#I CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT FNAF

[clovreat3r]

This is like william and his like- murderous thoughts starting to brew as he gets angrier and blames all his misfortunes on Henry.

(This is kinda like my own headcanon where William was never evil to begin with, and was actually a really good and caring father.. that was until CC died and everything started to go downhill and he blamed Henry for killing his child because Henry built Fredbear (n’ yknow fredbear malfunctioned)).

And then he’s holding a phone because I just got inspired from the phone scenes from Return To the Bloddy Nights.

ALSO LIKE THIS GAME IS LITERALLY THE BEST (NOT ONE OF) BUT THE BEST FNAF FANGAME THERE IS.

..ok maybe it is one of, because yknow jrs exists n- BUT LIKE STILL

It’s the most similar to the original game, has actual sort of realistic designs (plus puppet’s design is absolutely sick af), a whole BUNCHA easter eggs everywhere, and YEYEHEHE-

It’s more like a parody and it’s a good one. I just love it love it love it

I have no idea how I‘be only found out about it now- LIKE I HAVE LITERALLY NOT HEARD OR SEEN THIS EVER BEFORE. It’s like you got the original four, the toys, and so on- but we never got the true originals (like y’know fredbear and spring Bonnie) SO THIS IS AWESOME EEEE

WOOOOO

Also I fcked up from the start by drawing everything on the one and only sketch layer (EVEN THOUGH I HAD ALREADY PREPARED A LAYER FOR ME TO DRAW ON) and that’s why everything is sorta.. *wobbly*

waaaaaaa

[theneighborhoodwatch]

I don't know if you've yet watched Night Mind's video, but one thing he pointed out that's haunted me is, upon reading about how the shows episodes would end at sunset/the end of the day, he said something like "so the puppets don't experience night time." And I keep thinking about that in a FNAF way, like the puppets come alive by themselves at night to do whatever? I don't have much to add I just think this is something to consider for your post about time and night/day stuff if you haven't already.

Keep up the great work! And thanks for running this blog <3

BUDDY WHEN I TELL YOU I STARTED HOOTING AND HOLLERING WHEN HE MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE DAY/NIGHT DICHOTOMY SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING-

but not in a FNAF way, i should add. personally, my read on it is, like - if each episode is a single day for the puppets, then it should stand to reason that the production time between episodes is what constitutes their "night" - ergo, they should not be able to experience nighttime, because to experience nighttime would be to realize that there is an entirely different plane of reality outside theirs, one that is also home to a higher power who orchestrates nearly every aspect of their existence. some real cosmic horror shit! not fun! (for the puppets. it is VERY fun on a thematic level for me.)

note that i say "should not be able to" and not "can't," because, well. This Is A Horror Story, so i think someone definitely did end up experiencing it at some point.

[sillysadduck]

I never wanted it to get to this point, but I don't have a choice. I finally made a paypal and I'm trying to set up a ko-fi.

Please read to the bottom and reblog, for the first time I seriously need your help, I mean it.

Hi again, context for my desperate behavior:

For those who know me from my dhmis or fnaf fanart, you know I have been around for years, and I was always happy to bring you free requests. I have never asked for money, it didn't feel right for me even when you were willing to donate to help me escape my living situation, but I am eternally thankful with those who offered ♡ having said this, you know I would never ask unless I absolutely HAVE to.

I'm studying -and pretty much living- with the money of a scholarship, but with the costs of food and books I cannot afford to live. I'm not being dramatic, I have spent more than one day without eating in the last few weeks.

I'm off my meds because I cannot afford them either.

I can't work because I'm the only one who takes care of my disabled sister at home, my mom isn't strong enough to pick her up and change her on her own anymore even if she tries. The days when I'm not home, I'm at college all day trying to survive while my elderly aunt helps take care of my sister.

Recently, what made me hit rock bottom was that my cat, Chimu, started peeing blood. My parents refused to help me pay for his vet bills, even when they're the ones who adopted him. He cries in pain everyday, he's a cat from the streets with a mental disability and I'm the only one who cares about him. The cat food for cats with urinary issues is $70, it may not seem like a lot but I'm surviving with $20 a month (in my country's currency, minimum wage is around $200) and I didn't care about suffering on my own but I won't drag him down with me.

Plus, this month, the government website has been glitching and I didn't receive the money I had been receiving so far. I need your help, if you can't buy then please reblog. I'm currently trying to set up a ko-fi too. I need you more than ever, even if I'm not as active as I used to be, as you can see now there is good reason for my absence.

TLDR: I can't afford to eat, study, or save my family cat, and my parents are pretending I don't exist. Please help me.

Thank you if you read this far <3

[lowkeyrobin]

Hellooo, I was wondering if you could do MCYT with an S/O who has ADHD? (Mostly hyperfixates on horror games, etc.) I personally have a bad habit of walking around till my legs are sore (my leg has been sore for the past three days please help I can't get rid of this energy ahh-) and how MCYT would react to that/stop Y/N from. Doing that lol

HELP THIS IS SO REAL BAHAHHAHABA ; thank you for the request 🫶🫶 ; sorry if anything seems a little wrong, I'm kinda looking into if I have adhd but obv idk and I'm not diagnosing myself, but I obviously am not diagnosed so I don't know the full ins and outs and I know it's a spectrum, so uh yeah 👍 hopefully I did good lol

MCYT ; ADHD shenanigans

includes ; tommyinnit, ranboo, badlinu, nihachu & quackity

warnings ; language

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

he'll walk into your stream, sit down, look at your screen, then blankly stare at you when he realizes what you're playing

"Dude. are you streaming FNAF again?"

you nod with a smile "yupppp"

he spends the rest of your stream talking to chat and trying to scare you more

you're just talking about the lore and shit and he's loosely hanging onto it LMAO

if you're just like pacing around the house he'll look up at you like "bro you okay?"

will genuinely join in as well, he's always got the energy

he doesn't mean to enable like hurting yourself to a point, but once he realizes he is kind of enabling it he'll immediately stop

"sit down, here, skip leg day for once, focus on those noodle arms of yours"

"says you! the fuck?"

RANBOO

let's you rant about your fixations and the lore and whatnot

I mean they won't deny that the Blair Witch Project video game is really good

they even buy you posters of the Blair Witch Project movie and video game (we don't talk about the movies after the first...)

even gets you merch off the official game site too (if that exists? I'm not sure istg there was merch tho)

they start to get a little fixated on it too considering they love hearing about the lore and theories from you and stuff

they even play it on stream and dedicate it to you

"thanks for the content y/n"

when you're running through the house, he'll race with you for a while before finding some other ways for you to release energy without making yourself sore

at one point he just gives you coffee that way you'll crash and burn after a few hours

I mean at least you don't feel like your legs are about to pop off your body

FREDDIE BADLINU

invested in the resident evil lore because of you

"I saw this and thought of you" AND ITS A LEON KENNEDY EDIT LMFAOOO

I mean yeah

loves hearing you rant about the games and everything, he could listen to you talk for hours

when you're all strung up on energy he also enables it without realizing at first

when he can tell it's more than just being energetic he'll help you find ways to calm down

if need be, he'll read to you, instant sleep I swear

or when he starts talking you'll be fully invested in his words

"yknow, Google listed among us as a horror game and I really cannot-"

NIKI NIHACHU

the amount of dead by daylight merch and the amount of money that you've spent on it is kinda concerning

but she loves listening to you rant about how the kill animations are so awesome and about new maps and characters and dlcs

I mean it's your current fixation, of course she'd listen to every single word you'd have to say

she even plays with you on stream a lot as well

when you're strung up on energy, she'll take you out for a run, you're like a dog on a leash though because she's not trying to lose you

"niki, come on! I wanna see the water snakes!"

"I'm coming, I can't sprint like you do, darling!"

QUACKITY

"of all the games, why is five nights at freddy's the one you're fixated on?"

he loves hearing you rant and explain lore and theories to him tho

genuine love language

he'll even play it on stream with you

"and the purple guy basically killed all the kids, and the kids basically scared him into the springlock suit and it literally killed him so he possesses that suit now-"

he'll just joke about the amount of energy you have

like Ranboo, will serve you coffee so you can crash and burn considering you end up begging him to help you

[pillowspace]

Celestial Sundown AU

A FNAF/DCA gods AU | You are a peasant living in the middle of the woods, Sun is the god of day you brought back home with you, and Moon is the god of night tucked away in the Celestial Realm.

