Dear Insane Children, 

First up, Alex sends along an evolution of his “Scraper” concept of which he says…

 Just sending this your way, it’s another pass on the Scraper enemy concept, which has evolved into “Tick Tock”.

It could be a “Wonderland” version of the same enemy, more designed to appear alongside other enemies in Hatter’s Domain.

A wind-up key, like a wind-up toy has been added to the back, and the “blades” are now the hands of a clock.

I imagine this version runs around for a limited time, maybe allowing easy passage for Alice when he’s all ticked out and inanimate.
But best watch yourself when he’s spun up and on the prowl.

Could allow for some SPLIT second chase scenes with Alice just getting away from a mob of these guys as they chase her, and the only reason she escapes is because they run out of puff. 

Like a constant threat, but one that can be out-manoeuvred if the player allows for their “down time”.

Sounds like a nice thing to run into down a dark alley! 

And a quick reminder that tomorrow’s livestream is Euro-time stream. Hit THIS LINK to tell YouTube you want to watch this – only to hear YouTube laugh at your request and ignore it. Or set an alarm on your phone or something. 

Welcome to Rutledge

This is the latest from Omri. F’ing fantastic! 

I’m thinking this is the print we’ll send out for November. What do you think? 

From Shanghai with Countdown to Eurotime,

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

First off, Chaos Coins are arriving with Patrons around the world. I know we told you to wait until the 15th before asking for a tracking link but it appears you really could wait a few more days. Literally every person who wrote to say they’d like a tracking link (now that it’s the 15th)… is about 24~48 hours away from receiving their shipment. So, wait?

Still, if you are super nervous and dying for info, go ahead and send us a PM… Font Lord loves looking up your tracking info! 😛 

Meanwhile those of you who have received a Chaos Coin are busy posting photos all over the interwebs. Looks like everyone is happy with the quality and content of the package. Yay! So glad we could achieve this unique goal and deliver a quality product to everyone who supported. Wonderful! Thank you! 

If you have any quality issues please just PM us – we’re happy to send you a replacement if anything is damaged or contains a manufacturing issue. That also goes for anything else you receive from us – art prints, etc. 

Uncertain how to get in touch … just PM US! 

Oh, and if you missed out on the Chaos Coin promotion here on Patreon, no worries… just head over to Mysterious and grab one there! 

Livestreaming in the EU and Halloween Craziness

This week’s livestream will be an EU special. That means all of our E-ewwww friends can join in without having to stay up all night! 7PM Hong Kong Time on 18th, October.

Hit THIS LINK to set a reminder over on YouTube. 

While you’re there, do me a favor, make sure you Subscribe to the channel, hit the Bell Icon thingy, and also, be sure to LIKE some of our recent livestreams. Apparently this sort of activity helps YouTube decide whether or not you receive a notification when you set a reminder. The “reminder” button doesn’t actually do that! Go figure! 

Speaking of livestreams… 

THAT is a Badge of some-sort which is part of a set our good friend Jennifer D’aww is working on. There’s a series of them, each denoting a different amount of time you’ve been a Member(?) of our YouTube community… or something? She’s also done a HypnoBunny you can use to confuse and influence NightBot into giving you more prizes… 

All kinds of crazy stuff going on! Did I say CRAAAAZY?!?!?!?! Get ready… 

Chris Vrenna Livestream!!!

Our good friend and composer of the soundtrack for “American McGee’s Alice” will join us on the next-next livestream. That’s the one scheduled for 24th of October, 2018 (PST). 

Get your QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS into the comments starting NOW so that Font Lord can collect those and prepare them for this special guest appearance. 

Roger L. Jackson Livestream!!!

31st of October, 2018 (PST) – that’s Halloween! – brings the man himself, the voice of the Cheshire Cat (and many of your other favorite Wonderland crazies) to the livestream.

Again,  get your QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS into the comments starting NOW so that Font Lord can collect those and prepare them for this special guest appearance. 

Hey, it’s Halloween, of course I’m going to bring you some TREATS! 🙂 

Treats? 

