Dear Insane Children, 

Insane Children around the world are receiving their Certified Insane Tags and sharing their madness online. A few Instagram posts are shared above.

I’m glad to see everyone is happy with the results of this effort. Even more happy that we can celebrate our madness together! It’s such an honor and a pleasure to be engaged with and supported by such a diverse, interesting, and talented group of people from all walks of life, cultures, and locations around the world. Thank you! 

Crowd Design Session + Live Stream Schedule Adjustment 

My wife is roughly ~7 weeks away from D-Day (Delivery Day)! She now appears to be growing visibly with each passing hour. And is finding it increasingly difficult to make her way to work and back. So she’s going on a reduced hour schedule for a few weeks before taking maternity leave. 

That’s all a long way of explaining that for a few weeks, the Start Time for our Crowd Design and Live Stream events will be +1 hour later than the usual. Here in China we usually start at 9AM. Now it’ll be 10AM. For those of you in the US (Shaky Coast) that’s going from 6PM PST to 7PM. 

Adjust your reminders accordingly!

And we will have another Crowd Design Session TOMORROW (per the timetable above) at that time. 

Join us as we continue to explore Ideas/Suggestions from the Asylum Wiki. 

Don’t know how to join? Check out THIS LINK for information on our Discord Server. 

Mushroom Head Swirls

Remember how we had that art print called “Mushroom Head” and there were two versions? One with and one without SWIRLS? And how we voted on which to print – and some of you cheated or something… So the not-swirls version “won?” 

Anyway, the SWIRLS version is now available via Backerkit and at the Mysterious Shop for those of you who wanted the (obviously superior) version WITH SWIRLS!

If you’re on the 3/$35 Tier just keep in mind that this is now also an option 🙂 

Speaking of Backerkit…

Font Lord Update

He says, “Expect Backerkit surveys within the next 2 days – if you were a 3x$35 Backer.” Apparently all the data’s been wrangled and sent off to the guys at Backerkit. 

He also wanted me to mention that around 145 Insane Children have not completed their Tag Survey over on Backerkit. If you don’t complete your survey then you can’t receive your tag. If you recall completing the survey and/or have received an email with tracking details for your tag shipment, then don’t worry. 

If you think there’s some sort of problem with your survey email, your 3/$35 stuff, etc… then please hit THIS LINK and send us a Private Message here on Patreon. 

Cheshire Kitten Update

Before we can properly start the push to promote the Cheshire Kitten Plush Collector Set, I need these things in my hands: 

1) Final prototype of the Cheshire Kitten Plush (DONE)
2) Final prototype of the Nylon Bag (IN PROGRESS)
3) Cheshire Cat Embroidered Patch (DONE)
4) Concept Art of the Cheshire Lair (IN PROGRESS)

Since we’re missing two of the major elements I need to complete the set, I don’t feel comfortable starting the push to unlock this goal. As such, the Goal Amount is still set unreasonably high. 

I don’t think July will be the month we make this push. Safer to assume it’ll start on August 1st, 2019. So, if you’re mainly here for the Cheshire Kitten Plush Collector Set, please keep your pledge at the $1 “Unlock The Rewards” level – or at a higher level if you’re interested in the perks that come with those Tiers. 

August Will be Crazy 

There’s so much going on these days… TONS of stuff behind the scenes that I can’t even talk about. A baby on the way. Massive progress on various projects. I haven’t even mentioned Pirate Jam stuff! Whew boy! 

And pushing the Cheshire Kitten to that month… 

I can just imagine the baby arriving around the same moment we unlock our Kitten goal. Meow! 

See you all on the Crowd Design Session tomorrow! 

Lots more updates coming later this week. 

From Shanghai with MOAR!

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

Apologies for being quiet lately – I’ve been playing hospital ambulance driver and nurse for a sick doggo and a pregnant wife. Everyone is doing alright now but Lulu required a bit of minor surgery and Yan’s hospital visits are now becoming weekly. Only 8 weeks left until the arrival of Freedom Gas McGee (we really need to come up with a better name). And Lulu’s recovering nicely. She’s a tough little doggy… 

YouTube Livestream 

Hit THIS LINK to head over to YouTube and set a reminder for tomorrow’s stream!

This will be a 4th of July stream – at least here in China. It’s the usual, 9AM Hong Kong Time – 6PM PST in the US. 

We’ll discuss continuing progress on the Denial Stage of Asylum with lots of art to review and story elements to consider. 

Denial is a Contradiction of Reality

Philip K. Dick famously said, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Denial is a defense mechanism which involves a refusal to accept the reality of a situation. But it is often also mixed with behaviors such as Regression, Sublimation, and Projection. 

