#jaywings

I think Milla's a really big sweetheart and I like her laid back attitude :) She's a character I don't think about Super Hard but I'm always happy to see her

She makes for a really great foil to Sasha obviously but she also works as the triad in the contrasts between those 2 and Oleander, in terms of all their teaching styles. Hers is probably the most amicable, the kids at camp actually Like her class for one thing.

It's also really sweet how immediately she's willing to go to bat for Cal in the sequel's first mission, to the point she's calling him by first name. I like the way she says his name too, its just nice to listen to.

How I feel about this character: I love Mabel! I love how kind and loving she is (though of course she's not perfect--she's 12). She can be kinda gross sometimes (Mabel please do not shove food up your nose) but I think she's pretty great overall.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: None! There's no one in particular I would ship her with. If anything I would kinda hope she would chill out a bit with trying to find a date and maybe wait for a relationship to develop naturally.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Mabel & Dipper!! I love their relationship and how it grows throughout the series. Mabel & Stan, too, haha.

My unpopular opinion about this character: She's not a horrible person and doesn't deserve to be "punished" because she got tricked by Bill, my gosh.

PSYCHONAUTS ON MAIN LETS GOOOO (BC I USUALLY POST ON AQUATO-FAMILY-CIRCUS HAHA)

The first character I first fell in love with: 

AUGUSTUS AQUATO YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS!! I'd always liked Raz of course, but when I was rewatching the first game to prep for the sequel the last like 20 minutes of it rocked me. the difference between Raz's perception of his dad vs the real deal who's just a well meaning if overprotective father captured me so violently and immediately it felt like I was being jostled around. Plus Augustus has such a cool design and his voice work is so soft yet gruff and kind. He's a delight. Idk what my opinion on the first game would be without him bc it's one of the strongest highlights in the emotions department.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: 

It's haaaard to say bc I just liked most of them off the bat but I do think I needed some time for Cassie O'Pia to grow on me. Her level was overstimmulating the first time I played it so I didn't rly appreciate how nice it looked or how cool her archetypes really were. Love her now tho, of course, bc I love all the old people psychics

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: 

I Don't Care Much for the campers aside from Lili & Dogen. I think they're definitely fun, I've enjoyed a lot of fan work about the individual campers and do have favorites among the ones who Aren't Lili & Dogen (Clem & Crystal, Chloe) but they just don't really compel me much. Same goes for the interns but with them at least I can remember all their names and quirks off the top of my head (bc there's only 6 of them)

The character I love that everyone else hates: 

I think Gristol is an interesting character, I think he's fun! I don't post abt him much bc I get the vibe ppl get annoyed about it? Which is fair, he sucks, I would hit him with a crowbar if he was real. but he's just kind of a pathetic guy once his plans fail. He's fun to talk about and theorize about what in the world could actually make him become a better person or at least have a change of mind like the other antagonists we've been inside the heads of.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

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The character I would totally smooch: 

HOLLIS FORSYTHE CALL ME

The character I’d want to be like: 

I wish I had the patience and chill attitude of Milla or the cool big showmanship of Helmut. The brightest and most colorful characters basically !!

The character I’d slap: 

See: Gristol.

A pairing that I love:

Bob Zanotto and Helmut Fullbear are married and in love!! I love those guys so much it is absurd.

My first playthru experience of not expecting any gay content period was one of a kind.

the shift from "Oh Helmut's so obviously queercoded good for him. I hope He and his "Bobby" have some fun friendly guy pal thing going on"

to "Oh He and Bob were GAY gay"

to "ROBERT ZANOTTO YOUR GIANT WEDDING CAKE IS MAKING ME CRY" can not be replicated.

A pairing that I despise: 

I want you to know that the week you sent this ask I was in the doldrums of motivation but when I read you wanted to do a re-read of Skytown; I opened my computer, finished the new chapters edits for Ghosts of the Past and today I got it printed for round 2 of editing.

