND FEELS SO SPOTLESS, WHOEVER DESIGNED THAT  MMMEFNJEFHIE This is when Dib starts to get very protective and this is JUST. WHAT. I WANT. from Dib and Gaz.  PLUS i love the shadow Hog, hes nice.  ONE ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS EVER, LIKE, MAYBE IN THE ENTIRE GOD DAMN SHOW, IS JUST DIB FIGHTING THEM SHADOW HOG GUARDS, JUST, ITS NOT normal Dib abuse like in every ep, THEM HOGS ARE LEGIT BEATING THE EVER LOVING SHIT OUT HIM, LIKE DAMN BRUH THEY FUCKING, DAMN, BUT THATS NOT GOING TO STOP DIB, EVERYTIME HE GETS HURT HE JUST GETS RIGHT BACK UP, HE DOSENT WANT GAZ TO GET HURT OR DIE, HE CARES THAT MUCH, HE JUST KEEPS FUCKING, GOING AND GOING AND GOING AND DAMN  WTJHWVWUTD, BRUUUHHH DID YALL SEE THE PART WHEN DIB GOT THROWN BACK AND THE BACKGROUND WAS RED?? BRUH I FELT THAT BRUH, DIB REALLY DID SAY:N BEKFHEJHFJOEFJKFJKLWEHLIFJGEIURGFURWEHGRK  LIKE MY MAN GOT THROWN LIKE THAT LIKE BRUIH KISSES TO THE ANIMATIORS THAT FUCKING, THAT MOVEMEANT WAS SO SO IMPRESSIVE AND SMOOTH HOW TF THEY DID THAT EVERYTIME I WATCH HIM GET THROWN BACK LIKE THAT WHEN THE SCREEN IS RED IM JUST ALWAYS LIKE ‘whoa”  aND gAZ and the shadow hog lord oh my god they are perfect, I love how they just, start dancing in tu tu’s and playing video games and Gaz is just ranting to him about how dumb her life is its all. so perfct. Keep in mind this is both going on at the same time which makes it 100 times better, this is what makes a cartoon so GOD DAMN PERFECT.  pOOR Dib when he comes in he just feels so so horrible, so sorry for Gaz, and the pig lord actua,lly dosent know what to do and gaz is like “yeah punish him lmfao”  AND THEN THE TOILET PART OH MY FUCKING GOD THAT WAS JUST ALMOST AS FUNNY AS WHEN GAZ BEATS DIB AAND HES JUST A SQUEAKY TOY LMAO, it makes it 10000000000 times better because you dont see whats in the toilet and Dibs just freaking out, that is so perfect, that what makes good writing and a joke work, that was perfect.  AND THE ENDING, OH MY FUCKING GOD JUST dIB YELLING IN PAIN, perfect.  Theres jsut so much good shit in this ep that just makes it better than the others. I wanted more of shit like this from the show and etc, I also want more fanart of pig Gaz. Good shit man  

#Invader zim #rant #iz #Dib membrane #Gaz membrane #Zim #Gaz taster of pork #spoilers for ppl who plan on watching iz soon for the first time

[minaim-blog]

DaTr Date Night - Chapter 3

The weekend is finally here and Dib is anxious to get the night started. But Tak being late might just be the least of problems. Can tensions be managed or was this whole party a mistake?

“Dib, if you’re going to pace do it in your room.” Gaz said as she laid on the living room couch, her Game Station in hand. Dib was consumed with his thoughts and paced unaware Gaz had spoken to him. “Dib!” Gaz said to him forcefully as she lowered her Game Station from her face, it pulled him out of his trance and she continued, “Do you mind? You’re giving the whole house anxiety.”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry…” Dib said apologetically as he writhed his hands together and then said as he continued to pace, “It’s just… Don’t you think we should have heard something by now?”

Gaz returned her attention to her game and said, “You told her to text us if there’s a problem. As far as I’m concerned no news is good news.”

Dib went over to the back of the couch and looked down at Gaz as he said, “But not even a status message, or saying she got home safe?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be her boyfriend or something?” She said raising an eyebrow. “You know she never texts us.”

“She texts me…sometimes.” Dib glanced to the side as he finished. Usually it was him who texted first. Tak preferred meeting face to face if she wanted to talk but she wasn’t completely averse to texting or calling if she needed company.

“She messages us if there’s a problem.” Gaz said as she paused her game still very annoyed, “Or if she’s feeling lonely and wants to hang out. But she’ll never text us just for the sake of it.”

“But she was really worried at Skool and-”

Gaz interrupted him, “She seemed fine when I saw her. And she was fine walking home on her own. So something tells me she’s fine.” Gaz gritted her teeth and brought all her attention to her game as she finished.

“But what about Zim?”

“What about him?” Gaz said completely indifferent.

“He should have been here half an hour ago. Do you think it’s related?”

“Jesus Christ!” Gaz set her Game Station down on the couch and sat up to give Dib the evil eye as she said, “You’re seriously with Tak on the whole hunter thing?”

“Well…I mean it’s a possibility.” Dib said as he straightened up and looked away from her, he could never meet Gaz eye to eye when she gave him that look.

She laid back down onto the couch and brought up her Game Station as she said, “He had to shake off Keef, and Gir’s probably being more than a handful as usual. I haven’t heard from either of them, so shut-up and relax. We can worry about it tomorrow if we don’t hear from them.”

Dib didn’t say anything else related to the matter after Gaz finished and only rubbed the back of his head. He sat down on the armchair across from the sofa with his hands folded, and was still visibly anxious.

“Don’t you have your phone, or a book to read, or something?” Gaz said without looking up from her game.

“No. Keef has it.” Dib said tired as he leaned his head back on the chair.

“Right.” Gaz drawled out, but didn’t say anything else on the matter. The two of them were now silent in the living room. With nothing else to do Dib sat in the chair as his mind wondered. He was somewhat hopeful that Keef didn’t have his phone and that it was just sitting in the office at Skool. If he did, the worst he could try to do with it would be to unlock it and maybe get Zim’s phone number. He dreaded the conversation that would lead to between Zim and himself if that happened. It wouldn’t have been the first time Keef got ahold of his number, but it was a pain every time that happened. That meant Zim would have to rewire his phone to a new number and give it out to everyone so they could be in contact. Dib thought that more than likely would not be enough, as recently whenever Keef got Zim’s number he had been able to connect even after it was rewired. None of them were sure how he was able to do it. Tak thought he was able to connect directly to the sim card of Zim’s phone, but the term “sim card” was lost to Zim as he never tried to perfectly mimic Earth technology the same way Tak had. All of the phones Zim made for himself followed the basic principles of how a phone worked, which according to him was to send and receive messages from other phones. The exact way in which he accomplished this technologically Dib was unsure of, as he never got a chance to inspect a phone made by him. The few gadgets of his Dib had seen were indistinguishably Irken in terms of capabilities, but their outer façade passed as Earthly. Dib guessed that Zim’s phone number was treated similar to a forwarding protocol and that there was another physical address connected to his device like the MAC address of a computer. This would explain why Keef was able to connect to his phone after the number was changed, and why Zim had to make an entirely new phone to throw him off. Regardless of how Keef could stalk Zim, Dib only hoped he didn’t tag along with him to tonight’s meetup, or else it would be completely ruined.

His father was out for the weekend on an important business trip, not even his roaming monitor would be in the house. Dib and Gaz wanted to take advantage of his complete absence by having a game and movie night at their house, and then the two of them had planned to sleep over. Their father respected their privacy so he never had any cameras installed anywhere in the house except for his lab. This meant both Zim and Tak would be able to come over and completely be themselves and no one would have to guard against any kind of conversation. They could even turn off their disguises if they wanted to, but Dib thought this was rather unlikely. The only time Tak would remove her disguise was when she was in her home base, when she was in the underground portion of Zim’s, and when she was off the planet. Anywhere else and she always had her disguise on. Compared to Zim who was much more relaxed and would probably take off his disguise the moment he entered the house. This was assuming Tak didn’t show up tonight, as she was always very strict with him and usually “persuaded” him to keep his disguise on when she was with him. Dib and Zim did hang out without his disguise if it was just them and they could get away with it, or sometimes Zim would wear his old one, but Tak didn’t need to know about their outings. All of this only brushed through his mind as he came back to worrying about her. As he sat thinking, the doorbell rang at the front door and he jumped to attention.

“That’s probably them. Why don’t you get it?” Gaz said, but it was unneeded as he was already getting up before she spoke. He made his way to the front with apprehension and excitement, but before he could open it the door slammed opened. Gir squealed with glee as he paraded past him with junk food in arms into the living room. Dib brought his attention from him as he looked to the doorway where Zim was now walking through. He had on his hard-light disguise and was carrying a plastic bag slung over his shoulders. His outfit was slightly modified from when he was at Skool to be a bit more casual, and from what he could tell he was already wearing his pajamas underneath a pink sweatshirt.

“Hey Dib. We brought snacks and a few movies to choose from like you asked. Is Tak here?” Zim said as he let himself inside and closed the door behind him.

“No she hasn’t made it yet. Did you hear from her?” Dib asked hopefully.

“Nope.” Zim said without inflection. He was trying to hide the pleasure in his voice but gave up as he went on, “Maybe she won’t come at all I can take off this crappy disguise.” He laughed slightly to himself as he walked past Dib. He tossed the bag to him but Dib fumbled and dropped it which caused candy and a few DVD’s to fall onto the floor.

“Aw, come on Dib I was right next to you.” Zim groaned slightly as he went down to the floor to pick up the mess. Dib did the same and said,

“Sorry. Guess I’m just out of it tonight.” He ended his statement with a small forced laugh.

“Don’t be sorry it’s your house.” Zim said indifferently as he unwrapped a small candy while cleaning up. He threw the wrapper into the bag and said while chewing, “Tak’s still eating you, huh?”

“Yeah. I guess you could say that.” Dib said as they finished putting the candies and DVD’s back into the bag. When they finished they were still sitting on the floor and he asked Zim, “You really think it was just sun spots?”

Zim shrugged where he sat facing Dib and still spoke indifferently, “Honestly I have no idea. It could have been sunspots, or a programing loop that was always running in the background that just decided to kick in today. Or maybe it was an attack.” He got up to his feet with the bag slung over his shoulders again. He reached his hand down to Dib, and he could see a small trace of worry in his eyes, but Dib knew it was worry over him and not for Tak. After Dib made it to his feet Zim asked, “If you’re worried why don’t you text her?”

Dib felt a small wince at Zim’s question, he tried to choose his words carefully. He didn’t want to start a fiasco by saying Keef might have his phone, especially since he wasn’t sure if he actually did. “I can’t. I…lost it at Skool.” Dib was worried he was too vague after he spoke and couldn’t help himself from glancing away from Zim for a moment.

“You did? Aw that sucks man.” Zim said consolingly, not noticing any irregularity in the way he was talking. “Do you want me to make you a new one?”

Dib turned back to Zim slightly shocked from his offer, “You’ll make me one? And, and a cool one too? With alien gadgets and stuff like I always wanted?” Dib ended with excitement trickling into his voice.

“Uh….? Yeah. Like, it’s not a big deal. Why didn’t you ever ask me before if you wanted one?”

Dib’s excitement cooled for a moment at Zim’s question. “Yeah, why didn’t I ever ask you?” He thought to himself as he was in deep reflection, which was broken by Zim’s disguised hand snapping in front of his face.

“Uh, Dib? Hello? You in there Dib?” Zim said as he snapped in front of his face.

Dib waved his hands away from him and said in a slight daze, “What? Oh yeah sorry. I spaced out there for a second.” He brought his hand to the back of his neck and stretched before he continued, “I guess…I don’t know. I just never thought to ask you. When Tak showed me hers it was just something cool at the time. And when she didn’t offer to make me one I just figured that was it, and moved on.”

While he was talking Zim’s look of confusion faded away into mild frustration, and then ended in a smug grin. “Let me guess.” Zim started to say as his grin grew into a smile and he walked into the living room, “She told you that, ‘you don’t need one’ or that she couldn’t be bothered to make one for you.” He made his way to the couch Gaz was hogging and gestured her to move her legs to make room for him at the end. She groaned as she did but did not look up from her game. “Weren’t these her exact words?” He finished as he sat down and spread his arms over the back of the couch.

Dib went to the same chair he was in a moment ago and said, “Yeah. That’s pretty much what she said.”

“Yup, yup. Classic Tak!” Zim said sarcastically. He hunched over after he finished, and his expression returned to annoyance. “Why did you guys even invite her? You know she’s a party pooper.”

“She’s not a party pooper, she’s…” Dib started to say as he tried to find the right word to use.

“She’s high strung.” Gaz chimed in from her game, and Dib replied with agreement.

“High strung? That’s putting it lightly.” Zim said and leaned his head against his hand on the armrest. He was quiet before he glanced to Dib and said, “She still hates me you know.”

Dib was shocked, not so much at what Zim said as he was by his abrasiveness.

“She’s annoyed by you.” Gaz said once again chiming in. “I am annoyed by both of you.” She said as she glanced to both Zim and Dib.

“Yeah you too Gaz, thanks.” Zim dismissed her with a wave of his hand playfully.

“She definitely doesn’t hate you Zim.” Dib started to say.

“No she definitely does.” He snapped back to Dib. “She goes out of her way to avoid me unless it’s for a prank (and those usually cause me bodily harm), and whenever the four of us are together she’ll either pretend I’m not here or put me down any chance she gets.”

“Aw come on, it’s not that bad.” Dib tried to reassure him but he felt himself getting red in the face as he spoke, “She was really grateful to you for helping her earlier.”

“No. She really wasn’t, and she only took my help because you pushed her to.”

“Yeah but you guys had a moment though right? You know, when you were talking about Mimi?” Dib was growing tense and shot finger guns at Zim as he spoke.

“What moment?” Gaz paused her game and looked to the two of them.

Zim sighed and said, “I can’t really even remember, but earlier when I was looking at her disguise she said she didn’t know where Mimi was or something. So I said I’d help her and send Gir out to go look for her, and then she thanked me for it. You know? Like a normal decent person.”

“You haven’t always been what I’d call a ‘decent person’, and I probably wouldn’t call you one now.” Gaz said.

“Hey, I think I’ve been more than decent!” Zim said as he brought his hand to his chest in pride, “Especially more decent that Tak has, considering how long she’s been friendly to you two. And how long has that been exactly?” He looked to Gaz and Dib with outstretched arms as he ended.

Dib scratched his head as he thought. “More than two years now, I think? There was a good bit of time between you and her becoming friends with us.”

“Yeah, and then how long have the three of us been friends?” Zim said.

Dib took off his glasses and wiped them as he continued, “I think about two years after you came, you and me officially became friends. Unless you want to the count the time after you realized you were banished and were just messing around here.”

“I wouldn’t. So four years?” Zim said.

“I’d say three and a half at most.” Gaz chimed in again from her game and continued, “I didn’t believe you were friends until after the first six months. I think even a year later I was still expecting you or Dib to make this big show of it just being a lie to get close to each other or something.”

“Oh I know, that sounds like something I would do.” Zim chuckled to himself lightly, some pride in his voice. “So yeah. I’ve been your friend for three, almost four Earth years. Then Tak has been your friend and my ‘friend’, and I’m using that term loosely.” Zim gestured his hands into air quotes as he said the word, “For only two years now. So um, yeah.” Zim crossed his arms over his chest as he ended

“So…what are you saying?” Dib asked Zim somewhat confused, but he had an idea as to what he was suggesting.

“Nothing! Nothing.” Zim curled up on the couch and didn’t say anything further for a moment and seemed to be thinking about what to say next, “It’s just… why do you- why does she still hate me after two years?”

“Aren’t you the reason she had to spend fifty years on planet Shit or something?” Gaz said from her game.

“It’s planet Dirt, and no. Kind of. Yeah.” Zim tossed his hands back and forth as he spoke, “But it wasn’t really fifty years (probably). Tak knows this, and I’ve explained it to Dib, and I’m pretty sure I’ve even explained it to you. Time doesn’t really work when you’re out in space. It’ll feel like you’ve spent fifty or a hundred years somewhere but really it’s only a few months at most. Like Foodcourtia!” Zim tapped his head as he remembered the planet he spent the first few years of his original banishment. “They get this weird period of gravitational pull that prevents anyone from leaving the planet for a few months, but it will feel like fifty years on the planet even though your body won’t age like fifty years actually passed.”

“I don’t know if I really believe or even get that Zim.” Dib said as he scratch his head, “I mean I’ve brought this up with my dad and he said something like that shouldn’t even be remotely possible.”

“Yeah, but how far into space has your dad ever gone?”

“He’s gone through a lot of our solar system.”

“That’s small potatoes for me, and even for you now.”

“But I’ve never experienced any ‘time displacement’ like what you’re talking about.”

“What about that black hole you fell into a month ago? You told me it felt like you were in there for a week but it was only a few minutes.”

“That’s from the event horizon.”

“Well it doesn’t matter.” Zim concluded their argument with an aggressive tone, “It’s a real thing and it’s been a big problem for the empire. It’s made their communications with different planets really inconsistent, and with so many Irkens all across the universe all at different times no one’s sure how much time has really passed.”

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting to ask you.” Gaz paused her game and looked to Zim as she spoke, “How old are you really?”

“Oh? Couldn’t tell you.” Zim waved his hand brushing aside the topic, “I’ve experienced what feels like over 100 years, but how old I really am and how long I’ll live I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Gaz said plainly, “Just curious on your life cycle.”

“Irkens don’t really know what our normal life cycle is, since we never hang out on one planet for long. So who knows? I could die next week or live on this planet forever…” Zim was silent for a moment as he ended his explanation and felt a small stare from both Gaz and Dib during it. After his pause he spoke violently, “Anyway, anyway, Tak! Why did we invite her?” He folded his hands together and pointed outwards when he finished.

“Dib’s girlfriend.” Gaz said simply.

“And your friend.” Dib said to Gaz, “And she’s yours too.” He said turning to Zim, “She just…has a lot to get over.”

“Well she’s had plenty of time to.” Zim’s tone indicated he didn’t want to explore the matter further. He rearranged himself on the couch and laid his legs over the armrest. He leaned back onto Gaz’s legs, who let out a small groan but only moved her legs slightly closer to herself. “So what are we doing?”

“I guess we can watch a show or play a game until Tak gets here. And maybe we can get something to eat.” Dib sniffed the air, and smelled the hot grease of bacon, and warming pancake batter. “Who’s making pancakes? And where’s Gir!?” Dib stood up and ended in a slight panic as he realized Gir wasn’t in the living room with them.

“He’s in the kitchen.” Gaz said calmly, still barely looking up from her game.

“Why is he in the kitchen cooking?” Dib looked to her confused.

“I like breakfast for dinner and he’s a good cook.”

“Better make sure you tell him to make something you can actually eat. I’ve made that mistake before and he put motor oil in my cereal, and worse too.” Zim said and shuddered.

Gaz looked to Dib and said, “Can you go check since you’re already up? And tell him I want blueberry pancakes.”

Dib sighed annoyed and said, “Yeah, I guess I’ll go do that.” He then went off into the kitchen.

After Dib left Zim sat back up, and patted his hands on his legs before he looked to Gaz and said, “So…Want to finish our Sonic marathon?”

She looked up to him from her game and after putting it down said, “Whatever you say Tails.” She then got up and started setting up the game and controllers.

“Hey I’m not being Tails again! You got to be Sonic last time.” Zim whined.

“Yeah, and you’re going to be Tails again. It’ll be easier, that way we don’t have worry about you dying and slowing us down.” She finished setting up the game and tossed the second controller to Zim as she went back to the couch.

Zim flinched slightly but caught the controller in his lap. After Gaz sat back down he crossed his arms and said, “Hump! I bet Dib never has to deal with this when he’s with Tak.” Gaz snorted in response to which Zim replied, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Gaz chuckled to herself slightly as she started the game.

As she sat back down on the couch Zim got in her face and said, “You say that but you really mean ‘it is something’, right?” Gaz didn’t say anything and tried to ignore him. Zim was always nosey about anything he wasn’t in on, so she was regretting her comment that sparked his interest. Even with her ignoring him, Zim was undeterred and said persuasively to her, “Come on. You can tell me.” She had enough of his begging so she turned and gave Zim the evil eye. Unfortunately he was unfazed, and all he did was pull his fingers across his lips and ‘zipped’ them shut. Gaz was fed up with him and was about to give in before she groaned aloud. “Come on. What’s going on with them? Is Dib whipped?” He asked innocently after she finished.

“No.” Gaz finally responded to him with a firm response, bur after a brief moment of thinking she drew out the words, “Kind of…”

“I knew it!” Zim says ecstatically, “What happened?” All of his attention was drawn away from the game and he was sitting on his knees on the couch facing her.

The way Zim acted over any little secret he could be in on was always funny to Gaz. She thought he acted like a kid that couldn’t bear to be out of the loop. She laughed slightly to herself as she said, “Oh my God…You’re like a Karen for gossip.”

“Wait, who is this Karen? And what does she have to do with this?” Zim asked confused.

“Nothing. Dumb Earth slang, look it up on your own time.”

“Right. Anyway you were saying?” Zim said eagerly, not allowing the two of them to be distracted from the topic.

Gaz groaned aloud again. She had been trying to play the game the whole time Zim spoke to her and was now setting it aside to speak to him. “You know how they went to the arcade the other night?”

“No. But continue.”

“Well I guess Tak lost to Dib on DDR and she had a fit over it or something.”

“Really? Just over losing to him?” Zim said confused, but after he thought about it briefly he thought that it was unsurprising.

“Well yeah, but I guess she went off on this whole thing about the empire and not accepting failure and she was really upset over it.” Gaz finished her brief explanation and then picked up her controller to continue playing in hopes that Zim would be satisfied.

She was surprised to find that he was. He said sympathetically to her and to himself, “Oh. That sounds about right.” After that he picked up his controller and continued playing with her.

The two of them were silent as they played and Gaz was the one to break the silence as she said, “She should probably talk to someone, besides you know, me and Dib.”

“Like how you’re seeing someone?”

“Yeah. I was thinking that.” Gaz said quietly to herself.

“Did you mention this to Dib?”

“No. And don’t you dare.” Gaz responded quickly with agitation.

“Hey my lips are sealed. Nobody knows anything you tell me. Not even Gir.” He reassured her.

“Yeah well, just forget about what I said for now.”

“Sure thing.” Zim said and the two of them continued playing. They weren’t silent as they played but the conversations they had only pertained to the game, which suited her just fine. The closest people in Gaz’s life were her father, and Dib; and more recently Tak, Zim and Gir had entered into her life, but she rarely shared her feelings with any of them. She knew this was out of a copping mechanism she developed when she was younger. Her father was somewhat absent from her and Dib’s life growing up, and they each had their own ways of dealing with it. Dib had his obsession with Zim and the supernatural and Gaz had her video games and reclusiveness. She thought that both Dib and herself had mellowed out over the years, which was a very good thing. She was still reserved with others and Dib was still very much into the supernatural, how ecstatic he must be to have an alien girlfriend, she thought to herself. Zim was Dib’s best friend, and his only friend besides Tak, but recently Gaz had found herself able to confide in him things she didn’t or couldn’t talk to her father or Dib about. About a year ago she started seeing a counselor. After having very little success with them as a child and going through about a dozen until she found one she liked. While she had been seeing them for a year nobody but Zim knew about this. When she thought on her reasons for confiding in Zim what she couldn’t to others she realized it was because Zim was an alien. As one he had very limited or no preconceived ideas about anything she could tell him about. Everything was foreign to him, so he was the perfect person to hear a unbiased opinion from, apart from his still very much present ego. Still she was happy to call him her friend, and as she thought about the past few years she spent with both him, Tak, and Dib she found herself to be very happy, even if she didn’t always show it on the outside.

______________________________________________________________

Dib saw a thin haze as he entered the kitchen, and heard bacon and pancakes sizzling on the stove. Gir’s disguise gave him the appearance of a fourteen year old boy, and he stood at the counter next to the stove stirring a bowl as he hummed to himself. He turned his head 180 degrees around and said, “Hey Dib! You here to help?”

Even though Dib knew Gir was a robot, he couldn’t help but feel disturbed by him turning his head around completely as he said, “Uh no, I’m just checking in. Gaz wants blueberry pancakes, and she wanted me to make sure you were making something the rest of us can eat.”

Gir turned his head around into the same direction completing a 360, and whined to himself, “Aw, but I already started.”

Dib went up to the counter where Gir was working. He had four pancakes on the grill that were uncooked side up, and a pan of bacon in the back. Dib also saw a few questionable ingredients out, one of the worst was rat poison, but he remembered hearing somewhere that it wasn’t lethal to humans. Even so, he thought it was best to dispose of the batch. “That’s alright Gir. You can have those pancakes for yourself. What did you put in the batter?” He said pointing to bowl he was stirring.

“Nothing. Just the mix.”

“Just the mix?” Dib said dubiously.

“Well the mix, orange juice, turmeric, garlic powder. Uh, whatever this stuff is.” Gir picked up the container of rat poison as he finished and shook it into the bowl. Dib grabbed his arm and took the rat poison away from him as he said,

“Maybe we should just start over.” He took the bowl away from him and dumped it into the sink. “What did you put on the bacon?”

“Nothing.” Said Gir innocently.

“Nothing?” Dib asked and Gir replied with affirmation. Dib continued, “Just bacon? No rat poison? Soap? Bleach? Sewage?”

Gir replied no to all of them as he listed and ended with, “Just bacon!” as he brought up his arms in exclamation.

Dib was satisfied enough to trust him, but probably not to try it later himself. He finished dumping the bowl and left it in the sink to wash later. “That should be fine then. But I think I’ll stay and help you finish.” Gir hugged him and squealed with glee, Dib pushed him off and said, “Just follow the directions, okay? And we should probably rinse off the grill once yours are done.”

“They should be good now.” Gir said and immediately scoped up the four unfinished pancakes with the spatula and placed them into his mouth which unhinged like a hatch. He chewed obnoxiously as he told Dib he didn’t know what he was missing and finished them in only a few seconds.

Dib considered Gir one of his friends along with Zim and Tak, even despite his oddities. In truth he liked Gir because of his oddities, but he also found him overbearing and even disturbing at times. He reeled slightly as Gir finished eating and said, “I think I’m good.” He went over to the stove and activated the self-cleaning functionality for the now open grill. One of the many benefits of having the smartest man on Earth for a father was that all the contraptions in the house were state of the art. They were upgraded or replaced repeatedly throughout the year as his father used his own home as a testing ground for his inventions. Sometimes this meant having to deal with a faulty device until his father found the time to iron out the issues. Thankfully the stove had no such problems, but their dishwasher was currently out of commission so they would have to hand wash everything else. “That should be good in a few minutes. We can start making the batter in the meantime.” He reached over to get the bowl in the sink but was stopped by Gir as he grabbed his arm and said excitedly, “I want to clean it!”

