Lately I’ve been getting back into FNAF a little, specifically back into content of my favorite characters, because it has always brought me a lot of joy. In doing so however I remembered that my idea of FNAF characters, Springtrap in particular, is very different from a lot of what other people think of him. Rather than get too bothered by that, I think it’s a good opportunity to explain and assert my own perspective :^)
So. Whyyy do I like them. Why am I Attracted to: Springtrap, Spring Bonnie, William and Henry fnaf. Ummmm. Let me count the ways...

What do I first think of when I think of Springtrap... pain. That's important. That sounds SO mean but I really like that Springtrap is a struggling, suffering Thing, still alive and kicking at any cost. I find that personally validating :-]. I prefer Springtrap to have stiff animatronic movements and jolts Sometimes, but i also really like when he fluidly drags himself along, implying that the robotic core is still performing to the best of its ability, while the more human parts are still shakily pulling the both of them forward. Springtrap being very much a union of man and machine is reaaaaallly appealing to me; I think it is a huge part of why I'm so obsessed. It has to be Both Springbonnie and William for me to be really interested. I like the both of them individually, for sure, but 2 in 1 is really interesting and a really good deal. 2 guys in 1 mikey Who fucking said that.
I think it's also fun to acknowledge that FNAF 3 is by far the easiest game to beat and Springtrap is one of the least scary animatronics in the whole franchise. A lot of that can be attributed to the setting and atmosphere, and also to the fact that it's just super easy when there's only 1 enemy, but I feel like it adds to Springtrap's character. He's not powerless by any means, but not particularly sneaky, clever, or cunning, and certainly easily distracted by random noises. His jumpscares being very muted and not scary is also very enjoyable to me. He doesn't bite or grab or anything. He just forces you to Look at him. I'm sure he probably kills you after that, but it's still entertaining and characterizing nonetheless.
I'll elaborate on this further down but it's also worth noting that what's left of William in Springtrap loves being a robot. And I find that fun as well. It's literally a prison for him, but I'd like to think every authentically robotic twitch fills him with great satisfaction despite himself. It's not ideal, but isn't it still what he wanted? Not just my interpretation, there's some canon stuff I'm basing this thought off of. We'll come back to that in a bit though. Springbonnie first.

I likeee the idea that Spring Bonnie itself is like... Barely sentient (more of a thing that is sort of Imagined by both Henry and William and becomes "real" in their interactions towards and as Spring Bonnie, respectively) but what personality is there is a very upbeat Silly Thing thats a little mischievous but mostly just loves to show off and be the center of attention. If Spring Bonnie wants anything, they want to be loved. To Henry Emily, Springbonnie is the passion and yes, cuteness, that he sees in William. To William, Spring Bonnie is a crime-- but one he can get away with. It is everything an extremely uptight and painfully dry and ""practical"" character like him could never be and so it is sort of his forbidden fruit, so to speak. Which is kind of ridiculous because even in his pre-springtrap era, like the lines from Sister Location for example, it feels like he's just barely holding himself back from saying some crazy bullshit. And I mean that endearingly. Immensely theatrical, loves to hear himself talk, loves to Play The Game. This is the heart of Spring Bonnie, and ideally if he thinks anything at all, he thinks it's a happy and wonderful way to be. The joy on your face is worth everything to Springbonnie. But I guess that's sort of the tragic thing about it? Spring Bonnie doesn't live for itself. It exists for Henry to pour all his idealized fantasies into, and for William to pour his more strange affectations into, but then what's left in the space outside of that? While springtrap in FNAF 3 is likely chasing the sounds of children for murdering purposes, I'd like to believe William remembers Balloon Boy well enough to recognize that canned sound effect. Instead, I imagine Spring Bonnie is the one compelled to follow the noise instinctually, wondering where the party went, where all the smiling faces have gone.
Basically Spring Bonnie is fucked. But other than (and including) that, they are very happy and silly and cute and I like it a lot. Joyous beast.

