Jump 444: American McGee's Alice

Jump #444: American McGee's Alice
>Seven of Pentacles (Assessment): Exercising patience and perseverance.
>Location: Village of the Damned
>Identity: Drop-In
>Drawbacks: (+300) Queen's Wrath
I certainly don't look like most of the locals, of COURSE the Queen would want my head for a trophy.
>Bloodstained Grace (Free, Drop-In)
Cirque du Soleil, here I come.
>Heart Of Dreams (1100, Drop-In)
Well, if I can regain sanity by killing others, then hey, it could be worse.
>Empty-Headed Madness (900)
This might have been useful earlier in the chain, when physical changes to my brain would have mattered, but it's nice to have as insurance.
>Blood-Red Sanity (800)
>Ice-Cold Will (600)
More game mechanics to optionally apply elsewhere. Potentially interesting.
>Dreams And Imagination (0)
So I already had a gate to my subconscious and a portal to the domain of my soul, and now I have a more proper domain for my subconscious as well instead of vagaries. I wonder how it interacts with that of my soul?
>Memoirs Of An Asylum Doctor (Free)
Oh joy, another copy of Lewis Carroll's work. And the games. Well, perhaps it is a bit helpful.
>Finery (Free)
At least I look the part.
>Vorpal Blade (Free)
The imported vorpal blade goes snicker-snack-- wait, I shouldn't have merged all of my swords, I think it's finally broken. Like actually broken. Crap.

>"...what of the world?"
"Oh, this isn't ACTUALLY Wonderland, at least I don't think it is, it's more a... representation of your psyche. But I wouldn't mention any of this to your doctors when the time comes, were I in your place - you've been catatonic for the last decade or so."
>"You mean it's all in my head? All of this? I'm just busy being crazy?"
"At the risk of sounding like one of the locals, just because it's in your head doesn't make any it less real, Alice."
>"But that means I'm crazy!"
"Honking mad, as they say, mmyes."
>"Then what sort of damage to my sanity do YOU represent, then?"
"Oh, I'm more of an outside party, so to speak. I'm not one of your fellow patients at Rutledge, nor a doctor. Perhaps I'm wearing the face of some friendly janitor you saw once, but I know you have the potential to bring yourself back from the edge."
>"So. Part of my craziness is trying to convince me that I can be sane again."
"Look at it however you like. Perhaps I'm simply here thanks to divine providence."
>"So an angel, then. With bloody wings and a broken sword."
"As you will. But consider this: though you feel utterly alone, you are not, even in your darkest hour."

Bestowing a sanity-inducing perk on Alice was, according to all precognitive ability, a really great way to instantly end the world and fall from the chain. What she really needed was nothing more than help. Sure, she found herself in a twisted and monstrous version of the world she knew, but in her wake... instead of leaving it bloody, it was closer to normal in her wake. As though she was purifying the taint the world suffered.

Once she woke up... well, I found myself stuck in another, slightly different Wonderland for the remainder of my time. Interesting, but ultimately not a place I want to ever visit again. Three decades of Wonderland is NOT my idea of a good time, no matter the specifics.