An important post about the anti-Black writing that is present within both FNAF movies.
spoilers for FNAF 1 & FNAF 2 movies.
we have GOT to talk about Jeremiah's writing as the Black Best Friend trope.
as someone whose favorite game has always been FNAF 2, I was very excited when the first FNAF movie came out and there was a side character introduced whose name was Jeremiah, who was Mike's best friend. Jeremiah's name is obviously a reference to the FNAF 2 night guard, Jeremy Fitzgerald. While Jeremiah featured a minor but important role in the first movie, it was thought to be safe to assume that he still would play a bigger part in the second movie due to his name's resemblance to Jeremy's, who is the protagonist of FNAF 2, and the fact that he is seen already being friends with Mike.
Instead, the writers chose to have him exclusively appear in the movie three whole times to benefit the White Protagonists.
let's talk about every instance that Jeremiah appears in both movies.
FNAF 1
Jeremiah is the character who introduces Mike to the dream theory that is extremely important to the plot of the entire first movie. Jeremiah was the one who was reading a book on dream theory, which gave Mike the idea to try and dig deeper into his dreams to find answers for what was happening throughout the entire movie.
After Mike wanders off from that conversation, he attacks a man who he assumed to be kidnapping a boy but was later revealed to be the boy's father. Jeremiah is the one who pulls Mike off of the man.
That is all we see of him in the first movie. Jeremiah introduces an extremely important idea to Mike that we see throughout the entire rest of the movie, and then calms him down when Mike attacks a man. That's it. A Black character introduces the White character to a concept that is central to the movie, and then calms said White character down when he gets into an altercation. That alone is racist writing for a Black character, but I still held out hope for the second movie.
FNAF 2
(since the movie just came out, there is not a lot of descriptions online to help me write this out so I'm going entirely off of memory. If you have any important corrections/additions to make, feel free to add them in the notes or send an ask & I'll edit this.)
Jeremiah comes over to Mike's house to help him out, and tells Mike that he needs to be more confident about going after Vanessa & dating her, & to actually call the dinner he's going to with her a date.
After Vanessa's car breaks down, Jeremiah coincidentally happens to drive past Vanessa and give her a ride to Mike's house.
Jeremiah knocks William Afton out after he tries to escape from Mike's house.
Jeremiah comes into Mike's house, sees the aftermath of all the animatronics being shut down, and then leaves with Mike & Abby.
Jeremiah was present a total of three times during the entirety of the movie (putting the last 2 bullet points into 1 scene, though the last 3 bullet points were all within the same time frame/night.) He shows up and gives some motivational words to Mike in regards to his dinner date with Vanessa. While Mike clearly already has his own way of coping with the events of FNAF 1, and Jeremiah doesn't know about all of the events of the first movie, Jeremiah's words are still very important to how Mike acts for the rest of the movie, specifically Mike's interactions with Vanessa. Jeremiah's words introduce the audience to the idea of Mike being more assertive with Vanessa. Jeremiah suggests that Mike thinks of and refers to the dinner date as a date, to go after Vanessa and not fumble her. While Mike still is hesitant and shy to call the dinner a date, he still is more assertive that Vanessa does things his way in regards to her getting over her own trauma. While this one may be a bit more subtle in regards to the purpose of the scene (which, again, I'm writing this on December 5th, there's not a lot out there to help me write this/remember all the details.), regardless Jeremiah's entire purpose in that scene was to be the Black Best Friend who encourages the White Protagonist to go after the Other White Protagonist/White Love Interest.
When Vanessa's car breaks down after what The Mangled put it through, things seem hopeless for her until Jeremiah magically shows up driving past her and offers his help. Like. There's not much else to say. White Love Interest is in deep shit and the Black Best Friend coincidentally shows up and offers his help. ?!!?!?!?!??? Like they aren't even trying at this point. this is one of the three scenes he gets in the movie. being a white woman's uber driver.
