1.5M ratings
277k ratings
See, that’s what the app is perfect for.
This blog focuses on William Afton deep lore that is book and game canon. There is some infrequent speculation and information about other canon characters. I respect AUs but this William is based on facts and the closest to canon I can get based on what we know. This blog is currently inactive and for archive purposes.
William Afton’s Secret Journals
This is evidence-based speculation,based on real facts, and not a head canon.
We know about the personal journals William kept, but notwhat was specifically in them.
What secrets did this mysterious journals hold? We are givena vague, one-liner:
TSE p. 351: A search of his house…found stacks of journalsfull of raving paranoia, passages about Henry that ranged from jealousy to nearworship.
What was he paranoid about?
It could be the murders, however, police recovered them andif that were the case, they could have been used as evidence to convict him,unless he was very cryptic about it and used metaphors, perhaps. The onlyproblem with this theory is that they were his personal journals, so why wouldhe need to write in a way that would need deciphering, unless his paranoia wasso extreme that he suspected the journals would be found.
Still, the descriptive word “raving” is usedto emphasize bad and extreme qualities and is akin to gibberish, whichwould actually strengthen the cipher theory. It may have seen incoherent tosomeone who did not know the code. There is proof in the books that William wassmart enough to use such a cipher. However, raving also means rambling, meaning lengthy and often changingtopics.
Next we have Henry, one of the only specific topics that ismentioned. We already knew William was jealous of Henry from other points inthe novels. Jealousy is a feeling of discontent or resentmentcaused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.
William definitely wants what belongsto Henry.
TFC p. 84: “…Henry found a unique spark-created somethingtruly different, something he didn’t deserve, or intend, to stumble upon (Henryimplanting his memories into a robot)…you will bring it (Charlie) to me.”
TTO p. 258: “I’ve been a master of all these creatures…Allthe animatronics…All of this is mine.”
TTO p.257: William to Charlie: “You have something thatbelongs to me.” (Henry’s memories).
One possibility is that William wanted to be a skilled asHenry at building animatronics. He seems to gloat and be prideful over his ownanimatronics and enjoys reinforcing the fact that he’s superior to Henry.
TTO p.258: “I’m…farmore than Henry.”
TTO p. 261: “Do youthink my robots would be as poorly designed as (Henry)?”
He must talk aboutit with Elizabeth, too, because she says herself,
TFC p. 99:“(William) was more brilliant than Henry.”
A possiblyexplanation is that William may have a college degree in Business and notrobotics, like Henry. Henry was also a smart man and knew he needed to hiresomeone to handle the business end of his work. He would have most likely gonefor someone with a degree in Business. This could mean that William may have not hadany prior knowledge of robotics and engineering, unless is was an elective orhobby. Yet, he could have dual degrees, or maybe Henry chose someone else witha degree in robotics who was just knowledgeable in business.
TSE 350-351: Afton seemed like the normal one…thebusinessman. William Afton was the one who made Freddy’s a business, as he had(Fredbear’s Family Diner). Afton was as robust and lively as Henry waswithdrawn and shadowy. He was a hefty man who had the ruddy geniality (friendlyand cheerful manner) of a financially shrewd Santa Claus.
In either event, William borrowed a lot of what he knew fromHenry.
TSE p. 344: “I helped (Henry) create.”
So Henry must have at some point allowed William to workwith him and possibly taught him.
TFC p. 108: Jessica:“How did you create her?” (Circus Baby)
William: “I can’t take complete credit for this, unfortunately…Myonly real accomplishment was making something that could walk…No smallaccomplishment but it’s not happening as fluidly as you think. A lot of whatyou see is just in your head…that was Henry’s idea not to try and reinvent thewheel.”
The next word is worship. Since William knew Henry was not adeity, the next definition is honor given to someone in recognitionof their merit (being particularly above average). Scott most likely meant thatWilliam looked up to Henry because he was so skilled at robotics. It’s highlyunlikely it was romantic since he had no qualms about hurting Henry by killinghis child.
So three things are clear: William looked up to Henry, butit caused him to envy him and eventually resent him.
Maybe someday we will get more insight into what else was in these mysterious journals.
OP does not claim this post to becanon, rather something to consider.
