#invader red

[toad-in-a-trenchcoat]

THE TRIAL

— — — —

My part of AT with @ribbondee ! Invaders Red and Purple have run out of luck!

closeups under cut

[zimsrightantenna]

Invader Zim AU: tallest–invader swap + father–son swap

Swap AU where Tallest Zim is a disastrous leader who should've been a frycook but grew too tall, and Invader Red & Purple are trying to fuck off from Zim by taking a random mission at this nowhere planet, Urth-something.

Zim considers them his finest invaders and is constantly checking in on their mission and sending them whatever they ask for, as they're doing the absolute bare minimum to pretend that they're doing their job

Meanwhile, they're basically just fucking around and hoarding earth snacks

Their classmate is Professor Membrane (it's unclear whether his first name is Professor or if it's just a nickname, no way he can be an actual professor already he's only 11 right??)

Membrane has an insane conspiracy theorist father (Dib "Agent Mothman" Membrane) who doesn't believe in santa and thinks "real science" is for people who aren't advanced enough to see the true nature of the universe, and so he's never proud of Membrane's inventions

Agent Mothman is convinced that his son's new classmates are aliens and develops a grudge against their leader, and he wants Membrane to spy on them for him, so he forces them to "be friends"

Red & Purple basically see Membrane as a follower who has to buy them infinite snacks because his weird parental unit said so

They also start to see Membrane as a master engineer who could get them cool gear and maybe help them assasinate their Cringe Fail Disaster Tallest so they can go back home to the empire and live comfortably

Membrane doesn't believe that they're real aliens no matter the proof and it pisses them off but he's still helping them because he gets to show off his Real Science Skills and finally get some recognition

[irkenheretic]

do u have any favorite iz writers or fanfics ?

i do!!

first fav is @reptile-ruler , their febuwhump stuff is amazing and mishaps is REALLY good, tbh mishaps has a lot of tropes i usually dont like but reptile-ruler does them so well that the stuff i dont like about those tropes isnt really.... there

(for instance i hate zim assimilating into human culture because he just kinda ignores everything about him being irken and the authors tend to treat irk as some kind of Monolithic Badplace... but in mishaps while zim has assimilated he still feels a struggle and still has irken values... the ending of the unwanted visitors (which i wont spoil) is the culmination of that and its amazing)

also the drifters au fucks hard and its one of my fav aus

very close second is @depressed-zimothy! training days is, and i am not exaggerating, exactly what ive always wanted in a fanfic. the red and zim stuff is fucking stellar and there are so many nuances about the characters if u examine the text a little more... i should leave comments on it tbh

also catalyst is amazing and u can see my two essay comments explaining why right there on the fic so i wont repeat myself here (but read the fic first obvi)

firewall is part of @reynaruina‘s ponytail dib AU and it is honestly fucking stellar. i recommend this thing to everyone i know and in my opinion it is THE computer fic. genuinely everyone should read this, even if you dont want to read the rest of the au or even zadr at all. please computer is so good in it. 

in the beginning note there’s a paragraph explaining the basics of the au so you can read with no prior knowledge of PT dib but ill do you one better: the immediate context for firewall is that there was a blackout at zim’s house, and zim and dib were finally starting to get it on with each other during it. computer fixed the lights and turned them back on, and dib saw his reflection in the (off) TV. he gets upset seeing himself and leaves, so zim is angry at computer. and that’s right where firewall starts

please read firewall. im on my knees begging. computer in firewall is fucking sublime and the perfect blend of irritated and dad. literally no other computer portrayal compares. firewall was, is, and always will be The Standard.

read it.

ersatz is another amazing one, the zim angst is sublime and hes never like, a fuckin uwu sadbaby. but you still feel so, so sorry for him and what he’s going through. the author really knows how to pack a punch without exhausting the reader and as someone who specializes in angst i can respect that. (fun facts: i love this fic so much that mirforn, an irken painkiller featured in it, is in ANX as A Loving Reference that i will absolutely credit and also shill for ersatz in the author’s notes)

300 days of zim is really good if you like self-inserts! it’s gender-neutral and in second-person so its really immersive, and zim is just so good in it, he retains all his zimmy goodness but there’s a certain softness (in a way) that makes you fall in love with him

speaking of self inserts, @majentaffy‘s tallest magenta series is a fucking stellar series! red and purple are amazing and its honestly one of the most in-character portrayals of them ive ever seen! though i like both of them, im personally more a fan of the invader red series (also a self-insert series) where red takes zim’s place on earth, basically. both series are gender-neutral and in second-person just like 300 days up there

hit me is a rapr classic. thats really all i have to say about it, most of my tallest-loving friends have read it at some point. i reread it on occasion; its an elite-era fic, and a slight au in this is where they meet. its lovely

begin is a human au i personally really like because it has a lot of hyperspecific headcanons of mine in it but it could be a personal taste thing. try it out tho!

