Happiness in Contradiction

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