#the end of skoodge on hobo 13

[short-and-ugly]

i know all the secret skoodge lines.... (<- listened to every clip of him speaking in the background obsessively until i was able to parse through the noise and figure out what he was saying)

[inbarfink]

I mean, the thing about Zim is that despite what he might say, he is absolutely capable of love and affection. It’s just that he only expresses it to a very select assortment of people.

First and most obvious one is probably his relationship with the Tallests. Which tends to be a lot less just a ‘loyal soldier duty bound to serve his leaders” and is coded a lot more like…. “Child overeager to please his neglectful parents”. I mean, the entire emotional crux of ‘Enter the Florpus’ is built on this. 

Zim isn’t just motivated by a pure ideological belief in the Irken Empire’s conquest, or by the desire for the fame and accolades that come with being a successful Invader. I mean, those ARE factors. Zim is both a true believer in Irk’s imperialist ideology and very interested in feeding his ego. But he’s also looking for a more personal sort of emotional validation specifically from the Tallests. One that he’s desperate for, but we know that he’s never gonna get.

(And that’s not just because Zim sucks. Even if he could somehow stop being a walking disaster area and a giant millstone around the Empire’s neck, that desire for the Tallests’ love would still be a fool’s errand. We’ve all seen how they treat poor Skoodge.)

In addition to that doomed attempt at an emotional connection, Zim can sometimes be kinda affectionate with his various robotic minions, which obviously goes back to the whole…

Yeah, that.

And that same episode ends with him having a very similar sort of response to Robo-Dad and Robo-Mom picking him up.

And then there’s, of course, his M-Lab Robot Minions in 'Enter the Florpus'. All named - and all grieved by him. 

His extreme reaction to Lawrence specifically dying shows he did apparently see them as individuals.

But as far as we can tell both the Roboparents and the Robot Army are not, like, sapient? I mean, AIs like GIR or the Computer are characterized as basically Machine People - but these robots barely seem more sapient than my laptop. And as much as I love my laptop it’s not gonna, like, love me back.

Speaking of GIR, he’s another example of someone Zim shows genuine care for. I mean… he can absolutely be pretty mean to him at times…

But any sort of kindness from Zim has to be graded on a Curve because he’s so terrible. ‘Hobo 13’ demonstrated to us very well just how horrible Zim can be to his subordinates - rude, inconsiderate, pretty much deliberately sacrificing them not just for his personal gain but also just for his own petty amusement. 

And it’s notable that’s not how he treats GIR. Who he expresses actual concern for…

And he pretty easily acquiesces to GIR’s capricious desires even when he clearly sees them as Stupid and frivolous. 

This scene is especially notable. I mean, this is Zim actually feeling bad about the fact that he made someone cry and trying to de-escalate the situation. Maybe for other characters a moment like that would be no big deal, but this basically the softest Zim has been through… all official IZ media. And it was a scene with GIR.

 And meanwhile GIR himself… didn’t really register any of this - either Zim’s frustration or his attempts at sort-of comforting him, because he was only sad about having eaten his cupcake and not being able to eat it more. 

Because that’s the thing, while GIR does have some level of affection towards Zim at times…

He doesn’t really show that same level of care. I mean, in pretty much all of these examples, GIR puts his own desire to give Zim physical affection over Zim’s clear discomfort and disgust. And in general, while GIR vaguely acknowledges that Zim is his master - he often disregards or ignores Zim’s orders and requests. And not just when it comes to being ordered around in yet another evil scheme -

But also when the situation is just clearly basically hazardous to Zim’s very life. 

(Which is very much in contrast to Zim, who, again, is actually emotionally invested in GIR’s safety)

While some of GIR’s inability to fulfill Zim’s commands can be attributed to his lack of mental focus and general stupidity - his absolute lack of care and regret about these situations seem to imply that, like, GIR might follow some of Zim’s orders when they seem fun, and he might like Zim in the sense that GIR is generally incapable of genuine malice. But GIR is never going to care about Zim, as a ‘Master’ or as a friend, as much as he cares about his own hedonism.

And of course, we all know that if GIR was capable of actually focusing on anything and remaining grounded in reality - he would very quickly realize that he actually hates Zim quite a bit. 

And that’s, like, the whole Tragedy of Zim. He is a being capable of kindness and friendship - but he always ends up only caring about beings who will never care about him back.

Due to Irken indoctrination and also self-inflicted due to his own ego (like, it is no coincidence that the People Zim Actually Cares About are the two beings Irken ideology obliges him to acknowledge as his superiors and then a bunch of robotic minions who are supposed to be 100% obedient to him.) Zim only loves those who will not love him back.

Except for Minimoose. That relationship is 100% wholesome.

[ms-scarletwings]

Warm take, but

I would bet my entire left lung that if IZ was not canceled before the rest of the incomplete episodes/scripts were allowed some airtime, the begrudging bromance potential between Zim and Skoodge could have ended up one of if not the most popular ship among viewers. I’m still forever miffed that we were cheated out of so much more on-screen Skoodge antics generally, though.

Ffs we would have seen what he looked like as a smeet in the Trial. We would have seen what the tallest looked like as smeets too, because Zim deadass grew up with all of them. But that dynamic he had with Skoodge during the Hobo 13 incident has literally had childhood precedent which, lmfao.

Also, for anyone who hasn’t read up on the series plans, Skoodge was going to be revealed to be living in Zim’s basement ever since Hobo-13. Not just in a roach in the walls way. Like, he was eventually gonna become a whole sidekick along GIR and mini-moose, actually helping in some of the plans against Dib. Canon exile buddies. You cannot fathom how angry I am that Dib never got to meet Skoodge on screen, yet was so close to him.

[irkendogma]

was thinking about social behavior/cliques/bullying in irkens again and honestly still vibing with some shit rambled on discord a while back

oh 100% agreed on holdovers from the pre-pak era! it's just that they'd probably be a lot less, cliquey? than they are in humans, because the things the pak removes are the primary things that group humans into socioeconomic cliques like irkens don't have generational wealth because they don't have generations. you don't end up with any groups that all tend to share the same values, ideals, and experiences as a result of upbringing in a shared family setting, and as a result there are no greater oligarchy-esque bonds between such groups because irkens are born entirely separate from others, no preexisting strings attached it's like how wolf packs made of unrelated individuals vs related individuals will behave completely differently - the point of gossip is to designate an "other", which implies that the one being gossiped to is a member of an "ingroup". gossip would certainly be possible among irkens but even in a setting with social factors to weigh it would likely be less conspiratorially nasty because no irken can guarantee themselves part of a specific ingroup (outside of the broad category of height, even within which you're not guaranteed other shared traits or mindsets) in terms of social worldbuilding, i've found one of the most important things to ask is "what is the societal path of least resistance?" - the easiest, lowest-effort option for any given individual to take. in humans, that path is frequently to stick to the ingroups that you are automatically sorted into by birth and upbringing, which facilitates discrimination between ingroups, but to an irken lacking groups to be born into it would take active effort to find a group, especially against irken ideas of bonds as unnecessary and unwanted, and so while it would certainly be possible for irkens to form cliques it would likely be far less common than in humans just because statistically far less irkens are likely to not only take that option but succeed in taking that option i imagine clique stuff would be more situational and temporary than having a permanent group someone sticks to? like a classroom dogpiling the target of a joke even if they have little shared or in common beyond finding the joke funny and the bullying entertaining height is probably the most common factor spurring things on - we DO see irkens bullied by a group for being short. like red and purple publicly humiliate skoodge in front of the whole crowd in the nightmare begins and in hobo 13 bob being forced to bet more money than he'll ever make is a public spectacle in the gambling lounge i think the main difference between that and human bullying would just be that it doesn't often happen very discreetly, there's unlikely to be any social consequences for being openly dickish like there are in humans if someone is judged to have crossed a line, i'd say the closest you get is the target themselves not being aware of it so they can't retaliate but in most scenarios where retaliation isn't an option anyway the mockery occurs pretty openly like i think zim is the target of less open mockery because of his history of destroying things meaning that he IS crazy or stupid enough to try retaliating even to his own overall detriment if he understands what's going on, but most of the time with someone that short i'd bet it'd be more in line with bob or skoodge's treatment

[asexual-spongebob]

Wail Of The Siren - Chapter 5 - Song of the Siren (Originally published- 5/18/24)

Notes: here’s my hcs for Tenn and Skoodge :)

Tenn - they/she/it/purr, sapphic + bi, demigirl + demigender . Skoodge - he/him, bi. Tenn’s sir unit (which I named Vir) - they/it, unlabeled. Skoodge’s sir unit (which I just named sir lol, basically like canon) he/him, unlabeled.

I also put in my hc that the thingy on Tak’s head is her disguise projector (I could be wrong abt this one lol-) I think that end of this chapter was my favorite part to write. >:3 I also love how the chapter art for this one came out too :3

“Tenn? Skoodge? What are you guys doing here?” Tak asked. “It’s great to see you again though!” She adds.

Tenn and Skoodge stepped out of the spacecraft.

“It’s a bit of a long story… but uh… long story short, Skoodge crashed on Meekrob after was too much of a coward to go back home after the whole Hobo 13 Incident.” Tenn explained. “I was then stuck with him. We formed a friendship? I think that’s the word?” They add.

Tak nodded. 

“We were heading to Foodcourtia, but then realized the foodening was happening and ended up here.” Skoodge finished.

“I can take your ship back to my base and fix it if you’d like.” Tak offered.

