realmyth

[realmyth]

Cheng xiaoshi dead wife scene™

[realmyth]

Understanding alnst is a full time job

[realmyth]

so you really love me?

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･his endearing soft side, his innerchild °❀

charac. michael kaiser x gn! reader

author’s notes: i tried mirroring his backstory and to what i think he really is behind closed doors w sum1 he rlly loves. Please enjoy!

Michael Kaiser was better off a criminal.

He steals, that's his thing. Probably the only thing he's ever known to do.

He asked you once, "Is there still salvation in the future?" Of course Kaiser never hoped for anything in his past anymore.

Yet that question rings back to you as you see him on the big screen. 75 minutes into the match and you see him turn a desperate glance towards somewhere beyond the field. He was having an evident crisis, a mental struggle that was only known to him; and you. Perhaps it was his whole world crumbling right before your eyes and no one knew it was a crucial moment for him.

You could see the way he’d even plead his teammate Raichi for a pass. “Please” was never a word for your emperor. And that very same emperor that you were seeing right now, was stripping every bit of wealth that he’s desperately protected over the years. It takes you back to when he was only a nobody, not a somebody.

Power was important for Kaiser, truthfully that was his only way to feel human, to assure himself that he won’t go back there anymore. Yet Michael was only a kid, wearing a crown and robe just to earn what every child like him deserved, love. But now, earning love is not that simple right? For there were thorns that accompanied this talented striker. Coincidentally, you had a thing for treasure that surely bites.

“The name Michael means a gift from God. You’re a gift, Micha.” Slowly but reassuringly, you trace the delicate lines of his rose tattoo as he lays there with you, on the soft mattress of his king-sized bed

Michael hums, and shakes his head. He gains a grasp of your hand and plants it to his head, rubbing himself with your touch. You chuckle as he lets out a low groan.

“Watch that beautiful mouth; I might just kiss it.” You heard his harmless threat as he buried his head onto his pillow, your lap. His body wasn’t used to the soft envelopment of a mattress. To him, it was only cardboard before.

You chuckle, “You always do, everyday. Who knew Michael Kaiser wasn’t a grumpy cat to his Liebling? Instead he becomes a melting mess who’s touchy when no one’s looking?”

He abruptly gets up from his comfy little spot (aka your body) and looks at you with a gaze that tells you to keep talking. His gaze tells you that he longs for moments like these to last, for these seconds not to easily pass. Because somewhere in those sapphire eyes, remains an inner child whose soul has been wounded by the burdens of his past.

“You’re gonna have coffee with me right, Liebling? In the morning? ” He simply asked, as he reached for the back of his head, his hair messy as it always was.

It baffled you for a second as to why he would ask that. Yet it suddenly hit you; he didn’t want you to leave by the morning, let alone wake up without you in his arms with not even a simple goodbye. That’s just how he is, considering that right now, he wasn’t Kaiser. He was Michael.

“Who said I wouldn’t? I’ll always will.”

He scoffs, “You’re hard to read Y/N, as always.”

You show him a helpless pout that he can't help but smirk about as you lean closer to his face. “And what does that mean, Micha? ”

“When I expect stones, you give me feathers. When I expect thorns from roses, you give me flowers in a pot.” His expression was far from the familiar smirk he'd show on the field. He held an odd aura of sincerity behind his stern words.

“How could you love me? ”His question became a mumble under his breath but was audible enough for you to hear.

You simply smiled and stood on your knees to fully embrace his figure in bed. His bare back, making contact with your warm hands that could never land a sting on his skin. Your scent encapsulates him, suffocating the last bit of bitterness and wilt in his body. And most of all, he felt your words like an unspoken prayer to the same God he questioned for his existence.

“How? You shouldn’t ask how. You should ask, when have I ever not loved you?”

That’s when Michael learned:

That love has existed, even before the word ever came out of his mouth.

[realmyth]

The fact that only Till and Luka don't have hearts in their eyes....

