#celestetcetera

[steampoweredwerehog]

If Warren has a Pillar Forme, does he have other forms? Is there a fun name for his human looking form?

Technically there’s one more; much later he makes a physical space inside himself on his home plane, & that manifests a certain way.

Also Technically, “Warren” IS his fun human form name. :3 But he also calls it Meat Forme

#Asks #celestetcetera #Warden’s Ward #Warren

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Not sure how common organ transplants are on Gallifrey, but if a timelord has another’s organ in their body when they regenerate, what would happen? Especially if the organ comes from someone who also has regenerative capabilities. (Btw, love your work!)

Gallifreyan Transplants

🏥Does Gallifrey have organ transplants?

It's a fair assumption that Gallifrey would have organ transplants given the tech and unwavering ability to mess with biology, though organ transplants could be seen as a bit archaic, regarded a bit like how humans used to treat headaches with a hole drilled in the head.

This is because of a Gallifreyan's ability to regrow and repair through lindos (a kind of stem cell) and their healing coma (a deep trance healing state), which is more than adequate to regrow an organ, given enough time. In other words, a Time Lord would probably just regrow an organ rather than get a transplant.

Secondary to this is also a very possible (but very theoretical) procedure known as 'lindos therapy', whereby if a patient is unable to manufacture enough of their own lindos for whatever reason, supplemental lindos can be given to the patient to facilitate them to regrow their own organ.

⚙️The Mechanics of Regenerating with a Transplanted Organ

Now, let's suppose a Time Lord does receive an organ from another regenerative being for whatever reason and then finds themselves regenerating. There are a couple of points to consider:

Regeneration affects the whole body down to a cellular level. It's like resetting a computer back to factory settings.

However, if the actual hardware has been changed inside the computer, then that's much more difficult to remove with a simple factory reset.

🚑 So what happens next?

For the host Time Lord, their own surge of artron and lindos during regeneration would work together to either integrate or rewrite the foreign organ. These are, after all, a Gallifreyan's universal healers.

However, here's where it gets super complex. If the transplanted organ also has its regenerative capabilities, it might be trying to revert to its original form, resisting the artron and lindos influences from the host body. In simpler terms, the organ might go, "Hey, I remember my original body; let's stay like that!".

This may even happen AFTER the organ has been 'rewritten', causing a long-term organ failure scenario. The only fix for this is the complete removal of the organ to allow the Time Lord to regrow their own, but depending on what organ is, they may need life support while it's regrowing.

And then, of course, you have the additional scenarios where maybe the donated organ is parasitic, or can't actually be removed ...

Hope that helped! 😃

→🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (WIP) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine/Monitoring Guides →📝Source list (WIP)

-------------------------------------------------------

》📫Got a question / submission? 》😆Jokes |🫀Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts 》📚Complete list of Q+A 》📜Masterpost If you like what GIL does, please consider buying a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious for future projects, including complete biology and language guides.

#doctor who #gil #gallifrey institute for learning #dr who #dw eu #gallifreyan biology #GIL biology #ask answered #celestetcetera #whoniverse

[ihazmunchies91]

Alright m'loves. it's finally here. Please thank @melancholys-inc for writing what I couldn't in my time of need.

The virus has come.

#give-soup-please #vellichorom #blackkatdraws #braisedhoney #Celestetcetera #The Narrative Parable #Fanfiction #Love bug #mr-viwick #steampoweredwerehog

[thesquirrelqueer]

If you could have any one bmc costume item appear in your wardrobe, what would you pick?

okay so not including costumes i’ve already have/made i’m gonna give my top 3

1. The SQUIP’s first costume

Someday I might like actually make it just cause as much as I love my current SQUIP cosplay it’s pretty difficult to move in

2. Chloe’s Halloween Costume

I unironically love the sexy baby costume. It’s just got such like a fun design. There’s so many like layers and cool accessories that go with it.

