I'm impressed people are actually participating in this thing.

The stage is set. Although, this time around, tensions run high. The uncomfortable atmosphere within the humble theater is almost palpable to any innocent bystander that happens to grace the sidewalk just outside.

The sidewalk that no one in the theater has seen in approximately four or five hours. Bathroom breaks and snacks were distributed prior, but the contract designates that, "no one is allowed to leave until this damn thing is over, otherwise we'd lose our entire viewerbase". Unfortunately, that key detail had been in .005 sized font, and went overlooked.

This period of time spent locked in a small theater and stood in front of a few hundred faceless onlookers has had quite a negative effect on the characters brought in. Zim, in his usual hyperactive manner, darts about the two Tallest like a rabbit on large amounts of narcotic drugs. Fervered words of praise leave him at 700 words per minute, which also happened to break the previously existing world record for fastest talking.

"Wow my tallest you are looking very nice today have you been polishing your antennae oh you don't have to say anything the MIGHTY ZIM is always able to tell anyway you should seriouslyconsidergivingmeapromotion-"

"Zim!" snaps Red, who had been massaging his forehead for the last half hour, "for once in your life, shut up!"

"YES MY TALLEST!" Zim makes a show of snapping his mouth shut.

Red stares at him as the minutes drag on in silence. He allows himself one glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Zim had actually listened to him-

"...So about that promotion!"

"AUUUGH!"

What a fool he is, indeed.

Z sits perched on an office chair dragged in by the offstage crew with a gaming system in their hands. Occasionally they will give themselves a push and roll a few feet. Gaz sits beside them, cross-legged, also glued to an LCD screen. Adjacent to Gaz sits Dib, who had been retrieved from his hour-long session in the basement. He hugs his knees to his chest and rocks himself, pausing only to shoot distrustful glances at Z, and the three Irken on stage.

Wait, three Irken? Another glance around the room reveals that Gir and Tak are mysteriously absent. Not that Z is complaining, now they have two less idiots to babysit.

"So, what do you think Z is?" Dib whispers to his sister under his breath.

"I think they play dirty," Gaz responds, her fingers mashing the buttons of her Game Slave as she faces off against the host in a very heated battle. "Not bad."

"No, not that!" Dib admonishes, "I mean what kind of monster? A vampire? Another alien? A werechicken? A- wait! We should be trying to get out of here, not playing video games with the enemy!"

Gaz growls and her grip tightens on her console. Dib, who had long ago learned the hard way not to come between his little sister and her games, wisely backs off.

The audience members shift restlessly in their seats and whisper to each other. Why is nothing happening? When can we go home? The nachos were too spicy! Do you think they have vegetarian options?

"In response to that last question," Z says without looking up from their game, "yes."

From offstage a nervous-looking intern peeks their head around the curtain. Z looks up in curiosity and heaves a sigh as the underpaid teenager beckons them over. They stand, reluctantly, and shove their game into Dib's hands. "Take over," they say, stomping away before they can hear any of Dib's protests.

Z and the live bait- pardon, the intern, converse in hushed breaths. A slip of paper is passed between them. The audience watches this new development in barely-contained excitement. Hopefully something fun will happen.

"Well," Z says, taking their place center stage. They kick the office chair out of the way and it collides with Zim, who lets out an undignified squawk and tumbles to the ground, screaming about evil-rolling-sit-contraptions! Red, Purple, and Dib laugh at the little green bug's misfortune. Then Gaz promptly, and ruthlessly, destroys her distracted brother on Game Slave.

"As it turns out, someone, somewhere, actually gives a s**t about what we're doing here, and I am very pleased," Z pauses to breathe a great sigh, "to announce that our first suggestion has been submitted."

They hold up the sheet of paper delivered to them by the intern and clear their throat. "Our first reviewer is Beckie.H. Congratulations! By being the first, you get a prize. It will be delivered to your doorstep via helicopter on the next new moon. Please do not shake the box, for its contents are alive, and they are angry."

I kinda dropped out of the fandom during that period where these were super popular so if no one else is -I'm- excited :p quick question - the 5 per person rule - is that per chapter or for the entire thing? Do I need to go over each question to carefully scrutinise how much I wanna know/see or risk lamenting in a corner for the last however many chapters?

"Well, that makes one person that is excited. A new record!" Z lets out a laugh, but it is cold and hollow and mirthless. "To answer your question, it's up to five requests per chapter. And it should be said that you should leave only one submission for each chapter. Anyway, moving on!"

