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alien-stage-confessions

I wish more people understood that what a character does is a narrative vehicle used to portray a situation or further a plot. Rather than assigning moral value to fictional individuals from their actions, I believe thinking critically about how and why Vivimeng chose to depict those characters doing those things is a much more valuable skill to have.

E.g how does Vivimeng present violence differently between the different couples, and what does this suggest about Korean society and gender roles? Is it an attempt at subversion, a lampshade, playing it straight (well not quite straight lol), is it feeding into differing perceptions? - Instead of thinking about the characters as people and judging them based on that, e.g 'Luka fans must be terrible people because the character did something terrible'.

I also think the fandom has an issue with the words fetishising, normalising, and romanticising, because of this inability to distinguish personal discomfort from morality. [However I do not believe this is a result in 'declining media literacy' because that implies that people in the past had more etiquette (not true, see Voltron for details), and may propagate the neoconservative concept of moral decay, which I do not personally agree with as it's often used to justify authoritarian rules on groups of people. We've always had a small but loud part of the fanbase we won't like.]

Ivantill fans do not fetishise gay relationships - a lot are queer themselves or using queer media to figure themselves out if they're questioning, and even if they aren't, there is nothing wrong with a non-queer person enjoying the dynamic. It might be annoying, sure, but rather than exploring what exactly makes them uncomfortable, the fans say 'problematic' and leave it there. It's especially irritating as a queer person who has been sexually assaulted; it's upsetting to hear that as I must be predatory/misogynistic towards women that have been sexually assaulted to enjoy what for me what was an interesting narrative depiction of the cruelty of self-sacrifice, which used a forced kiss as a metaphor for that.

Equally, Mizisua fans are not romanticising sexual assualt in Zombie Stage if they enjoy the complex emotional situation of Mizi and Sua and the all-consuming desperation of their relationship, and it's impossible to say these fans are normalising sexual assault in real life. "If Sua were a man... if Ivan were a woman..." feels awfully distinctive of someone who has not gone out and explored the other side of the conversation in depth. Trust, the debate is already there and roaring.

I can understand the attempt at reasoning things, but people don't back it up with evidence and instead rely on moral shame to convey what could be a very interesting point about sexual assault depictions in media or whatever! I may not agree with you but if you're going to throw shade do it right!

Expanding more on Ivantill, I also think it's a sweeping generalisation to claim that it's one-sided, forced, or that Till shared no interest and no toxicity. Vivimeng in my opinion (feel free to disagree ofc! this is the joy: open up discussions without immediately shutting an opinion down, find the merits, find the points of contention. healthy debate fostering) have done an excellent job as portraying Till as emblematic of maladaption. In trying to make a subersive, safe space for himself in the face of an abusive owner, he ultimately supports the system he was raised in. Just as 'toxic' as the others.

Disrupting the R2 song like he did resulted in the imminent death of Acorn, another human being that had his future instantly ripped from him (in an arguably more condemning way than Luka, by not allowing Acorn to even sing) and killed Freddie, the alien in a class beneath even humans, which reinforces the violently enforced hierarchy and competition of segyein society, due to disregarding others's autonomy. Vivimeng depicts him in R3 as turning away from freedom with Ivan, which alongside showing a selfless side (perhaps wanting to bring others with him) could represent the repercussions of denying oneself happiness if it is not achieved perfectly, thus reflecting as a mirroring lack of freedom in the people affected by this decision (those that care about them, such as Ivan).

Like idk there's a lot to discuss, but equally alongside condemnation, saying ohhh X character did nothing wrong is 1) ignoring how their character is presented and 2) treating them.like an actual person.

Maybe instead for a starting point, focus more on the decision to make Hyuna pale in merchandise - because that's something I find interesting about the cultural view in Korea of a darker skinned woman like her. The lack of her melanin is a very real (maybe not plot but marketing-wise for the companies selling the Hyunas) choice ripe for exploration! I personally find it uncomfortable because I see how much it reflects traditionally classist and colourist beauty standards associated with and enforced by (as I am seeing this through a western lens) Western nobility. I'm going to do more research and read some more arguments about this from people from South Korea and other countries outside of my small range so I can formulate more of an argument :3

That's about it, sorry for yapping so much. Couldn't cover everything and I'm almost certain I've made mistakes, but that's my attempt to vent! 😅

#alnst #zomst #ivantill #mizisua

mugmegan

Here's an analysis of the Angel&Devil cafe collab merch of alien stage because these designs are way too detailed and symbolic wow I will never be able to look at anime merch collabs the same way ever again

A lot of what I am gonna say has already been discussed in detail online, I just want to gather all my thoughts.

