2011 Mod Dialogue

View • Edit • Discuss Dialogue

This article is a Stub:

No! No, no! Line^TM, You^TM do know we're looking for The Stanley Parable, right? The story?
You can help The Stanley Parable Wiki by expanding it.

Introduction

This is the story of a man named Stanley.

Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was Employee #427. Employee #427's job was simple: he sat at his desk in Room 427 and he pushed buttons on a keyboard. Orders came to him through a monitor next to his desk, telling him what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order.

This is what Employee #427 did every day of every month of every year, and although others may have considered it soul rending, Stanley relished every moment that the orders came in, as though he had been made exactly for this job.

And Stanley was happy.

And then one day, something very peculiar happened. Something that would forever change Stanley; something he would never quite forget. He had been at his desk for nearly an hour when he had realized not one single order had arrived on the monitor for him to follow. No one had showed up to give him instructions, call a meeting, or even say 'hi'. Never in all his years at the company had this happened, this complete isolation. Something was very clearly wrong.

Shocked, frozen solid, Stanley found himself unable to move for the longest time. But as he came to his wits and regained his senses, he got up from his desk and walked out into the hallway.

Pre-Endings

Hallway to the Two Doors Room

Stanley decided to go to the staff lounge to check on his co-workers. He never functioned well by himself, and constantly needed support and guidance from others, so the thought of total solitude was terrifying to him.

The Two Doors Room

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

Left Door Route

Employee Lounge

As Stanley entered the lounge, he was horrified to find not a single person here. He decided he would walk up to see his boss, hoping that he would find an answer there.

Staircase

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

Going down the staircase

But Stanley just couldn't do it. He considered the possibility of facing his boss, of admitting that he had left his post during work hours... he might be fired for that. And in such a competitive economy, was it really worth taking that risk? All because he believed everyone had disappeared? His boss would think he was crazy.

And then something occurred to Stanley. Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe I am crazy. Everyone I know simply vanishing out of the blue? There's almost no other explanation for it. A nagging fear began to creep up in his mind. Questions that had been there all along. He just hadn't just his finger on them yet.

For example, why couldn't he see his feet when he looked down? Why did doors close automatically behind him wherever he went? And for that matter, these rooms were starting to look pretty familiar. Was he just walking around in circles? "Where am I?" he thought. And the more he found himself unable to answer these questions, the more questions continued to arise, until he came to the issue that had been slowly balling until he could ignore it no longer;

Why is there a voice in my head dictating everything that I'm doing and thinking? Suddenly, every door slammed shut. "No!" Stanley screamed. "I need to get out of here! I need to know that there's something out there! I need to know it's not just all in my head!" And he screamed and clutched at his skull as the voice grew harsher and the music in the background rose higher and higher.

And then, moments before collapsing to the ground, Stanley clenched his fists, and screamed to anyone who might be listening, "I'M NOT REAL! I'M NOT REAL! DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF IT, NONE OF IT'S REAL!" And then everything went black.

Mariella Ending

This is the story of a woman named Mariella.

Mariella woke up on a day like any other. She got dressed, went to work, clocked in, clocked out, and then she walked home. But her walk on this day was interrupted by the body of a man, who had stumbled through town talking and screaming to himself, and then collapsed dead on the sidewalk. Moments after seeing him, she would turn, run to the nearest police station and call for an ambulance.

But for just a few brief seconds, she merely stood there, unable to move. The tragedy was not the death of a single person. It was that she would never know this man's story, never hear in his own words what had happened to him, or what he believed had happened to him. For to know these things would be to exist inside the head of the man himself.

So all she could do was observe from a distance and pity him. But Mariella had places to be and people to meet with. Very important people, whose impressions of her would affect her career, and indeed, the rest of her life. She stood there for only a moment, looking down at the body. And then she ran.

Boss's Office

Entering the room

Entering his manager's office, Stanley was once again stunned to discover not an indication of any human life. It was at this point that he began to feel dizzy, and a little sick, and even thought he might pass out. When suddenly, he noticed a keypad next to the filing cabinet in the corner of his boss's office.