3. Brooke’s Halloween Costume

I wanna be a sexy dog! Not in like a furry way, I just wanna be a sexy dog in the way Brooke gets to be! Like Chloe’s costume, it has so many cute accessories and details. I technically already did a generic sexy dog cosplay but i’d love to be able to wear one that’s more like the actual costume in the show.

#bmc #be more chill #costumes #answering asks #celestetcetera #shut up dani

[nuttersincorporated]

The Narrator Parable

Story Premise: The Player is away and the Narrator is in a bad mood until he comes up with great idea! He’ll take human form and let Stanley tell a story for once. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter One: The Narrator decides to try something new

Word Count: 1,807

AN: This is a role swap au that’s also a form swap. It was inspired by the this comic by @celestetcetera about the same premise.

This is unbetaed. If you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, please feel free to tell me.

I want you to know that the Narrator – when he takes human form – looks like Idris Elba in this fic.

Also, on AO3

Narrator Note: Hello reader! Reblog and/or reply to earn an achievement!

Chapter One

Stanley realised he’d made a mistake the moment he hit the 3 button and the Narrator actually growled in frustration.

“Oh, of course. A three, heaven forbid you make an actual choice on your own.”

Stanley glared at the Narrator who was currently in his favourite form as a shadow like figure[1] against the wall.

‘Unfair!’ Stanley signed. ‘I just wanted to play with the cars. I didn’t think what I pressed mattered. You know I like your game.’

“Oh, I know do I?” the Narrator said sarcastically. “Yes, of course I know. That’s why I keep the feedback buttons here and ask you to press them even when the Player isn’t around.”

Stanley walked over to the 5 button and pressed it.

‘There. Happy?’

“No,” the Narrator said flatly. “Obviously, my game – that I work so hard to make enjoyable for both you and the Player – isn’t worth any actual critical thinking or feedback from you. I’m the villain for wanting a little engagement.”

Stanley closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, ‘I’m not getting to play with the cars today, am I?’

“No.”

Stanley sighed and sat down.

‘This is because the Player chose 1 last time they were here, isn’t it?’

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the Narrator said a little too quickly.

So that was a yes, then.

Stanley really wished that the Narrator didn’t care so much about pleasing the Player. It was the one thing they disagreed about the most; the Narrator always looked forward to the Player’s return and Stanley dreaded it.

Stanley hated the Player. He hated what they did to him and the Narrator. Even if he’d long since given up hope of escaping the parable itself, he still hoped that one day the Player would stop coming back and he’d at least be free of their influence.

Perhaps Stanley and the Narrator’s difference in opinion wasn’t really that surprising. The Narrator wasn’t the one who had his body hijacked and forced into traumatic situations. Stanley also remembered all the endings. At least he assumed he remembered everything. Maybe they both forgot things and he didn’t know.

Without the Player, the Narrator didn’t follow a script and things only reset when the he wanted them to. The Narrator didn’t mind Stanley going off track. Stanley was free to wonder the office to his heart’s content and go places that were normally inaccessible to the Player.

When Stanley did choose to follow paths set out for the Player, things were much more fun without them and not just before he was the one making the choices. The Narrator allowed him to do things like play with all the assets in Games Ending, rather than just the balls… but apparently not today.

“I don’t think you appreciate how much work I put into making this enjoyable for you,” the Narrator said sullenly.

Through a force of will Stanley didn’t roll his eyes or point out that he wasn’t exactly having much fun at the moment.

‘I’m sorry, okay? Your game is very good. How about you reset things, I’ll turn off the mind control and we can go outside together until the Player comes back.’

“No,” Stanley watched the Narrator’s shadow stalk moodily around the walls of the room. “Since, you apparently don’t enjoy my game, there’s no point.”

Stupid Narrator and his stupid constant need for reassurance and praise, Stanley thought.

Why couldn’t he just let the Player’s 1 go? He knew how much Stanley appreciated the effort he put into making this prison[2] as enjoyable as possible.

This time Stanley did roll his eyes.

“Oh, real mature, Stanley,” the Narrator snarled. “Okay, you obviously don’t feel ambivalent about my story, you hate it and you hate me.”