Ka! Leggings!

If you’ve tuned into our livestreams where we’re reviewing artwork from Joey, you’ll know how much I love the onomatopoeia she draws into her illustrations. 

Well, for those of you, like me, who can’t get enough WA KA PA! We proudly present…

The WA! KA! PA! Leggings – these Jennifer-designed leggings feature the WA KA PA artwork of Joey and will give you a perfect belly button*. Impress your friends, confuse your parents! WA KA PA TODAY!

I think we should make it so when we hit 3000 Patrons, Martin has to wear this (and nothing else) on the live stream. Maybe a bunny hat too 😉

Little Nightmares

Meanwhile lots of new art rolling in… I can hardly keep up!

This image from Joey illustrates the concept of these doll enemies self-assembling based on whatever parts happen to be laying around. We discussed this idea in detail during the livestream last week. Hit THIS LINK if you missed that stream and want to watch it now.

Once again we discussed the idea (option?) of actually displaying these sound effect words in the game. I really like the idea. Some in the chat thought it would be annoying. What do you think? 

Surprise, m’er f’er… Gonna FORK YOU UP! 

These images led to much laughter and lots of brainstorming. Jennifer was even inspired to turn some of these characters into various t-shirts and apparel items (hence the leggings). Keep on eye on the Mysterious Shop for those things to start appearing. 

And we talked a bit about levels and puzzles. Which brings me to… 

The Asylum Wiki

With help from our community and specifically Magus and AsteriaVisual (go say Thank You! to them over on Discord) we’re seeing a ton of functionality and content updates. The goal being worked towards now will soon enable us to have weekly design-specific Discord group chats where we can work through details on specific areas of the game design. This will truly bring our Crowd Design efforts to life. Exciting times! 

Go CHECK IT OUT! 

Patch Madness

The newest set of Embroidered Patches is nearly finished and will be delivered to our shipping partner next week on Tuesday. So, hey! We need to get those Patron number up in order to unlock that goal!

Spread the word among your friends, family, and pets! 

Hmmm… Petreon… Woof?

Alright, see you all soon on the next livestream (or in the next post). 

Let me know what you think of all this insane progress in the comments below! 

From Shanghai with Woof, 

-American (and Lulu)

*Perfect belly button not guaranteed. Not responsible for WA KA PA injuries.

Dear Insane Children,

(Livestream tomorrow – scroll down for details)

Yesterday I wrote a blurb on Instagram regarding Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery to incorporate breakage and repair as part of the history of an object. This topic sprang to mind as I reviewed the latest batch of enemy illustrations from Joey.

This concept also intersects with a the idea of Antifragile as presented in the book of the same name by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

As Taleb describes it…

“Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty. Yet, in spite of the ubiquity of the phenomenon, there is no word for the exact opposite of fragile. Let us call it antifragile. Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better”.[1] 

Wikipedia continues…

The phenomenon is well studied in medicine, where for example Wolff’s law describes how bones grow stronger due to external load. Hormesis is an example of mild antifragility, where the stressor is a poisonous substance and the antifragile becomes better overall from a small dose of the stressor. This is different from robustness or resilience in that the antifragile system improves with, not withstands, stressors, where the stressors are neither too large or small. The larger point, according to Taleb, is that depriving systems of vital stressors is not necessarily a good thing and can be downright harmful.”

In my view there’s a lot of overlap between the ideas described here and an approach to the origin of and treatment of PTSD. 

Severe traumatic shock often arises from fragility. Like a vase dropped from a shelf, we break when subjected to unexpected and violent changes in our environment or existence. 

Critically, our brains engage two different systems depending on whether or not we anticipate an event. Knowing we’ll face a severe storm aboard a boat is cognitively different  than being caught out unexpectedly. One is something to prepare for and fight through and uses the problem solving part of our brains. The other is something we simply try to survive and engages the more instinctual fight-or-flight mechanisms. One feels like a challenge to overcome. The other feels terrifying. 

