#HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO PLAY THE NARRATOR FROM THE STANLEY PARABLE?

[psychhound]

[ID: a banner for a TTRPG. there is a light tan background and large brown text that reads "the narrator paradox". smaller blue text beneath it reads "all you've ever been is a storyteller ... now the story is fighting against you". there are tilted blue and orange boxes behind the word paradox. end ID]

There is a way the story is meant to go. You have seen the future. The past and the present. You know the hero of this tale, and where they end up. You know why they go there and every ally and foe along the way. Every fleck of sand moved beneath their boot has been foretold and defined and the words that tell of it slip from your lips like the oldest of hymns …

So if that little bastard could just STOP going off script that would be really great. What do you MEAN the protagonist isn’t listening to you!? This is a STORY—don’t they know they’re in a STORY? They aren’t meant to have … have … AUTONOMY or whatever other silly thing has gotten in their head.

You need a raise. Not that the human concept of money influences your role as a narrator in any way. But, like … anything would be nice. A raise. A swift kick in the head. Maybe the undefinable concept of storytelling will talk about a union.

Sorry—they’ve done WHAT now? Okay, chat’s over. There’s a protagonist to wrangle. 

[ID: a lineart drawing of one open book and two closed books on a light tan background. end ID]

The Narrator Paradox is a one page solo-narrating game where you try to tell a story ... if your protagonist will let you. In it, you determine the five acts of your story based on an oracle, then make rolls for your plot beats to see if you can wrangle your protagonist into the prescribed narrative. If you can't, they defy you and take the story into their own hands. Wrestle the story into shape against a rebellious hero, or lose them forever and have to finish the story without them in it. 

What you'll need:

The Major Arcana from a tarot deck 

Two 6-sided dice

A coin 

The inspirations for the game include The Stanley Parable, The Princess Bride, and Stardust

Get the game now on itch!

[poisonous-honey]

The Venti Parable

(This is a re-upload: originally posted on UniverseUchu on Feb 25, 2023)

Characters: Venti and The Narrator. The Reader and Stanley have very little presence

Warnings: None really. They enter the zending room if that upsets you, but they barely stay there for long. This is mostly in drabble form and lightly skimmed for errors

This is both the Narrator’s and Venti’s worst nightmare. An omnipotent, self-destructive perfectionist who strives to keep everything self-contained and the ever funky little god of freedom.

Venti is not impressed with this game of choice in the slightest. He had hoped his position in your heart would’ve saved him from the torture some of the others have been put through, but he was unfortunately not given this blessing. He didn’t feel like following this narrator’s every whim, he only wanted to do that with you. He was free to do as he pleases

As you’re talking to the Narrator to convince him, having someone else to narrate for just a few runs would help him with his story (“He can speak! You can get instant feedback!”) Venti sits in the office next to Stanley. 

“Alright, fine. I’ll let Venti play the game in Stanley’s place for a short while, only because you keep incessantly asking.”

“Hey! I am great company. Wouldn’t it at least be nice to have someone else to talk to for a little while?”

“This is the story of a man named Venti”

He sighs and gets up from his position next to Stanley before walking through the office

After what he feels was him being ignored, Venti reaches a fork in the road

“When Venti came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left.”

He holds his chin with his hand and closes his eyes, acting as if he was deeply thinking about his next course of action. Of course, he already knew what he'd do as soon as the directions were spewed at him.

“No, I think I'd rather go right.”

Que sighing from above. Quelle Surprise

~~~

After getting told no one would ever love him and having the parable restart, though disoriented, his next objective is to try and see if he could leave the building

He was not a fan of the Narrator and vice versa

His first attempt is to see if he can jump out of any windows

Honestly surprised he managed to fall through one on his first try (or at all, really)

He had a bit of hope that he had escaped the Narrator, but after accidentally breaking the phone and still getting an ending, he highly doubted it.

And he sighed as he was unfortunately proven right, and the Narrator starts to monologue

“What do you think, are you sick of this gag yet?”

Venti didn’t think there was a correct answer, so he just hit yes while smiling cheekily up into the air. At this point he was just trying to be entertaining for his player, but so was the Narrator

“Now would be the time I go on about having ample amounts of opportunities to restart the game, but unfortunately for you, our player is in control of that. Since all I hear is laughter on their end, I'm going to try to make this as miserable as possible, before they reset to help you out.”

As the Narrator started to sing, Venti quickly looked towards the screen in hopes he could get you to reset immediately, but all you did was shrug

How very cruel of you

~~~

After a few more runs, the last of which had Venti falling flat on his face, he decided to see where listening to the narrator got him

The Narrator kept to the script as usual, he was a professional after all, but the light elation in his voice was obvious to the two of you

Venti couldn’t help but mess with him on the way though

The Narrator could feel his temper rising, watching Venti doing literally nothing. Letting out a sigh, he directs his next questions to you. “Did you put him up to this? Be honest with me here, I have— I am extremely skeptical of this entire ordeal.” You laugh as you hear The Narrator’s anger and Venti asking if he wasn’t allowed to simply relax, further upsetting The Narrator. “I’ve done no such thing. Informing either party beforehand would’ve made this far less entertaining.” “So you’re telling me that everyone, but me, is able to see what’s so fascinating about a broom closet? If that’s where you’re getting at, then it’s absolutely wonderful to have confirmation that I am, truly, the smartest person here.” “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mr. Narrator Sir.” “... I refuse to acknowledge this behaviour.”

Finally making it to the end and turning off the mind control machine, every light turns off as The Narrator starts his freedom ending speech

The door slowly opens and Venti can just about feel the wind call to him

Daylight peaks through the opening and grows larger every second as it descends. He can barely wait for the door to fully open and finally be able to see the skies.

As the door comes to a stop on the floor and Venti takes in the view, he finally feels a sense of ease wash over him since he was brought here. The scenery was truly beautiful.

Venti takes his first steps forward onto the grass and as he continues to drown out The Narrator’s dialogue, he figures that maybe this was the reason you brought him here out of all games.

“...- And Venti was happy.”

The Narrator finishes speaking. Venti opens his mouth to actually throw him a genuine compliment - when-

It all fades to black

And within the blink of an eye, he wakes up in the office next to Stanley, who can do nothing but look at him with a reassuring gaze and wave.

Venti just about curls into a ball and cries while Stanley panics and silently frets over him

“That’s the ending you wanted to guide me to...”

“It’s called the ‘Freedom Ending!’ The one true ending for my story that Stanley refuses to cooperate with me on. Surely someone such as yourself understands and is able to appreciate what I’m trying to-”

“On every level of irony, you’ve managed to single-handedly rip away my own freedom with this horrific outcome.”

~~~

Walking through the red door after bamboozling The Narrator long enough, Venti reaches the platform and is quickly stunned at how pretty the light show is

“Right here, see! All I want is to show Stanley, our dear player, and now you, something remarkable. Now tell me. Can you really look at this space and say it’s not truly beautiful?”

Venti giggled before spinning and sitting down. “Why, this room is a poet's dream! The only thing I’d add is nature.”

He sat in the room for a bit longer, just staring at the stars and light show. This is the closest Venti’s gotten to a true place of rest in a while, so he’d like to treasure it a bit more before leaving.

Eventually tearing his eyes away from the sparkles, Venti looks around and realizes the only rooms here are the space room he’s currently in,  and a room with some stairs. Getting up and going over, the narrator panics.

“Hey Venti, what are you doing? Where are you going?”

“I’m just looking around. I haven’t seen an exit, so I want to know where the stairs lead.”

“But we haven’t even been here that long a-and there’s nothing over there but stairs, they don’t go anywhere.”

“... It seems I’m in a predicament. Oh, my dear player, where is the exit?”

“Don’t tell him! He’s done nothing but ruin my story time and time again, the least both of you could do is allow me this solace for a little while longer.”

“But I followed your every instruction just before this run!”

All you do is sigh. Maybe you should’ve told Venti not to come here. “... I’m going to begin the game again.”

“But my peace and tranquility!” “But don’t you want to see the proper ending?”

“No, I really don’t and trust me, you won’t want to take the intended ending either.”

~~~

“Player I have to admit, the only difference working with Venti is the constant sass I’ve been receiving in turn. This hasn’t been beneficial in the slightest.”

“Hey! I still gave you plenty of good input you can use!”

“I highly disagree.”

“I beg to differ!”

You had hoped meeting Venti would help The Narrator with some of his issues, but without informing Venti in advance, all they did was annoy each other. Oh well, it was still fun to witness.

“I hope we never meet again.”

“And I hope you learn to enjoy life's intricacies instead of obsessing over the same story over and over… Aaaand that I never have to go through this ever again.”

Venti trusts you with his entire being, he really does, but if you offer him a chance to participate in another game he's going to be asking a lot of questions beforehand

[queenburd]

Okay I did end up writing a small silly thing for 4/27!! Happy stanley day, here’s two idiots and a broom closet secret ending. Based on a really old doodle I made 8)

—

“Stanley stepped into the broom closet, but there was nothing here.”

The Narrator’s tone is quiet exasperation. He stares at Stanley, who smiles at him from the center of the closet and does not move.

“Stanley, I’m going to be completely honest with you, it’s been years and I still truly don’t understand your fascination with this place. There’s nothing here.”

Stanley shrugs noncommittally. The Narrator can’t follow him in here.

The fellow scowls and steps into the closet, uncomfortably close to him. He crosses his arms, deeply unimpressed.

Okay, usually the Narrator can’t follow him in here.

A smirk tugs at the edge of his mouth. “If it’s privacy you’re after, then I’m afraid you’re playing the wrong game, Stanley.”

Making a face, Stanley grabs him by the shoulders and turns him to push him out of the closet. It’s a bunch of things, he adds, blowing a raspberry at the fellow as he walks him to the stairs. There’s the privacy, yes, the way the Narrator can’t hear him when he can’t see him. There’s also the way the Narrator can’t stop talking, grumbling and snarking and being just fun to work into a lather.

“Wh-you really just live to get under my skin, you know that? A pest, that’s what you are.” The prim nose turns upward in a scoff, but the fellow scrunches it when Stanley stops on the middle landing a step ahead of him to press a stubbly cheek to his temple in a nuzzle. “A pest,” he repeats, hand on the railing, corners of his mouth turned up.

Stanley chuckles and bounds up the last half-flight.

There’s also the other thing, but you know, that’s pretty rare, so it’s always a fun surprise.

“The—wait—what other thing?”

Huh?

They blink at each other, standing on the landing.

The Narrator doesn’t know about the thing?

“I—I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Huh. Another secret of the Parable then. Stanley finds himself giggling.

“I—Stanley, I hate when you do that!”

He shakes his head. It’s not a bad thing, he promises! He’ll show the Narrator if it ever shows up, he just wants to surprise him. It’s—

Well, it’s nice!

-

He checks the broom closet every run, for countless runs. The Narrator sighs in resignation each time, but he isn’t dissuaded.

And then, a countless number of resets later: there it is.

“Wh—“

Stanley holds the door open and gestures proudly at the arcade console standing in the center of the broom closet. Tada!

“What.”

The Narrator gawks, mouth open. He makes monosyllabic, flabbergasted noises, before settling on, “what—how in the hell—“

Stanley leads him into the closet and shows him the high score, all labeled with the name STANMAN8. He presses the start button, hand on the joystick, and guides the pixelated line around the screen with intense focus. When it consumes the dot, he looks again at the Narrator, gesturing at the display.

Snake!

“Yes I understand the point of the game, Stanley, that’s not the problem!!”

Stanley giggles, and then steps away from the console to guide the Narrator by the shoulders to stand in his place.