Actual question time! One to everyone - who have you most enjoyed spending time with and why? Can't be someone you live with! (To avoid the tallest just picking each other and to protect Dib's feelings when Gaz doesn't pick him.)

Also I love the character personalities so far - I'm not going to be the one to start the ball rolling but I am sadistically looking forward to the Zadr, ZaTr and ZaGr shippers arriving with their dares. Poor, poor folks.

"Thank you for the compliments on our collective personalities, I guess. I'm sure that marks a first time for all of us," Z says, ignoring Dib's offended outcry in the background. "Now then, the question! Tallest first."

Red looks up from his donut- but how? They ran out two hours ago…- and narrows his bulbous eyes at the host, who simply crosses their arms and raises their eyebrows. "No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Red, my very minimal paycheck relies off of you f**kers co-operating with me and answering every single stupid question sent in by these preteens, or harkening to their every individual whims and making them as happy as their little tiny puberty-ridden hearts desire. Now, and this applies to the rest of you a**holes, you are going to answer this question with complete honesty, or I will have you vaporized, then reanimated, then vaporized again, until you decide to play along," Z pauses to soak in the four terrified- and one neutral- gazes that fall upon them. "Have I made myself clear?"

The two Tallest, Zim, and Dib all nod their heads. Z nods and directs their gaze to Gaz, who is still playing her game. "What about you, kiddo?"

"Whatever."

"Good enough for me! Now, let's try this again. Red, who have you enjoyed spending time with?"

Red huffs in irritation as this tiny red-haired human bosses him around, but some unknown force and a small amount of terror born only from the most primitive reaches of his brain force him to answer. "I would have to say Tallest Spork. He was rational and a strong leader, but then someone," his wrathful stare was directed at an innocently-whistling Zim, "had to make that energy-absorbing blob and kill him!"

"Tensions are running high, I see. Purple, what about you?"

The other tallest makes a show about his decision, squinting his eyes and tapping his chin with his spindly fingers. Seconds pass, then minutes. Someone in the audience coughs.

"I know!" Purple says at last. Everyone in the audience leads forward in anticipation. "Donuts!"

Z nods sagely, "I understand. Moving on-"

"Hey, wait, I have to give an honest answer, but Pur gets away with donuts?!"

"Well, not only was it honest, but it was also relatable. Anyway, Zim! What about you?"

"The Almighty ZIM feels no attachment to anyone!" Zim cries. He even strikes a dramatic pose, placing one hand on his hip and pointing into the sky.

"It's amazing how much I don't care. Answer the question, you little insect."

"ZIM is not a six-legged crawlie creature!"

Z, eyes dark with fury, reaches into their pocket and pulls out a familiar red button. "I won't ask you again."

"HAHA! Your puny red circle does not scare the Almighty ZIM!"

Z's finger touches the button and Zim has a sudden change of heart, "WAIT! Wait! My tallest! They are very smart and cool and DO NOT PRESS THE BUTTON!"

Z's eyes lighten and the button disappears once more into their pocket, out of sight but not out of mind. "Good answer, Zim. That was very heartfelt. Next, Gaz!"

"Game Slave."

Z blinks. "Er, Gaz, it says it can't be something you live with-"

"Game. Slave."

"Alright I'll take it!" Z laughs nervously as Gaz grinds her teeth in annoyance. "Next up is Dib's massive forehead!"

"HEY!"

"Who apparently cannot answer, so instead we will have to make do with Dib."

Dib glowers at the host and mutters under his breath, something along the lines of my head isn't big, but who really cares about what that little dweeb has to say? "The anchor of Mysterious Mysteries, I guess! I really admire what that guy does and I want to be like him when I grow up!" Dib's eyes sparkle as he slips into his fanboy trance. "I really liked the episode where they tried to find the Lochness Monster, and then that lady started hitting the camera guy with her purse-"

"Alright, that's cute and all, but we really need to move on. Next, Tak!"

Silence. Z blinks and looks around for the female Irken, who is nowhere in sight. "Tak? It's your turn, lady! Get your little green butt out here before I call in the strike team to hunt you do-"

A great rumbling omits from beneath the stage, shaking everyone on it- except Gaz, of course, for nothing could shake her. Z flails their arms as they fight for balance. Zim and Dib tumble about the stage and collide into each other every so often as the trembling grows in intensity.

There's a horrible cracking noise, then an enormous robotic claw shoots up from beneath the stage and catches a screaming Zim in mid-air. Riding triumphantly atop the claw is Gir, who is also screaming. Following the claw is Tak, with a joystick in her little claws and a vengeance-hungry grin on her little face.

