Questions about the Project

Q: Is this a Fangame?

A: Not at the moment, no. There are no plans to create a fangame for this project.

The vision I have for it is best suited as a series of Animated Cutscene Videos, much like Meeting Mike, with complementary Artwork, Writing and any other Projects I might get into :)

Q: Do you have a Team? Are you looking to build one?

A: As of writing this, it's only me working on it. It's a small personal project, and while I'm open to getting more people involved, I'm very particular about my ideas, and having people who share a similar wavelength as me is absolutely essential!

As it is, the project also isn't developed enough to justify getting more people involved. But that isn't to say that I'm not open to suggestions!
I'm primarily looking for music and help with environment art and gameplay stuff, or at least someone who could help make custom battles out of the concepts I have, as those are the main areas I struggle with :D

If you think you can help in that department, feel free to reach out!

Q: What's going to happen to this AU when the official Chapter 3 is released?

A: By nature of being a predictive AU, becoming outdated once the official content releases is an inevitability.

I will be keeping it as an AU since I have a rather personal attachment to the characters and wouldn't be able to abandon them.

Alternatively, I'd like to convert it into its own original property, but due to how firmly rooted in UT/DR lore it is, a LOT of changes would have to take place for this to happen. I suppose only time will tell?

Questions about the Characters

Q: "Host"? Who is Host? Isn't the Chapter 3 TV character supposed to be Tenna?

A: Host is their own individual character whose concept predates the Sweepstakes Tenna name reveal.

Their concept came due to Spamton's "[EASELS], [CRTs] and [Mike]" dialogue, as I was under the impression that this "Mike" and the "CRT" character being mentioned separately meant that they weren't the same entity.

Host being their own thing mainly comes from the fact that we knew little about the TV character if one were to assume they weren't "Mike". It was all the way back before the Sweepstakes confirmed it, and as they got their own lore developed, by the time the Tenna reveal happened, changing Host would just feel really sudden and jarring.

Plus if you're already familiar with my AU, you likely already know that I have a Tenna of my own as a character separate from Host.

Q: Why does Swatch use they/them pronouns rather than the canon ones?

A: Swatch had no confirmed pronouns for about a year up until the Sweepstakes, but my take on the character always interpreted them as Non-Binary and I spent a long time writing and interpreting them and their lore through those lenses.

Being Non-Binary myself, I am very uncomfortable with revoking this headcanon. Maybe with future chapters, I may reconsider, but as it is, Swatch in the Cable AU uses They/Them prououns and is Non-Binary.

They have a prominent role both during Spamton's Big Shot Era, as well as my post-CH3, and thematically, the gender identity journey they go through is a parallel to their story of feeling disconnected with their asigned purpose as a Darkner.

Q: Is your Tenna canon to the AU?

A: He wasn't canon at first, but that was due to an initial difficulty in finding a proper place in the timeline for them to exist without creating that many inconsistencies. A lot of Tenna's earlier artwork is not canon for this very same reason.

Adding Tenna to the cast both managed to poke a bunch of holes in my timeline, but he also added some interesting motivations and worldbuilding to the Cable that would make his removal detrimental.

So the answer is Yes.
My Tenna is canon to the AU. Though the only thing they share in common with the canon Tenna is the name. Host continues to take the role of the living room Dreemurr TV in this regard.

Tenna is canon to the Meeting Mike video :)

But they are not canon to the old Castle Town Mike video (This is mainly because they still didn't exist at the time of creating it.)

Tenna does not make an appearance in my CH3, only having an implied existence through the environmental storytelling.

Q: Why are Host's Secret Boss items swapped?

A: Host was intended as a less traditional take on the Secret Boss formula, being hidden in plain sight as a half of the primary antagonists, not having a visibly "unhinged" demeanour, nor being designed as small or short. It only felt appropriate that their items would also swap roles to reflect this.

However, "wanting to do something different" was far from the reason I made this decision. The primary reason is that ShowStopper (ACTing Route) and CurtainCall (FIGHTing/Voltrage Route) respectively reflect Host's attitude towards being defeated.

Host is a protector by nature, and both of these items serve this role in different ways.

The Showstopper is a weapon that may only be yielded by Kris. It does irrelevant damage, however, equipping it makes it so any attacks aimed at Kris have a slight chance of missing as the light of the blade may obfuscate enemies' vision. Passively protecting Kris, the same way Host will protect Mike in battle by absorbing all hits directed at him.

CurtainCall is a similar case but in the opposite way. It does not care for who wears it, and as armour, it does little to increase any defense stats. Its primary trait is that it serves as a type of thorn armour, and Enemies who attack party members wearing it will take a small amount of damage in return. Interpret that however you like!

I guess in a backwards way, the items are still a defensive item for the ACTing route, and an aggressive one for FIGHTing! I hope that makes sense.

Naturally, since I'm not making a fangame, I'm not exactly thinking of whether it's balanced or if it works in a gameplay sense, etc etc. The symbolism is the main focus here :)

Q: Placeholder question?

A: Placeholder answer!

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