“Oh that’d be great, thank you!” Tenn agreed. 

Tak dug around in her black messenger bag, it was covered in patches and pins.

“You can use these to disguise yourselves.” Tak said, handing two black hoodies to Tenn and Skoodge, carrying their Sir units.

Skoodge and Tenn thanked Tak as they headed to mew’s base.

Tak opened the front door and the group of six headed down to the basement.

Tak began to fix Tenn’s ship, and a conversation began. 

“How have you guys been?” Tak asked. 

“Fine.” Tenn answered with a chirp.

“How’s everyone back on Irk doing?” Tak asked. 

“Bad. Really bad… I’ve heard from the other Invader’s that Irk’s been in shambles ever since the Tallest got sucked into the Florpus hole.” Tenn answered with a frown.

“They’ve been scrambling to find new leadership.” They add.

“Are the Tallest dead?” Tak questioned.

“No one knows for sure. A lot of us assume they are, but other’s think they might still be alive.” Tenn replied.

“Oh, okay…” Tak replied back, not sure how to react to that information.

“How’s Zim?” Skoodge asked. 

“Fine. He’s been being Zim.” Gaz answered. 

“Hey Tenn, you want you can stay with me for now.” Tak offered.

“Oh that’d be nice! but what about Skoodge? Where is he gonna stay?” Tenn replied.

“Maybe I could stay with Zim?” Skoodge proposed.

“Yeah maybe he’ll let you stay with him.” Gaz said, “he’s mentioned you a few times.” She adds. 

“What did he say?” Skoodge questioned, “he said he was surprised you weren’t killed all those times.” Gaz answered.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Skoodge grinned.

Mimi padded downstairs, she noticed Tenn and Skoodge.

“Hello there.” She greeted “Hi Mimi.” Tenn greeted back, Skoodge waved in greeting.

Mimi noticed Tenn’s sir unit, which she nicknamed, Vir and Skoodge’s sir unit, Sir.

“Hello my fellow sir units.” Mimi said with a bow, “You’re a cat, not a sir unit silly.” Vir giggled, “No I am, this is just a disguise” Mimi replied, Vir let out an “oh”.

Skoodge walked to Zim’s house, lurking in the shadows in the hopes of not being seen. 

Is this it? Skoodge wondered as he stood outside what he assumed was Zim’s house. 

Skoodge knocked on Zim’s door. 

“Hm… I wonder who that could be.” Zim said, then walking to the front door and opening it.

��Hello?” He uttered.

Zim couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Skoodge? What are you doing here?” 

“Uh… it’s a long story.. Is it okay if stay here for a bit?”

“Uh yeah sure I guess.” 

Skoodge took a seat on the couch. “How did you get here?” Zim asked, genuinely curious. 

“Okay uh…. It’s a long story but.. After the “Hobo 13” Incident I was too afraid to go back to Irk and me and my sir unit crashed on Meekrob.” Skoodge began, “And then I was stuck there for a bit and me and Tenn formed a friendship I guess.” Skoodge continued “Oh yeah and then we were on our way to Foodcourtia but we realized the Foodening was happening and we ended up here.” Skoodge finished. 

“Where’s Tenn?” Zim asked. 

“It’s staying with Tak.” Skoodge answered.

“Okay.” Zim replied. 

“You can stay in the basement I guess.” Zim adds. 

Huh… Gir’s been gone for a while. Zim realized as it glanced away from Skoodge at the tv.

Some boring sitcom was playing on it. 

“I wonder where Gir is. He’s been gone for awhile..” Zim said, starching his chin. 

“Maybe he’s out doing something important?” Skoodge suggested.

“Nah. Gir’s probably eating at the human’s call a “Waffle Cottage”. Or dancing at “Nightclub.” Zim disproved. 

Right then and there, Gir showed up, with a Suck Monkey in hand.

“HI MASTER!!! WHO’S DIS?” Gir shouted, Zim and Skoodge flattened their antennae.

“Uh… this is Skoodge and his sir unit.” Zim said awkwardly.

“Hi!!” Gir greeted with a huge grin on its face, Skoodge’s sir unit smiled back. 

“What’s your name?” Gir asked “Sir.” Sir answered. 

Gir shook Sir’s hand. 

The next day.

Zim was getting ready to head to Skool, “where are you going?” Skoodge asked, Zim looked over his shoulder and looked at him.

“Skool. It’s where the stinky humans get their education.” Zim explained.

“Can I come?” Skoodge asked “Yeah sure, let me just get you a wig and some eye contacts.” Zim replied, then giving Skoodge a curly, dirty blonde wig and blue eye contacts.

Skoodge put them on. 

“They’re a bit itching.” Skoodge remarked with a frown. “It’s fine, you’ll get used to them.” Zim retorted, then getting ready to head out the door. 

“Don’t do anything stupid Gir.” Zim shouted, “Please watch the house Sir!” Skoodge shouted, “Yes master I obey!” Sir saluted.

Skoodge and Zim then went to Skool, sitting through a boring lecture, Zim impatiently waited for the lunch bell to ring.

Zim fidgeted in his seat, staring at the clock, the bell then rang. Zim jumped out of its seat and sprinted towards the lunch room. “Wait for me!!” Skoodge called out. 

Skoodge sat beside Zim, Keef sat on the other side of the table. 

“Hi Zim! Who’s this?” Keef asked. 

“Hi Keef. This is my uh… relative Skoodge.” Zim answered, Keef’s eyes light up with excitement “Hi Skoodge!!” Keef greeted with a smile 

Zim watched Keef began to chat up a storm, Skoodge listened.

He was talking about this musical he had seen with his aunt called “Little Shop Of Horrors” and explaining the plot to Skoodge in great detail. 

Zim and Skoodge got back home, collapsing onto the couch.

“Hey um. Me and the Dib are going to be doing some math soon, don’t bother us, ‘Kay?” Zim said as it sipped some cola, glancing at Skoodge.

“Oh so like a date?” Skoodge assumed.

“NO. I DO NOT LIKE DIB! I can’t believe you’d think that!” Zim jeered.

“But if you hate him, how come you’re helping him?” Skoodge questioned, flicking his antennae.

“I am only helping Dib thing with math because Ms Bitters told me to.” Zim replied.

Skoodge let out an “oh” before heading to the basement.

“I can’t believe he assumed that I liked the Dib!” Zim scoffed, then sitting down on the couch, waiting for Dib to arrive. 

Dib made his way to Zim’s base after Skool.

“Hi Zim.” Dib said “Hi Dib.” Zim replied, letting Dib walk inside.

Zim and Dib look at seat on the floor.

Dib began to work on the problems, Zim gave him a look of annoyance. 

“You’re doing it wrong!” Zim snapped, “That’s not how you get a variable alone!” He adds.

“Oh… sorry..” Dib sighed, then biting the skin around his nail.

“What are you doing?” Zim asked, “Oh um.. sorry it’s just a bad habit of mine..” Dib said, looking down at his nails in disgust. He hated the way they looked, but he could never stop biting them.

“Anyway, let’s finish this up so we can get this over with.” Dib said, turning their attention back to the math.

Soon, Zim and Dib had finished the math.

Dib was gathering their stuff and getting ready to leave, until Gir barged in there.

“HI MASTER!” Gir smiled, “HI BIGHEAD!!” Gir shouted, running up to Dib and hugging their leg tight. “Oh uh- Hi Gir.” Dib greeted, petting the little robot’s head.

“I gotta get going but I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” Dib said, “mhm.” Zim replied, sipping some soda.

Dib walked out the door and headed home. 

It was now a day later, Keef and Skoodge had been getting along great, and Zim and Dib were heading to Dib’s house.

Dib glanced at Zim as the two walked down the hall.

Dib noticed Gaz walk by “Hey Gaz, we’re heading home.” Dib said. “I’m not coming Dib. Me and Tak are going to the mall to pick up a copy of the new “Blood Lizards” album.” Gaz replied.

“Oh uh… okay! Be careful!” Dib warned, “we’ll be fine, Dib.” Gaz grumbled, then walking away to find Tak.

Zim looked down at his math assignment in horror. “How did I, the almighty ZIIIM get a f?!” Zim questioned, Dib let out a gasp. “You got an F? I thought you were good at math?” Dib remarked, “Yeah usually, unless it’s geometry.” Zim retorted.

“Geometry? That’s one of the few types of math I’m good at! How about I help you with that?” Dib proposed. “Uh.. yeah sure you can, Dib smell.” Zim replied.

Zim and Dib headed to Dib’s house, soon the two arrived and Dib unlocked the front door with his house key, once the door was unlocked, the two stepped inside.

Dib threw his backpack on the floor and guided Zim upstairs.

Dib and Zim took their shoes off before climbing into Dib’s bed and lying down.

“I find it funny how you don’t wear socks” Dib giggled, “Well. I don’t really see a point too.” Zim replied.

Zim pulled out his assignment. “Where did I go wrong here?” Zim asked, Dib looked at the problem carefully. “You used the wrong formula Zim, you used the rectangle formula for a triangle.” Dib explained.

“OH- that’s where I went wrong!” Zim remarked, now understanding where he went wrong.

Dib and Zim began to work on fixing the problem.

Dib stared down at the paper as they helped Zim. “Thanks Dib stink. I now understand this!”Zim smiled. 

“You’re welcome Zim.” Dib replied. 

Dib then noticed something, Zim had been holding their hand?

