Alternate Universes aren’t really my thing or something I read a lot of, but it is fairly easy to imagine Dib and Zim going through different realities/cycles with each other in kind of a similar fashion of that of the tv show Fringe. Invader Zim is a show with mythical creatures, virtual reality chambers, it has explored other dimensions, and Zim has messed with timelines so really anything is possible. This alternate reality seems to be one were Dib is older and has the power of a ship/space travel while Zim is the child/smeet born later in the timeline to a more brutal irken system that more effectively gets rid of defectives. I could see some incident happening in the original series where Dib got a wish granted or Zim was messing with the timeline and it got messed up because he started fighting with Dib. I am so silly because I personally am imagining Zim trying to harness the power of the paranormal and experimenting with a djinn (genie) in his lab. Dib breaks in because “Hey the paranormal is my thing.” Zim is yelling at him saying “Your head is enormous and I wish you weren’t such a human worm baby.” Dib is yelling back, “My head is not that big! Oh nevermind! You know what, I wish I would grow so the rest of me would match my supposedly large head, then I would be taller than you, and your really the child.” And so we get the Freaky Friday version of Invader Zim in The Discount Smeet. I see them both being pretty bewildered/confused when the timeline self corrects.

Anyway I actually started reading this because I was interested in the topic of super intelligent babies with a hive memories/knowledge base for the off topic subject study of making an Eragon adaption. I often find myself comparing Invader Zim to Eragon because both the baby dragons in Eragon (aka The Inheritance Cycle) and smeets in Invader Zim are gifted with this type of intelligence. In The Inheritance Cycle, baby dragons are born with all the intelligence of their ancestors and become partnered to older humans/elves. Critics of The Inheritance Cycle kind of hate this and they do have a point for a few reasons. First off they hate that the ancestral knowledge makes the dragons instantly wise and supposedly better than others. Secondly the partnerships are suppose to be equal like having a best friend, however critics point out how unequal these partnerships are. This is because the partnerships between the dragon and their person are never on the same maturity level. An example is how Saphira, a dragon partnered to a human teen, goes from being a baby dragon who relays on the teen to being a parental/mentor figure and lecturing the teen. For these reasons I have considered replacing a dragon’s ancestral knowledge with simple instinct in my adaption. However I do like to point out to critics that although The Inheritance cycle does a poor job of using the concept of super intelligent babies with a hive memories/knowledge base it is possible to do it well as Invader Zim did it well. Having hive memories/knowledge base would be like having book smarts. All the knowledge in the world, can’t make someone instantly mature and wise. If you look at Invader Zim, Zim has tons of knowledge and technology at his disposal but it doesn’t make him any more mature.

That said you did a really good job on building on the Invader Zim universe and showing a smart baby. I always found Zim’s activation day and the belief of his parents being robotic arms kind of sad but now I am on a whole other level when I see these irken babies. You did a great job balancing out the intelligence with innocence. You also did a good job in showing the baby’s behaviors/fears; such as how he looks up to Dib as the parental figure he so desperately wants and needs and how the fact that he is smart made the abuse that he suffered all the worse. It is nice that despite his built in intelligence that Zim is still learning and figuring things out. He is a baby, he wants to play with toys and is terrible at hiding. He is smart because of his built in intelligence but he still needs to learn how to use that intelligence. In chapter 2, Zim is shown to be smart and capable of understanding/writing in any language. Even though he is gifted with this type of intelligence he is not perfect and starts off by writing his name in irken before realizing he needs to write it in english for Dib. Then in chapter 6 he starts trying to write down more complexed things but ends up writing the words in the wrong order thus getting “eat you” instead of “you eat.” Another example that he is still learning is when in chapter 9 he tries to say the name Gaz for the first time. Zim’s gifted intelligence is also focused on technology but not necessarily perfect. In chapter 2 he correctly uses the tablet and stylus, but in chapter 10 he makes a mistake destroys Dib’s computer before learning to fix it later on. It is nice to see Zim going from a baby, to a slightly more stubborn child. I am sure Zim will mature more now that Rath as taken him back to irk and he is forced to face a difficult situation. Zim will probably become more teen-like or adult-like as time goes on.

