(reblogging this again bc Julie’s zagr/zagf art is amazing and this comment is so so good. Shit I got stuff to say. here we go I guess)
this is one of the biggest reasons I ship zagr/ want these two to be friends so much.
Gaz grew up taking in what little affection she could, with a family so hyperfixated on other things and took work, ways of life, as precedence over relationships. She clearly built this emotional armor to protect herself from ever feeling hurt over this lack of attention of validation. She throws herself into her own hyperfixation on games, where she can express herself, where she can block out the outside world and see herself as someone above everyone else (gaz just….she’s great but she has snippets of potential of being the type of gamer who can assert her dominance over everyone else and her competitiveness can make her a bit arrogant.where winning is her only source of validation. not good for her y’all)
She becomes cold, never complaining about any pain, physical or emotional. Which, honestly is a double edged sword because although she can easily ignore her own pain, she obviously took her own discomfort for granted in lice and Dark Harvest bc c’mon, she must have felt SOME discomfort! And she overlooks the health and well-being of others as well (calling everyone a whiner in lice, membrane reminding gaz she should sympathize with dib more in etf).
She wants to look after her family though. She does want that genuine connection so she takes it upon herself to take initiative in the family. (did that make sense? that makes sense) SHE makes sure family night happens when membrane and dib are more ready to cut if off. SHE puts up with Dib’s bs and listens to him and spends time with him. Yet Dib is a jerk brother sometimes. Membrane isn’t there for dinner (he’s present later, but…you gotta be there for your kid early on man) so she learns to just roll with situations until she can find a way to get back in control. It must be exhausting.
Gaz needs someone who can give her affirmation. Not just praise, but can readily give her affection, assurance that it’s from a genuine and authentic place. (i.e our bug boy)
Gaz is intimidating, capable, and competent. I’ve no doubt that with time, not only would Zim notice her, be intimidated by her, he would be impressed. He would respect her dark tendencies and the way she carries herself. He would admire how she rains doom upon her enemies.
The moment Zim attaches to ANYONE, boom. They’re at the top of his priority. Yes, Gaz has tough walls, but Zim, like the idiot he is, would just bulldoze through them without another thought the moment he comes to respects her and see her as an equal. (ZIM is the one to reach out to Gaz and asks why they don’t hang out more in issue 16. He knows they work well together and insinuates he’d like more of that. For once in Gaz’s life, someone else would take the burden of initiative from her.)
Zim’s authentic, he’s genuine, he’s passionate. Sure, it’s gotten on Gaz’s nerves before, but Gaz is passionate too. Y’all saw her let loose at the end of ETF. Who else goes off like that, mad with power, filled with lust for destruction and dooming others?
So once Gaz respects him back, it gives Zim permission to give all this pent up affection, attention and praise he’s spent his life trying to give to the wrong people (the tallests, man. so so bad for our validation starved boy. and the cold, cold robot arm who’s forever unfeeling. his many robots, etc.) And Gaz would break down just like in Julie’s work. And like @sweetiepie08 so amazingly said, she needs this attention and validation. It gives her solidarity and honestly? she can finally relax and gives her permission to be more than just the Dark, Goth Violent Gamer Girl.
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