The aftermath of a storm or confrontation with chaos in our lives can be devastating and long lasting. And there’s no shortcut to minimizing or avoiding the pain we experience emotionally, physically, and psychologically. But there is a way of shifting your perspective to make the experience more productive…

Instead of asking “why” a thing happened… look at the shattered bits and pieces which remain and accept them for what’s left to work with. Over time those pieces need to be adapted into a new and functioning whole. Like using a bed-sheet for a sail … or insect legs for arms. 

We should expect and anticipate a life filled with chaos and ultimately ending in death. We need not be blindsided by the unexpected. People will fail us, relationships will crash and burn, we’ll fall ill, the dog will vomit on the bed, and there will be hair in your salad. The path through this with dignity and acceptance has been captured in many philosophies such as stoicism.  

Arm yourself with the tools (and insect arms) for the coming chaos. Better now than when it’s too late. And when the storm has passed, pick up the pieces, glue them back together, and keep going.

Omri sent along an update to his Alice in the Asylum image. He’s looking for feedback from YOU so please be sure to leave your SUGGESTIONS and QUESTIONS in the comments below!

Alex has entered the arena! He’s sent along an idea for an enemy character he calls a “Scraper” and says… 

 The idea being they are Alice’s twisted imaginings of straight jacket bound asylum patients, bandaged, strapped and blind, limping through the dark halls.
Before they are moving, the Scrapers would be bound in their straight jackets. Secured but struggling, gasping and moaning tortured gurgles and strangled breaths.
When alerted or engaged, rusted, massive scalpel blades protrude or explode from their limbs, destroying their restraints and enabling them limited, but steady movement.
The blades would scrape along the tiles and marble of the ground, making a tell-tale, disjointed screeching sound.
In darkness you could just see the sparks flicker from the blades to give off their location.
I imagine they’d be at a point in the game where Alice is defenseless. 

Yikes!

Lots more art, design, and story stuff to discuss. And for that, tomorrow we have a… 

LIVE STREAM!! 

Hit THIS LINK to set a reminder over on YouTube. We’re doing our usual time:

09:00AM Hong Kong Time, Thursday morning (11-10-18)

Tomorrow I’ve got special prizes lined up… 

If you want to know what this Moving Ears Rabbit Hat is all about and watch a video of a Chinese girl giving a Level-1000-Cuteness example of them in use head over to Mysterious and check it out!

Chaos Coin & Necklace Update

Chaos Coins are arriving with Patrons around the world. If you’ve not yet received yours – don’t sweat it. Should be there soon! 

If, by the 15th of October, you still don’t see your coin then PM us. Not sooner! 

If you are waiting on a Chaos Necklace please note there was a delay in getting replacements to our shipping partner resulting from the recent Chinese Golden Week Holiday. Replacements should arrive in Shenzhen this week and will ship out soon. Expect delivery in ~20 days. 

That’s it for today… See you all on the livestream tomorrow! 

From Shanghai with Rabbit Ears, 

-American

Dear Spooky Children, 

Font Lord called me this morning and said, “Oye, gov! It’s been a year since we started this bloody Patreon, so perhaps we should offer Ye Olde One Year Special!” To which I replied, “Avast me timbers! Aye, matey!” 

We continued speaking Ye Olde and Pirate Talk until we got all confused and came up with this plan… I hope it’s not too confusing!

Pledge at the $75 Tier for the month of October and get TWO PRINTS! 

We’ve selected the Cheshire and Queen posters by Alex. And here’s how it works…

If you’re already at the $75 Tier from previous months and stay there for October then you’ll get two prints! Yay!

If October is your First Month at the $75 Tier then you’ll also receive a Chaos Necklace. Double Yay!

And if you’re at the $35 Tier working your way towards an Art Print Selection then keep in mind it’s any three $35 months (does not have to be consecutive). So you can do the $75 tier for October then return to the $35 Tier at a later date and continue until you hit three. Triple Yay! 