See more posts like this on Tumblr
More you might like
William Afton Does Not Enjoy Murdering
(Now archived. Please see update and expanded version with additional supportive data.)
In TFC p. 195, William is talking about killing Carlton,however, he looks almost bored. William is muttering and talking about sciencethe whole time.
He gave Carlton a measured stare. (He’s not grinning orexcited).
William lifted the metal syringe, carefully placing it overCarlton’s heart. (Carefully, not frenzied).
“For your sake, you’d better hope my little experiment doessomething; because I doubt you will survive otherwise.” William said mildly. Henodded toward the cables and Carlton dropped to the ground. (Mildly, nottriumphant. He looks at the cables as Carlton falls. He’s not gleeful. There’sno rush of ecstasy. He is not killing because he enjoys it.)
Followed by, on page 202:
William looked toward Carlton thoughtfully… “That’sunfortunate…I hoped to learn something.” (If he enjoyed the act of murder hewould not have said this.)
There has been speculation that what happens next on thesame page is a lapse in writing and a contradiction.
After his experiment with Carlton fails, he becomesdesperate. He’s run out of options and out of ideas. He’s aware he’s dying fastand needs to make a rash decision. He plots to fuse the blond child in the roomwith Molten Freddy.
William he says to the boy, “You have to forgive me, though, asI’m not sure how to do that, either.” (He is talking about fusing a liveperson’s soul to an animatronic suit.)
Not knowing if it will work does not mean he just wanted tokill the boy on a whim. As with Carlton, he was hoping it would work. (“Nicemotive, still murder” applies here. However, it was not sad*stic murder for thesake of murder.)
TFC p. 206: “I’m running out of ideas,” William said, failingto hide his anxiety.
He smiles and the boy and says, “It will be fun.” He isusing his charisma to keep the boy calm. Just like when he said, “You will haveto forgive me.” He wants the boy to cooperate. He’s weak and can’t use force,so a struggle would be unfortunate. He’s not excited about the murder and itsunlikely he personally think it will be fun. (Another fan speculated that he’sunaware how terrifying he looks and is using old tactics like smiling he usedin his prime). He’s trying not to scare the boy the way adults talk to childrenat doctor and dentist offices: In order to get calm cooperation.
However, that does not work. Likely the boy is too keen onhis intentions to trust him and also he physically looks scary, especially to ayoung child. He changes his tactics. The book notes that his adrenaline surge, caused by his anxiety, giveshim “renewed strength.” He now feels capable of moving the child by force.
TFC p. 205: “Afraid of them, now? …Don’t fear them. Fearme…I’m the only thing in this room you should be afraid of…I’m just asdangerous as I always have been.” (Thisis most likely to cause the boy to lose his will to fight. To feel defeated becausethere is no way out and that William cannot be defeated. An intimidationtactic.)
In addition, William wasn’t just murdering a child: he was committingsuicide. He was planning to also sacrifice his own body. This murder was not for kicks.
TFC p. 206: “But if I’m not going to survive this, youcertainly aren’t either.”
“We will see where this takes us.” (Referring to dying onthe Molten Freddy suit.)
This is evidence based speculation, not a head canon.
In all three books (896 pages), we do not find out who Elizabeth’s mother is.
However, in neither the books or the games does William mention a wife, husband or spouse.
The figure behind Elizabeth in the memory in TFC is not gendered or referred to as a parent:
TFC p. 186: Someone gently touched (Elizabeth) from behind, encouraging her to run forward into the room…
William’s children could be adopted, but most agencies require a couple to be married in order to do so.
However Micheal looks so much like his father it’s more likely he is biological.
Yet, blue eyes and medium brown hair are the most common hair and eye colour combination for British men, so it could be a coinsidence.
William said himself that the souls of the children have forgotten what he looked like, so it could be a “he looks close enough” situation.
TSE p. 345: ““They don’t remember…They’ve forgotten…You’re close enough. Especially to a vengeful, confused and frightened child.”
In the case that Micheal does share his DNA, it’s still possible William didn’t have a wife, or had a husband or spouse instead, as he could have hired a surrogate mother.
OP does not claim this post to be canon, rather than something to consider.
