There is a complicated relationship that Charlotte carries with her father, that is due to fact he is trying and failing.
The disappoint over how a solid amount of the time, he's there to say or do the thing she needed. How sometimes he's able to be that warm and gentle hand she needs to tuck her in at night, or help her with homework, or sing her lullabies. But that he isn't like that all the time. Sometimes he's distracted, or emotionally distant, or stressed and failing to hide it. Sometimes he's there in traces: pre-made lunch bags set on the counter before she even wakes up, a note on the counter, cash on the table for her to spend to go get ice cream after school, a note taped to her bedroom door saying he has a project till midnight. As she gets older, she sees the flaws in his performance, the ways he's barely managing to take care of himself and seems to only be functioning when he's cycling around both her and work. The unsteady rhythm of switching back and forth between the two, with his mind always occupied by the other.
With it comes that horrifying revelation, that your parents are not shining figures who guide you to the best path, but just people who are spouting directions without even knowing the terrain fully themselves. That they could lead you down the wrong way, and think it right the entire time, not through malice, but through incompetence. That love can be unconditional, but not perfect.
Although I wrote quite a bit about him when I posted my William Afton Design, I still have the urge to ramble... Before I get into it, I really encourage all William-Enjoyers to watch this and this if you haven't already. My characterization is heavily inspired by the (excellent) analysis in these videos. Not all of my ideas are 1:1, but I still think these are definitely worth a watch.
I want to talk abt how I view William's personality, mannerisms, hobbies... So expect all of that! This is going to be LONG, so... expect that as well.
(obligatory read more so that I don't clog anyone's feed with a super long post)
• Athough I think Afton is a classic sweet-talker, and generally considered charming by people he encounters, I don't want it to seem like he's an abundantly friendly person. When he's working (outside of the suit), he's cordial. He's good with people in the ways that matter. But Afton, in isolation, is a person with a very low opinion of those around him.
He's someone that has mastered the art of passive aggressive interactions. He's the kind of person that you dont realize was insulting you until hours later. And if he knows you arent a threat? That you arent important? His ability to condescend is matched by no one. He will make you feel exactly as small as he thinks you are. If your opinion of him doesn't have any impact on his life, he really doesn't care to humor you.
• Calculating and manipulation aside, I do enjoy the idea of Afton being borderline incapable of holding back his eccentricities. He gets away with a lot. A man that can wriggle out of almost any situation has very little reason to worry about whether not people find him too silly.
He's the co-owner of an especially successful children's entertainment franchise... Eccentricities and unseriousness are sort of expected from his crowd. He's falling into that stereotype neatly and willingly.
• Afton's cold and condescending personality exist in heavy contrast to his interests. He genuinely loves making art (mostly drawing and sculpting), and he has an honest appreciation for the artwork of others. He loves performing, and he puts a lot of effort into being a good performer.
He knows magic tricks, he knows how to juggle, and he knows how to excite an audience. He knows how to keep your attention, he loves to keep your attention, he needs to keep your attention. For a man that largely disregards the opinions of the general public, he cannot exist without the general public. He has so many secrets, but would probably go crazy (crazier?) if he had nobody to put on a show for, if all the eyes on him disappeared...
In my version of the story, Afton being an engineer comes second to being a designer. He's an artist first an foremost. I think Spring Bonnie was a character he had always sort of had rattling around in his mind, and that Fredbear's gave him an opportunity to finally realize this character he had made and loved for a long time. Which brings me to my last thought for this section: I think William genuinely loves rabbits. I think rabbits appear all throughout his life, in his decor, in his art, in his work... and of course, in his death.
• Alongside his hobbies, Afton also has an eccentric way of expressing himself in his mannerisms and fashion. I do NOT think the two-toned wardrobe is exclusive to his work in the restaurants; i love the idea that he's just genuinely like that. His outfits are always some garish purple-yellow nightmare. Between his height and his loud clothes, spotting him in a crowd is easy.
His expressions and body language are very animated. Sometimes this is deliberate; a precise part of his act when baiting investors or talking to customers. His ability to make himself seem warm is impressive... but his belief that he is so much better than you is always lingering behind his words. Even when he's with important clientele, he can't completely hide his inflated ego. He expects to get exactly what he wants from every interaction.
It's hard for people that notice his arrogance to critique it when he really is so talented. He's a good manipulator, but part of that is unintentional. He might not notice those times when people detect his bad attitude, or when they let it slide because they want something from him.
Even when he turns down his people-pleasing act, he never loses his animation. Always gesticulating and pulling faces. He can't hide the deep furrow in his brows, the twitch of disgust in his lips, or the way his hands fly into the air when he's frustrated. He can't sit still unless he goes out of his way to do so, he's always crossing his arms, wringing his hands, bouncing his leg. He leans back too far in his chair while he thinks. He chews on pencils and pens.
