curseofbreadbear

[curseofbreadbear]

HOW STRANGE IT IS TO BE SO INSIGNIFICANT, YET SO IMPORTANT.

there are so many who have been waiting for me, or somebody like me, to come and bring hope into their lives…it's truly amazing.

KINDREDDRAICKIN - a private & independent rp blog for april ryan from the longest journey, traveled by rick. multiverse, crossover-friendly, and oc-friendly. minors dni.

♡ + ↻ - spread the word!

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏carrd, rules, about, verses, & lore.

[curseofbreadbear]

PRODUCT SENTENCE STARTERS

some sentence starters collected from product's movies and shorts. feel free to change pronouns, names, etc!

❝ I love you. And you know I do. ❞

❝ Nobody ever asks about ME, how I'M feeling! ❞

❝ How do you put up with this shit, [name]? ❞

❝ You look at me when I'm fucking talking! ❞

❝ Is your bitch calling me insane? ❞

❝ There's nothing I hate more than a nosy-ass neighbor. ❞

❝ I just wanna know one thing. Where's your sharpest knife? ❞

❝ What did you just call me? ❞

❝ I mean, I have no reason to lie... ❞

❝ I still know how to throw a killer sleepover! ❞

❝ No one will be able to hurt you ever again, okay? ❞

❝ Stop calling me that. ❞

❝ I don't know what's gotten into you. ❞

❝ I don't even want to be a [mother/father/parent] anymore. ❞

❝ Raising you was just a waste of my time. ❞

❝ It's your fault. It's always your fault. ❞

❝ Now look what you've done! ❞

❝ You know what this calls for, and I don't like to do it. ❞

❝ You can spend your time downstairs with the roaches. ❞

❝ I was thinking, and I do apologize for being so harsh earlier. ❞

❝ I'm gonna fix it, I'm gonna fix it, I'm gonna fix it... ❞

❝ I'm gonna fix you. I'm gonna take care of you. ❞

❝ I will always be here. It's okay. ❞

❝ Did you seriously just ask me about my divorce? ❞

❝ How many times have I told you? TV rots your brain! ❞

❝ Now, what in God's name are you doing here? ❞

❝ You made that decision when you walked out of this house. ❞

❝ I told you to stay out of my fucking house! ❞

❝ You were never a [father/mother/parent] to [her/him/them]! ❞

❝ Look at all of this mess. It's all because of you. ❞

❝ Don't you look at me like that! ❞

❝ Oh, you're not gonna eat your fucking peas!? ❞

❝ Oh, [name]. I'm so in love with you. ❞

❝ I thought you quit smoking? ❞

❝ I'm gonna smoke this one, and then guess what? I'm gonna chain smoke the rest of the fucking pack all fucking night! ❞

❝ I'm glad I'll never lose you. ❞

❝ Why the fuck are you just looking at the fire!? ❞

❝ Why did nobody help [her/him/them]? ❞

❝ One thing you must know about me is that I hate kids. ❞

❝ I'm as happy as a pig in shit. ❞

❝ Take a pack of cigarettes and leave me alone, would you? ❞

❝ Aren't you a little old to be trick-or-treating? ❞

❝ Oh, I see. Your [daughter/son/kid] is a fucking softie. ❞

❝ I've been smoking since the womb -- secondhand, obviously. ❞

❝ You really shouldn't be doing that. You look really weird doing that. ❞

❝ Here, take my money! Just give me some cigs before I kill somebody! ❞

❝ Rats happen to be my least favorite animal. ❞

❝ Your poetry really turns me on. ❞

❝ Do you really think we'll be safe? ❞

❝ I had a cigarette for lunch. Try to find my waist! ❞

❝ Oh, [name], you're such a tease! ❞

❝ It's not the blood that scares me, no...it's the fact that I can't remember. ❞

❝ My lungs need smoke just as much as yours need oxygen. ❞

❝ Just do what children do best: ruin [her/his/their] life. ❞

❝ Look, I wouldn't expect you to understand because it's been, like, a millennia since you've trick-or-treated, but I'm a professional. I know what I'm doing. ❞

❝ Oh, the eight year-old finally has a personality! How refreshing. ❞

❝ Why aren't you crying? ❞

❝ Why aren't you scared? ❞

❝ I watch LiveLeaks on my mom's computer when she goes to work. ❞

❝ Choose your next words carefully, [name]. I get violent. LiveLeak violent. ❞

❝ Are you hungry? Because I could really go for a grilled cheese and, like, a Coke Zero or something.❞

❝ My mom usually spends her grocery money at the casino. Do you need more information? ❞

❝ God, would you stop interrogating me? ❞

❝ You're either a smoker or a mom. You can't be both, so decide when you're young, and stick with it. ❞

❝ I mean, you're, like, what? 3 days old? ❞

❝ I had a cat, and then...I didn't have a cat anymore. Nothing morbid about a missing cat. ❞

❝ What time is it? What time is it!? ❞

❝ I'm actually worried...not for myself, but for that sweet child. ❞

❝ Can I swear? …That's so fucking gross. ❞

❝ You don't even remember, do you? ❞

❝ You're a monster for what you've done. ❞

❝ What are you doing? What are you doing!? ❞

❝ It's an emergency...we're out of creamer. ❞

❝ Do you wanna end up like me? ❞

❝ Oh, do I wanna end up like a cranky old bag? No thanks! ❞

❝ I hate kids -- never mind. That was the old me. ❞

❝ Let's be honest, [name]. You are a little past your prime. ❞

❝ Shut up! It's okay! I think I've got this! ❞

❝ Let me help you. ❞

❝ Hey -- don't. Don't look at [her/him/them]. ❞

❝ I'm still growing up, and I am a full-ass grown adult who is still learning how to grow up! ❞