When William Afton tries to escape the house, Jeremiah knocks him out because he was waiting outside and suspected that that guy was probably bad news. The moment doesn't even serve a real purpose because William later escapes. It's an extremely tropey scene where the sidekick/best friend character is at the right place and right time and unexpectedly gets the bad guy (except he didn't.) Black Best Friend is once again at the right place at the right time and knocks the antagonist out (which, you can argue that the surprise of William Afton being suddenly knocked out is funny, which then therefore puts Jeremiah in the role of a Black Character Who Does Something In A Scene Because It Is Funny To The Audience.)
Finally, we see Jeremiah enter the house after the conflict is over and he helps Mike & Abby leave. He's there just to be seen at Mike's side and help him and his sister out. Do I need to keep spelling it out?
Jeremiah's entire character purpose is to help move the plot along for the white characters. We know nothing about him as a person, except for his job in FNAF 1 (which we know because he had the same job as Mike, the primary protagonist), and that he once had a fucking baseball card. Just the writing alone in the movie, without the contexts of the games, is extremely anti-Black. But add on the fact that he practically shares a name with the FNAF 2 protagonist? It's not like I was expecting him to take over as the primary protagonist in the second movie, but I think it is normal to expect that the guy who is literally named after the protagonist of the game the second movie is based off of, you would think that he would have more involvement or atleast not have the most dogshit racist writing ever.
I'm not saying you aren't allowed to enjoy the movie, I still enjoyed it even though I have a lot of criticisms for the movie beyond just this, but this is by far the most disgusting shit in the movie. Please keep this in mind when discussing the movie & especially Jeremiah's character, because you know they could've done better. These movies have been in production for so goddamn long, have so much money and support going behind them, and this is how they write a Black character? who is named after the protagonist of the FNAF 2 game? As a Black fan, I am deeply fucking pissed, and you should be too.
-i don’t like what they did to Michael Afton. It felt out of place? Why did they make him evil😭 And why did Vanessa having a brother made Mike so mad? Like she’s always been hiding things from him (her father in the 1st movie, Charlie’s death), why did he get mad and left her now, while there are killing animatronics everywhere???
-for the next movie, i really hope vanessa becomes vanny bc she’s possessed by the puppet
-CIRCUS BABY!!!! AND BALLORA IN THE MUSIC BOX!!!! Hopefully we see funtime foxy in the next one
-i really liked the designs of the withered animatronics, i wish we saw them more
-i don’t like that most of the conflict would have been solved with good, proper communication. Miscommunication is such a boring and overused conflict…
-i wish we saw mangle more too, she’s my favorite
-i really didn’t catch what was happening in the last 20 minutes. Why were the og animatronics there? Does that mean that Charlie was the one controlling the toy animatronics? They just threw too much new info that didn’t made sense all at the same time.
-i really really liked the intro. Like the fact that Charlie said that no one cared about her except the puppet and then when she died, the puppet was the one holding her? Amazing. I loved it. 10/10.
-a lot of scenes in the beginning felt like a repeat from the first movie. Not in the "this is a parallel to the first movie" kinda way, but more like a "we don’t know what scenes to put in this movie so we just copied what we did in the first one" kinda way.
-WHY DID IT END LIKE THAT?? It felt like 3/4 of the story was done, like why didn’t it get an actual ending? It felt too rushed.
-The plot and the story didn’t make that much sense (especially in the end). Fnaf is just an interesting story lore-wise, so why did they not put that much effort in the story for that movie?? I’m not mad that it isn’t exactly like the games, but i wish they made the story better.
Overall: I am confused and i have more questions than before i watched the movie. It wasn’t the best movie i’ve ever watched, but i had a good time and i liked the references.
It has been five years since Elphaba stole the grimmerie and ran away from society. Living alone into the woods wasn’t a problem for her, not at all. After she’s been ridiculed by everyone in her life, then by all the citizens of Oz by now, being by herself was a treat. She had lots of time to practice her magic to learn how to control it better and to find ways to help the animals. Even if it seemed almost like a perfect life to her, Elphaba felt like something was missing. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew one part of her heart was empty. After all these years, it never filled. She realised what was missing once she looked at the newspaper that announced the wedding between Fiyero and Glinda.