“Th-buh-“

Play!

“This is why you end up spending hours in here?!?”

Yeah!

“To play a DIFFERENT game?!?!??”

Yeah!!!

“You’re unbelievable and I can’t believe you!!!”

The fellow sputters with a kind of rage, and then he mutters something viciously about destroying Stanley’s score so completely that the shame will make Stanley never play it again. Stanley cheers him on as he plays.

[employee052]

What's this? An introduction so good it got a critically acclaimed sequel?? With New Content?!?!

Hi there! Welcome to my Stanley Parable Side Blog!

My name is Oswin, though you can call me Ozzie or Oz. My pronouns are He/Him, I am 19, and I am Filipino! I draw, animate, act, and play video games. I stream on Twitch occasionally, as well as post on Youtube, and Instagram. I also have a Carrd too if you're interested.

This is my TSP sideblog! I have other interests that I post about on my main @oswinunknown if you ever want to check those out, but this blog will contain all TSP related stuff (and Narrator Adjacent)

[The Narrator (Virgil) Design Iterations]

3.0 (Most Recent!) [REF SHEET]

2.0

1.0

[Other Designs]

Timekeeper/432

Curator

Adventure Line (Lynne)

[IMPORTANT] If you're wondering why my inbox, mentions, and replies are disabled at the moment. Please read this post for full information. (Its not long, I promise. It is very important however so I would encourage you to read it.)

[For more information on tags, F/Os, RP sideblogs, and More, Check under the cut!]

[Active Tags] #artswin is all art. including animation #animswin is animations specifically #oz rambles is just for words. #ozzie plays games is for video game stuff. #narry blog is for when i interact with my RP narrator blog. #tsproadtrip is all posts relating to the TSP roadtrip thread. #narry takeover & #narry takeover 2 is for the old narrator-blog-takeovers pre!RP blog.

[F/O's] [I ship these F/Os with my Self-Insert Sona/OC more than myself IRL. They are all platonic F/Os / Close Friends*]

The Narrator (The Stanley Parable) [BFF/QPR]

Mayor Damien (Who Killed Markiplier) [Platonic]

Gordon Freeman (Half Life) [Platonic]

Wheatley (Portal) [Platonic]

[* The Narrator is my primary F/O, specifically my Narrator who acts as my Best Friend/QPR Bestie. I also pretend like he is real sometimes as comfort. If you wish to ship yourself/an oc/your sona with him, please let me know beforehand!]

[RP Sideblogs] (ALL UNDER HIATUS)

@mrthenarrator my TSP Narrator blog. (ON HIATUS)

@theadventurelynne my teen!Adventure Line blog. (WIP/ON HIATUS)

My main blog is @oswinunknown. For more information, as well as my other interests, check there!

[Also, here's the original Intro Post if you want to see what the Sequel is building up from here askjhd]

[gamequoteshowdown]

Thank you everyone for making this happen! Now, without further ado, the match-ups for Round 1!!!

Round 1

"I've been waiting for this!" - Akihiko Sanada, Persona 3 / "You're just a corpse who doesn't know he's dead" - Valter, Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones

"Are you going to be our goddess of victory… or our angel of death? Doesn't sound too bad to bet my life on that." - Keiji Shinogi, Your Turn To Die: Death Game by Majority / "Don't fuck with a witch!" - Bayonetta, Bayonetta

"Teammates!? Friends!? To hell with that! Why am I inferior to you!? I was extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image! So someone would want me around! I am an ace detective! A celebrity! But you… You're just some criminal trash living in an attic!? So how!? How does someone like you have things I don't!? How can such a worthless piece of trash be more special than me!?" - Goro Akechi, Persona 5 / "I was just gunna ask you to sell a gun to this child." - Starlo, Undertale Yellow

"I want you to live." - Charlotte Wiltshire, Hello Charlotte Series / "Your hair… sunset colored. I like it." - Queequeg, Limbus Company

"The hope to end pointless conflict… The hope to tell your daughter how much you care… It is our mission as apothecaries to ensure that everyone lives long enough for their hopes to become reality. Even if it costs us our own lives." - Castti Florenz, Octopath Traveler II / "Game is clear when 2 zombies hold hands!!" - "How to Play" Narrator, Loving Deads: The House of the Dead EX

"Thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings" - Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney / "I am so fucking normal right now" - Harry du Bois, Disco Elysium

“SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL IS GOING TO HAPPEN” - Harry du Bois (in the form as a potential mural painting), Disco Elysium / "You pull out your cellphone and access your old Tumblr. You have ten, but you specifically access the Garfield one." - Narrator, Monster Prom

"… Nice meeting you again, you FUCKING WHALE!" - Ishmael, Limbus Company / "My guess is no one's ever loved you before" - Woody, Kingdom Hearts 3

"Take care, [player]. I was lucky to have known you. Though the parting hurts... the rest is in your hands!" - Grovyle, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky / "Far out, man." - Netzach, Limbus Company

"I'll be back once I eliminate that devil called poverty from the world!" - Partitio Yellowil, Octopath Traveler II / "Elder gods from the whole cosmos have awoken to taste your cookies." - Narrator, Cookie Clicker

"Hello! This is the part where I kill you!" - Wheatley, Portal 2 / "Now we come to the question : Do I kill you? Do I tear you apart to my heart's delight? The choices of the beautiful are unbearable. How's a girl to choose?" - Alice Angel, Bendy and the Ink Machine

"I am Ferdinand von Aegir" - Ferdinand von Aegir, Fire Emblem: Three Houses / "Her metabolic processes are of interest only to historians." - Miles Edgeworth, Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

"It ain't a matter of guys or chicks... I'm just scared shitless of being rejected" - Kanji Tatsumi, Persona 4 / "...also Stanley is addicted to drugs and hookers" - Narrator, The Stanley Parable

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” - Happy Mask Salesman, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask / "I have no idea what to do with my life, but that's okay! Because I'm still working hard! Even if it's on nothing at all!" - Papyrus, Undertale

"Despite everything, its still you." - Narrator/Chara/Frisk???, Undertale / "In this world, it's kill or be killed." - Flowey, Undertale

“Heart. Lungs. Liver. Nerves. Heart. Lungs. Liver. Nerves…” - Voices of the Paranoid, Slay the Princess / "In the quiet glade, across old bark. In the ancient glade, it's always dark." - Gabbro, Outer Wilds

"You take away all their sins, and people aren't people anymore!" - Rokurou Rangetsu, Tales of Berseria / "Do you even get how it feels to have nightmares about doing tango with raw chickens? Eh?" - Heathcliff, Limbus Company

"Life is worth living, even if it hurts you, even if you hurt in it." - Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid / "I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle... and wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him." - 2B, Nier: Automata

“Oh? Is that how it is? Yeah, okay, I like you too. Neat! Still going to kill you, but now we can both enjoy a mutual romantic subtext to the murder.” - The Razor, Slay the Princess / "Now it’s Reyn Time!" - Reyn, Xenoblade Chronicles

"You lost the coin toss. We both did." - Catherine Chun, SOMA / "I like to drink blood. . . and smoke the weed!" - Dracula, Space Funeral

"Pick a god and pray!" - Frederick, Fire Emblem: Awakening / "Can you believe it? Dragons! In your own homeland! What are you going to do?" - Florentia Candidius, Elder Scrolls Online

""Did you get the Broom Closet Ending?! The Broom Closet Ending was my favourite!" ...I hope your friends find this concerning." - Narrator, The Stanley Parable / "It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!" - Old Man, Legend of Zelda

“Close your eyes for a sec, will you Chigasaki?” “You mean physically? Or to the criminal acts I’m pretty sure you’re about to commit?” “Both.” - Chikage Utsuki & Itaru Chigasaki, A3! Act! Addict! Actors! / "You are all about to perish, do as you please. I'm sorry." - Meta Knight, Kirby Super Star

"Boy" - Kratos, God of War / "Take care of yourself, kid, cause someone really cares about you." - Sans, Undertale

"Almost Christmas means it wasn't Christmas!" - Phoenix Wright, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney / "Dios mío!” (Draw a cross.) “A LIBERAL!" - Harry du Bois, Disco Elysium

"That's it. I'm not paying one cent of my taxes!" - Ema Skye, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney / ""Trust your partner"... And I do. I can't forgive you, but I trust you." - Neku Sakuraba, The World Ends With You/Subarashiki Kono Sekai

"Hey, you. You’re finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." - Ralof, Skyrim / *clap ... clap ... clap ... * "Oh good, my slow clap processor made it into this thing, so at least we have that" - GLaDOS, Portal 2

"hallOO. chikkEN. OKs?" - BOb, Slime Rancher / "Pretty good plan. You could say it was the greatest—" - Charles Calvin, The Henry Stickmin Collection

"Blood comes in four types: A, B, O, and AB. However! No blood test can determine whether a murder was committed… in cold blood!" - Phoenix Wright, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney / "You ain't my partner anymore, man. You're my friend! So trus' that, yo!" - Beat (Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito), The World Ends With You/Subarashiki Kono Sekai

"I always come back." - William Afton, FNaF Pizzeria Simulator / "So -- as you can see, I'm a *pretty okay* detective -- and an absolutely GIANT COMMUNIST." - Harry du Bois, Disco Elysium

"Ears have a nice mouth feel, very chewy!" - Briar, League of Legends / "This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me." - Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)

"It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... On days like this, kids like you... Should be burning in hell." - Sans, Undertale / "In the dark times, should the stars also go out?" - Steban, the Student Communist, Disco Elysium

“We are a path in the woods. We have no beginning, and we have no end, but something cold and unnatural sits watching us from just beyond our edge.” - The Wild, Slay the Princess / "Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best." - Karen (Elite Four), Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver

[vellichorom]

I Would love to hear what you think about the meaning of the stanley parable is to you?

I've tried looking but I don't know if you ranted about that before.

I just like hearing others interpretation and widening my own.

the MEANING of the stanley parable to me? as in... what i would think the plot is trying to convey? what the overall game's meaning / lesson is SUPPOSED to be?

oh god i don't know,

& unless i'm just ESPECIALLY dense, i'm not sure anyone actually WOULD, i'm not sure the answer to that is remotely clear. i think it's ALL a matter of interpretation; what YOU make of everything you've seen thus far, & even then, we're all probably far off from what's really going on. there's SO much going on in the background, man... so many implications made in details we're STILL discovering about the game years later.

i mean- if you could tell me what the plot of the stanley parable was in a straightforward fashion, what COULD you say beyond " a narrator & a protagonist get up to existential misadventures in a game, "

a very rough ballpark answer i could give you is that, it's a game about isolation & madness in mundanity; it started off nice & simple - you think, with some guy merely wanting to make a successful game that changes one's life to play it, ONLY for it to spiral out of his & anyone's control. the game is playing him. it's playing itself. you are playing the stanley parable. did anyone ever have control? could it be so simple as a video game gone awry?