❝ You've gotta strike while the iron's hot. I mean, with you, it's lukewarm at best...but don't wait for it to get cold, is what I'm saying. ❞

❝ You, my friend, are lucky that I have a wardrobe full of adult men's clothing. ❞

❝ Let's get crack-a-lackin. ❞

❝ You look like a gay Nosferatu. ❞

❝ I want milk outside of the glass. I want you to pour it on the table so I can lick it up like a stray cat. ❞

❝ I'm severely lactose intolerant, but I'm going to do this for you...because I like you. ❞

❝ Might I know your favorite color, madam? ❞

❝ That's what love is all about! Changing yourself so the other person will like you! ❞

❝ You're not dead! You're just purple now! ❞

❝ I don't wanna be purple forever! ❞

❝ You're going to be ugly when you grow up. You're already ugly. ❞

❝ [He's/She's/They're] probably dead. ❞

❝ Your dad seems nice. Your grandma's a bitch, though. ❞

❝ I wouldn't provoke [him/her/them] if I were you. ❞

❝ Why are you so mean to me? ❞

❝ Did anyone follow you here? ❞

❝ It's so nice to get away from the kids for once. ❞

❝ I need you to be a part of my life. You're the only family I have left. I love you. ❞

❝ Why are you speaking? I told you not to speak. ❞

❝ This isn't fair. This isn't what I wanted. ❞

❝ Look at me! Look at what you did to me! ❞

[curseofbreadbear]

i'm so desperate that i'm posting on my school forum about bones coffee kjsdfnkjdfs

[curseofbreadbear]

i am begging and pleading for everyone who follows me to vote on this bones coffee poll. you have no idea how much i need the pb&j flavor of coffee to come back

please vote for peanut butter and jelly i beg of you

[curseofbreadbear]

HAPPY, HAPPY HALLOWEEN, SILVER SHAMROCK!

it's almost time, kids. the clock is ticking. be in front of your tv sets for the horrorthon, followed by the big giveaway. don't miss it. and don't forget to wear your masks. the clock is ticking. it's almost time.

SILVERSHAMROCKED - an private, horror-based multimuse wrought by rick. this blog contains triggering content and is strictly 18+. follow at your own risk.

(SILVERSHAMROCKED is a subsidiary of @rickshub & @curseofbreadbear.)

[curseofbreadbear]

HAPPY, HAPPY HALLOWEEN, SILVER SHAMROCK!

it's almost time, kids. the clock is ticking. be in front of your tv sets for the horrorthon, followed by the big giveaway. don't miss it. and don't forget to wear your masks. the clock is ticking. it's almost time.

SILVERSHAMROCKED - an private, horror-based multimuse wrought by rick. this blog contains triggering content and is strictly 18+. follow at your own risk.

(SILVERSHAMROCKED is a subsidiary of @rickshub & @curseofbreadbear.)

[curseofbreadbear]

KNIVES OUT, WE'RE GOING DOWN - JUST LIKE A SLASHER, IT'S A MASSACRE!

welcome to silvershamrocked, a private rp blog for various horror characters, wrought by rick. please read my rules before interacting!

this blog follows back from @rickshub & @curseofbreadbear!

🎃 CARRD 🎃 RULES 🎃 MUSES 🎃 VERSES 🎃

[curseofbreadbear]

just a warning, i might be slow and/or unresponsive in these upcoming weeks. my heart may or may not be congested and i'm gonna be getting tests done, yayyy

[curseofbreadbear]

thinking about the parody harry p.otter thing (fuck j.k r.owling btw, she deserves to be consumed by The Horrors. its just a nostalgic meme to me ksfdfds) with cassidy and steven rn.

steven: he's an afton, cassidy cassidy: HE'S A WOT!??!?!??!

[curseofbreadbear]

[Cassidy gave a bewildered look at Steven's question; had they met while she was alive? She...didn't remember. She'd barely retained any memories from her life ( a fact that she also blamed on Afton ). In fact, the ONLY thing she remembered was her slow, agonizing death. Trying to recall anything before that was next to impossible...she didn't even know if she had a family, or if anyone had given a damn that she'd died.]

[She didn't bother trying to conceal her curiosity; she actually hoped that he'd be able to tell her something, anything about her life. If he'd really met her -- then what was she like? Her only emotions after death were sorrow and terror. She...couldn't remember a time when she'd been happy. Did it even exist?]

❝ I...I don't know. ❞ [She admitted quietly.] ❝ Do you remember meeting me? Um...what was I like? ❞

[Cassidy relaxed slightly when Steven assured he'd been trying to help -- he didn't, but that had been unintentional. He didn't know, and he wouldn't do it again ( if he valued his afterlife ). It'd be okay.]

[A proud smile weaseled its way to her face as he described the feeling of going insane because of her; she'd never had confirmation before that her haunting affected the guards, so this knowledge encouraged her. She'll make it a thousand times worse next time! Thanks, Steven!]

[That said, the message he wanted her to try and convey was way, WAY too long. And annoying. Just like his calls!]

❝ I can't say all that, idiot. Do you know how hard it is to communicate with a living? I can say something short like "Afton killed us," but not much else. ❞

[Steven seemed genuinely offended by her simple insult, which actually got a laugh out of her. Yeah, she'd have to keep doing this -- it was just distracting enough to cover the fact that she was warming up to him.] ❝ Yeah, right. Name one other thing you did -- and being a night guard doesn't count! ❞

[Thankfully, Steven agreed to try and communicate, too -- if his abilities allowed him to get out more than a few words ( and they probably would, given that he was a real chatterbox ), then he'd actually be super helpful. Then he asked her to teach him "ghost tricks," which...would be rather difficult, actually.]

