Happy 10th birthday to DSAF
This is going to be a long and personal post, but I want to post it anyway.
I got into the series about 4 years ago, which was a little late honestly. Funnily enough, what got me to actually look into it was an animation I saw of Dave and Jack, and I remember being like "why the fuck is that guy orange?". I've been a massive of FNAF for many years, but I never really cared much about the fangames. I had certainly heard about DSAF as well as the other funny, edgy fangames coming out around that time but I never bothered to actually play any of them. I'm not sure what made DSAF different. But I'm glad it was.
I remember being very alone in my obsession. None of my friends had ever played it, I didn't know if the fandom was still alive, and nobody was really talking about it. I'm autistic, and I get extremely hyperfixated on things. A lot of the time (most of the time), it's things that nobody else gives a shit about. That was the case with DSAF. I accepted that it was just another one of those things that I'd have to obsess over alone forever. My hyperfixation eventually simmered down after a few months and it became something I'd think about fondly and reference every now and again. Then suddenly, literally out of nowhere, after almost a year of it being dormant in my brain, it came back so hard. I really don't know what caused it. Maybe I saw something that reminded me of it or something. I really cannot remember. But I was back in it big time. I started reading fanfics and looking at art and I learned that there was an active, albeit very small, fandom of people online that still really truly loved the series like I did. I was surprised, but I was happy to know I wasn't the only one. For a long time I just observed from a distance. I didn't post anything or really talk to anyone. I'll admit, I was a bit embarassed. I was an adult with an adult job and adult responsibilities hyperfixating on a silly FNAF fangame series. I knew I wasn't alone, but it still felt that way.
I am no stranger to fanfictions. I've been reading and writing them since before I even knew what a fanfiction was. Last year I started fleshing out an idea I had for a DSAF fanfic. I'd had the basic themes in my head for a while, but I never really sat down and wrote it out in any coherent way. But I decided one day that I should, and then I just couldn't stop. It's hard for me to stay locked in on a lot of the projects that I start. I get distracted, unmotivated, whatever. But man oh man I was so focused on this. I think it was just the fact that it was DSAF and that I had so many interpretations of these characters and their interactions and I was just excited to finally get it out of my brain and onto a page. Then I finished the first like three chapters and was like... fuck it. I'll post it. I didn't want to just lurk around the fandom like some little ghouley anymore. I didn't want to feel so alone! I was very surprised to see that people liked it. I didn't think many people would read it to begin with. But I was wrong. And then I was like well if people will read my fanfiction maybe they'll also like my art too. And then I made this tumblr page and the rest is history.
This past year has been great. A lot of my time outside of work (which is not much) is spent writing Maneater and drawing pictures of Dave Miller. As funny as it sounds, a large chunk of my life revolves around DSAF. It is a very important part of me and I wouldn't have it any other way. This fandom is wonderful and there are so many creative people here that inspire and impress me every day. You're all so very talented, and so very supportive, and I have felt welcomed here in a way that I haven't felt in a lot of other fandom spaces. I don't feel so alone anymore, and that's a nice feeling.
Thanks for keeping these stupid ass games alive and relevant. I don't know where I'd be without them.
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
titsay
jacobvanloon
germansingergirl
discoholicmusic
gummygunk
