#Zim would act in the heat of the moment trying to save him

[scifi-ibices]

[[Log File]]: 0081 {undisclosed} //breached.data//

     -Specimen study. Nessiteras Rhombopteryx. Known as “Nessie”. 

        A creature that inhabits the depths of Lake Loch Ness. Attempts to communicate meaningfully have been unsuccessful. Latest attempts resulted in  irreparable damage to equipment. Sounds transmitted on all frequencies has yielded naught. Why would a beast confined to a water-logged cage have use for muffled words? ...Not when she could communicate with her mind. However, none would be so willing to dive into the dark of those chilly waters and into the twisted psyche of an ancient behemoth. What other reason would a solitary creature need telepathy, save for stunning prey?

[zimisnotdefective]

ZIMISNOTDEFECTIVE BLOG CANON - HEADCANONS AND INFORMATION BITS

The Zim on this blog is slightly CANON DIVERGENT, meaning he may not act EXACTLY like the show’s Zim. He’s most likely a different version of the canon Zim, from a different timeline. Though, the differences aren’t huge- mostly in his personality and a bit of backstory. After about a year of having this blog, I’ve finally decided to compile all of my little headcanons and bits of information that I’ve been gathering about my little Zim.

This post is LONG, so I’ll put it under a cut to save your dash. BUT, I’d be super thrilled if you actually read through it, because I’ve put a lot of time and effort into it. I’ll also be putting the contents of this post into an “ABOUT” page on the blog!

SOOOO, here we go!

👽 Zim is 3'6, and HATES it.

👽 Zim will never grow any taller. 

👽 Zim is ambidextrous.

👽 1 year on Earth = 10 years on IRK. Zim is 180 IRKEN years old, making him 18 Earth years.

👽 Zim arrived on Earth when he was 160, and has lived on the planet for 2 years (20 IRKEN years).

👽 Zim’s favorite IRKEN snack is IRKEN LICKING STIKS, IRK’s equivalent of Fun Dip.

👽 Zim went to the Academy alongside Red and Purple, and has known them his whole life. He has always looked up to them, and that simply carried over and strengthened his loyalty towards them.

👽 Zim was shunned by his peers from nearly the moment he was born, making him an outcast and causing him to spend most of his time alone. Because of this, he became socially stunted, and never learned how to properly communicate or express himself normally.

👽 IRKEN don't make their own body heat, thusly, Zim will latch himself onto anything remotely warm. This also gives him trouble in the winter months on Earth, as being outside in the cold can freeze his little body. He usually has to dress up in layers upon layers of clothing.

👽 On the other end, Zim's cooling systems in his PAK are non-functioning, as seen by the many overheats that he experiences. Because of this, he has great trouble in the summer months, and his BODY can overheat quickly. He is very prone to heatstroke, and will avoid staying outside too long on especially hot days

👽 Emotions are considered a 'defect' on IRK, and thusly, Zim was never properly able to learn how to control, manage, or deal with the abundance of things that he felt. This lead to him trying to stifle his emotions and keep them hidden, replacing any unwanted feeling with anger- an acceptable emotion on IRK. Zim responds to things angrily if he doesn't understand how else to react.

👽 As a SMEET, Zim was a HUGE crybaby and would throw tantrums to get what he wanted. Despite this, he was also very trusting and loving, and that got him into a LOT of trouble. He soon learned to hide the fact that he “felt” things like “love”, because, as an IRKEN, he wasn’t supposed to.

👽 Zim is SENSITIVE by IRKEN standards.

👽 Zim's PAK directive is put into hyperdrive by his faulty coding, and he will literally become lost without a mission, or some sort of leaders to look up to. He'd never want to become Tallest, because he would be unable to function without someone giving him orders. In the case that he were to lose his leaders, he would latch onto the closest thing that would give him some kind of guidance. 

👽 Zim would go to great lengths to do whatever his Tallest told him to do, even as far as self-mutilation.

👽 Zim's PAK is corrupt. The device can barely run properly, and is constantly overheating. It is just barely able to supply enough energy to keep the IRKEN going, and any burst of emotion, like anger, can overwork the circuits and cause it to overheat. Not only does Zim require sleep after overexerting himself, his back is covered in mottled, scarred skin from the constant heating of the metal. It's basically scars, over scars, over scars.

👽 Zim is VERY self-conscious about his back, and will keep this hidden at all costs.

👽 Zim's PAK did not begin as corrupt as it is now. When he was a Smeet, it was relatively normal, despite a few coding bugs. It got progressively worse and worse as he aged. Because of this, Zim still believes he can run properly without any rest, like any other IRKEN. This often causes him to crash in the middle of his work, waking up hours later with no recollection of what had happened. Because of this, Zim is often tired.