“Okay, just make sure you only use the dish soap.” Dib said a bit concerned.

“Okay dad.” Gir replied annoyed and went to the sink to begin cleaning.

Dib brought his hand to his face and squinted, “Please don’t call me dad.”

“Can I still call your dad that?” Gir said somewhat concerned.

“Yeah sure, whatever.” Dib said disregarding what he said. He saw Gir rummage through the cabinet underneath the sink where they kept the soap and sponges when his father’s inventions had a malfunction. Gir had been to the house plenty of times before, and Dib thought he probably knew the layout of the place better than he did. “Gaz wanted blueberries. Do you know if we have any?” He asked Gir.

“Fridge, second shelf down from the top, back right. They should be Membrane brand.” Gir replied without hesitation as he cleaned the bowl. Dib went to the fridge and followed his instructions, and sure enough there was an unopened bag of Membrane brand blueberries there. His father had an entire line of packaged food products ranging from meat to produce. All grown in the lab to be identical to the real thing and free from any moral inconveniences or pollution. Dib had tried almost all of them before at least once. His father claimed they were both chemically and biologically identical apart from any impurities that shouldn’t be there, but Dib could still tell the difference between the lab grown and the real thing. His father told him it was purely a psychological fallacy his mind was creating, and Dib wondered if his father still thought of him as his insane son. He set aside that thought for a moment and asked Gir if they had any pancake mix left. Gir replied that it was inside the box, so he went back over to the counter and found it, along with Gir at the sink. He didn’t seem to be cleaning the bowl and instead filled the sink halfway with water, and soap bubbles overflowed from it which he played with. He gently called Gir’s name and he replied with a confused, “What?”

Dib paused for a moment before he said, “Never mind. Just clean yourself off and come help me.” Gir shook and wiped himself clean and then the two of them began preparing the next batch. Dib produced a new bowl from the cabinet and gathered the ingredients for Gir to mix while he supervised and manned the grill. As they worked Gir asked,

“Have you heard anything from Kitty?”

“What?” Dib asked surprised.

“You know Kitty. Meow, meow.” Gir imitated a cat’s claws with his hands as he mewed.

“Oh, Mimi. No I haven’t. Have you heard anything from them?” Gir replied that he hadn’t and then the two continued in silence before Dib started, “Hey Gir, I know you and Mimi get along good, but what do you think of Tak?”

“Angry lady? She’s okay. She doesn’t like my master for some reason though.”

“You still call Zim your master?” Dib was surprised, he couldn’t remember the last time Gir called Zim ‘master’ and he thought either he stopped doing it or Zim told him to stop.

“Only when he’s sad sometimes.” Gir said absentmindedly, he was intently focused on stirring the batter.

“Oh.” Was all Dib replied for a moment. He looked behind him to the doorway leading to the living room where Zim and Gaz were. He pondered over what Gir said and began putting together the pieces from Zim’s words earlier. “Is he said right now?” He tried to ask quieter in case someone would overhear.

“Kind of…He doesn’t really want to be here with angry lady.”

Dib moaned quietly to himself and said, “He said he was fine with it when I asked him last week. Are they going to be at each other’s throat the whole night?” Gir shrugged as a response and Dib asked himself what he was going to do.

“Maybe you don’t need to do anything.” Gir said, and Dib was confused by what he meant but he continued, “I mean I really like Kitty and she really likes angry lady, so she can’t be that bad, and I think you like her too.”

“Tak? Yeah, she’s cool I guess.” Dib said in pretend indifference as he smirked to himself.

“Well Kitty said she really likes you and Gaz, and my master likes you too. So maybe they can like each other if they want to try.”

At Gir’s simplistic but rather optimistic statement Dib’s mood improved immensely, “Hey yeah, you’re right Gir! If they can like me and Gaz they must have something in common, so why can’t they like each other if they try to?”

“Yeah! And if angry lady and Zim try to kill each other just be friends with the one left.”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. And maybe don’t call Tak ‘angry lady’ if you can.”

“Can I call her the names Zim uses?” Gir asked eagerly.

Dib was about to say yes but thought about it for a second and then recanted, “No! Just call her Tak, or if you need to give her a nickname just something that isn’t bad.” While the two of them talked the doorbell rang and interrupted Dib from his sentence. “That must be them, I’ll be back in a minute!” He left abruptly and heard Gir say behind him to tell Mimi he said hello. He made his way from the kitchen to the front through the living room and saw Gaz and Zim sitting on the couch playing Sonic together on the television.

Zim turned around for a moment to yell to him on his way by and said, “Hey Dib! If it’s the pizza guy I’ll pay you back later. I forgot my Earth money at home.”

Dib stopped in his tracks to the door at Zim’s statement and said annoyed to him, “Why did you order pizza if we’re making food?”

Zim’s only response was a shrug, then Gaz said, “What’d you order?”

Zim said candidly, “Bloaty’s. What else?”

“If you don’t have money I’ll pay for it.” Gaz said back to Dib. Then the two of them returned to their game.

Dib groaned out loud and went over to the door with decreased excitement. The last thing he wanted was to answer the door for the weird, greasy, pizza delivery guy Bloaty’s always sent them. On his way to the door the bell rang again and with that Dib was convinced that it was the pizza guy at the door. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.” He said irritated and dreaded the conversation he would have with him. Dib imagined he would struggle to make change for the money he gave him and worse, as they always seemed just barely above brain-dead. He opened door and almost said, “What do you want?” but was stopped by a familiar sight.

Tak was standing under the dim light of the front porch in her human disguise as she looked to the side off into the distance. She was caring a backpack and had on Gaz’s burgundy Game Station hoodie from earlier today, and the hood was pulled back showing her face. Her hair was in the style of a longer somewhat messy bob, and it was black instead of her usual dark purple. Her hands where placed in her front jean’s pockets, which were skinny and black. At her feet where her usual style of boots she wore and Mimi, who rubbed against her legs as she mewed hello to Dib. Tak turned away from whatever she was looking at towards Dib. She had a look of indifference and disinterest on her and only said the word, “Hey.” As a small grin grew across her face.

Dib replied similar with only the word, “Hey.” Then he stepped out the front door and went to hug her, and she followed his embrace. The two of them stayed there under the front porch light in the twilight of the sky that was drenched in orange with light pollution of the nearby city. The only sound between any of them was the soft and barely noticeably sound of Mimi purring as she rubbed against their legs. After a moment they stopped hugging and Dib brought her inside and closed the door behind them as he said, “I like your hair.”

Tak stepped into the house and startled slightly at his comment, then she turned to look at herself in a mirror on the wall. “Yeah I tried to match Zim’s wig, since Zita saw me.” She touched and readjusted her hair as she looked into the mirror. “I don’t know how long I’ll keep it. Probably not too long, I miss the purple.”

Dib joined her in the mirror and said, “Yeah, me too. Not that black doesn’t look good on you.” Dib added quickly, “The purple is just…” He rotated his hand in a circular motion as he tried to find the word he was looking for, “I don’t know. More you. I guess.” He turned from the mirror to face her and said, “Did you ever figure out what was wrong with your disguise?”

Tak responded, “No, I brought it home and did a full analysis and ran every troubleshoot I could think off. Part of the reason why it took me so long. Well, that and I was working on this.” She swung her backpack around from her and took out something. She extended her arm out with it to Dib, and in her open hand he saw what looked like a new phone. Dib took it from her and it activated on its own in his hand. When it turned on he saw Tak’s modified Irken insignia light up on the screen. “To replace your old one. I know you didn’t really lose it yet, and it’s probably just sitting at the office in School-” Tak fidgeted with her hair and spoke quickly as she gave her explanation. Then she calmed herself down and continued coolly, “But, considering what happened today I thought it was best that you and I had a better way to communicate in case something like this happened again…that and I know you wanted one.” She added in a tone that feigned to be unsentimental.

“Tak! This is really…” Dib started unsure what words to use to express his thanks. She rarely used her own insignia, as she was afraid someone would recognize it as Irken. So he took it as a sign it was unique in its abilities. He continued, “Just… thanks. It’s really cool.”

“You’re welcome. And you’re right if you think it’s more than just a phone that’s off the grid. It can do a whole lot more than anything on Earth, but I’ll leave what it can do up to you to figure out. Since I know you like that sort of thing.” She looked into her backpack and rummaged for something before she looked back up to Dib and said, “Did I get here first or did Zim-?”

Zim called to them from the living room and interrupted her as she spoke, “You okay back there Dib? Is the pizza guy still here?”

“-No. Of course he didn’t.” Tak said aggravated, lowly to herself.

Dib yelled back to the living room, “No it’s just Tak, she made it.”

“Oh. Okay.” Zim said from the living room and the two of them could sense some disappointment in his voice. They then heard Gir as he entered the living room and excitedly said, “Who wants breakfast!?”

“And he brought Gir?!” Tak almost yelled out loud in her shock, which surprised Dib. Mimi either didn’t notice or didn’t care, as she mewed in excitement and ran over to meet Gir in the living room. Tak called out shrilly to her to not interact with him to no avail. They heard Gir exclaim, “Kitty!” Then she groaned to herself as she went off into the side room opposite of the living room. Dib followed her and saw her lean against a window looking outward with an expression of disgruntlement. She said, “I thought you said you only invited Zim.”

“We did.” Dib started to say to her, “But him and Gir are kind of a package deal. You know, like you and Mimi?”

Tak brought her hand up to cover her eyes in exhaustion and said, “Tell me they’re at least wearing their disguises?”

“They are. But I don’t think they really need to. You’re all safe here, you could probably take off your disguise for the night if you want too.”

“I’ll keep it on.” Tak said flatly, “No offense, but considering your father’s the smartest member of your species I’d rather not have him see me without my disguise on. Even with his supposed respect for your privacy I can’t believe he doesn’t have any monitoring of his home.”

“He does. But only in and around the lab. The rest of the house is safe.”

“I’m sure it is.” She stopped leaning on the window, straited up, and exhaled deeply. “Even so. Considering the fiasco that was this afternoon I’d rather just keep it on.” She turned to Dib and said, “And please tell me you'll make sure they keep their disguises on too.”

“Yeah. Like I said, they already have their disguises on. And I don’t think they have a problem with them either.”

“Good.” Tak relaxed a bit and brought her hand to her face to brush her hair away. “The idiot’s finally smartening up.”

Dib exhaled in frustration as he brought his own hand up to his hair. He said, “Why do you treat him like this? He’s not an idiot you know.” Tak responded with a deadpan expression as she lowered her hand from her face to stare at Dib. “Okay he has plenty of lapses in judgement, I’ll give you that. But he’s hardly what I consider an idiot.”

“Sure. He’s brilliant.” Tak deadpan demeanor seeped into her tone as she spoke, and she looked away from him to the window as she crossed her arms over her chest.

As things were turning out Dib was worried that Gir’s worst case scenario was coming close to happening. He choose his words carefully before he spoke again, “He was a big help today at Skool.” Tak was unphased. “And he even offered to help you find Mimi when we didn’t know where she was.” Tak readjusted herself as she looked out the window. Finally she said,

“He can occasionally think of someone other than himself, but one good gesture hardly makes up for everything.”

“What does he have to make up for?” He reached out and touched her shoulder, but she shook him off and refused him as she stepped closer to the window.

“He’s a selfish, conceited, and annoying little brat.” She started to say, still looking away from him. “That, and combined with everything he’s done to ruin my life I think I’ve been exceptionally kind to him.”

“What, by insulting him and sometimes hurting him every chance you get?” Dib said angry and let his emotions show unguarded. Tak didn’t say anything to his question but he saw her posture visibly tighten and could make out a girted expression on her face in the faint reflection of the window. Dib brought his hand to his face as he looked away and tried to cool himself down. He didn’t want to start a fight with her and ruin the party. He also realized he hasn’t always been the best influence for her. Considering he’s ignored or even encouraged Tak’s pranks he knows he’s partially to blame for her actions. He began again calmer and said, “He’s not the same self-centered, annoying little green alien that came to this planet six years ago. He’s still pretty selfish and full of himself, but he’s getting better.” Tak was unmoved by what he said but he still continued, “And he is sorry. He’s told you multiple times now. The most recent was today actually.” Dib regretted his tone right after he finished. It wasn’t angry, but it certainly felt like he was accusing her. Tak’s posture seemed to loosen at his remark and she turned around to face him with an annoyed, mocking look on her face, and had one arm cradling the elbow of the other as she said,

“You know, one thing I could never get over about Earth is that you guys seem to think just saying ‘sorry’ is enough to make up for something. But I don’t think it could even be remotely close to makeup for what happened to me.” She ended her statement in anger.

“I don’t think saying ‘sorry’ is enough either, and I don’t think that’s all he’s done.” Dib began to say frustrated now, “He’s tried to make things better and he’s helped us out multiple times, again, he most recently helped you! Just…” Dib brought up his hands to his face to wipe it and tried to cool himself off before he continued, “Look, I know the four of us do hang out sometimes but when we do the two of you just kind of imagine the other doesn’t exist or worse. He’s doing a lot just by being here tonight, but he’s doing it because he likes me and Gaz, but so do you. Do you think maybe you could admit you two have something in common? Or at least tolerate him the same way he is you for us tonight?” Dib tried to end it there with Gir’s insight from earlier, and hoped it would put things into perspective for her. Instead, after he finished he was surprised to see an angry look wash over Tak as she brought up her hands and squeezed them in anger.

“You-Idiot! Don’t you think I realize this, and it’s the whole reason I agreed to this in the first place?”

“What?” Was all Dib could say in his confusion.

She went right up to his face and said still very angry, “I already know he likes you guys! I’m expecting him to behave because of it, if he didn’t I’d be furious with him!”

“Oh.” Was all Dib could say and he thought to himself, “Yeah idiot.” With that sudden outburst Tak seemed to cool off, or at least she tried to. She turned away from Dib and pulled at the back of her hair as she squinted in annoyance and pain. “Are your antennas hurting again?” He asked her concerned, she opened her eyes and stopped pulling at her hair and looked very self-conscious.

“They’re fine. Just sore.” She fixed her hair as she said this but would not look to Dib as she finished.

“Want to go upstairs and I’ll massage them for you?” He approached and reached out to her shoulder as he said this. She didn’t notice Dib, and was considering his offer but as she saw him she jumped back and said tensely while touching her hair,

“I said I’m fine. Can you stop doing this?”

“Doing what?” Dib said confused.

“This.” Tak gestured to all of him, “What you always do. You always try to be the ‘voice of reason’ or the mediator, but you’re not very good at it.”

“I don’t…” Dib was about to go on but as he thought about how he’s acted, particularly over the past few days, he realized he has definitely tried to be the mediator. “…Okay yes I do.” Tak didn’t say anything else but crossed her arms over her chest irritated, he continued “But I don’t really think that’s a bad thing, somebody has to.”

Tak unfolded her arms and brought them up at a loss for words. “No, you don’t, you don’t have to. Tonight would have been just fine if you hadn’t brought this up. Zim and I would have tolerated each other enough to be on the opposite ends of the room without making eye contact and then we would have all just gone to bed after tonight.”

“Yeah but-” Dib was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell as he started talking. Both him and Tak looked to the door the latter of which said,

“Who else did you invite?” She hissed as her eyes darted back to him.

“No one. That’s probably the pizza they order.”

Tak tensed up at Dib’s explanation and he could see her physically fight not to pull her hair, “Why did they order pizza? Are they trying to drive me insane?”

“Relax the pizza guy’s not going to notice anything.” Dib said trying to reassure her.

“I know that.” Tak said less stressed, “But it’s always the same weird one that likes to hang out as long as possible and is probably half brain dead.”

“Yeah, so we’ll just pay and shoo him off.” Dib went up to the door and opened it to the pizza guy.

He was tall but had horrible posture as he hunched over holding the pizzas in one arm. He had long greasy black hair and acne all over his face. His uniform was bright pink with a fat pig eating a pizza sewed onto his right chest and on his left side was an upside down name tag that read “CJ”. He let himself into the house past Dib and said, “I got a large cheese pizza, and a large half pepperoni, quarter anchovies, and quarter no cheese for a Mr.…Uh, I can I can never get this guy’s name right.” He said the last part to himself annoyed and read the name on the receipt phonetically, “In-va-der Zim?”

Tak jumped slightly at the pizza guy’s words but before she could say anything Dib went to him and said, “That’s us! He’s busy right now but we can pay you.”

The pizza guy looked up from the receipt, “Oh hey Dab.” He said with a smile, “How you doing man?”

“It’s Dib, and I’m fine uh…” Dib started to say dubiously.

“CJ. Did you forget my name man?” He said annoyed and crossed his free arm.

“No.” Dib lied, “Your name tag is upside down.”

CJ looked down to his name tag and saw that it was, “Oh, yeah it is.” He then tried to fix it and nearly dropped the pizzas doing so. Tak then came over and took them away from him. “Thanks,” He said uncaringly. She carried them off to a table in the side room as he continued, “It’s twenty six, sixty seven for the guy’s pizza. And is that really his name?” He asked regarding the name Zim used to order.

“Nope.” Said Tak flatly, “He’s just a child who likes to play pretend.”

“Oh…Really? What’s he pretending?”

Tak nearly slammed the pizzas on the table and said, “Dib, give the deliver drone his money so he can go.”

Dib reached for his pocket quickly but realized he didn’t have his wallet on him. He said he would be back as soon as he got some money.

“Don’t bother.” Tak said as she went over to her backpack on the ground and reached into it. She produced a wad of bills and presented a one hundred note to CJ and said, “This should cover it. You can go now.”

CJ looked at it and said slowly, “Uh…you’ll have to wait for me to get the change for this.”

“That’s not required, you may keep the rest.”

“Really?” CJ asked excitedly, “You like me that much?”

“No. Let me be perfectly clear.” Tak started to say slowly and deliberately, “I’m paying you one hundred dollars to fuck off. You should take it and leave before I remove you myself.” She then produced another one hundred note and gave it to him.

CJ accepted it but pondered over what she said with a quizzical look on his face and then said skeptically, “I don’t know how I should feel about this.”

“Decide later. Goodbye!” Tak said quickly as she turned him around and pushed him out of the doorway and slammed it shut behind him. She leaned on the door after it closed and let out a relieved sigh.

“Well that went better than expected.” Dib said, “I’d pay you back but I know you pretty much print money.”

“Your welcome.” Tak said as she brushed a hand through her hair while still leaning on the door. “Why did they order pizza? Didn’t Zim’s SIR unit say he made food or something?”

“Miscommunication. Gaz told Gir she wanted breakfast for dinner, and I guess Zim ordered pizza on the way here or something.”

“That sounds about right.” Tak said annoyed. She got off the door and went to her backpack and began rummaging through it.

Dib watched her and then went over to the side table where she left the pizzas to bring them to the rest of the party. As he did so he said, “And uh…Tak?”

“Please don’t start again.” She said flatly as she went through her backpack.

Dib grabbed the pizzas off the table and said, “I’m not, it’s just…Is everyone going to have a good time tonight?”

Tak stopped going through her backpack and turned around to look at him as she said, “I don’t know. I can’t speak for everyone but I actually wanted to be here. I find most of the party amicable so I just figured I’d have a good time if I just focused on them.” She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, “I assume you think the party’s already off to a bad start.” There wasn’t any unrest in the way she spoke or even in her posture, she was simply stating what she observed.

“No, at least I don’t think so.” He said this more to himself than to her, “Look, I’m sorry we had a fight, maybe putting you and Zim in the same house for the night wasn’t the best idea.” He could see Tak tense up as he continued, “I’m not saying one of you should leave but…I don’t know, maybe I was just dumb to think we could all get along for the night.”

Tak took a deep breath, and relaxed slightly as she said, “Look: the night hasn’t even started and Zim and I haven’t even seen or spoken to each other. He is…something.” She looked off to the living room where everyone else was as she said that word. “But I wouldn’t have agreed to come tonight if I couldn’t handle him.” There was a small pause before she reluctantly finished, “And you might be right when you say he isn’t the same annoying little alien from six years ago.”

“Dammit Gaz! Just grab onto me and let me fly your fat ass!” The two of them heard Zim yell out from the living room. After hearing it Tak said annoyed,

“Or maybe not.”

“You’re not the same either. You’ve both changed a lot. For the better I think.” He went next to her with the pizzas in hand and nudged her side with his playfully, “I know you have a lot to get over, but try to get along with him tonight, at least a little bit more than usual. Okay?”

Tak breathed deeply again and then said, “Whenever I have to be around him you know I tolerate him. That’s the best you can hope for out of me.” She bent down to her backpack and took something out of it. “But maybe tonight I can tolerate him a bit more than usual. Maybe anyway.” Out of her backpack she took the wig and contacts Zim gave to her earlier today and showed it to Dib who gave a smile as he said cheerfully,

“That will probably be a good way to start.” He thought to himself for a moment before he asked, “You didn’t do anything to them, did you?”

“Apart from clean them, no.” Tak said as she crossed her arms slightly insulted, “I’m trying to behave myself tonight, at least as long as he does anyway.”

“Well, I guess that’s as good as I can hope for.” Dib said with mock cheer and then made his way into the living room with Tak beside him. When he stepped into the living room he could see Gaz and Zim on the couch playing their game and two partially eaten plates of pancakes on the coffee table. He also spied Gir playing with Mimi on the ground with what he assumed was some mess of string. He lifted the boxes above himself and said to the room, “Tak’s here, and so is the pizza!”

“We heard you guys in the other room.” Gaz said dryly from the couch, she looked away from the game for a moment to the two of them and said, “Hey Tak.”

“Hello Gaz.” She said simply, “I have the sweater you lent me earlier.” She then began to remove it from her person revealing a dark purple tee shirt she had on underneath. “Where do you want me to put it?”

“Just leave it anywhere, I’ll put it back in my room later.”

Tak then laid it down carefully over the armchair by the couch. “I also have your ridiculous disguise from earlier today.” Tak said playfully before she threw the disguise at Zim. It hit him in the side of the head, and even though it did not hurt him, when Zim was hit he let out a resounding, “Ow!” as he rubbed the side of his head that was hit and looked to the two of them. “Oh don’t be such a smeet.” She said as she collapsed onto the armchair slouching. “And you can thank me later for disinfecting them.”

Zim placed down his controller to inspect his wigs and contacts, he felt something was off with the texture of the wig and brought it to his nose to smell it, after which he gaged and said, “Aww, Tak! What did you do to this?”

“Nothing.” Tak said innocently, “I just put them through a cleaning solution to try and get some of the grime off. You should thank me for taking the time to clean it.” She ended her statement with satisfaction in her voice.

Zim was unimpressed and brought the wig an arm’s length away and covered his nose in the pit of his elbow as he said, “Well whatever you put it in, it’s making me nauseous! If you were expecting me to put them on tonight you’re out of luck.”

“I wasn’t!” Tak began saying annoyed, “And if you know what’s good for you you’ll keep your real disguise on.”

“Hey….” Dib interrupted entreatingly, “I’m bringing the pizzas into the kitchen and helping myself to them if anyone wants to join me.”

“I’ll have some pizza. Gir, cover for me.” Zim said as he stood up from the couch and went over to Gir.

Gir was still on the floor with Mimi, who was on her back as he dangled a piece of string above her to swipe at, “But Kitty!” He implored looking to Zim.

“He doesn’t have to play for you. You’re Tails.” Gaz said.

“But what if you need to fly over something?” Zim asked.

“I won’t. The whole game’s meant to be played without that.”

Zim was satisfied enough with Gaz’s explanation or at least eager to join Dib in the kitchen. As he went away he called out, “Well just don’t do anything exciting without me, I don’t want to miss anything!”

“No promises.” Gaz said playfully in her dull tone which earned a small gruff from Zim who none the less went off with Dib into the kitchen without another word.

With Zim and Dib in the kitchen, Gaz and Tak were left with each other in the living room. Gaz was focused on her game and Tak didn’t feel any need to distract her from it, so she fixed herself slightly up in the chair and watched Mimi. Gir was kneeling on the ground above her and dangling a mess of string for her to swat at as she laid on her back. Both of them had happy faces as they were completely focused on their game, and neither one of them noticed Tak as she glared daggers at the two of them. She had given Mimi explicit instructions not to interact with Gir both in the past and now just a moment ago, so she was very annoyed that Mimi decided to disobey her orders. She used her communicator and said to Mimi, “What do you think you’re doing?” Her tone was icy and did not portray any other type of emotion besides her annoyance which she could not hide in her thoughts.

Tak was satisfied and surprised that Mimi payed attention to her and slowed in her swatting as she adjusted her head slightly to turn to face her. Mimi communicated to Tak, “I’m fulfilling my disguise Ma’am.”

Mimi gave her response with disinterest, and her tone angered Tak slightly. She then said to her somewhat venomous and still icy, “Really…? Because it looks like you’re playing with the enemy.”

Mimi stopped her swatting completely at Tak’s statement and brought her front legs down to her belly and said to her, “If he’s the enemy Ma’am, then why are we here with him and his superior?”

Tak didn’t say anything to her question but couldn’t help herself from glancing from her to Gaz for a brief moment as she continued to glare daggers at her. Mimi noticed her eye movement and looked to Gaz and then back to Tak as an exasperated expression washed across her face. It was still there even as Gir noticed she stopped playing, and playfully pushed the mass of string into her head as he entreated saying, “Kitty?” gleefully unaware of the conversation she was having with her superior. She was still glaring at Tak as she complied with Gir and resumed her swatting.

Tak broke the silence as they glared at each other and said, “I gave you a direct order not to interact with him.” Some feelings of disloyalty were present in her tone as she spoke to Mimi.

She responded plainly, “I’m not in danger. And we’re not bothering you Ma’am. If anything, I’m keeping him from bothering you by occupying his time.”

Tak relented with a condition and said still annoyed with her, “Just behave yourself.”

Mimi was satisfied with that response but before she resumed her playing with Gir she said back to her, “I’ll only follow your lead Ma’am.” The way she said it equated to, ‘I will if you do’ which Tak didn’t like, but she had enough talking with her.