So this is a cafe collab with an angel and devil theme and the chacters are dressed as such. They are either a devil or angel and they each serve a dish of their own.

Before I get into each character I want to establish my own take on why one character is an angel or devil. Obviously at first glance, the devils are the ones who stayed alive and the angels are the ones who died but it isnt that simple I would say.

The general despair each angel exudes and their tortured expressions next to the holy and almost smug angels tell the real reason: the angels liberated themselves from their sins by dying, while the devils carry their sins by staying alive or even representing the sin of having stayed alive itself while their loved ones are dead. I am reaching this conclusion because the trend with the dead trio is that they all died by their own choice and saw their deaths as a type of escape from reality. They escaped suffering while their alive partners had to suffer the consequences. You can see this reflected in each design. It is ironic tbh.

Starting with mizi and sua:

Mizi's dish has to be my favorite out of all of them by the story it tells so simply, titled "A candle that will never go out". The title could be for Mizi herself, or her and sua's love because Mizi doesnt let go. While the actual dish isn't just one candle. It is made up of one long unburnt candle and one short and burnt one, representing Sua and Mizi both. I think Sua is the long candle. She was snuffed out early, and didnt have to melt or in other words, feel the pain of living on. Her image remains standing tall, while Mizi(or her candle) had to keep on burning and suffering without Sua.

Sua's dish, "The most precious heart", is a clean and neat looking cartoonish heart. Her dish is in direct contrast to Till's (will get into later) which is a gruesome looking real heart.

(these designs are just cool as hell in general but another cool thing to note is how they are all meant to be analyzed together in comparison and contrast)

Her dish being presented this clean and simplified definitely means something because this is how Sua presented her death to Mizi. She tried to soften it as much as possible: giving Mizi extra lines in my clematis like it is nothing, preparing for their round as if they will just have fun with it, smiling reassuringly at Mizi just before she is shot...

Sua did everything she could to minimize Mizi's pain and this heart is the perfect symbol for that. Mizi and Sua were always aware of what awaited them, tried to make the best of the time they had together and for that it can be said that Sua died without regrets (at least not as much as the other angels here) because Sua's angel design is the most unharmed looking and simple one. You will notice that the other angels are wrapped in bandages in many places, their hair ruffled, unruly but Sua's dead image remains untouched and pure. In reality, Sua ended up causing Mizi lots of pain anyway of course, but that is the point. The irony and hypocrisy. Sua remains pure because she escaped from all the pain she wouldve suffered otherwise by making Mizi shoulder it. Mizi is the most tortured looking devil out of all of them by a long shot.

Moving to Till and Ivan:

Like I said, Till's dish is in direct contrast to Sua's, which fits. If a character just as unruly, outspoken and raw as Till were to serve their feelings to someone, they would be presenting their still beating bleeding heart on a platter like this. His dish is very imperfect, like him. He is presenting every ugly and nasty part of himself, finally not lying anymore. I cant really glean much from the title "The concentration of the heart". I guess the word "concentration" is for how loaded his feelings are? Anyway,

I like the little story Till's clothes + the dish tell here. The sweater he is wearing is cut up at the bottom like the underside of a ribcage and he is wearing little glove thingies(?) on his fingers. Which brings a scene like Till reaching into his ribcage, dipping the tip of his fingers in black blood and pulling out his heart to mind. (also, interestingly, Till has been depicted in a lot of official art with ribcage resembling clothes so this is just another one)

The black blood is significant, because it is covering his heart which referances the Karma scene with crystal hearts and black blood. Ivan's heart had exploded on Till and coated Till (as well as his heart) in black blood. The black blood could have many meanings, but I would say an obvious one here is the pain one's heart carries so this means Till's heart is stained with Ivan's pain now. Many post Karma content with Till depicts this theme already.

One other thing to note about Till's design is that he does not have any shakles on him while the other two devils both have them. We know that Mizi refuses to move on, and Hyuna literally chose die so she would haunt Luka in the first place so it isnt a reach to say that the shackles represent their grief for their partners chaining them down. So it is interesting that Till doesnt have any shackles.

This is explained by his post Karma comics, he is the only alive one out of all of them who has managed to heal and is doing okay somewhat. Why though? Why did he heal and not Mizi or Luka? Didnt Ivan cause the same harm? It is hard to give a reason, but here's my short attempt... Ivan was just very vague in general. He was never as upfront about his feelings and intentions with his death as Sua and Hyuna were. It was a contradiction in itself. Showing affection with kissing and violance with choking. It was as two sided and undecided as Ivan always was. Which, in the end, left Till to decide what he wanted to get from his death. Till could grapple with it however he liked. First going with the hatred in Scars, then the love in Remember Everything. He is free.

