#or clap. either way

[sexysilverstrider]

ooooo u bought pieces of her home oooo

[sforzesco]

sometimes you draw guys drenched in gore and you have to balance it out with some real romcom style bullshit as a palette cleanser

bsky ⭐ pixiv ⭐ pillowfort ⭐ cohost ⭐ cara.app

[superbellsubways]

i love villains that are so ^__^ .does anyone get it

[idaaadivock]

not to talk about dune on main but like. lisan al-gaib became an instant meme in the theater i was at. like great acting amazing music (thank you hans zimmer you're a real one) phenomenal photography and setting and fight choreography

but stilgar's LISAN AL-GAIB in every circumstance possible was so funny it made the whole theater erupt into laughter directly after the fight with feyd-rautha which is supposed to be like. poignant ig and powerful and an overall vibe

y'all hit the wrong vibe besties 😭😭

[nyatbinary-81]

okay. @evil-eyedlurker lets try this again since tumblr ate my last draft.

Part 1: Setting the Stage.

Before we begin, I'd like to recommend reading the book for yourself. There's a free copy here on archive.org. I'd also like to point to my previous post for some context if anyone reading this post is new here. You may also want to watch Dual Process Theory's take, as I agree with pretty much all of their arguments.

You have the appropriate context for this? Good.

Now then.

Within the logbook, there are three known writers: Red Pen, aka Michael Afton; Faded Text, aka Charlie Emily; and Altered Text, aka CC/Cassidy Afton.

There are also, however, three identifiable names: Mike, Cassidy, and Dave. Popular fanon will tell you that "Cassidy" is Faded, as well as being the Vengeful Spirit and the second Golden Freddy spirit. It will now also tell you that CC's name is Dave, previously mstaken to be Evan.

I am here to tell you that popular fanon is, as popular fanon tends to be, wildly off the mark.

As per my last post, I dismissed Cassidy as a little girl for two reasons: firstly, that she has no narrative significance before whenever the logbook takes place, and secondly, because Faded asks too many specific questions to be a stranger. The logbook came out after Pizzeria Sim, and introducing Cassidy as such an important character this late in the story is nonsensical.

But...my theory leaves out Dave. Who is Dave?

Put a pin in that for now. We'll get there. For now, let's talk about Michael Afton.

Part 2: Why?

In my last theory post, linked above, I asked a question that I found to be forgotten: why? Why does faded ask such specific questions? Why is there so much puppet symbolism? Why would CC know the name Cassidy? Why are there so many tidbits that never get mentioned?

I have some new ones today: Why is Mike here? Why are Charlie and Cassidy in his book? Why is the name Dave important?

For simplicity's sake, we'll start with why Charlie and CC are talking. Based on the imagery of the Puppet and birthdays on pages 31 and 98, as well as "The party was for you" (103), it's most likely to set up the Happiest Day, placing this before...whenever that happens. Before Pizzeria Sim, at least.

(Fig. 1: The Puppet/Happiest Day symbolism.)

So...if that's the goal, why is Mike important? Sure, he helps spell Cassidy's name, but only the last couple letters. And of all the available grids, "Dave" is spelt in the Foxy grid. The one animatronic that is associated with Mike.

(Fig. 2: Available grids.)

To me, this implies the name Dave is important for Michael to remember. But why?

...Why would Michael need to remember anything? Surely he remembers, right? I mean, he references the Nightmares and casual bongos and exotic butters and the Bite. Surely, surely that means he remembers!

(Fig. 3: Michael's references.)

Reread all his answers again, all throughout the book, knowing this takes place after Sister Location, during the time he's hunting down his father. Tell me what's missing. (Or you can trust me to tell you, I suppose.)

Mentions of his family, right?

In fact, he's not even the one to bring up the Bite. The logbook brings it up for him; he just responds to it.

Throughout the book, Mike is unresponsive and noncommittal. His doodles exist in the corners and margins, he rarely responds to either the book or Faded's questions directly, he even crosses out his own name. The only thing he repeatedly emphasizes throughtout the book is SURVIVAL. In all caps, SURVIVAL. CERTAIN DEATH.

(Fig. 4: Michael's scribblings as per the previous paragraph.)

