The Undertale - RETRACE Rulebook
For those who have read my fan comic project Undertale - RETRACE so far here or on Deviantart, we have reached the end of Chapter 1. Over time, more chapters will be posted. First off, thank you guys so much for tuning in. For those who are just starting to read this comic, welcome aboard! For those who haven't played Undertale yet but are interested in this story, I suggest you play the game through to the end, but it's your own decision.
Before we continue further into the story, there are some rules I'd like you to follow over the course of this comic. I will post this rulebook on existing pages. The rules are as follows...
* “Is this an Undertale AU?”
- No. It's not. This story isn't an AU or alternate timeline, but if YOU want to identify this story as such, then by all means, go ahead. I won't stop you. It’s up to you to decide.
- This story is a new series of events a couple years or so after the original events of Undertale.
* "Why the title 'Undertale - RETRACE?' Why not something simple like 'RetraceTale?'"
- As I interpret this story as a new series of events a couple years or so after the Post-Pacifist Ending, calling this story "RetraceTale" or "Underretrace" and sugarcoating it to make my fanmade story known to the fandom doesn't appeal to me, nor is it something I see as beneficial to my vision of the game and my fan project overall.
- Long story short, my story is set in the original universe in some way, shape, or form.
* “What’s up with these new character personalities?”
- I just felt it’d be appropriate for the characters to go through certain changes in character development, personality, and intellect. The story is set a couple years after the original Undertale after all.
* “Are there going to be any RESETS?”
- No. Plain and simple.
- In this story, the RESETS no longer exist. Although the word may be reintroduced a couple times or so, no one can RESET anymore, not even Frisk. They decided to willingly discard it forever, and they understand that any future actions will be permanent. They burned this bridge a long time ago.
* “No! You can’t do that! What if someone dies and it can’t be fixed??”
* “Keep it, but don’t abuse it.”
- No. Time shouldn’t even be messed with. Not ever.
* “What’s the purpose of RETRACE?”
- The purpose of my Undertale story RETRACE is to create my own interpretation and dig deeper into Frisk’s past to see what life was like for them before they fell into the Underground, as well as unearth a new antagonist.
- Questions include the following…
* What was life like for Frisk before they fell into the Underground?
* Did they suffer amnesia?
* What were Frisk’s parents like?
* What if Frisk actually met a monster long before they fell into the Underground?
* Was something or someone responsible for their misfortune before they fell into the Underground and returned to the surface with the monsters, and if so, is that person still around?
* If this person was responsible for Frisk’s past events, whatever they may be, is that person still around, intending to bring ruin?
* There’s so much ground to cover. This is gonna be one hell of a ride!
* "I really like your art style!" / "Your style for Frisk is awesome!" / "Nice upgraded outfits!"
- First off, thank you so much for your compliments on my styles and interpretations for the characters!
- I will treat this project as a learning process and improve over time.
- As such, I might make slight changes to one or two of my designs, and nothing would make me happier than for you guys to be the witnesses of my improvements and potential design changes!
* “Frisk/Chara killed everyone! They were responsible for everything!”
- Don’t even go there with me. You WILL be ignored.
- You have your way of interpreting the game and Undertale comics, and I have mine.
- I've personally seen other comic artists get bashed for their Undertale headcanons, views on the characters, and alignments. This will NOT be tolerated here.
- I can very well choose to depict Frisk/Chara as either a hero or villain if I wanted to. I could even depict the monsters as such. But this comic is not about taking sides. I'm simply making this story out of love for the game, and to tell a story overall.
- Toby Fox left the events and characters of Undertale to our own unique interpretations. There is no right or wrong way to depict the Undertale characters. That’s why comics like this exist. I only write and draw this story out of love for Undertale.
- If you don’t like this comic or my depictions, don’t say anything. Leave. Now.
* “Can I translate this comic in a different language?”
- By all means! If English is not your native language, or if you want to translate my comic in a different language so other people with different ethnicities and cultures can read and enjoy this story, you’re more than welcome to translate it in any language you want.
- All I ask is that you credit me afterwards. Also, be sure to translate this rulebook as well to avoid confusion.
* “Can I/we dub your comic?”
