![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
history; afton family, timeline, headcanons
FATHER ... IT'S ME, MICHAEL
early childhood, pre-canon
early childhood, pre-canon
Michael Theodore Afton was born to parents William and REDACTED Afton on October 7th, 1968. He was an accidental pregnancy that his parents were unprepared for, both of them preferring to work on the joint Fazbear Entertainment business than raising a child - his father a stern and cold authoritive figure in the family with a mean streak and drinking problem, and his mother too devoted to him to pay her firstborn son any mind. Michael was often neglected growing up, fostering a need for him to both please and spite his parents at every turn. He took an interest in robotics and programming much like his father and his business partner, Michael's earliest attempts at trying to make his father proud, but he was constantly belittled and berated for not making anything of worth in his father's eyes. Yet it was constantly remarked on all throughout his life, by family and peers, of just how closely Michael resembled his father. Looking at old photos, Michael was the spitting image of his father, and would even sound like him to the point of confusing people over the phone. Michael was, of course, not fond of the constant comparisons.
The older he would get, the more his rebellious phase would worsen, and he'd take a liking to anything his parents disapproved of just to get a rise out of them. He would teach himself how to play musical instruments when no one wanted to be his teacher. He taught himself how to draw and would often sketch potential tattoo designs just because he knew his parents would hate them. He would wear makeup and paint his nails black, grow his hair long and dye it different colours. He had his tongue pierced for a while until he was forced to take it out.
All of his delinquent antics would often result in Michael being the target of William's drunken aggressions throughout his childhood and teenage years. Verbal abuse was common, the two of them having loud shouting matches that would often result in Michael slamming his bedroom door in defiance. Any bruising, scrapes, or black eyes he would receive during more violent outbursts would be excused as the result of fights with other schoolchildren, his father a well practiced smooth talker who knew how to say just the right thing to deflect any suspicion of wrong behaviour. Michael never told anyone the truth. As much as he hated the man, he was more afraid of him than anything else.
Things became especially worse after the far better planned births of his much younger siblings, Elizabeth and Evan. Once the family business was running steady, his parents could focus on the family they actually wanted, as Michael was growing more disobedient and aggressive by the day. He would start skipping classes, smoke cigarettes, get into fights with other classmates, and eventually end up resenting his siblings and start bullying them. Both Elizabeth and Evan were coddled and spoiled by their parents, driving a wedge between the Afton children that kept them from growing truly close, and Michael would be the one staying out late with friends and getting into trouble rather than come straight home after school like his siblings.
Only when their father would drink and turn aggressive did Michael step up to the older brother role he should've been. His siblings still annoyed and bothered him, but whenever William got into the liquor cabinet, Michael would make sure both Elizabeth and Evan would be kept out of the way of their angry father's wrath. He would either hide them in his bedroom, under the guise of playing a game of hide and seek, or take them out of the house to play outside until William passed out on the couch. Both of the younger Aftons would look up to their older brother as a result, despite being a poor role model to them.
The older he would get, the more his rebellious phase would worsen, and he'd take a liking to anything his parents disapproved of just to get a rise out of them. He would teach himself how to play musical instruments when no one wanted to be his teacher. He taught himself how to draw and would often sketch potential tattoo designs just because he knew his parents would hate them. He would wear makeup and paint his nails black, grow his hair long and dye it different colours. He had his tongue pierced for a while until he was forced to take it out.
All of his delinquent antics would often result in Michael being the target of William's drunken aggressions throughout his childhood and teenage years. Verbal abuse was common, the two of them having loud shouting matches that would often result in Michael slamming his bedroom door in defiance. Any bruising, scrapes, or black eyes he would receive during more violent outbursts would be excused as the result of fights with other schoolchildren, his father a well practiced smooth talker who knew how to say just the right thing to deflect any suspicion of wrong behaviour. Michael never told anyone the truth. As much as he hated the man, he was more afraid of him than anything else.
Things became especially worse after the far better planned births of his much younger siblings, Elizabeth and Evan. Once the family business was running steady, his parents could focus on the family they actually wanted, as Michael was growing more disobedient and aggressive by the day. He would start skipping classes, smoke cigarettes, get into fights with other classmates, and eventually end up resenting his siblings and start bullying them. Both Elizabeth and Evan were coddled and spoiled by their parents, driving a wedge between the Afton children that kept them from growing truly close, and Michael would be the one staying out late with friends and getting into trouble rather than come straight home after school like his siblings.
Only when their father would drink and turn aggressive did Michael step up to the older brother role he should've been. His siblings still annoyed and bothered him, but whenever William got into the liquor cabinet, Michael would make sure both Elizabeth and Evan would be kept out of the way of their angry father's wrath. He would either hide them in his bedroom, under the guise of playing a game of hide and seek, or take them out of the house to play outside until William passed out on the couch. Both of the younger Aftons would look up to their older brother as a result, despite being a poor role model to them.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME
five nights at freddy's 4
five nights at freddy's 4
Elizabeth Afton's death is an accident.