How To Take Advantage of this Offer

RIGHT NOW: Make sure your pledge and tier are at $75 (or higher)

THEN WAIT: Until November 15th

That’s it! You’ll get the art prints (and Chaos Necklace if this is your first month at $75). You can then adjust your pledge and continue on your merry way. 

• Shipping is FREE! 
• We mail art prints and necklaces everywhere in the world. 
• You choose a Large or Small necklace via SurveyMonkey later.
• Posters are shipped in sturdy cardboard shipping tubes. 
• Posters measure 68cm x 47cm printed on heavy post stock.
• Art prints will be available later at Mysterious (at a higher price).

These items would make a fantastic Holiday Present for that special Alice fan in your life. And everything will ship and arrive in time for the holidays so… Treat someone or Treat yourself!

THANK YOU

All this is really meant to be a big Thank You to all of you who have come with us on this insane journey. So much art, story, and creativity have flowed from this process and we’re just getting started! I really appreciate the support, love, and energy you’ve poured into our little asylum. 

From Shanghai with Tricks, 

-Spooky American and Spoopy Lulu

Dear Insane Children, 

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Golden Week even if you aren’t in China or Japan where these holidays a major thing. It’s estimated that somewhere around 500 million people in China will travel during this period of time and it marks one of the largest mass movements of humans at any point during the history of our planet. As everything in China is shut down for the holiday it makes sense to get away for a little R&R which is why Yan and I are currently in Krabi, Thailand enjoying time with friends, prepping SV Chaos for the upcoming sailing season, and making plans for Pirate Jam 2019. 

Meanwhile Omri’s been busy drawing tentacles and thinking about Origin Story things. He says… 

I figured that Shadow-Alice is more than just a representation of Alice, she’s also a trickster that wants to destroy, manipulate and create Chaos, on purpose. I thought about playing with shadows and black colors but it doesn’t click in my mind.

If she is met with people in wonderland and being confused by the inhabitants of Wonderland as Alice she should look like the actual real Alice. i thought it could be cool to have her looking like in the Original game with the Omega and odd symbols on the apron. the Omega is also the Last letter which can be translated to the Last thing Alice does- is to destroy her shadow self and consume her, hence wearing the necklace.

I thought that the tentacles should come from somewhere, it makes sense that if This queen eventually rules the whole of wonderland, it makes sense style-wise to have her kinda looking like the real queen in the original game.

The questions that rose while designing her is IF she looks like Alice and lies and destroys people, should she look like other people too? For Patreons:

Should she look like Lizzie sometimes and interact with Alice?

Should she look like Hatter? His head is represented in the final boss of AMA

Should she look modest like v1 or disturbing like v2?

I think She represents the sickness, Lizzie represents the Fire and Trauma, Hatter- the Actual Wonderland and Alice obviously as herself. Parents, Alice’s Survivor’s guilt and helplessness.

Tell me what you think, i’d love some feedback on this, hope you like it.

Lots to think about here. And there are several elements of what he’s presented here which I really LOVE. First, the overall idea of Shadow Alice is really growing on me and I do think it contains the best visual representation of the direction we’re going with Alice’s overall Quest and ultimate Goal. 

Second, the idea Shadow Alice wears the Omega Necklace makes a lot of sense. We might also suggest our little Alice starts with the “A” necklace (for Alpha or the beginning) very early in the story and then see this transformed into the Chaos Symbol for the duration of the game. At the point where Alice integrates her shadow self she’s reached her goal and we’d see the necklace transform into the Omega (ending). 

For Omri’s other questions regarding Shadow Alice representing other characters… I think we have to move forward into the story of “American McGee’s Alice” and look at the meaning of the representations in that game. Each character Alice encountered was meant to represent an emotion stemming from the fire which she’d not yet dealt with. I think this idea still works in relation to the “integration of shadow self and overcoming over PTSD” narrative we’re building into Asylum. 

Suffering from, coping with, and overcoming PTSD doesn’t “end” with a cure, sudden fanfare, prize ceremony, and moving on with one’s life. The treatment and “cure” are an ongoing process which can take years. Some argue there is no ultimate cure but that management of the symptoms can improve a person’s relationship with the trauma to the point of integration such that a new normal is achieved. 

