Who Is Ivan?
- 01 Early Life
I'm glad you asked! Ivan is a character from the Korean webseries Alien Stage. Ivan's entire being is defined by facades, loss, and the belief that humans can be inherently unworthy of love. Ivan's early life was one of survivalism, base instincts, and brutality. He grew up in a region that we can presume used to be inhabited by humans, but was abandoned or evacuated once the Segyein (Aliens) began their invasion of Earth. Now in their clutches, the area fell into disrepair and became a slum where humans (now pets) would wander or attempt to escape to. We, as the audience, don't know much about the actual workings of the slums, but it is assumed that humans are treated similarly to wild animals or pests. Some are killed, some die of starvation, and some are even captured and relocated to Pet-Human Shops. Ivan was one of these cases, after surviving in the slums, he caught the eye of a Segyein dealing in pet humans. He was captured and put on display where he would later be adopted by a Mafia-boss-like Segyein named Unsha. Ivan was to be a gift for his wife on the human holiday Valentine's Day, which became Ivan's 'Adoption Day'- or unofficial birthday since we can never be truly sure when exactly Ivan was born.
- 02 Childhood - Before ANAKT
Before Ivan was subject to the events of Alien Stage, he became Unsha's ward, his property. Unsha views the sale and trade of Pet Humans as solely business, and thus those under his care receive a seemingly lavish lifestyle in exchange for little to no contact with others. Ivan became aware of this relationship (or lack thereof) very quickly. He was cleaned, fed, and flaunted around like some sort of showdog. In a sense, that's exactly what he was to Unsha; an animal he adopted off the streets in an act of mercy, who he trained and honed to perfection, now a sophisticated and tamed animal to be shown off to fellow high-ranking Segyein. Ever cunning, Ivan fell in line perfectly. He hid all of his perceived ugliness behind a mask of perfection, the perfect human, the prized possession, the perfect pet.
- 03 Young Adulthood - ANAKT GARDEN
Being enrolled into ANAKT GARDEN, a preschool designed to hone musical talent, Ivan was expected to perform well if not flawlessly. Unsha held him to punishingly high standards, and this even reflected in Ivan's daily routines at ANAKT. He went to bed and awoke at the same time every day, devoted most of his time to his studies, and reserved only a few hours of the morning for free time. He was a well oiled machine, someone who was always expected to be smiling, warm, and approachable. The kind of guy everyone would want to be seen around, the kind of person everyone admires but no one really knows beyond the surface level.
Then, a light resurfaced. Though both had forgotten, they had met in the same human testing facility before being sold. Till, a child raised with a mother's love before being ripped from it for his talents. Though the word and title of 'Mother' no longer existed- instead being 'Providers', Till was raised with love where Ivan was raised with apathy. Though Till seems to not remember much of his childhood, I theorize that being raised with Io's warmth fundamentally changed him as a person. If Ivan and Till had come from similar backgrounds, they may not have ended up as they did. Io, his Provider, prayed to the Gods that Till would be loved- that love would always find him in her absence. And it did, just never in a way he could ever understand. Io's love was warm, nurturing, and stable. Till could never hope to understand Ivan's idea of love. The best Ivan could do was show affection in the only ways he knew how, through any means. Ivan stole his things, riled him up, even called Till a friendless loser at one point. Unintentionally, he always twisted the knife deeper and deeper. Their peaceful moments were some of their happiest memories between the scuffling and fights. Ivan, who believed he was never worthy of love because he was never afforded the luxury to be true to himself, and Till- raised with and knowing love and someone who was always his most authentic self even if it caused him great physical and mental harm. Two different sides never seeing eye to eye. You could argue that Ivan also intentionally made Till question his standing with Ivan on purpose, it was easier to let Till hate him than to let him get any closer. Letting him get closer would mean Ivan would have to let some of his facade slip, and that was not an option.
