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Birth of The Shadow
🕑 Added 2021-11-15 00:17:26 +0000 UTCDear Insane Children,
Did you miss the Live Stream last week? Fret not... there's a recording of it over on my YouTube Channel. You can view it via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjCxphrHTcg
Who Is Shadow Alice?
Did you know... the Alice you know and love from the first two games (AMA and AMR) is the aspect of Alice's psyche we refer to as The Shadow? It's the Shadow aspect of her personality that helped Alice survive those years of insanity in the asylum and conflict in Wonderland.
And we've created a scene in Asylum where, early in Alice's days in the asylum, The Shadow takes control of Alice's psyche. She does this to protect the Inner Child. That area of the script reads as follows...
Narrative Excerpt Below:
The scene ends as Alice is taken away crying, and in shock, from her smoldering ruined home. Final flashes of Alice being taken away in a straight jacket play out in a cut scene.
ALICE
At that time, I was the monster. I felt responsible… I couldn’t control my anguish, and I was caged for it.
A scene of Alice vactantly looking at her own reflection. The Shadow flickers across the child’s face. She tells her reflection;
ALICE
…all your… fault…
She screams as she cries. Scenes of Alice lashing out, she is biting and clamoring at the orderlies who hold her down. We hear the roar of the angry monster. She is in a wild, uncontrollable hysteria, as flashes of the Shadow merge with the face of the child.
The scene dissolves back to Alice’s audience with the Caterpillar.
Alice
That monster from the mirror is… me?
Caterpillar
Only a part of you. The monster lives within us all, Alice. But only a few can face it, much less embrace it.
Remove the mask, Alice. See the truth in who you are. See who you become. There is a darkness in you, in us all, that must be faced…
And Adam is working on an illustration for this scene - the first of which (C) you can see above (Main Image Above).
Let us know in the comments below which of these variations you like best.
My thoughts on this scene and the provided illustrations... I had pictured a scene in the Asylum where young is Alice is being held down by orderlies. The Shadow appears like a spirit possessing Alice - a stormy face superimposed over that of the young girl. It would be the sort of thing that would work on film - a close-up of Alice's face with this flickering "other" taking over. This sort of fine detail is difficult to capture in illustrations - so I think we'll go with one of these illustrations at the same time we admit that this probably won't be anything like what we see in the final in-game version.
Let us know in the comments below what you think! And which of these illustrations do you think works best?
From Shanghai with Love,
-American
Comments
Juan Romero
Why has dark Alice a scythe in D?
Karma Chameleon
My favorite part of the script was the reveal that we have been playing as Shadow Alice, it made her actions feel more justified as we have experienced it with her, not a faceless stranger. My favorite illustration... I love the Shadow from illustration C and I love it paired with the rest of illustrations of A match the mood perfectly. Very exciting!
C or D
Stephanie Groth
C is thr best, D is a good runner up. This is so cool! I love this concept!
Sarah McKeegan
A or D
Saleh Abu-Rashid
Almost read spoilers. Sneeky
After taking some time to really examine these i think i would have to say 'D' is the one i like the most. It thoroughly shows the anguish and struggle Alice is dealing with. Additionally, the Shadow is a great representation of innocence and death. The Shadows Face (mask?) looks to be crying out, maybe sorrowfully, while with one hand it's reaching out, to Alice, a sign of "I see your pain and it hurts me, but I can help", while the other hand holds the scythe confidently, almost familiarly, ready to swing at a moments notice. Thought: Is Alice holding the scythe in this scene or is it holding here? The Scythe could be a manifestation of her guilt and from THIS scenes perspective, Alice is holding it, But from the perspective of the Shadow, the Scythe, a representation of her ability to kill, might be holding her...
I really, really like B. Alice is noticing her Shadow, her Shadow is clearly trying to communicate with her, (perhaps almost pleading with her, in a sense) and as said above, not reveling in Alice's pain. B speaks to me.
Nicholas Brokaw
I really like A for this one, especially The Shadow’s stance.
Greyson Kehm
I say A or D. Alice is obviously having a hard time, while Shadow Alice doesn't appear to be enjoying her host's pain.
A is my favorite. I like the emotions conveyed on young Alices face. The shadow seems triumphant like she's yelling or perhaps roaring and thst is the best part about this picture for me.
I also like B, and it goes with the dialog for Alice to be kinda surprised or shocked to the fact that what she sees is herself, but I feel like Shadow Alice looks kinda evil in those sketches, she is fierce and dark but she looks like she is having fun while watching Alice siffer.
A or D
I like the body language of Alice in "B", like she's turning behind and wondering "did I really just see what I thought I saw?". Perhaps it could be redone and in the asylum with orderlies dragging her down the hall and Shadow Alice isn't comically floating around like a ghost but just a reflection in a cracked mirror she passed by? I feel like "less is more" would work here and create a more ominous tone.
B looks pretty cool.
I really like D. Shadow Alice looks so menacing compared to all the other versions and she looks like she would take control and protect what ever she has taken.
Death of Ink
So all this time I was actually playing as an aspect of Alice and not Alice herself??!
