General
Q: Who owns this project?
This project is co-owned by both HUECYCLES and Lisspeed, who came up with most of the stories and main cast.
We also have a very talented team working alongside us.
Q: Will there be a fangame?
For Chapters 3-7, we plan on releasing secret boss battles, along with their respective quest segments.
Chapter 8 will be fully playable.
Q: What do you use for making all the videos, art and music?
Regarding artwork, it's different for everyone: Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop and Procreate are the most common programs. For sprite art almost everyone uses Aseprite. Music is usually done in FL Studio. Lastly, programming is done in Kristal, a Deltarune engine.
Q: Will the soundtrack be available on Spotify?
No. It costs a bit of money to do that. You can find our songs on SoundCloud, as well as some of them on YouTube.
Q: [Insert Detail Here] is inaccurate, or doesn't follow the storyline closely.
That is because this is an AU we are making for fun. We do try to be as accurate as possible to the main source, but it won't be perfect everytime. Try not to think too much about it.
Q: Are there any canon pairings in this AU?
Yes, we have a few. There might be more happening as we make more characters. But the romantic aspect isn't the focus of the story, just a fun detail.
Q: Can I ship X pairing or headcanon X thing?
Feel free to have fun with these characters, as long as it's nothing problematic or offensive.
Project Related
Q: Does your AU use Chess Theory?
Yes, but not in the traditional sense. We look at how the chess pieces work in game and use that as inspiration on how the leaders function.
Q: What was the thought process behind the secret bosses?
We take a lot of inspiration from how Spamton and Jevil are written and presented within the game, and put our own ideas and original spin on it.
Q: Why is Mike the main antagonist instead of Tenna? It doesn't make sense!
Our take predates the Spamton Sweepstakes. We decided it would be a waste to simply throw away an already fleshed out character only to be more canon compliant. Plus, we aren't Toby Fox, and this is simply an AU.
That's really all there is to it...
Q: Why choose Napstablook instead of Undyne?
We felt that having two main characters from Undertale whose stories were already explored in Chapter 3 was a bit... boring. Napstablook is a charming side character that we'd love to flesh out and know more about.
Q: Does the AU have any Weird Routes?
As of right now, Chapters 3, 5 and 7 have Weird Routes, along with Snowgrave consequences. The "Weird Path" is being carefully written and brainstormed, so we'd like to be a little more secretive about it.
Q: Why is Comet not named Carol?
Several reasons. Simply put, the name fits the character down to a symbolic level. Plus, she's named after one of Santa's reindeer, similarly to Rudy.
Q: What will you do once Chapters 3-5 are out?
This project will just... remain an AU. Haha!
Hype will die for sure, but there's no reason to discard such a passion project that, at the end of the day, was and will always be just a take on the official chapters.
Q: Why are The Beholder and The Vessel not items?
They are Goners. Not Darkners.
Q: How will the Orange and Cyan Soul modes work?
Orange Soul is a dash, Celeste-like. Cyan Soul splits your soul in half and you can press Z to switch between both halves.
Q: What is a NEO Dark Fountain?
A Dark Fountain within a Dark Fountain. This term was first mentioned by Giga Queen in Chapter 2, and Berdly tried to create one before being stopped by Ralsei.
Q: Does this mean you could continue to create Dark Fountains?
Yes and no. You'd go deeper and deeper into the darkness, which would lead you to the DEPTHS. After that point... well...
Q: Why is everyone wearing sleepwear?
The NEO Dark World is based on nightmares, just like how the Dark World seems to draw inspiration from dreams in canon. Plus, it was a fun design idea.
Q: When does Candleholder take place?
Only after Chapters 3-7 have come to an end and you have collected all of the Shadow Crystals. You NEED the Shadow Crystals in order to "unlock" this "epilogue".
Q: Will X item be a NEO Darkner?
We'd like to keep many of the NEO Darkners you meet as a surprise, but there will be quite a LOT of them. So yes, there's a big possibility.
Q: Will the Secret Bosses from Chapters 3-7 make an appearance?
Yes, they'll be around. It is a "pocket adventure", after all.
Q: What are Dealmaker and Devilsknife?
They are the main antagonists of Candleholder, based on the items of Spamton and Jevil. Puppet Scarf and J-Tail will also play a role.
Q: What is the Cameo Room?
It is a love letter to some of the amazing secret bosses the Deltarune fandom has made over the years. They are scattered in the overworld. Find them, and they'll all be gathered in the same, shadowed party...
Q: What are Nataline, Issue, Birdwatch and Risku supposed to be if not Neo Darkners?
They are odd reflections of the mind that show up in a section called "The Abyss". A lot of this will be explained in-game.
Q: Why does Dess have fire powers?
HUECYCLES made her take on Dess based on the Star of Bethlehem, dubbed "Christmas Star". Stars glow due to heat, so they thought it would be fitting for Dess to have powers relating to heat and fire.
Q: Is there a character that acts as a secret boss in Candleholder?
Yes. That is all we'll say.