The Puppet Carver | Jump for Tickets | Pizza Kit
Jump! Jump! Jump! Hey, what's that crushing sound?
Colton knew that his mom and some of his teachers were worried about how cold and bitter he seemed. What was he supposed to do? A happy dance? His dad was dead, and he lived in a world where people rarely got what they deserved. If he lashed out sometimes, so what? He was suffering, and if other people ended up getting a taste of that pain, then at least he didn’t suffer alone.
Colton is a sullen teenager, saving up his tickets at Freddy Fazbear's for their big prize: a brand new gaming console, one that he wouldn't be able to afford all on his own. What's blocking him from getting it? Kids. The annoying little kids who race around the place manage to get a leg-up in the biggest prize dispenser: the Ticket Pulverizer. In a game where you're supposed to jump up and down to get tickets to rain on you, the machine has been rigged so that kids (who weigh less) will get more tickets than older guests. Seeing this as unfair, Colton decides to sneak into the place and re-rig the machine. Once it's in his favor, he'll be able to get as many tickets as he wants. So long as that creepy clown animatronic doesn't mess with him.
The twenty-sixth Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights story, and the second of the ninth book, The Puppet Carver. It will be adapted into the graphic novel series in 2024.
Tropes related to “Jump for Tickets”:
- Accidental Murder: Colton is locked inside the Ticket Pulverizer as the kids jump around inside it, seemingly causing him to be crushed into a bloody paste.
- All for Nothing: Colton breaks into Freddy's twice in order to mess with the Pulverizer. The first time, he's unable to do anything to change its programming. The second time, he's able to fix it to what he wants, but he's trapped inside of it and crushed before he can use it.
- Ambiguously Evil: It seems that Coils is actually just trying to keep Colton from getting himself stuck in the machine, and Colton is ignoring him. However, that vent closed behind Colton somehow, Coils also stole Colton's phone and did nothing to answer his worried mother's call, and didn't seem to be trying to get the kids to stop jumping come morning. Still, he seems very upset at the teen's death, and hugs Aidan tightly when he sees him.
- Ambiguous Situation: Did Colton possess Coils at the end of the story? He turns sad and hugs Aidan, but at the same time, he still doesn't want the employees to go into the place and find the body, something that is pretty important to ghosts in this universe.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Actually of the cousin variety, Colton does everything he can to avoid his cousin, Aidan, who lives nearby and absolutely adores him.
- Asshole Victim: Colton is cruel to others and thinks the best way to win is to break into a pizza place– twice– and mess with their electronics so that the little kids will be at a disadvantage. Still, he's a grieving teenager who goes out in a brutal way.
- Big Cousin Worship: Aidan thinks Colton is the coolest person in the world, and rushes to hug him every time he sees him. It turns out at the end he's saving up his own tickets to give to his cousin in hopes that it will cheer him up.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Though he doesn't care much about school, Colton is incredibly smart, especially mechanically. But when his mother suggests getting a job to pay for his console, he's aghast.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Colton pays dearly for trying to cheat a Freddy's game.
- Cheerful Child: Colton hates all kids of this variety, especially his little cousin, Aidan, who's always energetic and enthusiastic.
- Child Hater: Colton despises anyone younger than him. He sees them as undeserving of the special treatment they get due to their age, stupidly naive to the world, and downright annoying.
- Claustrophobia: Colton had never felt this before, but he starts getting it after hiding behind a closet in order to mess with the machine after-hours. He then has to crawl into a tiny space in order to mess with the Pulverizer the second time, and gets himself stuck. The rest of the story is describing just how awful it is to be in this enclosed space in dead silence, before he gets himself crushed.
- Continuity Nod: One of the arcade games Colton plays is Dee Dee's Fishing Hole.
- Cool Uncle: Colton's Uncle Mike, who works in a car garage and has Colton on as an assistant. He tells Colton that he can soon start an apprenticeship, and doesn't question what he needs those materials for.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Colton's trapped in a tiny, claustrophobic space for hours on end, desperate for someone to hear and rescue him. Then the music turns out, drowning out his screams, as kids go into the Pulverizer and slowly crush him to death.
- Deadpan Snarker: Mainly while Colton is playing video games.
- Disappeared Dad: Colton's father died in a car accident.
- Downer Ending: Colton dies horribly, partially because of his cousin and his friends. Coils then hugs Aidan, who obliviously says he's going to give his tickets to Colton.
- Good All Along: Implied with Coils.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Colton is jealous that little kids seemingly get the world handed to them, while nothing has been fair for him since his dad died.
- Hope Spot: Colton hears his cell phone go off, realizing his mom is trying to call him. But his phone is outside the Pulverizer, and Coils grabs it before he can.
- Ironic Name: The Ticket Pulverizer sure pulverizes that kid inside of it, eh?
- It Must Be Mine!: Colton wants that game console, no matter what it takes.
- Monster Clown: While Coils isn't malicious, he's definitely antagonistic towards Colton, and a little freaky.
- Monster of the Week: Subverted, as we think Coils is going against Colton, but it turns out he's trying to prevent the teen from crawling into the machine, and seems visibly distraught at Colton's death.
- No Full Name Given: For anyone.
- Oblivious to Hatred: Aidan has no idea that Colton dislikes being around him. He thinks his cousin is the coolest person in the world.
- Performance Artist: With a voice actor who's "trying too hard," Coils also decorates his face with comedy and tragedy masks.
- The Strategist: Colton is actually able to come up with some really solid plans on breaking in and out of Freddy's without getting caught. Unfortunately, that turns out to be his downfall, as it means nobody suspects he's inside when he gets stuck.
- Struggling Single Mother: Colton's mom works long shifts in order to provide for her son. They're not poor, but have learned to "settle for less."
- Troubled Teen: It's stated that Colton's internalized grief over his father's death is what causes his anger and hatred towards the world.
- Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: How Colton views the little kids at Freddy's.
