Narrator and reader at the ocean

(combined the two prompts, seeing as they were fairly similar)

• As soon as the narrator gains access to this plane of reality, you can bet he’ll be searching for things the two of you can do together. He suggests the beach, and you originally shrug it off because it’s always too crowded. 
• You’re filled with such yearning, though. You’ve always had a special connection to the ocean. The cycle of the tides, the peace, the way your mind goes quiet while you’re there. Problem is, it’s always ruined by other people. Their noises, their speakers, the kids… all loud and chattering away. It wasn’t great. 
• But, he still has access to his powers. He casually pops out of the physical plane and begins scouring the area, looking for lesser known places.
• Eventually, he discovers a small private beach. He’s sure no one will find the two of you if you just stay for a couple of hours, right?
• You plop your stuff down on the beach, sigh wistfully at the scenery. The sand is crunching gently between your toes, the waves lap gently at the shore, the smell of salt water is in the air, seagulls are making noises in the distance.
• The narrator, whose idea it was to go to the beach in the first place, takes one look at the physical scale of the ocean and becomes afraid. He can’t be affected by physical objects when he’s not manifesting, but now that he is…
• It’s huge. And unpredictable. Like an open game world on steroids, in his mind’s eye. The undercurrent… What if one of you gets swept away, never to be seen again?
• His mind fills with anxious thoughts while you set up your towel and start applying sunscreen.
• His fear grows and grows, but… you look so casual and relaxed. He’s sure he can match your energy. It’s just… It’s just-
• It keeps going on, past the horizon. The sea goes on for miles and miles. The office could fit inside this beach. His entire world and his understanding of the scale of things has been broken and restructured.
• He grabs your shoulder when you start walking away from him. “Wait, where are you going?” You gesture to the ocean, confused. It’s the best part of the beach, you weren’t going to just-
• You study his expression closely. You decide wisely to not point out that he looks terrified. “Oh- you don’t have to come down, if you’re not up for it. You can just stay here if it’s easier.”
• He’ll be damned if he’s letting you approach that… thing without him. The two of you will get hurt, but you’ll be together. He’s not having it any other way.
• He grabs your hand, and you’re going to have to put some actual effort into getting him moving, reader. 
• The ocean laps at his toes, and he lets out a yell and jumps back. “It’s cold, reader. Why didn’t you warn me?” You’re trying very hard to not laugh in the meantime. “Sorry, I forgot you… weren’t from around here. Come on, it’s not that bad.”
• You slowly coax him into the ocean, and he’s got your hand in a deathgrip the entire time. “Don’t look away from the ocean. Getting hit by a wave you don’t see coming isn’t fun.”
• “How on earth can you find any of this fun?” He asks, frustrated.
• It’s a long time before you can get him to his knees, and he’s not willing to go any further than that. 
• “It’s alright,” you say. “Baby steps. We’ve got the rest of our lives to get you used to the world. You’ve done really well, making it this far. C’mere.” 
• You pull him into a kiss, skin flush against skin. To the narrator, you smell like coconut, sunscreen and salt water. It’s quite intoxicating. 
• You’ve both taken your eyes off the ocean. You realize the sound of water is coming closer. You have a split second to look before a giant wave hits both of you.
• You’re both smashed back onto the bank. You’re wheezing with laughter, the narrator is not impressed.
• “That’s it. I’m done. Goodbye, reader.”
• You’re still laughing. “Baby, wait. W-Who’s gonna give you a ride home?” Without another word, he pops out of this plane of existence, and starts living as the voice in your head again. 
• He’ll keep you safe, just- from a distance.

These messages have been in my box for a while, and I’ve been wanting to respond to them individually but I didn’t want to clog up anyone’s dash, so one long post will have to do. You are all sweethearts and I wish the best for you as well.

I love you all very much.

(cries into my soup)

His footsteps echoed quietly as he came down the hall. I heard him sigh before pushing my door open with a knock. I peaked my head out from under the covers, and we looked at each other for a very long time.

It took a few moments for me to realize that for the first time since we’d known each other, he was waiting for me to speak first.

“I got hurt.”

“I saw. And I’m so, so, terribly sorry.”

I lay my head back, the pillows making a soft woomph as I did so. “I should have seen it coming, I think. There was something I’d missed on my first reading of their script. A lot of things. I’m so tired, narrator.”

