Tony becker is always so moody and irritable and I love how everyone perceives him like that most of the time. It's hilarious yet also relatable in some ways. An almost-always annoyed character who narrates everything for you, yet you can tell that they are a good person with good intentions. He did do things he shouldn't have, knew he shouldn't do it, and still did it, because of selfish reasons but also because he wanted to achieve something, because he wanted to help others — he wanted to spread awareness and do the right thing, but also feel useful, since he couldn't help his father.
The only thing I don't like about how his character gets perceived most of the time, is how he dislikes Ellis. Come on, they've known each other since they were 4. Yes some friendships end eventually, but friendships that lasted that long, usually don't. Now, for clarification; don't take offense in this. Maybe I misunderstood, since there isn't a lot of content about those two. And it just might be because it's in Tony's pov. But I don't think he dislikes Ellis. More like underestimating, or maybe even lying to himself — because of how stubborn he is. It does sound like he still really likes Ellis. The book says (on page 8):
Over the summer, Tony had started feeling a little impatient with his best friend, Boots. It felt like Tony was starting to grow up, but his longtime friend was content to stay a little boy.
Adding a new friend to the mix had helped a little because it shook things up a bit. Rab was kind of halfway between Boots and Tony; he liked to cut up and goof off, but he also had moments when he said interesting, even deep, things. More than once, Tony had caught Rab with a rigid expression on his face, as if he was contemplating something intense. Tony had a feeling that Rab had layers that Boots would probably never have. Tony had a terrible feeling that he was outgrowing Boots and might soon just want to hang with Rab. That would be awkward in the extreme.
Yes I typed all that word-for-word from my book. But anyways; It does sound as if he loses interest, but at the same time, we all know how Tony thinks by now. He sounds genuinely sad about that thought. But remember that it's a thought. He thinks that he's outgrowing Ellis, it doesn't mean that he is. And I think Tony clearly is afraid of the thought, he doesn't want to willingly cut off their relationship and lose his longtime friend. I think he'd stick around purposely, forcing himself to be patient, searching for any excuses to stick around. To me, it sounds as if he's just growing tired (which he also says himself), and that happens in friendships. It doesn't mean your friendship ends, it just means that you might need distance, since you've been hanging out for years, every single day. That's also why throwing a new friend in is mixing things up. Because it's not your "everyday life" anymore, since there isn't much you know about the new friend, making them more interesting, since they react or say things you aren't used to. Besides, in the story, we only see Gregory spend time with Ellis, meaning that even if Tony “prefers Greg over Ellis”, Ellis might have started to prefer Gregory too. Tony tells us that Gregory is a mixture of Tony and Ellis, he likes to “goof off”, but also can say “deep things”. This shows that while Tony prefers Gregory's knowledgeable side, Ellis would enjoy Gregory's more playful and childish side. While it's debatable if GGY / Dr. Rabbit planned this ahead to cause this on purpose, i personally doubt it, since he wouldn't have a reason (in the beginning, when they met) to ruin the friendship of the two. I am very certain, that in an AU were Tony survives and Gregory is out of the picture (by going “missing”, as an example), he and Ellis would grow closer once again and re-bond. They wouldn't have anything standing between them and while there would be tension and arguments, they would finally get to share how they feel around each other. Tony might be afraid of outgrowing Ellis, but Ellis would grow afraid of losing Tony, taking notice on how his friend is growing more distant and hangs out with him less. While the story tells us that Tony prefers Gregory, we never actually saw Tony spend any time with Gregory. That means, that it's canonically possible that Tony only personally thinks so even though there isn't any actual evidence, since he has been growing distant with Ellis but Gregory possibly as well. The story is specifically written in a way that we follow Tony on his journey of investigating, meaning that we obviously don't get much else info about it. But that still leaves the gap that we can only fill with theories and headcanons, that he is actually closed off to the point in which he goes solo. Not just with assignments, but everything else. He does tag along, but he never sticks around. He always walks away, gets distracted, zones out... He is never actually there. He isn't active around Ellis and Greg, not for long at least.
Imagine the scenario where Tony survives and he'd go to Ellis telling him how Greg tried to kill him. Now, Ellis might believe him — but in the scenario where he wouldn't believe Tony, I'm sure Tony would feel hurt. He would feel Suprised and stronger effected than he'd expect. He almost died, and the only person who he could possibly rely on, didn't believe him. While he definitely is the type of student who would never miss a day at school, he'd probably stop going out of fear. What if Greg would try to kill him again? He needs space, hiding at home, maybe even lying to his mother and grandma that he's sick. He would avoid going to school, probably going through a depressive phase. He would probably feel lost and not know what to do.
Now, while Ellis didn't believe him, he'd definitely grow suspicious that he stopped coming.
Ellis: “Hey Greg. Any idea where Tony might be?”
