#invader zim analysis

[adhdbisexualramblings]

One big shift I noticed in Enter the Florpus that the fandom uses a lot in fanfiction is how the Tallest talk to and about Zim.

I would like the point out, the Tallest never say anything bad about Zim when he’s in earshot.

This isn’t disqualifying the fact that they talk shit about him to each other, and to the other Irkens on the Massive. Just never in front of him. They try very hard to keep his exile a secret, correcting themselves very quickly the few times they do slip up.

For example, most prominently, Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars, where Zim calls them to show off a plan of his and annoys them for three hours straight. When trying to come up with an excuse, the Tallest (Red, at least), make up some story about an enemy ship going up against the Massive, despite knowing that to any other Irken, that would raise doubts. They know Zim’s unbridled, faulty loyalty better than anyone, and know that they need to placate him, no matter how wild those aforementioned placating words are.

Another, much larger example is Battle of the Planets. Zim calls his leaders in a bear suit for seemingly no reason. the Tallest, along with every other Irken, watch him ramble about whatever Zim-like things he talks about, trying to stay completely calm. a noteworthy detail; they were laughing at him and mocking the fact that he wasn’t around to mess Operation Impending Doom 2 just before this. It’s only when Zim calls do they stop, and even then, they’re trying to hide laughter. Zim soaks up the “praise” of his leaders and his fellow Irkens before hanging up. Then the Tallest spill into laughter again. It’s rarely ever been in front of Zim. Ever. Because I’m sure that, as oblivious as they know Zim is, they must also know there’s a point where he’s going to realize they’re not laughing with him (even if this is never the case).

They don’t seem to completely despise him as they could have simply hung up when Zim’s constant yelling of ‘my Tallest’ got too annoying, but that’s a different story entirely.

Purple seems to have less of an issue of bullying the invader to his face, and Red is obviously the more work-focused of the two (which is debatable, as both of them seem to slack off a lot), as well as the one who keeps the secret about Zim’s mission and his disdain for him under wraps.

The movie, while admittedly changing a good few things about characters, butchered the Tallest the most, in my opinion. For Purple, it made complete sense to want to fly straight. he’s been childish a few times, and a lot more open about when he doesn’t like an order or anything else (see Megadoomer). However, Red was always the one that seemed to have things under control, at least a few times. When the Massive flies out of control, his first instinct is to run a diagnostic to find the problem, while his companion tries to save the donuts (this is not to say they differ too drastically in personality, as Red also wanted to save the donuts). For him to insist on flying straight, especially when there’s a very large and dangerous rip in space some miles away that he no doubt knows could hurt him and his companion, is a bit out of character.

When Zim calls, they make no effort to hide the fact that they’re annoyed with him, with Purple outright stating he liked him better when they thought he was dead. Red yells that they really don’t care about whatever he has to say. These are minor things, the only interaction they have with him in the whole film, and admittedly isn’t that telling. But I feel that short five minute was very telling to how they interact with him. Especially for newer fans who didn’t analyze every character in the show in comparison to the movie I’ve watched 20+ times now,

And a lot of fanfictions make the Tallest unnecessarily cruel, even going as far as to tell Zim, unprompted, to his face, that his mission is fake. Understandably, it’s possible for them to reach their limit and blurt it out in anger, but even then, Zim would just laugh it off, never taking it for what it is. Hell, the best example of the Tallest I’ve seen written ever is Forced Perspective, where they stuck to expected behaviors and, even when Zim asked about the legitimacy of his mission, stopped him from finding out. Zim finding out his mission is fake would make him want to go back to Irk, after all. And they can’t have that.

They know keeping the secret of Zim’s mission is crucial for keeping him away from them and causing destruction away from them, yet I feel that’s easily forgotten.

#Invader Zim #the almighty tallest #Invader Zim analysis #enter the florpus #the tallest iz #Almighty Tallest Red #almighty tallest purple

[miniimoose]

Ocular implants and pak headcanons; This is kind of a stream of consciousness post

Irkens are born with organic eyes, but they are replaced very very early. Like, before they are 'born' and given a pak kind of early.

They are implanted while the Irken smeet is still in their test tube. All done by robotics in the smeet incubation chambers. This is to ensure that when a smeet is hatched and given a pak, the pak can instantly connect and a smeet can see perfectly in an instant.

If an Irken was hatched with their organic eyes, they would not be fully developed and would not be in a position to function independently.

Fully Organic smeets, without a pak, would survive past hatching. But they would need to be taken care of from birth by a parental figure. Unable to see properly or take care of themselves at all - for at least a few weeks.

Paks and other implants make a smeet fully independent. Over time, they have become a crutch of the Irken race - and are unable to be removed once installed. They power too much of the little space bug to function without it. But an irken born unaltered, and taken care of through the early stages of life would survive.

The control brains of course would have them hunted down and killed if discovered.

#invader zim #iz #pak #iz analysis #invader zim analysis #iz headcanons #headcanons #invader zim headcanon #invader zim headcanons #iz headcanon #ocular implant #ocular implants #moose talk

[inbarfink]

While I highly doubt this was ever intentional by the show’s creators - the Membrane family members really all map so well into a demonstration of, like, how conditional Autistic acceptance in mainstream society can be and how even other folks on the spectrum can beat down on other Autistic folks considered less ‘acceptable’.

