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Fueled by Anger
🕑 Added 2019-09-11 01:02:38 +0000 UTCDear Insane Children,
Omri sends along another concept image from the Realm of the Queen of Hearts. As we've discussed previously, this realm is an analog to Alice's Anger as she traverses the stages of PTSD. The entire realm and all its major inhabitants - the Queen especially - are fuel by and addicted to Anger.
We all know there's a kind of power to be drawn from Anger. That's why we have so many catchy quotes which embody that concept:
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
"Turn your pain into anger. Anger into motivation. Motivation into success."
But it requires energy to stay angry. Which is why harnessing anger to accomplish things is a zero-sum game. There are better, more efficient, and less destructive ways to accomplish our goals.
But no one tell that to the Queen of Hearts!
She's literally harnessed The Sun and is using its warmth to drive an Engine of Anger allowing her to build weapons of war and the armies to wield them.
In the image above we see The Sun, a prisoner chained inside a dungeon, designed and built by The Mad Hatter.
In response to Omri's delivery of this art I wrote,
So, yes, the "sun" can be Alice's burning anger. It's being used to fuel the Queen's "factory" which outputs the dogs of war, weapons of rage, armies of anger, etc. We should see that this is the Queen's source of power... but, it's also her weakness. If Alice (and the Rebels) can get past the Shield Generator they can set it to overload... which will blow up the Queen's entire domain. Alice can learn of this fact from Hatter (he helped build all this machinery). But someone will have to stay behind and hold the lever to make the thing explode - of course :P
Speaking of tropes, there's a couple of cheeky ones in there!
Angry Judgement
Balanced judgement is one of Anger's first victims. When we're angry we make bad decisions based on faulty judgement. That's why "the best answer to anger is silence" and "the best fighter is never angry."
As Alice makes her way through the Queen's Realm she'll come across - not sure how yet - the seat of judgement, The Courthouse. Here Alice will witness or experience the sort of nonsense decisions made by a psyche addled by anger.
Speak logic? Death sentence! Whisper reason? Off with her head!
I suggest we attach this building to an Execution Factory where all the Queen's enemies are led after receiving judgement. A sort of gauntlet of horrors ultimately leading to death.
Prepare to Croak!
All of which leads us to the Croquet Grounds on our way towards the Main Castle.
As Omri suggests, this can be part of that Execution Factory. Perhaps the idea is that once "judged" you're sentenced to "croak" - because Alice struggles with the word "croquet" - which doesn't seem all that bad until you realize that it's a game you play till you're dead.
As a way of Alice reaching the Castle... it might be interesting to have her be the first victim to successfully navigate this death arena.
Who would enjoy a well realized Croquet Mini Game in Asylum? If we link that with a highly developed, very useful, and powerful Croquet Mallet weapon... could be a lot of fun.
I have a secret to share: One of my favorite games of all times was "Wii Sports" (on the Nintendo Wii) - which I played the Golf Game on a big screen nightly... literally one of the most relaxing and fun ways to pass time with a video game I've ever known. So, I'll admit my bias towards realizing a solid "golf" control on Alice's Croquet Mallet Weapon :P
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
An Audience with Anger
We all know where this leads... and it's not a good place.
Omri sends along the Final Version of the Queen's Throne Room. A stunning concept image! Wow.
Who says Anger can't create a thing of beauty?
Mapping It Out
I've asked our Art Team to look at mapping out a sketch of the journey we've outlined for Anger. That way we'll have - like we do for The Circus Realm - a bird's eye view of the area representing Anger. We can then discuss in more detail some of the encounters, challenges, and choices Alice might face.
Got ideas and suggestions for this realm?
Add them into the comments below!