Could it be because of the fact that maybe Luka's love for Hyuna isn't pure? It's more of an obsession. He sees her as an object to claim.

While Till never loved Ivan in the first place, at least not romantically. And even if he did love Ivan in that sense, his adoration for Mizi will always outweigh it.

[realmyth]

MY ALNST SHOUJO DREAM 🙏

[realmyth]

I feel like Luka sometimes forgets he's 30

[realmyth]

We got shoujo Hyuluka before GTA VI

[realmyth]

[realmyth]

I DONT KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THE HYULUKA FOOD WE'RE ABT TO GET

vivinos you can't just drop this bomb and leave. HYULUKA CENTRIC EPISODE IS NEXT I USED TO PRAY FOR MOMENTS LIKE THESE

[realmyth]

Jajwjwjsab Isagi makes me so!!

at age seven, isagi learns two things. one, universal truths are always in the present tense (his teacher told him so), and two, you kiss the people you love (his mom told him so). knowing these, he kisses you under the slide in the playground, because he loves you, at least as he understands it at his age.

at age sixteen, isagi decides two things. one, he will become the best striker in the world, and two, he still loves you, albeit a little more than his seven year old self previously thought. but instead of kissing you, he hugs you tightly before he boards the bus to blue lock, and he takes in all the details of you. he thinks of the smell of your shampoo and the melody of your laugh while he's there, but he never tells anyone that.

at age twenty eight, isagi achieves two things. one, he wins the world cup, and two, he gives you his last name. the kiss you share at the altar is wetter and saltier than the one you shared under the slide, thanks to your tears, but his feelings engrave themselves into your memory all the same. he kisses you again for good measure, much to everyone's amusement, and wonders how his love for you is meant to stay in the present tense when it exists in all past, present, and future tenses.

[realmyth]

those two are living in completely different high school anime genres

[realmyth]

[realmyth]

WHAT

[realmyth]

When ur life is lowk falling apart, but at least your favorite show is going to have new content soon.

[realmyth]

☄️ lyrics from The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives

[realmyth]

Luka vs Till:

Or, on Skill vs Talent

An examination of the Luka vs Till match-up, with the benefit of hindsight and creator commentary.

Let's get one thing out of the way first.

1. Luka does not need the competition to be rigged

Don't mistaken the cause and effect — they're willing to give Luka special treatment because he delivers, not the other way around. The moment he falls, he'll be thrown away; he's as disposable as the rest of them.

If that weren't the case, the gimmick of the show wouldn't be you-lose-you-die, which is incredibly wasteful in terms of how many talented pet-humans are lost every season.

Other supporting evidence:

Luka canonically doesn't see Till (or Mizi) as competition (Patreon R7 Q&A) — That's not the attitude of someone who knows his opponent will be sabotaged. That's the attitude of someone who has confidence in his own capabilities, and idk about you but Luka comes off as an astute individual, not a delusional one.

#lastboss (Luka's profile tag) — He's meant to be the last boss in Alnst, the strongest competitor. The team's focus on meticulously rendering his frames above all other characters is specifically for that reason; they need to express how good he is at what he does to justify his in-universe reputation and narrative role.

Rigging implies Luka is lacking in some way, that he would need it to guarentee his victory because he himself isn't good enough — but he's given flawless performances on every stage we've seen and his biggest, glaring weakness, his health, has not yet acted up or hinder him in any way.

Additional commentary on narrative implications of Alnst rigging

And lastly, if anything, his very entry in Season 50 is the cheat.

But we'll elaborate on that later; let's take a look at Till first.

2. Examining Till, the embodiment of talent

Soon, he began to make those cries far more than he did his own language.

— Traces comic [Translation by @/alnstENG]

Alnst makes it clear that music is integral to Till's character, moreso than any other character in the cast.