In Alice’s case, her mind has engaged a number of protective mechanisms in the stage of Denial. Regression (to an earlier, happier time) and Sublimation (creation of an alternate reality) chief among them. 

The horrible events of the fire are dressed up in costumes to hide their true horror. 

Norm sends along a wonderful cast of characters from the Circus Realm. Actors dressed as a variety of Wonderland characters – each playing a part in the creation of an illusion. I love the fact that two dunces – The Tweedles – are in charge of this production. Because we are being pretty dumb when we deny the reality of our existence and live a life of illusion and lies. 

Modern society teaches us that pain (suffering, sacrifice, effort) is something to be avoided. But the reality is that pain is a teacher. In fact, pain is The Teacher. In its various guises, pain (negative feedback, death, pressure, repercussion, cost) is what gives us impetus. Without the force exerted as a result of our mistakes or misfortunes we’d have little reason to learn, to change, or to adjust our stance towards the world. 

Alice can only exist in Denial for so long. At some point the mask slips and she must confront the reality of the fire and its destruction of the life she had before. Not just her life – but her Self. Only through pain (accessed through the House of Horrors) will she learn and grow. 

Of course before the Reckoning with Reality, Alice will have a chance to enjoy the “fun” on offer in the Circus Realm. And play a part in The Greatest Show in Wonderland!

This realm and its content are coming together nicely. 

What are your thoughts on what’s presented here? Share in the comments below. We’ll address your Suggestions and Feedback during tomorrow’s stream. Yay! 

Font Lord Reminder

It’s the start of the new month. Martin is busy with data wrangling. You should see an email next week (week of the 8th of July) if you’re expecting a Survey for your 3x$35 Art or Chaos Necklace ($75) rewards. 

Cheshire Kitten Note

We’re getting close… As soon as all the final bits are together here in the studio (bag sample, Kitten, embroidered patches, and Early Access artwork), I’ll post a full update to Announce the Kickoff of that as our Patreon Reward. All of that should be happening this week – which means that we can try to hit the Goal this month (July). 

But DO NOT DO ANYTHING YET! We’re going to post Full Instructions along with an easy-to-use $50 Tier for this Reward. We haven’t yet added the new Tier, so don’t go looking for it! 

The reason for the $5 Price Increase (vs. The Plush Rabbit)? Because the toy and bag cost more this time around. The toy price increased due to the increased complexity of the embroidery and design. The bag increased in price because it’s bigger, waterproof, and printed with reflective material. 

Keep in mind that $50 gets you the complete Collector Set plus Free Shipping (yes, to anywhere in the world). That includes: 

• Cheshire Kitten Plush
• Nylon Waterproof Bag (with reflective design)
• Cheshire Embroidered Patch 
• Early Access Code for the Cheshire Lair in Alice: Asylum
• Free Shipping everywhere in the world

But wait, there’s more! No, actually, there isn’t more … but you DO NEED TO WAIT! 

A dedicated post containing all the details, images of the Collector Set items, and instructions on how to quality, will be posted very, very soon. 

Meow!

As usual, feedback and questions in the comments below! We’ll address those things during the livestream tomorrow!

See you all tomorrow!

From Shanghai with Happiness,

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

Get ready for another weekly Livestream on YouTube!

Hit THIS LINK to set a reminder. 

We’ll discuss updates to the Cheshire Kitten Plush – I do have Version 3 IN HAND!

The Cheshire Lair (pictured above) is what we think you’ll gain (early) access to when you acquire the Cheshire Kitten Plush Collector Set. It’s a secret location in Wonderland which you can only enter if you have the Code provided with the Collector Set. 

As with the Rabbit Dress this unique location will be accessed with that code by Insane Children with the Kitten Plush Collector Set – and then released to everyone else after an appropriate amount of time. 

Next question is… what sort of Goodies should we hide in the Cheshire Cat’s Lair?! 

Lots of other bits of art, design, and narrative to discuss as well… 

A lovely little bit of concept artwork for the Train Stations we’ll find located all over Wonderland.

Crowd Design Session #13

13 is my Lucky Number and Session #13 felt quite lucky. We covered lots of interesting topics and heard great feedback from our Insane Children. 

You can check that out via THIS LINK. 

Topics for Tomorrow

A few more bits of artwork for characters, weapons, and locations – all of which will be discussed in detail during tomorrow’s Livestream. Please join us! 

Suggestions? Feedback? Please leave those in the Comments below and we’ll address those tomorrow as well. 

From Shanghai in The Lair,

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

First up, a NOTICE regarding the next Crowd Design Session! Here’s the timetable:

We host these sessions on our Discord Server. Hit THIS LINK to read more about Discord and how to access our server. 

