Pancak

🏳️‍⚧️ ♀️

[queenpancak]

I don't think you should become a theorist if you're going into theorizing with the intention of being right. I think that's the wrong way to go about it. The whole point of theorizing was never to be right but rather to explore new possibilities of truth. To create a dialogue. To give people something to think about and explore.

That's why I never latch on to any particular theory in this series as the truth. Because it's important to be open to other interpretations instead of obtaining all of your information from one theorist and choosing to believe them. It is healthy and even necessary to engage with opposing views when thinking critically about media.

This is why it bothers me when people say they learned all of the Five Nights at Freddy's lore from Game Theory and go to them for updates. Don't you want to think for yourselves? Don't you want to put in the effort to interpret the evidence? Isn't that what makes the series so fun?

Of course, I'm not saying you have to become a theorist. Just broaden your horizons a little. Try to see what other people are saying and decide for yourself who you feel is closer to being on the money.

As soon as someone declares that they believe they are correct, it makes me want to stop listening to them. Who are you to say that your interpretation of deliberately obscure evidence is definitive? There is a lot of egoism within the community, and those who feel justified in criticizing other theories simply because they don't understand why anyone would think that way.

Obviously, it's important to try and work toward a truth, but you should not make theories with the intention of being correct. Those are not mutually exclusive ideas. The reason why they are conflated is because some people fundamentally misunderstand the point of a theory. Until we can learn to view theory crafting as a collaborative experience, the theorizing community will always be toxic.

I don't think Fuhnaff has made a single theory that I don't heavily disagree with, but there is respect there. I appreciate what he contributes. He interprets the evidence and comes to his own conclusions. He thinks outside of the box, and that will always be valuable.

Even with my favorite theorist, Id's Fantasy, I do not agree with everything she says. While I agree with a lot of her takes, there are some that I have to respectfully disagree on. That's fine. That's okay. That's healthy.

I can guarantee you that every single theorist you've ever watched, every single theorist in this community, has at least one thing that they are wrong about. Every single one carries around one misconception, one overlooked piece of evidence. And that's okay. That is perfectly fine, because that's what theorizing is about. That is the point. That's what makes it fun.

And yeah. I get it. I'm not saying I am immune. Some theories make me irrationally angry beyond any reasonable measure. A lot of them, actually. I hear someone spout some bullshit and I go NOPE! WRONG!!! but here's the thing.

I keep that to myself. I choose what to say and when to say it. I choose to be respectful and acknowledge their inherent value. A lot of theories make me want to scream and pull my own hair out, but I'm never going to say that they're stupid for thinking that way. I am never going to say that their theory sucks, no matter if I would agree in the heat of the moment.

[queenpancak]

Sotm spoilers

Wow people comparing Edwin's backstory to William and Henry as if that's an intended feature and not indicative of a problem with the series' writing! They're like "Oh haha another dad who is neglectful and experiences the death of their child and builds a robot for them" as if that's not indicative of a lack of creativity. The series seems to only know how to write one backstory

[queenpancak]

sotm spoilers + review/rant =

I was generous toward SOTM before it came out. I defended Secret of the Mimic against the haters who complained about it not being more like FNaF, but now that the game is actually out...umm...they were kind of right. It is literally just Poppy Playtime but with the FNaF line up in there.

The content is barely worth $40. The side content outside the main story includes finding all the collectibles to complete a minigame to unlock a secret ending. That is literally IT. There is no other extra content present within the game that you would not find on a normal playthrough. There is no secret minigame, there is no other secret ending, it does not unlock anything else. That is it.

The game removes manual saving and deletes your save file upon completion to squeeze as much time out of you as humanly possible, the logic apparently being that the more time you spend with shit, the less it stinks.

If you are not using a guide to get the collectibles, you will have to replay this game multiple times. They are already forcing you to do so because one collectible only unlocks after you receive the normal ending. You cannot play the game and get the best ending, the secret ending is artificially manufactured to FORCE you to spend more time playing.

No manual saving means that forgetting a collectible means you have to play the game all over again as well. It is essentially maximum "content" for minimal effort, trying to get as much out of nothing as humanly possible.

The AI is completely broken. Windows into what are supposed to be 3D spaces are actually PNGs. Edwin Murray's story is a recycled amalgamation of Henry and William, building robots to be dead kids, neglectful fathers, nothing actually new or unique. Almost everything Edwin does is something that William or Henry have already done before.

The only thing he does that is unique is creating the Mimic, but that isn't enough to justify him as a character when everything else about him is just a rehash of stuff we've already seen. He's neglectful of his kid, they die, he loses his mind and builds a robotic imitation to cope and in the end realizes the error of his ways but it is too late. That is literally Henry from The Fourth Closet with some differences.

