#…too many thoughts of fiddauthor

[goobobbers]

hi gravity falls tumblr, I tried posting this on tt but they removed that shit! so I’m chilling over here now. they hate to see trans fiddleford winning….l

[kcthelazyartist]

Fiddauthor may be canon, let’s discuss

At first glance this relationship appears to be completely fanon, but when you dig into it there's actually a lot more to Stanford and Fiddleford’s relationship than meets the eye.

This is a compilation of evidence [And slight analysis] so if I have missed anything or if anything is wrong, please let me know.

Warning: Long post ahead

Setting

-As @ratsbanes mentions during Stanford and Fiddleford’s college years the aids crisis was going on, during this time there was a lot of misinformation and fear mongering as it was falsely thought that only queer men could be affected. This event is very significant in queer history and needs to be considered when looking at their relationship.

-Fiddleford came from a hog farm in Tennessee, a deeply religious state, and as he is told to be superstitious, crossing himself when walking over graves, it can be assumed he too is religious

Religions in the same circle as Christianity tend to hold homophobic views as was common during this time

This creates religious guilt for queer people

-Queer politics were becoming a hot topic and most of society was homophobic during this period, there is a chance it was still illegal to be queer whilst they were in college, depending on where they were

This led to a lot of violence against queer people and a very real fear of being outed as it could have dire consequences

There was even programs in the military dedicated to having ‘gay spies’ to act queer and attract gay men in the military so they could be punished or discharged

There was also the Vietnam war going on, causing political unrest and many protests, america being very unstable during this period

-Lavender marriages [Marriages between heterosexuals and homosexuals, often to conceal the latters sexuality] were still common

-Putting this altogether into Fiddleford’s character it could create a very real feeling of religious guilt and fear of being outed that could of led to him entering a lavender marriage instead of staying with Stanford. Fiddleford would have had to worry about violence against himself and his family’s view of him, which he would likely worry about as he has shown signs of anxiety [But this may just be because of trauma]

It appears Fiddleford and his wife got married quickly when he left college which makes it all the more suspicious, whilst it could be they were high school sweethearts or an out of wedlock situation, it is more likely it's his fear of being outed that led to such a quick decision. [I will talk for about him and Emma-May later]

-Stanford was also in a position not to pursue anything as it can be assumed Filbrick was not the best father due to him throwing a 17-year old Stanley onto the street with almost nothing, leaving him to the wolves after refusing to hear his side of the story, and not coming to Stanley’s funeral. Filbrick instead views Stanford as something to make him money with his talents which is why he's so angry at Stanley for ruining their chances.

This would put stress on Stanford as to not disappoint his father and be the perfect child and it can be assumed that Flibrick was homophobic as many were back then.

Deep bond

-They are close enough Stanford has a measuring system for Fiddleford’s restless legs, knee bounce per second, AKA KBPS

-Stanford knows Fiddleford’s favourite can of beans, and stocks them in the bunker

-Stanford calls Fiddleford his ‘friend’, ‘assistant’, ‘partner’, and ‘buddy’, putting him on the same level as himself, not putting him down until Bill manipulates him.

-Fiddleford could tell that something was wrong with Stanford, even the slightest movement when meditating clued him in as shown in one of the flashbacks.

This itself is further evidence of their bond as Stanford trusts him enough to let him into the worship room and meditates around him, which leaves Ford vulnerable to attacks

Even parallel Fiddleford knows this isn't his own, though that can be explained through an age difference.

-Fiddleford loves his banjos, having multiple collections of them such as the one in the Gideon Bot blueprint, but he uses them as a weapon to protect others, willing to break his most prized possession to help others. He does this twice for Stanford, once during Weirdmageddon and another time to save him directly from Krampus.

During this Krampus attack Fidds had just gotten back when he saved Stanford who was about to basically be murdered, all whilst Bill was nowhere to be found

-Fiddleford only really violates Stanford’s boundaries and trust after the memory gun and neglect of his mental health have come into the picture, he does this when he steals the book to create a thesis to try and help Ford, and when he used the memory gun on him [More on this later]

-Alex Hirsch refers to them as the kind of friends with the same kind of interests and humour

-After 30 years away there is a thought shown on the mind reading machine that just says ‘I’m sorry Fiddleford’, completely unprompted

-The ‘Sorry’ photo in general

-When they first met Ford saved Fiddleford from dropping out due to embarrassment

He stayed up 9 hours with a stranger to help him prove a theory

-Ford takes notice of Fiddleford’s reaction to the cubics cube and takes joy in messing with him, knowing he wont get angry at him

-Both recognize each other at weirdmageddon despite how long they have spent apart [Ford may have seen him in Dipper’s part of the journal, but Fidds, with brain damage, had no reason to recognize him]

-Despite disliking Fiddleford’s tobacco chewing habit Ford allows him to continue with it

-Fiddleford can read Stanley, who has similar mannerisms to Ford, like a book

This is after he has lost his memories, such as when he calls out Stan’s suspicious laughter

-When Fiddleford first arrives at Fords house he mentions being ‘overcome with emotion’ and is overjoyed to see him, going out of his way to buy him banjo strings and microchips

Despite having Bill he is very lonely and is very happy to see Fiddleford again, saying ‘the past few days have been the most energising I’ve had since I first came to this town!’

-Ford originally doesn't tell Fiddleford of Bill because he doesn't want Fiddleford to think he's insane or badly of him, as he knows his friend is superstitious

-Ford teaches Fiddleford to meditate to help with his anxiety

-Fiddleford chastises Ford for staying up too late and not getting enough sleep, to which Stanford is comfortable enough with him to make a retort

-Ford appears to look for Fiddleford after coming to his senses and is immediately remorseful

-Ford keeps comparing parallel Fiddleford to his own, showing how much he misses him

Obsessions

-Ford has an obsession with Bill and Work, worshipping both like gods

Despite this he takes time from work or Bill to spend with Fiddleford instead;

After the gremloblin incident Ford takes Fiddleford to a fair, he throws a christmas party for Fiddleford and when the shapeshifter attacks and ties up Fiddleford he immediately shuts all work he was doing with the shapeshifter down despite his obsession of learning about creatures [This could be because he nearly got his hands on the journals but he appears to have tried to get them before and this event was the catalyst]

-Fiddleford appears to be obsessed with Stanford and later the memory gun due to it

Fiddleford leaves his family very quickly to join someone he hasn't seen in over 6 years, which is the first sign, then he stays after being traumatised and put in near death situations.

This devotion is made obvious when he stays to help with the portal even after his thesis and ideas have been blown off and his safety ignored, only leaving after seeing the horrors beyond the portal. This leads into the memory gun.

Fiddleford creates this as a way to cope and be able to stay alongside Stanford and help him, because he starts using the memory gun instead of leaving this toxic situation after seeing the gremloblin he becomes addicted

The memory gun is symbolism for addiction and self-harm when it comes to Fiddleford, he is aware it might be doing damage later on but he cant stop using it, its implied he even used it after noticing he wasn't wearing a piece of clothing right, which may have been a side effect of the memory gun.

Unlike Stanford Fiddleford does not have anyone to help him realise how obsessed he is or stop him, so he only continues to spiral, making his anxiety and self-harm worse [His hair pulling is also self-harm, though less obvious]

His obsession with Stanford is what led to this sadly.

His obsessions lead to him stealing the book to create a thesis to try and help Ford, and using the memory gun on Stanford [He uses it on him for both unknown reasons and to stop him from remembering construction workers, as well as maybe witnessing him in the red cape using the gun on himself or others. Even then you have to remember Fiddleford had been using it on himself and was not in the right state of mind due to Ford’s neglect, as Fiddleford was repeatedly shown to be kind and have a big heart but as his mental state declined so did his morals] This is sad as it shows that Fiddleford knows its bad but is already showing signs of addiction when he first makes it.

This ultimately ends up with him breaking his own mind to a point where it scares and hurts BILL CIPHER, hurts him in a way he doesnt think is hilarious

Bill Cipher

-Both Bill and Fiddleford are obsessed with Stanford, though they go about it differently

Bill’s obsession destroys Stanford, Stanford’s obsession destroys Fiddleford and Fiddleford’s obsession destroys himself

Bill manipulates and guilt trips Ford into getting what he wants, often using flattery or a twisted form of it, feeding into Fords insecurities

Meanwhile at first Fiddleford is just doing whatever he can to help Stanford, only hurting him after the gremloblin incident that destroys his psyche

-Before Bill came along Ford admired Fiddleford for his ‘brilliant mind’, heart and trustworthiness, but Bill manipulated him into thinking lesser of those qualities of his, even then during the portal incident he calls Fiddleford ‘buddy’.

-Bill repeatedly tries to get rid of anything Fiddleford gets Ford

-Bill and Fiddleford have some similarities

For Stanford’s birthday Bill possessed a bunch of rats and used them to spell out his name [This is interesting due to both Ford and Bill having a tendency to mix up both love and fear, Ford not reacting properly to monsters when he should fear them but instead being fascinated], he then insists on taking Ford out for a drink, when Ford was not the most willing to [Contrasting to him willingly and even suggesting getting drunk with Fiddleford on Christmas after he saved him, drinking eggnog, despite not celebrating Christmas]

Meanwhile Fiddleford handmakes two gifts for Christmas for Ford, despite knowing Ford doesn't celebrate, which makes Ford very happy and makes him want to spend time with Fiddleford [Did Bill have this gift giving tradition beforehand or did he see a memory or dream of Fiddleford’s gift giving tendencies and copy it like he did with Ford’s love language of experiences? Or are they just that similar?]

Both are obsessed with Stanford; Bill using manipulation, flattery and guilt tripping to get what he wants from him, feeding into Ford’s insecurities and ego. Meanwhile Fiddleford is devoted to helping Stanford achieve his goals instead of his own like Bill is. Even when he uses the memory gun it's to help Stanford so he can continue working and so the construction workers can help the portal be built quicker.