Because with Professor Membrane's single-minded life-long obsession with science and his absolute fumble in any sort of meaningful emotional interactions

It’s very easy to read him as autistic. But he’s ‘one of the Useful Ones’. His scientific Special Interests and workaholism are directly beneficial to society. And thus, despite him being obviously odd by IZ!earth standards, he became a beloved and admired public figure.

Meanwhile, Gaz’s special interest - video games -  is not one that makes her more productive or a ‘useful asset’. But loving video games is still considered close enough to normal that, while she seems to be somewhat of an Outsider to her peers, it doesn’t seem that she’s Actively Bullied.

And then there’s Dib. The one who’s special interest is not socially acceptable and makes him seem ‘weird’ and ‘creepy’. And plus, while Gaz’s coded-Autism-symptoms mostly seem to make her kind of an antisocial loner, Dib’s manifest in a way that is a lot more actively ‘obnoxious’ to others. All of these aspects make him more of an active target of bullying and social ostracization - and even his weird autistic sister and weird autistic father try to push him into being more ‘Normal’. 

#invader zim #autism #actually autistic #iz #iz analysis #dib membrane #dib #iz dib #gaz membrane #gaz #gaz iz #gaz invader zim #dib iz #dib invader zim #invader zim dib #invader zim gaz #iz dib membrane #iz gaz #iz gaz membrane #professor membrane

[verm1c1de]

Zims entire personality is completely fabricated

Let me explain.

Zim, as we know him, is just a mask made up by.. well, Zim.

Zim doesn’t exist.

Because Zim, at his most genuine, loves.

And Zim is not supposed to love.

It’s been thrown around throughout the entire course of the series that Zim is, in fact, a very intelligent individual. Moreso than irkens, renowned technology-thieves, are known to be. It’s for this fact, that it would make sense, that Zim would not be completely ignorant of how the rest of Irken society views him.

The defect, the worst irken to ever exist, et cetera.

There’s no way to be that obtuse about your own infamy, and if there is, there’s enough hints and clues in the series to allow viewers to come to the conclusion that Zim isn’t unaware of it all.

And no, this is not a “Zim is a genius and knows absolutely everything” post. He’s definitely gullible. He absolutely has the worst priorities, he doesn’t know when to quit, too stubborn and set in his own beliefs, but he does Know a lot more than he lets on.

Multiple instances of Tallest Purple nearly revealing the truth about Zim’s mission or being too careless with his words are brushed away, either spoken over by Red or ignored completely by Zim, as if he didn’t hear it at all. Similarly, Sizz-Lorr exists as tangible evidence of everything wrong with Zim’s falsified identity as an invader. He shows up for one episode and that episode introduces some of the most important building on Zim’s coding and the consequences derived from his destructive actions on Irk. And his response to this, is to flat out deny it. Because with Purple, he has the expectation to not be aware. With Sizz-Lorr, everything he’s done is laid out in front of him, forcing him to acknowledge it. He won’t.

Zim, at his most genuine, is paranoid.

Paranoid enough to fabricate an entire personality from nothing after having the entirety of Irken knowledge downloaded into his PAK, only minutes after having been freed from his tube.

Zim is a bootlicker. Zim couldn’t care less about the Tallest. Zim seeks absolution from the Tallest because he knows that he was Made Wrong and that the things he’s done are unforgivable, but he can’t help himself. Zim only goes out of his way to gain their attention because he knows that’s what the average irken desires. All of these are true.

Zim is only drawn to invading in the most superficial way possible for an irken. He enjoys the idea of invading, not because it is personally "appealing" to him in any sense of the word, but because he knows that it is for others. It's an esteemed title. An invader gets to have respect. An invader gets to be addressed directly by the Tallest.

Being an invader is the best thing. Not for him, but for his act.

He needs the act. The act will save him from his imperialistic society. The act is the worst thing to ever happen to him.

Zim is nothing without it. He’s nothing with it.

He hates the act.

(“Hey, you’re a worse flier than I am!”)

And it’s very, very likely that he hates himself because of it. Much more than anyone else could ever hate him, because their hate for him is as superficial as his allegiance to the Empire is.

Zim does not fit in on Irk because Irk doesn’t need a Zim. Irk doesn’t need an irken soldier whose sole identity is to destroy.

Which is why Zim fits in so much better on Earth as its villain. On Earth, he gets to be a part of the story, not a fool that has to force himself on stage to even have some semblance of a spotlight.

Zim was already firmly set into his role before arriving to Earth; but coming there, and meeting Dib, further instills Zim with the drive to keep it up. Dib exists to be a hero, after all! And heroes need their villains. Zim fits into that role perfectly. And of course Zim, being nothing BUT a role, is drawn to it. He'll feed into Dib's alien obsession because Dib's alien obsession fits into Zim's "character". The big bad guy that needs to be fought against.

Which makes sense.

If he's the big bad that everyone hates, he doesn't have to worry about wondering if anyone loves him, because he knows they don't.

His first words were “I love you.”

The Zim we know does not love.

The Zim we know is nothing but an elaborate, one-irken act, stuck playing the same role in the same show for as long as he draws it out for.

One which would collapse if anything ever brought attention to it.

this post would not have been made without the help of @short-and-ugly and @animatorfun. seriously. like they wrote it. they were my editors.

this is NOT a headcanon post, im for realsies. this is metatextual analysis. i genuinely believe this is what zims character is supposed to be ((even if not necessarily intentionally))

#iz #invader zim #zim #iz analysis #long post #very long post #vermi.txt #Zim Larp Theory #named soafter our google doc about it

[ms-scarletwings]

A scene from Invader Zim I seem to find way creepier than anyone else does

It’s just weirdly good horror to me as a years later rewatch somehow. Dripping with menace.

