ifearifearifear

[ifearifearifear]

Heyyy, long time no see.

Anyways, would anybody here read an epistolary unreality blog based on the idea of 'what if every fnaf theory, fanwork, and canon were in one multiverse?' Because I need something fucked up to do rn.

[ifearifearifear]

Bad news: I am once again struggling with math.

Good news: I am rebooting my FNAF Multiverse AU to be more internally consistent, as I was basically developing it as I wrote last time.

[ifearifearifear]

Hey, listen. This isn't gonna be the end. It's okay to be scared, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is some sort of absolute end. Things will continue.

Think of all the future things you're excited for. All of the things you have still to do. All of the future opportunities there are for things to be better. Focus on that.

Bravery isn't the lack of fear. It's continuing to move in spite of it. Be brave. Keep moving. Keep living.

[ifearifearifear]

Here's a mockup in Blender because I was working on something else before I got distracted. Extended Afton family reunion. Full desc of the scene under the cut because it is way too long.

Around a table sit our colorful cast of characters. Springtrap and Steve Raglan sit across the table, glaring at one another. Circus Baby and Baby/Fake Charlie are talking about their respective canons, and Circus Baby is currently relaying her death. Michael and Vanessa Shelly are giving each other worried looks as they glance at our next characters - Pittrap and Oswald. Oswald is confused and scared, as most would be when sat at a table with several unfamiliar people and animatronics - and Pittrap is just chilling, watching the others chat. Dave Miller is sitting back and waiting for Springtrap and Raglan to start fighting. The Agony (who is too big for the chairs and is sitting on the floor) is also watching Springtrap and Raglan, very confused by the clear beef the two have. Frights Mike couldn't make it to the reunion, as he had work. Golden Freddy is spacing out, too busy trying to keep the more vengeful of their spirits from mauling the several rabbits in the room to contribute much to the conversation.

An idea has come to me. I think it has been done before but hold on gimme a second.

[ifearifearifear]

An idea has come to me. I think it has been done before but hold on gimme a second.

[ifearifearifear]

This is a completely unasked for opinion but I'm putting this out there. Friendly Face (the robot cat from Fazbear Frights) is one of my favorite Frights characters.

He's just a confused kitten! He doesn't know he's scary! He just wants to play!!!

I am definitely biased because it's a cat and I find cats adorable and terribly disarming. But I stand by the fact that Friendly Face is slept on. He deserves a good home.

Anyways, have a cat with a plastic human face.

[ifearifearifear]

I am NOT currently looking at old CRT televisions again. Any accusations of such are complete fabrications, and I maintain that I am, in fact, working on the projects that I'm SUPPOSED to be working on currently.

Anyways- rest in peace Elizabeth Afton, you would have loved the Sharp 3LS36P.

[ifearifearifear]

Okay, new question afoot. I played the Five Laps at Freddy's demo just now, and I already know who I'm going to be maining. But I'm curious about what all of you think, so let's go ahead and get a consensus.

[ifearifearifear]

Company.

Springtrap gets a visitor.

Contains: Vivid descriptions of musty, gross surroundings. Rot. Gore (not actively gore-ing, but referenced in high detail). Rodents. Isolation??? This may also qualify as angst, I'm not completely sure.

It’s spring again. He can feel it in the air. The stiflingly, suffocatingly humid air. If he still had to breathe, he might have found himself struggling between the vivid scent of must filling the air, and the condensation collecting on his decayed flesh. But as it stands, the only inconvenience it brings is the ever-worsening rust corroding his joints. And the maddening reminder that the world outside of this room is still moving forward without him.

The weather is worse than normal, he thinks. Though, he can’t be certain. He had long learned to tune out the sound of rainwater dripping from the ceiling and hitting the filthy, mouldy tiles. For all he knew, a tornado could have ripped through the town and knocked down everything but the crumbling, rotting tomb he remains trapped in. He didn’t care much to pay his surroundings any mind. Not after so long stuck in this dark, dreary room. The only thing that ever changed was the number of mouseholes lined the edges of the floor, and how far the mildew stretched across the walls.

How long had he been trapped here? He had lost track. Twenty years? Twenty-five? Maybe longer. He couldn’t tell. The obsessive counting of minutes and hours that he’d done early on had only served to drive him further into the margins of insanity. He’d stopped thinking about it, for the most part. If only to preserve what little of his lucidity remains. Very few things drew him from his thoughts, nowadays.

A rat pads up to him, squeaking, sniffing at the dried, blackened flakes of blood around his feet. He slowly shifts, sitting up from his slouched position against the wall. The rat startles at the unexpected movement, quickly darting under his leg.

