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invader-rainbow · 3 years

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The Characterization of the Tallest- Depth in-between the lines

The Characterization of the Tallest: Depth in-between the lines

In recent years, the Tallest have become pretty ignored when it comes to analysis of their characters. Their lack of attention in ETF definitely didn’t help their case when proving themselves to be two individual characters, but if you look back at the IZ series, there is something there that not many seem to see, so I want to talk about it!

Their personalities aren’t outwardly stated in objective ways as Dib and Zim are. While Dib and Zim announce to the audience what they’re all about, the Tallest seem to require closer inspection.

On the surface, they tend to be roped together being as they are nearly identical and share a few common traits (leaders of Irk, hatred of Zim.) But much like Identical twins, those who look alike don’t have the same personality or opinions.

I’m not going to be talking about my personal headcanons here, I’m going to list some objective scenes about the Tallest and what these signify when it comes to distinguishing them as characters.

Firstly, I’d like to bring up something Jhonen asked in The Nightmare Begins that I think is important (It doesn’t get answered because they got busy talking about something else, but I’d probably ask that question again)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHV63pkPJm0

Jhonen said- “So Wally, how did you develop the character of Tallest Red?”

Next to how the writers tackle a character, the voice actor’s performance is just as vital to the characterization.

Both Wally and Kevin gave two completely different performances that give us a gleam into what their characters are-

Red is a performer. He talks loudly, powerfully, and gives announcements as if he were on some sort of stage (which, given that he’s speaking to all of Irk, he is.)

Purple sounds, for the lack of a better word, childish. He’s full of rebuttals! “That’s a stupid name!” “I don’t like it!” He sounds a lot nicer due to the softer side of his performance as opposed to Red’s louder and more forceful performance but the words he says are cruel.

Red is an active character. I’ve said this many times before that the events in The Nightmare Begins are crucial to the rest of the story. His direct actions caused integral parts of the part to occur and therefore he can’t truly be separated from its story either.

Purple in turn has been a reactive character, often taking a backseat and going along with Red’s plans instead of creating them himself. He, however, is the Tallest that remembers the full names and definitions of their technology, how it is used, and what for. (The Nightmare Begins, Walk for your Lives)

Purple has always been shown to be more trigger-happy while Red enjoys waiting things out just to see what will happen. Purple cracks under pressure and is generally unwilling to do hard work while Red knows how to take control of a situation and has more responsibility toward their position. (Backseat Driver’s from Beyond the Stars)

Hell, it even goes down to how Purple is visually seen to be the one mostly snacking while Red is mostly drinking.

The differences might not be super noticeable and are not as polarizing as other characters, but I can’t help but notice them when watching those episodes.

Sometimes people have to think about how the actions or dialogue of a character signify a character’s personality. There’s a lot I’ve been able to take from even just a single scene, but as a writer and actress, I always hyper focus on characters regardless.

Now here’s where headcanons come in- There’s something that could actually cause a distinctive riff between these two, and that’s how Zim is dealt with.

Think about it, what event could possibly make both Tallest have polarizing views against one another? Say the show was allowed to branch away from the status quo, maybe if we saw more of them in ETF,

Given that Zim’s mission to Earth (as well as Gir) was Red’s idea and not Purple’s, and given that Purple is shown more willing to blow people up and get stuff over with fast- Purple could very well blame Red for the consequential issues Zim continues to give them. Who’s to say Red won’t also think it’s his fault, who’s to say Purple wouldn’t decide to do things ‘his’ way.

But that is speculation and character expansion, that is not what is already objectively there. What is objectively there are two Tallest. One is a performer, someone who actively allows plot points to occur, is able to take control of his job even if he can’t always speak eloquently, his boisterous showmanship almost makes up for it. Another is an observer, quick to violence yet freezes when it comes to danger. He’s childish, but he seems to know more than he lets on, instead choosing to live it up in luxury.

They’re both assholes for sure, as is a majority of this wonderfully chaotic cast, but they aren’t static in the slightest!

Also Please check out the Main series Invader Zim, It’s good! I promise you!

#this is some big brain shit!!!#tallest purple #tallest red #the tallest #thoughts

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invader-rainbow · 3 years

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You Say the Whole World's Ending (Honey, It Already Did)

Read it on AO3 Summary: When the Tallest awake from their nightmare in the florpus hole, they find themselves 10 years in the future, where Irkens are fugitives and Irk can no longer help them. With the help of a thief they quite literally stumble across, they hatch a plan to find Zim and destroy him once and for all... If their new friend doesn't throw them both out of the airlock first!

