“Who is this girl I’m seeing with William everywhere on this person’s shrine?”
That, my friend, is my self-insert. Her name is Catherine O’Connor and I created her as a direct reflection of myself, one tweaked ever so slightly to fit into the world of Five Nights at Freddy’s. Everything about her is wholly inspired by my real life self and she is literally me.
Catherine’s story begins in the 1980s where she was about ten years-old. From the day she was born, her dad has played a significant role in her life. While overprotective of his daughter, he loves her deeply and only wants what’s best for her. While Catherine sometimes found herself annoyed by her father’s overbearing tendencies, they certainly weren’t baseless.
Throughout her youth, Catherine struggled significantly compared to her peers; never quite understanding how to create meaningful connections, succumbing to her awkwardness, and often throwing violent tantrums. Due to her social challenges, the other children's reactions ranged anywhere from distancing themselves from Catherine to bullying her.
Despite her treatment, young Catherine longed for a friend more than anything in the world. Her desire for companionship doubled with her social struggles and the constant alienation from others created a domino effect of turmoil.
With the girl’s birthday around the corner, Catherine’s dad wanted to give his beloved daughter a truly unforgettable experience; perhaps even an opportunity to make friends. Given the fact that they lived in a relatively small area, her dad scrambled to think of ideas for the occasion. Just then, an advertisement caught his attention. Amidst a catchy jingle, he heard the announcement Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's grand opening and now he knew just where to go for Catherine’s birthday celebration.
However, once the girl’s birthday finally rolled around, she couldn’t be any less excited. Before her father, Catherine lay on her stomach, preoccupied by the toys scattered before her. Again and again, her father reminded her to get ready; his tone growing more impatient and demanding each time. Catherine continuously yelled at her father, telling him to leave her alone. Deep in her heart, she knew that she would hate the place as soon as she got there.
... And right she was! Upon arrival, bright, blaring lights burned into her eyes and high-pitched squeals of joy pierced her eardrums. Her heart raced with unease as she silently cursed her father for taking her to such a place.
Still trying to make the best of his daughter’s birthday, Catherine’s dad led her to the arcade where he would nag at her to play one of the games until the girl caved in. While she didn’t hate the games, they did nothing to improve her day.
In the meantime, a couple of nearby parents caught her dad’s attention. With little to do aside from watch his daughter, he felt that a small chat wouldn’t hurt anything.
Growing bored of the arcade games, Catherine wandered off to the nearby jungle gym. Here, she would try to entertain herself with the slide and the ball pit.
Minutes into her playtime, a familiar voice called to her from behind. Mid-action, Catherine froze and spun around; pitting her face to face with a group of children from her school. Immediately, they began laughing over a supposed rumor that she bit another student. Catherine cried out as she frantically tried to defend herself against her bullies.
Amidst the chaos, a firm and fuzzy grip on her shoulder caught her attention.
“Boys and girls, this isn’t how we treat our friends here at Freddy’s!” a goofy and exaggerated voice called out.
Upon spinning around, Catherine stood face to face with a towering yellow rabbit. At the moment, shock gripped her heart. With sheepish grins plastered on their faces, the kids scurried away into the distance, leaving Catherine alone with the mascot.
The rabbit knelt down to Catherine’s eye level and pulled her into a firm and loving hug. Right then, tears streamed down her face as the girl thanked him profusely. During their conversation, Catherine learned that this rabbit’s name is Spring Bonnie, who she would mistakenly refer to as “The Spring Bunny”.
Spring Bonnie continued to compliment her, telling her everything he knew she wanted to hear. Happiness warmed Catherine’s heart as she took in every single word. For the first time in her life, a friend stood by her side.
The rabbit interrupted, telling Catherine that he had a surprise for her. Wide-eyed, she watched as Spring Bonnie reached behind his back. Seconds later, he revealed a small plush modeled after himself. Catherine’s eyes lit up as she joyously accepted the present.
"Come now, little one! My friends are waiting to meet you!" Spring Bonnie cooed as he reached out a hand.
Hand in hand, Catherine followed closely behind with a slight skip in her step.
Little did Catherine know, however, that beneath his mask, William Afton's face twisted into a wicked grin. Where he wanted to take her, she would never come back; not as Cathy anyways.
Mid-conversation, her father glanced at the arcade machines. His heart stopped as the sickening realization struck; Catherine disappeared! His eyes darted around the pizzeria until they landed on a seven-foot tall mascot leading Catherine further and further away.
Without thinking to respond to his buddies, Catherine’s dad bolted to his daughter, silently thanking The Lord for not allowing her to go much further.
As soon as he approached his daughter, he yanked her away from the towering mascot. With Catherine by his side, he stormed away from the scene.
To avoid tainting his daughter’s special day, they spent the rest of the day at Freddy’s; enjoying mouthfuls of cake and pizza together. Only now, the girl’s father took extreme caution to keep an eye on her, not allowing her to leave his sight for a second. Shockingly enough, Catherine had a great rest of the day even though leaving her new friend saddened her.
As the eventful day rolled to an end, the two stepped into the car. The whole ride home consisted of a long-winded “stranger danger” lecture. While annoying to sit through, one line in particular struck her.
“... And for as long as I live, you are never going back to that place!”
And, just like that, the girl’s heart shattered. At her tender age, she could not understand why her father-the one who has been there for her and loved her for her entire life-sought to destroy her first and only friendship. More than anybody else, he knew the extent of her loneliness, right?
Catherine’s blood boiled at her father’s declaration. As soon as they arrived home, she stormed into her room, slamming her door and locking herself away from the outside world.
Tears streamed down the young girl’s face as she mourned the loss of the short-lived friendship. In that fateful moment, hatred for her father consumed her.
“I hate you, Dad! You took him away from me!!”
