I love that this Fandom can go from "which children were murdered in what order for what reason" to "which animatronic is the best to kiss" to "how many toes does this animatronic have" to "what is Justice, philosophically speaking?" Always excited for another video from you!
I always really liked the idea that William's obsession with immortality comes from his fear of "final justice." It feels like a good way to tie child murderer to mad scientist without switching the order. It also adds credence to ucn being wrong; it ultimately helps keep him from the justice he's been most afraid of. ik none of that fits in with the premise of the video (the whole "widely accepted" part), but I find it to be the most interesting part of the justice questions in the franchise.
Yep! I always found it like that. I like to think of William to be kind of Christian, but he often pushes that belief away for particular occasions. Now, he fears God's judgement, and he fears death and torture after death. He is obviously willing to let anybody, even children, face what he fears just as long he does not experience it.
@@echo.romeo.I think my last comment was deleted, but in the books; the series is set in Utah and the series has constant references and/or implications to Christian themes. And that tracks considering Scott is one.
@@gamerraider889 That doesn't answer my questions. I worded them very specifically. I want to know what gives the author of the previous comment the impression that William himself is "kind of Christian." I also asked what it means to be "kind of Christian." The setting and themes have more to do with Scott Cawthon than with William Afton, so that's not an answer to my question. And if that was your answer, you also did not engage with my second question at all.
@echo.romeo. It's "kind of" weird why you're coming off overly aggressive. In my original comment I had a better explanation for my point, but it was smited by UA-cam. My point is that the series has heavily implied through the fnaf6 speech and William's fear of death that in some form he has a type of belief of the afterlife. It's never stated for sure whether he's religious, but it is stated he fears death, and the speech implies hell. That's why William comes off as "kind of" Christian, because he doesn't seem religious, but he fears an afterlife.
As someone who is Elizabeth Afton's #1 defender, Baby was programmed to kill, and it likely affected her mind in some way. Top it off with being stuck in that body for 30 years, she probably is unable to tell the difference between what she actually feels or what Baby is meant to do, she is both following Afton's order as his creation and daughter, even if it may not be what she herself would've done when she was alive. I see her as the answer to the question of "how much does the program of the animatronics affect the souls?" In UCN, Charlie refers to them "Like animals" which reads to me that unlike her and Cassidy, the others likely are not able to control much of what they do, let alone understand without Charlie to guide them Even Charlie herself might be affected by the Puppet's directive to protect lost children, and the reason she didnt lose herself was that Charlie had the beliefs that the innocent should be protected, so her mind and Puppet's synched together much easier, giving her more freedom. Cassidy could have her ablities due to the Springlock suits being designed for human wear, and her entire body getting stuck in there, as it's in the nature of the suit to follow the will of the performer. So stuff like her teleporting is that her soul controls every part of Fredbear, as she is not stuck to him, but the other way around.
I definitely enjoy this take, that Charlie and the Puppet are naturally synergistic so it's much easier for her not to lose herself. I definitely have a lot of sympathy for Elizabeth getting bonded to a murd3r bot then getting zapped for years and years. That'd fuck anyone up and blur the idea of identity.
"Unwilling to leave Afton's eternal punishment in the hands of any god or force of nature" is the kind of uniquely good line that makes me excited to see every video you release.
PHINEAS AND FERB SPOTTED But also. Dude the entire time I was like "Didn't they have a scene in 'The New Kid' where they're literally in a classroom talking about Justice? Candi was the teacher that day but Devon wasn't paying attention clearly" - Connie
I think it's satisfying William's pursuit of immortality (which he twisted in his attempt to bring his son back to life) ironically means purgatory at the hands of those he killed in order to achieve it.
It's 2025 and people still think that William actually cared about any of his kids. Read the books or just play FNaF 4, the shit that happens in that household is textbook neglect. He was in it for himself from the very beginning. He only did that mad scientist shit because he was afraid of going to Hell.
i love the dynamic that Puppet and Vengeful Spirit have. This video is definitely gonna go in my almost "comfort" video essay playlist, alongside Sire Squawk's great analysis on Puppet and Elizabeth as great foils.
One thing in FNAF that I think really adds to this discussion is The New Kid, a story whose main theme is precisely the meaning of justice. It's discussed directly more than a few times in that story, which gets even more interesting when considering how Kelsey (the main focus of those discussions) is heavily implied to actually be Golden Freddy, and ultimately orchestrates the protagonists' punishment for their idea of payback. Here are some noteworthy excerpts from it: “Every culture has its own concept of justice. Justice is, in most cases, intuitive. We know it when we feel it. So what does justice mean to you?" “Justice balances the scales," Kelsey replied. "It removes the downside so the downside can’t outweigh the upside.” “I think justice is payback,” Heather said. "Like someone disses you, so you have to diss them back.” “ ‘Payback’ seems a little vague. Perhaps it’s too open to interpretation. What if payback goes too far?” “Accidents happen.” She laughed, and the class laughed with her. Kelsey wasn’t laughing. Mick and Devon were going on about a sci-fi show that followed an apocalyptic society in which people were killed for even the smallest mistakes. “That sounds interesting,” Kelsey said. “Kind of up my alley, in an extreme way.” “What do you mean?” Mick asked. “Oh, I just mean I like legal shows, courtroom dramas. I’m going to go to law school so I can be a real judge someday. I’m kind of keen on justice.” "A 'real' judge?" Devon wondered what that meant.
I don’t think Elizabeth can really be held 100% accountable for her actions. For so much of the story, it’s unclear how much she understands and is aware of. Is it really Elizabeth doing these things? Is it Circus Baby’s programmed personality? What about when it’s both of them? Should she be punished for lashing out when she was hurt? It’s such a fascinating situation to go over. I never realized just how complex justice is in this franchise. Banger video and banger topic choice
**"Charlie,'" he said, "'justice penalizes the guilty, but it must also protect the innocent. It means that sometimes the guilty get away with terrible things, but it is the price we pay." He sounded grave, his words weighty. Charlie opened her mouth to argue. But this was my price, she wanted to say, but before she spoke, she looked at his face. He had a grim conviction about him; what he was saying mattered very much to him, and he believed it utterly. It's how you sleep at night, she thought with an uncharacteristic bitterness.** ~ Clay Burke, The Silver Eyes
Cadet reporting ! I did not expect my favorite FNAF channel to drop a 50 minute video about the philosophy of justice, but that's why this is my favorite FNAF channel.
Its fair to mention that afton did more than just murder, he basically did necromancy and soul torture after death. He brutally and intentionally tortured children and forced them to be stuck as souls on earth, which is a cosmically significant crime. Its also important to remember that cawthon is a christian, so what is basically a lich forcing human souls to suffer outside the will of any higher power is *bad* bad
@@echo.romeo. partially correct the christian world view believes that god lets humans have free will but not all free will is what god would have for people do. and imperfect example would be a perfect video game programer looking at a tester the tester can do anything anything thats allowed in the game like walking into a wall for 10 hours but the programer knows that the tester would have more fun if he played the game how he was told but ultimately the developer allows the tester because the developer controls the game world in the grandest schem
@@coldnova1037 Secondary agents willing freely is exactly within God's will. There's no partial correctness about my claim. Peoplw willing against God's command or desire is not outside His will. Your analogy is fair, so it's irrelevant that the agents within it are imperfect. I think you presented a very accurate and relatable analogy, so I appreciate that. I love video games, so I can actually speak to this. In your analogy, the developer freely willed a world in which other agents could explore as they freely willed. Although he wants them to maximize their fun a certain way, if they relish the experience of eternally walking into walls by their own will, it may be against the developer's wishes, but it isn't against his will. This is why essence/energy distinction is so important.
@@echo.romeo. not sure if yt is blocking my responce but I will try to repost it later. but it basically a difference of view of what god will is. I appreciate you being reasonable about this I had fun thinking about this
Something to note that you didnt (or havent yet, I'm at the Charlie part) is that Charlie is much more conscious and in control of her actions, only because her body was found and she was remembered. She knows what happened and has made peace with it. I can't remember where it was mentioned, but I remember something about the victims being so lost because they don't remember what happened, they don't know who exactly killed them, and they weren't remembered and known the same way Charlie was. They're lost souls because they've forgotten who they are and what happened to them.
i think this was a big theme in the movie, that they were mean spirited because william wouldn’t let them remember what had happened to them, and they never got justice for what happened. all they knew was they were lonely, confused and afraid, and are until Abbey shows them what really happened. while i don’t think that in the game timeline the animatronics are “under William’s control” necessarily, i do think that the theme of it can be tied to the games, where because they may still not fully be able to comprehend what has happened, it leads theme to not be able to find peace on their own, and need Henry and Charlie’s help to get that peace
Really awesome video! If i can analyze on the attempts of retributive justice against William Afton Although getting spring locked is seen as agonizing and immediately satisfying to the spirits, it’s worth noting that this is actually what allows Afton to continue harming more people in his (after)life. In the later books and i think some of his later dialogue you hear him in almost glee about his new rad zombie form that he can keep murdering as. In this way it’s similar to the case of UCN where the punishment enacted against afton ends up coming back to haunt us.
