#poor Ivan

[pinkroseblooms]

Alien Stage is so good man 😭 I haven't been this invested in a story being told through a series of music videos since Trapped in the Closet.

[sgcairo]

Every local restourant in Shneznaya hearing that the fatui have made a new breakthrough in research

"So... which brave soul will take on the table?"

"..."

"..."

"I'm sorry Ivan, but..."

"Dammit."

[yo0hankim]

it was just a bad dream. hes okay. hes okay

[aizenat]

What was that first episode?!!!???!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

[katrasining]

the courtship dance was effective (?)

[stcharls-st]

[absha120420]

cafe au

[shakingparadigm]

what is the theory that ivan manipulated the event where till and mizi met the wagyein?

It's not a theory, actually! It's confirmed that Ivan orchestrated the whole event. The true reason as to why however is still unknown. The information provides more context to this scene, though:

During the earlier times of ALNST the most rational explanation for this scene was that Till ran after a flower crown (presumably Mizi's) and Ivan followed him in out of curiosity. Now we know that Ivan was conveniently just standing there because he was waiting.

Side note, I find it heartbreaking (and maybe a little funny, sorry) that Till most likely didn't notice Ivan in this scene. That's just like him, isn't it. Always too busy running after Mizi while Ivan trails behind, an ever-present shadow.

I'm not sure how Ivan manipulated the circumstances for both of them to end up there, but it is confirmed that everything was intentional. What strikes me most is how they describe this particular scene:

I can't copy down what they said word-for-word (Patreon info), but they described Ivan watching "creepily" as Till and Mizi are faced with danger. We know that Ivan was familiar with the Cerberus wagyein beforehand, enough to touch its teeth and even to rest himself inside its maw. To Ivan, the wagyein is not dangerous, but to Till and Mizi, it could be. Ivan prepared the wagyein, led them there, and watched "creepily" from afar as Till fell on his knees, seemingly injured.

The closest I can get to making sense of Ivan's "scheme" is that he wanted to see how other children would react in a dangerous situation. Ivan's always been an observer, after all, and he's learned to survive by copying the more "normal" behaviors of his peers. This situation occured when Ivan was still young and had not yet developed his more charming mask, so perhaps he staged this encounter to study a situational response, to learn and mimic the emotion of fear. And what better subjects for the experiment than two of the most expressive and reactive humans of their batch? It helps that he was already fixated on Till beforehand, too. I think Ivan became irreversibly obssessed after this incident, especially since it's framed as a turning point in Ivan's life, comparing Till to the stars.

This is just my attempt at an interpretation, though. It could very well be for another reason. He most likely chose Till and Mizi specifically for personal reasons, not just for reaction. I'm still not sure on the purpose behind the whole thing.

The team wanted to capture Ivan's "dark emotions" through the shot of his stalking, which could relate to his more sinister intentions. His gaze can be read in a few different ways, though. Curiosity, interest, fear, etc. Maybe that's why they decided to redraw the shot in ROUND 6.

I think this better sells the feeling they were trying to convey.

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

Oscar: Wanna come in? Ivan: Nah, I better get to Tilda’s; I’ll take the car back in the morning. Oscar: What’re you gonna do when he gets back? Ivan: I don’t even know… Oscar: I’ll meet you at the dealership tomorrow, okay? Come n’ think on it all for a bit-.. stay as long as you want. Ivan: Alright.. thanks, bud. … [Wren screamed hoarsely, writhing away from Courtney’s attempts to soothe her] Wren: I want papa! Courtney: Wren, honey-.. he’ll be back by the time you wake up! Wren: B-but I want him n-now. Courtney: He’ll be back soo-… [Courtney breathed a sigh of relief as a set of keys finally jangled at the front door] [Oscar smiled ruefully, arching at brow at Courtney’s dishevelled form sprawled upon the rug] Courtney: Christ-.. don’t ask. Wren: [whimpering] Daddy! Oscar: Heyy-.. what’re you doing up at this time, pal?! [Oscar scooped Wren into his arms, wiping the tears from her puffy little face with his thumb] Oscar: Awhh.. what’s up, honey? Courtney: I think she’s got tonsilitis again. Oscar: Yucky-.. open your mouth. [Courtney rolled her eyes as Wren immediately and willingly cooperated with her father] Wren: Ahhhh. Oscar: Eugh-.. to the doctors with you, first thing! Wren: Nuh. Oscar: Yuh. [Wren buried her face against Oscar’s chest, almost as though she could avoid the inevitable by doing so] Courtney: How’d your little investigation go? Oscar: Not good. Courtney: Get the spare room ready not good? Oscar: Yeah, I think so. Courtney: Oh…

[bvdomination]

"I'm a changeable feast, as are all of we." - Bella Baxter in Poor Things (2023)

Isabella Flores & Ivan Desyatov "Poor Things" Free Dance (x)

Bonus: Lifts that go crazy

[crustyfloor]

It's even more interesting that Till is a good eater, but also an indecisive eater. (I can't help but think about his eating habits because of this little characteristic lol.)

