Dear Insane Children, 

You know who else is insane? Me. 

I mistakenly uploaded the WRONG PICTURE to yesterday’s post! 

Note to Alex: Sorry about that! 

So, without further ado… we present another in Alex’s Dark Symmetry series.

And this time it’s the actual *final* version. Derp. 

We’ll likely make this the Patreon Poster for this month – but I need to check with Font Lord to ensure we’ve not made other plans or promises before that’s fully confirmed. Apparently, I am not the sharpest spoon in the blender. 

Do leave some feedback and love for Alex in the comments below! 

From Shanghai with Derp,

-American 

Dear Insane Children, 

Hope everyone is having an excellent weekend! Some fun things going on here in the Asylum Workshop so let’s jump right in! 

First up is the new White Rabbit Plush PROTOTYPE featured as the main image (above). Let’s call this one v0.2 for the sake of clarity and reference. 

v0.2 comes from a new factory who were given the new concept artwork from Omri and Joey. Lots of improvements on display here – including the articulated arms / legs. While it is far from perfect it does have a certain “I like it!” feeling (at least for me). No, those stitches down the front aren’t “right” but there’s also something cute / dark about their exaggerated size. 

Anyway, be sure to share your feedback in the comments below. 

This image features another new sample – on the left – and we’ll call him v0.3. This comes from the same factory who produced the original v0.1 (on the right). v0.3 essentially a scaled-up v0.1 – so not a lot to say about this one… unless we just want to beat him up about being wrong in bigger ways! 

So… the main focus is really on v0.2 – I think v0.3 is basically a throw-away. 

There are two other factories working on two more prototypes. Should see their first results in the next couple of days. 

Let us know your CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK in the comments below. Keep in mind these are not intended for you to purchase as-is. These are design prototypes. The materials WILL CHANGE. Right now we’re working towards getting the shape, construction, and feeling right. 

Look forward to your thoughts! 

This is the final version of the latest “Dark Symmetry” poster by Alex. This one will be added to the upcoming stream of Patron art prints. We just need to decide … which month? This month? Let me know in the comments below! 

Too many great prints to choose from these days!

Jennifer sends along this cute mock-up of the Cheshire Kitten which was inspired by the voice of Roger Jackson during our last YouTube Livestream. He did a cute version of the Cheshire Cat voice made to sound like a kitten. Check it out!

And Omri sends along a weapon concept based on a yo-yo! What do you think about this? Feedback in the comments below!

There is “news” of sorts going on in the background but I am, sadly, unable to speak publicly about any of it. When I am able to speak you’ll be the first to know. 

All I can say at this point is that the process of getting this sort of project off the ground is always slow. When we were given the green-light to make “Grimm” it took *a year* from the day I received the email saying “We want you to make this game…” to the day we received the first development funding check in our bank account. And that was working with Gametap, who were a relatively small and agile group. 

Anyway, until that time, let’s keep creating lots of great art, story, and physical things together. None of this effort is wasted. And I am really happy to have this unusual setup of slowly working on elements of pre-production with you all here on Patreon as my creative team. 

I hope you’re also enjoying the process and getting out of it something of value. 

From Shanghai with Love, 

-American 

Dear Insane Children, 

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! It was really amazing to see so many spectacular Alice costumes on display, shared from around the world. If you got dressed up as Alice this year, be sure to share your efforts and tag me – on Instagram I am @americanmcgee – and on Facebook you can send them to the Alice 3 Page where Fontlord may even decide to re-post them! 

The Shadow and The Child

Last night I had a bit of a brainfart regarding the narrative presentation of the Alice: Asylum story. Woke up this morning and send this note off to RJ for consideration… 

You mentioned Alice narrating (recalling) the events of her time in the Asylum from a time / place after Madness Returns. So, we’re hearing (and seeing) adult Alice go through recollections of her childhood adventures in Wonderland just after the fire… 

What if… 

Adult Alice is seeking to find her inner child and reconnect with her? 

It could be wrapped in the context of adult Alice seeking to find where the White Rabbit (in his early, innocent, cute form) was left. Rabbit serves as an analog for Alice’s inner child.

So… 

We have child Alice on an adventure to integrate with her Shadow Self (and this results in abandoning “childish things” including the child toy form of the White Rabbit). That integration allows young Alice to transform into an adult and it prepares her for the battle we see unfold in AMA and AMR.

We have adult Alice reaching back into her memories and reliving these events while also seeking to claim something critical she lost during the transformation phase. Now that she’s defeated Bumby and established her adult self, she wants to reclaim certain elements of her lost Child Self (innocence, wonder, curiosity, kindness, humor – some critical capacity children have). 

She’s completing the start and finish of her story along the same path but split between two perspectives. 

As the player we’re essentially the eyes through which adult Alice relives the adventure. Perhaps we could do something by way of player “being” adult Alice in the final moments of the game… with child Alice turning to face camera and seeking some meaningful interaction from Alice/Player which completes the journey and makes our audience connect with the experience in a unique way.

Maybe a bit of a brain twister – but then that’s what we’re here for 😉

Dunno if we’re actually going that direction but I think there are a couple of interesting themes in here worth exploring. 

What do you think? Comments below! 

Just in time to go along with this brain twisting we receive the final version of Omri’s latest poster which he’s titled “Off With Her Head” and of this he says: 

 I saw the stream and people asked why she looks like the final red queen- That was the idea, in my mind Shadow Alice and the red queen are the same character.

