Dear Insane Children,
My headache has gone from deathly to manageable so I’m back with an update. But first, thank you, to everyone who sent well wishes. If you scroll back in the Patreon posts, you can find the image of a CT scan that reveals why I get these headaches. Unfortunately, knowing why I get them does not mean I can avoid them entirely. I just need to be careful with my neck… and sometimes things need moving or picking up… and careful goes out the window. Ouch.
First image today is a sketch from Norm of a mini-boss design from Alex. This is the Judgement Boss we’ll encounter at the end of the Courthouse area.
Omri added an updated sketch along with a note…
To which he added:
“guys.
we need to change the design slightly.
the head looks like a distorted vagina.
Norman i’ll write you. i love the frame but the head opening to the sides look bad now that i see it in black and white.
i’ll sketch on this and send it over to you, i think if we’ll pop out more the HEAD aspect it will work.”
To which I replied (after I stopped laughing):
It’s gross and I love it, norm.
I can’t really see much difference in the edit. And I do not see anything wrong with it looking like a distorted vagina. Anything can look like that if you squint hard enough.
Anyway, let us know in the comments… what you think about all of this. When you stop laughing.
Speaking of… Adam also sent over the Final version of the Jabberwock emerging from his metal womb. This includes a claw wrapped around the door and some other final touches.
Adam also recently set up a new Instagram account. If you want to check out the work he’s doing on Asylum and his other beautiful work, head over and give him a follow:
https://www.instagram.com/vitaj_art/
Decision Coin 2021
Remember when we were going to produce a Decision Coin to mark 2021 and all the years we’ve been trying to get Asylum off the ground? That got interrupted by Chinese New Year and other things… but it’s back! Alex just sent over an updated version of the file we’ll send to the factory… Adjustments were made to ensure manufacture quality. Check it out:
I can’t remember exactly what we said about these… but I think they will be offered via Patreon and Mysterious? And will go out to everyone at the $35 Tier? Don’t hold me to that! I need to confirm with Font Lord…
Main thing is, these coins are once again heading to production. So, yay!
Narrative and Art Tasks
The team continues to crank through producing content for the Design Bible.
Inspired by this image from Joey, I wrote:
“Why should I be bothered by chaos? My throne is built atop the framework of your struggle against it. The weight of oppression would crush your skull if you thought of anything but supporting me. And the chaos would consume you if you lowered your blade to see the truth. That’s your cage of violence and fear. That’s why we paint the white roses red.”
The whole thing got me thinking about the nonsensical structures of power that define the world we all live in. Might channel some of that into the Asylum narrative (at least as it relates to characters like The Queen.
And There’s More
If you want a full-length catch-up on everything going on, check out the Live Stream from last week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsS4Dmyhv_E
Now…
One of the other reasons I might have a headache these days is that I am trying to unravel (and re-weave?) a major aspect of the Asylum narrative. Thing is, the core story is done. It’s an adventure where a little girl fights her way through Wonderland to get home. Easy enough. But there are many layers of meaning stacked atop that story… and I am trying to find the best way to communicate the THEME through all of those layers.
Lately, I’ve been struggling with questions like, “Can Wonderland characters be aware of the nature of their reality and use that awareness to shape or bend the reality in certain directions?” There’s a mix of “Matrix” and “Inception” going into what I think I’m trying to say in this story…. and it’s not been easy.
This is the main reason Crowd Design on the narrative stuff has been so silent. I would like to open this up to a broader discussion but I don’t know how to do that when I am still grasping in the darkness for the major concepts.
Anyway, for those of you interested in the narrative journey, I appreciate your patience. Please know that I am working on the story every morning… chipping away at these questions and trying to shape something that we can all discuss in the coming weeks.
Back at it…
From Shanghai with Distortions,
-American