Zim flinched as soon as it realized what it had done. “I’m sorry that was an accident!” Zim shirked, “Hey it’s fine Zim. No need to apologize.” Dib replied, “You can always hold a uh… I dunno… person’s hand you know.” They add.

“Oh uh… okay then..” Zim sighed awkwardly.

I want to disappear… Zim mused out of embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Gaz, Tak and Tenn were sipping chamomile tea and eating cookies. 

“Hey Tenn,  wanna go to the mall with us? We were gonna pick up the new Bloody Lizards album.” Tak said “I could make you a disguise for you. If you’d like.” She adds. 

“What’s a mall?” Tenn asked, she had never heard of it before.

“Oh uh… it’s kind of like Conventia, minus the convention part, more like a large gift shop basically.” Tak answered as mew took a sip of mew’s tea. 

“Oh! That sounds fun, yeah I’d like to go.” Tenn smiled, “All right then, lemme go make you a disguise, it shouldn’t take long.” Tak said, then heading downstairs.

Within about 12 minutes, Tak came back with a small device, “Just put this on your head and you’ll be free to go!” Tak explained, Tenn nodded, then putting the device on her head. 

The projector worked, Tenn’s disguise had fair skin and a blonde perm haircut. “Thanks Tak!” Tenn smiled “You’re welcome.” Tak smiled back.

Tak grabbed her messager back, “Keep watch over the base Mimi.” Tak commanded “Yes master!” Mimi saluted. 

Gaz, Tak and Tenn headed towards the bus stop and waited.

The three soon boarded the bus once it arrived, “I’ll pay.” Gaz said, taking some change out of her pocket and placing it into the coin slot, then heading to the back of the bus, Tak and Tenn followed suit. 

And on their way they were, to get their grubby little hands, (or in Tak and Tenn’s case, claws.) on the new Bloody Lizards album.

“Wanna go hang out on the roof Zim?” Dib asked “Uh… sure.” Zim replied, still embarrassed at the fact xe had held Dib’s hand.

Dib climbed on the side of their house to reach the roof, Zim used xyr pak legs to climb. Dib panted once they reached the roof top, catching their breath.

Dib and Zim sat on roof, watching the sunset. 

“You know Zim… after this whole math thing made me realize somethings… maybe we aren’t as different as we think…” Dib said as he watched the sun sink below the horizon. 

Zim gave Dib a confused glance.

“Maybe… just maybe… we could be… friends?” Dib questioned, turning to face the irken. 

“But… aren’t you supposed to hate me, Dib-stink? And aren’t I supposed to hate you?” Zim replied.

“Maybe we don’t have to hate each other.. I’m not sure we really have a reason to anymore…”Dib admitted.

“Oh. So you want to be friends or something?” Zim questioned. 

“Yeah Zim, friends.” Dib answered. 

“That sounds…” Zim paused “nice.” Zim finally said. 

Dib nodded in agreement and smiled. 

Gir and Mimi had been watching them from behind. 

“Daaamn master’s got a friend!” Gir remarked with a smile. “Zim and Dib” and “friends” are words I thought I’d ever hear in a sentence.” Mimi remarked as she licked herself, Vir was eating popcorn, it was disguised as a rabbit.

“Gir? Mimi?” Zim questioned as xe turned around to face the two sir units, xe had an embarrassed look on xyr’s face. “Oh um- Hi Gir.. Hi Mimi..” Dib said  sheeplishly. 

Gir then left flew off the roof, it was off to the club, Mimi then disappeared into a dash of black, she was heading home. 

Zim and Dib sat on Dib’s roof in  silence. 

“Uh- see you later I guess?” Dib mumbled, breaking the awkward silence.

“Yeah. Uh. Bye.” Zim replied, “I need to have an important conversation with Gir.” Xe adds before getting off of Dib’s roof and heading back to xyr base.

The night sky was looming towards the horizon, I guess I’ll head inside now. Dib decided, carefully climbing off the roof.

Dib walked inside, he saw Gaz and his father sitting at the dinner table, the Foodio 3000 had prepared some chicken and rice.

Dib glanced down at his plate. Not the chicken and rice… Dib thought, immediately getting a flashback.

Peace is nice! Peace is nice! PEACE IS BETTER THEN CHICKEN AND RICE!!! 

“Hey kids, how was your day?” Professor Membrane asked as Dib took his seat. 

Gaz looked down at her plate with same expression, also thinking about the Florpus hole incident.

“Oh.. fine.” Gaz replied, then chewing on her chicken. “I went to the mall with Tak and her friend Tenn.” 

Dib snapped back to reality, “oh uh… great!” Dib answered, then eating a spoonful of chicken and rice. 

Membrane noticed the look on Dib’s face and the tone of his voice. “Is something wrong son?” He asked, “Uh… No! Everything’s fine!” Dib insisted. “Yeah. We’re definitely fine!” Gaz adds.

“Oh, alright then.” Professor Membrane said. They’ve been acting a bit strange lately…hopefully everything is okay… Professor Membrane worried. 

It was later that night, Professor Membrane was getting some well deserved rest and Dib and Gaz were at the beach. 

Gaz was out fishing, she was going to bring some back and show it to Tak and Tenn. 

Gaz bit down on a salmon she had just caught, I wonder what Tak and Tenn will think… she wondered. I might as well have a snack she mused, then taking small bites of her fish. 

Meanwhile, Dib laid on a rock which was in a cluster of piled up rocks that surrounded a tide pool, with some smaller rocks and stones scattered on the bottom, a few barnacles and star fish were also scattered around.

Most beach goer’s never went to that side of the beach because of the strange happenings there.

Some reported sightings of strange, fish like creatures with scaly tails, webbed hands and razor sharp, shark like teeth.

When Dib was about 9 or 10, a few years before Zim arrived and attempted to conquer earth, he had tried investigating these sightings, but nothing came of it. To his dismay, he never found any of these creatures.

They tried, and tried and tried, but eventually gave up, deciding to focus on hunting down other, less watery cryptids, like ghosts or Bigfoot, or the Jersey Devil that one time and Gaz went on that vacation to New Jersey. Or hunting down Mothman, when them and Gaz went on business trip with Professor Membrane to Virginia.

Dib propped themself  up onto one of the larger rocks, no one was around but them. 

Hm… maybe I can sing… no one’s around. They mused, then starting to sing lyrics of one of their favorite cavetown songs, Juliet. 

Keef was fishing farther out at sea, Zim sat in the boat, staring out into the distance out of boredom.

I wish i didn’t agree this. Zim mused as he stared at the starry sky, he had agreed to go on a fishing trip with Keef yesterday morning. But then he heard some strange sounds coming from afar.

It sounded like heavenly singing, like that of an angel’s. 

The antennae under his wig perked up and twitched. What is that beautiful sound? It asked itself, captivated by it. 

“Zim?” Keef mumbled, waving his hand in front of Zim’s face, trying to catch its attention.

Zim attempted to climb out of the boat, trying to reach that beautiful sound. 

“Ziiim!!” Keef yelled, trying to catch xe’s attention and stop xem.

But then, the beautiful singing stopped. Zim then snapped back to reality.

Zim fell on xyr back, looking up at Keef.

“Are you okay?” Keef asked, his voice full of concern.

“Yeah, I just heard something so… beautiful…” Zim marveled, as little hearts fluttered in xyr eyes. “What was it?” Keef asked “singing, beautiful, heavenly singing.” Zim answered.

Keef let out a gasp. Holy smokes! They thought in a panic.

Zim had heard Dib’s singing!

[weakly-skoodge]

Week Fourteen!

Skoodge leans himself forward, sitting as upright as he can, and yanks his antennae, slaps his cheeks, and motivationally whispers "Pull yourself together. you're an Invader, for Spork's sake!" to himself. "You're not at the end of your line just yet." Irkens do not have breakdowns. Invaders do not have breakdowns. Especially not in hot wired ships in empty parking lots in the middle of the night. He's going to make it through this, by golly! Tallest as his witness!

… Except…

… His Tallest are dead, aren't they…?

Is there… anything, left for him? Is there no one around to bear witness to him push forward?

With the current state of the Empire…

Is there any reason for him to even try?

He pinches at his neck. Rolling the metal chip underneath his skin between his index and his thumb.

There should be. There is.

The last time Skoodge remembers being happy was…

“I made it! I’m alive!”

Hobo-13.

He slumps back into his seat.

Why? What sense does that make?

He almost died. Again.

All because he was on Zim's team. Why would anyone be happy about that? No one in the known universe would be happy to see Zim, to be near Zim, to have Zim treat him the exact same way he used to back when –

"Oh, that’s. That makes sense."

Zim was treating Skoodge exactly how he did back when they were training to be Invaders.

Using him as bait, pushing and shoving, the teasing and taunting. That typical, smug expression on his face – the only expression that will always belong right there, on him. The one face, expression, that could tie any irken's spooch in knots. Haloed by the starlight.

It felt right.

More right than anything these past decades has.

Lying around in temporary housing units provided during downtime, facing enemies and surpassing them, finishing assignments and receiving praise (if there was any). It was never enough.

Is he too selfish? Too wanting, too demanding?

Skoodge has never been praised for his accomplishments. Not by anyone important. He's not sure he wants to.

All he wants is to go back. Doesn't he?

Training looks so much more appealing, these days.

Exchanging smiles, hiding laughs. Grabbing hands, leading feet.

He curls further into his seat, fingers still firmly pinching his skin. "… You're an idiot. Skoodge." He stares at his boots, at the floor of his ship, and then at nothing at all, soaking in his pure, unadulterated stupidity.