[Cassidy had a number of powers herself, most of which were dangerous enough to scare Sammy ( she wasn't allowed to use Fredbear's hands most of the time ), but she didn't really know how any of them worked. She could kill somebody by touching them ( the instigating event that had terrified Sammy ), she could make the lights flicker, she could make the guards hallucinate...but she didn't really know what prompted her powers. Besides -- she wasn't really sure where she was at any given time. It didn't help that she couldn't interact with the objects around her. Actually, the only way she could tell that she was inhabiting the suit was when she heard it move...or when Sammy guided her back to it. He was more important to her than she'd care to admit.]

❝ I dunno...uh...th-that's a Sammy question. ❞ [It wasn't, but maybe he knew something she didn't. He'd be able to connect the dots on what activated her powers, right?? As much as she teased him, he was pretty smart. He'd know for sure.]

[She raised an eyebrow at Steven's surprise...up until he mentioned the "Fredbear" incident. Instinct made her want to hush him for fear of upsetting Sammy, but fortunately, Sammy was still off on his own.]

❝ Yeah, Sammy. That kid. And don't you dare talk to him about it. I don't even wanna hear the name "Fredbear" when he's around, got it? ❞ [Yeah, she might be a little bit overprotective, but only in a "I'M the only one who gets to make fun of him!" way.]

[Wait -- did he say "Afton"?]

❝ He's an Afton?? ❞ [No, he -- he would have told her if he was. He'd been her only source of information on the outside!! He wouldn't have lied, right? Or- or maybe he didn't even remember! There was no way he'd hide that from her!!] ❝ N-No. No, he's not an Afton. Don't you ever fucking say that about him again. ❞

[Her knowledge of Sammy's character was the only thing keeping her grounded right now. He'd comforted her through thick and thin. He was her best friend, and he really, really didn't seem the type to betray a friendship. She just couldn't...there was no way. He wouldn't be an Afton. He couldn't be.]

[Cassidy expressed even more confusion when Steven implied that Sammy was another of William's kills -- he'd been tethered to the suit after the bite, hadn't he? He'd said as much, but...had he maybe forgotten his own death? ( Boy, wasn't he lucky? ) Or was it somehow covered up by Afton...?]

[...Maybe she shouldn't look too much into Steven's claims. He didn't seem totally informed on their deaths, and she'd trust Sammy's word over Steven's any day.]

❝ I mean, if that was true, I'd agree...but Sammy died when he got bitten. He told me so, and I believe him. ❞ [She nodded confidently, crossing her arms. Sammy wouldn't lie.] ❝ So, yeah- his brother is a piece of shit and deserves any blame that comes his way. Actually, if you see him around here, would you mind telling me? Sammy doesn't want him hurt, buuuut...I'd say he deserves a miserable, PAINFUL death. Don'tcha think? ❞

❝ ...But yeah. It'd be fun to pin another crime on Afton, but Michael deserves the blame for that one. He should suffer, too. Maybe we can even tell the next guard to bring Michael here! I think that's a good idea. ❞ [And yes, Cassidy seemed way more excited about this than finding Afton. In fairness, tormenting Michael would be like practice -- a baby step before she went after someone as scary as Mr. Afton. It'd be perfect if things could work out that way.]

It's nice to know he won't be shunned for the rest of his ghostly existence, at least. He met some of the children in person before their deaths, too, so, it'll be nice to get to see them again and apologize in person. Hopefully they'll believe him when he says he wants to help.

...wait. He met some of them in person. Cassidy... she was one of them, he thinks. Not a regular, like Fritz, at least not that he can remember, but definitely someone he interacted with a couple of times. The memories hit him hard. The way she looked when she was alive versus this--

"Cassidy, do you, um. Remember seeing me? Before everything. When I was a daytime employee? I think... we met. Back then."

"Sorry! I'm sorry. I was just trying to help!" She's not a fan of sudden animatronic touches. Noted.

"I heard, yeah. I-- heh. I thought I was going crazy, to tell you the truth. It didn't make much sense, but I guess that's because you thought I was someone else. Now that you have the name of the guy who you're really after, I think, uh, saying something like 'hey, by the way, there are a bunch of kids stuffed in the suits over here and William Afton killed us' might be more, y'know. Helpful for your cause."

Huh??

"What? No, that's not all I did!" Come on, now, Cass! Steven Bell didn't make employee of the month for years straight just to be labeled as the phone guy! Rude and mean!

"But, yeah, the security office is kind of like a second home to me. Or I guess my only home, now. I could-- I could definitely try talking to the guard through the phone or the monitors or something." As soon as he figures out how to detach himself from his corpse.

"Can you teach me ghost tricks? Help me float around so I can get into the office, or, uh, how to speak with living people. That sort of thing." It'd be a win-win. Steven would learn valuable death lessons, and Cassidy would get a boost to her confidence, seeing that she doesn't need to rely on Steven for everything.

"Sammy?" Sammy?

Holy shit.

"As in Sammy Afton? The Fredbear kid? That's 'Crybaby'?"

What the fuck? Had William murdered his own child and blamed his other son? There goes Steven's theory about him being a grieving father; it's starting to seem as though William had been deranged from the start. Is that why he helped start Freddy's? Just to murder any kid he chose?

Steven shivers, feeling sick again. Mr. Afton had always been an intimidating sort, but Steve liked the guy well enough. He liked the founders' vision and dream, and he liked the way William's praise was sparing enough that it really meant something when he set his hand on Steven's shoulder or offered a "well done."

