Blackbird | The Real Jake | Hide-and-Seek
"I won..."
With that realization, it was like something clicked inside of him. A veil had lifted, and he saw everything with sudden clarity.
Just like Toby, the shadow had only wanted to win.
Toby Billings wants to win, just once. He's always been overshadowed by his older brother, who just has to win at everything he tries. But he's always second to everything, including the arcade games at Freddy's, where Toby works... only after Connor has, of course. So when Freddy's introduces a new game, he jumps at the chance to get his name on the leaderboards before Connor can even know it exists. The game is called Hide-And-Seek, starring a shadowy Bonnie cutout that will hide in one of several selected places, and all Toby has to do is find him. And all the bunny has to do is stay hidden.
So what happens when Toby screws up, and the rabbit chooses him as its new hiding place?
The eighteenth Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights story, and the third of the sixth book, Blackbird. It was adapted into the graphic novel series in 2023.
Tropes related to “Hide-and-Seek”:
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Tabitha is described as having black hair in the books, but is illustrated with short red hair in the graphic novel, though the unnatural shade implies it's dyed.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Officer Jimenez is a lot more confrontational and suspicious of Toby in the graphic novel than he was in the novel.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Tabitha, who is often on the fringes of the class. Once she befriends Toby, though, she's very happy to hang out with him.
- Always Someone Better: Toby, to Connor. Connor likes to rub it in, too.
- Ambiguously Brown: "Bing" is a surname in Chinese and Korean communities, and Tabitha is described as having dark black hair. Therefore, it's likely that she's East Asian, though never stated.
- Animalistic Abomination: As its "game" continues, Shadow Bonnie grows more monstrous.
- Big Brother Bully: Connor at first seems to just be teasing Toby, but quickly their conversation escalates into an actual physical fight in which Connor pins him to the ground. Toby later realizes this behavior is likely due to their Missing Mom and their residual issues from her abandonment.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Toby actively doesn't care about his schoolwork, as all the teachers do is compare him to his brother.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: And teeth, in regards to Shadow Bonnie.
- Cheated Death, Died Anyway: Toby almost died several times in trying to get rid of Shadow Bonnie, mainly when he nearly drowned. He eventually kills himself rather than admit defeat.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Toby tried to cheat at Hide-and-Seek in order to get a highscore he could lord over his brother. This didn't end well.
- Childish Older Sibling: Despite being an adult with a job, Connor acts more childish than Toby, liking to provoke and tease his brother.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Reggie, with Toby as his reluctant minder at times.
- Downer Ending: Just after getting a Hope Spot, Toby decides to kill himself rather than forfeit the game.
- Driven to Suicide: Toby impales himself on pegs meant for hanging props as a means of destroying RWQFSFASXC and, in his Sanity Slipped mind, beating the Hide and Seek game.
- Emotion Eater: Whilst attached to Toby's shadow, Shadow Bonnie is fueled by the former's anger.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: On Shadow Bonnie.
- Granola Girl: Tabitha, who ran for student council, is an activist, and suggests a lot of alternative healing methods to Toby when he denies needing therapy. She mentions that her parents are vegans, so it may be a family thing.
- Hair-Raising Hare: Shadow Bonnie, of course.
- The Heartless: Both this short and Special Delivery imply that Shadow Bonnie's an entity of negative emotions, mainly anger and agony. Just whose agony and/or anger caused it to be created is unknown. And considering it has glowing white eyes and teeth, it may actually contain a soul.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Toby technically impales himself in hopes of killing the shadow.
- I See Dead People: When Toby asks how Reggie can see the shadow, Reggie simply says that he can see a lot of strange things.
- I See Them, Too: Reggie is the first to see Toby's Shadow. Toby soon realizes that other people can see it through mirrors.
- Jerkass Realization: It's implied that Connor has this when he realizes just how much Toby has slipped.
- Living Shadow: Even more so than Shadow Bonnie usually is, actually attaching itself to Toby's shadow.
- Mirror Monster: Shadow Bonnie can only be seen through mirrors.
- Mirror Scare: Used when Toby first awakens with Shadow Bonnie attached to him, and realizes with a jolt that there's something wrong with his shadow.
- Missing Mom: Connor and Toby's mom left when they were younger. It was after this that Connor became intense about needing to be number one at everything.
- Monster of the Week: Shadow Bonnie.
- Monochromatic Eyes: The eyes of Shadow Bonnie are pure white.
- Mysterious Past: Just before the story ends, Toby realizes that Reggie is always in the arcade, no matter what time he arrives, and never seems to go home. He brushes this off, as he has more important things to deal with.
- Nightmare Sequence: Toby dreams about Shadow Bonnie sewing itself to his back, and awakens to find it's replaced his shadow.
- No Full Name Given: On Reggie, adding to his mysterious aura.
- "Not So Different" Remark: As the shadow grows, Toby realizes that the shadow just wants to win, like he does.
- Parental Abandonment: The Billings mother left one day unexpectedly, leaving a note that Toby and Connor's father wouldn't let them read nor will tell them the contents of.
- Perky Goth: Tabitha, who's actually very friendly and social.
- Quirky Curls: On Reggie.
- Race Lift: Officer Jimenez is described as having dark skin in the novel. In the graphic adaptation, he's white.
- Sanity Slippage: Toby's desperate attempts to get the rabbit off of him increase in danger and insanity. When he almost sees reason and is about to end the game, his innate desire to win takes over and he impales himself in hopes of killing the rabbit and beating the game.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Toby's smashing of the "Hide-and-Seek" arcade game leads to Shadow Bonnie possessing Toby's shadow. After the game is fixed, Toby is able to return Shadow Bonnie to the game by "beating" it.
- Second Place Is for Losers: Toby's brother Connor beats him at everything and loves to rub this fact in his face.
- Sibling Rivalry: Toby realizes late that he was just as complicit in Connor in forcing the competitive gap between them.
- Signature Headgear: Toby wears a beanie everywhere; he leaves one at the scene of the crime and hastily grabs it when he sees it.
- Slasher Smile: Shadow Bonnie eventually grows a very creepy smile while attached to Toby.
- Sports Dad: It's implied that Toby's dad favors Connor due to his interest in sports, while Toby is more into gaming.
- The Un Favourite: Connor is the star in everyone's eyes, and Toby falls short. This even includes their dad, who spends more time watching sports with Connor than talking to his other son.
- Youkai: Shadow Bonnie functions almost identically to an obscure Japanese demon Oigakari
. It manifests as a shadow that latches onto its victim's back, feeling as unseen added weight and feeding on negative emotions. One of the ways to combat it is to become less negative and anxious.