A giggle dislodges from his throat, and as his eyes close and his brows pinch with joy, he feels even more stupid than before.

The laughter dies down, and the ship is blanketed in an eerie quiet. Only the fans of the ship and his own PAK keep it from becoming completely silent.

There should be tears, forming under his eyes, right now. They always do when he thinks about training too hard.

Guess he's tuckered his ducts out from all the crying he did earlier today.

Coward.

Big, stinking, stupid runner. Running around like a headless… something.

Can't even insult right.

It'd be better, if there were someone else doing it. Maybe. Someone to keep him in check. And keep him away from all… this. Nonsense.

Skoodge opens his starmap, looking over nearby galaxies and systems, wracking his meat brain for which planet he's looking for. And when that doesn't work, he wracks his PAK for memory of where the Tallest sent him. Any mention, any name. Anything at all.

He taps the most backwater, out-of-the-way galaxy he can recall being on Irken maps.

There it is.

Does Zim even remember Skoodge?

Would he want to see me if he did?

Skoodge isn't sure what Urth is like…

The sounds of reconstruction and devastation linger, just outside his ship.

With a shaking claw, he taps the map until directions pop up in front of him. He commits every detail to memory, saving the location of Urth's and its galaxy in his PAK.

… but it can't be worse than this 

The engine spurs.

[cozymochi]

do you think skoodge actually is ok with being around zim because he sees him as a friend. Or that he’s only around since he’s the only other short irken to be around and even bothers talking to him, and he’s actually pretty annoyed by him like everyone else, and only listens like in hobo 13 for zim to be quiet.

I think both are pretty black and white takes 😩😩 and im not sure either feel right tbh. Skoodge being a “oh im only doing this so this annoying guy can shut up” doesn’t feel very… Skoodge. That feels like a more active-manipulator Tallest-tier tactic. Skoodge feels more like the direct opposite of that. LOW KEY? I think how primarily reactive he is as a character tends to be overlooked a lot 👁👄👁

I do think Skoodge is just a diligent yet impressionable soldier who follows orders and does what he can to be helpful for a goal regardless of who is giving the orders or what the goal is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and this is probably gonna sound meta and weird at first, but I legitimately don’t think Skoodge has that much agency to begin with.

It should probably be noted that in Hobo 13, Zim was in a position of authority for their group. Zim was the leader, and Skoodge wanted to prove his commitment to the greater goal of the group. He even came back like “GUESS WHAT I ESCAPED” [achievement unlocked] you go little starburst

It’s not like Skoodge volunteered to be leader himself. I think Skoodge would only go into a leadership role if someone else higher outright told him to. But!! I digress!! 😩

And ehhh Skoodge doesn’t really seem to care about shortness either from what I can tell. That seems more like a fun little quirk that has no bearing on how well he can do his job whatsoever nor would determine who he hangs around. If he hangs with anybody.

And with all that on the table Idk if i’d call Skoodge and Zim “friends” either. Probably the closest “equivalent” somebody like Zim has within his own species (and this is not me speaking on how friendships work within that species- i mean just in a cosmetic way that isn’t a robot) but I highly doubt they’re y’know. Actually friends. Y’know. Where they actively enjoy each others company and all that. We know Zim’s opinion on Skoodge (gullible, foolish, impressionable), but we don’t know Skoodges opinion on Zim. If he has any at all. I don’t think he has any opinion on Zim in the first place. 👁👄👁

“bUt in EpisOde 1 he’s backing away and—“ LISTEN! The first ep had no idea where any of the characters would end up becoming yet!! Nothing was set in stone for anybody 😩Skoodge in ep 1 is inferred to be a more meek and crybaby tier type compared to the more self-assured, confident, and easily influenced soldier he’s portrayed as later (and its not character development the writers just finally gave him a personality 😩). I’m willing to bet Skoodge as we know him would react very differently to being given Blorch in ep 1, probably obliviously proud if anything and willing to do his best with no thought on the danger. I promise aside from the premise, ep 1 is just this bizarro era for everybody involved and probably should be taken with a grain of salt. Besides he had to get out of that scene somehow 😩

Skoodge is just this reactive character who is around to be helpful. Zim is an active character who likes to give orders.

I saw one weird take somewhere that claimed “Zim enjoys tormenting Skoodge” and i’m like!! Wha— first of all— No 💀. Second, If you’re somebody who loves being in charge and giving orders, and there’s one guy out there that is guaranteed to listen to anything anybody tells him just… because!! Why wouldn’t you just go to that guy? He’ll go along with your plan no questions asked! Yay!! Skoodge being the object of torment is just an ongoing gag

For as little agency as Skoodge has, Zim will always give him something to do. Since Post!Blorch Skoodge got killed by the Tallest (he’s okay now), and after Hobo 13 he hasn’t been given anymore orders by the Tallest then… idk. Zim was technically his last direct authority figure. May as well bunk with him and see if he has anything for him to do for his infinite mission. But that’s me reading into it a smidge more than I likely should.

If they were in a cafeteria I don’t think Skoodge would willingly sit at the same lunch table as Zim. But I DO think he would sit with him if Zim yelled across the room and demanded “SKOODGE! SIT WITH ME!!” and Skoodge, being easily influenced, would just be like “SURE THING!” then do it. See? Look how helpful he was.

And that’s just kind of it, really. All that might be a very simplified way of looking at Skoodge but I think that’s … proooobably more crucial than it seems

dont get me wrong tho, ppl can still find reasons or give reasons behind his behavior. Reactive characters are just a different type of character, that’s all 😩

[robynmas]

Irken Family AU Idea Starring Zim, Tak, Skoodge, and The Tallests

So Operation Impending Doom 2 fails. Spectacularly. Like, the planet Irk is destroyed. Most of the Irkens are either killed or imprisoned. The tallest are set to be executed. Everything goes belly up. Except the Tallest are able to escape and make plans to hide out somewhere the Resisty will never find them. But where would the tallest go that no one would think to look?

They show up on Earth and Zim is ecstatic. He makes modifications to his base to make them feel more at home but Zim being Zim has no sense of personal space and Red and Purple are this close to beating him to death and just taking over the base when there’s a knock at the door. Turns out Tak escaped the retribution too and had a similar plan. Zim wants to send her away but Red and Purple see her as another ally in the fight against Zim and insist that she stay. So Tak moves in. And that should be the end of it except one day when they’re moving stuff around the find that Skoodge has been living in the base since Hobo 13 without being noticed. Skoodge has figured out the Tallest have been trying to kill him and just sorta hung out there to avoid them so he missed the whole destruction & annihilation thing. They’re all ready to kick Skoodge to the curb but Zim insists that he stays so now there are five Irkans living in the base, plus three SIT units, and a moose. It isn’t long until everyone is ready to kill each other and this boils down to an old fashioned fist-fight on the front lawn. Cut to the neighbors gathering around to see what’s going on and seeing the kid they’ve grown to know as their neighbor fighting with four strangers. So they ask who all these people are and Zim, being Zim, panics.

“Oh....this is my family. My parents...and my brother...and my sister...”

“Oh. Who were those other two? You know the man with a missing arm and the lady with the tutu?”

“I never said they were my parents! They are my aunt and uncle. They agreed to do the sitting of babies while my parents were away...in Space.”

“Oh. So your dads are astronauts?”

“...yes.”

So suddenly Zim has two dads, a brother, and a sister and to keep the humans from suspecting anything they have to keep up the charade. Tak and Skoodge enroll in school, the Tallest have to go with them to Parents’ Night and other family-themed events at the school. Over time they reluctantly become attached to each other and their roles on Earth so when it comes out that surviving Irkens have been liberated and are in the process of rebuilding Irk, they ultimately decide to remain on Earth in their little makeshift family.

[poppun-chan]

To date, which has been the most challenging chapter for you to write for The Alien's Next Door? I know some are easier than others to adapt into your AU, and I always look forward to seeing how you pull it off.

Funny, I was actually going to open up an ask game after the next chapter was posted, but I’ll go ahead and answer this one right now.

There have been a few tough ones, but one that immediately comes to mind is chapter 14 “The Special Training” (Hobo 13) just because of how brutal the original was. People keep talking about Zim throwing his teammates under the proverbial bus in that episode, but beyond that, the Tallests basically put together a party to watch somebody die and opened a betting pool on how it will happen; that’s really borked up when you sit down and think about it.

So trying to get something that felt at least close to the usual tone of my work was difficult, though I’m satisfied with what I ultimately went with.

And I did get to write some Zim & Skoodge friendship, including a bit from Zim’s perspective which was nice since I’ve done a few works with them, but it’s always Skoodge’s perspective. I had to make a last minute change as I was editing it too to account for Derek being added, originally Bob was going to be the Chauffeur as well in a modified car, but I decided to give that job to somebody else so he’d have a work friend. Chapter 9 “The Fork in the Wormhole” (Room with a Moose) I had a bit of trouble with as well for similar reasons; I actually managed to finish the following two chapters before completing it, though pat of that was just because it was followed by the easiest one so far, chapter 10 took less than a week to write. A couple others haven’t been difficult to write per say but I have had other problems with: Chapter 5 I fretted over a lot while proof reading because I was worried about it sounding preachy. With my mom’s work, my thresh hold is pretty low for these things, and I’ve seen a few works fall into that trap when they bring in something relevant to the creator’s life experience.