During a birthday party event that the Afton family is hosting with their latest line of Circus animatronics, Elizabeth's curiosity of her father's latest creation Circus Baby leads her to disobey William's orders to stay away from it. Michael is given strict instructions to watch his siblings and keep them away from the other room, but as it's a party for much younger children, Michael ignores the direct order and goes for a smoke break instead. Left to her own devices, Elizabeth hurries off to the animatronic she's so fond of to meet her properly, remarking how wonderful she finds Circus Baby, and idly comments, "where did the other children go?" Unfortunately, the moment she is left alone with the animatronic, Circus Baby's true purpose is revealed, and Elizabeth is horribly killed when a large metal claw bursts from the animatronic's stomach and drags her inside.
Hearing the sudden screams from the other room, the rest of the Afton family is first on the gruesome scene. William manages to get there first and extracts Elizabeth's mangled body, a sight that scars the remaining Afton children who witness their sister's bloodied corpse in their wailing father's arms. The trauma and devastation of losing their little princess ends up being too much for REDACTED to bear, and soon after the accident in the midst of mounting community pressure and overwhelming attention from news media, the once loving mother of the family packs her bags and leaves the family in the middle of the night without a word. It is still unknown where she went to this day.
With his daughter's death and his wife having left him, William spirals further into his madness, devoting himself to his work in the family basement as his drinking problem gets even worse. Michael and Evan are left to fend for themselves, both of them still traumatized and disturbed, and abandoned by essentially both their parents. Michael's aggression grows worse, seeing Evan as a whiny crybaby and opting to torment him at every opportunity, needing an outlet for all of his anger with everything that's happened.
Knowing how truly terrified of the animatronics his little brother is now after their sister's death, Michael uses a Foxy mask when hiding around the house to scare Evan. It results in the youngest Afton having nightmares every night of the monstrous creatures their father has created, terrifying beasts with massive sharp teeth and gaping mouths in their stomachs. Evan is often locked up by himself, either in his bedroom or even in supply closets at Fredbear's Family Diner, either at his brother's or his father's discretion. Michael stops hanging out with his friends as often, preferring to stay at home on the couch, watching dramatic television shows to try and block out the world around him.
Despite his growing annoyance with his little brother's crybaby antics, Michael still shows that he tries to look out for him when their father comes storming in. As a teenager, Michael is harder to control and manipulate, so Evan becomes William's target for his aggressions. Michael does try to ward him off, telling William to leave Evan alone if he's had a rough day, but his words are often unheeded. Evan often escapes the house and runs away to a family friend's home instead, though much like Michael himself, he is too afraid of their father to tell the truth to anyone. All William has to do is play the part of a worried and struggling single parent to have everything under control again.
It all comes to head later that same year, some long grueling months after Elizabeth's death and REDACTED's abandonment. At Evan's own birthday party, celebrating at the family diner once more, Michael meets up with his friends again and falls into his worst habits. Finding his little brother crying once more, Michael and his friends start teasing and taunting the boy, eventually taking things to the next level when they grab Evan by his arms and drag him to the main stage where the animatronics are performing for the crowd. They mean to just push Evan close enough to Fredbear, in an attempt to make him give the animatronic a kiss. None of them expected the animatronic's mouth to be strong enough to crush the young boy's skull.
Michael stays with his little brother in the hospital, apologizing to him for what he's done and hoping Evan will survive the incident. But unfortunately, Evan succumbs to his injuries. Michael is brought to the police station to give his account and Evan's death is eventually ruled an accident, but it doesn't shake the feeling of guilt that Michael carries for the rest of his life. As much as he tried to ignore that same feeling when Elizabeth died because he wasn't watching her like he was told to, Evan's death is directly a result of his actions. And his father makes sure Michael knows it.
During a birthday party event that the Afton family is hosting with their latest line of Circus animatronics, Elizabeth's curiosity of her father's latest creation Circus Baby leads her to disobey William's orders to stay away from it. Michael is given strict instructions to watch his siblings and keep them away from the other room, but as it's a party for much younger children, Michael ignores the direct order and goes for a smoke break instead. Left to her own devices, Elizabeth hurries off to the animatronic she's so fond of to meet her properly, remarking how wonderful she finds Circus Baby, and idly comments, "where did the other children go?" Unfortunately, the moment she is left alone with the animatronic, Circus Baby's true purpose is revealed, and Elizabeth is horribly killed when a large metal claw bursts from the animatronic's stomach and drags her inside.
Hearing the sudden screams from the other room, the rest of the Afton family is first on the gruesome scene. William manages to get there first and extracts Elizabeth's mangled body, a sight that scars the remaining Afton children who witness their sister's bloodied corpse in their wailing father's arms. The trauma and devastation of losing their little princess ends up being too much for REDACTED to bear, and soon after the accident in the midst of mounting community pressure and overwhelming attention from news media, the once loving mother of the family packs her bags and leaves the family in the middle of the night without a word. It is still unknown where she went to this day.