Onto Ivan himself and his dish, "a worm in the apple". This is probably the most straight forward one. The apple is the fruit of knowledge. Ivan is giving away the nature of his feelings, with a discreet finger on his lips, it is a secret. The apple has a worm in it, however. A parasite. When the person he is serving his dish to eats it, the parasite will transfer and live inside them. Clearly referensing his sub song Paratise. Ivan revealed all his cards in his death, and he had a selfish reason alongside it. He had said to Sua that he would never cause the same harm she would cause to Mizi. But deep inside he wanted to. To be grieved and to be remembered. That is what the parasite is for. In the end, riffing off everything I just said about Till, both of Ivan's wishes were granted in a way. Till grieved him but he also healed from it, Ivan's death not causing as much harm anymore.

Finally, Luka and Hyuna:

Luka's dish is "Eternal waiting", for he will spend the rest of his life waiting to understand Hyuna's words. And it simply reeks of betrayal.

Two wine glasses, but I like to imagine it is not wine inside. Rather, it is Hyunwoo's blood he is offering to Hyuna for them to drink together. Because their love is built on his grave. Luka and Hyuna's relationship will forever be shadowed by the guilt of Hyunwoo's death. Toasting with his blood over it is just the right amount of mocking Luka would obliviously indulge in. The swords in the glasses can also be interpreted as a symbol of betrayal as well from what I read.

(Before analyzing Hyuna, HOLY SHIT, she has the most gorgeous design out of all of them. She simply looks divine. All these designs are just some of the prettiest we ever got from all the merch and Hyuna is definitely the winner here.)

She has an eye like gem on her chest, which Ivan also has in other parts of his clothes. Only Sua doesnt have an eye motif. I dont understand this one much honestly, all I can say is that it may represent perception. That Hyuna and Ivan didnt choose to be ignorant, while Sua did.

The most interesting thing about Hyuna's design here is that she doesnt seem to have a dish. But she does! We know that she does have one from the cards. She is hiding it behind her back, doing a gesture with her other hand and smiling as if saying teasingly "there is nothing here". She wont give her dish to Luka, pretending she doesnt care about him. Her dish, "veil covered cheese souffle" says otherwise though. She is so smittien that she would wear a wedding veil. But she will never let Luka have her. She cant forgive herself...

There is more other people have posted about. Like the belts on devils and their placements or the number of wings on the angels giving away what kind of angel they are but I am not very sure on those topics so this is all I have to say. The main message I got from all this is "holy fuck character desing can be amazing"

#alnst #ivantill #mizisua #hyuluka

anscathmarcach

All this discourse over who does "painting with light"

Hiroshi Nagai's paintings need sunglasses to look at.

They look like how it feels to walk across a parking lot on a 98° summer day without a speck of shade in sight.

They look like heaven but also like you'd burn your bare feet on the ground.

Even when you can see shade you know it's not enough and the minute you step out you'll be burnt to a crisp like a vampire.

And it's BEAUTIFUL

dbarenzu626

I'll throw in the wonderful Eizin Suzuki into this ring too, a man whose work just breathes light without actually using dynamic lighting in the usual way. It's no surprise both Nagai and Suzuki are both considered prolific in art pertaining to the city pop genre because they're able to paint these kinds of scenes with a delicate touch.

This feels like I could trip on that radio and fall right into that water, feeling the crystal waves as I drop in.

And this, a nice stroll down a resort strip, where my sunscreened skin could literally feel cooked if I leaned too close to the tiling.

And then a nice stretch of summer street, wherein you could see your face in the flushed red of that car provided it didn't blind you from its sunny reflections.

I don't think I even need to say anything more, Suzuki's a massive influence in how he even places colours so warmly in such unorthodox manner. It's a naturally sunkissed talent~ 🌊

bonivers

going on a guilt trip do yall want anything

secondbeatsongs

if you really cared about me you wouldn't have to ask

adelidae

getting up from bed tips

getting up from bed cheats

getting up from bed codes

getting up from bed ending explained

happyheidi

🦔

This is Charles. He wants to go on a journey around tumblr. could you show him around?

ice-breadd

Fragile loneliness

#ivantill #alnst #rat queue

hamsternamedmarinette

Ostania's normalest family

The next day, at a hastily thrown together birthday party at the Forger residence:

#sxf

fonziqor

speak up

#ivantill #rat queue #alnst

friefriefrie

I never knew lasso art could be so fun. Here's the blinkos (mix and match ver.)(<-meaning I don't really know what i was refrencing bc there were no refrence).

Speedpaint below (95%)(I finally flipped the canvas after that and made small changes)