& somehow this goes fluidly well ( at least in my opinion ) with ultra deluxe's message CLEARLY more revolving around the meta in-universe escalation of the narrator's game, managing to convey the bastardization & overstayed welcome of genuine passion projects stretched to their limit & what that does to the creator as WELL as the project in of itself, but also having this take PLACE in the same realm of madness you were stuck in & isolated to begin with. which is as fascinating as it is unique; you're witnessing the " behind the scenes " stuff in the MIDST of the game you're playing, IN the REALM of the game you're playing, contained in the place where all this madness began, blurring the line of what's truly real for these characters or what is merely performance between them. & do they themselves even know?

i feel like, & ESPECIALLY with ultra deluxe's release, the meaning of everything in this game is a blend of one's experience alongside some kind of commentary, but i could not for the life of you give you a definite answer or opinion as to what it all adds up to or means. what it was truly MEANT to tell you.

but maybe that's the point,

you just get to witness this hell for these characters, you see it all, & then you leave. there is no answer or solution for you to find. you can't help them playing the game, & you can't help them not playing the game. you just get to see, then leave.

but hey, that's just a theory. a ga

[bellafragolina]

Can I request headcanons of how Milo, Leon, Gordie and Piers would want their S/O to pamper them after a stressful day please?

aww pamper the boys <3 poor things are probably so overworked

🍓🍓🍓

Milo:

He's a hard working farm boy, so you know those muscles must be sore. You take the time to help him relax, through hot baths and gentle massages that loosen him into putty. Milo practically cries happy tears to feel you so tenderly easing his stress and pain and stiffness. He kisses your blessed hands a million times in thanks

Milo is also a fan of a warm meal after a hard day of work. Whether it's take out or homemade, he's delighted when you present him with the food. The taste of something good, a movie playing, and you by his side are a combo that relaxes him greatly. And also sends him right to sleep, so be weary of that

Leon:

Leon also tends to overwork his muscles, so he enjoys a good massage too. But he doesn't like to be the only one receiving something, so his preference would be a couple's massage for you both to get relaxing. Leon practically purrs at the combination of the massage and the sight of your relaxed face. He's very very happy, and has been known to fall asleep even during deep tissue massages. It frightens you and the employees both

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Leon also works out to relieve his stress. He'd love to have you join him, either through working out alongside him, or just encouraging him from the sidelines. Suggest a run, or a trip into the Wild Areas to train together, and he's already eager. Anything that let's him work out his tension and stress while also spending time with you is a win for him

Gordie:

Gordie is a fan of distractions from what stresses him out. He'll talk about it later; for now he doesn't want to think at all. He likes playing video games, or even just watching someone play. Offer to play something for him, and he'll lean against your back, head on your shoulder as he loses himself in your gaming. He's fond of puzzly games with humor, like the Stanley Parable or Portal, where he can listen to a narrator ramble and laugh at the silly mistakes you make

In this vein, Gordie likes it when you distract him from everything. He wants to hear things about you, stories from the past that make you laugh or embarrass you, or descriptions of plots to your favorite media, or just you plan rambling about how gum is made. Anything that isn't tied to the present moment, like talking about work, thus letting him get lost in something that isn't reality for a while. He'll face that stuff one his body feels less stiff and heavy

Piers:

Piers channels most all of his big emotions into music. One of the ways he most enjoys unwinding is by playing tunes on his guitar, singing silly, made up songs together. He'll sing a line, and you'll try to rhyme off of it, until you've both got something near incomprehensible. It's okay, though, since your silly responses make Piers laugh harder than anything you've ever seen. It's very cute, and relaxes him quick and easy.

Otherwise, Piers is fond of quality time. Invite Marnie over, get a meal ready, and play board games. Piers will scoff and tease you, but he can be quite competitive at things like Uno or Spoons. The night you both taught Marnie how to play poker is one of Piers fondest memories, especially since Morpeko somehow beat all three of you and won all the cookies in the pot

🍓🍓🍓

here we are!

sorry for the weird upload schedule everyone! finding a new swing with when i write stuff

~Renee

[biribaa]

Make a wish

Employee 432/Timekeeper x reader

TW/CW: Some bad words

Please choose a Screen and Subtitle Language.

Then you chose.

Have you played The Stanley Parable before?

Then you answered.

Please adjust the slider until the computer is barely visible.

Then you confirmed.

Please enter the current time.

Then, you chose.

Timekeeper cautiously watched all of your choices, trying to gather as much information as they could. Especially at the time part, where it was usually when they gets the most irritated. People always just leave and let at 12:00 PM, but not you. You, in fact, took the time to look at the time on your cell phone, and correctly enter the time, as requested.

Timekeeper secretly took pleasure in it, having a shred of hope that you really will get the time right next time too.

And they waited in the dark.

...

A few hours passed, and they noticed your presence coming back.

Please enter the current time.

Then, you did. Again, picking up your phone from the table and entering the time.

Hang on, hang on

Your eyebrows went up, you weren't expecting this.

Before we get started, can I just say something?

Your fingers moved away from the keyboard, and with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation, your hand slowly settled on the mouse, clicking in the black screen.

Thank you for actually setting the clock both times you've booted up the game.

Oh, sweet. With that, you grown a smile.

You were used to the Narrator always saying that you always do everything wrong and that you are always ruining his story. Even when you want to do something good, not the Narrator, but the game forces you to let him down once again with you. Seriously, when was the last time the Narrator said a "thank you" or even an "I'm proud"? Even if he was mad at Stanley, you were hurted because of Stanley's mistakes.

But then, you finally get a "thank you" for doing something good. And, and... You felt happy, you felt good.

"Thanks..." You muttered quietly, even knowing that whoever was that white text was, will not listen to you, just like Narrator.

Then, you clicked again.

A lot of people don't take that step seriously. They just leave the clock set at 12:00 and call it a day.

You're not impressed by this, you know how the vast majority of The Stanley Parable players are, always wanting to be entertained even if that means making someone genuinely mad.

You clicked again.

But you're actually taking the time to set the clock, and I appreciate that.

They appreciate you, unlike Narrator, and that just made you smile slightly more.

You clicked.

That's how I know that you care about this experience, you're paying attetion.

"Thanks." You said once again, more happily. And you clicked again.

I don't even have any way of knowing if the times you're setting are correct!

You clicked.

Tell you what, I'll make you a deal.

Oh? You got interessed.

You straightened your posture and moved your chair closer to the computer desk. And clicked

Since you've been so cooperative, next time you boot up the game and see this screen, just set the clock to your FAVORITE time.

You gasped.

Finally! A reward for doing something good! Something that Narrator never ever thought, in your vision. This just made your smile and interess in whoever was that setting person more bigger.

You clicked enthusiastically.

Go ahead, pick whinchever time you want! Even if it's not the correct time! You've earned it.

Yes, you have earned it. After enduring so many, many Narrator's rants for something you didn't even did and didn't want to do, you deserved it. Something that not even the Narrator, someone you've spent over and over again with endings together, notices. But this stranger did. They did.

Your heart softened and your eyes filled with hope. You cupped your head in the palm of your own hand and clicked again on the black screen.

Alright, I'll let you get back to the video game now.

Wait, already?

You clicked again after reading, just to come across the big title of the game and the options in white color. But no black background.

You stared at your own screen for a few seconds with your face expressionless, and your head slowly pulling out of your hand. Wait, you're going to see that person again, right?

You went back to playing the game, but you'd be lying if you didn't admit that for certain moments, you were thinking about that person, whoever they are.

You are going to see they again, right?

Timekeeper, too, was thinking about you, there's not much they could do in a black void. You sounded like a player, not another proctor making fun of their face that they can't do things a proctor can do. And, well, you set the time, unlike other players.

You were a nice one, that's is Timekeeper's first impression of you. And because of that, Timekeeper wishes to know more about you, but they can't talk, nor do something more than set the time, make sliders and give you options of "yes" or "no". Stupid. They want to be free. Some type of help, any.

But no, they're stuck now.

They at least got you. Finally, something that isn't the Narrator or the black void.

So, Timekeeper made a promise to themself: They will collect as much information about you as possible so they can get to know you better. They need to get to know you better.

They just want a friend, but apparently that's asking too much to the universe.

...

Hours passed -at least, Timekeeper thinks the hours passed- and they once again felt your presence return to the dark infinity of theirs.

Please enter the current time.

And once again, you checked your phone, and entered the current time. But in the middle of the process, you froze, remembering the last few texts from the settings person, as you like to call they now.

"Oh, yeah, favorite time. Sorry" So, you set your favorite time and pressed "confirm".

Ahhh, __:__ __. Your favorite time of day.

You smiled once again, happy to see they again. You clicked.

Or... could you simply not resist giving me the correct time again?

You let out a chuckle. "What a charming mate", you thought, clicking again in the screen.

After all, I know how much you enjoy setting the time correctly.

You laid your head on your hand, just like the last time, smiling. You clicked after reading.

Okay now I'm curious how accurate __:__ __ is. Let's use another slider to find out.

And when you clicked in the screen, a white slider appeared, with a question, How accurate is __:__ __?

So, you pushed the slider to the position you thought defined your opinion better, and pressed the confirm button.

You know, can I just say, regardless of the accuracy of the clock, I'm having a great time adjusting these settings.

"Hey, me too." You spoke, even if you know they couldn't hear you, you chiped happily. Then, you clicked.

It's good to collect data.

You clicked.

I wish we had more sliders! But we've gone through all the sliders I have.

"Aw...Same" Then you clicked again.

Hmm... perhaps I can invent some new sliders to gather new data on you.

On you? You are moving closer to the table with your chair, but at the same time relaxing more in the chair. You clicked.

And then, you came across several sliders, one with a dog and a cat becoming friends, one with the numbers 5 and 9, and so on. You had fun, and it was cute that the settings person cared about you having fun.

And there was also-

Help.

Uh?

You clicked "Yes".

What time is it?

Does anyone really, truly know?

Of course they don't. Nobody knows anything.

You and I don't even know each other. We're like stranger.

"...Don't say that..." You quietly said. Reading the white words with caution. You didn't saw they as a stranger, but yes as a friend.

Sure, I've adjusted all of the game's setting to your exact specifications, but who hasn't?

It's just what I do, like a day job.

And now... the job is over.

You stared at the screen in confusion, they aren't coming back? Will you ever see them again? What does they mean by that? You kept clicking, reading all the texts that appeared in the void, your happiness slowly turning into a degrading panic and sadness.

And I still don't really know you.

And you don't know me.

"...Not true..." You wished they could listen to you.

You won't have me here when the game starts next time, but that's okay.

"What? No, no it's not!" You tensed. No, no, you don't want to lost they.

Perhaps you'll see me again, if you can find me.

Talk soon.

You stared at the screen, and if you could protest, you would. And the game menu appeared, but the last words they said were still running through your head.

"If you can find me"

...

And you did. You did the effort to find them.

Stanley, the puppet you control, stared at the computer in the empty room. Your curiosity bubbled as the screen zoomed in on the computer.

Hello again.

It's nice to see you.

But they were not talking with Stanley, someone empty, they were talking with you.

"Same." And you smiled.

They offered a deal, a union. Make more, and more The Stanley Parable games until the sun explodes. It was quite wrong, but it's not like just changing the title will destroy eveything, right? And you even got the broken achievement! What a nice person.

And again, everytime you open the game, you see that same black void again, asking for a new game title, again, and again.

...

Normally you would think they would just ask for a new title and leave, but quite the contrary, Timekeeper wanted to spend time with you. Screw the game, or the Narrator, or the other proctors, they got you! A friend, a real one!

Your first conversations started in the seventh title, when you came across another white text.

Wait, wait, wait! Can I have a chat with you? It's been a while, so.

And that's where you two never stopped.

Timekeeper has never been happier. They have been exclued so many times in the office by others, but not you! You were more excited to talk to them than the Narrator, who was supposed to be the main star of the game. How privileged were they to have a friend as loyal as you?

Timekeeper couldn't wait to talk to you in the hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades to come! You don't get out of Timekeeper's head, always causing a warm feeling in their chest.

You, too, couldn't stop talking and thinking of Timekeeper. Maybe you were lonely or not, but still, something as simple as plain white text could interest you so easily.

