OK, already this is fucking amazing. Prepare to get railroaded a bit. I've already elected to play stubborn, to advocate for what I think the protagonist *really* wants, no matter how hard the narrative tries to intimidate me into another path.

Do this. Play it, watch it, whatever. Steal Netflix credentials if you have to. It's already been a rewarding experience.

"CW: mental health issues" for the whole game/show, big time.

Also, the mild inaccuracies about 80s culture are fascinating. (Little things like Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style books for adults being widespread by '84, or game developers being famous enough to be talked about on TV...)

They don't bother me at all. I think they were necessary and well within the bounds of artistic license. I would not put it past Charlie Brooker to research the truth exhaustively and then willfully ignore it.

But it's still interesting. It feels like that whole era is starting to fade into myth. It's getting all fuzzy around the edges for most people. Fluid, you know? This is something good and proper and inevitable; I have no complaints at all.

Brooker, you BASTARD. Let me help this poor fucking kid. If you make me complicit in something... I swear to god, I will walk away. I did it with Funny Games, I did it with Immortal Defense. I don't need closure more than I need empathy. I will let this poor young man hang in limbo forever rather than torture him for you. Never trifle with an animist, when a hundred deaths are on the line.

(This is really good. <3 Also, I'm probably lying to myself. I knew the moment it said "Black Mirror" nothing good could possibly come of my presence in this world... Sorry, kid.)

Fine. Fine. There's a timer. I'll... I'll just wait it out! That's... that's surely like letting him make his own decisions, right?

Oh, god, or is that just leaving him in Charlie's hands? Am I just letting another, worse demon than me take over?

Dammit. We'll see how far it goes. But which is worse, honestly? Being complicit, or sitting here like an otiose god and not even _trying_ to steer this somewhere good?

*bites nails*

NO

*tugs earlobe*

ALSO NO

Dammit dammit dammit!

I'm... I'm being just as bad as your father, aren't I. You really do want to go down this rabbit hole, don't you. I understand the game is important to you. I won't force you to talk, if you don't want to. I love you, man. Good luck down there. ;____;

Okay, I have obligations Stefan does not. I don't want to force him to talk about his mother, but I also want us to go through this with as much information as possible.

So which one is my job, here: sparing each *individual* Stefan as much pain as I can? Or trying to guide an Eigenstefan to the best resolution possible?

Is this just another rationale for torturing him, just because I'm too weak to abandon his story? There *has* to be a happy ending in here somewhere.

And to be honest, I hate to push my own values on him, but... if the multiple worlds thing were literally true, if it were me, I guess I'd want the truth over comfort. If he won't or can't make that decision for himself, well...

Oh, ha ha.

Doctor, you don't understand. I'm TRYING to make his life as uninteresting as possible...

Well, then. I guess we'll just talk about Stefan's mother, then. *frumple* Guess BOTH of us only have the illusion of free will here.

Still. Wasn't as bad as all that, was it? We took you to a dark place, and here you are, all clean and lucid and polite again. We'll get through this together, right, pal?

*forced smile*

I think my moral path is clear. Play along with Brooker's Game until I get a happy ending. Then walk away, throw away my parents' Netflix credentials, and never watch Bandersnatch ever again.

I'm probably still lying to myself.

*smirks good and hard at the Ubik poster*

Oh, come on, it's got a fucking lion's head on it. >___< What the hell is the good of me being inside your head if you won't let me be your Spidey-Sense?

Well, you said it was okay if people chose for you. That's your decision. It's all me, your "friend" from the future, from here on out.

There's media by people who have done drugs, and there's media by people who imagine they know what it's like to do drugs.

Charlie Brooker has done acid.

I miss acid. Somebody else chose "no" for me, and I wonder every day of my life now what would have happened had we chosen differently. Probably nothing good.

This is clearly not our metaphysical world. (Is it?) There is absolutely no remaining point in playing by the rules of it, no matter how hard the narrative tries to exploit my real-world fears.

Okay, Stefan. Over and down. See you in a few minutes.

I wish *I* had the luxury of knowing my life would at least last another 60 minutes, no matter what I did.

I've at least paused, so he can enjoy the view for a bit.

The problem isn't whether you come back. It's what happens to the poor bastards who are stuck in the timeline you created.

There's nothing in this "show" so far that implies anybody ELSE (except maybe Colin) really has developed this ability. Stefan, how much of a Multiversal Misery Trail* are you leaving behind?

(*my new Morrissey cover band)

Uh-oh. Guess there's no coming back from this one. Sorry, Dad.

Heh. Guess that's a happy ending of sorts. Let's... let's do that again, if you're up to it Stefan. I'm taking Charlie's point to heart and washing my hands of all responsibility for you from here on in. He's already admitted complicity to the whole thing. I'm just a goddamn player-- you got a problem with my "decisions," kid, you take it up with your Real Dad.