there was also this other human au where purple was a drifter and red worked at a diner and sizz-lorr was his boss. it legit felt like an original short story and this made me go out and fucking find it again. its called hand in unlovable hand give it a try

i read canvas years ago and the ending still sticks to me today. it’s a oneshot songfic where the gist is that red’s hooked on drugs. it sounds like its gonna be bad and melodramatic but i actually really like it, it surprises you. it surprised me, too. it’s first person but it really does sound like red is talking. i’m extremely picky with first person (i never read it outside of this) but canvas does it right. please, please i implore you, give canvas a chance. you won’t regret it, i promise

why didn’t we just shoot him? is an amazing exploration on the tallests’ defectiveness and that’s all im going to say on that

all 4 works by this author are part of the same series, but they’re not in a series tag. i just call the series mudroom, after the first one i read. it’s an acquired taste and PLEASE heed the warnings, but i like it so its here

and last but certainly not least, when the time comes is unique in that when the plot changes i dont groan and go “aww, but i like the old stuff!” it goes to a lot of places but personally it feels like each event is a natural consequence of the previous one. dib’s a bit of a dick in it lmfao and zim so far is going thru a trauma conga line but i respect that it doesnt pretend to be anything its not. its a porn-with-plot with angst and sometimes thats just what you fucken need sometimes

[cyber-phobia]

Au where Tak and Zim are the Tallest together, but they still hates each others guts

[spookyghostlygay]

Since @sanseru hobbyswap au has me so inspired I wrote a little drabble for it. It’s also on Ao3 here!

Hope you enjoy :)

Professor Membrane briefly wonders how werewolves are able to grow in size and strength in response to the moon. The two seem completely unrelated, but the werewolf chasing him and his alien coworkers is clear evidence to the contrary. Fascinating.

Red is ahead of him dragging him by hand. “Membrane! Stop looking back and look for a place to hide. And will you stop screaming!” That last sentence is directed at Purple who is behind Membrane screaming his head off.

Membrane can feel where Purple is gripping his back through his coat. Purple pushes him, urging him to run faster. The pointed fingers send shivers down his spine. Membrane looks around for a distraction. “The front door! There.” He points ahead to the entryway, but the werewolf jumps over them sliding through the front door.

“Nope! Not going that way.” Purple drags them up the stairs before the wolf can turn around. Without much thought, Purple drags them into the first room. It’s a bedroom. Before Membrane can examine the room more, Red pulls them into a smaller space. A closet, Membrane realizes as he pushes a dusty coat out of his face and onto the floor.

“So this is what you do on the weekend?” Red asks. “Get chased by whatever monster you run into.” He’s close. Very close. Membrane realizes as his breath hitches. He’s only made closer by the fact that Red is grabbing his shirt from the front, and Purple is pushing against him from the back. He’s effectively trapped between the two.

“Well, it isn’t usually this, um, this exciting,” Membrane manages as he tries not to stare. Red’s pak is glowing in the dark, giving him an otherworld look in the near darkness. Membrane can see Red smile. He can feel Red’s arm slide around his neck while Purple rests his head on the other side. Membrane shivers despite the body heat he can feel from the two aliens. After a moment, he realizes Purple is shaking as well. “Are you alright, Purple?”

Purple snakes his arms around Membrane’s middle. “So so many teeth,” He simply says as he buries his head deeper into the crook of Membrane’s neck. Membrane chuckles, despite himself having his own heart hammering against his chest, and puts a hand on Purple’s head, ruffling the wig he wears. In a comforting manner, he hopes.

Red is deciding jealous of the extra attention Purple is getting and licks the side of Membrane’s face. Membrane lets out a yip at the feeling. “Don’t ignore me,” Red pouts as he leans down to press his cheek to Membrane’s.

Membrane’s stomach churns as Red pulls him to lean against the wall. His hand's not even an inch away from Red’s hip. Purple’s arm tightens around him. Being in the middle of an alien sandwich is definitely not what he thought he’d be doing this weekend.

A howl interrupts the heavy atmosphere. “The-- the werewolf’s still out there,” Membrane says lamely.

Purple groans at the thought. “Don’t remind me.”

Membrane can feel Red nod. “We’ll have to stay here until it’s gone.”

“Or until morning,” Purple adds. The two aliens agree with each other and tighten their grip on the human.

Membrane flushes. It’s going to be a long night.

[amythelamia]

Tallest zim given a rubix cube by Red

[eldritch-muppetshow]

Red, Purple, and Keef for the role swap AU.

[cyber-phobia]

More Tallest Tak and Zim! Ft. Invader Red and Purple.

This has the tag "Angry Armada Au" now. For very horrible reasons.