As far as she could tell all Gir was doing with Mimi was playing with her, so she didn’t feel too strong of a need to separate them. She brought her attention away from them and focused on the television screen as Gaz marched her blue character across the screen and got lost in her thoughts. She still felt very negatively about Gir, not only because he was a creation of Zim’s and she found him irritating, but because his interactions with Mimi had been very hazardous in the past. Since the first incident six years ago when Gir was able to remote access and control Mimi, Tak felt she had never fully reverted back to her old self. Tak had been able to correct the problem and reinstate her autonomy and old programming but she felt something in Mimi was off, not to say she was exactly the same then as she is now. She operated smoothly and never disobeyed or performed detrimentally to their mission, but over time she found Mimi’s personality had developed increasingly into something she had unanticipated. The phrase, ‘gone native’ went through Tak’s mind, and were Mimi’s own words when she described the state Tak was in. She said it back to her as a joke the other night, but when she thought back on it she found the description fits Mimi perfectly. The original parts she used to create her where unique in that her “brain” was designed to observe, learn, and in a sense grow over time. Due to this any and all information she took in, whether it was combative, technical, or even cultural, was assimilated and compiled into her inner processor. The entire design purpose behind a SIR unit like Mimi was to create a robot that could, ‘go native’ so as to assist an Invader in blending in on an enemy planet. Hence the reason why Mimi perfectly mimicked the habits of a domestic house cat, and preferred them over acting as a robot. Tak thought perhaps that was the reason she found her parts discarded on Dirt. All modern SIR units used by Invaders today could collect and analyzed data, but they couldn’t understand it the same way she or Mimi could, so their programming remained static throughout their existence. More than likely Tak thought this was a conscious choice by their designers to avoid any complications a constantly changing AI could bring. Tak almost felt the same way, she appreciated having Mimi as a companion for as long as she has, but she also found that sometimes she could be a bit of a nuisance. If only because of her uncalled for opinions she continued to provide without being asked to. Oddly, she briefly thought there was some similarity between Gir and Mimi. If only because it seemed to her that Gir seemed to change over the years similar to her. She thought perhaps  Zim and herself had been rummaging through the same bunch of garbage when they made their SIR units, but she couldn’t even bare that similarity so instead she chalked it up to poor design choices and dumb luck of Zim on creating Gir.

In the middle of her thought she came back to reality at the sound of Gir squealing over something Mimi was doing. She turned quickly to face the two of them and saw Gir grab Mimi into a hug. She was about to say something but noticed Mimi didn’t look displeased, if anything she looked quite happy. She decided not to intervene since as far as she could see there was no danger to her, but she made a mental note to herself to analyze her when they returned home tomorrow night.

“How was your walk home earlier?” Gaz said to Tak suddenly, jumping her out of any other trail of thought she was in.

“Oh, thankfully nothing happened.” She started to say coolly, “But I’m also infuriated that nothing did.” She ended her statement gritting her teeth.

Gaz let out a small chuckle and said, “Didn’t I tell you everyone’s dumber than a sack of bricks?”

“You did, but this is just uncanny.” Tak said exasperated, “If I brought you or Dib anywhere in the Empire in an Irken costume twice as good as what I wore home, the two of us would be shot dead in seconds.”

“I doubt that.” Gaz said unimpressed.

“It’s a lot different in the Empire.” Tak retorted quickly, “Your planet doesn’t even believe in other planetary life, but we constantly have to be alert in case of infiltration.”

“Uh…maybe.” Gaz said still unconvinced. She hadn’t turned her head away from the game the whole time she spoke to Tak, and she was now focusing intently on beating a boss. Tak watched her as she played. The game didn’t interest her as much as the fighting games she’d gone against her in, if only because it seemed to lack depth compared to them, but she still found the motions of the main character mesmerizing. Tak thought the overall design of the game was lacking as she had difficulty decerning what some objects were supposed to be. She assumed the background of the level was meant to be water or a forcefield of some kind and the boss was some fat man riding a orb shaped hover craft. She watched Gaz hop the blue creature into the boss for a total of eight times all while avoiding shots from it. After she finished the level Gaz said, “So nothing happened at all?”

Tak brought one of her hands to her face again and rolled her eyes as she groaned, “Actually the most infuriating and insane thing of the day happened on my way back. Some weird-o, for some unbelievable reason, decided to cat-call me on my walk home.”

“That doesn’t sound crazy.” Gaz said disappointed, “That’s just whatever.”

“But I was green!” Tak said in disbelief of what she was telling her, “What-What on Irk kind of thing was he thinking?”

“Everyone’s dumb, but guys are dumber.” Gaz said to her plainly, “What did you do to him?” She asked, some excitement in her voice.

Tak blew air and sighed, “Nothing. Normally I would have but with everything happening I just wanted to get home in one piece without any attention.”

“That’s far.” Gaz said understanding. “You still got plenty of test subjects back home anyway.”

“More than I know what to do with.” Tak said and chuckled softly to herself. She then remembered who was in the room with her and turned to see Mimi and Gir still playing. She said a bit quitter to Gaz, “Do you think he heard us?”

Gaz responded unconcerned, “I don’t think they’re paying attention to us, and he won’t say anything.”

“Of course.” Tak said with some concern in her voice and looked over to Mimi and Gir. She had forgotten they were in the room with them as she chatted with Gaz, but they seemed to be distracted with whatever game they were playing. For a moment she wondered if her mind wiping technology would work on Gir, and whether she would be able to do so to him discreetly. She’s been experimenting on humans since she arrived on the planet, even after she became friends with Dib and Gaz. Her first experiment was with the owner of the Deelishus Weenie corporation as her surrogate father, but following ‘developments’ as Tak put it, she began other more involved experiments of human biology. Once Dib found out about her experiments, as well as her most recent project, he had her release all of the livings ones and the ones who could be repaired. She did release all her test subjects, with the exception of her father which she was able to convince Dib was necessary for her survival on the planet. But she still had further experiments to run, so not too long after releasing them she began collecting again. To her credit she only collected criminals and other undesirables afterwards and employed a catch and release policy for some of them in hopes that Dib would accept her interests. But she never told him she was still experimenting on humans. She figured what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, and what she was doing was done in hopes of better understanding herself, so Tak thought he would have to understand her if he wanted to be a good boyfriend.

“Oh, and speaking of freak experiments.” Gaz started to say absentmindedly in between her game, “Did you fix your phone? You know, since Keef probably has Dib’s?”

“Already taken care of.” Tak said assuredly, “And I gave Dib a new phone as a precaution.”

“You bought him one on your way here?” Gaz asked confused.

“No. I made him one.” She said proudly. Tak was well aware of her technological accomplishments, and wanted to be sure Gaz knew her work when she saw it.

“Cool, could you make me one?” Gaz said absentmindedly.

Tak didn’t respond immediately, as the request itself caught her off guard slightly. She remembered that she initially rejected Dib’s request to make him a phone when she first joined their friend group. That seemed ages ago to her, and she assumed it did to them as well. Even so, she had a small fear that Dib would find some grievances with her if she agreed to make one for Gaz so easily. She decided that it would be unfair to make one for Dib and not Gaz, so somewhat reluctantly she replied with, “I - Sure.”

“Sweet.” Gaz said pleased, leaving Tak to dwell on her thoughts. She was jostled from them by the sound of Zim and Dib laughing in the kitchen as she looked off into that direction. “Sounds like the idiots are having fun.” Gaz said to herself.

Tak didn’t say anything at first and only fixed herself in her chair to watch the television and sighed lightly before saying, “Yeah.”

Gaz looked to her from the corner of her eye and said, “Do you want to play?”

Tak came to attention at her question and said, “I’ve never played this game before, so it probably won’t be very exciting to watch.”

“Didn’t you wipe the floor at the arcade the other day on games you never played?” Gaz said opening an eye wide to her.

           “Dib told you about that?” Tak asked somewhat surprised that Gaz knew about the particulars of her date.

Gaz replied simply, “Yeah.”

           Tak was about to ask, ‘how much did he tell you?’ But thought better not to ask and said with a small amount of annoyance she couldn’t hide, “Well all those games were dumb.”

“Well this isn’t dumb, so play with me.”

“This game doesn’t look too interesting to me, and I don’t really want to play as the little orange thing following you around.” Tak said with her arms crossed.

“Play as Sonic then, and I’ll be Tails.”

She was about to say that she didn’t want to play as the blue thing either when she heard a call from Zim in the kitchen. “Gir your stuff is ready!” He yelled to the living room, and then repeated his name after he didn’t hear a response. Gir replied that he was busy. Tak let out an annoyed pout and was about to get up and yell back but Gaz stopped her and said,

“Don’t worry about it. They’re dumb but they can handle it. You playing or what?” Tak was running out of excuses, it was clear to her that Gaz wanted to play the game with her but she still wasn’t sold on it. She had been mesmerized by the way Gaz moved her character quickly across the screen, even in the slower pace of the water level she was finishing up. She watched her beat the boss in style after which the title “Hydro City Zone Act 2” lit up on the screen. Gaz paused the game and handed her controller towards her and said, “Well? Are you at least going to try it?”

Somewhat begrudgingly, Tak gave in and said, “Just to humor you. Sure I’ll try it, don’t expect me to like it.” She moved on to the couch next to Gaz and setup with their respective controllers. She un-paused the game and said, “So what’s the purpose of this game?”

“You gotta go fast.” Gaz said as a small smirk grew across her face.

“I can see that.” Tak said unimpressed. After the game was un-paused she saw the characters consumed in a vortex as they went behind geometry and appeared on a lower level. “Any other goal? I see this game has rudimentary combat with the bosses you fought. Does it get anything like that fighting game?”

“Tekken? No, you just hop on enemies until they die like Super Mario.” Gaz said as she demonstrated with her own character in the game.

“Which one is that? Not the one with the yellow disk eating ghosts or something?”

“Pacman? No, it’s the one with the Italian guy and giant mushrooms.”

“Ugh!” Tak let out a disgruntled moan as she continued, “What is with all these Earth games and their ridiculous settings?”

“Less talk more speed.” Gaz said as she nudged Tak back to the game.

Tak obeyed and began her process of analysis of the game as she played. She noted it had fairly limited physics based upon the speed and momentum of her character, that most enemies could damage her simply by touch, and that to prevent death she had to carry at least one golden ring. “Very simple in concept.” Tak thought to herself, “Not as graceful as Gaz yet, but in no time at all I should be able to master this little game.” With that thought in mind she brought all of her focus onto the game and began her conquest of it, as she knew any true Invader would achieve.

______________________________________________________________

Dib and Zim made their way into the kitchen. There was still a faint haze of smoke from Gir’s cooking that permeated the air. None of the dishes had been cleaned but there was still a tower of suds in the sink from when Gir was playing in it. The stove looked dirtier than Dib would have expected from bacon and pancakes, with grease and batter all over it in places where it shouldn’t be, but he assumed that was normal for Gir. Along with that it seemed he had helped himself to the rest of the kitchen. Cabinets where open with pots and pans everywhere; milk, eggs, and cookie mix were open out on the table, there was something cooking in the oven (he hoped cookies), and the fridge was left open.

As they entered and saw the state it was in Zim said apologetically, “Uh…Sorry about Gir wreaking your kitchen. I usually let him do whatever he wants at ours but I should probably tell him to be more considerate at your house. You have a cleaning robot right?” He ended looking to Dib.

“No, not really.” Dib started to say as he made an open spot on the table for the pizzas. “Since the whole Foodio-self-destruct thing dad’s kind of been turned off from domestic robots.”

“Oh yeah, ‘Destructio’” Zim said reminiscing to himself, “Your dad hasn’t made any robots since then?”

“You almost had it blow up our whole family Zim.” Dib said in a huffy as he went to the fridge door to close it, “That, and he still can’t get over the poached eggs it used to make.”

Zim sat down at the table and said callously, “Well sorry. It was only a few years ago.” He opened the box of cheese pizza and said, “I hope they didn’t ruin my order. I swear every time I think about how they could mess it up they end up doing that exact thing. They must have mind reading technology or something.” He then took out a slice and began eating, while doing so he said, “I’ll be sure to have Gir clean up everything before we leave.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dib said as he sat down to join Zim. He took a slice of the cheese as well and said, “The stove should be able to clean itself. It’s just the dishes that need cleaning really.”

“Well I’ll have him clean it anyway. It’s good to keep him busy.” Zim placed his wig and contacts on the table between him and Dib while they were eating and said, “What do you think? Some skin burning chemicals or some stuff to make me itchy?”

“I don’t think Tak would sabotage your disguise while we’re all in the same house.” Dib said picking up both the lenses and wig. He worried Tak did do something to them, but he didn’t think they would notice immediately if Zim wore them, but he also didn’t share this with him. He felt the texture of the wig and even brought it to his face to smell it.

“So no sewage this time?” Zim asked slightly peeved.

“I told you, I didn’t know about it.” Dib asserted.

“But you assumed?”

“Yeah, I did.” He said flatly and went back to inspecting the disguise. The wig was ratty when he gave it to Tak and it still was, but any grime that it had before was gone. The only problem was that it smelled like she dipped it in a very harsh chemical solution. Besides that it looked fine. The contacts where noticeably cleaner now than they were when Zim gave them to her, but they seemed to have a slight gloss to them which he chalked up to them being cleaner than usual. He rubbed the wig over his hand, and while he did feel a slight irritation he chalked it up to the strength of the chemicals Tak used and not out of some malicious intent of hers. At any rate Tak didn’t expect Zim to wear it tonight so he would be fine without wearing it until later. “Your disguise is fine by the way. It smells like she put it through bleach or something but you should be fine. Maybe just rinse it before you decide to wear it out again.”

Dib slid the wig and contacts across the table to Zim who inspected it once more and said, “Maybe something ten times harsher than bleach. It smells like my skin would burn off if I wore it too long.”

“Well don’t. She’s not expecting you to, so just take it home and clean it yourself.”

Dib’s reasoning satisfied Zim enough, so he took the disguise in a pout. Dib saw him take the wig and contacts in hand and place it around his back where it disappeared into his invisible pak, the only flaw in his otherwise perfect disguise. “How’s the pizza?” He asked lightly after he put his disguise away.

“It’s okay. Bloaty’s is too greasy for me but it’s still pizza.”

As he said this Zim opened the other box of pizza and inspected it briefly as he said, “How much do I owe you for it?”

“You don’t. Tak paid for it.”

Zim slouched back in his chair and continued eating as he said, “So she doesn’t expect me to pay her back. Right?”

“I don’t see why we’d ever have to pay either of you back. Don’t you guys both print money?”

“Kind of.” Zim said as he finished his slice of pizza without the crust and picked another out of the box. “I don’t know what Tak does but I sometimes make Earth money. The Earth authorities sometimes get pissy if I make enough to be noticed, but if I need a lot I just sell some off my stuff on the internet.”

“You sell alien technology on the internet?” Dib said in a slight shock, and then wondered why he was surprised.

“I mean unless you want to buy some. I never post it as alien tech. Just stuff like ‘foreign blender’ or ‘butt scratcher’ or something. That usually sells.”

“I bet they do.” Dib said slightly miffed. He was reminded of the countless times he posted proof of aliens on the web, only for it to go unnoticed or ignored. “If Tak finds out about it you’re dead though.”

“I think we’re both dead once she finds out about what we do on Guy’s Night.” Zim said as the cheese to his pizza fell off, which he caught with his tongue and slurped up.

Dib brought his hand to the bridge of his nose and said embarrassed, “Please stop calling it ‘Guy’s Night.’”

Zim smiled wryly and said smugly, “Why not? Would you prefer it if I wore my feminine disguise more often?” He said as he fluttered his eyelashes.

“No.” Dib almost choked on his pizza as he laughed lightly. “Your wigs are great, but your makeup skills could use some work.”

Zim wasn’t satisfied enough with Dib’s reaction, so he said “I could dress up like Tak again if you want.”

“Hell no!” He said entirely at end with Zim as he let out a loud laugh. He brought his hand to his face, “Why did I bring you there?”

“Because it was hilarious! Wasn’t it hilarious” Zim said laughing to himself.

“Yeah it was.” Dib said unable to keep himself from chuckling, “But I’m pretty sure there were Swollen Eye Balls at the convention. And they’re…smarter, you know?”

“Not really. And besides” Zim started to say flamboyantly, “All my disguises are flawless.”

“Yeah well never dress up like Tak again. After today I’m worried someone there would have actually thought it was her and not someone dressed in a shitty costume.”

“That’s okay I’m still trying to perfect my Gaz disguise. I just can’t manage to capture the glare. Hhmp.” Zim closed his eyes and mimicked Gaz’s scowl as he ended.

Dib laughed at his impersonation of Gaz and said, “I don’t know who I’d rather have angry at us. Tak or Gaz?”

“Gaz probably.” Zim said almost instantly, “She doesn’t have death beams like Tak does.”

“That doesn’t stop her.” Dib said proudly. Years ago he would have been hesitant to admit the capabilities Gaz held, which at many times seemed to surpass his own abilities. Recently he’s come to terms with that fact, and appreciated her more as a result, though he still wished he could convince her to take an interest in his hobbies.

“Yeah, it doesn’t.” Zim said almost to himself as he also reminisced on Gaz’s past accomplishments. “Guess that’s why we all became friends in the first place. You guys really are exceptional humans.”

“I don’t really think so. Or at least that’s not all of it. You and Tak are pretty exceptional Irkens. Least out of all the Irkens I’ve ever meet.”

“Yeah…” Zim trailed off as his gaze left Dib and then ended somewhat arrogantly, “I am pretty amazing compared to most.” Dib was about to say something in response to Zim and his typical egotistical response, not to say he was upset by it. Over the years of their friendship he’s found his bombastic personality to be a charming quality of his, but he always liked to take him down a peg when he could. Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the sound of the oven’s timer going off. After which, Zim yelled out to the living room, “Gir your stuff is ready!” He yelled out Gir’s name a second time after he failed to hear a response.

“I’m busy!” Gir yelled back to the kitchen in sing-song.

Zim was about to yell back at him, but Dib interrupted him as he yelled and said the two of them could take care of it themselves. They made their way to the oven and Dib opened the door while Zim crouched next to him, and inside was a full tray of cookies. It was also splattered with what they assumed to be batter all along the inside, and it smelled like it was starting to burn. “They look done enough.” Dib said, “And we should probably turn off the oven before whatever’s on it burns any worse. We just need some oven mitts.”

“Don’t worry, I got it.” Zim said as he gently pushed Dib out of the way. He backed up a bit and saw two of Zim’s pak legs extrude from his back, breaking his disguise again, and reach into the oven to pull out the tray and place it on top of the oven. “There we go.” Zim said happily as he retracted his pak legs and brushed off his hands, “I’ll have Gir clean everything else some time tonight or tomorrow before we leave.”

“Sure, but the oven should be able to clean itself.” Dib said as he went to activate the oven’s self-cleaning function and was surprised when it failed to work. He opened the oven and tried to activate it again before he called out annoyed, “Gir, what did you break?”

“Nothing!” Gir called out cheerily from the living room.

“Gir, get in here now!” Zim yelled to him, stating it as a command. The two of them heard a shuffle from the living room as Gir skipped into the kitchen and said hello to them.

“Did you do anything to the oven?” Dib asked concerned.

“Besides use it, no.” Gir said uncaringly

“Well whatever you did broke it.” Zim said disappointed with his arms folded to him.

Gir was surprised by Zim’s claim and walked over to the oven and said, “It was working fine a minute ago.” He turned the oven to its max setting and stuck his hand inside of it to feel the heat. He brought out his hand as it glowed with heat and said satisfied, “Yeah it’s still working.”

“No, not the heating part. The cleaning part.” Dib said worried as he shut off the oven and closed the door.

“Oh.” Gir said blankly as he stared for a moment at Dib, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Zim asked skeptically and Gir replied with affirmation. After which he continued, “I find it hard to believe that it just stopped working suddenly all on its own. Especially since you were the last one to use it.”

“Uh…” Gir trailed off as he rubbed the side of his arm and looked away at the ceiling. Dib was unsure of the exact reason for his reaction, he thought it was possible Gir was just afraid of the bad situation the oven being broken put him in. He wanted to subdue Zim from him so he said,

“It’s probably not him. Our stuff breaks all the time, even our dishwasher broke last week and we’re still trying to get it fixed.”

“Well whatever, I still want you to clean up this mess you made.”

“But the party’s just started.” Gir pleaded as he grabbed onto Zim who was unphased by his begging, “I’m still playing with Kitty. Please!” Gir wailed as he clung onto Zim, who was unphased as he crossed his arms disappointed with him.

“Let him go play with Kitty. Mimi – I mean Mimi.” Dib said as he corrected himself, “So long as he cleans up before you guys leave I’m okay with it.”

Zim let out an annoyed grunt before he relented and said, “I want you to clean this up tonight while we’re sleeping. We need a clean kitchen tomorrow for us at breakfast. That’s an order.”

“Yes Sir!” Gir said as his voice and demeanor morphed into duty mode, but as quickly as it came it faded away and they saw him hop away back to the living room, joyful and relieved to go back to his games.

Neither of them spoke for a moment as they watched him skip into the living room. A moment after he was out of sight Zim went back to the table and said disgruntled, “You were too easy on him.”

“You’re one to talk.” Dib jabbed at him as he went back to the table with him, “When have you ever not given into his begging?”

“I’ve been trying not to.” Zim defended quickly as grabbed another slice from the box, “You at least have to be hard on him when does something wrong. I don’t really like seeing him that way but it’s the only way he learns.”

“You sound like a parent when you talk about it like that.” Dib said absent mindedly as he helped himself to more pizza.

His comment gave Zim a moment of pause between his chewing before he replied, “I wouldn’t call our relationship a ‘parental’ one.” He said with a full mouth and then finished before he continued, “I’ve paid attention to human parents and their kids, apart from you guys and your dad. I don’t coddle Gir as much as they would, I think anyway. If I had to compare us to a human relationship for me and him I’d say friends but closer, maybe brothers?” Zim ended in a question. It was clear to Dib that’s he’s thought about this before, but he was still very unsure what they were exactly to each other. “We’re definitely not just coworkers, even if that’s what we were supposed to be.”

“But you’re still his superior? I mean military style, which I guess is how Irken society works.”

“Yeah that’s close enough.” Zim said absent mindedly, “I mean I still have him do stuff for me, but a lot of the time we just hang out if it’s just us two. So we’re kind of closer to equals but not quite.”

“That’s why you gave him the human disguise and bigger body?”

“Not really. You know he wouldn’t stop bothering me about making him taller after it started happening to me. The ‘brother’ disguise just seemed like the easiest way to take him out. That, or I’d make him into a Great-Dane, which I was thinking about for a while.”

Dib chuckled at Zim’s reveal, “Could you imagine it? He’d be walking on two legs all the time, bright green, and probably just as talkative if not more. Oh, Tak would have gone crazy when she upgraded your disguises.”

“She still goes crazy. I don’t get why, especially after today.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry too much about. Gir definitely likes his disguise, and you don’t hate yours. Do you?”

Zim was quiet for a moment as he brought up his arms to turn over and examine them. Taking note of his disguised skin, its texture, and his five fingers which sometimes made him forget he only had three. “It’s okay.” He finally said after his inspection. “You know we’ve been dealing with it since she joined our friend group, and I still like to wear my old one out every now and again. But being able to walk into Skool or down the street with Gir and not get weird looks everywhere I go…It’s pretty good. Not going to lie.”

They were both quiet for a moment after he finished, and Dib was nodding in quiet satisfaction. “Yeah, you two could get along if you really wanted to.”

Zim let out a huff of air as he looked off to the ceiling, “Don’t expect a miracle.” He said annoyed, “But if you want me to give her a peace offering tell her the pizza without cheese is for her. It’s supposed to be anyway. Since she has a problem with Earth cheese for some reason.”

“She likes cheese, she’s just kind of picky.” Dib said. He’s had some success with introducing her to Earth cuisine, but he wasn’t sure if her body had a sensitive reaction to some of the food here or if it was more of a mental thing. She’s been trying more Earth food lately, but it still had to be heavily processed, and even if it was it could still cause her problems like the nacho cheese the other night at the arcade. “But that’s really cool you did that for her. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.” Zim didn’t say anything but looked to him with an exhausted and skeptical expression. “She will.” Dib assured him, “She might not say it aloud or maybe even admit it to herself but she does. She likes when people think of her. We all do.”

“Yeah well…” Zim started but paused before he continued, “Don’t expect us interacting much tonight, if at all. At least if we don’t want a problem.”

“That’s fine. Tak wants the same thing.” Dib said but was worried for a moment that what he said may have insulted Zim a bit. He showed no signs of being upset so he continued, “Want to head back to the living room and see what everyone else is doing.”

“Sure. I don’t think you guys want to watch me and Gaz play Sonic, but I could go for a movie.”

The two of them made their way to the living room. Mimi was still playing with Gir, who was now cuddling and petting her where they sat. Then they were surprised to see Tak and Gaz sitting on the couch playing a video game together, and as they entered they were greeted by a frustrated grunt from Tak. After her grunt she turned to Gaz and said annoyed, “I thought you said the goal of this game is to obtain speed?”

“It is.” She said back smirking to her.

“Then why on Irk would they punish me for it?” Tak said brushing a hand through her hair as she gestured to the television. Dib went up to the back end of the couch and leaned on it while the two of them were talking. He asked them what happened, then Tak replied, “I just finished killing the boss, and I was running down this hill until I fell into this pit with jump pads and each side, so I used the momentum I got from them and jumped out. And immediately after doing that I run straight into this giant swinging ball with spikes! And I couldn’t react to it, or the controller couldn’t read my inputs in time, so I just ended up eating it!” She brushed her hand through her hair again still upset at what happened and said, “What is the point of this design?”

“It’s to keep you own your toes.” Gaz said teasingly to her. The game was paused now and she reclined back on the couch stretching.

“But even from an objective standpoint, there was no way I could have reacted to it in time unless I knew it was going to happen. The only point this is trying to say is preparatory memorization of an area before exploring is key.” She stated coldly and crossed her arms after she finished.

“There isn’t supposed to be a point. It’s a game.” Gaz replied to her. She had no further response and was silent for a moment until Zim chimed in,

“If it makes you feel better Sonic One has a worse trap. You just run down this hallway into a wall of spikes. I think I moaned about it for half hour when it happened. And I think it was on level with a similar name. Marble zone right?” Tak stared at the television the whole time with her arms crossed as he spoke. His last comment was to Gaz, but before she could have given a response Tak replied,

“It doesn’t matter.” She said as she raised her arms up, “It’s all stupid anyway.”

“Well if you’re all set, I think we can do something else.” Gaz as she started to grab up the controllers.

Tak snatched her own controller out of her lap away from Gaz and said tensely, “No. I’m not done.”

“What happened to us playing Sonic?” Zim said somewhat peeved raising an eyebrow to Gaz.

“You were taking too long in the kitchen. But honestly right now I could just go for watching a movie or something.”

“So we’re just done playing then?” Tak asked somewhat confused.

“I’m down for anything.” Dib said not reading Tak’s confusion as he left the back end of the couch and went over to the armchair. “What movies did you guys bring?”

“Nothing too crazy.” Zim started to say as he went to collect the plastic bag he brought the movies in, “Scary Movie, Spirited Away, Aliens, Star Wars. What are you guys feeling?”