Williammm let’s come back to him. I was captivated with his Whole Deal the moment I read the part of the silver eyes where it's implied that he ranted in diaries about Henry being sooooo cool in a very jealous but also extremely adoring way. Let me capture the exact quote:
"William Afton was the one who made Freddy's a business, as he had the previous restaurant. Afton was as robust and lively as Henry was withdrawn and shadowy ... A search of his house had found a room crammed with boxes of mechanical parts and a musty yellow rabbit suit as well as stacks of journals full of raving paranoia, passages about Henry that ranged from wild jealousy to near worship."
All the time I think about this. I am so very sad they never actually included any of these aforementioned journal contents, though maybe that's for the best. It would probably be cringey or a little too stereotypical stalker-killer-y. BUT you understand how this line can drive a guy crazy right?
I also think a lot about the part of the same book where William gets beaten up by teenagers to the point he passes out, and when he awakens he refuses to speak until they give him his Spring Bonnie head. brace yourself, because this is a long excerpt (also “Dave” is William’s fake nightguard cover-name in this one):
"Dave continued to stare, and it was only after a moment that Charlie considered that he might actually be staring at something. She turned, following his line of sight, then suddenly she recoiled. On the table along the wall sat a rabbit's head.
"That's it? You want that?" Charlie stood and approached the mask. "You need this?" she added in a whisper. She picked it up carefully, the light catching the edges of the spring locks that filled the mascot's head. She picked it up and carried it almost ceremoniously to Dave, who tipped his head down in a barely noticeable fashion.
Charlie placed it over his head, not being nearly as cautious as she had been with Carlton. When the mascot's head was fully resting on his shoulders, the large face raised itself until it was almost completely upright. Dave's eyes opened steadily, glassy and without emotion, like the robots on the stage outside. Lines of sweat began to trickle down from under the mask, a stain darkening the collar of his uniform shirt.
"My dad trusted you," Charlie said. She was on her knees now, looking intently at the rabbit's face. "What did you do to him?" Her voice broke.
"I helped him create." The voice came from inside the mask, but it was not Dave's, not the pitiful, sour tone they would have recognized. The voice of the rabbit was smooth and rich, almost musical. It was confident, somehow reassuring—a voice that might convince you of almost anything. Dave cocked his head to the side, and the mask shifted so that only one of his bulbous eyes could peer through the sockets.
"We both wanted to love," he said in those melodious tones. "Your father loved. And now I have loved.""
There's some really good characterization in just this page's worth of prose alone. It's worth also noting that this is not William channeling the "pure" vision of nice Spring Bonnie I mentioned earlier– right after this bit he's talking about walking over their corpses once the animatronics wake up and start killing. But this is still a valid performance as Springbon, and I'll accept it. This is probably also a good example of how Springtrap acts, where William is not literally putting on an act anymore, but is still putting on all his theatrics, especially as Spring Bonnie takes a little bit of his soul for its own sentience. But like I mentioned in the Spring Bonnie section... didn't it always do that? Anyway, it is easily argued that William only wanted them to put the mask on so the kid-possessed animatronics would not recognize him as an enemy, but judging from his behavior I want to argue that there's a little more going on than that. At the very least he is positively addicted to performance, even when he is tied and beaten. I also love the difference between Default William and Springbon- pitiful and sour, versus smooth, confident, reassuring. I find it so interesting that William can just flip like this... I find myself imagining it all the time,: how did Henry Find Out, you know? That he could perform in this way? Did William show Henry some secret side of himself on accident once, and Henry became so captivated with it he crafted a vessel for his dear friend... or did Henry simply make something he loved with all his heart independent of others' influences, and the idea of being loved by Henry was so addicting William made it his life mission to Become this character that Henry loved so much? Maybe William knows he is a sort of pitiful and nasty thing, and both loves and despises Henry for his genuine passion and drive, and for the fact that to William, he's just so very Good. "We both wanted to love." I think about it. There are a lot of really fun and gay and tragic and complicated paths for this character to take… And instead they just make him show up in Security Breach as a burnt crisp so he can cough once and die. Sad.
Also in the second book he says this:
I've accepted the new life that you gave me. You've made me one with my creation. My name is Springtrap!" The man who had once been Dave cried the name with a hoarse glee, then scrunched his gnarled face back into a glare. "I'm more than Afton ever was, and far more than Henry."
...Nobody was talking about Henry at all in this scene. Unprompted. On his mind rent free. Obsessed with it. Also in the third book:
"I gave you a monster." He gestured toward the collapsed doll that had been Springtrap. "But I assure you, I'm very, miserably, human." He paused again, a surge of anger crossing his face.
Contrast this with the above and you get a nice glimpse of William's desires and self-resentment. He is extremely validated when made into Springtrap, and seems almost furious he was ripped out of it. "Miserably human" is his exact words. Do you think having a furaffinity account would have saved him? Probably not. But it's a nice thought.
…If it needs to be said in an ideal world of my ideal fantasy version of FNAF William would not be so bad that he kills actual children. But I think there is a point to that as well.... and certainly is necessary in the actual fnaf canon because it's the high stakes / real threat and seriousness that gives the story weight and tension, and affects other characters drastically. I do, regardless, think he has to be Bad. Unforgivably bad. He is THE bad guy. That's his role and purpose, just as Henry is THE good guy. This is the fate and game they must play, inevitable. And that’s important.