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celestial sundown au <- all CSD-related posts (archive ver)

csd art tag <- posts containing my art (archive ver)

csd saved posts <- fanart and other appreciated posts (archive ver)

csd au variant <- talk of non-canon AUs (archive ver)

∘₊✧──────────────────────

Please stay SFW in my presence. Do not relate my AU to any real life religions, joking or otherwise. Do not make AIs of my AU. Do not make god designs of canon FNAF characters without first asking for my permission.

I am completely fine with both fan-writing and fanart. Sending theories is fine, however I will likely only upload the lawyer hamster image in response. Due to the genderless nature of nearly all the characters, you are free to refer to them in any gendered manner you'd like.

Thank you!

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Terms & language

Mortals - beings of the Mortal Realm that can age and die. This is humans and animals

Celestials - any living being of the Celestial Realm

Spirits - Celestial beings that are typically dependant and serve little status by default. They usually exist in large quantities, of their own minimal motivations, or in servitude

Demi gods - beings of both Celestial and Mortal biology, regardless of percentage. Some demi gods have a major purpose, while some do not. They may have a mortal heart or a light core

Middle god (mid god) - Celestial beings created for a major purpose. They can still bleed and die from extreme injury, but cannot age. Their form cannot change at will, and their hearts are light cores. This makes up a majority of the Celestial Realm's population. Sun, Moon, Eclipse, Sunna, and Meno are all mid gods

Higher gods - the highest Celestial beings that create gods and spirits. They cannot bleed or be physically injured, as they do not have a physical body. Any form they take is an illusion, and most relatability expressed is ingenuine

Life core - an orb of light that serves as a mid god's or demi god's heart

Realm travel object - an object that allows a person to travel between the Mortal Realm and the Celestial Realm, often but not strictly worn as an accessory. Most mid gods have one, some demi gods may have one, spirits typically do not, and higher gods can realm travel without the use of an object

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Characters

(Information may be found in the links)

⛅ Sun | god of the day + guardian of children

bonus blush/blood/ray info

any pronouns, but commonly he/him | 7'5" | middle god | also referred to as: Day | realm travel object: forehead pendant AKA crown | threat level: friendly, but capable of violence if extremely deserved | dangerously hot body temperature, but can temporarily cool down to a safely warm temperature at will | bonus fact: especially enjoys receiving offerings that can be regifted to children

🌟 Moon | god of the night + guardian of children

bonus blush/blood info

any pronouns, but commonly he/him | wings and sleeve ribbons are optional | 7'5" | middle god | also referred to as: Night | realm travel object: broken unusable forehead pendant AKA crown | threat level: intentionally intimidating, but only truly murderous towards those who harm the vulnerable | safely cold body temperature, but is averse to touching non-trusted adults | bonus fact: banished from the Mortal Realm

🌱 Y/N | mortal peasant

bonus past info | child design

they/them by default | 5'5" by default | mortal | also referred to as: Daylight (from Sun); nearly any Alice in Wonderland related nickname (positive, from Moon); Alice (derogatory, from Moon); pet (from Eclipse) | threat level: friendly, and would rather flee over fight if it's not necessary | bonus fact: spent a year wandering alone from ages 12-13 in search of their aunt's home

👁 Eclipse | fusion of Sunna and Meno

lower layer

any pronouns, though I will note that he/they has been used the most frequently | red eyes outside of the rays are optional | middle god | 12' | realm travel object: none | threat level: dangerous, but won't kill without genuine reason | average body temperature | bonus fact: desperately lonely and constantly in pain due to the abnormal nature of their body

☀️ Sunna | god of the sun

bonus mouth ref | bonus blush/blood info | branching AU where Meno died

any pronouns, no preference | sleeve ribbon is very optional | middle god | also referred to as: The Little Sun, Sun, dear (from Meno) | realm travel object: Meno's moon ring on left hand | threat level: highly dangerous. Sunna can easily kill even if undeserved, but can also be calmed down | dangerously hot body temperature, but can cool down to a just barely safe hot temperature | Sunna no longer exists and is now Eclipse | bonus fact: enjoys and is energized by the feeling of outside sources of light on their skin, and has an extremely strong will. When Meno is to die, they have the responsibility to take over both the sun and the moon

🌕 Meno | god of the moon

bonus blush/blood info

any pronouns, no preference | middle god | also referred to as: The Little Moon, Moon, love (by Sunna) | realm travel object: Sunna's sun ring on left hand | threat level: friendly if someone is on their best behaviour, dangerous if otherwise. Gives warnings before harming someone | safe but semi-discomforting cold body temperature that can drop into dangerously freezing at will | Meno no longer exists and is now Eclipse | bonus fact: collects many items but especially books, and likes to garden. Due to being improperly created, everyone knew that they were to die someday

Other characters that have been mentioned so far. Characters that have already been mentioned in the fanfic are bolded, characters that aren't canon to FNAF are italicized, and characters with art have an asterisk *

* Vanny / Vanessa - ?

The Dollmaker - ?

The Tinkerer / Emileus - ?

Michael - demi god of ?

Baby / Elizabeth - doll-contained spirit of mischief

CC - deceased mortal

Marionette / Charlie - mid god of ?

Lefty - old mid god serving Emileus's kingdom as a jailer and Charlie's bodyguard

Gregory - mortal

Glamrock Freddy - mid god of ?

Funtime Foxy - mid god of entertainment. Owns the Celestial theatre that Moon used to act for

Rockstar Chica - mid god working as a bodyguard at the theatre

Reader's aunt - deceased mortal

Reader's adopted mother and father - deceased mortals

Manaaki - one of Sun's prior deceased favourites. Romantic

* Epa - one of Sun's deceased prior favourite mortals. Familial

* Frieda - one of Sun's deceased prior favourite mortals. Queerplatonic

And others someday. Almost all Five Nights at Freddy's game characters exist in this AU

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Arcs

Arc 1 = Sun without his crown

Arc 2 = Sun with his crown

Arc 3 = Celestial Realm

Arc 4 = ...uh oh

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Chapter posts

Arc 1 -

1. The Flip of a Page words: 8,224

2. Who Are You? words: 11,997

3. A Much Kinder Gold words: 8,423

4. Dear Night, the Daylight words: 17,212

5. A Flicker of a Thought (Part 1) words: 14,399

6. A Flicker of a Thought (Part 2) words: 10,440

7. A Total Loss of Equilibrium words: 13,110

∘₊✧──────────────────────

The first concept post. May contain spoilers to anyone coming from the fic:

[transmascswagpolls]

Transmasc Swag Polls- PRELIMINARIES

Propaganda and other info under the cut. Michael Afton art by @askerror87

Why are these characters in the prelims?

It's genuinely up for debate whether these are the same man or not. In my personal opinion, they are reflections of each other and this is backed up with the FNaF movie taking elements of both the games (where Michael Afton is the protagonist) and the books (where Michael Afton arguably doesn't exist). I will be upfront and say I would like to have both in the actual polls if possible. However, it didn't sit right with me to run these two in the same poll without having a second pass for this.

Canonicity Levels-

Because I Said So

Media?

FNaF series

Mike Schmidt Propaganda-

My transmasc friend (with abundant amounts of tboy swag) was trying to figure out what charmed him about Michael in the fnaf movie until he finally had a lightbulb moment and yelled “OH HES A TRANS BOY. HE JUST. HE JUST LOOKS LIKE A TBOY”. I trust his judgement. Takes one to know one. Also just looking at how Mike dressed in the movie I just know he had several disphoria hoodies ready to go. His power is being sad and trying his best to be a good older brother. Give him a medal.

Michael Afton Propaganda-

"you cant just have an irreversible process happen to you that makes you see yourself as some sort of monster without being a trans allegory sorry"

Pollrunner: His entire life and arguably most defining touch on the whole series is cast in the shadow of his father. The actor who voiced him in the like seven lines he has in the games intentionally chose to make Michael's voice quieter and softer and lacking William Afton's signature hard rasp. It's implied and a personal headcanon that the character Old Man Consequences, one of the kindest and most straightforward characters in FNaF and the few who cannot and does not actually kill the player, is actually Michael. Canonically according to the logbooks he's a wonderful artist, a complete snarky bitch when he's nervous and he stims. He has just enough characterization to have concrete facts about but is largely a mystery to us and I think that's pretty swaggy.

[factual-fantasy]

26 ASKS! THANKS EVERYONE! 🥰✨

Me too man. But my mental and physical health is kind'a tanking atm. I just don't have the energy to pick up a passion project of that scale right now..

