#alnst round 7 spoilers

[sev-ille]

I may be pointing out something completely obvious, but Round 7 takes place immediately after Round 6?

Like immediately after.

Hyuna is still there, bleeding. Like it's so unlikely that Mizi and Hyuna have just been roaming for days. Like after round 6, it's been maybe a few hours at most?

My thoughts are a mess rn but damn that sucks for Till if that's true (not that it doesn't suck if it's not).

Ivan dies in front of him, then he has a change of outfit and immediately has to move onto the next Round. No wonder he looks so fatigued, like he's about to pass out at any moment.

Did he even get to eat or drink anything? I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't, but still.

[junebluues]

funny how they both died being seen by the person who never truly loved them back in the way they wished. haha.

[bluemoonscape]

Ok sorry I’m delusional

My predictions?

Till was nothing more than a pawn to draw the rebels out. He was never going to win. It was rigged; he was drugged and didn’t have a chance.

And I know a lot of us are taking the tape on his neck as foreshadowing for his death, but I’m holding onto the hope that it’s foreshadowing he will live. Kept alive probably for nothing but entertainment. If he’s not alive, what was Round 6 for? I trust Vivinos and Qmeng as storytellers and something about this round is off if Till is left dead. Ivan and Till as characters… don’t make much sense if Till dies now.

Anyway, Till was a pawn to draw Hyuna and Mizi out, and now they have rebels as their “special guests.” Dream come true for Alien Stage. My guess is they’ll make Hyuna face Luka and finish what they started, while Mizi—

I’m pretty sure this is where a Sua comeback comes in.

[verdantlights]

Thoughts/Analysis Part 2 (but its coherent)

OKay so i slept (finally) after staying up since wednesday morning and only getting roughly 5 hours of sleep in total?? until I finally managed to get decent hours of sleep last night. anyways. i am still not normal in the slightest over round 7 but i have many more thoughts, am a lot more coherent, and have had it swimming in my head for a while.

TW for mentions of drug use. I'm gonna start with Luka. I've stated in the edit I made of the original post as well as in a few reblogs, but Luka is a victim. A lot of people are Luka haters, and that's valid! I am also, to an extent, a Luka hater.... even if I have a thing for blonde twinks with issues. But his character is also incredibly interesting. If you are familiar with Honkai: Star Rail, then you might understand what I'm saying when I think Luka is a combination of both Sunday AND Robin. He has the trapped bird in a cage mentality from Robin with the need for order and control mentality from Sunday. Order and control referring to winning being the only thing keeping his sanity in check.

Luka, as a human pet, is aware that he is playing a losing game. He needs to win, but he knows that winning Season 50 is not the end. He may have won against Till, but now the segyein are going to put him against Hyuna, considering Hyuna and Mizi were referred to as special guests. The way he looked at Hyuna in that last scene was part of him realizing this. It's the face you pull when you realize something horrible, but you need to keep face/keep your composure.

Their ear pieces are similar to their collars in that they show the emotions of the wearer. We can clearly see Till's earpiece glowing red the entire time (up until Mizi appears), and Luka's is constantly glowing green. Luka was seen in hysterics pretty much the entire time like the one frame where he's holding in his laughter.

Luka was drugged on something that makes him euphoric and lose his sense of control, like weed or cocaine. He found fucking with Till to be the funniest thing ever, but it's not normal for Luka to be so outwardly expressive of his elation. We know he enjoyed fucking with Mizi, even if it let to getting his ass beat, but even then, he wasn't as expressive then as he was with Till. That leads me to believe that he has something in his system to heighten his emotional output as well as some sort of adrenaline drug like what Till was most likely given.

What bugs me is that they don't show us what color his earpiece is as he looks at Hyuna. We see Till's earpiece turn green at Mizi, but does Luka's stay green as he looks at Hyuna? I feel it was orange, but that's just me.

Luka now knows what's about to happen, which is also why Hyuna tries to stop Mizi. Hyuna knew the whole time that if they were to save Till, they'd be walking straight into the trap. Mizi's heart is too kind and she's desperate to save Till.

Thankfully, what Hyuna had gone there for originally seems to be completed. Whatever files she was downloading was complete before she went after Mizi, and I think that's where were gonna see Issac and Dewey again. I think she might've been uploading those files to them so that they can take the lead from there. This leads me to my prediction for the next episode. (ill get to till last, hes my little meow meow and im not normal about him)

I don't think Blink Gone is done. I believe there is a part two to the Finals, and that round 7 wasn't even the final round. I've already stated that the most likely thing to happen next is Luka v Hyuna, but then I also talked about Issac and Dewey.