And it’s not posted yet, but the Halloween one fell into an odd territory during planning where I knew I wanted to cover it, but had no idea what to do with it despite having at least a rough concept for most of the other ones on my list. Ironically it’s ended up being the longest one so far by several pages (Oddly chapter 14 was the longest one when it was posted too)

[rancoeur-the-unfortunate]

Pills (Chapter 22)

(Fair warning this chapter is heavily based off the episode Hobo 13, so it might be best to watch that before reading this.)

Hobo 13 was a small baren planet designed to be used as training grounds for alien soldiers throughout the universe. A long time ago when Tallest Miyuki was in rule, she had found the planet and was originally going to destroy it. However, the residents of Hobo 13 managed to convince her that they could help her train her army if she spared their planet. So she called off the attack and watched from afar as the generals down below trained her men.

Even Miyuki had to admit the training was a little unorthodox but it worked. Her soldiers were faster, stronger, more preceptive, but most importantly they worked together.

The army was knocking down planets one by one, and with the ever-growing population of Irkens, there were plenty of soldiers to keep watch of said planets.

When Tallest Miyuki died and Tallest Spork took over, he was going to do the same thing. However, when Zim's blob attacked and Tallest Spork died. No one knew what to do. There weren't any Irkens tall enough yet; no one was superior enough to rule over the Irkens.

Years went by with no Tallest, and without a Tallest, there was no one left to control the Massive and that meant no concurring until someone reached the right height.

This didn't sit well with many Irkens and so the shorter, less superior ones did what thought to be impossible. Using the knowledge they gained from Hobo 13 they worked together. Planet after planet, the army was taking down faster than ever before.

Those short Irkens were an inspiration to short Irkens everywhere. They fought the taller Irkens declaring that they no longer wanted to slaves. They could be soldiers, they could be engineers, they could be doctors. Why the hell were they being treated like they were mindless drones? They were just as capable as any tall Irken. So they fought and rebelled, the short Irken populous now had a voice and it was screaming.

This was a problem for the Irken economic system, the taller Irkens were used to the short ones doing everything for them for little to no pay as well. But with this rebellion sprouting up like a weed, the stock market, as well as everyday life, was changing. Short Irkens were boycotting anything overpriced for them, quitting their jobs, even going as far as to claim that they were equal to the taller Irkens.

However, despite the rebellions large quantity of Irkens, it had no leader to guide them.

That was when a small but very loud Irken named Zim made himself known. Zim had been the smallest and shortest Irken of his generation heck maybe in all Irken history. He was alive during Miyuki's rule and had even personally served her before he was drafted to become an Invader where he met his Second in Command Skoodge.

At first, the rebellion was a little apprehensive about having Zim as their leader. But Zim had made it clear that he would lead them to victory.

'We may be the smallest but we are not incompetent! We are not lesser beings! We are not slaves! WE ARE IRKENS!' Zim screamed to the crowd. They cheered for him, they cheered for Skoodge, they cheered for small Irkens everywhere.

With this new advancement, flyers were put up.

'JOIN US OR FIGHT US!'

'THE BIGGER THEY ARE THE HARDER THEY FALL!'

'THE TALL CALL, THE SHORT RETORT!'

Thousands upon thousands more, not even the cleaning drones could clean them away fast enough.

More Irkens joined short, tall, skinny, stout. Until eventually 2/3 of the of Irken species were apart of the rebellion. Some fought for more than just equal rights, some fought for the right to choose their occupation, some fought for the right to breed, some even fought for free speech among all Irkens.

They shouted they screamed they marched. The Control Brains tried to detain them but there were just too many. Zim had trained them to be the best, no one could stop them.

Then another Irken made himself visible, known only as The Doctor.

He approached the Control brains with a plan. A plan that would get rid of all of their problems forever, or at least until they find a new Tallest. That was when he introduced the drugs.

After that everything went to hell. The rebellion, fearing for their lives took those damn pills. Zim and Skoodge tried to warn them. Tell them that they were fine and the drugs weren't what they seemed. Soon the rebellion's numbers dwindled.

'Life is perfect.'

'We have work to do.'

'Sorry for the fuss.'

Was written on the flyers.

Only half of the rebellion remained after that. They stopped getting recruits.

Hope was dying.

But Zim would not give up, not without trying. So he gathered what was left of the rebellion and told them to hide.

'Those slaves out there are not one of us anymore. We can't let them see us or else they'll force us to take their drugs.' He warned them.

'Hide from them, don't let yourself be seen. If you have to go out, pretend to be one of them. Don't make eye contact. Don't stay out for long.' Zim taught the rebellion with the help of Skoodge and began plotting their first attack.

This wasn't supposed to get violent, but it's too late for peaceful protests now. This was war.

The rebellion's attacks were well thought out and well-timed as well. Zim wouldn't let a single mistake slip by him. They gathered equipment from the Vort people who were happy to aid the war if it meant crossing their name off the concurring list. Quite a few other alien species were pretty quick to help with the promise of not being destroyed.

That didn't stop the rebellion's dwindling numbers, however. Either by death or capture, more and more rebellion troops were taken down. Even Zim had his doubts, but that was what he had Skoodge for.

The two were inseparable, they took care of each other and kept the other running. Even someone as confident as Zim needed a shoulder to lean on and Skoodge was happy to provide. He happy to provide many things for Zim and Zim was eternally grateful for him.

So after Zim disappeared, it was safe to say Skoodge's spirit shattered. He'd sit in his and Zim's room for hours just crying. It felt as though his world was ending and it was. The rebellion was now limited to only 10 Irkens including himself. They'd be found out soon and this whole fight would have been for nothing.

Bob, Lieutenant Commander tried his best to convince Skoodge that he had to pull himself together and that Commander Zim wouldn't have wanted him to give up. But that was all Skoodge could think about. Just give up and let go. He had already failed Zim, he should have been there to protect.

Bob stayed with him that night, letting Skoodge cry and cry until there were no tears left.

"If you're done crying, I think it's high time we get back to work," Bob said sternly.

"And how do we do that?" Skoodge nearly shouted.

"We do what Zim said and contact Lord Narr. He's been making a second resistance since day one remember. Then we call 777 and figure out a to get our commander back." Bob offered his hand to Skoodge.

"Come on sir, for Zim."

Skoodge smiled and took Bob's hand allowing the stumpier Irken to help him stand.

"For Zim."

Skoodge awoke with a start. He was a mess of sweat and tears.

He sighed and laid back down in his cot, he rubbed his arm over his forehead. Even after the withdrawal, those damn dreams won't leave him be. Skoodge took a moment to calm down before getting up to check on his progress to Hobo 13. He had a few hours until he'd enter the planet's atmosphere.

Skoodge was well aware of the fact that the Tallest were sending him to die and he was ok with that. He'd show those tall bastards who exactly they were dealing with.

When Skoodge had landed, he was greeted by the guards who, after a brief scan, identified who he was and put his pac in a sort of lock so he couldn't use his legs or other defenses. Afterward, they gave him his gear and he was led to a group of diverse looking aliens. No other Irkens, that's good.

That was until Skoodge heard the unmistakable screaming. There was only one being in the known universe that screamed like that.

Skoodge stepped out into the front of the crowd and there he was.

Commander Zim and he was screaming at the very big alien in front of him. Who Skoodge soon found out to be their trainer.

"-I AM THE TOOL OF DESTRUCTION, VEGENGENCE, AND FURY!!!" Zim screamed.

"I ONLY ASKED FOR YOUR NAME, NEXT!" The larger of the too glared down at Zim. It seemed like Zim must have been screaming for a while.

Skoodge could already tell this was going to be a long day. He could feel his spooch pull at the thought of what Zim had become.

"I AM THROBULATOR! I AM A CREATURE OF PURE HEADACHE! AARGH! MY HEAD!"

The trainer was only getting more annoyed it seemed.

"YOUR NAMES! THAT"S ALL I WANT! GAH!" Skoodge decided it would be best to do what the big man said.

"Invader Skoodge!"

The trainer turned to him. Skoodge raised his right hand in a solute.

"Sir!"

"Skoodge? I thought the Almighty Tallest killed you." Zim's voice was surprisingly calm at the rumor of Skoodge's untimely death. That hurt.

"Yeah, but I'm ok now." Skoodge tried to play it off. Zim wasn't on his side right now, the friend of my enemy is also my enemy.

Skoodge placed his hands on his very wide hips.

"They say they'll promote me if I pass the evaluation."

Zim just laughed at him.

"Ha! Foolish, gullible Skoodge."

Skoodge chose not to hear that.

'That's not your Zim, that's not your Zim.' He repeated in his head.

Their trainer hollered at them.

"Your first task, you scum-pudding skwagdoogies, is to choose a leader! Anyone who disobeys the leader will be eliminated!" He paused.

"Think carefully. This is the most important-"

He was cut off by Zim.

"I CHOOSE ME! ZIM SHALL LEAD!"

Zim pointed to the rest of the group.

"Object and taste my revolting vengeance of power!!!"

Skoodge wanted to object, Zim was in no shape to lead anybody. But it seemed like everyone else was completely fine with it. Pushovers it seemed. With any luck, they will survive long enough to know just what they did wrong and learn from their mistakes.

"Just remember, with leadership comes great responsibility! You take care of your team and you survive with honor!" Their trainer warned Zim.

Zim brushed him off though.

"Yes, yes, get on with it. My battle tanks await."

Battle tanks? Wasn't Zim set to be an Invader? What would he need battle tanks for?

After being promptly warned about the holding pen of pain. Which really didn't have to be they were set to move out. Their trials awaited them.

Their first assignment was to cross the molten pit of hideous screaming pain.

