#iz analysis

[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

[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

[short-and-ugly]

Really normal length Skoodge analysis

Gonna just start with the simple things. Things you can get from watching one time alone. Maybe. Probably not I don't think you people think about him enough to gather any of this. No. I'm sorry I love you all. I'm just a specific level of detached from average not-Skoodge viewers and don't know what all is expected. It's that one meme "Even when compensating, experts in any field will overestimate the average person's knowledge."

It's rough. Let's get into it.

Speech is probably an easy one! Yeah? Yeah.

A lot of the things he says are very literal... there's a lot of tacting things that are currently happening. A lot of stating the obvious.

Admittedly... this is probably a byproduct of him not being a "main character." His dialogue is a lot less important than that of characters like Zim and Dib. But it's still worth talking about! I'd like to think it's genuinely just his personality to be obvious and talk about things as if people aren't already aware of them. Maybe even have him be a bit tone-deaf. That's more headcanon territory though! So let's walk on past that before I confuse myself and all of you.

DOUBLE NEGATIVES...!

... only happen once. In the background. While he's being talked over by a bunch of teammates.

("Yeah; really that's actually good and more logical cause I don't really wanna make a chain or nothing like that.")

His speech is a lot more casual and, in transcripts for unfinished episode(s)(?) almost innocent!

frothing at the mouth at this one actually i dont like it. not good. this is just exposition. he would not fucking say that (probably wrong) (this was written by the shows writers) (it still makes me angry)

This one I just wanted to add because it's silly. Look at how silly he is. He's just a fun loving guy. Why does his mind go to dancing straight away? We'll never know... the inner machinations of his mind are an enigma.

Skoodge reads as... more impulsive than anything (and maybe a little anxiety-riddled but that might also just be me projecting). He doesn't strike me as a critical thinker who really tries to like... weigh the consequences of his actions. He just does shit and when it doesn't work out he does more. I imagine that's what most irkens are like, actually, now that I think about it...

His gut instinct must be controlling him because if it isn't then I honestly can't find any good explanation as to how he's survived for so long.

Which perfectly segways me into something a little more analyzing-like:

Skoodge is a cockroach.

He got shot out of a cannon and still comes back to the Empire. He... really does seem to believe that being here will help him out somehow. As if it hasn't already been proven that nothing he will do will satisfy the society he hails from.

Desperation can make you do desperate things; and Skoodge's entire character just reeks of desperation.

From apparently being considered to eat his own skin (before being deemed too much by the network) [no screenshot available because I don't even know how I'd begin to look for it] to the more canonical screaming-like-a-baby whenever something happens to him, it kinda makes you wonder how the hell he even got to where he is in the first place.

Now, this is more speculation than actual evidence, but I think it's a fair enough bet to say that Skoodge earned his title as an invader. He has no height to propel him forward in society, so whatever he did would've had to've involved sheer tenacity and an inclination for survival.

He is almost definitely, genuinely, afraid of death. And because of that, he just... doesn't die.

I know at an objective view, he doesn't die because it's funnier that way, and helps with jokes and gags, but like... c'mon. This is a deep analysis post. I'm allowed to get a little indulgent with it.

Treading into more theorization-territory here.

Irkens are raging Xenophobes.

And Zim fits this bill perfectly! He's slotted himself into this mindset without any issue, making up... unique slurs for humans and other things he comes by. Because he tries too hard to be a perfect irken. Maybe. That's a topic for someone that's insane about Zim, not me. This is about my guy.

If Zim is the perfect representation of an irken soldier (on a purely superficial level), then Skoodge is an outlier. Not in that he's good at his job; he's supposed to be! No, rather, his differences lie in his temperance. His composure, whatever you call it. He is far too complacent and even possibly a bit meek, if you wanna go ahead and call him that.

You see that? That right there is respect for a... honestly almost certainly, by irken standards, inferior species.

Now, this could either mean one of three things.

