I liked the conclusion Dib comes to here, and the idea that his drive to save humanity comes from his own helplessness-I kind of wish there was some more resolution about him and Gaz's relationship, but then, I guess there can't be. Anyway, this was a great story, one of my favorites out of all your fics. :-D

You really DO need to write Zim more often. :-D And the store workers, if slightly smarter than the average IZ extra, came out with the right level of apathy and silliness. Dib was also cool, all determined and heroic while at the same time kind of silly. Great work!

Okay, THIS is the kind of Dib-and-Gaz-centric fic I've always been hoping to find! You really took the time to flesh out Gaz's psychology and make her sympathetic; her actions aren't JUSTIFIED, but they are UNDERSTANDABLE, because she's psychologically taking all this rage and anger and somehow transferring it to him. (Which is actually the same thing Dib is forced to do, now that I think of it, transferring his anger at Gaz to Zim.) The part with the car accident was particularly fascinating: on the outside, it SEEMS horrible that Gaz would want to go back and look at that, but if Ms. Membrane HAD turned the car around, it might have actually done Gaz some good.

This reminds me a lot of the show, in some ways: Gaz always seems annoyed when Dib is around, but then, somehow she's always around him even when she doesn't have to be, and I don't think that can all be attributed to him, because in at least one or two instances I can think of (the beginning of "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom, for example) we see her walk up and sit next to him. I was also reminded of "Mopiness of Doom," where she actually seems really disturbed when Dib gives up his normal paranormal activities, despite how much they bug her. The way Dib argues with her in the end also seemed in-character, not too bold or too wimpy for him. So basically, this story seems to make a good deal of canonical sense AND sound like a fairly typical brother-sister relationship, but twisted around to include Gaz's bizarre and over-the-top reactions. I'm definitely faving this.

P.S.: Randomly, I'm also rather pleased you set Dib's birthday in early February, because that's when mine is. :-D

good story

Aw... Gaz has problems. i mean, she wants Dib to be with her, but she has a bad way of showing it. Dib, on the other hand is being very noble by not hitting her back, (I'm sure he could inflict at least a little pain on her if he tried.)

I think i misunderstood, but is Dib getting beat up then taking his anger off on Zim?

That

The last line was perfect. And, yes, there are some wacky things in the classifieds. One read one saying "For Sale: violin, no strings, no bridge, no pegs, perfect condition." Duhh..?

Hey, you labelled the chapters like an Orea cookie!

I despise Oreos. But they do taste pretty good, if you ignore all the lethal chemicals.

You keep Zim in character most of the time. Which is good. Very. YAY.

Well-ll-ll.. I did read the animal-suffering warning, but although I was a tad bit stricken while reading those scenes, at least you didn't glorify it or anything. It wasn't badly written, even if it did make me wince.

Gaz's "ailment" makes sense.. Yay!

Mm, their last name isn't Membrane.

...sleepy.now...

Very nice. :) I love the way you describe their relationship, especially Gaz's tendancy to go overboard. Indeed, she acts in accordance to what she feels, but her reasons are somewhat misguided. It's funny how two children can have different attitudes even though they came from the same household.

Loved it til the end. :)

Ooh, another hit from Dibsthe1! I like this a lot, especially the first chapter's dip into the mind of Gaz. You know, the way that she blames her own thoughts on her mother's death makes me wonder if she isn't a bit Obessive-Compulsive, with her compulsion being to beat up her brother.

Yes, I know, pretty far-fetched, but the way that she does it in order to stave off her 'bad thought' of wanting Dib to die fits in very well with the OCD thought process. It's a wierd concept though, that she might feel like she HAS TO beat him up... huh. And Dib in canon has apparently self-diagnosed as being Obessive-Compulsive, so it isn't entirely unlikely.

I also love Zim here. He's funny. Almighty Richest : ).

-S

Your Invader Zim fanfics are just great!

The social double standard emphasized in Gaz's treatment of Dib is rather interesting. Too bad the boys in my junior high didn't get that "don't hit girls" memo; at least I stand a better chance against a few boys than he does against Gaz...school officials are just as unresponsive as the bystanders to that situation in this fiction...yep, and justice is a lie, because this is America, the home of the free. You really take us through the logical stream of thoughts running through Dib's mind and conveyitwell.Bye.

I'm gonna make this review as long as possible; I figure I owe you that much.

For Ch. 1 I'd like to add that it was nice to see Dib stand up to Gaz, even if it was only verbally (of course, Gaz would probably have Dib sent to a juvenile deliquent center if he physically hurt her).

Shouldn't it be a box of meat if it's Valentine's Day? ;) The scene where Dib was looking at the manager's photos and comparing them to his own life was nice.

The way you write Zim is so IC and funny; I love it. But I kind of wonder why Zim waited around for Dib. Maybe he wanted closure or something.

Have you considered developing a friendship between them in the future? Because if Dib has enough insight to realize that he defends others because he is forbidden to defend himself, perhaps he would also realize that Zim, despite being the self-proclaimed "DOOMER of Earth," treats him better than his own "family" does. I know you would handle it well if you decide to do it.

As for the reasons why Gaz is so violent...Do you think it could be the video games? You might scoff, but I'm totally serious. They really do desensitize people to violence and suffering, and make people think violent thoughts. I even experienced it first hand on a small level. I often dreamt of being in combat and killing people with guns and knives, but when I stopped playing the games regularly, the dreams stopped.

Mind you, videogames aren't *solely* to blame for Gaz's behavior, but they certainly aren't helping!

I've been meaning to review your stories for a while, so I just wanted to make some general comments about your writing. You do a great job keeping everyone in character and making them interesting, even Zim, who I gather you don't particular care for/about. That's the mark of a talented writer, and I appreciate that.

You obviously identify with Dib, and he is extremely interesting here, as always. I love your exploration of his relationship with his family, in general. You cover ground that not many people cover.

Your characterization of Gaz...seems to be a subject of a lot of talk. :) On the one hand, I actually do like all of the IZ characters very much, so despite the fact that she does despicable things, I can hold out hope for Gaz. On the other, it's very refreshing to see someone who didn't just automatically assume that Gaz really has a heart of gold lurking under that cold exterior, because frankly, in the show, I think she IS just a bitch. Now, I see the characters in the cartoon as being more shallow than they're often portrayed, so I think she's hateful and mean for the sake of comedy. But if transfered into a more serious story...

I'm interested to see where you'll take her from here, though. I also like seeing her fleshed out. In any rate, ironically, you've been doing the most interesting work with Gaz I've seen in quite a while. :) Maybe a bit of character hatred can be a good thing.