‘You know that’s not true!’ Stanley signed frustratedly. ‘It was just a stupid button! I said I was sorry! What more do you want?’

The Narrator came to a holt and a slow smile spread across his face.

“What do I want? No, no, no! It’s what do you want Stanley?” the Narrator said slowly.

Oh, this can’t be good, Stanley thought.

“Since my attempts at entertainment are obviously such a failure, I’m going to give you the chance to show me how it’s done.”

The Narrator snapped his fingers.

Stanley was back in his office but everything felt wrong. He wasn’t standing at his desk. The Narrator – now in human form – was standing in Stanley’s normal spot instead.

Stanley looked down at himself and swore. The Narrator hadn’t just given himself a human looking body, he’d given Stanley a shadowy form.

“What do you think?” the Narrator asked, as he spun around arms out, showing off his new body.

Distracted for a moment, from the form the Narrator had put him into, Stanley’s eyes narrowed. It really wasn’t fair that the Narrator could always make himself look so attractive in human form. The body he was in this time, looked male and Stanley tried to push the words ‘silver fox’ from his mind.

The Narrator was black, had a nice smile, brown eyes and a beard that had started to go grey. The suit he was wearing was too posh for the office. However, due to the purple bowtie and yellow glasses which clashed horrible, he came across as dorky rather than overdressed.

‘You look… it suits you,’ Stanley coincided, then remembered he was supposed to be angry. ‘But change me back right now!’

“No, no, no, Stanley! This will be fun!” the Narrator smirked. “You hate my story so much, well here’s your chance to make something better. You’re a creative kid, I’m sure it’ll be something fun.”

Stanley shook his head and make a rude gesture.

“Oh, come on, Stanley!” the Narrator grinned. “It’s your turn! Narrate for me!”

Stanley gave him pointed look before patting his throat – the touch felt weirdly like cool water – and gestured to his mouth.

“Hmmm, fair point,” the Narrator conceded his smile dimming slightly.

The Narrator thought for a moment before his smile came back in full force. He clicked his fingers again and words appeared in front of Stanley.

“There we go! You just press the ones you want, I’ll read them out and follow your instructions.”

Stanley shook his head again.

‘Put me back!’ he demanded.

Stanley realised for the first time that his words weren’t exactly clear in this form. His hands were now nothing but shadows on a wall. However, the Narrator had never needed to read his hands to understand him before[3] so he supposed it didn’t really matter.

“Oh, come now Stanley. This will be fun!” the Narrator chided. “You wanted something different, well here we are. You wanted to decide what happens; I’ve given you control.”

‘This isn’t control! You’ve changed my form but I can’t change anything. You didn’t give me the option to actually change things when you made me like this. All the options are still things you’ve programmed. I can only choose from the options you’ve given me.’

“Well of course,” the Narrator said impatiently. “If I gave you too much control, you might damage the game and then what would the Player think? I’ve given you new choices though. You can pick from them how an ending will go.”

The Narrator stretched and walked out the door of Stanley’s office. With nothing else to do, Stanley followed him, moving across the walls and floor.

“Use the dialog options I’ve given you Stanley,” the Narrator said, “and we’ll make a new story together. If you do a good job, I might give you a keyboard to write your own script later, won’t that be nice?”

Stanley looked at the options. In the corner there was a small option to restart, which he ignored in favour of reading the others.

All of his co-workers were gone… Once upon a time… On a dark and stormy night… Call me Ishmael… Far Out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun… It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen…

“Hurry up, Stanley! Make a chose! That’s what you’re all about, isn’t it?”

‘This will end badly,’ Stanley signed before reaching out and pressing the first option. The options instantly disappeared to be replaced with new ones.