Long time fans know this is one of the most theatric and chatty characters in the show, alone or not. He also more often than not gets over -ahem, denies- setback and mission fumbles in record time. Not here. Just the silence that lets you truly hear that eerie ass ambience in the background. Just watching him reviewing back collected surveillance, on presumably what’s supposed to be human child behavioral data (this was still season 1 after all), but he’s neither mocking the subjects nor boasting about himself for once. He’s not even complaining or getting into one of his spiels. It’s just that cut back to the reel of a dozen pains he’s suffered at the Skool, cut back to that stone still expression, cut back to the tapes. You don’t know if they’re all from a singularly horrible day or a pile of weeks of humiliations stacking on a camel’s back. You get nothing of explanation except for that quiet seething in his expression- The scariest kind of angry. It’s Zim, ruminating on a god’s honest murderous rage, toward this species that seems to only justify his contempt of them with every single interaction. Almost as if you can watch this and imagine his hatred just getting hotter and hotter for all mankind under the surface, and then narrowing in like a magnifying glass straight onto the worst and most frequent offender of all. Those four consecutive Dib clips are what finally seem to make him feel like he’s seen enough and he’s fully decided on beginning to craft what we later find out was the Moosey wormhole plan. If it was only about Dib standing in the way of the mission, like he frames it, this episode intro wouldn’t serve any purpose. It was about so much more than Dib probably ever thinks about, the axe forgets and all that.

To me this clip is like the one moment where I swear to Tallest Zim was feeling on a kind of Nny wavelength in that isolated instant,

AND it’s one of many moments where I shake my head remembering how Dib’s average Tuesday is spent more recklessly than poking a sleeping dragon in the eye with a stick.

#iz #invader zim #iz analysis #ZaDE #jthm reference #iz clips #Irken Zim #Room with a moose #scarlet rambles about things #scarlet talks about things #Youtube

[random-iz-stuff]

Zim might be one of the smartest Irkens alive:

In the comics, an Irken Engineer named Skrang built this thing:

It’s a prototype wormhole generator, giving the Tallest the ability to teleport anything to the base of any Invader, heavily implied to be the first of its kind.

Skrang had help doing this. He wears a specialized backpack filled with dozens of harvested Vortian brains, which presumably gives him a boost of intelligence. It’s a literal think tank.

Now it’s pretty safe to assume that Skrang either invented the wormhole generator on his own or at least played a massive part in doing so, as he wouldn’t need the extra brainpower if he was following a blueprint made by someone else.

Irkens are extremely intelligent on their own, especially when it comes to machines and mechanical devices. Vortians are also extremely smart, being tied with Irkens for the rank of “smartest known species in the Galaxy”. Now take that information and think about how complicated that wormhole generator must be.

It took an irken artificially increasing their intelligence with dozens of Vortian brains to make a one-way prototype. It took two of the smartest species in the Galaxy mixing several of their brains together to make this thing. (Minor headcanon: the only reason that Vortian brains are being used in the Irken Think Tank instead of Irken brains is because Vortian brains are easily acquired now that the Empire has captured Vort, while harvesting an Irken brain means killing a perfectly good Irken).

Point is, this wormhole generator is extremely advanced, possibly more advanced than anything else in the entire galaxy, and it took harvesting the brains of dozens of the galaxy’s smartest creatures and connecting them to another one of the Galaxy’s smartest creatures to figure out how to build it. And even then they still don’t know how to make it two-way.

Then the Tallest use it to send a piece of garbage to Zim and within minutes, this happens:

Within minutes of receiving the trash, Zim figured out how to trace its origin back to the Massive. This wormhole generator is the first of its kind and Zim managed to easily trace it back to the massive. NO ONE besides the Tallest and Engineer Skrang have seen this thing, and only Skrang knows how it works, but Zim still managed to figure out exactly what it was and trace it back to the Massive.

That’s not really saying much on its own, as the wormhole most likely gave off a unique energy signal that Zim could track, but it’s important for this next thing.

At the end of the comic, Zim does this:

Zim reverse engineered the wormhole generator.

Alright, alright, WAIT WHAT!?

ZIM BUILT HIS OWN IDENTICAL WORMHOLE GENERATOR!? THE THING THAT’S SO COMPLICATED AND ADVANCED THAT SKRANG HAD TO ATTACH A TANK FULL OF VORTIAN BRAINS TO HIMSELF JUST TO MAKE HIMSELF SMART ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUILD ONE?!

And it gets even more impressive when you realize that Zim has NEVER SEEN the wormhole generator before. All he has to go off in terms of building one is that single energy signature that he used to trace the wormhole back to the Massive.

All he had in terms of blueprints was a single reading showing the energy signal that the wormhole gives off. That’s like trying to build a bomb by using the crater of another bomb as your only blueprint.

He built that thing from SCRATCH. With NO blueprint and a completely unmodified brain. Zim doesn’t have a tank full of Vortian brains attached to his back, and he didn’t need one to build a super complex wormhole generator.

And that’s before you consider that it probably took weeks, possibly even months for Engineer Skrang to go from his original concept to the working prototype that we see. Meanwhile, judging by how Zim believed that he was in serious danger and was trying to build his wormhole generator as quickly as he possibly could because of that, I’d say that it took him no more than an hour to build his wormhole generator, maybe two hours if we’re being generous.