Pairing: The Almighty Tallest/OC

Rating: M for violence and very mild sexual content mentions

First Chapter - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Chapter 3: Partners in Crime

Under the cover of darkness, it's easy to steal what they need.

It reminds Red of his time before leadership, those early moments in a mission when he'd infiltrate enemy territory. It was exhilarating back then. Now, it's annoying. Survival isn't fun, and without any weapons to defend themselves, they have to be careful. They have to go so much slower and it sucks.

They call it quits once they see hints of light in the sky, returning to the ship to hide away with their loot. They discard their armor in favor of what amounts to rags with a shifty hood. The computer in the escape pod wasn’t built to canvas an entire planet like the voot cruisers. Not as fast, anyway, and they wouldn’t have time to make decent disguises before they’re discovered. All they can do is don the rags and leave their belongings behind. Red can admit that Purple isn't the only one complaining about it, but it has to be done.

It's alright, though. It's not as if they can't find something better later, and it won’t be long before they find the loyal subjects that matter. They can get their belongings back, and the traitors from the Massive can rot in the deepest pit they can find.

But for now, they secure their snacks in their newly acquired bags and leave the pod. Not before covering it with branches and leaves, though; Red can't bring himself to leave such advanced technology in the hands of stupid worms, and Purple makes no argument against it.

The trek back to the nearby city is dull. Neither make much conversation, unable to think of anything that hasn’t already been said. The lower lifeforms around them are starting to rouse from the morning sun beginning to shine, and as they enter the city he sees more of them beginning to perform their morning duties.

In other words, dull, boring, unimportant work. For peasants. Nothing like what he and his co-ruler have to do. Exciting, important, sneaky.

... Something they'd be happy to do if only they could find the docks.

"... We're lost," the other irken finally pipes up, nudging Red and almost making him elbow him back. "What now?"

"We're bound to find it eventually," he replies. "Keep your eye out for a map, and I'll see if I can't find the general area where the... Guys are landing."

"... The ships, Red, they’re-" Purple cuts himself off with a groan. “Forget it. You know what, forget the map!”

Red turns to his partner, and he immediately recognizes that glint in his eyes. It’s usually followed by either an awful idea or... No, just a bad idea. Sometimes it leads to chaotic fun, but Red doesn't have a good feeling about this one.

“Why don’t we just get the legs out now and make a break for it?”

There it is.

“Hey!” Purple whacks his arm upon seeing what must be a disapproving look on Red's face, earning a growl from him. “Don’t look at me like it’s bad!”

“I’m looking at you like it is because it is!”

“No it isn’t! Just walking like we are now is worse!”

Red throws his hands up in the air with an exasperated groan. “How? How is it worse?”

“It’s slow!” The flat look Red is giving is ignored as Purple keeps talking. “We don’t know where the port is, and if we take our sweet time trying to find it, we’ll get caught one way or another! If we just climb up a building and look from there we can cut down our time on this garbage planet and leave!”

Any further words, unsavory and otherwise, are shut down by a sight that makes Red’s breath stop.

Coasting just above the buildings, donning a now uncomfortably familiar symbol, is the unmistakable shape of an irken voot cruiser. Beaten and scratched to hell and back, much like the Massive had been after coming out of the florpus hole.

How it’s still functional Red will never know, and while it drives in a completely different direction from them, he can’t take the chance. He looks back at his partner, seeing equally terrified violet hues back at him, and he knows they’re in agreement.

Their PAKs open and reveal the four legs that come out of each, the crowd ignored as they rise up and run, heedless of where they land, or where they run.

That is, until he hears Purple’s yelp behind him. By the time Red is able to turn around to check on him, he’s already been grabbed. Not even their extra limbs can save them as they wobble and stumble until they're tipped over and falling to the ground.

He knows that Purple’s landed on top of him, he can feel the complaints in his squeedlyspooch from the other body on top of him. He doesn’t realize that he’s landed on something himself until he feels the movement in the metal appendages and he hears the cursing.

He waits for Purple to crawl off of him before he sits up, and they both turn their gaze to a smaller being stumbling to his feet. He’s taller than most of their subordinates, if not all of them, but they still have over a foot on him. Red believes him human at first- brown hair cropped short, flesh soft yet marked with occasional scars. But what strikes him is the gold in his eyes as he turns to give the two emperors a harsh glare and a warning growl.