He would hate this, but he is somewhat easy to get a read on. You can pick up on his little quirks if you spend enough time around him. His negative reactions can be spotted a mile away by people like henry, or his family. His positive emotions are a little more difficult, outside of situations where he's caught by surprise. I think he goes out of his way to cover up when hes pleased or impressed, because he knows that being aloof makes people around him easier to control and intimidate.
He definitely cant hide when hes excited about something stupid, though, or when he finds something funny. If you managed to make him laugh, he might even get standoffish afterwards... you cracked his oh-so-scary shell, and he's embarrassed.
• When it comes to William's family, I think his views on them are complicated. I dont like the idea that he absolutely hated his family, nor do I like the idea that he was a loving father driven to madness. Family dynamics are often much more complicated than that in real life.
I think Afton cared about his family. However, his ego and his controlling nature cause him to see them as an extension of himself, rather than as their own individual people. Afton is the type of person that finds it more valuable for his family to look perfect, than to actually be perfect.
He's a workaholic, which he justifies easily since it puts food on the table. He's emotionally removed from his wife and children. He loves them, but his ego commands the way he expresses that love. To him, loving his children means ensuring they are successful, ensuring they are presentable, and ensuring they consider his word to be law. He knows what's best for them, of course...
He's definitely not incapable of bonding with his children, but it happens sparsely. These brief moments of connection are part of what make his relationship with them so complicated.I think he can't help but connect with them whenever they display an interest in his work or his hobbies.
I see him as the kind of man that genuinely enjoys cartoons, and I love the idea that they're one of the few things he and his children ever enjoyed together. None of the kids ever had to fight for a chance to watch TV before school, because William always had cartoons playing in the morning while he ate breakfast.
I think Elizabeth, when she was old enough, became very intrigued by William's animatronics. I can see him trying to tiptoe the line between nurturing this passion of hers and keeping her away from his dangerous projects...
The kids are intimidated by their father. They know his temper is short. They know his standards are high. They know that if they mess up, the consequences are dire.
At the same time, they know he's silly. They know he's probably the only adult that would genuinely care about their drawings, their imaginary worlds, or the latest animated show they've been watching. William loves art and creativity, and cannot help but nurture that same love in his own children.
(Of course, once Michael gets older, his fathers selective attention just isn't enough. But that's a thought for a different post.)
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If you got this far, I really appreciate you taking the time to read through my insane ramblings! I know I can be very wordy. I really love William Afton, and I really love talking about my specific characterization for him. Please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions about my interpretation :)
I like talking about the things that make him feel more human to me. A genuine passion for art, a genuine talent for entertainment, and small physical traits that bring him to life. People are layered. Good artists and performers can be nasty people behind closed doors. Afton is a nuanced person; a brilliant creative, and an egotistical, jealous, selfish man.
One day, I'd like to write about his motivations as a killer. I have some very specific ideas about it, suited to my personal version of the lore. I'd also... really like to write up some ideas about how I think he would show affection in those rare cases where he's fond of someone. I have quite a few ideas about that too ;) so perhaps expect something in the future for those subjects!
Thank you again if you read this far. It means a lot to me.
Playing around with designs for game Charlotte and for personality having her be a weird little autistic girl whose super blunt because no matter how nice as a person you are, other children will bully you to oblivion for that.
Vanessa I love you & I hope you get an Amy Hughes level crashout as Vanny in the third movie; and even if you don't, I'm gonna make you have one in my fanfic <3
Weird and awkward and bad at emotions single father struggles to balance his work and his relationship with his daughter as his passion for his job seeps into every aspect of his home life... and this little girl is also weird and offputting and unable to be understood or accepted by most of the kids her own age despite how big a heart she has, and she craves quality time that her father cannot provide in the way she needs.
And they love each other and have some normal father-daughter times, but as Henry becomes more and more entangled in his work, that leaves Charlotte feeling alone and like she can't rely on anyone, and neither of them know how to communicate to bridge this growing gap.
And then she's gone and all Henry can feel is the void of her absence and replay every mistake and failure and desperately cling to the memories of her from when they were happy that are soured by the fact she died alone and away from him. And all Charlotte can remember is that feeling of betrayal as it slowly begins to overwrite everything else she knew, and all the love she used to feel because she's stuck in the worst moment of her life and cannot find peace or recompense.
life is so hard when your workaholic undiagnosed autistic dad doesn't go to therapy and doesn't realize that you're also an undiagnosed autistic and you feel like everyone hates you because no one understands you.
and you never learn how much he loved you because he's only able to vocalize the full extent of it once you're gone.
I was comparing some BTS with items from Henry’s scene and remember that one sticky note Henry had in his fridge? HE HAS WILLIAM’S NUMBER AND LOCATION ON IT.
It’s missing one 5, but it’s pretty much the same telephone number, the street number, and the 2 that’s for second avenue or even the floor of his office…
The implications of Henry contacting William thinking he was behind fazfest unaware of him already springlocked
