Nexie | Drowning | The Mimic
"I am happy to have a friend who wants to make improvements. Thank you for the improvements. But we have to cut off the skin and put it on a new skeleton. That is the only way to fix the problems."
Astrid Eriksen has been saving up all of her money in order to get a Buddytronic doll. It's pretty pricey– a full thousand dollars– but it's a tiny animatronic that's actually going to be able to talk and move. She doesn't have any friends at her school, where everyone is much richer than her, a product of her being a scholarship student. She wants a buddytronic like they all have, and she wants someone to be kind to her.
But while finally getting her buddytronic, the Storyteller has an electronic malfunction, and her beloved doll comes out malformed. Though Astrid still loves it, the doll itself, Nexie, is displeased with her appearance and the way the other kids seem to hate her. So she asks Astrid to make a few... repairs.
The sixteenth Tales from the Pizzaplex story, and the first of the sixth book. It takes place at the same time as the next book's "Tiger Rock."
Tropes related to “Nexie”:
- Adorably Precocious Child: Astrid is one of these, impressing Pizzaplex worker Roberta as she professionally asks for Nexie's new parts.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Astrid, as the poor scholarship kid.
- Alpha Bitch: Geena, with Camilla as her Beta Bitch.
- Antagonist Title: Though at first the story's main antagonists are the bully children, Nexie soon takes the cake as she begins attacking the other kids, culminating in killing Astrid.
- Appearance Angst: Mainly on Nexie's part, though she does her best to make Astrid feel this way too.
- Asshole Victim: Warren is a bratty rich student who constantly picks on Astrid... but he's also a nine-year-old who got his leg bitten down to the bone by a terrifying robot doll.
- Axe-Crazy: Nexie becomes more and more violent as time goes on, escalating from tripping kids to biting off their flesh. When Farfar tries to bring Astrid a new doll, instead of using the doll's endoskeleton or skin, Nexie literally destroys the doll completely.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: All Astrid wanted was a friend in her cute little doll. All Nexie wanted was to be beautiful... by tearing Astrid apart.
- Bland-Name Product: The Buddytronics are basically incredibly expensive Fazbear-branded Build-a-Bears.
- Body Horror: The end is the most major example, with Astrid literally being ripped to pieces and stitched back together so a doll could possess her. There's also the fact that earlier, Nexie bit off a large chunk of Warren's leg.
- Break the Cutie: By the time Nexie kills Astrid, she's convinced her to steal, made her an accomplice in her violence, and broken down her self-esteem.
- The Bully: Warren Price, who likes to make fun of Astrid's looks.
- Bully Magnet: Astrid was always the oddball at school, but she officially becomes a bigger target once she starts carting around a malformed Buddytronic.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: On Nexie.
- Creepy Doll: At first, it's just Nexie's appearance that fits this trope. Then it becomes increasingly clear that she has some violent tendencies and dark intentions.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: We don't actually see what Nexie does to Astrid, but considering how she looks the next day, it was definitely something horrible and painful.
- Doting Grandparent: Farfar, who adores Nexie and even helps her get a buddytronic twice because he knows she wants it, despite his hatred of modern tech.
- Downer Ending: Astrid is just a nine-year-old girl who loves herself and her family but wants a friend, and is incredibly doting towards her Buddytronic. In response, Nexie tears down her self-esteem and then murders her to take her skin.
- The Farmer and the Viper: Despite Nexie's appearance, Astrid loves her dearly, tells her that she should be confident in her inner beauty, and defends her against every bully. In return, Nexie forces her to repair her over and over, and then finally sets her up so that she can kill her and rip her apart.
- Foreshadowing: Remy thinks that Astrid is "happy in her own skin." Later, Nexie simply states, "Skin can be taken off and put on something new. That is what we must do."
- Friendless Background: Astrid has always been a bit of a loner, and all she wants is someone to hang out with.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: The Buddytronic machine malfunctioned while Nexie was being created, causing her to come out malformed and with a jacked-up moral code.
- Good with Numbers: Astrid got into the school on a math scholarship.
- Grand Theft Me: The story ends with this, with Nexie murdering Astrid and literally stitching her skin together to make herself a new suit.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Astrid is less jealous of the rich kids than desperate to have a friend like they do and to belong. Nexie quickly becomes jealous of everyone else's looks.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Played straight with sweet, innocent Astrid. Subverted with Nexie herself.
- Hates Being Alone: The reason Astrid doesn't want to swap out Nexie is that she herself had always felt lonely, knowing she was an accidental child and an outcast at school, and so she didn't want the doll to feel alone either.
- Iconic Item: Nexie actually becomes this to Astrid, as she's easily recognized around school by the doll she carries with her everywhere.
- I Just Want to Be Beautiful: Nexie's main motivation, deciding that beauty must be the most important thing in life. Poor Astrid was completely confident in herself until Nexie started constantly talking her down.
- Kill and Replace: Nexie does this to Astrid, taking over her skin.
- Killer Robot: Nexie, with her preferred weapon of scissors.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Little Remy doesn't like keeping up appearances like his classmates, and has a crush on Astrid due to her confidence.
- Manipulative Bastard: Nexie pleads for Astrid to make her pretty, in order to help her new best friend. The stuff she asks Astrid to do ends up escalating until she uses Astrid's own body to "fix" herself.
- Meaningful Name: Called out in story, as Nexie tells Astrid that her name means "beautiful."
- Meaningful Rename: Astrid wanted to name her Buddytronic "Lexie." The malfunction made the doll introduce herself as "Nexie," and Astrid decided to accept the name.
- Missing Mom: Astrid's mother ditched the family to become a model, tying into the story's theme of exterior beauty. Astrid originally designed Nexie to look like her.
- Monster of the Week: Nexie.
- Murderous Malfunctioning Machine: The Storyteller's malfunction caused Nexie's distorted appearance and personality.
- No Full Name Given: On Remy or Geena.
- Nothing Is Scarier: While we do see the horrifying end result, Nexie's actual death and mutilation is offscreen.
- Not Like Other Girls: Remy cites this as the reason he has a crush on her in his narration.Astrid wasn't anything like some of the crybaby girls in the class[...] Unlike the other girls Remy knew, Astrid never acted like she was putting on a show to get attention. She never seemed self-conscious. She didn't flash fake smiles or strike poses. Remy had no doubt that Astrid was exactly what she appeared to be– a smart girl who was happy in her own skin.
- Parental Abandonment: Nexie's mom left the family to become a model and doesn't talk to them anymore.
- Plot Parallel: With Fazbear Frights' "To Be Beautiful;" while Astrid is more of a Foil to Sarah, who was initially unconfident in her looks, Nexie follows Eleanor's M.O. of ripping her victim apart and using her appearance to appear "beautiful."
- Popular Is Evil: All of the rich kids are snobby brats who love to gang up on Astrid. The only exception is Remy, who is too scared of his parents' wrath to do anything to help her.
- Raised by Grandparents: Astrid's father is often working and traveling, so her Farfar mostly takes care of her.
- Rich Bitch: Pretty much every kid at school except for Remy.
- Robot Buddy: The Buddytronics are supposed to be the children's friends. Most of the rich kids get bored of theirs. Astrid gets a defective one that eventually kills her.
- Scholarship Student: Astrid, who is the token poor kid at her school.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Astrid is very direct and academic, which makes the other kids see her as a freak.
- True Beauty Is on the Inside: Astrid knew this all along, and tries to tell Nexie. Nexie convinces her otherwise.