Stanley had never seen this panel before, and had no idea what combination of numbers would produce any result. In fact, only Stanley's boss knew this, since the panel withheld access to the boss's greatest, darkest secret. And so he had assigned the keypad a combination that only he could possibly know, the number of his freshman dorm number in college; 1-9-5-7. But of course, Stanley couldn't possible have known this.

Entering the correct code

Yet incredibly, by simply pushing random buttons on the keypad, Stanley happened to input the correct code by sheer luck. Amazing! Stanley ventured forth into the newly opened passageway.

The Mind Control Facility

The Passageway

As he drew deeper into the bowels of the building, Stanley had no idea where he was or what this place held. And just as he began to think he might not discover a thing, he emerged into a long room to find...

Surveillance Screens

...rows and rows of monitors. Screens with a number above it. Stanley noticed, however, that these were not random numbers, but the number of employees who worked in the building, his co-workers. Even his own number, 427, had a place on the wall. "But why a setup so elaborate?", he asked. Was this simple surveillance, or something even more? And as if in answer to his question, the wall slid open before him, revealing the ultimate truth of this situation.

The Reveal

An enormous control panel Stanley discovered, but not one that controlled simple machinery. Buttons were labelled with emotions; "happy", "sad"... Levers and knobs controlled actions; walking, eating, doing work, or watching TV. Every input on this device monitored, not the functions of a machine, but of a human being. And the reality began to sink in. Stanley, like so many other people, reduced to images on a monitor, had been under someone's control, always at the mercy of this machine.

Could this have been the only reason Employee #427 was content with his boring job? That a machine had altered his emotions to accept it blindly? He began to feel an unbridled rage, and at the peak of his anger, something happened. A spark.

Stanley looked up and saw the generator overhead, still providing some small amount of power to the machine, keeping it alive. And knowing that this generator was all that kept the controls running, Stanley moved to the ladder in the back of the room, and began to climb towards the rafters.

The higher Stanley climbed, the closer he felt to freedom, the further from enslavement.

Freedom Ending

Blackness, power gone, all alone... and then...

As he stepped through the door, into the fresh outside air, a feeling of liberation rushed through Stanley's body. He had seen power, he had seen enslavement, and he had destroyed it. The underling was in control now. He had found his leading role. Stanley never discovered why everyone had gone missing, nor how and when he had come under the machine's control, but it didn't upset him terribly.

Because he knew that this is how things were meant to happen. All he felt was a delight unlike any he had ever known before. Never again would he follow someone else's orders without question. Never again would anyone tell Stanley where to go, what to do or how to feel. No more bosses, no more instructions on a screen. Stanley decides for himself now.

And he stepped out into the world, and he felt the cool breeze upon his skin... and Stanley was happy.

Countdown Ending

Oh, Stanley. You didn't just activate the controls, did you? After it kept you enslaved all these years, you go and you try to take control of the machine for yourself, is that what you wanted? Control? Stanley... Stanley, haha... I applaud your effort, I really do. But you need to understand, there's only so much that machine can do. You were meant to let it go, turn the controls off and leave. If you want to throw my story off-track, you're gonna have to do better than that!

I'm afraid you don't have nearly the power you think you have. For example, and I believe you'll find this pertinent... Stanley suddenly realised that he had just initiated the network's emergency detonation system. In the event that this machine is activated without proper DNA identification, nuclear detonators are set to explode, eliminating the entire complex. How long until detonation, then? Oh, let's make it say, um... 2 minutes!

Now, this is making things a little more fun, isn't it, Stanley? Go ahead, play with those controls all you like! The real controls are where I'm sitting. Did you really ever believe you held any power? Did you not think I knew what I was doing? When I erased your co-workers and turned off the machine, I was offering you freedom, an escape.

I didn't have to do that. I've run this story many times, and I don't always set you free. Sometimes you just sit there, day after day after day, doing your job forever and then dying alone. But when I actually give you the freedom to control your own actions... it's not enough. I let you go, and you trapped yourself just the same. You just weren't made to handle this sort of responsibility, I'm afraid. But you know what you were made for? Pushing buttons!

Heh, you get it now? Oh, I'm enjoying this. Tell you what, I'll throw some extra time on the clock just because I'm having so much fun! There we go. You see, I want to watch you for every long second you try to puzzle this out. After all, it should make sense, right? The timer, the nuclear detonation, the mysterious facility, it's all here. This is a video game; except for one thing there, hero. You've got no weapon. No vehicle. You don't even know where you're going. When you saw that timer, you just instinctively started trying to find an exit, didn't you? In fact, I bet you're still looking for a way out.