"I must find her. I can’t ignore how i feel about her anymore."
Elphaba threw the newspaper on the floor of her hideout, put her pointy hat on, grabbed her broom and flew to Glinda’s appartment in the Emerald city. She knew this could be dangerous, knowing that every single person in the city wants her dead, but Elphaba was willing to take that risk to see her old roomate. Nothing could get in her way. She didn’t even prepare anything to say to Glinda, but she had to see her again and let her feelings out.
Her appartment was very easy to spot from all the pink furniture we could see from her big rounded windows. Elphaba sneakily lands on Glinda’s balcony, trying not to be seen by any citizen, guard or flying monkey. At that moment, Glinda instantly knew Elphie was here. She rushed towards her balcony, opened the doors, and looked for her ex best friend. A smirk appeared on Elphaba’s face. She walked away from the shadows and revealed herself. Glinda’s eyebrows raised and her lips parted slightly at the sight of Elphaba.
"Elphie, what are you doing here?? People could see you! Get inside!"
Glinda grabbed Elphaba by her arms and took her in. Just the touch from her hands was enough to make Elphie feel butterflies in her stomach. The blonde woman closed the doors and turned around to face the most wanted woman in all of Oz.
The lights of Glinda’s appartment made it easier for both women to take a better look at each other. Elphie couldn’t believe her eyes; Glinda was wearing her wedding dress. It felt like she was wearing it just for her, like in Elphaba’s deepest fantasies. Glinda looked even better than she could’ve ever imagined. Same thing for Glinda; she couldn’t stop eyeing Elphie, analysing every single detail from her new look. After all, it’s been five years since they’ve seen each other. Elphaba matured a lot, she had longer hair, her makeup was darker and she seemed a lot more confident than during her school years. A few minutes went by before Glinda started to speak :
"-Elphie… It’s been so long… Why did you come here?
-I just wanted to visit you. I missed you a lot…"
The two women smiled at each other. The moment was slighlty awkward, there were long pauses between every sentence they’d say. Elphaba couldn’t even think. She was extremely grateful to be in Glinda’s presence, and vice-versa. They couldn’t stop admiring each other.
"-You look beautiful in your wedding dress, says Elphie.
-Thank you so much, so do you. You look stunning.
-Thanks, I appreciate that."
Elphie couldn’t believe Glinda complimented her like that. Her smile only grew bigger, her feelings were stronger for Glinda and her adrenaline level was higher than when she stole the grimmerie. Glinda mimicked Elphie by smiling at her.
"I missed you too, Elphie…"
Glinda took a few steps fowards Elphaba. She grabbed her green hands, hoping they’d never let go of each other. Elphie’s breaths were faster as she approached her. They used to get pretty close during their time at Shiz, but they’ve been away from each other for so long that it felt like the first time again. Glinda looked at Elphaba right in her eyes and smirked.
"For a girl as fearless as you, i’d never think you would get nervous just from me holding your hands."
Elphie let out a chuckle. The whole situation made her feel anxious, but it was worth it just because she gets to be in the same room as Glinda. She took a deep breath, tried to compose herself and built up the courage to tell Glinda the reason of her visit.
"-It’s just that… I came here to tell you something.
-You can tell me anything, Glinda said, moving inches closer to Elphie, anticipating what she would say.
-Well, um… After all these years of being alone, you never left my mind. I- I don’t know how to say this, but…"
Elphaba was trembling at the tought of telling Glinda she likes her. She remembered she was getting married to Fiyero in only a couple of hours, what made her think it was a good idea to reveal her feelings right now? She shook her head, closed her eyes and took a step back.
"Forget it."
Glinda’s heart ached from those two words. She couldn’t believe they got so close from something new together. The blonde woman’s right hand squeezed elphie’s tighter and used the other to grab her face to make them look at each other with no way out :
"Don’t you dare, Elphaba Thropp. Don’t run away from me again. Tell me what you gotta tell me. I know you’re capable of it."