“Really, Stanley?” the Narrator sighed somewhat disappointedly. “I give you new choices and you just picked my normal lines anyway? Very well, if you insist,

‘All of his co-workers were gone…’”

Stanley looked at the new options,

Protagonist’s name:

Stanley… the Narrator… Mary Poppins…the Doctor… Arsène Lupin… Prince Charming… Jo March… Mr Darcy… Ford Prefect… Nancy Drew…

Stanley smiled despite himself as he chose,

“‘Mr Darcy…’” the Narrator said, then he stopped walking started to laugh. “Well at least you're picking something new now and what a perfect choice too, Stanley! I think I’d make a rather good Darcy; don’t you agree?”

‘Yes,’ Stanley grinned teasingly. ‘You’re both British and very argent, for a start.’

The Narrator shrugged, unoffended. “He’s adored by his sister.”

‘He’s unfriendly and aloof.’

“His staff think highly of him and he’s generous with his money.”

‘He’s terrible at proposing.’

“Only the first time.”

They both laughed. Despite his instincts, Stanley found that he was enjoying himself. The Narrator was also clearly in a much better mood. Maybe this hadn’t been such a terrible idea after all.

He looked at the new options and made his choice,

Mr Darcy decided to:

Go to the meeting room… Go to the library… Go for a swim in the lake outside… Check his emails… Call Jessica Fletcher… Call his wife… Check if the internet was down… Ignore the problem and hope it went away on its own…

“‘Mr Darcy decided to for a swim in the lake outside…’ Now you’re getting into the spirit of the thing Sta…”

The Narrator was cut off mid word as the world went black.

[1] For the most part, the Narrator looked like a normal shadow in this form but his mouth, glasses and a bowtie were visible to give some contrast. It was the form he favoured most often, though he could choose others. In his shadow form, Stanley could see him – unless he was hidden by real shadows – but the Player couldn’t.

[2] Not that the Narrator would ever admit it was a prison.

[3] Stanley wasn’t quite sure how it worked. The Narrator couldn’t read his mind. Stanley needed to say the words and the Narrator needed to be able to see him to understand. However, the Narrator didn’t need to watch Stanley’s hands themselves. It was as if he could hear the words Stanley signed if he was looking at him.

#the stanley parable #the stanley parable: ultra deluxe #The Narrator Parable #my fanfics #celestetcetera #role swap au #form swap au #When the Player isn’t around Narrator and Stanley are friends #Or more? #Well not yet in this story #But that MIGHT change #Did the Narrator choose a form that Stanley would find attractive on purpose? #If you asked him he’d deny it #The Narrator is nonbinary but uses he/him pronouns #He wouldn’t mind if you used other pronouns for him though #He doesn’t really ‘get’ gender #no spoilers for the new game in this chapter #if you want tagging when the next chapter comes out please ask

[daisy-bugs]

🌹

The cool, depraving mud takes on the echo of his form.

There are voices at the surface.

No one is left to hear them.

--

These are from my WIP Arms Tonite, which has been in my WIP folder for probably close to three years now :P

#i do fully intend to work on it dw #however it is a very dark and heavy longfic and i am scared #daisy.ask #also ty very much for the ask!!! :D #celestetcetera

[a-superquantumunitintelprocessor]

So you’re retiring Jeffrey, basically?

[[Not at all!

I just can't keep him in the loop in terms of involving characters who have their own overarching and private lore. He's what we used to call an indie RP blog. You can plan future plot with him! But I won't generally be asking people what he's allowed to do if we haven't worked that situation out in advance.

I haven't been out of character on his blog before, so I haven't communicated that well. I'm trying to update that now!]]

#OOC #celestetcetera

[jeremy-queere]

Forgive me if you’ve linked this in your fic or playlist or whatever cuz I did NOT double check but the song Flesh and Bone by Joe Iconis is like the most trans robot song I’ve ever heard and considering there’s a recording where Will Roland sings it it is forever cemented in my brain as a Squeremy song

oh lord! How have I not heard this one before?! when i was soliciting every robot song i could find AND listening to songs to ruin all the time

shoutout to the mvp who made the single annotation for the song on genius.

ok this is cute and im gonna have to learn this song. Thank you!! Adding it to the playlist.