A painful, creaky noise crackles from the shredded remains of his throat. Something broken, roughly approximating a laugh. It’s funny, seeing something scared of him in this state. Granted, that’s probably the most appropriate reaction to seeing an old, rotten animatronic, filled with the gore and carnage of its creator.

He tilts his head, spotting the beady black eyes of the rodent cowering under his leg.

Early on, he’d found the small creatures a pest. Insolent little menaces that often crawled up to him, nipping at the vestiges of the man he once was. But as the years wore on, and they became less keen on eating him, he found them… less insufferable.

He holds out his hand before the rat, and after a moment, it quietly emerges from under his leg. Its head cranes upwards, its whiskers twitching as it sniffs the decaying fur of the thing looming over it. Slowly, it creeps forwards, sniffing and poking at his hand with its blunt, slant snout. It climbs onto his fingers as it investigates, its short, sharp claws scratching at the bared metal of his endoskeleton.

It's hard to tell in the darkness of the room, but from the weight, he’d say it’s a juvenile. Were it not for his current condition, he might see the humor in a young soul finding him in this sorry state. But as he is, he finds no such insight in the interaction.

It’s a cold comfort. He remains trapped in the unwelcoming clutch of the dark, dank saferoom. Met with the presence of a creature perfectly capable of leaving whenever it pleases. A puny, filthy creature. Endowed with all of the freedom he could never again have.

The furred critter crawls along his hand, its claws digging into the ruined, rough felt covering the plastic and foam shell. He turns his hand over, and the rat skitters over his knuckles, squeaking as it’s raised from the floor. He holds the tiny creature before him, staring at the thing’s dust and grime-covered face. It stares back, crawling to the tips of his fingers to sniff at his 'face'.

The thing has no idea of the horrors he has committed. The pain and heartache he has put so many through. The suffering he has, himself, experienced.

It is oblivious to the mistakes of the world.

An innocent being. Unable to comprehend or commit such atrocities.

...

He supposes it could be worse.

At least with the company, he doesn’t feel quite so alone.

[ifearifearifear]

eagerly followed the multiverse explanation, you write LOVELY prose and you've got a better understanding of multiverse theory than a lot of people i know lol. very refreshing as a multiverse enthusiast

this Will be taking up space in my brain for a while thank u for sharing

-youwontdie

Thank you so much!!! I wasn't very confident in my prose, so I'm very glad to hear that it's appreciated!

I initially wanted to go into this AU with a more realistic approach, mirroring that of real-world Many Worlds Theory and Black Hole Cosmology, but I decided that a more narratively clean route would fit better, and be easier to understand.

So, so, so happy to share my silly little (enormous) AU!

[ifearifearifear]

Oh right, here's a render I've been working on in Blender. Still not completely happy with it, but I think my computer is going to start dry heaving up its parts if I keep pushing it any further.

Still crazy that this is free, by the way. Open source programs are and forever have been peak.

Zoomed out and less blurred version, because I have fifty-something variations in my hard drive.

Oh, and here's a render of the rodent model up close. I added them because I felt like it.

[ifearifearifear]

The FNAF Multiverse (10/10)

Here we go! I've laid out the groundwork, and now I can get into being unfathomably scatterbrained about these silly little worlds that live not only rent free, but all-expenses-paid in my mind.

Chapter 10: What Now?

And now, we stand before a multiverse. I’ve explained most of the principles and rules of this AU. But now that I have, what should I do with it?

I could write a story. And I probably will, at some point. But that will take time.

I could make a comic. And I probably will, at some point. But that will take skills that I have yet to develop.

I could open my asks and encourage you to ask any questions you have…

Yeah, I think I’ll do that one, for now.

Do you have any questions? Is curiosity eating away at you? Do you simply want further clarification on topics I’ve covered? Do you want to know where your favorite fancontent fits into this multiverse? Have an idea that you think could fit in well with this AU? Send an ask my way! Or add it in the replies, or reblog this post!

Just because I’ve finished the basic explanation doesn’t mean that I’ve said everything there is to say about this multiverse. I have plenty more to say, and I’ll continue elaborating upon this AU over time. And I would love, love, love to talk about it with others and have questions asked about it.

In addition, I fully encourage anyone who’s inspired by this AU to make their own story based in the multiverse. Or even elaborate on a different multiverse using these principles! If you can’t tell, I love this community dearly, despite its flaws. I’m rounding on 10 years with this franchise and this fandom, and I want it to thrive, and grow. I love this community, and this multiverse AU is a loveletter to all of the creative people in this community who have made so many interesting, funny, and unique stories, games, comics, art, and media over the years. And thank you, for reading this. I’m eager to continue writing this, and (hopefully) contributing to the entertainment, inspiration, and encouragement that this community has brought so many people.

