The Alien Stage Experience

one thing that really stood out to me while watching zomst was how differently it tackles mizi's trauma-- and more specifically, her response to it

there are 5 generally recognized "standard" trauma responses-- some less talked about than others, but all very real. these are fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and flop, or the five f's of trauma.

fight is characterized by aggression in response to trauma. this can be expressed by lashing out at others, frequent outbursts, starting physical altercations in response to small perceived threats, and general change in demeanor- becoming "rude" or dismissive, even to those they care about.

flight is to run from danger or traumatic situations. this can present as fear of commitment, thrusting oneself into work due to the need to "keep going," avoiding any emotionally tasking situation completely, and persistent distraction-- loss of self due to fear.

freeze is the response of "shutting down"- this can look like complete disassociation, social withdrawal, fear of change, and general emotional numbness. this can lead to further trauma occurring, as one may become an unwilling but not protesting participant in their abuser's whims.

fawn is the act of "giving in" or trying to appeal to one's abuser. this can look like going along with others at the risk of oneself, adopting the same ideals as an abuser, trying to become "perfect" in their eyes, and general people-pleasing.

flop is often described as a more extreme version of freeze, characterized by total loss of body control and autonomy, complete submission, loss of person, and overall disorientation

sound familiar? well, i sure thought so.

i've seen theories that the cast of alnst are each representative of different trauma responses, and while I do agree, i think it is to be noted that mizi, and especially her zomst counterpart, exhibits traits of every single one. i think it's quite intentional, in fact.

when she first becomes an idol, mizi displays fawning and flighting tendencies, going along with the suggestions of her management and trying to appeal as much as she can to the public while thrusting herself into work and slowly distancing herself from everyone other than those she works with or under. it's important to note that for mizi, the cause of trauma is other people, and while we don't know the full extent of this, it can be assumed that she begins to fear that it could be anyone. and again, anyone that could pull her from her (falsely) safe, familiar routine is seen as a threat.

as she gets further into her career and is sexualized more and more, she seems to freeze, distancing herself from reality in order to cope with this unwanted position she has been thrust into but is reluctant to protest against. she seems to completely lose touch with herself and her emotions, fully functioning under thd mask she has created.

when sua tries to confront her about how she's changed, this forces her out of this frozen stage, causing to panic and become aggressive. we can see the change in her eyes-- she obviously feels very threatened in the scene with sua. we see her exhibiting uncharacteristic behaviors before, when she acts completely apathetic towards sua in response to her gift of flowers. again, i believe this was seen as a threat to mizi's defensive brain, as it forced her to confront feelings that may make her even more miserable in her position.

finally, and most obviously, mizi becomes the physical representation of "flop" after being put into the zombie stage. her eyes are taken and brain damaged, causing her to quite literally lose control of her body. we see multiple times that her limbs are malleable and well, floppy, and that she seems unaware of the world around her. she is no more than a puppet to the stage at this point-- her "person" has been entirely removed.

zomst mizi is a very complex, tragic character-- similarly to alnst mizi, but under different circumstances, and through the perspective of sua (which oh my GOD i loved seeing so much). i've seen a lot of people bashing her already, and while this post is mostly just my self-indulgent deep dive, i also want it to serve as an explanation (not an excuse !) as to why she acts the way she does and why it is SO GODDAMN TRAGIC. vivimeng you evil geniuses.