"ends up coming back to haunt us" Er, only if you mean for the brief amount of time William was able to do harm while piggybacking off of the Stitchwraith. Otherwise, nothing about UCN has come back to haunt us. On the contrary, it rendered William so incredibly weak, he needed a more powerful, malevolent creature to power him, and even that was no match for Charlotte, resulting in his utter destruction.
tomorrow is my first day in highschool (I live in Brazil, school starts in january) so seeing a new buunny video in my timeline took away all the sadness and misery I was feeling lolll when u post anything in this channel I just know it's about to be a BANGER
Good luck tomorrow! I hope you have great teachers this year!Statistically, the best times are most likely ahead of you (might be high school or might be after)
Man it's so refreshing to see a video analyzing the meaning of FNAF rather than just theorycrafting. I love theorycrafting, believe me, but I get burnt out on that stuff sometimes.
Wow, this video is absolutely outstanding. I absolutely love when creators take a concept such as justice and discuss how it applies to a specific media, such as FNAF. As your video went over, justice is a huge theme in FNAF and covers all the main forms of it. I think that’s brilliant, as it helps you form your own opinion on what justice is and what’s good versus bad. Your section on Michael was so great to see. He’s my favorite character in fnaf (I also simp for him but that’s part of my bias lmfao) and I loved how you tied his arc with redemption. That’s his whole character and it works so well. It’s a foil for William, which fits the father versus son dynamic really well, like with Star Wars for instance. Scott definitely has a bias for showing karmic justice within the books, along with how only some people deserve redemption, such as the victims of the MCI, Michael and Charlie. William being the one who deserves infinite punishment, which is a fair point considering everything he’s done in the story. I think it’s great writing to combine all types of justice into the games and show how sometimes karma can be too harsh and unfair. It’s a great balance of what’s good versus bad. You did a great job explaining all the different forms of justice and how it applies to FNAF. Excellent video Candy
Absolutely awesome video, the idea of justice is a really big recurring theme in fnaf, and I think you did a really great job of using that as a framing device for discussing the topic broadly and encouraging a new audience to think about this big, heavy concept in new and challenging ways. Lots of people are going to see this video in the fnaf space who don't otherwise engage with content relating to moral philosophy and I think it'll open up doors to lots of new ways of thinking for those people. This is the type of edutainment I love to see, especially from silly scare bear tubers. It's right up there with GIBI using the fnaf books to teach about literary analysis and critical media consumption.
Is that Skelephant I hear in the background? I'm glad FNAF is finally entering its post modern era. This kind of analysis is what English class was supposed to be for. Today it's our job to educate ourselves. Good work.
Sometimes I have to wonder if the spirits are actually there, since there’s plenty of animatronics that weren’t possessed or real. Like the mediocre melodies and the nightmare animatronics. Plus it would be a little absurd if Afton killed 50 people total (in a series of haunted animatronics and rouge ai I know). Personally I always interpreted it as it is the memory of the animatronics manifested with ghost magic (very technical). It would explain why the nightmare animatronics are even there despite being not real, and the puppet is repeating something Charlie said before. The fact old man consequences says “leave the demon to his demons. Rest your own soul” implies the only soul not at rest here is Cassidy, and William would be tormented without her. And if you take it more literally all of the animatronics are actually demons. Also loved the video. I can’t wait for more
Conversations surrounding justice are almost spoken in a tone that carries weight, that bring pause and make us consider the implications of our actions, their meaning. Justice is, in a way, an attempt to bring order to our lives amidst the chaos of nature by using reason. However, I feel that too often, perhaps guided by our natural fear of death and finality, we grasp onto meaning too strongly, diving into every nook and cranny of existence and reality itself at a marathon's pace. Unwilling to be content with disappearing with a lackluster performance in life, we take to the stars and challenge god themselves in our search for meaning, battling an eternal duel, pulling their eyes down to our humble skies while screaming: I exist! I live! And even if I am to be forgotten, the air I breathe will forever be a part of history long after I'm gone! I am immortal! It is clear now, I must use life for good, for virtues that will remain forever inscribed unto the soil and sea themselves. And writing this it occurs to me that I have made a parallel to the story of the vengeful spirit. They grasp onto the killer, unable to let go of the actions William has taken. The pain is insurmountable, the families may never recover; how could we ever look past it? And yet, by not letting go, by constantly bringing back the memories and the souls of the children, of the murderer, are we not repeating the crime? Are we not, perhaps, bringing even more pain? Does pain deserve to be immortal in the same way virtues are? Are we to repeat the crimes and their memory forever? Allow no solace to those hurt? I lost someone dear to me three years ago. I won't forget them, but if I spent every second thinking about them and the void they've left, I would not be able to live myself, I'd be chained to the memory, in the way the vengeful spirit is to William. And how many more die, without me knowing about? How many lives are lived and spent without even crossing my mind once? I suspect that we are not immortal, nor meant to be; that our identity is more limited than we think; that we owe much more than we suspect to the chaos in nature and to those around us. I am not immortal, the trees aren't immortal, the birds aren't immortal. The world is. Sometimes we need to take a step back, drink a glass of water, eat a snack and contemplate the setting sun; laugh along friends about dumb things; cry over the pain that surrounds us; get back up and live another day. Let us tackle life less like a narrative, a novel of severity and righteousness, and more with maturity, a collected and firm understanding of what must be done. I apologize for the length, and thank deeply whoever took time to read me. I owe you some time.
Is difficult to not empathizes with Cassidy, Afton was a rampaging beast who coudn't control is own grief ans simply became a demon in human flesh. what i feel when i think of Cassidy is sadness, devoured by her own understendable hate and vengeance...as much as they had killed security guards we cannot hide that they are just children...sad children.
See, that's a position I hold as well. I catch a ton of flack for my worldview these days because it's trendy to just throw pejoratives at us. But really, there is salvation for those who have done injustice in a home flooded with corruption. There is redemption for an soul who's innocence was robbed.
Holy shit why did I only now just realize Cassidy died from being springlocked? That makes the original missing children's incident 1000x more horrifying 💀
20:58 in the books its explained that spirits can't move on unless their bodies are found and they realize they are dead. so while charlie could've moved on, as said in the video, the other kids couldn't since their bodies were never found (they were inside the animatronics). so the give gifts give life minigame actually shows the puppet helping them move on, instead of dooming them to never be able to.
At the same time, they were in those animatronics for... a while. If the moment they find their bodies they can move on, they wouldn't have eventually ended up in Molten Freddy (if that's canon, but I think it's difficult to argue it isn't). So I understand why the community sometimes says "she essentially failed and trapped them." Especially with the Candy Cadet 5 keys story. But it's also a good point, I forget that rule when thinking about the story and canon and implications. Plus the Puppet did do Happiest Day, so it's inarguable that Charlie is doing whatever she can to help the spirits
In that clip I think the bird is a coot, which isn't a duck but they are one of my favourite birds They're super cute I once saw one carrying a stick 3 times it's size to its nest and their mate came out to get the other end and help them carry it, then when they got closer a wee baby popped out of the nest and just swam around them and tried to grab onto the stick like it's parents I love coots
I love it when people get their just desserts IRL and in the many fandoms I enjoy. I think that outside of just wanting people to be Chill and hating when they aren't, it's rooted in the fact that I got bullied back in the way day and all of them never got in real trouble until I started taking matters into my own hands. I learned at a very young age that "kids will be kids/boys will be boys" could crush people who were passive and I said FUCK THAT starting in 6th grade. Luckily for me, people didn't really like my bullies outside of their friend group, including some of the teachers, so when I started to Clap Back, Bitch Slap, and send people flying off of the swing set, I didn't get in trouble. I didn't turn into a bully myself but I did use anger and silence as a shield. Looking back, I was also Manic (on that subject, are you doing better, Captain? I remember you saying that you were having a hard time mentally so I'm just checking in. I'm both a Candi Cadet and I've been a Big Sister for over 25 years so it's in my DNA...) but eventually not only did my bullies that didn't move away become my friends, a couple of them became close friends but it doesn't change the fact that I had to do some vigilante justice to make it happen. Punitive Justice in the form of F Around and Find Out, if you will, LMAO! The thing about justice in The FNAF Ecosystem is that there's both too much justice and not enough of it at the same time. You already spoke on it during this phenomenal video but the takeaway is that Justice has Nuance and while there are Hard Lines that almost everyone has, like you said during your PSA, everyone has different ways of seeing things and what's too much to some could not be enough or just right to others. But, I know that we can agree that William Afton not only deserves UCN, he deserves The Darkest Pit of Hell and I see the final Golden Freddy scene in UCN as letting go instead of continuing UCN forever. Communist Bee made an EXCELLENT video about Golden Freddy in the Void (and one about Ennard!) and I just like the idea of Cassidy letting go of UCN because that purple sumbitch got to ruin and take their Life. He shouldn't get to ruin their Afterlife, too. Cassidy should have their True Happiest Day and Rest with everyone else. They were Springlocked and forced to watch the others Get Got so I understand and support the rage but there comes a point when you've gotta let go of resentment or you'll be the one in pain, not the one who wronged you.