Greg: “Nope. Maybe he's sick?”
Ellis: “Did he tell you that?”
Ellis would feel mostly confused, but slightly suspicious at Gregory's not-so-confident response. He would accept the answer, but send Tony a message. He'd grow worried when he gets no response, sending more messages, trying to call him, but still receiving no replies. Ellis would question why Tony leaves him on 'read' and not respond. After a week or two of Tony not coming to school, he'd eventually come to a conclusion and reach out again. He wouldn't stop, sending messages every day, hoping for a response. Instead of asking "are you okay?" he decided to try a different approach and confront him instead. Asking if he was okay, and hoping that he's okay, wouldn't give him a response, so maybe a different approach would?
Ellis: “Tony. Are you angry at me? Is this about the story? Dude, please respond. I'm worried about you.”
Ellis would eventually lose hope, he did send the message, filled with anxiety and concern. He didn't hear anything from Tony in weeks, and Gregory acted dismissive the first few days, until he grew frustrated. Ellis was very surprised when Greg suddenly told him to "shut up". But it showed him that something was indeed wrong. Did something happen between the two?
Ellis: “Hey dude... Did something happen between you and Greg?”
He didn't expect a response, not after how unusually long he has been ignored by Tony, so he was suprised when Tony did respond. Even if it was a very simple and short response. It was a start to Ellis.
Ellis: “What happened? Is it about the assignment we changed? You aren't still mad at that, are you?”
Tony: “No. Well, a little still. But not just that.”
Ellis: “'Not just that'? What do you mean?”
Tony: “Ellis, why won't you leave me alone? I already told you, you didn't believe me. Stop bothering me.”
Ellis: “What are you talking about? Something is clearly not right, why would I leave you alone?”
Ellis: “Wait, is this about the murder attempt you told me about? I told you, Greg wouldn't do that. He said he didn't.”
Tony: “But he did! He attempted to kill me! Why would you trust him over me?!”
Ellis: “Tony, calm down. I'm not picking him over you.”
Tony: “Actually, nevermind. I'm not any better...”
Tony: “Nothing. I was ruining your fun, wasn't I? I was being a buzzkill. Go have fun with Greg. I won't ruin your fun anymore.”
Ellis: “Tony, what the hell are you talking about?! You know I was joking when I called you a 'buzzkill', right? Tell me what's up!”
Ellis: “Alright, fine. Greg has been acting off lately. So; he tried to kill you. Why?”
Tony: “Because he's GGY.”
Ellis: “Are you serious right now?”
Ellis: “WAIT WAIT! Okay, okay! He's GGY. What about it?”
Tony: “He invited me to the Pizzaplex after my detention. I definitely regret having agreed to go... I'm Suprised I made it out alive.”
Ellis: “Why did he want you dead?”
Tony: “Because I almost found out that he's GGY.”
Ellis: “Didn't he basically prove it to you now?”
Tony: “He did. It was him all along. He hacked into the animatronics. Explains why Freddy was following me around...”
Ellis: “Wait. Freddy was doing what?”
Tony: “Yeah. He kept an eye on me.”
Ellis: “So, basically, Freddy was stalking you for Greg? Crazy...”
Ellis: “Actually, kinda cool, being a hacker.”
Ellis: “Right. Sorry. What do we do? Is that why you wouldn't come to school?”
Tony: “Yeah... I'm trying to think of what to do. But... I can't do it alone. I... I don't know what to do.”
Ellis: “It's okay, dude. You can feel afraid. How about I'll come over, and we'll brainstorm, Hm?”
Tony: “Hey! I'm not 'afraid'! But yeah, sounds good.”
Ellis: “Haha! Yeah right, 'you aren't'. See you tomorrow then!”
Tony: “Yeah, yeah... Bye.”
So, the next day, Ellis would go to Tony's place (after school, of course). Once he'd arrive, Tony would explain everything he found out about GGY, trying to convince Ellis — once again — that Gregory was GGY. Ellis, who was willing to hear his friend out this time, began to believe him. Meaning, that they'll have to do something about Gregory now, right?
A scenario like this could show us more about their dynamic and friendship — it would strengthen their bond and their friendship which was growing loose. This is important, because I can totally see them trying to confront Gregory. Up until now, I've always seen Ellis as a bridge between Gregory and Tony, which would definitely be the case after the entire GGY situation. Even in an AU in which Ellis doesn't know about GGY, he would still feel the tension between his friends and try to be the glue which holds them together. 100% sure.
» In my drafts since April 16th 2025. An entire year, wtf. I've actually seen content where Ellis gets the “bridge” role. But usually, most times, interactions are limited between Tony and Gregory / GGY. I don't think that changed much? Anyway, share your thoughts!! I absolutely LOVE these three, omg... I do, however, separate Gregory & GGY, so keep that in mind when having conversations with me! «
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