zimsrightantenna

[zimsrightantenna]

Lifestyle swap Au in the making (~oAo)~

More of just me trying to see how I wanted Devi to be personality wise‼️

[zimsrightantenna]

[zimsrightantenna]

Hey there! Not an update but for those of you interested, the whole prologue of ABM is now in Toyhou.se for much easier viewing. Enjoy!

[zimsrightantenna]

[zimsrightantenna]

I've been an Invader Zim fan since 2011.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Codependent toxic soulmates

Human/non-human

Shared history

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

Bicker couple

Battle couple, when put in the right setting for it

Violence as a love language

Smol and tol

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#I know I'm always a zadr but you are reawakening my passion

[zimsrightantenna]

they are….. worm

[zimsrightantenna]

Invader Zim // S01E01: The Nightmare Begins

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pumkin skooge happy halloween

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Reading amazing fanfiction, then forgetting to bookmark it

[zimsrightantenna]

It looks like the nomination form is working out and I've already gotten a load of great replies, thank you so much to everyone who's sent in nominations! I think this will be a fun bracket and I'll try to share the raw data if possible afterward, but for now, keep spreading the word and if you're seeing this post and haven't sent any pairings yet, feel free to give me some!

Form will stay open until some time on Sunday so there's plenty of time. I'm really excited about this, y'all <3

I've gotten a huge variety of ships so I feel like this tournament will end up featuring somewhere around twenty ships at the minimum, but there could be more, wow. I do want to give as many ships as possible a chance. I probably won't know for sure how many there'll be until I close the form, but yeah, this should be a nice big tournament! How fun!

[zimsrightantenna]

Young Dib & Zim hunting some bugs for skool! …well at least they’re trying to.

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Don't draw any attention!

(Played with style a bit)

[zimsrightantenna]

Rarepair Nominations are Now Open!

Alright everyone, it is time! I realize I'm posting this at what is likely an inopportune time, as it's the middle of the week and my posts aren't even showing up in tags yet, but that's okay! I just wanna go ahead and make this form available. I will leave this open until Sunday (May 5th) so get your choices in there.

Invader Zim Rarepair Nominations

Rules:

Do not nominate ZaDR (Zim/Dib), ZaGR (Zim/Gaz), ZaTR (Zim/Tak), ZaSR (Zim/Skoodge), DaTR (Dib/Tak), TaGR (Tak/Gaz), or RaPR (Red/Purple). These are all big ships in the fandom, whether we take into account past or present shipping trends, and so they are the ones I am disqualifying. Everything else, I will take.

What is considered a "rarepair" is totally at your discretion! It could be two characters who literally only showed up once, or it could be two major characters who nonetheless don't have near as many fanworks as one of the big ships I listed above. I will not be policing what ships are nominated. If it's not one of the above, I'll take it!

Only nominate pairings (two characters), no OT3s or more, please! Perhaps if this goes well we can do a special OT3 bracket later on.

When writing in a pairing, please actually write their names, for example Zim/Keef instead of just ZaKR. This is so I can know for sure exactly which pairing is getting nominated. If you just say ZaZR, I have no way of knowing if you mean Zim/Zim or Zim/Zita, as a random example. So just use the names, please.

You have to nominate at least one pairing, but you can send in up to five different pairs! One pairing per line.

Do not spam the form! I won't be requiring logins because I want people to have their anonymity, so I am requesting that you be reasonable, please. Only fill it out once, and if you happen to have more pairs you want to send, then I can't stop anyone from sending in a new form with those different pairings. But please don't use it as a way to duplicate ones you've already sent in. I intend to seed the bracket so I want the numbers to be accurate to what's actually being nominated.

No ships are off limits! If it's two Invader Zim characters who have appeared at some point in the show, movie, or comics, you can send it in! I understand this may mean some unpleasant or disturbing ships could be nominated and become part of the bracket. It comes with the territory. But Invader Zim is a dark show and the fandom has always embraced more twisted, grotesque themes. I will embrace it as well. So please do not send me requests that (insert badwrong pairing) be disqualified. If the presence of problematic ships in this bracket will bother you, please do not take part in the tournament.

You're more than welcome to start a good clean wholesome rarepair tournament of your own if you like :)

But yes, I think that's it! Go ahead and send in your nominations, and please share this far and wide. We can get wild but ultimately I want us to have fun here.

[zimsrightantenna]

I paid Richard to address the coochie gang

[zimsrightantenna]

Anonymous: Um, um c-can u do a page thing with just irken!dib? U don’t have to if… If u don’t want to…

Coincidentally… I already have one in my files??? I love drawing him and Gaz a lot for warm-ups （*’∀’人）♥

[zimsrightantenna]

Halloween costumes requests round two, baby! >:3c 🧡