Either A) Skoodge is not space racist (best case scenario)

or B) Skoodge lacks self-confidence; not seeing himself as superior, and thus being compliant and respectful to the obvious figure of authority in front of him.

or C) Skoodge does not have respect for his Empire (very unlikely, seeing as the only reason he's still here is because he's trying to gain a promotion from said Empire)

Shooting down option A immediately with this dialogue here (Battle Of The Planets)

Sorry folks... he is very much so still space racist.

As for option B...

I'm going to be completely honest here. I think I've been interpreting this wrong in my series. I have a whole lot of complex reasons explaining why Skoodge doesn't have much confidence, but honestly, he reads as more... chill. And down-to-earth, than he does as self-loathing.

There is possibly evidence of him having a more quiet and subdued personality, instead of just him not being a xenophobe; and it comes from the very first episode!

Crying in front of the tallest at the Assigning. Admittedly, Larb cried too; but he at least had enough push in him to say something.

Skoodge doesn't. He's even disheartened by the Tallest's initial jeering of him! Which admittedly, might not be the best example of low self-esteem, because those are the literal Leaders of his fucking Empire... but it is definitely a shift from him being the proud, confident, short-and-ugly invader that he's shown to be in Battle Of The Planets. Invading Blorch must've really (rightfully) inflated his ego.

Which he normally lacks.

He lacks ego, but that doesn't mean he lacks confidence. He knows that he's good at things in spite of his flaws, and takes pride in it! Even though that pride ends up shooting him in his own foot. Sad.

And why is it that he lacks ego? Every other irken thus far (sans maybe Sizz-lorr) has demonstrated just how... important. It is for them to have one. How almost ingrained into their nature their egos are. Why does Skoodge not go on to boast about his glory when any other irken in his situation would? Again, it's going to be another one of those things that I just can't be too sure about, but I'm going to hazard to say that it's because he's so physically flawed. Short and ugly. (Probably the reason why his uniform is stained. Why put forth the effort to make your uniform look good if it's impossible for the rest of you?)

There is. Almost no doubt in my mind, that he's had to fight tooth and nail to get to where he is, claw his way to the top. And if he's done that, he knows the struggle of being lower? He knows because no matter how high he gets, he'll still always be that "lower"? augh. what the fuck.

Skoodge has been humbled by this because he's been reminded of it at almost every point in his life. He doesn't boast to inferiors because he knows that there is nothing to boast, that he is technically one of those inferiors. Because even despite his successes, someone will always go on to point out his flaws.

Which really brings attention to Battle Of The Planets, to the Tallest pointing out his flaws. He just had his greatest success. Purple gave him one flaw, he gave another. And he gave it proudly.

... SECRET FOURTH OPTION D YEAHHHH BABY!!!!

FAWN RESPONSE.

With his inclination towards survival it would make sense to reason that he's only polite in front of potentially-threatening company because it means that he's less likely to get pummeled for being. Anything else.

Being polite is just as credible a survival technique as anything else! We just don't get to see any other irkens using it.

Skoodge is. Competent. He conquered his planet first!

He's a good invader. And that's probably because he knows when to run.

He's very vocal about it, if he knows (or thinks) that there's someone around to assist him. Silent with his impending doom (ha) at the Assigning, but very very loud when being chased down in the canyon by the hogulus in Hobo 13.

Now, I don't know about you, but irkens don't really strike me as the kind of species to back down from anything. To me, they read as more of a "do it or die" kinda group. Again, this whole trait kiiiinda almost begging to be pegged as outlier. The only thing that makes me on the fence about this one is, again, the fact that it's a cartoon and Skoodge's fear might be for the sake of gags.

That doesn't really explain this though. He has literally no reason to be scared here. In this specific scenario (Day Of Da Spookies! unfinished episode) he's disguised as a human. Every person there is none the wiser to him and his alien nature. He's just... like this...? All the time? Apparently? Maybe?

