Hatter's Tea Leaf Collider

Dear Insane Children, 

A couple of quick updates from Hatter's Domain for you this morning. 

First up (top image), Omri sends over the "final" version of the new Alchemy Dress. This is what we would see Alice wearing as she enters into Hatter's Domain. I like the addition of the Queen's Gift (the Queen of Hearts asks Alice to carry a "gift" to Hatter) in a glass bottle. Since her domain represents "Anger" I'm reminded of the phrase regarding anger as a poison you drink hoping it'll kill someone else. Well, our Queen is smarter than that, right? What if she's found a way to bottle up her Anger and send it out into the world? 

The notion of "bottled up emotions" is one we touched on in previous design/narrative explorations. And I think it's neat to see it represented here in a unique and functional manner. I think this is an idea we need to further explore. The collection and bottling of emotions - alongside the collection and use of alchemical elements. 

The Alchemy Dress represents Hatter's domain as a place where alchemy is explored and made visible. 

We'll see alchemy symbols hanging in the air - along with all the blown apart areas that once made up Hatter's Domain. It seems that Hatter's experiments into the nature of Wonderland have ripped a hole into their version of space and time. As if the physics of Wonderland wasn't already mad enough! 

Hatter also joins the fashion show with updates to his wardrobe courtesy of Norm...

The idea for Hatter in Asylum is to show him pre-mechanization. When we first meet him he's presented as a Victorian Gentleman Scientist-Scholar. When not drinking overly strong tea he's in his library or laboratory poking at the elemental building blocks under the surreal skin of Wonderland. 

I imagine that when we encounter him he's less mad than in the books and more comprehensible than in AMA and AMR. Why? Well, let's say for now that he decided to "sober up" in order to pursue his experiments into the mysteries of Wonderland. 

Maybe there was a point when he realized that all the madness he saw in the world around him could not be explained purely as a function of all the (mushroom) tea he was consuming. Maybe he had a psychedelic epiphany that required serious exploration in an un-addled mental state? 

In any case, we're casting him as a Wonderland version of Einstien. 

As for his workshop, Joey provides a glimpse into some of the mad machinery Hatter's constructed to probe the "smallest of small" things our minds can comprehend. Think of these machines as his steam-punk version of the Large Hadron Collider. 

Joey has begun using 3D rendering to help realize some of these more complex geometries. And the results are fantastic. Can't wait to jump and float around these environments!

Pirate Jam Planning

I've blocked out several days this week (including today) for planning and organizing Pirate Jam 2020. We've secured all the sponsors required to float the event - which is amazing. 

A big THANK YOU to Unity, Free Lives, Landfall Games, and a handful of as-yet-unnamed sponsors! Without the financial support these companies provide, Pirate Jam would be nothing more than a pirate's crazy rum dream.

I was supposed to fly to Thailand this week and sail the proposed route for 2020 but I'm stuck in Chinese visa renewal process... and not going anywhere until I get my passport back!

Font Lord Says

Survey emails should arrive with you this week. That's for 3-35 Art and Chaos Necklace selection. 

1000 "Lost" Insane Children are only a monthly payment away from selecting an Art Print.  Those are Insane Children (Patrons) who left the Asylum (halted their Patreon support) with 2x of the required 3x $35 payments made. With just another payment at $35 an Art Print can be selected and mailed anywhere in the world. 

Font Lord says he'll send out some reminder emails and do some other marketing around this fact on Thursday, 12th of December - so keep an eye on your mailbox if you're NOT a current Patron but were previously. 

Remember that the print we're adding this month is the amazing "Blade Face" 

Arg, mateys! I've got to shiver some planning timbers and hoist the organizational charts for Pirate Jam 2020. 

Hope everyone is having a lovely day. You are all Very Much Appreciated! 

From Shanghai with Seaweed,

-American