This article here is just for me to give a personal reflection on my experience with FNAF as a whole, so I apologize if it's just a major yapping session, but I think you'll get something out of it.

I was such a young kid back then, just watching some YouTube videos with my Dad and older brother. We were watching Markiplier and at one point my brother paused the TV to let me know personally that "the next video we're gonna put is funny but it also might frighten you". I thought I was a big boy so I figured I'd watch it, how bad could it be? That video my friends, was Markiplier's "Five Nights at Freddy's Reaction Compilation". Yeah, I'm not kidding. At first I was a little scared by the atmosphere of the game and stuff, but I just brushed it off because if there was anything a child my age was gonna do, it was to not act scared. But ALL that changed when IT happened. When Mark got a power outage, all you could see was Freddy's face glowing in the dark and then when the lights went off, suddenly Freddy just LEAPED from the darkness and jumpscared Mark. Not even joking, I genuinely cried from that. Not even in like a tears of laughter kind of way, just straight up cried out of fear. You gotta understand that this was the first time I've EVER seen a game like FNAF. I was already a scaredy-cat when it came to horror movies, so imagine how I felt seeing FNAF for the first time! Now thankfully my Dad and brother didn't make fun of me for that, but needless to say, I avoided the series like a plague after that incident. Literally anything that had to do with FNAF was just completely ignored because I was THAT scared about it. I was borderline like the Crying Child from FNAF 4, scared over some goofy-ass robots.

My story with FNAF wouldn't officially begin again until around the period when Pizzeria Simulator was being teased and stuff. As I was older now, I started to feel less and less scared about the games and even got enough confidence to browse the FNAF wiki just to understand what exactly was with this series. In other words, I guess it was like a sort of "exposure therapy" kind of way, where the more I dealt with it head-on, the less scared I began to be. While I DID try to play some of the older games in the past (the key word being "tried" since I was still so scared back then that I wouldn't even go past Night 1), Pizzeria Simulator was the first game in the series that not only did I LEGITIMATELY play to completion, but it was also the game that really got me invested in the franchise (how ironic when FFPS was thought to be the last game). Soon after that, I officially started to engage with the fandom, or at the very least, try to experience the games again and no longer act like a scared little boy. And the rest is history.

So, you may be wondering what was the point of this whole personal lore dump about my history with FNAF. Was It really needed? No, not really. But is it relatable? Hell yeah. I don't think I could count how many people I've seen got into FNAF around the same time as I did, when we were a little older and we started to "dip our toes in the water", so to speak. I think FNAF is proof that it's never too late to get into something. Whether it's a hobby, personal interest, job, etc, all that matters is that you are engaging with it. If it's something you're especially passionate about, then it can create some amazing memories. The fanart, lore videos, fangames/fan-made OCs, and video walkthroughs will ALWAYS be in my heart, no matter if FNAF ceases to exist or I just grow tired of it one day. Of course, nothing is perfect, and there have definitely been some FNAF screw-ups before, but of course that shouldn't remove the love that YOU alone have for it. Remember folks, separate art from the artist, and the sins of the father are not those of the child. How you enjoy FNAF is completely up to you, and I think that's beautiful. I'm not even kidding when I say that FNAF was the reason I even wanted to continue drawing again and for me to be part of a community that welcomed everyone, no matter the circumstances. I've met so many wonderful, kind people through FNAF, and I will NEVER forget the memories of experiencing those teasers, trailers, and books with you all. From the bottom of my heart, I love you and I thank you. Thank you FNAF, for showing me what it means to really love something. Happy Anniversary you big, beautiful bear!

Ok so this last part is just me announcing that I'll be on a little break, I've been drawing nonstop for the past few days and I more than deserve a rest you know? A couple of days should do me good. Of course, I'll still be available in case anyone needs a chat or just to personally chill, but otherwise I'll just be doing my own thing in the background. I hope you all loved this project, it was easily my most ambitious work yet! Now it's time for me to get back onto smaller-scale drawings! Have a fantastic day everyone! ;)