In the early stages a person can be so incapacitated by trauma that they feel numb and emotionless. Meaning and hope are stripped from reality. In this state one can barely eat or sleep – so confronting powerful emotions like guilt, anger, sadness… forget about it. 

We therefore have three distinct phases emerging for the Alice trilogy. 

1. Alice: Asylum – Trauma resulting from the loss of her family incapacitates Alice and lands her in the asylum. She fights against the trauma (PTSD) in order to find a new normal, integrate her shadow, and emerge on the other side transformed into a new, more powerful, more aware person.

2. AMA – With a new sense of self and a collection of hard-earned abilities, Alice fights against individual representations of the emotions resulting from the loss of her family. Characters she encounters represent guild, anger, sadness, etc. This is the final taming of her mental landscape which allows her to turn her attention to the world outside.

3. Madness Returns – Alice confronts the monsters of the real world. She employs her psychological powers to investigate and reveal real world events leading up to and beyond the fire… ending in a confrontation with her physical antagonist. This merges Alice’s physical and psychological domains / powers. 

But what do YOU think? As you see this new narrative emerging and you think about it in the context of your experience with the first two games how does all of this sound to you? Are we on track? Is this doing an honor to the established character and her story? Let us know in the comments below! 

Of this “Lizzie Level” Omri says… 

There are 2 Large ruling kingdoms in the Peaceful wonderland, Cards and Chess, in both realms The Good Queen of hears and the Good Red Chess queen rule, Peacefully.

Lizzie appears like some sort of ripple in space and slowly sucks in the two kingdoms and burns everything she touches (Hence Lava Theme in the first game) This creates SOME of the chaos. Alice doesn’t really defeat Lizzie- Eventually, somehow, Shadow-Alice Does AND as well the two queens. In that way Shadow Alice becomes the new queen and Ruler of Whole of wonderland. which basically should be the end game. Shadow Alice Turns into the red queen we see in the original game. She originally has 3 heads and i think i’ll do a design of her with 3 heads as well And Tentacles.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one but that’s a good thing. What do you think of Omri’s suggestions for casting Lizzie in this role? 

For sure we need to revisit the Card Guard and Chess realms. And we also need to figure out the “Queen Conundrum” – as in, which queen is “our” queen and how did she get to be that way? 

Again, thoughts and comments below! 

I’m heading back to Shanghai tomorrow and we’ll be getting back into the normal swing of things. Lots to do… another livestream next week for sure! And we need to think about our next Patreon Goal and unlocking those embroidered patches. Should be seeing more production samples of those plus the first samples of the White Rabbit Collectable Plush. 

Lastly… be sure to head over and check out the progress being made on the Asylum Wiki. Tons of updates and content flowing in there now. A big Thank You to Magus and our other community supporters who are helping to improve and maintain that site! 

From Thailand with Aaaarg, 

-American 

Hi there

Martin here with a quick FAQ about the Patreon Chaos Necklaces for those of you who are new at $75 and above.
We’ve had a few people asking questions about this so here they are.

1) How do I choose my necklace size?
After about a week or so into the new month and most payments are processed and data compiled, you will receive an email from us via survey monkey that asks what size you want.

2) Does the necklace and art print get shipped separately?
Yes, yes they do. They come from different locations.

3) And speaking of prints, how do I choose my art print?
Only people at the 3x$35 tier get to choose their print.

4) Where’s my necklace?
Last month’s patrons will unfortunately have a little more delay (sorry about that) due to us having to re-stock some of the necklace sizes and also that meant the shipping fell slap bang in the middle of Chinese holiday season. But if you answered the survey email, your necklace will surely get to you one day soon.

5) Can I have a tracking number?
Yes, but please only ask for that if you really REALLY really need one as we have to manually extract them from the shipping website and it’s a bit of effort.

Any more questions, feel free to PM us or sound off in the comments below.

– Cheers