And right now, this was already the The Stanley Parable sequel number 146 you created with Timekeeper. And again, you two spend minutes talking and laughing, with the game not even started

-It was because she had no limbs! Hahaha!

It was a rather strange joke with decapitation, but you laughed. You deeply wanted Timekeeper to be able to hear you, and so did they.

You laughed, right?

You pressed the "Yes" button without any hesitation.

Great! I'm glad you liked my joke.

;).

You smiled with genuine happiness, and laid your head in your arms at your desk.

Oh. Hey, I almost forgot.

Please enter the current time.

And the big 12:00 PM popped up. And with pleasure, you grabbed your phone to check the time and put it on.

11:11 PM, nice. You moved your mouse to the time settings, and entered the time of right now, 11:11 PM.

Oh? 11:11 PM?

As I recall, you can make a wish at that time. I don't really know why, but they say to just make a wish.

Quick! Make a wish!

"Oh! Okay!"

You lifted your head and closed your eyes, bringing your palms together. And you started thinking about your wish. Starting to focus, on the wish.

What is something you really want that's been stuck in your chest for a long time?

Wait, why are you thinking so much about a wish? no offense but it's just something fun not to be taken seriously.

So, you just thought about something you wished to happen.

"I wish... For you to stay with me and be free. Be together." You murmured, a peak of hope could be heard in your voice.

You opened your eyes, putting your arms on the table. And you already found them waiting for you.

You already made your wish?

At the bottom there was another option of "Yes" and "No". You pressed "Yes"

My turn!

I wish...

Timekeeper took a few seconds, thinking about their next words, about how much you meant to them, and about everything the two of you had been through. How loyal and honest you were, and the only person who really cared for them, unlike the other co-workers.

And you easily made them happy, Timekeeper didn't depend on their own happiness on you, but even so, you managed to make their day much happier.

You were extremely important to them.

And they really wants the best for you.

And they would love to know your voice, your appearance, your smile...

But without even noticing it, Timekeeper found a big smile sprouting on their own face, and a warm feeling in their chest.

...

Timekeeper was in love with you.

"Fuck, shit!" They though, screaming silently. This has never happened to them, and they don't know how to react. But... It felt good. It is good, right? Because... They feel very well that it is. But what prevented all this from going wrong? Of you abandoning them? Of you going back to the Narrator?

The feeling was fuzzy, and now it did their face warm, they hated It. Timekeeper growled in rage, thinking of all the possibilities to get out of the situation, to go back to being alone and not face any more disappointments.

...But Timekeeper never thought of just letting the feeling flow. What would happen if they just... Let it in? Admit it that they are deeply in love with you? Simply try having a actual relationship with you, and try to be happy?

They thought. You waited.

...I hope all the best for you and... I hope we can meet, maybe outside the game, someday, who knows, haha.

[thevoicetournament]

reasons under cut

LBP narrator:

"to be honest little big planet is one of the games of all time <3 and stephen fry as narrator really adds to the whole experience." -Submitter #37

TSP Narrator:

"Because you're so so right he's so very valid and should get in!!!" -Submitter #6

"The guy ever!! :D" -Submitter #12

"He and Stanley r gay married <3 hope this helps" -Submitter #26

"Let's be honest, he's the REAL main character of the stanley parable. (Also I am very interested to see how many different submissions from different media are just named "Narrator".)" -Submitter #31

(yes, there were... so many... 34 for "The Narrator" 16 for "Narrator" and 8 for "the narrator") -blog runner response

"He’s gay and autistic. What more could you want?" -Submitter #32

"( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)" -Submitter #78

"He is so babygirl" -Submitter #84

"you said submit him lol :3 i always gotta submit the blorbo in my brain who says everything i do" -Submitter #107

"his voice is hot 👍" -Submitter #114

"They're just cool :]" -Submitter #118

"Yeah <3" -Submitter #126

"LET HIM IN. LET HIM INNNNN" -Submitter #130

"Legit!! He is my autism Also he's a disembodied voice I mean" -Submitter #235

"He is one of two (sometimes three?) characters in the entire game and he is more powerful than the player realizes" -Submitter #139

"The real 🫶" -Submitter #145

"He’s a NERD" -Submitter #157

"Hes such a funny n silly goober" -Submitter #167

"Need I say more?" -Submitter #201

"If the narrator isn't in this tournament that is a fucking CRIME; he has more personality than a vast majority of embodied characters in modern video games" -Submitter #68

"i like the game, also on a stream with his brother the creater said that the Narrator is the 'platonic idea of divorce' and i think thats kinda funny" -Submitter #79

"Honestly he is THE blorbo at the moment. I stop to think and this silly man’s voice echos in my head" -Submitter #117

"You told us to submit him lol" -Submitter #121

"I mean. It's the narrator!" -Submitter #128

"🥵" -Submitter #143

"He is THE voice. I think about him forever I believe him wholeheartedly I support him when he blows the fuckinh building up in countdown ending" -Submitter #226

"YES IM SUBMITTING THIS! IM ALLOWED TO SUBMIT TO MY OWN COMPITITION!!!" -Submitter #3 (aka me)

"yknow ;)" -Submitter #4

"he likes shrimp" -Submitter #40

"hes so fucking bizzare i want him to get in but then lose during the first round" -Submitter #43

(you heard the man! /j -poll runner)

"Needed to make sure the boy gets in, also thought it’d be funny to specify ultra deluxe. You’ve already received him, you know he’s getting in. I just have to say it" -Submitter #134

"you know the rules and so do I >:)" -Submitter #8

"me head hurt :( my vote should count as 2 because i am sad and sick" -Submitter #94

"PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE HIM PART OF THIS TOURNAMENT ILL GO FUCKING INSANE I NEED HIM HES MY BABY GIRL PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HES SO. HES SO" -Submitter #39

alright boys... play nice >:3 /lh

[giddlygoat]

eight hours | the stanley parable fic 

[ 2527 words • fluff, could be seen as ship or platonic • oneshot; may be continued ] 

stanley’s tired. he just wants to get a good night’s sleep. the narrator eventually obliges, even if he doesn’t fully understand stanley’s desire to lay unconscious for eight hours. 

…

“stanley, what in the world are you doing?” 

usually, the narrator could wait patiently for stanley to leave his office before beginning their new run. he would use this short period as a sort of mental refresher, preparing himself for the adventure ahead and taking a moment of quiet to himself. stanley always left eventually, often in moments, but something was holding them up. he had seemingly crawled under his desk with his back to the corner in a curled up position that could only be so comfortable. 

“are you feeling unwell? you’ve been laying there for nearly half an hour now.” the narrator recognized the similarities between stanley’s display and general human tendencies regarding sleep, although he had not seen him asleep very often at all. he knew for a fact that stanley didn’t even require sleep. 

stanley only shifted slightly, adjusting the arm folded under his head. he made no effort to explain himself, or address the narrator at all, for that matter. 

“well, as long as you’ve not contracted some sort of deadly virus or something, i suppose i can’t stop you from sleeping my precious time away.” 

stanley’s face crinkled up just slightly, just for a second. the narrator felt a small zip of amusement through him. “yes, i suppose i should leave you to it. not like we have anything better to be doing right now… like exploring the surprise i made for you.” 

stanley did not perk up as the narrator had expected. that was strange; he was certain telling people that there’s a surprise to look forward to was supposed to be a sure way of getting their attention. 

“i said,” the narrator cleared his throat for emphasis. “you’ll miss your special surprise.” 

stanley burrowed his head deeper in his arms, as if that could block out the disembodied voice. 

the narrator sighed in exasperation. “come on, stanley, work with me here. is the mystery not enticing enough for you? what about i drop hints, or we play a game of hot and cold?” 

stanley did not move. at this point, the narrator knew very well that stanley would not be able to ignore him enough to fall asleep, and he deduced that his protagonist was simply ‘playing dead’ in the hopes that the narrator would get bored and flit off as if he had better things to be doing. 

the narrator almost chuckled at the notion. he would not break that easily. 

“look, stanley - i will be straight with you. i’m not going to stop pestering you until you leave that office. i really do have a surprise for you, something new - i really think you’ll love it! but you’re going to have to move in order to actually enjoy it.” a small prick of anxiety made itself known within the narrator. even when stanley didn’t cooperate, he would always move eventually. there had never been a time that the narrator was unable to motivate stanley to move eventually, either by persuasion, reverse psychology, or brute force annoyance. 

yes, he was sure of it. stanley had never stopped moving for more than an hour or so, and even on this rare occasion, it was with some purpose or goal in mind. something in the narrator’s subconscious urged him to reassure this thought thoroughly. 

stanley sighed, sluggishly rolling his head so that an eye emerged from his pillow of arms. he blinked slowly at nothing. 

“erm… please?” it felt awfully silly to say, and the narrator decided right then that he didn’t particularly enjoy it. 

however, it seemed to convince stanley. he sighed, crawled out from under his desk and stretched out, using his chair for balance. 

“yes! i promise you will not-“ 

[i want to sleep.] stanley signed. he had an air of determination about him. though, the narrator wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen him without that hard-headed aura. 

“sleep? why on earth would you desire to exercise the most boring of human functions?” 

stanley paused for a moment to consider whether or not this even counted as ‘earth’ before deciding that topic was a can of worms he wasn’t ready to open. he also decided that pointing out that sleep could actually be fun and fascinating among a dozen other pleasant side effects probably wouldn’t be useful, considering who he was talking to. 

so instead, he signed [i’m tired.]

the narrator scoffed. “no, you’re not. that’s physically impossible; i didn’t even code natural fatigue into you to begin with.” 

stanley grimaced. he wasn’t sure how to respond to that, especially not with the newfound bitter taste in his mouth. 

“if you’re just bored of the content so far, then i just offered you a solution. the surprise, remember?” 

stanley ground his teeth slowly, weighing his options. the narrator was not understanding him. this was a kind of bone deep, all-consuming exhaustion that had been due for a long, long time. his body didn’t have to ache for his mind to feel like a wet paper bag stuck to a parking lot. he was simply at his limit. 

but, he also didn’t have a lot of options. 

[if i come with you, will you let me sleep afterwards?] stanley was unsure of how to explain himself. despite the justification for anger in his situation, he felt nervous more than anything. he was desperate - he’d take what he could get. 

“sure, you can take a nap after you see the surprise.” 

stanley pinched the bridge of his nose. [no. i mean a deep sleep.] 

there was a very loud, very brief moment of silence. “…for how long?” 

stanley almost laughed. if he hadn’t already been dealing with this crap for so long, he might not have believed that he was bargaining the number of hours he got to sleep with some ignorant prick in the ceiling. 

[a night’s sleep. like eight hours.]

the narrator whistled, and stanley swore he heard the gentle shift of a rolling chair on the floor. “eight hours? that’s quite a lot, stanley. i’m not sure if i can swing that.” 

stanley made no effort to hide the obvious irritation on his face. [yes you can. you’ve swung harder for much less.] 

“well, what am i supposed to do for eight hours? i don’t exactly have a surplus of protagonists laying around at my disposable. i assure you, if i did, i would have given up on you ages ago.” 

[thanks.] stanley rolled his eyes. 

“gratitude is not the appropriate response here, stanley. that was a dig at your insufferable nature and reckless attitude.” 

stanley might have signed something in response if his hands weren’t busy holding his head. he drug them down his face, groaning in frustration. [please, let’s just get this over with.] 

“wonderful!” the narrator clapped. “right this way, stanley.” a familiar yellow arrow appeared on the floor before stanley, snaking through a newly opened door. the smile in his voice was back. stanley wished he had something to smile about too. 