Interestingly, he commonly writes about leaving leaving. Such as running away, locking up the animatronics, going on vacation, or dying. This directly contrasts his established desire to find his father, which implies he hasn't gotten that motivation yet.

Michael has been scooped by the time the Logbook happens. Michael, like most spirits, forgot. Forgot less than Cassidy and perhaps the MCI, for whatever reason, but forgot nonetheless.

And Charlie is here to help him remember, the same way she's helping Cassidy remember.

Specifically, she wants him to remember the name Dave, spelled out via the coordinates of the answered questions. The first one of which is answered by Michael, long before Cassidy says "I'm scared" as a potential alternate answer.

Part Three: Fandom Really Needs to Learn to Re-examine Fundamentals.

Take that pin out of "Who's Dave" and "Why is Dave important" from earlier, because it's time to answer those questions.

Okay. So, we've established a few things.

Dave is not one of the spirits in the logbook.

Charlie is pushing for Michael to remember the name Dave.

Michael has lost his memory, and has yet to gain the motive of finding his father.

If all of this is true, "Dave" must be connected to Michael's motivation: finding his father.

But we already know his name! William Afton, as established in...in......uh.........which game was it again? Sorry, hold on, let me just check my sources...*shuffling papers*...oh! Here we go! William Afton's name was established in the novels...and...and for the entirety of The Silver Eyes, he's referred to almost exclusively by his alias, Dave. To my knowledge, his first name is never confirmed in the games.

...What if we've been wrong in accepting that his name is William Afton? What if he is Dave, and it's not just an alias?

Allow me, once more, to set the scene.

Part Four: FNaF is a story. Let's treat it as such.

The date is [REDACTED], just after Michael's scooping. His corpse gets up without him, shambling around with metal for bones and vague remnants of children's souls for a pilot.

Michael himself is stuck in a security logbook; a paltry little thing given to him by his employers, like a twisted joke. He writes and crosses out his own name, and doodles in the margins for a bit.

Charlie, ever the attentive soul, joins him, bringing the Crying Child with her. Two brothers, one memory, or something like that. She begins gauging what he remembers: Does he know who he is? How he died?

Michael doesn't respond. He doesn't need to. It's not hard for Charlie to piece together what happened, especially given his shambling corpse ranting and raving about their revenge.

So, she begins to push Michael to remember his killer. She starts with the nightmares (do you have dreams), the first thing he did. She follows up with his resemblance to his father (what do you see), but Michael goes unresponsive, possibly catching on to her game. Ever the stubborn one, that. Instead, CC responds. So she switches gears, roping CC into helping her spell out both names by directing her questions to him, until Michael finally helps spell Cassidy.

Next to the wordsearch where Cassidy remembers is a mirror; one to reflect EVAD (spelled in CC answer order) into DAVE. Two brothers, one memory, as the saying doesn't go.

Michael's corpse lies cold and empty on the ground, Ennard having escaped into a gutter. He can't move on, not yet. There's only one option left for him now.

Michael looks into the mirror.

And his eyes open purple.

.

also it would be really funny if davetrap had an alias in the games timeline and it was william/will miller THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT!

[penroseparticle]

You’re a very attractive gentleman.

Why thank you Anon! Some days I even believe that myself, but I do have to admit the outward validation is really nice. I'm sure you're quite attractive too

[deus-ex-mona]

no.1 is still such a good song though…

[master-of-the-railway]

Relating to your post on the subtle angst of being a machine, I hunger for all the possible physical angst elements. Where is the fear of limited or increasingly costly repair parts? Where is the worry of the shrinking pool of mechanical experts (engine troubleshooters)? The simple inescapable awareness that one's moving parts are constantly degrading? Horror relating to corrosive/damaging environments? Complex emotional trauma and strange coping mechanisms in response to the reality of their entire "family" slowly *literally* falling apart?

YES!!! YESS!!! FUCK YES!!! SOMEONE THAT GETS IT!!!!!

going to. put this under the cut bc I have SO MUCH TO SAY.