If you're patient and stick around though, we're bound to see more of my FNAF security breach AU someday.. Once I can get on top of all this crap I'm dealing with-

I AM restingggg 😫 I haven't left my home for any significant amount of time for like 3 weeks- I cant rest any harder! XD

@beryl-shade

Google seems to suggest that an oreo cookie character already exists. "Prime Oreo Cookie" I believe..? :0

@solst1ce-sketches (In response to this post(?))

:DD Thank you! I'm glad you like him!! :}}

:}

(First repair guy) (Second repair guy)

They are different repair guys, and they both do not have a name.. 😔

@lobitowhiteeliaz

Not quite sure what you're asking.. so I'll just answer in multiple ways!

My favorite movies of all time are Pixars cars 1 and 3. I cannot watch either without crying 😭 they are my absolute favorites and I hold them very close to my soul 💖

Still to this day, even after all this time, Gravity Falls is my top favorite show. Despite all the cringe I made for it back in the day- it still holds up as my most beloved show I've ever drawn about.

As for fandom, like the people? I thiiiink the FNAF fandom was my favorite to interact with..? I remember a lot of interaction with the fans in general, which meant a lot to me :)

Bibi and Cici are just odd little critters XD though Bibi is very cat-like in nature and Cici is based on a mouse :0

I'm not sure how they feel about being dolls. I'd assume they don't really mind it! XD

Not sure what you mean but I assume you're right XDD

@something3706

Thank you! Though I don't take requests, sorry!

She is indeed a kid, but that's becuase all I had to go off of was her info picture and fanart I saw of her. For some reason a lot of art I saw of Sally depicted her as this total gremlin character that's always getting into trouble.

So I thought hey! Why not make it so she fell to "Earth" as a little tot and was raised by Poppy? In present day she could be like 13-15 and her chaotic energy would make sense and be fun to mess with!

Though after watching GTlive do a vid on the Halloween update, I realize that I wrote her personality completely wrong. Sooo I miiight need to rework her entire story and character- whoops! <XDD

Considering Sally is gonna need some restructuring, I'm not sure where Poppy stands atm-- <:DD

@fawncr33k

I saw your comment on a post that shows you now know the answer to this- but just to clarify it for everyone else!-

Octo and Seafoam are not gay, nor a couple. Seafoam's heart belongs to Blue Beauty! Him and Octo are just friends/brothers.

Also thank you! :DD I'm honored!

@neo-metalscottic (Post in question)

AAAA Thank you!! :DD I've very glad you like them! :D And I'm not sure how a meeting with the pirates and cowboys would go.. its funny though becuase a lot of Canned Tuna's design was copied from Canned Beans cookie. Even the name! So if they ever met maybe they'd have a stand off XDD

I haven't thought much about how the Captain would react.. maybe the Vegimals are something he just cant wrap his head around and chooses not to talk about it XDD

BUT CALICO JACK!! SEEING VEGIMALS BEFORE?? WHY HAVEN'T I THOUGHT OF THAT!! The Vegimals could be these huge fish creatures when they grow old! And Jack could have SEEN ONE/HEARD OF THEM BEFORE!! Why didn't I think of that?? XDD I'll have to draw something like that sometime!!

@yourstrulylightstar283

Thank you so much!! :D My favorite Donkey Kong game has to be the only one I've ever played, the original Donkey Kong Country!

I also loved Diddy Kong racing, though I see that it doesn't count <XD

@astaherussy

I've heard of Hazbin Hotel, and Helluva boss. I saw the Hazbin pilot ages ago and have seen some episodes of Helluva.. Though they're not really my taste.. <:/

@badlyblurry (Post in question)

:D Thank you! Now I didn't really do any proper research after the fact so I hope the Octonauts info is accurate! <XDD

THANK YOU!!! :DDD

@djh4l0v3rv3r

I think Poppy Playtime it pretty neat! Though I haven't seen a playthrough of chapter 3 yet so I haven't formed an opinion on the smiling critters. :0 Other than their smiles are WAY too big and creepy XDDD

Holy cow.. what a crazy read! I'm not much of a gamer myself but I have GOT to watch somebody play this! :00 Thank you for the info! :D

@raptor1312

WAIT THIS GAME WAS ON THE WII?? I was thinking it was a fangame made for PC??? Like on steam?? ITS A LEGIT RELEASE?? WHAT???

(Post in question)

It was sooooo much tedious coloringggg... 💀💀 Worth it tho XDD

(Post in question)

AAAA IM GLAD YOU NOTICED!! :DD

@shaziztrazh

AWWWW!! HOW COOL!! I love the mermaid approach!! :DD SO PREBBY!!! ✨🤩✨🥥✨

Also thank you so much!! :DDD

(Post in question)

XDD Turns out ditto is my spirit Pokémon-

@nunyabusiness459

AAAA I'm so glad you're interested in him! Uuuunfortunately,, looking back it seems the only artwork I have of Melvin is just a bunch of strange angst for no good reason-

So I'm afraid I don't really have any artwork to share,, and most of the story has already been told.. but this ask makes me want to come back to Melvin sometime! Maybe expand on his story more, or just draw him again in general!

So thank you for the ask/interest, perhaps we'll see more of Melvin someday! :D

[ennard-is-near]

Bite of ‘83 placement

I think it has to come first. I think people sometimes put Charlie’s death or Elizabeth’s death first in the timeline, and I respect most FNaF takes, so it’s fine if you want to do that. But personally for me it has to come first, and in this essay style post I will explain why. Everything is completely subjective to me, I will say “I think…” a lot and just know that that’s a more of a “In my version of FNaF” than a “In the only version of FNaF”. Also I call Crying Child Evan, mostly for simplicity’s sake. Cool? Alright, let’s go.

First off, I know why people sometimes put Elizabeth’s first. If Evan is scared shitless of the animatronics, it might be because he either saw what happened to her or William is trying to make him afraid of them. However, he’s a little kid, and kids tend to be scared of stuff like that. (My little sister is scared shitless of Chuck E. Cheese and there is no reason for that.) Also the SL cameras in his room but I don’t know if that’s enough evidence for placing his death after hers. Honestly, I don’t know why people put Charlie’s first, maybe it’s because she had that weird “life giving” thing in the second (???) game’s mini games and so Evan wouldn’t have been able to poses Fredbear without her. Or maybe it’s book related, honestly not sure.

From here, I will break this up into a few categories. Broadly, it will be why it has to be first for William’s character and why it has to be first for Michael’s character. Let’s start with uhhhh…

Michael’s character

A couple small things first: I don’t think he meant to do that, obviously. I just think he’s stupid (like really stupid) and didn’t think about his actions having consequences. I don’t think he planned the prank or whatever, I’ve seen a couple people depict it as something he thought about doing beforehand and I don’t think so, I think it was probably a random idea he had two seconds before he did it. I also don’t think he was doing in for William’s approval, not consciously at least. As an older sibling myself, I can confidently say that it’s fun to be a dick to your younger siblings sometimes, especially when they cry about it. His motivation was probably “hahaha this is fun.” Also, I think that it was entirely his fault. He suggested it and Fredbear was a performing animatronic on stage that he was old enough (maybe like 12-14) to know was dangerous. There was no tampering or unusual springlock failure that “shouldn’t have happened” or “shouldn’t have had enough force to do that.” IMO that was exactly what was going to happen and he should have known better. What did he think was going to happen?

My points (In no particular order)

I think Michael and Elizabeth exist in the same house after the bite of ‘83. She says “I know it was an accident” (which is a line I am insane about) in the SL secret night and I don’t think she would say that if she hadn’t been around during and after the incident. Also I just think they should. Imagineeeeeee the dynamic.

That is NOT the behavior of someone who has even considered that his siblings could die. Like if he’s already down a little sister and he doesn’t want his little brother to die, why the fuck is he doing that? If the thought even crossed his mind that Evan was capable of dying then he would not have been putting him up by that thing’s mouth.

And as a continuation of that…That is NOT the behavior of someone who has already lost a sibling to animatronics?!?!?! Even if he didn’t know how exactly Elizabeth died he has to know she went missing to something relating to Circus Baby’s Pizza Word. If tragedy already struck at a Pizzeria why would he be doing that. I know he’s stupid but he cannot be that stupid.

This is a good inciting incident for him. Like if this is the first bad thing that happens to this guy, that is way cool. He has never experienced loss ever and now he’s completely cooked and will have to spend his entire life insane (sorry I don’t make the rules.)

Isn’t it more fun when there’s a horrible guilt about Michael causing all of this? Like he can tell himself that it’s all his fault that his father lost his marbles? He can say that if he hadn’t done that none of what followed would have happened to him or anyone else.