In other words, Zim’s brain on its own was able to do in an hour what an artificially enhanced Irken brain took MONTHS to do.

And despite that, Zim still has no common sense. He really does have a 20 in Intelligence and a 3 in Wisdom.

#invader zim #headcanons #analysis #zim #Zim is SCARILY smart #he’d be unstoppable if it wasn’t for his lack of common sense and his problems with motivation #give him something to motivate him and give him enough time to properly think everything through and you will see just how smart he can be #This sort of thing is why I headcanon that Zim seriously enjoyed being a scientist #and wants to go back to a job in the scientific field after he completes his mission #comic spoilers

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Gaz!!!

#invader zim #i still remember my sibling analysis did the numbers on my old blog #its shadowblocked and locked now so what can ya do #danachan's asks

[catmaraudersfan]

Personal headcanon about Zim and Dib:

Zim saved Dib's life by showing up to Earth. (Even if neither one knows.)

My proof/reason why? How Dib acted when Zim showed up and in the Pilot episode. He seemed to be on the verge of insanity/desperation to me. Not to mention that Dib's desperation and insanity seemed to ... ease as time went on? Don't get me wrong, Zim and Dib torment each other, but they also seem to help each other in a way. 😅

I'll come back to this if I have a better way of explaining it. 💖 If anyone has a better way to put this then feel free. 🌹

#Invader Zim #Zim #Dib #IZ headcanon #IZ headcanons #IZ analysis #ZaDf #ZaDe #ZaDc

[dr-mothman]

Something interesting about Invader Zim is how it might still follow the ideology that "adults suck, kidz rulez lol" that some cartoons in that era follow (see: FOP and Jimmy Neutron)

The other cartoons show kids hating adults for getting grounded, curfews and keeping order (all of those normal things parents do to educate their kids). Although there ARE some instances that hate is justified (looking at Crocker), the hate for parents and other older authority figures is petty and for childish excuses (I mean, they are all children, so it's kinda reasonable). In the Jimmy Neutron movie, kids think they could go for a long time without their parents until it was shown otherwise.

The thing is, in these cartoons, it's a silly mentality kids have until they realize they would be lost without them. In Invader Zim, it's not the kids who hate them, but the creators who want YOU to hate them. Because they are useless.

In Invader Zim most (if not all) adults are useless. Dib really wants someone to listen to him, he wants to depend on someone. Throughout the series he wants an adult to believe him (especially his father), but ends up fighting alone.

TLDR, regarding the "kids hate adults" stuff in cartoons, most shows make kids hate them for wanting to do the best for them but they are dependant on adults. In Invader Zim, they are useless, Dib is mostly independent from them but despite it all he doesn't hate them (although many kids would)

#invader zim #jimmy neutron #the adventures of jimmy neutron boy genius #fairly odd parents #fairly oddparents #cartoons #iz analysis #dib membrane #lamp post #ETF is a whole other thing apart tho

[themattress]

A lookback at “Enter the Florpus”

It still kind of amazes me that this movie pulled off the dual accomplishments of providing pay-off to a set-up from 18 years earlier (see also: Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, which did the same for a 15 year old set-up) and providing genuine depth and meaning to both itself and the series it’s a finale to in spite of the absurdist “Lol, random!” seeming surface level.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, we see the Almighty Tallest have their eyes set on expanding the Irken Empire, but don’t want Zim to take part of it because they hate him, which leads them to send him on what they believe to be a fool’s errand to the farthest edges of the universe. But of course, Zim ended up persevering and continuing to annoy the Tallest with his belief that he’s a legitimate Invader in Operation Impending Doom II. “Enter the Florpus” gives us the ultimate breaking point, where the Tallest actually end up destroying their entire operation and empire because they are consumed by their hatred of Zim and desire to flat-out kill him.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, the fool’s errand Zim is sent on is to conquer a planet the Almighty Tallest don’t even believe to exist...which, of course, it does: it’s Earth. The following series is all about Zim’s trying and failing to conquer Earth for the Irken Empire’s sake, and in “Enter the Florpus” Zim finally realizes the futility of his efforts when he learns the Tallest have no interest in coming to Earth (although he believes it to be the direct result of all his failures rather than it being the way the Tallest have always felt) and sinks into a depression. 

In “The Nightmare Begins”, Zim is firmly established as an incompetent buffoon who will inevitably screw up his plans for conquering Earth. But after shaking off his depression in “Enter the Florpus”, Zim actually becomes so laser-focused on the goal he now sees finally within his reach that he becomes a successful threat. Of course, even at his most competent Zim is still a screw-up, as carrying out his plan ends up creating a Florpus that threatens to destroy Earth, which would leave the Tallest with no planet to conquer even if they wanted to.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, there is a climactic chase, with Dib in pursuit of Zim. Here, your sympathies are with Zim, who has just gotten to Earth and is at a disadvantage, not to mention Dib is motivated purely by his ego. The climax of “Enter the Florpus” also features Dib chasing Zim, but now the sympathies are reversed: Dib, fresh off seemingly losing his father, is motivated by the genuine desire to save Earth, while Zim holds the advantage.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, Gaz is established through swearing her older brother Dib will pay for drinking the last soda, showing that she has a fairly contentious relationship with him. In “Enter the Florpus”, Gaz ends up being the one to encourage Dib when he’s at his lowest point, expressing that no matter how much he annoys her and how often they clash, he’s still her brother whom she cares for (much needed after Season 2 flanderized her so badly).