“I haven’t seen Spirited Away in a while, I could go for that.” Gaz said.

“What’s that movie about?” Tak asked interested. She hadn’t seen too much Earth media besides what Gaz and Dib showed her. She found most of what they showed her to be unappealing, with her and Gaz’s taste having a bit more overlap than Dib’s. She knew part of the point of showing up tonight was to watch more Earth media, but besides Star Wars (a movie she found both boring and unrealistic) she was unfamiliar with the other titles.

“It’s good. You’ll like it.” Was all Dib said to her, which didn’t win her over but she felt better about her chances of liking it knowing that both Gaz and Dib liked it.

“That works for me. So are we watching it?” Zim asked, which caused Dib and Gaz to look to Tak, and at feeling the slight pressure from them she gave in. She sighed and said,

“Yeah, let’s watch it.”

“Nice.” Said Zim as he jumped onto the couch next to Gaz, opposite from Tak. This caused Gaz to be pushed to the side into her, which took up more of the couch. Tak was slightly annoyed by the decrease in room and noted Dib had the entire armchair all to himself, which she thought was really her chair as she claimed it when she arrived here first. She considered moving from the couching and sitting on top of Dib on the armchair, but she found she wasn’t brave or bold enough to act on her feelings in that way.

The party went smoothly for the rest of the night after they agreed to watch the movie. Tak found it interesting to say the least, it was her first time seeing it. At first she found the story and the main character annoying, unbelievable, and too fantastical for her taste, but by the end of the movie she wished it could have been longer. Zim provided his commentary throughout it, as per usual with any piece of media he took part in. Tak made her best effort to ignore him at first, but by the end of the movie when she was engrossed in it as she hugged a pillow and was actively shushing him. The rest of the night continued in similar fashion, as they all consumed movies and shows while talking with one another. Tak had even tried one of Gir’s cookies, which she was pleased to find (but also loathed to admit) was actually quite delicious. She was able to enjoy the company of Dib and Gaz, and ignore Zim and Gir, the latter of which having been of no concern or bother to her at all. So she found it somewhat acceptable that Mimi had occupied his attention, but she was still upset she disobeyed her orders. As the night went on Dib, Gaz, and even Zim had changed into their pajamas, so towards the latter half of the night Tak wanted to change into hers as well. She excused herself from the party and went to Gaz’s room to change, and brought Gaz’s hoodie for her as a favor.

She grabbed her backpack from the front door and made her way up the stairs of the Membrane’s house. She heard the mixed noise of the living room from the movie and everyone’s commentary on it as she made her way up. She’d been in their house multiple times now, both as an infiltrating enemy, which seemed so long ago to her, and now more recently as a visiting friend. The house itself was beginning to gain some sense of familiarity for her because of this, but she still found herself taking in the finer details of it from time to time. She found the primitivity of it rather quaint, yet she told herself she could never live like this. She’s use to her lab, with her experiments, her new ship which she flew out every now and again, and above her main base the expansive human mansion, empty save for robot servants and all the comforts Earth could provide. While she thought about her nearly empty home she examined the family photos littered across the wall of the stairs, as she was habit to do. Even though she found the photographs quaint she always wondered why their father, The Professor Membrane, would keep their home so relatively primitive. She thought something even as simple as a screen would be more efficient for displaying all their images, rather than still photos. She knew his underground lab was much more advanced than their above house, nowhere near as advanced as her own base, or maybe even Zim’s, but she thought it would be almost impossible to tell if she didn’t already know. “Maybe he’s just used to the way he used to live.” Tak thought to herself as she spied what looked to be a very old photo of who she assumed to be a young Professor Membrane. He was small but still wearing a lab coat with goggles, conflicting with the rural farm area in the background. She looked further up the wall and spied a more recent photo of the three Membranes together, posing for a family photo. Gaz looked to be much happier than she normally looks, same as Dib, while The Professor held the two of them in a hug on either side of him. “I’m sure he’s a good father.” Tak thought, “Even with all their slight misgivings they have with him.” She was distracted from her thoughts as she caught Mimi following her up the stairs from the corner of her eye. She was slightly surprised, since she had been spending nearly the entire night with Gir even at her initial forbidding. She was about to say something to her about her change in behavior, but thought there was no point to it. She continued up the stairs towards Gaz’s room without addressing her, and Mimi followed her in tow without a word.

She opened the door to Gaz’s room and saw Mimi scoot under her legs into it, then she hopped unto Gaz’s bed and sat down as she began grooming herself. Without speaking Tak let herself into the room, turned on a light switch, and closed the door behind her lethargically. Tak had been in Gaz’s room multiple times now and thought it wasn’t typically what a human girl’s room would look like, if what she had seen in Earth media was anything to go by. There were no bright colors, no posters of movie or rock stars on the wall, and it didn’t reek of perfume. Her bed was against a wall on one side of the room, on it was a plain blanket burgundy in color, and on the floor were two sleeping bags she assumed her and Gaz would be using tonight. The room itself had very dark colors, which was only exacerbated by the fact that the light in her room needed a bulb changed. The only thing on the wall was a photo of her family above her bed and a few posters of video games Gaz enjoyed. She saw a few other clothes littered on the ground by her closet, so she decided to add to the pile and throw Gaz’s Game station hoodie there. As she did she looked at her desk where she kept her video game equipment and spied a half-eaten sandwich with a drink. Every time Tak went into her room she was reminded how atypical Gaz was compared to other females of her species, and was delighted every time she was as it made her own isolation feel lessened.

She threw her backpack next to the desk and stood in front of the mirror on the closet door. Then she began changing into her pajamas she brought with her. She didn’t get much further than removing her t-shirt, after which she stood in front of the mirror and examined her disguised body. She made her human disguise as convincing as possible, but she also tried to create a human body that was similar in proportions to her Irken form, if only because she wanted to feel comfortable in her disguise. Her body had none of the curves a typical human female would have, because of this she had even been mocked by some of the more preppy school girls for being ‘flat’ as they called her. She considered altering her disguise to give her more pronounced curves that the other human females had. Both to potentially improve the validity of her disguise and because she thought perhaps Dib would prefer it, though she was very ashamed to admit it. She had even brought up the idea to Dib of potentially updating her disguise, but he told her that he liked the way her disguise looked, which did help to alleviate some reservations she had about it. Regardless, she still found herself looking at her half-naked torso in the mirror with some disfavor. She passed her hand over her body and sighed to herself as she looked in the mirror. As she did she saw in the background that Mimi had stopped grooming herself and was now staring at her from the bed.

Tak turned around, feeling oddly violated and said to her irritated, “Would you stop staring at me!?” She threw her shirt at Mimi in retaliation, which she was able to avoid. Tak then knelt down to her backpack and rummaged through it for her pajamas as she said still annoyed, “What on Irk are you doing that for anyway?”

Mimi didn’t respond immediately, as she seemed to be deciding what to say. Mimi then communicated to Tak in telepathy in a tone that feigned innocence, “Ma’am, Why do you wear human clothes on top of your disguise?”

Tak was taken slightly aback by her question, not so much at the question itself but at the fact that Mimi choose now to ask it. She didn’t wear human clothes all the time but she’s been doing it off and on over the past few months. She decided to do it one day on a whim after seeing clothes in a store that captured her interest, but instead of merely altering her disguise to match it she went in and bought the outfit. Mimi didn’t comment on the act immediately when it happened but she later gave a brief remark on her ‘going native’ after she was wearing them, which Tak laughed off at the time. She wasn’t entirely sure why she decided to wear human clothes with her disguise. Part of it was simply an impulsive decision, and part of it was the fact that she knew Zim’s been doing it for years, which put the idea into her head, but she would hate to admit that. She stopped for a moment in rummaging through her backpack to give her response and said, “It’s…to make my disguise more convincing.” She lied through her teeth, but she didn’t even know what the full truth was.

Mimi merely nodded her head slowly in agreement but said afterwards in the same tone as before, “Is that the reason why you’ve rendered human genitals and other body parts on your disguise as well?”

“Yes.” Was all Tak said in response. She was close to ignoring her as she brought out her pajama shirt and held it up to look at. It was a light gray t-shirt with the bottom cut short, and it would expose the naval of her disguise once it was on.

As she was dressing Mimi said, “May I ask what the point of doing that was Ma’am? Considering no one will ever see that?” The innocent tone she had was gone now, and she was now communicating in one that was clearly aggravated.

Tak pulled her shirt over her head and said with growing annoyance, “I don’t know. Isn’t that the point of all the human experiments we’ve been doing? To better understand their biology?” She ended spreading her arms out in question as she stood up.

“I thought our experiments were for something else Ma’am.” Mimi said matter-of-factly.

“They were, and still are.” Tak responded plainly and began going through her backpack again. The human experiments she’s been completing have become two-fold, but their primary goal still remained the same. It has always been to better understand human biology, but the main purpose behind it was to understand what has happened to her body, and if the planet or its residents could supply an answer. Relatively soon after arriving on this planet Tak began growing taller, but that was the tamest of things to happen. The chemical composition of her entire body has changed and developed into new ways that amazed and horrified her, mostly horrified. She found some similarity in the change that humans undergo when they mature and originally thought of ways to revert or at least stall her changes by experimenting on humans. The initial desire to revert the changes has mostly left her, but she still experiments in hopes of understanding them so that she won’t be completely caught off guard. Similarly, just as she wanted the silhouette of her human disguise to match her Irken form, she also found it fitting to match the intricacies of her disguise to her own body, to the best of her knowledge. She of course did not share this information with Mimi. Tak finished going through her backpack and found the bottoms to her pajamas, a pair of purple short-shorts with an elastic band.

She began removing her jeans to change into them as Mimi laid on the bed and said to her with some concern, “We haven’t made much progress on our original goal Ma’am.”

Tak wasn’t paying too much attention to her as she changed and said absent mindedly to her, “Well, that’s kind of taken a back seat now. If you haven’t noticed.”

Mimi didn’t say anything else to her after she replied. She merely laid on the bed and watched her superior change. She took note of her thin legs and feet that were now barefoot, and studied the plain black underwear she was wearing as she slipped on her pajamas. Mimi rolled on the bed for a moment agonizing over something until she sat up slightly and said accusingly to Tak, “Why are you pretending so hard to be human?”

Tak stopped changing for a moment in shock as she registered what her SIR unit said to her. She had already finished changing but she left her hands by her hips after she put on her bottoms. She turned around and said to Mimi, “I’m not pretending to be anything. It’s a disguise.” She emphasized the word as she gestured to herself while she spoke.

Mimi replied exasperated as she rolled on the bed, “A disguise that’s clearly more work than necessary. As we saw today all that’s needed is a wig and some contacts to pass for human.”

“Oh I’m sorry.” Tak said insulted, “Should I deactivate your disguise and just have you walk around in a rabbit suit all day? Like you said my disguises are more work than their worth.” Tak folded her arms over her chest and turned away from Mimi as she finished.

“Your disguises are wonderful, same as everything you do Ma’am.” Mimi said apologetically sitting up on the bed. “It’s just that…” Mimi started, trying to find the right words to use.

“I’m going native?” Tak finished for her turning around with a raised eyebrow.

“No.” Mimi started, “You’re deluding yourself Ma’am.”

Tak entire body tensed up at Mimi’s accusation, “I am not deluding myself.” She began to say enraged. She brought he hands to her hair and swept it back violently. As she finished she left her hands at the end of her hair where her antennas would be and pulled them. She hurt herself by doing so but it’s easier for her to focus on the pain than on how she felt. “Look.” She began again, “I know we’re a long ways from Irk and being the Invader we deserve to be, but we can’t do anything about it.” She picked up her clothes and violently stuffed them into her bag as she spoke, “The only thing we can do now is accept what happened and live our life in peace on this miserable planet.”

“Well you haven’t always been fighting back as hard as you could be.” Mimi communicated to her, it sounded like something she meant to think to herself. Even if it wasn’t she clearly regretted what she said when Tak turned around and glared holes into her.

Mimi shrank down in fear on the bed as Tak said mockingly, “Really? Cause I can recall you saying plenty of times, ‘you need to be more cautious Ma’am’ or ‘You’re taking these experiments too quickly,’ and ‘you’re only hurting yourself Ma’am.’ Why it seems to me that whether I’m just trying to live my life in peace or mutilating myself to try to resemble something close to what I was before all this you can’t help but find some fault in whatever it is I’m doing!”  Tak stood up and walked over to the bed where Mimi laid down. She looked small, afraid, and very sorry. None of these things instilled any emotion in Tak as she picked up her shirt she threw at Mimi earlier. As she did and stuffed it into the bag she said still mockingly to Mimi, “I know what this is about by the way.” Mimi didn’t say anything but looked up at her from the bed confused. “You’re upset that I didn’t give you my permission to play with the defective little SIR unit.” Mimi’s ears pricked up at that and her expression changed to indignation, but she didn’t speak and let Tak finish. “Even though you disobeyed my orders and played with it anyway.” She picked up her shirt and violently stuffed it into her bag as she said, “That’s why you’re up here, being all pissy with me on changes you’ve embraced harder than I have. Ever thought about how hard you pretend to be a cat?” Tak ended her statement in harsh accusation as she glared at her SIR unit.

Mimi expression changed to one calm and obedient. She said to Tak, “I’m only following my programming Ma’am. What protocol would you prefer me to follow?”

Tak didn’t say anything for a moment and threw her bag to the side of the bed by her boots and then said sternly, “You are going to remain quiet, for the rest of the night, and for as long as we’re here.” She began walking towards the door and added before she opened it, “You are permitted to play with the defect.” She turned around and pointed at her as she added, “But any sign of interference from him on your design, whether purposeful or not, and I will take you back to the base and take you apart bit by bit and turn you into something less disrespectful and more obedient. Are we clear?”

Mimi didn’t respond via her communicator but nodded her head up and down in affirmation.

“Good.” Was all Tak said in response. She opened the door and said to her, “You are dismissed.” Mimi complied as she jumped off the bed and walked out of the room past Tak and down the hall to downstairs. Tak slammed the door as she herself stepped out and heard something fall and break inside the room after she did. She cringed in worry as she heard it and turned back to open the room and see what it is she broke. She looked inside the room for anything out of order. All of her posters where still on the wall, the mirror was untouched, the glass on her desk was fine and so was her gaming equipment. “That’s a relief.” She thought to herself. She would make a new setup for Gaz a hundred times better than anything she has now but would hate to have the conversation that she was the one who broke it. Being satisfied and relieved that nothing inside the room was wrong to her knowledge she closed the door and looked around the hallway. Nothing was out of sorts. She leaned against the door to Gaz’s room, let out a sigh of relief and said, “Stupid door. Why does The Professor keep this place so primitive?” As she said this she looked down at herself and the outfit she wore. She picked at her shirt in her hand and groaned to herself, “What on Irk am I doing?” After she said this she looked up at the pictures on the wall of the Membranes. Various pictures of Dib, Gaz, and even their father in various places, all of them happy and enjoying whatever the occasion was that called for a photograph. “I’m here to enjoy myself and have fun.” Tak thought to herself as she admired them. She thought Dib and Gaz would be on her for being so bummed out about something somebody said to her, even if the one who said it to her was Mimi. She decided to push all those feelings away, she’s been looking forward to tonight for weeks. She was going to enjoy it.

She walked down the hallway and downstairs back to the living room where everyone still was. Zim and Gaz took up the space of the entire couch, and Dib was in the chair. The show they watched was just about over and they talked to one another while they ignored whatever was on the television. She spied Mimi and Gir playing on the ground, with less enthusiasm than before, but everyone was still enjoying themselves, so she decided she would too.

“What’d I miss?” Tak said as she went to the back of the chair Dib was in.

“That took a bit longer than expected. Everything good?” Dib said to her from the chair, some concern in his voice.

She brushed his concern away and said, “Mimi and I were just talking for bit. Nothing to worry about.” After she gave her explanation she hopped onto the chair Dib was in and laid across the armrests of the chair over his lap. The hesitation she had that prevented her from doing it before was gone, or at least she wanted to distract herself and him from what was bothering her. “So, what are we doing?” She said cozily as she hugged the side of him.

“We were thinking of a Smash tournament in teams.” Gaz said.

“What is that again?” Tak asked.

“You played it with Gaz before.” Dib said, “It’s the fighting game with all the different characters.”

“Gaz, didn’t you call it Tekken earlier?”

“What? No.” Gaz said slightly disgusted with Tak’s confusion, “Smash is the one that’s a cross-over of a whole bunch of video games characters. They look like cartoons, you played as Samus. The girl in the orange robot suit.”

“Oh.” Tak said as she remembered being introduced to that game by her. Gaz had shown it to her after she played against her in Tekken for the first time and enjoyed it. Gaz had hoped that she’d enjoy it, since it was also a fighting game, but Tak found the depth of the video game somewhat lacking, and also said the art style did not appeal to her. “I vaguely remember you showing me that, yes. Has everyone already decided on playing it?”

“Yeah but we haven’t figured out teams yet.” Dib said, “I thought it could be me and you Vs. Gaz and Zim.”

Almost immediately after Dib finished Zim interjected, “Which I refused!” I’m still annoyed that Gaz decided to play Sonic without me, and with you all people. So I’m ready to carry Dib and enact my rightful vengeance against you!” He finished pointing to Gaz who merely brushed his hand away lazily and replied unimpressed,

“Which I’m more than fine with. I could go for boys Vs. girls.”

The idea delighted Tak. Partly because she knew she would win easily with Gaz and because she was interested with the idea of a battle of the sexes. The differences of male and female was not something acknowledge in the empire, apart from visual differences. She thought that was better than one side thinking that the other was inferior, but she liked the idea of belonging to a group. She said happily, “And I would be more than happy with winning. Sounds good to me.”

After they agreed the four of them began setting up to play their competition. Mimi and Gir were not included nor were they interested in playing. Gir was quietly sitting in their corner of the room while he played a small hand held video game and Mimi was resting on his lap as he did so. Zim and Dib won rock-paper-scissors for the couch, so they got to sit in it while Tak and Gaz had to sit on the floor. Tak had originally chosen Samus the first time she played, as she found its armor very neutral in appearance, so it was easy for her to relate to it. Once she was at the character select screen she noticed the blue character from the game she was playing with Gaz earlier was a choice. So she opted to play as it instead. Gaz choose Luigi, Dib choose Link, and Zim choose Mr. Game and Watch. Gaz had originally opted to play without items in their fight but Dib and Zim insisted they were aloud, she relented on the condition that friendly fire was turned on as a condition.

After the details of the competition was decided, the game finally began. Tak had to learn the particulars of her character as she played but found it rather easy, as most of the principles she learned in her first playing still applied to her knew character. She also noted that unless she was a total detriment to the team Gaz would be able to defeat Dib and Zim easily, but they were their own worst enemy. With friendly fire on the two of them caused damage to each other multiple times and by the time they were beginning to lose they were bickering with one another and completely ignored the game. Tak found the two of them bickering quiet amusing, and was also pleased that her victory was assured. She let out a light laugh as the two of them continued, but was surprised to hear a small groan come from Gaz beside her. “Your boyfriend is an idiot.” She said annoyed to her as she played.

Tak had to keep herself from laughing but still said very amused, “Hey, he’s your brother.”

“Don’t remind me.” Was all Gaz said. That was the end of their discussion and in very little time the two of them had achieved victory over the two of them. Zim had actually killed Dib at the last moment when his character was on his last bit of health, and Tak let out a laugh after seeing it. Once everything was done Zim had his arms crossed and sulked as he claimed Dib was responsible for their loss. Gaz didn’t say much to any of their bickering but Tak was quiet pleased with their accomplishments. She stretched her arms up and said, very please,

“Well that was fun. So, what’s our plan for the remainder of the night?”

“I don’t know.” Said Dib somewhat annoyed with Zim still, “We could watch another movie or just hang out for a bit.” He turned and looked to a clock on the wall that read 11:47 PM and said, “It’s not even midnight so…”

At the word ‘midnight’ he was interrupted by the sound of Gir repeating the word in shock. He got up from his place with Mimi and ran over to the back of the couch and grabbed lightly onto Zim as he said, “Master, we missed my walk! Can we go now please?” Zim only responded with an annoyed and drawn out, “Gir.” As he attempted to shake him off.

“Walk?” Tak asked confused.

“From back when he was a dog.” Zim began, “He got into this annoying habit of begging me to take him on one every other week for like two hours at night.”

“But the first one we did was so much fun!” Gir replied gleefully.

“Wandering around for two days looking for our base was not fun.” Zim said sternly.

“We don’t have to go that long. Maybe just around the neighborhood, or to our house and back, maybe we can stop at Taco-Shack on the way?” Gir began prattling on as he got lost in the places he wanted to go to tonight and Zim interrupted him by calling out his name again irritated. “Please! Please! Please!” Gir began begging incessantly after Zim spoke.

Tak snickered slightly to herself as she watched the scene unfold. While she found the two of them annoying and worried about Gir’s influence over Mimi, she couldn’t help but laugh at Zim’s inability to control his SIR unit and the rather childish way in which he acted.

“I thought you were having fun tonight?” Zim started to say, “Haven’t you been doing almost nothing but play with Mimi since we got here?”

“Can Kitty come too!?” Gir stopped his pleading immediately and beamed at the possibility of Mimi coming for their walk.

At that suggestion Tak’s smirk subsided and was replaced with a scowl. She had agreed to let Mimi interact with him but she wasn’t about to let her leave the property in their company.  She found herself glaring up the couch at Zim and Gir but neither of them seemed to notice her. Zim expression changed at Gir’s suggestion and looked somewhat concerned. He said, “Uh, no. Mimi should stay.”

Gir whined quietly as he let up on Zim’s shirt. He looked down to the ground for a moment before he looked up to him with a sad expression and said, “We’re not going then?”

Zim still couldn’t handle an entreating stare from Gir, so rather reluctantly he conceded to him. He let out an exaggerated groan as he said, “We can go but we’re not staying out long.” At Zim’s agreement Gir let go of him and ran off to his spot to grab his belongings before they left.

“Are you guys really going on a walk for the rest of the night?” Gaz asked dubiously.

Zim got up from the couch and grabbed his sweatshirt and shoes to put on as he said, “No, we’re not. I’m just taking him around the neighborhood a few times until he’s satisfied.”

“How long are you guys going out?” Gaz asked.

Zim finished putting on his sweater and shoes and said shrugging, “I don’t know. Maybe ten, twenty, thirty minutes? Why, want to tag along?”

Gaz shrugged and stood up as she said, “Eh, I’ll pass. I need to take a shower.” She went to the stairs and called out from it, “I’ll be in my room afterwards, let me know if we’re doing anything else.”

Zim waved to Gaz as she went up and then looked to Dib, “You coming?”

“No. I think I’m good here.” Dib said as he tried to subtly place his hand on Tak’s shoulder. She didn’t say anything about it even though she noticed and was sure Zim did too. He shrugged and said nothing further if he did.

Gir walked up to him as they talked. He had on his dog backpack and green sweater, and a big smile on his face. “You ready?” Zim asked slightly annoyed. Gir gave the affirmative that he was and then they went on their way. “No running off this time. I don’t want the neighbors to have to see me walking you around with a leash on.” He said as they made it to the door.

“Can we hold hands then?” Gir asked hopefully.

“No Gir.” Zim said flatly and Gir responded with a disappointed moan. The last thing heard from them was the door slamming shut. As silence came to the room after the noise of the door faded away Tak stood up from her spot on the ground and sat back down on the couch next to Dib.

“I don’t understand why he tolerates that behavior from his SIR unit.” She began to say as she looked towards the door, “If Mimi acted that way I’d reprogram or maybe even disassemble her.”

Dib exhale a small breathe through his nose as laugh and smiled to her as he said, “I don’t think you would, and he isn’t always easy on Gir. He can be more than a handful, but I think he has his own way of dealing with him.” He made a small yawn and an exaggerated stretch as he brought his arms up and around the back of the couch. “Things went pretty well tonight, all things considered.” He said after he finished.

“Yeah.” Tak said somewhat nervously as she adjusted her hair, “I guess they did.” A small smile creeped up her face as she scooted a bit closer to him, but it left her as something caught her eyes. Mimi sat at the opposite end of the room and watched the two of them; Tak thought with mild judgment. Dib looked around after he noticed she was looking beyond him and also spied Mimi, but he didn’t seem too concerned with her, or at least didn’t say anything if he was. Tak gave her a stern look after Dib turned away, but she did not communicate anything to her. Even without doing so Mimi understood the order, she nodded and walked away, where Tak didn’t know, but she didn’t care so long as she had privacy.

After Mimi was gone Dib turned back around to Tak and noticed she still had a hard look on her face and said a bit concerned, “Everything good?”

She was startled out of her thoughts and replied dismissively, “Yeah, yeah. I just told her to give us some privacy and watch for us.”

“Oh.” Dib said, a little nervous. After she heard his tone the same feeling crept into Tak as well. She brought up her legs and hugged her knees to her chest as she sat on the couch. Dib patted the couch repeatedly and blew a small raspberry.

“Do you mind if I change into something more comfortable?” Tak said breaking the silence.

“Sure.” He said as his voice cracked slightly.

Tak did not notice and only let out a relieved, “Finally.” As she brought her hand to her forearm and turned off her disguise. Her disguise faded away and she was left on the couch as a tall Irkern in human pajamas. She brushed her hands through her antennas repeatedly and looked to Dib, who she thought gave her a more quizzical than normal look. A small panic came over her as she misinterpreted what his look could mean and she said very nervously, “You said your father doesn’t keep cameras in the house right?” She said as she frantically looked around the room for any signs of cameras she may have missed.

Dib laughed and brought down his hands from the back of the couch to his side. “It’s a bit late for that. But yeah, no cameras. That’s not why I’m staring though.” He pointed at Tak’s shirt which caused her to look down at herself to find what he was pointing at, still confused as to what it was. “You’re wearing human clothes.” He said.

The realization finally came to her, she fiddle with one of her antennas with her fingers as she trailed off looking away from him, “Yeah, I haven’t really been doing this very long. Just a few months, and I don’t even know why I’m doing this. It’s stupid.” She finished saying the last part under her breathe to herself.

“No.” Dib reassured her as he grabbed her free hand on the couch. “You look good.” He looked at her and their eyes meet each other’s. They did not say anything further and only stared, after what seemed like both an instant and an eternity the two of them found themselves moving their faces closer towards one another. Before their faces meet Tak broke the silence of the room and asked,

“Earlier today,” she attempted to speak smoothly, but she felt her entire body was laced with stress. “What did you think I called you to the closet for?” It was something that was bothering her mind the entire day, and he never gave an answer to her when she asked.

