#(also with kid stan punching out a triangle and ford forming its eye via the flashlight

[nenoname]

I love about the platonic soulmate theme in Gravity Falls that its universe shows those relationships don't work magically and everything is happy all the time.

Soulmates are potential. It's up to the ones involved if it works out.

Mabel and Dipper are in a much better position, because they communicate with each other. Yes, they make assumptions, yes, they make mistakes, but that's because they're human. They care about each other, make time for each other, they compromise, they check on each other, they're friends. And they also have at least some non-destructive coping mechanisms.

Ford and Stan are their mirrors showing what happens if you don't put in the effort because you don't know how. It's not their fault that nobody taught them during their upbringing. It doesn't change that it bites them badly several times. They hurt each other, both intentionally and unintentionally. They don't communicate. They make assumptions. They let their feelings control them.

It's not until it's almost too late, after they both made mistakes in the Fearamid, that they realize they have to change things.

Lost Legends shows them having set-backs, making mistakes, and most importantly continue working on their relationship, and after their multi-dimensional adventure.

Ford shows in TBOB that he's going to learn that it's fine that he's not perfect! There and in Journal 3 that he's finding happiness in friends and family! Stan supports him and doesn't make a deal out of his mistakes, and tells him he loves him!

it being like any other bond which needs work and communication to thrive and while being important to them, they can still have meaningful connections with others!

the stan twins barely had the time to stop fighting and make up a plan but them reconciling for the briefest of moments in the fearamid was enough for them to get back into sync to con the multiverse's biggest con artist

stan's letter in tbob still always gets to me cos it's him being so caring and supportive to ford! now if only he'll let down his walls and let ford support him back....

also once again thinking about the description of soulmates in the website and that last bit really does immediately make me think of