“you won’t regret this. i made this just for you, you know.” the narrator continued to hype up the surprise stanley tried not to get his hopes up about. knowing the narrator, it was probably something underwhelming and useless, like another mostly infinite hole or a new closet. 

stanley followed the adventure line in no hurry. he allowed himself to fantasize about something beautiful and gratifying. the narrator occasionally rattled on about all the effort that went into this spectacular mystery gift, and how brilliant it was, and how ecstatic stanley would be upon seeing it. 

stanley imagined a stretching, open field surrounded by a horizon of trees and distant green hills. wind tickled his ears and sunshine kissed his face as he walked in the direction of his choice. no limits, no rules, no voice. 

the sluggish pace he progressed at did not escape the narrator’s notice. it either meant he was simply savoring every delicious moment of suspense or he wasn’t excited about his surprise, and something inclined the narrator to believe it was the latter. 

yes, upon closer inspection, stanley didn’t look happy at all. it then struck the narrator quite suddenly that stanley’s claims of tiredness from earlier were starkly evident on his features. he really did look exhausted. 

the narrator contemplated his surprise. perhaps the new closet he had cooked up would not please stanley as he had previously hoped. he knew stanley loved closets - there was no doubt about it, but he just didn’t seem to be in a closet exploring kind of mood. 

well, they were only paces from their destination now. the narrator had to act fast. 

“erm, hold on, stanley.” 

before stanley rose a brick wall, haphazardly slapped in last second. stanley took a step back, scratching his head. 

“let’s see… hold on, i just have to make a few minor adjustments. i realized my design wasn’t quite perfect and i really should present you with only the best.” the narrator hummed absentmindedly as he hastily constructed a new room in the closet’s place, digging through assets and arranging everything just so. 

stanley yawned slowly, unaffected. 

“right… there we go! sorry about that, right this way.” the narrator lowered the brick wall once more, and stanley followed the adventure line down to the end of a forgettable hallway. the door at the end was a deep green. stanley had to admit, the new splash of color was easy on the eyes. 

“well, what are you waiting for? go on,” the narrator urged stanley inside, anxious to see his reaction. stanley sighed, mentally preparing himself for disappointment. he twisted the knob and stepped inside. 

“oh, isn’t it just beautiful?” the narrator said dreamily. 

stanley had to pick his jaw off the floor. it… really was beautiful. he found himself in an expansive greenhouse surrounded by big leafy plants and frosted glass panes on every side. the floor was laid with swirling patterns in red brick and white stones. 

what caught stanley’s eye the most, however, was the enormous bed in the center of the greenhouse. a circular sheer curtain shrouded the bed in a hazy green. stanley was moving towards it before he could think.

“look, i’ve thought about what you said, and i think perhaps… i haven’t been the most accommodating. let me make it up to you.” the sheer curtain rolled back before stanley’s eyes, and he realized the comforter was fashioned to look like a lush moss carpet. he reached out and pet the fluffy surface, unable to believe what he was seeing. it felt marvelous. 

“you can have eight hours in here. oh, and i almost forgot-“ stanley only realized it had been silent when suddenly the sound of rain on the roof swelled around him. he looked at the foggy windows to see the color of the sky had darkened to a pleasant dusty purple. 

“there we go! perfect sleeping conditions. now, wasn’t that surprise worth it?” the narrator waited for stanley to move. he just stayed there frozen, his hand in the shaggy fluff of the comforter. 

“…stanley?” this was unusual. something about the situation inspired a prick of anxiety within the narrator. 

but sure enough, stanley’s taut shoulders softened, his hand retracting from the blanket. he looked around the greenhouse slowly, letting his eyes snag on every little detail among the abundant plant life.

had the narrator really created all of this just for him? just for this occasion? stanley gulped, inhaling deeply. the air felt richer and damper. his eyes stung. 

he didn’t bother signing. he unbuckled his belt, pushing off his slacks, and unbuttoned his shirt enough to pull it over his head and throw it unceremoniously to the floor. then he dove under the covers, eagerly wrapping himself up in the heavenly softness of the comforter. 

the narrator sputtered quietly at the sudden display, clearing his throat. he supposed that was a yes. “well, i suppose i should leave you to it, now.” he said rather awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. 

stanley’s eyes washed over the ceiling, watching the rain patter and roll on the glass above him. he finally worked up the determination to pull his arms out from under the covers once more in order to sign. [what are you going to do?] he asked out of curiosity more than anything. 

the narrator hadn’t expected stanley to say anything after all. to be perfectly honest, he didn’t have a clue. and in the vein of honestly, he didn’t particularly want to leave. he had just put this place together; it would only make sense to stay and admire it. just a bit longer. 

[are you there?] stanley signed after a moment. the narrator realized he had not responded. “ah, yes, of course. uhm… i was actually just contemplating that. i think i rather like this place, and i’m not particularly anxious to leave yet - if that’s quite alright with you.” 

a small smile grew on stanley’s face. the narrator studied it closely. [it’s very nice. thank you.] as if to prove his point, stanley gathered up the bunched up comforter in his arms and snuggled beneath it. the narrator studied this closely as well. stanley looked so… content. he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about that. 

“you’re very welcome, stanley.” he smiled despite himself. maybe stanley would finally understand that the narrator had his best interest in mind after this. yes, surely he would take a lesson from this.

somehow, watching stanley burrow into the cozy cocoon of his blanket made the narrator feel inclined to keep those sentiments to himself for now. 

several moments passed by, and stanley’s eyes had closed, the rise and fall of his chest slowing. the narrator had to admit, the sound of the rain was quite relaxing. he knew if stanley wasn’t asleep by now it was only a matter of time, and then it would be eight hours of nothing. 

perhaps the narrator would leave at some point to work on new areas or flesh out his story. but until then, he found that he wasn’t bored. quite the opposite, really. watching stanley sleep was fascinating. seeing him at peace was a rare thing. 

maybe the narrator had been too harsh on him. what good is a protagonist who’s sick of his own story? the narrator toyed with the idea of allowing stanley to visit this place regularly. it could be good for morale, and give the narrator ample time to perfect his new ideas. yes, he would certainly consider it. 

until then, stanley was fast asleep, and the narrator suddenly had no one to talk to. he’d never understood the appeal of sleep, as it just eats up valuable time, but seeing stanley in this state inspired curiosity in the narrator. it looked cozy. he found himself wondering what that might feel like. 

these thoughts would zip through the narrator’s mind as he flitted around his maps, making improvements to his plots here and there. eight hours would pass slowly and quietly, and the narrator found that his pondering kept the inherit bore of it all at bay. 

[thegreatsolaris]

Solaris.......... *Slides into ask box cooly* I present to you this crown for all your stanley parable fanart, and how amazing it is, I love your design of the charecters and how you see the game in your vision. And here one for your narrator too, I think he deserves it as well. Also, will you draw more tsp art, I'm kinda missing it, and I would also love to see more designs for more of the charaecters such as Timekeeper, Mariella, and Curator. But this decision is all your call of course, so you don't have to so it if you don't want too!

-From cool anon >:) <3

AUGHHGGHGFVGDDR

JEEZ! You sure know how to make a fella blush! I seriously appreciate it... wonder how ya got a crown that big for narrator... huh..

HONESTLY, I do have things I haven't posted, unfinished works, and ideas for an animation ( not that I've ever animated). I've just been a bit.. tiredd *groan*. I'm probably going to be a bit sporadic for a while.

BUT

For your dedication and support I shall give you a teaser for a comic I have planned

Neat huh :)

Anywayyyyy when it comes to curator and Mariella, I haven’t been able to settle on a design? Narrator I made a cursor and focused on being sharp, whereas Stanley is soft and rounded. I want to keep that sharpness for curator, but I find she often just looks like a femme version of Narrator :/ and Mariella ends up looking plain in a way I hate. I might post some concepts, but they're subject to change.

Then timekeeper... woof I knew I'd have to say this eventually but ahhhhhhh uhm wellllll.....

I haven't played it.

Don't get me wrong, I know every scrap of dialogue from the original game and from the HD version and played HD often when it came out buttt.. I've never played or watched the ultra deluxe version. I had thought of streaming my reaction up until I realized my laptop was barely worth 200$ ten years ago. I still want to play it for myself though rather than watching a play through. I just haven't yet... oops!

I do actually have a few concept designs for timekeeper. No idea if it's accurate to his character, but I have him!

I'll definitely keep drawing tsp ♡

(just expect a bit of persona as well hehe)

[narratingvoice]

Have you ever met other versions of yourself?

Eugh, a topic that gets right at my ego. Well, I've met a handful of other beings who call themselves The Narrator, although most of them I would hardly call a version of myself. A lot of humans in the bunch, for starters. Or at least they were more comfortable looking human than I do. And with very different opinions about themselves and their stories and Stanley. A lot of them seem to like talking to each other and fighting with each other and doing big crossover events. I stay away from that sort of thing for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the whole multiverse crossover concept is getting totally played out in the cinemas right now. I understand wanting to attract more players by chasing popular trends, but I find it unoriginal and uninteresting. Secondly, I do not like hanging around these people for any length of time. It makes me feel weird about my perception of myself. I always enjoyed thinking of myself as a singularly brilliant intelligence, peerless in my storytelling ability. Because of this, a part of my mind automatically files those other Narrators away as not real, imposters, imitations. But another part of me cannot help but wonder if that's really the case. It gnaws at me whenever I hear them speak, the thoughts of what if this is what I could have been? Another timeline split by a single decision made differently? What if every choice I made or did not make in my whole life resulted in a different incarnation of me? Worse, what if it was their decisions that made me and not the other way round? I find myself slipping into a dizzy haze of self-confusion and regret. Surely you can see why I choose to keep to myself.

Unfortunately, there is one particular Narrator who has recently discovered me and will not leave me alone. The good news is that she is not very like me at all, so I have little problem calling her an imposter. The bad news is that he's an enormous furry monster with a horrible attitude and a worse smell. That animal barged in here and started biting and scratching at all my office furniture, and breaking my doors down with their girth. And they hate it when I call them an animal, even though they clearly are. Four paws, a long tail, and a bird-like face, what else are you supposed to call that? She has beaks all over her back in addition to the one on her face, and they all keep yammering on all at once, making it impossible to hold a conversation. And she rubbed herself all over everything to "mark territory".

To top it all off, he has the audacity to call me the copycat! And to insinuate that my liquid form is in some way repellent, even though I'm not the one who sheds everywhere. I am currently in the process of trying to vacuum the office to get rid of all the fur, but there just keeps being more. We've become fast enemies and I actually think she delights in tearing me down. I really need to find some way to keep all outsiders from coming into my Parable (except for you lovely players of course). Maybe some kind of electric fence? Or maybe I just need to call the local pound.

[queenburd]

SLAMS OPEN YOUR DOOR please share the stuff you are hiding behind your back (only if you wish to share ofc smiles

sighs and pulls my papers out from behind my back and spreads them across the table

so here's the thing. it's not so much that the settings person/employee 432 and the narrator have a lot in common, that's to me, a debatable point. it's.... complicated. but they have a lot of PARALLELS and features that come from the same place.

but, to me, they play different roles. they have to. because one of these individuals is someone who has accepted and embraced and fallen into their role (settings person) and the other is in full denial about his role and pretends he has more power than he does and, on a subconscious level, wants freedom he can't have (the narrator).

sorry this is all over the place so Im going to go back to where everything always starts and it is The Parable, the Game Itself, as a living thing that has wants and drives. The end is never the end, because it loops and loops, so that you can keep playing, and the wheel keeps turning. (Ive compared the Parable to a haunted house. I've compared it to the House from The Haunting of Hill House.)