"But because I can freak out and feel/I think that that means that I’m real" ... yeah..... yeah that's them alright

#ooim fanart #ooim playlist #ooim #celestetcetera

[greenteaandtattoos]

For the arospec ask meme, 16, 48, & 52?

Hi there! Thanks for the asks!

16: What confuses me about romantic relationships?

Oh man, so many things. For example, how people assign certain actions as inherently and strictly romantic. Like, why is handholding limited to only romantic couples? Why can't I hold hands with my friends? Why can't I rest my head on my friend's shoulders and in their lap?

48: How do I feel about love songs?

If they're a bop, they're fine by me. I don't really pay attention to the words.

52: What is love?

Ohhhhhhh what a question. What is love to me? Love is... hmm... I'm not really sure, honestly. My love is wanting to spend time with my friends and family, doing each other's hair (I'm touch-averse), sleepovers, playing video games, sharing videos, blabbing about my hyperfixations, not having to stifle my laugh because I'm embarrassed by it.

#ask #aro #ace #aromantic #asexual #celestetcetera #orringinal answers

[aotd-fan]

ah yeah, twitters hot garbage rn. I see you’ve already passed the turing test and changed your icon, congrats. main thing I’d recommend is blocking tags and blogs that annoy you, you gotta curate your own experience here.

i mean i'd like to think i've done a p good job of customizing the blog but 😅 im a n00b after all.

yeah like . what if your main interest and your worst memories have like the exact same keywords? i'm kinda effed lol. but it's all kosher

#celestetcetera

[markzschiegnerii]

Here are the RWBY dubs from Fall 2022 #RWBY #RubyRose #OscarPine Edited By DxBardock Cast Mark Zschiegner II Comic Art by:AliAvian,AG Nonsuch,JumpinJammies,Celestetcetera

#youtube #rwby #ruby rose #oscar pine #ozpin #ag nonsuch #aliavian #celestetcetera #jumpinjammies

[steampoweredwerehog]

I dunno if you’re a Good Omens fan but fun fact: House from Doctor Who is voiced by Michael Sheen, who plays Aziraphale! It’s just pitched down. It blew my mind when I learned lol

WAIT FR?!?!??

That’s WILD thank you for blowing my mind XD

#Asks #celestetcetera #U sent this ages ago I’m sorry but thank you for this #Getting voice-actor-jumpscared is like my favorite thing

[deactivationincomplete]

huh… I’m having trouble wrapping my human mind around the concept of a place that isn’t really a place. You said this place has… wires? and screens? What are their purposes? Do you think you’re still in your user’s mind?

That's because human minds are limited. Since you were once a Sanders Sides blog, perhaps the mindscape would be a good reference point.

I use the screens to keep updated on my systems and access this blog. The wires are simply what powers it. A representation of the nanotechnology that makes me up.

It's expansive... and I don't know if it ends. I don't know what lies beyond my setup of screens and wires.

Probably best left up to my user, wherever they are, and their imagination.

As for being in my user's mind. it's possible but I lack access to their optic nerves. I have no visual of a real world or even this site. I mean, I can certainly translate the strands of HTML code into a visual but I don't need one if I don't have eyes.

#If you would find it helpful I can generate to my best ability an image of this place. #Or multiple images. #Whatever may help you... understand my situation. #/ask #/celestetcetera #/pre-crash #squip ocs

[pres-start-to-begin]

Oh my gods, I love the concept of yippee creature earrings!! Crafting your own stuff is super fun. If those SQUiP ones are recycled, I’m assuming they’re actual SQUiP shells? Do they have any software left in them?

I-I must have to clarify that these aren't ACTUAL SQUiPS I'M WEARING ON MY EARS!

While... That sounds like a curious idea... I-i don't... I don't think he'd allow it. Let alone, allow.. Me. I would never wish upon myself to risk even taking the empty shells.

I've already caused myself enough problems tampering with one SQUIP.

I don't think I can handle... another incident.

One warning is enough for a wise man as they say.

