Thanks. I have to say, I usually hate brain control parasites because I can’t suspend my disbelief (most of the time I find myself shouting “The brain doesn’t work that way” at the page or screen, and drawing weird looks). The Naiven/Vaylen and dual mind thing, however, contains enough interesting stuff and sheer GAH!?! to overcome that.
There are no truly original ideas: meaning ideas that have no precedent anywhere in human creation. It’s all in the execution. In the interesting twist you (the creator), bring to whatever old, hackneyed subject you’re fascinated in. Everything in the IE comes from somewhere else. My quirky imagination (coupled in BE with those of Luke & co.) are what give it its own identity.
Oh yeah, I recognize tons of elements I reject elsewhere. I think for me, a lot of it has to do with humans and Vaylen both having spread a fair amount across the universe before encountering each other that makes the setting interesting and thus the brain controlling parasite easier to swallow. That plus the encoder thing plus the resin, that screams to me adaptation for other purposes that happens to fit with taking over bodies.
Plus, there is a clear implication of panspermia given the universally compatible DNA (which is pretty much par for the course in this sort of sci-fi, but still).