It has its own rules, and its own physics, and I can't say it's sentient but it steps in when the Narrator tries to change too much. For the game to work, for the Parable to function, it needs you to play, and you play to hear the Narrator talk, and he's funnier when he's mad, and he only ever wants the Story, so you disobey and go off the Story and you are, in essence, playing the game. Get the dialogue. Find the secrets. Be In Conflict With The Other Person, because games have winners, which means there are losers, which means competition, and defeat, and Conflict.

So the cycle is You (or Stanley) Vs Narrator, trying to gain the upper hand, and this turns the wheel. This makes the game repeat. The end is never the end.

But the thing is we can't argue that that's what the Narrator wants. He THINKS he wants it, but his assumptions are based off fallacies that he made the game (we're gonna come back to this) and the second he starts to not care about the Story (confusion ending) and BOND with the player/Stanley, the Parable steps in and wipes the slate clean.

That's not a being in control! That's a person who has to be manipulated repeatedly and forced into being a specific way for the machine to work. (there are arguments to be made here that this is like employee 432. that's extremely true. I PROMISE we will get to Settings/432) I think about the Curator's speech a lot, and I think about the Demo a lot, and the confusion ending and. gestures.

The Narrator has SOME control over the Parable, but only so long as he acts in line with what it wants, and it's not hesitant to put him through suffering if he pushes against it.

(and I can and have talked about his own fears, and how not progressing feels safe for him, how he's stuck in the past and the player/Stanley is the force that drives things forward, and that back and forth is what moves the Parable and makes it loop, but I am already SO off topic Im so sorry)

The Settings Person, I think, has more power over the game mechanics than the Narrator does (achievement machine, always with you even in the pause screen, stuff like that), because it wants what the Parable wants. The Stanley Parable cannot end. I must keep the wheel turning. It's not a prisoner, it's a warden. And it makes you/Stanley complicit in pulling the Narrator back to the game when he's supposedly "escaped", because, again, Conflict Drives The Game.

They get their abilities from the same place but one of these individuals is dogmatic in its belief of the Parable and the other is only obeying the Parable because he thinks he has to and has been manipulated and forced into compliance.

And, okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, right? After all, the Narrator made the game, didn't he? And 432 was just a character in the mind control facility in the game lore.

Incorrect buzzer, but like, quieter so it's less annoying and condescending.

None of that's real. Crowsx3 made the game. This is a game about meta and it's not so far of a stretch to detach yourself from the "game lore" and look at the game from outside, while also trying to meet it on its own level.

The Narrator didn't make the game, but so long as he thinks so, and as long as he thinks he has power, he'll fight with Stanley for control. As long as he abides by the made up backstory, then the Parable succeeds.

Then there's the Settings person who knows this is a game, and that they are just part of it. The fact that this character has "lore" has no impact on its work now. It's flavor. It's for fun. the character knows that.

are there similarities? absolutely. But those similarities will always stem from the same place: whether their intent and interests are in alignment with the Parable's itself.

Settings Person will ALWAYS align with the Parable. The Narrator will not.

And That's My Take.

[sangijazz]

Love MegaBytes - a LoveBug AU Stanley x shadow!Narrator fanfic

Chapter 5

----

Notes:

- Content Warnings:

- Viral Corruption;

- Gaslighting and Emotional Manipulation (by both parties);

- Obsessive Behavior;

- Unhealthy Possessive Behavior;

I don’t think that the contents of this chapter are heavy and/or explicit enough to warrant the skip-summary treatment, I hope I’m right, I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.

And I also apologize in advance if my depiction of sign language is wrong, feel free to correct me.

—

General Notes:

They /them pronouns for the Timekeeper;

They/them pronouns for the Bucket;

I made a little playlist for you, my dears, with songs that I listen to when writing Love MegaBytes (and in general really)

Here

I like stalker songs, there are some odd ones there but they are my Stannarrator songs. I accept recommendations for new songs for the playlist!

Some typos in the dialog are intentional.

I hope the zalgo is readable ;p but if it isn’t there is a transcript at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy~

----

In recollection, resetting might have been a bad idea, but everyone knew it was the only chance. Pink, pulsating, vein-like ruptures assaulted his opening eyes, it was on, in, everything, and everywhere . The ominous throbbing rose light coming out of them was the only thing illuminating the place. Stanley could see from his trapped position, chunks of the wall were missing, much like that little hole that began this all, the headache-inducing green binary he remembered, now laid bare and broken now too with that pink color, they were also bare, his drawings, all gone, stolen? Eaten? Were more things missing?!

Desperately, he darted his gaze to his hand, checking for that same corruption in himself. There was nothing, his model looked untouched.

“O̴k̵a̸y̴,̷ ̵S̸t̴_n̴l̷e̷y̷ ̵d̶e̵a̵r̸.̴ ̶L̷e̷t̴’̶s̵ ̸s̶t̷a̷_t̶ ̸t̴h̷i̷s̶ ̶a̶g̴_i̸n̸”

The voice that rang through the parable was as familiar as ever, but together with it the maddening glitches worsened, now the words were coming out even more broken, repeating, pieces missing.

Now, again in this paralyzed state, his plan seemed flimsy and not that good, too much like last time, he felt the dread and uncertainty quickly creeping through his coded nerves.  

“T̷r̵y̷ ̴t̴o̶ ̶f̸o̶l̴_w̸ ̷t̴h̷e̶ ̴s̸c̴r̴i̷p̴t̷ ̸t̸h̷i̶s̵ ̵t̸i̴m̸e̸,̶ ̷a̴l̶r̶i̵g̶h̵t̸,̵ ̵d̷_r̵l̵i̴n̸g̵?̴~̶”

The pulse of the light created stark shadows that looked oh-so alive, and all-consuming. The contrasting forces battled for dominance and also worked together to swallow all. 

The Narrator cleared its nonexistent throat, the cue to begin.

“T̵h̵i̶s̴ ̴i̵s̴ ̴a̸ ̷s̴t̴o̶r̷y̸ ̸o̸f̵ ̸a̸n̸ ̸a̷m̴_z̶i̴n̶g̷ ̷m̶a̶n̶ ̴n̵a̴m̷_d̴ ̶S̷t̴a̷_l̶e̶y̵~̸”

Taking the situation into consideration, it would be better to play smart (how he didn’t think of this before is more evidence he wasn’t the smart one), starting to run now would probably be a bad strategy, waiting for a better opportunity closer to the Curator then give chase. Stanley almost felt proud of this one, he prayed it would work.

Surprisingly, the screen of his computer blinked to life, the disparity of its black-gray background and white font against the pink roots covering its surface.

"Hello?!1! 

Is anybody there?!?!1?

What the hell is going on?!!?1?"

[??]   [??]

Is that…

IS  THAT THE TIMEKEEPER?!

Oh, thank the gods, Stanley wasn’t alone! There was another being just as confused and terrified as him. If only he could move he would answer them, send a life signal and assure them they weren’t alone. This made Stanley’s core sprout a wee bit of hope. Were the Narrator and the Parable the only affected?  This could be proven to be beneficial, if everyone else was still sound of mind. The dark being was still talking, but its words weren’t registering correctly, they were almost too mangled to understand.

“ –d̵i̸d̷ ̵e̵v̵_r̸y̶ ̵d̶a̸y̸ ̴o̴f̷ ̸e̸v̴e̷r̷y̸ ̴m̵o̸n̷_h̵–”

 The second he was allowed to move, he would find a way to click a button as an answer, for the Timekeeper’s sake.

Stanley took a deep breath, ‘siking himself up to put up to the task of pretending he wasn’t scared shitless. His body shook with fear, as the Narrator got near the end of the introduction. Keep it steady, Stanley. He had a task to do.

“S̷o̷ ̶w̷i̴t̸h̶ ̶a̵ ̶s̴_i̴l̸e̶,̸ ̷h̵e̷ ̵g̶o̶t̸ ̸u̷p̵ ̸f̵r̵o̵m̵ ̷h̵i̶s̸ ̸d̶e̴_k̵ ̸a̶n̸d̴ ̷s̶t̵e̴p̸p̶e̶d̶ ̶o̷u̸t̶ ̴o̵f̶ ̶h̵i̵s̵ ̸o̸f̵f̷_c̴e̵.̴”

As soon the engine read and loaded the line that gave him movement, he let his hands fall, purposely letting them hit the keyboard’s key and he hoped it was enough of n answer for them.

Thankfully it was since the effect was instantaneous as more words in white font appeared like they were frantically typed, not caring for spelling.

"Stamley?!?!? Are you okay??! Do you now what th e fuck is going on!?!"

This was unfortunately, that was all he could do – without drawing too much attention or letting the Narrator get impatient – no matter how much he wanted to.  Now, he had to play along, he would ask for forgiveness later.

Before the watcher entity could voice its impatience with threats, the avatar stood up, did his best to crack a smile like it wanted, and made what the narration asked for.

All he could see was in the same state as the 427 office and here made Stanley realize how he missed the low humming of the fluorescent light that was much better than the eldritch and indescribable sound of code falling apart hammering bass inside his head, assaulting his ears. 

All the Office’s usual colors were muted, gray-scaled except for that bright pink, that the vessel swore that he would hate for his whole life, and now he feared his retinas were permanently stained with that shade. His smile threatened to falter.

“O̵h̶!̸ ̵S̶o̶_e̴o̵n̸e̸ ̸i̷s̶ ̵e̶a̴g̶e̶r̶!̷~̶” beamed the Narrator, thankfully not noticing the minor stumble. “N̶o̴w̵,̸ ̷g̵o̷ ̸o̶n̷,̶ ̶l̷o̴v̴e̷,̴ ̷t̸o̵ ̷o̸u̸r̸ ̸f̷a̵v̸o̵r̷i̸t̵e̸ ̸d̸o̴o̷r̷s̷!̴ ̵A̵n̴d̸,̴” the voice dropped to a lower tone “D̷o̷n̴’̷t̵ ̴f̸o̴_g̸e̵t̴ ̴t̸o̸ ̵ f̶o̷l̷l̶o̶w̸ ̷m̶y̸ ̵e̵_e̵r̶y̷ ̵w̸o̷r̴d̷,̶ ̴w̴e̴ ̸b_t̴h̸ ̸w̵a̴n̷t̷ ̶f̴o̵r̶ ̴y̸o̴u̵ ̶t̴o̶ ̵g̶e̵t̵ ̵t̴o̶ ̵t̵h̶e̸ ̷s̸u̷r̵_r̴i̶s̷e̷,̵ ̷r̶i̸g̷h̵t̸,̶ ̵S̵t̸a̷n̶l̷e̶y̶ ̷d̶e̸a̵r̸?̷~̴”

Nodding with fake excitement, Stanley began to carefully take steps forward since the floor also was being eaten, with holes leading to the eternal void where the parable was situated. The computers’ screens shone with errors and random ciphers. Everything was breaking.

In the next room of cubicles, on their usual spot, shone the Bucket in the darkness, untouched by the infection, a beacon of hope. The sight made the man hurry to embrace his old friend, the metallic creature eagerly embracing him too, and reassuring him they were fine. The action generated no comment from the Narrator, thankfully, it had gone unnoticed or seen as unimportant, maybe it was still in the mind set they were still a nonsentient object.

The Bucket asked if he had a plan and he hugged them tighter against his chest and nodded slightly, it was half-baked however it was all he had. They comforted him, assuring him it would work.