Music is how Till connects with the world. It babbles out of him as naturally as breathing. It is what gave him value for the segyein. It is what took him away from Io. It is why he's sent to Anakt Garden. It is why he had to endure abuse in the name of training. It defines everyone's lives in Anakt Garden, but it would've defined Till's life even if he weren't in Anakt Garden.

We haven't seen any other character as thoroughly defined by music as we do Till, to the point that if you take music away from Till, you'd be left with little resembling him.

"There's no one here who can match my musical talent.

... ...

I'll use my skills to protect you. But how...? How... how... ah, I don't know!!!

I'm sure it'll work out somehow, because I'm a genius after all!!!"

— Snippet from Till memo, Patreon

Till's memo needs its own entire post to unpack, but in relevancy to the topic, it reveals that:

"There's no one here who can match my musical talent." // Till has always been made aware of his talent, whether that be due to verbal abuse from Guardian Urak throughout his childhood ("Your talent is the only reason you're alive.") or from noticing what his peers lacked in comparison to himself.

"I'm sure it'll work out somehow, because I'm a genius after all!!!" // His talent is so potent that it's made many things that're hard or even unreachable for others, natural for him, thus giving him high confidence in his natural capabilities.

"I'll use my skills to protect you. But how...? How... how... ah, I don't know!!!" // His overwhelming talent has been his strength, but it's also amplified his weakness. It has carried him through so many roadblocks in his life that it's impaired his ability to deal with any problem his talent is insufficient to handle

On paper, Ivan seems like the more optimistic contestant — he not only has a significantly higher vocal stat in a singing competition, but he's also more well-rounded in industry soft skills and managed to build up strong popularity and an in-universe fanbase in a mere 2 months. But clearly Till's impactful music and performance (which seems to be reflected in his high Talent and Star Potential/Topic stats) were enough to overshadow these factors for the segyein to place him above Ivan.

Luckily musical talent, of which Till has in abundance, is exactly what Alien Stage calls for. By Top 3, Till is ranked higher than Ivan.

Other notable mentions:

#geniusartist (Till's profile tag) — Self-explanatory, but being a genius artist has defined Till's entire identity and life.

"Winning by an overwhelming score, he became the black sheep... and is considered a strong candidate for the Alien Stage." — Magazine Site article

"Fastest-selling album #1" — Top 3 video

"An artist who overwhelms the audience in a single breath with his powerful performance. Every song Till composes always tops the charts." — Artbook profile, [Translation by @/alnstENG]

Talent; the natural affinity one has. It has the potential to propell people to disproportionate heights.

And Till is the embodiment of talent in Alnst.

Problem is, so is Luka.

3. Examining Luka, who has surpassed the limitations of talent

ALNST hasn't had a stage yet where two participants with equal levels of talent compete with each other.

— R7 Q&A

"Equal levels of talent." As talented as Till is, so is Luka. He was born and bred for Alien Stage — perhaps even literally.

But if they're on equal footing talent-wise, why would there be such a gulf between them? Why would Luka not even consider Till serious competition?

Why was facing off against Till "child's play" for him? (R7 Q&A)

One. Emotional entanglement

The fandom is flooded with posts crying foul play regarding Luka taking advantage of Till's Round 6 trauma.

But if Till having trauma to take advantage of is the source of his defeat, then that would be proving Luka's point exactly.

Because according to the R7 Q&A, Luka looks down on Mizi and co for getting "swept away by their emotions" and considers it "foolishness."

Love and attachment will only pull you down on Alien Stage — that's the point Luka is condescendingly making by ripping open Mizi's and Till's respective traumas.

However, consider this... Mizi, Sua, Till, and Ivan are anomalies.

Forming emotional bonds such as theirs in the environment they were raised in, and then encountering the misfortune of participating on Alien Stage with those same people... that's not the norm.

Undoubtedly most contestants have their own personal traumas, but rarely would it take on the form of Mizi and Sua's, and Till and Ivan's.