And…isn’t it more fun when he’s sort of right? Isn’t it more fun when our protagonist, if in the smallest way possible, kicked the chain of dominoes that lead to everything that happened in FNaF. Not his fault that his father goes/is insane, obviously, but the things that happen wouldn’t have if he hadn’t done that. It’s so fun if we follow a guy indirectly responsible for everything that went down who is desperate to make up for it.

William’s character

This gets a little more complicated, but for me he was a pretty solid father before the bite of ‘83. Not perfect, but imagine a dad. That’s him. He’s obviously got the capacity for murder but he wouldn’t do something like that unless pushed. Y’know? He’s like the amount of crazy that most people are.

But I only have one point, really.

It makes him more interesting.

It makes his promise more meaningful. If everything William Afton does in pursuit of “putting [his son] back together.” It’s so much more impactful and reasonable if he’s killing with a goal.

If he isn’t a grieving father, why would be killing people? Seriously? Why would he have Circus Baby? Why would he kill Charlie? Felt silly? That’s stupid.

Also a good inciting incident for him. Having your own son killed by one of your animatronics (and your other son) could probably make a guy lose it. The bite of ‘83 is a good tragedy to prompt a spiral to madness. To the need to make other people feel how you feel, feel how it feels to lose a child. (And at the same time discover the way to bring them all back)

It just is more interesting (to me personally) when he’s not entirely evil, but is a broken and grieving man who sort of gets lost in the sauce on his way to bringing his son back from the dead.

Final thoughts?

It just makes more sense (to me) and is more fun (for me). That’s all.

[ntls-24722]

Behold. The Andromedan Gender Spectrum that's also how the SOS world works, with various nodes indicated by Spamtons.

Beware for gore, blood, generally uncanny valley and weird nonsense below the cut. This is not going to make a lot of sense and it's also going to be way too wordy but I need to get this out of my brain or I will explode. It's also, weirdly enough, the most FNAF-related ramble that I've gone on in a HOT minute, so,

So - why did this gender spectrum accidentally become how things work.

This spectrum was made off of the experience of the Oort Cloud creations, and considering that all of them are dead, they have experienced both planes of life. For the Animal-Machine scale, their lives really did go from literal animals, being forcefully given sentience, and then having the attempt to be made into machines made out of them. Which is why they consider Machines to be indicative of maleness, because it was this weird human concept of gender that they were forced into in order to be "Music Men." The "women are animals and machines are men" thing is still off since their feminity is just an opposition to being a drone of entertainment that's palatable to humans and still not our idea of "women."

The Ichor-Stone scale is a part of it since the afterlife is seperate from the material plane and exists only on the ichor-stone scale.

The "Starving" sides is representative of life - beings that need to be maintained and are constantly looking for energy. Animals feed on Stone and Machines feed on Ichor.

The "Satisfied" sides is representative of forces, forces and energy that do not need maintaining - they do not need to eat, breathe, or sleep, just are. Ichor represents this the way gods do, unbridled force and energy that does not eat or bleed. Stone represents this the way stones do, inertial force that does not eat or bleed. Stone is also known as Death for the same reason. Those in the afterlife are in the satisfied sides. Ghosts, souls, essence, exist in the ichor catagory as forces unrestrained by matter. But everyone bores of immortality, ghosts will eventually become the universe's background radiation/the afterlife itself, converting to Stone. Both Animals and Machines die, and for this reason, everything gravitates towards Stone, although stone can be ignited into Ichor again.

Machine and Animal both don't exist. It really does work like gender - Machine and Animal are both imaginary lifestyles.

Starving beings are not necessarily organic or inorganic. It's any thing that requires a store of Ichor to do anything and without it, that thing becomes Stone. A toaster, a plant, a person, your pet - all starving beings.

Animal is the lifestyle of constantly seeking Ichor. It is associated with stone because it seeks Stone, it becomes stone - always looking to make and find a corpse to sink its jaws into, to devour and ignite into Ichor, only for it to eventually be converted to Stone when it dies out, and having to find more Animals to devour. But eventually, they always become stone in the end. However, what makes Animals nonexistant is that the ideal Animal does nothing but this. Any being that executes an action that is not dedicated to eating and growing cannot be catagorized as an Ideal Animal, but you can be catagorized as one from how much you do it, namely much like animals who have to do that... constantly.

Machines are the opposite. They are associated with Ichor because the Ideal Machine never has to eat, breathe, sleep. Its entire life is spent executing actions that are unrelated for searching for Ichor, as an eternal flow of ichor is guaranteed. But of course, nothing actually lives like that. But robots, eletrical applications, machines - Until they are unplugged, this is much like their life, and androids and such are paragons of Machines.

With all that being said, here's each of the nodes. I do note that some of the nodes are examples and multiple things can take up certain positions (Trifectas and the Center)

AGONY AND REMNANT

Both purely Ichor energies but have Animal-Machine alignments.

Agony has the animal alignment as it's less a source of violence and rage but rather the will to sustain yourself and keep yourself alive, which is why it's often used to reanimate and sometimes speed up evolution/adaptation

Remnant has the Machine alignment as it powers whatever it comes into contact with to live and experience sapience.

GOD, THE SUN, CORPSES, ROCKS

The far corners of the Andromedan Spectrum. Gods are purely ichor and Machine-aligned due to a gods' nature of Doing Whatever They Want Forever, and the Sun is Animal-aligned due to their association with Stone/death with their grandoise supernovas and their hungry insides.

Corpses and Rocks are practically the same, Corpses just happen to come from Animals and Rocks from Machines.

MACROFAUNA, "LIFELIKE" MACHINERY, THE UNDEAD, AND "HAUNTED" MACHINES

Macrofauna specifically relates to Animals who cultivate Ichor and due to the bodily needs in order to do so (and the subsequent energy allowing them to be,), they are generally humongous. Comet is man-made macrofauna.

"Lifelike" machines generally have some sort of Ichor within them that makes them sentient and much like humans. The Plex animatronics fall into this category but due to the interesting way their Ichor was procured, they actually teeter a little left into Animal catagory.

The undead are not necessarily zombies, though they are generally corpses that were fused into one horrible being by agony or remnant (or both), and make up the "monsters" of SOS.

Haunted machines are also sentient, but have much less power to act it. They have a mind of their own but not a body to really do anything about it. Generally they are possessed, unlike the lifelike machines whose "minds" are made from soulless ichor. The first animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's aren't perfectly haunted or lifelike due to the the corpses inside of them, which makes them a little more Animal than usual.

TRIFECTAS: ANIMAL-MACHINE-STONE AND ANIMAL-MACHINE-ICHOR

William and Micheal Afton are both undead, but their agony and will to live to destroy one another has both reanimated them and fused them into machinery. They don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but their flesh is actively failing them and they grow more dependent on their machine parts.

Comet is Macrofauna and in the attempt to make her more of a Machine, the Oort Cloud actually gave her the very Remnant that she produced, relieving her of the need to eat, though she still feels the pain of starvation.

CENTER

"People" are found up and down the very middle of the spectrum, not because they are in the afterlife but because their collective lifestyle and search for civilization have removed them from the typical classification of Animal but they will never be the Machines that they aspire to be. Humans are at the very center but they are not the only thing at the very center. Any Animal that aspires to a Machine-like way of life and the opposite with Machines that aspire for an organic lifestyle (Willed Organism) can be at the very center.

The Undead and Macrofauna who are able to become sentient and machine-like can also take the role as a Trifecta. Fritz is undead, but veers much closer to Animal than usual due to his cannibalistic tendencies and his former feral lifestyle. The Hemonymphs are in the same position as Fritz.

[charmanderxerneas]

can people get it thru their heads that you can like fnaf while hating scott cawthon? Imo its not fucking immoral to like fnaf like it is with harry potter or some shit

Like. Yes scott is a republican who gets money from fnaf, thats not good that money is going to republican candidates

but first of all like. theres no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism (as much as i hate it: i assume at least some of my money is going to republicans from buying at certain stores or restaurants or something). You cannot exist without at least SOME of your money going towards that, it sucks.

and he at least claims to love all his fans regardless of gender or race or sexuality (does not excuse his donations or mean hes a good person) but at least its better than like. jkr who has antisemitic and racism BAKED into her series lore and who actively spouts anti trans hatespeech. if you play fnaf at freddys its not like. shoving republican ideas down your throat. and hes letting steel wool and just other people in general the series now, stepping down from it (though of course hes still behind the scenes, his story so his lore goes).

i just. ugh you can like something flawed with a flawed creator 😭 its okay. its not as bad as something awful like harry potter and theres usually Some flaw behind every creator yknow? all that said i dont like scott. dont get me wrong, im not defending him. i Dont Like Scott. but grahhh makes me mad that i cant enjoy fnaf in peace without people crying at me about it

(i am trans dont fucking come at me about that shit. i just needed to rant)

[puppy--jam]

I'll make it straight because, as a person who grew up with Scooby-Doo, I cannot stand that.