Emma-May

-Emma-May and Fiddleford’s relationship appears to already be rocky when Ford calls him

Fiddleford is seen working out of the cluttered garage, instead of a building, this might show he isn't making much money which could cause strain as she would need to work more to help provide for her son

He is isolated from her in the garage and is seen playing his banjo in the garage instead of with his family around, he also appears to have made himself at home in the garage instead of inside his house

This could be seen as a mancave, which was often used by men who didn't love their wives and ‘needed time away from them’, this could be explained through Fiddleford just being neurodivergent though as he shows signs of being on the spectrum- and not every man with a mancave dislikes their wives

She was also rather quick to get divorced for the time when her husband is away getting money for them.

-There is also signs he might not have any romantic interest in Emma-May or women in general, and if he does it is far less than the feelings he has towards Stanford

He rather quickly leaves his wife to go after Stanford

He makes Stanford TWO Christmas gifts [One of which required 5 prototypes], but forgot to even buy her one [This could be because of the memory gun but as its not mentioned that he forgot to get his son anything it can be assumed he remembered his- and we know he loves Tate]

He makes a continued effort to get his son [and somewhat Stanford] back, the gobblewonker is implied to not be the only way he has tried to get Tate back as Tate seems very done with him, and Stanford and him reconnect as he easily forgives him despite everything. Yet he only seems to have tried to get his wife back once with the pterodactyl, the same amount of effort he gave his friend when he didn't come to his retirement party. In the end he isn't even shown trying to reconnect with her even in a friend or co-parent way after he’s regained his sanity.

The robot and raccoon wife can be explained through the same reason; Heteronormativity. In this context it could be seen as Fiddleford wanting to have a nuclear family and be ‘normal’ [AKA, not queer] or feeling pressured to, which might be why he married and had a child so young, seemingly right out of college. Raccoon wife and the robot could be seen as him trying to be ‘normal’ and disliking that its been taken from him, trying to get some semblance of his old life back.

Love language

-Someone on tumblr pointed out both Ford and Fiddleford’s love languages [I cannot find their post…]

-Ford’s love language is experiences

He invited Fiddleford to help him with portal in the first place

After the gremloblin incident Ford takes Fiddleford to a fair

The duo go hiking together to the spaceship

And the biggest one is the Christmas incident, he wants to spend time with Fiddleford after he gave him gifts but is unable to at the time and Bill tries to cheer him up with another experience… Only for Ford to be attacked by Krampus and saved by Fiddleford, he then decorates the portal room for a holiday he doesn't even celebrate and builds snowmen that resemble each other with him.

-Fiddleford’s love language is gift giving

He gives him a homemade snow globe [Which Ford accidentally breaks thanks to Bill]

He handmakes six-fingered gloves that required 5 prototypes [They later give Ford comfort]

He buys him a squash that looks like a face because it reminds him of Ford [Of which Ford wrote an entire page about before throwing out]

He gifts him an axolotl because it reminded him of his sideburns [Bill later manipulates him into getting rid of it after a lot of struggle from Ford]

Downright Suspicious

-When Fiddleford is called by Stanford he very quickly leaves his wife and son behind to travel to Gravity Falls and live alone with him in the woods without anyone living nearby for miles, somewhere nobody can see them work… Or interact

-Fiddleford designed the bunker with only one bed, one small bed for him and Ford to share

Several people have mentioned that they would have to be practically on top of eachother to fit on said bed

Fiddleford would not be aware that Stanford doesn't sleep, meaning they were planning on sleeping in the same bed together. This is furthered by the supplies for years into the future and having both of their belongings littered throughout the space, such as the shmez dispenser.

Stanford in the journal mentions losing Fiddleford’s shmez dispenser, this implies either he was moving stuff around or they were sharing it. And Fiddleford does not like people messing with his stuff, as shown with the cubics cube.

-In journal 3 at the end when Ford goes to see Fiddleford they sit by a furnace and Fiddleford plays on his banjo, Ford says he can practically see ‘the age lift off his face’.

A common thing in romance stories is thinking back on when the duo was younger together, this mimics that plot device.

-Ford draws Fiddleford more than once in journal 3

He usually only draws people once in the journal, but Fiddleford and his family get drawn more than once. This may mean he considers him as close as family

He also draws him from behind, obscuring his face as if Fiddleford doesnt know he is drawing him or if he feels guilty about doing so [Another common romance plot; drawing your crush without them knowing]

-Ford says Fiddleford has one of the biggest hearts he's ever seen, and says he used to hold him so dear

-Bill hates polyamory and calls Fiddleford a ‘third wheel’

Despite the Ford’s knowing each other longer

-Ford lets Fiddleford hug him during weirdmageddon and reciprocates despite disliking touch and only really being shown giving side hugs

Whether this is because he isnt used to Fiddleford full on hugging him or wasn't expecting to be forgiven and trusted so easily is up to debate, as the position leaves the back vulnerable to attack, showing how much Fiddleford trusts him.

They also shown in the ‘sorry’ photo in a side hug, hanging onto each other

-When Fiddleford brings up marriage Ford immediately shifts to him being thankful that Fiddleford is helping him.

-They stargazed together, one again a common romantic plot point

-In journal three there is a quote from when talking about the bunker's security system, ‘Sometimes I think how fortunate I am to be friends with F… because if this room is any indication, it would be terrifying to be his enemy’. This format is suspicious as the wording can make it seem joking, or make it seem like he is making an excuse for thinking this- and why would he feel weird for thinking this if there wasn't some sort of romantic undertones between them.

-In a livestream [‘Alex & Dana Charity Draw-A-Thon’ on TheMysteryofGF on youtube, at 45:48] When asked whether McGucket loves Ford, Alex says yes before expanding on that and calling them friends

At first I thought this was a way to get around Disney’s censors but later he confirms the deputy’s relationship

Story Importance

-Fiddleford is the only reason why Bill was able to be defeated

It took Ford around 30 years to build something able to destroy Bill, and it was a parallel Fiddleford that got him the final component to finish it, just looking at the weapon and knowing what it needed. Then the weapon that actually killed him was the memory gun, something that took Fiddleford under a year to create. [Maybe even in a couple of days whilst he wasn't in his right mind due to the gremloblin]

This combined with him and Ford's bond means Fiddleford is a real threat to Bill, as he keeps Ford grounded in reality and is smart enough to know something is wrong about what they are doing with the portal before anything happens, he even warns Ford, which makes him even more of a threat.

Bill attempts to manipulate Ford into distancing himself and thinking lowly of Fiddleford, and it works, for a period of time. It really shows how strong their bond is because while he is angry at Fiddleford leaving the event planted the seeds of doubt in his brain. Instead of continuing to trust Bill when he starts hearing things after years of being manipulated [Bill would even injure him! And Ford did not react like a person not being abused typically would in that situation], he realises Fiddleford was right and confronts Bill who likely realised that he could no longer manipulate him, as if he thought he could continue he would have, it would have been easier to reach his goal that way.

Fiddleford leaving is what caused Stanford to unravel as Fiddleford was the only one grounding him.

Stanford brushing off Fiddleford’s thesis and fears was the turning point as the ring the witch gave him turned black after this altercation

-Stanford has presumably been carrying the guilt of how he treated fiddleford for 30 years, this likely contributed to Stanford pushing others away and acting how he did towards his brother and family after leaving the portal, as he didn't have that someone that helped him trust others anymore, he's been alone for 30 years.

-Fiddleford was Ford’s first ever real friend outside his family

When he met Fiddleford he helped prove his theory and they finished it together and put both their names on it, this is important to the story as the reason Ford doesn't accept his thesis is because he is paranoid of somebody else stealing his theory. [Parallel Fiddleford and Ford even share a company together]

Furthering the previous point Ford was considering telling Fiddleford of his muse before finding out Fiddleford had created a thesis for him, a thesis where Fiddleford only credited Ford and based it off his work. Ford instead of taking this as Fiddleford wanting to help instead took it the wrong way due to his paranoia

Fiddleford didn't even notice Ford’s polydactyl when they first met and seems completely unbothered by it, basically brushing over it. Bill on the other hand makes a big deal of it, basically saying its why he can become one of Bill’s ‘freaks’, something he was called as a child.

Bill acts as if he is the only one to understand Ford and as if he is Ford’s first and only friend to manipulate him, despite Fiddleford understanding him so well he can tell something is wrong from the smallest movement when Mabel couldn't tell something was wrong with Dipper. 

It takes Bill a long time to drive the duo apart and change Ford’s views of Fiddleford into ‘he wouldnt understand’ as he knows Fiddleford could ruin his plans [Bill had been with Ford since the 2nd journal and had time to manipulate him before Fiddleford arrived, even with this considered his view of his friend is still positive once he sees him again. He may say he has no choice but to ask for help before seeing Fiddleford, yet he is very very happy upon Fiddleford arriving- this hints that Bill has already started manipulating his views]

Ford wants to be famous and Bill feeds into his ego on this, knowing Ford wants to prove himself. Fiddleford can't seem to understand this as he already sees Ford as normal, but he wants him to be happy, which is why he helps because if money makes him happy so be it. Fiddleford does not question it and reserves judgement.

-Thank you to @jellied-beans in the comments for pointing out something I missed! That being without Fiddleford they would not have been able to get in and rescue Ford and all the other civilians.

Jellied-beans points out that Stan did not want to go through with the plan to rescue Ford, but it was Fiddleford who took the lead despite only recently regaining and reliving the trauma Ford had put him through, and even after he and Ford's last interaction was cruel.

Fiddleford is also the only reason the Shack-A-Tron became a thing, as it was his engineering and planning that saw it become a reality. Without him it would have taken much longer to rescue Ford and everyone else

This situation also goes to prove Fiddleford does in fact have a big heart and is empathetic as he not only rescues the man whos hurt him and easily forgives him, but Stan mentions that he led a bunch refugees to the shack with him.

End note; I attempted to keep in any points I have found and tried not to leave any information out, as well as leaving in anything nuanced [Such as the Christmas gift situation maybe being caused by the memory gun]. I find this important as I’ve seen people arguing against the ship and calling it generally toxic, whilst leaving out crucial details such as Bill's manipulation, as well as people calling Fiddleford a bad person due to the whole memory gun thing and completely ignoring why he did it.