Why was Freddy’s Preserved and Hidden?
This blog does not usually post theories, however, the books are finished and this was never answered.
Did William Afton contract the building of the mall over Freddy’sand then purposely shut it down to create a “secret hideout.”
William knew Freddy’s was in there and whereto find it. (TSE p. 174 and 177.)
The location was remote and forgotten.
TSE p. 24: “It’s too far back from the road to see…It mighthave been leased to someone…It’s been blocked off for years, underconstruction.”
TSE p. 42: “Why didn’t they just knock it down?”
TSE p. 175: “So someone had this bright idea of sealing upthe whole place (Freddy’s), intact; someone who had a sentimental attachment toit…” –William Afton
It may have been Aunt Jen who asked for it not to be cleared out or torn down, however, there are the two hidden trap doors.
TSE p. 42-43:The wall behind (the shelf) looked different:it was metal, not brick… It was immensely heavy, laden with cleaning suppliesand large buckets of nails and tools, but it slid farther down the hall almosteasily, without incident. (The door) was metal and rusting, spattered withpaint…there was only a hole where the handle had been; someone must have removedit so the shelf could lie flush against the door.
TSE p. 278: “The trapdoor of this hallway is right next toFreddy’s, which is under the roof of the mall, in a crawl space.”
OP does not claim this post to becanon, rather something to consider.
William Afton is not Insane
(Now archived. Please see update and expanded version with additional supportive data.)
“The legal definition of innocent by reason of insanity requires that a person not be aware of what they were doing, or the consequences of it, at the time of the crime, but many mentally ill people are far more functional than that.
In other words, a serial killer must be unaware that murder is legally wrong while committing the act of murder in order to be legally insane. This legal categorization of insanity is so stringent and narrow that very few serial killers are actually included in it.
Today, less than 1 percent of felony defendants raise an insanity defense, and a tiny fraction of those succeed.
Most murderers do not have any severe, diagnosed disorder.
65 percent of mass killers exhibited no evidence of a severe mental disorder.
Most mass murderers instead belong to a rogue’s gallery of the disgruntled and aggrieved, whose anger and intentions wax and wane over time, eventually curdling into violence in the wake of some perceived humiliation.
One in every 22,421 (schizophrenic) patients assessed to be ‘low-risk’ would commit a homicide.”
The stigma of mental illness is a heavy burden on those who have it, especially harmless, pacifist schizophrenics.
It should be avoided to label a murderer immediately as “insane” or “crazy” or “mentally ill” without any canon quoted by the original author implicitly stating this fact.
It’s actually more horrifying that a villain murders innocent children with a normal mental state. A murder who passes you at the store and behaves normally is much worse.
For proof from the books: https://canon-william-afton.tumblr.com/post/175687942302/william-admits-it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-murder
Sources:
https://themighty.com/2017/05/ignorance-schizophrenia-extremely-dangerous/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/health/mass-murderers-mental-illness.html
http://theconversation.com/are-you-really-at-risk-of-attack-by-someone-with-schizophrenia-14656
William Afton is Charismatic
The following evidence is backed withcanon quotes and references cited from the novels written by Scott Cawthon,based on real facts, and not a head canon or AU.
In the gamesand the novels, William uses charisma to charm his victims into trusting him.
In aninterview with Dawko and P.J. Heywood, the voice actor of William Afton, Mr.Heywood said that William Afton draws inspiration from Dr. Lector from themovie “Silence of the Lambs.” (7:17 in the Dawko video timecode)
Dr. Lectoris described canonically as “intellectually brilliant, cultured andsophisticated.“
Like bookWilliam (TFC 111), Dr. Lector operates on himself.
When Lectorharms others, he remains perfectly calm, just like book William (TFC195-202). (7:30 in the Dawko video timecode)
Heywood alsosaid Scott describes William as being a charismatic, smoothing-talking“snake oil salesman.” (7:13 in the Dawko video timecode) which coincideswith book William being able to “convince anyone of anything.” (TSE 344).
William did not forceor terrorize the children. He gained their trust and the followed him. Theydon’t remember being killed because he had put them to sleep first. (TSE p.155, 220, 345). (More citations on thissubject can be found in the Honesty post)
Other examples of his charisma include:
Keep reading
William Afton is Only in the Books 7% of the time
William Afton appears in 65 out of 896 pages, throughout the three novels. This means he was in it 7.2% of the time. Less than 10% of the books.