You get it SO well, so many good points there. All things come to an end, and engines especially can be kept alive for over a hundred years if they are well taken care of, but there's so many who are not as valued or who simply cannot be taken care of as well as their owners want to take care of them. And they can rarely do things about it. It's honestly admirable that some of the Sodor engines have worked so hard to protect and preserve their fellow rolling stock. Oliver is a beloved little engine, but he likely stays up some nights thinking about how if Douglas hadn't happened upon him, he wouldn't even be here right now. He'd have been melted down ages ago. Not to bring up Hiro again but he is literally the first engine that comes to mind when I think of this sort of thing. He went to Sodor so excited to be helpful and useful and was promptly abandoned not long after he'd broke down. He was stuck there for god knows how long and if Thomas hadn't found him, by accident mind you, he would've corroded and died there most likely. And yet he would've rather done that then get scrapped. Almost as if he wanted to pass away on his own terms. Like I mentioned before, we're shown often that most of the kind-hearted engines (specifically on Sodor) will put forth their best effort to keep any machine out of the smelters. Thomas listened to Hiro's story and was likely deeply disturbed that Hiro had been abandoned like that and not a single person dared to look hard enough to find him when he was still on Sodor this whole time. But with his horror, came understanding, because he knows the reality of even some of the most famous locomotives at times can be harsh and even deadly. And Spencer showed no care or concern at all, not only that, but he almost seemed delighted to inform Sir Tophamn Hatt of Hiro's existence purely to ensure that he was scrapped. He knew nothing about Hiro. He doesn't even LIVE on Sodor. And yet he took great pride in the concept of getting the old engine scrapped. As if that does not mean the very end of an engine's life. It's honestly really unsettling to me how quickly Spencer jumped to that conclusion. Not to mention the tearful horror in Hiro's voice when he was yelling out to Thomas whilst trying to get away from Spencer.

Henry was locked in a tunnel for fearing the rain would damage his coat. How often did he beg those workers that would come by to let him out? How many times do you think he cried feeling like he'd failed his entire railway and that he'd never be released again? There was no sympathy shown for him. And no acknowledgement to the terror he very likely felt for the time he was trapped there in that tunnel. He got sick not long afterwards, the anguish he went through in that time period was probably something awful. Most all machines are at the mercy of their employers. They don't have the appendages to escape the situations they get in that some humans might be able to get out of. If you deprive any machine of their fuel they cannot go anywhere. If you refuse to repair them they cannot go anywhere or function properly. There's a reason they pride themselves on being really useful. If you're not really useful, you're either sent away or you're...well...sent somewhere to be scrapped. It's the way the world works with real, non-sentient machines...and it seems like the TTTE universe operates on those same principals despite being a world where 99% of all heavy machinery is alive and can think and speak for themselves. Sometimes it's just progression, sometimes it's business, but at no time is it ethical. They are alive. They have wants and desires and emotions and fears, yet very few of the humans in their world seem capable of understanding that. There's so many scary things that come with being an engine. If you're too slow and you get less done than a new model, you're likely done for unless somebody cares enough about you to take you in and restore you. Sodor seems to work overtime to preserve old rolling stock, I'm sure they would've taken incredible care of Hiro had he not went home to Japan, and it seems like they did miss him there considering that he's still very well taken care of when he comes to visit Sodor after he'd moved back home. But there's so many engines who don't have that luxury. Hiro just as well could've been sent back or left sitting still, of course whoever owns him now clearly cares for him a great deal. The other types of machines aren't as touched on as our beloved engines are, but they surely experience the same kind of stuff. Airplanes may just as easily feel the same anxieties as old steamers do. They get antsy when they can't fly because what is a plane good for if it can't get off the ground? There's just SO many things to talk about. I really do think the fandom should include things like this in angst content more bc there is a lot of the show's own canon that is genuinely unsettling when put into real world perspectives.

[livvyofthelake]

for some perspective on just how close to the top 21 is my 21st song on my spotify wrapped is free now gracie abrams. can point to at least three occasions i’ve posted a link to that song i love that song i listen to it all the time… 21 is crazy high can we just properly think about that and acknowledge that for a second….