[As a side note Fiddauthor definitely toxic during the Bill era, but overall it's not, and unlike Billford they are able to mend their relationship as its built on understanding and genuine feelings, as shown by the parallel world where they were able to trust each other and repair their relationship]

I have not read the Book of Bill yet so this might be updated later, any BoB content on this is just what I have seen circulating around.

[trans-stanlee-pines]

We know that Tate McGucket is incredibly smart, we also know that he's been around Stanley during the time he went by Stanford. If Tate had know about Stanford as a child, than I doubt that he believed Stan was his father's lab partner or was at least highly skeptical of it. He has ten fingers, for starters. And then there's a Headline: Stan Pines Dead. Tate might not know who Stanley Pines was but he's pretty sure he knows who he is now. All of this is to say:

Tate believed Stanford was dead.

he presumed that Stan had killed him, there was something odd about how that accident went down. He never wanted to investigate further, he's not a hero and he's not going to play Sherlock Holmes over something he's mostly speculating about. But he did genuinely believe that the man who called his father to Oregon was dead. He had stewing over Stanford Pines for many years. Cursing the man for taking his father away. A grudge he had held since childhood. The revelation that he was in his grave sat with Tate and he thought about how juvenile it still was, Stanford wasn't all at fault, Fiddleford had left them by choice. So Tate forgave Stanford.

Stanford was, in fact, not dead. And he began to get close to Fiddleford again. And he had his first conversation with Tate. He told him about the thirty or so years of believing he was dead and forgiving him. And he still meant it. His father had his memories back and after making some of that lost time up, he would forgive him too.

^^^A thought while in bed, for all of your post-canon fiddauthor (romantic or platonic) needs

[boskadoff]

uh so Fiddleford is canonically likes men? And I guess Ford confirmed aro/ace hhksdkskdk

ok guys i- you-

I dont- post anything but the demons came back and they came back hard AhhHh

Why you making me write this why nobody else reporting this strong cannon

BoB confirmed two sexualities: Ford is aromantic and asexual, and Fiddleford likes men.

Lets start with Ford, cause its shorter:

BoB basically reiterated and highlighted that Ford is attracted to nothing.

Its actually very clearly pinpointed that Ford is aromantic/asexual. Why clearly? Like Alex chose, out of ALL the things to reveal about ford in Bills mind invasion section, is that he is "plansexual". He basically is indirectly says Ford feels no attraction. He is aromantic/asexual. Coupled with journal 3 entries "romance baffles me", and its confirmed.

Now Fiddleford, this is very interesting because it affects the story:

One, it clearifies why Fiddleford agreed to help with the portal. Bro just was GAY.

To extrapolate, he was from an area that expects traditional marriage Tennessee. He went through with it, probably wasn't super comfortable though seeing by how eagerly Fiddleford accepted Fords offer. So, integrating this new cannon, bro just always was gay for Ford and couldn't resist the opportunity to spend time with him.

Now lets gather all harder Book of Bill evidence

Bro knitted him gloves with many DRAFTS. (Shows how important it was to him to get it right)

Bro made him a snow globe of his lab.

Notice how it was HAND MADE.

He gave Emma-May nothing? He had time, he could have not made Ford two things, made one with for Ford and one thing for Emma-May. But he didn't?

The snowmen? And a whole picture of it??

Bill refers to Fiddleford as a third wheel.

They were roomates, obviously on very goods terms

"Try to forget"

"TheY emBraCed"

It was a very strong concentration on, and even mentioned in the same story, the gifts that Fiddleford gave. Notice how Alex SPECIFICALLY said Emma-Mays argument woth him was because Fiddleford gave her nothing. Which basically contrasts insanely with TWO HANDMADE gifts for Ford.

Lets couple with Journal 3 soft evidence where

His computer password was "Stanford"

The singular bed in the bunker.

Fiddleford knew when Stanford was possessed, shows how attentive he is.

He wrote up Fords research for him to publish.

Bro left his family for a while to spend time with Ford in isolation.

Disney decided to edit the phrase when Stanford says "happy to no longer be traveling this path alone" to " …happy to be traveling it with a friend". Basically showing the book was aware how gay these two sound.

Im note sure if Ford ever recipricated these feelings, he probably thought of Fiddleford as a very good friend, at most subconsciously some kind of QPR.

But BOY did Fiddleford fall for him.

In terms of why this might have been added to BoB:

I believe Alex saw how strongly Journal 3 implied Fiddauthor, (I watched too many interviews, and there were questions about those two, so it WAS on his mind) and just decided to finally clarify their bond. He eluded direct statements, but obviously made a call.

He may have also found the need to clearify why Fiddleford was so eager to jump in and help Ford for so many months, it is kind of murky evidence to say he just wanted to help out and leave his family for months for the heck of it while his son was still young. (Also in Twitter a long time ago, also kind of accepted that one jelous girlfriend meme of Bill Ford and Fiddleford where overlaid)

Moreover, the Alex didn't have to mention Fiddleford in the Book of Bill, all loose ends of his story were tied in Journal 3. Book of Bill was only supposed to be about Bills story, and clearification about his relation with Stanford. But he added Fiddleford anyway. And not only did he, but he chose to incorporate it in the Christmas scene: a very specific, often intimate time. This did not need to be included for any lore reason on than their relationship. It literally serves ZERO major purpose other than to elaborate on the relationship. Sure there were some minor mentions of fords childhood winter traditions for the funnies, a reference to dipper and mabel time traveling (footprints), and the santa goat story, but it revealed very little about any of it to defend the existence of that whole scene. It mostly supported already known lore with a silly santa goat story that circled around to Fiddleford being the hero anyway. Basically Christmas story = confirmed Fiddleford likes Ford more than his wife, which leads to gay romantic/QPR implications to his character.

Now, its clear that Fiddleford likes Ford, and by extention in some capacity likes men. So is he gay or bi? Not much evidence obviously, but I speculate he was gay, because if he had the ability to also like women as much as he liked men, why jump to the first woman so early in life and marry her? It feels like an impulse decision, he could have waited for others he liked more, to actually make gifts for them for christmas. He married her as if he was trying to hide something. Although no strong evidence to establish this.

And lastly, arguments may ensue because it was not "clearly stated given on a platter", but Alex communicates very indirectly about most lore, often leaving things for interpretation. Repeating the same information twice among two works, AND incorporated an INCREDIBLY specific scene about Christmas is pretty reinforced evidence of his intent.

I feel like Alex is kind of being devious and is toying with the audience because he knows there is a group kind of losing our minds over this particular relationship, hence the hazy statements and stories.

But I feel like summarizing what he wrote and the way he wrote it, there is no other reason why that content exists other than to confirm their sexualies and romantic preferences, and how it supports the plot of the story.

TLDR; update Fandom.con, Fiddleford likes men. Ford is aro/ace.

Like uh do you all agree or am I crazy or uh skmebody save me or 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

[bugsinshoes]

ok so i just watched @fordtato and @hkthatgffan 's respective videos about their interview with THE alex hirsch and i wanna just say OH MY GOD like SERIOUSLY

im gonna put my thoughts under the cut so theres no spoilers if you havent seen it already (BUT GO WATCH THEM NOW PLEASE !!!) + its gonna be LONG so BEAR WITH ME

ok, so i have MANY thoughts so sorry if none of this is coherent 😭 (this is not in chronological order of when the questions were asked, just me spewing out my totally normal thoughts about this interview so apologies for that)

starting off:

THE BABY IS SHERMIE?!?!?!? IM SO SO GLAD WE FINALLY HAVE CONFIRMATION WE CAN FINALLY LEAVE THIS TO REST !! I WAS RIGHT THOUGH SO HA !!! ACTUALLY SCREAMING !! TIMELINE BE DAMNED (also another thanks to hana, your timeline video is genuinely awesome. i never shut up about it. ever. any time i talk to my friends abt gf and i need to refer to the timeline i go: "IN HANA'S VIDEO-") anyways, i do understand it was a last minute decision on the writer's part of "oh. dipper and mabel need a grandfather, its not ford, and its sure as FUCK not gonna be stan sooo... third brother?" and i do understand alex being like, "oh, this is about ford and stan only having eachother" so i think making shermie younger was a GOOD THING? like, stan and ford had 18 years of just them so shermie wasnt in the picture, so stan and ford technically grew up on their own so ig it works? also, when stan got kicked out, he never got to see shermie grow up, probably only saw him at events when he had to pretend to be ford (post-1983) and as for ford himself, he was too busy in college and gravity falls to really visit the family so... it works! (despite everything)

that aside, lets talk about THE CRUMBS??? like i have some quotes here because i have a LOT to say:

"theyre both so damaged and they desperately need each other" - alex hirsch (talking about stan and ford)

LIKE SUIUHUSHUSH i HATE these brothers SO MUCH (LIES) i cant actually properly express my thoughts because WOW like its clear that they both have their own trauma and they NEED to address it but theyre both too STUBBORN to do so. theyve both been alone for 40ish years so of course they need each other. they grew up by the hip, so theres no surprise that they both need each other (whether they like it or not)

"[ford's] grateful for the forgiveness he thinks he doesnt deserve" -alex hirsch

ford thinks so lowly of himself at times it HURTS. like the lines in the journal about "only then would the freak return a hero" or about his guilt with bill and everything its just so important to his character im so glad we got so much ford content in this interview. like i am EATING ALL THIS UP RN

"[ford] has to always have a mission in front of him, because if he doesnt have a mission in front of him, hes thinking how have i treated people in my life?" - alex hirsch

ford distracting himself with things instead of facing his problems. probably something he had to do a lot, especially with his time in the multiverse. but it really hurts because i can imagine in the 60s, they never had any great coping mechanisms? so i can assume ford was just conditioned to distract himself from stuff so he never learned how to deal with things. and i KNOW in the journal hes like "i meditate!" and im sure that does help somewhat, but it doesnt address the issue itself soooo... sorry ford, but you cant just breathe your way out of everything