The things Bell had done for his approval...

"...we need to make sure this goes public. I don't know how much you know about what happened, but everyone ended up blaming Sammy's brother for the 'accident.' I mean, it's not like Michael was a saint, but to lose a sibling and then be blamed for his death? That must have driven him crazy. We have a chance to give you revenge and clear his name."

[curseofbreadbear]

i was being sillay when i titled this thread but actually...this sums up all of f.naf from the ghosts' perspectives

[curseofbreadbear]

["I found you": three simple words that made her chest tighten. For whatever reason, she knew the sentiment applied to Susie, but it made no sense. They hadn't known each other before...this. Even if they had, Cassidy didn't remember a single thing from her life. So what did "I found you" mean?]

[Cassidy lost herself in her racing thoughts; had she meant "found" in the same way as finding a lost child, maybe? If that was the case, she...she would have known that it was a stupid play on words. That wasn't Cassidy's style. Puns should be left to people like Ralph. The only other "found" she could think of was the one associated with a game like Hide-and-Seek, but they weren't playing that. It'd be a bit unfair to Cassidy, anyway.]

[So...what did it mean? And what was the feeling that overtook her when she said it? It felt...warm, content, yet sorrowful. Bittersweet. Why?]

[As she struggled to put two and two together, Susie gasped, startling Cassidy. Great minds thought alike, apparently -- she'd thought she'd forgotten that they were playing Hide-and-Seek. Cassidy laughed to herself, comforted by Susie's innocent simplicity.]

❝ Don't worry, Susie. I can't even be a seeker, remember? If anything, I'd be hiding with you. ❞

[Then Susie remarked that she'd never been great at finding things...and she went silent. Cassidy had a faint idea of what she was talking about -- what was it that brought her here, again? Her dog, right?]

[...She'd been trying to find him. And that purple bastard, he...]

[Cassidy's face scrunched up in anger at the thought, but upon realizing that Susie was still right beside her, she willed her anger away. Her expression softened, but it was still a bothered one. Susie's dog...]

❝ ...It's okay, Susie. ❞ [Even though she was trying to be reassuring, her words came out as a saddened mumble. Her mind spun. Through a fog of memories, she plucked out a name.] ❝ We'll see Waffles on the other side, won't we? And then we can give him all the pets, snuggles, and treats he wants. We'll see him again. ❞

[All dogs went to Heaven, after all.]

Susie finds herself smiling bigger just at the sight of Cassidy’s smile, button nose having to do its best to make room. She sometimes struggled with it, being the youngest ghost of their group, but she still tried her best to cheer up the others. Something about making Cassidy smile came easier than trying to cheer up the boys or Charlie though. A second nature to just try and brighten the other ghost’s afterlife. A funny feeling in her chest she can’t really find the words to explain.

She carefully sits down next to her, not too close not too far, just watching and listening as Cassidy speaks what's on her mind. A nod of understanding about hating this place but not hating the company. If home is people and not the place, well she can’t think of any other better company to spend the after life with. Sure the kids bicker sometimes which usually results in Charlie , or Mister Ralph, or the pretty purple lady when she visits having to break it up but-....but it was still nice. The cage is suffocating but the birds are swell company at least even if all their wings are clipped.

A little tilt of her head as Cassidy seems to get stuck on the finding part, a soft gasp is quick to follow.

“ OOOOh no! Were we pl-playing hide and seek? .....Did I forget? “

How could she forget?! Ooohhh Cassidy must be so disappointed !

“ I’m usually good at hidin’....not good at finding…not-.”

The smaller ghost goes uncharacteristically silent, little fingers curling up.

[curseofbreadbear]

[Cassidy pouted at Steven's thinly-veiled request; she was definitely the last person who ought to greet a deceased guard, so the others would probably give him a warmer reception. They'd probably want to talk to him...so maybe she should treat this conversation like a test from hereon out. Or maybe- maybe like an orientation. It was inevitable that he'd meet the others, but she would NOT let him continue his pattern of false hopes and reassurances. She wanted to protect the others from the devastation and hurt she'd experienced thus far.]

❝ I dunno about "want"...but they'll talk to you. Maybe tomorrow. ❞ [Definitely tomorrow. The others were surely roaming or chatting with each other by now, but he had yet to earn her trust...or some fraction of it.]

[Speaking of which...]

[Even through her wails, she heard the creaking of metal. She definitely hadn't touched the suit, had she? It was so hard to tell. Maybe it was Sammy coming back, or...]

[A hand fell on her shoulder. Startled, Cassidy jumped and shrunk back. Not Sammy -- he knew better. Was that Steven, then...?]

❝ D-Don't- don't do that! ❞ [Even though she was sort of warming up to him, any sudden touch scared her. When unprompted, it was...painful. It reminded her of the spring-things. It was probably a mix of her blindness and the...abruptness. She wasn't about to tell him that, though.]

[Steven prattled on and on about potential solutions to the problem. Unlike before, though, he kind of seemed like he was stumbling onto something; somehow, he hadn't just given up, the way she had. She really had a lot of work to do on herself. There was no way in Hell she'd be ready to face Afton like...this.]

[He was...right. Even though they'd struggled to communicate prior...well, maybe Steven would be able to use phones, or something? That's what he was known for, after all. Cassidy could sometimes send messages, a whisper of "it's me" in case the guard was her killer, but they couldn't really get more complex than that. Maybe she could just say "Afton" instead. Then he mentioned helping the guard, and...she wasn't totally off-put by the idea. Steven could help them to identify the guard, and if they weren't Afton, then maybe they'd be willing to help.]