1. Velma (2023-) is shit. I didn't even watch it (beside the trailer and someone's commentary) and already had nightmares, really.

2. I know Scooby's brand is quite popular and has earned a lot of money, but making that shit is just absurd. Even Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! is better.

3. I don't mind making a show about a teen girl who tries to find her mother(?) and has strange friends(?)[I am not aware of the plot of the Velma series and what is happening there. With plot of course.], but if you use characters from a long-running show and ruin them, you show no respect to the original fans. You show no respect at all.

4. Why didn't the creators of Velma make a better connection to Scooby-Doo by appearance (they did, but it could have been done better) or something? The names could be changed to Vicky, Dee-Dee, Frank, Noah, or others! Then they would be different characters!

But let's be honest: no one would watch it then. If you use popular characters (like in Velma), people will be like, "A new Scooby-Doo-based series, Yay!"

And what if Velma was only a parody? Then it should at least change the characters' names (like in the Groovy Gang) or it could be just a one-shot. That's my opinion.

I tried to find some Scooby-Doo-like cartoons (where there are four people and a pet solving crimes). There are plenty of them (mostly Hanna-Barbera). So, there is an option to make something different without using the names and appearances of existing characters.

And one more thing about this below:

It's better if Scooby-Doo stays in the FNaF universe than in Velma.

Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed was the first live-action Scooby movie I watched.

That’s all, thanks for attention.

Edit:

Why?

[eatstarz]

I’ve been here for like 2 days so here’s an intro

Hi, hello, good morning or afternoon or night

You can call me Star, Starz, B, or any nickname as long as I’m ok with it & I go by she/her

my ao3 is eatstarz but I don’t post that often, please make requests to save me from writers block (lack of inspiration not motivation)

here are some things I’m interested in in most interested to least

• Rick Riordanverse (I’m on toa atm)

• Reading and writing (I won’t read books with romance as the main genre but romance subplots & fanfics w preexisting ships I love) (I also cannot write romance for the life of me, but I can write unrequited love & angst/ hurt no comfort)

•Art (digital, sketching, markers, painting, etc)

• dinosaurs

•Dracula (The original novel, I will not acknowledge any of the movies/series unless Mina Harker Eats)

• baking (please help I can bake pretty much anything except chocolate chip cookies)

• the outsiders (I go through phases where I’m obsessed and where I forget everything)

• classical literature

• nickleback, arctic monkeys, Alex Benjamin, and train are some of my favorite artists

• Horror (I love horror but I get scared very easily)

• gnomes

• candles

• Fnaf

•Mat Pat (like all his channels & I’ve been a fan for 6+ years)

Here’s a list of things I will not write about, most other things are on the table you’ll just be ignored if I’m not comfortable with it, if I write it it will be posted on ao3 & I’ll leave the link in response

• nsfw (gore/bloody things are good, just nothing sexual however I can imply it)

•romance (I’m horrible at writing it

• hurt/ comfort (I can’t write comfort, you might get a little bit but it’ll go away fast)

• adult/ minor anything

• y/n x character/ reader inserts (used to write these all the time & I can’t anymore it’s so cringey to me)

Basically come to me if you want the angstiest angst without fluff

Fandoms/topics I’ll write about

• PJO, HOO, TOA

•Dracula

• TGCF

• BSD (not always I don’t keep up w it much)

• lovecraftian horror (I don’t condone things Hp lovecraft has done/said obviously but I love his works, so I will do nothing related to his metaphors about race and such) (can be original ish or existing creatures)

• psychological horror (i will not write about mental illnesses in that kind of way that makes everyone with them seem crazy (does that make sense(?))

• fnaf

• Dracula

This was pretty long but if you’re interested in anything I’ve mentioned don’t be afraid to dm me ! (I’m afraid to dm people)

[miiilowo]

Hey Milo, follow-up question regarding In the Flesh: why does this exist.

(Like genuinely why are there FNAF books. Is it a sales thing? AFAIK the lore is different in some ways and none of it is directly referenced in any of the games, where did the books come from? WHO WROTE THESE)

i dont. know..........

The FNAF books originally began as a main-line novel series. While still being sort of insane, they were...relatively? grounded; You had your main cast characters investigating an old Freddy's location. Hijinks ensue, alongside sexy robot clones of people that turn into sexier versions of already existing robots but im getting ahead of myself

The original novels aren't supposed to directly line up with the FNAF game timeline in any sense, and are more like an alternate universe that provides information to fill up holes and gaps in the lore of the games. And to get Scott Cawthon money of course

The other book series (Tales of The Pizzaplex & Fazbear Frights) fill the same niche, but instead of being a direct line of novels they're more like goosebumps books. they're anthologies. they have absolutely nothing holding them together, and they get batshit insane. i am wholly convinced that most of the people involved in these projects have no idea what fnaf even is on a base level, aside from "fucked up haunted robots at a pizzeria kill people"

some of them have good concepts, but are executed poorly. most of the time, they have bad concepts and are executed badly. sometimes they accidentally write what looks like intentional anti-trans allegories. sometimes a girl accidentally kills her friend in a...freddy fazbears pizza factory, only for her friend to only kind of be dead and for there to be like, two of her for some reason. sometimes they have springtrap mpreg. sometimes a kid's flesh gets replaced by sea monkeys that resemble bonnie. and of course lest we not forget FAZ GOO whatever the fuck FAZ GOO is

there's only one story that sort of feels FNAF to me, which would be one called bunny call. it mimics (ha. hahahahah. ha. sorry you wouldnt get that) the gameplay loop in a sense at one point, with a father trying to keep his family safe from an intruder as he makes a mad dash around the cabin, not letting it get in any of the entrances. that's all fine and good, but the COVER ART DOESN'T EVEN MATCH WHAT'S DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK ASIDE FROM IT BEING A CARTOON RABBIT

whatever purpose the books originally had has sort of been entirely lost and spun into it's whole separate universe with vague fnaf allusions, existing almost entirely to make money. at least, thats how fazbear frights was. what's worse is tales of the pizzaplex, a series in which you absolutely 100% cannot understand anything happening in security breach without reading them, and feels more like a band-aid solution to the absolutely abysmal storytelling and lore that game didn't get to execute. i could go on for hours and hours about SB's cut content and story, but thats not the point here

i've yet to find a diehard fnaf fan who actually enjoys these things. which, i suppose, makes sense, since theyre more targeted toward children (which is odd considering all the extreme body horror in almost every single book, when you remember they wouldnt let vanny have her knife in SB for the sake of family friendliness) but it doesn't change the fact that theyre just absolutely fucking nuts and incoherent

i typed out way more than i wanted to here but ive been thinking about the books a LOT recently. i thought the sci-fi angle the main novels took was bad, unaware of the world of terror i was about to unleash by checking these out

[scover-va]

Its late enough in the evening/early enough in the night where its not prime posting time but not too late and therefore i can post abt my silly fnaf au without feeling fear. Anyways since i am remnant’s biggest hater (you cannot have spirits be both a being and an essence. You cannot. It doesnt make sense. Its magical glowy mental stuff in metal but somehow it turns into a physical being to kill william? We dont need a scientific explanation for ghosts and possession oh my god) and also continue to get aneurisms from whatever is going on in the books. So voila. Fnaf au. Au and not hcs bc since i ignore so much canonical material i think saying hcs is missing the mark by a long shot. I refuse to interact with canon fnaf however

ANYWAYS so uh. I dont have a concrete, solid idea im running off of that i can use as a summary here. It’s essentially me carefully fitting together things that personally interest me, and also rewriting bits of canon that bug me. And also giving a major rewrite to security breach. I’ll get to that eventually

For now however im starting with what ive dubbed Era 1, from the 1970’s til 1993. Take some Fredbear’s time designs for now

(Quick notes: I hate the common mrs afton interpretation so I’ve decided to go the opposite route and give william a ‘take no shit’ wife he loves very much instead of a woman who mopes all day every day, aunt jen from the books is being replaced mostly because i forgot she even existed, and also elizabeth and evan are twins in this au)

Bonus stuff under the cut bc this is already very ramble-y and long

Character profiles for the Afton and Emily adults! Since it’s a family diner I figured it’d make sense to. Well. Have the two families as the main employees.

