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cleake · 9 months

Text

Comfort Game

Some Narrator comfort, I tried my best to write him in character but you never know

Warning: English is not my first language, please excuse any mistakes

Everything was not out of the ordinary at the beginning. You were playing the game with no interruptions and the Narrator had to just sit back and watch you do all the stuff that he didn't ask you to. You were ignoring his narration, you were doing your own thing, you were the player of the game after all. And that irritated him, his art was not being appreciated enough in the way he wanted it to be appreciated. Maybe you were just doing it against him, he didn't know, but now he was too frustrated by your disobedience that he just let you do the stuff you wanted to, who he was to tell you otherwise? Just a voice in a game. He kept silent against his own will. The Narrator watched you walking through the halls of the office, walking through the door he said was incorrect, stopping to look at the objects that were completely irrelevant in the story. Why were you behaving so stupidly? So irresponsibly? He was angered. The Narrator noticed you were walking in circles, with no purpose, no intention, no meaning. Like a blind rat. So stupid. When he saw you walk into the employee lounge AGAIN he had to say something, he had to express his frustration with you.

"Excuse me, but what. Are. You. Doing?" he started with a very monotone and harsh tone with a quiet growl behind his deep voice "'I've been here for..." his voice trembled at his last words as he tried to gather all the hours he has spent here with you "A very long time and you're not listening to me AT. ALL. What are you even doing? I suppose you not listening to me is nothing new but at least you tend to have a REASON to not listen to me. Now you're just wandering around, doing nothing, not interacting with my story, not giving anything from yourself to add something to this story. That is very impolite of you. I'm trying my best to make something here, to make a piece of art to be seen and played through PROPERLY. You're not giving me anything here. Who do you think you are to disobey my narration? You're just a player, you're just playing a game. A game that I HAVE made. You should be grateful, you know. I'm being very generous for you and you're treating me and my art like THAT. I'm very offended by your behavior, in fact, I think I won't be talking to you anymore, since you know my game better than I DO." He's very insulted, his voice sounds a little bit childish from the frustration, and he speaks through his teeth. He then does as he said, stays silent. Not speaking to you, just watching you play with frustration in his heart. How dare you be so ignorant of his efforts to make your experience of the game nice and interesting? Don't you want to know what he prepared for you? What kind of wonderful and powerful stories he has put you in? Based on your behavior you don't care. So he won't care too, he decided.

Your mindless wandering through the game stopped while the Narrator was speaking and the screen stood still with the image of the employee lounge, just existing, noting moving or making any sounds. If someone else was playing the game they would think that it has crushed, but both of you, You and the Narrator, knew that it wasn't. Both of you refused to do anything, you both stayed silent. How boring. You should do something. Why are you standing still? Only you know.

The Narrator wasn't going to break his promise of not talking, he was determined to let you know that he was offended and didn't care about your playthrough anymore. But he was curious about your disobedience. He wanted to ask you about it but he was offended after all, he won't be talking to you.

The silence continued to reign, the game went nowhere, you did nothing.

Suddenly the Narrator heard a sniff. A very weak sniff but it held a lot of sorrow. Oh. Wait, are you...

Another one rang out and the Narrator started to feel less offended and more concerned and slightly scared. Are you crying? What? Why? Since when? What has made you cry? Was it the Narrator's frustration? It isn't real, it shouldn't hurt you! He wasn't trying to make you cry, just make you realize your strange behavior. Now he felt bad and he broke his promise.

"Hey... Are you... Crying?" he sounded much gentler, caring, and concerned, his voice lowered and the growl in it was no longer there. A small silence fell again until the screen moved up and down, as in a nod.

"Oh." he stammered out, clearly ashamed now. He didn't know what to do, how could he do anything to help you while being just a voice? He thought for a while, not knowing what to do but he couldn't just leave you like this.

"Well... Why are you crying? Is it because of me?" He asked with hesitation, a little bit scared by that idea. Another silence filled the moment and the screen moved to the sides, swinging in protest at the Narrator's words. He sighed with relief, that's good to know "Ah, right. I was just asking to make sure to not speak of the truth any longer." he snapped a little bit, trying to get away from his concern about you but he was just pretending, keeping the image of the great and powerful Narrator. Another silence, now he feels sheepishly from his words, he shouldn't have said that. What if he hurt you?