ALSO alex calling ford and fiddlefords falling out a "BREAKUP" (air quotes used) BUT A BREAKUP??? this is just adding fuel to my fiddauthor-infested brain rn. i CANT

and alex saying mcgucket is thinking like, "oh i gotta be a better partner" is HEART SHATTERING like the whole talk about fiddleford being "the building guy" who is kind of just there to make machines and please ford. its honestly so heartbreaking because fiddleford loves ford so much he'd leave his wife and child to go to absolute nowhere, oregon and the fact ford is too arrogant to see fiddlefords admiration and overall love for him its just IUIUAHHAS

and i do wanna say, i KNOW bill played a big part in this, by stroking fords ego and buttering him up with his kind words because he knew exactly what ford wanted to hear and that really affected how ford and fidds' relationship was like but THATS A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER TIME. all i know is that ford isnt entirely to blame, but he still is a massive arrogant asshole and he wasnt the best person to fidds at times (love him tho <3)

but im actually so happy because this interview sheds SO much light onto FORD bcs we BARELY got to know him, and hearing it from MR HIRSCH HIMSELF is just so good because we KNOW its a reliable source because its coming from ALEX YK??? like he wrote ford so he probably knows "oh yeah, that man is guilt-ridden as FUCK" and im so glad we get some crumbs of this guy i cant get enough of him !!! (impatiently waiting for the book of bill)

ANNNDD THE TALK ABOUT MAYBE GETTING A SEA GRUNKS SPINOFF/MINISERIES??? I WOULD EXPLODE GENUINELY ANYTHING WITH MY FAVOURITE OLD MEN PLEASE !! i would genuinely love to see more of their dynamic and how everything is after weirdmaggeddon and like dealing with trauma and UGHHH i would kill for stan/ford content PLEASE

also...

hippie ford.

hippie. ford.

i am never getting over this (im internally SCREECHING)

ANYWAYS THAT WAS MY RANT ABT MY FAV THINGS FROM THE INTERVIEW THAT WAS A LOT GODDAMN

im genuinely so happy with all the questions that got answered, as well as getting some deeper insight into characters and stuff. IM NEVER GETTING OVER THE AMOUNT OF FIDDAUTHOR CRUMBS YOU GUYS

im gonna end this by saying another MASSIVE thank you to hana and hk !! you both put so much effort into your respective videos and it was super super cool !! this was totally worth the wait !!! :D

[stansangel]

Hi queen, can i get some fiddauthor angst 🫢 theyve been living in my mind rent free and i wanna feel pain 😇 ILYSM

A/N: hi pookie bear! this ask has been living in MY brain rent free since u sent it so pls pls pls enjoy. i suck booty cheeks at angsty writing so PLS DONT BLAME ME IF ITS BAD>:( anyways ILY2 MWAH Pairings: Fiddleford McGucket x Stanford Pines Warnings: angst (IM SORRY) Word Count: 329

The workshop was quiet, save for the faint hum of machinery and the sound of Fiddleford’s shaking hands as he fumbled with a small device. Stanford stood in the doorway, his heart heavy with words he could never say. He watched Fiddleford's hunched figure, the weight of their past hanging like a storm cloud between them.

“You don’t have to do this, Fidds,” Stanford whispered, his voice strained. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, fighting the urge to reach out, to pull him back from the edge.

Fiddleford didn’t turn around. “You’ve said that before, Ford. And look where it got us.”

Stanford flinched, guilt tightening around his throat like a noose. He had been wrong—about so many things. He had pushed Fiddleford too far, blinded by his own ambition. The damage had been done, and there was no taking it back.

“Fidds, please,” Stanford’s voice cracked. “I didn’t know. I—I never meant for things to end up like this. I should have listened to you—”

Fiddleford slammed his hands down on the table, finally whirling around. His eyes were filled with a pain that cut deeper than any words. “It’s too late for apologies, Stanford. It’s too late for us.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Stanford's chest tightened, and his vision blurred. He had always been good with theories, with numbers and hypotheses. But emotions? Emotions were messy, unpredictable, and the one thing he could never fix.

Stanford took a shaky step forward. “I—I need you. I’m so sorry, Fidds.”

For a moment, Fiddleford’s face softened, a flicker of the man Stanford once knew breaking through the hardened exterior. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by a bitter resignation.

“You should’ve thought of that before you ruined everything.”

And with that, Fiddleford turned his back on him once more, leaving Stanford standing in the wreckage of what they used to be, his heart shattered by the realization that it was already too late.

[plexiglasssheets]

Pine-ing part 1

EDIT Prebook of book of bill so ermmmm

Fuck it fiddauthor fic probably will multi part | Cross posted on Ao3

PT 2 ================================

1982 Dec 17,

F was having somewhat reasonable holiday with drawls. His family away, I could sympathize with him. It had been a long time since I've sat with my family for anything. A homed cooked meal became a distant taste, as my cooking skills are mediocre to non existent. It being a Saturday it seemed reasonable to go into the town for a meal. We went to the diner that he loves, he said their bacon and syrup pair together like no other.

I take his word for it, as odd food combinations were never my thing, Stanley used to do something similar wit-

He went to walk around the town, but I couldn't just drive back home and leave him in the snowy town. I never liked walking about but the trip seemed to be doing F well so what's an hour or so walking around.

There was a library but I combed through that my first month here, to little interest. There was a coffee shop but it was far too populated to give any sense of relax. But then I found it, a book shop.

Empty, Dusty and may have smelled of dead cat. It was fantastic. The lights were old with that nice yellow glow, flickering and loud. The shelves were a dark wood and dusty beyond belief, perhaps a walnut, wood was never my thing. The back was practically made for me, hand written accounts and journals, ecological studies and records that were the only copies.

To say I was excited was an understatement. The cashier was a fine looking young gentleman, most likely my age. He seemed kind enough so I thought nothing of it when he watch me move around the shop. With the state of the shop I can safely assume that he doesn't get many costumers.

I went to purchase my books, and the worker was very friendly. The first person here that shared my intrigue with it oddities. Complementing my book choices no less.

Then F walked in, he had two coffees and his satchel seemed bigger so safe to assume he bought other things. But there was a look to his face the same one he gives me when I talk to my muse for 'too long' in his words. I always took it as him being perhaps unsure of the greater power. I was never good at reading emotions, but have I mistaken his jealously? It would seem so if I knew what there was to be jealous about.

But the coffee he brought me was perfect. The way I love in, black coffee, no sugar, no creamer. Me and F left after I put my books in my own bag.

The cashier asked for my phone number to discuss books later, which I don't have as my equipment interferes with any telephone lines so I had to decline. I would have said I be back but I'd be lying if did, as me and F's schedule wouldn't fit a whole other escapade to town.

I would have explained but F seemed to want to leave so I politely declined.

We made way back to my truck and started to drive up the long rode to my cabin. Another moment I was grateful for the coffee. As my car absorbs what ever weather is outside and triples it.

Bitter caffeine as a hand warm what could be better. I would have played my favorite CD of eurythmics, but F was never a fan. Recently buying me an ABBA's singles when he went to the grocery store last month for that very reason. He was idlily tapping to the music, but he seemed off.

He was upset.

I was never one for emotions or feelings. I was always the logic, that's what I was good at. I can solve equations the length of a room but can't figure out how to ask a frie what upset him. We were a few minutes from my place, I was internally fighting if I should speak, but I understood people enough to know I Should, just I didn't know what exactly to say.

I asked him what he got. Great start, he's engaged and if he doesn't want to talk he doesn't have to. Perfect.

A present for his son.

Shit.

He got divorced last year, as she wanted him to be with them. I didn't know much, its was just messy. He missed his son, not so his wife but it was a touchy subject.

I forgot most enjoy time with family.

Family hasn't been the same for a while so sending holiday letters sufficed any familial need. Meeting F at collage, he is the only other person who hasn't cared about my freakishness, that I'm ever grateful for him. And I can't help but feel guilty about his family problems. He wouldn't have left if I didn't ask. The more to value his companionship.

He asked about my own purchases, and told him. The journals, the record reports, the primary historical recounts. An utter drug to my brain, he seemed to be engaged till I mentioned the book seller.

Off put? Upset? He wasn't happy. Bitter? Maybe, but I suppose that mixed with his family business upset him. But I didn't know how to ask. 'hey F why are you so upset about a bookseller?'

Stupid, I know, but easy to ignore.

We pulled into the drive way and rushed inside and hung our frosted coats. It was my turn to make dinner, F went off to his room to read like he does. But unlike usual he came down while I was still cooking. He seemed less upset which was good, he sat at the table and watch me cook as he read a book.

I was no chef, so I felt so- observed. It was no different then when we worked, me doing a tasks as he read. But this felt, intimate? for lack of better word. The dim kitchen light blub that was in desperate need of a change flickered its orange hue that filled that small room.

It was a Friday, so it was so it was excusable for the two of us to have a beer or two while we watch trash television the living room. F hated them but I had a soft spot for them as they were what plagued the tv set my mother had.

We barely watched the show and more added our own commentary, We cracked much needed dumb jokes in the tv lit room. Its blue filter light our only sources to see.

F had his glasses off, and was sat next to me on the couch.

It felt right.

A feeling that felt long distance that he only seemed to bring.

Its no mystery that girls were a mystery to me. Relationships felt so unnecessary, and I dance around the thought of the alterative. Which- I don't think I'll go into now.

He commented something about some 3? maybe for 4 dramatized way relationship that was going on. His dead seriousness made it possible to not laugh out. Holding my stomach and bending over, sides hurting. One of those that aren't funny but still somehow are.

That night was nice. It was a good refresher, I bid him good night and headed to bed myself. Sleep was different, usually I'm so exhausted I pass out, but tonight I just couldn't. My thoughts were somewhere else.

[sleepsentry]

for the ask game, number 8: unpopular fandom opinion(s) regarding gravity falls. also, love your work. ^_^

Thank you! ^^

Of course these are based on my assumptions about what's popular and these are takes I haven't seen around in the wild.

This kinda just devolves into a headcanon list towards the end. haha ^^'

OK so hmmmm oh boy there's a lot:

Gravity Falls is NOT the best thing ever it just had a bunch of really talented people working on it who made it super fun. But it's far from a golden standard and I don't think it should be held up as a standard, that idea is reductive and creatively stifling.

