Dear Insane Children

Font Lord here again with a reminder about the next live-stream over on Twitch.
So that’s Thursday the 4th at 10am Shanghai time.

And here’s a handy little chart that might give you a better idea of the time and date where you are in the world.

https://www.twitch.tv/americanmcgee  

You know the drill by now, there’ll be chat, art, discussion, fun, games, shenanigans and PRIZES !! Wheeee !!
And maybe… just maybe… a Lulu.
Also don’t forget to subscribe and follow our Twitch channel   😉

Should you not be able to watch us live, fret not, as we’ll record the whole thing and post it to our YouTube Channel so you can watch it later at your convenience. 
And this time, we might even remember to start recording from the very beginning.

See you soon.

Dear Insane Children, 

Lots of people asking for my stance (and the stance of Mysterious) on recent events in the US. Understandable request. And apologize if it seems like I’ve delayed in providing a response… It’s just very difficult to sort through my political and artistic positions in relation to the reality of my current family and living situation. A lot of nuance in all this and the internet is not well known for understanding nuanced positions. It’s “you’re either with us or you’re against us” all over again.

First off, I live in China and have done since I left the US back in 2004 (first in Hong Kong, now in Shanghai). It’s a country not famous for “American-style” freedoms. And I have to be sensitive to my host-country’s culture even if I don’t agree with all of it. This comes at a time when many of us are questioning what “American-style freedom” even means. 

The death of George Floyd was a murder. And it’s a continuation of and an extension of the murders committed by that special brand of “freedom” over past decades for as long as I can remember since the era in which I was born during the Vietnam War. It’s this special notion of freedom – the sort that imposes its will on the freedoms of others – that eventually led to my decision to leave the US. I can make no statement stronger than that.

At the time of my departure, I made a game that attempted to highlight the nihilism and cultural ills that I feel have eroded the concept of “America” since before I was born. It might have been poorly executed but it contained a simple narrative – that even after we’ve given up all hope (and rightly so) we can make the sacrifices necessary to set things right again. 

Sacrifice is by its very nature a painful process. And what I see the US currently going through is painful indeed. I hope that the institutional problems so prevalent in the US are dissolved in this process.  And that a new more inclusive and equitable form of government and society will emerge.

Be safe. Fight the good fight. And please remember, this is not black vs. white or red vs blue… it’s You The People vs. The System.

#conflicttheory #blackouttuesday

From Shanghai with Love, 

-American 

Hi All

Font Lord here with just a bit of info about what’s going on with shipping these days (both Pateron and Mysterious)

I’m sure I don’t need to explain what COVID has done to the world these last few months, and especially with airlines and shipping routes closing down and not only that, the number of ‘boots on the ground’ in your country’s postal services and port of entry is likely also massively reduced and disrupted. There’s basically been delays at every step of the way.

So, without going into too much details about all the different types of issue I see when people write in, I would say that generally speaking, my information I give out to everyone who asks is the same.
We’re looking at about 4-6 weeks transit time recently  🙁
And that’s transit time. That doesn’t include the time an item spends going from distribution center to distribution center inside China before finally being put on a boat/plane and sent to you.

Apologies for all the waiting you’re having to do these days, and remember, I am certainly here to answer questions and give tracking links and ease your minds if you PM us (or contact us on Zendesk Customer Support). It just might take a little while to reply due to the number of messages I’m getting and the research I have to do on each particular order.

Once thing I would be interested in though is if anyone has received a print from us in the post recently? Like in the past 2 weeks?
If you could sound off in the comments, I could have a look at how long it was between shipping and delivery and that’ll give me some more data for knowing what the average shipping times currently are.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support and understanding during these very trying times. And please, let’s all continue to be safe.

– Cheers

Dear Insane Children, 

American here… feeling a bit recovered after last week’s battle with Massive Migraines of Mayhem. I think I’ve identified the cause – my computer monitor setup + staring at said monitors for too long every day. But I’ll get my MRI results tomorrow… so fingers crossed. 

Meanwhile, our team continues working on Design and Concept Art Work for Alice’s escape from Denial. 

Omri Writes: 

Attaching concepts and references.

thought of making it a humpty dumpty inspired Balloon but when it will “hit” the moon it’s like 2 faces who are kinda identical in concept and it looks not creative.

1. I think that the classic hot air balloon but with wings to control the movement and with icecream colors can work well.

2. the bottom, i think a gravy bowl with a broken or a full one-  handle can work. it’s like the moon “drinks” Alice visually.

3. Should someone work the Balloon? will there be a secondary character?

4. i don’t know where it will be placed in map so how things will look next to it yet, but theoretically it should work with the look of the general tents and rides. i think it should LOOK like a broken/Closed ride so it’s naturally planted in the realm.

To Which I Replied: 

Since the balloon is not designed to be (or planned to be) something that interacts with The Moon – let’s not add elements where the two things are made to interact. Having the balloon basket be something that looks like it’s designed for The Moon to drink from… no.

Keep in mind that my idea here is Grand Theft Balloon + Grand Theft Moon. She *steals* a balloon and tries to use it to escape. The Moon, in his duty as Alice’s Prison Guard chases after her but they end up crashing into each other. The crash should be violent, unintentional, chaotic, and dangerous. And it provides Alice with a dramatic shift in expectations… “That’s not a moon… it’s a flying contraption!” At which point she’ll board it and fight her way to the control room – much like Pirates of Ye Olde Times. 

This is a prison break. It’s a multiple high jacking. And it’s turning all the orderly, beautiful, purpose-built things in Alice’s world upside down. “Toys become weapons!” and “Little girls become pirates!” 

So…

Let us know in the Comments what you think about everything presented here. Should the Balloon be based on Humpty Dumpty? How do you feel about Alice as a Sky Pirate? 

More updates, art, and design this week – plus we’ll announce the Live Stream (usual time on Thursday, Hong Kong Time). 

PS: Thank you, everyone, for the kind wishes and understanding in response to my situation last week. I hate feeling ill and hate when I am unable to post updates and keep everyone in the loop. 

PPS: To all of our Insane Children in the USA… Holy Sh!t… stay safe over there! I can barely make myself look at all the crazy stuff being shared across social media. I sincerely hope everyone comes through this alright. And my heart goes out to everyone impacted by what’s going on. 

PPPS: I have lots of opinions on the political and societal issues underlying these upheavals… but the strongest statement I can make is this: I left the US back in 2004 in response to injustices and disparities  – within the borders of the US and through its actions abroad – because I felt I could no longer be part of what I saw as a broken system. As we talk about when discussing Alice: Asylum, I believe that the first stage of true transformation is “solve” (dissolving) – and perhaps that’s what we’re finally seeing in the US. If that’s the case, then I hope it leads to rebuilding around principals of fairness and equity for all. And… That’s what I have to say about that! Apologies for the political aside! 

From Shanghai with Relief (from migraine pain), 

-American