[yappacadaver]

you know they were about to go so hard on emmy's personal quest. they didnt. but at least someone in that writing room wanted to give us that good good

[hylianane]

every time i think about that fucking Oye Primos disney channel show i shake with rage like i hope it never sees the light of day i hate gringos with latino grandparents so fucking bad

[p2ii]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[arolesbianism]

Harold tell your son to post some selfies I need to draw him stat

[variousqueerthings]

tbh im sticking my head in the sands this oscar season because i just know oppenheimer is going to sweep and i dont wanna see it happen

[pipariperho]

Ever since the coworkers night out I have been making a playlist for songs I could potentially sing when we have another karaoke night and then practise singing them in my car. Today was my longest session since I drove for 2 hours to visit my parents and like 5 minutes before I arrived I once again found the spot where I can sing almost effortlessly with a strong voice and it's so weird, like, am I secretly an opera singer, or is this just some pretentious shit I made up that sounds terrible af irl? Who can tell, not me until I record myself singing that way and overanalyse the shit out of it. I just would love it if I could access that way of singing faster than this.

[fllagellant]

Hearts of Stone ponderings bc I miss Iris and I miss Olgierd . I wish there was a way to allow Iris to live . Not just within her art , within the fragmented memories she has left , within the hauntings of O’Dimms creation . But actually let her live again

She knows Olgierd was cursed , and it seems as if that curse also bled into her . She still loves Olgierd , and knows that he still loves her , but O’Dimm set out to ruin his life , and via an extension , ruin hers .

As beautiful as the scene of letting her move on , letting her pass away and watching the world she build within her art disappear and take her with it , to retrieve the blue rose Olgierd gave to her to return to him , a task he believed to be so utterly impossible that it never should have happened , and watch her accept her passing and letting go , it doesn’ t feel fair .

Olgierd , from the curse he suffers , cannot die , cannot bleed , nor can he truly feel . After being alive for so many years , after so many times he should have died , nothing means anything anymore . No feeling is strong enough anymore for him to pay it any mind . It’ s not that he’ s emotionless , we see him show emotion quite often . And it’ s not like he enjoys this callousness he has developed , he cannot find joy in anything anymore , even if it once did . So , at the end of the dlc , if the player so chooses , you can free his soul from this terrible form of immortality . He can feel again . He can bleed again . He is Olgierd again .

So , why can’ t Iris have this too ?

“ her body is rotten “ “ she appears as a wraith in the waking world of the continent , she only looks like herself in her paintings “ ahhh , so she DOES have a form she can use that is technically her body is what I am hearing . There could be another path with Iris . Difficult , yes , of course yes . A fight here , another game of search and collect , a dialogue path you cannot miss , the true Witcher 3 Experience . But I want it there .

Iris still lives in the long abandoned Everec estate . Both in the waking world and in her paintings . O’Dimm knows he , most likely purposely or maybe accidentally , has allowed the curse that Olgierd suffered to seep into a curse of her own . Not to mention , watching your husband attempt to appease this unknowable godlike figure to keep him and you safe , only for it to completely tear him apart is painful for Iris to deal with . She is trapped here because of O’Dimm .

She is an artist . She lives through her art . She lives in her art . She is fully consumed by her art . Why can’ t this be the ground work for allowing Iris to join the land of the living and let her be Iris again ?

Why can’ t she be the one presenting Olgierd with the blue rose ? Why can’ t she be there to witness the banishment of O’Dimm , or even offer her newly freed soul in a wager to save Olgierd ? Why can’ t the two of them thank Geralt ? Why can’ t she agree to a ritual to bring her back ? Why can’ t Geralt ask her ghostly protectors if they know any methods to help Iris ? Why can’ t they use the symbolism of her art keeping her alive and go further with it ? Why can’ t they allow her to step out of the painting with Geralt , more colourful then the world around her , fingers still gripping that blue rose , and for the first time in years and years , it pricks her finger ? Why can’ t her body that lay in the Everec manner break down into dust and drift through the air to her , giving her back her body in a strange and beautiful sense ? Why can’ t she gasp , remember how air feels in her lungs ? Why can’ t she cry , thanking Geralt for letting her move on , and the painting they stepped out of begins to melt , the paints pooling under the canvas and easel like it was thinned down , revealing a blank canvas beneath ?

It doesn’ t matter if she is dead . Because she is not . She is still so terribly alive , so beautiful alive , that she can still be brought back . She won’ t be the same . But that is to be expected . Neither Von Everec will be the same after what has happened to them . But god , can’ t they be different together ? Why can’ t they remember together ? Why can’ t they be together ?