People are highlighting the parallels as if that isn't just emphasizing how derivative it is. Like comparing the Mimic to Circus Baby the way both lie and manipulate you (Mimic using dispatch) to achieve their own ends. Or how Henry and William parallel Edwin and Fiona. That's just called being lazy.

Let us not get into the bugs, or the shitty chase sequences, or the fact that the game has been beaten in under three fucking hours glitchless. $40 for a game that can be beaten in under three hours. Okay yes the secret ending and collectibles extend the runtime but only artificially. The amount of actual main content in the game does not increase in a substantial way. It's like saying Into The Pit has 60 hours of content because there are these arcade games that you can try to get a high score on.

Most playthroughs I see are in the 4-5 hour range but that still does not change the fact that the content itself is so minimal that it is completely possible to beat in under three.

None of these issues would be horrible on their own, but when they all come together to form this package, it is just frankly kind of shit. The AI pathing is completely busted, my friends could not get past any of the puzzles without a guide because it was difficult for them to tell what was a clue and what wasn't. For example, every time they needed a door code, TV monitors in the area would have a bunch of flashing screens of blocks with numbers on them. Random numbers (reused assets from SB) were scattered throughout the environment as well on notepads and white boards. The content is barebones, the story is a rehash, they literally use PNGS for windows into 3D environments.

I am writing this while angry so I should calm down but it pisses me off the way people talk about how it's so scary and that there's so much extra content or praising Edwin when he is just a cheap clone. It is so annoying.

[queenpancak]

sotm spoilers:

At least we actually have a layout for the Afton house now, if it is to be believed that Afton did do what he did after Secret of the Mimic. So that's good. We now know what the interior might look like, probably with walls matching more closely to 4 and SL.

[queenpancak]

tw: animal cruelty

The boy was also strange. From an early age, he had begun conducting experiments on small rodents he found dwelling in the cellar. As he grew, these experiments became more elaborate and started receiving documentation. A pattern was beginning to emerge. By the time he was 10 years old, he had converted a section of the cellar into his own personal laboratory.

A prodigy in engineering, all of the devices he made were constructed entirely by hand, albeit with crude materials. It satisfied something within him whenever he heard the snap and realized that something was stuck in his trap. He would sit and admire his work as it squirmed, desperate for an escape that would never come.

It began with mice, then he started working his way up to larger animals. A rabbit would come across his table every now and then. All were documented in a large, heavy leather-bound book that left a gust of wind every time it was dropped on the floor. His dissections were amateurish, but every time he performed one, he would aim to focus on more precise cuts.

There was always room for improvement on the journey to the man he would become.

[queenpancak]

In 1948, their father Edward took the two to a local amusement park on the water. The two siblings decided to play hide and seek together. When she was supposed to hide, she ended up going into a hall of mirrors and subsequently getting lost. Edward later found her on the ground, screaming and cowering in terror at the sight of her reflection in the mirrors.

Her behavior grew increasingly strange in the coming years. The nail beds on her fingers were often broken and sometimes bloody. She became more prone to outbursts, especially in front of company where she would feel compelled to speak even though she did not want to. These outbursts would often leave her in tears, even if the content of the outbursts were not emotional in any way.

For example, a couple would be speaking about a painting the Aftons had hanging up and speaking about how famous and beautiful it is. She would be trembling and on the verge of tears saying "No! It wasn't very popular back then and only gained popularity posthumously!" nervously laughing.

She was often disciplined with isolation, forced to stay alone in a dark room and pray for forgiveness for hours upon hours. Her brother would follow her out of sympathy, and she began wanting him around her all the time. She wanted to hear him breathe and feel his presence at the strangest times of the day, even waking him in the middle of the night.

He began wanting her around more as well.

[queenpancak]

Dr. Phineas Talbert is a World War II veteran, war photographer, and neurosurgeon born in northern England in 1920. He served during the Burma Campaign from 1941-1945. It is likely that some of the pictures you would find a history book were taken by him. Through his first-hand experience with war through the lens of photography, he came to discover what he would later refer to as agony.

Agony is a supernatural energy created from concentrated human suffering. For example, haunted houses where families were murdered, war zones, concentration camps, plantations, etc. It does not require a human soul and is formed entirely from a high concentration of those negative emotions.

At this stage, he did not know what it was exactly. Just that higher concentration in certain areas altered his photos to look quite blurry and strange. Pictures he would take of specific objects that seemed to object to being photographed. All he knew at this time was that something was wrong, but not how or why.

[queenpancak]

It was only a few months after this incident that the family was blessed with another child. A boy, born October 14th. Together, the two were raised in relative isolation on the family's private estate along the coast, secluded in the forest. Fit with Jacobean architecture, their land sprawling over hundreds of acres. The family prided themselves on their horses, with the children learning how to ride them from an early age.