[Shit. Was it bad that she was starting to feel grateful for a guy she'd just killed?]

❝ Yeah...yeah. ❞ [Cassidy nodded, trying not to show how excited ( and relieved ) she was.] ❝ I- I can send a message. Something short, like "Afton." You heard me all those times I said "it's me," right? And maybe- maybe you can try the phone. Like, trying to leave a message. If anybody can get it to work, it's probably you. I mean, that's the only thing you ever really did- just talk on the phone, right? ❞ [She just had to sneak in one snide remark. She could hear the hope in her voice, and it was starting to irk her.]

[As for the daytime...well, Cassidy, Sammy, and Charlie could typically do as they pleased outside of their suits. They couldn't interact with anything on the outside -- not as far as she could tell, anyway -- and being tethered to a nonexistent animatronic lessened that ability. The others, though- they were completely stuck to their animatronic suits. From what she could tell, it was a struggle to separate themselves, and most actions would cause the animatronic to move with them. They'd be the only ones who might be able to send a message, provided that somebody was listening.]

❝ Well...none of us- that's me, you, and Sammy- can do anything "real" in the daytime. We also don't move like everyone else, we just kinda...teleport, I think? And we aren't visible during the day...something like that. ❞ [Admittedly, she didn't really know the logistics of their suit. Sammy just guided her through whatever was happening on the outside.] ❝ But the others...they could say something, maybe? They've spoken through the animatronics a couple of times, but...nobody ever listens. ❞ [And yes, that was a pointed comment. Steven was very much included in the "doesn't listen" group.]

Hah!! He did it! He’s slowly but surely proving her wrong about him. He does care. He does know the children. And he will help them.

“Well, if they’re ever around and want to meet me, I’m— here.” He has hope, based on Cassidy’s description of the others, that he might actually be able to befriend them on his journey to redemption. He wants to show them that there’s at least one adult who will listen to them, even if he didn’t before.

Finally, Steven forces himself to look at her. His corpse comes along with him, the bloodied Freddy head turning with a groan of bent metal.

She looks… small. Sobbing blackened tears from hollow eyes.

Oh, god.

Steven’s less startled by the wail this time, but no less affected. This poor kid… he wants so, so, so badly to help her. He shouldn’t have been honest; false hope is always better than none.

He reaches out towards her. Can… he touch her? Offer a comforting hand on her shoulder?

“It’ll be okay. I promise. We’ll figure out a plan! …listen, they’re probably going to replace me soon, right? But this time, we’ll figure out how to communicate with the guard! It’ll be, uh, you know, it’ll go different than before, because now you’ll know the new guy’s not the one, so we can really take our time and get them on our side!”

He’s starting to give himself hope, rather than just babbling to cheer her up. This could really work!

“And— and what’s the deal about the daytime? Can we move around, or not?” Maybe while the others are stuck on stage, Steven and Cassidy can go leave a message where it can’t be ignored. Write Afton’s name in paint on the wall, or something. …if …they can articulate their padded hands well enough to grip a paintbrush…

Okay, maybe not that, but they have all the time in the world to think of something doable.

“We’ll get someone living on our side and tell the whole world what happened!”

[curseofbreadbear]

[Wow -- color her impressed. She really didn't expect him to name all of them...but the way he hesitated on hers was...strangely upsetting. Cassidy wasn't discussed as much as the others. She remembered nothing about her life, so...sometimes she wondered.]

[Had anybody ever come for her? All of the parents she'd seen...were any of them hers? And if not -- what did that mean? Were they dead, too?]

[A stubborn frown formed on her face, but there was a disappointed look to her eye. Not even because she couldn't laugh at him -- it was because she felt...alone. Forgotten.]

❝ Show-off. ❞ [Technically, he hadn't named EVERYONE, but...Charlie had never been regarded as part of the core five, and Sammy hadn't been murdered by a purple man. The kids from 1987 had disappeared entirely, although she couldn't understand why -- she'd survived being scrapped. Charlie had survived being scrapped. What about them? Either way...he'd passed her test.] ❝ Okay, you pass. But just so you know, there are more of us. They just...they also get forgotten sometimes. ❞

[Cassidy raised an eyebrow when Steven assured that he didn't think she was stupid; be that as it may, it wasn't necessarily her point. It was patronizing for him to pretend that she'd "won" here. Her memory of "purple" didn't mean a goddamn thing on its own. Every other kid, the 1987 ones, the ones from the missing children's incident, even Charlie -- they knew the color, but it didn't help a single one of them. If it had, then she would've had a name much sooner.]

[Steven could have figured it out with or without her.]

❝ Sure. Whatever. ❞ [She only wanted to fight if she would win. This was a losing battle, even with Steven trying to cater to her -- no, especially with him trying to cater to her. It made the "victory" worthless.]

[Steven knew what he looked like. He was their key. No matter how she felt about facing her killer right now...Steven would be able to find him. He'd point him out. They would finally know...they could find him. She'd just really have to focus on mentally preparing herself -- he could show up at any second, right?]

[...Until Steven clarified. Her expression fell when he told her that Afton hadn't stopped by in...in a long time. Worse, he might not even be alive. Her heart sank. The pit in her stomach consumed her. What if she'd missed her chance?? If he was already dead, then they'd -- they'd never be able to leave. Their only reason for staying was to get revenge. Was that impossible now...?]

[In the midst of her devastation, Steven tried to lighten the mood by assuring that someday, he might conveniently pop up. No reason to lose hope, right?]

[Except she already had. That revelation broke her. Sure, she didn't have a solid answer for whether he was alive or not, but that made it worse. That vagueness, that room for doubt...it was killing her. Again. Assuming the worst was an integral part of her -- she never wanted to get her hopes up again, and this -- this basically confirmed that he was gone. He'd never come back.]