"Revenge tastes sweet, Zim! Prepare yourself for-"

"Oh f**k!" Z cries, staring at the splintered remains of center stage. Tak pauses her evil monologue to place an offended stare on Z.

"Excuse you, worm, I was talking-"

"You have angered him," Z whispers, eyes wide with fear.

"Angered who?"

"Stevie the Janitor."

Tak snorts in disbelief. "What harm can a cleaning slave do against me, a powerful Irken warrior?"

Z pays her gloating no heed and scrambles to their feet, racing for the rope of the curtains. "So sorry, folks, but we're going to have to take a short break for the moment! Please feel free to get snacks or-"

They fall silent with a choked noise of terror, watching as an aged and slightly-balding man in a blue janitor uniform shuffles on stage. He clutches a broom in one hand and a mop in the other. His dead eyes land on the giant robot arm, then the gaping hole in his beloved stage. His vision turns black as he allows his rage to consume him. Z hurries to close the curtains as Stevie's jaw drops, then unhinges like a serpent's, exposing an endless, gaping black maw, devoid of all light and happiness, as if one were looking into the arms of the death of the universe itself.

The curtains close just as an unearthly, hair-raising scream is uttered by Stevie the Janitor.

The curtains slowly reopen after a few minutes of muffled screaming and fighting. The stage looks pristine once more and the robot arm is nowhere in sight. Tak sits in a cardboard box dubbed Baby Jail, and only the threat of another encounter with Stevie keeps the little Irken lady in line. Gir lies face down in center-stage, immobile, and one would assume he was dead if not for the faint humming that could be heard from the robot. The rest are all scattered about the stage, sat on their rears as if nothing had happened at all. Dib blinks a few times and removes his glasses, cleaning them with his sleeve. He replaces them, but as far as he could tell, everything remains as is.

"What… What just happened?" he asks, his voice small with apprehension.

"Stevie happened," Z replies, fixing their slightly crooked mask.

"But what-"

"Dib," Z says, with the gentleness of someone who has experienced such horrors many times before, "it is best not to question it. That will just bring back the trauma."

Dib's eyes widen. "Tr-trauma?"

"Moving on!" Z says quickly, before any memories of what happened a few minutes prior resurface and scar the children in the room. "Tak, you need to answer your question."

"Anyone except Zim," Tak says, peering out from the crudely-cut window in her cardboard box.

"Hm," Z says, narrowing their eyes at her, "I dunno if I can let that one slide, not after all the trouble you caused." A breeze picks up on the stage, stirring the hair and antennae of everyone nearby. A faint whisper carries on the wind, one thousand voices speaking every truth at once. Z raises their eyebrows.

"The voice in the sky says that's fine. Finally, Gir."

At the mention of his name, the tiny robot releases a muffled scream into the floor. Z sighs and rubs their forehead, tapping into their patience reserves, which grows more and more shallow with each passing minute. "Gir, please answer the question."

Gir gives a great shudder and leaps to his feet, swaying and giggling. "That floor is hilarious!" he exclaims. "I love this floor. I loooooooove you." He pats the woodwork with great affection.

"That's good enough for me. Now, that'll be all for today's episode. Goodnight and good-"

Z's voice trails off as something soft lands upon their head. Fearing the worst, they slowly reach up. Their fingers close around an innocent-looking white sheet of paper.

"God dammit. Show's not over yet, people! We got one more submission that came in."

The audience releases a collective groan and sits back down. "Oh, quit whining," Z scolds, holding up the sheet of paper. "Man, this one is… enthusiastic. Sent in by Invader-cami."

ok so can I have my oc on there I know it's lame but I still like it:p lol any way her name is cam and she is a short irken with light purple eyes she has a dark of humor and is kinda scary when angered even thoghe her hight she's still intimidating she isn't a invader but she is a scientist who makes crazy inventions which as a giant toster that and also freeze things or a gun that looks like a a chiken but shoots shoots lighting or any crazy invention you can think of:p ok now on to the dares first dare is for zim 1 zim I dare you to tell has (we will assume you mean Gaz here) she is a beautiful godess of darkness and then kiss her hand 2 dib I dare you to jump in a pit of giant man eating rabbits 3 tak I dare you to hug tallest red 4 zim is it true that you think gaz is pretty and this is if she can come on the show 5 cam I dare you to kick dib is the face

"Oh boy, our first OC joins us," Z says, their voice absent of all forms of happiness. Could this be the event to finally break them? "Alright. Cam, please come up on stage!"