Hope that clears that up! 

The Lulu Patch

That’s our favorite Lulu modeling her very own embroidered patch. 

The 2nd set of Embroidered Patches is DONE and even available for sale over on Mysterious. But don’t buy it there! You can get it here on Patreon if you’re at $10 (and above) once we hit our (adjusted) goal of 2800 Patrons. AND you can get the Lulu Patch via Patreon – it is NOT included if you purchase over on Mysterious.

So, tell your friends, families, and pets with PayPal accounts – become a Patron! They can lurk around at $1 a month – and then when we hit our goal (maybe next month?) this awesome new patch set will unlock and everyone can enjoy a Lulu Patch! 

Woof!

From Shanghai with Lulu, 

-American (and more Lulu)

Dear Insane Children, 

First up, a reminder about tomorrow’s Livestream on YouTube where special guest Roger L. Jackson (voice of the Cheshire Cat) will join us for a Halloween chat!

Hit THIS LINK to visit YouTube and set a reminder. We’re going live at 6PM PST (San Francisco time) on October 31st, (that’s Halloween – woooo). 

And we’re giving away literal FRIKKEN SKULLS for prizes this time around… can’t get more spooky than that!

Pirate Jam 2019

Arg, mateys! You’ll have noticed the video up-top which is the Pirate Jam 2019 Promo video. We’re taking submissions for potential pirates over on the Pirate Jam website. Hit THIS LINK if you want to check it out and sign up. 

I kinda feel like the Insane Children aren’t all that into Pirate Jam? 

Would love to hear feedback from everyone on ways the event might be made more exciting for Insane Children and for normal people who aren’t in the asylum. 

Have any of you watched the videos from the first two events? Anything stand out as particularly entertaining – or deadly boring? How might we improve what’s on offer? 

And… how many of you are game developers potentially interested in joining? Are you hesitating to sign up? If so, why? What sort of questions or concerns might you have?

Anyway, I’m excited for the 2019 event. We’ve got sponsors, ships, and core crew lined up and ready to go! Still plenty to be done on route planning and event setup – but since PJ2019 isn’t until April, 2019, we’ve got time… 

Rabbit Update

Omri sent along an updated image for the White Rabbit Plush. He’s  included additional details and instructions. And we have 4 (!) factories working on prototypes now, so I expect we’ll see some interesting results before too long. I’ve asked them to split between some factories doing Omri’s design (above) and Joey’s design (shared in the previous post here on Patreon.

Hey – did you order something from Mysterious in order to get a free Mini White Rabbit? If so, please note that these little guys ship separately from your main order – especially true if you’re ordering one of Jennifer’s nifty new clothing designs which have recently gone up. So, please refrain from writing to ask where your free rabbit is – he’s hopping his way to you all the way from China. Hop, hop! Give him a little time 🙂

The Shadow Self

And Omri sends along an updated version of the “Shadow Self” image he’s working on. 

Good timing since a lot of the recent talks I’ve had with RJ regarding the Alice: Asylum narrative revolve around the concept of the shadow self. We’re exploring ideas for how Shadow Alice interacts with “regular” Alice – and how the story of the two characters might intertwine, conflict, and eventually resolve. 

RJ is currently playing with ideas related to the narrative perspective on Asylum. He’s curious if we might be interested in seeing young Alice’s story as told by post-Madness Returns Alice. This idea opened up a can of (good) worms in terms of origin and resolution of Alice’s story in general. 

We spoke quite a lot regarding prequels – specifically RJ’s experience working for Lucas Arts and seeing first hand how the Star Wars franchise was driven into the ground with the “shall not be mentioned” episodes. So, we’re definitely avoiding *that* trap (thanks, Admiral Akbar). 

I’ve pasted a collection of notes and outline material into the Asylum Wiki. And the Wiki now has a Comment function which you can use after you create a Wiki account. 

Alright – we’ll go over more of this stuff on tomorrow’s stream! Don’t miss it! 

And be sure to get your QUESTIONS into the comments below so Font Lord and I can put those in front of Roger!

From Shanghai with Arg, 

-Captain Madcap (that’s my pirate name)

Dear Insane Children, 

Just a quick (and final) reminder of the Halloween Special: 2x Prints + Chaos Necklace… 

If you set your pledge to $75 (or higher) for the month of October you will receive the TWO posters you see above (each 47cm x 68cm) plus a Chaos Necklace* (large or small). 

That’s a collection of stuff worth $250 for only $75 – plus you get all the other benefits that come from supporting our Asylum work – including a special spot on our Discord Server, early access to art / design, and a voice in the creative process. Awesome deal!

Time is running out. Offer ends at 23:59:59 PST on Oct 31st!

Do you want to take advantage of this offer? It’s simple… 

• Set your pledge to $75 RIGHT NOW. 
• Stay there until November 15th. 
• That’s it!

From Spooky Shanghai,

-American McWooooo (a Scottish ghost?)

* Chaos Necklace only available to first-time pledges of $75. If you’re already at $75 you’ll still get the two art prints but not the necklace (you’ve already got that!).

* Apologies for the blatant spam…  now I need a shower  😛

Let’s try this one more time. A new concept drawing for the White Rabbit Plush doll. Hoping to address some of the issues we saw with the first version based on your feedback. Who thinks the factory might actually deliver him with arms and legs detached? They are so very literal! ?

Any additional comments before we begin?