Step aside Ghost (opens in new tab), there's a new videogame character sending the internet into a horny frenzy. I'm not quite sure why or how this has happened, but The Stanley Parable's narrator has been receiving some rather favourable attention across TikTok and Steam reviews lately. By favourable, I mean people being down atrocious for this transcendental being.
It seems to be a mixture of people thirsting after the narrator's voice—provided by the wonderful Kevan Brighting—and shipping him with Stanley, the game's protagonist. The former is the one taking up most of my TikTok For You Page, though. Some of them are rather mild, like the narrator's rather heartwarming pep talk (opens in new tab) about how people care about the protagonist. Some are more, um, not like that. Think whimpering and heavy breathing compilations (opens in new tab) along with the search bar "Stanley Parable narrator begging." I'm not sure either.
@boritotoo (opens in new tab) ♬ original sound - sunny (opens in new tab)
It's bled into the game's Steam reviews, with some very short-but-sweet recommendations like "narrator hot" and "the narrator is very hot pls add a dating sim option." Some aren't as glowing, like one negative review that laments "no sex with the narrator 0/10." You know, I could actually get behind the idea of a game where you date a mean British disembodied voice.
There's something to be said for the fact that almost every feral fixation in this space has been some mysterious, faceless being. Former PCG writer Imogen Mellor wrote about the power masked individuals held—from Dream's face reveal proving anonymity is an influencer's best friend (opens in new tab), to people going wild for masked-up Ghost's gruff quips in Modern Warfare 2. With how wild some of these are becoming, I dare not think about which videogame character will be flooding my feed with thirst traps next.
There's probably even more Stanley Parable narrator fan art than you realize, even after I've just told you that it's a thing: Check the TikTok #thestanleyparablenarrator tag (opens in new tab) to see what I mean.