The spotlight swivels around and focuses on a lovely Irken lady, who rises from her seat and strides to the stage in an intimidating manner. The audience hoots and hollers as one of their own is chosen to join the ranks on stage, if for a brief time. Z bends down and takes Cam's hand, helping the purple-eyed Irken onto the stage.

"Welcome, welcome," Z says, letting go and discreetly wiping their hand on their shirt. "So glad you could join us. Tell me, how does it feel to be on stage?"

"Well," Cam says, placing her hands on her hips. "I can't wait to make people suffer. Muahaha!" She punctuates the statement with a blast of her lightning-shooting chicken gun. The audience oohs and ahhs.

"Well put, indeed," Z nods sagely. "Now, let's get on with the show. ZIM! Get your little green a** over here and tell Gaz she's beautiful!"

"WHAT?" Dib screeches, "Zim, you better stay away from my sister!"

At the mention of her name Gaz slowly looks up from her Game Slave. Zim shoots the two a reproachful glare and opens his mouth to let them know just how revolting he considers that act to be, but the sight of Z's hand drifting to their pocket has him scrambling over and taking Gaz's hand.

The enraged look Gaz sends him chills everyone in the room. Each person watching thanks their lucky stars that Gaz's hatred-filled glare isn't focused on them. "Get on with it," Gaz growls, in an oddly cooperative fashion.

Zim squints over the girl's shoulder as Z holds up cue-cards for him to read. "Oh, Gaz-human, you are a beautiful goddess of darkness. Kiss her hand."

"No! Don't read that part, do it!"

"EUGH! Zim does not want to kiss this worm-baby's filthy appendage!"

"That sure f**king sucks for you then, doesn't it Zim? Think of poor Gaz! I can't imagine what she must be going through!"

'Poor Gaz' glares down at her Game Slave, which she began playing with one hand almost effortlessly, and seems relatively unbothered by the whole debacle. Zim grumbles and quickly places a kiss to Gaz's pale hand, then scrambles away as fast as possible, scrubbing at his mouth with his hands and screaming.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Z snaps, handing Gaz a bottle of hand sanitizer, which she then proceeds to empty upon the hand that Zim's lips touched. Dib hurries over and begins to fret over his poor baby sister, which earns him a well-placed punch to the jaw. Z winces in sympathy.

"Great, while you're still reeling from the pain," Z says as Dib massages his aching jaw. They take out the button and press it, opening a trap door beside him. "Jump on in."

Dib peers down into the hole, then shrinks back as a multitude of beady pink eyes and soft white bodies stare back up at him. "Bunnies?"

"Yup."

"They're, uh, pretty big."

"And extra cuddly. This is what the reviewer wanted. So go ahead and jump in."

Dib shrugs and takes the plunge. Instantly, the bunnies strike, and latch on with razor-sharp teeth onto Dib's poor body. Z closes the trap door and silences Dib's tortured screams. Cam laughs gleefully from her place beside Z. "He'll be reanimated when we next need him. Tak!"

The sulking Irken lady looks up. "You are permitted to leave Baby Jail." Tak gladly escapes the cardboard prison. "Now hug Red."

The Tallest looks up from his bag of chips and narrows his eyes at the hesitating Irken girl. "Forgive me, my tallest," Tak says, snapping into a salute.

"Just get on with it," Red his credit, he only protests a little when Tak wraps her little arms around him. She is then promptly shoved off, and scuttles away exclaiming apologies.

"Heartwarming. Zim?"

Zim turns and glares at Z, wondering what the sadistic host could have up their sleeve now. "Do you like Gaz?" Z asks.

"NO! I do not! She is a gross human-worm and very scary-"

Z glares at him. "What was that, Zim? That was not very nice. Not very romantic. You need to please our reviewers, after all!"

"I mean, she's alright!"

"I can accept that. Now then, Cam?"

The Irken guest grins maliciously and rolls up her sleeves, dropping into a ready position. A small ring of light appears on the stage before her, and within that unearthly glow forms Dib, brought back from death after his encounter with the deadly bunnies. He takes in an enormous gulp of air and coughs. "OW! What the-"

His confused statement is cut short as Cam sends her boot straight into his face. The force of the impact sends the abused preteen flying offstage, where he slams into a lever and sends a sandbag crashing onto the stage. His pained groans can be vaguely heard as Z turns back toward the audience.

"Poor kid. And that finally concludes this installment of Another Gosh Darn Dare Show! Tune in next time for more chaos! See ya!"

Z and Cam wave to the audience as the lights fade out.