Dib retreated from her and a pained look came over his face as it turned slightly red, he did not realize she was nervous as well. He removed his hand from hers and rubbed the back of his neck with it as he struggle with what to say and admired the ceiling. “That…Oh that…I was just-really I was just…uh…”

Before he could stammer further he was interrupted as Tak placed her hand on him. He stopped immediately at her touch and looked at her. Their gaze meet each other’s again and Tak tried to find words for what to say. She was unable to find any and silence entered the room again, and in the silence and tenderness of the moment the two found themselves leaning towards each other again until they kissed each other. Tak wasn’t sure what Dib misinterpreted her messages as, but she had a few ideas. She decided whatever it was, was not important now, but if it was what she thought was most likely she was sure she was not ready for that level of intimacy. Not to say she didn’t want to be close to him, far from it.  

As they kissed she found her arms around the back of his head and felt her antennas bend of the top of his head. The later was an involuntary reaction that would sometimes happen to her when she was more intimate with Dib, but the exact reason and purpose behind it eluded her, as many parts of her body still did. Their kiss grew more passionate and involved, and Tak felt her tongue and his explore each other’s mouth more heavily. Dib leaned into her as they kissed and caused her to lean back onto the couch, leaving Dib lying on top of her as they did. As she laid on her back one of her hands found itself leaving the back of his head and down his back. Then Tak felt the warm touch of one of his hand on her waist as it began going up her shirt and reached the bottom of her pak. She wondered that if things went any further whether she would have resisted or merely gone along with it, and experience what could happen. In that moment however, she was interrupt by a familiar voice in her head,

“Ma’am…? Ma’am…hear me?” Mimi was attempting to communicate with her and she sound very concerned, but for whatever reason her signal was coming through with interference. It could have been the problem from earlier today resurfacing, or it was caused by Tak’s mind being preoccupied. She did not care what the reason was, much less why Mimi was bothering her, as she had ordered her to be silent for the rest of the night, and was still upset with her. She ignored her but another message came, “…There’s a…We have to…”

“Then take care of it.” Tak communicated to her sternly in between her kisses, which she found difficult and annoying to do.

Her messages still continued, and from the little Tak could tell from them it seemed with increasing urgency, “I can’t! You n-…”

Tak meant to communicate ‘I’m busy’ to her, but she was too preoccupied to do even that. All she did was pull away from Dib for a moment as she mouthed, “Busy.” In a short of breath exhale that was barely more than a whisper. In the moment their lips where apart from each other Dib noticed that she said something but did not understand her, which caused him to reply with a brief “Huh?” After he did Tak pulled his face back into hers and they continued kissing. Mimi replied for the last time,

“Ma-… -‘re disg-…h-…door!”

Almost immediately after Tak registered her message, she heard the sound of the front door opening, and after that the boisterous sound of Professor Membrane’s voice, “Oh family, I’m home!”

After hearing that, the two of them stopped in their kissing and looked to one another as they laid on the couch together in a moment of collective shock. Dib looked her up and down and said in a hoarse whisper, “Tak! Your disguise!”

After she came to attention, and realized what was going on she immediately went to her system, only to find a similar issue with it from earlier. She swore under her breathe as she tried to fix it but before she could Professor Membrane had already entered the living room. “Hello, Dib? Are you in here?” He said as he entered, and after seeing Dib on top of an undisguised Tak he let out a shocked exclamation.

Dib sat back up instantly and leaned over the back end of the couch, he had his head cradled in one hand as he titled it slightly and said as cheerily as possible, “Oh dad, home already?” After Dib was off of her Tak slithered out from under him and rolled off the couch as she ran towards the door, still with her disguise off. She ran past the professor as he turned around to look at her in surprise. Dib exclaimed, “I can explain!” and fell off the couch face first into the floor.

His father spun around from Tak for a moment and said to him, “Explain what?” in shocked confusion. Tak made her way to the door and grabbed Dib’s trench coat that hanged on the wall while the two of them were distracted. She put on his coat to hide herself and went out the front door. She stood there leaning against the door as she fiddle with her system, she entreated and swore for it to work, but to no avail. She heard the sounds of dogs barking and car alarms going off which made her anxiety flare to the nth degree. It was one thing to walk through the city in a wig and contacts, but another thing to be seen in Dib’s neighborhood without anything at all. Finally, she was able to collect herself and managed to work part of her system and activated her cloaking device, just in time. The door she leaned on swung open behind her, and she stumbled forward and spun around to see Professor Membrane staring out of it. Although she knew he was not able to see her and that her best course of action should have been to run away, she was frozen in fear like a deer in headlights. The Professor had always been an intimidating figure for her, even when she first meet him in person. Dib was tall but The Professor towered above most humans, and he looked gigantic to Tak as she hunched over in fear under his front porch. In the dim light of the night the lab goggles he wore looked like the eyes of an Irken, and in many ways Tak had thought him similar to The Tallest. Skilled and experienced beyond belief, enigmatic and impossible to understand, and distant from the world and those who loved him most. In many ways she saw herself in a position she feared most, the weak and unworthy presented before The Tallest only to be shunned and discarded. And then, as quickly as this vision came, it ended. He removed his goggles from his face and Tak saw his eyes, they were human and like Dib’s, hazel in color. He looked through her and then extended his head out the door to look at either direction, once he was satisfied he closed the door behind him, and Tak could hear him say, “It looks like your little friend is gone.”

_______________________________________________________________

It felt like an eternity between the relief hitting her and the sound of the door clicking shut. When she came to, she ran a few housed down from the Membrane’s and dove into a bush to huddle in as she tried to fix her system. She turned down her cloaking device so she could see her system as she worked, and entreated with it again as she tried to get it to comply. Finally, after some minutes of fiddling she was able to reactivate her disguise. She felt her face and hair in her hard light disguise and felt she was in the clear. Then she wrapped Dib’s coat close around her and hugged her knees to her body as she buried her face into them. Later, how long Tak was unsure of, Mimi found her and poked her head through the bush with Tak’s boots in her mouth. She asked if she was okay, but Tak didn’t respond. Mimi continued,

“I was able to grab your boots but your backpack is still at the house. Their parental unit went to his lab, but I didn’t want to risk being caught.” Tak still did not respond and she continued now very concerned as she went to her, “Ma’am, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Tak said coldly with her voice muffled between her legs. Then she slowly raised her head up and Mimi saw sadness in her eyes as she said slowly, “I have never been more humiliated in my entire life.” There was a pause before either of them spoke. Then Mimi asked timidly,

“What are we going to do now?”

Tak sighed deeply and buried her face in her hands as she said defeated, “Let’s just go home.” Mimi hung her head at her statement and looked dejected as she watched her put her boots on in silence. Tak crawled out of the bush and shook it off as she stood up, then Mimi followed in suit behind her. Tak looked at her for a moment then turned away to begin their long walk home. As she did a thought came to her, which caused her to tighten her fist and clench her teeth. She turned around to her and said angrily, “Why didn’t you do anything!?”

“I did.” Mimi shot back offended. “I was trying to message you.”

“And why wasn’t it working?”

Mimi was slightly confused by her question and responded likewise, “I don’t Ma’am. I thought we fixed it.”

“I thought-” Tak began but stopped midsentence as she reflected and looked down at her hands as she squeezed them and said to herself, “I thought we fixed it too.” She looked up from them after she finished and said still angry, “Why didn’t you do anything else?”

“What else was I supposed to do?” She shot back also growing angry, “It’s not like you sent me to keep watch. I only left cause of the look you gave me. You’re lucky I said anything at all, considering you told me keep quiet for the rest of the night.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to be thanking you?” Tak said condescendingly, “For sending me a staticky message, and not doing anything to stop him?”

“What was I supposed to do to stop him?”

“I don’t know. Where on Irk were you that you could see him but not do anything?”

“I-I don’t know.” Mimi said panicking and deflected, “Why is it my fault you couldn’t pay attention to me while you were exchanging bodily fluids with your freak lab experiment!?”

At her comment Tak let out an enraged groan and yelled, “Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” Then in a fit of rage she went over and kicked Mimi. Her kick did no damage but the act itself frightened and shocked Mimi. She coward in fear as Tak approached, she bent down to her and said, “You are going to keep quiet. Forever! No more comments, no more advice, and no more making me feel more disgusted with myself than I already am! Do you understand?” Mimi tried to communicate with Tak, but she was too angry to register any communication from her. She yelled again at her, “Do you understand!?”

“Yes.” Mimi almost cried out her response. She had the ability to make vocal communications but Tak forbade her to normally unless they were within their base. She could have coded her response in the noise of a cat’s meow but she was worried Tak was too angry to even understand that. Tak breathed heavily as she stood over Mimi and without another word she turned around and once again began her walk to her base. Mimi followed in tow, crouching low and quietly. After a few minutes of walking Tak had mostly calmed down. She made it to a cross road near the border of Dib’s neighborhood and heard the voice of Zim who said,

“I don’t know Gir. We’re probably not going back tonight.” She turned up the road where the voice came from and saw Zim and Gir sitting on the side of the road as they ate popcorn and watched a small handheld screen in their hands. “You really should have washed those dishes when I told you to, and the suds in the sink didn’t help.”

“I was going to do it.” Gir said annoyed as he grabbed a handful of popcorn and ate it, Zim grabbed another handful and did likewise. Tak was completely bemused at what she was seeing and walked up to them without saying a word. Zim noticed Tak approach them and said unconcerned with a full mouth,

“Oh hey Tak.” He took out more popcorn and said still chewing, “You got kicked out?”

Tak looked at the screen they were watching and saw a live feed of the Membrane household. At the sight of the two of them on the road and everything that was happening she was beside herself with how to formulate any of the questions she had. So she asked the least important one. She brought her hand to her face and brushed her hair up as she asked, “Where did you get this popcorn?”

“I made it!” Gir said excitedly to her. Then the head portion of his disguise disappeared in a flash of light, which revealed his robotic face. The top of his head opened up to show cooking popcorn and he asked her if she wanted any.

Tak stood in front of him and extended the flaps of her coat to her sides to cover him from prying eyes as she said angrily and deliberately, “We are in hiding here. Put your disguise on!”

Zim interrupted her and said unconcerned, “Hey, he can do whatever he wants.” He then turned to him and said flatly, “Gir. Put your disguise back on.”

Gir replied, “Okay!” and in anther flash of light his disguise returned with a wide smile over his human face. Tak relaxed at seeing his disguise back and let out a relieved sigh as she stood over him for a moment. Then Gir playfully poked at her belly, commenting that it was squishy. She slapped his hand away and wrapped her coat around her tightly. Then she looked to Zim and asked,

“What are you two just doing here sitting on the side of the road? And how on Irk do you have a video feed of the Membranes? I thought they didn’t have cameras in the house.”

“They don’t. They’re my cameras.” Zim stated without even the slightest hesitation.

Tak was once again beside herself at his response and asked, “Where do you have the cameras? The whole house?”

“No.” Zim said firmly with a shake of his head. Then Gir added,

“I like to watch him using the bathroom.” He then grabbed the screen from Zim’s hands and showed it to Tak. He hit a button on it which showed an empty bathroom in the house. Then Zim grabbed it back from him hurriedly and said nervously,

“I uh, keep telling him not to do that.”

Tak didn’t say anything for a moment and stood crossing her arms. She glared and said annoyed but not angry to him, “Does Dib know you have cameras in his house? Does Gaz?”

“Dib does.” Zim replied as he gave the screen back to Gir and had a face off with Tak as he also crossed his arms. While the two of them were talking neither of them noticed Mimi had snuck up to the side of Gir as she curiously examined the screen herself. Gir excitedly but quietly exclaimed “Kitty!” as he petted her gently and offered her some popcorn, which she ate happily.  

“Why is he okay that you have cameras all over his house?” Tak said with angry skepticism.

Zim unfolded his arms and raised them up in a shrug as he said, “I mean he has cameras in my house. It’s only fair.”

It seemed to Tak that more she prodded him for information the more outrageous the situation seemed. She knew Zim was eccentric, and that Dib was much more than a little obsessed with him in their early years, but their continuous surveillance of each other was too much for her. She shouted, “Why the fuck do you have cameras in each other’s houses!?”

Zim covered himself with his arms at Tak’s yelling but before either of them could continue Gir shushed them and said quietly as he pointed to the screen, “Dad’s back.”

Tak knew there could only be one “Dad” he was talking about. So she went behind them and joined in huddling around the screen to watch the events unfold in the membrane household. The video feed was the living room, Gaz sat on the couch with a towel on her head as she played on a handheld video game. Dib sat next to her hunched over with his hands folded, and their father had just entered and sat in the armchair.

“What is he going to do to them?” Tak said with hushed concern. She knew their lives weren’t at risk but some of her fears of The Professor were seeping back to her.

“Don’t know.” Zim said, absorbed in the feed, “After he caught you and Dib, he went over to the kitchen and saw the mess. Then got kind of angry and called for Gaz to come down before he went to check on things in his lab.” He spoke carelessly as he went over the events Tak missed, but as he finished he noticed Tak had placed an arm on his shoulder and began tightening it to an uncomfortable degree. He looked up at her and saw her face contorted in rage as she said dementedly between her teeth,

“You fucking saw that?” Tak was still very shy about letting others see her intimate with Dib. The idea that Zim was gawking at her as she exchanged spit with him made her want to drag Zim to her base and vivisect him.

“I got a silent alarm that somebody entered the house and checked the feed to make sure it wasn’t anything bad and when I saw it was just their dad I wanted to see what would happen. That’s it I swear.” Zim blurted out in a rushed panic as he turned to Tak.

She replied with building anger, “You watch Dib and Gaz go to the bathroom and expect me to believe that?” Before they could continue, they were again interrupted by Gir as he brought their attention to the feed as the Membrane family talked. They caught the professor in mid-sentence as he said:

[-completely and totally irresponsible. I leave the two of you home alone for the weekend and when I’m able to come home early - I see that you decided to host some, ‘wild party’.]

The Professor wave his hand up in exaggeration for his comment. Gaz replied from her game: [It wasn’t a ‘wild party’. We had three people over. Four if you count the cat.]

The Professor said eminently: [That mess in the kitchen does not look like ‘four people’. Maybe a dozen or twice that.]

Gaz said indifferently: [Well Gir can do that.]

The Professor said:[Gaz, would please shut off your game when we’re having a discussion?]

[I can hear you fine dad.]

[Gazlene, please.] Her father more ordered than entreated her. She begrudgingly obeyed and put her game down as she folded her arms in annoyance. Her father continued:

[And who was that with you on the couch when I walked in?]

He ended pointing to Dib who replied: [It was Tak.]

The Professor: [Then why was she green with antennas and bald?]

“Heh, he noticed that.” Zim said with slight surprise.

“No fucking shit he noticed it. Now be quiet.” Tak hissed out at him as she watched the screen. Dib replied:

[It was a costume.]

The Professor was completely bewildered and said: [Why was she in a full body costume?]

Dib trailed on “Because” as he tried to find an answer until Gaz blurted out: [She’s into roleplay.]

The Professor repeated the word “roleplay” in confusion and Dib brought his hand to his face to cover in embarrassment as he said, [Yeah… She’s into roleplay.]

“Oh my fucking…” Tak said in between her teeth as she brought her own hands to her face in embarrassment, but was interrupted by Zim who said assuredly,

“The good a cover. That’s a really good cover. I think you’re in the clear Tak.” He said pleased as he turned around to look at her.

“What’s roleplay?” Gir asked confused.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Zim replied quickly as he pushed the subject to the side.

“What do I care if it’s a good cover. He thinks I’m a weirdo!” Tak almost screamed her worried response at them.

“He’s not going to think you’re a weirdo.” Zim dismissed her concern and continued after he grabbed a fistful of popcorn and said confidently, “And he’s not going to think you’re an alien.” He chewed for a bit before he continued with a full mouth, “Honestly I’m proud of after tonight. You just need to admit you’re weird like the rest of us. That make-out session was a bold move for you. I thought you found that stuff gross.”

At Zim’s light hearted but ill timed jeer, Tak grew angry and kicked their bucket of popcorn into the street. They yelled out an annoyed “Hey!?” after which Tak stormed off as she yelled to them, “I’m going home! I am going home!” Snarling as Mimi followed in suit low to the ground without a word. Tak was beyond furious with the night, and everything that happened. She walked down the street for a moment until she said to Mimi in almost a growl, “We are going home. And I’m going down the first dark alley way I see, and whoever is ugly enough to want to try to attack or rape me is getting dragged to our base so I can fucking mutilate them.” More than likely, she would do that before the end of the night. There was still plenty of it left, and the weekend hadn’t even started.

#invader zim #tak #gaz #dib #datr #zim

[dib-adrift]

[ @drun-in-a-million @queen-of-lazuroth ]

With so many kids, it was common at night for the parents to walk around the halls of the castle rounding them up and making sure they went to bed. Well...most of them now were adults or practically adults, but it still gave them piece of mind. Their family to this day was still cursed with kidnappings.

That was how Dib found Drun passed out in front of a computer in the archives room. He was also surrounded by several books. A quick glance told Dib that they were mostly about...legends and myths of Lazuroth? Was this a holiday project he had to work on before school started again?

Nonetheless, Dib reached over and shook his son’s shoulder. “Mijo? Come on, you should go to bed.”

Drun jumped awake with a grunt, looking up at one of his fathers. He rubbed his face and looked around him. A hint of panic bubbled in his chest, but there was no way his Papa could figure everything out from the things around him. He cleared his throat. “Sorry...guess I was more tired than I thought.”

Dib chuckled. “You’re too much like your parents, I think. All of us. Maybe it’s a curse for Denivars to be workaholics.” He ruffled the boys white hair, as soft as his mother’s. “What are you working on, anyway?”

Drun’s sydark jumped. “Oh! Uh...research. Just research for...school. Family lineage stuff.”

Dib tilted his head. “Strange thing for Polaris Academy to ask,” he mentioned. Then again, some instructors had strange ways of teaching.

“Y-yeah...” Drun said. He didn’t like lying to his parents. Even when he and Scarlett got into trouble, he never lied about how they got into it. He took responsibility for it, for not thinking ahead. He bit his bottom lip and then sighed. “Actually...can I tell you something?”

Dib’s brow furrowed. “Of course you can. You can tell me anything.” He was perhaps the most understanding of the parents, and definitely the most lenient. It came from his own childhood, of constantly being belittled and pushed aside. Yes, his father eventually saw the error of his ways before their timeline was destroyed, but...well, by that point it was too little too late. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes! No! I...I don’t know...” Drun closed his eyes, trying to figure out a way to start. “I’ve been...hearing singing...”

“Singing?” Dib asked, his voice colored with concern. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not words. It’s just....’ah ah ah ahhhh~’” He didn’t have the voice his sisters had, but that’s what it sounded like. “It mostly sounds like one voice, others it’s multiple. And...and I’m not the only one hearing it! Ruby and Rían are hearing it too!”

Dib stared at his son for long time, trying to process his words. “Just the three of you? And it’s...not even words?”

“Yeah!” Drun confirmed, sounding almost relieved that so far Dib didn’t seem to think he was losing it in anyway. “It...I don’t know. It feels like...something calling to me. Us. Or someone.”

Dib’s gaze fell to the floor, thoughtful. “And you’re the only three that can hear it?”

“So far. We’ve tried to get in touch with Addie but you know...she’s busy.”

“What about Ada?”

“She doesn’t hear it. She even made fun of me for it. But Rían and I have a theory that it’s just us with extra abilities. But to confirm that we have to know if Addie is hearing it.”

“I’m gonna be honest, Drun...but just from that information alone it sounds like some sort of trap. Why else target the ones that have extra powers?”

“I...I don’t know...” Drun balled his hands into fists. “I can’t explain it but...it doesn’t feel like a trap. It...it feels like a genuine call for...something...”

Dib sighed, taking a moment to pet Drun’s hair again. “Okay. Maybe your mom knows something that could help. I’ll talk to her, okay?” He put his hands on Drun’s shoulders. “Promise you won’t do anything impulsive until we make sure this isn’t something dangerous?”

Drun tried not to tense. Every time he heard the singing it seemed to get stronger, urging him to do...something. Go somewhere. Go wherever it was coming from. How could he promise he wouldn’t follow it, when everything in his being was telling him to do just that?”

“I promise,” he said with the straightest face he could manage. Unlike most of his family, Drun had a good poker face. One of his instructors said he must have inherited Dek’s espionage spirit.

“Good,” Dib said, ruffling the boys hair one more time. “Come on. Get to bed. You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

I haven’t, Drun thought to himself. Even now he could hear it, loud and insistent. Ah ah ah ahhhhh~ Ah ah ah ahhhhh~

He had figure this out. He had to...

000000000000000000

“Singing?” Midge asked, her brow furrowing. 

“Yeah,” Dib said with a nod as the parents got ready for bed. “Drun said so far it’s just him and the twins hearing it. There’s not like...some weird ritual that happens with the Cuppari line every so many years is there?”

Midge shook her head. “Not to my knowledge, and my mother practically crammed all the history she could into my head. Well, the fake history. I figured out anything else from Sigi.”

“Do we need to be concerned?” Dek asked, a familiar look in his eye. An ingrained need to protect his family.

“Is it possible it’s in their heads? They have been under quite a lot of stress this past year, especially Drun,” Zim suggested. His voice was gentle but practical.

“It’s unlikely for all three of them to hallucinate the same thing. Even the twins, with as close as they are.” Midge snuggled into the bed as the four of them cuddled together, the Irkens using Dib as extra heat, while Midge was perfectly comfortable at the current temperatures. “I’ll look into it for sure. Maybe there’s something I missed or don’t remember.”

“I’ll help. I like doing research,” Dib offered, leaning over and kissing Midge’s forehead. 

“Thank you, love.”

000000000000000

It was the sound of singing that awoke Midge in the morning. She blinked her eyes several times before slowly pulling herself from the cuddle pile of her and her mates.

Ah ah ah ahhhhh~

Her brow furrowed as she went toward the balcony. The voice seemed almost right in her ear, yet also so far away.

Ah ah ah ahhhhh~

“Midge?”

Midge looked over her shoulder, seeing that Dek had been awoken from her shuffle. He was always so entuned with her and the other three. Sometimes she wondered if he could read their thoughts. But even now, the singing could be heard, clear as a thin sheet of ice.

Ah ah ah ahhhhh~

If she was hearing it as well...

...There was only one person she could ask...

#[Denivar Dynasty] #✨ Future Stellar Dib

[rancoeur-the-unfortunate]

Pills (Chapter 15)

(1877 words 😄 ((much better)))

GIR and Minnimoose sat in the main lab. It had been exactly 2 hours since the Tallest had called and GIR had decided to just stand and stare. The silence was interrupted by Minnimoose.

"Meh!"

"Wah?! Was zat?!" GIR squealed.

"My mi me!"

"Little Timmy fell down ta well?!"

"Mei gn wh me me ih!"

"Let's go save em!" GIR ran through one of the pipes in Zim's lab, leaving Minnimoose to her own devices.

The doomsday device floated around the room deep in thought.

"Me hi my meh mi" The creature mumbled to its self. A certain urge to protect her master as she floated down to the keyboard.

She typed using her short nubs. A combination she remembered Zim using whenever he needed 'help'.

'CONTACTING PRISONER 777' The computer beeped.

The screen fuzzed before the ashy skinned alien came on screen.

"What is it now Zim- hey wait you're not Zim... you're that... doomsday device I helped him make." He gave the moose a look.

"Why are you calling me?"

"Miu muy mh hnn mei!"

"Wait really? You want my help? With what?"

"Mm yh ehh de my!"

"A base shield? I guess I could do that... what for?"

"Mmm, my mei gu he meh!"

"Forget I asked."

The screen lit up with schematics for the shield and Minnimoose couldn't help but squeal.

"Mei!"

"Uh, you're welcome."

Minnimoose then hung up and started getting ready to prepare the base.

Zim and Dib's situation was a lot different however. Considering the day was said to be pretty stormy by the look of clouds, they were pretty bound to the water proof tent.

Zim shifted uncomfortably.

"This tent thing is pretty close quarters don't you think Dib-human."

Said human rolled his eyes.

"That's cause the tent is ment for only one person Zim."

The alien crossed his arms.

"If you don't like it you can go back outside if you want." Dib suggested when suddenly a crack of lightening struck HARD causing Zim to jump and almost duck into his sleeping bag.

"HOW CLOSE WAS THAT?!" Zim paniced.

Another bolt struck the earth followed by thunder.

"1,2,3,4... well last one was 4 miles."

The alien before Dib was obvousily shacking but trying to play it off.

"Oh uh ok GOOD. Wait how do you know?"

"Oh it's a simple trick the internet taught me. When lighting strikes count the seconds until thunder. Every second is a mile between the lightening and you."

"Oh."

Another crack broke Zim and he bolted deep into the confines of the sleeping bag until only his twitchy antnnae were visible.

Dib couldn't help but snicker.

"It's just lighting Zim."

The boy could hear the soft soon to be hard pitter-patter of the rain drops on the top of the tent.

"A BOLT OF ELECTRICITY IS WHAT IT IS!! A BOLT OF ELECTRICITY THAT WILL CERTAIN STRIKE ME!!"

"Zim you're over reacting."

"ZIM NEVER OVER REACTS!!"

Dib let out a sigh. Today was going to be a long one. He dug through his bag and pulled out a smaller version of his computer and a hotspot. He firgured watching some youtube would be a great way to pass the time. He made sure to turn on incognito mode, just incase the Swollen Eyeball tried to hack in to his device and view him through his computer.

It was an hour later and storm hadn't let up a bit. The rain was hard and heavy and at times Dib could swear he could see Zim's shaking figure jump everytime lighting struck. Though Dib was sure it was the thunder he was reslly scared of.

Dib paused and typed something new into the search bar.

-que music-

When the music started playing Dib noticed how the aliens antnnae twitched in curiousity.

His shacking toned down a bit and he seemed to relax.

Dib placed his hand near Zim's head. The alien looked up at him though all Dib could see was his shiny magenta eyes. Slowly the gloved claw slid out of the sleeping back and accepted the human boy's gesture.

Dib couldn't tell you how long they sat like that. Every now and again Zim would jump at the flashing of lightening or the sound of thunder and grip Dib's hand just a little tighter and if this bothered the earth boy he certainly did not voice it.

It had to have been hours before the storm let up and when it did Zim was out like a light. Dib had no choice but to guess that exhaustion was a symptom of Irken withdrawal sense the Irken slept so much.

It was so strange to see Zim sleep. He always claimed that it was only a human weakness and that Irkens had no need for rest and yet right now that didn't seem so true. Funny thing was just because Zim was asleep did not mean his strength let up in the slightest, no doubt Dib's hand would be stuck in Zim's clutches for a bit and yet Dib didn't seem to have any problem with it. Not because he was concerned for Zim or anything he just didn't need that hand while he decided to watch youtube til Zim woke.