Thanks for supporting my book, my art, and me :)

OK! Without further ado, I’m going to be ranking these in descending order down to my all-time favorite, but first I'm going to add two fics that are kind of nebulous to rank because they are both crossovers. If I were going to rank them, both would be near the top of the list.

“Now You’re Thinking With Real Science” by Jaywings

This fic is just insanely good. It’s a Portal 2 crossover, and even for two franchises that already seem to blend together really well with the same brand of darkly humorous cyberpunk themes, it does a really good job of fitting the world and characters together in a way that makes perfect sense. Everything flows together really well, and every character from a large cast of characters is well handled and gets a chance to do something (or have something done to them). Fair warning, there are a few pretty intense scenes, and this one is as of yet unfinished, but still updating, and I highly recommend it. 

Warnings: This fic makes me want to like wheatley again and I won't, dammit. I refuse. Die you traitorous metal ball.

“Mad World” by iamwriting

This is a crossover between IZ and Jhonen Vasquez’ other most famous work, his horror/black comedy comic series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. For those that have never read any of Vasquez' other work, it’s safe to say that JTHM makes Invader Zim look like Blue’s Clues, so fair warning before going into it this fic is dark. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s depressing, but it certainly handles very heavy themes (insanity, suicide...murder, obviously) and doesn’t pull punches. That said, it really surprised me just how well-crafted, compelling and moving this fic is. By the time I was finished with it, all the plot threads had pulled together so tightly I had to go back and reread chapters just to confirm that oh, yeah- I didn’t imagine that, the author set that up so subtly I didn’t even notice. An absolute 10/10 for plot, mood, and how well it kept me engaged (I spent an entire workday feverishly reading this and didn’t even notice the time pass) with a powerful and satisfying payoff. 

Warnings: This story is told in a very restricted first person pov, which can sometimes feel awkward, but is necessary for setting up an unreliable narrator. Characters, particularly Zim, can also sometimes feel ooc, but this too has an in-fic explanation that I won’t spoil.

OK! Enough crossovers, onto the ranked fics:

#6: “Hey, Spacejerk” by HeCallsMeHisChild

This particular author and her series of fics were some of the first that I read in the fandom, and one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that she has the most original ideas I’ve ever seen. Hey Spacejerk is strange, and that’s not a bad thing. It starts out as sort of a self-contained exploration of isolation with elements of psychological horror, and blossoms into something totally different by the end. If you don’t mind suspending disbelief and being taken along for the ride, I really think this it's an enjoyable read, with a strange but satisfying conclusion. 

Warnings: not really an issue for me, but this fic was written before the movie release, and Prof. Membrane takes on a villain-like role in this story so if that’s a deal breaker, you’ve been warned. 

#5 “A Parade of Indignities” by RissyNicole 

A LOT has been said about this fic and how good it is that there’s almost not much left to say. This story is epic in scope and very good at maintaining the nail-biting suspense it sets up early on. Supporting characters who didn’t get much focus in the show are a big part of this one, and help the world feel more fleshed out and alive. This story isn’t finished, and I have to admit I’m actually not caught up with it, but regardless. The fandom considers this one a must-read and I do too. 

Warnings: If you are an anxious hypochondriac like me this one can be a psychological horror as well! Little added bonus :)

#4 “Important Messages From Beyond the Stars” by myrskytuuli

This one is very niche and catered to my interests. I love stories that utilize the Resisty, and I'm an absolute sucker for anything exploring Zim’s time working as a scientist on Vort. Is it canon compliant? Not even close. Is it fully in character? Highly debatable, but this fic rec list needs some of the heartwarming found family healing only fanfic can provide, and goddamn it this fic provides. This one is also unfinished but still updating, and as new chapters and plot threads are introduced I’m more and more excited to see where it leads. 

Warnings: Again, if you’re looking for canon compliance and the usual dark cynicism of IZ, this is not the fic for you. 