“I know. Perhaps you’d enjoy playing a few rousing rounds of my game- there’s something to be said about that freedom ending…”

“I don’t feel up for it tonight.” I replied. 

“It must be serious.” He said. 

“Don’t joke.” I snapped. I took a shuddering breath. “Please, not now. Please-” I did my best to suppress the tears that were coming on. I didn’t quite manage, and a few leaked out onto my pillow.

“I wasn’t joking. The pain I can feel coming off of you- How do humans stand it?” 

I gestured to my bed. “Sometimes, we stay here. Sometimes, we ask friends for help. It just depends.”

“And yet, out of all your options, you called on me. You’ve made an excellent choice. Quite possibly, the best choice. Indeed, with a voice as steeped in richness as mine, I imagine you shall feel comforted in no time.”

“Mn.” 

His ego peeled away for a moment. “Come now, writer. Work with me. How can I help?”

“Stay with me.”

“As long as you need.”

This isn’t perfect advice, this is just what I do to make him sound canonical.

Every good fictional character has their own rhythms and cadences for how they speak. Word choice and pacing have a certain flow when spoken aloud. I notice in the script there are patterns that repeat. He has a tendency to do rapid fire “no"s, for example.

(ex. "Are you really just doing this for the achievement? Click a door five times? Is that all that you think an achievement is worth? No, no, no, no, no." 

"Oh, no! Oh, no no no no no no no no no no no no, not again.” (when the player re-enters the broom closet.

“NO! No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! This isn’t right at all! You’re not supposed to be here, yet! This is all a spoiler! Quick, Stanley, close your eyes!” (adventure line when it leads you back to the monitor room)

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Hey everyone, it’s soup. I’m having trouble paying for the move to college. My account is… well, the budget is very tight. I’ve been out of work since June. I’m asking for 80 dollars to help cover the cost of gas to haul all my stuff to the new location. I’ve got a long road trip ahead of me, and any help given would be very appreciated. So, if you’ve got the resources to spare, please donate to help make the move easier.

Remember, you’re under no obligation to lend a hand, and please don’t feel bad if you don’t have the resources to! You are under no pressure at all from me, I promise. (I feel really, really weird about asking for help, and I hope no one gets mad.) I haven’t had a steady income since June, and I’ve been delaying asking because I didn’t want to bother anyone. Once I’m at college and classes start, my needs will be met just fine. I’m just trying to cover the gap between now and then.

Here are the venmo and paypal links.

Narrator and a blind reader (multi prompt)

In the office: 

• The parable really isn’t made for someone like you, he realizes. This isn’t an inherently bad thing, it just means he’ll have to make some adjustments. 
• Maybe it would be best to get rid of the furniture and office decor and describe what it looks like. The narrator relishes the challenge of writing loads of descriptions while still making it sound interesting. He was made for something like this. He pours over his work, editing and re-editing so that you’ll find his descriptions entertaining.
• “The fern was-” He stops, as he realizes you may not know what colors look like. “The fern was the freshness of early morning, of damp grass and leaves dipped in dew.” He pauses, wondering if he’s doing this right. “Never fear, reader. I’ll describe this plant in excruciating detail, because it is very important to this story.” (It’s not.)
• He makes the game just a straight line, so you don’t risk bumping into corners. You’re less likely to take a diverging path, not knowing what the game actually looks like. There’s a part of him that’s tempted to keep it that way, to make sure you won’t have the opportunity to disobey, but in the end, he doesn’t have the heart to do it.
• “Reader kept walking. Stop! To their left was another path. If they select this other path, our beautifully voiced narrator will tell them when they’ve turned enough to follow it.” He hates doing this, but your life was already fairly limited due to your disability. He might as well give you the opportunity to hear something new.

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(I’m just messing around. I love seeing all the different character interpretations that people have about him. I’ve seen people play up his most antagonistic traits, and it’s a lot of fun, but i’ve always prefered the softer side that we only see glimpses of.)

Fell right back in love with the narrator. I can’t believe it. He’s just… such a character, you know? I don’t even know if I can do this justice, but let me break down his actions here. Long post ahead, so i’ll put it under a read more.