It was around 5 when Zim woke and crawled out of his sleeping bag. Dib was in the middle of a video of two guys blowing things up in slow motion. He didn't even notice Zim crawl up and sit next to him nor did he notice his hand still intertwined with the claws of that evil green alien he swore he hated to the moon and back.

He swallowed that warm fuzzy feeling and tried his best not to say a word when Zim leaned just a little bit on him to watch the video. If he was blushing Zim didn't comment on it.

He didn't even give any snarky or sarcastic when Zim asked stupid questions about the video though Dib was SURE it was only because Zim was sick and didn't know any better.

It was 9:34 when they decided to eat 'dinner' and go to sleep.

However instead of sleeping the two were wide awake laying in their sleepingbags.

They were looking at eachother, both had something on their mind though none knew how to voice it.

"Zim, I-"

"Dib, ca-"

The two boys ended up speaking and the same time and recoiled in embarrassment.

"I uh... you go first Zim." Dib spoke first.

"No no you go first." Zim insisted a light blue blush dusted his face.

"Uh ok I just wanted to say... it's perfectly fine if you're afraid of lighting. I used to be too when I was a kid. I won't hold it against you."

"Ha foolish human you thought I, ZIM was SCARED?!" The alien tried to play off but the series of awkward chuckles that followed gave him away.

Dib rolled his eyes.

"Anyways what did you want to say?"

Zim seemed to blush more at that.

"I was uh wondering if you uh could give me your flesh hand again. It a helps me sleep." Zim wasn't lying. When their fingers were interlocked Zim had his first ever good dream. No nightmare no nothing.

"It's called holding hands Zim and uh sure." Dib pulled his arm out his sleeping bag and reached over while Zim did the same.

With their hands now clasped together, Dib couldn't push back the blush. The alien in front of him curled up and did the cutest thing Dib had ever seen. Zim used his other hand and rubbed up his antnnae as if to clean it simliar to a cat licking it's paw and wiping it's head. Dib had to hold back a squee in fear of retaliation and Zim fell asleep before him.

Dib couldn't believe it. To think that years ago he was chasing Zim down the street with handcuffs and now he was practically cuddling up against the enemy.

Dib shook his head. He was only doing this to keep earth safe. As long as Zim was safe he'd go by the days on withdrawl normally, get his memories back, and leave. That was the plan and yet, any and all thoughts of such an occurrence made Dib's stomach turn.

Dib needed to get it though his head.

Until Zim remembered who he was he was the enemy.

Zim was sitting when he opened his eyes. The room around him was dark with only a singular light above him. In front of him was a table with what looked like blueprints to an Irken base of some kind. It took Zim a bit to realize someone was speaking to him in Irken.

'Zim? Commander?' Skoodge, the alien standing beside him snapped his fingers in front of his face tossing him out of his trance.

'Oh uh sorry must have lost track of my thoughts.'

'Well you better get them together. This is our biggest mission yet Zim.'

'I know I know it's just we lost a lot of good men last time.' Zim set his head in his hands.

'Every damn time we loose more and more. Either by death or worth capture. I saw what those horrible drugs do your mind Skoodge. Our army once stronge rebellious soilders reduced to mindless service drones.'

Skoodge placed a hand Zim's shoulder.

'Commander.'

He spun Zim's chair so that they were facing eachother. The short Irken holding the other's shoulders now.

'You gotta pull yourself together. If we don't complete this misson and destroy those drug factories all those lost lives will be for NOTHING. When this war is over and we destroy every single one of those horrible pills there will be time for grief. Until then you need to keep your head up and guide us.'

Zim couldn't help but frown.

'But what if next time you die?'

'Then I die. You can't slow down just because I'm gone I know you're better than that. We WILL win this war and those disgusting control brains will receive their just desserts. The heels of our boots.'

The two Irken stood still for a moment before Zim felt soft tears trickle down his face just a bit.

'Oh Skoodge the Irken race doesn't deserve you.' Skoodge pulled Zim into an embrace. They stayed like that, just holding eachother and mentally preparing themselves for the battle that will certainly change their lives forever.

They pulled back a bit smiling at eachother then turned back to the blueprints and set up their attack on the factories.

'This has to work. They'll never see it coming.' Skoodge smiled.

'Those handmade bombs of yours good to go?' He asked.

Zim smirked.

'Oh you better believe it.'

They clasped their claws together an all too familiar feeling ran through Zim as they rubbed their foreheads together and chirped happily. They clicked antnnae and pulled back.

'Don't get caught out there.' Zim held Skoodge's cheek.

'I was just about to say the same to you.' They giggled and chirped together.

Suddenly Zim awoke in his sleepingbag.

(Aww so much fluff oh god so much fluff. I didn't think my edgy ass was capable of making something so cute.)

#invader zim zadr #zadr #invader zim #minnimoose #prisoner 777 #gir #zim x dib #zim #dib #rain #fluff #so much damn fluff

[kindabraveandlittlestupid]

Gamer Girls are kind of amazing. I mean am not saying all girl NEED to be gamers and it's far from a deal breaker for a relationship but having a Player 2 in the household is kind of amazing. I want to come home from work and find a pizza on the table and cutie with a booty sitting on the sofa in PJ’s waiting for me to join her in a game for a bit. Of course, the option of making it Netflix Night or something else is also welcome but I have been (for my whole life) a gamer since the original Sega system up to my custom built PC I use now. And I want to share that with her.

So for all you Game Girls and Wonderful Girlfriends who are willing to try new things to make your lover happy (or reverse relationships where your a Gamer Girl trying to get your Boyfriend or Girlfriend into games). I present you my Co-Op Date Night Video Game List.

Enjoy.

A Way Out

I admit I have not yet played this game but it looks damn good and reminds me a fair amount of Splinter Cell which appeals to me. From what I have seen the voice acting and graphics are on par with Grand Theft Auto and the gameplay seems very clean. Nothing like working together to break out of prison to bring us closer.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ? ? ? ? ? (No idea how hard this will be)

Diablo 1, 2, & 3

The Diablo series has always been a pretty basic point and click approach with spells on the hotkeys and some minor inventory management. As the games went on more playable characters unlocked with each new game. This game would be a fun side by side experience with two PC’s playing as a male and female character out to kill the Devil himself. 

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★★★☆☆ (Gotta teach the hotkey basics)

Don’t Starve Together

The second game on the list I have yet to play. The animation reminds me of something from Tim Burton meeting Invader Zim. Despite the strangely clever art style, I like the concept of the game of running around resourcing to stay alive. This kind of co-op experience is about carrying your weight and working together.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ? ? ? ? ? (I won't ever let you go hungry before me)

Fortnite

I was playing Save the World setting of the game long before most players were hearing about the soon to be released PUBG. I don't know if that makes me cool or incredibly nerdy but probably both. This game is full of action and I prefer the build mode of the other Save the World Game mode which is where I would want to take you. Gathing supplies building a base, fighting a horde of zombies and winning.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★★★☆☆ (I’m not always ahead of the trends but when I do it was Fortnite)

Guitar Hero and Rock Band

An oldy but a goody! Guitar Hero and Rock Band both brought the concert into the family room. I loved those first games but really lost interest fast once the microtransactions pretty much dominated the last couple of games. Nothing like ruining a game by demanding another dollar for a song you like. Regardless of those failings, I would love to find another guitar and mic for us to play together. Don’t worry if you can't sing I can play bass and you can take lead. Slapping the bass man!

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★★★☆☆ (P.S. Don’t let me drum)

Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm is kind of a Blizzard grab bag exploring the DOTA setting. I can't imagine us playing this long term unless we REALLY get into the game and spend some pay to play cash to unlock some characters for her early on. I met a few girls in my life who played games like this and all of them have been amazing people, I hope to do this with my S.O. in the future.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (A bit more skill based but still very much friendly to new players)

Keep Talking Nobody Explodes

The only VR game on the list but a fun one that requires for two people to work together to defuse a bomb. The first person gets a binder full of paper to read off of and the other has the VR goggles on with the remotes waiting to defuse the bomb. I imagine if you’re really shit communicator this might be a hard game to play but then again it can help you work on that, can’t it?

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (I hope we have good communication skills)

Left 4 Dead 1 & 2

Simple enough to learn and control, the hard part is knowing when to save my ass from a smoker drag or engaging the zombies in an effective way that we don't get punched to death. There is always one female character to play as so you won’t ever be without a lady to play as unless you’re one of those weird girls who likes Ellis. I don’t get it.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Get to the Chopper!)

Lego Games

Far from challenging collection, Lego Games are known to be kid-friendly. Kid-friendly also means new gamer girlfriend friendly. I don’t mind getting silly with lego games to get you into gaming in general. Thus it sits on this list!

NOTE: Got tons of options like Jurassic Park, Batman, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Pirates of Caribbean, and more...

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Silly rabbit Legos are for kids!)

Life is Strange

Apparently, this game is amazing and it operates like Telltale Games where choices matter. From my understanding, if you like Riverdale then this sort of plot is right up your alley, which is great for young women who love that show. I am more of a Sabrina fan myself but you do you.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ? ? ? ? ? (As seen on Tumblr!)

Mariokart

Mariokart is a game that can ruin relationships. I imagine I might sleep on the sofa if you blue turtle shell me at the end of the tace and your butt is something far lower then second place. I personally prefer the arena battles with the balloons but I am simply old school like that when I still had a third arm from my chest for the N64 console. 

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (I hope we have good communication skills)

Minecraft

Minecraft and the Sims are the only two games you can play without the other person being there and that being perfectly ok. I mean Sims you have to with it being single player but if you had an afternoon on Minecraft without me I wouldn't be angry with the progress you made. It really is a relaxing game unless you’re out at night and hear a sudden his sound that blows out the wall of your house.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Thop Thop Thop Thop Pop)

Overcooked 1 & 2

Overcooked is an insanely fun game about cooking. It requires people to follow instructions and get into a flow of handling jobs in the kitchen. If done right it can be a really rewarding experience. If done wrong... well people start getting loud with one another.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Why didn’t anyone wash the dishes?!)

Overwatch

This would be interesting, I know the female gamer community is growing and certain games have a draw. I pleasantly surprised that there seems to be a large number of gamer girls who enjoy Overwatch or maybe I am projecting the cosplay community. Either way, I want to be your Solider 76 and have you be my healer keeping me upright and fighting. Maybe I will dress up as your favorite male character later. *wink*

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Tracer has a nice butt, there I said it)

Payday 1 & 2

Payday is a pretty forgiving game in the sense that the bank robbers are pretty much bullet sponges who are kind of hard to kill. The real fun is taking a bank without anyone knowing that we are doing it. With some fun female characters to play as I think we can have a good old time taking hostages and emptying vaults out together.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Gonna steal you some diamonds)

Portal 2

Portal is 1 part first-person shooter, 1 part logic puzzles and 1 part rewiring your brain to think in Portals. The game isn't very high stress but does require some skill for the later levels and some experience with first-person controls. I would save this game last for this list to make sure we are on par for our skillset to handle the struggle that is Portal 2.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Teamwork makes the dream work)

Resident Evil 5 and Later

This game isn't really hard as it is the controls are kind of crap. The stand and shoot principal of Resident Evil really brought down the quality of the early games like the camera angles. That said it was an early co-op with the kinda cute interracial duo that makes you think (they be a hot couple). I kinda want to revisit this game along with some of the other later games and play with my lover once she is comfy enough playing video games with me.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (I got your back honey)

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a really simple looking game that is surprisingly good by keeping you busy with well... busy work. One improvement to the game was the Multiplayer Update/Beta that allowed 2 people to work on a farm together. I really love the idea of building a home with my SO and playing side by side for an hour or so every day making our lives a little better, well in a digital sense.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Lets farm together boo)

State of Decay 2

We need to be ready for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. This game allows us to build our own survivor and explore a town, house by house raiding for supplies like ammunition, medicine, food, and so on. I think a little teamwork goes a long way in making us grow closer don’t you think?

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (All about survival)

Super Smash Bros.

Anyone who knows me I have issues with Mario despite the fact he made this list twice. Super Smash Bros. gets a seat on this list mostly because of how user-friendly the game is and how fun 4 player co-op can be. I mean... if we were swingers on Date Night that fills the other two spots but since it's you and me we can smash all night long just the two of us.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆☆ (Great ‘Party Game’ and fun for ‘Button Smashers’)

Telltale Games

Pretty much story time for couples where we sit down with some popcorn and take turns doing some minor walk around with characters and making quick story-altering choices together. Imagine the excited screams as we aren't sure which option to pick while playing the Walking Dead! There are so many Telltale Titles to consider playing from Game of Thrones, TWD, Batman, Guardians of The Galaxy, Fables, and Back to the Future so we wont be bored anytime soon.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆☆ (Stress might spike for tough story choices)

The Sims

The Sims have been around since the late 90′s and captured the imagination of boys and girls across the country alike. While the game is not a ‘co-op’ per say managing a family together on one PC is doable and can be kind of rewarding. I just hope she doesn't remove the ladder by the pool and down my virtual avatar.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆☆ (Real Simple Stuff Here)

Honorable Mentions

Far Cry 5 - Not the best game but still gives us an open world to discover. Advanced players only.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands - Another open world game to fight the drug cartels. You can create a pretty cute female on this game too.

The Division - Do I have something against open world games? No just Ubisoft games that may be too hard for a new gamer to play.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist - Fuck I miss these games. Splinter Cell was the perfect Co-op Stealth game. We will revisit this one if we burn through the list.

Fable 3 - Chicken Chaser? Do you chase chickens? Fable was a memorable game but way to limited for the years it was being produced. I want to revisit this series soon.

Fallout 76 - Still pretty fresh but still Co-Op able. I have mixed feelings on the game but the character customization might be good for making ourselves in game.

Starcraft 2 - This game has a co-op hero mod perfect for building bases and completing missions. The learning curve is higher for strategy games but it makes the list for fun co-op.

Wrap Up

I scribbled most of these games down myself but when I decided to see what other games couples played, I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the games I wrote were also on their lists. I did cannibalize a few other online lists (such as Resident Evil 5, A Way Out and Don’t Starve Together) but most of my content was original thoughts on my end that other people also saw the potential in (honest to god it was the Overcooked game that inspired me to write this). I like to keep this post as a reminder to myself of what I want to do with my girlfriend or maybe one day my kids (assuming they want to be my player 2 and kill some zombies with their old man). Either way I can't wait to do either and I missed anything that you think should be on this list let me know.

As always thanks for reading.

Regards, Michael California

#Game Night #Date Night #Couples Games #Gamergirl #Co-op Games #Co-op #Relationship Goals #Video Games #Player 2

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 65

Hellz Rebels get their first gig. But Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee run into some trouble on the way to the party. Previous! Next!

The Gig

           Pepito scrolls through something on his phone, looking incredibly focused and slightly irritated. Squee watches him curiously and somewhat concerned.        Finally Pepito scoffs, fed up, and tosses his phone to the side. He sighs and rests his head on Squee’s shoulder.

           “Something on your mind?” Squee asks.

           “It is sooooo hard to get a gig,” Pepito groans.

           “A gig?”

           “For the band. I don’t even wanna get paid, I just want us to have to the experience. But I can’t find anyone that will let us play.”

           “Why not just do like a garage band thing?”

           “We could, but Colton is the only one of us with a garage. And nobody will come to Grave Road for a band.”

           “No, that’s true,” Squee nods then smiles apologetically. “Sorry. I wish I could help.”            “It’s okay,” Pepito smiles weakly. “I’ll find something. I just gotta keep trying.”

           Squee beams proudly. Pepito’s determination is pretty amazing. No matter how many times he fails, he still keeps trying.

           Still, he wishes he could help somehow.

           Later that afternoon, Johnny, Squee, and Tenna eat dinner at Café Latte. It’s a little busy so the waitresses are hustling around, making sure everyone’s happy. But it’s a nice, easy Saturday afternoon.

           Suddenly, cutting into the comfortable ambience, the front door swings open and a shrill, upset voice cries out, “Deviiiiii!”

           Devi looks up from her notepad, sheer horror filling her face. She looks back as a tall woman with flowing black hair and bright green eyes races up to her and squeezes her shoulders.

           “D-Daria,” Devi stammers with surprise.

           “Oh, Devi! It’s terrible,” the woman cries.

           “What-what is it?” she asks worriedly.

           “My party is ruined!”

           Devi glares at her angrily. “Are you fucking serious…”            Johnny, Squee, and Tenna watch the spectacle from their table. Then Johnny whispers to Tenna, “hey, who is that?”            “Devi’s older sister, Daria,” Tenna whispers back. “She’s a huge drama queen.”            “Daria,” Devi growls as she pushes her sister back. “You can’t interrupt me at work unless you have an emergency.”            “This is an emergency!” Daria insists.

           “I mean a real emergency,” she groans, “like somebody’s dying.”

           “My social life is dying.”

           Devi groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.

           “So here’s the problem,” Daria says, “the band that I hired for my party tomorrow night cancelled on me today. Talk about last minute. I don’t have any replacements and I can’t have a party without a band.”

           “Why can’t you just use a stereo?” Devi asks wearily.

           “Because I promised a live band!” she exclaims, exasperated.

           “Alright, alright. So just postpone.”

           “I can’t! I’ve never cancelled a party before! I’m famous for being punctual.”

           From the way she’s shrieking, one would think her whole world was collapsing around her. Everyone in the restaurant feels annoyed just watching her and they hate that she interrupted their calm afternoon. But it gives somebody a lightbulb moment.          

           Squee quickly downs his glass of juice, takes a couple deep breaths, and approaches Devi and her sister.

           “E-excuse me,” he squeaks then quickly clears his throat. Devi and Daria look at him curiously.

           “I am Squee,” he says, smiling shakenly. “A friend of Devi’s.”

           “O…kay?” Daria replies questionably. “I’m her sister, Daria.”

           Squee chuckles weakly and clears his throat again. “Um I couldn’t help but hear your…problem. And I might be able to help.”            “Really?” she questions, her eyes lighting up.

           “What would you think about hiring a free, amateur rock band?”

“Squee, no,” Devi hisses.            “How much of an amateur? And why free?” Daria asks.

           “They’re amateurs because this would be their first gig. And free because they just really want the experience,” Squee replies.

           “How old are they?”            “My age.”

           “What are you, like 12?”

           “I’m 15.”            Daria considers it, somewhat uncertain, then sighs. “I don’t have much of a choice. But I’d like to talk to them.”            “Of course,” Squee smiles, “I can give your number to the lead guitarist. He’ll be happy to contact you.”

           “Hm…okay,” Daria nods. She quickly writes her phone number on a napkin and hands it to Squee. “I’ll be expecting his call.”

           “Of course. But um…in exchange for helping you, my friends and I have to attend too,” he says quickly.

           “What? No way,” Daria snaps, “this is an adult party. I can’t let a bunch of kids come.”

           “We won’t stand out…much,” Squee insists, “we just wanna see the band play.”            “No, forget it.”

           Squee starts to argue but stops then shrugs. “Alright. Then forget about the band. Cause if we can’t attend, you can’t have them.”            He hands her back her number and goes to sit down. Daria stares at him for a second then glances at Devi. She’s shaking her head no. She looks back at Squee then groans.

           “Alright,” she relents. “You can come.”

           “Great,” Squee beams as he takes the number back. “He’ll call you tonight.”

           “Alright,” she sighs. “I gotta go. I’ll see you later, Devi.”

           Devi waves at her wordlessly. As soon as she’s gone, she glares at Squee. He sits back down and shrugs. “What?”

           “Why’d you have to involve your friends with my sister?” she asks.

           “She needed help, Pepito needed gig. I figure everyone benefited.”

           “Listen, Squee,” Devi says sternly, “Daria is very dramatic. If this goes wrong, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

           “Don’t worry. Pepito and his Hellz Rebels are great. I’ve heard them play. They even have a couple original songs. And if it does go bad, I’ll take responsibility.”

           Devi sighs and rubs her neck. “Fine. But I wanna talk to Pepito before he calls my sister.”

           “Sure,” Squee shrugs, “come over after work, he’ll be there.”

           “Fine,” Devi nods and returns to work.

           That evening, at Nny and Squee’s house, Pepito squeals excitedly and hugs Squee tightly.

           “Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” he exclaims with elation. “You are the absolute best in the whole world!”

           Squee smiles as he’s squeezed into Pepito’s chest and spun around with him. He’s finally let go so Pepito can cheer by himself.

           “I can’t wait to tell the others! They are gonna flip!” he exclaims, “Squee, you should totally be our stage manager!”

           “Thanks but it was emotionally exhausting just talking to Devi’s sister,” Squee replies.

           “Speaking of which,” Devi says and plants her hand firmly on Pepito’s head, getting his full attention. “Daria may be an annoying pain in the ass, but she’s still my sister and I want her to be happy. So you better make sure your band is perfect because if it isn’t, I’ll have to deal with her. Which means you’ll have to deal with me.”

           Pepito smiles nervously as he wiggles out of her grip. “Don’t worry. We’ll be great. We’re ready for this, I know it. All we need is some emotional support.” He glances at Squee.

           “Yeah, we’ll be there,” he smiles, “I’ve already told Zim, Dib, and Gaz and they’re super excited too. We’ll definitely be watching you tomorrow night.”

           “Isn’t it a school night?” Johnny asks.

           “Whose got time to think about school?” Tenna scoffs, “it’s time to think about partying!”

           “Why? We’re not going,” he points out.

           “What? But, Devi,” she complains.

           “Forget it,” Devi snorts, “I’m not setting foot near Daria’s party or her wacko friends.”            “Aw,” Tenna whines and face plants into the couch.

           Pepito and Squee both chuckle before facing each other.

           “Alright, I’m gonna go let the others know. We have a lot of work to do before tomorrow night,” Pepito says as he hurries to the door. “I’ll text you later.”            “Bye.” Squee waves as he leaves.

           “Squee, are you sure you wanna go to this party?” Devi asks, “Daria’s friends are all like her. It’s gonna be like a room full of Darias.”

           “This is their first gig. I have to see it,” Squee insists, “nothing will keep me from their first performance.”

           The next day, everyone gets ready for the party. Pepito, Colton, Carmen, and Maddie spend the day practicing and preparing. Carmen’s dad gives them a ride to Daria’s house in the North End of the city. When they arrive, Daria sees them to the garage where they can set up.

           “Now I know this is your first gig or whatever,” she says, “but it has to go perfectly. Understand?”

           “No problem,” Pepito chimes, “we’ll do great. Right, guys?”            Carmen nods enthusiastically. Colton cracks a forced smile. Maddie just stares at the ground and plays with her hair.

           Pepito suppresses a worried moan and smiles at Daria. “Like I said, no problem. You just finish setting up for your party.”            Daria groans uncertainly but goes into the house. As soon as she’s gone, Pepito faces his band.

           “Are you guys sure you’re ready for this?” he asks, “we can wait a little longer.”            “I’m ready,” Colton nods quickly, “I am. I’ve been preparing for weeks. Practicing my bass every night, I’ve even been doing class presentations to get over my stage fright.”            “Impressive,” Pepito grins then looks at Maddie. “What about you?”

           “I am. I have to be,” she replies, “if I don’t do it now, then I’ll never be able to do it. Besides, I’ll be with you guys. And Gaz and the others will be watching too.”            “Yeah,” Pepito nods, “Squee just texted me that they’re leaving now so they should get here super early.”

           Meanwhile, Dib picks up Squee from his house. He gets in the backseat with Gaz while Zim sits in the passenger seat.

           “I am so pumped for this,” Dib says excitedly as they drive away. “I can only imagine how Pepito’s feeling.”

           “He’s super excited,” Squee replies, “I haven’t talked to Colton or Carmen yet but I’m sure they’re feeling the same.”          

           “I talked to Maddie last night after Pepito told her,” Gaz says, “she’s nervous but excited I think. But she’s a really good singer. I’m sure she’ll do great.”

           “What about you, Zim?” Dib asks, “are you excited?”

           He shrugs and scoffs. “I never found music appealing. I’m only doing this because Pepito would whine if I didn’t.”

           They stare at him for a second before Squee smirks. “You’re excited.”

           Dib and Gaz laugh while Zim stammers frantically, “I-I-I am not! It-it’s just…good…leadership skills to show support for your subordinates. That’s all!”

           “Sure.” Gaz rolls her eyes.

           Zim scoffs and crosses his arms in huff while everyone else laughs.

           Daria’s party doesn’t officially start until 8pm and the kids left at 5. It should take at most two hours to drive across the city which is perfect because they want to arrive early to show their friends support. Even if it takes them a little longer with traffic and whatnot, they should still arrive in time.

           But after about an hour of driving, the car starts sputtering and slowing down.

           “What’s going on?” Squee asks.

           “I-I don’t know,” Dib replies as he pulls over. Everyone quickly gets out and he pops the hood. Smoke immediately blows out. They all cough and wave it away.

           “Aw, man! Dad’s gonna kill me,” Dib laments as he grips his head.

           “What happened to it?” Gaz asks.

           “I don’t know,” he sighs, “I’m gonna call a tow truck.”

           He steps away as he pulls out his cellphone. Zim, Gaz, and Squee sit on the curb and sigh.

           “What rotten luck,” Squee groans.

           “These Earth vehicles are inferior and unreliable,” Zim grunts.

           “How are we gonna get to the party?” Gaz asks.

           “Maybe the tow truck guy will give us a ride?” Squee suggests.

           “No good,” Dib says as he walks back. “The tow company closed an hour ago. We’re gonna have to leave the car here until morning.”

           “What about the party?” Squee asks.

           “What are our options?” Zim asks.

           “We can’t wait for someone to pick us up and the buses will take too long,” Dib muses.

           “Taxi?” Gaz suggests.

           “That’ll be crazy expensive,” Squee points out.

           “We only have one choice,” Dib says darkly, “we’ll have to take…the subway.”

           Zim, Gaz, and Squee shiver fearfully.

           Just like most cities, the Nameless City has a subway system. But unlike most cities, it also has an insane underground labyrinth that the subway system is built into.

           Nobody takes the subway because they think it’s run poorly- never on time, sometimes it doesn’t even show up at stops for days. But in reality it’s because it’s constantly getting lost in the ever-shifting labyrinth.    

           The kids would never take the subway unless it was a dire emergency. And this is.

           They make it to the closest stop within a couple minutes and trot down the stairs. The station is eerily empty. The overhead lights are flickering on and off and buzzing loudly. The kids stay clustered close together near the entrance, debating about leaving or not.      

           “There’s a map,” Dib says as he points to the right wall. Farther into the room is a map of the system. They hustle over to it and look it over.