#3 "Forced Perspective" by 0palite

I read this fic more recently after stumbling across some of the adorable drawings the author did for each chapter. This fic is quintessential zadf, and that’s a-ok with me. It’s character driven all the way through, and great care is taken in examining the different ways they think, as well as their motivations and worldviews. Everything feels in line with canon, and the development of the plot as well as the central friendship is natural and never feels too contrived. Really enjoyable read, and the drawings and animations created for every chapter are so charming and a huge added bonus to this one.

Warnings: None really, if slowburn zadf isn’t your thing you won’t enjoy this. 

#2 “Experimental” by HideousBlob 

 I don't think it would be an overstatement of any kind to say that Experimental and its lost? sequel Hypothetical are sort of the golden standard when it comes to Invader Zim fics. Butingly funny, very in character, bordering on psychological horror in places, this one excels at utilizing Zim's manic hypochondria to create a real sense of paranoia and keep the reader guessing. A great story with or without the slowburn zadf going on in the background, this fic is also available in the form of a great 8-bit RPG game with multiple choices and endings. One thing to note is that this particular author has since distanced herself from the fandom, so although you can still find the fic on archive.org (dm me if you’d like to play the game) please don’t go attempt to contact her about it. 

Warnings: I just wish I could read her other fics again. Thats all 😭😭

#1 “Leaving Home” by DiscoTeriyaki

This fic is the bane of my existence. It’s so good I hate it. And the worst part is that I can’t even put my finger on exactly what makes it so good. Leaving Home’s main idiosyncracy is that it’s very grounded in the real world, much more so than most other fics on this list. For example, Dib and Gaz have (or, had) a mother, real-world cities are mentioned, and the author utilizes a soundtrack of real-world songs from the late 1970’s to tell the story. This fic is very self-contained and small in scope, but it has a cutting, straight-forward and bittersweet take on the characters and their relationships. Exploring themes of growing up, death and remembrance, forgiveness, and what it means to be important to someone without particularly liking them. Everytime I read it (and I’ve read it a few times) I notice something new, and I’m in awe of how well this author is able to say so much in so few words. If you read this, do yourself a favor and listen to the music the fic provides. 

Gripes: I’d really like to stop crying everytime “The Lights Go Down” by ELO comes on please and thanks. 

give us a rec! maybe the most recent fic you bookmarked!

Honesty Hour is a great Zim character study fic. He’s a tough bug to get right but they nail it. No ships. (Other than the armada! *laugh track*)

what's a tiny detail you wrote that you're proud of?

Gir hummed again at that, before nodding. “Noooooo… no he didn’t!” His arms unwound with a zipping noise like a tape measure whipping back into its case, and she flicked at his antenna before digging into her pocket. Pencil, pen, cyanide pill Dib had insisted that she take along with her ‘just in case’, a cool leaf she’d found in the bushes that kind of looked like it had a dragon-shaped splotch on it… ah! She pulled out the jawbreakers and handed them to Gir, who tossed them both in his mouth without even removing the wrappers.

My first few ideas for this required a lot of fic/characterization context so I just pulled something from the latest chapter of Temporal Displacement. I really like mixing in little moments of the characters having weird objects on their person that show off their personalities.

what's a fic that you daydream about writing but haven't?

2. Why do you write fanfiction? 

Out of love for the source material! Also when I have ideas I feel like I will explode if I do not share them. I also really like that there is a built-in audience for fic.

22. Do you listen to anything while you write? 

Yep! Pretty much constantly. Sometimes I have to hunt around for the right background music because nothing I put on feels right. Sometimes it has to be instrumental, or nature sounds like ocean waves, and sometimes it is songs I don’t know the lyrics to, and sometimes it is songs I do know the lyrics to. It all depends. I can’t really explain why my music needs differ from day to day.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

(oh wow CamScanner did NOT like this one)

this is about the only thing I could imagine

“This is Crystal of Truth... source of Skeksis power.”

“The source of power... I see.”

“It looks shiny.”

“WHERE ARE YOUR POWERS, CRYSTAL?! GIVE THEM TO ZIIIIM!!”

“This tastes like grape jelly!”