If you’d like to join the discussion about Alice: Asylum design, story, and more – this is the place! Join us!

Storyboard Update

Joey sends along updated storyboards for the opening scene(s) of Asylum. These detail what we’ll (maybe) see at the start of the game.

As a complete intro to the next adventure, I think it’s great. How this fits into our vision of entering the game in a sort of “bystander” mode, viewing the world through Alice’s eyes, and experiencing life before the fire… there are some bits missing. 

I’m thinking it might work like this: 

Fade from White – Snow drifting from a slate grey sky as the camera pans down on the Liddell House. The camera flies through a window and into Alice’s room. We have Control of Alice as our Player Character. 

Over the next 5~10 minutes we live a life in the day of Alice Liddell (pre-fire). This gives us an introduction to interface, controls, and Alice’s backstory. 

Night falls. Alice is tucked into bed and…

 Fade from White – Snow drifting from a slate grey sky as the camera pans down on the Liddell House. 

NOW enter into Scene 2-Frame 4 (the girls building a snowman). 

That gives us the gameplay interaction at the start, slow build introduction, and the intro cinematic with transition into Wonderland.

Do I think this is final? No. But it’s a great placeholder for now. And, who knows? Maybe it’ll be the final intro to the game. As we go forward I’d like to explore the following: 

a) Is there a point in the intro for exposition/coverage of Alice’s entry into the Asylum?
b) If (a) isn’t at the start, where does it take place?
c) How are we handling transitions from Wonderland back to reality?
d) How might (c) get us back to scenes in the Asylum to deliver more of (a)? 

Certified Insane Tags – Shipping Update

Tags will start sending to Insane Children THIS WEEK. Expect ~30 Business Days for delivery to most people around the world. 

Keep in mind the following! As soon as we have tracking numbers from our logistics partner those numbers will be loaded into Backerkit and you’ll automatically receive an email with  the tracking link. And…

There are MULTIPLE BATCHES of tags going out – depending on when you completed your survey and when Font Lord uploaded that info to our logistics partner. If you see others receiving their tracking links or tags before you: stay calm.

After all that, wait until the End of July to ask Font Lord for tracking info if you feel you have reason for concern. You can do that by PM’ing US.  

Lulu Running, Swimming, and Jumping!

We all love Lulu. And Lulu loves you too! 

Yesterday might have been the most fun Lulu’s ever had in a single day. And if you’re feeling sad and need a smile… you could find worse ways to cheer up than to watch this :30 second clip of Lulu running, swimming, and jumping. 

CLICK HERE to feel joy with Lulu. 

From Shanghai with Smiles,

-American (and Lulu)

Dear Insane Children, 

Our team of artists and designers, powered by your support, continue cranking out some really amazing ideas. The main effort these days is focused on the events that lead us into the story of Alice: Asylum… The Fire, Alice’s confrontation with Chaos, and her transition into the Stage of Denial. 

With Denial we’re brainstorming another theatrical presentation (like the one you saw in Alice: Madness Returns) which makes sense when you think about what Denial represents. It’s the mind’s initial protection mechanism after being sent into Shock by a traumatic incident or series of events. It’s the safety net to catch us when the ground slips out from beneath our feet.

Many people, after experiencing trauma, find a way to persist in a state of Denial for extended or even infinite amounts of time. They “put on a show” “re-write the script” and “act” as if nothing ever happen. Many find it easier to stay in Denial by engaging with an ever-changing circus of distractions – work, exercise, entertainment, etc – than to confront the horror of what’s happened and commit to the effort required to learn and grow from it. 

So it makes sense that Alice’s Denial is represented as a literal circus and filled with all manner of distractions, acts, and shows. But it’s all an illusion – and a poorly crafted one at that. Then again, we’ll take any distraction we can get when the alternative is a shattered reality. 

In Alice: Madness Returns we presented a show by The Carpenter and Walrus. This time around it’s a circus put on by Tweedle Dee and Dum. It’s likely we’ll see Alice conscripted to play a role in the circus – and we’ve talked about seeing her forced to wear a Circus Dress. Others too are forced to wear ill fitting skins… 

How will Alice finally escape from this land of illusion so that she can continue her journey towards truth? 

Sitting at the center of Denial (the circus fairgrounds) we’ll find a House of Horrors. Perhaps it’s abandoned? Or requires a currency we don’t yet possess. Or, at first glance, is simply NOT THERE. Alice doesn’t see it until other little cracks begin to appear in the facade of Denial. But appear it does – right at the center of Denial. A hulking house of horrors through which we must pass if we’re going to escape the emotional coma. 