Or maybe! There's other things at play here!

Skoodge is competent...

... but.

A friend put it into better words than I could:

His brain turns to mush whenever he's around Zim.

(Honestly, the volunteer line might actually add on to his possible lack of self-respect? Hard to say if it's that, or if he's just that desperate to give respect at the sign of any spare bit of authority, even if that authority comes from an irken shorter than him.)

It makes me wonder if most of what we've seen of him is just Zim's influence on him. Scared at the Assigning? He didn't know Zim was there, so that had to have been genuine. Saluting to an inferior species? He had to have known that Zim was there, because Zim introduced himself first (and very loudly at that), but I think it was also genuine because Zim wasn't directly influencing him?

Screaming because of the hogulus and running like a child from some humans? Those are almost definitely Zim's doing. I just. Don't know How.

Screaming is a weakness, I think; at least it should be (in the eyes of irkens), and when Skoodge does it he does it because he seems convinced that Zim will help him. And yet Zim never does! Skoodge has no reason to believe this!

But still, believe he does.

They had to have been... kind of close? At one point in their lives.

Potentially. I don't know how close a person can get to Zim, but Skoodge has just barely managed to do it, by virtue of the fact that he is quite possibly the only living thing in the universe that can tolerate being around Zim for more than five seconds.

And his cockroach-itude. That definitely helps. You can't be killed by Zim's passive destructive radius if you genuinely just can't fucking die at all.

But that explains nothing of his weird eagerness to do things for Zim. It borders on obsessive. It might actually be obsessive, since he's apparently been living in Zim's vents ever since the events of Hobo 13. Without telling him.

Skoodge is fucking deranged. Skoodge doesn't even register as a blip on Zim's radar of people-to-acknowledge, but he will still always just do things for him, and be excited to, too!

I don't know what's wrong with him. The less easy and definitely one too many steps detached from canon explanation would be that he views Zim as the ideal irken and strives to be like him. The easiest explanation would be that he just really likes Zim.

Gosh. Even that still raises the question of how or why he would. Zim is fucking terrible to not just him, but everyone. He is unbiased in whose life he ruins.

And Skoodge is perfectly content with just letting Zim ruin his.

man. i hate him. i really really do.

#gerry stop ranting and raving you look like a lunatic #izrot #iz analysis #skoodge rant #i think that was the tag for that #i hope i didnt miss any points but i honestly probably did so i might end up going back and editing this

[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

[satirn]

i dont think any of u understand the true power that a more masculine-leaning zim and a femme-leaning dib holds. think about it. think about it.

the drama, the glamour, the dynamic, it all worjs out perfectly when its laid out like this. domt get me wrong i love a good femme zim but sweet baby jesus does he look good with 80s glam rock broad-shouldered jackets and a general greaser fratboy swagger.

dib with a more feminine silhouette; softer, rounder, we all love a circle boy. i mean look at the comics, squishy nano tape bubble man boy. being femme connects him with womanhood which cinnects him to motherhood which connects him to thr typical representation of earth as a whole. earth is a woman, and she is our mother.

i think making dib give mother, in other words, is a nice like. motif thingy yk i think it would be cool.

i think dibs seconddary color ehould be a kind of brilliant vermillion red. fuck you etf got that right. the color of human blood, of our life, the most jarring difference between other aliens and us humans [seeing that zim is regarded as having non-red blood quite often i see, personally i think ur all wrong and its actually blue but whatever amiright /j]

zim and dib should defect from these typicals by playing into the typicals in a way thay could only be them. they are the center of their own universe they founded. they complete each other, take on where the other leaves barren. they stay balenced that way. red is the opposite of blue, the way black is the opisite of white. differing colors that start where the others stop. they create grey, they create violet. black is the color of my true loves hair, white is the color of the holy lord's throne.