Hyuna could have gotten her hands on high profile data regarding Alien Stage. She sends the data to Dewssac, and they shut down the stage from the inside, allowing the resistance to come in and do a massive sweep, hopefully before either Hyuna, Luka, or Mizi dies.

Now, as for Mizi. We know Mizi is the main character, and there are people who are saying Till's death boosts her hero arc. Now there are two ways I see this happening, either:

Vivinos keeps up their streak of tragedy and kills off everyone, leaving Mizi isolated entirely.

Or someone (dewssac, hyuna, mizi, maybe even luka) pull through and live to save more people.

If it's the first one, Till is dead dead. If the second, Till has a chance at being alive.

There are many reasons why Till is most likely alive, and as a hopeful feeler... I also am clinging onto the more hopeful ending (the second option). Not just because "Haha guys I need Till to be alive, he's my bias" but also because seeing Mizi completely isolated and forced to fake a smile and perform would absolutely fucking destroy me and I don't think I'd ever be the same after that, honestly. Like that genuinely scares me.

There's the narrative of ALNST and vivimeng's beautiful storytelling. That is my number one hopeful reasoning for Till being alive. If Till dies here, it would be utterly nonsensical and it would ruin the narrative. It would completely void all of Ivan's character, for starters. I was just talking about this with @rockwgooglyeyes and Vant (idt they wanna be tagged here), but Ivan's character is static. He is not dynamic or fluid, but he is extraordinarily complex which makes up for it. He never really had an arc of his own unless you count what happened in his past during/before being bought by Unsha. His death is meant to haunt the narrative, meant to haunt Till. So why would he die, only for Till to die a few hours later? It would completely ruin what he was meant for and it would be so unsatisfying and bitter.

However, there's also the thematics of ALNST. Rock called out @pwippy for this already, but I'm gonna call them out too because fuck you plip (/j i love you plipster). Rock put it really well in these two excerpts I took from his post:

"Alien Stage is a universe full of suffering and pain for humans, forced to perform until they literally die on stage, all for the entertainment of the audience. It's not even meant as a way of exerting control or oppressing them, though it serves that purpose, because why would the seygein bother to oppress something that can't even fight back? Why go to the trouble of controlling something that is just a pet, whose cries are the fuel for a new age?"

Once again mentioning the Hunger Games because I genuinely can't help myself I love THG way too much, but that's the key difference between ALNST and THG: the human pets aren't being forced to do this because of a past rebellion and are being punished by the oppressing government... They're being thrown into this for fun. Full credit to @alien-til-i-stage who said this as a joke, but it is really fucking real, but the segyein bringing their human pets to watch ALNST in the audience are like people bringing dogs to a dog fight in real life. And that, I fear, puts into perspective as to just how much of a pet the humans are to the segyein. They are only there for entertainment. The resistance is mostly a thorn in their side as of right now (dewey and issac better change that next episode or istg) and killing these humans is simply just fun for them. They know humans can be hostile, just like dogs, but they tame them and make them docile and obedient, only to make them kill each other in the end, even if it's through a singing competition rather than an all out teeth and claws brawl. (except for round 5, that doesnt count)

"In this world of pain and suffering, perhaps death is a mercy. If Till is truly dead, then he no longer a tool for his oppressors, he is free of their control. For Ivan and Sua both of their deaths were mercies to them- Ivan was able to die for the one he loved, as was Sua, and neither of them were forced to live in a world without their beloved."

(thank you rock i love you pookie snookie)

He also mentions that it's not in character for Till to die, which I completely agree with. Till's persona is that of someone who wants to win, but not in the same way Luka needs to win. Till wants to win to live and survive with those he loves, he wants to win to beat the system, but considering how dystopian of a world this is, as much as he wants to win and save Mizi, he craves death as a freedom.

That out of the way, another thing that @junebluues actually got me to think about was this:

The bomb has Till's eyes and is crying as it knows it's going to die (assuming it's a sentient alien like Freddie). And the comparison here honestly opened my eyes a little bit and got me thinking.

Was Till a catalyst? Because that was a smoke bomb. I ended up thinking about it for a minute and came up with three possibilities where Till is a bomb/smoke bomb:

Mizi is using Till to hide her feelings

Till is the bomb that sets off a chain of events

Till is used to hide/cover up the real plan for either the segyein or for the resistance

I don't think it's the first one, I feel like it'd be closer to the other two, but any three of those could work. Because Mizi's feelings of despair over her situation can be hidden behind the hope as she reached out for Till. But as the smoke clears (Till dies) she remembers that it was, in fact, a bomb.