As soon as Zim opened his mouth all Skoodge wanted to do was cover his antennae and curl up in a corner.

'That is NOT your Zim!' He reminded himself.

"Child's play! We will stand on each other's shoulders and fall forward! Forming a bridge to safety!" Zim pointed to the other side.

Already Skoodge wanted to punch this imposter dressed in Zim's uniform. What the heck kind of stupid idea is that?!

When one of the other soldiers propose a much better and safer alternative, Zim was quick to glare and threaten the other. Drugged or not, Zim was dangerous. It was probably best to do what he says. Though Skoodge couldn't help but cringe. His Zim would always listen to his soldier's comments and suggestions.

'That isn't your Zim though.'

Maybe ten minutes later they had managed to form a tower-like form and were promptly pushed backward by Zim, forming that bridge he wanted. The bridge he walked over and then left them to gather themselves, losing three soldiers in the process.

"Victory!" Zim exclaimed.

It became apparent how much the team was starting to resent Zim. But they marched onward to the stinking canyon of the ferocious meat-thirsty Hogulus.

Their trainer threw a steak into the canyon and instructed.

"It's simple! Navigate from this end to the far end! Alive! Good luck." With that their trainer flew off with his jet boots, leaving the team to figure themselves out.

Of course, Zim was the first to talk.

"I have a plan! But I will need a volunteer to distract the hog-beast."

Skoodge already knew what Zim was going to do. He'd most likely leave the poor sob that spoke first to the mercy of that hog thing. It would probably be best if he did it considering he was more likely to survive out of the rest. He could take on this Hogulus, and afterward, when he beat the Tallest and got Zim off the drugs he would smack Zim upside the head for being so stupid.

"Yes, sir! I am your loyal-" Before he could even finish Zim kicked him down the trench.

Skoodge screamed as he fell and hit the side of the trench before having his body slam against the floor. He bounced once more before coming to a halt and he hit something round and rough, like a pillar. When looked up, he quickly realized his mistake, it wasn't a pillar, but in fact, was the hoof of the Hogulus.

A terrifying, huge beast with 6 eyes, horns and sharp, scary teeth.

Of course, his first thought was to run screaming, after all, Zim still thought he was on drugs. He couldn't look competent in front of him. So as soon as Zim turned around, Skoodge took more precise turns and twists to keep the creature away. But he continued to scream to keep up the appearance.

They were running for so long, and Skoodge was getting tired. But he knew Zim would leave him for dead if he didn't keep up.

'That is not your Zim.'

"Somebody help me please!" He screamed as he saw the end of the trench.

However, from his angle, they were already leaving him behind.

Skoodge never took himself as an over-emotional Irken but at that moment of abandonment, Skoodge felt like crying. He would have started crying too if it wasn't for the Hogulus getting ever so closer.

'Scratch what I say about hitting Zim, if I survive this I'll that bastard!'

He didn't mean it, but that was a nice thought.

'Just keep running Skoodge, just keep running.'

When he reached the end of the trench Skoodge immediately tried to climb out. But the walls were steep the creature didn't want to give up its next meal. So it rammed it's head into the wall, just below Skoodge, causing the poor Irken to fall. But before he could land in the creatures awaiting maw, he hit the Hogulus' teeth and leaped managing to land on the creature's back.

Instantly, Skoodge grabbed its neck and pulled up. The creature went into a frenzy and kicked and jumped. But Skoodge wouldn't let up. Clinging on for dear life. The creature jumped up once more and Skoodge climbed up the neck and jumped from his head and onto the edge of the cliff. The creature had barely missed a snap at his foot before he landed. Skoodge laid there for a bit, listening to the Hogulus' squeals and screams whilst catching his breath.

Slowly Skoodge got up and began jogging to catch up with his team.

Finally, he made it to the Fortress in pain just in time it seemed.

"Zim! I escaped from the canyon! I made it! I'm alive-oof!"

Just in time to see Zim hurl their leader at him and promptly crush him.

"Where am I?!" He called out.

"What am I seeing?"

However, the darkness that blanketed him was soon gone when the Leader was grabbed by the Hogulus.

How did it get out?

Must have followed me here.

The Hogulus then shook their leader around like a dog toy. Skoodge was going to back up when his arm was grabbed and he was smacked against the creature's head before they were dragged off.

Zim made no move to stop it of course.

'Not your Zim.'

Zim did nothing at all.

'Not your Zim.'

Zim was quite cruel to him.

"Not Zim.'

Skoodge wasn't proud of how he escaped when the creature returned to its home to eat its meal. Skoodge could feel his trainer's grip on his arm weakening. Skoodge guessed it was chewing him up on the inside. Skoodge managed to slip away as it tore his trainer apart.

Skoodge made it out, only because the creature wanted it's bigger meal first and Skoodge felt horrible. But it was already too late to do anything about it. He managed to get back to the entrance, he threw off his gear and went inside his ship. He set it to autopilot, he was getting on the Massive no matter what the Tallest said. He then crashed onto his bed and fell asleep.

When Skoodge opened his eyes he already knew where he was. It was one of the many hideaway planets the people of Murth had given them; another alien species who offered to help the rebellion for the promise of being spare the Irkens' might wrath. The Murthens were very seclusive and usually refused to talk with them, so they wouldn't be much help aside for providing hiding spots.

The planet they were currently hiding on was a dessert planet called Gitq.

Gitq was a pretty small planet, but it was far enough away from Irk to be the optimal hiding spot. The small group was camping out for the night Zim and Skoodge sharing a tent, happily chatting away.

The two were pretty close together, laying on their sides with their legs intertwined. Zim's antennae clicked together as he presses himself to Skoodge's chest.

"I'm so proud of you!" The smaller of the two chirped.

"Proud of me?" Skoodge cocked his head to the side.

"Yes! You did so well today. I want to reward you!" Zim moves himself to Skoodge's neck.

It was at this point Skoodge realized he was dreaming, and yet he didn't ever want to wake up. Zim was purring happily urging Skoodge to join in on his passion.

After a minute of Zim's whines and pleas, Skoodge finally gives in and gives in and gives Zim what he wants.

-For those of you who want to read this NSFW https://archiveofourown.org/works/21185144-

When Skoodge awoke he was in a cold sweat. Out of all the damned things to dream about, it had to be THAT. Skoodge covered his eyes and tried to pull himself together. He felt sick and dizzy, deciding now that it would probably be best not to stand up for a bit.

What was wrong with him?! Dreaming of his Commander like that! He felt disgraceful, what would Zim think?!

Skoodge paused.

What would Zim think? You haven't heard from the real him in so long. Was he gone for good or was there a way to bring him back.

Skoodge managed to come back, so surely the same could be said about Zim.

Skoodge whipped his forehead and sighed.

'I miss him.'

[messinwitheddie]

Untitled IZ fanfiction for my 18 years later AU part 3

Zim and Skoodge struggled to stay together in the crowd past the entrance. Conventia's giftshop itself is a massive city. Honored soldiers have been known to disappear forever in it's endless shopping maze.

They sat an empty picnic area off to the side. "I think it's going to be packed no matter where we go."

Zim stared out at the cityscape, lost in thought.

"What are you in the mood to eat? ...Zim?"

"I changed my mind. I'm not hungry." His former colleague replied weakly.

Skoodge's antennae dropped. "You know...they're always hiring vendors. Maybe you can tag along with me and work under the table. It's not invading, but, at least you can travel..."

"Thanks, but...we don't always work well together."

"Zim, It's not-"

"I'll figure something out." He assured his chubby friend.

There was an uncomfortably long silence between them. Finally Skoodge spoke up. "For what little it's worth, I-"

"See that guy?" Zim pointed to the crowd on one of the upper levels. Skoode's eyes followed the motion. "He runs by here every day. I've watched him for a year now."

"Why?"

"I don't know..."

"Where is he running to?"

"I don't know."

They watched the soldier race across the streets above. He was only slightly average in height, but charged with the stride of a high ranking fleet general. Pedestrians cleared the way as they charged.

The two drones continued to watch as the soldier stopped at the ledge at the end of the street and lept.

He tried to release his PAK legs, but one leg jammed, causing him to crash to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Oh spich!" Zim exclaimed. Skoodge winced in pain, sympathetically. The jumped to their feet and raced over to him.

The crowd walked around the fallen runner as he struggled to pull himself upright, groaning in pain

A street sentry nudged him with the blunt end of his stun-axe. "Move along, sir, you're holding up traffic."

"I'm not a sir!" The soldier elbowed the sentry, barking in a rather feminine voice.

The sentry cocked his head at the civilian, puzzled. "If you linger past five minutes you get shocked and a fine." He warned, flashing the blade of his axe before marching off.

Zim and Skoodge paused to catch their breath.

They braced the runner, helping them to their feet.

"Hey..., we...we saw that. You ok?" Zim asked, breathing heavily.

Skoodge struggled to speak while panting. "We'll... take you... to...a medical ...hut if you... need. Woo!"

"I'm fine. My PAK's been glitchy since the injury." The runner pushed them away, looking quite embarrassed.

"You're limping." Skoodge noticed.

"No I'm not..."

"Yes you are. That looks painful." Zim added.

The runner shot them a threatening glare. "Why are in my business? Do I owe either of you monies?"

Zim shook his head "Nu-uh."

"No..." Skoodge answered sheepishly.

"Good." They winced in pain as they stretched, popping their hip and knee back into place. "It is painful, but I'm afraid if I quit moving now I'll stop for good."

