Thread by @alnstmiwa

thoughts on #alnst anakt's child test 01-06. lengthy brainrot on meanings and how i think these tests function ⬇️

01 SUA voice practice (?) — alien stage opens with her singing "my clematis"; where s50's relationships began to take shape: mizi singing along with sua after a month of listening, leading to a reciprocal love, "mizisua," that later serves as a love model for till and ivan

sua also sings the prologue song, "sweet dream," which imo sets the worldview of alien stage just as much as the "my clematis" dialogue. there’s a lot to unpack from both songs, especially how they tie into the theme of religious indoctrination— "my father / my god, my universe."

and this is fundamental in the relationship models (that do not operate on reciprocity) we see in the series, e.g. pet-human & aliens, human-god & worshipper. i wanted to highlight this bc the overall placement of the equipment gives sua the image of a religious icon

an idol like a deified human— or an iron maiden, a punishment device designed to prolong pain. the mics pick up the sound, the monitor likely measures sound waves, variability, or vibration. tl;dr, it's analyzing her voice, her "sound.", cue "show me proof, you hear my sound"

02 MIZI dance practice — the freedom of showing who she is with everything she has, including her body language. i’ve always loved her "sweet dream" frames; you can tell what she’s trying to convey with your /eyes alone/. even the aliens claim she has something special

and i think this aligns with how the test is structured. if can't see or hear you, can she still convey and connect? under extreme pressure, can she retain control over herself, or will she fall apart? it even feels like a callout to mizi walking in blind onto alien stage

dance is also associated uninhibited movement so when confronted with physical restraints, the image feels more like the human desire for autonomy and the struggle to achieve it. the test tho seems straightforward: it checks her coordination, balance, or reliance on other senses

the associated meanings align with mizi's creative direction as a character who is inherently free, yet is belatedly confronting the harsh realities of her pet-humanship on alien stage— and eventually growing outside it, i.e. seeing the bigger world

03 TILL instrument practice - urak said, "he (till) should know his talent is what kept him alive." till’s a natural genius with exceptional musical talent. his connection to instruments is easy to understand, like treasuring the flute mizi gave him and murdering freddie on stage

so i'd dwell more on the twin implication of being a musician/artist for till. despite seeming destructive, he has a genuine inclination to create: he has a talent for making flower crowns and composing songs

the harsh facet is his intense focus on his craft is driven more by survival than by pure passion. this contrasts the oblivious mizi, whom till loves/worships. till, on the other hand, is acutely aware of his instrumentality in urak’s goal to "win" alien stage

for the test - till is looking down, probably memorizing his fingers; he seems to be strumming his guitar and the monitor behind him visualizes the music he produces. alien stagers also pointed out the device on his head (left) which may be used for regulating behavior (right)

alien stage uses the collar colors for non-verbal storytelling, so despite what his calm appearance suggests, till's collar being closer to red than yellow tells me he's experiencing high levels of stress, but the regulating device keeps his behaviour in check

so till’s calm appearance could suggest either desensitization to the test or the device at work. regardless, this process, similar to classical conditioning, instinctively trained him to maintain control over himself while playing instruments

04 IVAN image making practice - pet-human manufactured for stellar media reputation, engineered in a lab specifically to create and destroy fandoms.his charisma is a cornerstone of his brand, securing sponsorships under unsha's guidance

this transactional relationship taught ivan early on that his value was inextricably linked to his utility. for unsha, public image was paramount, and ivan had to work tirelessly—a grueling schedule with four hours of sleep; he had to be worth the investment

tbh? the equipment in ivan’s practice area bears a disturbing resemblance to an electric chair. belts around his torso and hands could be designed to ensure electrodes maintained proper contact, while also restraining him from any violent outbursts that could disrupt the tests

if ivan fails to meet the "image" standards or doesn’t convey or suppress the required emotions through his facial expressions, the mechanism kicks in, continuing until he gets it right, much like an interrogation. irdk but that's the impression the photo is giving me

these tests could also have influenced how ivan associates certain cues with specific emotions. but bc emotions cannot be entirely reduced to parameters, he'd struggle to understand some nuances— like a smile doesn't always indicate happiness; it could be a mask for sadness

ivan got to understand these nuances more as he got older to the point it became natural for him to box his feelings under the same principle— he suppresses his true emotions under a public persona, which he only unmasks his final moments

05 LUKA heart rate variability (hrv) - ruler of my heart takes on a diff depth when you consider it in the context of luka's autonomy, or rather, the lack thereof. everything about luka, even down to his very genetics, is under heperu's control

we first see him as a spectacle, surrounded by aliens, trying to shrink into himself. heperu’s ownership extends to every facet of luka’s being, with the bold assertion, "luka was born this way because i created him."

the test seems to stimulate the heart's activities as the intense pain is centered on it. the strain is enough to make luka cry, with veins straining against his skin. the contraption on his face is likely an oxygen mask that reduces the heart's workload during the test

if the test is meant to stimulate hrv, electrodes are likely placed under luka's hospital gown. the device sends electrical signals to target his autonomic nervous system, which governs hrv. tl;dr it could drive luka’s heart to race uncontrollably or slow it to a perilous halt

to me, this is both a pain tolerance and stress test—a way to measure luka's response to extreme stimuli. heperu has mentioned training luka to conquer fear from a young age, possibly through repeated exposure to near-death scenarios

given that the alien stage is a death-match contest, the ability to suppress fear and extreme emotions is crucial for survival. luka's training seems meticulously designed to prepare him for this exact challenge

06 HYUNA superiority test— the one who managed to escape alien stage and now leads the human rebellion with a bounty on her head. hyuna’s narrative shares a thematic link with luka, focusing on autonomy and control, but from opposing angles. hyuna has a strong sense of autonomy

but lacks control, particularly as she remains chained to her brother’s death and her unresolved anger towards luka. initially, i thought the superiority test might relate to leadership, but with the twin dynamic and the fuller photo revealing hyunwoo, it may be tied to genetics

specifically, genetic discrimination: superior versus inferior, and the idea of control versus experimental groups. this brings up a conversation about eugenics, which, when considering pet-humans like luka, starts to make a troubling amount of sense

i also like how the girl (right) in focus shares hyuna's hair color. what if the great anakt is a facility that keeps copies of all alien stage participants, creating a database for future pet-humans that would benefit both alien stage and broader pet-human entertainment?

hyuna is shown stored in a tube filled with preservation fluid, which vaguely reminded me of luka's birthday graphic. the test itself might be more about data collection—monitoring brainwaves, given the electrodes on her temples, to study cognitive functions or brain activities

this data could provide the benchmarks making hyuna a crucial data point for the devices used on pet-humans, like the collars which "all-in" had a lot of focus on