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[ifearifearifear]

The FNAF Multiverse (9/10)

Here we are, nearly at the end of my little silly textbook draft. Don't worry though, I'm not finished with this AU. (Not by a longshot)

Chapter 9: The Spaces In-Between

And here we are. A part that I’ve been eagerly awaiting.

Explaining what lies between universes. This is where things start rounding out into something you can really sink your teeth into.

First off, the space between universes is… Interesting. Yeah, that’s what we’ll call it.

It’s filled with fractured pieces of forgotten universes. Broken, misshapen settings, haphazardly mis-mashed together into a distorted landscape, full of tears and chasms that only plummet deeper into the multiverse. Characters who have forgotten who they are - Characters who are confused, lost, and scared - Characters who have been alone in the broken, uncanny wastelands for so long that they’ve gone mad - Characters who have begun to remember things they shouldn’t be able to, who have begun to remember their previous revisions, the loop they’ve been on for lifetimes - Characters who’ve realized their entire life was planned out as a narrative, all to entertain onlookers like a trained beast in a circus - Characters who are angry, so so angry that while other universes continue to exist, theirs was abandoned and forgotten, and they were left to rot in the wastes between worlds.

Characters with a predetermined fate know nothing of the hell that those forgotten experience. To be doomed by the narrative is to have a place in it. And for these wandering souls, the narrative, the story, the life that they once had… It’s long gone. And now, there is no narrative to guide them. They’re left wandering. Even characters doomed to death serve a purpose. Even characters who face fates worse than death have the security of a story to fall back on, even if they don’t know it. But for those without a story to support them, there is nothing. Nothing but to wander, often in solitude, for eternity.

Surprisingly, navigating the spaces in-between is rather easy, as long as you’re careful. The hard part is finding an exit. Or rather, an entrance. The space in-between is quite vast, and despite how many universes exist, it’s still very much a hotdog down a hallway situation. [Note to self: Find a better way to phrase that before you post this.] [Update: I couldn't.] The sheer scale of the multiverse makes it difficult to find universes through just wandering.

With the sole exception of the center of the universe. There, you can't go five feet without tripping into a universe, simply because of how cramped it is there. But as it pertains to anything beyond X±.1 Y±.1, there will be a lot of wandering involved.

An interesting addition, there are two universes which, in this AU, could have built-in interuniversal travel. The first of them being FNAF World. Specifically, the Flipside. This is the point where I’m going to establish a specific coordinate for a world. The fourth level of the flipside exists at X0 Y0 Z-1. It exists directly under canon at the lowest point of the multiverse, and if anything falls through from canon, it ends up there.

And the second of these potential easy integrations is - drumroll please…

The Fazbear Frights anthology. I’m sorry.

The initially cut and later released Fazbear Frights story, The Scoop, sticks out severely for being intensely meta. And because of that, it is, in this AU, an example of a larger story spanning over multiple universes. And that could potentially be the case with several other stories from the anthology series, but I’m electing not to touch the matter any further, because the canonicity of these books is still a topic of vicious debate, and I’m not about any of that.

Also, I'm not even going to touch In The Flesh. I know there is an argument to be made there about it taking place in another independent universe, but I really can't take that story seriously.

But anywhom, with that out of the way, the next chapter is mostly going to be a note from me, rather than a direct explanation of the principles of this AU.

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[ifearifearifear]

The FNAF Multiverse (8/10)

Almost at the end of my introduction to the multiverse. Just two chapters left. (Closer to one chapter, really.)

Chapter 8: Exaverses

Ah, exaverses. It’s high time we talk about these properly. I’ve mentioned a few times about how while the focus of this AU is the FNAF multiverse, it is simply part of a bigger whole.

This ‘whole’ is the local exaverses. Exaverses contain a number of multiverses, and are generally reflective of genres, fanbases, and mediums. They are not based specifically on position, nor are they static. Exaverses can, and frequently do, overlap quite noticeably. For brevity, I’ll list just a few of the exaverses that the FNAF multiverse has been local to.

The HORROR Exaverse - This one is self-explanatory. FNAF started with a horror game, and it has become rather recognizable and well-known in the space. Though many would argue that it has since grown out of the horror label, and skews more towards the thriller label. Also contains Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dracula, IT, The Thing, Creepypasta, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, and various other horror works.