As well, as of 1983: Michael, Charlie, and Sammy are all 13, and then Evan and Elizabeth are 8. Ik liz looks kinda tall but im p sure i accidentally made her a bit bigger scale wise than the others

And finally, an additional doodle

[fnafawoundleftbleedingau]

So, "Lore" on the Spirits for one of my FNaF AU's? (WWLWWF AU) I gotta split it into 2 posts cuz of the character limit but! Here we go!

(Sorry if it's not the most clear, I jotted all this down pretty quickly while I had a moment, and I'm tired XD; ) Link to part 2 of the post:

The information below is in regards to a FnaF AU I'm slowly working on, and plan to write a fic based around, as I'm still early on in story planning, much of the info is subject to potential altering and changes as I go on. :3 Warnings for mentions of death.

What are “Spirits”? “Spirits” is a general term used to refer to a set of creatures that exist on a plain that exists parallel to the world of humans, but looks and functions quite differently from our world. There are roughly three main species/types of Spirits. Spirits, Imps, and Changelings. Spirits is both a blanket term for all three creatures, and also the term used for the most common species. Most of the non-human characters in WWLWWF AU fall into this category, including but not limited to: Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, and so on. Spirits tend to be the middle ground as far as power and magical abilities go. Imps, sometimes called “sprites” as well, are the smallest and least powerful of the three species, they tend to stick close to Spirits and aid them with various tasks, on their own, Imp's tend to enjoy playing tricks on others. They're typically more mischievous than harmful, but their tricks can at times end in disaster. Changelings are the rarest of the three species, many of their kind were slain by humans long ago, those that remain are at times, considered a myth even to other spirits.

Physical appearances All three species of Spirits have almost limitless possibilities for how they can look, with a few exceptions of course. Spirits all tend to have one “true” form, which is their “default” appearance, these appearances are based only in what their soul feels fits them the best. For example, a new spirit may be parented by two spirits with a lot of similar physical characteristic, but this new spirit may look entirely different to them. Aside form Changelings, most spirits may have a handful of alternative forms as well, usually shaped by their environments when leaving the spirit world. These alternative forms are usually quite close to the animals of the human world, but with something just a bit off or uncanny about them. These appearances often lead to human stories of cryptids or other such monsters lurking in areas like the woods, abandoned buildings, caves, deep bodies of water, and so on. Even if the characteristics that make them so aren't easily noticeable on an individual spirit's alternative form, people still seem to get an uneasy feeling around them. Most spirits cannot take on a fully human form, some may have human-like characteristics to one, or multiple forms of theirs, but cannot look fully human. For most spirits, the only way to gaining a “truly” human-like form, is to possess the body of an existing human, a feat rarely accomplished by even the strongest of their species as whether honestly or through trickery, they must gain the agreement of the human in question. Changeling's are the exceptions, unlike other species, there is no limit to the alternative forms they may take, while they do have the one “true” form like the other two species, but are able to fully shift and change their looks with almost no limits. They're even capable of looking identical to humans without having to turn to possession. The downside to this however, is that the longer they spend in the forms of something outside of the realm of spirits, the more they truly become that creature. Forfeiting much of their power if forced into a certain form for prolonged periods.

Biology Spirits themselves, while they do have a physical and tangible form, and their own versions of flesh, bones, and blood. The majority of their bodies break down into pure energy when they die. Often leaving behind little more than various natural or biological materials in lieu of a corpse. Strange bundles of twigs and leaves, bright, glowing gems and stones, or even hunks of metal ore are just some of the things that may be left behind in the place a spirit has died. All spirits are technically genderless and sexless, choosing pronouns and names much as their souls choose a “True” form, just on what they feel fits them the best, and makes them the happiest. In terms of reproduction, there are typically two means for this among spirits, a more... let's say “traditional” way, the needed “parts” simply gained via magic when needed. And a way specialized to spirits. This alternative form of reproduction involved one, or more Spirits (likely permanently) sacrificing some of their own power and energy to form a new, young spirit pretty much on the spot. This way while certainly quicker and doesn't necessarily require the presence of a mate, isn't typically favored due to the backlash of permanently lost power and strength. Regaining power lost in this fashion is near impossible. Most spirits, aside from the most cruel spirited ones, tend to have a higher base temperature than humans do, and are typically warm to the touch, which is helpful considering the climate of their realm tends to be quite cold. (Areas of the human world wherein the veil between the two worlds is thinner than usual tend to have strangely colder temperatures all year round. Usually isolated to an area of a few towns/one city or so rather than the entire geographical area, with the temperatures getting colder the closer one gets to any “rips” in the veil. )

[heavenlyheartsclub]

SEPTEMBER: A FNAF SELF SHIP FIC

CHAPTER ONE: DO YOU REMEMBER THE 21ST NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER?

“To have ended up here, surely isn’t without purpose.” 

“We have been sent to deliver a message.”

“Oh?”

“We have observed, We have learned. This festering wound, will soon come to ruin.” 

“As it should. It once was promising, but I’ve seen this fate coming ever since that day. Do as you will, if it is destined.”

“We have a proposal.”

“Do you now?” 

“Of Us, They pity this existence. They refuse to leave this place without a chance.” 

“Ha, a chance? It has been given far too many chances. It is the heart of it, a never ending cycle. A preprogrammed system. You are wasting your time. Will you too continue to dig up what has been buried countless times?” 

“You speak truth. This end result would be certain in this system. Yet, is a system not capable of modification? They have created this, a new factor. We ask of you, one more test. One more run. If it too is to fail, We will grant release.” 

“I cannot lie to you, I am just a bit curious. I will grant your request, but please, humor this old soul. What factor could possibly be great enough to offer hope to this sorry body?” 

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! 

The shrill of Elodie’s phone alarm filled her ears, waking her out of a deep sleep. She groaned, turning it off and checking the time. 7:25 AM, September 21st. She squinted incredulously as she made her way to the bathroom. Was September almost over already? It felt like the year had just begun, yet time passed so quickly. She scrolled absentmindedly as she buttoned up her work shirt. Memes, cute pet pictures, talk of that fire that happened a few months ago, and oh, it was September 21st in that famous song wasn’t it? A video of a skeleton dancing to said song reminded them as it appeared on their timeline. Smiling she pressed play, humming to the melody as she brushed her hair. She tied it into a braid, binding it with a dark blue scrunchy that matched her jeans. They took a moment to try and suppress two cowlicks on either side of their head for the umpteenth time, but they persistently sprung back up. Huffing in frustration, they gave up. Whatever, the “hair horns” won again. No one seemed to mind them anyways, their coworker April even found them cute. 

Elodie shifted to straightening their name tag. On it was the classic writing, “Hello! My name is Elodie.” The name written in a somewhat fancy font, doodles of stars at the end. She smiled, a funny sense of pride in her chest. It was just a name tag, but the ability to customize it made them feel like an individual instead of just another faceless employee. It was one of the many things she loved about working at a family owned business. They moved on to making themselves breakfast, taking a moment to doodle as they ate. She lifted her sketchbook to look at her progress, which consisted of rough sketches of fictional characters, specifically robots. Elodie furrowed her brow. When had she gotten back into robots anyways? 

Right, April. She’s the one that brought up Transformers and got them hooked. Speaking of which…Elodie headed over to the living room to take an old VHS out of the shelf. Turning it over, it read “The Transformers: The Movie.” Popping it open, she could see the name of her coworker written on the tape. “Almost forgot you buddy.” She said, putting it alongside her sketchbook into a backpack. A ping went off on her phone, reminding her it was time to head out. She carried her pack out to her car, tossing it in the passenger’s seat before getting in herself. Turning the ignition key, she headed off. The early morning sky was starting to brighten, sunlight breaking through the treeline surrounding the neighborhood. She rolled down the window, letting the cool air in. She’d usually play music, but something about the serene feeling today called for good old fashioned silence. The suburbs were left behind as the car got into town, the muffled sounds of the now waking world filling her ears. Elodie took in the sights of her home, even though she knew them by heart. No matter how many times she passed them, the warm feeling of a quaint little town never dulled. 

Sundown Arcade, the Trimart gas station, the local library, and the K-12 school on the hill next to Hurkey Woods were just a few staples. Elodie stopped at a crosswalk of the last, watching as a line of children crossed alongside parents and teachers. A man in a pink head bandanna and apron led a little chain of three kids, each one younger than the last. The smallest, a brunette boy with huge shining eyes, took a moment to take his thumb out of his mouth to wave at Elodie. With a giggle she waved back, the man catching the interaction and waving back himself, before continuing to lead the kids to the other side of the road. Driving on, they couldn’t help but think about the interaction that just occurred. That was another thing that they liked, the citizens . Despite not knowing each other well, they were all interconnected. She wondered what each of their daily lives were like. Yet of everything in town, there was one place that Elodie loved most. 