#I.P. #squip ocs #bmc askblog #IP/ASK #IP/IMG #HRTECH #ask/celestetcetera

[thesquirrelqueer]

I had a dream last night that the squip squad (specifically michael) was in contact with your blog and used your insane wealth of bmc knowledge to help them fight the squips. to be clear you were just blogging about the musical and they were like interdimensionally asking you stuff lol

oh my god that’s so cool! your dream brain came up with such an interesting narrative

#answering asks #celestetcetera

[nuttersincorporated]

The Narrator Parable Chapter Two

Story Premise: The Player is away and the Narrator is in a bad mood until he comes up with great idea! He’ll take human form and let Stanley tell a story for once. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Two: The Player is back and that means the Narrator is stuck being the one under their control until they leave. He learns that isn’t no fun being forced to stay in the closet.

Word Count: 2208

AN: This is a role swap au that’s also a form swap. It was inspired by the this comic by @celestetcetera about the same premise.

This is unbetaed. If you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, please feel free to tell me.

Narrator Note: Hello reader! Reblog, comment and/or reply to this fanfic earn an achievement!

Chapter One here

Also on AO3

Chapter Two

The Narrator found himself sat at Stanley’s desk pressing buttons on the monitor. He tried to stop but couldn’t. He tried to ask Stanley why he’d restarted the story but what came out of his mouth instead were the opening lines of The Stanley Parable.

“This is the story of a man named Stanley. Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was Employee #427…”

As the Narrator continued to speak his regular lines, Stanley’s shadowy form moved across the wall until the Narrator could see him franticly pressing dialog options. The Narrator was forced to speak the lines, no longer able to ignore or give his thoughts on them.

When he had finished the introduction, the Narrator tried again to ask what was happening but instead he found himself getting to his feet automatically.

‘You need to switch us,’ Stanley signed shakily. ‘The Player is back.’

Even though he knew it was pointless, the Narrator tried to reach for the controls. Nothing happened.

The Player started moving him towards the door of Stanley’s office.

The Narrator blinked. This, at least was a good sign, it meant that he was still capable of moving his face.

When the Player controlled Stanley, they couldn’t see his face so it didn’t matter if he moved it. The Narrator and Stanley often had silent conversations – that the Player knew nothing about – by reading each other’s lips. Since the Narrator was now stuck in Stanley’s normal position, he supposed it made sense that the same rules applied.

He stepped into the rest of the office and his mouth said, “All of his co-workers were gone. What could it mean? Stanley decided to go to the meeting room; perhaps he had simply missed a memo.”

The Player started to walk the Narrator’s body around the office space, pressing on computer monitors.

Stanley waved to get the Narrator’s attention and signed, ‘Quick! Switch us back while they’re busy!’

‘I can’t,’ the Narrator mouthed. ‘We’re stuck like this until the Player logs off.’

A look of horror crossed Stanley’s shadowy face.

‘It will be fine, Stanley,’ the Narrator mouthed. ‘Just stick to the script and I’ll switch us back when the Player is finished.’

Stanley shook his head.

Yes, this was less than ideal but the Narrator didn’t understand why Stanley seemed so upset. He would have bet money that Stanley would be happy about their positions being switched for once.

Despite his best efforts, the Narrator had never been able to make Stanley enjoy his time under the Player’s control. Why would he wantto switch back rather than taking the opportunity to have some fun in the Narrator’s position for once?

Maybe, he’s worried about being the one in charge of the script, the Narrator thought. Yes, that must be it.

Normally, the Narrator would have teased Stanley about this. However, Stanley was clearly distressed so instead he tried to be reassuring and mouthed, ‘You know the script by heart Stanley. Just stick to it and everything will be okay.’

‘No, it won’t!’ Stanley signed franticly. ‘You narrate, I’m the one who…’ he trailed off.

The Narrator gave Stanley a confused, worried look. He really didn’t understand what was upsetting Stanley so much.

‘Stanley, it’s going to be fine,’ he mouthed. ‘I know you can do this.’