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(These were similar, so I’ve combined them into one)

Narrator and a reader who is in theater (platonic, but could be read as romantic)

• The narrator has theater kid energy himself, if his dramatics are anything to go by. I mean, did you hear his monologue during the bucket destroyer ending after it explodes? Or his dialogue during the freedom ending?
• He’s very supportive. He’s watched you perform a few times and he’s impressed with what he sees. 
• He’s surprised with your memory of musicals. The fact that you can sing several songs from the same show, in order of their appearance? He’s amazed.
• He enjoys your passion as you throw yourself into various productions, and he’s always in the wings, watching you raptly.
• He catches you one day performing his script, and he’s absolutely enchanted. It’s adorable, really. He gently critiques your body language and vocals, wanting you to perform as best as you can.
• “That was lovely, Reader.” You startle and flinch away. He’s desperate to recapture the moment. “No! No, no, no need to be shy, really. Just, when you’re delivering the line, “He refused to believe it. He couldn’t accept it; his own life in someone else’s control? Never!” Just lift your left hand a bit more. And don’t forget to project your voice. What sort of a story would it be if you couldn’t be heard?”
• He’s overjoyed on the inside. His words must be important for you to want to repeat them.
• He’s elated when you say you want to perform his story on stage.“Reader, what a wonderful idea! The audience will be blown away if we combine our many talents. Let’s see what we can do.”
• He jumps onboard so quickly. He never thought of using theater to get his work out to a wider audience. He immediately begins planning props, sets, and debates how things can be translated from game to stage. No such thing as a perfect adaptation, but he’s giving it his all. 
• He’s in his element as a director, whether he recognizes it or not. Yes, he’s a bit of a control freak, but he means well. 
• He can match your theater kid energy with ease. It’s likely that he’s been performing and writing for much longer than you have.  
• The narrator wonders how this will work. Are you going to play as him, (So flattered, unbelievably smug.) or are you going to act as Stanley, and let him narrate? (Again, in his element. It’s his job.) Either way he’s very happy.
• He makes sure your costume is just right. He really doesn’t want to be misrepresented.  
• It’s the night of the big performance. The seats are packed, and the narrator peers through the curtains nervously. He’s not had a live audience listen in before. You’re trembling with excitement. Or is it fear? Maybe a bit of both. The narrator puts his hands on your shoulders and comforts you.
• “Reader, this is a major night for both of us. I’ve seen the work you’ve put in. You’ve been practicing so much that I have every confidence you’re going to be excellent. The stage is set, it’s your time to shine. I’ll be just behind the curtain, cheering you on. And don’t forget to break your legs.”
• You put everything on the line, and perform your heart out. The curtains roll down, and the audience bursts into applause. The narrator soaks up the praise from a distance. There’s a lazy curl of satisfaction that he’s feeling, and he sighs dreamily. Finally, he gets the adoration he deserves. And it’s all thanks to you. He’s already found a small way to repay you for everything you’ve done. But-
• He hears your voice from the stage again. “Thank you, everyone. Tonight’s performance was dedicated to the author of the script. Everyone calls him ‘narrator’, so please put your hands together and give him a warm welcome!”
• He rushes forward to the stage and- People are cheering and clapping for him directly. It feels wonderful. Good thing he dressed well for your performance. 
• It’s a very emotional moment for him, everyone showing their enthusiasm for his work, including you. He soaks it up for as long as he can, knowing this might not happen again.
• The two of you take your bows, and walk off stage together. The narrator is in a delighted haze, and doesn’t speak for several minutes, a new record for him. Then, he remembers.
• “Consider this a small token of my appreciation for all your efforts, reader.” He hands you some flowers and a box of your favorite candy.
• The two of you spend the rest of the day together, switching between relaxing and celebrating.
• The narrator will always be thankful for this precious gift you’ve given him.      

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A lovely anon has created something for us to read. I have their permission to post it here. It’s a prompt and a rough outline of a story. This is a long post, so I’ll put it under a read more. (trust me, it’s very much worth the read) And again I want to emphasise that I didn’t come up with this, they did, and they deserve the credit.

(The original prompt)

This prompt is based on one of your older ones about the narrator following the player out of the game, just in this case he is far more cautious about how he approaches it and doesn’t scare the crap out of the player by manifesting right away. (Think of it like instead of what happens in that older prompt where he just kinda acts without thinking or considering how it might scare the player, he’s instead looking for consent to enter the player’s life and just doesn’t know how to go about it because he fears if he moves too fast it will scare the player away.)

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