With his daughter's death and his wife having left him, William spirals further into his madness, devoting himself to his work in the family basement as his drinking problem gets even worse. Michael and Evan are left to fend for themselves, both of them still traumatized and disturbed, and abandoned by essentially both their parents. Michael's aggression grows worse, seeing Evan as a whiny crybaby and opting to torment him at every opportunity, needing an outlet for all of his anger with everything that's happened.
Knowing how truly terrified of the animatronics his little brother is now after their sister's death, Michael uses a Foxy mask when hiding around the house to scare Evan. It results in the youngest Afton having nightmares every night of the monstrous creatures their father has created, terrifying beasts with massive sharp teeth and gaping mouths in their stomachs. Evan is often locked up by himself, either in his bedroom or even in supply closets at Fredbear's Family Diner, either at his brother's or his father's discretion. Michael stops hanging out with his friends as often, preferring to stay at home on the couch, watching dramatic television shows to try and block out the world around him.
Despite his growing annoyance with his little brother's crybaby antics, Michael still shows that he tries to look out for him when their father comes storming in. As a teenager, Michael is harder to control and manipulate, so Evan becomes William's target for his aggressions. Michael does try to ward him off, telling William to leave Evan alone if he's had a rough day, but his words are often unheeded. Evan often escapes the house and runs away to a family friend's home instead, though much like Michael himself, he is too afraid of their father to tell the truth to anyone. All William has to do is play the part of a worried and struggling single parent to have everything under control again.
It all comes to head later that same year, some long grueling months after Elizabeth's death and REDACTED's abandonment. At Evan's own birthday party, celebrating at the family diner once more, Michael meets up with his friends again and falls into his worst habits. Finding his little brother crying once more, Michael and his friends start teasing and taunting the boy, eventually taking things to the next level when they grab Evan by his arms and drag him to the main stage where the animatronics are performing for the crowd. They mean to just push Evan close enough to Fredbear, in an attempt to make him give the animatronic a kiss. None of them expected the animatronic's mouth to be strong enough to crush the young boy's skull.
Michael stays with his little brother in the hospital, apologizing to him for what he's done and hoping Evan will survive the incident. But unfortunately, Evan succumbs to his injuries. Michael is brought to the police station to give his account and Evan's death is eventually ruled an accident, but it doesn't shake the feeling of guilt that Michael carries for the rest of his life. As much as he tried to ignore that same feeling when Elizabeth died because he wasn't watching her like he was told to, Evan's death is directly a result of his actions. And his father makes sure Michael knows it.
IF WE LOOKED LIKE YOU ...
five nights at freddy's: sister location
five nights at freddy's: sister location
The next several years after Elizabeth and Evan's deaths are grueling to say the least. Michael, wracked with guilt over what he's done, suffers panic attacks and violent outbursts, resulting in being expelled from high school and ostracized from his peers. He's left alone with his father, and in his vulnerable state he becomes more easily manipulated by those around him to do their bidding. Not just his father.
Feeling even more pressured than before to carry on the family business, despite not yet understanding his father's true intentions, Michael starts picking up where he left off in learning robotics. His father is all Michael has left and the need to make him proud, to repent for what he'd done to his siblings, makes it easier to not think about why his father's animatronics are capable of the things they are. He still spites his father and argues with him, as old habits are hard to break, but by his late teens Michael is far too disturbed and vulnerable to put up much of a fight. Sometimes, they even watch television together.
Michael's first invention is an input device he names Hand Unit. It's meant to connect to a home or business network in order to control various artificial intelligence tech through voice or text communication, and it's the first creation of his that William doesn't immediately scoff at. One day, he's told to put his creation to use, and sent into his father's basement workshop. He's given a cryptic set of instructions. Find them. And put them back together.
The very moment Michael steps foot into the elevator leading to a massive underground facility, he is taken advantage of. A mysterious entity hijacks the Hand Unit signal to scramble the input screen and assumes the automated voice, giving Michael directions to follow if he's to survive the night. The entity also uses several other voices to guide Michael along each night, earning his sympathy for their plight by telling a familiar story about the accidental death of a little girl, even kidnapping him for a fourth night and forcing him into a springlock suit only to show remorse the next night.
After everything he's been through, Michael still comes back and tries to help them, under the assumption that not only is he following his father's orders but that he may also be setting his little sister's trapped soul free. Instead, he is unknowingly lead into what is affectionately known as the Scooping Room. The entity reveals itself through the window, telling Michael that it was behind everything all along, earning his trust only to lure him to his demise. In reality, the entity (named Ennard, a grotesque metal endoskeleton covered in loose wires and extra eyeballs, and one of William's first experiments with Remnant that resulted in its sentience,) was planning on using the Scooper to attack the next person to venture into the facility, as it was intending on wearing a human suit instead of an animatronic one in order to live among the humans on the surface without being feared - likely due to the incident when it killed Elizabeth on accident and saw how the humans it was built to entertain suddenly feared it. That person just so happened to be Michael.
Held in place by the various wires and cables that Ennard controlled, the Scooper is powered on and strikes Michael in his abdomen, disembowling him. Michael remains conscious for the short period of time when Ennard breaks into the room, those brief but excruciatingly horrifying last moments of his life when the animatronic starts removing his insides, before succumbing and dying there on the Scooping Room floor.