I think sometimes you build on the concepts of Invader Zim with an edge that I don’t think the shows creators ever would have thought of. While it is a humorous show that points out the flaws of society, the creators don’t always use existing concepts/themes in the most effective way. You developed true horrors for the defective babies of irken society that had deeper meaning than just shock value. It was sad that intelligent babies are just products for the military system and those unfit were thrown out as trash and the ones who were rescue were just going to be sold as slaves or for food. It is even worse that the smeets were smart enough to be aware, see the dead and dying babies around them, and understand that they were worthless. It is a devastating cruelty and uses the babies gift of intelligence against them to make the experience so much worse. This has a lot more thought put into it then what the new comics ended up doing in reference to the concept of intelligent smeets. In the canon comics, Zim creates a clone of himself that is quickly killed off seemingly just to show that he is uncaring or for shock value. It is such a brief scene that it didn’t really leave an impact. But now after reading The Discount Smeet it hurts me to see Zim’s intelligent clone baby killed. Too bad that comic can’t be a revealed to be Zim’s bad dream because I don’t think an irken would sleep long enough to dream up something that complex. Since the smeet died off screen, I am going imagine that smeet is fine and is at the base or in irken training just to make myself feel better. Anyway sometimes I feel like the creators neglect some of the better points the invader zim series has. You did a great job of bringing these concepts to the dark extremes for more than just shock value. I do wonder if the cannon comics seem too focused on showing just how evil the characters can be is due to the lack of oversight from Nickelodeon. Sometimes I think that Nickelodeon restricting the creators from making certain creative decisions actually made the show better. This may be an unpopular opinion but I feel without Nickelodeon overruling specific choices the show would have taken a different route. Gaz would be a killer and Keef and Dib would be dead. The fact the creators may have wanted to kill off Dib shows that they couldn’t see the important parallels between Zim and Dib. Losing Dib for shock value would have destroyed an important/ironic relationship between Zim and Dib. Whether the creators actually planned to kill off Dib permanently is uncertain because some sources say it was an interview joke while others say Nickelodeon wouldn’t let them. Regardless for me the canon comics just didn’t fill the void left by the show because without the comical voices, music, and sound effects they come off as a lot duller. That is actually why I started reading fanfics. I enjoy fics because they give some insight into the characters thoughts and mindset in a way that the television series does not and I can enjoy the more adult themes.

Anyway sorry for the run on sentences and rambling. I just really wanted to congratulate you because you did such a good job of expanding on the original show’s concept of super intelligent smeets with a built in knowledge base. I love how you show that baby Zim is really smart but still learning. It is not an easy thing to do right.

Very good chapter. Really want to see what happens to Zim now.

Please more

Your portrayal of the Control Brains was so good. Also, Rath is terrifying but so very interesting. And Zim cuddling up with the blanket and pretending it was Dib. Gah! My heart!

I've just binged this entire story after desperately trying to track it down. I started reading this a couple years ago, and I'm soooo glad I found it again! It's unique and very well written, so please keep up the excellent work!

If this fanfic was a film would it rated PG-13 or rated R?

Hello again! It may have been quite confusing for you to have been reading my comments but with different names. Like have you ever ran into any people who keep doing that type of thing? Just a question. But you know what? I think i'll just stick with the exact same name from now on! ;) And it's so exciting to be replying to you again after so LONG! Because I for one have been dying to know ... did you like Invader Zim Enter the florpus? Cuz I for one did! It had the leprechaun cat, the donkey, that one scorpion, the VAMPIRE BEE! Zim being depressed (which was kinda cute Ha Ha) Professor membrane trying to find world peace (That could probably never work what with all the aliens out and about) Gaz being kind to Dib which is like HUH!? Gaz is NEVER that kind to Dib! In fact she kinda hates him! Sorry for this LARGE comment I'm just an IZ fan, can you blame me? Oh! And I'm sorry this isn't even the right chapter... for me to be commenting on...Please Reply!

Ah! It's good to see this fic on my dash again, I'm excited to read it but a tad nervous about the plot direction. (In a good way, like anticipation.)

Yeaaah Dib's going to come away from this with some serious injury and restricted freedom, especially since he's unlikely to tell the truth. Question is, how bad will they be?

Huh, wonder what's up with Fletcher? Is it sort of like where a program built to serve is understanding that something it's supposed to aid isn't getting that aid? Oof, Rath being so harsh even his robot and another Irken takes notice. Will we ever see this shoveller again? They seem kind of interesting.

Nooooo he's so sad! My knee-jerk reaction is to want to fix it all! But the whole trackable registration/enlistment, injured/restricted Dib, and planetary rotation differences (assuming you go with that), makes rescue any time soon risky and unlikely. :(

Thank you for the new chapter, I eagerly wait for more! :)

Oh baby...

Dawww, so sad! I'm sure this isn't the last time they will see each other, but I'm sure it's going to be a long time.

If Zim is an adult the next time he sees Dib, will he still remember him? I can only hope he does.

Oh my. Things are really getting intense for Zim. I really hope he and Dib are reunited. All in all, another incredible chapter! And I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Hi there,

I won't be logging in in a while because I am honestly tired from work and the world, but I am alive. I am glad to see your updates on your great stories. I hope all is well with you. And damn, poor baby Zim! And I hope Dib is ok.

Happy belated 2020 btw

8D Hey author!
Just a friendly heads up since the last time I've read one of your fics _; I've gotten a lot more "reactionary" in my comments, so it's gonna be a lot of nonsense but I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy reading your stuff!

" Sorry for my absence as of late. Things have got really stressful for me, and I've struggled to write anything. "
Never worry about delays, your mental and physical health is always more important!