The INDIE GAME Exaverse - Another self-explanatory one. FNAF began with an indie developer, and has inspired many independent developers, in turn. Also contains worlds such as Undertale, Super Meat Boy, Journey, Untitled Goose Game, Cuphead, Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, and various others.

The MASCOT HORROR Exaverse - This one is particularly interesting, as FNAF is, for all intents and purposes, the progenitor of this relatively new exaverse. While Bendy and the Ink Machine and Poppy Playtime are regarded as the type specimens of the Mascot Horror genre, FNAF is generally seen as the face of Mascot Horror, due to being so deeply influential to the themes of the genre. Also contains Tattletail, Amanda the Adventurer, Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning (though with a more parodic sentiment), Mr. Hopp's Playhouse, Duck Season, and several other properties, including The Banana Splits Movie and Willy’s Wonderland.

This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list, as the number of exaverses is basically countless, and their borders are fuzzy and subjective at the best of times. And not all of the universes encompassed by the FNAF multiverse are under the same exaverses. Some fanmade universes aren’t part of the HORROR exaverse because they aren’t meant to be scary, and some canon universes can’t be placed in the INDIE GAME exaverse because they aren’t indie and aren’t games.

I specifically made this chapter to address something that I know I’ll get asked, because it’s something I would ask, if I saw an AU like this. “Why does this logic apply to this property, but not others?” The answer is… It does! Other franchises very much do have their own multiverses under this AU. I’m just focusing on the FNAF part of it because that’s the part that I’m most interested in. Certain multiverses have other rules under their community creators. Certain multiverses have a much more ‘closed-circuit’ approach than the FNAF multiverse. Others are more open. Some have a lot of movement between universes, while others have none.

And next time, that’s what we’ll be talking more about how the FNAF multiverse in particular handles movement between universes.

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[ifearifearifear]

The FNAF Multiverse (7/10)

I've already finished the rest of the chapters. I think I might most them all at once. Or maybe I'll space them out. Who knows.

Chapter 7: Timelines

Timelines are a frequently referenced thing among multiverse AUs, and sci-fi on the whole, and I have touched on them briefly in the Universes chapter. But this time, I’ll be going a bit further into detail on them.

Timelines, as present in this multiverse, are parallel series of events that stem from a common point, but (generally) do not thereafter intersect. They exist in the context of the same universe, and do not retroactively change known facts about the universe in question, allowing them to coexist on separate ‘planes’ of a singular universe.

These planes are, for the sake of simplicity, recognized as an ‘auxiliary dimension’ of reality. One that doesn’t really exist in known reality, but which does in this multiverse. We’ll call it Path, or P. The base plane for a universe is typically at P 0, and subsequent timelines can exist anywhere from P +1 to P -1. As an example, FNAF 3 has two endings. The canon ending exists at P 0 of the GAMES timeline, and the non-canon ending somewhere around P -0.01. Similarly, Sister Location has a non-canon ending, which in turn exists at P +0.01.

More complex timeline systems also exist, as a result of nonlinear storytelling. For example, in the (as of posting) soon-to-come choose-your-own-adventure novels, there will be multiple paths available to the reader. While I currently don’t know how many endings and paths will exist (not out yet =[), it’s likely to be a fair amount, and there will probably be a fair amount of overlap between paths, to save on book size. Due to this, the planes will likely have a very complex series of connections, breaking the general ‘no intersecting’ rule.

Similarly - Security Breach, with its differing routes and endings, has this same sort of non-linear planar system on a smaller scale. While the midpoint choices mostly serve to affect gameplay, not story, they still exist, and certain endings do require certain choices to be made. The ending below the pizzaplex, requires that all of the glamrocks be in their broken state. The fire escape ending requires that the player collect significantly more collectibles than is required by normal gameplay. This series of decisions creates a semi-complex web of options, paths, and endings. Which ending is canon, and if it’s any of those shown, remains a topic of debate. But nonetheless, these endings all exist as timelines within the universe.

And, if you want to go over it more keenly, there are micro-timelines for each of the games. Mostly in the form of the various game overs that the player can encounter. These micro-timelines aren’t elaborated upon in any meaningful capacity, nor are they considered a part of the story. They’re mostly a consequence of the games’ mechanics. But, they can still serve as the basis for fanmade universes, via the creativity of fans.

Alright, there’s that part explained. Next time, we’ll be going the opposite direction, and looking at the bigger picture. The next chapter will be on exaverses.

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[ifearifearifear]

The FNAF Multiverse (6/10)

Part six, a little shorter than usual because I'm trying to get ahead on the next few chapters

Chapter 6: Satellite Universes

Alright, we’re back to normal, pretty meta stuff. Last chapter was a doozy, so I’m taking it easy on the writing this time.

