Springaling is a Five Nights at Freddy's 3 fan webcomic by Negaduck9. Originating as a collection of humorous one-shots, the comic has since developed a sense of continuity and gone through several story arcs.
The Puppet, Springtrap, the ghosts of the children Springtrap killed in life, and the Nightmare animatronics are all stuck inside Fazbear's Fright. Various heartfelt and humorous events ensue.
The comic can be read in its entirety here
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Contains examples of:
- Art Evolution: Early comics have thicker lineart on the characters than later ones, due to the artist switching to inking lineart with finer-tipped pens.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: In "Regrets", Springtrap appears to admit to the old Fredbear costume that he feels remorse over killing the children, only to comment in the last panel that he should have done something different to clean up the bloodstains. Behind him, the Puppet drops the present he was holding and prepares to whack Springtrap on the head with a mallet.
- Closed Circle: The undead characters can't leave Fazbear's Fright until they "earn their balloons". While other characters can enter and leave the building, circumstances often conspire for Springtrap (the only one with a physical form) to be unable to exit.
- Comically Missing the Point: Springtrap's attempt to let the Puppet figure out on his own that the Funtime animatronics were designed to kill kids backfires because the Puppet keeps drawing unexpected conclusions from the blueprints. When asked if he notices anything unusual about Freddy, the Puppet comments on the Bonnie hand puppet. Springtrap then specifically points out the kid inside of Freddy in the fetal position, which the Puppet interprets as Freddy being pregnant. Springtrap's response is to facepalm, then spell out directly what's going on.
- Death Glare: "If Looks Cold Bruise" has the Puppet glare with increasing intensity at Springtrap after he comments that the Crying Child isn't one of his kills.
- Decomposite Character: Due to the comic not having retcons about the origins of characters that take later Five Nights at Freddy's games into account, the Fazbear Entertaiment employee who murdered several children and ultimately became Springtrap is a separate person from the Afton Robotics employee who designed the Funtime animatronics.
- Doesn't Like Guns: Springtrap of all people can't stand using or hearing firearms. This stems from an incident in his youth where a fighting dog bit his leg and he was shot by accident in the process of getting it off him. Once he got out of the hospital, he was tasked with shooting the dog to put it down and was unable to give it a headshot because his hands kept shaking. Once Springtrap explains this, the Puppet apologizes for shooting him during the paintball fight.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- The first twenty or so comics consist entirely of one-off jokes and outtakes about the artist's self-contained comic about the third game, Requiem with a Birthday Cake. Comic 22 marks the beginning of the first Story Arc and the introduction of elements from later Five Nights at Freddy's games.
- Springtrap's dialogue is provided via translations of the sounds he makes in the first few comics, and the translations persist when he's around the ghosts. Starting from the sixth comic, Translation Convention is in effect and his dialogue is only presented as "breathy hissing followed by translation note" when a live human is in the building.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Former Serial Killer Springtrap finds the concept of the Funtime animatronics being automated child-killing machines to be obscene. He likens his past actions to an animal hunting out of necessity and avoiding excessive cruelty, while someone who'd go to the effort of designing robots that kidnap and kill kids is doing so solely because they want to.
- Exact Words: When the night guard of Fazbear's Fright asks the Puppet about the identity of the Serial Killer that plagued Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, the latter responds that they don't know the murderer's full name and he's dead by that point. While true, the statement doesn't out Springtrap (who's in the room with them) as said murderer.
- Flipping the Bird: Springtrap is implied to give a security camera the finger in "The Privacy Act" after the Puppet shuts him out of the office by sealing the vent he entered behind him. One of the Freddles doesn't understand what the gesture means.Freddle: "I'm number one?"
(The Puppet sighs) - Instantly Proven Wrong: At one point, Springtrap states that if God really was listening to the Puppet's prayers, he would've received a sign. A pigeon flies into the office immediately after he says this, leading to his displeasure.Springtrap: A DOVE? Really? How Old Testament can you get?!