In “The Nightmare Begins”, Professor Membrane is established by not listening to what Dib has to say since he’s busy with something, flat-out dismissing him when he tries. He keeps this up throughout the series, naturally giving Dib the impression that his father isn’t proud of his weirdo son and that exposing Zim will rectify that. In “Enter the Florpus”, in a dramatic moment Professor Membrane reveals that Dib doesn’t have to prove anything because he’s always proud of him - he genuinely never considered that his dismissiveness when busy would give Dib the impression it did because he took it as a given that his children knew he loved them and was proud of them. Now that he realizes his mistake, he showcases his development by spending the rest of the movie more attentive and openly caring toward Dib.

Speaking of Professor Membrane’s development, I feel this moment in the climax deserves more attention. Professor Membrane spends the movie thinking the whole fantastical scenario he’s in is just a dream, since everything going on is so unscientific and he can’t grasp that it could possibly be real. However, when it comes time to save Earth through a literal Yes or No selection, we see him hesitate and almost press No before then pressing Yes. So much said here without any dialogue: Professor Membrane realizes that if he presses Yes, then he’s lending this whole crisis legitimacy...he’s practically admitting that it’s not a dream and is really happening. Pressing No to not save Earth since, hey, it’s all a dream anyway...that’s more in line with what he wishes to believe. However, he still presses Yes. Why? Because even if it is a dream, he couldn’t bring himself to let his children perish. If it’s a dream and he has total control, then there’s no excuse for him to condemn even dream versions of his children to their doom along with the rest of the planet. When it mattered most, the man’s love for his kids overcame his rational scientific mind. And that’s just beautiful.

I also want to mention how wonderfully the movie solidified Dib and Zim as foils of one another. Both of them are the same but different. They are the same in that their egomania and desire to protect or conquer Earth conceals a fragile core: deep down they are insecure losers who just want to receive validation from someone they look up to - for Dib, his father, and for Zim, the Almighty Tallest. It’s what leads to Dib empathizing with Zim, and trying to help him even though it backfires horribly. But they are different in that not only does Dib start to evolve past his delusions while Zim only sinks further into them, but also their efforts are proven futile for entirely opposite reasons. Dib can never make his father proud of him because his father loves him and is already proud of him...he doesn’t need to accomplish any grand feat to prove himself to him. Zim, on the other hand, can never make the Tallest proud of him because the Tallest hate him and anything he does, even successfully, will only piss them off more as they just want to be rid of him. It really is two sides of a single coin.

Finally, the ending of the movie - and series - is just perfect, with the “lol, random!” veneer concluding the main characters in a random religious allegory. The Membrane family are left off in a state of Heaven: they love each other and are happily seated at the table for dinner. They even have a new member in Clembrane, whose existence confirms the prior ordeal to have not been a dream but Professor Membrane hilariously sticks to that story anyway because he’ll be damned if he ever admits something so unscientific out loud. The Almighty Tallest are left off in a state of Hell, literally trapped in a fiery inferno within the Florpus (and for added karma, they’re puppets now). And Zim, with GIR and Minimoose still at his side, is left off in a state of Purgatory. Never the model of sanity to begin with, Zim’s biggest and most competently executed plan failing and dooming the Irken Empire in the process has caused him to fully retreat from reality - he now claims stealing a clown doll from Dib’s house was the plan all along, makes outrageous false statements like “Zim always wins!”, and takes the Tallest’s screaming as they dance in the Florpus’ flames as a “yes” when asking if they are pleased with him as an Invader. He’s never going to stop making screwball plans to conquer Earth for the Irken Empire even when there is no more Irken Empire. The good news is that Dib will doubtlessly be all too willing to humor him, so it is kind of a happy ending for him too.

Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus - it truly is one of the smartest dumbest movies ever.

#Nickelodeon #Invader Zim #Enter the Florpus #Opinion #Analysis #This has been a PSA

[poitypinky]

Keep it to yourself: the ZIMvoid key!

⚠️ This contains spoilers about the comics ⚠️

The Battle Void arc, better known as ZIMvoid arc (issues 46 to 49), got me going wild. I read all the analysis I found about it, and I haven't seen the same findings and theories. I'm SO EXCITED and I hope you feel the same as you take a look into what I uncovered 🔍

What if the ZIMvoid arc started way before Issue 46?

The beginning (and the end?)

Consider that issue 12, when ZIM, GIR and Dib time travel, is the first time ZIM meets (and defeats) another version of himself, so it could be the beginning of it all.

Also, when you read the extra bit at the end of the same issue, you find, as GIR would say, “some kinda ZIB man”.

Maybe there's not a direct relation, but there's a thematic connection; in the main story, with the idea of ZIM being his own worst enemy.

The little extra story at the end explores a fact I've seen a lot of fans notice: Dib and ZIM can be very similar, mostly when Dib lets his selfish motives wins (as ZIB did). Also, Dib says he'll never join ZIM, but he already has, and will again in the ZIMvoid arc.

The star and the key

Issue 17 is so funny, I loved ZIM as a girly ranger, and how it was hinted (again) that he doesn't care about gender, which is one of the good traits I find in this character; also, it is surprising how far he is willing to go to bribe GIR.

I bet you remember Dib and ZIM incarcerated, telling lies or half-truths about how they are heroes, but at the end there's an extra bit, the important one! It is called:

Keep it to yourself

This short extra comic at the end of issue 17 it's just 3 pages, so here you have it; you can open the images in a new tab and zoom if you need a bigger picture.