- Absolutely! I encourage comic dubs for RETRACE! All I ask is that you credit me afterwards.
- Show me some talent! ^^
* “Are there any ships?”
- No.
- Here’s the deal… I see the monsters as a huge family Frisk never thought they could ever have.
- And you don’t need ships to do it.
- However, if you say things like, “Oooh! I ship this!” or “This ship bothers me,” that’s okay. I won’t judge you for it. I'm not going to condemn you for shipping anyone. You have your own opinion. But just know that there are no ships to be had in this comic, and I don’t want any problems to escalate.
* “Which monster do you see as the dad, uncle, mother, etc.?”
- You’ll see.
* “When’s the next page?” / “Bro, you’re taking too long!” / “I wanna know what happens next!”
- When I say, “WHEN I CAN,” I mean, “WHEN I CAN!”
- Please don’t ask me this. I don’t appreciate being rushed or pressured, and neither do any other artists out there. It’s disrespectful to me and other viewers.
- If there is any huge delay whatsoever, I’ll explain myself.
- I have other responsibilities besides drawing comics. Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy drawing Undertale. In fact, I love it!
- I don’t mind comments like, “I can’t wait for the next page,” “My feels,” “Aaugh!! Cliffhanger,” etc. But please don’t ask me when I’m posting the next page. I’m not a robot. I cannot stress that enough.
* “Can I use this comic as reference material?”
- Absolutely! Just be sure to credit me later!
* “Can I draw fanart of your comic?”
- Absolutely! I 100% encourage you to draw any Undertale or RETRACE fanart! Just be sure to credit me afterwards!
* “Can I suggest any changes for the story?”
- No.
- I have scripted this comic already, so it’s already set in stone. However, I will allow constructive criticism for any visual errors and story errors I might make.
* “To be continued…?”
- When one of my pages says, “To be continued…,” it means you’ve reached the end of a chapter.
- After the end of each chapter, I’ll prepare an askbox so that you can ask questions to any characters that show up in RETRACE or anyone outside the story, whether they be your favorites or any original characters specific to this story.
- This way, I can interact with you all in the most positive and/or appropriate way possible.
- In addition, I will also give you the option to dub my askbox and the responses so far, which will be listed in the askbox's description for your convenience.
* “What questions can I ask?”
- You can ask pretty much anything, so as long as it’s not anything NSFW-related.
- The question can be something totally random, comedic, sad, family-bonding, or related to the story.
- But for the sake of this rulebook, I’ll give you some examples…
* “Hey, <UT!Character>! How’s life on the surface?”
* “How’s it hanging, <UT!Character>?”
* “What kind of hobbies did you find ever since coming to the surface?”
* "What do you like to do with <UT!Character>?"
* “Can I give you a present, <UT!Character>?”
* “What kind of stuff do you guys do around the house?”
* “What are your favorite subjects?”
* “How did you feel after this happened?”
* “Will everything be okay?”
- I will randomly handpick any question you ask any Undertale character, original character, or myself. If one of your questions haven’t been answered, don’t repeat the same question over and over again. Ask a different one, and maybe you’ll be lucky.
- If I make up some funny or weird scenario when answering questions, you can add on to the scenario if you want. It’s more fun that way, and it gives me the chance to interact with you all and keep the ball rolling! I wanna hear from you guys, so feel free to ask away!
* “How many chapters do you plan to make?”
- Let’s just say it’s almost as long as Lesser Dog’s extensive neck. When it comes to fantasy, I tend to write a lot. I try to draw and improve my skills as much as I can, but I do exceptionally well with writing it out.
- As such, I’ll also provide Undertale – RETRACE chapters in a novel format after the end of each chapter, if you want it. I'd like to make this project open to everyone who likes Undertale, whether they like comics, novels, or have any preferences, impairments, or even physical or mental disabilities.
- I want everyone to enjoy this story as much as I enjoy making it for Undertale fans, fan artists, and artists in general to see.
Also, I highly recommend you to play the game before viewing this comic. Whether you do or don’t is up to you. Otherwise, welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy this fresh, new Undertale experience! We’re gonna have a ‘skele-ton’ of fun, people! ~ DecimaDragonoid
