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Fanfic / Escape the Night Novelization

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Escape the Night: A Novelization Series by canufeelthemagictonight is an Escape the Night Fan Fic series chronicling the events of the show in novel form, while also filling in a few plot holes and characterization along the way.

Official Summary: The ongoing story of Joey Graceffa, the evil that haunts him, and the Youtubers who must escape the night or die in the attempt.

Please note that a majority of the canon tropes also apply here, though this series is still its own distinct entity and should be treated as such.

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The series provides examples of:

    In General 
  • Acceptable Breaks from Canon: Aptly nicknamed by the fandom (and the author) as "break chapters", a small, canon-divergent chapter occurs between what would be Episodes 5 and 6 in each installment/season. The "break chapter" usually involves the remaining YouTubers grieving for those who had lost their lives that night.
  • Action Survivor: The survivors of each round of death games. They are all mortal content creators, but manage to endure horrific challenges that could mean their life or death.
  • Aerith and Bob: From the Confederate general Cash (S2) and SAE members Jael and Ryu (S3); to Creepy Housekeeper Sarah (S1), WW1 soldier Colin (S1), Vampire Princess Alison (S2), The-Man-With-No-Name Benjamin (S3) and Carnival Master Nicholas (S3).
  • Anachronism Stew: Zigzagged. Most non-YouTubers have names fitting to their era, only that there's a few...odd...ones that stand out for their time period.
    • Alison was a popular name in the Middle Ages and the late 20th century, not the Victorian Era. 'Alice' would be more appropriate for the era, honestly.
    • Riley was a ''masculine'' name in the 19th century, but then she was born in at least the 18th century...
  • Anyone Can Die: It's a series of death games, so yes. Almost everyone is up for grabs....
  • Ancient Evil: The settings are always home to a malevolent entity that kills its guests.
  • Back from the Dead: Happens a few times throughout the second and third installments.
    • The Automaton Bride in the second installment may count.
    • Joey gets this in Chapter 55 of the second installment.
    • In the third installment, MatPat gets this in Chapter 35, and Jael and Ryu are revived in Chapter 54.
    • Exaggerated in the fourth installment where eight past guests are brought back to fight for a second chance at life. Colleen is the only one out of these eight to make it out alive, and she had already been revived once in the novel/season.
  • The Big Guy: Oli, DeStorm Jesse, Alex, MatPat and Manny are the most notable ones.
  • Black Guy Dies First: Averted, because although the token "black" characters die around the same time in their respective novels - GloZell in Chapter 24 of the first installment; DeStorm in Chapter 23 of the second installment and Chapter 24 of the fourth installment; Teala in Chapter 24 of the third installment, they are never the first to die.
  • Bury Your Gays: Played with...a lot, but mostly averted because none of the YouTubers are killed off because of their sexuality, specifically.
    • Justified for Shane, because he's a member of the Society Against Evil, and He Knows Too Much.
    • Downplayed for the LGBT guest survivors, because their friends are dead and they almost certainly have PTSD...but they're still alive. This category includes Eva, Tyler, Andrea Russett, Nikita, and Bretman.
    • Subverted for Joey. He came Back from the Dead.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The Crown of Oblivion from the second installment was used to power the portal to Purgatory in the fourth installment.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Several YouTubers died in ways which can be classified as such.
  • Curiosity Killed the Cast: Too many times: accepting the invitations - ALL THREE TIMES, that cursed jack-in-the-box in Chapter 6 of the third installment...ugh.
  • Dark Fantasy: Especially in the second installment, which primarily takes place in the Victorian Era.
  • The Dead Have Names: At least once a book, Joey mentally recounts the names of his friends who died in the death games and how each of them died.
  • Doorstopper: Each installment clocks in at over 100,000 words.
  • Due to the Dead:
    • Funerals are held for the deceased YouTubers at the end of each season.
    • In the second installment, Joey eventually tucks Liza away in a bedroom to show respect in Chapter 30, the non-canon mid-season break.
