A Meal Of Eel

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That’s an interesting question!

Thinking about this from the perspective of them swapping places in their respective stories with nothing else swapping, I think that Ryland Grace would make for a good Stanley, but Stanley as Ryland Grace feels more complicated.

If Ryland Grace found himself in the parable, he would probably fall into the role of Stanley fairly well as he’s very curious and would be able to keep up as The Narrator’s foil and with his snark. Grace would probably be very curious about how the parable works and eager to explore endings that won’t get him killed (which he would stumble into anyway because The Narrator doesn’t want to spoil anything now would he?). The dynamic between Ryland Grace and The Narrator probably wouldn’t be too dissimilar to Grace and Rocky’s dynamic. I imagine that The Narrator would probably relish in the opportunity to talk about the intricacies of his stories and the parable, but would be frustrated with Grace’s curiosity about the parable and reluctance to explore potentially dangerous areas and endings because it stalls the story.

Stanley is harder to figure out because of how little we actually reliably know about Stanley since he very rarely acts independently of the player and we can’t be sure any of The Narrator’s statements about Stanley are reliable. I don’t think Stanley would be able to fulfill the science requirements of the astrophage problem, but he probably would be able to pull off the death defying acts that Grace could. If you take in common fan interpretations (defiant, driven by simple or straightforward goals, snarky, curious, mute), Stanley could probably match Rocky’s energy, though they would have to figure out communication again, but Stanley would still have significant trouble with any science problems that crop up. Stanley would probably do fine at any point during and following the trip to Erid, but would not make a good Ryland Grace at any point before. The answer might also depend on how smart you interpret Stanley to be and whether the Narrative around him shifts to accommodate for him.

Things would probably run more smoothly for Stanley if The Narrator joined Stanley in the PHM universe if he retained his status and abilities as a Narrator, though Rocky joining the parable would probably kill him unless the Parable accommodates for Rocky and either gives him his own space or the ability to survive in the Parables atmosphere. I also don’t believe Grace or Rocky would do well mentally long term in the parable if they can’t find a way to leave on their own.

taping it to my mirror

BTW