Miraculously, some time later, Michael wakes up on the sidewalk. He vividly remembers his death and is terribly confused about where he is, or why he's here at all. He can only recall hearing a voice echoing in his head, telling him you won't die, you won't die. In extreme amounts of pain and shock, seeing in horror what his body has become, he drags himself out of the public eye and into dark alleyways, hiding behind garbage bins or in sewers while trying to process what has happened. The realization that his father's creations were always malicious, that it had always been the man's intent and that the various incidents at Freddy Fazbear restaurants may not have just been accidents at all, spurs a new sense of vengeance and madness within him. He's able to find his way one night back to the Afton household, only to discover it long abandoned. Using recording devices left behind, Michael leaves one final message for his father, before setting forth on his final mission, to try and stop William Afton once and for all.
"I'm going to come find you."
Feeling even more pressured than before to carry on the family business, despite not yet understanding his father's true intentions, Michael starts picking up where he left off in learning robotics. His father is all Michael has left and the need to make him proud, to repent for what he'd done to his siblings, makes it easier to not think about why his father's animatronics are capable of the things they are. He still spites his father and argues with him, as old habits are hard to break, but by his late teens Michael is far too disturbed and vulnerable to put up much of a fight. Sometimes, they even watch television together.
Michael's first invention is an input device he names Hand Unit. It's meant to connect to a home or business network in order to control various artificial intelligence tech through voice or text communication, and it's the first creation of his that William doesn't immediately scoff at. One day, he's told to put his creation to use, and sent into his father's basement workshop. He's given a cryptic set of instructions. Find them. And put them back together.
The very moment Michael steps foot into the elevator leading to a massive underground facility, he is taken advantage of. A mysterious entity hijacks the Hand Unit signal to scramble the input screen and assumes the automated voice, giving Michael directions to follow if he's to survive the night. The entity also uses several other voices to guide Michael along each night, earning his sympathy for their plight by telling a familiar story about the accidental death of a little girl, even kidnapping him for a fourth night and forcing him into a springlock suit only to show remorse the next night.
After everything he's been through, Michael still comes back and tries to help them, under the assumption that not only is he following his father's orders but that he may also be setting his little sister's trapped soul free. Instead, he is unknowingly lead into what is affectionately known as the Scooping Room. The entity reveals itself through the window, telling Michael that it was behind everything all along, earning his trust only to lure him to his demise. In reality, the entity (named Ennard, a grotesque metal endoskeleton covered in loose wires and extra eyeballs, and one of William's first experiments with Remnant that resulted in its sentience,) was planning on using the Scooper to attack the next person to venture into the facility, as it was intending on wearing a human suit instead of an animatronic one in order to live among the humans on the surface without being feared - likely due to the incident when it killed Elizabeth on accident and saw how the humans it was built to entertain suddenly feared it. That person just so happened to be Michael.
Held in place by the various wires and cables that Ennard controlled, the Scooper is powered on and strikes Michael in his abdomen, disembowling him. Michael remains conscious for the short period of time when Ennard breaks into the room, those brief but excruciatingly horrifying last moments of his life when the animatronic starts removing his insides, before succumbing and dying there on the Scooping Room floor.
Miraculously, some time later, Michael wakes up on the sidewalk. He vividly remembers his death and is terribly confused about where he is, or why he's here at all. He can only recall hearing a voice echoing in his head, telling him you won't die, you won't die. In extreme amounts of pain and shock, seeing in horror what his body has become, he drags himself out of the public eye and into dark alleyways, hiding behind garbage bins or in sewers while trying to process what has happened. The realization that his father's creations were always malicious, that it had always been the man's intent and that the various incidents at Freddy Fazbear restaurants may not have just been accidents at all, spurs a new sense of vengeance and madness within him. He's able to find his way one night back to the Afton household, only to discover it long abandoned. Using recording devices left behind, Michael leaves one final message for his father, before setting forth on his final mission, to try and stop William Afton once and for all.
IT'S BEST JUST TO NOT GET CAUGHT
five nights at freddy's (1&2)
five nights at freddy's (1&2)
In late October of 1987, a brand new Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location opens up in town. The new owners place wanted ads for staff, including security, and Michael manages to score himself an interview for the night guard position - solely over the phone, of course, which he's grateful for as he's sure his appearance alone would raise several questions. Wary of using his real name, Michael chooses the alias "Fritz Smith" when applying for the job and is hired right away. Seems they're pretty desperate for employees. But earning a wage isn't exactly on Michael's list of priorities.
Now that he knows what his father's animatronics are meant for - the luring, kidnapping, and eventual murder of children - Michael takes it upon himself to stop him from causing any more harm. He spends his first (and as it would turn out, only) night at the restaurant altering the animatronic AI and controls, in his attempts to prevent them from hurting anyone. Instead it only makes them more aggressive, and when it's discovered that he's been tampering with the animatronics, he is immediately fired. He learns roughly a week later that not only were his efforts in vain, the design and build of the animatronics different from his father's original blueprints, but also that he had inadvertently caused one of the most infamous incidents in the franchise's history - the Bite of '87. The night guard that had been hired after him, named Jeremy Fitzgerald, was vicously attacked by one of the restaurants animatronics (dubbed "the Mangle" by the staff,) during a weekend birthday party. The animatronic had climbed onto the ceiling and swung down teeth first, biting into his skull. While Fitzgerald did survive the incident, it left him with significant brain damage and traumatized him for life, and the restaurant was shut down from all the negative press. Michael disappears into the shadows of the city once again.