I don't think anyone deserves punishment for eternity, no person can quantify the magnitude of misery and turmoil that would be. Its easy for us to say as living people someone deserves hell, but when confronted with that reality, nothing about that is just. Any amount of pain their victims would experience would feel like paradise in comparision. Ultimately, what is deserved is a choice you make. If you did not chose life, you choose death. The Puppet is like a caretaker for the agony and restless memories that follow Fazbears, she attempts to quell and dull the suffering, so that only their happiest day can be remembered. I think UCN's ending is that Golden Freddy is unable to move on, and becomes the unquinchable hate that Afton had for his victims. It mirrors the same animation of springtrap twitching from being springlocked, as to show that Golden Freddy is like Afton in disposition. I guess what FNaF gets at is that humans are not the ultimate arbiters of justice, and we have no right to be the judge. William had no right to decide the fate of another person, but nor do we have right condemn him perpetually. We can try, but it only serves to kindle the spirit of hatred that lives on. The reason why FNaF hasn't ended by this point is because evil will always come back, and I believe self-sacrifice is the only way to stop it. Because those who sacrifice their freedom, life, grief, wrath, in service of good are the ones who truly can halt evil. For all wrongdoing is born from the cycle of life we take part in, just cuz we haven't done what Afton did, doesn't make us in the position to judge if someone deserves hell or not. How can we say life is irreplaceable but in the same breath relish in death and suffering that we did everything to undo, prevent, hinder, and not cause?
You make some decent assumptions, but your morality ends up being Manichean, which contradicts with all of your claims. If "all wrongdoing is born from the cycle of life we live in," then you're arbitrarily choosing what's good and bad.
@@TrifectShow Sure, that's no problem at all. I'll be as succinct as possible. Please forgive me if it's a bit wordy. Manichaeism is a philosophy in which you believe the world is naturally made up of good and evil. The problem with this philosophy is that if the world is indeed naturally comprised of both good and evil, the decision to choose the good over the bad is completely arbitrary. You cannot make a logical argument for choosing the good over the bad because the world is naturally comprised of both. In my worldview, there is no dualism of good and evil. Evil has no ontological value - that is to say that evil is not a "thing," strictly speaking. Evil is the privation of good, the lack of good. It's not a thing, it's the absence of the thing that does exist, which is good. The reason I'm not a Manichean is because, in my worldview, God made everything. If God made everything, and the world is naturally comprised of both good and evil, it means God created evil. My worldview, then, has the same arbitrary problem of choosing good over evil, and my God would also be evil. But because good exists and evil does not, choosing evil is not arbitrary. It is in our nature to choose good, and evil is the movement of the will away from good. "For all wrongdoing is born of the cycle of life we take part in." This specific part of your comment, which has parts I agree with and parts I don't, is the Manichean part. Wrongdoing is not born. It does not have form. It is not a part of anything. Wrong, bad, evil, negative, these things don't have value. They are the lack of value. A lie, for instance is not a thing. A lie is the lack of a thing, namely the truth. Death is not a thing. It is the lack of life. Sickness is not a thing. It is the lack of health. I'm sure you get it at this point. I could go on and on, but I'm looking forward to your response. I can tell from your initial comment that you seem genuine, and you may have contemplated about morality before. So I think this could be a productive conversation.
@@echo.romeo. Well you said "a world naturally composed of good and evil" Evil is not natural, in fact, it needs to be enacted. Evil and good defy the natural order. What's natural is not representative of what is good or bad. Evil doesn't just exist by default. I don't think good and evil are discrete concepts, like evil is a corruption of good, evil is not just an opposite of good. I did not literally mean "born", I meant it in the sense that life is the birthing place for that activity to be incurred. Which is why we still see its presence in our daily lives. Evil is allowed to thrive in the cycle of life.
Candy. This is beautiful. There are so many analyses of these games and the stories they tell, but ghis sort of real-world application of themes is the sort of thing I don't see anywhere else. Thank you so much for your thoughtful essay 💕
29:30 Here's something interesting, almost everyone in UCN has the voice of the character they possesses, except the puppet who, has the voice of Charlie.
I was a little busy, but I finally got to watch the full video! I have to say that the approach you gave to the script felt different from the other videos, and I loved it so much!!! I'm a big fan of the fnaf books, (especially the Tales from the pizzaplex) and the stories they tell always end in tragedy, as much as some characters deserve justice, in fnaf justice does not go to those who deserve it the most ( Even the MCI kids, who were innocent at first but, after EVERYTHING they have done, do the really deserve that lovely and sweet justice? Their happiest day? They have changed so much that They are not those “pure” souls that died back in the 85, They are monsters at this point, triying to remember what They were, at least a little. I love them so much, but im not sure if They are capable of feeling something like love, or something besides anger and agony… anyway… I love you so much Candii! This has been your video that I liked the most, I love seeing how you are improving more and more, you are a sweetheart!!!!!
@@charlie.emily2h I think what makes it difficult for people to make determinations like this is arbitrary starting points and standards for morality. Every question you asked required that you even have some ethical grounding in the first place, and most people don't.
That hypothermic picture of Cassidy with like the blond hair and the smile always freaks me out, and has been ever since I watched matpats video where he discovered it. ITS BEEN YEARS. ITS TERRIFYING
In the books, one of the things you need to truly "give life" beyond reminant and a body and power, is a brain of some kind. My guess is that the MCI kids were always doomed to haunt the animatronics, but the Puppet put their suits together so that they could control themselves and their environments like she could. The difference, I think, is that the Puppet has a more advanced "brain," since she was built to be aware of danger.
As always, amazing video and, in this one specifically, interesting philosophy! It's made in a way hardcore and casual fans can understand both the story and several philosophical questions and flows of thought about justice. Keep up the good work!!
@@echo.romeo. I didn't say that Candi answered these questions, I said that she makes them easy to understand. I'm sorry if I didn't convey that correctly!
@@Taro_Yanada I'm not arguing with you. I'm just giving you my input. You seem to enjoy philosophy, so I think it would be a disservice to leave you hanging when you have an interest in the subject.
39:51 It does raise the question what kind of justice a person who had been indoctrinated or brainwashed into a way of thinking will receive in the end. People have become members of cults, whether they were too young to understand, ignorant, or desperate for community and acceptance. More often than not, those same people would go on to commit horrid atrocities in the name of their leader or cause, whether it's because they fully embraced the cult's dogma, or they're afraid of rejection or judgement from their peers (likely the only ones left in their lives). Are they responsible for their own actions? Should they be punished for knowingly going along and helping to commit atrocities? Should they be given some form of leniency due to the nature of their circumstances and how they got there? For Elizabeth Afton, she was a child when she died, coming to possess Baby. Even when she and the other animatronics get what they want and escape through Michael's body, she gets kicked out of the amalgamation, leaving her with nothing left. In the end, the only thing she wanted was to make her father proud of her... something I think she never got to do in life. And she ends up going up in smoke.
hi i just wanted to say fnaf in general and specifically your videos have been bringing me so much joy and comfort during a really difficult time, i always look forward to when you upload! and it also means so so much to me that u always have closed captions done. keep doing what ur doing
When I'm happy I write poetry and you voice makes me happy so here's a stanza In the midst of a chaotic day, your voice is a soothing melody that brings solace to my soul. Your passion and joy are a balm to my worries, calming my heart and brightening my smile.
"Charlie" died in an alleyway, Bruce Wayne's parents died in an alleyway, coincidence? (Charlie in quotes because after realizing they never say her name in the game there's no reason her name can't be Susie2)
In a few years from now, people are going to point to this video as the start of a widespread interest in literary analysis of FNAF. Absolutely love theory videos too, but this was the most interesting and engaging FNAF video on UA-cam. The start of something huuuge. 🎉
I understand you feel this way. But I don't see the benefit in yet another video that makes morality this vague, unknowable, subjective thing. The video even ends with what I believe to be some of the worst advice one can give without blatantly saying "just do whatever you want."
Whenever I see people say, "omg you're such and inspiration to me!!" I kind of roll my eyes and translate it to: "You're cool, I like what you do." But when I say, Candi Buunny, that nearly every video you make about funny bear game provokes doctor strange flying through space astronomical thought and inspiration to write and read and think and speak -- I genuinely mean it. You are so cool, where did you come from? The ocean? The stars? Denny's parking lot? I and everyone else may never know, but I am glad whatever or wherever produced you did so, so that you may touch the minds of thousands and maybe one day millions. Or what not.
You reminded me how i struggled to write esseys in school on every possible topic. But linking Fnaf with Justice and how it presents it has never crossed my mind. You did an incredible Job Candy
Nothing better than having existential questions from one of my favorite game series! IMO Afton bad, Charlie good, Cassidy middle, Micheal good, Elizabeth middle, Henry good.
One main thing I've always been conflicted with this franchise is Do Michael, Henry, Charlie, Elizabeth, Crying Child, and The Missing Children deserve some form of punishment for the bad things they did, or can they he excused from their actions because everything they did was still technically William's fault
I suppose that depends on your faith. I wouldn't suggest answering this question from a secular standpoint since it lacks any notion of objective morality. It's a good question, though.
@echo.romeo. this isn't the type of video to talk about it, but I would push back that religion offers an "objective morality" (it's been a talking point of people with faith forever, a way to go "we have something non believers don't!") But consider, different Bibles are translated differently from the same source material. Different churches and branches of the faith put different emphasis on different words. And there's no solid evidence the book contains any moral authority. It might have just been a community of regular people making up stories to convince others of what they ought to do. In the same way Fazbear Frights have things you ought to do, but is (probably) not considered to be divinely inspired
@@Alkeeros Actually, this is is the perfect type of video to talk about this. We're challenged at the end of the video to learn from others, so I'm taking it as an opportunity to bring the community together and help others think logically. This "different churches and differenct branches of faith" argument is a non-sequitur. Whether or not you and I disagree is irrelevant to the truth of the matter, so that's not an argument. You and I could be arguing about how many apples are in a bag. If you say there are 5 and I say there are 7, us disagreeing has nothing to do with how many apples are in the bag. In fact, there may actually be 5 in the bag, which would make you correct. But if we use your logic, since you and I disagree, there is no objective amount of apples. That's completely illogical. Second, you have to define "solid evidence." What constitutes as evidence to you?
