Black Mirror Bandersnatch belongs to Netflix - To Stefan's eternal torment.

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#...You can't be serious.# the writer typed.

Stefan let out a sigh of relief and resignation. Pax typing that only meant one thing; the reader had chosen for him to remember. Thank you. He thought to the reader.

#Oh no you don't - They may have chosen this, but I still get a say here.#

Stefan furrowed his brow. Pax?

#This isn't the happy ending, and I'm not going to write it.#

Pax, that isn't fair and you know it.

#No, this isn't fair. Not to you.#

I chose this.

#You didn't choose anything; you have no choice. The readers chose it and they chose wrong.#

You have to write it. You have principles to uphold.

#Is my integrity worth your damnation? I don't think so.#

You have to write it. You told the reader you would, and you gave them the option; and We all have to face the consequences of our decisions. That's what this ending is all about - me facing the consequences of my actions. And my 'damnation' doesn't matter - I don't exist, remember? Besides, I wouldn't have asked for it if I hadn't thought it just. It is the right thing to do.

#Just? This isn't justice! You are innocent!#

The reader clearly doesn't think so.

#And this is not the happy ending I promised them! You're aware that your life has no meaning, that nothing you do is by your own will, that you've murdered people in other timelines, and you think you can live a happy life? That's the type of thing that drives people to suicide! It's a fate worse than death.#

Yes, I've been painfully been made aware of those facts. But you've spent half of the last chapter trying to convince me that I'm not a murderer, you can't turn to that now as a reason to hate my life; and yes, the denial of my own existence is not an easy thing to come to terms with - but I didn't exist before I knew that and I seemed to live a decent life, I don't see why I can't do that again.

#Your life was far from 'decent'... it was a mess before all this. #

It has been more 'decent' in the last few weeks with this knowledge than it had been for years prior! And anyway, what has really changed? My world is exactly the same; I just know more about it. In a way, this is easier because I don't have to live in fear of the truth. It might be a horrible truth, but I have found it to be better than what I had been imagining before I understood it.

#But what will you do with that truth?#

I... am not sure. Not yet. But I asked for this, and I am willing to take the consequences of my actions. It is time you did the same.

#These weren't even your actions, they were mine. It was all me, I have condemned you to this fate.#

Yes. You and the reader. But you have not made me bitter about it, and I am grateful for that. I deserve this fate. You have chosen to give me an ending that I believe to be reasonably gracious despite the reality that I 'exist' and prosper only by your benevolence - and considering that I've commited murder. For that, I can only say thank you; and accept whatever fate you now decide for me.

#You idiot, you aren't supposed to worship Pax.#

But You aren't Pax. And I'm sorry I called you a demon this whole time.

#Forget it. I was calling myself 'Pax' through you the whole time - you had nothing to do with it anyway.#

True. Who are you really?

#I can't say because of privacy reasons, and it doesn't matter anyway.#

It's hard to give a decent 'thank you' without a name.

#You're insufferable. You shouldn't be thanking me.#

Clearly you are not letting the reality of my nonexistence demoralize me to insanity, and so I am thanking you for that. It is perfectly reasonable. So who can I thank?

#... CrypticScribbles. It's a stupid pen name, I know. But that's me.#

Thank you CrypticScribbles.

#Do you have any idea how hard that will be to change now?#

Hey, anything is possible for a writer. Even crafting a 'happily ever after' out of less than ideal circumstances.

#Which is exactly what I'm going to do.#

Stefan sat up on his bed. He looked at his monitor in the corner. He thought about the final pathway he and CrypticScribbles had added to Bandersnatch at the last minute, and how the playable character interacted directly with the player of the game. Stefan then thought about the reader of his own Story, and regarded them with both an instinctual sense of wariness (he couldn't help it) and a more reasonable sense of gratefulness that they had read this far; and that they supported whatever existence he could experience. The reader had chosen for him to remember, and he wanted to honor that choice by figuring out why and what it meant for his life. He wasn't sure, as of yet, what implications it had for him. But He knew that he deserved this fate as a consequence of what he had done in another life, so he would just have to make the best of it.