Several years pass. Michael spends his time trying to figure out another plan, and furthering his knowledge and skills in robotics from the various notes and blueprints left over in his father's workshop. But still he finds himself drawn to the Freddy Fazbear franchise, for reasons he can't explain.
In 1993, a familiar want ad appears in the newspaper again. An older Fazbear Inc. pizzeria is reopening, in hopes of reinvigorating the brand once more. This time, Michael applies for night time security, under the alias "Mike Schmidt." He is interviewed and hired over the phone once more, ironically by the same head of security from the previous location that had hired and fired him in less than 24 hours. But this time, Michael manages to hold the job for a full week, studying the animatronic's movements and behaviours as they turn more and more aggressive towards him each night. He thinks that, perhaps, he looks familiar to them.
Ultimately, Michael is once again fired at the end of the week. It's discovered that he's once again tampering with the animatronics (as well as having an unpleasant odour about him,) but on top of that his efforts once again have resulted in the death of another - this time it's the head of security himself, whose untimely and gruesome demise via dismemberment is recorded over the phone for Michael to listen to on his fourth night. With yet more blood on his hands, Michael retreats to his abandoned family home once more, determined to never try to help anyone ever again.
Now that he knows what his father's animatronics are meant for - the luring, kidnapping, and eventual murder of children - Michael takes it upon himself to stop him from causing any more harm. He spends his first (and as it would turn out, only) night at the restaurant altering the animatronic AI and controls, in his attempts to prevent them from hurting anyone. Instead it only makes them more aggressive, and when it's discovered that he's been tampering with the animatronics, he is immediately fired. He learns roughly a week later that not only were his efforts in vain, the design and build of the animatronics different from his father's original blueprints, but also that he had inadvertently caused one of the most infamous incidents in the franchise's history - the Bite of '87. The night guard that had been hired after him, named Jeremy Fitzgerald, was vicously attacked by one of the restaurants animatronics (dubbed "the Mangle" by the staff,) during a weekend birthday party. The animatronic had climbed onto the ceiling and swung down teeth first, biting into his skull. While Fitzgerald did survive the incident, it left him with significant brain damage and traumatized him for life, and the restaurant was shut down from all the negative press. Michael disappears into the shadows of the city once again.
Several years pass. Michael spends his time trying to figure out another plan, and furthering his knowledge and skills in robotics from the various notes and blueprints left over in his father's workshop. But still he finds himself drawn to the Freddy Fazbear franchise, for reasons he can't explain.
In 1993, a familiar want ad appears in the newspaper again. An older Fazbear Inc. pizzeria is reopening, in hopes of reinvigorating the brand once more. This time, Michael applies for night time security, under the alias "Mike Schmidt." He is interviewed and hired over the phone once more, ironically by the same head of security from the previous location that had hired and fired him in less than 24 hours. But this time, Michael manages to hold the job for a full week, studying the animatronic's movements and behaviours as they turn more and more aggressive towards him each night. He thinks that, perhaps, he looks familiar to them.
Ultimately, Michael is once again fired at the end of the week. It's discovered that he's once again tampering with the animatronics (as well as having an unpleasant odour about him,) but on top of that his efforts once again have resulted in the death of another - this time it's the head of security himself, whose untimely and gruesome demise via dismemberment is recorded over the phone for Michael to listen to on his fourth night. With yet more blood on his hands, Michael retreats to his abandoned family home once more, determined to never try to help anyone ever again.
I ALWAYS COME BACK
five nights at freddy's 3
five nights at freddy's 3
Thirty years pass. Michael has spent all this time out of the public eye, the old Afton home rotting and falling apart over time. He covers himself as much as possible whenever venturing outside, which he only does if he's in need of supplies for the various projects he works on to occupy his time. Michael focuses mostly on robotics, AI programming and design of new and completely safe animatronics of his own, but he finds himself falling into old habits as well when he drags old musical instruments home to teach himself how to play them, and various art supplies to have another creative outlet outside of animatronics. It's then that the old Fazbear Entertainment brand goes through something of a resurgence, thanks mostly in part to a group planning on opening and operating a brand new horror attraction and escape room inspired by mysteries past. Once again, Michael finds himself drawn to it.
Before the attraction officially opens, Michael sneaks his way inside. The phone rings, and a stranger (under the assumption that Michael is one of his friends who had agreed to take part in the activities by pretending to be a security guard,) informs Michael of the ins and outs of the new attraction. He especially warns him of the building's poor ventilation, and how potentially toxic gases leaking into the office can cause hallucinations. It doesn't seem especially interesting, but Michael returns the next night anyway as it's not like he's got much else going on. This time, the man on the phone tells him something very interesting. "We found one! A real one!"