EDIT: Also, the lyric that plays during the smoke bomb scene is "No, don't look back now" which also kinda leads me to believe that Till is the start of a chain/domino effect. Once you knock the first domino, you can't go back.

I think someone somewhere had also talked about Till being forced to be used as a catalyst/bait again considering how well it worked here. There's a good chance Urak might have supplied the drugs to Till and also paid out or WAS paid out by another person to use Till as bait. Urak wouldn't want his pet that he is grossly possessive over to die that easily without every ounce of use being wrung out of him,,, something something Till being a Trojan Horse of sorts (thanks rock for that one, too).

EDIT: I also remembered that during the sequence in the song where the audience is singing the chorus and we see Ivan on the screens, is when Till looks like he's about to pass out. What gets me here is the fact that it is quite literally a chorus of vultures. The audience singing the chorus with images of Ivan surrounding him and seeing Luka mimic Ivan made Till realize that he was surrounded and that's when he started losing hope. It's why his reaction to Mizi is so prominent, because it's like she was there to save him from the vultures. The audience singing is my favorite and also least favorite part of the video/song because the feeling of being surrounded and cornered with everyone against you and their voices echoing in your head... really does it for me. I really want to animate this sequence from up close in Till's POV.

Anyways the 4th reason i had for the bomb theory was that Till is smoking hot (sorry). okay im done now i think,,,,,, i might actually come back with more because i think i forgot something... but i cant remember..... i forgor.....

other tags: @shakingparadigm @aakaneeee @ivanttakethis @k9punkout @crustyfloor @apriciticreveries @bluemoonscape @tsukacchako @nottoonedin @paperstarry

side note that i genuinely put more effort into my analyses than i have ever put into any school essay ever

edit: FUCK I WAS SUPPOSED TO ANALYZE THE LYRICS AGAIN GOD DAMNIT i dont feel like doing that anymore ill just do it later maybe

[zombiotical]

leave no regrets

[swarmoftumbleweeds]

"Since we have the time I, uh... wanna finish that duet?"

[factsilike]

Something about this frame...just something about how we're shown (and how Luka knows too) Till has had two people care deeply for him, one enough to love him and sacrifice himself so that he could live, and the other enough to try to save him, and then cry for him as he dies.

How the focus was Mizi and Till at first, together as people who care immensely for each other, and then on Luka standing alone in the background, with no one and nothing but black space around him.

And then there's this...

Like I can't help but want to ask him, "How does it feel to win, Luka? You got your victory, and does it feel triumphant? Are you satisfied with it? Are you happy?"

"Or does it feel bitter, knowing no one would love you or care for you enough to cradle your dead body as you lose, or mourn for you? Have you realised that? Does it bother you at all? Because it's true."

"What will you do now, knowing the only person you have ever liked just watched you selfishly manipulate your opponent to fail and cause his death?"

Is silence heavy and awkward, interlaced with the sounds of Mizi in the background sobbing over her last remaining childhood friend's death?

"What will you do now, in the aftermath of your lonesome victory? How do you plan on facing the consequences of achieving it, the way you did? Was it worth it? Can you still say that, with the one you love looking at you like she doesn't know you at all?"

Just. I would love to know what he's thinking here. I imagine he feels no sense of relief for winning, at least. Maybe.

Edit: ah yes, the first image showing how Luka has no one to celebrate his victory with, all alone, while someone (Mizi) is right there mourning Till's loss with him.

Rip Till, but at least you're not alone. At least he has that consolation, at least he died in the arms of the ones he loved the most, while Luka has to live with nothing but the consequences of his victory bitterly staring at him.

[creep-girl]

IS HE TRYING NOT TO LAUGH?????????????????

[theyellowpawn]

― Ovid, Metamorphoses

[till-alnst]

Till! <33

aren't you scared you've let Ivan down because of the outcome of round 7? don't you think it's disappointing - how he did all that for nothing, now? are you mad about it?

…you dont have to fucking remind me of that. do you think that i dont feel guilty? do you think i was happy knowing that ivan, who had a much better chance at winning the season, sacrificed himself for me? do you fucking think i wanted him to do that?

i already came to terms with the fact i was going to die, and then ivan sacrificed himself without a second thought… i had no time to recover between round 6 and 7, so i know i couldve performed much better. and i have to now live knowing that ivan’s sacrifice was all in vain.

so yes. i am mad. im mad because i know ivan couldve won and he gave up that chance because he wanted me to live… even if it meant giving up his life. of course im scared that i let ivan down because i quite literally did and i did it in the worst way possible.

i already feel horrible. i dont need to feel worse.