           “Lucky for us,” Dib smiles, “the third station from this looks like the closest one to Daria’s house.”

           “If it gets there,” Squee points out.

           “Or here,” Gaz adds.

           “We better text Pepito and let him know we might be late,” Zim suggests.

           They all take out their phones and start holding them at different heights.

           “I can’t get any service,” Dib says.

           “Me neither,” Zim grunts.

           “That’s great,” Squee sighs, “maybe we should just go outside.”

           “Wait, here it comes,” Gaz says.

           Clattering and clanging is heard down the tunnel as the train comes in. It slows down before stopping with the doors opening right in front of the kids.

           It’s completely empty with dim lights that flicker worse than the station’s. The kids glance at each other questionably before boarding.

           “Okay, now we just relax until we arrive at our stop,” Dib says as he sits down and looks around.

           The subway isn’t just devoid of people; it’s devoid of all signs of life. No advertisements, no sort of intercom, not even a rodent or insect. It’s deeply unsettling, even for the usually steely Zim.

           They all mutter with uncertainty before the doors slide close and the train takes off with a rickety creak. Everybody sits down next to Dib, stiff and on edge.

           Back at Daria’s, guests have started arriving. The kitchen is full of people, eating and drinking. It won’t be long before the party moves outside and Hellz Rebels has to start playing.

           Pepito watches everything through the garage door leading into the house. He glances around but doesn’t see Squee or Zim or any of the others anywhere.

           He closes the door and checks his phone. None of them are texting back.

           “They’re still not here?” Carmen asks. Pepito just shakes his head.

           “They’re late,” Colton mutters, “and it won’t be long before we have to go on. I…I don’t know if…” He trails off.

           “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Pepito says quickly. “They’ll be here. They’re probably just running a little late. Traffic and whatever.”

           “But what if something happened?” Maddie asks quietly.

           An uncomfortable silence settles over the band. They know better than anyone the bad luck their friends have. What if something did happen?

           “I’m sure they’re fine,” Pepito insists, “they’ll be here. I know it.”            He smiles at them then turns away and checks his phone again.

           Meanwhile, at the subway, the ride is hardly relaxing. It is bumpy and unsettling. The only noise is the clanking of the train going over the rails. But even with that, the silence is deafening. The slightest noise seems to reverberate off the metal walls. Dib clears his throat, and the echo is almost endless.

           Zim takes a deep breath and sits up straight. “So.”

           His voice echoes off the walls, unnerving everyone.

           He quickly shakes it off. “What songs will they be playing?”

           “Oh, uh I’m not sure,” Squee replies, “probably mostly covers. I know they wrote a couple original songs but I don’t know if they’ll debut them all tonight. Maybe just one.”

           “What sort of songs did they write?” Dib asks.

           “I don’t know. Pepito said he wanted to keep them a surprise,” he replies, “but they’re a rock band with somewhat of a punk vibe. So it’s probably a lot of stuff about what’s wrong with society and not listening to authority figures.”

           “That sounds like Pepito,” Gaz says.

           The others laugh in agreement. The noise seems to carry on forever, even after they stop. They look around nervously.

           “This place has some uh great acoustics,” Dib comments.

           Shmee pokes his head out of Squee’s bag and looks around suspiciously. “That’s not an echo.”

           The laughter gets louder and louder until it seems to be right on top of them then it stops abruptly. They stare at the ceiling, uneasy.

           Suddenly there’s a loud bang and a dent pushes into the train. The kids exclaim with surprise and jump to their feet.

           Loud, high-pitched giggling surrounds them as many things pitter-patter along the outside walls. Something punches into the wall behind them, causing another dent. Others start following suit, pounding dents into the metal walls all around them.

           “What’s happening?” Squee asks fearfully.

           “Come on!” Dib orders and points at the doorway leading to the front of the train.  They quickly race through it and head straight for the conductor room.        

           Zim throws open the door and they all freeze. It’s completely empty. Nobody has been control the train.

           “That’s unsettling,” Gaz comments.

           “What about this isn’t?” Squee questions as he looks back. The giggling has followed them and stops abruptly over top of them.

           Everything is quiet for a second before there’s some sort of electrical popping sound. Then the lights go out and the train grinds to a halt. They kids shout with surprise as they’re thrown off their feet and smack into the control console.

           They groan as they stand up and look around. Everything’s pitch black, they can’t see a thing. They all take out their cellphones to use them as flashlights.

           As they shine them around they see something move from the corners of their eyes. They spin back to the rest of the train and shine their lights through the doorway. They don’t see anything at first and then something pokes its head from underneath the seats.

           It looks like some kind of small, furry creature with bald ears resembling that of a bat’s and face that’s almost like a cat’s. It’s got big eyes that sparkling in the light as it stares at the kids, chirping curiously.

           “Aw, it’s kinda cute,” Dib coos.  

           The creature’s eyes narrow evilly and more starting poking out from the shadows of the subway. So many little creatures, they’re innumerable. They start giggling feverishly.

           “Oh good lord,” Dib croaks.

           The giggling intensifies as they start hopping towards them, unleashing long, sharp claws from their furry, little hands. Squee and Gaz quickly throw the door closed and lean against it. The creatures clatter hard against it.

           “What the hell are those things?” Gaz asks.

           “Uh, gremlins maybe?” Dib questions.

           “What are we going to do?” Squee asks, “we’re gonna miss Pepito’s concert!”

           “Is that really our biggest problem right now?” Gaz scoffs.

           “Yes, it is,” Zim insists, “I cannot deal with that much whining for the next few months.”            “I am not missing my boyfriend’s first concert!” Squee exclaims.

           “And we’re not going to,” Zim declares, “we’re going to commandeer this vessel and we’re getting to that party.”

           “But how? The power’s out,” Dib points out.

           “I can supply the machine power from my PAK,” Zim explains, “Dib, you’re going to have to steer it. Can you do that?”

           “No problem.” He smirks and salutes.

           “Gaz, you gotta keep those things back,” Zim orders, “block the door, smash their heads, I don’t care.”

           “Fine,” she nods and grabs a nearby pipe from off the floor. “Just like Critter Killer for the Game Slave.”

“Here,” Squee says as he pulls some Startling Bombs out of his bag and hands them to Gaz. “These might help.”            “Squee, you gotta navigate,” Zim concludes.

           “Alright,” he nods.

           “Okay, everybody ready?” he asks. They nod. “Then let’s do this.”

           A pair of spider legs extends from Zim’s PAK and pierces the sides of the control console. Electrical currents travel down the legs and into the console. The lights immediately turn back on, much brighter than before, as the train takes off down the tracks.

           The sudden speed sends all of the gremlins flying back. Squee quickly steps up front next to Dib, who’s got a firm grip on the train’s steering wheel.

           “Are we gonna be able to navigate? This thing’s on a track, what if it goes in the wrong direction?” Dib asks.

           “Don’t worry,” Zim replies, “I can supply it with enough power to run it off the track. Just make sure we get to the party.”

           “Okay, Dib, just keep going straight for now,” Squee orders.

           Gaz watches the gremlins through the window in the door. They’re pissed now and charging. She waits until the last second then throws it open. The creatures are so surprise, they skid to a stop. Gaz swings the pipe and smacks the first row away. They fly away and slam into the wall like a bunch of stuffed animals.

           The other gremlins- the wide majority- bellow angrily, their high pitched voices piercing everyone’s ear. As they start charging, Gaz activates one of Squee’s Startling Bombs and tosses it at them. She slams the door closed as it goes off, creating a blinding bright light. The gremlins shriek with pain and surprise.

           Dib and Squee stare out the front of the train closely, Dib making sure to make each turn while Squee makes sure each turn is the right way to go. It goes smoothly for a few minutes until they come to a fork in the road. The track goes down the left tunnel while the right tunnel is empty.          

           Squee jolts. “Dib, we gotta go right!”

           “What?” Dib exclaims.

           “Right, right!” he shouts.

Dib jerks the wheel to the right. The train hops off the track and they make the turn just in time. But without the tracks, the train is unstable and shaking, banging into the walls and bouncing on the ground. The kids struggle to stay standing as it jostles around like a paint shaker. Even the gremlins can be heard struggling, their squeaky voices crying out.

          Squee tries to keep himself steady by holding onto the console and looks out into the tunnel. Everything past the subway’s headlights is pitch black. He squints as he tries hard to make out anything in front of them. A tunnel cutting to the left comes into view and his eyes widen.

           “Dib, we gotta go left!” he exclaims.

           “We’ll never make that!” Dib argues.

           “Do it!” Squee orders and grabs the wheel. They both yank the wheel so hard that the train tips towards the left. Gaz and the gremlins immediately lose their balance and tumble into the wall. Zim quickly steadies himself with his other two spider legs. Dib and Squee hold tight to the wheel, groaning loudly with exertion.

           The roof scrapes against the dirt walls as they near the left tunnel. And then, to everyone’s amazement, the train bends like a snake, turning into the tunnel. Dib and Squee stare ahead, bewildered, as they slowly turn the wheel back and the train straightens out.

           “Um-!” Dib chirps.

           “Let’s not think about it,” Squee grunts then looks back at the others. “Everyone okay?”            Zim and Gaz both groan in response. Gaz is sitting on the floor, rubbing the back of her head, while Zim is holding his stomach.

           “Uh oh,” Dib croaks.

           Squee turns back around and sees a subway station in front of them. They’re gonna ram right into the platform!

           “Zim! Cut the power!” Squee exclaims.

           “Eh?” Zim grunts blankly.

           The platform’s coming up from fast. Dib and Squee quickly dive into Zim, tackling him to the floor and tearing his spider legs from the console. The power cuts out immediately but they’re moving at too high a velocity to slow down and the train smashes through the platform.

           The kids fly off the floor and slam into the window. The force of the crash causes the train to crumble in on itself until the front car is standing up on its nose, balancing against the cinderblock wall of the station.

           The kids groan in pain as they squirm on the window, attempting to work out the pain radiating throughout their body. The door in front of them swings open and they blink.  

           The gremlins fall towards them, claws out and fangs glistening with slobber. The kids scream in fear.

           Zim’s spider legs whip out and smacks all of the little creatures out of the way. Then they grab the edges of the doorway. Dib, Gaz, and Squee quickly grab on and they’re all pulled up into the passenger car.

           Meanwhile, just on the surface, civilians are gathering around something jutting out of the road. It almost looks like the back end of a subway car. They mutter amongst themselves. Was there an accident? Was anybody hurt? Who would be crazy enough to ride the subway?

           A hole is suddenly blasted through the wall of the car, causing everyone to jump back. Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee clamber out. Ignoring the wide eyes of the crowd, they quickly race off.

           “We’re close to Daria’s place,” Squee says as he eyes a nearby street sign. “We can still make it.”

           At Daria’s house, Pepito has rejected her order to start playing for the third time.

           “We can’t play yet,” he insists, “our friends aren’t here.”

           “Everybody is outside waiting for a live band,” Daria orders, “that’s why I hired you guys.”

           “You didn’t hire us,” Pepito points out, “we’re doing this for free.”

           “Hey, I am giving you your big break,” she snaps, “now you better open this door in five minutes and start playing or else nobody will take you seriously as a band.”

           With that, she marches inside the house, leaving Pepito to sizzle from her words. He takes a deep breath to try and calm down and looks back at his band. Maddie is staring at the floor, her long hair covering her face; Colton is anxiously chewing his thumbnail, and Carmen is watching them both with concern.

           “What do you guys wanna do?” Pepito asks.

           “We have to play, right?” Carmen questions, “I mean we promised we would.”

           “But Squee and the others aren’t here yet,” Colton points out, “how can we play without them? Especially when we don’t even know what’s happening with them.”  

           “I don’t know if I can sing in front of a bunch of strangers,” Maddie mumbles.

           Pepito sighs and rubs his horns while his bandmates bicker. He doesn’t blame them. He’s worried about his friends too. And he doesn’t want to play his first gig without Squee here to watch. But they can’t just snub all these people. That wouldn’t look good. But what if something really did happen to the others?

           As Pepito starts to feel like he might have a panic attack, he feels a buzzing in his jeans. He practically throws his phone out of his pocket and checks the screen. It’s a text from Squee.

           “They’re here,” he sighs with relief.

           “What?” the others question.

           “They’re here,” he says again, “they just got here.”

           They stare at him, somewhat stunned.

           Daria breaks their silence as she throws open the house door. “Okay, you guys have waited long enough-!”

           “We’re ready,” Pepito smiles, cutting her off. “You can go introduce us.”

           “Oh,” Daria says, surprised. “Uh, alright then. I’ll go let everyone know.”            She goes back inside and Pepito looks back at his band. They’re all getting ready. Carmen is sitting at her drums, Colton is plugging in his bass, and Maddie is standing before her keyboard and microphone.

           Pepito smiles proudly and puts on his guitar. He turns off the garage lights and steps on a switch by his feet, flicking on some dark red spotlights on the floor.

           Carmen rolls her shoulders, Colton shakes off his nerves, and Maddie pushes back her long bangs. Pepito takes a deep breath and pushes the garage door opener.

           The door slides open as Daria says, “now presenting Hellz Rebels.”

           All of her party guests are on the front lawn. They’re a little tipsy so they’d be excited no matter who was playing, but when they cheer it feels pretty good to the band. It feels even better when they spot Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee standing in the back on the road. They’re panting and covered in bruises, scrapes, and dirt but Pepito and the others can’t quite see that from here. All they can see is their smiles.

           Maddie glances at Pepito. He smirks and nods. She nods back and inhales deeply.

           “Who’s ready to rock?” she shouts into the mic.

           Everyone immediately cheers louder. Pepito, Maddie, Colton, and Carmen beam brightly.

           Pepito lifts his hand and brings it down, strumming a riff on his guitar. Carmen bangs out a sequence on her drums, Colton plucks his bass strings, and Maddie slams down some keys on her piano before singing a lyric into the microphone.

           All the anxiety they had is immediately washed away as they start playing. They lose themselves in the music, just like they always do during practice. But this time it’s a little different, because they’re not the only ones enjoying it.

           Behind the crowd, Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee are still having a hard time catching their breath. They’re exhausted and ache all over. But they feel proud of their friends as they watch them play.

           “I’m just gonna…lie down,” Gaz mutters as she lowers herself onto the grass.

           “Me too,” Dib adds and follows suit.

           “I think gotta throw up,” Zim groans and hobbles to the side of the house.

           “I’m good right here,” Squee says. He hugs Shmee to his chest and smiles tenderly as he watches his boyfriend, lead guitarist of a band, happily play his guitar at his first gig.

#Invader Zim #Invader Zim fanfiction #Johnny the Homicidal Maniac #Johnny the Homicidal Maniac fanfiction #IZ JtHM crossover #my ocs #my art

[chiibinomonodamon]

Hey Arnold! thoughts/opinions

Hey Arnold! is still my most favorite show to come from Nickelodeon. While Invader Zim is great, HA! can give you warm, fuzzy feelings and it has great messages for young kids. It’s hilariously funny, clever, realistic, and has a lot of heart and good morals without getting overly preachy or sappy.

Hey Arnold! is the only cartoon my father not only took seriously; he actually complimented it and he loves Helga’s crush on Arnold.

If I were to make a list of “Best Episodes of Cartoons Ever”, ‘Helga On the Couch’ would easily be in the Top Five. Really, the whole preschool flashback makes me want to sob so hard. I swear the Christmas episode WILL choke you up. It’s beautiful.

Some complain that Arnold is too bland and nice but I think he’s a great role model for young kids. He’s such a sweet character, a child’s voice of reason. I’m willing to bet that adult fans other than myself heard him say “I know you’ll do the right thing” in their heads more than a few times....whether you want to hear it or not. Ha, is that ever the perfect guilt trip!!

Not to beat a dead horse, but Helga Pataki is an amazingly complex character. I love that she can be antagonistic yet sympathetic at the same time. I love how every time she does wrong, she either has to make it right or karma punishes her.(which Craig says is extremely important) She’s funny, a little crazy, insecure, and even when she is being terrible, you almost want her to win. She pretty much stole the show; it could be called “Hey Helga!” for a good chunk of the episodes.

I ship Helga and Arnold 100% with every fiber of my being. Is it unhealthy? Here’s the thing; they are both children. Children have not yet grown up into the people they will be for the rest of their lives. Children make mistakes. They grow. They mature. Arnold is already really mature for his age and he’s pure-hearted at that, which makes him the perfect influence on Helga, like we’ve been shown oh so many times in every episode that focuses on her. Is her obsession with him too selfish? Well, it can be.....but again, she corrects herself (or the show will) when she goes too far; most importantly, she also seems to recognize on her own when she’s going overboard later on in the show. (Character development!!!) We’ve seen her capable of being kind, capable of making sacrifices even if she ends up with nothing, and still be happy for Arnold. For a child with such a neglectful upbringing, that’s.....impressive. I think that’s a beautiful example of what love means. It’s also tragic that the times she is able to make him happy, she remains in the shadows so he doesn’t even know it’s her. ;_;

Many ship Rhonda and Harold but I personally prefer Rhonda and Sid. Harold and Patty seem totally MADE for each other.

The Lila-bashing in this fandom actually shocked me a little bit when I first discovered it. I think her character is fine (though her taste in men is questionable to say the least XD) Also she seems to be a Shipper on Deck for Helga; and how can you hate someone like that?

My favorite minor character is Willy, the Jolly-Olly man. He’s a jerk....cause he hates what he does for a living. Well, hello prototype Squidward. :D

Even as a person who is not fond of jazz, the music for this cartoon is incredible. Talk about capturing moods so perfectly.

Not every episode has a happy ending and I love that. That’s just how life goes sometimes. It’s so realistic but not so depressing that it’s discouraging you away from seeing more.

For a 90s kids’ show on Nick, HA! did some things a little differently; it could focus on adults and their adult problems (i.e. Oskar not being a good husband to his wife, Phil grieving over the thought of death, Mr. Hyunh wishing to reunite with his grown daughter) This was something we really didn’t see back then. It’s good we’re seeing more of it in today’s shows. Indeed, the spotlight doesn’t always need to be on a child protagonist in order to have great story-telling and resonate with an all-ages audience. And because of this, we got some fantastic adult humor too. :D

Aside from Arnold and Helga of course, Hey Arnold! has a huge cast of diverse characters from kids to adults and they are all likable and engaging. It takes quite a lot of effort and skilled writing and acting to make this happen. Even if they’re jerks, you can at least count on them to say something funny.

I have one minor complaint: Most of the kids ARE TOO MATURE. It’s so weird to think of them as nine. I feel like Arnold and his gang act like sixth-graders, the actual fifth and sixth graders act more like high schoolers....okay, even the sixth grade girls talk and act more like college kids.

If you have never checked out this animated series but love good cartoons, I suggest you do it right now. Watching it in chronological order is not particularly necessary (to enjoy it) but you may appreciate the evolution of the show better that way (especially the art and character writing).

#hey arnold #been watching it alot again and felt like writing this #helga pataki #arnold shortman #craig bartlett #good cartoon #nickelodeon #the splat

[krizaland]

Imagine- Yandere!Dib (or just stalker!dib) x reader x Zim Where the reader recognizes dibs real creepy behavior and ends up going to Zim zam their friendo/crush for comfort and/or protection. And then that freinddhip becomes something more? Sorry for the long thing

Don’t be sorry! I love your idea! I kinda got carried away so there’s gonna be more than one chapter!

Be warned: Yanderes are creepy fucks. This fic will contain stalking, and obsessive behaviors.

Ever since you were little, you always were a little too nice. Anytime you saw someone in trouble, you always had the urge to help them no matter what.

Usually, most people would except your help and you would walk away feeling like you’ve done the right thing.

You never once regretted helping someone in need.

That is until Dib came along.

It all started in Elementary Skool. Dib was being picked on by a gaggle of bullies.

They dangled his favorite camera in front of his face while they pelted him with insult after insult.

Just hearing the sounds of Dib’s pained cries made your heart ache.

You remember pushing the bullies away and saving the camera.

The moment you handed the camera back to Dib, you noticed an unnerving look behind his glasses.

At first you brushed it off and tried to continue on with your day.

However, Dib insisted that you stay and talk with him.  You didn’t think much of it so you decided to humor him.

That was your biggest mistake.

The next thing you were bombarded with a flurry of conspiracy theories and accusations of random students being bigfeets and vampires in disguise.

Needless to say, you were pretty creeped out and decided to avoid him from that day fourth.

However, your attempts were all in vain.

No matter where you went, Dib would always be there, ready to drown you in another wave of paranormal nonsense.

Things only got worse as you got older.

Dib’s desire for your friendship had mutated into something far far worse.

To say he had a crush on you was a major understatement!

He would always follow you around and try to get your attention.

Whenever you needed something, Dib would miraculously have it for you the next day.

However, you knew that if you accepted the ‘gift’ you’d be subjected to yet another paranormal rant.

So you decided to politely decline his gifts, no matter how bad you needed the item in question.

Dib seemed to give up on you after he figured out you weren’t interested in his ‘gifts’.

Or so you thought.

You soon found your locker flooded countless love notes and slabs of heart shaped meat.

Each note was creepier than the last and you couldn’t get the stench of rotting meat out of your locker no matter how much you cleaned it.

You then started to notice cameras following you wherever you went.

At first you assumed it was just part of the Skool’s security system. After all, you’ve heard rumors that the Skool tends to watch students like hawks to make sure they don’t cheat on exams.

However, it didn’t take long for you to start noticing the same cameras peeking outside of your window.

Needless to say, you decided it was best to keep your blinds shut from that point on.

Of course, closing your blinds wasn’t enough to stop the creepy coincidences happening wherever you went.

Not by a long shot.

You soon found some of your underwear and dirty socks had mysteriously vanished.

The trashcans outside your house always rustled throughout the night. Only to be found tipped over by morning.

Things only got creepier at Skool.

You would always feel someone breathing heavily down your back whenever you talked to another student.

You would turn around but no one would be there.

To make matters worse, the next day, the student you had talked to would go missing.

Whenever the class needed to work in pairs, Dib would somehow always end up being your partner.

You always dreaded being paired with Dib for when he was’t spewing his usual brand of paranormal nonsense, he would often spend his time showering you with the creepiest compliments imaginable.

Things got even worse when the Skool Dance rolled around.

Dib wasted no time and sauntered up to you.

“Hey, Y/N! Glad I caught you! I was wondering if you had a date to the dance yet?”

You could see the madness oozing from his amber eyes with every word he spoke.

“Oh! Well I’m actually not going to the dance.” You admitted as you rubbed the back of your head.

“Oh? Why not?” Dib asked as he drew closer.

“Because I have a lot of homework to do.” You knew that wasn’t too far from the truth. You did have a lot of homework but that wasn’t the main reason.

“That’s why? You know, I could help out with that, if you want.” Dib offered, his eyes continued to stare into your soul.

“No. No that’s ok! I’d prefer to do it all myself. A-Anyway, I gotta get going! I gotta get to class and stuff so bye!”

And with that, you ran as fast as your legs could take you.

A creepy smile spread across Dib’s face as he watched you escape.

“Just you wait, Y/N, you’ll be mine someday…Then we’ll be together forever.”  

A small giggle escaped his throat. The giggle quickly grew and grew until Dib erupted into full on maniacal laughter.

The next day, your savior had arrived.

Standing next to Ms.Bitters was the cutest boy you had ever seen!

He may have had lime green skin but you couldn’t care less. After all you’ve seen way weirder kids walk through the door before.

“Class, I would like to introduce the newest, hopeless appendage to the student body. His name is Zim” Ms. Bitters grumbled “Zim, if you’ve got something to say, say it now because after this moment, I don’t want to hear another sound from you!”

Zim was taken aback by Ms. Bitters’s outburst but he quickly regained his composure.

“Hello, friends. I am a perfectly normal human-worm baby. You have nothing, absolutely nothing to fear from me. Just pay no attention to me and we’ll get along just fine.”

You struggled to stifle a giggle as Zim spoke. He sure did have a way with words.

Dib’s mouth was agape as he pointed at Zim. His body shook with anticipation as his crazed mind searched for words to shout.

“Take your seat now Zim!” Ms. Bitters snapped as she slithered back to her desk.

Zim cheerfully plopped down into the seat next to yours, only adding to Dib’s madness.

“Today’s lecture is about outer space and about how it will EVENTUALLY IMPLODE IN ON ITSELF!” Ms Bitters sneered.

Zim immediately hopped up onto his desk and waved his arms around.

“Yes, Zim?”

“In the event of say, a full scale alien invasion, how prepared do you think this planet’s defenses would be? Tell me.” Zim’s voice quivered as he sat back down.

“As I was saying, the universe is just doomed…doomed..dooooomed.” Ms Bitters crooned as bugs crawled around her face.

“Ok, am I the only one here who sees the alien sitting in class?” Dib asked as he managed to regain his composure.

The other students looked all around the room while your buried your face in your textbook.

You felt your stomach churn as you knew that Dib would harass you about Zim at lunchtime.

“There!” Dib snapped as he snapped a finger in Zim’s direction. “Right there!”

A horrified expression spread across Zim’s face as pink sweat dripped down his face.

“That is no kid! He’s an alien An alien! One of the monsters I’ve been talking about! He’s here to conquer Earth-”

“Oh not this again. You’re crazy.” Zita huffed as she folded her arms.

“What about his horrible green head?!-”

“INSOLENT FOOL-BOY! It’s a skin condition.” Zim interjected.

“And he’s got no ears! Is that part of your skin condition?! Huh?! No ears?!” Dib whined as he gestured to his own ears.

“Yes.” Zim replied as he somberly looked down at his desk.

“Man, Dib! You think that just because someone looks different you can call them an alien?” one student asked.

“I guess Old Kid is an alien too, huh?” Another added.

“How’s it going?” Old Kid chirped with a wave.

Dib sighed and got up out of his seat.  He scribbled away on the chalkboard before pulling out a metal pointer.

“Ok, this is us,” Dib pointed to a drawing of a naked human man. “And over here, this is Zim!” Dib pointed to a crude drawing of an alien.

“See the difference? Anyone? Anyone? Questions?”

One student raised his hand and grumbled.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with you? All you talk about is seeing aliens and ghosts and seeing bigfoot in your garage.”

“He was using the belt sander. Y/N! Back me up here! I know you can tell the difference!” Dib pleaded as he turned to face you.

Sure enough, everyone’s eyes were on you as you sunk into your seat.

You opened your mouth to speak but Zim spoke first.

“Oh Puh-lease! He’s always saying stuff! I remember that one time Mhm-Hmm.”

“Hey! You just got here!” Dib snapped as he zipped up to Dib’s desk, “Don’t let him trick you! I know what I’m talking about! And there it is. Sitting. Right. There.”

“Well he does look pretty weird.” Said one student.