Michael suddenly finds himself facing off with a single decrepit animatronic, a very old and rotting Spring Bonnie springlock suit. Something about this creature intrigues and terrifies him to his very core, and he returns to the building every night at the same time to find out why. Thankfully, the stranger that had called him the previous nights has left a set of recordings for him to listen to, a familiar voice from thirty years ago telling him a fascinating story about the unexpected failure of a wearable springlock costume at another Fazbear Entertainment location, and about how certain restaurants with storage backrooms were being sealed up. Michael puts two and two together, and discovers that the beast hunting him is in fact his father, William Afton.
While he's not fully certain of the exact circumstances that lead his father to wearing the suit and causing the springlocks to fail in the first place, it does explain where he's been all this time; sealed inside an old storage room and left to rot, until the horror attraction gang unearthed him and brought him here thinking he was simply an old animatronic. It also appears that, much like Michael himself, he is still alive despite what's been done to him. A fellow living corpse and animatronic hybrid. Now seeing his chance, Michael sets the building ablaze before he leaves, his father still trapped inside. He thinks he's done it, he's finally bested him and stopped him from hurting anyone else. Somehow, despite the attraction burning to the ground on that final day, he can't shake the feeling that it's not over. It never really is.
Before the attraction officially opens, Michael sneaks his way inside. The phone rings, and a stranger (under the assumption that Michael is one of his friends who had agreed to take part in the activities by pretending to be a security guard,) informs Michael of the ins and outs of the new attraction. He especially warns him of the building's poor ventilation, and how potentially toxic gases leaking into the office can cause hallucinations. It doesn't seem especially interesting, but Michael returns the next night anyway as it's not like he's got much else going on. This time, the man on the phone tells him something very interesting. "We found one! A real one!"
Michael suddenly finds himself facing off with a single decrepit animatronic, a very old and rotting Spring Bonnie springlock suit. Something about this creature intrigues and terrifies him to his very core, and he returns to the building every night at the same time to find out why. Thankfully, the stranger that had called him the previous nights has left a set of recordings for him to listen to, a familiar voice from thirty years ago telling him a fascinating story about the unexpected failure of a wearable springlock costume at another Fazbear Entertainment location, and about how certain restaurants with storage backrooms were being sealed up. Michael puts two and two together, and discovers that the beast hunting him is in fact his father, William Afton.
While he's not fully certain of the exact circumstances that lead his father to wearing the suit and causing the springlocks to fail in the first place, it does explain where he's been all this time; sealed inside an old storage room and left to rot, until the horror attraction gang unearthed him and brought him here thinking he was simply an old animatronic. It also appears that, much like Michael himself, he is still alive despite what's been done to him. A fellow living corpse and animatronic hybrid. Now seeing his chance, Michael sets the building ablaze before he leaves, his father still trapped inside. He thinks he's done it, he's finally bested him and stopped him from hurting anyone else. Somehow, despite the attraction burning to the ground on that final day, he can't shake the feeling that it's not over. It never really is.
END COMMUNICATION
freddy fazbear's pizzeria simulator
freddy fazbear's pizzeria simulator
That feeling still doesn't leave him in the following years of the ill-fated Fazbear Frights. Michael returns to his workshop and finishes building his child-safe animatronics, as well as a miniature playtesting and assistant robot bear he nicknames Helpy. Needing someplace to put his work to use, and because he is forever tied to the same franchise for reasons beyond his control, Michael looks into starting his own Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria using the Fazbear Entertainment Franchisee starter pack. There is a part of him that does want to allow children and families to have happy memories of the franchise and the beloved characters he grew up with, but he'd be hard-pressed to admit it out loud.
Of course, Michael knows he can't exactly run a restaurant looking the way he does. He starts dressing in more professional businessman attire, covering as much of his skin as he can with gloves over his hands and crisp white bandages around his neck, and he covers his face with a simple white paper bear mask, as well as using different coloured wigs. He uses the old voice box that Ennard had left inside him to disguise his voice, and earns a bit of a reputation as that slightly odd but friendly restaurant owner with the adorable assistant bot Helpy running the show. His new animatronics, named the Rockstars, are a big hit among adults and children alike. They remain on stage with no free-roam capabilities, automatic shutoff at closing time, emergency stops when detecting foreign objects, and - most importantly - no sharp teeth. And that's how life is for a long time.
One day, Michael receives a letter informing him of a new animatronic salvaging program seemingly in pilot stages at the company. He's given the option of bringing in old and rundown animatronics from previous locations, in order to restore them and use them in his restaurant for some extra cash flow. It seems like a strange offer that Michael doesn't immediately trust, but it's hard to resist the financial compensation, and Michael agrees. A set of prerecorded instructions, with the voice one he swears is familiar to him, walks him through the salvaging process. He then immediately regrets his decision once the first salvage is brought to his office, and it only gets worse from there.