[Cassidy covered her face, a muffled cry escaping the cracks between her fingers. Whether it was from agony or anger, nobody would know. Her fingernails dug into her face. Her scream lasted for several minutes -- not needing to breathe really helped with that. When she finally finished, she devolved into sobs.]

[Thanks, Steven. You just crushed her.]

[Shakily, she finally removed her hands. Her cheeks were stained black with tears -- much more than usual. It was hard to distinguish any of her features. Venom in her voice, she spoke up again.]

❝ Quit trying to cheer me up. You're making it worse -- you make everything worse! Why did you- why did you say ANYTHING!? ❞ [Because she asked. She knew it was because she'd asked. She just needed to lash out at somebody.] ❝ We're never leaving, are we!? He's never going to come back. We're going to be stuck here forever! ❞

Not… Susie…?

“Okay, okay, not Susie!” But he does care. He’s studied those files over and over again, just to torture himself.

“Susie, ‘Fritz,’ Jeremy, and Gabriel. And… you’re… Cass— Cassidy.” Maybe she’s right. Somehow, she just doesn’t seem to come up as much as the others do. She’s been forgotten, overlooked.

“Am I missing anyone?” It’s not a genuine question. He’s pretty sure he’s named them all— he just wants her to see that.

Because surely, not every single mystery and disappearance and tragedy in the company’s dark past has ended up as a ghost here?

“I don’t think you’re stupid!“ Steven’s tone is pleading. He thinks she’s a child who’s been through something no one should ever go through, and that she deserves a win. He doesn’t want her to feel like she’s failed year after year, only for some guy she already hates to swoop in and do what she couldn’t. This is her success. She deserves it.

“I just meant, um. Well, you never figured it out until now, but neither did I, and I had a heck of a lot more opportunities to put the pieces together. I needed you to help me.”

Eager to preserve this moment of respite from her anger and sadness, Steven is quick to respond:

“Yes! Oh, definitely, no doubt about it!”

Except…

“He hasn’t… been here… for a long time, though. I don’t even know if the guy’s still alive. He’s one of the cofounders, but I don’t think he comes by anymore.”

She’s going to kill him. Again.

“But, hey, what do I know! Maybe he’ll come around soon, and when he does, bam! There you go!”

[curseofbreadbear]

[Michael smiled at Helpy's wiggling ears, knowing it was a sign of gratitude; sensing that the little guy's temperature had risen, though, Mike softly patted him on the head. It was a quiet assurance of "you're safe, I got you." With any luck, it'd get his inner workings to calm down.]

❝ Anytime. ❞

[At Helpy's gesture, Michael glanced back at the frozen-in-place Bonnet. Hm. Maybe he could deactivate her for good, to keep this from happening again? That might sound a bit heartless on the surface, but frankly, Mike didn't give a shit about the animatronics from Circus Baby's Pizza World, or Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental, or whatever the fuck. If it wasn't for their grand plan to set these damned things ablaze, to free their souls, he would have already lashed out and beaten them until they were nothing but scrap metal.]

[Trauma could destroy a man from the inside-out ( literally ). Thankfully, his father had talked him into the righteous option; not only would he be sending Afton's soul straight to Hell, he'd be freeing the spirits of both of his sisters. That was enough to keep him from beating Scraptrap and the remains of Ennard with the chump stick.]

❝ Don't worry, I'll take care of her. ❞ [Michael plucked the pink bunny from the vents, malice in his eyes. He shouldn't take this damned bunny apart, but it did threaten his son...]

❝ ...We should cover up this vent, shouldn't we? You're not the one meant to be dealing with these monsters, after all. ❞

Ah so this is how it all ends, a terrible dusty tomb. Who would have-, oh thank goodness there’s dad Mike to the rescue. Another squeak as he’s scooped to safety, and a relieved wiggle of his ears  as the pink menace is deactivated for the moment. Helpy's a smidge warm to the touch as she genuinely had startled him and his inner workings into a fit. 

“Thank……..you.”

He looks back to the powered down pink rabbit and gestures with his hands, trying to get across a ‘What do we do about her?’

Also they should probably get a good cover for that vent she came out of, to prevent any more vent related incidents in his office. Poor bear’s circuits can not take anymore of that.

[curseofbreadbear]

[Finally, Steven stopped trying to make excuses for himself. Even if he truly wanted to help them now, she found it impossible to believe that he'd always wanted to. If he really cared, he would have done something when they disappeared. He wouldn't have turned away the police. He wouldn't have given their families false reassurances. He could have done something, ANYTHING, before he died, too.]

[She smirked, mockingly, knowing that she'd hit a nerve. His silence spoke volumes. It was cathartic. She remembered how the others reacted when they saw their respective families, agonized, tormented by the fact that their parents would never know what happened. If Steven had been paying attention, he would have seen the way the animatronics faltered onstage. The way the ghosts tried to manipulate them, to say anything that might grab somebody's attention. Instead, their pleas and cries went ignored, as they had always been.]

[...She'd felt so triumphant, up until she heard that name. How ironic. The one thing she'd been fighting endlessly to figure out, his identity, and she couldn't handle it. She'd tried so hard. She'd tried to replace each and every fear with anger and contempt. And still...nothing had changed. She was still the helpless kid who'd been tricked by a monster.]

[Fortunately, Steven was quick to infuriate her. "Susie?" He really was all talk. He'd never done a lick of research, had he? He'd never even bothered to look at their missing kid posters! No matter how different Cassidy looked now ( she had no idea if her appearance had changed at all ), it should have been obvious that she wasn't bright, cheery, doe-eyed Susie.]