“S̵t̷_n̷l̷e̵y̵ ̶n̸e̷v̸e̸r̵ ̷h̴a̵d̷ ̴c̷o̴w̴o̷r̷k̸_r̴s̴ ̶t̴o̸ ̸b̴e̴g̵i̵n̷ ̸w̶i̵t̵h̴,̴ ̷t̶h̷e̴ ̶O̵f̵f̵i̵c̵e̶ ̸w̶_s̸ ̵o̶n̷l̸y̶ ̶f̶o̴r̵ ̴h̵i̸m̵ ̸a̸n̸d̴ ̷t̴h̷e̵ ̵N̵a̷r̸r̷a̸t̴_r̸.̸ ̴N̸o̶ ̴o̶n̵e̶ ̸t̴o̴ ̶t̷a̸k̶e̵ ̸f̸r̴_m̴ ̵e̷a̵c̷h̷ ̷o̷t̴h̴e̷r̴.̶"

The collision was still active, the Bucket told him as they saw Stanley hesitate next to a big hole in the hallway, he wouldn’t fall. 

“H̸_v̸e̵ ̴I̶ ̴e̶v̴e̸r̵ ̸t̶o̴l̵d̸ ̷y̶o̵u̵ ̴h̶o̵w̵ ̷m̴_c̵h̷ ̵I̸ ̷l̴o̶v̷e̵ ̵y̶o̵u̸?̴ ̴Y̷o̶u̷ ̵a̴r̷e̶ ̶s̸o̵ ̶p̵r̸_c̸i̶o̴u̷s̵ ̷t̷o̴ ̵m̵e̴,̶ ̴m̶y̶ ̸l̴i̴t̴t̵l̷e̷ ̴c̶r̷e̸a̴t̸i̴o̴n̵…̵” it seemed to be monologuing not really looking for an answer “W̷i̸t̶h̵o̷u̴t̸ ̸y̷o̵u̸,̶ ̷h̶o̶w̵ ̸c̸o̸u̴l̸d̷ ̵I̶ ̴e̴x̴i̷s̶t̶?̶ ̸W̸i̶t̶h̶o̸_t̷ ̶m̵e̶,̵ ̵w̶h̵o̸ ̶w̴o̷u̴l̴d̷ ̴y̶_u̸ ̵b̸e̷,̵ ̸u̶h̸,̶ ̷m̵y̸ ̸d̴a̶r̷l̸i̶_g̵?̵” it growled, sounding so possessive “M̵i̸n̸e̶,̸ ̴m̶_n̶e̶,̶ ̷m̷i̴_e̸~̴” it spat as the avatar turned the corner like an only-child throwing a fit because they hated to share their toys, but stopped as they got to the next relevant stop on their journey.

Like always, Stanley found himself in front of the two doors. Now, he just needed to go through the left door– 

“W̸h̷e̶n̴,̸ ̵m̷y̶ ̶d̵a̴r̴l̴i̷n̷g̴ ̵S̴t̴a̵n̷l̶e̸y̵,̵ ̸c̵a̸m̴e̴ ̶t̸o̸ ̶a̶ ̸s̵e̷t̴ ̶o̸f̷ ̵t̵w̸o̷ ̴o̵p̵e̸n̴ ̴d̵o̸o̴r̶s̴,̶ ̶h̷e̷ ̵e̵n̸t̴e̸r̸e̷d̵ ̴t̷h̸e̶ ̸d̷o̵o̵r̷ ̶o̵n̶ ̷h̵i̶s̸ ̶r̴i̷g̷h̵t̷ .̷” even with the distortion, the entity had an audible smug smirk.

The vessel’s eyes widen with horror and surprise. That was not good. Not at all. Shit. Stanley didn’t want to begin running right now. Shit. Breathe and think. Think!

 The Narrator laughed with self-satisfaction, it was expecting that surprised reaction from him.

“O̸h̸,̷ ̴I̴ ̶k̴n̶_w̷,̶ ̵d̵e̴a̵r̴!̸~̶ ̸I̶s̶n̶’̸t̵ ̶t̷h̴i̴s̴ ̸e̷x̷c̶i̷t̵_n̸g̶?̸!̸~̵” it beamed with delight “N̸_w̸,̷ ̷I̴ ̷k̵n̷o̵w̵ ̵t̵h̶a̶t̴ ̶y̶o̸u̷ ̶l̷o̴v̴e̸ ̵t̵o̵ ̷g̴o̷ ̴a̴g̶_i̶n̸s̸t̵ ̶m̴y̷ ̶n̷a̸r̶r̷_t̸i̶o̷n̵,̸ ̶a̴n̷d̵ ̷a̷s̷ ̷m̵u̶c̷h̵ ̶a̶s̵ ̸I̶ ̸l̵o̷v̸e̴ ̵i̸t̸ ̸w̵h̵_n̶ ̵y̶o̴u̷ ̴a̶r̵e̷ ̸a̶ ̶b̵r̷a̸t̵,̷ ̴I̷ ̸w̸o̶u̷l̵d̵ ̵a̶d̵v̷i̸s̷e̵ ̷y̶o̵u̵ ̸t̴o̴ ̷g̴o̴ ̴t̸h̷r_o̵u̵g̶h̸ ̶t̴h̵e̸ ̶r̵i̶g̸h̵t̵ ̵d̴o̷o̶r̴~̴ ”

A terrified mind raced to find a way out as he slowly stepped forward. He needed to get to the Museum. Shit. Think, think, THI– Ah ha! 

It was awkward to sign with the Bucket but he did it anyway. What if I want to do the Freedom Ending, Narrator? He signed making sure and clear he used its name-sign, the sign for N together with the sign of Story. The entity had never seen it before, he was sure. It was worth a try.

The being made an inquisitive glitched noise “W̵_a̷t̸ ̷w̷a̷s̶ ̸t̵h̷a̸t̴ ̵l̵a̸s̶t̵ ̵s̸i̵g̸n̵,̴ ̴d̵e̴a̴r̸?̴ ̶I̵ ̴h̵a̶_e̴n̵’̷t̶ ̶s̷e̵e̵n̴ ̴i̶t̶ ̷b̷e̷_o̴r̸e̷…̸” good, he got its attention “C̴o̸_l̷d̸ ̷y̷o̴u̶ ̸d̴o̴ ̵i̵t̴ ̴a̴g̷a̴_n̵?̵” so he did “N̸…̵?̴S̷t̴o̸r̷y̵.̴.̶?̷–̵” it gasped, finally getting it “I̶s̸–̶ ̷i̶s̵ ̶t̸h̴a̴t̵ ̵a̷ ̵n̴_m̵e̶-̸s̵i̴g̶n̵?̷!̶ ̸F̷o̵_ ̵m̴e̵?̴!̴ ̷M̷-̷m̴y̷ ̸n̸a̶m̶e̶-̷s̶i̴_n̶?̷” it asked unsure but extremely hopeful and squeaked when Stanely nodded and he couldn’t help but smile at little because, Gods, how cute was its reaction. If it only this was his Narrator.

“O̴h̸,̶ ̴S̷t̴a̸_l̷e̸y̸…̷” the was so much obvious emotion in its voice, the entity was feeling giddy, and he was sure if it had blood it would be blushing furiously, this made the man instantly him feel bad for using something so dear to him to manipulate the only one he loved. The Bucket tried to reassure him that it was necessary, they had to get away. The other will forgive him when it sees reason, they told him. The Narrator giggled dreamily to itself “O̸h̴,̴m̶y̶~̶ ̵H̸o̷w̸-̶h̷_w̵ ̷c̷o̸u̵l̸d̶ ̷I̸ ̵r̸e̶_u̸s̶e̸ ̵t̸h̵a̶t̸ ̷w̴_s̶h̴ ̸a̶f̷t̵e̷r̷ ̶t̸h̶a̶t̵?̵!̴” it exclaimed “I̷ ̵w̵o̴u̶_d̶ ̷b̶e̴ ̴v̶e̴r̸y̸ ̶h̴a̵_p̷y̵ ̷t̶o̸ ̸g̷o̸ ̵t̸h̴r̵_u̸g̵h̷ ̵t̸h̵e̶ ̶F̵r̴e̵_d̷o̵m̶ ̵E̸n̸d̴i̸n̸g̸ ̵w̵i̶t̴h̵ ̶y̴o̶u̸~̴”

Stanley smiled at the defective ceiling, at it. The cleaning-throat sound effect played.

“W̶_e̵n̸,̸ ̸m̶y̸ ̷d̷a̵r̵l̵i̶n̴g̴ ̵S̸t̷a̵_l̸e̵y̶,̴ ̷c̵a̴m̴e̸ ̶t̵o̸ ̸a̷ ̷s̷e̷t̵ ̷o̴f̶ ̶t̴w̸o̸ ̴o̵p̶e̷n̴ ̶d̴o̸o̴r̸s̴,̷ ̷h̴e̴ ��e̶_t̴e̶r̸e̷d̵ ̴t̶h̴e̴ ̷d̸o̸o̶r̵ ̴o̶n̶ ̷h̷i̶s̶ ̷l̶_f̴t̴.̴”

Relief filled the duo as Stanley stepped through the left door.

----

Transcript:

“Okay, Stanley dear. Let’s start this again.”

"Try to follow the script this time, alright, darling?~"

“This is a story of an amazing man named Stanley~”

“ –did every day of every month–”

“So with a smile, he got up from his desk and stepped out of his office.”

“Oh! Someone is eager!~”

“Now, go on, love, to our favorie doors! And,” 

”Don’t forget to follow my every word , we both want for you to get to the surprise, right, Stanley dear?~” 

“Stanley never had coworkers to begin with, the Office was only for him and the Narrator. No one to take from each other.”

“Have I ever told you how much I love you? You are so precious to me, my little creation…”

“Without you, how could I exist? Without me, who would you be, uh, my darling?” 

“Mine, mine, mine!”

“When, my darling Stanley, came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his right.” 

“Oh, I know, dear!~ Isn’t this exciting?!~”

“Now, I know that you love to go against my narration, and as much as I love it when you are a brat, I would advise you to go through the right door~ ”

“What was that last sign, dear? I haven’t seen it before…”

“Could you do it again?”

“N…?Story..?–”

“Is– is that a name-sign?! For me?! M-my name-sign?”

“Oh, Stanley…”

“Oh,my~ How-how could I refuse that wish after that?!”

“I would be very happy to go through the Freedom Ending with you~”

“When, my darling Stanley, came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left.“

----

Notes:

Hey there, my darlings! (◍>ᴗ<)ﾉｼ

I missed you all too

My life went to shit for some time (and not the shit that makes you inspired, unfortunately) so I had a massive creative block since then

But here I am again, back to you, my dearest. ( ᐢ˙꒳˙ᐢ )

You can thank the DDos attack on ao3 (and consequently it being down) for getting me to return to writing this fic, due to boredom and fear of spiraling from fanfiction abstinence.

A surprise Timekeeper appearance! And the Bucket too! So happy to see them here! More characters to torture~ o(*>ω<*)o

I'm almost finished with Chapter 6's draft as I write these notes, so I hope it will be posted in three weeks or so but as always, no promises.

I never expected this fic to be more than 3 chapters long but now here we are…

Thankfully, I already know how this is going to go and then end! I won't say much to not spoil it for you all (´⊙ω⊙`) but let's say…

It will be for all tastes and hopes~

Thank you for your comments and kudos, you know how much I appreciate them.

You are all my dears and I love y'all! (*´∀`)~

[henryloverman]

I have an idea for a Au/Promt, The Stanley Parable is only one place, with only one Stanley and Narrator, but what if there were multiple Parables, the same Stanley Parable but with different outcomes and characters.