Each salvaged animatronic is a monster from his past. Ennard, the entity that had lured him into the Scooping Room all those years ago and killed him is first, having taken over old pieces of a Funtime Freddy animatronic. His little sister Elizabeth has fully taken over and remade a Circus Baby suit with scraps and spare parts, intent on hunting him down and killing him to make her father proud. A mysterious black bear with an ominous aura that Michael can't explain, somehow seems almost hauntingly familiar to him while frightening him to his very core with its intense, burning hatred. And his father, broken down and falling apart, is somehow still alive and searching for more young souls to harvest. Despite having the option to ditch them all in the alley, Michael knows it's his responsibility, and he completes the salvages every night and brings the monsters into his pizzeria.
Michael spends every day and night on edge, fearing not only for himself but for his customers as well if one of the creatures gets loose. But the man that had sent him the salvaging instructions is firm on what has to be done, and that they all need to be in one place by Saturday. Somehow, as frightened as he is, Michael knows that this is what has to be done.
It turns out that the man who'd left the salvaging instructions was none other than Henry Emily, William Afton's friend and business partner that had helped create the Fazbear Entertainment company from the start. Henry had lost his daughter Charlotte in a freak accident many years ago, and her spirit had become bonded to an animatronic known as the Security Puppet. She'd been aware the entire time of William's many crimes, and it was her all along that had helped the other murdered children's souls become bound to the animatronics much like she had been herself, encouraging them to take their revenge on their killer.
Henry had also discovered what William's true intentions were with the machines and animatronics he'd helped him to create. Learning that he unknowingly had a hand in the many atrocities his friend had committed fueled Henry's desire to put a stop to everything once and for all. He had set up the building that Michael had built his restaurant in as a trap, rigged to overheat and set itself on fire once all of the monsters were caught, with a separate room for Henry to meet his end in with them. While it wasn't Henry's intention for Michael to be the one to lure them all in, somehow, Michael knew this was where he was meant to be in the end.
As the building begins to heat up, Henry interrupts before Elizabeth can find a way into the office to attack Michael. He explains everything through the intercom system as sparks begin to fly and flames begin to burn. Everything Michael had worked on all these years slowly turns to ash alongside the monsters that had chased after him. He's able to take a few spare moments to send Helpy out of the building through a small vent, before retrieving an old photograph of himself and his younger siblings from the desk. Michael takes a seat in his chair, holds the photo frame close to his chest, and closes his eyes. He listens to the rest of Henry's recording, feeling strangely comforted that he isn't alone in his final moments.
Despite surviving all these years as a dead body fused to an animatronic endoskeleton, Michael Afton finally burns to death in his own pizzeria. His story finally ends here.
Of course, Michael knows he can't exactly run a restaurant looking the way he does. He starts dressing in more professional businessman attire, covering as much of his skin as he can with gloves over his hands and crisp white bandages around his neck, and he covers his face with a simple white paper bear mask, as well as using different coloured wigs. He uses the old voice box that Ennard had left inside him to disguise his voice, and earns a bit of a reputation as that slightly odd but friendly restaurant owner with the adorable assistant bot Helpy running the show. His new animatronics, named the Rockstars, are a big hit among adults and children alike. They remain on stage with no free-roam capabilities, automatic shutoff at closing time, emergency stops when detecting foreign objects, and - most importantly - no sharp teeth. And that's how life is for a long time.
One day, Michael receives a letter informing him of a new animatronic salvaging program seemingly in pilot stages at the company. He's given the option of bringing in old and rundown animatronics from previous locations, in order to restore them and use them in his restaurant for some extra cash flow. It seems like a strange offer that Michael doesn't immediately trust, but it's hard to resist the financial compensation, and Michael agrees. A set of prerecorded instructions, with the voice one he swears is familiar to him, walks him through the salvaging process. He then immediately regrets his decision once the first salvage is brought to his office, and it only gets worse from there.
Each salvaged animatronic is a monster from his past. Ennard, the entity that had lured him into the Scooping Room all those years ago and killed him is first, having taken over old pieces of a Funtime Freddy animatronic. His little sister Elizabeth has fully taken over and remade a Circus Baby suit with scraps and spare parts, intent on hunting him down and killing him to make her father proud. A mysterious black bear with an ominous aura that Michael can't explain, somehow seems almost hauntingly familiar to him while frightening him to his very core with its intense, burning hatred. And his father, broken down and falling apart, is somehow still alive and searching for more young souls to harvest. Despite having the option to ditch them all in the alley, Michael knows it's his responsibility, and he completes the salvages every night and brings the monsters into his pizzeria.
Michael spends every day and night on edge, fearing not only for himself but for his customers as well if one of the creatures gets loose. But the man that had sent him the salvaging instructions is firm on what has to be done, and that they all need to be in one place by Saturday. Somehow, as frightened as he is, Michael knows that this is what has to be done.
It turns out that the man who'd left the salvaging instructions was none other than Henry Emily, William Afton's friend and business partner that had helped create the Fazbear Entertainment company from the start. Henry had lost his daughter Charlotte in a freak accident many years ago, and her spirit had become bonded to an animatronic known as the Security Puppet. She'd been aware the entire time of William's many crimes, and it was her all along that had helped the other murdered children's souls become bound to the animatronics much like she had been herself, encouraging them to take their revenge on their killer.