[...Huh. Doe-eyed? She didn't even know what Susie looked like. Weird.]

[Regardless, it was just the anger-inducing comment she needed. Any trace of fear vanished, replaced with an irate glare and an exasperated groan.]

❝ Susie? Really? ❞ [She rolled her eyes and scoffed.] ❝ Wow. You really didn't bother to do ANY research, huh? Didn't even check our missing posters, did you? Y'know what -- hah, I DARE you to try and name half of us! Oh, and here's a hint: "half" would be about three kids. ❞ [God, that felt SO much better. She was eager to laugh in his face when he struggled, because CLEARLY, he didn't know any of them.]

[Again, thank goodness for that recovery; Steven reminded her straightaway that she had their killer's name now. "This is a good thing, isn't it?" Yeah -- it would be, if she was genuinely and thoroughly prepared for it. What was she going to do?? If she floundered like that when she actually had him in her grasp, she- god, she- she'd just get hurt all over again...]

❝ It...it is. ❞ [Cassidy nodded, going quiet again. Part of her wondered who on Earth she could be open with, Sammy aside. Sammy could be brave sometimes, but he was sensitive and quick to cry. Susie was too optimistic and -- nothing against her -- a bit clueless. She was, after all, the youngest of all of them. Maybe Fritz or Gabriel...? No, wait -- Charlie. If anybody could help her, it would be the one who was just as vengeful.]

[Akin to Cassidy herself, though, Charlie was a bit in-and-out of existence. That was just what happened when your vessel got scrapped, apparently. But...noted. Next time Charlie was around, that would be who she went to. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was enough to calm her down.]

[Oh, and there Steven went again -- "you" did it. Bullshit. Her memories were nothing but a bunch of painful garbage. She hated to admit it, but that was all him.]

❝ Here's a tip; don't lie just to make us feel better. We're not stupid. ❞ [Still, she managed to smile -- if only because she'd regained her ability to deride him.] ❝ But...this is something. This is real. This is the closest we've ever been. Do you- do you know what he looks like? Like, if he walked in right now, would you know? ❞

That’s not fair, he almost blurts out. How was he supposed to help them when he didn’t even know they were here? Even with all those hallucinations and cryptic messages, it’s not his fault he didn’t realize he was being contacted by ghosts! Only a crazy person would jump to a conclusion like that.

…he’s glad he didn’t get a chance to voice his opinion on the matter, though, because it turns out that she’s referring to something else entirely.

Steven feels sick. What must it have been like for the children to watch as their murders were— what’s the phrase she used? Swept under the rug? To watch their families be turned away, to watch Steven himself assure their distraught parents that the company was doing everything in its power to find the kids, only to spend year after year trapped at the site of their death?

Steven doesn’t know what to say to that. There’s only so many times he can apologize before the words begin to sound truly hollow.

…so not all of the children are bloodthirsty. That’s good to know, he supposes, even if it didn’t stop the entire crew of animatronics from joining in when it came time to give Bell an early retirement.

That’s the biggest clue we’ve ever had. Well, hey, how about that! Looks like Steven isn’t useless after all!

…so why does she sound so— wounded?

“Susie? That’s— your name, right? It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. Just, uh, take a deep breath for me if you can. I know this must be a lot to take in.”

She’s going to scream at him, but he doesn’t know what else to say. It’s not like he can offer a hug or physical comfort. …which she wouldn’t accept even if she could, of course.

Steven has to take a few shuddering breaths of his own before he can continue; this is a terrifying and overwhelming realization for him, too.

“This is a good thing, isn’t it? It means we— we finally know who— actually did it?”

Steven has no idea what they’ll be able to do with this information now that they have it, but at least the kids won’t go around killing every security guard they meet from now on.

“We did it! You did it. One step closer to seeing the light!”

[curseofbreadbear]

[Was he really still trying to convince her that he wasn't here for his own selfish reasons? That he hadn't dismissed their deaths ENTIRELY, preventing them receiving a semblance of justice? They were stuck here because of people like Steven -- greedy people who preferred their jobs over guaranteeing the safety of kids. Freddy's was a sick, twisted joke, and she was fucking stuck here.]

[Though...she hated to admit it, but Steven had a bit of a point. He wouldn't be stuck here with them if he was doing it exclusively for selfish reasons. She was pretty sure that if he was as self-serving as she assumed, then he wouldn't have bothered.]

[...Didn't mean that he WASN'T doing this because he was a self-absorbed prick, of course. He just might actually have a modicum of interest in helping them move on, and if he proved to be as dedicated to that cause as he wanted her to believe, then maybe he could. That didn't make her any less frustrated about it, though. The last thing she wanted to do was trust an employee of this Hellhole.]

❝ Newsflash: that doesn't make you any less selfish. If you really, one hundred percent, wanted to help us, then you could have done it anytime you wanted. ❞ [Cassidy folded her arms over her chest, sending another scathing look in Steven's direction.] ❝ Y'know, we were THERE when you were talking to the police. We were THERE when the night guards listened to your annoying calls. You pretended that we didn't exist. You never even bothered to look for us. You even told our families that our deaths weren't connected to Freddy's. So, no- I don't think I've "got it all wrong." ❞

[Shit. She'd mentioned her suitmate without even realizing it, and Steven had caught on like a match. God, this suit was going to be crowded. Luckily for her, though, Sammy typically hid ( she'd never asked where ) whenever she got ready to kill. He didn't appreciate the carnage the way she did.]