I don't like comparing Amphibia, Owl House, Duck Tales (2017), Inside Job and many others to Gravity Falls. The similarities are superficial and those shows shouldn't be living in Gravity Fall's shadow. They deserve to stand tall and cast their own.

On that note Alex Hirsch is just some guy and I don't like his stuff on its own that much. He's not that funny or interesting to me, but he is just some guy. Hope he doesn't turn out to be a shitty dude. *shrug*

Stanley is overrated (I love him but jeez guys. He's not that endearing.)

Rick and Morty x Gravity Falls is a terrible crossover, tonally, technically and thematically. (I also am just very unimpressed by rick and morty in general)

Stanchez is bad. Rick can eat my shorts. Stan "deserves better". Obviously the fan creations are good. But they don't change my mind about the base idea.

The stans both did nothing wrong ever and I love them deeply without comparing them. (joke I know they fuck up, but they fuck up together.)

Fiddauthor is mid and boring. It comes off as amatonormative and people overall are very exclusionary over it wich is just being a dick and using a ship preference to justify it. (I dont mean to be mean but yeah, you guys are doing fine you can take some salt.)

Ford and Fidd are more like siblings than a couple.

Ford and Fidd both dismissed eachother and the miscommunication was on both of them. (Similair to stan and ford it's no one character's fault)

Ford and Fidd's relationship has more emotional weight viewed through the platonic lense of fidds being older than ford by two or three years and "adopting" him as a "little brother" in college, and how that followed them into their 30s even when the age gap had long become irrelevant. Rather than just "gay sad nerds have marital issues" as fun as that sounds.

Fiddleford is a crazy, scary, adorable, kind, stupid, genuis. This man contains multitudes, I try my best not to flanderize him into one over the other. He can be all those fun things.

Fiddlestan is inherently more funny and compelling than fiddauthor. (To me, to me.)

Fillbrick wasn't the devil incarnate he was just a shit dad, wich fair enough is very bad. Haha (idk there isn't enough of him for me to truly hate and I'd rather not assume the worst, I deal with abusive parents enough in my day to day I don't need to add one to my fav silly show haha)

Billford isn't "toxic" it's too bizarre for that, and much is left to be inferred about both characters and their dynamic. (Again, assuming the worst instead of something more fitting and fun) It's obviously bad for ford but I thought everyone hated him when he isn't nice to stan or being shipped with fidds so it should be cool. (Sarcasm)

Dipper and mabel fuck up equally and mabel is generally more empathetic and aware of the world around her than dipper who hyperfocuses. (Been there pal.)

Mabel is more similar to Ford and Dipper is more similar to Stan

Dipper is a good boy but a bit on the boring side for me. He's fine. I like him well enough.

Mabel is more relatable to me, but I relate to dip's anxiety disorder so bad.

Dipper would NOT grow up to look like Ford. He'd look like shermy or stan.

Mabel would grow up to be bigger and broader than dipper. She'd also be the one to get glasses and look more like ford. She's already halfway there with the hair and jumpers (sweaters)

Jokes about ford failing to impress girls are cringe, heteronormative and bad. And ford doesn't like anyone. (Bill is his own can of eldritch worms)

Dipper doesn't like girls in the way he thought he should and that's why his crush on wendy played out the way it did, it was never really about her, it was about his relationship to her. How she helped him find someone to admire, and was kinda his first real friend who he felt was cool and understood him, heteronormativity made him think he liked her romantically. He so obviously didn't that it hurts my soul.

Mabcifica is underrated as hell and more interesting than dipcifica. That being said.

I do ship dipcifica but in a queer way. You guys don't get it. They're queer.

The cis/heteronormative takes where pacifica and dipper have children together and dipper looks older but Pacifica is just her kid face on a sexy lady bod make me uncomfortable.

And that's why Dipper, Mabel and Pacifica could grow up into a polyamorous "Vee" relationship. [When one person is dating two people who aren't dating eachother, in this case obviously cause they're twins. It forms a "V" from Pacifica to the Pines twins ^^]

What was this ask originally about?

[ask-our-super-smart-grunkle]

Rules and Important Things!

This blog is written by an adult (born 1998) and I don't know if the content will always be family-friendly, so as such, please only follow if you're 18+!

In the event of any suggestive or outright lewd interactions or roleplays, the posts will be tagged 'ford after dark,' for anyone who'd like to filter that stuff!

I don't plan on making many OOC posts here, but if I do, they'll be tagged 'behind the author'. Otherwise, for non-Ford content, my main is @prismatic-starstuff!

The askbox is always open, so feel free to send questions or comments or general thought his way! He'd love to hear from you.

This blog is open to ships, especially Billford and Fiddauthor; by default, both of these ships are assumed to have been canon to some extent in the past. However, other ships are also possible!

This blog is generally set post-Gravity Falls and post-Book of Bill, but roleplays set earlier are on the table too!

This account is multiship, with every ship being separate from each other; poly ships can be discussed if all writers involved agree!

OCs and characters from other fandoms are very welcome! (As a dimensional traveller, chances are Stanford's seen your muse's dimension before at least once.)

[unculturedmamoswine]

Hey I actually wrote something for Forduary. It's a little late, but here's week 1: FordxSleep. In my case, guest starring some Fiddauthor!

Ford pressed his mouth and nose against the soft cotton covering his borrowed pillow. It smelled pleasantly like cupboard- a warm, clean, cozy smell that he hadn’t had occasion to smell much in the last few decades. Strange how all pillowcases kept in cupboards smelled different but fell unmistakably into a pattern of satisfyingly comfy scent profiles. Eyes closed, Ford reached his hand up to scratch at his nose and run his hand through his hair. He rubbed the pads of his fingers gently against his scalp. There might, he thought, be nothing as lovely or indulgent as napping with the light of a summer evening lingering outside. He stretched, toes clenching, hip popping, and relaxed even more against the nubbly texture of the old sleeping bag loosely hugging him, tucking one arm up under his pillow.

The acute comfort of his bedding and the heat in Ford’s small tent combined to bring him swirling down into sleep, dark and rich and, anymore, hardly ever plagued by nightmares. Ford drifted peacefully in that satisfying too-warm state that can only be achieved (or enjoyed) in a nap.

The deep, silent nothing was less shattered and more gently ruffled as the air mattress under Ford wobbled and swayed him into… something. Not wakefulness, but a distant relative.

“Hmngh.” Stanford rolled toward the new weight that had come to rest, as always, on the right side of the mattress. Instead of blindly reaching out, he shifted and squirmed, inching gracelessly toward the man next to him. A hand fell on his shoulder.

“Out like a light, huh?” Fiddleford’s hand moved to Ford’s cheek, warm, warm, arguably too much so but, averaged out across the entirety of Ford’s already overwarm body, hardly a change at all.

“How long?” Ford asked, turning his face toward the hand on his cheek, sliding his own hand down Fiddleford’s thigh, feeling the rough-soft denim over Fidds’s thin leg.

“Only took me about twenty minutes to get outta the kitchen after you ditched me. Sherman’s a nice feller, but maybe just a bit too interested in makin’ it clear to me that he ain’t bothered we’re shackin’ up on his lawn.”

“Mmm.” Fiddleford slunk down against the now-somewhat-overinflated-feeling mattress.

“Think he feels like he shouldn’t make us two old kooks sleep outside like a coupla smelly old dogs, but I told him he’s keepin’ plenty of guests inside the house and I’m less likely to blow it to kingdom come if I’m on the outside of it.” Fiddleford cackled, shifting under Ford’s hand until Ford could grab ahold and tug Fiddleford in.

“Y’always get so handsy when you’re sleepin’. Tell you what, it’s how I knew you were sweet on me in college.” Ford knew that already. He’s known that since Fiddleford brought it up about two weeks after their fumbling, furtive first kiss.

He drew Fiddleford back into the open sleeping bag like a colossal squid drawing a young sperm whale into the deep. His arms tightened around his prey, sighing at the feeling of Fiddleford’s bony shoulder blades against his arms, his bald head under Ford’s chin. His knees pressed against Ford’s thighs- it wasn’t objectively comfortable; more theoretically comfortable. Comforting, perhaps, to have Fidds there and real with him, to be within shouting distance of many people who cared for Ford or who, at the very least, had no reason to want him dead. Summer in his home dimension. Safe. Warm.

“Anyway,” Fidds continued, murmuring into Ford’s shirt. Ford tried to reel his mind back in, to listen to whatever it was Fiddleford was talking about. “I pointed out that we both spent thirty years without no good place to sleep and you’ve been livin’ on a boat for a year on top of that. But if I was wantin’ to convince him that we’re not too good for an air mattress I should’a just come in here and snapped a picture of you, huh? Ya looked like an ad for air mattresses all snuggly in here.” Ford floundered slightly, trying to grasp hold of a response to whatever it was Fiddleford was saying. “...Mm? What?”

Fidds laughed again. He kept talking, something teasing and lighthearted. Typical Fiddleford. Then: “You’re no use.” He patted Ford’s side. “Don’t worry yourself over it.”

Ford sighed in time with the soft shhh of a car creeping by on Shermie’s street. A scrub jay called out obnoxiously from somewhere nearby. Other, gentler sounds- a leaf drifting against the tent’s roof, a cricket’s chirp, a heavily muffled peal of laughter from inside the house- filtered into Ford’s mind and out again, fading gradually into nothingness.

[novantinuum]

Interview with a Fic Writer

Tagged by @fordanoia, thank you so much! ;w;;

__

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have a total of 67 works posted on AO3. (Even more on my ancient FF.net account.)

Of these, 38 are for Steven Universe, 17 are for Gravity Falls, 8 are for Doctor Who, and 5 are for Trollhunters. (One of the Trollhunters fics and one of the Gravity Falls fics are the same story, though- it’s a crossover, ahah!)

Out of the bulk of them, most are one-shots.

What’s your total word count on AO3

271,227 words.