Henry had also discovered what William's true intentions were with the machines and animatronics he'd helped him to create. Learning that he unknowingly had a hand in the many atrocities his friend had committed fueled Henry's desire to put a stop to everything once and for all. He had set up the building that Michael had built his restaurant in as a trap, rigged to overheat and set itself on fire once all of the monsters were caught, with a separate room for Henry to meet his end in with them. While it wasn't Henry's intention for Michael to be the one to lure them all in, somehow, Michael knew this was where he was meant to be in the end.
As the building begins to heat up, Henry interrupts before Elizabeth can find a way into the office to attack Michael. He explains everything through the intercom system as sparks begin to fly and flames begin to burn. Everything Michael had worked on all these years slowly turns to ash alongside the monsters that had chased after him. He's able to take a few spare moments to send Helpy out of the building through a small vent, before retrieving an old photograph of himself and his younger siblings from the desk. Michael takes a seat in his chair, holds the photo frame close to his chest, and closes his eyes. He listens to the rest of Henry's recording, feeling strangely comforted that he isn't alone in his final moments.
Despite surviving all these years as a dead body fused to an animatronic endoskeleton, Michael Afton finally burns to death in his own pizzeria. His story finally ends here.
IT WAS JUST A GLITCH
help wanted & security breach
help wanted & security breach
Except not really.
Michael Afton is not directly involved in the events of Help Wanted and Security Breach. His father is somehow brought back to life, after having found a way to create and upload a digital version of his consciousness, and using it to control a game testing employee named Vanessa. She ends up following his orders to set him free from a digital prison and is transferred to the newly built Freddy Fazbear Mega Pizzaplex as a night time security guard. As it turns out, the Pizzaplex is being built over a very specific old pizzeria, one that had burned to the ground many years ago.
((MARCH 2022: This is where I leave things open to interpretation, depending on how things in RP land go and whatever potential updates/DLC will come with future FNAF games. I'm fine with having Michael be dead and long gone by the time of the Steel Wool games' events, or having Michael's soul remain trapped where his pizzeria burned down so he can wander the Pizzaplex as a ghost. I don't personally believe that Michael is fully possessing Glamrock Freddy, as GlamFred does seem to be an advanced AI that doesn't know why he's protecting Gregory, but I am on board with the idea that Michael's spirit could at least be influencing GlamFred to help save Gregory from Vanessa and his father. Also on board with the possible idea that Michael's body can be salvaged much like his father's had been so he can put on a fresh new suit and bitch about being a living corpse again.)) ((AUGUST 2023: So now we have the Ruin DLC and the Mimic as our new baddie. i have not read any of the Tales novels and have no intention of doing so, so i am not fully familiar with the Mimic's novel origins and how it ties back to the Aftons if at all, and as such i'm content with leaving Mike's story ending off at Pizzeria Simulator. alternatively i would be cool with the idea as stated above, that Mike remains a ghost/lost soul that haunts the Pizzaplex, but he does not possess or control any specific animatronics. i do kind of like the idea that he may be possessing the Blob animatronic since it goes after Burntrap in that one ending, but not going to commit to the idea anytime soon.))
Michael Afton is not directly involved in the events of Help Wanted and Security Breach. His father is somehow brought back to life, after having found a way to create and upload a digital version of his consciousness, and using it to control a game testing employee named Vanessa. She ends up following his orders to set him free from a digital prison and is transferred to the newly built Freddy Fazbear Mega Pizzaplex as a night time security guard. As it turns out, the Pizzaplex is being built over a very specific old pizzeria, one that had burned to the ground many years ago.
((MARCH 2022: This is where I leave things open to interpretation, depending on how things in RP land go and whatever potential updates/DLC will come with future FNAF games. I'm fine with having Michael be dead and long gone by the time of the Steel Wool games' events, or having Michael's soul remain trapped where his pizzeria burned down so he can wander the Pizzaplex as a ghost. I don't personally believe that Michael is fully possessing Glamrock Freddy, as GlamFred does seem to be an advanced AI that doesn't know why he's protecting Gregory, but I am on board with the idea that Michael's spirit could at least be influencing GlamFred to help save Gregory from Vanessa and his father. Also on board with the possible idea that Michael's body can be salvaged much like his father's had been so he can put on a fresh new suit and bitch about being a living corpse again.)) ((AUGUST 2023: So now we have the Ruin DLC and the Mimic as our new baddie. i have not read any of the Tales novels and have no intention of doing so, so i am not fully familiar with the Mimic's novel origins and how it ties back to the Aftons if at all, and as such i'm content with leaving Mike's story ending off at Pizzeria Simulator. alternatively i would be cool with the idea as stated above, that Mike remains a ghost/lost soul that haunts the Pizzaplex, but he does not possess or control any specific animatronics. i do kind of like the idea that he may be possessing the Blob animatronic since it goes after Burntrap in that one ending, but not going to commit to the idea anytime soon.))