| Overview |
Ivan (이반) is the fourth participant who was first introduced in ALIEN STAGE: Prologue. His song, "Black Sorrow", is featured in Round 3. In Round 6, he is up against Till as they sing "Cure".
Personality[]
As a child Ivan appeared quiet and off-putting, due to being raised in the slums and not knowing proper social behaviors. His fascination with Till started during this time, but the two of them often got into fights due to Ivan often saying things and behaving in ways that upset Till.[1] Ivan put effort into appearing more normal, in ways such as practicing his smile in the Anakt Garden pond.[2]
Later on in life, Ivan succeeded in appearing more normal as he adopted a cheerful persona and learned how to smile and be friendly around others. Classmates saw him as "too perfect to get close to", but he did manage to become friends with Mizi.[3] His childish interior could still be seen in the ways he still tried to bother Till to get his attention, though.
Beneath both the off-putting exterior of Ivan as a child and his cheerful nature as he grew up lays a deep sorrow and fatalistic view of the world, however. His two solo songs generally depict him as someone who believes he's destined for nothing but unhappiness, and that no amount of trying will ever change that. This is clearest when looking at his interactions with Till, as though Ivan is quite obsessed with him, he seems to be resigned in the fact that Till doesn't feel the same[4]; even when they were close to escaping together, Ivan simply smiled as Till let go of his hand.
He's notably quite hypocritical, berating Sua for sacrificing herself for Mizi yet doing the same for Till, and also not following most of the tips he gives for his classmates in Anakt Garden in his student interview (not eating regular meals, for example.)[5]
Appearance[]
Ivan is a pale man with jet-black hair and piercing black eyes with small red specks in the middle. A fang peeks out from the corner of his mouth. He is dressed in a sleek black turtleneck and topcoat, with a diagonal belt accentuating his chest and long black gloves that extend up to his forearms. His lower half consists of a pair of grey slacks with and knee high cerulean boots with straps along the hem.
In Round 6, contrary to his Round 3 attire, Ivan is seen wearing a long white topcoat over a grey turtleneck. He wears matching white pants and shoes. While Ivan's hair was down during Round 3, his hair is slicked back and pushed up for the "Cure" performance.
Background[]
Past[]
Ivan was adopted on February 14[6]. Although he was a very quiet child, he quickly got along with the other children at ANAKT, dispelling his teacher's worries.[2] Despite his exceptional singing talents, he was unable to truly open himself up to deeper connections with the other children, leading to the formation of a deep, one-sided attachment to Till.
Motivated by his love for Till, Ivan attempted to free him from ANAKT and escape together. Unfortunately, their attempt was brief, as the aforementioned decided to return to the garden, not wanting to abandon Mizi.
Alien Stage Events[]
Ivan is placed in the third round and sings "Black Sorrow" and wins 90 to 68.
After the events of "All-In", Ivan is seen rescuing and caressing Till's cheek after the aliens abused the latter.
In the sixth round he goes against Till. Near the end of the song, Till stops singing, which leads Ivan to give him a forceful kiss before putting his hands around Till's neck, as if trying to choke him. It can be assumed that his reasoning for this was to lose points, saving Till from losing the round and sacrificing himself in the process.
Songs[]
Covers[]
Trivia[]
- Ivan enjoys classical literature.[7]
- He hates ignorance and disrespect.[8]
- According to the hangul spelling of his name, Ivan is pronounced as 'ih-van' [이 — ih, 반 — ban]. His name is coincidentally the same hangul as the slang term "이반" [''iban''], a commonly used shortened version of "이반인" [''ibanin''], a South Korean slang word for homosexuals used by homosexuals.[9] This does not mean Ivan's name means 'homosexual', as nothing has been confirmed by VIVINOS or QMENG.
- His adoption day is on the same day as Valentine's Day.
- Ivan's personal talent is being able to start a fire with a rock.[8]
Sources[]
- ↑ Cheer Up, comic
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ANAKT Garden Child Diary
- ↑ Untitled comic, May 2024
- ↑ Confession, comic
- ↑ Anakt Garden Outstanding Student Interview
- ↑ Official_ALNST IVAN'S ADOPTION DAY
- ↑ Official Profile
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Official_ALNST NEW PROFILE
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_South_Korea#Etymology
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan
- ↑ https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/johanan/