Luka is popular enough and skilled enough that even if he didn't rub salt on Mizi and Till's wounds, he still would've won (R6 Q&A). But he did so because he's personally invested in making a statement.

If Luka is meant to be a force to reckon with in-universe, it means he's capable of taking down opponents who haven't been just traumatized by someone's sacrifice a mere round ago, because the vast majority of his opponents wouldn't fit that bill.

So the main reason I think Till had little chance against him is:

Two. Experience

In times like these with the popularity of child genius characters and the majority of stories revolving around younger casts, the significance of experience is always undermined.

Older characters (usually mentor figures) are nerfed precisely because their experience makes it easy for them to upstage the young protagonists and render their roles meaningless. The side effect of this is that people forget how much of a difference experience can actually make.

Luka is 10 years older than Till.

And he has that many more years of experience on stage.

As if that weren't enough, Alien Stage is also a single elimination tournament where loss = death. In other words, your ability to accumulate experience in Alien Stage is entirely dependent on how long you can stay alive.

It's not like any real world competition where even if you don't win gold, you've gained valuable competing experience despite your loss, and can try again next year building on that.

Luka won last season and now has twice his competition's experience on ALNST specifically, not even counting his activities outside of it in the years since. Proficiency only increases with every time you do it, and if you've had decade more than your opponent to dedicate to your craft, that's a hell of an advantage.

Hence, Luka being allowed to participate in Season 50 at all is a cheat.

Talent determines your starting line and running speed.

Experience is how far you've run.

Luka has always had talent. Now he's also had time — 10 years of it — to hone his skills and surpass the limitations of how far talent can carry him.

Is it any wonder that Till, fresh off graduation from Anakt Garden, would be considered "child's play" for him?

4. Sometimes, things don't go according to plan... but this time it did.

Q. Do you think you'll win?

"Well... maybe if I do something aggressive like him?"

— Ivan, magazine interview

Strange to bring up Ivan's interview here, but it ties in oddly well.

Ivan's response can be taken to mean: To theoretically win against someone stronger than you, you have to pull something unexpected and shake things up. In other words, take a leaf from Till's book and "do something aggressive."

On a thematic level, Till is meant to be a wild card while Luka is the embodiment of the system/Alien Stage.

If everything goes as planned, Luka will win. But Till's trump card is his ability to flip the status quo and make sure things don't go as planned.

Except he doesn't.

I strongly believe there's meaning to Till wearing those sponsor logos.

Not only were they purposefully included in the teaser, but they're also the part of his design with the highest contrast. (For the laymen reading this — in art and design, contrast is a foundational tool for controlling where the audience looks.)

As shown in the images above, the logos are displayed front and center in both his first appearance in Round 7, and in the first frame we're able to get a good look at him. (Also, in the latter, the logos are positioned awkwardly at the front of his armband so that we can see them clearly, when according to the other shots, they're supposed to be on the side of the armband.)

All of this to say, yes they're intentional and important.

I previously broke down the significance in this post and I called it a conspiracy board theory for good reason, but the core points still hold up:

Till willingly wearing a sponsor logo signifies him accepting a compromise

This compromise was made due to his focus shifting from outright rebellion and rejection of anything segyein, to commiting to win Alien Stage

Till goes into Round 7 with the grim determination to play their game and win. In contrast to Round 2, he doesn't kick off his shoes. He puts on the logos and concedes to wear the clothes they give him. He'll sing the song given, and he'll perform for the audience like the show demands. Everything is for the sake of victory.

In Round 7, Till was clearly playing the game as it should be played... and that was his biggest mistake.

His strength laid in denying their game, his refusal to conform. His opportunity laid in his power to flip the board, to overturn the status quo.

So the moment Till decided to play the game?

He lost.

Because Till is now playing by their rules... and no one has mastered Alien Stage like Luka has.

[realmyth]

no mourners no funerals my ass. i’m mourning and i’m funeraling