From Shanghai with Grrrr,
-American
Comments
I do like the idea of the PTSD stages. As I have PTSD myself, I think it’s important to add that into a story of a young girl who has gone through so much trauma, and is now grown up, dealing with the issues that one with PTSD truly has to face before they can heal. Just for an idea, I stayed quiet for years about my trauma because of the confusion & embarrassment, I tried to pretend it didn’t happen but I couldn’t. Eventually I felt like I was losing it. They actually found that if you let PTSD go untreated that it causes damage in part of the brain. I’m working on it now, but it took years to finally talk about it. Depending on what the original trauma was (or many near the same time period) and if there’s re-traumatization, each story is different but we all have to get through the versions of each stage in our own way. It’s definitely a good subject to have in the game. 👏🏼🖤
Jane Moffet
If you want to make that a weapon okay do it. fallow your passion i say just make it as epic as possible because Alice is mad and angry not a conducive environment to a really calming mini-game slash weapon or less it's epic.
Definitely not Adam Driver
That courthouse and Throneroom looks amazing!
"Justice" and "judgement" are easy to misinterpret, especially in chaos. Its a wonderful theme to explore.
Yeah, especially when hypervigilance is a pivotal factor for PTSD. That hypervigilance uses emotion to be on edge, ready to fight back, flee, freeze, or hide. The cycle of flashbacks are a maladaptive survivor mechanism which can use emotion as a mask to survive.
Please make the Guinea Pig judges part of the game <3
Here's some ideas that are also in the Discord: * The trapped sun is pretty cool and it makes me think it'd be a neat idea to recontextualise the rage mode in AMA by explaining that you achieve that form by drinking small portions of that sun that have been placed in a bottle. * I imagine a scene where she is at court and she stands in the defendant's position with a noose around her neck and a trap-door at her feet. "There are so many criminals," the Queen of Hearts would remark, "that we like to get on with the execution immediately once we have proven their guilt!" * You could riff on the Disney movie by having Chesh appear on the Queen's behind and the way to get out of the punishment is to hit him and cause him to yell out in pain, thus distracting the Queen and company and allowing for your escape. You'd be hitting Chesh with a well-aimed croquet shot, of course. Only, it wouldn't be pointed out to you explicitly, so you could very well carry on with the game for a while without realising and it could really go on forever. Could even have a fun achievement if you play the croquet for a certain amount of time that hints that you have to hit Chesh. You could always have it so you've gotta aim for the Queen herself instead.
Venntril
IDEA: I like the amount of fire here and a nice amount of red as well. I do think a nice touch to the landscape would be some sort of molten lava rocks or maybe a “Lava-Fall”. I think statues placed around the level with lava maybe coming out the eyes or mouth like tears flowing out like a burning anger within. -Side note: I’m loving what you’re doing with the game so far I’m totally on board this train!
Sarah Heist
SUGGESTION: It would have to be a reeeeaaallyyy well mechanized golf game. Theres a lot of shoddy mechs out there that makes the whole process more frustrating than necessary. I love your phrasing of anger as an addiction and I think thats something that can be focused on- the addictive nature of each stage and emotion. Maybe that's what can be harnessed in the shadow self of Alice- the idea of WANTING to stay in the harmful place.
Mini croquet game-- yessss!!!
I can't say I'm a fan of golf in video games, but I would love a twisted croquet game! Also I love the pun with croak!
ANYWAYS. That occurs when anger goes unanswered. When the power of voice becomes silenced. For sufferers of PTSD, anger becomes depression. Self inflicted anger that maladaptively is trying to cocoon and protect and numb the victim. What I guess I'm throwing out there is how future stages of grief can tie in with the Queen's theme of the sun and blinded rage/prejudiced judgement.
(GDI I posted before finishing).
I have C-PTSD, and anger is one of THE most havoc raising emotions trauma can inflict on a person. When "justice" goes unanswered, and anger has no grip to reach on an unfair reality, it backlashes back onto yourself. The brilliant fires of rage of a distraught sun collapses onto itself, cooling, dying, transmutating into a black hole. For sufferers of PTSD, this can become headaches, IBS, chest pains, ect. The anger attacks the victim, suffering silently in a cool vaccuum of a dead star.
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm" is quintessentially Cheshire Cat! Literally heard it in his voice in my head as I was reading it :)
Rosuav
Love the idea of a croquet minigame, but do please ensure that the controls make sense on all platforms. Alternatively, a "skip" option will be a help for those who struggle (or just make it a side quest).