That escape will cause dissonance – the uncomfortable feeling we get when reality doesn’t align with our expectations. Dissonance triggers our fight or flight response. And when we can no longer flee we’re forced to fight. And fight is exactly where Alice is heading – from Denial to Anger and the realm of the Queen of Hearts. 

Speaking of Anger

A lot people carry a bit of anger towards EA – the owners of the Alice IP. And there are often voiced concerns about EA’s role in Alice: Asylum and how that role might threaten or destroy our efforts here. Insane Child IceKiller mentioned this in a question during a recent livestream and I provided an answer – which I’ve now uploaded as a single short video response. 

If you too are concerned about this issue (you shouldn’t be!) then head over to YouTube and watch my explainer. Hit THIS LINK to do that now! 

It’s Sunday here in Shanghai and the days of rain have given way to blue skies and sunshine. I hope that wherever you are it’s beautiful and bright. Lulu sends her love.

From Shanghai with Sunshine,

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

During our last Crowd Design Session we discussed the possibility of seeing Lizzie represented as the Red Queen. Hit THIS LINK to jump to that part of the discussion – where Insane Child Kyo brought this up as we riffed around the topic of the Voices in Alice’s head… what they represent and how they battle one another. 

Omri heard this suggestion and put together a visual representation of the idea (which you can see above). 

I like the idea that Lizzie represents an aspect of Alice’s personality standing in opposition to the Queen of Hearts. Where the Red Queen advocates flexibility, creativity, and integration of all the parts – The Queen of Hearts represents conformity, obedience, rules… All of this nicely mirrors Chaos vs. Order. 

It’s also nice that a Queen in Chess (kinda) contains all the moves of the other pieces. Moves (experiences, abilities) Lizzie would recognize or know due to her greater range of life experience vs. Alice.  

At the end of Asylum we’ll see Young Alice must integrate her shadow (Chaos) self in order to reach her goal. This allows Adult Alice to reintegrate her Child Self and complete her journey. And this leaves Alice in a state of complete integration – all her “enemies” are integrated into her self (in healthy ways) and she can grow from the physical damage and traumatic events of the real world. 

So long as you can wrap your head around the psycho-inception it should provide a satisfying ending to this chapter of Alice’s adventures.

What do you think? Leave your comments below! We’ll discuss those during tomorrow’s Livestream! (more on that below)

Cheshire Kitten Design Update

The workshop sends along photos of the most recent update to the Cheshire Kitten Prototype. 

From these pictures it appears that we’ve got a couple of asked-for changes: 

1) New tattoos on the face (sides)
2) Bolder tattoos on the head
3) Color change on the nose/gums
4) Slightly more shape in the face?

I’ll share some more pictures and thoughts once the prototype arrives at our studio. Until then please share your thoughts on these photos in the comments below. 

What do I think? Well… I think we’ve got pretty much everything we asked for. The only thing we never hit 100% was the face shape. Aside from that, he’s pretty damn great. Even with that… there seem to be plenty of people who don’t mind the face shape as-is (I am among them). 

Based on these pictures – I’ll reserve final judgement to when I have the sample in hand – I think we’re good to move ahead with mass production. 

That being said, we still have time and space to make changes if our Crowd Design team feel changes are really necessary. 

We’re still waiting on a Bag Sample. That process is moving slower because we’ve had to adjust the bag design and work through a bunch of fabric samples – none of which has produced content worthy of sharing here. Once we have a Bag Sample in hand (should be soon) I will share images and thoughts. 

We did get the embroidered patches made – and we fixed the “earring on the wrong side” issues. Yay!

We ALL still need to think of a Digital Asset to attach to the Cheshire Kitten Plush Collector Set. Something like Early Access to some aspect of the game which you only get with a code (we’ll email you) from this Collector Set. Any Ideas? Leave those in the comments below!

Livestream Tomorrow!

Let’s discuss ALL THIS STUFF and MORE during the YouTube Livestream tomorrow. 

Hit THIS LINK to head over and set a reminder. 

See you all tomorrow!

Notes from Font Lord

The Certified Insane Tags have arrived with our logistics partner in Shenzhen. Still some data wrangling going on before they are instructed to start shipping those to Insane Children around the world. 

About 300 of you still haven’t clicked on the link sent to you via email to complete your survey. If you don’t click your link, you can’t have any pudding. Check those spam folders! Click those links! Complete those surveys! 

The first data extraction will happen on Friday 21st and that will result in the first wave of tags being shipped. If you want to be in that wave, click your links! 

From Shanghai with Love, 

-American