👽 Zim's PAK did not come with English installed, and he had to rely on GIR's information gathering, as well as his own observation in order to add the language into his translator. Because of this, he has a hard time understanding things that don't directly translate back to IRKEN, like slang and sarcasm.

👽 Because of the programming in Zim's PAK being so corrupt, he sometimes has trouble encoding memories. This is why he will often forget things that clearly just happened, and deny them confidently.

👽 Zim's "I am so great" attitude is a huge facade. The little IRKEN knows very well that he is a defective, and that his own race hates him. He has simply made up this fake confidence for himself, and convinces himself that it's real so that he doesn't have to think about the reality of his situation.

👽 After the events of "The Trial", it became harder for Zim to keep up the ruse, as he was unable to repress the fact that, no matter which way he looked at it, they had tried to KILL him.

👽 Zim only receives snack rations every 6 Earth months, and they are severely cut down, much lower than the usual amount allotted to Invaders. Along with this, he is denied medical shipments like morphine refills for his PAK, or basic first aid. The Tallest have told him that these choices were made to “make him stronger” as an Invader, and to teach him to live in harsh conditions. In reality, they just find entertainment in his suffering.

👽 Zim has no idea how to accept kindness. None has ever been shown to him before in his life. If you told him that you truly cared about him, he would probably think you were either lying, trying to trick him, or both. If you DID manage to get him to believe you, he would most likely become overwhelmed, and cry.

👽 Zim experiences overstimulation very easily.

👽 When working as a chemical weapons Scientist on VORT, Zim was the victim of a cruel act by his fellow researchers, in which they "accidentally" allowed their newest, untested chemical weapon to be dropped into the head of an unsuspecting Zim. The small IRKEN emerged with severely damaged antennae, which affects him to this day, making it difficult for him to hear. This is why he often yells without provocation, or seems to miss things said to him entirely.

👽 IRKEN antennae are used for both smell and hearing, as well as balance. An Irken with a missing or wounded antenna would be horribly off-balance, and would stumble constantly. Those unfortunate enough yo lose or injure both, would be unable to balance enough to stand up for more than a few minutes. Because of this, a punishment for treason against the Empire is the snipping of the antennae- one, or both, depending on the act of treason. A quote from my own Zim when asked “What would happen if you lost your antennae?”; “IF ZIM WERE TO… LOSE BOTH ANTENNAE, I WOULD BE… ESSENTIALLY CRIPPLED. COMPLETELY DEAF, POOR BALANCE CONTROL, POOR SENSE OF DIRECTION, SURROUNDINGS, DEPTH… ZIM WOULD BE CRIPPLED AND USELESS AND WOULD MOST LIKELY BE DEACTIVATED.”

👽 Antennae are also used emotively, and are important in reading expressions, coupled with facial expressions. You can tell a lot about how an IRKEN is feeling from antennae movements. Twitching is usually a sign of nerves or annoyance, whereas more sporadic movements can signal a struggle to hear. Movements like wiggling are used as a salute, or a gesture similar to a human’s clap, like when someone, the Tallest, for example, come out on stage. The most common salute is both straight up, however. Antennae tend to perk up when an IRKEN is excited, and lower in cases of fear or anger.

👽 There are a few antennae gestures that are done between IRKEN that are close to one another, where the tips of both party's antennae will be tapped together in quick succession. One tap is a sort of greeting, a friendly hello to someone you are close to/fond of. Two taps is the IRKEN equivalent of a "kiss". This is obviously very rare, and is only done between those who have an affectionate relationship. Three taps is the IRKEN equivalent of a "Pinky Promise". NONE of these are done in a forma setting, such as among soldiers or Elites.

👽 Zim has never preformed any of these gestures, as he's never known another IRKEN well enough to do so.

👽 Antennae are sensitive to touch, and will be protected viciously from those who try to mess with them. Though, if enough trust is gained, careful touching of the antennae can be pleasing to an IRKEN, and can have a calming affect.

👽 In the rare event of arousal, the antennae will sometimes vibrate in short bursts.

👽 Zim yanks on his antennae when stressed, and, in extreme cases, will chew on the tips until they bleed.

👽 If Zim trusts you enough to be completely comfortable around you, he may close his eyes and chirp and tap his antennae against you affectionately. This is RARE.

👽 IRKEN DOOM- the language spoken on IRK- is punctuated by different bug-like sounds, like chirping, chittering, and clicking. While it is mostly spoken, these sounds can be incorporated in their communication, to emphasize, or rely messages without spoken word.

👽 Zim tends to make some of these noises sound of habit, like chirping or chittering quietly to himself while working, or making clicking sounds when annoyed or frightened.