  • Ending Memorial Service: Each novel ends with the survivors attending the deceased's funerals.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Several chapter titles are quite blatant about what happens in the chapter.
  • Face Death with Dignity: DeStorm in Chapter 23 of the second installment, then eventually his ex-Arch-Enemy Alex in Chapter 46 of the fourth installment.
  • Fantasy Kitchen Sink: Especially in the second installment. Spread across the first three installments are: demons, vampires, werewolves, gods and goddesses, Steampunk, dimensions, clowns, mermaids, witches, other monsters, etc.
  • Find the Cure!:
    • The first challenge of the entire series is to find the antidote to save Shane's life after he is poisoned. They don't make it in time.
    • Chapter 39 of the first installment has another challenge like this, as doe the finale of the same novel (Chapter 51-54).
    • We return to a similar premise in the third installment, when one of the group was bitten by the Snake Woman and a part of the group had to make the antidote to the venom.
  • Forever War: It was first revealed in Chapter 9 of the first installment that the Society Against Evil had been fighting against the Evil for centuries. Chapter 50 of the third installment officially states that it's an ongoing war.
  • Group Hug: Happens to the winning group in group challenges (the losing one goes up for elimination), then in the finale of the third installment too.
    • Chapter 21 of the second installment: After the Capture the Flag game between the Dark Army and the Confederates.
    • Chapter 22 of the third installment: Once Team Badass Bitch completes their set of challenges.
  • History Repeats:
    • In Chapter 49 of the first installment and Chapter 50 of the second installment, Joey fails to save the YouTuber he was partnered with, resulting in their deaths.
    • In Chapter 34 of the first installment, Matt had the choice between committing suicide or killing Sierra in the exorcism death challenge. In Chapter 49 of the third installment, Nikita had to make the same choice in another death challenge, between herself and Manny. Both times, both chose to save themselves, although the former did not do it on purpose.
    • In the first installment, GloZell antagonizes Joey. In the third installment, Colleen does the same, even though she showed remorse in the end. Guess who Joey decides to betray both times?
    • In Chapter 23 of the first installment and Chapter 34 of the second installment, Joey is voted into betrayal challenges.
    • The equivalents of Season 2 Episode 4 and Season 3 Episode 9 mirror each other when a member of the group volunteers to become temporarily Brainwashed and Crazy to further the group's goals to reach the artifacts.
    • In the equivalents of Episode 8 of all seasons, the one dying (Tim, Alison, Rosanna and Alex) accepted their death prior to it occurring.
    • The eqivalents of Episode 9 of both Seasons 2 and 3 involve a demonic creature: the Devourer for the former, the demon dog for the latter.
    • In the equivalents of the finales of both Seasons 2 and 3, the final three face off against the Mooks, while trying to complete their mission. If one of them gets captured, they have five minutes to save him/her.
      • Season 4 continues this, but the time limit dropped to two minutes only.
    • In the equivalents of Episode 4 of both Seasons 2 and 4, Alex and DeStorm face off against each other, and DeStorm dies. The former part is lampshaded by Tana, and even Chapter 23 of the fourth installment is titled History Repeats Itself.
      Tana: History's repeating itself.
    • The fourth novel in a nutshell. The returning guests are not thrilled at the idea of having to go through this thing again, while Joey is exasperated and resigned at having to go through this a fourth time.
    • On a lighter note, both the third and fourth installments feature a Camp Gay guy (Joey and Bretman, respectively) having to pretend to be straight.
    • Also, in Chapter 38 of the second installment and Chapter 43 of the fourth installment, respectively, Tyler and Ro get stuck in a booby trap and must be saved in a limited time frame before everyone dies. Both times, they manage not to let the countdown run out just in time.
    • Oddly enough, the equivalent of Episode 8 in the second, third, and fourth installments all feature a Race Challenge.
    • Furthermore, the second and fourth installments both involve the final three luring the Mooks into a trap to be rid of them.
  • A House Divided: Happens every season, as the YouTubers are often pitted against each other to fight for their own survival.