- It Gets Easier: Springtrap describes his killing of kids as getting easier for him to achieve over time. While his first kill freaked him out and it took years before he tried again, by the end of his spree it evolved into an urge to off kids and he says he was proud at the time for managing to kill a party of five in one go.Springtrap: I didn't get upset anymore. I got better at it. Practice makes perfect.
- Lazy Artist: Discussed in the aftermath of a paintball fight after the Puppet asks how they're going to clean the mess up. Springtrap says they won't have to, reasoning that if the artist can't be bothered to draw the office decorations, there's no reason for her to bother drawing paint splatter for longer than she has to. Sure enough, the paint's all gone in the next panel.
- Merchandise-Driven: In-universe, the cartoon Fredbear & Friends is described as having been primarily made to get kids to visit the restaurant and buy toys of the characters. Springtrap mentions that the writers weren't allowed to introduce characters that didn't have toys aside from some one-shot villains and were forced to write out Gold Bonnie after Fazbear Entertainment stopped merchandising the character.
- Oh, Crap!: During the paintball fight, Nightmare decides to get even with Springtrap and the Puppet for ganging up on Plushtrap by threatening them with a paint bazooka. The Puppet hurriedly says this is the part where they run, but Springtrap takes the situation in stride.Springtrap: We who are about to DYE, salute you.
- Rummage Fail: Springtrap's hammerspace is poorly organized, so he often struggles to pull out what he needs. In "Hammerspace and Time", he pulls out a banana-cream pie and a rubber chicken while trying to find a pen.
- Shout-Out:
- Springtrap's human self is drawn to resemble, and is named after, BOB from Twin Peaks.
- "Gremlintronics" has three tips for making sure the new animatronics continue to work properly: don't expose them to bright lights, don't get them wet, and don't feed them during the night shift, i.e. after midnight.
- Springtrap says the second season of Show Within a Show Freddy and Friends bombed because it was put up against Muppet Babies (1984).
- One story arc has the Puppet play Polybius.
- God is depicted the same way He is in The Simpsons.
- Translation Convention: Springtrap is only physically capable of making hissing sounds akin to his jumpscare noise in the game he's from, but is perceived as speaking fluently while in the company of the other undead characters and the Nightmare animatronics, who are imagination-based beings.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The final canon comicnote details what happened to the people and places the inhabitants of Fazbear's Fright left behind when they moved on.
- Fazbear's Fright burned down, as per canon. The basement was filled with rubble, burying all evidence of Fazbear Entertainment's less savory side.
- The pigeons that were living in the ductwork escaped unharmed and relocated to a parking lot.
- Helpy was found and brought home by the night guard of Fazbear's Fright, but hasn't moved since.
- Who Would Want to Watch Us?: When Springtrap complains about the Nightmares thinking the setting of a cartoon is their home, the Puppet asks if that's any sillier than a haunted marionette and a zombie in a rabbit suit talking philosophy.Springtrap: Yeah, you can't make up crap like that. And if you did, who'd read it?
(Puppet, Springtrap, and Plushtrap turn towards the reader) - Worth It: Springtrap discusses having approved of a script for a tie-in cartoon to Freddy's with absurd content, like the written-off Gold Bonnie having bear cub triplets since her disappearance. He then says that while kids asked him about Gold Bonnie's bear children whenever he wore the Fredbear costume for months afterward, he felt that getting to throw the writers of the cartoon a bone in exchange was worth it.
- Writer Revolt: An In-Universe example with the last episode of Fredbear & Friends. Once the show was confirmed to be cancelled, the writers submitted one last script containing topics that would normally never get approved, like Foxy having been paid by Fredbear to be a villain or Gold Bonnie's absence being explained by her being on maternity leave with golden bear cub triplets. The higher-ups at Fazbear Entertainment never paid it any mind, and Springtrap mentions deciding to approve the script because he figured the writers deserved a break after all the restrictions the parent company placed on their material.