@@echo.romeo. Your entire comparison is what is illogical. The objective amount of apples, based upon simple math, is not comparable to discussions of morality. The reason morality cannot ever be objective is because your moral values will never be universally agreed upon, even on things that most would consider no-brainers. Like... don't be weird to kids or wipe out entire civilizations. Why? Because those things happen, historically and today, sometimes by amoral cruelty, and many times by those who considered themselves to be arbiters of morality and/or that they were achieving a grander good. We don't even need to discuss different churches and branches. A single, seemingly unified faith can break apart amongst its practitioners over such things. At the end of the day, you cannot prove God (the "evidence" in question), and thus you have no objective means for why your view of morality be taken as the one true moral code. Even if I'd agree with it. I think I have pretty damn good standards for what makes one good or bad, so much so I think things would be better if they were universally considered to be objective. But I have nothing to prove that they should be taken as such. Because it's forever subjective.
i think the fnaf game's heavy justice focus (as well as the flip flop between the types of justice) are also influenced by scott's religion. as much as we like to avoid the topic, it is something worthy to keep in mind. christianity is both highly retributive and also restorative. people who do wrong are punished (often with hell, but in the current life as well), but it also has a focus on repenting and earning forgiveness. except in fnaf, william will never repent, so that forgiveness doesn't go to him, it goes to pretty much everyone else
@@vizzzyy190 Why should that matter? Christianity is not the enemy of the queer. The largest religion in the world is atheism, which was responsible for the elimination of around 200 million in the 20th century, including queers. The myth that there was persecution of queers at the hands of Christians comes from a select few Protestants and the atrocities of Islam. Atheists, Protestants, and Muslims are not Christians, so I'm not sure where the baggage comes from.
@@vizzzyy190 Why should that matter? We aren't their enemy. The largest religion in the world is atheism, which racked up 200 million bodies in the 20th century, including queers. The biggest threats to them have been Protestants, atheists, and ☪️ (the one in the Middle East), three groups that are not Christians. I'm using the emoji, since my first attempt at replying got automatically deleted by the algorithm.
@@vizzzyy190 But we've never been their enemy. Atheism racked up 200 million bodies in the 20th century, and that includes queers. Protestants, Muslims, and atheists have been a threat, but not us.
It is entertainingly ironic how I'm watching this right after rewatching Red vs Blue Season 10. "He was brilliant. And we trusted him! But he lied to us. He twisted and tortured us! And used us! Manipulated us for his own purposes and FOR WHAT?! For this? This... shadow?"
For cassidy's quest to kill william there's also bear of vengeance and princess quest They may not be about her but it's entirely possible that they are and the curious thing about that is that if they are then they have an entirely sympathetic view of her quest Both go out of their way to portray her as a noble warrior who wishes to strike down a blatantly evil villain who deserves her wrath Princess quest basically depicts her as a magical girl (again, if it is about her) Like you said, it really does feel like we are meant to see her vengeance in ucn as wrong but if those two are about her then she's treated as a symbol of justice It could be like you said that ucn is the one exception but bear of vengeance is literally part of ucn, if it really is about her then it seems to frame the game as justice finally being served And then there's the new kid and the can of worms that story opens up Is cassidy not the vengeful spirit then? Is she and we are meant to see her as a hypocrite for doing ucn despite kelsey disagreeing when someone describes justice as basically just payback? Is it further confirmation that we are meant to see what she does to william as fair jusice? Is cassidy-kelsey the princess bear of vengeance truly a justified symbol of justice despite how villanous and menacing ucn made her look!?
"Is Cassidy not the vengeful spirit then?" Nope. Kelsey is likely to either be an analogue of Cassidy, or Cassidy is just straight up Kelsey in another form or something. Because it makes sense that Cassidy would be the "balance the scales" kind of justice. William killed them, they kill him. Justice served. It's almost like she has no reason to hold him in a nightmare to torture him. And if you believe she was springlocked, which I don't, but if you do, then that works double because she is the one who basically springlocks Afton. Just like Kelsey does to what's-his-face that got him springlocked to begin with. Also, they both have unisex names and end with the same sound. But that's less compelling evidence. lol
@@damkylan3 Yeah, if we are meant to take what kelsey says as the honest truth then it really does point to cassidy not being the vengeful spirit Which is kinda weird because kelsey would otherwise be the perfect way for scott to explain why the vengeful spirit is a blonde boy even though cassidy isn't But it does get rid of the "inconsistency" of how cassidy's quest is represented Instead of "cassidy is always represented as noble and fighting for justice except this one time in ucn" it becomes "cassidy is always represented as noble and fighting for justice unlike the vengeful spirit from ucn" Though i'm curious, what do you think the golden freddy stuff in ucn means if cassidy isn't the vengeful spirit? Ucndissent or something like that?
@@SeekerOfComfynessIt probably points to Dave being the Vengeful Spirit. If UCN is a metaphorical Davey Jones's Locker then it's likely that Dave blames his father for his death. Not to mention that it's possible that Afton tortured Dave before and after the bite.
I have a headcanon that Freddy’s is right next door to the police station cuz the policemen in fnaf are completely blind anyways 😭 hiding the bodies in the suits wasn’t *that* clever and they even had the local news saying there was blood leaking from the suits like cmon.
Justice is derived from the root words "just" and "ice", showing that, like revenge, it is best served cold.
But it can be easily reheated in the microwave of EVIL
@@CandiBuunny ☝🤓 But I think your warranty is about to expire.
@@erick48104 Maybe I got an extended warranty!
@@chaoticsilver8442 warranties are invalid if you dont use the product for its intended purpose!
@@HorrorHomestead uh girls girls you're both pretty. Can I go home now?
I love that this Fandom can go from "which children were murdered in what order for what reason" to "which animatronic is the best to kiss" to "how many toes does this animatronic have" to "what is Justice, philosophically speaking?"
Always excited for another video from you!
Fnaf community is unhinged
Answer to that second one is obviously Fredbear
its why we love this fandom tbh
this fandom is getting me into the FBI most wanted list. I'm writing a FNAF fic...and my search history is slowly gonna get sketchier and sketchier
@ geez bro I don’t even wanna know what ur ISP is thinking 😭💀🙏🏼
I always really liked the idea that William's obsession with immortality comes from his fear of "final justice." It feels like a good way to tie child murderer to mad scientist without switching the order. It also adds credence to ucn being wrong; it ultimately helps keep him from the justice he's been most afraid of. ik none of that fits in with the premise of the video (the whole "widely accepted" part), but I find it to be the most interesting part of the justice questions in the franchise.
Yep! I always found it like that. I like to think of William to be kind of Christian, but he often pushes that belief away for particular occasions. Now, he fears God's judgement, and he fears death and torture after death. He is obviously willing to let anybody, even children, face what he fears just as long he does not experience it.
@@ImOkayDude What gives you the impression that William is "kind of Christian?" What does that even mean?
@@echo.romeo.I think my last comment was deleted, but in the books; the series is set in Utah and the series has constant references and/or implications to Christian themes. And that tracks considering Scott is one.
@@gamerraider889 That doesn't answer my questions. I worded them very specifically. I want to know what gives the author of the previous comment the impression that William himself is "kind of Christian." I also asked what it means to be "kind of Christian." The setting and themes have more to do with Scott Cawthon than with William Afton, so that's not an answer to my question. And if that was your answer, you also did not engage with my second question at all.
@echo.romeo. It's "kind of" weird why you're coming off overly aggressive. In my original comment I had a better explanation for my point, but it was smited by UA-cam. My point is that the series has heavily implied through the fnaf6 speech and William's fear of death that in some form he has a type of belief of the afterlife. It's never stated for sure whether he's religious, but it is stated he fears death, and the speech implies hell.
That's why William comes off as "kind of" Christian, because he doesn't seem religious, but he fears an afterlife.
As someone who is Elizabeth Afton's #1 defender, Baby was programmed to kill, and it likely affected her mind in some way. Top it off with being stuck in that body for 30 years, she probably is unable to tell the difference between what she actually feels or what Baby is meant to do, she is both following Afton's order as his creation and daughter, even if it may not be what she herself would've done when she was alive.
I see her as the answer to the question of "how much does the program of the animatronics affect the souls?" In UCN, Charlie refers to them "Like animals" which reads to me that unlike her and Cassidy, the others likely are not able to control much of what they do, let alone understand without Charlie to guide them
Even Charlie herself might be affected by the Puppet's directive to protect lost children, and the reason she didnt lose herself was that Charlie had the beliefs that the innocent should be protected, so her mind and Puppet's synched together much easier, giving her more freedom.
Cassidy could have her ablities due to the Springlock suits being designed for human wear, and her entire body getting stuck in there, as it's in the nature of the suit to follow the will of the performer. So stuff like her teleporting is that her soul controls every part of Fredbear, as she is not stuck to him, but the other way around.
I definitely enjoy this take, that Charlie and the Puppet are naturally synergistic so it's much easier for her not to lose herself. I definitely have a lot of sympathy for Elizabeth getting bonded to a murd3r bot then getting zapped for years and years. That'd fuck anyone up and blur the idea of identity.
i love this idea so much
Yeah I think Elizabeth died the one time she disobeyed her father so she decided she’s not doing that again
Elizabeth deserve better, she deserves a redemption arc.😢
"Unwilling to leave Afton's eternal punishment in the hands of any god or force of nature" is the kind of uniquely good line that makes me excited to see every video you release.