...damn, that’s pretty decent. Hot shit, Jen.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Oh hey, the answer I already gave above! Yeah, I’ve only written for 4 fandoms in my entire life. I’ve actually written tons more Doctor Who than I’ve posted on AO3, but it’s older fic I wrote when I was 12-18, so... not exactly up to my current standards of writing. There’s a reason I haven’t cross-posted many of those.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) Hollowed Moon (AKA the abandoned Spinel and Stevonnie one) with 2,709 kudos

2) Crack the Paragon, my long fic, with 1,398 kudos

3) Shattering Atlas with 627 kudos

4) Contact with 476 kudos

5) Bi the Way... with 279 kudos

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try my best to! I’ve made some friends before by responding back and forth in fic comments, so I always think it’s fun to engage with my readers in that way.

Fun fact: if you theorize or muse about lore in the comments of any of my fics, I will also muse about lore with you! I love discussing deep character/plot stuff, and sometimes even go in a bit deeper about my thought process while writing certain bits when people ask me about stuff.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably either Shattering Atlas (mentioned above) or The Price of Freedom, since they’re blatantly Hurt, No Comfort. Even the angstiest of most of my fics tend to suggest a light at the end of the tunnel, but those flat out END in a depressing manner, ahah. Fun to write, but... damn. You were sure goin’ through it then, huh Jen? Pat pat. XD

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

I have posted a single crossover- the start of a Gravity Falls/Trollhunters fusion sort of thing where teen Stanley ends up becoming the trollhunter, and meets Blinky and Arrrgghh. I got 4 chapters and about 15K in before I got sucked into Steven Universe hell, so I never continued it. Wrote a pretty bomb ass fight scene for it, though.

(I co-wrote one other crossover when I was a teen with some friends at a sleepover- it was the most Wild Dumb Bullshit ever, pretty much throwing Spiderman and Sherlock and Bilbo Baggins and the Doctor into a room together and locking the door. @yourstylishmom I know you know what I’m talking about, uhsndghjdj w h e e z e)

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not that I can recall. The only strange comments I’ve gotten have been like... people debating about Spinel in the comments thread of Hollowed Moon...? That was bizarre. More amusing than anything, though.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I mean, I HAVE written smut before. Your typical kinky bullshit. Have I posted it, though? No. Will I ever? No. It’s for my eyes, and my eyes only.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I did do a lot of Fiddauthor RP with @the-ill-doctor back in my Gravity Falls era! Those were some lovely times. ;w; <3 A portion of those RPs have been shared in a fic format, too--> The Time We Lost, the Time We Mended

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I don’t exactly have ONE all-time favorite, but the only ones I’ve ever sat down and created genuine content for are the Doctor/Clara Oswald, Ford/Fiddleford, and Steven/Connie.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hmmm. Second Skin. There’s only two more short chapters I need to write, but I kinda started writing that as a vent fic, and... I’m (thankfully) not in that mindset anymore.

What are your writing strengths?

I like to think that I write pretty decent character dialogue, and have a knack for capturing the voices of at least a few of ‘em. Some are definitely easier than others, though! Steven, Amethyst, and Greg tend to be the easiest for me when writing SU fic. And back in my Gravity Falls days, I found it easiest to write Ford and Stan.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I don’t know how to write fluff. I don’t understand romance. I technically understand the CONCEPT of it, but I have never myself experienced what I would consider true romantic attraction, so I have no clue what that experience feels like. I tried writing romance once in Ticklish, a teen Steven/Connie fic, but I to this day have no idea if this is what it’s actually LIKE. XD

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don’t really have any opinion on this, truth be told. I’ve never really run into this in the fic I read- but I’m guessing it shows up in plenty of anime fandoms.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who! That was the first fandom I read a fic for, too. If we’re counting unpublished fic that we wrote before we understood the concept of fanfiction, though... then the game Blinx the Time Sweeper *wheeze*

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

1) Crack the Paragon. It’s certainly the longest, most recent fic I’ve worked on- and I like to think the character work I’ve dug into with that is pretty neat.

2) Contact. This is the first true finished multichapter SU fic I have, and I think it’s cool to finally look back on this project as a cohesive short story, and be proud of myself for seeing it to the end.

__

Tagging (if you’re super bored and would like a fun thing to do) fellow writers:

@mimik-u, @fanfoolishness, @infriga, @abel-quartz, @endae

[nour386]

A Picnic In the Woods

Stanford And Fiddleford have a nice day out with one another and enjoy a picnic in the Gravity falls woods. 

(also on ao3!)