Wait, What? This “electromagnetic pulse bomb that destroys any nearby Irken tech”, it might look different (or does it?), but it works the same! It is the Zapper!

ZIM states later that it is “his own basic Irken disruptor design”, and ZIB also says he did it all thanks to that same electromagnetic pulse weapons.

And so we know that ZIM built this technology to damage Dib's (Tak's) ship, also, we get to see that the Irken disruptor from issue 17 and the Zapper from the ZIMvoid arc are actually not so different looking either:

Yep, it is basically the same thing.

But that's not all, so let's look deeper in this void, just beware, it might look back!

The GIRvoid

Why isn't GIR damaged by the Zapper?

I have this blog 'cause I'm analyzing comedy duos; for Invader ZIM, I chose ZIM and GIR, and so I pay special attention to their dynamic.

In the short comic Keep it to yourself, ZIM shows us how wild he is by making this disruptor that can damage his own tech, but we also see how much GIR's antics have weight in the whole deal.

GIR's bees causes ZIM to scream, activating the disruptor and damaging all close Irken technology, including GIR!

So here's my theory: after this happened, ZIM not only fixed GIR, but also made him immune to this kind of technology.

I think GIR was also extra compatible with the Zapper because it was combined with other weapon: mind controlling technology. Look at the module GIR installed on himself at the beginning of the ZIMvoid arc.

When you compare that obedience module to the base of the Zapper, it looks similar, so it could be the same technology ZIB uses for his mind controlling virus.

Fun fact: GIR is not only immune to ZIB's Zapper, but also to another similar weapon we see in issues 42 (and 43), which begins somewhat similar to the Zimvoid arc.

That's my GIR!

Without GIR, ZIM wouldn't have been able to get out of the ZIMvoid.

GIR is the key that opens the gates of the ZIMvoid at the end, literally, because ZIM access the technology through him, but also because GIR is the one to travel time and space for ages in order to secure his master's success:

But why is this GIR the only immune? The fact that there were no other SIR units in the ZIMvoid because the Zapper damage them all makes me think of 2 main possibilities:

ZIM 2170 was the only wild enough (aside from ZIB) to build an Irken tech disruptor.

OR he was the only ZIM that decided to make GIR resistant to this kind of weapon after he was damaged by it.

Sure, there might be many other reasons why GIR is safe from the Zapper, perhaps it has to do with the explosion of the time thingy on issue 28, or with ZIM killing HOK, GIR's Error correction software, on the Virooz arc (issues 22 to 25). Or it could be...

The very thing

I think that the fact that GIR is immune to the Zapper, or maybe all the ZIMvoid arc is connected to issue 33, since we can see Mr. Wiener face in ZIM's memories of “his thing”. I can not really tell what the connection is, and I'm very much interested in reading your theories about this.

My hunch could not be so out of place when you realize the ZIMvoid, the Keep it to yourself story, AND the Mr. Wiener face issue had all the same writer: Sam Logan. An awesome writer also, this investigation made me realize he wrote some of my favorite issues.

The wiener, I mean, the winner!

Remember GIR had a plan on issue 33? Since he never explains what his plan was, it could have been just to make a bunch of wiener faces or maybe, just maybe, much more.

Analyzing GIR is amazing, and I love it, after paying close attention you realize how surprisingly focused, functional and successful GIR is when he has a motivation; he can follow through complex plans, also he can make no sense. And so his actions on issue 33 could mean everything or nothing at all.

The secret mission

When they are about to enter the ZIMvoid, GIR ends up going with Dib and is close to him until almost the end of the arc.

I think this is the exact moment when Dib ignores the signal ZIB has sent to all the Dibs because of how competitive he gets, also because GIR hits the ship at that exact moment; but, was GIR supposed to attack Dib?

One thing we know about ZIM is that he studies his enemies and allies to find weaknesses or strategic value, so if I have to bet, I would say he asked GIR to stay close to Dib, maybe to keep him distracted while he found the Irken he was looking for.

Your SIR units

While GIR is with Dib, ZIM is being slaved, and he asks about their SIR units, but never seems to wonder where his own GIR is, he also doesn't call his partner in crime to bail him out, like he usually does.

ZIM probably knew where GIR was because he has a tracking device on him; in the episode TAK: the hideous new girl, he uses GIR to track Dib, so it wouldn't be a surprise if that's exactly what he was doing here.

The reaction when they meet could support this secret mission theory. Also, it is impressive how GIR recognizes and chooses his own master, even if he is surrounded by a ton of ZIMs (and loves it).

The real ZIM

Close to the end of the arc, GIR claims that he is ZIM. (It is not the first time, he does this on issue 38, that time as a question.)

He is just being silly, right? Well, maybe, but also think about it: in the GIRvoid there's no competition, there's only one and true GIR, and he doesn't even have to fight the other versions of himself to win. He won when he became the only GIR to make it into the ZIMvoid.

The void, looking back at us

To wrap this up, let's look at the end.

Look at that maniac laugh, it is actually similar to the one at the end of issue 12! And it's funny how Dib says that it is not his fault that he fails, because that's exactly what ZIM was claiming at the beginning of the arc.

The thematic connection with issue 12, but also with issues 42+43, is very clear here; at his worst, Dib is similar to ZIM, just as competitive and self-deluded. He ends up helping him, instead of defeating him.

At the end, they are both sinking as a good captain goes down with their ship, right? But who was really steering ZIM's Voot Runner? GIR, actually, and he is too the first one to drown. In a symbolic way, GIR can represent chaos or madness, and the ocean is the symbol for emotion or the subconscious mind.