PHINEAS AND FERB SPOTTED
But also. Dude the entire time I was like "Didn't they have a scene in 'The New Kid' where they're literally in a classroom talking about Justice? Candi was the teacher that day but Devon wasn't paying attention clearly"
- Connie
I think it's satisfying William's pursuit of immortality (which he twisted in his attempt to bring his son back to life) ironically means purgatory at the hands of those he killed in order to achieve it.
It's 2025 and people still think that William actually cared about any of his kids. Read the books or just play FNaF 4, the shit that happens in that household is textbook neglect. He was in it for himself from the very beginning. He only did that mad scientist shit because he was afraid of going to Hell.
i love the dynamic that Puppet and Vengeful Spirit have. This video is definitely gonna go in my almost "comfort" video essay playlist, alongside Sire Squawk's great analysis on Puppet and Elizabeth as great foils.
One thing in FNAF that I think really adds to this discussion is The New Kid, a story whose main theme is precisely the meaning of justice. It's discussed directly more than a few times in that story, which gets even more interesting when considering how Kelsey (the main focus of those discussions) is heavily implied to actually be Golden Freddy, and ultimately orchestrates the protagonists' punishment for their idea of payback.
Here are some noteworthy excerpts from it:
“Every culture has its own concept of justice. Justice is, in most cases, intuitive. We know it when we feel it. So what does justice mean to you?"
“Justice balances the scales," Kelsey replied. "It removes the downside so the downside can’t outweigh the upside.”
“I think justice is payback,” Heather said. "Like someone disses you, so you have to diss them back.”
“ ‘Payback’ seems a little vague. Perhaps it’s too open to interpretation. What if payback goes too far?”
“Accidents happen.” She laughed, and the class laughed with her. Kelsey wasn’t laughing.
Mick and Devon were going on about a sci-fi show that followed an apocalyptic society in which people were killed for even the smallest mistakes.
“That sounds interesting,” Kelsey said. “Kind of up my alley, in an extreme way.”
“What do you mean?” Mick asked.
“Oh, I just mean I like legal shows, courtroom dramas. I’m going to go to law school so I can be a real judge someday. I’m kind of keen on justice.”
"A 'real' judge?" Devon wondered what that meant.
I don’t think Elizabeth can really be held 100% accountable for her actions. For so much of the story, it’s unclear how much she understands and is aware of. Is it really Elizabeth doing these things? Is it Circus Baby’s programmed personality? What about when it’s both of them? Should she be punished for lashing out when she was hurt? It’s such a fascinating situation to go over. I never realized just how complex justice is in this franchise. Banger video and banger topic choice
**"Charlie,'" he said, "'justice penalizes the guilty, but it must also protect the innocent. It means that sometimes the guilty get away with terrible things, but it is the price we pay." He sounded grave, his words weighty. Charlie opened her mouth to argue. But this was my price, she wanted to say, but before she spoke, she looked at his face. He had a grim conviction about him; what he was saying mattered very much to him,
and he believed it utterly. It's how you sleep at night, she thought with an uncharacteristic bitterness.** ~ Clay Burke, The Silver Eyes
Side note: *Bold* formatting is done with a _single_ asterisk on each side, not two. Figured I’d help out.
Cadet reporting !
I did not expect my favorite FNAF channel to drop a 50 minute video about the philosophy of justice, but that's why this is my favorite FNAF channel.
Why did I cry during this video? I swear everytime I think about the serious parts of this series I get emotional
Its fair to mention that afton did more than just murder, he basically did necromancy and soul torture after death. He brutally and intentionally tortured children and forced them to be stuck as souls on earth, which is a cosmically significant crime. Its also important to remember that cawthon is a christian, so what is basically a lich forcing human souls to suffer outside the will of any higher power is *bad* bad
The Christian worldview rejects the notion of anything being "outside the will" of God.
@@echo.romeo. partially correct the christian world view believes that god lets humans have free will but not all free will is what god would have for people do. and imperfect example would be a perfect video game programer looking at a tester the tester can do anything anything thats allowed in the game like walking into a wall for 10 hours but the programer knows that the tester would have more fun if he played the game how he was told but ultimately the developer allows the tester because the developer controls the game world in the grandest schem
@@coldnova1037 Secondary agents willing freely is exactly within God's will. There's no partial correctness about my claim. Peoplw willing against God's command or desire is not outside His will. Your analogy is fair, so it's irrelevant that the agents within it are imperfect. I think you presented a very accurate and relatable analogy, so I appreciate that. I love video games, so I can actually speak to this. In your analogy, the developer freely willed a world in which other agents could explore as they freely willed. Although he wants them to maximize their fun a certain way, if they relish the experience of eternally walking into walls by their own will, it may be against the developer's wishes, but it isn't against his will. This is why essence/energy distinction is so important.
@@echo.romeo. not sure if yt is blocking my responce but I will try to repost it later. but it basically a difference of view of what god will is. I appreciate you being reasonable about this I had fun thinking about this
@@coldnova1037 Yes, it is. But if you don't have the essence/energy distinction, you open the door for all kinds of potential heresy.
Hell yeah, new Candi video.
Oh my goodness thank you so much!! You sent that so fast
I'm a fnaf fan, studying psychology (currently forensic psychology) and dehydrated, this video is perfect for me.
Drink water. Goes perfectly with the video.
Something to note that you didnt (or havent yet, I'm at the Charlie part) is that Charlie is much more conscious and in control of her actions, only because her body was found and she was remembered. She knows what happened and has made peace with it. I can't remember where it was mentioned, but I remember something about the victims being so lost because they don't remember what happened, they don't know who exactly killed them, and they weren't remembered and known the same way Charlie was. They're lost souls because they've forgotten who they are and what happened to them.
i think this was a big theme in the movie, that they were mean spirited because william wouldn’t let them remember what had happened to them, and they never got justice for what happened. all they knew was they were lonely, confused and afraid, and are until Abbey shows them what really happened. while i don’t think that in the game timeline the animatronics are “under William’s control” necessarily, i do think that the theme of it can be tied to the games, where because they may still not fully be able to comprehend what has happened, it leads theme to not be able to find peace on their own, and need Henry and Charlie’s help to get that peace
Really awesome video! If i can analyze on the attempts of retributive justice against William Afton
Although getting spring locked is seen as agonizing and immediately satisfying to the spirits, it’s worth noting that this is actually what allows Afton to continue harming more people in his (after)life. In the later books and i think some of his later dialogue you hear him in almost glee about his new rad zombie form that he can keep murdering as. In this way it’s similar to the case of UCN where the punishment enacted against afton ends up coming back to haunt us.
"ends up coming back to haunt us" Er, only if you mean for the brief amount of time William was able to do harm while piggybacking off of the Stitchwraith. Otherwise, nothing about UCN has come back to haunt us. On the contrary, it rendered William so incredibly weak, he needed a more powerful, malevolent creature to power him, and even that was no match for Charlotte, resulting in his utter destruction.
tomorrow is my first day in highschool (I live in Brazil, school starts in january) so seeing a new buunny video in my timeline took away all the sadness and misery I was feeling lolll
when u post anything in this channel I just know it's about to be a BANGER
Good luck tomorrow! I hope you have great teachers this year!Statistically, the best times are most likely ahead of you (might be high school or might be after)
@@CandiBuunny tyyyyy
Man it's so refreshing to see a video analyzing the meaning of FNAF rather than just theorycrafting. I love theorycrafting, believe me, but I get burnt out on that stuff sometimes.
AHHH I **LOVE** analyzing fnaf from a narrative perspective. Great work, great video!!
43:25 THE DAVID SILHOUETTE i nearly screamed lmaoo
loved the analysis btw
Thumbnail goes so hard.
That intro transition is wild.
Loved to see your appearances on the FNAF discussion streams.
I’m SO glad you like the thumbnail I spent so long on it 😭
Candi COOKED with this one, especially the opening, fire video to watch while doing engineering homework and eat chicken alfredo 🔥🔥
Oh man what class?
@@CandiBuunny Digital Systems and Linear Algebra, the fnaf lore makes the math less bad lol
How did the alfredo turn out?
@@heatheroutre yummers
@@Evansurfnet Fun fact I took lin alg once then had the option to take the computer science version for my minor. So I took it twice!
Wow, this video is absolutely outstanding. I absolutely love when creators take a concept such as justice and discuss how it applies to a specific media, such as FNAF. As your video went over, justice is a huge theme in FNAF and covers all the main forms of it. I think that’s brilliant, as it helps you form your own opinion on what justice is and what’s good versus bad.
Your section on Michael was so great to see. He’s my favorite character in fnaf (I also simp for him but that’s part of my bias lmfao) and I loved how you tied his arc with redemption. That’s his whole character and it works so well. It’s a foil for William, which fits the father versus son dynamic really well, like with Star Wars for instance.