“Yeah! And he is sitting.” Added another.

“You see? Actual proof that all of the things I’ve been saying are actually right!” A crazed grin spread across Dib’s face as he spoke.

You looked over and saw poor Zim sweating bullets. You knew all too well what it felt like to be humiliated by Dib.

You decided you had to do something. And fast.

“Finally a way to prove that I’m…That I’m..”

“That I’m crazy.” You mumbled from behind your textbook.

“Ok, now that makes sense.” Zita admitted as she sat back down.

“Man, we almost believed him.” Another student added.

Dib let out a growl as he shot Zim a fiery glare. Zim returned the glare in kind and prepared for a fight.

“Doomed…Doomed…Doomed…Ok go to lunch now!” Ms. Bitters commanded.

And with that, everyone flied out of the classroom and headed for the lunchroom.

Next

#invader zim #invader zim x reader #dib x reader #yandere #Anonymous

[comicbookhangover]

Bullet Reviews #50

I wanted to wait until I had a nice amount of books for the Big 5-0!

HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #6 (DC) I thought this book was never going to come out! Lobo and Harley have their first ever meeting and its drawn by the Main Man’s Main Man, Simon Bisley! The book was a lot of fun but Lobo was a big out of sorts, probably because the writer was largely unfamiliar with him and what makes him tick.Regardless it’s still a fun read even if it felt uneven.  I’m hoping to find the variant cover for this!

HATCHET #0 (American Mythology) First the bad stuff... not my favorite cover but it was the only one my LCS had.  Now, the cool stuff. Hatchet was one of my favorite horror films of the past decade or so. It was a near perfect homage to the 80′s classics and even included some of our favorites from the day. This is the second time Victor Crowley has been in comics but the first time he was the main feature. This zero issue basically recaps the events of the first film and Victor’s origin through the eyes of a crazy character who made one small appearance in the movie. Normally, this is a lame way to do this in my opinion but it’s done perfectly here. I’m excited to see where this series goes and will be adding it to my pull list as soon as I see it solicited! It’s all the great stuff you saw in the movie but now in a comic book!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #3 (DC) A second Lobo book! Honestly, is there any doubt that the only reason most people are reading this book is because of Lobo? It would explain why he’s prominent on promo stuff and look at this cover! He even gets a full page pin-up style piece inside. Sadly, the story is really lacking excitement and interest plus all the teases of Lobo being able to cut lose have, so far, just been teases. I’m sticking with it because I love the character but even I have a limit. Pick it up, DC or I’m going to have to drop it!

THANOS #5 (Marvel) Despite the current comments by one of the most moronic people working for Marvel these days I’m still enjoying a few of their titles. Thanos is one of them. The Mad Titan is still dying but that doesn’t change the fact he’s still THE Mad Titan and Thanos always has a plan. This time it just happened to include getting defeated and imprisoned.  I honestly am enjoying this series and I’m getting to the point where I’m ok with his current look, it will never hold a candle to this classic look but it’s not Squirrel Girl ugly. My only concern here is there doesn’t seem to be much of a B-story. Everything is about Thanos dying and his son gathering forces to finish him off for good. But what happens when this story ends? Thanos isn’t going to die but what would the next story be about? Could it maybe have something to do with Thane finding and trying to use the Phoenix Force against Thanos? How would Thanos and the Force interact with each other? Interesting questions but is it enough of a story to carry the book a few more issues?

THE THREE STOOGES: APRIL FOOL’S DAY SPECIAL (American Mythology) The Boys are kindly asked to leave a bus and end up at a Ren Fest. How could that end badly? Well, when they think they’ve traveled back in time it could make things interesting. These Stooges one shots have been extremely fun and I really hope they continue. They have managed to bring the Stooges into modern times without changing the essence of the characters. Every one I’ve read I’ve been able to easily hear the voices of the Stooges and I always look forward to getting a new one! I really hope they continue to come out!

EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES #8 (Vertigo) Alright! Finally we are getting a good strong story that begins to show more about what the world is really like post Fables. It’s a scary one where teens can get their hands on powerful magical weapons and take over a school. It’s up to Connor and the rest to try to get into the school and disarm them. Presumably without killing them. How’s it going to play out? Who knows, but I’m finally getting the storyline I’ve been waiting for!

INVADER ZIM #18 (Oni) ZIM takes over with burritos!  If you’re familiar with the show and this series you know that isn’t all that far fetched.  That’s really all I can say about this other than, again, if you loved the show and you’re excited about ZIM’s ‘soon-ish’ return you MUST read this series!!!

MOTOR GIRL #5 (Abstract Studios) Walden steps up his game to get the junkyard and Sam is all that stands in his way. Unless the aliens get more involved. Yeah, it’s kind of a unique series but it’s so much fun and proves Terry Moore hasn’t lost a step. Motor Girl is easily one of my top 5 favorite books now.  Here’s hoping it had what it takes to last!

SLAPSTICK! #5 (Marvel) Honestly, while I do enjoy this book it does seem to be having an issue finding its direction. But I don’t think it’s going to be much of an issue because, well, I think it’s already coming to an end.  I think this character is better served in miniseries or one shots. An ongoing just seems to much for him.

THE WALKING DEAD #166 (Image) Negan. What is his deal? I mean, what’s he up to? Is he legit and has he changed his ways or is he trying to make Rick more like him? But with Andrea having been bitten and fast changing it might be even easier to push Rick over the edge which means we might, MIGHT have a major changing of the guards in this series very soon! It’s been a long time since we’ve had a major shake up and I’m looking forward to it!

#Bullet Reviews #Bullet Reviews 2017

[krizaland]

ok, so imagine this, yandere zim has a nice and obedient friend but zim takes it too far and she reaches her limit. Sorry if it's a bit odd and not specific but can you do something with that?

It’s all good! I got the perfect idea! I took a little inspiration from my childhood nightmares of Zim turning me into an Irken.

I even drew up a picture to go with it!

Be warned: Reader will be experimented on! Also, Yanderes are creepy fucks. There won’t be anything sexual but things will get very creepy and disturbing. 

You had been friends with Zim for over 6 months now! Zim never knew why you would always be so nice to him.

At first he thought you were trying to expose him but after learning that you were just genuinely nice, Zim decided to let you live.

Zim had to admit, you did start to grow on him.

You would always compliment him on his various gadgets and would listen to him whenever he needed to vent.

You weren’t too clingy and gave him the space he needed.

Soon, Zim learned that you seemed to enjoy helping him out from time to time.

You would often bring him homework he had forgotten and even acted as a human shield whenever Dib decided to try to start a food fight.

Zim thought it was strange at first but appreciated your dedication.

“Y/N, I’d like to take a moment to thank you for your services.You have been most useful to me!” Zim explained as he patted your head.

“Of course, Zim! I’d do anything for you!” You chirped.

“Anything?” Zim parroted as he tilted his head.

“Well, anything in my power anyway.” You laughed.

“I shall hold you to that promise then.” Zim mused as he narrowed his eyes.

As time went on, Zim found himself falling in love with you.

At first he had a meltdown! He couldn’t be in love with a filthy human! This would ruin his mission!

Why couldn’t you have at least been Irken instead of human?! At least then he wouldn’t have to destroy you!

Suddenly, he got an idea.

An awful, nasty idea.

“Computer! Get me in contact with Prisoner #777 on planet Vort!” Zim ordered as he pointed to the ceiling.

“GETTING IN CONTACT WITH PRISONER #777!”

Soon the monitor crackled to life and revealed Prisoner #777 sitting in his usual prison cell.

“What is it this time, Zim?” He groaned as he turned to look at him.

“I need you to get me blueprints for an Irken PAK!” Zim demanded as he put his hands behind his back.

“Why would you need PAK blueprints? What’s wrong with the one you have now-”

“DO NOT QUESTION ME! I HAVE YOUR CHILDREN REMEMBER!” Zim roared as he gestured to a small tube with Prisoner #777′s kids bouncing around inside.

“Just give me what I asked for.” Zim growled.

“Ok! Ok! Fine! I was just asking! Here you are.” Prisoner #777 squeaked as he sent Zim the blueprints.

“Excellent.” A massive grin spread across Zim’s face as he downloaded the blueprints.

“Now, I’m sill in prison so if you could just-”

“END THE CALL!”

Zim’s grin grew wider as he looked over the blueprints.

“Yes! Yes!! With these blueprints I can create a PAK to store Y/N’s personalty and memories and upload them into a SUPERIOR IRKEN BODY!” Zim let out a  maniacal laugh as he raised his hands in the air.

Wasting no more time, Zim threw on a lab coat and green goggles and got straight to work.

Once his hard work had been completed, Zim threw on his disguise and made his way to Skool. Zim could hardly contain his excitement! He couldn’t wait to put his plan into action!

Zim let out a squeal when he spotted you walking his way.

“Hey, Zim! Looks like someone is in a good mood today!” You giggled as you took notice of the massive grin plastered on Zim’s face.

Zim cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“Y/N? Is it true that you would do anything for me?” Zim purred as he circled you.

“Well, I have my limits but yeah.” You felt yourself get a little nervous as Zim sauntered closer.

"Very well. If you speak the truth, then you shall follow me to my base-I mean house! You shall follow me to my perfectly normal house and not question a thing.” Zim’s voice lowered a bit as he spoke.

“O-Ok then. Is something wrong?” You asked as you followed Zim back to his base.

“Oh don’t worry, sweet Y/N. I can assure the problem will be solved once we get inside.” Zim stifled a sinister chuckle as he opened the door.

“Welcome home, son!” The Robo parents eagerly greeted as they stepped aside.

“So these are your parents?” You asked as you tried to inspect the robo parents.

“Yes. Yes. I love them with all my heart, now keep following me.” Zim grumbled as he dragged you along.

“Wow, your house sure is um...interesting.” You murmured as you looked around at all of Zim’s bizarre decor.

“Alright, Y/N. Just stand right here for me!” Zim commanded as he pointed to a spot in front of his toilet.

“Ok then...” You were horribly confused but did as you were told.

“Excellent! Now hold still.” Zim chuckled darkly

“Zim what’s going on-Ack!”

PAF!

You were engulfed in a sea of bright pink mist.

You let out a few coughs before collapsing to the ground

“Sleep well, my sweet.” Zim’s voice melted into a dark whisper as he scooped you off the ground.

Zim dragged your unconscious body into his lab and strapped you down to a large metal table.

He changed back into his lab coat and goggles and placed a strange Irken helmet over your head.

“I’ll admit, you’re actually quite attractive for a human. I almost feel bad about letting such a lovely form go to waste.” Zim mused as he caressed your cheek.

“Oh well! I’ve come too far to turn back now!” Zim chirped as he hooked up the helmet to the new PAK he had just built for you.

Zim erupted into thunderous maniacal laughter as he flipped a large purple switch.

ZAP!

Zim’s laughter echoed throughout the lab as your mind and spirit was slowly uploaded into the PAK.

“Awaken, my sweet.”

You let out a gasp the moment your heavy eyelids opened.

Your world was encased in a murky purple bubble. All you could make you was a distorted image of a bug like creature staring back at you. His voice sounded muffled but you could still understand his words.

“Computer! Release, Y/N!” Zim commanded as he pointed to the ceiling.

CRASH!

The glass chamber you were floating in was shattered to the ground.

CLANG!

You let out a yelp as you felt a large metal object being injected into your back.

ZAP!

A small electric shock surged through your body for a moment.

You let out a groan as you tried to process what was going on.

"HA! Success!” Zim squealed as he zipped to your side.

His ruby eyes twinkled with excitement as he took in your new form.

You were beyond perfect! You were breathtaking!

Your antennas were perfectly curled and your F/C eyes sparkled under the lab’s dim lighting.

Even your height was perfected as your new Irken body was a foot taller than your old human one.

Zim became so entranced by your beauty that he fell to the floor for a moment.

You let out a gasp and tried to check on him. However, there was no need!

“REACTIVATING!”

ZAP!

Zim’s PAK sent out a small electric shock and revived him from his trance.

Zim shook away the excess shock and turned his attention back to you.

“Oh my god! Are you alright?!” You squeaked as you covered your mouth.

“Never better, my sweet, Y/N! The real question is how do you feel?” Zim crooned as he pointed at you.

“Oh? Well, I feel kinda out of it, now that you ask.” You explained as you held your head.

“I see. Well, your entire human brain has been uploaded into your PAK. So I guess you need some time to get used to things.” Zim hummed as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Wait what?!”

“Oh ho! Oh yeah! You were unconscious when all the stuff happened.” Zim chuckled.

“When what stuff happened?! What’s going on here?!” You demanded as you put your hands on your hips.

“Weeeell, I removed your brain data from your old PATHETIC HUMAN BODY and transferred it into a SUPERIOR IRKEN BODY!” Zim sang.

“WHAT?! I’M NOT HUMAN ANYMORE?!” You shrieked as you frantically patted all around yourself.

“Nope! You are no longer a FILTHY HUMAN! You are now A SUPERIOR IRKEN LIFE FORM!!! See?” Zim sang as he held up a small mirror.

You let out another shriek!

You couldn’t even recognize yourself anymore!

Your skin was green and your eyes were F/C and bug like! Any traces of hair were gone! Now all you had were two curly antennas on your head.

You backed away and almost slipped on the left over purple goo on the floor.

“Now. Now. It’s alright! You just need to take some time to adjust to your new body!” Zim reassured as he gently took your hands in his.

“No! Let go of me, you freak!” You seethed as you snatched your hands away.

“But, Y/N! It’s me, Zim!” Zim insisted as he gestured to himself.

“What the-Zim?!  You’re an alien?!” You yelped as a shudder ran down your spine.

“Indeed I am! I’m sorry, my sweet Y/N but Zim is not a normal human worm baby. Zim is a MIGHTY IRKEN WARRIOR! SENT ON A SPECIAL MISSION TO DESTROY THIS MISERABLE PLANET FOR MY LEADERS, THE ALL MIGHTY TALLEST!” Zim cackled as he threw his hands into the air.

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing! The green skinned boy you called your friend was an evil monster from beyond the stars!

“I can’t believe it! Dib was right about you! You are a monster!” You choked out as pink tears streamed down your face.

“Monster?! Zim is no monster! I did this to protect your precious life! When the armada arrives they will fire a cannon sweep to eradicate any remaining non Irken life forms. This was the only way to spare you from the armada’s wrath! I couldn’t bear to live with myself if I lost you! I care about you far too much!” Zim explained as he activated his spider legs to reach your face better.

“If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t have done this! Change me back, Zim! I can’t live my life like this!” You wailed as you gestured to yourself.

“Never! This is for your own good! You’ll thank me once the armada gets here!” Zim snarled as he drew closer.

“Zim! Listen to reason! You can’t keep me like this!” You pleaded as you backed away from him.

“Oh but I can! And I will. You might as well forget about your pathetic former human body! I’ve already disposed of it!” Zim chuckled darkly as he circled you.

“WHAT?! THIS IS INSANE!” You screeched as you tried to get away.

“Isn’t it though? Don’t worry, I think you’ll find your new body to be a major improvement.” Zim purred as he grabbed your arm and rubbed his face up against it.

“GET OFF OF ME!” You tried to pull your arm away but Zim’s grip was far too tight.

“No. I don’t think I will....Mmm you smell divine my sweet. No longer are you plagued by that DISGUSTING humany smell! Now you’re perfect. Perfect in every way.” Zim’s voice melted into a soft whisper as he kissed his way up your arm.

SMOOCH!

He planted a large kiss on your cheek.

You let out a startled yelp and tried to shake him off of you but yo no avail.

“Stop your struggling, my sweet. I’m not trying to harm you,” Zim purred as he nuzzled into the crook of your neck.

“You’ve already hurt me, Zim! By turning me into a freak!” You sobbed as Zim begun to pepper your neck with slightly rough kisses.

“Oh you say that now, yes but I don’t think you really mean it.” Zim let out a few chirps as he wrapped his arms around you.

“I mean it, Zim! You’ve hurt me! I can’t believe I actually thought you were my friend!” Your voice cracked as more pink tears streamed down your cheeks.

“Perhaps you’re right. Maybe I am not your friend. Maybe I am something more...” Zim circles around to properly face you.

“What are you-MMPH!”

Zim grabbed your face and crashed his lips onto yours.

He let out a low, growly moan as his worm like tongue forced its way into your mouth.

You tasted so divine. Zim couldn’t get enough of you. His tongue curled around yours and playfully wrestled with it.

You let out a muffled yelp as your eyes widened in horror. You wanted to fight back but Zim had already overpowered you.

Soon Zim released you and licked his lips.

“Maybe I am your master...”

#invader zim #invader zim x reader #Anonymous

[krizaland]

Detention Chapter 2

First Chapter

Chapter 2 is here! things are getting spicy!

Be warned: There’s swearing and very strong flirting ahead!

Here’s the song I used btw

“Ugh! Y/N! Why didn’t you tell me to cover your cage?! You know I want to keep you for myself!” Number 1 growled as he marched up to your cage.

“I’m sorry, sir. You just seemed so mad, I didn’t want to-”

“Whatever. I’ll tell you what. I’ll let this slide if you agree to marry me!” Number 1 purred as a few drops of spit splattered against your cage.

“How about I just dance for you again instead?” You grumbled as you folded your arms.

“Oh fine! But you can’t keep rejecting me forever!” Number 1 sang as he pulled out an alien looking remote.

ZAP!

You were freed from your cage!

You glanced over at the exit only to earn a disapproving glare from Number 1.

“Y/N, you aren’t thinking about escaping again are you? I don’t want to have to electrocute your pretty face again.” Number 1 chided as he wagged his wrinkly finger at you.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t.” You groaned as you followed Number 1 to his throne.

“Well? I’m waiting, Y/N.” Number 1 grumbled impatiently.

You sighed as you begun to dance once more. You were forever destined to preform for Number 1.

Or so you thought.

As the day went on, Majestzee ran through The Track of Fire faster than all of the other Zims!  

However, when it came time to challenge number 100, Majestzee was a bit intimidated.  

While he would never admit it, Majestzee wasn’t very confident in his weightlifting skills.

Especially when compared to the skills of a behemoth like Number 100.

Number 100 was cheerfully lifting the heaviest weights the training chambers had to offer.

Majestzee swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

“Attention Number 100! The great and glorious Number 1 has requested that I challenge you to weightlifting competition!”

“Huh, Number 2 wants to challenge Big Zim?” Number 100 asked as he stopped lifting.

“Y-Yes! Do you accept?” Majestzee stuttered as he struggled to stay calm.

“Sure, Big Zim don’t care.”

And with that, Majestzee took off his cloak, climbed onto the benchpress next to Number 100, and wrapped his fingers around his weights.

Majestzee’s arms wobbled as he struggled to lift the weight. He groaned and panted but the weight refused to move.  

Meanwhile, Number 100 lifted his weights as if they were nothing more than thin twigs! Not a single bead of sweat dripped down his face as he kept going.

Pink sweat poured down Majestzee’s face as he started to lose his grip on the weight. More grunts and groans escaped Majestzee’s throat as his arms begun to throb.

Number 1 was well aware of Majestzee’s insecurities and was gleefully watching him squirm from the comforts of his throne.

Majestzee was ready to give up when his mind wandered to think of you.

“You know, you kinda sound like Zim royalty to me. I hope we can meet again someday..” Your gentle voice echoed throughout Majestzee’s mind.

Majestzee’s eyes burst open as he tightened his grip on his weight.

“FOR THE GLORY OF Y/N!!!”

And with that, Majestzee finally had enough strength to lift his weight.

Majestzee found himself making light work of his current weight and he decided it was time to go heavier.

Pretty soon, no weight became a match for Majestzee! Whenever he felt himself grow even the slightest bit tired, all he had to do was think of your sweet smile and his energy would spike right back up.

It wasn’t long before Majestzee had finally defeated Number 100.

“VICTORY!!!” Majestzee cackled as he raised his tired arms high into the air.

Number 1 nearly fell out of his throne! That wasn’t supposed to happen! And why was he screaming out your name?!

“Y/N! You’ve got some explaining to do!” Number 1 snarled as he marched up to your cage.

“Why?! I didn’t even do anything!” You huffed as you folded your arms.

“Oh no? Then explain this!” Number 1 seethed as he played back footage of Majestzee’s outbursts.

You blinked in surprise. You didn’t realize how much of an impact you actually had on the poor Zim.

“Well?! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

The sound of Number 1’s impatient growl woke you from your thoughts.

“I didn’t do anything wrong! It’s not my fault he thinks I’m beautiful!” You countered.

“Oh so he thinks you’re beautiful does he?! I thought I told you that you belonged to me! No one else is allowed to have you! Do you hear me?! NO. ONE!!” Number 1 roared as he banged on your cage, drool firing in all directions.

“Like I said, it’s not my fault! Just because someone thinks I’m beautiful doesn’t mean we’re dating!” You snapped.

“Alright Y/N. To make up for your misbehavior, you are not only going to dance for me but you’re gonna sing too!” Number 1 cackled as he pulled out his remote.

ZAP!

Your cage didn’t open.

“Oops! Wrong button!” Number 1 chuckled as he pressed the correct button.

ZAP!

Your cage finally sprung open.

“There we go!”

Little did Number 1 know, that he had accidentally let his chamber forcefield down.

Noticing that the forcefield was down, Majestzee assumed Number 1 was ready to see him and trotted inside.

However, the moment he saw Number 1 talking to you, Majestzee soon realized that he wasn’t quite ready to see him yet.

He was about to leave when he heard something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

“Really? I gotta sing now too?” You pouted.

“Weeeell, you could always marry me instead!” Number 1 cooed as he slurped up his drool.

Majestzee felt a pang in his chest! Number 1 wanted to marry you?!

Majestzee felt like he shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, you were probably the most beautiful being in the galaxy! So it only made sense that you would be betrothed to Number 1.

Still, the mere thought of you belonging to anyone other than himself made Majestzee sick to his squeedilyspooch!

Majestzee quickly hid behind a pillar to try to regain his composure.

However, you had already noticed Majestzee and were graced with an idea.

“You know what? I think I’ve got a really good song to sing!”

Majestzee let out a sigh of relief. Clearly the whole ‘You could always marry me’ thing was simply an inside joke! Yes! That had to have been the case right?

“Aw, man! I almost had you there! Oh well! Proceed.” Number 1 smiled as he plopped down into his throne.

You took a deep breath and begun to sway your hips a bit.

“I’m not a bad guy. So don’t treat me bad if I’m feeling sad, alright?” You sang as you strutted towards Number 1.

The moment Majestzee heard you sing, his PAK sparked. What a lovely voice!

Number 1 let out an excited giggle as he watched you come closer.

“Please don’t be mad if I don’t smile back, alright?  If I fuck up my words don’t think I’m absurd, alright? Alright?” You patted Number 1’s cheek before strutting back to the center of the room.

“I’m physically exhausted, tired of my knuckles piercing. I’m chewing gum to pass this time, sadness can’t you see it? You’re too busy seeking selfish wishes. Look at how

I’m feeling! You write me up and say it’s love, and I can’t believe it!” Your movements matched the words perfectly.

“Baby, can you meet me tonight, in detention? I can feel your blood pressure rise. Fuck this tension.” Your voice was as smooth as velvet as you discreetly sent a wink Majestzee’s way.

Majestzee’s PAK sparked again as his face turned a darker shade of green.

“Let me crawl up into your mind. Did I mention? Pretending everything is alright is detention. De-Detention De-Detention Pretending everything is alright, is shh… ” You playfully put a finger to your lips.

“You’re like a teacher that doesn’t care about me. Fuck how I feel. As long as I make you happy. I let you do whatever you want to me. You’re the customer I’m chopped meat! I’m chopped meat!”  You sighed as you tried to distract Number 1 from the harsh lyrics with your sensual movements.

And your distraction attempts were indeed successful! For Number 1 was so captivated by you, he didn’t even notice Majestzee slowly poking his head out from behind the pillar to get a better look at you.

“I’m physically exhausted, tired of my knuckles piercing. I’m chewing gum to pass this time, sadness can’t you see it? You’re too busy seeking selfish wishes. Look at how

I’m feeling! You write me up and say it’s love, and I can’t believe it!” You were on the verge of tears but kept your cool.

“Baby can you meet me tonight, in detention? I can feel your blood pressure rise. Fuck this tension!” You discreetly flashed Majestzee a playful grin before falling to your knees.

Majestzee let out an excited chirp but quickly clamped a hand over his mouth once he realized he was being noisy.

“Let me crawl up into your mind. Did I mention? Pretending everything is alright is detention. De-Detention De-Detention Pretending everything is alright, is detention.” You sang as you crawled towards Number 1.

Number 1 sprung up straighter in his throne as his eyes literally lit up.

“I wanna go home but you say ‘now is not the time’ Fuck being all alone in the back of the classroom. Ah,” You sat up a bit and raised your arms above your head.

Number 1 let out a giggle as his neck spasmed with excitement, soaking the ground with drool in the process.

A shudder ran down your spine as you shielded yourself from the storm of drool headed your way.

“Please just leave me alone and stop, trying to say I’ve been out of line. When all I’ve ever asked was to go to the bathroom.” You sighed and you dramatically rose to your feet.

Despite his ever growing excitement, you could tell that Number 1 was starting to catch on to the lyrics.

You decided to turn things up a notch.

You swallowed your pride and strutted up to Number 1’s throne.

You put on the most flirty expression you could muster as you drew closer.

Number 1’s neck spasmed like crazy for a moment as another excited giggle escaped his throat.

You shielded your face from Number 1’s stream of drool as you waited for him to calm down a bit.

Once his neck stopped spasming, you leaned in as close as you could.

Expecting a kiss, Number 1 closed his eyes and puckered his slobbery lips.

However the kiss never came.

Instead you simply tickled him under his chin and strutted back to the center of the room.

Number 1’s eyes popped open as he let out an annoyed pout.

However, his annoyance melted away the moment  you started shaking your hips again.

“Baby can you meet me tonight, in detention? I can feel your blood pressure rise. Fuck this tension!”

“Let me crawl up into your mind. Did I mention? Pretending everything is alright is detention.” You sang as you playfully strutted up to the pillar Majestzee was hiding behind.

“Oh won’t you meet me tonight...” You leaned into Majestzee and gently caressed his cheek before elegantly sliding out from behind the pillar, “I can feel your blood pressure rise...”

Majestzee let out another excited chirp as his worm like tongue fell out of his mouth. His PAK sparked like crazy as he tried to steady his breathing.

You strutted back to the center of the room.

“Pretending everything is alright, is detention.” You whispered as you playfully posed.

Number 1 let out a few whistles as he rapidly applauded you.

Next

#invader zim #Invader Zim x reader #zimvoid #invader zim number 2 #invader zim comics