And yet, there was one single event where Ivan let his true emotions slip. On the night of a meteor shower, Ivan planned to rescue Till. To take them both far away, somewhere they could live as humans. This horrified Till. Till, who couldn't imagine leaving the rest of his companions behind and couldn't abandon the only place where his talents for singing meant anything. His dreams had gotten him to ANAKT one way or another, it couldn't have been a mistake. Going with Ivan on that night would mean everything he had worked for had been worth nothing, his defiance pointless, and abandoning the chance at freedom through winning Alien Stage. So he turned away despite the pain of it all. Of course, Ivan never saw the anguish on his face as he turned away, never understood that it twisted Till's heart to abandon Ivan like he had been abandoned as a child. It only served to feed into Ivan's belief that he was unlovable, undeserving of anything good in life. He must be, or none of this would have happened to him. It must have hurt him so, but a skilled actor can hide anything. And so he did.
- 04 Adulthood - Alien Stage
Underneath it all, Ivan knew what participating in Alien Stage meant. He held no hidden hopes, no dreams of miraculously winning. Even if he did win, that would mean Till would be dead. He had probably known for some time that this would be the outcome of everything, which is why he tried to bring Till with him on that night. Till still held hope that he would win, claw his way up the rankings and claim his freedom, prove that he was more than the gifted rookie he was seen as. There were no surprises as Ivan won against his opponents, just flawless and practiced performances. We aren't sure how much time passed between rounds, but we can assume they passed rather quickly. A whirlwind of activity, with their childhood friend and classmate Mizi being 'abducted' by a human-led Resistance. Till, who admired Mizi for her assumed purity and kindness, was destroyed by this. Not knowing if his beacon of light, the last remaining echo of the familiar love he was given as a child, was dead or alive. It sucked all the hope out of him. He desperately lashed out one last time and was punished brutally for it with Ivan being the only one left to comfort him as he lay unconscious and broken. When he awoke, he was unceremoniously thrust back into the spotlight. His spirit broken, he let the Segyein dress him as they pleased. Previously he had been shown to fight off any of their influence, going so far as to sing songs he had written against his opponents and killing a guitar-like Segyein live on stage. Everything that Ivan had loved about Till had been stripped away from him in an instant, and before him stood a hollowed out pliant shell of Till. It must have made him sick.
- 05 Death - Cure
I dont wanna write this part man.
- 01 Early Life
I'm glad you asked! Ivan is a character from the Korean webseries Alien Stage. Ivan's entire being is defined by facades, loss, and the belief that humans can be inherently unworthy of love. Ivan's early life was one of survivalism, base instincts, and brutality. He grew up in a region that we can presume used to be inhabited by humans, but was abandoned or evacuated once the Segyein (Aliens) began their invasion of Earth. Now in their clutches, the area fell into disrepair and became a slum where humans (now pets) would wander or attempt to escape to. We, as the audience, don't know much about the actual workings of the slums, but it is assumed that humans are treated similarly to wild animals or pests. Some are killed, some die of starvation, and some are even captured and relocated to Pet-Human Shops. Ivan was one of these cases, after surviving in the slums, he caught the eye of a Segyein dealing in pet humans. He was captured and put on display where he would later be adopted by a Mafia-boss-like Segyein named Unsha. Ivan was to be a gift for his wife on the human holiday Valentine's Day, which became Ivan's 'Adoption Day'- or unofficial birthday since we can never be truly sure when exactly Ivan was born.
- 02 Childhood - Before ANAKT
Before Ivan was subject to the events of Alien Stage, he became Unsha's ward, his property. Unsha views the sale and trade of Pet Humans as solely business, and thus those under his care receive a seemingly lavish lifestyle in exchange for little to no contact with others. Ivan became aware of this relationship (or lack thereof) very quickly. He was cleaned, fed, and flaunted around like some sort of showdog. In a sense, that's exactly what he was to Unsha; an animal he adopted off the streets in an act of mercy, who he trained and honed to perfection, now a sophisticated and tamed animal to be shown off to fellow high-ranking Segyein. Ever cunning, Ivan fell in line perfectly. He hid all of his perceived ugliness behind a mask of perfection, the perfect human, the prized possession, the perfect pet.