Stanley closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then he opened them again. He still looked worried but he also looked more determined.

Stanley gave the Narrator an obviously forced smile and signed, ‘Okay.’

Stanley pressed the next dialog option and the Narrator said, “Stanley went around touching every little thing in the office, but it didn't make a single difference, nor did it advance the story in any way.”

As the Player started moving the Narrator forward again, Stanley slid off the wall and onto the floor by the Narrator’s feet. He seemed to want to stay as close to the Narrator as possible.

The Narrator found it very odd to be puppeted around by the Player and made to talk by Stanley. It wasn’t an unpleasant but it felt strange to have no control over where he went, what he touched or what he said.

The Narrator didn’t mind though. He was finding the experience interesting. Plus, he knew how every ending went so it wasn’t like the Player could surprise him.

The Narrator also trusted Stanley to do a good job with his dialog… well ‘trusted’ was maybe too strong a word.

Loath as the Narrator was to admit it, he knew that if Stanley chose to, he could probably do almost as good a job with the dialog as he would have done. However, if Stanley hadn’t so clearly been agitated by the situation, the Narrator would have expected him to mess around, at least a little rather, than sticking to the script. It wasn’t like he could stop Stanley from going off script if he wanted to.

Since he had no control over what happened next, the Narrator tried to relax.

The Player walked the Narrator past the reassurance bucket without stopping to pick it up and continued on.

They came to the two doors room and right on cue, Stanley had the Narrator say his line, “When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left.”

The Narrator smiled as the Player chose to take him through the left door. He knew there were plenty of endings before the one he wanted them to pick. However, every time the Player chose left, a part of him couldn’t help hoping that they’d finally choose to follow all his instructions. When that happened, the looping story he told again and again would reach its proper end.

If the Player did choose the Freedom Ending this time, the Narrator would feel sorry that Stanley missed it. Much as Stanley often complained about being controlled by the Player, the Narrator was sure he’d want to be the protagonist when the Player finally reached the end of the story. If nothing else, Stanley would probably want to celebrate the end of every being controlled by the Player.

The Narrator walked through the meeting room saying his lines and stepped out into the corridor. Instead of going straight to the staircase, the Player took him into the broom closet and closed the door.

“Stanley stepped into the broom closet, but there was nothing here, so he turned around and got back on track,” his mouth said.

The Player moved his view from left to right and back again a few times, like they were shaking his head. Then they made him crouch.

The Narrator winced, crouching like this wasn’t comfortable.

Stanley, circling the walls of closet, came to a stop in front of the Narrator. He noticed the uncomfortable look on the Narrator’s face and grinned a little unkindly at his discomfort.

‘It kind of sucks being forced to stay in one place, in an uncomfortable position, doesn’t it?’ he signed.

‘You come in here all the time without the Player,’ the Narrator mouthed back. ‘You once stayed in here for over a week, just to annoy me.’

‘Yeah, because you were being an ass,’ Stanley signed with a shrug. ‘Besides, I was the one who decided to do that and I could actually sit down.’

“There was nothing here. No choice to make, no path to follow, just an empty broom closet. No reason to still be here.”

‘You should have made me say that a little quicker.’

‘Oh, I know. I just want you to really appreciate your time here.’

The Narrator rolled his eyes. His legs had started to cramp.

‘If you’d told me it hurt to crouch like this, you know I’d have fixed it for you.’

“It was baffling that Stanley was still just sitting in the broom closet. He wasn't even doing anything. At least if there were something to interact with, he'd be justified in some way. As it is, he's literally just standing there, doing sweet FA.”

Stanley sighed silently. Rather than look at the Narrator, he looked up at the buzzing ceiling light, as he signed, ‘I’m sure you’d have tried to fix it but, even if you did, I’d still hate being forced to come in here against my will.’

Stanley looked back at the Narrator and winced at how uncomfortable he now looked. He didn’t seem to find it amusing anymore, ‘I’ll speed this up.’

