I am madly in love with William Afton.
This is no secret whatsoever to anybody who has known me since late November of 2023.
Believe it or not, my love for William originally began around March 2, 2015. If you’re wondering why I picked out such a specific date, it’s because it was the release date of Five Nights at Freddy’s 3; the game that officially introduced us to the character Springtrap.
Like many fans at the time, this brand new rabbit animatronic confused little tweenage me. I vividly remember all of the debates regarding just who exactly this new character could be; why he was paired with the words “I am still here”, so curious about the way his body thrashed against the pizzeria wall in the official trailer. I even remember when we all called him “Salvage” due to the assumption that he was an amalgamation of sorts. My mind was full of so many questions and, no matter what, I just couldn't put my pondering mind to rest.
Little did I know that, within a week or two, all of our questions would finally be answered. Though we all knew that there was something different about this animatronic–something so undeniably special–not one of us would have guessed that it actually served as the vessel for the undead murderer. I remember scrolling through the Instagram feed of my Five Nights at Freddy’s roleplay account, seeing post after post of my fellow friends freaking out over the discovery. It wasn't until I had reached The Purple Guy's infamous death scene myself, that I truly understood the hysteria for myself.
When I saw The Purple Guy’s death scene unfold, my jaw dropped. I physically cringed as I imagined how it must have felt for massive beams of metal to tear their way into you, crushing every bone in their wake. As agonizing as it was to imagine, it seemed like the perfect ending for the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise; the man behind it all finally suffered the same fate of the children he so ruthlessly murdered. Poetic justice in the truest sense.
While I knew in my heart that The Purple Guy deserved his fate, I couldn’t stop replaying the gruesome scene in my mind. To be honest, a part of me actually felt sorry for him in his life as Springtrap (before you cringe too much, I was twelve years-old lmao); the burning pain that must have accompanied every movement, only being able to communicate with the outside world through strained groans, and especially having been trapped in a tiny, musty room for three whole decades.
While horrific, I couldn’t help but feel so intrigued by Springtrap. I just couldn’t get over how morbidly fascinating it was to think that there was a whole man inside of this rotten, green rabbit costume whose corpse you could see if you examined him closely enough. Given his past and circumstances, he was just such an iconic and interesting character to me. I know that I loved him in a very woobified “awww poor baby :(” kind of way, but it’s where the love began.
To be honest, before the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, I couldn’t have cared less for The Purple Guy since we all still kind of knew him as Rebornica’s “Vincent”. However, I now found myself thinking about him all the time; even to the point of begging my dad to buy me a Springtrap shirt which read “I survived Fazbear’s Fright”. Sadly, I am pretty sure I donated this shirt… but maybe someday I will find another one and avenge it.
Of course, my interest in Five Nights at Freddy’s kind of died out by the time Sister Location released. Under the impression that it was uncool and embarrassing to like, I moved onto… not better things, but other things. Just your generic anime stuff like Naruto and my dreaded kinning phase.
Fast forward to November of 2023, to where I was no longer a little twelve year-old girl, but a young woman in college. It has been around a month since the release of the new Five Nights at Freddy’s movie and I really, really wanted to watch it. I just couldn’t since I didn’t have anyone to see it with or really any opportunity to go.
One night, my family caved in and pulled up the movie on Peacock. I couldn’t be happier! I was on the edge of my seat every second of it; eyes glued to the screen with a passion I hadn’t felt in so long. I simply couldn’t take my eyes off; I felt so nostalgic fond childhood memories rushed through my mind.
As the end of the movie approached, a towering silhouette marched from out of the shadows! My heart pounded with anticipation as I wondered what–or who this could be as he stepped forward. As soon as the figure revealed himself, I sprang forward in my seat. I pointed to the screen and shouted “That’s Springtrap!!” to my dad and sister sitting beside me.
As the grand finale unfolded before us, the intensity captivated me; The Yellow Rabbit removing his mask and revealing himself as “the guy from the beginning” (to quote my sister), his psychotic breakdown, and of course, his death. Like many others, I think his death scene was a bit underwhelming, but it still impacted me. It still took me back to that feeling I had as a little girl in 2015. And boy did I love it.
Since I have seen the movie, not only did my obsession with the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise come back into full force, but so did my unhinged love for William Afton.
And like that, he came back into my life; just as he always does.