Like all of those Parables are different timelines, with endless possibilities, and all of those timelines are controlled by one single person, Stanley the Time keeper, I got this idea from a YouTube comment, where Stanley and the Settings were the same person, but I have a bit of a twist to it, Stanley the Time keeper came from the future, he knows the truth about the Parable, he saw all the endings, and the epilogue, he remembers everything, unlike the Stanley from the different timelines, he knows they exist.

Stanley the Time keeper or TK-Stanley, he was seen walking from inside Employee 425, the mysterious Stanley look alike. I know some of you might ask, does the Narrator know his existence? Well no, TK-Stanley hides himself from the Narrator, because if he knew TK-Stanley was there, TK-Stanley would have mostly been deleted.

Stanley the Time keeper intervenes with the timelines only a little bit, he mostly observes them, his biggest goal is to end the parable, to kill the Narrator once and for all, but how? You can't exactly kill someone that is only a voice with no body, right? Well, TK-Stanley has been hunting down where the Narrator's hideout is at, he knows that the Narrator has a physical body, but it's quite hard to find where he is, that is why TK-Stanley goes to each timeline, trying to find clues to where the Narrator could possibly be at.

TK-Stanley can't find the Narrator when the Player is around, the Player's existence is unknown, but it is easy to know when they're online, when the Player is online, all places outside the Parable will be prohibited, making it hard to finish TK-Stanley's goal, the only way for the Player to go offline is to let them finish the game, but that doesn't guarantee that they will leave.

So there's 4 main characters here.

Narrator

Stanley

Player

Stanley the Time keeper

The Player's goal is unknown since they don't communicate with anyone except for TK-Stanley, I won't exactly call it communicating since it's just TK-Stanley giving questions and the Player just answering it. The player is from the Real world, the same as the Narrator, but the Player isn't exactly in the Parable, they're using Stanley's body as a puppet, but the Player could not talk. The player stayed inside the Parable for just one person, the Narrator, i could say that the Player is amused by the Narrator's dialogue, which had kept them interested in the game for a long time.

The Player is not one person but multiple people at the same time, they are voices, but only one could move the body, they want to see all the choices they could make before the game is over, but what is stopping them, is it the body they're using not following their orders? Or is it the fact that the game is already over?

Four people with different goals, one is a voice that wants to continue his story, two is an employee who wants to escape, three is an observer who wants to kill one, and four who wants to play the game forever, will the four of them ever meet? will the Narrator find out who the Player is? Will Stanley get his body back??? Will the time keeper get his revenge???

This Prompt/Au is called "Time Parable Au"

Edit: If anybody wants to use this concept, I'm fine with it, not only I'm fine with it, I encourage you to ^^

In this Au, The Player could be in love with the Narrator, but the Narrator loves Stanley, but Stanley loves the bucket >:)

I'm sorry I haven't uploaded for awhile, i'm almost done with my school which means there's a lot of activities and exams to do.

Btw I'm surprised theres no Bucket x Stanley fanfics out there, even Narrator x Narrator lol, I might write one myself ;)

Thank you for reading, and I wish you a nice day ^^

Also THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 142 FOLLOWERS, I appreciate it so much, thank you :)

[tyrianludaship]

The Character of the Stanley Parable's Narrator

Alternative Title: Why the Narrator is my baby girl. My boyfriend. The love of my life if you will. My wife even. So beautiful.

Note: This is the Preamble.

Spoiler Warning: (FINISHED)

I think if you’re reading this, you probably know the Stanley Parable in at least a basic regard. As in like you know the gist of the game and you know the Narrator. I would say be careful if you do not want spoilers but talking about the game at all is a spoiler. As well as such, it’s required for me to go into spoiler territory to fully analyze the Narrator, so please keep that in mind while reading. You might see an ending you didn’t play or even knew existed. 

Introduction of the Narrator’s Role and Gaming: (FINISHED)

Before we particularly start on his specific personality, we need to understand the role he plays that make the Stanley Parable the way it is. If his name was not enough of an indicator, he is a narrator and more specifically; an omniscient third-person Narrator. This type of narrator knows and sees all; they know the exact motivations, beliefs, and internal dialogue of the characters in the story. This narrator type fulfills the similar essence of a deity. Narrators in fiction contribute heavily to the story, as they’re a common way for the audience to understand the situation the characters are experiencing. The Stanley Parable subverts this idea by having the audience fulfill the role of the main character, with the Narrator being forced to adapt to the unpredictable wants of the player. 

We see him as that type of narrator if the player follows the exact story the Narrator lays out for them. However a fairly common way people play video games is experiencing the world themselves, without any restrictions or guidelines. So normally, the player doesn’t see him as an omniscient third person narrator; rather an interactable being they can piss off. This lays out a specific difference between modern video games and written literature. Video games are expected to be adaptable to specific playing styles, where written literature is expected to have a focused/contained narrative. If a video game is unadaptable and rigid, it becomes tiring to the player and would require a hefty reward for them to keep playing. A common criticism for most AAA games is how they go under the facade of being open world but directly forcing the player to go in the directions the developers want them to take. If written literature has a confused or unclear narrative, it becomes difficult for the reader to keep their suspension of disbelief. The usual response if the narrative is all over the place and incoherent, is wondering if the writer has ever read a book.

This difference between the two mediums is crucial for the game’ conflict to work effectively as it does. The Narrator represents the expectations of written literature from the reader with everything else representing the expectations of video games from the player. The Narrator is written as rigid and unadaptable and Stanley is designed to be capable of the opposite. This could also explain the aura of poshness surrounding the Narrator, as reading literature had always been associated with the high-class and sometimes pretentiousness; even in the modern era. Additionally, narrators in fiction are expected to be authoritative; having enough knowledge to explain the story to the reader. This could be potentially noted how the Narrator has a voice that can be described as older and mature. This is why unreliable narrators invoke a strong feeling for the reader; as it forces them to be distrustful of authority. At least for a short moment. By contrast, the common expectation for gamers is to understand the story in their terms; without being told by a disembodied voice. And yet… 

The Stanley Parable exists and the game is incredibly popular for being an indie title. Looking up ‘popular indie games’, you get a list where the Stanley Parable is right next to all the other big fellas. 

Giving a slight glance at YouTube, you can see the first result when you look up the game garnering around twenty-three million views. It would be too easy to say “it’s because of Markiplier”,  but he has played the original game before and the most popular video of the original has only 6 million views. There is certainly a more recent, specific niche the Ultra Deluxe version filled, while the original game did not; at least not as efficiently. As such, I will be analyzing the most iconic facets of the Narrator in the Ultra Deluxe version since we see this character in more perspectives. There is something special about the game that is more than simply the additional content. It may be because you get to hear the Narrator’ smooth voice more but that might just be how the Narrator acts as a character. Also noting here, I will be talking about Sad-ist’s Clock 0ut at some point but for me to have this essay be sort of organized; I’m gonna write about it somewhere else.  (Note: I tried to make a Clock 0ut essay but that never happened; sorry)

List of Endings and General Observations / TL;DR for some of the endings (Work In Progress)

The Freedom Ending

“He had won! He had defeated the machine!” - The Narrator

Narrator as a Character: Pure Omniscient Third-Person Narrator

Notes: It’s an interesting contradiction that the only way Stanley gains “freedom”, is when you obey every word and direction the Narrator says. As beautiful as this ending is, it's also deeply ironic.

The Countdown Ending

“After they kept you enslaved all those years, you go and you try to take control of the machine for yourself, is that what you wanted? Control?” - The Narrator

(Kevan Brighting did not need to go hard with the monologue. He did though, and I love it)

Narrator as a Character: Antagonist 

Notes: Ever since I saw this ending + the Jack short film, it’s really fun to imagine a horrific edge to the Narrator. It’s cool as hell. The fact the Narrator’s voice borders on sounding like Brighting’s actual talking voice, actually makes him sound more intimidating. 

The Museum Ending

“When every path you can walk has been created for you long in advance, death becomes meaningless, making life the same. Do you see now? Do you see that Stanley was already dead from the moment he hit start?" - The Female Narrator

Narrator as a Character:

Notes: If I heard more of the Female Narrator, I’d  probably be as attracted to her as I would with the Male Narrator (Bisexual moment).

The Broom Closet Ending

“OH, DID U GET THE BROOM CLOSET ENDING? THEB ROOM CLOSET ENDING WAS MY FAVRITE!1 XD' ... I hope your friends find this concerning.” - The Narrator

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: It’s funny as hell

The Apartment Ending

“This is a very sad story about the death of a man named Stanley.” - The Narrator

Narrator as a Character: Pure Omniscient Third-Person Narrator

Notes:

Not Stanley Ending (or the Real Person Ending)

“Wait a second, did I just see... no, that's not possible. I can't believe it. How had I not noticed it sooner? You're not Stanley. You're a real person.” - The Narrator

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: I like how the ending shows a clear difference between the player and Stanley; and players still feel like Stanley in some of the other endings.

Zending Ending (or the S*icide Ending)

“If we just stay here, right in this moment, with this place... Stanley, I think I feel... happy. I actually feel happy.” - The Narrator 

(God I just want to stay in that place for him and sleep gently with him in my arms. I feel so bad for him. I want him happy and comfortable.)

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: Hold up brb *cries in the shower*

New Content Ending

“If this is new content then I could just read you the entire dictionary, there's 20 hours of new content right there!” - The Narrator

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: I'd kill someone in cold blood to hear him read the entire dictionary

Skip Button Ending

“You constantly have to stop doing anything so the narrator can catch up with his long-winded explanations of what's happening. I wish there was a skip button.” - Cookie9’ bullshit review

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: God they really made my babygirl suffer in silence, desperately begging Stanley to not skip any further; losing his mind as more time slips by

The Sequel Ending

“So forget this Ultra Deluxe nonsense! I say we take it one step even further. Which is why I'm very proud to announce, for the first time ever, The Stanley Parable 2!”- The Narrator

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: I love how this ending was barely an allegory for half-hearted attempts at releases of the once beloved games. How games corporations want franchises so badly, they pump out soulless nostalgia to their audience. Like it’s not subtle at all but I love the honesty.

The Figurines Ending

“It's just - it's those figurines. Those Figleys. I haven't stopped thinking about them since you nabbed every last one.” - The Narrator 

Narrator as a Character: 

Notes: I love how excited this old British man gets when he's talking about the Figley Wiggleys. He's such a babygirl

(07/16/23: Why tf did I write this???)

Little Clarification before I go Balls Deep (The Player =/= Stanley) (FINISHED)

In this essay, I will analyze the Narrator’s personality as well as how he interacts with other characters; but basically just Stanley. However I perceive Stanley and the Player as different entities, so this is here to explain my thought process. So Stanley is purely a fictional character and is in at least two layers of being controlled; by both the Narrator and the Player. The Player is not fictional  and can decide to have Stanley follow or disobey the Narrator. Despite the Player being the main cause of Stanley’s actions, the Narrator reprimands and rewards Stanley as if his actions are of his free will. Example; the Player chooses to put Stanley in the Countdown Ending, where the Narrator believes Stanley did it on his own accord. Aside from the Real Person Ending, the Narrator has no clue that Stanley is controlled by the Player. The Player is different from Stanley but the Narrator is unaware of this. So, I’ll write Stanley and the Player as different people in the context of the Narrator. I hope that makes sense because without knowing the game, you’re probably gonna be very confused. Especially when I talk about the Real Person Ending.

(Additional Note: The section about the difference between The Player and Stanley is how I made my self insert. Nothing too cool; I just thought it was neat.)