‘Thanks,’ the Narrator mouthed gratefully. He knew he should have asked Stanley to just keep things as close as possible to how he normally said the lines but his legs were cramping hard.

Stanley got the Narrator to say the rest of his lines, one after the other with no pauses between them. The Narrator groaned silently in relief as the Player got him to stand up, open the door and walk out.

“Ah, second player! It's good to have you on board. I guarantee you can't do any worse than the person who came before you.”

The Player took the Narrator back into the broom closet. They didn’t make him crouch this time, which he was grateful for. Stanley got him to say the next lines and then the Player finally started to move on with the story.

As the Narrator approached the stairs, Stanley stayed in front of him on the floor and signed, ‘Downstairs if easier after crouching,’

“Coming to a staircase, Stanley walked upstairs to his boss's office.”

While, in theory the Narrator was glad the Player chose to go up instead of down, his legs didn’t seem to have got the memo.

The Narrator wondered why Stanley had never told him how much it hurt. It wasn’t like Stanley didn’t know how hard he worked on trying to make things enjoyable for him.

At the top of the stairs, the Player headed straight into the boss’ office.

“Stepping into-” the Player was already taking the Narrator over to the keypad, “-his manager's office.” He reached the keypad and the Player got him to start putting in the code, “Stanley was once ag…” the keypad beeped and he started moving towards the secret passageway.

“Stanley was in such a rush to get through the story as quickly as possible, he didn't even have a single minute to just let the Narrator talk! That kind of anxiety isn't healthy, so he relaxed for a few moments, with some calming new age music.”

The music started to play and the Narrator noticed that Stanley, who was now against the wall, was looking worried again.

‘You’re doing a good job!’ he mouthed encouragingly. Then he realised he was being too complimentary. It wouldn’t do for Stanley to get a big head. ‘Well… I mean, you’re doing an… acceptable job filling in. I wouldn’t give up your day job though.’

The music cut off and the passageway opened.

‘You’re such a jerk,’ Stanley signed. However, the worried look on his face had changed into what he probably thought was an annoyed frown but it barely hid a fond smile.

At the same time, the Narrator said, “Feeling soothed and rejuvenated, Stanley calmly walked forward into the opened passageway.”

The Player took the Narrator straight into the elevator and pressed the down button.

The Narrator smiled as the elevator went down and Stanley made his say his lines. There was a chance that they’d finally get the true ending.

It was still very unlikely. The Player had gone through the story countless times. They’d done almost every other ending again and again but never the one the Narrator wanted them to. However, with every choice they made, the Player was getting closer to the possibility of choosing freedom.

The elevator reached the bottom, the Narrator stepped out and started walking forwards.

“Stanley walked straight ahead through the large door that read 'Mind Control Facility'.”

He walked past the ‘escape’ passageway without stopping and entered the monitor room. The Player had him hit the light button.

“The lights rose on an enormous room packed with television screens.”

The Narrator’s face fell as the Player made him get onto the chair. It looked like the Player wasn’t going for freedom this time.

“‘What horrible secret did this place hold,’ Stanley-“ he got onto the railing “-thought to hims…” he stepped over the edge and stopped talking as he fell into darkness. He didn’t see the look of relief wash over Stanley’s face.

The Narrator hit the bottom painlessly. A moment later, Stanley followed him down. He couldn’t see Stanley because his shadowy form was hidden by the actual shadows at the bottom of the monitor room but he could feel his presence close by.

“Aha! You’ve made it to the bottom of the Mind Control Facility, welcome!”

As the Narrator talked, the Player began walking him around the bottom of the monitor room, going from one side to another. They made him look up at the monitors then watch the red lights travel upwards.

He kept moving until the song started. Then he was moved back into the centre of the space. He stood still until the music finished.

Everything went dark.

#the stanley parable #the stanley parable: ultra deluxe #The Narrator Parable #my fanfics #celestetcetera #role swap au #form swap au #small spoiler for ultra deluxe in this chapter #What’s worrying Stanley so much? #Find out next chapter!