Almost on queue, a large old marquee sign came into view, standing proudly over it’s parking lot. Behind it was the theater, an old building still equipped with retro finishings, adorned in a variety of lights and decals shaped like celestial bodies. In large billboard letters read, “Twilight Theater” complete with a giant prop of a shooting star hanging overhead. Pulling around to the back, she parked in one of the designated staff spots. Elodie approached a back entrance, pushing an emergency fire exit open and into the winding corridors of the theater. Their sneakers were greeted by classic arcade style carpets as they entered, taking in the scent of fresh popcorn in the air. Towards the back of the space was a door labeled “Employee Lounge.” Heading in she input the code for her employee locker, setting her belongings inside. A greeting was said behind her, and she turned to see April. 

“Good morning! How are you doing?”

“Alright, just a bit tired, got to sleep a bit late last night.” April replied with a stretch. “How about you?”

“I’m good! Why’d you have trouble sleeping? Was it Sid again?” 

“Yep, they’ve been having a bit of a hard time with that whole Pizzaplex fiasco that happened, they keep wanting to go back, even though that’s pretty much impossible now.” Sid was April’s little sibling, a cute bright eyed kid with tons of energy and creativity, they had to be only about 6 or 7 now.

“Aw yeah, that was pretty terrible huh? I can’t imagine how many kids must be upset they can’t see the cool animatronics there, I heard they were really life-like. But like, that plaza belonged to a huge company right? I’m sure they’ll rebuild again.”

“Yeah hope so, the bots over there made great babysitters, Sid was always knocked out after their visits. Now that it’s closed, I gotta wrestle that little guy to even try and get them to bed.” 

The two shared a laugh, when Elodie suddenly remembered the tape. “Oh I totally almost forgot! Here.” Slipping the pack off their shoulder and digging into one of the side pockets, Elodie took out the thick plastic case and handed it to April. “Um, thanks for letting me borrow your Transformers Movie VHS. I’ve always wanted to watch it.”

With a smile April took the VHS case, flipping it over to look at the cover. “No problem. Man, I can’t believe you still have a VHS player. The only reason I still have this movie is cause I forgot to sell it back when I moved houses.” 

“I thought it was because it’s Sid’s favorite movie. Y’know, the one where every time they want to watch it, they beg you to go to your aunt’s house since she still has an old TV set up?” 

“Yeah, that too.”  “But unlike Sid, the only reason you wanted to watch it is because of your little crush on Starscream.” 

Elodie stuttered, blushing. “It is not a crush! I just think he’s a very interesting character!” 

“Oh yeah, sure. And that’s why you have to rewind every scene he’s in like 5 times.” 

“Not that much!!”

“So you admit you still do though, huh?”

“I don’t know why I tell you about my interests.” She grumbled, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms.

“Aw c’mon, I think it’s cute! Imagine, your boring ordinary life suddenly being changed by the appearance of some robotic Romeo. One who sweeps you up into his strong metallic arms and whisks you off on some sort of high action sci fi adventure, where unexpectedly you fall in love!” April clasped her hands together, batting her eyelashes dramatically.

Elodie rolled their eyes with a smirk. “Anything would be better then spending my days scrubbing vomit off the theater carpets.” The two laughed, but were cut short by their manager Simon popping into the break room.

“Oh hey, glad to see you two, sorry to cut into your chat. April, the slushie machine’s getting low, could you get a fresh tank from the back and refill?”

“Sure.” April patted Elodie’s shoulder, whispering in her ear as she passed by. “See ya later, robot lover.” She snickered, making her coworker’s face flush a light red. 

Simon stepped over to Elodie, brow raised incredulously. “So, you mind me asking what you two were talking about?”

“N-nothing! Oh look the trash hasn’t been taken out yet! Well l better get it, bye!!” She stuttered, hurrying out of the room.

~~~~~~~

Elodie hummed to herself as she swept the entranceway, a small collection of candy wrappers and popcorn piling up. The midday hustle and bustle had started to falter, with only outgoing movie goers passing through. The murmurs of after movie thoughts and muffled film audio had become a comforting white noise, one that offered a small reprieve from the day’s stresses.

Though she knew it was a bit wrong, she would eavesdrop on a conversation once in a while. Despite the first allure of working at a theater, Elodie quickly found it wasn’t quite so exciting. Listening in on the occasional chat helped entertain her. Said chats were pretty normal, friends asking how each other’s day was and talk about media they’d recently seen. Yet today, Elodie found themselves on the tail end of a rather strange one. Next to the bathrooms, two teens were talking in somewhat hushed tones. One in baggy jean shorts and a hoodie leant against the wall, while the other in a beanie and oversized t-shirt fidgeted nervously. The latter leaned in as the other spoke, seemingly transfixed on what they were saying. Elodie found herself craning her neck to hear better. 

“….no way, are you serious?” T-shirt spoke.

“Course I am, why would I lie about that? Besides, I heard it from my brother, it happened to his classmate.” 

“But really? Are you really telling me there’s some kind of monster in Hurkey Woods?” Elodie’s eyes widened, a monster?

“Totally, Alex’s classmate saw it with his own eyes. Y’see, he was out just chilling and having a smoke one night, right? Then he said outta nowhere he hears something above him, in the trees.”

“In the trees??”

“Oh yeah, but that’s not the worst part. Right when he was starting to feel a bit creeped out, he felt like someone was burning holes in the back of his head, super intense. Then all of a sudden, these claws appear from the darkness, and frickin’ put his cigarette out. While it was still in his mouth!” 

“Holy crap..!”

“Yeah, Alex told me the dude was so freaked out he ran away screaming. Honestly though, he sounds like such a crybaby. I woulda clocked that thing in the face.” 

“Yeah right! You would’ve wet yourself just from hearing a twig snap!” 

“Shut it. What about you? You don’t even wanna go in the woods past sunset.”

“That’s cause unlike you, I actually like living. Good luck being minced meat for some freaky forest beast.” As the teens continued to bicker, Elodie was left in thought. 

Was that kid serious? Was there really sightings of some sort of terrifying creature in the woods? In this town? If you looked up the word “uneventful” in the dictionary, their town would probably come up. In her entire time living here she had never heard of anything out of the ordinary. In fact, she had checked  archives for any possible mysteries surrounding the area, but came up empty. 

Excitement bubbled up in her chest, finally something truly interesting was happening in this sleepy little town. They loved their job, their friends, their home, but they had to admit they had been stuck in a rut for a long time. Routine had worn them out, and this was the opportunity to have a little adventure. Coincidentally she had the weekend off, and now she knew just how to spend it. 

~~~~~~~

The evening air was cool, a light breeze drifting through the pine forest. The sun dipping below the horizon. Elodie had taken a well known route from near the school into the woods, one usually traveled on by families. The forest spread from the start of town to the neighborhood, and traveled on a ways before stopping at the next city over. It mostly skirted the edge of town, and you’d have to go in purposefully if you wanted to explore. They realized how counterintuitive it was to try and find something elusive on the safest and most popular trail around, but they would rather be cautious. 

So they continued on, flashlight in hand and stun gun at their side. Some of Elodie’s coworkers thought it overkill to carry a mini weapon when she went out, but considering she was a petite person that had often been mistaken for a middle schooler, she found it more than justified. Worst case scenario, she’d have to shock some creep who was getting a little too friendly. In honesty, that idea filled them with more dread than some chance encounter with a cryptid. She highly doubted she’d find anything out here anyways, the impromptu monster hunt was more of an excuse to take a nice walk through the woods than anything. Besides the possible monster, there was something else out here they were looking for. 

At the sight of a path peaking through the tall grass, excitement ran through Elodie’s chest. They couldn’t help but quicken their pace, pushing into the secret oasis. Illuminated by flashlight was the form of a playground, abandoned and well worn by the elements. Elodie hadn’t been able to visit the place when it was still maintained, but that didn’t matter, she liked it better this way. They immediately climbed up a rock wall on the side of one of the taller structures, wobbling their way across one of those shaky rope bridges to a slide. Stepping up to the platform, they looked over the area. Her own little wonderland, a much needed escape from the dullness of adulthood that gave her the chance to let loose and be childish, the way she wished she could be more openly, more often. After taking in the scenery, they turned their attention to the entrance of a tube slide. With a little chuckle they sat at the entrance, readying themself. 3…2…1…go!