#it js 1 am good night everybody #invader zim #dib membrane #iz #zadr #iz dib #iz zim #iz analysis #(?). i think??? #not art

[nichiperi]

Ya know, I've been seeing a lot of stuff for the hc of Zim and Dib as found family lately, and something about it was actually bugging me a bit. Like, I really like zade, zadf, and zadr, and I just couldn't understand why I couldn't really get behind zads.

And then I realized it's ENTIRELY because of Professor Membrane.

I do not like the idea of Zim being absorbed into the Membrane family dynamic, because in the show (the IZ source I'm most familiar with) Professor Membrane is a really shitty parent, and there is nothing satisfying to me about Zim just hanging out at that house with Dib and Gaz, adding another sibling to an already fairly miserable household situation. Sure, they can support each other. But what is the point of keeping them stifled in that environment if Membrane is not present and being a parent?

BUT, consider the alternative: Dib and Gaz saying 'fuck this shit I'm out', and spending more time with Zim at his base. Eventually they just go off on space adventures or something because why not? Found family in space! No shitty dad! Maybe if you reeeeally want a parental figure, you could throw in a dash of the dad-nar hc in there for some extra spice. And THEN you could have Zim deal with his feelings about HIS 'parental' figures. If Lard Nar starts being a real dad to this group of ragamuffins, how does that reframe the way Zim feels about the Tallest? How does Dib feel about the fact that an alien could (most likely) be a better dad than his own father? How do the two of them react to getting positive attention they've never received from a parental figure before?

And when I started thinking of it that way, I saw the potential. I still don't think it's my favorite. I think I definitely enjoy more room for flexibility and ambiguity with Zim and Dib, and making them view each other as siblings almost boxes them into that role a bit. But I can see the potential for a really interesting story there!

Provided Membrane is out of the picture.

#i totally get that there are people who are more familiar with etf membrane and more power to 'em! #but that is a TOTALLY different guy. the guy i saw on tv as a kid let his son get put in a mental institution. presumably forever. #he was barely home. he had 'family night' one night out of the whole year. #he barely ever listened to his kids or took their concerns seriously. #i find it more satisfying when dib is able to free himself from the need for his dad's approval #and i think it would be more satisfying to see zim find a parental figure that actually gives him positive attention #i dunno. that's just me! #and honestly you probably could still write an interesting story about zim dib and gaz living in the membrane household #just trying to get through a shitty living situation together #there is potential... but my problem is when the prof is just 'suddenly a good dad!!!' #like. no. you gotta earn your 'good dad' badge and the prof has zero points in his favor. #but again! that's just how i see it and i'm very show-biased. #invader zim #iz analysis #long post

[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

[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

[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

[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

[surfinthehighway]

The master is not utilizing me properly! I will show my "Master" how information collecting is done!

Noticing how GIR’s motivations in GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff and ZIM’s motivations in ETF are so similar.

GIR (when he’s competent) knows that ZIM doesn’t understand his potential and sets out to prove himself to ZIM.

When ZIM learns the Tallest don’t see his potential and don’t care about Earth, he sets out to make them care and prove himself (ETF is also really similar in motivation to Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars too).

Conclusion: ZIM is to GIR what the Tallest are to ZIM. There are a lot of little parallels highlighted in GIR Goes Crazy like ZIM giving GIR “fake” or meaningless tasks like watching TV to keep him out of the way the mirroring how the Tallest give ZIM his fake Earth mission.

#have something to add in reblogs about their respective dispositions but yeah #I really do believe that ZIM treats GIR better than the Tallest treat him tho because he really does warm up to GIR and lets him help a lot #I think him giving GIR stuff to shut him up is something the tallest might have modeled tho LOL #ZIM and GIR are my two favorites and a great team so pls don’t think I dislike their dynamic I just am enamored by ‘duty mode GIR’ and what #he is like when he’s more fully present in the world #IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR ABSOLUTELY PLEASE ADD ON IM DYING TO TALK ABOUT ZIM #invader Zim #analysis #iz