(credits to cvingle on twitter for translation)

But I think that he'd be less attracted to sweets and, on the contrary, more interested in bitter/plainer flavors (He should try spicy)

[ivanttakethis]

For context, this a follow up to @crustyfloor’s great addition to my post about wanting Ivan to live for Ivan and not just for the sake of IvanTill.

My response just got so long, I thought it’d be better to make it a separate post so here we are!

“‘I wish Ivan lived for Till’ His relationships aren't all there is to him.”

THIS. RIGHT. HERE.

There is so much more to Ivan and it pains me that people don't see it or don't care.

And I get it, like @rockwgooglyeyes said there is a fair amount of focus on shipping in fandoms, and relationships are an integral part of the larger narrative of Alien Stage, but there's more to these characters than that.

Ironically enough, even Ivan views himself as nothing more than someone in service of Till. Ivan doesn't think he's much of anything without him.

Having Ivan live and be rescued by the rebels is the perfect opportunity to change all of that.

He would be completely cut off from his previous life (the aliens, Alien Stage, Till, etc.) and forced to reckon with who he is as a person when nothing is demanded of him anymore.

Let him finally drop the mask and get more comfortable showing his true personality.

Let him get his hands dirty with the rebellion, build his self-esteem from the ground up, and grow to live for himself.

Let him reconnect with Mizi! Have him realize that there are people who care about him and would miss him if he was gone. That there can be more to his life than always chasing, endlessly giving, and never receiving.

I would LOVE to see him have an arc of character development like Mizi. I’d pay for it, even.

This is probably controversial for me to say, but one of my main criticisms of Ivan canon-wise is that he doesn't grow much as a character, if at all.

From the beginning to where we are now, Ivan has always been laser focused on Till. Everything we learn about Ivan is tied to Till in some way. Even in the comics or art we get involving him, they almost always include Till.

I was joking before with my tags about Ivan not thinking about anything other than Till. But what do we know about Ivan that doesn't have anything to do with Till?

We learned that he's the only character that wasn't bred and lived his early years on the streets as a stray, but nothing beyond that???

Like that's such an interesting story idea to include and we know next to nothing about it!

And then Ivan sacrifices himself for Till. Something he would've done at any point in the story.

Nothing changed. His arc is flat. His character is static.

(And to be honest I kind of feel like this was done just as a means to further Till's character development—*runs away*)

There's still a chance to show people who Ivan is.

Not Ivan Unsha. Not "Till's lover boy".

Ivan.

I hope we get to see him.

Shoutout to everyone in the notes of the original post, your takes are all incredibly based! @unshallow-feelings @nottoonedin @paradisedisconcert @atrophiedemotion @m1zisua @hoisinblackcat

[laurapetrie]

HEROINES OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE: the maid Enveloped in an aura of nostalgia, she seems to come from the world of fairy tales or from an idealized Victorian epoch, in which women, in the form of Archadian shepherdesses, or country aristocrats, were still granted private spaces and secret gardens. They long to take refuge in hidden places off-limits to men. These qualities evoke an age of innocence dressed in night gowns, and undergarments all in white, with embroidery and applique, ribbons and lace - a timeless look. And, of course, their obsessively brushed hair is inevitably long and curly, held in place with ribbons, bows and combs. This nature-loving romantic heroine loves to walk barefoot on the dew-drenched grass of dawn, to read fables and study music. She can be a free woodland creature or a highly refined damsel. - GIULIA PIVETTA

[barbossas-wench]

Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan by Ilya Repin // Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

[yvehattan]

I understand Ivan Karamazov because I too am twenty something and have no desire to live past the age of 30.

[thatbirdrestaurant]

The Fairy Tail fandom, as a whole, should talk about the Dreyar family more.

Like. There are so many fucking loose ends with all of them. Yeah, there are the basic questions like who is/was Makarov's wife/Ivan's mother; who is Laxus' mother?

Both are questions I've had since basically season one, but I also need to know how Ivan found out about the Lumen Histoire? How did he know it had some kind of important power, or did he just assume it did? What was Ivan's and Laxus' relationship before Ivan was expelled? If it was good enough for Laxus to do a complete 180 in personality, why didn't he just quit the guild and join Ivan? Why did they basically stop talking after Ivan was expelled? if their relationship was bad, why the hell did Laxus care so much?

Mashima, you've created a piece of fiction that I love oh, so dearly, and Fairy Tail will always mean so much to me, but why the fuck did you leave so many things untouched? Things like Laxus' mother shouldn't have been something to never speak of again, and you give more time to Porlyusica - a (implied?) former lover of Makarov's - before you give even a hint to a possible wife?

I am pulling out my hair at the thought of how good a Raven Tail Arc could've been. I will lament over it as long as I continue to live.