It was clear from a very early age that the boy was incredibly bright. His tutors began introducing him to more complex puzzles and problems, which he found unique and creative ways to solve. Being a deeply religious Anglican family who attended church services regularly, they believed these abilities were a gift from God and held him to very high standard to maintain them.

She would sometimes tell stories to put him to sleep, their mother frequently occupied. She would recount highly detailed stories about first love, friendship, childbirth, disease, execution, mental illness. The level of detail included the names of towns, people, historical events, and languages that she had never learned from any book.

It seemed normal to her.

[queenpancak]

The FNAF AU begins 82 years ago.

tw: mentions of animal death, animal injury

in 1943. Wiltshire. The Aftons belong to the old money British aristocracy, and their lineage can be traced back to the days of William the Conqueror. Edward Afton tries to instill their Anglican beliefs in his daughter, making her frequent the church with him. She became part of the church choir in 1942 when she was seven years old, as well as performing in plays. In 1943, during choir practice, she noticed a rabbit outside and decided she should try and catch it. She ran and ran until the ground fell and she descended into a deep, dark pit, falling into a sprawling red lake that stretched further and further into the deeper recesses of the cave.

She noticed that the rabbit had also fallen and died on impact. Soaked, she then searched for an exit to seek help, uncovering what appeared to be old architecture of stone and marble. She couldn't find an exit, even as she ascended the stairs to hopefully find the surface level. She was thoroughly trapped, but not alone. The rabbit had come back to life, but something was very wrong. It began acting recklessly, yelping and running into walls and seemingly attempting to harm itself, biting at her whenever she tried to help. It continued to hurt itself until it eventually died.

It wasn't until a day later that she was finally rescued, uncovering a secret passageway underneath the church floorboards. She seemed to know exactly where to go and how to call attention to herself, as if she had known where it was built all along. It was not long before she was found after that.

Art: #1. The Evil Within concept art

#2. Winterset Hollow - suntup edition

#3. Security Breach: Ruin

[queenpancak]

Will likes things that challenge him. Make him think. Test him. When Will sees a rude asshole like Henry he's gotta know like "What is inside this man's head? Why is he like this? Who made him this way? What are his friends like? How did they manage to climb over his walls? I have to find a way to do that."

"How did he find a spouse? How does he feel about his spouse? Who abandoned him when he was young to make him so closed off? How can I make him trust me? How can I make him care about me and want me near? How can I tear down his barriers? How can I be exclusive?"

He decides that he HAS to get inside his head. He HAS to be his closest friend. He wants to know what it's like to be important to someone who hates everyone. He feels euphoria whenever Henry reveals that he is thinking of him or whenever Henry prioritizes him over others and makes him feel exclusive.

He is very boastful and full of pride whenever he knows something about Henry that others do not. Like how he prefers his coffee or what his favorite author is. He's thinking "Bitch you don't even know what his favorite musical genre is"

This man does not compete in a healthy fun manner. He competes TO WIN. He WILL win that man. He WILL know more about him than you. He will get there first.

"I find it interesting that Mr. Murray claims to be your friend yet disrespects your personal space. His words can be quite intrusive and presumptuous for someone who claims to know you. I wonder if he doesn't care as much as he believes he does. Perhaps he doesn't pay close enough attention. I find it concerning, don't you?"

"No."

"You're right. It isn't concerning. I was wrong. You know yourself best. Of course I should have deferred to your opinion. It is your friendship after all. It would be hypocritical of me to come to those conclusions so quickly and still claim Murray to be the presumptuous one. It is your relationship, you are the one to decide what you wish to do about any potential issues that may arise."

[queenpancak]

Yeah, if Henry, William, and Edwin made 50/50, it would be fine. But this? I will let my thoughts cool down before explaining my thoughts at the end of the month.

I agree. I am currently writing a long winded screaming manifesto in all caps rn about how much I hate it

[queenpancak]

SECRET OF THE MIMIC SPOILERS:

Edwin making everything pisses me off so much. Edwin literally started out as temu Henry but now he literally made the springlock suits. STOP RUINING HENRY'S CHARACTER OH MY LORD. They literally just gave him Henry's backstory, STOLE his work and gave it all to a ripoff thrift store ass bootleg version of the same guy. I'm coming for whoever made this decision. You will not walk away unscathed.

[queenpancak]

Thought there was something very weird about these when put together.

[queenpancak]

If you were ever mean to Ralsei in Deltarune, do not come. Do not come to my town. Orders are to shoot on sight. You are not welcome. What you call "God" will show your soul no mercy for your transgressions.

[queenpancak]

fnaf lore is like being locked in a dark closet with the light off with a blindfold on and Scott has dumped 10 different puzzle boxes onto the floor and you have to put together the right one for one of the boxes