Zim's antennae twitched to their voice. He studied the runner's features. Something clicked in his head. "Commander Person Poki?"

The runner looked confused. "Ex Commander Person Poki until I'm bumped up to my proper rank again. Forgive me, I suffered a massive concussion while training a squadron of cadets on Hobo 13. I don't recognize either of you."

"Hogulous?" Skoodge guessed.

"They sure can kick." Poki smiled with a confirming nod. "Did I train you boys on Hobo13?"

"On Dook." Zim corrected them. "But we have trained on Hobo13."

"Planet Dook." They chuckled, recolecting. "That was so long ago. I must be getting old. I know I was there, but... most of those years are lost to me. Too much cyder and too many hours spent on the recovery table while they unflattened my PAK. I don't recognize either of you, my aplogies."

Skoodge studied Zim's face. He didn't seemed hurt by this fact. He formed a half smile Skoodge couldn't quite read. "That's okay." Zim assured them. "We survived the training under your command, that's what matters. Why are you in such a rush?"

"I'm not. This is my daily routine. I'm building my strength and stamina back up for my physical. If I don't pass, my temporary demotion will be permanent."

"Aren't you pushing your recovery a little?" Skoodge asked, concerned.

"They know what they handle! Shame on you for doubting Commander Poki, foolish Skoodge." Zim elbowed him.

"No one likes a boot licker, soldier."

Zim huffed.

Poki laughed. "I'm only teasing. " They glanced down at the drones. "Glitching aside, I have better chances of passing a physical evaluation than either of you. Have you smeets bothered to go for a run or attempt to build muscle at all since you graduated from the academy?"

Zim "Of course, every day!!" Zim fibbed, puffing his scrawny chest out

"No..." Skoodge replied honestly, hanging his head low.

Poki laughed as they placed their arms around the younger drones' PAKs. "You're a riot. Are you busy? Walk me to work and I'll pour you a cyder."

"You bar tend?" Zim perked up.

"I was reincoded during my recovery period." Poki coughed, embarrassed. " It's work. You're in for a treat, boys. Brewmaster Shakkenaktsturt's finest. That's a lie; it's swill, but it will kill what ails you."

"We'd be honored." Zim answered for the both of them.

"Excelent. Drink and tell me stories. Perhaps it will jar my memory."

"You're supposed to be sobering up." Skoodge whispered.

"Shut up, Nerd!" Zim hissed.

"Nerd? Is that your name, soldier?" Poki asked.

"No, no, I'm Skoodge."

"Like the conqueror of Blorch?"

Skoodge sighed. "Yeah...like him."

"And I am...eh... XIM! X-I-M Xim. Totally different Xim. Not like that other guy at all."

"Do people ever throw food at you on the street because they've mixed you up with that other squak?"

Zim winced as a pedestrian threw their bag of popcorn in his face. "Eat bodily waste, Zim!"

"Sometimes..."

"Poor Soldier." Poki frowned. "No wonder you look like a mess."

Another pedestrian rudely shoved between them. "HEY!" Zim and Poki scolded him in unison.

"Excuse me, ma'am." The random soldier called back to them over his shoulder.

"I'm not a MA'AM!" Zim and Poki shouted back in unison.They exchanged glances and laughed.

Skoodge stared in awe. Poki really didn't remember Zim...

(Sorry so much of this story is dialogue. Their main purpose in the story is just to give Zim perspective. Also I remembering Richard Hirvitz complaining he sometimes get mistaken for a woman when speaking at the drive through, which I found cute and amusing. I'm sure Zim runs into the same problem.)

Commander Person Poki is a minor character from the comics. They are the first openly nonbinary character I've ever written for, so if I'm doing a poor job, I apologize.

I find Zim's desire to receive praise from his (ex) Commander adorable.

[short-and-ugly]

here hold on im gonna make a thing no one besides me is gonna care about

skoodgeisms dependent on company:

skoodge with zim: fully open and way too eager (genuinely has fun, silly business) doesnt actually salute to zim, ive noticed. he respects him but i think that respect is the kind that puts them around the same level as each other. (doesnt mean skoodge Doesn't put zim on a figurative pedestal -- just that he sees him as more 'equal' than, say, the hobo sergeant or the tallest) funny little guy with funny little words :3

(added the entire danceghost segment here because i love it dearly. look at him. panic boy ultimate. supreme.)

skoodge with irkens/irken-adjacent (squad sergeants/commanders/figures of authority): quick to salute fun words (hoo-ah) and out of place body/hand motions happen only when he gets in over his head/too excited. feels a lot more plain and "conformed" (as though attempting to fit in?)

even with zim involved, skoodge is... kinda dramatic throughout hobo-13 in a way that he isnt in any of the unfinished episodes. like. serious-dramatic. trying too hard to be a stone-faced irken brute that he thinks everyone else thinks he should be.

(Yes sir! I am your loyal- [gets his ass punted and sent careening down a cliff])

... kinda like how he is with the tallest during battle of the planets!

(the dialogue is wrong in this transcript... anger >:( )

So Zim involvement does not override other-irken-company involvement, but it does override other-not-irken-company. so say, skoodge is with the other invaders on conventia during the assigning and zim walks up next to him -- he quickly and quietly backs away because that is a public space, and doing anything to imply that he might have somewhat of a cordial relationship with zim would put him on... hot burning coals. to put it lightly.

and when skoodge is with the hobos, he treats zim with respect, but that's because zim is the leader of the group -- skoodge is probably at least somewhat aware of the fact that the tallest (and others) are watching him right now. he is treating zim... a lot like a stranger. curt words and mostly not talking to him directly unless addressed or thinking his skillset might be useful to zim.

... at the end, though, you see some of his actual personality start to leak through!

(Zim -- I escaped from the canyon -- I made it! I'm aLiiive! [immediately gets crushed by the sergeant])

(seeking validation -- he didnt need to come all the way out here, to say that to zim, specifically. he was still doing the test for the tallest the same as zim was, yes, but youd think if anyone knew to keep their mouth shut around zim for the sake of their own luck/lives/whatever, it would be skoodge. and yet! he doesnt!)

im feeling like... the adrenaline high from running through the entirety of the hobo-13 course, with a hogulus still chasing after him, probably made him a little excitable and lose his cool composure.

anyways that was a tangent. uh.

when skoodge is with other company. he is. awkward. (see: ghost scientist scene). though this is undoubtedly because of the situation (undercover during a supposed mission) hes still noticeably different from how he behaves on hobo-13! i think maybe this is just because earth is foreign territory that hes yet to learn. still thinks of it as a hazardous filthy wasteland of a planet with threats he hasnt properly assessed.

i think... if he were with company, not irken, and without the looming threat of being discovered and dissected (earth, humans, blorch, rats) then he would still be plain and awkward, honestly? kinda like sizzy when he fails to match zim's energy ('i wasnt laughing?') lots of ums and awkward silences and coughs and flies buzzing and crickets chirping.

hmmmm. yeah. good stuff <3

[findingtheperfectcharacter]

((You know, Tak would have been worse off as an invader than a janitor. Mostly because she's short but competent. Skoodge seems about the same height as her and was a REALLY good invader. Loyal to the empire to a fault, strong, he was set up on the planet of the slaughtering rat people and ended up not only conquering it but was the first Irken to do so.

He was promptly thrown out of an airlock for no real reason. His accomplishments were given to a taller Irken and he was later sent to Hobo 13 and it's heavily implied that the Tallest sent him there to die.))

[ms-scarletwings]

Actual question, what on earth was Skoodge even doing in Zim’s basement this entire time?

Canonically he reveals himself in a lost episode when he finally got bored hiding out down there and overheard there were shenanigans about to happen that he could join in on.

But he’s explicitly been there since Hobo 13.

…..

That was Season One. There’s been like 18 episodes between that and the series end. Valentines Day, Halloween, Minimoose’s birth, AND Christmas has passed in the meantime. Wtf has he been up to down there while also being undetected by Zim and Gir. Earth Tv? Space Tv? Stealing out of the pantry like a little mousey boy? Crawling through the walls looking for cheese and eavesdropping on Earth drama????

Not a week goes by where I don’t imagine how funny it would have been if Zim and Gir were out of house for a while and Dib just catches Skoodge casually wandering around on one of his spy cameras. Just

“Holy smokes Zim really let himself go” and then watched the round bastard do fuckall for like 3 days

[dice-and-die]

After the storm (part four of Downpouring Thunder)

Gaz ended the transmission with Dib and Zim. “Yeah yeah Dib, safe. I got it. I’ll be fine.” She reassured herself, as the garage door opened up and the ship’s engine kicked into high gear. She settled back in the chair and pulled the forward lever back, gearing it into high power. She grabbed the controls as the ship blasted forward out of the garage, breaking down the fence in the backyard. Gaz pulled back, just barley avoiding crashing into a house across the street, and she shot up into the night sky, only slowing down once she broke through earth’s atmosphere. She relaxed, pulled the ship’s speed down to a slower pace, and looked at one of the blaring and blinking lights on the screen. She tapped it and looked at it in concern. A map of the section of the galaxy she was in came into view. There was a tiny blinking pink dot that appeared beyond earth’s solar system. “I’m coming. I’ll do whatever it takes to find you and bring you back.” Gaz promised quietly. She pulled the ship into hyper speed and set off to track the alluring and promising pink dot.