❝ Uh- no. He'll probably come around when he realizes that we're done killing you. I call him "crybaby" for a reason, y'know. ❞

[Cassidy harrumphed at Steven's reaction; she'd gotten that same reaction from Sammy, too. Granted, he was the only one of them that HADN'T been violently murdered by their purple culprit, so he got a pass for that. Steven, however, did not.]

❝ Ugh, I told you! Purple. You can ask the others later, too. They'll all tell you the same thing. ❞

[Just as she braced herself for another "that's not a clue," she heard the newcomer mumble to himself. She quirked a brow at the sudden dip in conversation. Then --]

[Then he gave her a name. Mr. Afton.]

[She should have been happy, THRILLED, but she froze instead. A pit formed in her stomach. She had a name. This "useless" newbie had given her her first clue in years. He- he would know what the guy looked like, where he might be- this was her first glimmer of hope in years. So why did she feel sick to her nonexistent stomach?]

[Deep down, she knew. It was one thing to train yourself to be "strong" in the face of danger, and another thing entirely to use that strength in practice. This meant that she might wind up facing her killer again soon, and- and she was gut-wrenchingly nervous. Terrified. She felt the same horror, the same helplessness, from when she'd died. Trapped. Suffocated. Drowning.]

❝ Wh- ❞ [Her initial reaction came out as a whimper, which she quickly muffled by covering her mouth. She shuddered. Each unnecessary breath was shaky and shallow.]

[Steven had verified the identity of their killer -- the man in purple. The memory felt so vivid now. What had once been a series of blurs became almost crystal clear. She saw the name -- "Afton" -- branded on his name tag. It was darkened with something red. And his shirt...]

[It was blue, but covered -- drenched in blood. And when those colors mixed...]

[Purple.]

[Steven apologized frantically, but she couldn't even muster the anger to lash out at him for it. They were both sharing a moment of dread and confusion.]

❝ Y-You... ❞ [When her reply sounded like another wounded cry, she covered her mouth again; the end result was a muffled sob. Shut up. Shut up. You're supposed to be the tough one. Stop crying!] ❝ God, i-it -- it doesn't matter anymore! I- I don't care about your s-stupid regrets. You just gave us a NAME. ❞

❝ That's - that's the biggest clue we've ever had. Afton. It was him. We finally...we know who we're looking for. ❞ [She forcefully swallowed back her fear. Her eyes went wide, but her expression was almost blank. Dissociative.] ❝ It was him. ❞

Unfortunately for the girl, Steven is staring up at the ceiling, clueless to her scathing glare. Movement seems like too much, at the moment; he doesn’t want to find out just yet if he’s bound for all eternity to the suit he died in.

Still, he manages to mentally curl in on himself at her pointed words. He knows what she means, and she’s right. Pathetic, useless, guilty by association.

“No, it’s not like that!” Still, he tries to convince both her and himself that he’s not the monster he knows he is.

Rumor and speculation? Oh. That is what he had said, isn’t it. Anything to maintain deniability. Anything to protect the company. …and, although Steven hadn’t known it at the time, he had more than likely been protecting the children’s murderer in the process, too.

He had always tried to maintain hope that the culprit was a stranger using Freddy’s as a gruesome staging ground for their crimes. The fact that an employee could get a job here for the express purpose of killing kids— the fact that Steven had most likely been involved in hiring them and training them and had never once noticed what they truly were— it had been too much to bear. So he hadn’t. He had denied any and all Fazbear Entertainment involvement in the disappearances, and he had done his best to believe his own scripts.

…she’s right, of course, that Steven would love to feel absolved of his role in all of this. But he does care about them too, really! He loves kids! Sometimes. And he can’t just sit back and watch while these ones suffer! Not again. Besides, doesn’t he have an obligation to the next poor sap who takes the night shift not to let a crowd of angry ghosts murder them, too?

“You’ve got it all wrong. Why would I be here if I didn’t want to help you? You said it yourself, I— I should have passed on, right? I’m here to make things right. I know I am.”

She interrupts him, shutting him up (for a moment, at least). She makes a fair point— whatever information she has must be pretty vague if she mistook Steven for her killer. But no one knows this place better than Bell! If the murderer was an employee, Steven might be able to help her narrow down her list of suspects.

Crybaby…?

“One of the other children? Can I talk to them, too?”

Steven has an unhealthily high tolerance when it comes to gore and death and blood and other things that one should endeavor to keep out of sight of guests. Child murder might shake him up a little more, though, so maybe she’s doing him a favor by sparing him the details. Except—

“Purple?” What does she mean, purple? What does that have to do with anything? None of the guard uniforms are purple, and even Bonnie’s more of a blue-ish hue. Where has Steven seen purple before? Balloons, decorations… themed birthday cakes…

Mister Afton, the blue of his uniform dyed deep and dark with paint for the new paneling.

“That’s— not—“

Not him. Not after his own son—

Unless that’s exactly why he did it. Driven mad with grief, perhaps? A sort of “if I lost a child then you all will too” mentality? Could that be possible?

“Um. I saw… Mister Afton… once. When we closed for the first round of investigations. We used that time to do some updates, clean the place up, you know. He was covered in— but that was before all the repainting actually started.”

How had Steven missed that? Unless some part of him knew all along. Mister Afton had always hated a mess— even at the time, Steve couldn’t help but be shocked that William of all people had spilled all over himself like that, but what could Bell do but take the story at face value? Was he supposed to accuse his boss of murder to his face?

Was he supposed to tell the police and risk getting them shut down for good, all without any evidence except the claim that “Mister Afton’s usually neater than this”?

The room is spinning. Steven’s corpse lurches in its mechanical confines.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t know. He said it was paint, wh— why— why did I believe that? It was him, wasn’t it? The whole time?”