"I-I'm sorry, I regret saying that." he started with a weaker voice, sounding gentle once more. He sighs and gives in to his concern about you "Why are you crying- Wait. Why are you playing the game while crying? What's up with that?" he asked with some confusion, genuinely curious as to why you were here while feeling unwell. Of course, you didn't answer, why should you talk to a voice from a video game? The Narrator took a moment to think of possible reasons why you were still playing. "Are you... Playing the game because it gives you some kind of comfort..?" he said sheepishly, not feeling confident in his question. What if that's not the answer?

To his relief and small shock, the screen moved up and down, confirming his question.

"Really?" he was clearly not expecting that, speaking a little bit slower from his surprise. You enjoyed his game so much that you would open it while feeling sad? It gave you comfort? Even when the Narrator was screaming and insulting you and your playing skills? How's that possible? What kind of a person you are to enjoy that? He felt both confused and kind of touched, you liked his game this much? He grunted, slightly awkward from this situation, he wasn't used to having such interactions with players.

"I see, right... Well, I'm flattered to know that but... I don't know what could possibly give you comfort here. I mean this is a plain office building, there are no pretty things to rave over. Maybe in some endings, there's some nice scenography I suppose. But what else can comfort you here? You die in this game, you are trapped in your own office, you have to suffer multiple times, you don't really get a happy ending. And you never get an ending, that's the purpose of this game. Does that comfort you? The idea of endless possibilities? Something that life cannot offer?"

The screen shook to the sides once more, denying the Narrator's words to which he let out a quiet hum in thought.

"That's strange. Is it the music? Does it comfort you? I do have to say that it is impressive but I never thought it would comfort someone while feeling upset."

The screen moved to the sides again.

"WHAT? Then what could possibly calm you here- the humor! You like the humor of it, don't you? Well, that flatters me, I do have a great sense of humor after all." the Narrator chuckled, getting a little bit ahead before your answer, clearly feeling confident and proud of himself. But that's not a correct answer either, you shake the screen to the sides once more and the Narrator's laughter fades away "Then I have no idea. Does the bucket give you comfort? I wouldn't be so surprised if it did, you looove it so much anyway." his voice turned slightly harsher as if he was frustrated with the idea of the bucket being a source of your comfort. But maybe it was, he never knew.

The screen shakes to the sides once more.

"I'm running out of ideas here, I don't know what else could-" his voice broke off for a moment, a sudden realization coming into his mind. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it but maybe it was true? He felt a little bit of hope in his heart "Could it be... That I give you comfort?" he asked with even more hesitation, maybe it was true.

The screen finally bopped up and down and the Narrator let out a small gasp, feeling even more shocked than before.

"Wait, really? Me? I'm the one who gives you comfort? After all, I shout at you, I insult you and you feel I'm comforting?! I'm starting to worry about your sense of self-worth."

A silence fell again, a longer one as the Narrator was thinking of your answer, not knowing what to do with it. He started to feel bad for his earlier insults toward you, even through that you thought he was... Comforting. He couldn't wrap his head around this, how's that possible? Maybe you're lying or need help since you enjoy listening to him throw insults at you. But somehow that made him feel a little bit nice, you enjoyed his presence, at least he thought you did so.

"Eghem... May I ask you something?"

The screen moved up and down at the Narrator's question.

"Do you... Like listening to me? Do you... Tolerate my presence?" he asked with a bit of sudden insecurity, not believing that you truly liked being with him in the game. But your answer stunned him again, you've confirmed it "Oh. That's... Hard to believe." he sighed and kept silent for a moment more "Thank you." he added with a lot of unexpected warmth in his voice, he sounded very touched. It was a very important answer for him, he felt that it meant a lot to him.

"Hey, uh... I know this might not help you feel better but I'd like to try either way. Maybe you'd like to see some of my unreleased work? I feel that I'd like to share it with you. If that's okay with you." He wanted to comfort you more, be kinder to you, you're the player of the game after all. You could make mistakes, go against him or do your own thing and he had to accept that, and he felt that he might be willing to.

The screen jumped up and down, a lot more enthusiastically, with more energy and vigor than before which made the Narrator feel a little bit happier.

"Great! Alright, let's see what I can show you..." he mumbled, and a sound of paper ruffling together rang out "Ah, yes. This seems interesting enough. Allow me to show you an idea of mine that I've saved for you, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it." the Narrator said with a joyful undertone in his voice, almost giggling from the excitement. Then the screen went black.

𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴

#x reader #reader insert #the stanley parable #the narrator #tsp narrator #tsp the narrator #tsp x reader #tsp narrator x reader #hurt/comfort #angst to fluff #fanfic #my fanfiction #I don’t know how to feel #headcanon #writing #I love the narrator #he’s angry

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