👽 There's a celebration on IRK called the IRKEN SOLSTICE, where IRK and it's first three conquered planets align, and IRK plunges into darkness for a full day. Higher-ups and Elites have a huge party on the Massive, while those who are below Invader-trainee rank are left on IRK. It's dark, and it's cold.

👽 Zim has never tried any kind of inebriating substance, like alcohol. He's never been to any IRKEN gatherings, as he's never been allowed to join, and thusly has never been exposed to it. Because of this, he doesn't really understand the full implications of such things, and doesn't really grasp the concept.

👽 Because he was never allowed to join in on any kind of gatherings, Zim spent most of his time focusing on the Academy and his training, causing him to become very socially stunted. He doesn't really understand how to interact with other IRKEN properly. Humans are even harder.

👽 Zim knows nothing of human Geography. He does't even know what the town he lives in is called. It's not that he doesn't understand the concept of how it works, but that he just doesn't care what the dirt-people call the different areas of their dirt-planet. When asked to do any kind of mapwork in Skool, Zim simply got his computer to do it for him.

👽 Zim is EXTREMELY touchy about things like his PAK, his failures in science and during Operation Impending Doom 1, and his time on Foodcourtia. Best not to mention these things.

👽 Zim had worked his entire life to try and impress those above him. All he's ever wanted was for someone to tell him that they are proud of him. All he has ever gotten is "You're not good enough, Zim", or "You're an idiot, Zim", etc. He continues to try to impress his Tallest.

👽 He left Foodcourtia, and "quit being banished" because he saw an opportunity to show his Tallest that he COULD be a good Invader, and make them proud of him. Being sent back was especially hard, because he can't impress his Tallest if he can't complete his mission!

👽 Zim is aware of all of the unfair and unjust things happening around him, like the disposal of defectives, and the mistreatment of those who are small, but he's blinded by his programming telling him that the Tallest are the BEST and can do no wrong, that everything is good and fine, and that anything that seems "unfair" or "unjust" is done "for the good of the Empire".

👽 Zim is in a constant struggle against what he knows, HIMSELF, is right, and what his PAK tells him to believe.

👽 Zim is SCARED. He lives on a planet where every way he turns, there is something that wants to hurt him, be it the acid rain that falls from the sky, the food, or the inhabitants that want to capture him and gut him for their own amusement. He's been mistreated and tossed around his entire life, and it's left an impact on him that shows itself in the way of flinching and fleeing and hiding. Zim is afraid that anything and everything is out to hurt him, and that nothing can be trusted. He's constantly jittery and paranoid, and always at the ready to defend himself.

👽 Zim is terrified of ghosts. Basically any kind of horror movie monster, for that matter (except aliens, of course). Don’t watch a horror movie with him. He’ll pretend like it doesn’t bother him, but he’ll be terrified for weeks.

👽 Zim has been badly injured more than once by his SIR unit, GIR, and this is on normal terms. Although these altercations are accidental, Zim knows very well that the only thing stopping GIR from turning on him is faulty AI. He knows that if GIR was fixed, he would try to terminate him, and it haunts him constantly. GIR is all that he has, and the fact that the only reason he's placated is because he is broken is absolutely terrifying.

👽 Zim craves affection. If you can gain his trust enough for him to let you touch him, be warned that he's a snuggler. He will curl up against you and fall asleep. He loves to be held in a lap, and will often climb all over those two will let him. He enjoys sitting on shoulders to feel taller.

👽 That said, gaining Zim's trust is HARD. He trusts no one, and, being constantly afraid that he's going to be hurt, he is always on his guard. Getting him to trust you usually requires that you do not push him into doing things, and take time to understand him at his own pace. Rushing Zim is an easy way to get him worked up and overwhelmed. Zim does things when ZIM wants to do them.

👽 Do NOT touch Zim without permission. The alien is very flinchy and afraid, and this is a good way to lose a few fingers.

👽 Zim thinks with his organic brain, whereas the PAK brain has no thought.

👽 Zim doesn't understand human gestures like handshakes. These kinds of things need to be explained to him. Another reason why he makes a terrible human.

👽 “Posessing a supernatural emotional equilibrium, ZIM will always fall back into a state of paranoia, dread, and the desire to come out on top, whether he emerged victorious or was himself temporarily vanquished.” - Jhonen Vasquez (original pitch bible for Invader Zim)

👽 During the time on this blog, Zim has had an antennae snipped off, but was able to obtain medical attention from Pepper, the Massive's Chief Medical Officer. He now has complete use of the appendage again. Good as new!

If you’ve actually managed to make it this far, send me “Fly away home, little bug...”