This is my secret Santa Gift for @pirably who wanted some Fiddauthor fluff. nothing explicitly romantic, just the boys being happy. I hope I met your expectations!

~~~

The sun shone through the tree branches above as Stanford led the way through the woods. There was a cheerful spring in his step when he looked back and saw Fiddleford not far behind, with a picnic basket in hand. A whole day free to themselves, no anomalies to study or machines to work on. His mind ran wild with possabilities.

     ‘Perhaps we’ll find a new cryptid. Or Perhaps we’ll find a secret city of fairies and become crowned kings or maybe-’  

 Stanford was pulled out of his thoughts by a gentle pull on his shoulder.

 “You’re getting ahead of yourself.” Fiddleford smirked.

 “You don’t know that.” Stanford crossed his arms.

 “You had that look on your face. The one you have when you’re thinking of finding a magical creature.” Fiddleford pointed at his own face, making a wide-eyed look of wonder with his jaw hanging open. “Kinda like this.”

 “That’s an absurd and frankly poor imitation of-” Stanford’s statement was interrupted as a fairy flew past, leaving sparkling dust in her path; and he found himself making the exact expression.

 “You’re adorable.” Fiddleford ruffled Stanford's hair. “Come along, times a wastin’ and our lunch ain’t gonna stay warm forever.”

 “Are you saying that a brilliant inventor such as yourself hasn’t already designed a device that could not only keep meals warm for hours, but also feed the user?” Stanford asked, spreading his arms in the air.

 “Sounds to me like someone is dropping not-so-subtle hints that he’s too lazy to eat at appropriate times.” Fiddleford lowered Stanford’s left arm out of his face. He slid his hand down the researcher’s arm so that they were holding hands.

 Stanford paused, looking down to make sure he wasn’t misunderstanding what his hands were feeling. His cheeks flushed red when he saw that they were indeed holding hands. He felt Fiddleford interlace their fingers; and his cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson.

 “You-uh-I-” Stanford rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

 “You’re like a little kitten.” Fiddleford cooed. His smile grew further as he watched his boyfriend squirm under his affection.

 “How’s that? If it’s about my sneezing again-”

 “I was going to say that you’re both adorable, and easily held. Just like a little kitten.” Fiddleford pulled Stanford closer to leave a soft kiss on his forehead.

 “How could you take advantage of my distracted state in such a way, Fiddleford?” Stanford said in mock shock. “I trusted you in my vulnerability, and you treat me like this.”

 “I just realised something else that makes ya just like a kitten,” Fiddleford rolled his eyes. “You’re overly dramatic when it comes to the tiniest things.”

 “This talk of cute things reminded me of something,” Stanford said.

 “Oh do tell,” said Fiddleford.

 “I’ve been hearing rumors about creatures who are so cute that any who feast their eyes upon them are compelled to obey their every command.” Stanford spoke excitedly, there was a shine in his eye.

 “Well we can rule you out from being one of them.” Fiddleford said smugly.

 Stanford shook his head. “You were just singing my praises on my cuteness, what made you change your mind so suddenly?”

 “Oh I didn’t say that.” Fiddleford corrected. “All I’m saying is that after this morning, I don’t think you have the power of manipulating people with your cuteness.”

 “Listen, getting Stanley to leave his bed before noon is like trying to break down a wall using a sewing needle.” Stanford shrugged.

 “Anyway, you were saying something about a creature that, despite all logic, is somehow cuter than you?” Fiddleford said.

 “Hmm,” Stanford tapped his chin before snapping his fingers. “Yes! Now my informant was a gnome, so this information might not be too reliable. However I am planning a small expedition next week to find out more.”

 The pair continued to walk through the woods. Stanford happily rattled off information about the many wondrous creatures he intended to study and the potential discoveries that were waiting for them in the coming months.

 All the while Fiddleford listened intently. While he did not hold the same enthusiasm that Stanford had for the unknown, he did enjoy listening to the way Stanford’s voice sounded when he got excited,he way he’d talk faster as though all his thoughts wanted to get out at once.

 Even now, watching Stanford go on about the feuds amongst the many fairy kingdoms and how he hoped to bridge peace to (or at least document the fall out). Fiddleford felt the sheer glee that dripped from Stanford’s voice as he spoke. It was infectious, and Fiddleford found himself matching the spring in his boyfriend’s step as they walked together.

 “Oh! We’ve almost arrived.” Stanford pointed at a gap amongst the trees ahead of them.

 “Thank the Lord.” Fiddleford sighed.

 “You aren’t tired already are you?” Stanford teased.

 “I’m sorry, were you the one carrying our picnic basket the entire trek?” Fiddleford shot back.

 “I offered to carry it but you said you wanted to,” said Stanford . “You’ve no one to blame for your tiredness but yourself.”

 Fiddleford huffed. “You’ll understand when we get there.”

 The pair walked through a gap between two tall redwoods. Before them was a small clearing. A small pond sat near the centre, the rest of the ground was covered in short grass. With the sky above and the trees on the far side of the clearing provided a good amount of shade to hide away from the heat.

 “Now      this     is very picturesque.“ Fiddleford rested his hand on his hip.

 “All it needs is a hill and it’d look like every picnic in those old stories.” Stanford led the way to the shadow of the trees.

 “Knowing this place I doubt we’d be able to climb up a hill without having to answer some arbitrary number of riddles.” Fiddleford said as he followed Stanford’s lead.

 Stanford laughed. “With a mind as sharp as yours? I doubt you’d need to worry about riddles.”

 “Speaking of my sharp mind.” Fiddleford pulled on Stanford's hand, bringing his boyfriend to a stop. “I might have built something to help us with setting up our picnic.”

 “Oho?” Stanford raised his brow. “The floor is yours.”

 “Just a moment.” Fiddleford stepped forward, letting go of Stanford’s hand. This made the researcher give a small whine. Fiddleford rolled his eyes as he placed the picnic basket down on the grassy floor. He picked up a long stick from the ground beside him and walked back to Stanford's side. “Now, prepare to be amazed.”

 Stanford watched with bated breath as Fiddleford took the stick and tapped the side of the picnic basket three times. Four thin metallic arms emerged from beneath the blanket covering the basket and began to unfold it. With the blanket out of the way, Stanford could see a small robot, rectangular in shape with the aforementioned limbs connected to it. It dusted the blanket before gently laying it on the grass beside the basket. Pressing its hands against the ground, the robot lifted itself out of the basket. It rested its metallic body on the blanket and reached for the food hidden in the basket. In no time at all the robot had placed the impressive spread of food across the blanket.            

 A roast chicken was placed in the centre of the blanket, surrounded by many sandwiches. They had a variety of fillings, ranging from the simple ham and cheese to more strange, like pickles and mayonnaise.  An assortment of fruit, that had been freshly bought from the market the previous day, was placed in a small bowl in the centre of the blanket. Next to that bowl was a bag of jelly beans, as well as a pair of fizzy drinks that Fiddleford knew Stanley wouldn’t miss.

 “Pretty impressive eh?” said Fiddleford.

 Stanford was unable to answer as he stared in awe at the robot that, having finished its job, neatly folded itself back into the picnic basket.

 “Hello? Stanford? You in there?” Fiddleford waved his hand in front of the researcher’s face.

 “Fiddleford, that was amazing!” Stanford jumped up and hugged his boyfriend tightly.

 “Stanford- you’re- crushin’ me-” Fiddleford coughed.

 “Oh, my apologies.” Stanford let him down with an embarrassed smile on his face. “But yes, you did an impressive job with that machine.”

 Fiddleford took a deep breath. “I’d have said you were only saying that because I was your boyfriend, if it weren’t for you almost breaking me in two.”

 “I was caught up in the moment,” Stanford said. “I was handed the opportunity to watch one of your machines in person. What was I meant to do? Give one of those painfully boring claps like they do at those golf games that Stanley skips past on TV?”

 “You might have a point. That did feel a lot more personal than just a clap.” Fiddleford tapped his chin in thought. “But a warnin’ beforehand would be preferred.”

 “That can be arranged.” Stanford grinned. “But, before we continue that discussion, how about we enjoy this spread before the ants get to them?”

 “Not magical ants I hope.” Fiddleford shuddered.

 “You’ve heard of fire ants? Well these are ice ants!” Stanford wriggled his fingers sinisterly. A cheeky smile spread across his face as he continued. “It’s said that their bite can result in frostbite and perhaps even soggy sandwiches if left out in the sun for too long.”

 “Then we better get to eating.” Fiddleford rolled his eyes, taking a seat on the blanket.

 Stanford stayed standing for a moment. Choosing to savour the sight of Fidddleford sitting in the shade of the trees with a small smile on his face. His golden brown hair shone in the flakes of sun that made it through the branches of the trees that towered above. The engineer was reaching for a sandwich before he realised that he was alone on the blanket. He looked up at Stanford and sighed.

 “You shoulda brought your camera.” Fiddleford said. “A picture would last much longer.”

 “Now where would the fun be in that?” Stanford sat opposite his boyfriend.

 “The fun would be in eatin’ before those ‘ice ants’ get to your food.” Fiddleford threw a sandwich at Stanford.

 “Fine fine.” Stanford chuckled. He unwrapped the sandwich before checking the filling. “Ugh, did you grab any random combination of ingredients from the kitchen and put them together?”

 “Only for a couple of them.” Fiddleford smiled. Leaning forward, Stanford caught a peak at FIddleford’s sandwich and recognised pickle slices and mayonnaise poking out of the bread. “Makes this into a fun little game of sandwich roulette.”

 “Either that, or I have to seriously consider buying you a cookbook.” Stanford sighed. He took another bite of his sandwich. It had a thick slice of cheese between two different flavoured spreads of jam. It was a curious mix of sweet and savoury, but not as bad as he was expecting.

 The pair sat together, enjoying the warm afternoon, chatting idly as they ate. They tossed the sandwiches back and forth, daring one another to try out the strange combinations that Fiddleford had concocted. The pair laughed at the way their faces twisted with disgust after a biting into the sandwiches. From sardines and jelly to cucumbers and cheese, the pair passed around the strange flavours before moving on to the main course of their picnic.

 While Fiddleford had been proud of the terrible sandwich flavours had concocted, he also knew the value of providing a real meal. He handed Stanford a knife to cut up the chicken, while he prepared the proper sandwiches for them. A quick spread of mayonnaise on a clean slice of bread along with a generous cut of chicken made a simple but tasty chicken sandwich. With Stanford’s nod of approval, Fiddleford made a couple more before digging in himself.

 Having finished their lunch, the pair lied back on the now empty blanket and enjoyed the stiff breeze that was blowing through the clearing. They watched the clouds, or Stanford did at least; he had one hand in the bag of jelly brands and the other gently holding Fiddleford’s hand. The engineer rested his head on his free arm and listened to Stanford talk about the different clouds types, and how the many different anomalies viewed them. How some clan of trolls saw storm clouds as warning from ancient giants and would hide themselves underground. Despite his best efforts to stay attentive, the comfort that came from Stanford's voice, the warm sun and his full belly, made him succumb to his drowsiness. Fiddleford gave a small yawn before falling to sleep.                  Stanford's eyelids felt heavy. He rolled over to find Fiddleford snoring softly. With a small smile, Stanford wriggled closer to his boyfriend so that their foreheads were resting against one another. Feeling a little bit cheeky, he gave a small peck on Fiddleford’s nose.

 ‘A short nap won’t hurt,’ he thought, before letting himself fall asleep.

 ~~

I’d like to thank my beta reader @introvert-no-chameleon for their awesome work with helping me fix my grammar.

[marsofthestarzz]

I’m curious..

What are your fiddauthor head canons? Or just head canons for Fidds and Ford in general? :))

:O I thought someone would never ask!

I have many and I mean many but I'll start small

When I think of what pet names they would use for each other I think that Ford would kinda keep it simple with the occasional 'dear' and 'honey'. But with Fidds he goes all out with the cutest and most country sounding names of all time like 'honey bunches' or 'sugar pie'.

Also I like to believe that Ford is very ace and Fidds respects him and wants him to be comfortable at all times so they share the best cuddle moments (and Fiddleford is big spoon nothing can change my mind)

They also have a child pet raccoon that sleeps in bed with them

I'd love to share more but I dont wanna make it too long but thanks for asking I've been itching to share this :D

[fungus-amongus00]

I’m happy to hear you’re doing Fiddauthor drabble requests! If you want to, could you do like a bittersweet moment of college Fidds and Ford where Ford is kinda talking about what happened with the science fair and how Ford misses him but also doesn’t miss him. And like Mcgucket understanding and stuff? If not, that’s supes okay. <3

Of course! I love writing those sweet moments between them with a bit of sad ^^ Thanks for the ask! Prompts are always welcome!

Stanford was quieter than usual. Now, that was mostly how his demeanor was. He thought more inwards, always thinking up stuff in his head while Fiddleford tended to be one to do most of the talking. He remembered how he was when they first moved into a dorm together, finding out they were roommates. Of course, Fiddleford had that natural charm to get anyone to talk, and that was no different for Stanford, but today was...different. No matter how hard he tried, Stanford mostly gave one word answers and kept to reading through books all day at his desk. He’d get up for meal breaks or the bathroom, but that was about it. Now, Fiddleford wasn’t one to pry into other peoples’ business, but he was starting to get concerned now. 