Satellite universes are partial universes that require the context of a ‘host’ universe to make sense. In these satellite universes are where things like headcanons and theories come into play.

Satellite universes can be thought of as a lens through which a universe can be viewed. They don’t change what is known about a story, but they give context that doesn’t explicitly exist in the host universe.

They are VERY densely packed around canon universes, simply by virtue of how popular the canon universes are. The GAMES universe is the most egregious in this matter, as the rather fragmented nature of the known story has led a great many of these satellite universes to be created, in hopes of illuminating the lore, or the sake of elaborating upon the events and characters in the story.

The characters ‘created’ by these satellite universes aren’t technically independent characters, but instead a view of the preexisting characters from a different angle.

BUT. If a satellite universe becomes densely detailed enough, it can function on its own, becoming a unique universe. But more often, it’s simply a matter of the different ways in which different people construe the same piece of media.

Satellite universes are the main culprit in the unbelievably dense nature of the multiverse’s center. Canon itself is rather dense, yes, but the knowledge that we have about it is very limited, and so people make assumptions and theories to fill in what we don't know. The sheer number of satellite universes are what makes it so difficult to see in. There are hundreds of thousands- maybe even millions of perspectives, all having different ways of filling the gaps. There is no impartial way to observe canon, because there will always be assumptions made. This is part of the reason that canon is practically untouchable.

This is a rather short chapter, but I feel like people would have asked where headcanons and theories fit into it all, and I wanted to get the answer out, since I already have it.

Next chapter, we’ll be defining and talking about timelines. Probably another short chapter, for the same reason.

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[ifearifearifear]

The FNAF Multiverse (5/10)

WOW this one got a little dark. I don't even know how to tag this. UHH... Mild descriptions of major character death? Descriptions of watching a world die? Abandonment, kind of? I got a little out of hand writing this one. The writer in me woke up out of nowhere.

Chapter 5: Dead Universes

Now THIS is a concept that is full of potential. In the last post, I talked a bit about how creators have a hand in their universes, and the ways that affects things. But here, HERE is where that idea gets interesting.

Think of a discontinued story. A story that never gets finished. A story that stops evolving, and sits stagnant - unchanging, and incomplete.

The multiverse is full of these kinds of stories. These universes where an ending never comes. Universes where the timeline simply ends, with no explanation. No closure, and no conclusion.

These are dying universes. Universes that come to a grinding halt. A fragment of what could have been. They still exist for a time, but as people begin to forget them and their source materials disappear, they decay. They wither and die, crumbling into the cosmic dust that fills the spaces between universes. Forgotten stories.

That is what happens to universes that are discontinued.

But the even more interesting thing is that this fate isn’t too dissimilar to the fate of finished universes. In finished universes, the story simply repeats, over and over again. Replaying time and time again for its audience. Until that audience stops watching, and the universe decays.

This is what happens to stories that are completed. They are also dying universes.

What makes a universe dead isn’t if it’s discontinued, or unfinished. What makes a universe dead is that people have stopped caring for them. There is exactly one thing that existing universes are dependent upon. That being their creators. Once a creator stops caring for a story, it stops growing. And when fans begin to forget, it starts dying.

But, being a dead universe doesn’t always mean that a universe is destined to decay. A creator doesn’t have to be the original creator. As long as there is someone to nurture the universe and grow the story, it isn’t dead. A universe is only dead if it becomes disconnected. A universe is only dead if it’s forgotten.

Just as there are countless forgotten, decaying universes, there are countless universes that have come to be fostered by new creators. Stories that were entrusted to others by their original creators, in hopes that they could continue to bring joy - and stories that had been left to rot, discovered and given new life. Even canon falls under this group, with a new set of creators in charge of keeping it alive.

There’s so many opportunities in this concept, which is why I elected to include it in this AU. A character having to watch as their universe is forgotten, aspects of the story slowly breaking down, the very world around them crumbling as the abandoned husk of something that once brought so much joy gives its final curtain call. Before eventually slipping into the space between universes as their reality dies and breaks apart.

But at the same time, there’s the inverse. A story being salvaged and renewed. A new path being forged ahead - having new experiences, meeting new people, and continuing to live on. Continuing to bring joy and catharsis and feeling to people that they don’t even know exist, but whom so often hold them so very dearly...

Well, that got a little heavy for a second. Anyways-

Next chapter, we’ll be going down to a smaller scale talking about satellite universes. What they are, and why they are particularly dense around canon.

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