- 03 Young Adulthood - ANAKT GARDEN
Being enrolled into ANAKT GARDEN, a preschool designed to hone musical talent, Ivan was expected to perform well if not flawlessly. Unsha held him to punishingly high standards, and this even reflected in Ivan's daily routines at ANAKT. He went to bed and awoke at the same time every day, devoted most of his time to his studies, and reserved only a few hours of the morning for free time. He was a well oiled machine, someone who was always expected to be smiling, warm, and approachable. The kind of guy everyone would want to be seen around, the kind of person everyone admires but no one really knows beyond the surface level.
Then, a light resurfaced. Though both had forgotten, they had met in the same human testing facility before being sold. Till, a child raised with a mother's love before being ripped from it for his talents. Though the word and title of 'Mother' no longer existed- instead being 'Providers', Till was raised with love where Ivan was raised with apathy. Though Till seems to not remember much of his childhood, I theorize that being raised with Io's warmth fundamentally changed him as a person. If Ivan and Till had come from similar backgrounds, they may not have ended up as they did. Io, his Provider, prayed to the Gods that Till would be loved- that love would always find him in her absence. And it did, just never in a way he could ever understand. Io's love was warm, nurturing, and stable. Till could never hope to understand Ivan's idea of love. The best Ivan could do was show affection in the only ways he knew how, through any means. Ivan stole his things, riled him up, even called Till a friendless loser at one point. Unintentionally, he always twisted the knife deeper and deeper. Their peaceful moments were some of their happiest memories between the scuffling and fights. Ivan, who believed he was never worthy of love because he was never afforded the luxury to be true to himself, and Till- raised with and knowing love and someone who was always his most authentic self even if it caused him great physical and mental harm. Two different sides never seeing eye to eye. You could argue that Ivan also intentionally made Till question his standing with Ivan on purpose, it was easier to let Till hate him than to let him get any closer. Letting him get closer would mean Ivan would have to let some of his facade slip, and that was not an option.
And yet, there was one single event where Ivan let his true emotions slip. On the night of a meteor shower, Ivan planned to rescue Till. To take them both far away, somewhere they could live as humans. This horrified Till. Till, who couldn't imagine leaving the rest of his companions behind and couldn't abandon the only place where his talents for singing meant anything. His dreams had gotten him to ANAKT one way or another, it couldn't have been a mistake. Going with Ivan on that night would mean everything he had worked for had been worth nothing, his defiance pointless, and abandoning the chance at freedom through winning Alien Stage. So he turned away despite the pain of it all. Of course, Ivan never saw the anguish on his face as he turned away, never understood that it twisted Till's heart to abandon Ivan like he had been abandoned as a child. It only served to feed into Ivan's belief that he was unlovable, undeserving of anything good in life. He must be, or none of this would have happened to him. It must have hurt him so, but a skilled actor can hide anything. And so he did.
- 04 Adulthood - Alien Stage
Underneath it all, Ivan knew what participating in Alien Stage meant. He held no hidden hopes, no dreams of miraculously winning. Even if he did win, that would mean Till would be dead. He had probably known for some time that this would be the outcome of everything, which is why he tried to bring Till with him on that night. Till still held hope that he would win, claw his way up the rankings and claim his freedom, prove that he was more than the gifted rookie he was seen as. There were no surprises as Ivan won against his opponents, just flawless and practiced performances. We aren't sure how much time passed between rounds, but we can assume they passed rather quickly. A whirlwind of activity, with their childhood friend and classmate Mizi being 'abducted' by a human-led Resistance. Till, who admired Mizi for her assumed purity and kindness, was destroyed by this. Not knowing if his beacon of light, the last remaining echo of the familiar love he was given as a child, was dead or alive. It sucked all the hope out of him. He desperately lashed out one last time and was punished brutally for it with Ivan being the only one left to comfort him as he lay unconscious and broken. When he awoke, he was unceremoniously thrust back into the spotlight. His spirit broken, he let the Segyein dress him as they pleased. Previously he had been shown to fight off any of their influence, going so far as to sing songs he had written against his opponents and killing a guitar-like Segyein live on stage. Everything that Ivan had loved about Till had been stripped away from him in an instant, and before him stood a hollowed out pliant shell of Till. It must have made him sick.
- 05 Death - Cure
I dont wanna write this part man.