Elodie put her hands above her head as she went down, giggling madly. As she turned a small curve, her fingertips brushed against something. She tumbled forward as she exited, catching herself before she could fall. “What…was that?” It didn’t feel like it was a part of the slide, but more…textured? She climbed back in to investigate. She angled the flashlight inside, tilting her head to to see the object. It looked like a piece of paper wedged into the seams of the tube. There was something on it, but it was hard to tell at the angle in the small space. Grabbing it, she hissed as a small corner tore off before freeing itself. She slid back down, paper in hand, deciding to rest on one of the swings to examine it closer. 

The paper was crumpled and seemingly singed. It looked as if it had been scrawled on in crayon, depicting a colorful setting Elodie couldn’t quite identify. It featured what appeared to be a small girl in a pink dress, smiling happily while she held hands with…something. It was humanoid in shape, adorned in dark blue. She would have assumed it was a parent if not for its strange proportions, a tall and looming figure with arms dangling at its sides. Half of the face was obscured by shadow, but featured prominent red eyes. A far too large smile was etched into the face. She tore her gaze away from the drawing. This whole scenario felt like something out of a cheesy horror movie, it had to be a prank. Yet the nauseous feeling in their stomach persisted, convinced it was very real. Stealing a glance one more time, she noticed a name scribbled over the figure’s head. Squinting, they tried to decipher it. “M….M….O…O…? Moo-?” 

In an instant a force grasped at Elodie’s throat, world blurring as her feet left the ground. The flashlight and paper fell from her hands as she clawed at whatever held her throat, her heart dropping at the sensation of cold almost metallic fingers wrapped around it. Gaze darting up in panic, their eyes met with bright red ones. A crushed scream struggled from their throat as they thrashed violently, the obscured figure tilting its head as if it were a curious dog. Eden felt flakes of rust fall onto their face as the squirmed, realizing they were coming off of the decaying swing set. With a sudden realization, they used the last of their quickly fading strength to throw their legs upward full force, smacking into the top support beam of the decrepit structure. It shook violently, setting the creature off balance for just long enough to loosen its grip. Elodie slipped out of its grasp and tumbled to the ground. Pushing herself forward, she sprinted off into the woods.

With no sense of direction she ran as fast as she could, barely avoiding obstacles on the forest floor. It was all instinct at that point, they were prey to some unknown horror, some predator. A harsh grinding sound and the rustling of foliage followed close behind. Elodie looked up to search for the end of the tree line, but only saw endless woods. Instead she caught a glimpse of something leaping into the air, the large figure silhouetted against the moon for just a moment. It suddenly landed in front of her, clinging to a large oak tree like a lizard. The faint shape of its head turned and turned, more than should be naturally possible, till it was completely upside down. Her heart dropped as she realized she wasn’t able to stop her momentum, running straight towards it. At the last moment she threw all her weight to one side, ducking down and sliding a sharp right, nearly missing the thing attempting to snatch her. She skidded hard but got back into full acceleration, escaping into a more open space. Just about twenty or so feet ahead was a giant dead tree that appeared hollowed out, a knothole entrance conveniently open at the bottom. Their lungs and legs felt like they were on fire and desperately needed rest, they couldn’t go on much longer. 

But for once being tiny was about to pay off. Elodie shoved themself into the narrow entrance, squeezing in so forcefully she popped out the other side, flopping onto something that crinkled loudly under her weight. Looking around, a pit formed in their stomach. They were surrounded by papers, each a children’s drawing like the one she had found earlier. The same etched smile stared at her from all angles, illuminated underneath the moonlight from above. Wait. Above? The light suddenly went out, a large form casting a shadow over her. For a brief second she could see it, crawling in from the top of the hollow tree, before it came crashing down on her with a clang. The weight knocked the wind out of them as it immediately pinned down her arm. A cacophony of garbled noise escaped from the creature, as if i hissing in anger. She tried to dig her nails into it, but found the surface to be hard, only injuring herself in the process. Elodie was running out of options quick, as she felt her throat being squeezed. She could feel her head go fuzzy, fighting to stay conscious.

She wildly grabbed at everything around her as the pressure on her windpipe increased, till she found her grasp around a rectangular object at her side. The stun gun! In their adrenaline high state they had forgotten about the tool, and managed to unlatch it from their belt loop. Taking in what little breath she could through her nose, she screwed her eyes shut and thrust the weapon into the neck of the creature. Immediately the blue and white light of electricity lit up the dark hollow, crackling loudly as it made contact, the sound mixing with unearthly screeches. The smell of smoke filled the air as the monster suddenly went limp, falling into a tangled heap across her legs. Elodie ripped the fingers off of her throat, struggling to get out from under the creature. Once she had pulled the gangly form off of her for long enough to free herself, she scrambled out of the hollow, landing with an exhausted thud. 

They laid there in the opening for what felt like hours, though it had been probably only minutes. Heart beating so hard it felt like it was going to pop out of their chest, their breaths ragged and desperate. Waiting until she felt she had taken in as much air as her lungs would allow, she forced herself into a sitting position. She stared at the knothole she just escaped from, now a few yards away from her, muscles tense and ready to flee at the slightest movement. Yet everything remained eerily quiet, only the sound of their breathing filling the space. They could see the arm of the creature laying limp outside of the hole, a large hand with long fingers curled stiffly, as if dead. They had expected claws, paws, talons. Yet the appendage was clearly a humanoid. What in the world was this thing?

Despite every inch of her body screaming at her to get the HELL out of there, something at the back of her mind tugged desperately. A little voice telling her she had to know what just attacked her. So despite everything, she listened. Standing up on shaky legs she took a few hesitant steps forward, both hands firmly gripped on the stun gun held out in front of her. Inching closer, she could start making out the finer details of the arm. The limb appeared segmented at the finger joints, wrist, and elbow, colored a mix of off white and deep blue. Even closer the “skin” appeared to be cracked. But not in the way it would on a person. The cracks were ridged and random like those in a sidewalk, with one opening up along the upper forearm into a sizable crevice. Peering into it something glint in the moonlight.

All fear suddenly flew out the window, replaced by overwhelming curiosity. Elodie took a nearby stick and prodded at the thing’s arm, to no reaction. She continued to fumble with the crevice on its arm, concluding that the glint had been wires. Certain now that this thing was well, dead might have not been the right word. Unconscious? Broken? She let her guard down, tugging on the hand hard to try and pull the creature out. It took some adjustments, but she managed to do it. It helped that it was surprisingly flexible, squeezing out of the knothole fairly easily once she got the right grip on it. It was still dark out, even with the moonlight, but Elodie could see the rough outline of what it was. It was humanoid in shape, two arms, two legs, and a head like a disk. It smelled of burnt metal and smoke, though they weren’t sure if it was from the stun gun or not. There was one last thing of note on the “monster,” and that was that it was freakishly tall. What they originally assumed as organic in nature, was instead, a machine.

Why was a robot out here stalking the wilderness? If it was actively programmed by someone to do something sinister, then why was it in such disrepair? And even so, they hadn’t heard of any injuries or disappearances, the most they knew of was this thing spooking a teenager. It had only appeared after she took the drawing. Speaking of it, the little girl in it didn’t appear to be scared if the machine. The same could be said for the other children she had gotten a glimpse of in the other drawings. They were all smiling, content and not in the least afraid of the creature, er, robot, next to them. The one she was coming to realize in that moment, had kept these drawings. They had been hidden carefully in safe spots like the inside of the slide and in the hollowed out tree, safe from the elements. They must have meant a lot to it, and some stranger coming in and ripping it out of its safe place (though she didn’t mean to) probably seemed like a threat. 

A new pain tugged at her heart, not fear, but pity. Perhaps she was anthropomorphizing it too much, but all of its actions seemed scarily life like. Maybe it was just attacking to defend itself? To defend the drawings? She shook her head, this was all too overwhelming. Their strength was practically gone and they were beyond tired. All they wanted to do now was go home and sleep for a thousand years. 

But she couldn’t just leave them here, this machine had to belong to someone. It was lost, probably malfunctioning, and definitely worse for wear. If it had broken, then it was going to just sit and rot here, or be picked at for scraps by random people. She shuddered at the thought, as if leaving it here were a death sentence. Suddenly remembering her phone, she searched her pockets to find it there and in tact. There wasn’t any signal out her to call anyone, though she wasn’t sure who she would even call, but her wireless gps still worked. Now that she had known the approximate way home, all that was left was trying to figure out how to get the robot there.