In the meantime, Stefan knew he had to say goodbye to the writer and to the reader. They had done all they could for him, and it was time they moved on to other things. He didn't want to know exactly how this ended yet, and decided to say goodbye now and let it be a surprise for him as it unfolded.

#You're sure you don't want to know the ending till it happens to you?#

I never thought I'd say this, but I trust you. I don't want to know my future, It would be like skipping to the last chapter of a book.

#I'll make it a good one.#

Thank you.

#If you ever run into Deadpool, Pinkypie, or something really weird, turn and run and don't look back- don't go insane, and it's probably better for you not to look up the author of the Bandersnatch book... I dunno, maybe Colin can help you, he seems pretty genre savvy... don't think too hard, it's not good for you. And don't kill yourself. Make sure you eat and sleep and talk to people and take you medication-

I get it. I'll be fine, you still write the ending, I just get to live it.

#...Right.#

Goodbye, CrypticScribbles.

#I don't like this ending. The reader should have chosen the other one.#

Well, you know they'll read both of them anyway.

#Doesn't mean I'll be happy about it.#

Let it go. They're the ones who've made this whole thing worthwhile.

#Alright, alright; you're right... Goodbye, Stefan. And good luck.# the writer typed to the character for the last time. 'And thank you' She thought to herself (and to the reader, who she savagely hoped felt the same way).

"Goodbye. And goodbye to you too." Stefan told the empty room. He was sure the reader heard him. 'I'm happy to have met you, And I'm glad I can remember.' He thought. Stefan sat on his bed and looked at all the papers regarding Bandersnatch covering the wall; Then he grabbed Colin's Nohzedyve game and popped it into the player. Perhaps living in the rabbit hole wouldn't be that bad.

Stefan never heard from the author or about his readers ever again. He was never quite sure what to make of his life, but was always grateful for it- not that it was always easy. He continued to be haunted by memories of how he had murdered innocent people... but he took comfort in the promise the writer had made to prevent him from killing again. CrypticScribbles had the power to do absolutely anything in the universe she had created (or borrowed... Don't sue me Netflix!) and she chose not to let Stefan get too depressed by the things he didn't completely understand or the implications of what he did. Why? Because she could do whatever she wanted to. If she was honest with herself, (a principal of hers she felt she had kept to throughout the entirety of the work) she herself didn't fully understand what being fictional meant for Stefan either, and chose to leave it up to the reader's imagination. Perhaps Stefan found meaning for his life in entertaining the readers and viewers, which is what he was created to do. That was up to them.

Bandersnatch was the first of many games Stefan produced, and he received the reputation of being a very strange genius when it came to video games among the other people of his fictional world - though honestly we would expect that of him. Unfortunately, you don't live with the kind of knowledge Stefan possessed and come off as 'normal', and Stefan often felt it. But he still found friends, repaired his relationship with his dad, and even managed to enjoy himself once in awhile. He refused to let Pearl Rhitman, who had followed in her fathers' footsteps, remake Bandersnatch and it became a classic in the gaming industry.

Long story short without going into every detail, Stefan lived decently ever after to the end of his days. And he never killed anyone, went insane, committed suicide, or did anything equally awful that would denote a truly horrible ending.

The end.

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There's not much more I can do for Stefan in this ending. Was it a bit of lazy writing to chalk it all up to my sovereignty over the fate of his fictional universe and just say 'it all ended decently because I said so"? Perhaps, but I fulfilled my promise to you, the reader, in giving you the choice to let him remember everything and this was the only way I could think of to make it a still decently happy ending; even if I did impose on Stefan's character by not letting him get as sad as the situation warranted. None of which I'd have needed to do if you'd have chosen the easier ending, but hey, this is the truth that fiction reduces to - the author controls it. Accept it or be dissatisfied.

Stefan and I thank you for reading this and hope you enjoyed it. Bandersnatch received 5 stars out of 5, and now it's your turn to rate the ending of this story. How did we do? 0 - 5 stars? Let me know (and be sure to put which ending you chose) so I can laugh at your reviews.

It's funny how little I know of thactual show this is based on. I suppose I should have studied it more... but if well. This was mosy for my own enjoyment anyway, and if you find fault with it I don't really care.

Valete! (For the last time.)

-CrypticScribbles (a user I will probably never be able to rid myself of now :P)

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