  • Kill the Cutie: Most of the YouTubers who are deemed "cinnamon rolls" tend to end up dead. Case in point, Rosanna. In fact, it would probably be easier to list the cinnamon rolls who don't die.
  • Last Episode, New Character: Arthur's brother in the first installment, Riley in the second installment.
  • murder.com: A meta example - the series can be read on Archive of Our Own.
  • Novelization: It's quite obvious, isn't it?
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted.
    • In the first two seasons alone, there have been two YouTubers named Andrea, with Andrea Brooks in Season 1 (the first installment) and Andrea Russett in Season 2 (the second installment).
    • So far, there have been two YouTubers whose first names are Matthew and are subsequently nicknamed Matt, Matthew Haag and Matthew Patrick (also known as MatPat).
    • On a side note, as of the third installment, there have been three characters named Caroline.
  • Purgatory and Limbo: The World Between Worlds, as shown in the third installment; and in the fourth installment, Joey actively ventures into Purgatory to save a handful of his deceased friends.
  • Riddle Me This: Several challenges, elimination or not, take the form of riddles, most notably three of them in Chapter 40 of the first installment. Five also appear in Chapter 12 of the fourth installment, plus hieroglyphs. Then once again, three are in the Minotaur's Maze.
  • Rule of Three:
    • All Seasons:
    • Season 1, the First Installment:
      • Antidote separated into 3 parts in Chapters 7 and 8.
      • 3 items needed to perform the seance in Chapter 17.
      • 3 steps in the Perverse Games in Chapter 24.
      • 3 riddles to solve in Chapter 40.
      • 3 keys to free Vincent in the equivalent of Episode 9.
      • 3 evil staff members in the ending.
    • Season 2, the Second Installment:
      • 3 YouTubers captured by Jorogumo and her minions in the equivalent of Episode 3.
      • 3 Leviathan Seals to wreck in the ending.
      • 3 Lieutenants killed while destroying the Leviathan Seals, also in the ending.
    • Season 3, the Third Installment:
      • 3 YouTubers initially captured by the clowns in Chapter 6.
      • 3 rooms in the Funhouse in the equivalent of Episode 7.
      • 3 stages in the challenge of Chapter 39.
      • 3 witches in the equivalent Episode 8.
      • 3 curses to undo in the equivalent of Episode 8.
      • 3 Society Against Evil members sent to defeat the Carnival Master initially in 1978.
      • 3 Life Stones to recover in the ending.
      • 3 people are revived using the Lazarus Harp.
    • Season 4 (All Stars), the Fourth Installment:
      • 9 jeweled keys to recover (9=3×3).
      • The medallion used to control the Minotaur was separated into three pieces.
      • 3 riddles to solve in the Minotaur's Maze.
  • Shout-Out: Other than the already canonical ones, the author employs references to different songs, musicals, films, etc. in the chapter titles. The complete list will be detailed by the novelized season below.
  • Sliding Scale of Adaptation Modification: Would rank a 4 due to the Acceptable Breaks from Canon. Granted, it is a novelization.
  • The Smart Guy / The Smart Girl: Eva, Matt Haag, Alex, Liza, Matthew Patrick and Safiya are the most notable ones.
  • Suicidal Sadistic Choice: In Chapter 34 of the first installment and Chapter 49 of the third installment, Matt Haag and Nikita are respectively placed in a death challenge where they were faced with the option to kill themself or kill their fellow YouTuber who was voted into the challenge. Both times, they end up choosing to save themself.]]
  • Switching P.O.V.: The whole series is written in this format, constantly switching between the third-person limited POVs of Joey and each of his guests.
  • Time Travel: So far, the first three installments all involve this.
  • Token Evil Teammate: Timothy, DeStorm, Jesse and Nikita all have roles that seem to invoke this, being the Mobster, the Railroad Tycoon, the Outlaw, and the Troublemaker, respectively.
  • Voted Off the Island: Everyone votes on who competes in the death elimination challenge in each episode, or in some cases (Chapter 20 of the first installment, Chapter 34 of the third installment), who needs to die. They write names down on a strip of paper in the first installment, while picking specially made tarot cards for each contestant starting in the second installment and onward.
  • You Monster!: People call each other "sick" a lot in this series, especially in the first installment, which can be this trope or You're Insane!, depending on the context.