I bet you're clicking on everything in this room, trying to open doors or vents or something, and "solve the puzzle", as though this game has a solution, as though it can be won. That timer is not a catalyst to keep things moving along, it's just seconds ticking away to your death. This is not a challenge, it's a tragedy. It's the moment when the hero realizes, that despite his best efforts, he is powerless to his environment. And then... he lets go, he surrenders, and he dies.

30 seconds, Stanley. 30 seconds until a boom, and then nothing. No ending to this story, just you dying. I suppose you could've gotten an actual ending if you played along, but that just wouldn't have been your style, would it? Instead, you'll perish knowing that the only choice you made here was to turn on that machine and to start this timer.

But you won't be alone, because I'm not going anywhere! I'll be here to watch every second of your inevitable life, from the time we fade in until the moment I say "happily ever a-"!

Right Door Route

Hallway

This was not the correct way to the employee lounge, and Stanley knew it perfectly well, so he turned left at the first open door and walked back in the right direction.

Refusing to go back on track

Stanley was so bad at following directions, it's incredible he wasn't fired years ago. Maybe this is why everyone had left. No-one wanted to be around someone as bad at listening as him. And since he was walking into the middle of nowhere, and thus ruining the entire story, Stanley decided that he would punish himself. So when he came to the elevator and the doors opened, he stepped inside and pushed the button to go up.

Museum Ending (going up the elevator)

Trapped

It almost perplexed Stanley that he had actually gone and stepped into this metal trap. After all, it should have been no surprise that this thing would lead him to his death. But he thought to himself, "This is simply the price to pay for ruining a perfectly good story." And so he resigned, and willingly accepted his fate, the inevitable end toward which he had spent so long stumbling. Farewell, Stanley.

Female Narrator

"Farewell, Stanley", cried the Narrator, as he sent his subject down the conveyor belt and into the enormous metal jaws. In a single visceral instant, Stanley was obliterated as the machine crushed every bone in his body, killing him instantly.

It's a shame, then, that for all his work, it was such a meaningless victory for the Narrator. Did he really think that he would accomplish anything by murdering this disposable vessel?

Every possible choice Stanley could make had been designed for him long before he ever set foot here. The Narrator wanted to kill him? Stanley was already dead from the moment he hit Start.

There’s no salvation for either of these two, I’m afraid. The Narrator had as little power over Stanley as Stanley did over the paths that he walked.

But listen to me. This story is not over. You can still save these two. You can stop the program before they both fail. Push escape and press quit! There’s no other way to beat this game! As long as you move forward, you’ll be walking someone else’s path! Stop now, and it’ll be your only true choice! Whatever you do-!

Going down the elevator

Descending down to the lower floor

Oh, Stanley... You know, you really aren't going anywhere, and I don't say that deceitfully. I truthfully mean that there isn't a story down here. The story was back up where I told you to go in the first place! Right now, you're just running around looking at empty halls. And frankly, that's perhaps even more infuriating for me! So why don't you throw me a bone, give me a chance and just let me tell the story I want to tell, hmm?

Red and blue doors

Now listen carefully, this is important. Stanley walked through the red door.

Entering the red door (Pawn Ending)

Good, good. Now, if you don't mind, there's something I'd like to show you. But to do that, I think it would be best for us to start from the beginning.

Taking the blue door

Aha, perhaps you misunderstood. Stanley walked through the red door.

I still don't think we're communicating properly. Stanley walked through the RED door!

Alright, fine, go ahead, Stanley. You want to know so badly what's out there? You want to find out what lies at the end of this road you've chosen? Well, don't let me stop you.

Empty Room (Escape Ending)

You see? It's nothing. No-one's even built this section of the map because you were never supposed to be here in the first place. It's just a bunch of skybox and dev wall textures, that's it. Is this what you were looking for? Was it worth ruining the story I had written out for you? I put a lot of time into that, and now you... well, here you are now just looking at nothing.