[sev-ille]

The darkness, the sweetness, the sadness, the weakness.

[cloudyfloss]

are vivinos and qmeng trying to kill me

[bluemoonscape]

I’ve been in my thoughts about Ivan and Till both being used from the time they were small children, living and dying for nothing but to be of use to others. Sitting in that darkness together. Ivan seeing Till’s fighting spirit despite his inevitable fate and loving him for it—Till seeing Ivan’s resignation and recognizing they’re in the same shoes and pushing him away for it. Mizi is Till’s light and hope, but Ivan is the only one who can sit in that darkness with Till and hold his hand.

They’re pawns. They’re less than human. But they care about each other, they see each other as more than catalysts, and they reject the idea of the other being nothing more than that. Ivan rejects the possibility of Till becoming this in Round 6, and Till rejects the reality of Ivan being that in Round 7.

Plenty of us have picked up on Ivantill’s deep love/hate relationship before it was confirmed, but now that it has been explicitly confirmed in the Patreon, I really can’t get this out of my head.

The both of them were never meant for this world, so they made their own world. Ivan gave Till the kind of unrestrained adoration that both scared Till and comforted him in some way whether he knew it or not. They couldn’t give each other the kind of comfort they needed, but they cared. They cared so much. They were never supposed to be together, but they stuck together in their own way anyway.

@rockwgooglyeyes @verdantlights since you guys wanted to read <3 love you both

[verdantlights]

CHAT LISTEN TO ME. LISTEN

IF TILL WAS SHOT FATALLY IN THE NECK. HED BE DEAD IN LESS THAN A FUCKING MINUTE. A FATAL SHOT TO THE NECK HAS YOU DEAD IN A MINUTE. IF HE WAS STILL ALIVE AFTER MIZI GOT ONTO THE sTAGE, FIXED TILLS POSITION, PROPPED HIM UP, AND TOOK THE TIME TO PUT PRESSURE ON HIS WOUND..... YOU THINK THATD TAKE LESS THAN A MINUTE?? HE WAS STILL ALIVE AND WE ALSO HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG HE WAS SITTING THERE BEFORE "DYING"

ANOTHER THING. THE GUARDS THE TRACKER (either heartbeat or mood, i believe this was a mood tracker) TO MAKE SURE THE CONTESTANT IS DEAD.

MF LOOOOKKKKK

LOOOOOOOKKKKK (/ref)

THAT SHIT IS MOSTLY OUT OF HIS EAR, THEY CANT TELL IF HES DEAD OR NOT AND THEY CANT RISK SHOOTING HIM NOW BC OF MIZI. ESP SINCE MIZI IS ONE OF THEIR "SPECIAL GUESTS"

"oh but hes coughing up bl-" HE HAD A NOSE BLEED AND HES LAYING FACE UP. YOURE NOT SUPPOSED TO TILT YOUR HEAD THAT FAR BACK WHEN YOU HAVE A NOSE BLEED OR IT WILL FALL DOWN THE WRONG WAY AND INTO YOUR THROAT. HE COUGHED UP HIS NOSE BLOOD. ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE WAY ITS FLOWING DOWN HIS FACE. IF THAT HAD HAPPENED WHILE UPRIGHT, ITD BE LIKE HOW IVAN COUGHED UP BLOOD.

sure yes blood loss is another thing that could happen but listen to me. the way that he was shot, was not fatally. theres no way that this:

(ignore the yt) this is not how a gunshot to the neck from the RIGHT would look. this would only make sense if the person shooting him came from far behind him and slightly to the right. the bullet went through the side of his neck enough to cause the blood to splatter this way.

when shot by a bullet, the blood doesnt splatter out the entry point, it splatters out the EXIT point. i would know, im american (SLASH JAY THAT IS SLASH JAY FOR LEGAL REASONS THAT IS A JOKE)

anyways chat be honest am i crazy and delusional yes or no

@pwippy since we were going back and forth on the why/why not of all of this

[01navi-ss]

idk if anyone mentioned this but I think hyuna was trying to blow up the stage, that's why she tried to stop mizi and then at the end she tried to reel her back in so she could continue the plan

[junebluues]

THIS CUT WAS SO FUCKING DIABOLICAL WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT ACTUALLY TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY FACE