Red doesn’t know much about humans. Zim has told them things, like how even the tall ones are stupid (a shock he’s yet to get over), and he remembers watching that one human child in Zim's base for a while, but... Yeah, he can’t remember much else about them, he never cared enough to. But out of everything he can recall, he’s not once heard anything about a literal glow to the eyes. He can see it even in the morning light, making him look downright eerie.

It’s only when the human turns and runs into the crowd that he breaks from his trance and realizes two things:

First, there’s no reason for a human to be this far away from their dumpy little planet, not when they haven’t even learned space travel!

And secondly, most importantly, they should be running too.

Purple gets the hint once he sees Red get up and the two don’t hesitate to scale the building beside them. They climb higher and higher, scaling onto taller buildings nearby and jumping back and forth between them when needed. They move fast, so it's not long until they're looking out over a sea of buildings and spot ships, non-irken, all arriving and taking off from the same place. All just to the east.

They don’t have long to stay in place, not after the mess they’ve made down below, so once they have their direction they’re off again. Just in case, though, they stick to back alleys, many buildings being too far apart to jump across even with the extra boost their PAK gives them.

Even with that setback, it’s not long before they’ve stopped in a little alley that leads to their destination, and their PAK legs are tucked away before they peer around the corner. It’s crowded with the morning traffic, many people leaving their ships and heading into the city.

All these suckers leaving their ship unattended and ripe for the taking.

“What about that one?” Purple suggests, pointing at the largest ship in the port.

It easily dwarfs all the others, and while Red sees the merits, noting the large boosters that could carry that behemoth anywhere, he shakes his head. “Way too big. We can’t be too noticeable yet.”

“Boo, you’re no fun.”

“Don't start, it probably still has some lowlifes on it anyway. What about...” Red scans the different ships, all the different models, watching for any that could be abandoned long enough for them to reach it, until crimson eyes meet the similar colored paint of one on the end. It looks like it’s seen a few years, it’s not a luxury cruiser by any means, but it’s big enough to hold the two of them and then some. Comfortable enough to work for now. “That one? Way back there?”

He watches his co-ruler squint at it, taking the sight of the ship in question, until he finally sighs. “Alright, but if we find something better we’re ditching it!”

That’s as good as they’re going to get. He dons his hood, waiting for his partner to do the same so they can approach the ship together. As suspected, it would hold them, and maybe a couple others if they ended up taking any of their subjects. But it's not as big as he'd usually like, not as impressive. Not to mention the wear and tear on it makes it look like junk.

But it’ll have to do either way, Red begins to hear a commotion in the distance, and with it getting closer he knows that they don’t have time to dawdle anymore. He makes quick work of the lock and pushes Purple inside, shutting it behind him and running towards the controls. It’s nothing like irken technology, not nearly as advanced, but in the safety of the ship he doesn’t feel the need to worry about time. Not as long as no one knows they're in there until it's time to leave.

“I need some time to figure out how this thing works,” he tells the other, ignoring the miffed look cast his way. “What else do we have on this thing?”

Red frowns at the silence that follows. As he turns back to demand an answer from Purple, the other quickly pulls him away from the controls in alarm. All complaints are ignored as he’s shoved in a closet nearby, his companion joining him and closing the door after.

Red opens his mouth to complain but he finds a hand over it instead, and Purple matches his glare as he hisses, “Shut it! Someone’s coming!”

True to his word the door to the ship opens, and all Red can hear for a moment is laser fire and enraged shouts before it slams shut. The fire becomes muffled, but there’s no mistaking the way the ship begins to jolt every so often, and even the voice only simmers to grumbling.

“Fucking Gadus, fucking giant dipshits, I hope they fucking die in a fire on this shithole planet!”

The engines of the ship ignite, beginning to lift the ship and his hopes of leaving this forsaken planet when a blast hits the back quarters, knocking Red and Purple against the door. If the noise wasn’t enough to rouse suspicion, the door doesn’t hold and they find themselves tumbling out onto the ground.

"What the fuck?!" The voice shouts again, giving Red no choice but to look up and stare into a face warped into a snarl, illuminated by the familiar glow of sharp eyes.

Well, at least he knows who the unluckiest bastards in the universe are now.

#fanfic #fanfiction #invader zim #the almighty tallest #the tallest #tallest red #tallest purple #the tallest/oc #my ocs #original character #ginger writes

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