" His thoughts were as fast and as chaotic as a runaway train. The top layer of his consciousness, which usually dealt with equations, when he'd last eaten, or if Timothy had used the right concoction, had vanished entirely. He was not seeing what he was seeing. Everything else had paled away, leaving a void of terror and panic. "
I thought this was Dib's pov, but now I'm thinking it's Membrane and I'm realizing that I'm kinda vague on what happened last chapter _; hmm maybe I should go reread that real quick?
Oh boy, forgot how long that chapter was...I uh...do not have time to read both so I just skimmed the last few paragraphs and hopefully that will quell the questions?

"He's in the ICU ward. Top floor. But you're not allowed..." But when she looked up, he had gone.
XD why even give that information? Ya know they're just gonna run off to where "they're not allowed"

TT it's really sweet how worried Membrane is

TT aww Gaz is in the waiting room already

ToT Membrane is so worried about Dib! And he doesn't even know what happened to land his son in ICU! Someone give this man some info!

TT poor baby Zim, kidnapped and so confused
3! He called Dib his father 3
Aww it sounds like he might have a concussion :(

" He looked for his old clothes in desperation. They were a part of his life on Earth! His father had given them to him! "
TT my heart

Is Rath trying to brainwash Zim with the tether on his PAK and telling him Dib is dead? Or is he just being mean and assumes Zim will follow his plan without question?

" Zim stopped, and looked at him. It was as if he was talking from experience. Then he frowned, and continued to pull at the tether. "
Ooo can't wait to find out if that's true!

" Be the loose cannon when you're strong enough, but forever watch your back and trust no one. Not even me."
Well that shouldn't be hard, Zim already hates you Rath lol

" A tear collected in his right eye. He squeezed it shut, and the tear ran down his cheek to his lip. "Want... w-want Dib..."
TT Zim /3

T_T now Zim's really crying and Rath is being an Irken jerken

" Zim shyly looked over his bound claws and saw Fletcher through a screen of tears. In his metallic hand was the little metal block. "
Nice robot!

And now we've arrived on Irk, curious to see how exactly Rath plans on getting Zim integrated into the system...and how Dib will end up rescuing him...love the description of Irk!

Loving this description of the control brains!

" The smallest part that still retained his individuality was suddenly and absolutely drowning beneath another's control. He stood limply like a puppet while his eyes went dark as the lights went out. He didn't know what to fight against, where to even to fight it. It was in him, everywhere. "
TT poor little Zim

" Most had tattoos in the middle of their foreheads. It gave them an added element of danger, and all of a sudden he wanted to be one, so that he could gain respect, gain power, and do what he wanted. Then there would be no stopping him and his mission to find his father. "
Naaw

" Rath rolled his eyes. "Not this bleating again! Dib DIB DIIIB! I do not want to hear that name out of your mouth again!"
I see Rath is living up to his name _

Aw Fletcher's being all sweet again
And there goes Rath, being a jerk.

" The tears came again. He wanted to go home. He needed the arms of his father around him, with Dib telling him it would be okay, that this was all just a dream. "
T_T I want that for you too Zim! I hope it happens soon

I love how Zim both wants to prove himself worthy and escape back to Dib. I'm curious if Zim's interest in becoming an elite is perhaps related to him getting encoded? Or if it's a deeper instinctual need to fit in with his own kind?

" Rath stood in the midst of this shambolic room holding Zim's tiny wrist, and sighed. When he next gazed down at the smeet, he did so with softer eyes. "
Rath...I don't get you...

I just ...am I supposed to hate or pity Rath? I just don't know...he's mean to Zim up till their departure, then he seems to have a soft spot? He seemed to be Dib's friend, then almost killed him, and he's now feeling guilty about it? I want to hate him, but then he shows a soft spot and even Zim doesn't seem to fully hate him? I need more info on this guy XD

" He picked it up and lay down, hugging it to him and pretending – just for a moment – that it was Dib. "
ToT baby!

Loved the update! As always, love your writing and I look forward to reading the next chapter when you get the chance 3 no rush!

My denial scanners are going off at Rath's last statement there

just the fact that he let Dib live is proof enough that some part of him does care

Some of the stuff he said earlier got me thinking. How many previous attempts has he made with the defect hiding chip? One thing I can say is he's obviously pretty smart at keeping his not so legal activities hidden from the empire, and to know he'll get found out one day.

Poor Zimmy, he got no idea how bad Dib's condition is right now

It's gonna be a lot longer than just a little while before Dib will be able to go back out into space

and getting close to Irk without being detected is probably mission impossible

but people can do some pretty amazing things for the ones they care about, so I'm very intrigued to see how things will play out once Dib has recovered.

and I curious as to what shall be said once Dib wakes up. Both Gaz and Membrane clearly have some questions.

Fletcher is a pretty interesting character, and has clearly been with Rath for a while if they can have a full conversation without him saying a word. He also seems to be a lot better with smeets than his master.

super amazing chapter, lots of emotion going around with everyone

I can't wait for the next one :D

*SOB SOB!*

You are breaking my heart here, you know that? YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART!

By the way, if you're looking for a title, I'd recommend either Separation Anxiety or Homecoming Blues.