“Emergency, Low power in escape pod. Emergency Low power in escape pod.” The red and pink lights blinked in a warning flash. They’d been that way for a week now, the emergency power broadcast blaring loud and blatant. But what could she do about it? She had stayed in hypersleep for as long as she could, but no one had found her... No one had came for her... If she was doomed to die then so be it. She would suffocate once the escape pod powered down. It would stop processing oxygen. Tak sighed, as she’d been laying on her side for days now, having accepted the inevitability of death. Her eyes flicked over to Mimi, who she’d powered down a long time ago. The armada just doesn’t care about disobeying irkens. They probably thought she wasn’t worthy to live anymore... Probably deemed a defective, for her disobedience. ~I calculated all my risks. I knew that this could be a possible outcome. I made a mistake, and I am getting what I deserve.~ She silently assured herself. ~I deserve to die for being a disobedient and disloyal failure to the armada. I accept that I will die, in fact, death will be a welcoming gift when it comes.~ She winced at the hunger that gnawed at her squeedilyspooch, wishing death would come quicker to end her pain and sorrow. Tak closed her eyes and let out a long, soft, sigh, and waited for the oxygen to run out.

Gaz was nearing closer and closer to the light. She kept anxiously looking at the blinking tracking light on the map and then back to focusing on piloting the ship. She was close to Pluto now, and it wouldn’t be much longer until she reached what she was so desperately searching for. She’d only been out traveling in the solar system for two hours, Hyperspeed sure was damn fast. If she wasn’t so anxious she’d probably be enjoying the sight of traveling through her entire solar system, a sight that most current space faring races take for granted. Gaz started to pass by Pluto, and she fidgeted nervously wondering what she’d really find. “Come on ship, can’t you go faster?” She grumbled. “It’s kind of important.”

It took Gaz about at least a half hour to get past Pluto. She was so impatient that she felt as though she were screaming on the inside. She was nearing the Kuiper Belt, a ring of comets and spacial debris that is wrapped around the entirety of earth’s solar system. “Come on, I’m so close. Please, she has to be here. She has to!” Gaz growled, irritated and anxious. She flew close to the belt of comets and looked around, slowing the ship down and carefully inspecting every little object. She flicked the tracking map back up, and looked at it. She was so close. Gaz carefully and slowly maneuvered around the comets and debris. A stab of excitement and hope pierced her chest, as she spied Tak’s escape pod from a distance. She hastily neared closer and closer, shining a floodlight on it. “Tak.” She whispered.

Tak had lay in silence for hours, contemplating what suffocating to death would feel like. She tilted her antenna up in surprise, her eyes wide, as the emergency power message was cut off and instead replaced with a message that filled her full of such hope, she thought she would possibly, just maybe, cry. “Vessel approaching life pod at safe distance. Vessel approaching life pod at safe distance.” Tak struggled to sit up, shaking weakly, she was tired and mildly malnourished. “Please. Come find me. Help....” She croaked in her disused voice. She squinted and covered her eyes as a floodlight shined into the window of the life pod.

Gaz’s heart was beating a billion times per second and her gut twisted and turned, as she neared and confirmed that she had finally found Tak’s life pod. She turned the ship around and docked with the life pod. She got up out of the chair and looked at the back of the ship, shaking with excitement as the hatch opened up. There she was, sitting there on the floor of the life pod, staring at her rescuer, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Tak rubbed her eyes and looked again. “H-human?” She managed to get out, clearly confused and dazed. Gaz carefully and slowly walked up to her, before getting down on her knees and embracing the irken in a tight hug. “Your alive! I almost didn’t think you were.” She mumbled quietly. She pulled back a small bit, looking at Tak in surprise as she started to shake, small quiet sobs wracking her frail body. “Thank you!” She choked out, refusing to let go of Gaz. “I.. thought... I was done for.” She croaked out between sobs. Gaz held on tight to her, vowing to never let her third favorite person in the whole universe out of her sight, not ever again.

                                          * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dib And Zim had flown back to Zim’s base awhile ago and had stayed up, contemplating and debating about which animated movie was worse, Robot Space Ninja Monkeys or the Widdlest Wamprie. They were going down to the basement to watch another crappy movie, because Gir was bathing in pudding in the living room. The elevator dinged softly and opened up, revealing Skoodge, moping around and talking to himself. “What the- Skoodge? Wh- When the hell did you get here???” Zim cried out in surprise. “Uh, I’ve been here for like five months dude.” Skoodge said. “What!?” Zim was utterly incredulous. “I think I’d remember seeing you get here FIVE MONTHS AGO.” Zim said, his eyes squinted in agitation and confusion. “Well actually you did, you just actively ignored me.” Skoodge said in a mildly offended tone. “But anyways, I’ve been living here in your basement ever since I conquered Blorch and then the incident on Hobo 13. Euuugh... Anyways, I came here because I had nothing better to do, and the Tallests just keep trying to get rid of me. I was gonna ask if you would like my help conquering earth, but then I heard what they said to you.... so I’ve just kinda been here I guess...” he trailed off and looked at Zim and Dib optimistically.

Dib gave him a friendly wave and Skoodge smiled appreciatively and waved back. Zim glared at the two of them and was about to start getting real defensive when the big screen in the room flashed to life with static. “Incoming transmission from Tak’s ship.” The computer said in a monotonous voice. “Well let’s see what Gaz has to say! I wanna know where she went and what she did!” Dib declared excitedly. Zim and Skoodge perked up and looked toward the screen as Gaz’s face appeared. “Hi Gaz!” Dib waved. Gaz looked over the group in silence for a moment and then pointed at Zim. “You! There’s a medical bay in your base right?” She asked in a serious tone, that held some underlying anxiety. “Of course, but what-“ Zim was cut off by Gaz. “Get it ready.” She demanded, before ending the transmission. The group of three all shared confused and concerned looks before racing off to the elevator.

[short-and-ugly]

Hey yuor the Skoodge guy!

Two questions:

1. What does Zim see in him?

2. What does he see in Skoodge?

Wait isn't this the same question phrased in two different ways

im gonna assume its "Zim see in him" and "He sees in Zim" for this!!!! ... im the skoodge guy.... you flatter me. far too much. eradicated.

and endeared.

i Want to answer this as unbiased as possible....... so im going to do so under the assumption that we are talking about Canon.

Zim... doesn't see a whole lot in Skoodge, I don't think. Maybe a pawn, maybe a loyal follower which he 'rightfully' deserves. But then again, Zim has been given the opportunity to have followers before, and he's never really... taken advantage of them. Mostly, Zim seems to want nothing to do with people worshiping and idolizing him! Gets all... jittery and weird. Space morons episode I think. Whichever one was the one where the alien cultists/conventionists found him.

So then if Zim doesn't see Skoodge as a follower, and pawn is still up in the air... does he see him as. A nuisance? Probably. But Zim ALSO has a tendency to regard Gir as a nuisance, despite the facts pointing towards him enjoying the robot's company/general existence.

There's not too much canon Zim-Skoodge interaction dialogue, but Hobo-13 establishes a strange dynamic of Zim bossing Skoodge around and Skoodge blindly accepting it. I don't know if that's because of the situation (Zim being the leader there) or if that's just their whole Thing, but I'm leaning towards the latter, because in Day of Da Spookies (script) their relationship remains pretty much the exact same. The only thing that changes is Zim is a lot more hostile? To Skoodge, for conquering his planet first (obviously jealous/upset that Skoodge has managed to beat his in record time, whereas Zim hasn't made much, if any progress, on Earth).

And with the Trial, too, it's clear that this is how the two have interacted with each other for a long while. I just. Have no idea why.

Skoodge just. Seems to blindly follow Zim, regarding him in just about the same light as a typical irken would the Tallest.

Taking his command with much less hesitation, too. He looks at the Tallest before going into the cannon, but whenever Zim has a plan, he takes it in stride. Even though he MUST be aware of the usually explode-y consequences that Zim's plans tend to generate. No irken wouldn't know. Is he just ignorant? I really doubt it. He's been there since the beginning. He was definitely there to see the second power outage on Irk, and the mayhem of OID1. He's just... that thoroughly blinded by his whatever that he has towards Zim.

And I really really want to call it a crush, but this is canon I'm talking about! Love doesn't exist in this show, yadda yadda, whatever! Who cares! If it isn't a crush, it's definitely the closest irken equivalent to it! Maybe Zim looks like a giant donut to Skoodge! Who knows. He's deranged. Just about as insane as Zim is. Thankfully, all his energy is directed towards surviving whatever Zim or the universe throws at him, instead of anything else. That might end up resulting in a bunch of casualties.

So. The questions. They remain!

What does Zim see in Skoodge?

I think he sees a tool. Something to be used at his disposal. Easily and readily accessible, because that's what Skoodge has molded himself to be.

And maybe, underneath that. Just the TEENSIEST tiniest bit. Zim sees an ally. (Or a friend.)

What does Skoodge see in Zim?

Everything.

Or at least way more than he should.

Or maybe he just sees someone interesting. A short irken with the complex of a taller one. Strong and commandeering despite his height. And he admires that.

thanks for letting me be insane about them. i love you dearly.

somehow this still ended up being about my specific interpretations of them. theres just so little in canon....... and i dont wanna just end it at ''zim hates skoodge and skoodge is okay with that'' because the tallest hate skoodge! and skoodge is okay with it! expects it! and the way skoodge reacts to the tallest and zim are different i think! he speaks out to purple! and obeys zim without question!

and zim....... is fine with him following him around. for the most part. he at least never kicks him out of the base. and that has to mean something

skoodge runs away a lot from things........ but he always comes back to zim