However, a revelation dawned upon her as her hand brushed over something soft.
All along, her best friend was right by her side!
She pulled the doll into her arms, burying her face into him as she sobbed. With each heave, she remembered the softness of Spring Bonnie’s chest as he pulled her into his arms earlier that day.
She nuzzled the doll and gradually began to calm down before whispering, “We will be together forever and ever. No matter what.”
Realizing the weight of his actions, her father knocked on the door.
“I’m so sorry, Cathy, but I just want you to be safe”.
No reply. With a heavy sigh, her father left her alone for the rest of the day.
Eventually, the young girl grew to forgive her father. As with everything, time slowly healed her wounds. However, one thing remained unchanged; her love for the bestest friend she could have ever asked for.
Since her birthday, Catherine never set foot outside without Spring Bonnie in hand. Wherever she went, he came along. Whatever she ate, she saved some for him. She made it a habit to tell him the ups and downs of her everyday life and talk to him like the best friend he was; keeping her in his life forever. On many occasions, her violent refusal to put the toy away during class landed her in the principal’s office. From this point forward, her love for the rabbit mascot only deepened with each passing day. She spent hours watching and rewatching the episodes of the famous cartoon, Fredbear and Friends-reciting and memorizing every song featuring Spring Bonnie by heart. Even if there was ever a time that she couldn’t be with the plush, she imagined the cartoon rabbit right by her side; as sentient and real as anybody around her.
Catherine’s father became increasingly concerned as he observed his daughter’s behavior; contemplating whether he should take the toy away from her for good. After all, he didn’t want to unintentionally encourage her friendship with an adult stranger. Out of guilt, he ultimately decided to let her be. It was just a toy in the end-nothing but a cute little kids’ character.
This parasocial relationship lasted into her teen years, where she found herself ostracized further for her childlike antics. However, unlike before, this did not hurt her nearly as much.
As she grew into a young adult, her obsession finally began to wane. Though Spring Bonnie held a special place in her heart, she knew that she had become a little too old to have imaginary friends. She kept the aged doll in a special place where she would see it every time she entered her room; always there to bring a bright smile to her face.
At this point in her life, she had undergone a lot of growth. With much-needed assistance, the young woman developed coping skills to effectively manage her anger, heavily improved her social skills, and perhaps managed to make a handful of friends.
However, a new problem showed its ugly face:
Her father was not getting any younger. With each passing day, even the most basic details slipped from his mind. He began to forget where he kept his car keys, things about Catherine, and even where he lived. Being the big daddy’s girl she was, she knew had to help him.
On one fateful morning, she found herself face to face with the career counselor, Steve Raglan. He seemed like your common old guy-probably had a wife and some kids at home. He was friendly, but with just the right amount of sarcasm and humor to back it up. Catherine quickly caught onto this and admired his charm.
But unbeknownst to the young woman, William Afton sensed something very different about her. Though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it at first, she seemed familiar-much too familiar for his own good.
“You know, Freddy’s was huge in the 80s!” he said with a chuckle. “Ever heard of the place?”
Catherine’s eyes lit up with an unspoken joy as she took in his words. In that moment, she enthusiastically explained what an impact that fateful birthday party had on her for years to come.
“Are you kidding?! I loved the place, Mr. Raglan. I even have this plushie of Spring Bonnie that I loved when I was little! And I took him everywhere!”
In the eyes of William Afton sparkled a devilish glint. Yes, how could he have forgotten about the one who got away from him? The one who never quite made it into his little family?
A smirk crept up the man’s face as he offered the open security gig to the aspiring young woman. Without a sliver of hesitation, Catherine accepted. What on Earth could be more liberating than being able to revisit that special place over and over again? While a bit guilty for acting against her beloved father’s will, she knew that the income would justify it.
Beneath the guise of a humble career counselor, William would go on to take on a supportive role in Catherine’s life; often encouraging her to stop by his office and visit him, treating her to nice meals, and giving her a shoulder to cry on during her tough life situation. He would stop at nothing to make this young woman wholly dependent on him, ensuring that she never wandered far.
More than anything else at this stage of her life, William’s presence brought her joy. With her dad’s mental state sharply declining, the young woman sought comfort in the presence of Steve Raglan, even beginning to view him as her new source of fatherly comfort. Unbeknownst to Catherine, however, this was a dynamic William would gleefully take advantage of.
Similarly, Raglan’s darker side would slip through in ways much more subtle to Catherine; whether that be through his tendency to lose his temper with those who couldn’t quite keep up with the program or his habit of asking just a little too many personal questions. He loved to find ways to get into Catherine’s head and pressure her into things she would otherwise object to. While any observer would easily be able to identify his red flags, Catherine wouldn’t quite have that luck. After all, to Catherine, he has been the kindest man she had ever met.
But from beneath the rabbit mask, he was anything but. His identity as The Yellow Rabbit not only provided him the opportunity to prey on her childhood nostalgia, but also to express his true nature. William Afton knew the kind of power he had over her as her childhood idol. Despite the terror, she knew she could never quit the job; not only for her father’s sake, but also for the sake of the man who aided in such desperate times.
As their game of cat and mouse continued, William pulled her deeper and deeper into his trap. Catherine was perfect, the polar opposite of his daughter; minimal life experience, a sheltered upbringing, and oh-so naive.
One by one, the new friends she worked so hard to make disappeared from Catherine’s life. Heartbreaking, yes, but it didn’t matter to her. Nothing did for as long as she had him by her side; the one she had sworn to be with “forever and ever” all of those years ago.
In the face of so much uncertainty, Catherine knew one thing for sure; there was no coming back. For the rest of eternity, she would remain beneath William’s thumb. And, perhaps along the way, maybe she would begin to discover another side of herself buried deep within.