In other words, madness is what drives ZIM at this moment, and it is what's gonna make him drown in himself: go insane. Remember the beginning of the ZIMvoid arc? Look at what happens to Car-nivore.

Car-nivore ejects his brain; ZIM is losing his mind. Even the expression they make is similar, but of course, that might be just a coincidence.

At the end, I found 2 keys: the short story Keep it to yourself of issue 17 is our key to understand a bit more of the ZIMvoid. GIR was the key out of the ZIMvoid!

〰 Poity

#invader zim #iz #character analysis #zimvoid #ZIM #ZIM and GIR #comedy duo #findings #iz comics #gir invader zim #dib invader zim #analysis #theory #zim iz #long post #the void #poitysdiary #Poity_duos_iz

[lil-miss]

Azi’s Zim is Disabled Essay

So there are a lot of different interpretations about Zim being defective that exist. There are a lot of interpretations about what it means to be defective in the first place. I would like to propose that being defective, not only relates to neurodivergence and “non-desirable” behavior (anything that goes against the Irken regime) but also certain physical disabilities, in specific chronic illnesses.

I would like to draw a line here because I firmly believe that the Irken Empire would not give a shit about limb differences. They are technologically advanced (even if their technology is mostly stolen from other species) so, to them, it would be entirely cosmetic and one could simply get cybernetics. However, a problem with the body’s systems cannot be as easily addressed. Thus, Irkens with conditions, like these would be considered defective. Due to their condition, they cannot contribute in the same way as others if they can contribute at all. They would be considered a liability. That’s right, the space fascists are probably also eugenicists (shocking no one). I mean seriously, that’s pretty easy to see. They literally genetically engineer their own people to near perfection.

The only way for a genetic issue like this to happen with the way smeets are made would be because of some kind of cloning error. Anyone reading this probably knows that a popular headcanon about Zim is that he is the product of some kind of cloning error. This is a headcanon that I agree with. So, if Zim is the product of a cloning error what saying that he doesn’t have some kind of invisible disability like a chronic illness.

Putting the lore side, when you look at the Irken Empire, as a satirical representation of America, its greed, its disregard for citizens, and its imperialism, having Zim be disabled makes thematic sense. Zim is actively disregarded by and pushed out of Irken society, many people tend to interpret this as Zim being autistic or another neurodivergent parallel, which I agree with. However, why not take this a step further, why not make a Zim physically disabled?

The closest thing within fandom spaces that I’ve seen to interpreting Zim as disabled, is making Zim autistic or deaf/hard of hearing. However, when this is written it usually has little to no bearing on the plot of whatever is being written. It is almost always a superficial detail of some kind like the occasional mention of Zim having a hard time hearing something, not understanding subtext, or wearing a hearing aid.

I don’t think this is a problem within the Invader Zim fandom; I am well aware that there is just not much fic about disabled characters in which they are actively discussed as being disabled or their disability is important to the plot in some way. I am not blaming anyone for this issue, it’s just the fact that not many people write disabled characters. I think this problem mostly comes from the fact that people are scared of messing it up. Quick message: if you think that you have a good writing idea that involves a disabled character, make sure you do your research, but fucking write it! Even if they aren’t anywhere close to implied to being disabled in canon. What is the point of fanfiction if not to give fans the space to interpret the character however they please?

Apologies for the tangent but it was important. I’m going to shift the topic a bit, onto examining a symptom of chronic illness that I see in Zim within the canon. Specifically, I think that it explains one of the main inconsistencies in Zim’s character.

Many people including myself have noticed the fact that Zim is simultaneously very smart, but also very incompetent at times. This seems to be a contradiction because someone as smart as he is shown to be, logically, shouldn’t be making some of the mistakes that he does within the canon. And I have a plausible solution to this: brain fog. Brain fog is an overarching name for a collection of symptoms that includes an inability to focus and concentrate, confusion, unusually inhibited logic skills, feeling disoriented, as well as trouble remembering and comprehending information. If Zim was intermittently experiencing these symptoms, the inconsistency of him being simultaneously a genius and on many occasions almost completely incompetent would be explained. Brain fog is a symptom of a lot of different things, personally, I interpret it as chronic pain and immunodeficiency for my Zim headcanons and my AU.

Being able to deep dive into Fem Zim’s experience with her disability as she continues her story is important to me. Describing her chronic pain is important to me. Not having a fix for her condition is important to me. Having a character that is not just disabled, but who talks about their disability, has prose dedicated to their symptoms, and has it as an important part of their character building and development is something that I do not see. Let alone anyone with a similar condition to me. Zim is that character for me, whether it’s me going into specifics about Fem Zim’s symptoms within my own AU, or me as a kid, first getting into Invader Zim, and seeing so much of myself in Zim as a character.

You can interpret Zim however you want, I’m not telling you what to do. But I would like to point out that this is an entirely underutilized interpretation that in a fandom that has existed for over 20 years know I do not know of any other genuine instance of.

My only explanation for that is that y'all are cowards. /j

#I'm sorry if this sounds aggressive at all #I've been told that my writing style in essays can come off as aggressive because I speak confidently when writing persuasively #and I guess that's intimidating. #I'm also tired #if this is what I’m going to write like in college than the professors at UPenn better get fucking ready #homestead homestuck housewife #galaxy girls iz #invader zim au #invader zim fanfiction #invader zim #invader zim zim #fem zim #character analysis #text analysis

[inbarfink]

So the thing about Tak’s Holo-Disguise is that it specifically might not be an example of Tak using more advanced technology than Zim.