To think that that's all I needed to make in the first place, just a whole lot of nothing, and you would've been happy, well, hey! You still need a little something to do, am I right? Here, let me load up another map, see if there's something in here that'll keep you occupied. [humming] Ah, here's one! Let's boot this up! We'll see if you like it.

Stanley's Office (Pawn Ending)

This is a very sad story about the death of a man named Stanley.

Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was Employee #427. His job pushing buttons demanded little of him, so there was not much of himself to give. And in this way, Stanley's job felt less and less like his every day. But if buttons need pushing one day, it means they'll need pushing the next, and then the next. So without question or judgement, Stanley continued to do what the screen told him.

One keystroke flowed into another keystroke, flowed into his ride home, flowed into dinner, flowed into waking up, flowed into going to work, and here he was again. Stanley was typing out a complete sentence that said absolutely nothing at all.

If in reality no-one had actually disappeared from the office, and Stanley never got the opportunity to make a decision, to choose which path he wanted to take, would his life still have any meaning? Perhaps when we long for something deeply enough, these hopes and fantasies become so strong in our minds, that we truly believe that we're there, controlling that person and living that adventure.

To manipulate your own thoughts and emotions might mean freedom from a self-imposed prison, but these delusions can be fatal to those who can't tell the difference. And so Stanley asked, "If that door never opened, if I'll never be able to walk away from those people and from these buttons, is this life still worth experiencing? Am I actually happy?"

Stanley answered this question by pushing a button. Then he pushed a button, and then he pushed a button. Then he pushed a button. Then he pushed a button.

Half-Life 2 Map (Escape Ending)

Entry

Well, Stanley, is this any better? I don't know why it would be; this map wasn't even made for you. At least I created a world specifically with you in mind. I wanted to make you a leading man. This one, well... I'm afraid you're on your own there.

Stanley was fat and ugly and really, really stupid. He probably only got his job because of a family connection, that's how stupid he is. That, or with drug money. Also, Stanley is addicted to drugs and hookers.

Stopped in a control room

Hold on there, sport! I spent so long talking about you, why don't we just take a break from that and talk about something else for a change? Let's see... Well, according to Wikipedia, more than 90% of the night sharks caught off north-eastern Brazil contain mercury concentrations higher than that considered safe by the local government.

Now, this is fascinating! Don't you want to know more about the night sharks? Oh, no, of course not. All you want to hear about is yourself, isn't it? Well, fine. You haven't listened to me once so far, and I can't expect you to turn that around now, can I?

End of the path

*sigh* Is this the end of the line? I don't suppose this was a particularly fulfilling experience for you, considering not a single art aspect in this map was created with you in mind. But hey, you're a creative kid. I bet you can come up with a story about this place and why you're in it. And while you're doing that, why don't you think up an ending, too? Because you certainly won't find one here.

I'm afraid that's the long and short of it. This room and these walls are all you get. Maybe the story ends when you decide you can't live in this futuristic, science-fiction dystopia world, and you gallantly commit suicide. Or maybe you stand in this spot for all of eternity to guide and greet other travelers like yourself who pass this way. Or maybe you just get bored and quit the game.

Heck, anything's an ending if that's where you stop playing. But whatever ending you write for yourself, Stanley... you won't have my help! You turned your back on me, and now I do the same to you, so... good luck. I think you'll need it. And I sincerely hope that everyone lives happily ever after.

Beginning to leave

Wait... Hold on, what are you... What are you doing?

Stanley, don't do that. I can't follow you there. I can't help you!

How will you write a story without me? You can't do it, you know that!

Stanley, come back! We still have so much-!

Ending

It's sad, I know, but all stories must come to an end. Of course, they say it's the journey that truly matters and not the destination, and I like that idea. To think we might value the paths we walk as much as the places they lead us. Now, I don't know what sort of story you've ciphered out of that world you've made for yourself, but I hope that being the leading man was everything it's cracked up to be.

I know it can be a little hard getting around without someone looking over your shoulder, but this is simply the nature of freedom. Besides, I haven't really gone anywhere. Maybe you don't want a guide. But I think I'll always have a place here at the end of every story. I'll step in and wrap things up with a nice piece of dialogue, and a reflection of life that makes sense of whatever path you've chosen to walk.

And for now, I'm happy to be the destination instead of the journey. ...but only for now.