Henryyyy let's talk about Herny I would love to tell you about Henry.
Henry is like. The ultimate tragic misunderstood genius type. Withdrawn, textually and blatantly mentally ill, and loves robots? Have mercy on me. Please.
I'll pull a few more book excerpts to start us off again:
"Afton seemed like the normal one in the venture, the businessman. Henry was the artist; he always seemed to be off in another world, some part of his mind thinking about his mechanical creatures even when he was holding a conversation about the weather or the kids' soccer games. There was something off about Henry, something almost shell-shocked..."
This passage is probably describing the effects of grief on Henry, but I really enjoy the idea that he was always this way; a quiet and thoughtful person who mostly cared about his artwork, and was thinking about the things he has made and would make at almost all times. The kind of person you could just look at and know he was "not normal". I often feel this is true about myself, so I find a lot of joy in characters like this, especially when they are real sweethearts. Like I mentioned before, I think Henry is certainly withdrawn, and often a little spaced-out, but I think he can be engaged fully when discussing something he's passionate about. Clearly he loves robots with all of himself, and I like to think it shows in his work and the way he interacts with them. I imagine that being indulged by William was very important to him and was a strong bond in their friendship.
This is one of the more "source: i made it up" things I'm going to say, but I also interpret Henry as having a great care and affection for the animatronics and especially for the original Spring Bonnie and Fredbear. I think it would be really sweet if he made the pair specifically so he and his best friend and partner could perform together, united on the stage. And perhaps so he could project a little of his fantasies of an ideal life together onto them. This ties into some of what I mentioned before, where Spring Bonnie exists for Henry to pour his affections towards William into. But also I think in general he would treat the animatronics like friends and family, even if he knows as their creator that they aren't really sentient. Whatever life they do contain (before any Actual Soul Funny-Business) is there because he willed it, and I think that's very sweet in its own right. A wonderful little world of his own creation. There's a bittersweetness to that which I enjoy greatly.
Now, while William is known for being dramatic, Henry is also a somber poet in his own right. Take this passage from The Fourth Closet:
I have my Charlie here with me. You will never have to indulge me in her again. Rather than taking joy in her, I have cried over her, so many countless tears. I have poured agony into her, until she serves as another reminder not of what I once had, but of the unbearable pain of what was taken from me. She has come to reflect my pain back to me; whereas I, for a time, took great comfort in her eyes, I now only see loss, endless, debilitating loss. Her eyes will never fill me again. In fact, they have emptied me. (...)
My old faithful partner, who I can only hope now is in a grave of his own, took what I had begun, and made something of his own—something dreadful. He crafted my beloved work into something of his own, and endowed it with who knows what kinds of evil. I was able to stop him, and to seal away what he made, and you, Jenny, must ensure that the seal remains. (...)
I'm going to be with my daughter.
Love always & to the end,
Henry
Did I mention this is from Henry's multiple pages long suicide note to his sister? Good lourd.
But yeah. Henry is a character deeply mired in his own depression, wallowing in it and revolving his whole life around it as if there is nothing else for him. In this specific context he made multiple different robot recreations of his daughter in order to convince himself that she could be brought back from death. Obsessed with a sort of romantic disillusionment to avoid the horrible facts of his life, and holding his head down to drown himself in it at every opportunity. How can you not become obsessed with a sad little thing like that? ...In seriousness, I see a lot of my own struggles in Henry, which makes him very endearing to me.
And did you catch that?? "My old faithful partner". Just like in Pizza Simulator, where Henry calls William "old friend" in the same breath he condemns him to eternal torture, he just can't seem to regard his old dear friend as anything less than such. Faithful. Even when it's clear Henry knows who enacted the death of his child and turned his life into a waking nightmare, Henry still regards William as faithful. It drives me fucking crazy man. It's going to kill. me.

So what's the point . U,mmm. I really like these characters. I want people to understand why I like them so much. On some levels its really shallow (I really really like robots, I like rabbits, I think Springtrap himself is just kind of a badass design in its own right, I think Springbon is cute as hell, etc) but also there's some deeper thoughts I have about these characters that puts me on a wavelength much different than many others' interpretations of the source material. A significant part of the draw of them for me is their sort of. Endless torment. The whole situation of FNAF is just sort of dramatic and sad...all stemming from two people (three if you count Spring Bonnie as a third. Sometimes I do.) who just can't let go of each other no matter what. William for all his bragging will never stop trying and failing to match what he saw in Henry. Henry, for all his rage and revenge, cannot fathom a world where William is not his friend. And I think about it. And I do see myself in and project myself onto both of these characters--I mean… it would be hard not to have some pretty personal interpretations of them without just kind of shoving my own self into the gaps where possible. But there's a lot of material to feed on, and feed I do. YUMMMMM. I used to think about this stuff alllll the time. And I'm thinking about it again...
I think it would be nice. if they could be happy. and be themselves completely. and not killing eternal rage torment forever.
But the eternal torment 1000 years of torture and chasing each other across the world through anything and everything is gooooood too. Smiles.

Just to round it out I'll link some songs that have been about these characters to me for forever; maybe I'll draw something to the ones I haven't drawn stuff to yet...with some notes so you see my vision :-]

Love in the Time of Human Papillomavirus - AJJ (henry pov @ william)

Space Monkey - Placebo (william pov @ springbon) ( i drew this one :-] )

Glorious - The Hoosiers (william pov @ henry)

(Don't Make) Eye Contact - The Hoosiers (another william pov @ henry hoosiers song)

The Comfort of a Laugh Track - Roar (henry pov, somewhat @ william)

Lovefool - The Cardigans (i think of henry but could be william too. just a classic.)

A Night at the Movies - The Scary Jokes (henry pov, about william a little.)

Chinese Tattoo - Roar (about henry)

I Like Pretending - IMAX (william/springbon pov, see above thoughts about springbonnie and "preforming.")

Genuis Next Door - Regina Spektor (abt william)

Mother Mother - Modern Love (i know LOL i dont even like this song as much as i used to but its still henry and william to me.)