Scott definitely has a bias for showing karmic justice within the books, along with how only some people deserve redemption, such as the victims of the MCI, Michael and Charlie. William being the one who deserves infinite punishment, which is a fair point considering everything he’s done in the story. I think it’s great writing to combine all types of justice into the games and show how sometimes karma can be too harsh and unfair. It’s a great balance of what’s good versus bad. You did a great job explaining all the different forms of justice and how it applies to FNAF. Excellent video Candy
i love that the transformation matrix at 35:33 is an identity matrix, meaning it is like multiplying by 1 for matrices
Wanted to point this out 😅
Absolutely awesome video, the idea of justice is a really big recurring theme in fnaf, and I think you did a really great job of using that as a framing device for discussing the topic broadly and encouraging a new audience to think about this big, heavy concept in new and challenging ways. Lots of people are going to see this video in the fnaf space who don't otherwise engage with content relating to moral philosophy and I think it'll open up doors to lots of new ways of thinking for those people. This is the type of edutainment I love to see, especially from silly scare bear tubers. It's right up there with GIBI using the fnaf books to teach about literary analysis and critical media consumption.
Is that Skelephant I hear in the background? I'm glad FNAF is finally entering its post modern era. This kind of analysis is what English class was supposed to be for. Today it's our job to educate ourselves.
Good work.
Man, it’s a good day when fnaf and philosophy come together. Especially since those are my two favourite video types!
0:18 * batman voice * JUSTICE
FOR GOTHAM!!
Bruce throws Cassidy's body into a Lazarus Pit, he then adopts them.
she'd fit in with the rest of Bruce's 8 children
@@caril.9384 I wonder if she will get along with Jason
oh heck yes. Edgy kid and teen trauma-bonding. Nothing better! 😃
Sometimes I have to wonder if the spirits are actually there, since there’s plenty of animatronics that weren’t possessed or real. Like the mediocre melodies and the nightmare animatronics. Plus it would be a little absurd if Afton killed 50 people total (in a series of haunted animatronics and rouge ai I know). Personally I always interpreted it as it is the memory of the animatronics manifested with ghost magic (very technical). It would explain why the nightmare animatronics are even there despite being not real, and the puppet is repeating something Charlie said before. The fact old man consequences says “leave the demon to his demons. Rest your own soul” implies the only soul not at rest here is Cassidy, and William would be tormented without her. And if you take it more literally all of the animatronics are actually demons.
Also loved the video. I can’t wait for more
Conversations surrounding justice are almost spoken in a tone that carries weight, that bring pause and make us consider the implications of our actions, their meaning. Justice is, in a way, an attempt to bring order to our lives amidst the chaos of nature by using reason.
However, I feel that too often, perhaps guided by our natural fear of death and finality, we grasp onto meaning too strongly, diving into every nook and cranny of existence and reality itself at a marathon's pace.
Unwilling to be content with disappearing with a lackluster performance in life, we take to the stars and challenge god themselves in our search for meaning, battling an eternal duel, pulling their eyes down to our humble skies while screaming:
I exist! I live! And even if I am to be forgotten, the air I breathe will forever be a part of history long after I'm gone! I am immortal! It is clear now, I must use life for good, for virtues that will remain forever inscribed unto the soil and sea themselves.
And writing this it occurs to me that I have made a parallel to the story of the vengeful spirit. They grasp onto the killer, unable to let go of the actions William has taken. The pain is insurmountable, the families may never recover; how could we ever look past it?
And yet, by not letting go, by constantly bringing back the memories and the souls of the children, of the murderer, are we not repeating the crime? Are we not, perhaps, bringing even more pain?
Does pain deserve to be immortal in the same way virtues are? Are we to repeat the crimes and their memory forever? Allow no solace to those hurt?
I lost someone dear to me three years ago. I won't forget them, but if I spent every second thinking about them and the void they've left, I would not be able to live myself, I'd be chained to the memory, in the way the vengeful spirit is to William.
And how many more die, without me knowing about? How many lives are lived and spent without even crossing my mind once?
I suspect that we are not immortal, nor meant to be; that our identity is more limited than we think; that we owe much more than we suspect to the chaos in nature and to those around us.
I am not immortal, the trees aren't immortal, the birds aren't immortal. The world is.
Sometimes we need to take a step back, drink a glass of water, eat a snack and contemplate the setting sun; laugh along friends about dumb things; cry over the pain that surrounds us; get back up and live another day.
Let us tackle life less like a narrative, a novel of severity and righteousness, and more with maturity, a collected and firm understanding of what must be done.
I apologize for the length, and thank deeply whoever took time to read me. I owe you some time.
A very specific and maybe wierd compliment: I like listening to your videos because you have a smiling voice :)
Aw thanks!
@@CandiBuunny
That’s also why I initially subscribed to you. Didn’t even know you’d be a really good theorist, too lol
@@JacobBarton721the og cadet!!
Ok, this video actually cooked a gourmet meal and left no crumbs.
Is difficult to not empathizes with Cassidy, Afton was a rampaging beast who coudn't control is own grief ans simply became a demon in human flesh. what i feel when i think of Cassidy is sadness, devoured by her own understendable hate and vengeance...as much as they had killed security guards we cannot hide that they are just children...sad children.
See, that's a position I hold as well. I catch a ton of flack for my worldview these days because it's trendy to just throw pejoratives at us. But really, there is salvation for those who have done injustice in a home flooded with corruption. There is redemption for an soul who's innocence was robbed.
Loving these FNAF video essays centred around actual themes and messages rather than just the miniature of what happens. Top notch video.
I love philosophical analyses of things. This must have taken a lot of work to make, good job!
Oh my goodness thank you so much!
@@CandiBuunnyYou're welcome!
My first thought when reading the title was - yes. Fnaf, at least the OG series, is about justice.
I mean... not really. It's about vengeance, which isn't actually justice.
I remember you talking about this with Gibi and TDreads! Glad to see this video now.😊
Holy shit why did I only now just realize Cassidy died from being springlocked? That makes the original missing children's incident 1000x more horrifying 💀
thanks I now have to research springlock wounds FOR FANFIC PURPOSES
I didn't know we needed a Plato's Republic of fnaf, but I'm so unexpectedly glad we have one now
"Justice balances the scales"
- Kelsey, TNK
20:58 in the books its explained that spirits can't move on unless their bodies are found and they realize they are dead. so while charlie could've moved on, as said in the video, the other kids couldn't since their bodies were never found (they were inside the animatronics). so the give gifts give life minigame actually shows the puppet helping them move on, instead of dooming them to never be able to.
At the same time, they were in those animatronics for... a while. If the moment they find their bodies they can move on, they wouldn't have eventually ended up in Molten Freddy (if that's canon, but I think it's difficult to argue it isn't). So I understand why the community sometimes says "she essentially failed and trapped them." Especially with the Candy Cadet 5 keys story.
But it's also a good point, I forget that rule when thinking about the story and canon and implications. Plus the Puppet did do Happiest Day, so it's inarguable that Charlie is doing whatever she can to help the spirits
In that clip I think the bird is a coot, which isn't a duck but they are one of my favourite birds
They're super cute I once saw one carrying a stick 3 times it's size to its nest and their mate came out to get the other end and help them carry it, then when they got closer a wee baby popped out of the nest and just swam around them and tried to grab onto the stick like it's parents
I love coots
Fav comment so far. You’re so cool
@CandiBuunny brb sending birb pix to your DM lol
I love it when people get their just desserts IRL and in the many fandoms I enjoy. I think that outside of just wanting people to be Chill and hating when they aren't, it's rooted in the fact that I got bullied back in the way day and all of them never got in real trouble until I started taking matters into my own hands. I learned at a very young age that "kids will be kids/boys will be boys" could crush people who were passive and I said FUCK THAT starting in 6th grade. Luckily for me, people didn't really like my bullies outside of their friend group, including some of the teachers, so when I started to Clap Back, Bitch Slap, and send people flying off of the swing set, I didn't get in trouble. I didn't turn into a bully myself but I did use anger and silence as a shield. Looking back, I was also Manic (on that subject, are you doing better, Captain? I remember you saying that you were having a hard time mentally so I'm just checking in. I'm both a Candi Cadet and I've been a Big Sister for over 25 years so it's in my DNA...) but eventually not only did my bullies that didn't move away become my friends, a couple of them became close friends but it doesn't change the fact that I had to do some vigilante justice to make it happen. Punitive Justice in the form of F Around and Find Out, if you will, LMAO! The thing about justice in The FNAF Ecosystem is that there's both too much justice and not enough of it at the same time. You already spoke on it during this phenomenal video but the takeaway is that Justice has Nuance and while there are Hard Lines that almost everyone has, like you said during your PSA, everyone has different ways of seeing things and what's too much to some could not be enough or just right to others. But, I know that we can agree that William Afton not only deserves UCN, he deserves The Darkest Pit of Hell and I see the final Golden Freddy scene in UCN as letting go instead of continuing UCN forever. Communist Bee made an EXCELLENT video about Golden Freddy in the Void (and one about Ennard!) and I just like the idea of Cassidy letting go of UCN because that purple sumbitch got to ruin and take their Life. He shouldn't get to ruin their Afterlife, too. Cassidy should have their True Happiest Day and Rest with everyone else. They were Springlocked and forced to watch the others Get Got so I understand and support the rage but there comes a point when you've gotta let go of resentment or you'll be the one in pain, not the one who wronged you.
genuinely, this might be the best fnaf essay ive seen. its certainly my new favorite
I don't think anyone deserves punishment for eternity, no person can quantify the magnitude of misery and turmoil that would be.
Its easy for us to say as living people someone deserves hell, but when confronted with that reality, nothing about that is just.
Any amount of pain their victims would experience would feel like paradise in comparision.
Ultimately, what is deserved is a choice you make. If you did not chose life, you choose death.
The Puppet is like a caretaker for the agony and restless memories that follow Fazbears, she attempts to quell and dull the suffering, so that only their happiest day can be remembered.