The tension between the two never went this high. Their faces has never been this close before. The look in Glinda’s dashing brown eyes was so insistent that Elphie couldn’t help but close their proximity and kiss her. She pressed her lips against Glinda’s in a rush of need for her. Elphie couldn’t believe what she had done, but relaxed when she realised Glinda amplified their exchange by using her tongue. She was glad that that was what Glinda wanted aswell. Elphie slide her free hands down Glinda’s back to then grab her waist. They pressed their bodies together as their kiss continues. As their tongues dance together, they wouldn’t want the moment to stop anytime soon. After being apart from each other for so long, an event like this was what both of them needed the most.
After their exchange, they took a moment to breathe. Elphie didn’t expect Glinda to react this way to her approach, but this was better than anything she ever could have anticipated. As their eyes lock together, they can’t help but laugh. Glinda’s forehead lays on Elphaba’s shoulder as they giggle. Their kiss felt so freeing that laughing was the only thing they could do. Elphie’s arms wrap around the woman she loves the most.
"-I love you, Glinda. Being with you is everything I want in my life.
-See? I knew you could say it!"
They giggle as their embrace keeps them closer. Glinda could feel Elphaba’s heartbeat, as if it was a message directly from the deepest part of her heart, as if it was telling her that she was the missing piece all along. They wish that this moment could last forever.
Elphaba looks down at Glinda and, on a whim, says :
"-Come with me.
-W-What? You know I can’t leave the Emeralds City, the people need me…
-But do you know who needs you more? …being away from you is terrible."
Elphaba gives Glinda another chance to run away with her. As she spends a few minutes thinking about it, she remembers that the one who truly has her heart wasn’t the fame, the popularity, the wealth or her public image; it was Elphie. She gave all of that up when she joined her at the Ozdust, so why not again? She took a long exhale, finally ready to do something out of love for her :
"I’m coming with you. Wherever you go. I… I also can’t bear being far from you again. Those last few years were a nightmare without you by my side…"
Elphaba smiles at Glinda and hugs her even tighter than before. A single tear drops from Elphie’s eye as she knows how much their future looks bright.
"-That makes me so happy, Glinda. You have no idea…
-Believe me, I know how you feel."
Glinda gives Elphaba a few kisses across her face. They take each others hands and walk fowards the balcony. Glinda takes one last look at her appartment before leaving it forever. It is a bittersweet feeling for her, but knowing she’ll spent all of her time with the woman she truly loves is worth it. Elphie grabs her broom and mounts it. Glinda is hesitant at first, but seeing the love of her life giving her a reassuring look gives her comfort.
"-Wait, what about Fiyero? Elphie wonders.
-Don’t worry about him, i’m sure he didn’t even like me anyways.
-Oh, okay then… So, are you ready?
-More than ever before."
Glinda wraps her arms around Elphie as they fly towards the moon. She still has no idea where she’ll bring her, but it didn’t matter anymore. Being with the person she loves the most was the only thing she needed to fufill her heart’s desire.
Because i’m really into Wicked and Sonic right now, here’s which sonic character i think should play each Wicked characters:
ELPHABA : BLAZE because she can be really sweet and cute just like in part 1, but can be as powerful as elphie from for good
GLINDA : AMY no explaination needed
FIYERO : SONIC because i feel like they have a similar way of thinking? I could see sonic singing dancing through life idk
NESSA : CREAM because i could really see her well as Blaze’s sister! Also i think she would be really good in part 1. It would be hard to hate her in for good tho lmao
BOQ : TAILS because i can really see him being the hopeful boq from part 1, being with Nessa just to make Glinda and Nessa happy (because that’s how he wants everyone to be). He would be so good in part 2 too
MADAM MORRIBLE : ROUGE because they are both sooo manipulative
THE WIZARD : DR EGGMAN because they’re both the villain and they’re both the only "human" from their world.
Also i would loooooove a version where Whisper is Elphie and Tangle is Glinda!!! They already have such a beautiful connection, so them being elphie and glinda makes a lot of sense
Also, if i had to cast a mobian to play the Wizard, it would be Silver