What the FNAF Novels did not answer
We got 896 pages, however, there were some questions that were not answered and possibly just created more questions.
There were crucial details left out about William’s appearance.
We did not find out why he lost so much weight so rapidly.
We know his motives behind the murders, but why did he behave so oddly. What caused this?
We did not learn anything about his spouse/parent of his children.
In the next few days this blog will be posting in depth, evidence-based research, utilizing facts to best answer these questions.
Why William’s Voice Actor was not a Mistake
OP does not claim this post to be canon, rather something to consider.
Some of the fandom bemoans P. J. Heywood’s voice acting for William, claiming it is too sexy and wonder why would Scott give him anything beautiful.
However, this voice makes the most sense in canon.
We already know William is a charismatic, smooth talker:
https://canon-william-afton.tumblr.com/post/175624767856/william-afton-is-charismatic-tse-p-185-for
Scott purposely picked a rich, theatrical voice because it fits him.
William Tends to be Honest
(Now archived. Please see update and expanded version with additional supportive data.)
Then Charlie says, “The children’s souls are still here. You imprisoned them.”
William replies with, “They are home with me…Their happiest day.”
He was being truthful: (TFC p.196-199, 201-216): The children’s souls are at Freddy’s, playing and happy and having an eternal best day ever.
TFC p. 198: (A child about Spring Bonnie) “He’s our friend.” (p. 199) “That’s our friend. He helped me find my puppy.”
TFC p. 194: Carlton to William: “How could you do this to (the children)?”
William: “They do everything willing…The process only truly works if they freely release a portion of themselves.”
Again, he is telling the truth: (TFC p. 2014): (Another child about Bonnie) “He wants me to bring a new friend for us and he needs my help.”
William to Jessica: “I believe you came here of your own free will…” (TFC p. 108).
TFC p. 96: Jessica does goes to the pizzeria of her own will and when Circus Baby asks her if she wants to come inside, she says, “Yeah, I’d love to.” (TFC p. 97).
TFC p. 103: When Jessica asks him more questions, he replies truthfully without hesitation.
Other examples include:
TSE p. 184: Jessica: “Can you make them dance again?” William: “Sure, let’s see what they can do…I’ve been here a few times before.”
TSE p. 268: Carlton: “Who’s Henry?” William: (Honest response) Your friend Charlie’s father.” (Also tells him Henry built the animatronics and owns Freddy’s.) On 269 he also answers his question of how he knows what happens when the springlocks go off honestly.
TSE p. 344: Charlie asks him what he did to her father. He says, “I helped him create…We both wanted love.”
While he did lie about his name, (TSE p. 173), he said it was necessary to get around inconspicuously (TFC p. 104).
While all humans lie to an extent, if he told the truth 10 times and lied once, he is still an honest person.
Update
canon-william-afton
I want to be honest with my followers, so that no one thinks I am ghosting. I have been diagnosed with a rare incurable disease that has very little research. It has damaged all of my major organs. I have spent most of the past 6 months in doctor’s offices. I lost feeling in both legs and one arm. I am worried I won’t ever be able to have a normal life. The doctors said there is not enough research to help me. It feels hopeless. It hurts to even type right now. I am being seen in a week about starting an experimental treatment that may help me, but is very risky. If all goes well, I fully intend to keep creating content for this fandom when I am healthy enough and able to. Thank you all for your patience and support. It means so much to me. Have a wonderful day, FNAF family.
canon-william-afton
Update as of May 25th 2021:
I am very sad to say that things did not go well. My condition has deteriorated into a critical stage. I’ve had 2 surgeries in the past 6 weeks and am scheduled for at least three more from June through November. My lungs and heart are rapidly failing and I spend most of my days at the Hospital each week. For these reasons I do not have the health to continue to run this blog and must regretfully retire it, as well as any future art. I intend to keep it up so that this wonderful fandom may use it for reference. Thank you so much for the support these past few years and I hope you have wonderful and happy lives ahead. Fare well.
See this in the app Show more