    Escape The Night: A Novelization 
The adaptation of Season 1.
  • Buried Alive: Though the novelization doesn't go into it, this was how Caroline Eastwick died. This also ends up being Justine's fate at the end of Chapter 20, "RIP".
  • Circus of Fear: The main setting for Chapter 28-29, corresponding to Episode 5 in the show.
  • Creepy Basement: Three people ultimately end up getting killed in the basement of the Mansion, that being Andrea in Chapter 14, "The Ungodly Machine", Sierra in Chapter 34, "The Exorcism of Sierra Furtado", and Lele in Chapter 49, "Aftershock".
  • Deadly Book: The death method of Episode 4, a la Death Note. This is how GloZell is killed in Chapter 24, "Mannequins and Murder".
  • Despair Event Horizon: Matt reaches one at the end of Chapter 34 after he accidentally kills Sierra.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: A few of the future guests are briefly mentioned in earlier books.
    • Colleen, who would go on to be a cast member in seasons 3 and 4 is mentioned in the first chapter as having turned down Joey’s invitation since she was busy with another project. This is a Mythology Gag, as Colleen was asked for the first season, but couldn’t come thanks to her busy schedule.
  • Electric Torture: The last death challenge of the novel involves this — a ring toss game, where each miss shocks the person seated above the pegs, and the loser gets electrocuted to death.
  • Failure-to-Save Murder: After failing to save Andrea in the Ungodly Machine death challenge, Justine is accused of killing her and being The Mole by Tim, Andrea's best friend.
  • The Gadfly: In Chapter 29, "Are You Not Entertained?", the Ringmaster makes the guests believe he let both Oli and Timothy get eaten by piranhas, when in actuality he never put any in the tank.
  • High-Voltage Death: In Chapter 49's death challenge, the person eliminated is electrocuted. Lele ends up being the unfortunate person eliminated.
  • Lack of Empathy: In Chapter 21, "Witness for the Prosecution", GloZell's response to Joey falling into a Heroic BSoD after everyone bands together against his wishes to kill Justine is to claim he's faking it, verbally assault him without provocation, and ultimately vote him into another "two enter, one leaves" life-or-death challenge and laugh about it. This heavily contributes to Joey deciding to kill her when he gets the opportunity three chapters later, when the challenge he is voted into turns out to be a betrayal challenge.
  • The Mole: Early on in the episode, the team is told that one of them is in league with the evil spirit of the house and they spend several episodes wondering who it is. It's Arthur, Head of Staff and Butler of the Mansion.
  • My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Roaring Twenties: The season/novel is mainly set in this time period.
  • Russian Roulette: Tim and Eva play the unholy lovechild between this and Battleship in Chapter 44, "Triggerfinger". This ends with Tim shooting himself in the head.
  • Shout-Out: Featured in the chapter titles.
  • Sour Outside, Sad Inside/Stepford Snarker: In Chapter 15, "An Eye for an Eye", Justine's snarky outburst is interpreted as her lashing out after failing to save Andrea's life. However, it caused many around her to think of her as a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing showing her "true colours", and they end up voting her to die next.
    "So you killed her?" Joey wants to know.
    No, she didn't, of course she didn't, she tried her damnedest to save the girl, it's not her fault Eva's a genius and she's a total moron. But for a few crucial moments, Justine Ezarik is too goddamn furious to care.
    Fine.     Let them think she's a murderer. They weren't there. They didn't see. They don't have to sit here and live with the guilt for the rest of their goddamn lives.
    "Who's the Fixer now?"
  • Spooky Séance: The YouTubers communicate with a deceased woman, Caroline Eastwick, to locate the second Artifact of Doom in Chapter 17, "The Seance".
  • Wham Episode: Chapter 31, "Hellfire" introduces a drastic change of plans.

    Escape The Night: A Sequel 
The adaptation of Season 2.

    Escape The Night: A Continuation 
The adaptation of Season 3.

    Escape The Night: A Restoration 
The adaptation of Season 4.

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