The implication in “The Nightmare Begins” is that Zim maybe also have access to Perfectly Realistic Human Disguises, probably similar to Tak’s Hologram - but he intentionally rejected them because he saw them as too ugly. He deliberately chose his shitty little costume because he thought that was the only one that looked ‘good’.

And these terrible disguises are also pretty consistent with how the actual official Invaders disguise themselves. If anything, Zim’s got the best costume of the lot!

So with Zim dismissing the more realistic disguises as being ‘ugly’ and ‘stinky’ and those being… basically the most common insults he throws at humans. ..I think the implication here is pretty clearly that Zim’s (and the actual Irken Invaders’) disguises are bad because he doesn’t want to look too human because Irken Imperial Indoctrination has taught him every other species in the universe is revolting and so he cannot stand the idea of looking too match like the people he is trying to infiltrate.

So it is interesting that the one Irken who actually uses their advanced technology to actually look like another species is Tak. Maybe she’s just being a bit of a show-off overachiever. So driven by the need to prove how competent of an Invader she can be she decided to suffer through the indignity of Using a Competent Disguise. 

Or maybe there’s sort of an implication that Tak doesn’t really buy into Irken Ideology that much?

Like, obviously, she’s not, like,  some sort of anti-Imperial pro-alien advocate or anything. She’s still trying to gain the respect of the Tallest, she still wants to become an Invader, she is still willing to sacrifice an entire planet in order to achieve her goals. 

I’m thinking more, like, Zim is 100% a true believer in Irken Imperial Ideology. He wants to be an Invader at least in part so he could use his ‘amazingness’ to contribute to the conquests of the Irken Empire. And he legitimately believes the Tallests are superior beings worthy of his admiration. And he legitimately believes Irkens are superior to all other sapient beings in the universe in general and to humans especially.

Meanwhile, Tak’s main goals might just be to gain as much power and prestige as she can - no matter what or who stands in her way. If she lived in a society that valued dentists above all she would’ve become a dentist. But she was born in the Irken Empire, and the most prestigious not-height-dependent position available to her in Irken Society is the one of an Invader, so that’s what she dedicated her life to. Not out of any ideological commitment to help the Empire's conquests.

She tries to gain the Tallests’ favor because she knows she needs them to get ahead in life, not necessarily because she craves their tall, superior approval the way Zim does. She can kill a lot of non-Irkens on her way to ‘greatness’, but it’s more of a general callousness towards other people - rather than loyalty to the superiority of the Irken people. 

That might also explain why she’s the one Irken with the sense of individuality to customize her uniform

And design her own version of the Irken Empire Flag, based on her own look.

Because maybe she’s not trying to serve the Irken Empire, maybe she’s just trying to serve Tak.

#invader zim #iz #zim #zim iz #iz zim #iz analysis #irken #zim invader zim #tak invader zim #tak iz #invader tak #iz tak

[verm1c1de]

thinks about how physically ummm. not affectionate. but like. red cant stop being a touchy guy. he keeps smacking wurp on his baldass head or of course the

whatefur mewd call this

its gay as hell and a little sus. why are mew, as an irken, being so physical? hm? homosexuality? go to hellv

#i was going to make this post abt boyshipping but i think ill let this version be rebloggable as just a red analysis #well not analysis i guess more like ''i am pointing out what is there in the show and its a detail a lot of people miss'' #iz #invader zim #tallest red #iz analysis #gif #vermi.txt

[ms-scarletwings]

Other kids’ Christmas specials/movies: Santa and magic are 100% real and actually act in the world, but for some reason all of the adults and parents of the main characters insist on him just being the mythological mascot of the holiday. the workshop is real, the gifts and reindeer and elves are all real, for some reason Santa is hiding specifically from the same adults who teach children about him, or sometimes isn’t even really trying to be a secret.

The Chad Invader Zim Most Horrible Xmas Ever: There is never any indication whatsoever that Santa is real. By all appearances it seems like the idea of Santa follows the real world logic except everyone (minus the ONE child whose whole thing is a special interest in the paranormal) believes in him anyway. Mall Santas claim to operate on his behalf or in his name. World-renowned scientists accept him as an empirical part of the universe. Adults and children alike unquestioningly give reverence to someone claiming to be Santa and obey his every command. If anything, the concept of Santa in this setting is treated almost like a lost religious icon, a historical god that has abandoned the world, if he ever even existed. There is no workshop in the North Pole, and no real Santa comes to smite the impersonater god that usurps his image. The thing that thwarts Zim’s plan is losing control of the false idol. Through the power of alien technology, Santa is made alive and real, not as a jolly bundle of peace on earth and goodwill toward man, but as a sort of Christhulu monstrosity, returning every so often to threaten devastation on humanity if not appeased through the traditional offering of cookies and milk.

#am i wrong #iz #invader zim #iz analysis #most horrible xmas ever #iz santa #lovecraftian horror #let’s be real we all know membrane WOULD fight God himself #scarlet talks about things #merry chrysler

[miniimoose]

I've never seen any proof of the tallest cutting off their thumbs thing, and I'm pretty sure at this point it's just extremely popular fanon. I don't mind either way, I love the idea, it just funny seeing it come up in conversation so many times for SO many years.

#iz #invader zim #iz analysis #the tallest #the almighty tallest #tamt #tallest Purple #tallest red