I think UCN's ending is that Golden Freddy is unable to move on, and becomes the unquinchable hate that Afton had for his victims. It mirrors the same animation of springtrap twitching from being springlocked, as to show that Golden Freddy is like Afton in disposition.
I guess what FNaF gets at is that humans are not the ultimate arbiters of justice, and we have no right to be the judge.
William had no right to decide the fate of another person, but nor do we have right condemn him perpetually.
We can try, but it only serves to kindle the spirit of hatred that lives on.
The reason why FNaF hasn't ended by this point is because evil will always come back, and I believe self-sacrifice is the only way to stop it.
Because those who sacrifice their freedom, life, grief, wrath, in service of good are the ones who truly can halt evil.
For all wrongdoing is born from the cycle of life we take part in, just cuz we haven't done what Afton did, doesn't make us in the position to judge if someone deserves hell or not.
How can we say life is irreplaceable but in the same breath relish in death and suffering that we did everything to undo, prevent, hinder, and not cause?
You make some decent assumptions, but your morality ends up being Manichean, which contradicts with all of your claims. If "all wrongdoing is born from the cycle of life we live in," then you're arbitrarily choosing what's good and bad.
@echo.romeo. I don't believe in manichaeism. As I have no idea what that is.
If you are going to tell me how I contradict please elaborate.
@@TrifectShow Sure, that's no problem at all. I'll be as succinct as possible. Please forgive me if it's a bit wordy.
Manichaeism is a philosophy in which you believe the world is naturally made up of good and evil. The problem with this philosophy is that if the world is indeed naturally comprised of both good and evil, the decision to choose the good over the bad is completely arbitrary. You cannot make a logical argument for choosing the good over the bad because the world is naturally comprised of both.
In my worldview, there is no dualism of good and evil. Evil has no ontological value - that is to say that evil is not a "thing," strictly speaking. Evil is the privation of good, the lack of good. It's not a thing, it's the absence of the thing that does exist, which is good. The reason I'm not a Manichean is because, in my worldview, God made everything. If God made everything, and the world is naturally comprised of both good and evil, it means God created evil. My worldview, then, has the same arbitrary problem of choosing good over evil, and my God would also be evil. But because good exists and evil does not, choosing evil is not arbitrary. It is in our nature to choose good, and evil is the movement of the will away from good.
"For all wrongdoing is born of the cycle of life we take part in." This specific part of your comment, which has parts I agree with and parts I don't, is the Manichean part. Wrongdoing is not born. It does not have form. It is not a part of anything. Wrong, bad, evil, negative, these things don't have value. They are the lack of value. A lie, for instance is not a thing. A lie is the lack of a thing, namely the truth. Death is not a thing. It is the lack of life. Sickness is not a thing. It is the lack of health.
I'm sure you get it at this point. I could go on and on, but I'm looking forward to your response. I can tell from your initial comment that you seem genuine, and you may have contemplated about morality before. So I think this could be a productive conversation.
@@echo.romeo. Well you said "a world naturally composed of good and evil"
Evil is not natural, in fact, it needs to be enacted. Evil and good defy the natural order.
What's natural is not representative of what is good or bad.
Evil doesn't just exist by default.
I don't think good and evil are discrete concepts, like evil is a corruption of good, evil is not just an opposite of good.
I did not literally mean "born", I meant it in the sense that life is the birthing place for that activity to be incurred.
Which is why we still see its presence in our daily lives.
Evil is allowed to thrive in the cycle of life.
@@TrifectShow Hold on. Good defies the natural order? Can you expound on that?
Candy. This is beautiful. There are so many analyses of these games and the stories they tell, but ghis sort of real-world application of themes is the sort of thing I don't see anywhere else. Thank you so much for your thoughtful essay 💕
29:30 Here's something interesting, almost everyone in UCN has the voice of the character they possesses, except the puppet who, has the voice of Charlie.
New Candi video? I'll work later. Can't wait to watch it!
Your thoughts are so well constructed here, I feel like I'm attending a lecture at Fazbear University. Thanks for another video!
I was a little busy, but I finally got to watch the full video! I have to say that the approach you gave to the script felt different from the other videos, and I loved it so much!!! I'm a big fan of the fnaf books, (especially the Tales from the pizzaplex) and the stories they tell always end in tragedy, as much as some characters deserve justice, in fnaf justice does not go to those who deserve it the most ( Even the MCI kids, who were innocent at first but, after EVERYTHING they have done, do the really deserve that lovely and sweet justice? Their happiest day? They have changed so much that They are not those “pure” souls that died back in the 85, They are monsters at this point, triying to remember what They were, at least a little. I love them so much, but im not sure if They are capable of feeling something like love, or something besides anger and agony… anyway… I love you so much Candii! This has been your video that I liked the most, I love seeing how you are improving more and more, you are a sweetheart!!!!!
@ súper glad you made it
@@charlie.emily2h I think what makes it difficult for people to make determinations like this is arbitrary starting points and standards for morality. Every question you asked required that you even have some ethical grounding in the first place, and most people don't.
Live, laugh, love your video essay’s
First new video I’ve caught, really enjoyed it
Hooray!! New candi bunny video! Thank you candi!!
But Alfred wouldn’t
”i think you played dishonourably against me in a video game? -doxxed!! :3”
I really appreciate the mention of you eating pasta, in the description. This is the thing I subscriped for.
That hypothermic picture of Cassidy with like the blond hair and the smile always freaks me out, and has been ever since I watched matpats video where he discovered it. ITS BEEN YEARS. ITS TERRIFYING
honestly same even though I see it all the time for editing
same...
In the books, one of the things you need to truly "give life" beyond reminant and a body and power, is a brain of some kind. My guess is that the MCI kids were always doomed to haunt the animatronics, but the Puppet put their suits together so that they could control themselves and their environments like she could. The difference, I think, is that the Puppet has a more advanced "brain," since she was built to be aware of danger.
*Batman enters the chat*
I heard your were serving....
JUSSSSTIIIIIIIIICCCCEEE!!!!
Batman tosses Charlie and the MCI (including Cassidy) into a Lazarus pit and adopts them
hehehehe I like the duck clip too :3
thats all I learned from this video /j
I was rewatching your videos today!! :DD So happyyy
As always, amazing video and, in this one specifically, interesting philosophy! It's made in a way hardcore and casual fans can understand both the story and several philosophical questions and flows of thought about justice. Keep up the good work!!
While it does ask a ton of philosophical questions, the only answers given are secular. I think this is where the conclusion ultimately fails.
@@echo.romeo. I didn't say that Candi answered these questions, I said that she makes them easy to understand. I'm sorry if I didn't convey that correctly!
@@Taro_Yanada I'm not arguing with you. I'm just giving you my input. You seem to enjoy philosophy, so I think it would be a disservice to leave you hanging when you have an interest in the subject.
@@echo.romeo. No no! I'm not arguing! I was just correcting myself! And thanks for the interest, I appreciate it! 😊
lore and order
39:51
It does raise the question what kind of justice a person who had been indoctrinated or brainwashed into a way of thinking will receive in the end.
People have become members of cults, whether they were too young to understand, ignorant, or desperate for community and acceptance. More often than not, those same people would go on to commit horrid atrocities in the name of their leader or cause, whether it's because they fully embraced the cult's dogma, or they're afraid of rejection or judgement from their peers (likely the only ones left in their lives).
Are they responsible for their own actions? Should they be punished for knowingly going along and helping to commit atrocities? Should they be given some form of leniency due to the nature of their circumstances and how they got there?
For Elizabeth Afton, she was a child when she died, coming to possess Baby. Even when she and the other animatronics get what they want and escape through Michael's body, she gets kicked out of the amalgamation, leaving her with nothing left. In the end, the only thing she wanted was to make her father proud of her... something I think she never got to do in life.
And she ends up going up in smoke.
Thank you for another amazing FNaF vid Candi ^w^
^w^
awesome video and commentary. it's awesome that this genre can still push out banger essays with different interpretations.
Brilliant video, with good advice for talking tough topics to others. Keep up the good work bunny!
hi i just wanted to say fnaf in general and specifically your videos have been bringing me so much joy and comfort during a really difficult time, i always look forward to when you upload! and it also means so so much to me that u always have closed captions done. keep doing what ur doing
When I'm happy I write poetry and you voice makes me happy so here's a stanza
In the midst of a chaotic day, your voice is a soothing melody that brings solace to my soul. Your passion and joy are a balm to my worries, calming my heart and brightening my smile.
The way that I audibly gasped when I saw this, this is gonna be such and interesting video I’m so excited to watch it.
Your videos are always so nice to have to listen to while I'm working
You mentioned Justice, my mind went to Batman. Now I am questioning what if Five Nights at Freddy's took place in the DC Universe.
"Charlie" died in an alleyway, Bruce Wayne's parents died in an alleyway, coincidence?
(Charlie in quotes because after realizing they never say her name in the game there's no reason her name can't be Susie2)
Two-sie theory is SO canon
@CandiBuunny please explain
@Alkeeros we already have too many characters sharing a name, we don't need another example of that happening.
@@charleswolfe8896 Oh haha we were going off about there being two susies in Unwithered Circles' Midnight Motorist birthday stream
In a few years from now, people are going to point to this video as the start of a widespread interest in literary analysis of FNAF. Absolutely love theory videos too, but this was the most interesting and engaging FNAF video on UA-cam. The start of something huuuge. 🎉
I understand you feel this way. But I don't see the benefit in yet another video that makes morality this vague, unknowable, subjective thing. The video even ends with what I believe to be some of the worst advice one can give without blatantly saying "just do whatever you want."