As he was finishing up a sandwich, Fiddleford turned in his chair, the one that inevitably squeaked everytime it swiveled, and asked, “What’s up with you today, Stanford? You’re quieter than usual. Something up?” 

When all he got was silence for a few seconds, he shrugged and started to turn his chair around when he heard a sigh from Stanford, and he finally turned around to face him. Fiddleford gasped as his eyes were rimmed red and still had a watery sheen to them like he had been trying to hold back tears all day. Once Stanford gave him a nod, he took his hand and led him to the small couch, having Stanford sit down next to him. Stanford did his usual routine when he was stressed of resting his head on Fiddleford’s shoulder, kneading his fingers against his hand. They had grown close over their time here, and Fiddleford was glad to see Stanford trusted him enough to cuddle up to him. 

“It’s...well, it’s the day I cut ties with my brother, Stanley. I guess I just have a lot of memories coming back, and I feel conflicted,” he mumbled, snuggling closer to Fiddleford. He tensed when he could remember the exact expression on Stanley’s face. He could practically feel the hurt in his eyes. “You see, he...pretty much ruined my chances at getting into my dream school. Sure, it was going to be far away: on the other side of the country, but it had everything that I wanted. I had a real chance of getting in with my science fair project, and...he went and ruined it, so I had to go to this school instead.” He cleared his throat at that remark since Fiddleford was right next to him. “I mean, I have no regrets on going to this school and meeting you! Meeting you has been one of the greatest moments of my life, but still...I think about how my future could’ve gone, and I get mad both at myself and Stanley. I didn’t talk to him at all after that incident. I kept to my room and my studies and moved out here as soon as I was accepted.” 

Fiddleford listened, nodding along from time to time, but not making any sound to interrupt him. Stanford rarely talked about his past like this, and he didn’t want to ruin that. This was a good step forward after all. This school had been one of Fiddleford’s only choices because of the low tuition. 

“I still feel conflicted about how it ended up. Sometimes, I feel like I should’ve at least said goodbye to him when I moved out...just something. He’s still my brother, and we were super close as kids, but...that incident just shattered something inside of me. It was my dreams getting crushed inside of me, and it was because of him. I know I’m not ready to see him again. The wound is still fresh but...I dunno. That’s why I end up getting depressed around this date. It’s like my mind will always remember and remind me no matter how much I want to forget,” Stanford said with a sniffle. Even now, it felt like shards of broken glass were moving around in his chest. He glanced up when Fiddleford gave his arm a squeeze, seeing his usual, bright smile. 

“Yeah, I understand. It’s tough when someone you really cared about ends up hurting you. You feel betrayed and alone, and you have every right to be mad about it, Stanford. When you’re ready to forgive him, you’ll know. You gotta give yourself time to move on and process, and if you never want to see him again, that’s your choice, but you still sound pretty conflicted about it, so don’t rush into it, okay?” Fiddleford leaned down to kiss his temple softly, knowing that tended to ground him a bit when he was spiraling. 

Stanford managed a slight smile and leaned into him more, resting his head against his chest. There were many nights that they spent just doing this: the smell of Fiddleford, the must of the dorm room, and sometimes the night air if it was warm enough to have the window open. There was something about that sweet voice of his that made him feel at ease. It was a voice he could trust, and sometimes, he needed that bit of advice when his mind was in too much of a panic to make it on its own. 

“Yeah, I’ll give it time. Thanks, Fiddleford.” With a hint of a blush, he leaned up to peck his lips. “Can we just...stay like this for a bit longer? It’s really calming, and I think that’s exactly what I need right now.” 

“Sure, Stanford. We can stay like this for as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere,” Fiddleford assured, combing a hand through his hair methodically. For a long while, the only sounds were their even breathing and the slight rattling of the ten year old ceiling fan.

[stonfordpines]

a snippet of a fiddauthor i’m trying to write

-

Fiddleford Hadron McGucket was his best friend. they’ve been there for each other at all highs and lows. between the nights where one of them had too much to drink and the days where they aced a test they’ve put hours upon hours of effort into. ford wasn’t smitten to incoherent babble at the mere thought of this man, it was quite the opposite. he could talk freely, thoughts pouring out of his mouth, allowing the vulnerability of being stupid sometimes to be seen. a horrendously addicting drug, it of itself. he could say something like “how many O’s are in mississippi” amidst all-nighters completely seriously but be able to laugh until his sides hurt when Fiddleford points it out. he didn’t feel like he had to hide away, overcompensate with his brilliance, convince Fiddleford he was still a genius as claimed. he could simply be himself.

[snekatiegf]

The McGucket Residence

Ford, Fiddleford, and Tate interactions with a little Fiddauthor

Summary: The Pines family is back for the Summer, but with the Mystery Shack being occupied, they need a new place to stay, so Ford makes a visit to McGucket.

Pairings: A little bit of Fiddauthor- as a treat

Warnings: A confrontation of sorts

Characters: Ford, Tate, Fiddleford

Ford rang the doorbell, and could hear the faint jingle from inside the house, as well as the whirring of mechanical workings from whatever modifications Fiddleford had added to the bell. Ford visited this place once before but he still feels quite inadequate next to the doors of the mansion. The house was huge. He had no idea how the Northwests could have been at all happy here. Now Fiddleford owns the place and Ford hears it's a much warmer, happier spot. He rents out rooms for cheap and he has many people coming and going at nearly all times of the day- humans and creatures alike.

It was Tate who opened the doors and he was already talking, as if he was tired of repeating this same thing for visitors. "No need to ring, you can come in anytime-" he faltered when he realised who was standing in front of him. "Oh, you're back. I'm guessin' you're here for my dad? Also, for future reference, Dr. Pines, you can just come right in."

"Right, of course," Ford replied. Tate stepped back and Ford walked into the house. Tate closed the door behind him and began to lead him to the main room. "Also, you know you can call me Ford, Tate."

"I know, it's just…"

"It's been a long time, I know."

Tate said nothing, and instead stopped by the entrance of a large room.

"You can wait here for dad," he said, motioning inside. The room held several couches and chairs, and a coffee table, a large tv screen, and several beanbags. There was a fireplace built into one wall but was currently unlit, and on the mantle were a whole lot of photo frames.

Around the room lounged a variety of the manor's other residents. A couple of gnomes lounged on the beanbags, watching some movie on the tv. A lone manotaur was dozing on a chair, and abandoned magazine on his lap. A couple of fairies flitted up by the ceiling, casting colorful light on everyone below. Wax Larry King's head sat on the coffee table with a bowl of M&M's beside him. The Multibear lay curled up and half asleep in the corner of the room. Ford was quite impressed with the lineup of creatures in here.

"Jeff, do you think you can get my dad?" The gnome frowned but nodded, standing up and jogging out of the room. Ford called a quick thank you to the small man before turning to examine the photographs above the fireplace.

In each one was Fiddleford with at least one other person, Tate mostly, but there were a couple of him with a variety of mythical creatures, a group photo of the twins' thirteenth birthday, and two that Ford noticed was with him.

One was from last year before he and Stan had left for the arctic, taken at the birthday party. Ford had been talking to Dan Corduroy- he hadn't seen the man in years and although he knew that he didn't remember him (Fiddleford and his Blind Eye had seen to that), it was still nice to catch up on what the lumberjack had been doing for the past thirty or so years. Fiddleford had unexpectedly leapt onto him and Ford had barely managed to catch him, but they had both gone tumbling to the ground. Mabel had managed to capture the moment. In the photo, Ford, looking shocked, was on the ground with both arms wrapped around Fiddleford, who had a huge grin on his face.

Ford had to smile once he saw the photo, but the next one just made him feel a bit sad. It was an old Polaroid from college. Fiddleford had taken it- it was a picture of him with his arm slung over Ford's shoulder. Ford had a book in front of him and a frustrated look, proving that this photo had been taken against his will. He wasn't sure when exactly this was taken, but it was amazing that Fiddleford had it still, especially after everything that had happened to him.

"Stan gave him that one, right before you two left," Tate explained from behind him. "He said he found it and a couple others when he was clearing out the Shack."

Ford nodded. He knew what Tate was talking about- he had been there helping when Stan had recovered a box of old photographs from the lab. He had given the box to Ford, but Ford wasn't aware that he had passed some to Fiddleford as well. He grabbed the frame and held it closer, examine it with a small smile. How long ago this had been. He turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"He's gotten much better, you know," Tate told him. Ford tilted his head quizzically. "I mean, I know you've been callin' and sendin' your letters back and forth, and you saw him at New Years, but I thought you might want to hear from another source."

"Thank you, Tate," Ford said, smiling at the young man. Tate nodded but his face shifted into something much more serious.

"You're lucky he forgave you so easily. If it were me, I doubt I would have done the same," he said. "Now, I'm willin' to give you another chance, especially after all you've done to save the town, and I can tell you really do feel bad about what happened. But you better watch your back if anything goes wrong while you're here. You and your family are good at meddlin'- I've seen your folks get into a whole lotta dangerous situations in this town."

"Of course, Tate," Ford said. "I care about Fiddleford deeply. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I ever ended up hurting him again. He deserves the best in the world."

Tate gave him a small smile, lifting his hat slightly in a rare show of his eyes. "You better be the best in the world then, because he cares a lot about you, too." He pushed his hat back down and stepped back. "Seriously, though, keep an eye on those kids of yours. They're good at gettin' into trouble. They had a run-in with that island beast last summer, even though I warned them not to go."

Ford sighed, picking at the friendship bracelet on his wrist, a gift from Mabel. "That is true. Unfortunately, I can't always be there for them. But they lasted most of the summer on their own before I returned. I trust they can take care of themselves." He turned back towards the photos, eyes landing on the group photo at last year's party. Ford and Stan stood in the back with their arms around each others shoulders. "Plus, they've got Stan too. He's been keeping them closer, when he can. He's worried he might lose them again."

"I can tell you missed him," Tate said. "I only saw you once and twice before you two left, but I can tell you're much more content. And I've read some of your letters to dad- you guys seem to be having the time of your lives."

"Yeah, well, nothing is perfect," Ford replied. "There's still the nightmares, and Stan's memory lapses occasionally. A lot less often than before, though. And I keep hearing Bill's laughter in my head at times, but I can tune it out. Most of the time, at least. But it's so great to have Stan back, no matter what. Although, there is one thing that concerns me…"

"What is that?"

Ford glanced at the other occupants of the room. None of them seemed to be paying much attention to the pair, but he lowered his voice anyways. "A lot of the mystical beasts we've encountered seem almost… afraid of Stan, and they don't react the same way to me. It's as if they can sense something inside of him. And I don't like to think about what it might be."

"I'm sure it's fine, Dr. Pines. Besides, you've got some strong and smart people on your side. If anything happens to your brother, I don't doubt you'll be able to help him."

"Thank you, Tate."

Tate nodded. He sat on one of the empty couches and Ford moved to follow him, but then Jeff reentered with Fiddleford and he was back on his feet immediately. Ignoring the amused sound from Tate, he was by Fiddleford's side in the span of about half a second, wrapping his arms around the other man in a hug.

"Well if it ain't Stanford Pines," Fiddleford said. He pulled back and gave Ford a big grin that covered his whole face, and Ford was almost thrown off by how much the old man had changed since last year.

He bad definitely been a little different when Ford had seen him last in December. Then, he had had his beard trimmed and was wearing nicer clothes, and his face had filled out more. Now, nearly half a year later, he looked even better than before. He stood up straighter, he had gained weight, he seemed to be almost shining.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ford asked.

"Well, shucks, after thirty years, six months is nothin'. How's your adventurin' been?"

"As well as chasing after dangerous monsters can go. It's good to finally be with Stan again."

"That's good to hear!" Fiddleford replied. He turned to his son. "All good Tater? I'll take it from here."

Tate nodded and stood up. He gave his dad a quick pat on the arm as he left the room.

"Now, tell me why you're visitin' my shed today," Fiddleford said. "And have you got the others with you?"

"It's just me today, the others are lodged up at the Shack. That's why I'm here, actually," Ford said. "Soos and Melody are more than happy to let us stay there for the summer, but there's not nearly enough room for all of us. I was wondering if we can spend the summer here."

"Of course! You don't even hafta ask! I'm sure I've got four open rooms."

"Well, Dipper and Mabel will want to share, so make that three."

"Even better! Bring your folks right now and I can get 'em settled in."

"Thank you, Fiddleford."