Whenever I see people say, "omg you're such and inspiration to me!!" I kind of roll my eyes and translate it to: "You're cool, I like what you do." But when I say, Candi Buunny, that nearly every video you make about funny bear game provokes doctor strange flying through space astronomical thought and inspiration to write and read and think and speak -- I genuinely mean it. You are so cool, where did you come from? The ocean? The stars? Denny's parking lot? I and everyone else may never know, but I am glad whatever or wherever produced you did so, so that you may touch the minds of thousands and maybe one day millions.
Or what not.
Dennys parking lot for sure
That thumbnail is something I guess
I love this video - so well written and throught-provoking!
This video will prove that one version of justice is more just (preferably on a plastic freddy)
i hope the pasta you mentioned in the description was good, gr8 video as always.
thank you so much it was in fact delicious. A perfect vessel for alfredo
@CandiBuunny the alfredo now haunts the pasta.
Oh yayy funny bear video-- *gets immediately crushed by the philosophical weight of the concepts of right and wrong*
My favorite animatronic, Freddy LawBear
CANDII BUNNY POSTED THIS WILL BE AN AMAZING DAY.
You reminded me how i struggled to write esseys in school on every possible topic. But linking Fnaf with Justice and how it presents it has never crossed my mind. You did an incredible Job Candy
I mean absolutely no disrespect by this, but 25:45 you sound like the mom in movies who reads bedtime stories to their kid.
Justice this, justice that. I want to pet the purple bnnuy on the screen.
Nothing better than having existential questions from one of my favorite game series!
IMO
Afton bad, Charlie good, Cassidy middle, Micheal good, Elizabeth middle, Henry good.
Excellent video. Keep it up!
I appreicate this look at a side not often given much thought, from what I experience of the fandom.
Deep Candi Bunny. Deep. Good job
I also like the addition of the transformation matrix. Nice.
Hi! I watch all your videos, and this one was very interesting. It was really a blast to watch, even though English is not my main language.
Candi:
*drops this video*
*refuses to elaborate*
*leaves*
One main thing I've always been conflicted with this franchise is Do Michael, Henry, Charlie, Elizabeth, Crying Child, and The Missing Children deserve some form of punishment for the bad things they did, or can they he excused from their actions because everything they did was still technically William's fault
I suppose that depends on your faith. I wouldn't suggest answering this question from a secular standpoint since it lacks any notion of objective morality. It's a good question, though.
Bruv the fuck DID crying child do?
@echo.romeo. this isn't the type of video to talk about it, but I would push back that religion offers an "objective morality" (it's been a talking point of people with faith forever, a way to go "we have something non believers don't!") But consider, different Bibles are translated differently from the same source material. Different churches and branches of the faith put different emphasis on different words. And there's no solid evidence the book contains any moral authority. It might have just been a community of regular people making up stories to convince others of what they ought to do. In the same way Fazbear Frights have things you ought to do, but is (probably) not considered to be divinely inspired
@@Alkeeros Actually, this is is the perfect type of video to talk about this. We're challenged at the end of the video to learn from others, so I'm taking it as an opportunity to bring the community together and help others think logically. This "different churches and differenct branches of faith" argument is a non-sequitur. Whether or not you and I disagree is irrelevant to the truth of the matter, so that's not an argument. You and I could be arguing about how many apples are in a bag. If you say there are 5 and I say there are 7, us disagreeing has nothing to do with how many apples are in the bag. In fact, there may actually be 5 in the bag, which would make you correct. But if we use your logic, since you and I disagree, there is no objective amount of apples. That's completely illogical. Second, you have to define "solid evidence." What constitutes as evidence to you?
@@echo.romeo. Your entire comparison is what is illogical. The objective amount of apples, based upon simple math, is not comparable to discussions of morality. The reason morality cannot ever be objective is because your moral values will never be universally agreed upon, even on things that most would consider no-brainers. Like... don't be weird to kids or wipe out entire civilizations. Why? Because those things happen, historically and today, sometimes by amoral cruelty, and many times by those who considered themselves to be arbiters of morality and/or that they were achieving a grander good. We don't even need to discuss different churches and branches. A single, seemingly unified faith can break apart amongst its practitioners over such things. At the end of the day, you cannot prove God (the "evidence" in question), and thus you have no objective means for why your view of morality be taken as the one true moral code. Even if I'd agree with it.
I think I have pretty damn good standards for what makes one good or bad, so much so I think things would be better if they were universally considered to be objective. But I have nothing to prove that they should be taken as such. Because it's forever subjective.
i think the fnaf game's heavy justice focus (as well as the flip flop between the types of justice) are also influenced by scott's religion. as much as we like to avoid the topic, it is something worthy to keep in mind. christianity is both highly retributive and also restorative. people who do wrong are punished (often with hell, but in the current life as well), but it also has a focus on repenting and earning forgiveness. except in fnaf, william will never repent, so that forgiveness doesn't go to him, it goes to pretty much everyone else
Why do people avoid talking about Christianity? This is always so puzzling.
@echo.romeo. its one of the largest religions in the world, so it has a lot of baggage. especially for queer folks.
@@vizzzyy190 Why should that matter? Christianity is not the enemy of the queer. The largest religion in the world is atheism, which was responsible for the elimination of around 200 million in the 20th century, including queers. The myth that there was persecution of queers at the hands of Christians comes from a select few Protestants and the atrocities of Islam. Atheists, Protestants, and Muslims are not Christians, so I'm not sure where the baggage comes from.
@@vizzzyy190 Why should that matter? We aren't their enemy. The largest religion in the world is atheism, which racked up 200 million bodies in the 20th century, including queers. The biggest threats to them have been Protestants, atheists, and ☪️ (the one in the Middle East), three groups that are not Christians. I'm using the emoji, since my first attempt at replying got automatically deleted by the algorithm.
@@vizzzyy190 But we've never been their enemy. Atheism racked up 200 million bodies in the 20th century, and that includes queers. Protestants, Muslims, and atheists have been a threat, but not us.
45:36 absolutely diabolical visual for this example
It is entertainingly ironic how I'm watching this right after rewatching Red vs Blue Season 10. "He was brilliant. And we trusted him! But he lied to us. He twisted and tortured us! And used us! Manipulated us for his own purposes and FOR WHAT?! For this? This... shadow?"
Sorry I'm just starting the video but i like how the title could be interpreted with "Freddy's and justice" being an entity
I liked it. Well done :]
1:00 always sided with the carnivores
_short digestive system-type morality_
6:05 he makes Tolkien look like a wooorm
For cassidy's quest to kill william there's also bear of vengeance and princess quest
They may not be about her but it's entirely possible that they are and the curious thing about that is that if they are then they have an entirely sympathetic view of her quest
Both go out of their way to portray her as a noble warrior who wishes to strike down a blatantly evil villain who deserves her wrath
Princess quest basically depicts her as a magical girl (again, if it is about her)
Like you said, it really does feel like we are meant to see her vengeance in ucn as wrong but if those two are about her then she's treated as a symbol of justice
It could be like you said that ucn is the one exception but bear of vengeance is literally part of ucn, if it really is about her then it seems to frame the game as justice finally being served
And then there's the new kid and the can of worms that story opens up
Is cassidy not the vengeful spirit then? Is she and we are meant to see her as a hypocrite for doing ucn despite kelsey disagreeing when someone describes justice as basically just payback? Is it further confirmation that we are meant to see what she does to william as fair jusice?
Is cassidy-kelsey the princess bear of vengeance truly a justified symbol of justice despite how villanous and menacing ucn made her look!?
"Is Cassidy not the vengeful spirit then?" Nope.
Kelsey is likely to either be an analogue of Cassidy, or Cassidy is just straight up Kelsey in another form or something. Because it makes sense that Cassidy would be the "balance the scales" kind of justice. William killed them, they kill him. Justice served. It's almost like she has no reason to hold him in a nightmare to torture him. And if you believe she was springlocked, which I don't, but if you do, then that works double because she is the one who basically springlocks Afton. Just like Kelsey does to what's-his-face that got him springlocked to begin with. Also, they both have unisex names and end with the same sound. But that's less compelling evidence. lol
@@damkylan3
Yeah, if we are meant to take what kelsey says as the honest truth then it really does point to cassidy not being the vengeful spirit
Which is kinda weird because kelsey would otherwise be the perfect way for scott to explain why the vengeful spirit is a blonde boy even though cassidy isn't
But it does get rid of the "inconsistency" of how cassidy's quest is represented
Instead of "cassidy is always represented as noble and fighting for justice except this one time in ucn" it becomes "cassidy is always represented as noble and fighting for justice unlike the vengeful spirit from ucn"
Though i'm curious, what do you think the golden freddy stuff in ucn means if cassidy isn't the vengeful spirit? Ucndissent or something like that?
@@SeekerOfComfynessIt probably points to Dave being the Vengeful Spirit. If UCN is a metaphorical Davey Jones's Locker then it's likely that Dave blames his father for his death.
Not to mention that it's possible that Afton tortured Dave before and after the bite.
I have a headcanon that Freddy’s is right next door to the police station cuz the policemen in fnaf are completely blind anyways 😭 hiding the bodies in the suits wasn’t *that* clever and they even had the local news saying there was blood leaking from the suits like cmon.
It's possible that the police department was bribed. Not to mention that corrupt government officials exist.